SUBJECT: RECM 402 – Christology and Mariology

INSTRUCTOR: Sr. Lorna S. Fabillar, OP - MAED Math

Email Add: oplorna@gmail.com
Handouts #5
III. Mariology
Mariology is the theological study of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Mariology seeks to relate doctrine
or dogma about Mary to other doctrines of the faith, such as those concerning Jesus and notions
about redemption, intercession and grace. Christian Mariology aims to place the role of the historic
Mary in the context of scripture, tradition and the teachings of the Church on Mary. In terms of
social history, Mariology may be broadly defined as the study of devotion to and thinking about
Mary throughout the history of Christianity.
There exist a variety of Christian (and non-Christian) views on Mary as a figure ranging from the
focus on the veneration of Mary in Roman Catholic Mariology to criticisms of "mariolatry" as a
form of idolatry. The latter would include certain Reformed objections, (Mariolatry). There are also
more distinctive approaches to the role of Mary in Lutheran Marian theology and Anglican Marian
theology. As a field of theology, the most substantial developments in Mariology (and the founding
of specific centers devoted to its study) in recent centuries have taken place within Roman Catholic
Mariology. Eastern Orthodox concepts and veneration of Mary are integral to the rite as a whole,
(the theotokos) and are mostly expressed in liturgy. The veneration of Mary is said to permeate, in a
way, the entire life of the Church as a "dimension" of dogma as well as piety, of Christology as well
as of Ecclesiology. While similar to the Roman Catholic view, barring some minor differences, the
Orthodox do not see a need for a separate academic discipline of Mariology, as the Mother of God is
seen as the self-evident apogee of God's human creation.
A significant number of Marian publications were written in the 20th century, with theologians
Raimondo Spiazzi and Gabriel Roschini producing 2500 and 900 publications respectively. The
Pontifical Academy of Mary and the Pontifical Theological Faculty Marianum in Rome are key
Mariological centers.
3.1. History and development
A wide range of views on Mary exist at multiple levels of differentiation within distinct Christian
belief systems. In many cases, the views held at any point in history have continued to be challenged
and transformed. Over the centuries, Roman Catholic Mariology has been shaped by varying forces
ranging from sensus fidelium to Marian apparitions to the writings of the saints to reflection by
theologians and papal encyclicals.
Eastern Orthodox theology calls Mary the Theotokos, which means God-bearer. The virginal
motherhood of Mary stands at the center of Orthodox Mariology, in which the title Ever Virgin is
often used. The Orthodox Mariological approach emphasizes the sublime holiness of Mary, her
share in redemption and her role as a mediator of grace.

Eastern Orthodox Marilogical thought dates as far back as Saint John Damascene who in the 8th
century wrote on the mediative role of Mary and on the Dormition of the Mother of God. In the 14th
century, Orthodox Mariology began to flourish among Byzantine theologians who held a cosmic
view of Mariology, placing Jesus and Mary together at the center of the cosmos and saw them as the
goal of world history. More recently Eastern Orthodox Mariology achieved a renewal among 20th
century theologians in Russia, for whom Mary is the heart of the Church and the center of creation.
However, unlike the Catholic approach, Eastern Orthodox Mariology does not support the
Immaculate Conception of Mary. Prior to the 20th century, Eastern Orthodox Mariology was almost
entirely liturgical, and had no systematic presentation similar to Roman Catholic Mariology.
However, 20th century theologians such as Sergei Bulgakov began the development of a detailed
systematic Orthodox Mariology. Bulgakov's Mariological formulation emphasizes the close link
between Mary and the Holy Spirit in the mystery of the Incarnation.

