Is Mary the Bride of God?

In Sacred Scripture, the relationship between God and the individual soul, and between God and his people, is often enough presented in terms of espousal and marriage. We see this in the prophets and in the psalms and, of course, in the Wisdom literature, especially the Song of Songs. So it is not surprising that in the case of Our Lady, who, quite literally, became the mother of God made man, she is in a certain sense the spouse of the Holy Spirit by whose creative power she became a virgin mother.

Thus it is that some spiritual writers use the expression “spouse of the Holy Spirit.” This expression is entirely in line with the description of the Holy Spirit’s relationship with her in St. Luke’s Gospel.