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Mary,Mother of the Church |
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In his closing address to the third session of Vatican Council II on November 21, 1964, Pope Paul VI proclaimed Mary “Mother of the Church.” He made clear and careful reference in doing so to the teaching of the Council’s Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, which dwelt upon the intimate relationship between Mary and the Church. Pope Paul had received numerous requests from the Fathers at Vatican II that the maternal role of the Blessed Virgin Mary toward the Christian people be given very special attention. He acceded to this request, with these words: “Therefore, for the glory of the Blessed Virgin and our consolation, we declare most holy Mary Mother of the Church, that is of the whole Christian people, both faithful and pastors, who call her a most loving Mother; and we decree that henceforth the whole Christian people should, by this most sweet name, give still greater honor to the Mother of God and address prayers to her.” Pope Paul also pointed out the close connection between Mary’s motherhood of Christ, the Son of God incarnate, and her maternal relationship to the Church: “Mary is the Mother of Christ who, as soon as he assumed human nature in her virginal womb, took to himself as Head his Mystical Body, which is the Church. Mary, therefore, as Mother of Christ is to be considered as Mother also of all the faithful and pastors, that is of the Church.” While the title “Mother of the Church” did not appear in the final schema, or draft, of chapter VIII of Lumen Gentium, which presents at length the Council’s teaching about Mary, Paul VI’s official proclamation of the title was received with joyous approval by the majority of the Fathers. Although there had been disagreement during the debate that took place on the Council floor in September, 1964, most of the Fathers wished the title restored to the schema; but the Council’s theological commission decided it was better to express its meaning in equivalent terms, and this then was done in Lumen Gentium, 53: “The Catholic Church, taught by the Holy Spirit, honors her with filial affection and devotion as a most beloved mother.” This, then, was the setting for many of the Council Fathers to appeal directly to Pope Paul’s intervention. His teaching about Mary’s motherhood of the Church is in continuity with his predecessors in the Chair of Peter: Pope Benedict XIV, from whom Vatican II borrowed the words that express the title equivalently in Lumen Gentium; Pope Leo XIII, whose encyclical Adjutricem Populi calls Mary “Mother of the Church” in her role as the teacher and “Queen of Apostles,” who learned many of the divine mysteries from her; Pope St. Pius X in Ad Diem Illum, which speaks of the union between the faithful and Christ their Head in Mary’s womb; Pope Pius XII in Mystici Corporis Christi, according to which Mary has bestowed upon her Son’s Mystical Body the same loving care as a mother that she bestowed upon the infant Jesus; and Pope John XXIII, who used the title five times. Pope Paul also used it several times, both before and after his proclamation, which was the principal pronouncement made to the Council assembly by the Pope as its head. Basis in Scripture • Even before Paul VI’s pronouncement, there were Catholic exegetes who discerned New Testament foundations for the title Mother of the Church, especially in the Johannine writings and the infancy narrative of Luke’s Gospel. The fourth evangelist states: “When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother, ‘Woman, behold your son!’ Then he said to the disciple, ‘Behold, your mother!’ And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home” (Jn 19:26-27). The spiritual symbolism of these verses – namely, the birth of the Christian community at the foot of the cross, with a mother-son relationship between Mary and the beloved disciple, who looks after her in the Johannine Church – has been expanded in the Catholic tradition. The emphasis has been shifted from the disciple-son’s care of the disciple-mother, to Mary’s maternal care of him and all faithful disciples in her Son’s Church or eschatological family. This is Mary’s spiritual motherhood “in order of grace” according to Vatican II (cf. Lumen Gentium, 61, 62). The symbolism of the “Woman at the foot of the Cross” seems to complete that initiated by the “Woman at Cana,” where the evangelist provides an incipient sign of Mary’s role as Mother of the Church in her request that Christ intervene by providing new wine, itself a symbol of the new creation, the Church; and this inspires his first disciples to believe in him (cf. Jn 2:1-11). Especially when read in close connection with chapters 1 and 2 of Luke’s Acts of the Apostles (concerning the birth of Christ’s Body the Church on Pentecost), the first two chapters of Luke’s Gospel (concerning the birth of Christ) imply that Mary, in becoming Mother of Christ, already became Mother of the Church. In giving birth to the Head, she also begot the members of his Body. Of course there is a striking similarity between Mary’s motherhood and the maternal character of the Church, inasmuch as both have been decreed by the Father to mediate the Son’s saving graces to us. At the same time, as with any analogy, there is a significant difference, since Mary’s motherhood of the whole Church, pastors as well as all the faithful, is even more profoundly an aspect of the mystery of our continuous reception of Christ’s new life of grace through our heavenly mother’s intercession and mediation. The Mary-Church analogy, which views Mary’s motherhood of the Church as the most excellent exemplar (or model) of the Church’s own maternal