The Four “Mary’s” of St. Ignatius Loyola – Part II

(Sharing at the Novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help on 24 Nov 2012)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ

In our last sharing, walking through St. Ignatius Loyola’s life in our Santa Maria della Strada Chapel, we stopped at the image of Our Lady of Montserrat. Let us continue our ‘journey’.

After Manresa, Ignatius went to the Holy Land. However, he was compelled to return to Europe for his safety, as the Turks were ruling there then. Ignatius then realised that to help others, he had to study. So at 33, he went back to studies. Circumstances forced him to move from Barcelona to Alcalá, Salamanca and finally Paris. He attracted many students. Six of them, which included St. Francis Xavier, eventually became his closest companions. In 1534 in the chapel of Montmatre, they took vows of perpetual chastity and poverty and upon completing their studies, to be of service to the Pope.

In 1537, all of them except for Peter Favre, who was already a priest then, received the Holy Orders. Still unable to go to the Holy Land, the seven companions went to Rome to offer their services to the Pope. On the way, at La Storta, Ignatius had a vision of God the Father “placing him with His Son”, Jesus Christ, as he had asked Mary to obtain for him. This was the most significant affirmation for him and later on, the Society of Jesus. On 27 September 1540, Pope Paul III approved the formation of the Society of Jesus. Ignatius was unanimously chosen general on 7 April 1541. On 22 April, the same year, the Friday of Easter week, at the basilica of St. Paul-Outside-the-Walls, before the Theotokos Hodigitria icon, the friends pronounced their final vows in the newly formed Order. The icon is the third stained glass image from the back of our chapel.

Sometimes called “Our Lady of the Way”, or Queen of the Society of Jesus, it is among the most classical, most ancient and permanent of Marian icons^[1]. According to legend, St. Luke painted the first Hodigitria, which means 'Pointer of the Way' or 'Guide of the Church.' In the icon, Our Lady points to her Child as if to say, look at him, not me.^[2] “This is the way, he is your life, way and truth.”^[1] Mary leads us to Christ, she herself is “the Sign” of the way^[3]. The simple and beautiful Marian way teaches that our existence, lived in faith, hope and charity, is for others, leading them to Christ^[1]. The Pope reminded us of this, too, in the Year of Faith.

Later, Pope Paul III gave the newly approved Society a small church after its former pastor and owner, Peter Codacio, became a Jesuit. This was the church of Santa Maria della Strada, erected by the Astalli family in the 5^th century in Rome. In it was the original fresco of the Madonna della Strada, painted likely in the 13^th to 14^th century^[4]. The Jesuits built their house beside the church, which was their urban missionary headquarters. In 1568, Cardinal Alessandro Farnese erected the Jesuits’ mother church, the Church of the Gesù, over this church. 

Following the tradition, to commemorate the original church, a chapel dedicated to Santa Maria della Strada was built in the new church. The icon became the main alterpiece in this chapel and venerated as miraculous and very dear to St. Ignatius. In our chapel, the stained glass image nearest to the altar is modeled after this icon.

Santa Maria della Strada, or Our Lady of the Way, is the patroness of the Society of Jesus. Her intercession was claimed to have protected Ignatius during battle as a soldier. In the Church of the Gesù, the icon is strategically placed between the altar dedicated to St. Ignatius and the main altar dedicated to the Holy Name of Jesus. The chapel location shows Mary’s intercessory role.^[5] Also called “Our Lady of the Wayside”, and in Western Europe “Our Lady of the Street”, the icon is sometimes used to symbolize poverty, the homeless, etc.^[6]. Overall, the image evokes trust in the Son and the Mother’s intercession with him^[4].

