Apocalypse 12

The vision of the woman clothed with the sun and of the great dragon her persecutor.

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A nd a great sign appeared in heaven: A woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. *

1.1 C A woman — The church of God. It may also, by allusion, be applied to our blessed Lady. The church is clothed with the sun, that is, with Christ: she hath the moon, that is, the changeable things of the world, under her feet: and the twelve stars with which she is crowned, are the twelve apostles: she is in labour and pain, whilst she brings forth her children, and Christ in them, in the midst of afflictions and persecutions.

1.1 The 'woman clothed with the sun' is interpreted as: (1) the Church, (2) Israel, and (3) Mary, the Mother of the Messiah.

1.2 These interpretations are not mutually exclusive but represent layers of meaning in apocalyptic symbolism.

1.3 The Marian interpretation sees Mary as the Queen of Heaven, crowned with twelve stars representing the twelve tribes/apostles.

1.4 Pius XII, Munificentissimus Deus (1950): This passage supports the doctrine of Mary's Assumption and heavenly glorification.

2 And being with child, she cried travailing in birth: and was in pain to be delivered. *

2.1 The woman's travail represents either the Church's birth-pangs in bringing forth Christ's members, or Mary's spiritual anguish at the Cross.

2.2 Traditional teaching holds that Mary's physical childbirth was painless, being free from the curse of Genesis 3:16.

3 And there was seen another sign in heaven. And behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns and on his heads seven diadems.
4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to be delivered: that, when she should be delivered, he might devour her son.
5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with an iron rod. And her son was taken up to God and to his throne. *

5.1 'A man child, who was to rule all nations with an iron rod'—this is clearly Christ, the Messiah (cf. Ps 2:9).

5.2 The woman who bears Him is therefore, in one sense, Mary—confirming the Marian interpretation of the vision.

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6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she had a place prepared by God, that there they should feed her, a thousand two hundred sixty days.
7 And there was a great battle in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon, and the dragon fought, and his angels.
8 And they prevailed not: neither was their place found any more in heaven.
9 And that great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, who seduceth the whole world. And he was cast unto the earth: and his angels were thrown down with him.
10 And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying: Now is come salvation and strength and the kingdom of our God and the power of his Christ: because the accuser of our brethren is cast forth, who accused them before our God day and night.
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11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of the testimony: and they loved not their lives unto death.
12 Therefore, rejoice, O heavens, and you that dwell therein. Woe to the earth and to the sea, because the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, knowing that he hath but a short time.
13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman who brought forth the man child.
14 And there were given to the woman two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the desert, unto her place, where she is nourished for a time and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.
15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth, after the woman, water, as it were a river: that he might cause her to be carried away by the river.
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16 And the earth helped the woman: and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed up the river which the dragon cast out of his mouth.
17 And the dragon was angry against the woman: and went to make war with the rest of her seed, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. *

17.1 'The rest of her seed'—if the woman is Mary, her other offspring are Christians, her spiritual children.

17.2 Christ gives Mary as mother to all disciples (John 19:27), making all believers her children.

18 And he stood upon the sand of the sea.