role in the order of grace, has been further developed by contemplating the meaning of the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit at the Annunciation and the descent of the same Spirit at Pentecost. At the Annunciation the Spirit makes Mary alone fruitful with the Word made flesh in Christ’s virginal conception; at Pentecost, the same Divine Person transforms Mary, in the company of her Son’s other faithful disciples, into the firstfruits of the redemptive Incarnation. Thanks to Mary’s motherhood of Christ and her spiritual, adoptive motherhood of the Church, the whole pilgrim Church upon earth is, as it were, a mother in the order of begetting and nourishing the grace of Christ in the world. There is much more to explore about the special relationship between Mary and the Holy Spirit, so as to penetrate more deeply the mystery behind her title Mother of the Church. So, for example, to behold more clearly Mary as the masterpiece of the new creation in the Spirit, and to meditate (as did St. Maximilian Kolbe, the Polish priest who gave his life for another Auschwitz inmate during World War II) upon the Holy Spirit as the “Uncreated Immaculate Conception” in the bosom of the Holy Trinity, is to deepen our understanding of the spiritual richness contained in this title. The Title in Tradition • Among the Fathers of the Church, St. Augustine comes closest to teaching the truth proposed in this title. His words, in his work On Holy Virginity, are quoted by Vatican II: “She is clearly the mother of the members of Christ . . . since she has by her charity joined in bringing about the birth of believers in the Church, who are members of its Head” (Lumen Gentium, 53). During the Middle Ages, Mary was called “Mother of the Nations” and “Mother of the Christian People.” Sts. Peter Damian and Bonaventure spoke of the Church, respectively, as “coming from” and “taking its origin” from Mary. Berengaud in the twelfth century seems to have been the first to use the title in the tradition. Commenting upon Revelation 12 (“the woman clothed in the sun”), he writes: “In this passage, we can also see the woman as Blessed Mary, since she is the Mother of the Church because she brought forth him who is the Head of the Church” (emphasis added). The title is found in an Irish litany that can be no later than the fourteenth century. From then on, testimony in the tradition increases concerning Mary’s specific maternal role regarding the Church. Some of the more important names here are Denis the Carthusian, St. Peter Canisius, J.J. Olier, M.J. Scheeben, and J.B. Terrien. Lately the Anglican theologian John Macquarrie has proposed the title as an ecumenical rallying point for Catholics, Orthodox, and Protestants as well as Anglicans. Recent Liturgical Developments • The recent sacramentary Collection of Masses of the Blessed Virgin Mary contains a total of forty-six 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 are dedicated to “The Blessed Virgin Mary, Image and Mother of the Church.” They merit reflection for their doctrinal implications. The introductory comments to the first of these new Marian Masses point out that it was composed in 1974 to encourage celebrations honoring Mary during the Holy Year of Reconciliation (1975), and that there are four key events of salvation history to which the texts make reference: (1) the Incarnation of the Word (the Preface recalls that Mary nurtured the Church at its very beginning by giving birth to our Savior); (2) the Passion of Christ, during which he made his Mother our mother also (Opening Prayer, Preface, Communion Antiphon A); (3) the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, when Mary was united in prayer with her Son’s first disciples, thus becoming the perfect model of the Church at prayer (Preface); and (4) the Assumption of Our Lady into heaven, from which she watches over the pilgrim Church on earth with a mother’s love until we all are reunited there (Preface). Appropriately, the lectionary for this new collection of Marian Masses chooses as the Gospel reading that section of John which speaks of Mary at the foot of her Son’s cross, where he makes her spiritual mother to us as we are represented by the beloved disciple (Jn 19:25-27); and, as the first reading, Genesis 3:9-15, 20, the story of Eve and the Fall, which also stands as the prophetic protoevangelium (or first scriptural announcement of the Good News) perfectly fulfilled in Christ, Mary, and the Church. The second Mass under this title especially celebrates the infinite goodness of God the Father, who has given us Mary as the perfect example of every Christian virtue, particularly (as the liturgical texts bring out) in her role as model of sublime love, of faith and hope, of profound humility, of perseverance in prayer (with other disciples of her Son), of worship in spirit, and of liturgical celebration. The third Mass, which has the title “Image and Mother of the Church,” celebrates the divine love expressed in giving Mary to the Church, to contemplate in her the flawless image of the Holy Trinity or all the Church hopes to become in heaven. The names that cluster as a crown about the head of the glorious Mother of the Church are: perfect disciple of Christ; virgin unsurpassed in the purity of faith; bride united with Christ in an unbreakable bond; virginal mother by the power of the Holy Spirit, in whose likeness the Church is called to beget and nourish the life of Christ’s children conceived by the same Spirit through the preaching of the Gospel and Baptism; and queen adorned with the glory of her Lord forever. The Scripture readings for the second Mass are Acts 1:12-14 (preparing for Pentecost by persevering in prayer with Mary) and John 2:1-11 (the wedding feast at Cana). For