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Mary Co-redemptrix: A Dogmatic Crowning for the Queen?

Written by Mark Miravalle Saturday, 14 August 2010 00:00

What do St. Padre Pio, St. Francis Xavier Cabrini, St. Gemma Galgani, St. Maximilian Kolbe, St. Leopold Mandic, St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, St. Jose Maria Escriva, Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, Servant of God, John Paul II, and Sr. Lucia of Fatima all have in common (beyond their eminent sanctity as witnessed by the twentieth century)? They all repeatedly invoked Our Lady as the "Co-redemptrix" and taught the doctrine of Marian coredemption concerning Mary’s unparalleled role with and under Jesus Christ in the Redemption of the human family. 

Read more: Mary Co-redemptrix: A Dogmatic Crowning for the Queen?

The Death Camp Proved Him Real - The Life of Father Maximilian Kolbe - Part VII

Written by Maria Winowska Saturday, 14 August 2010 00:00

This selection concludes our series from "The Death Camp Proved Him Real" by Maria Winowska - Asst. Ed.   

In his final article Father Maximilian wrote: "No one in the world can alter the truth. All that we can do is to seek it, find it, and live it."
Here he touched the crucial point. Does not the conflict that lacerates the modern world reduce itself to a crisis of truth? All reformers would like to change the truth; but the question is simply to recognize it as it is, serve it, and love it. "No one in the world can alter the truth ..." These words sum up the testament of Father Maximilian. They ought to be written in flaming letters above the chapter of history which God is in process of writing straight and up­right over the crooked lines of our treasons. Is not Satan's name the Father of Lies?

Read more: The Death Camp Proved Him Real - The Life of Father Maximilian Kolbe - Part VII

Why Mary is Our Mediatrix

Written by Saint Maximilian Kolbe Saturday, 14 August 2010 00:00

Miles Immaculatae, 1938 

The strict union that exists among the truths of Christian doctrine is known to us all. For Catholic dogmas are born from one another and perfect each other reciprocally. We can see an example of this in the Fathers of the Council of Ephesus. They proclaimed the divine Motherhood of Mary solely on the basis of the Catholic doctrine regarding the hypostatic union of the divine and human natures in the Person of the Word.

Once the relationship between Jesus and his Mother Mary became known, there arose the Catholic belief which holds that the Mother of the Savior was exempt from original sin. Catholics did not dare think that Mary had ever been enslaved to the devil even for a single instant. A wonderful hope of obtaining the sweet care of Mary also arose among the faithful based on the preeminent mission of the Blessed Virgin and on her unutterable union (her Immaculate Conception) with the Holy Spirit. 

Immaculate Conception Linked to Mediation

And it is now clear that our relationship to Mary the Co-Redemptrix and Dispenser of graces in the economy of the redemption has not been understood from the beginning with uniform clarity. Nevertheless our belief in the mediation of the Blessed Virgin Mary is daily growing greater. In this brief ar­ticle we want to show what the dogma of the Immaculate Con­ception of the Blessed Virgin Mary contributes to the doctrine of Mary's mediation.

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Mary, Queen in Jesus' Kingdom

Written by Fr. Cornelis Friethoff, O.P. Saturday, 14 August 2010 00:00

God is so great and so far beyond our comprehension that he is literally ineffable. Hence, very often we are obliged to have recourse to pure metaphor when we wish to speak of him.

But when we say that God is a King, that is no metaphor. He is King in the highest and fullest sense of the word, more King than anyone ever was or will be on this earth. He is the King of kings who will summon before his tribunal all those who have ever been kings and demand from them an account of their kingship. The earth is his and the fullness thereof, and nothing can escape his direction.

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The Queenship of Mary

Written by Pope Pius XII Saturday, 14 August 2010 00:00

Encyclical Ad Caeli Reginam of Pope Pius XII

1. From the earliest ages of the Catholic Church a Christian people, whether in time of triumph or more especially in time of crisis, has addressed prayers of petition and hymns of praise and veneration to the Queen of Heaven. And never has that hope wavered which they placed in the Mother of the Divine King, Jesus Christ; nor has that faith ever failed by which we are taught that Mary, the Virgin Mother of God, reigns with a mother's solicitude over the entire world, just as she is crowned in heavenly blessedness with the glory of a Queen.