Protestant views on Mary vary from denomination to denomination. They focus generally on
interpretations of Mary in the Bible, the "Apostles' Creed", (which professes the Virgin Birth), and
the Ecumenical Council of Ephesus, in 431, which called Mary the Mother of God. While some
early Protestants created Marian art and allowed limited forms of Marian veneration, most
Protestants today do not share the veneration of Mary practiced by Roman Catholics and Eastern
Orthodox. Martin Luther's views on Mary, John Calvin's views on Mary, Karl Barth's views on
Mary and others have all contributed to modern Protestant views. Anglican Marian theology varies
greatly, from the Anglo-Catholic (very close to Roman Catholic views) to the more Reformed
views. The Anglican Church formally celebrates six Marian feasts, Annunciation (March 25),
Visitation (May 31), Day of Saint Mary (Assumption or dormition) (August 15), Nativity of Mary
(September 8), Our Lady of Walsingham (October 15) and Mary's Conception (December 8).
Anglicans, along with other Protestants, teach the Marian dogmas of divine maternity and the virgin
birth of Jesus, although there is no systematic agreed upon Mariology among the diverse parts of the
Anglican Communion. However, the role of Mary as a mediator is accepted by some groups of
modern Anglican theologians. Lutheran Mariology is informed by the Augsburg Confession and
honours Mary as “the most blessed Mother of God, the most blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of
Christ,” and “the Queen of Heaven.” The Smalcald Articles, a confession of faith of the Lutheran
Churches, affirm the doctrine of the perpetual virginity of Mary.

The Oriental Orthodox Churches regard Mary as the highest of saints and the Theotokos. It
celebrates various Marian feast days.

A better mutual understanding among different Christian groups regarding their Mariology has been
sought in a number of ecumenical meetings which produced common documents.

Outside Christianity, the Islamic view of the Virgin Mary, known as Maryam in Arabic, is that she
was an extremely pious and chaste woman who miraculously gave birth while still a virgin to the
prophet Jesus, known in Arabic as Isa. Mary is the only woman specifically named in the Qur'an.
The nineteenth chapter of the Qur'an, which is named after her, begins with two narrations of
"miraculous birth".

Development

The First Council of Ephesus in 431 formally approved devotion to Mary as Theotokos, which most
accurately translated means God-bearer; its use implies that Jesus, to whom Mary gave birth, is God.
Nestorians preferred Christotokos meaning "Christ-bearer" or "Mother of the Messiah" not because
they denied Jesus' divinity, but because they believed that God the Son or Logos existed before time
and before Mary, and that Jesus took divinity from God the Father and humanity from his mother, so
calling her "Mother of God" was confusing and potentially heretical. Others at the council believed
that denying the Theotokos title would carry with it the implication that Jesus was not divine.
The council of Ephesus also approved the creation of icons bearing the images of the Virgin and
Child. Devotion to Mary was, however, already widespread before this point, reflected in the fresco
depictions of Mother and Child in the Roman catacombs. The early Church Fathers saw Mary as the
"new Eve" who said "yes" to God as Eve had said no. Mary, as the first Christian Saint and Mother
of Jesus, was deemed to be a compassionate mediator between suffering mankind and her son, Jesus,
who was seen as King and Judge.

