Dear friends, a happy feast of Our Mother Mary's birth to you all.

One of St. Louis Montfort's epic works is titled "The love of Eternal Wisdom". As expected from this great Saint, the work is permeated by a profound Mariology while remaining thoroughly Christocentric. But there was something in it that piqued my curiosity.

"Eternal Wisdom" in the title refers to passages in Scripture, traditionally understood primarily of Christ. There are many passages, in the Book of Wisdom, in Ecclesiasticus or Sirach, in Proverbs and other Old Testament passages where Wisdom is personified. On one hand, these passages attribute great powers to Wisdom, which suggest it should be understood of Christ Our Lord, on the other, Wisdom is personified as a Woman, which suggests it could be understood of Our dear Lady. St. Montfort cites many of these passages, sometimes as referring to Mary, at other times as referring to Christ. Such an understanding also seems suggested by Tradition and the liturgy, although I'm not sure of this.

How are we to understand these passages in Holy Writ according to the mind of the Church? Do they refer to Jesus, to Mary, or to both? If they are also understood to refer to Mary, then in what sense can Mary be called Wisdom? One easily understands that Jesus is the Wisdom of God, since He is one with God the Father and inseparable from His essence. St. Paul calls Him the Wisdom of God, and St. John the Logos. Tradition understands this in the same way, the attributes of God, says St. Thomas, are identical with His essence. Thus, Jesus is called the Wisdom of God, because He is God.

This being so, in what secondary sense, again, can Mary be called Wisdom? Or should these passages not be understood of Our Blessed Lady at all? Passages such as these for instance,

Ecclus [24]:[24] I am the mother of fair love, and of fear, and of knowledge, and of holy hope. [25] In me is all grace of the way and of the truth, in me is all hope of life and of virtue.

[26] Come over to me, all ye that desire me, and be filled with my fruits. [27] For my spirit is sweet above honey, and my inheritance above honey and the honeycomb. [28] My memory is unto everlasting generations.