Liturgical Year
Part 5 Saints
Chapter 52 Mary
Preliminary Questions
Do you have a special devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary? Are there prayers to her that you say daily? Which of her feasts do you enjoy most? In what ways do you express your devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary? Do you think the Second Vatican Council has caused a lessening of devotion to Mary? Why or why not? Describe the way you feel about her role in your salvation.
What have you been taught about Mariology? Have you taken a theology course on Mary? Where can you find current Church teaching on the role of the Blessed Virgin Mary? What do we celebrate on the Immaculate Conception? Which Marian feast is oldest?
Bibliography
1974 Feb 02 Pope Paul Vi, Marialis Cultus, Apostolic Exhortation for the Right Ordering and Development of Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Text available in English at http://www.papalencyclicals.net/Paul06/p6marial.htm
Guidelines for devotion to the Blessed Virgin (Marian devotions should be TRINITARIAN and CHRISTOLOGICAL in focus and must follow guidelines from SCRIPTURE, LITURGY, ECUMENISM, AND ANTHROPOLOGY. General Principle regarding Veneration of Saints: "Victorious grace of the one Redeemer and Mediator, Jesus Christ, has taken VISIBLE, EFFECTIVE, FORM in one of church’s members." (A. Adam)
Pope John Paul II, Redemptoris Mater, Encyclical Letter, March 25, 1987
Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy, December 2001. (Available on line at the Vatican Web Site at http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccdds/documents/rc_con_ccdds_doc_20020513_vers-direttorio_en.html See especially Chapter V: VENERATION OF THE BLESSED MOTHER OF OUR LORD (183-207)
2002 Oct 16 John Paul II, Rosarium Virginis Mariae, Apostolic Letter on the Most Holy Rosary, can be found at http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_letters/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_20021016_rosarium-virginis-mariae_en.html
http://www.papalencyclicals.net/Paul06/p6marial.htm
Vatican II. Constitution on the Liturgy
102. Holy Mother Church is conscious that she must celebrate the saving work of her divine Spouse by devoutly recalling it on certain days throughout the course of the year. Every week, on the day which she has called the Lord's day, she keeps the memory of the Lord's resurrection, which she also celebrates once in the year, together with His blessed passion, in the most solemn festival of Easter.
Within the cycle of a year, moreover, she unfolds the whole mystery of Christ, from the incarnation and birth until the ascension, the day of Pentecost, and the expectation of blessed hope and of the coming of the Lord.
Recalling thus the mysteries of redemption, the Church opens to the faithful the riches of her Lord's powers and merits, so that these are in some way made present for all time, and the faithful are enabled to lay hold upon them and become filled with saving grace.
103. In celebrating this annual cycle of Christ's mysteries, holy Church honors with especial love the Blessed Mary, Mother of God, who is joined by an inseparable bond to the saving work of her Son. In her the Church holds up and admires the most excellent fruit of the redemption, and joyfully contemplates, as in a faultless image, that which she herself desires and hopes wholly to be.
104. The Church has also included in the annual cycle days devoted to the memory of the martyrs and the other saints. Raised up to perfection by the manifold grace of God, and already in possession of eternal salvation, they sing God's perfect praise in heaven and offer prayers for us. By celebrating the passage of these saints from earth to heaven the Church proclaims the paschal mystery achieved in the saints who have suffered and been glorified with Christ; she proposes them to the faithful as examples drawing all to the Father through Christ, and through their merits she pleads for God's favors.
Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, CHAPTER VIII THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, MOTHER OF GOD IN THE MYSTERY OF CHRIST AND THE CHURCH
I. Introduction
52. Wishing in His supreme goodness and wisdom to effect the redemption of the world, "when the fullness of time came, God sent His Son, born of a woman, ..that we might receive the adoption of sons".(283) "He for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit from the Virgin Mary."(1*) This divine mystery of salvation is revealed to us and continued in the Church, which the Lord established as His body. Joined to Christ the Head and in the unity of fellowship with all His saints, the faithful must in the first place reverence the memory "of the glorious ever Virgin Mary, Mother of our God and Lord Jesus Christ".(2*)
53. The Virgin Mary, who at the message of the angel received the Word of God in her heart and in her body and gave Life to the world, is acknowledged and honored as being truly the Mother of God and Mother of the Redeemer. Redeemed by reason of the merits of her Son and united to Him by a close and indissoluble tie, she is endowed with the high office and dignity of being the Mother of the Son of God, by which account she is also the beloved daughter of the Father and the temple of the Holy Spirit. Because of this gift of sublime grace she far surpasses all creatures, both in heaven and on earth. At the same time, however, because she belongs to the offspring of Adam she is one with all those who are to be saved. She is "the mother of the members of Christ . . . having cooperated by charity that faithful might be born in the Church, who are members of that Head."(3*) Wherefore she is hailed as a pre-eminent and singular member of the Church, and as its type and excellent exemplar in faith and charity. The Catholic Church, taught by the Holy Spirit, honors her with filial affection and piety as a most beloved mother.