The Society of Jesus became the largest religious order that won over multitudes of souls to Christ, making their mark in diverse fields, especially education. The Jesuits played a vital role in countering the Protestant Reformation, keeping the Church of Christ intact. Imitating St. Ignatius’ fervour and placing our prayers in Mary’s hands while contemplating the Lord in our Chapel, we could perhaps find strength to answer the Pope’s call – “to rediscover the content of the faith that is professed, celebrated, lived and prayed, and to reflect on the act of faith”. Then, we can be credible life-giving witnesses of Christ.^[7]

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[1] Marian Icons -- A Way to Devotion. (n.d.) In Mary in Catholic Teaching: Session 4: Growing in Knowledge. Retrieved 2 Sept 2012 from http://campus.udayton.edu/mary/buby/session_4.htm)

[2] Vinie, M. (n.d.). [Course material]. Retrieved 2 Sept 2012 from http://campus.udayton.edu/mary/resources/icon3.html

[3] Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2674

[4] Chapel of Our Lady of the road. (17 May 2010). Retrieved 17 Nov. 2010 from http://www.chiesadelgesu.org/html/d_cappella_madonna_della_strada_it.html

[5] Bonacci, L.A. (n.d.) [Q&A]. Retrieved 13 Nov 2010 from http://campus.udayton.edu/mary/questions/yq/yq115.html

[6] [Part of Q&A]. Retrieved 17 Nov. 2010 from http://campus.udayton.edu/mary/questions/yq/yq15.html.

[7] Benedict XVI. (11 Oct 2011). Porta fidei. Retrieved from http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/motu_proprio/documents/hf_ben-xvi_motu-proprio_20111011_porta-fidei_en.html, n. 9.

The Four “Mary’s” of St. Ignatius Loyola – Part I

(Sharing at the Novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help on 10 Nov 2012)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ

To help us answer our call for the Year of Faith, that is, to share with others Christ Jesus, the Redeemer of mankind^[1], one of the Church’s pastoral advice is to have a special devotion to Mary^[2]. In response, we would like to suggest contemplating the Lord in the Santa Maria della Strada Chapel.^[3] Among the features in the Chapel that may help in prayerful reflexion are the four stained glass images of Our Lady. Have you ever wondered their significance?

 They are the 4 Mary’s significant to St. Ignatius of Loyola. Remember our sharing on Our Lady in St. Ignatius Loyola’s life? The images walk us through the most important stages of his life. Today, I will share briefly on something about two of the images.

When Ignatius Loyola was converted while recovering from the Pamplona battle injury, he had a vision of Our Lady with the Holy Child Jesus, which confirmed his decision. It was believed to be that of Our Lady of Aranzazu. This is the first image as you enter the back door of the chapel. Aranzazu is about 55 km from Loyola, Ignatius’ ancestral home, in Gipuzkoa. According to tradition, in 1498, while rounding up his flock, a shepherd, Rodrigo de Baltzategi, heard a cowbell calling him. He followed the sound, and came upon an image of the Virgin Mary. Considered a miracle, the site became a pilgrimage shrine. In Ignatius’ mother tongue, the Basque language, Aranzazu means “a place full of hawthorn bushes”, thus the name Our Lady of Aranzazu. It was also believed that she was so named because the shepherd Rodrigo, who discovered her on top of a hawthorn bush, exclaimed, “Arantzan zu?!” meaning, “You, on a hawthorn bush?!” Today, the Sanctuary of Aranzazu is maintained by the Franciscans. The feast of Our Lady of Aranzazu, patron saint of Gipuzkoa, is celebrated on 9 Sept.

The vision of the Virgin and the Child filled Ignatius with hatred for his past life of impurity. He wanted to go to the Holy Land via Montserrat. On his way, in 1522, he stopped at Aranzazu and spent a night in vigil before Our Lady of Aranzazu, promising to live in chastity.

He then went on to Montserrat, then already a famous pilgrimage destination. Rulers, church leaders and canonized Saints had visited the famous Black Madonna of Montserrat at the Benedictine monastery there. This is the second image from the back of our Chapel. St. Ignatius became among its most famous visitors. According to legend, the image of the Virgin of Montserrat was first known as La Jerosolimitana, or the native of Jerusalem – it is believed to have been carved in Jerusalem by St. Luke during the Church’s beginnings. It was brought to Montserrat in 718, to hide it from the invading Saracens. For almost 200 years, it remained hidden and the location was forgotten. Then in 890, tradition holds that while tending their flocks one night, some shepherds saw lights and heard singing coming from the mountain. After the second time, they reported it to their priest. Upon investigation, he also saw the mysterious lights and heard the singing. So he informed the Bishop, who also witnessed these phenomena. Finally, they discovered the statue of Our Lady in the cave; they brought it out and placed it in a small church that was soon built and later developed into the present church that was completed in 1592.