the third Mass, the readings are Revelation 21:1-5a (the new Jerusalem, beautiful as a bride adorned to greet her husband) and Luke 1:26-38 (the Annunciation). The Teaching of the Catechism • The Catechism of the Catholic Church considers this doctrine under several headings. The first (CCC 964-965) – “Wholly united with her Son . . .” – concentrates upon the fact that Mary’s maternal role in the Church is inseparable and directly derived from her union with the Word incarnate. “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” (Lumen Gentium, 57). It is most manifest at the hour of his Passion, when Mary experienced com-passion – “suffering with” – at its fullest and he gave her to his beloved disciple (cf. Lumen Gentium, 58). After his glorious Ascension, Mary “aided the beginnings of the Church by her prayers” (Lumen Gentium, 69); while “we also see Mary by her prayers imploring the gift of the Spirit, who had already overshadowed her in the Annunciation” (Lumen Gentium, 59). The Catechism’s second heading is “. . . also in her Assumption,” which is said to be “a singular participation in her Son’s Resurrection and an anticipation of the resurrection of other Christians” (966). The third heading, “. . . she is our Mother in the order of grace,” contains the most extensive treatment in the Catechism of Mary’s motherhood of the Church. It is especially important for understanding the mystery underlying this Marian title (CCC 967-970). Mary’s perfect fidelity to the Father’s will, to the requirements of her Son’s redemptive mission, and to every single inspiration of the Holy Spirit has made her the Church’s model of faith and charity – indeed, the archetype of the Church, which sees in Mary the most excellent example and fulfillment of all that the Church herself is called to be. Mary’s cooperation through obedience, faith, hope, and burning charity in the redemptive activity of her Son, sole Savior of the human race from the beginning to the end of time, is indeed “wholly singular,” as Vatican II points out (Lumen Gentium, 61). Consenting, uniquely and wholeheartedly, to her calling to be the “God-bearer,” and filled with grace from the first instant of her Immaculate Conception so as to be the worthy Mother of God, Mary was, as it were, the necessary condition willed by the Father to make his Son and hers the one Mediator of redemption to the whole world. No other person among the redeemed in salvation history (and Mary is truly one of us, redeemed, even though singularly so by a preservative redemption making her the firstfruits of Christ’s victory over sin and death) has been given the same role as she in making our redemption possible. How fitting it therefore is that Mary continue her motherly role in heaven by continuous intercession and by mediating her Son’s saving graces to the pilgrim Church on earth. Vatican Council II does not hesitate to call her our “Mediatrix” as well as our “Advocate,” “Helper,” and “Benefactress” (Lumen Gentium, 62). Nevertheless, the Council did not see fit to encourage invoking her by the name or title of Co-Redemptrix, since that is too easily misinterpreted as making her a fellow redeemer with Christ. Even though this title can be theologically explained in such a way as to avoid such a basic misconception, still the prefix “co-” ordinarily signifies a mutually cooperative effort between or among equals, for example, co-signers in a checking account; thus the term “Co-Redemptrix” can be quite confusing. On the other hand, the prefix “con-” does not have the same ambiguity, since it can apply to one who both cooperates with and is completely dependent upon and subordinate to another or others with whom he or she is cooperating. This obviously is the sense in which Mary may be said to cooperate with her Son, the sole redeemer of the human race, though it is safer not to invoke her as co-redemptrix lest it be misinterpreted. Finally, the Catechism concludes its consideration of Mary’s motherhood of the Church with two substantial quotations from Vatican II regarding the relationship of her mediation in the heavenly Church to Christ’s unique mediatorship in applying the fruits of his redeeming love to humankind’s continuous need for them throughout history. The first passage emphasizes the complete dependence of her salutary influences upon Christ’s unique mediation, so that her mediation of his graces only serves to enhance his heavenly role (cf. Lumen Gentium, 60). The second appeals to the analogy of creation (creatures share in the one goodness of God reflected in a variety of ways) and compares it to the manifold ways in which human ministers share in their single source, the one eternal priesthood of Jesus Christ (cf. Lumen Gentium, 62). Mary’s motherly mediation must be properly understood as in no way adding to or taking away from her Son’s unique mediation as the risen Lord in glory; her true glory is ever to be entirely transparent to his. See: Church, Nature, Origin, and Structure of; Communio; Communion of Saints; Development of Doctrine; Immaculate Conception; Marian Devotion; Mary, Mother of God; Mary, Perpetual Virginity of; Redemption.
Suggested Readings: CCC 964-970. Vatican Council II, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, Ch. VIII. John Paul II, Mother of the Redeemer, Redemptoris Mater. D. Wuerl, R. Lawler, O.F.M. Cap., T. Lawler, eds., The Teaching of Christ: A Catholic Catechism for Adults, pp. 194-204. M. O’Carroll, C.S.Sp., Theotokos: A Theological Encyclopedia of the Blessed Virgin Mary. F. Jelly, O.P., “Mary and the Church,” New Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol. 17; Madonna: Mary in the Catholic Tradition, pp. 37-68, 148-162. F.M. Jelly, O.P.
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