In the East, devotion to Mary blossomed in the sixth century under official patronage and imperial
promotion at the Court of Constantinople. The popularity of Mary as an individual object of
devotion, however, only began in the fifth century with the appearance of apocryphal versions of her
life, interest in her relics, and the first churches dedicated to her name, for example, S. Maria
Maggiore in Rome. A sign that the process was slower in Rome is provided by the incident during
the visit of Pope Agapetus to Constantinople in 536, when he was upbraided for opposing the
veneration of the theotokos and refusing to allow her icons to be displayed in Roman churches.
Early seventh-century examples of new Marian dedications in Rome are the dedication in 609 of the
pagan Pantheon as Santa Maria ad Martyres, "Holy Mary and the Martyrs", and the re-dedication of
the early Christian titulus Julii et Calixtii, one of the oldest Roman churches, as Santa Maria in
Trastevere. The earliest Marian feasts were introduced into the Roman liturgical calendar by Pope
Sergius I (687-701).
During Middle Ages, devotion to the Virgin Mary as the "new Eve" lent much to the status of
women. Women who had been looked down upon as daughters of Eve, came to be looked upon as
objects of veneration and inspiration. The medieval development of chivalry, with the concept of the
honor of a lady and the ensuing knightly devotion to it, not only derived from the thinking about the
Virgin Mary, but also contributed to it. The medieval veneration of the Virgin Mary was contrasted
by the fact that ordinary women, especially those outside aristocratic circles, were looked down
upon. Although women were at times viewed as the source of evil, it was Mary who as mediator to
God was a source of refuge for man. The development of medieval Mariology and the changing
attitudes towards women paralleled each other and can best be understood in a common context.
Since the Reformation, some Protestants accuse Roman Catholics of having developed an un-
Christian adoration and worship of Mary, described as Marianism or Mariolatry, and of inventing
non-scriptural doctrines which give Mary a semi-divine status. They also attack titles such as Queen
of Heaven, Our Mother in Heaven, Queen of the World, or Mediatrix.
Since the writing of the apocryphal Protevangelium of James, various beliefs have circulated
concerning Mary's own conception, which eventually led to the Roman Catholic Church dogma,
 formally established in the 19th century, of Mary's Immaculate Conception, which exempts her from
original sin.
Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox teaching also extends to the end of Mary's life ending with
the Assumption of Mary, formally established as dogma in 1950, and the Dormition of the Mother
of God respectively.