2. Following upon the frightful calamities which before Our very eyes have reduced flourishing cities, towns, and villages to ruins, We see to Our sorrow that many great moral evils are being spread abroad in what may be described as a violent flood. Occasionally We behold justice giving way; and, on the one hand and the other, the victory of the powers of corruption. The threat of this fearful crisis fills Us with a great anguish, and so with confidence We have recourse to Mary Our Queen, making known to her those sentiments of filial reverence which are not Ours alone, but which belong to all those who glory in the name of Christian.

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Munificentissimus Deus

Written by Pope Pius XII Saturday, 14 August 2010 00:00

1. The most bountiful God, who is almighty, the plan of whose providence rests upon wisdom and love, tempers, in the secret purpose of his own mind, the sorrows of peoples and of individual men by means of joys that he interposes in their lives from time to time, in such a way that, under different conditions and in different ways, all things may work together unto good for those who love him (1).

2. Now, just like the present age, our pontificate is weighed down by ever so many cares, anxieties, and troubles, by reason of very severe calamities that have taken place and by reason of the fact that many have strayed away from truth and virtue. Nevertheless, we are greatly consoled to see that, while the Catholic faith is being professed publicly and vigorously, piety toward the Virgin Mother of God is flourishing and daily growing more fervent, and that almost everywhere on earth it is showing indications of a better and holier life. Thus, while the Blessed Virgin is fulfilling in the most affectionate manner her maternal duties on behalf of those redeemed by the blood of Christ, the minds and the hearts of her children are being vigorously aroused to a more assiduous consideration of her prerogatives.

3. Actually God, who from all eternity regards Mary with a most favorable and unique affection, has "when the fullness of time came" (2) put the plan of his providence into effect in such a way that all the privileges and prerogatives he had granted to her in his sovereign generosity were to shine forth in her in a kind of perfect harmony. And, although the Church has always recognized this supreme generosity and the perfect harmony of graces and has daily studied them more and more throughout the course of the centuries, still it is in our own age that the privilege of the bodily Assumption into heaven of Mary, the Virgin Mother of God, has certainly shone forth more clearly.

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The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and its Foundation in Her Role as Coredemptrix

Written by Fr. Jason A. Jones Saturday, 14 August 2010 00:00

Introduction

One of the problems that arise in any discussion on Co-redemption is the limiting of Redemption exclusively to the events of Good Friday. We must realize that the whole life of Christ is of salvific value, from His Annunciation to the hidden years of Nazareth, His public ministry, His passion, death, resurrection and ascension. Throughout His life Jesus is true to His name as the one who saves.

In the West when the feast of the Annunciation, March 25, falls on Good Friday, the feast is moved to another day as if the two events are unrelated and cause a distraction. The Fathers of the second century speak of the inseparability of the Incarnation and the Passion of the Son of God. The Incarnation was Salvation. For them to invoke the former is to include the latter. John Saward in the “Mysteries of March” states that for the Fathers “to say Incarnation is to say Cross.” (1)

In presenting this talk on the Assumption and Co-redemption, it is essential that we keep the whole of the plan of salvation together. As Mary is introduced into the mystery of Redemption with her Immaculate Conception, followed by the Annunciation and Divine Maternity, so then the Assumption event at the end of her earthly life must also be considered and understood as part of the plan of Redemption. If Mary has shared intimately in the joys and sorrows of the Lord through His birth and death, so then it is fitting that she should share in the glory of the Lord’s resurrection. One day we will experience the fruit of the resurrection, but Mary already has partaken of it in an anticipatory way by the resurrection of her body and soul in the Assumption.

As the definition of our Lady’s Assumption has already been solemnly defined by Pius XII in 1950 with Munificentissimus Deus, I will try to show how we can come to a greater understanding of Co-redemption by having recourse to the dogma of the Assumption. We will be able to see how a full and proper appreciation of Co-redemption is a prelude and necessary foundation that leads to the definition of the Assumption. If this defined dogma can only be fully understood as a consequence of, and in relation to, our Lady’s Co-redemption then we will have the impetus to have this fifth and final dogma defined as well.

Before we can proceed to develop this further, it is fitting that we look at the usage of the title Co-redemptrix and its theology which was commonly held up to the time of the definition of the Assumption. I will then return to the main argument of Co-redemption as a necessary foundation for the Assumption. This is confirmed by post Conciliar Mariology with reference to Redemptoris Mater and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Our Lady as “Mother of the Church” and “Image of the Church” receives the reward of her pilgrimage of faith by the resurrection of her body. This in turn inspires and leads us on our pilgrimage through life until we too will share what we profess to believe in—the resurrection of the body and life everlasting.

