New American Standard Bible
"and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us." Romans 5:5
The above passage distinguished the "love of God" from the Holy Spirit. Both the love of God and the Holy Spirit had been given to us.
Who is the "love of God"?
Archbishop Fulton Sheen writes "Love begins with a dream".
Who is the object of God's dream whom God loved so much in eternity? The object of God's dream is a Woman. Not just an ordinary Woman, a Woman who will someday become a daughter, a Mother and a Spouse of the Triune God.
In eternity, the Triune God existed in communion of love. God is love.
1 John 4:8 New International Version (NIV)
8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
Who is the love of God in eternity?
In eternity there are only two prefigured being that is present with God. One is Jesus, existing in the bosom of the Father.
New American Standard Bible
No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.(John1:18)
And the other is Mary the chosen Woman, whom Archbishop Fulton Sheen said existed as "Eternal Thought" of God, because God who is Love, had begun to dream. God had dreamt to possess a creature as the object of His love. God greatest commandment to a creature is;
…26“What is written in the Law?” Jesus replied. “How do you read it?” 27He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’ and ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Luke 10:26-27)
Who is the love of God in eternity? Love begins with a dream, and God dreamt of a creature that would love Him with all of her heart, with all of her soul, with all of her strength and with all of her mind...and a creature that would fulfill His greatest commandment written in every man's heart.
The answer is, Mary is the "Eternal Thought" of God, the "love of God" in eternity, and in eternity God desire to have His dream, to experience the love of a chosen creature.
Creation is an act of love, and in order for God to realize His dream, God had to create first the Heaven & Earth.
"Creation is an act of love by which the world can emerge from nothingness." - Apostolic Letter: Proclaiming Saint Hildegard of Bingen, professed nun of the Order of Saint Benedict, a Doctor of the Universal Church
BENEDICTUS PP. XVI
Creation is an "act of love" from God who is love, and the God who dreamt to be love, although God already existed in communion of love being a Triune God. This Triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit dream to be love by a chosen creature from the eternity, the chosen creature is a Woman.
The chosen Woman is the "love of God", the only creature besides the God-Man Jesus Christ who had fulfilled the greatest commandment of God in John 1:18.
The Greatest Commandment
…36*“Teacher, which commandment is the greatest in the Law?” 37Jesus declared, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38This is the first and greatest commandment* Matthew22:36-38)
In eternity, the Triune God had chosen Mary the Woman and bestowed upon Her all the greatest gifts to fulfill the Greatest Commandment.
Mary became the "beloved daughter" of God the Father.
Mary became the "beloved Mother" of the Begotten Son Jesus Christ.
Mary became the "beloved Spouse" of the Holy Spirit.
Who is the "love of God"? Mary became the "beloved of God". Going back to our verse in Romans 5:5
New American Standard Bible
"and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us." Romans 5:5
Who is the love of God?
Mary is the love of God that had been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
Truly, Mary and the Holy Spirit are mystically united and their intimate union cannot be fathom by a finite creature.
Since, Mary is the "love of God" that God had dreamt in eternity and is now present in the hearts of all the redeemed. Mary is truly our Mother in the order of grace, because the "love of God" that had been poured out to us is no other than the Maternal Love of Mary.
Mary is the "love of God", the Mother of all the redeemed in the order of grace.- Mary, Our Mother in the Order of Grace
The agonizing Jesus At the Foot of the Cross, has fulfilled His promise to all the Apostles and believers;
I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. (John 14:18)
Jesus At the Foof of the Cross, said to Mary in the presence of St. John and other Mary's who are fulfilling the Will of the Father to "Behold the Son" in John 6:40.
New American Standard Bible
"For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day."
Mary is the only creature who perfectly fulfilled the Will of the Father to "Behold the Son" and uttering Her Second Fiat in answer to Jesus call;
"Woman, Behold thy son." (John 19:26)
What are the biblical references and Catholic Church teachings that supported the phrase “Mary is God's dream”?
In summary the verses are the following;
Romans 5:5
1 John 4:8
John 1:18
Luke 1:26-27
Apostolic Letter of Pope Benedict XVI proclaiming St.Hildegard on "Creation is an act of love"
Matthew 22:36-38
John 14:18
John 19:26
Understanding all this verses by pondering it in our hearts like how Mary ponder's in Luke 2:19 and Luke 2:51, we will arrive in the beautiful understanding of the meaning, why Mary is God's dream in eternity.