3.2. Mary’s Role in the Church

Mary's role in salvation and redemption
Particularly significant is Mary's presence at the Cross, when she received from her dying Son the
charge to be mother to the beloved disciple. Catholics interpret that through the disciple, Christ is
giving care of Mary to all Christians.
From the Annunciation to the Crucifixion of her Son, Mary can be seen as God's ultimate validation
of free will. The Virgin Mary's obedience to the will of God as conveyed to her in the angel
Gabriel's message was no less voluntary in its affirmation than the disobedience of the virgin Eve
had been in its negation. In the 2nd century St. Irenaeus the Bishop of Lyon and a second generation
disciple from the Apostle John wrote: "...so also Mary, betrothed to a man but nevertheless still a
virgin, being obedient, was made the cause of salvation for herself and for the whole human race.
Thus, the knot of Eve's disobedience was loosed by the obedience of Mary. What the virgin Eve had
bound in unbelief, the Virgin Mary loosed through faith." Against Heresies, 3.22.4, Irenaeus, Bishop
of Lyons.
Mary, as the first human to kiss the face of God and the first to believe in Jesus as her Savior, took
her place in Salvation History as the first Christian. She is also the one disciple of Jesus who didn't
flee or doubt when all the others fled and doubted, but who stayed and accepted to the very end the
burden of being under the Cross. Down through the ages the weeping Mary of the Cross witnessing
her son's torture and death stands in solidarity with all believers who also suffer and live under the
shadow of the Cross.
The gift of Mary to the Church was Jesus' last human act from the Cross. He placed His mother's
care in the hands of the only apostle present at the cross, the Apostle John, "Seeing his mother and
the disciple whom he loved standing near her, Jesus said to his mother, 'Woman, this is your son.'
Then to the disciple he said, 'This is your mother.' And from that hour the disciple took her into his
home." [John 19:26-27] This is one of only two scenes in which Mary is present in John's Gospel.
The first is the narrative of the Wedding at Cana in chapter 2 of John's Gospel. These two scenes in
which Mary is present have several things in common. First, Mary is addressed as "gunai" [from the
Greek gune] or "dear Woman" by Jesus in both scenes; second, she is never called by name but only
identified as "the mother of Jesus"; and third, in both cases a "new family" is formed: at Cana by the
wedding itself and in the second scene in John chapter 19 a new family is formed by a kind of
adoption in which "the beloved disciple" takes Mary as his mother and in the greater sense, as the
mother of Christ's family, the Church--a role she continues to fill to this day.
It is Mary who bridges the Old and New Testaments. The Old Testament records God's plan for
man's salvation in His preparations to make the world ready for the Incarnation. Of all the tribes of
the earth He chose a particular people to whom He reveals Himself. He nurtures and instructs them
through His prophets in order for them to be able to recognize the Son of God when it was time for
Him to come. In order to accomplish this He takes these people to Himself in a covenant bond,
establishing worship based on sacrifice to prepare them to understand the ultimate sacrifice that the
Son of God would offer for the salvation of man, for these people would be the conduit through
which the message of the Son would be carried to the world. And when the time came, from among
these people, He chooses a woman from a certain preordained family, the house of David. It was
absolutely necessary that she be set apart in her purity and virtue so as not to make the Incarnation of
the Son of God a sacrilege and so she is conceived without original sin and set apart in a holy state
of purity and perpetual virginity.
This is Mary's role in Salvation History: ever virgin and yet fruitful mother. It is Mary, a daughter
of the Old Covenant, who is not only the bearer of Christ in the Annunciation but Mary also "labors"
in prayer in the Upper Room with the other disciples for the birth of the Church at Pentecost for the
New Covenant believers will become her spiritual children. She stands as the Christian model,
which we should all emulate. From her obedience at the Annunciation to the events of Christ's
passion she illustrates for us a model of Christian virtue, faith and obedience as she remained true to
Christ and His word. Her fidelity shows us that true faith can be preserved in one individual and
down through history the Church has honored her for this by considering her the mother of the true
remnant of Israel in the New Covenant Church. It has been as Mary prophesized, filled with the
Holy Spirit, "Yes, from now onwards all generations will call me blessed!"
After the descend of God the Holy Spirit at the second great Pentecost [the first was the revelation of
God at Mt. Sinai], the Apostle John spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ first with Peter in Judea and
later in Asia Minor, serving many years as the Bishop of Ephesus. According to tradition Mary
accompanied John to Ephesus and lived there several years. Unfortunately the years after Christ's
Resurrection were years of intense persecution for the early Church, first from the Jews and later
from the Romans. Many documents written before Christianity was protected by the Edict of Milan
[early 4th century] were destroyed. For example the great Church Father Origen wrote over 6,000
books of which only a few copies now survive. The great library at Caesarea in Palestine and the
Church library at Alexandria, Egypt, which we know contained numerous works from the first
centuries of the Church, were destroyed in the 7th century AD Moslem invasions just as the great
libraries in Rome were destroyed by successive barbarian invasions in the 5th century AD. The
result is that we do not have reliable information on Mary's later years. However, surviving works
like The Protoevangelium of James [James was the first Bishop of Jerusalem and kinsman of Jesus]