Read more: The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and its Foundation in Her Role as Coredemptrix

The Assumption of Our Lady

Written by Fr. Paul Haffner Saturday, 14 August 2010 00:00

The following article is an excerpt from  “Mariology: A Guide for Priests, Deacons, Seminarians, and Consecrated Persons.”  To order a copy  click here .  - Asst. Ed.  

In the Old Testament, there were some mysterious departures from this life. God granted a special privilege of not dying to Enoch and Elijah. The first case concerns Enoch, referred to in the book of Genesis: "Enoch walked with God, then was no more, because God took him" (Gen 5:24). The letter to the Hebrews furnishes more information: "It was because of his faith that Enoch was taken up and did not experience death: he was no more, because God took him; because before his assumption he was acknowledged to have pleased God" (Heb 11:5). Significantly, the word assumption is adopted (1). Similarly, the passing of Elijah was extraordinary, since he did not die: "Now as they (Elijah and Elisha) walked on, talking as they went, a chariot of fire appeared and horses of fire coming between the two of them; and Elijah went up to heaven in the whirlwind" (2 Kings 2:11; cf. Sir 48:9). 

Read more: The Assumption of Our Lady

Understanding the Heart of God the Father

Written by Sister Maria of Abba Saturday, 07 August 2010 00:00

"Each person is called, by grace, to a covenant with the Creator, called to offer Him a response of faith and love that no other creature can give in his place"

Pope Benedict - World Day of Peace 1 January 2007

When Pope Benedict said this, he was, I think, being a spokesman for the Heart of God the Father, vocalizing the silent yearning this Heart has long cherished as His chief desire. Each of us, He created for the sole purpose of knowing Him, loving Him, and trusting Him as a child would its father. Thus, our hearts were made for His.

Read more: Understanding the Heart of God the Father

Jesus Speaks: The Fruits of Your Day

Written by Anne a Lay Apostle Saturday, 07 August 2010 00:00

The messages from "Anne, a Lay Apostle," from the international spiritual movement "Lay Apostles of Jesus Christ the Returning King" have been released for international distribution with the permission of Bishop Leo O'Reilly of the Diocese of Kilmore, Ireland, the diocese in which Anne and the international headquarters of the Lay apostolate reside. They have also been submitted by Bishop O'Reilly to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in Rome (see article, "Discernment of Lay Apostolate of Jesus Christ the Returning King," Marian Private Revelation section). On the first of every month, Our Lord gives Anne a new message about His call to service.- Asst. Ed.

Jesus

August 1, 2010

Be at peace in your work, dear apostles. Neither hurry, nor delay. Do not pause in your service to heaven, wherever that service has taken you. We move at a steady pace if we are together. If you are working without Me, you may find yourself either hurrying or delaying. I do not hurry and I do not delay. Test yourself today. Determine your pace. If it is steady and you are calm, all is well. If your pace is hurried, and you are not calm, perhaps you have forgotten that it is My work you are doing, and not your own. If you have stopped working for heaven, because you are sad, frustrated or discouraged, then that is a sign that you need Me to renew you and restore your confidence in our togetherness.

Read more: Jesus Speaks: The Fruits of Your Day

Mary and the Church in the Papal Magisterium Before and After the Second Vatican Council - Part III & IV

Written by Msgr. Arthur Burton Calkins Saturday, 07 August 2010 00:00

The following  selection is taken from "Mary at the Foot of the Cross - IX, Mary: Spouse of the Holy Spirit, Coredemptrix, and Mother of the Church."  Parts V - VI will be published in the next issue. - Asst. Ed.

III. Lumen Gentium (November 21,1964)
Up to now, I have tried to delineate what I consider to be some of the major developments of the preconciliar papal magisterium on Our Lady's relationship to the Church. This rich patrimony has dealt almost exclusively with Mary's spiritual Motherhood of the Church and her intimately related roles as Coredemptrix and Mediatrix of all graces. We did note a certain juxtaposition in Blessed Pius IX's Ineffabilis Deus of the figures of the "most holy Virgin" and "Our Holy Mother the Catholic Church" with the latter clearly subordinate to the former.

Read more: Mary and the Church in the Papal Magisterium Before and After the Second Vatican Council - Part III & IV