Various miracles were attributed to the Virgin of Montserrat, resulting in the present statue being made in the 12^th or 13^th century. It has always been considered one of the most popular images in Spain and is classified as one of the Black Madonnas in the world. Why black? No one knows for sure, but one possibility was that the countless candles and lamps that have burned day and night before it had turned it black.

At Montserrat, Ignatius Loyola exchanged his rich clothes for a beggar’s, laid down his sword and dagger at Our Lady’s altar and kept a vigil. The next day, intending to continue to the Holy Land, he ended up stopping at nearby Manresa. Here, he composed the Spiritual Exercises that helped so many souls till today.

Dear brothers and sisters, thus far, we have gone through St. Ignatius’ time of conversion. In a fortnight, we will learn more about the other two stained glass icons of Our Lady. Meanwhile, let us ask her to help us live out the Pope’s invitation to true and renewed conversion during this grace-filled Year of Faith. “Mary, Mother of the Church, pray for us. Amen.”

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[1] Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. (6 Jan 2012). Note with pastoral recommendations for the Year of Faith. Retrieved from http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20120106_nota-anno-fede_en.html.

[2] Ibid., n 13.

[3] Why? Because she can help us to know Him better and thus be His living witnesses.

Mary, Model of Faith

(Sharing at the Novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help on 13 October 2012)

Dear Friends,

I wonder if the dates Oct 11^th   2012 to November 24^th, 2013 signify anything to all of us? I hope that these dates mean something to all of us present here. As most of us probably already know, this period has been declared The Year of Faith by our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI. 

Our Holy Father declared the Year of Faith to celebrate the 50^th Anniversary of  Vatican II. The Second Vatican Council was formally opened by Blessed Pope John XXIII on Oct 11^th, 1962.

In his announcement on the Year of Faith, Pope Benedict XVI informs us that the ‘Door of Faith is always open to us”. It is a door that we can pass through everyday, first by deepening our relationship with the Lord and second, with all our brothers and sisters in the Lord. He further informs us that there are two ways of entering through this door:

1)      The first is the way of ‘Content’

2)      The second is the way of ‘Act’

As such, in conjunction with the Year of Faith, the Marian Devotion Group will be participating by having some sharing sessions on the topic of Faith, through the first door, which is the way of ‘Content’.

All of us are very familiar with the word FAITH, as we use it often in our prayers, in our conversation with our friends, in sharings of our experiences of life, and in many other situations. I am sure we all believe in the gift of faith.

Faith is one of the most fundamental aspects of our Christian life. We believe that our Blessed Virgin Mary is the perfect model of our faith.

So what is the gift of faith?

Faith involves entrusting oneself, abandoning oneself to God, the willingness to submit to His will and obedience in faith.

Mary as the perfect model reflects this very well. She abandoned herself to God with total trust and in obedience in faith when she responded “Yes” to God.

To better understand what this means in practice, we can look at the life of Mary, whose acceptance of God’s invitation to be the mother of His Son is a great witness for us. By examining the dialogue that took place at the Annunciation, we can gain a deeper insight on what it means to have faith.

Mary’s Yes to God

Mary’s journey with God was one of deep faith and great trust. She had a grace-filled openness to the mystery of God in her life.

We are familiar with Luke’s account of the Incarnation when the angel appeared to Mary and announced,“ The Lord is with you”( Lk:1:28) However, before Mary responded to God, the Scripture remind us that Mary was confused and frightened and deeply disturbed by the angel’s greeting. As Mary was fully human she too experienced fear and doubts, similar to how any one of us would also encounter in our lives.

She struggled to say “Yes” to the Lord! And she “pondered” these words in her heart. Pondering is not simply a question of “thinking” or trying to master the realities of faith or mysteries of life. It is not a question of trying to control these realities or mysteries or reduce them to something our minds can handle. Rather, it is a question of letting the realities of faith be with us, to enter into us and reveal themselves to us. It is allowing ourselves to be molded by them, to allow God’s will to become our will. It is fostering both an attitude and atmosphere of TRUST and OPENNESS in our lives.