written sometime in the last of the 1st or early 2nd century and a several other documents do contain
information about Mary's early life. Although rejected as non-canonical in the 6th century, The
Protoevangelium of James provided the names of Mary's parents Anna and Joachim, [honored as
saints by the Church] as well as material for many of the most important medieval legends, artistic
representations and theological beliefs about Mary.
While Scripture reveals nothing about Mary's death, St. John Damascene [died 749] recorded a story
reportedly shared at the Council of Chalcedon in 451AD that Mary had died in the presence of the
Apostles but when the tomb was opened they found it empty, "wherefrom the Apostles concluded
that the body was taken up to heaven." From this testimony the Church has taught that Mary was
assumed bodily and now tastes the Resurrection for which all Christians hope. This teaching is one
of the four dogmas, or truths, of Mary held by the Church.
The Four Dogmas of the Virgin Mary:
1. The perpetual virginity of Mary - expressed in 3 parts: in her virginal conception of Christ; in
giving birth to Christ, and her continuing virginity after His birth = virginitas ante partum;
virginitas in partu; virtinitas post partum. The usage of this triple formula to express the fullness
 of this mystery of faith became standard with St. Augustine [354-430], St. Peter Chrysologus [c.
400-450], and Pope St. Leo the Great [440-461] See CCC # 496-507
2. Mary the Mother of God - defined as dogma at the very city where Mary had lived for several
years at the Council of Ephesus in 431] See CCC# 495
3. Immaculate conception of Mary - defined as dogma by Pope Pius IX in 1854] See CCC# 491-
492
4. Assumption of Mary into heaven - defined as dogma by Pope Pius XII in 1950] See CCC#
966; 974
Each of these Marian dogmas were teachings within the Church from the very beginning of the
Church's formation but became defined more fully as God the Holy Spirit expanded the Church's
understanding of the revelation of Christ in Christian doctrine and theology through the centuries. For
example the oldest canonical feast of Mary in the Church is the Feast of the Assumption which was
already celebrated on its own feast day by the 5th century. The doctrine of the Assumption of the
Virgin is also part of the Tradition reflected in the writings of the early Church fathers even though Pius
XII defined it as dogma in 1950. The same is true of the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception, which
was formally defined by Pope Pius XI in 1854. Early Church hymns speak of "Mary conceived without
sin" and the teaching is explicitly stated in the writings of Sts. Ambrose, Augustine, Andrew of Crete,
Germain of Constantinople and other Fathers of the Church. This teaching was also celebrated in the
early Church liturgy. A feast commemorating the Immaculate Conception of Mary was celebrated by
the seventh century in the East and was formally approved and given a standardized liturgy in the West
by Pope Sixtus IV in 1475. It was extended as a feast to the world Church by St. Pius V in the 1568.
Each of these dogmas are also consistent with Sacred Scripture. For example the Immaculate
Conception is supported by Genesis 3:15 and Luke 1:26-31 which have always been interpreted by the
Church as implying the Virgin Mary's exemption from Original Sin [Gabriel's greeting to Mary using a
perfect past participle concerning her condition of grace: "Hail has-been graced"]. If you wish to
continue your study on Mary's role in the Church for a pleasant read please see Dr. Scott Hahn's, Hail
Holy Queen, Doubleday publishers and Dr. Mark Miravalle's excellent book Introduction to Mary:
The Heart of Marian Doctrine and Devotion, Queenship Publishing Company. I also recommend for a
more scholarly read Mary and the Fathers of the Church: The Blessed Virgin in Patristic Thought by
Ignatius Press, 1991. Arranged in chronological order this book begins with the Apostolic Age of
Ignatius Bishop of Antioch [disciple of St. John, martyred c. 107] and ends with John of Damascus [8th
century] providing brief introductions and quotes for each Church Father.
Mary's continuing role in Salvation History is that of the Mother of the King of Kings, in Hebrew the
gebira or Queen Mother, a title given to the mothers of the Kings of Judah. The mothers of the Kings of
Judah were persons of great prestige and power who sat at the right hand of their sons and who were
regarded with reverence by his subjects [see 1 Kings 2:19; Jeremiah 13:18]. It is in her role as the
gebira that John sees Mary in Revelation 12:1, clothed with the sun and standing on the moon with a
crown of 12 stars; it is the same vision Juan Diego will have of the Virgin Mary at Tepiac Hill in
Mexico in 1531. But her Son has also made her the Mother of all New Covenant believers [John 19:25-
27]. In that role she continues to intercede for her children just as she interceded with her Son at the
Wedding at Cana, and she continues to show her love and concern by giving us the same advice she
gave the servants of the Bridegroom at Cana: "Do whatever He tells you" [John 2:5].
THE VIRGIN MARY AND THE VIRGIN EVE CONTRASTED
Genesis 3:15 contains the promise of the redemption of mankind after the Fall of Adam and Eve. The
Incarnation of the Christ was the manifestation of the promise and it was fulfilled with Jesus Christ's
 sacrificial death and glorious resurrection. The New Testament portrays Jesus as the "Second Adam"
whose obedience and sacrificial death on the cross undo Adam's disobedience [see Romans 5:12-21 and
1 Corinthians 15:45-49]. Jesus, the Second Adam, triumphed over the same temptations to which the
first Adam fell into sin [compare Genesis 3:6 to Luke 4:1-13].
Just as there is a Second Adam there is also a Second Eve. Mary, the Virgin Mother of Christ is the
Second Eve. Just as the First Eve in the exercise of free will cooperated in the fall of man so the
Second Eve, in the exercise of her free will, cooperated in the redemption and salvation of the entire
human race.
The two Eves contrasted:

THE VIRGIN EVE THE VIRGIN MARY

Daughter of the first Covenant Daughter of the Sinai Covenant

Pledged obedience under the covenant Pledged obedience under the covenant

Eve's disobedience resulted in the fall into sin of Mary's obedience to God resulted in the offer of the
the entire human race.  The result was death, gift of salvation to the entire human race.  The
physically and spiritually. result was eternal life

Eve's name means the "mother of all living" and
indeed all of humanity is descended through her.
Mary is the "mother of all who truly live" when, at
the cross, Jesus gave His mother to the Church as
the Mother of all who come to receive Jesus as
Savior and Lord and therefore receive the gift of
eternal life.

From the Annunciation to the Crucifixion of her Son, Mary can be seen as God's ultimate validation
of free will. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that the Virgin Mary's obedience to the
will of God as conveyed to her in the angel Gabriel's message was no less voluntary in its
affirmation than the disobedience of the virgin Eve had been in its negation.

From the first moment of the angel Gabriel's announcement that of all women born, she had been
chosen to bear the "promised seed" [Luke 1:26-38], to Simeon's prophecy of her suffering [Luke
2:33-35], to witnessing her Son's Passion on the Cross [John 19:26], Mary submitted herself
completely to God plan for her life. The Fathers of the Church saw her as the model Christian. St.
Irenaeus praises her above all women when he writes, "Being obedient she became the cause of
salvation for herself and for the whole human race. [...]. The knot of Eve's disobedience was untied
by Mary's obedience: what the virgin Eve bound through her disbelief, Mary loosened by her faith."
[St. Irenaeus, Against Heresies, III.22.4]. And comparing her humility and obedience with Eve's
rebellion and disobedience St. Jerome writes of her, "Death through Eve, life through Mary." [St.
Jerome as quoted in the Catechism #494].

In addition to the title of the "new Eve" the Virgin Mary is also acknowledged by the titles "The Ark
of the New Covenant," "The Mother of the Church," "The Lady of the Rosary," and "Our
Mediatrix."

The Virgin Mary as the Ark of the New Covenant

In the Old Covenant the Holy Ark of the Covenant was God's presence with His Covenant people.
In Mary's "yes" in humbly submitting herself to God's plan she became the Ark of the New
Covenant (see the Chart the Virgin Mary - The Ark of the New Covenant), her womb became the
first Eucharistic tabernacle, and her travels to visit Elizabeth her cousin and her journey to
Bethlehem, became the first Eucharistic processions. Pope Benedict XVI expressed this dimension
of Mary's meekness in her submission to God his homily on June 1, 2005: "In a certain way, we can
say that her journey was and we are pleased to highlight this in the Year of the Eucharist, the first
Eucharistic procession of history. Living tabernacle of God-made-flesh, Mary is the Ark of the
Covenant in whom the Lord has visited and redeemed His people. Jesus' presence fills her with the
Holy Spirit....Is not this too the joy of the Church, that incessantly welcomes Jesus in the Holy
Eucharist and carries Him to the world with the testimony of assiduous charity permeated by faith
and hope? Yes, to welcome Christ and to take Him to others is the true joy of Christians! Dear
brothers and sisters let us carry on and imitate Mary, a deeply Eucharistic soul, and all our lives will
become a Magnificat." Pope Benedict XVI, June 1, 2005