54. Wherefore this Holy Synod, in expounding the doctrine on the Church, in which the divine Redeemer works salvation, intends to describe with diligence both the role of the Blessed Virgin in the mystery of the Incarnate Word and the Mystical Body, and the duties of redeemed mankind toward the Mother of God, who is mother of Christ and mother of men, particularly of the faithful. It does not, however, have it in mind to give a complete doctrine on Mary, nor does it wish to decide those questions which the work of theologians has not yet fully clarified. Those opinions therefore may be lawfully retained which are propounded in Catholic schools concerning her, who occupies a place in the Church which is the highest after Christ and yet very close to us.(4*)
II. The Role of the Blessed Mother in the Economy of Salvation
55. The Sacred Scriptures of both the Old and the New Testament, as well as ancient Tradition show the role of the Mother of the Saviour in the economy of salvation in an ever clearer light and draw attention to it. The books of the Old Testament describe the history of salvation, by which the coming of Christ into the world was slowly prepared. These earliest documents, as they are read in the Church and are understood in the light of a further and full revelation, bring the figure of the woman, Mother of the Redeemer, into a gradually clearer light. When it is looked at in this way, she is already prophetically foreshadowed in the promise of victory over the serpent which was given to our first parents after their fall into sin.(284) Likewise she is the Virgin who shall conceive and bear a son, whose name will be called Emmanuel.(285) She stands out among the poor and humble of the Lord, who confidently hope for and receive salvation from Him. With her the exalted Daughter of Sion, and after a long expectation of the promise, the times are fulfilled and the new Economy established, when the Son of God took a human nature from her, that He might in the mysteries of His flesh free man from sin.
56. The Father of mercies willed that the incarnation should be preceded by the acceptance of her who was predestined to be the mother of His Son, so that just as a woman contributed to death, so also a woman should contribute to life. That is true in outstanding fashion of the mother of Jesus, who gave to the world Him who is Life itself and who renews all things, and who was enriched by God with the gifts which befit such a role. It is no wonder therefore that the usage prevailed among the Fathers whereby they called the mother of God entirely holy and free from all stain of sin, as though fashioned by the Holy Spirit and formed as a new creature.(5*) Adorned from the first instant of her conception with the radiance of an entirely unique holiness, the Virgin of Nazareth is greeted, on God's command, by an angel messenger as "full of grace",(286) and to the heavenly messenger she replies: "Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done unto me according to thy word".(287) Thus Mary, a daughter of Adam, consenting to the divine Word, became the mother of Jesus, the one and only Mediator. Embracing God's salvific will with a full heart and impeded by no sin, she devoted herself totally as a handmaid of the Lord to the person and work of her Son, under Him and with Him, by the grace of almighty God, serving the mystery of redemption. Rightly therefore the holy Fathers see her as used by God not merely in a passive way, but as freely cooperating in the work of human salvation through faith and obedience. For, as St. Irenaeus says, she "being obedient, became the cause of salvation for herself and for the whole human race."(6*) Hence not a few of the early Fathers gladly assert in their preaching, "The knot of Eve's disobedience was untied by Mary's obedience; what the virgin Eve bound through her unbelief, the Virgin Mary loosened by her faith."(7*) Comparing Mary with Eve, they call her "the Mother of the living,"(8*) and still more often they say: "death through Eve, life through Mary."(9*)
57. This union of the Mother with the Son in the work of salvation is made manifest from the time of Christ's virginal conception up to His death it is shown first of all when Mary, arising in haste to go to visit Elizabeth, is greeted by her as blessed because of her belief in the promise of salvation and the precursor leaped with joy in the womb of his mother.(288) This union is manifest also at the birth of Our Lord, who did not diminish His mother's virginal integrity but sanctified it,(10*) when the Mother of God joyfully showed her firstborn Son to the shepherds and Magi. When she presented Him to the Lord in the temple, making the offering of the poor, she heard Simeon foretelling at the same time that her Son would be a sign of contradiction and that a sword would pierce the mother's soul, that out of many hearts thoughts might be revealed.(289) When the Child Jesus was lost and they had sought Him sorrowing, His parents found Him in the temple, taken up with the things that were His Father's business; and they did not understand the word of their Son. His Mother indeed kept these things to be pondered over in her heart.(290)
