Biblical typology
Revelation 12:13–17
Her other offspring
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.
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.
Douay–Rheims · Challoner revision · Apocalypse 12:13–17
Why this matters
The woman’s other offspring keep God’s commandments and bear witness to Jesus. This supports an ecclesial interpretation of the vision. Catholic readings also see Mary’s spiritual motherhood; the vision is not a literal biography of Mary.