The Virgin Mary is the Church's inheritance from the cross of Jesus Christ.  At the very end of His
life Jesus entrusted His mother into the care of the "beloved disciple" and at the same time
announced that the "beloved disciple" became a child of Mary, at this moment in salvation history,
St. John became the representative of all the beloved disciples of Jesus' New Covenant Church.  This
is the birth of the Christian family at the foot of the cross.  Jesus has given Mary the maternal care of
John and all faithful disciples in her Son's Church. This is Mary's spiritual motherhood "in order of
grace" according to Vatican II (Lumen Gentium, 61,62).  It is in this sense of her spiritual
motherhood that the Church has continued to honor Mary from the earliest years of the Church.  The
sacramentary Collection of Masses of the Blessed Virgin Mary contains 46 Masses, twelve of which
first appeared during the Marian Year observed by the Church from Pentecost 1987, through the
Feast of the Assumption, August 15, 1988.  Three of these Masses are dedicated to "The Blessed
Virgin Mary, Image and Mother of the Church." 

The following are some events of salvation history which are a prophetic reference Mary or show
Mary's active participation in the redemption of mankind and which are a good summing up for us
on this topic of Mary, Mother of the Church.

1. The Protoevangelium: Mary is the 'new Eve'. She is the fulfillment of the prophetic utterance of
Genesis 3:15 which is the first scriptural announcement of the Good News which was perfectly fulfilled
in Christ, Mary, and the Church.
2. The Incarnate Word: Mary nurtured the Church at its very beginning by giving birth to our Savior.
3. Mary as Mother is the perfect example of every Christian virtue
4. The Passion of Christ: During which Jesus made his Mother our mother also.
5. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost: When Mary was united in prayer with her Son's first
disciples, and thus became the perfect model of the Church at prayer.
6. The Assumption of Our Lady into heaven: From which she watches over the pilgrim Church on
earth with a mother's love until we are reunited.
The Virgin Mary: Co-Redemptrix
The title co-Redemptrix is difficult because it is too easily misinterpreted as making Mary a fellow
redeemer with Christ, which is, of course, a heresy. Jesus Christ is our sole Redeemer [1 Timothy 2:5].
It is for this reason that Vatican Council II did not see fit to encourage invoking Mary by the name or
title of Co-Redemptrix. However, using this title for Mary does not suggest that she is equal to Christ
in her role. The prefix "co" means "in cooperation with" or "to aid." This prefix does not convey the
meaning "equal to." What this title has difficulty in conveying is Mary's role as one who both
cooperates and who is completely dependent upon and subordinate to Christ as the sole Redeemer.
According to the doctrine of the divine economy of salvation, man is to cooperate in securing his
salvation and the salvation of others. In Greek economy means plan or management. When applied to
God the term refers to God's manifestations to the world of His universal gift of grace and His desire
expressed in 1 Timothy 2:4 that He desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the
truth. A Christian participates in God's plan of redemption through prayer, sorrow for sin, penance,
sacrifices, and submission to the will of God. In this participation we become co-redeemers with Christ
and the degree of our holiness determines more or less the efficacy of our work of co-redemption.
Empowered by Christ we are all mutually responsible for one another's salvation and for reaching out to
others who are not members of the Body of Christ but who are called along with us [Matthew 28:18-20;
1 Timothy 2:3-5]. Christ uses all His disciples as His ministers of grace. He works with us according
to 2 Corinthians 5:18-20 in His desire to bring all men to salvation. It stands to reason then if we can
participate as mediators in assisting Christ in bring other men and woman to salvation that we can also
participate as co-redeemers with Christ. It follows then that Mary, as the first and most holy of
Christians is the co-redeemer with special merit. From her fiat at the Annunciation, to the torturous path
to Golgotha, to her vigil at the foot of the Cross, the Virgin Mother offered herself in suffering with her
Son. She participated in our salvation then and she continues to participate through her mediation in the
redemption of the human family, serving her Son as conduit of grace and merit.
Pope Benedict XV (1914-1922) wrote of Mary's unique role in the redemption of mankind when he
offered "She renounced her mother's rights for the salvation of mankind and, as far as it depended on