58. In the public life of Jesus, Mary makes significant appearances. This is so even at the very beginning, when at the marriage feast of Cana, moved with pity, she brought about by her intercession the beginning of miracles of Jesus the Messiah.(291) In the course of her Son's preaching she received the words whereby in extolling a kingdom beyond the calculations and bonds of flesh and blood, He declared blessed(292) those who heard and kept the word of God, as she was faithfully doing.(293) After this manner the Blessed Virgin advanced in her pilgrimage of faith, and faithfully persevered in her union with her Son unto the cross, where she stood, in keeping with the divine plan,(294) grieving exceedingly with her only begotten Son, uniting herself with a maternal heart with His sacrifice, and lovingly consenting to the immolation of this Victim which she herself had brought forth. Finally, she was given by the same Christ Jesus dying on the cross as a mother to His disciple with these words: "Woman, behold thy son".(295) (11*)
59. But since it has pleased God not to manifest solemnly the mystery cf the salvation of the human race before He would pour forth the Spirit promised by Christ, we see the apostles before the day of Pentecost "persevering with one mind in prayer with the women and Mary the Mother of Jesus, and with His brethren",(296) and Mary by her prayers imploring the gift of the Spirit, who had already overshadowed her in the Annunciation. Finally, the Immaculate Virgin, preserved free from all guilt of original sin,(12*) on the completion of her earthly sojourn, was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory,(13*) and exalted by the Lord as Queen of the universe, that she might be the more fully conformed to her Son, the Lord of Lords(297) and the conqueror of sin and death.(l4*)
III. On the Blessed Virgin and the Church
60. There is but one Mediator as we know from the words of the apostle, "for there is one God and one mediator of God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a redemption for all".(298) The maternal duty of Mary toward men in no wise obscures or diminishes this unique mediation of Christ, but rather shows His power. For all the salvific influence of the Blessed Virgin on men originates, not from some inner necessity, but from the divine pleasure. It flows forth from the superabundance of the merits of Christ, rests on His mediation, depends entirely on it and draws all its power from it. In no way does it impede, but rather does it foster the immediate union of the faithful with Christ.
61. Predestined from eternity by that decree of divine providence which determined the incarnation of the Word to be the Mother of God, the Blessed Virgin was in this earth the virgin Mother of the Redeemer, and above all others and in a singular way the generous associate and humble handmaid of the Lord. She conceived, brought forth and nourished Christ. she presented Him to the Father in the temple, and was united with Him by compassion as He died on the Cross. In this singular way she cooperated by her obedience, faith, hope and burning charity in the work of the Saviour in giving back supernatural life to souls. Wherefore she is our mother in the order of grace.
62. This maternity of Mary in the order of grace began with the consent which she gave in faith at the Annunciation and which she sustained without wavering beneath the cross, and lasts until The eternal fulfillment of all the elect. Taken up to heaven she did not lay aside this salvific duty, but by her constant intercession continued to bring us the gifts of eternal salvation.(15*) By her maternal charity, she cares for the brethren of her Son, who still journey on earth surrounded by dangers and cultics, until they are led into the happiness of their true home. Therefore the Blessed Virgin is invoked by the Church under the titles of Advocate, Auxiliatrix, Adjutrix, and Mediatrix.(16*) This, however, is to be so understood that it neither takes away from nor adds anything to the dignity and efficaciousness of Christ the one Mediator.(17*)
For no creature could ever be counted as equal with the Incarnate Word and Redeemer. Just as the priesthood of Christ is shared in various ways both by the ministers and by the faithful, and as the one goodness of God is really communicated in different ways to His creatures, so also the unique mediation of the Redeemer does not exclude but rather gives rise to a manifold cooperation which is but a sharing in this one source.
The Church does not hesitate to profess this subordinate role of Mary. It knows it through unfailing experience of it and commends it to the hearts of the faithful, so that encouraged by this maternal help they may the more intimately adhere to the Mediator and Redeemer.
63. By reason of the gift and role of divine maternity, by which she is united with her Son, the Redeemer, and with His singular graces and functions, the Blessed Virgin is also intimately united with the Church. As St. Ambrose taught, the Mother of God is a type of the Church in the order of faith, charity and perfect union with Christ.(18*) For in the mystery of the Church, which is itself rightly called mother and virgin, the Blessed Virgin stands out in eminent and singular fashion as exemplar both of virgin and mother. (19*) By her belief and obedience, not knowing man but overshadowed by the Holy Spirit, as the new Eve she brought forth on earth the very Son of the Father, showing an undefiled faith, not in the word of the ancient serpent, but in that of God's messenger. The Son whom she brought forth is He whom God placed as the first-born among many brethren,(299) namely the faithful, in whose birth and education she cooperates with a maternal love.
