The Virgin Mary in the Doctrine of the Church
The Gate of Life – The Gate of Salvation
It was said about the Virgin Mary in the Book of Ezekiel that she is the gate through which the Lord of Glory entered and went out (Ezekiel 44:2). If the Lord is life, then she is the Gate of Life. The Lord said, “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25), and He also said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). Therefore, the Virgin is the Gate of Life — the gate through which the Lord came forth, granting life to all who believe in Him.
And if the Lord is salvation — if He came as the salvation of the world, to save what was lost (Luke 19:10) — then the Virgin is the Gate of Salvation.
It is not strange that the Virgin is called “the Gate,” for the Church also was called “the Gate.” Father Jacob said of Bethel: “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven” (Genesis 28:17).
Article by His Holiness Pope Shenouda III – El-Keraza Magazine – Year Ten – Issue Twenty-Six, June 29, 1979.
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