Models of the Church: The Marian Model

Over at The Catholic Weekly, I am giving a little tour of von Balthasar’s four models of the Church, starting with the Church of Mary the Disciple:

Mary is therefore seen as a “great sign” (Revelation 12:1) because through her, the greatest gift God could give—himself—was given to us in flesh and blood, via her “Yes”.

“Yes” is the fundamental act of the disciple. Upon that Yes hangs the entire existence of the Church and through that Yes goes the life of every Christian believer. Every time we say (and do) what God desires, we are recapitulating the Yes of Mary, the Primal Disciple, who always said Yes, no matter how hard it got.

Much more here.