64. The Church indeed, contemplating her hidden sanctity, imitating her charity and faithfully fulfilling the Father's will, by receiving the word of God in faith becomes herself a mother. By her preaching she brings forth to a new and immortal life the sons who are born to her in baptism, conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of God. She herself is a virgin, who keeps the faith given to her by her Spouse whole and entire. Imitating the mother of her Lord, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, she keeps with virginal purity an entire faith, a firm hope and a sincere charity.(20*)
65. But while in the most holy Virgin the Church has already reached that perfection whereby she is without spot or wrinkle, the followers of Christ still strive to increase in holiness by conquering sin.(300) And so they turn their eyes to Mary who shines forth to the whole community of the elect as the model of virtues. Piously meditating on her and contemplating her in the light of the Word made man, the Church with reverence enters more intimately into the great mystery of the Incarnation and becomes more and more like her Spouse. For Mary, who since her entry into salvation history unites in herself and re-echoes the greatest teachings of the faith as she is proclaimed and venerated, calls the faithful to her Son and His sacrifice and to the love of the Father. Seeking after the glory of Christ, the Church becomes more like her exalted Type, and continually progresses in faith, hope and charity, seeking and doing the will of God in all things. Hence the Church, in her apostolic work also, justly looks to her, who, conceived of the Holy Spirit, brought forth Christ, who was born of the Virgin that through the Church He may be born and may increase in the hearts of the faithful also. The Virgin in her own life lived an example of that maternal love, by which it behooves that all should be animated who cooperate in the apostolic mission of the Church for the regeneration of men.
IV. The Cult of the Blessed Virgin in the Church
66. Placed by the grace of God, as God's Mother, next to her Son, and exalted above all angels and men, Mary intervened in the mysteries of Christ and is justly honored by a special cult in the Church. Clearly from earliest times the Blessed Virgin is honored under the title of Mother of God, under whose protection the faithful took refuge in all their dangers and necessities.(21*) Hence after the Synod of Ephesus the cult of the people of God toward Mary wonderfully increased in veneration and love, in invocation and imitation, according to her own prophetic words: "All generations shall call me blessed, because He that is mighty hath done great things to me".(301) This cult, as it always existed, although it is altogether singular, differs essentially from the cult of adoration which is offered to the Incarnate Word, as well to the Father and the Holy Spirit, and it is most favorable to it. The various forms of piety toward the Mother of God, which the Church within the limits of sound and orthodox doctrine, according to the conditions of time and place, and the nature and ingenuity of the faithful has approved, bring it about that while the Mother is honored, the Son, through whom all things have their being (302) and in whom it has pleased the Father that all fullness should dwell,(303) is rightly known, loved and glorified and that all His commands are observed.
67. This most Holy Synod deliberately teaches this Catholic doctrine and at the same time admonishes all the sons of the Church that the cult, especially the liturgical cult, of the Blessed Virgin, be generously fostered, and the practices and exercises of piety, recommended by the magisterium of the Church toward her in the course of centuries be made of great moment, and those decrees, which have been given in the early days regarding the cult of images of Christ, the Blessed Virgin and the saints, be religiously observed.(22*) But it exhorts theologians and preachers of the divine word to abstain zealously both from all gross exaggerations as well as from petty narrow-mindedness in considering the singular dignity of the Mother of God.(23*) Following the study of Sacred Scripture, the Holy Fathers, the doctors and liturgy of the Church, and under the guidance of the Church's magisterium, let them rightly illustrate the duties and privileges of the Blessed Virgin which always look to Christ, the source of all truth, sanctity and piety. Let them assiduously keep away from whatever, either by word or deed, could lead separated brethren or any other into error regarding the true doctrine of the Church. Let the faithful remember moreover that true devotion consists neither in sterile or transitory affection, nor in a certain vain credulity, but proceeds from true faith, by which we are led to know the excellence of the Mother of God, and we are moved to a filial love toward our mother and to the imitation of her virtues.
V. Mary the sign of created hope and solace to the wandering people of God
68. In the interim just as the Mother of Jesus, glorified in body and soul in heaven, is the image and beginning of the Church as it is to be perfected is the world to come, so too does she shine forth on earth, until the day of the Lord shall come,(304) as a sign of sure hope and solace to the people of God during its sojourn on earth.
69. It gives great joy and comfort to this holy and general Synod that even among the separated brethren there are some who give due honor to the Mother of our Lord and Saviour, especially among the Orientals, who with devout mind and fervent impulse give honor to the Mother of God, ever virgin.(24*) The entire body of the faithful pours forth instant supplications to the Mother of God and Mother of men that she, who aided the beginnings of the Church by her prayers, may now, exalted as she is above all the angels and saints, intercede before her Son in the fellowship of all the saints, until all families of people, whether they are honored with the title of Christian or whether they still do not know the Saviour, may be happily gathered together in peace and harmony into one people of God, for the glory of the Most Holy and Undivided Trinity.
Each and all these items which are set forth in this dogmatic Constitution have met with the approval of the Council Fathers. And We by the apostolic power given Us by Christ together with the Venerable Fathers in the Holy Spirit, approve, decree and establish it and command that what has thus been decided in the Council be promulgated for the glory of God.
Given in Rome at St. Peter's on November 21, 1964.