It was through her dialogue with the angel, where she asks ”How can this be? I have no knowledge of man” ( Lk1:34) and the angel said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit shall come upon you and the power of the Highest shall overshadow you, behold your cousin Elizabeth, she too conceived a son in her old age, who was called barren, for with God nothing is impossible.” “Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done unto me according to thy word.” (Lk 1:38). With these words Mary was more assured and her fear transcended, she was able to submit herself to the will of God.  

Mary took a leap in faith. She had to let go of her plans and say “Yes” to a life of faith. In spite of her awareness of her own unworthiness and littleness, she had to say “Yes” to become the mother of God and also all that it would entail. She was asked to let go of her plans and let God take over her life. She was totally unaware what was to happen in the future, the struggles or difficulties. However she totally trusted God and that He will take care of all things as she surrendered in faith.

Mary’s fiat (“let it be done, as you have said” Lk 1:38) demonstrates her complete obedience to God and to His will for her. In fact it was by means of her fiat, her obedient faith, that “the mystery of the Incarnation was accomplished” in accordance with God’s plan.

Similarly, sometimes in our lives too, when God comes to invite us to make changes in our lives, to explore the inner part of our lives which we have been very comfortable with, we too can feel perplexed or confused just as Mary did. It is in those circumstances that we too can also engage in a dialogue with God and with others around us. May we too, walk in faith by allowing the Holy Spirit to lead us, just as He did for Mary.

We may not know what the outcome will be. However we can take the leap of FAITH and TRUST that God will take care of us just as He did for our Blessed Mother. 

To conclude I would like to share this quote from our Pope Benedict XVI for us all to reflect:

“Knowing the CONTENT to be believed is not sufficient unless the heart, the authentic sacred space within the person is opened by GRACE that allows the eyes to… understand that what has been proclaimed is the Word of God.”

Year of Faith

(Sharing at the Novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help on 7 July 2012)

•     Faith “is the lifelong companion that makes it possible to perceive, ever anew, the marvels that God works for us”. With the Apostolic Letter, Porta fidei, Pope Benedict XVI declared a Year of Faith. This year will begin on 11 October 2012, and will conclude on 24 November 2013, the Solemnity of our Lord Jesus Christ, Universal King.

•     Pope Benedict speaks of the need to rediscover the journey of faith so as to shed ever clearer light on the joy and renewed enthusiasm of “the encounter with Christ“.

•     The beginning of the Year of Faith coincides with the anniversaries of two great events which have marked the life of the Church: the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council, called by Blessed Pope John XXIII (11 October 1962), and the twentieth of the promulgation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, given to the Church by Blessed Pope John Paul II (11 October 1992).

•     “I know him in whom I have believed”. These words of Paul to Timothy help us to understand that faith is “first of all a personal adherence of man to God. (2 Tm 1:12). It is also a free assent to the whole truth revealed by God.” Faith, which is a personal trust in the Lord and the faith which we profess in the Creed are inseparable; they focus on each other and require each other. A profound bond exists between the lived faith and its contents. The faith of the Witnesses and Confessors is also the faith of the Apostles and Doctors of the Church.

•     This year will be a special occasion for the faithful to understand more profoundly that the foundation of Christian faith is “the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction.” Founded on the encounter with the Risen Christ, “Faith is a gift to rediscover, to cultivate and to bear witness to” because the Lord “grants each of us to live the beauty and joy of being Christians.”

•     The Second Vatican Council noted in Lumen gentium: "Devoutly meditating on Mary and contemplating her in the light of the Word made man, the Church reverently penetrates more deeply into the great mystery of the Incarnation” and... “looks to Mary” for “… She not only contemplates the wondrous gift of her fullness of grace, but strives to imitate the perfection which in her is the fruit of her full compliance with Christ's command: "You, therefore, must be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Mt 5:48).” (Lumen gentium #65; Pope John Paul II, 1997)

•     For the community of believers, in the great prayer of the Magnificat, Mary represents “the authentic holiness that is achieved in union with Christ…the perfect harmony with the person of Her Son and by her total dedication to the redeeming work He accomplished.” (Pope John Paul II, 1997)

•     Christ’s redeeming work was accomplished at Calvary, witnessed by Mary at the foot of the cross. Though Mary's Heart was pierced, it was sustained by three pillars: unshakeable faithfulness to Her mission, unfailing hope for humanity, and profound sacrificial love for God. She showed us that Her Heart, being immaculate and never touched by either darkness or sin, could not be touched by evil in the darkest and most painful hour of the Passion and death of Her Son. (Buck, 2010; Mother Adela, n.d.)

