That Wondrous Star

She is that bright and wondrous star
forever raised above the great wide sea
of this world, sparkling with merit,
a shining guide.

O voyager, whoever you may be,
when you find yourself in stormy seas
in danger of foundering in the tempests
and far from land, lest you sink and drown,
fix your eyes on this bright star; call out to Mary

.…

Follow here and you will never lose your way.
Appeal to her and you will never lose hope.
Think of her always and you will never stray.
With her holding you, you cannot fall.
With her protection, you cannot fear.
When she leads, you cannot tire.
With her grace you will come safely
through to journey’s end.
Then you will know for yourself
why she bears the name “Star of the Sea.”

St. Bermard of Clairvaux (1090 – 1153) was a French abbot and primary founder of the Cistercian Order. He outlined the rules for the Knights Templar and founded 164 monasteries – at his death the number of 343. He preached a faith in which the intercessor was the Virgin Mary and emphasized the importance of Lectio Divina, contemplation of the Scripture. In Dante’s “Divine Comedy” Bernard is the last guide in Paradise. (The listing in Wikipedia is quite extensive and interesting.)

 

God cannot be categorized or limited by gender but Christianity developed out of a patriarchal tradition and the Holy Trinity was envisioned as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. There is the terrifying, judgmental Father God of the Old Testament, tempered by the love of the Son/Brother/Savior, and maintained through the protection and intercession of the Holy Spirit – a somewhat androgynous and nebulous figure. These masculine figures were responsible for everything – from ideation and creation through salvation and maintenance.

But other major religions of the world have had a feminine face of God. There was Inanna, Isis, Ishtar, Tara, Kali and Shakti, among others. She filled the role of Mother, Wife, Daughter, Lover. There is a fittingness for a divine family to have the father, the mother and the child. So where is Mother in Christianity?

To satisfy these need for the divine feminine, many branches within Christianity elevated Mary to a demi-god status calling her the Mother of God. But if applied to the Holy Trinity, the feminine role is played by the Holy Spirit. He/She is the Great Comforter, the Great Friend, the Refuge. Fortunate, indeed, are those who had a loving mother in this life, and for those who were not so fortunate there is always the Star of the Sea.