The Roman Sacramentary
P 56 Blessed Virgin Mary I
...to give you thanks
(as we celebrate...of the Blessed Virgin Mary).
(as we honor the Blessed Virgin Mary).
Through the power of the Holy Spirit,
she became the virgin mother of your only son,
our Lord Jesus Christ,
who is for ever the light of the world.
P 57 Blessed Virgin Mary II
...to give you thanks,
and to praise you for your gifts
as we contemplate your saints in glory.
In celebrating the memory of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
it is our special joy to echo her song of thanksgiving.
What wonders you have worked throughout the world.
All generations have shared the greatness of your love.
When you looked on Mary your lowly servant,
you raised her to be the mother of Jesus Christ,
your Son, our Lord,
the savior of all.
Through him...
P 59 Assumption
Today the virgin Mother of God was taken up into heaven
to be the beginning and the pattern of the Church in its perfection,
and a sign of hope and comfort for your people on their pilgrim way.
Mary in the Liturgy
1. We pray to God. God is one. As Christians, we pray to the God to whom Jesus prayed.
1a -- The Second Council of Nicea (787) taught that the word λατρία, (latria; Latin: adoratio; English: adoration) was to be used for those acts of worship due to God alone. Everybody and everything else got something less, δουλία (dulia). Mary received a special dulia that was somewhat better than the rest, but it was still dulia and not latria. One could adore or worship God; but one did not adore or worship saints, or statues of saints, sacred trees, rocks or anything else.
1b -- I find that these distinctions of language (and thought) have been very useful, even if they have disappeared in the ordinary vocabulary of many Christians. Some Catholics find it as easy to "adore" Mary as some Protestants find it easy to condemn the "adoration" of Mary. But more importantly:
1c -- I find it regrettable that we do not have a similar distinction with regard to the words "pray" and "prayer." We pray to God. We pray to Mary. Most Christians would say that the word "pray" has a very different meaning in each of those sentences. Roman Catholics have become so accustomed to use the word "pray" with non-God persons that they don’t see much (any) difference.
2. God is greater than all that is not God. Any good quality or positive virtue that a creature possesses is a reflection of the goodness of the Creator. Creatures do not have "good qualities" that are "better than" God’s.
2a -- If Mary is compassionate, kind, understanding, merciful, mother of us all, etc. it is because the God who created her is compassionate, kind, understanding, merciful, mother of us all, etc. Anything [to put it crassly] that Mary "has" God "has" more of. Many Catholics are very comfortable calling Mary Mother of all the Living, Mother of the Church, etc., and at the same time are very uncomfortable calling God Mother.
God is the source and creator of all that is good. If in a creature we find anything good, anything holy, anything beautiful, anything tender, anything loving, anything compassionate, etc. the creature is but a "mirror" of the good, holy, beautiful, tender, loving, compassionate God who possesses these qualities infinitely more perfectly than does the creature. If Mary is mother, compassionate, loving, approachable, it is because she received these qualities from God who possess them to an infinite degree. God is infinitely more mother, more compassionate, more loving, more approachable than is Mary.
2b -- When Mary is honored (prayed to, adored, worshiped, etc.) because she has things that God doesn’t have, or that she can do things that God can’t do, we not in line with the best of Catholic tradition. [For example: "O Loving Mother, my sins are too great and numerous for a just God to forgive. I turn to you for only a loving Mother can forgive me.]
2c -- There were popular stories such as the following that were preached in the middle ages: "George was a terrible sinner, he killed, robbed, rapped, blasphemed God, but he always had a devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. And when he died, God condemned him to hell. But Mary went there and took him by the hand and let him into heaven by the back door. Therefore, be devoted to Mary and your salvation is assured."
2d -- Perhaps an analysis of what popular devotion says about the divine attributes of Mary can provide us with a clue to what is missing in our preaching and catechesis about who God is for us.
3. Mary is not God nor the fourth person of the Trinity. Elizabeth A. Johnson in part two or her excellent book Truly Our Sister: A Theology of Mary in the Communion of Saints, (The Continuum International Publishing Group Inc. 2003. ISBN 0-8264-1473-7) demonstrates that approaching Mary as "The Ideal Face of Woman (Chapter 3) or approaching Mary as "The Maternal Face of God (Chapter 4) are "culs-de-sac" (dead ends) theologically.
3a -- Trinity is perhaps the fastest developing and key area of contemporary theology. However, for many "Catholics in the pews" these developments are still unexplored. To tell many Catholics that "there were now four persons in the Trinity instead of three" would be accepted as just another change by the Vatican Council -- in fact it might be accepted more readily because it would cause less change in their life or belief. To say that Mary is not (or is) the fourth person of the Trinity doesn’t make much difference to many Catholics. They are so accustomed to paralleling God and Mary that it seems a normal part of our faith.