her, offered her Son to placate divine justice; so we may say that with Christ she redeemed mankind."
And Pope John Paul II in his General audience of Wednesday, December 18, 1996 said: "Beginning
with Simeon's prophesy, Mary intensely and mysteriously unites her life with Christ's sorrowful
mission: she was to become her Son's faithful co-worker for the salvation of the human race."
(L'Osservatore Romano, January 1, 1997). What Pope Benedict XV, Pope John Paul II and other
theologians are saying is the Virgin Mary cooperated in our redemption under and subordinate to Christ
and that God freely willed to associate the Blessed Mother in an intimate and direct way with her Son in
the redemption of mankind.
Other quotations of Pope John Paul II expressing Mary's role as co-redemptrix:
March 31, 1985: "May Mary our Protectress, the Co-Redemptrix, to whom we offer our prayer with
great outpouring, make our desire generously correspond to the desire of the Redeemer."
October 6, 1991: "Birgitta looked to Mary as her model and support in the various moments of her life,
She spoke energetically about the divine privilege of Mary's Immaculate Conception. She
contemplated her astonishing mission as Mother of the Savior. She invoked her as the Immaculate
Conception, Our Lady of Sorrows, and Co-Redemptrix, exalting Mary's singular role in the history of
salvation and the life of Christian people." (after Mass to honor the canonization of St. Birgitta).
November 4, 1984 "To Our Lady- the Co-Redemptrix- Charles (St. Charles Borromeo) turned with
singularly revealing accents."
The title co-Redemptrix for the Virgin Mary has not been officially approved by the Magisterium of the
Roman Catholic Church, although there is an effort under way spearheaded by Catholic theologian
Mark Miravalle to have this title approved. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to date has
not supported this initiative.
Mary's Continuing Mission
Mary's true mission in the past and in the present is to lead us in obedience and faithfulness by her
example to her Son, Christ Jesus. It is important to understand that Mary's motherly mediation in no
way adds or takes away from her Son's unique mediation as the risen Lord in glory. Her true glory is
ever to be entirely transparent to His and to lead us by her motherly love and compassion to her beloved
Son and Savior.
On the altar of the Cross our Lord gave His Mother to the Apostle John and through him to the whole
Church. When Scripture tells us from that hour the disciple took her into his home [John 19:27] our
understanding is that John became not only the representative of the Church but also a representative of
the whole human race. Therefore, the Virgin Mary becomes mankind's spiritual mother calling all men,
as she did the servants at the wedding in the Gospel of John 2:5, to do whatever He tells you. The
wedding at Cana was the beginning of Jesus' public ministry and it was also the beginning of Mary's
role as intercessor for the human family.
Mary prayed in union with the Apostles and disciples in the Upper Room as the followers of Jesus the
Messiah, in obedience to Jesus' command, prayed 9 days for the coming of the Holy Spirit on the 10th
day the Holy Spirit came in fire to possess the New Covenant universal Church [Acts 1:13-14]. The
book of Acts of Apostles records that the leaders of the infant Church along with the entire faith
community were persevering in prayer with Mary the Mother of Jesus, and so the Church has done ever
since. Then too, in the Church has been fulfilled the Scriptural prophecy uttered by the Virgin Mary by
divine inspiration: Behold for henceforth all generations shall call me blessed [Luke 1:48]. Even
though no human being can ever pay her an honor equal to that which God has given Mary in choosing
her to be the Mother of our Savior, it is contrary to Holy Scripture as well as to all Christian tradition
and history to neglect giving Mary the honor she deserves. Mary, as our Mother, is the loving gift from
Jesus Christ to every man, woman, and child in the family of God.
My dear Students God bless you for reading comprehensively the given materials and for
answering/working the following study guide questions/activities diligently:

1. Discuss the four Marian dogmas solemnly defined by the Church and the difference between
Catholic dogma and doctrine?

2. How many dogmas has the Catholic Church?

3. Discuss. Why Mary is called Theotokos? Why is Mary so loved by Catholic faithful?

N.B. Submit/Encode directly your work/s to oplorna@gmail.com wall for your

Class Standing records (60%). God bless you for following instructions very
strictly in submitting/sending your activity/ies.
God bless you all!!!