3b -- Care must be taken with prayers and revelations which parallel Mary and God. For example "The Request of Our Lady of Light, May 18, 1993: Dear children, Once you have been rescued from the wolf, do not return to his den...Be strong and stay faithful to the Father. I am your mother and thank you for your response."
3c -- Many of these "parallels" are so familiar to Roman Catholic Christians that they are no longer a concern. For example, we walk into a church and on the right side of the sanctuary is the "Blessed Mother Altar" and on the left side is the "Sacred Heart Altar." While the physical architecture may be parallel and symmetrical, this physical symmetry can skew the architecture of our faith.
3d -- Some of these parallels could be cause for concern, for example, the growing practice of adding the Hail Mary to the Lord’s Prayer at Mass (or substituting it for the Lord’s Prayer) at the beginning of the Communion Rite.
4. It has been my experience in 50 years of ministry that some people find Mary "more" approachable than God. It is easy to approach this situation rationally and theologically (top of the iceberg) but there are many unconscious (under the iceberg) issues at play here. To name a few: The fact that we call God Father more often than Mother. The attribution of male gender to God in our use of language and pronouns, etc. Our personal experience of motherhood or fatherhood. Our personal experience of our biological mother and our biological father. These and many more factors are at play here. It seems that one aspect of our history is that when the catholic mind pictured a god of the Greek philosophers which came to us through scholastic philosophy, God was so distant that we needed a mediator and Mary took on that role. Some who find the God of Jesus to be close and intimate do not need that type of mediation because they find it in Jesus/God.
The law of compensating for deficits. Devotion to Mary (or some other feminine figure) will be especially prominent in a religion or Church starved for the feminine. -- In an ecclesial body where liturgical ministry and theological and disciplinary authority is exercised by males, where references to the divinity presume and reinforce that God is a "he", devotion to Mary can perform a helpful balance. Mary’s voice in visions and revelations gives the Church a place where we can hear the voice of a feminine authority figure. There seems to be a relation between a person’s individual perception of male and female in their lives and the gender of a vision or apparition. Often women and children in a male dominant Church will see apparitions of a feminine figure. Individuals who live in structures in which the authority is experienced as feminine often have visions of a male figure, for example the apparitions of the Sacred Heart to Margaret Mary Alacoque. It may be an indication of the degree to which St. Francis of Assisi was comfortable with his anima (as witnessed in his Canticle of the Sun) that his visions were of the crucified Savior and not of the Blessed Mother. When God is thought of in such a way as to include the feminine, Mary is freed of that task and can be a creature. However, healthy devotion should not be based on an aberration. Perhaps if God were seen to be both Mother and Father, if the Church has a more visibly feminine face, it would be possible to evaluate devotion to Mary more objectively.
5. 5a -- Mary’s role a "first of the disciples" is especially appealing to many Christians today. The Mary who tried to follow the will of God through doubt and fear, misunderstanding and boredom is appealing to a wider range of Christians (Jews and Muslims) that the Divine Mary, Co-Redemtrix of the Human Race.
5b -- Mary’s role as "first of the disciples" is a shared belief among all Christians. Should not our Mariology foster unity among Christians? Does a Mariology which tends to divide Christians really honor Christ or Mary? Is it not best to assume that any devotion to Mary, however authentic and well meaning in itself, but which hinders the cause of Christian unity, is by that very fact not pleasing to Mary and on those grounds alone is reason should be discontinued?
5c -- Ecumenical concern should also make us cautious in our treatment of the Solemnities of the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption. ["But once they {Protestants and Romans} had gone their separate ways a different "culture" grew up on both sides, involving spirituality, the style of authority, the way of relating to the world, which could be as hard to reconcile as theological differences. But there remained the intractable problem of dogmas defined by the Roman Catholic Church after 1054, notably the Immaculate Conception (1854) and the Assumption (1950)." Peter Hebblethwaite. Paul VI. New York: Paulist Press, 1993, pp 501.]
6. We honor saints because of they way in which they followed Christ, not because they are models of masculinity or femininity.
6a -- We must be attentive that devotion to Mary is not used to oppress groups in the Church, e.g. women. The Scriptural themes of the poor (anawim) and the remanent are applicable to all in the church, women and men, lay and clergy, priests, bishops, and popes. To say that Mary "did not pursue higher education" "stayed at home and took care of her child" "did not seek fulfillment in a job outside of home" "did not aspire to priesthood," is a misuse of the theme of humility as found in the scriptures.
6b -- Mary, as first of the disciples, as Virgin, as Mother, etc., is a model for both men and women. Otherwise we should have a liturgical calendar of male saints for men and female saints for women.
7. In evaluating "Mary in the Liturgy" it is important to distinguish what is the result theological understanding, personal piety, and ecclesial politics.
7a -- The choice of the Immaculate Conception as patroness of the United States can best be understood in the light of the politics of the time.
7b -- Pius XII defining the Assumption as dogma without calling the planned Ecumenical Council says something about his understanding of the papacy.
7c -- Paul VI proclaiming Mary to be "Mother of the Church" against the advise of his friends and theological advisors tells us something of his personal piety. As does his restoration of four of his favorite Marian feasts over the advise of the coetus charged with the revision of the Calendar. See for example Peter Hebblethwaite, Paul VI. New York: Paulist Press, 1993, pp 393: De Lubac developed the patristic idea of Mary as the "type of the Church", placing her therefore clearly within the Church. He also presented the Church as "mystery" and "sacrament" rather than the juridical reality favored by the Roman school for whom the Church was a "perfect society", the "bulwark" (II Baluardo - title of Ottaviani’s collected speeches) against the infiltrations of the modern world. ... The title Mater Ecclesiae is sometimes found in ecclesiastical authors, but very rarely, and it cannot be called traditional. In any case, it is completed by the addition of titles like Daughter and Sister of the Church. It is therefore clear that it is a metaphor. From the ecumenical point of view this is certainly not recommended, even though it is theologically admissible. The Commission thought it better to put it another way.
8. The quality of the liturgical texts far surpasses most (all?) devotions.
8a -- The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, article 13, states that "Popular devotions of the Christian people are to be highly endorsed, provided they accord with the laws and norms of the Church, above all when they are ordered by the Apostolic See. ... But these devotions should be so fashioned that they harmonize with the liturgical seasons, accord with the sacred liturgy, are in some way derived from it, and lead the people to it, since, in fact, the liturgy by its very nature far surpasses any of them. I had read this statement of the Council many times and had firmly believed it, as I attributed some sort of ontological or theoretical or theological superiority to the liturgical texts. During this course I have many occasions to compare the texts of the Lectionary and Sacramentary with the texts given us by contemporary visionaries. The comparison is striking.
8b -- An example: ... Beyond that, I have no problem with devotion to St. Michael the archangel, to which one of the "directives" refers. But I do find it unusual that Mary wanted us to know she called Jesus "Golden Boy" or that, in the face of all this world’s problems, her concern is that the women of the United States wear blue berets without emblems and the men wear white berets with "Michael" on them! ... To be blunt, I don not think very many people, including bishops and the pope, are ready to believe Archangel Michael was commanded by God to deliver a demand that women cover their heads during Mass, I could more easily believe a revelation calling for people to attend Mass. (The Wiseman, St. Anthony Messenger, November 1993, pp 49.)
9. Piety is certainly different from theology. -- I found that some Catholics who have a "strong" devotion to Mary (in the sense that a large percentage of their prayers are addressed to Mary) while at the same time they have little understanding of either a) the way the Church honors Mary in the liturgy, or b) a theological understanding of the Role of Mary in the Mystery of the Church and the Mystery of Christ or c) Mary in the Scriptures.
Spirituality of the Season
[Reprinted from: Thomas Richstatter, O.F.M. "Spirituality of the Seasons: Mary: The First Disciple" St. Anthony Messenger, 103:3 (August, 1995) p 56.]
"Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you!" Devotion to Mary, the Mother of God, plays a significant role in every Catholic’s spirituality. Besides the seasons of the Church Year, we also celebrate the feasts of the saints — and first among these is Mary. The Second Vatican Council, describing the Church Year, stated: "In celebrating this annual cycle of Christ’s mysteries, the Church honors with special love Mary, the Mother of God, who is joined by an inseparable bond to the saving work of her Son. In her the Church holds up and admires the most excellent effect of the redemption and joyfully contemplates, as in a flawless image, that which the Church itself desires and hopes wholly to be." (Constitution on the Liturgy, 103)
The teaching of the Council about Mary is found in chapter eight of the Constitution on the Church. The title of the chapter is significant: "The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, in the Mystery of Christ and the Church." Mary is honored because of her role in 1) the Mystery of Christ and 2) the Mystery of the Church. Balancing these two roles is the key to authentic devotion to Mary.
Mary’s role in the Mystery of Christ: Mary always points to Jesus. The "duties and privileges of the Blessed Virgin ... always refer to Christ." (Constitution on the Church, 67) "What the Catholic faith believes about Mary is based on what it believes about Christ, and what it teaches about Mary illumines in turn its faith in Christ." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 487). For example, when Mary was proclaimed Theotokos (Mother of God) at the Council of Ephesus in 431, this pronouncement was made in the context of a controversy about the mystery of Christ. To say that "Mary is the mother of God" is a statement about Mary, but first and foremost it is a statement of our belief about Jesus of Nazareth.
Mary’s role in the Mystery of the Church: Mary is a type, "a flawless image," of the Church. She exhibits the ideal features and characteristics of a Christian disciple. Mary is all that "the Church itself desires and hopes wholly to be." (Constitution on the Liturgy, 103) "The Mother of God is a type of the Church in the order of faith, charity, and perfect union with Christ. For in the mystery of the Church, which is itself rightly called mother and virgin, the Blessed Virgin stands out in eminent and singular fashion." (Constitution on the Church, 64)
Mary bore Jesus in her womb and gave him birth. Today, we — the Church— bear Christ in our bodies by Baptism and Eucharist and we are to bring forth Christ in our world by our word and example. Mary’s virginity is the type of our single minded devotion to Christ. Mary’s sinlessness is model for the Church, the spotless bride of Christ. Mary’s assumption is our destiny as disciples.
On August 15 we celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary. The spirituality of the Assumption is best discovered by examining the Scriptures proclaimed on that day. The first reading (from the Book of Revelation) assures us that the mission of the Church will not be thwarted by the powers of evil. The Church pictured as "a woman clothed with the sun" is "with child." Evil pictured as "a huge red dragon with seven heads and ten horns" stands ready to devour the child when she gives birth. But the child is saved and taken up to God. The passage refers primarily to the Church; but it is also Mary’s story for Mary is a type of the Church.
The second reading (1 Cor. 15:20-25) proclaims that Christ, raised from the dead, is the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. In Christ all shall be brought to life, but each one in proper order. Again this is Mary’s story, the Church’s story, and our story. Mary is the first to be lifted up; but we too shall be brought to life in our turn.
The Gospel (Luke 1:39-56) recounts Mary’s visit to help her pregnant cousin Elizabeth. Elizabeth tells her "Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled." These words are addressed to us also; we too are blessed if we trust in the Lord’s promise. And Mary responds, "He has lifted up the lowly." These words are also addressed to us, for we too are destined to be lifted up, assumed into heaven, even as Mary was.
When we consider Mary as type of the Church, we see that the Assumption is not only about Mary; it is our feast — it is a feast about us, and our lives now! We are to be confident that our efforts to birth Christ to this world will not be thwarted. Blessed are we when we trust that the Lord’s promise will be fulfilled. And we are assured that God will lift us up in due turn, even as God lifted up Mary.
Authentic Marian devotion must "refrain alike from exaggerating and from minimizing" the dignity of the Mother of God. (Constitution on the Church, 67) We must avoid all false claims about Mary, especially those which would make her equal to God, or make her the fourth Person of the Trinity, or the feminine face of the divinity. For example, to say "My sins are so grievous that a just God could never forgive them; only a loving Mother is powerful enough to forgive my sins" makes Mary more powerful than God. This is not really giving honor to Mary; no one likes to be praised for something they are not!
In our devotion to Mary; we "are to guard conscientiously against anything in word or act that might lead Christians separated from us or anyone else to a mistaken idea of what precisely the Church teaches on Mary." (Constitution on the Church, 67) This is especially important today as Pope John Paul II has reminded us: "Among the most fervent petitions which the Church makes to the Lord during this important time, as the eve of the new millennium approaches, is that unity among all Christians of the various confessions will increase until they reach full communion." (On the Coming of the Third Millennium, 16)
"Authentic veneration of the saints consists not so much in the multiplying of external acts as in the greater intensity of our love, whereby, for our own greater good and that of the whole Church, we seek from the saints example in their way of life, company in their communion, and aid in their intercession." ( Constitution on the Church, 51) By giving her consent to be Mother of God, Mary gave Christ to the World. We follow her example when we say yes to God’s will in our lives and bring forth Christ to our world. Christ is the savior and liberator of all creation. Who today especially needs to be saved and liberated — saved from starvation and liberated from poverty and oppression? While there are many in this category, I think that "women" would be one group of particular interest to Mary. A United Nations’ study reported that while women comprise more than half of the world’s population, they own only 10% of the world’s wealth and only 1% of the world’s land. Over 75% of starving people are women with their dependent children. What do I do to bring forth the saving Jesus for these people? It is something I think about each time I pray "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus."
Devotional Prayer
What is the origin of May Crowning? From the Encyclopedic Dictionary of Religion: "The association of Mary with May seems to have been the result of efforts begun in Italy in the 18th cent. to replace the 'Queen of the May' (a remnant of paganism prevalent throughout medieval Europe and still surviving) with Mary. The Jesuits in particular popularized the devotion." The May Crowning Rite is available from the USCC publishers. Gordon E. Truitt, Senior Editor, NPM.
To Think About
© Copyright: Tom Richstatter, Franciscan Province of St. John the Baptist, Cincinnati Ohio, Order of Friars Minor. All Rights Reserved. This page was created by Fr. Thomas Richstatter, O.F.M. Every effort has been, and is being made, to acknowledge sources when the ideas are not my own. Any failure to comply with the United States Copyright Act (Title 17, United States Code) will be corrected immediately should I become aware of it. This site was updated on 10/07/08 . Your comments on this site are welcome at tomrichs@psci.net.