•     Mary’s faith, hope and love for humanity has sustained humanity’s faith, hope and love in God’s salvation in spite of man’s sinfulness. And yet, Mary’s call to humanity in different continents throughout the centuries to follow a different path and a different world than the tragic, materialistic, de-Christianised, sinful society, which is so close to all of our lives today, remains unheeded by too many. It is a call that has gone unheeded again and again. Our Lady is seen as weeping, weeping for the world*…and pierced to the Heart.

•     In the image of Her Immaculate Heart pierced by a sword, we see the heart of the Blessed Virgin stabbed for all of those who have lived – and died – by the sword, and by sin. Jesus said, “Put your sword back, for all who have lived by the sword, die by the sword.” (Mt 26:52)

•     During this Year, the faithful are invited to turn with particular devotion to Mary, model of the Church. Despite the sins of her members, the Church is first and foremost the community of those who are called to holiness and to strive each day to achieve it. In this arduous path to perfection, Mary who “shines forth to the whole community of the elect as the model of faith, hope and love” succours and encourages us to live as she lived, in obedience to God’s will…so that we may rediscover the journey of faith…and shed ever clearer light on the joy and renewed enthusiasm of “the encounter with Christ“. (Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith, 2012; Pope John Paul II, 1997)

N.b.: * [Summary of History of Our Lady of Akita]

In 1973, the Blessed Virgin Mary gave Sister Agnes Katsuko Sasagawa in Akita, Japan, three Messages through a statue of Mary. Bathed in a brilliant light, the statue became alive and spoke with a voice of indescribable beauty. Her Guardian Angel also appeared and taught her to pray.

The wooden statue, about 3 feet high, had been carved by an artist on the request of the Sisters of the Institute of the Handmaids of the Eucharist, founded by the local Bishop, Most Rev. John Shojiro Ito, of the Diocese of Niigata. This statue, from which the voice came, wept 101 times over a course of several years, from January 4, 1975, to September 15, 1981, the Feast of Our Lady of Seven Sorrows. It also perspired abundantly, and the perspiration sent out a sweet perfume. Its right palm bled from a wound that had the form of a cross.

References:

•     Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith. (6 January 2012.) Pastoral Recommendations for the Year of Faith. Retrieved from http://www.annusfidei.va/content/novaevangelizatio/en/annus-fidei/indicazioni-pastorali-per-l-anno-della-fede.html

•     Pope John Paul II. (10 September 1997). Mary: Model of Faith, Hope, and Charity in L'Osservatore Romano, Weekly Edition in English, p. 11.

•     Mother Adela. (n.d.) Mary, Model  of Faith, Hope and Charity for the Third Millennium. Retrieved from http://www.piercedhearts.org/mother_adela/mary_faith_hope_charity.htm

•     Buck, R. (5 March 2010). Marian Apparitions, the Bible and the Modern World – Donal Anthony Foley (Review). Retrieved from http://corjesusacratissimum.org/2010/03/book-review-marian-apparitions-the-bible-and-the-modern-world-donal-anthony-foley/

Recommended reading:

1. Finley, Mitch. (1997). Surprising Mary. Meditation and Prayers on the Mother of Jesus. Mineola, New York: Resurrection Press. ISBN 1-878718-37-1.

2. Gambero, Luigi. Mary and the Fathers of the Church. The Blessed Virgin Mary in Patristic Thought. Translated: Thomas Buffer. (1997). San Francisco: Ignatius Press. ISBN 978-0-89870-686-4.

3. Hahn, Scott Walker. (2001). Hail Holy Queen. The Mother of God in the Word of God. Darton Longman Todd. ISBN 9780 2325 24321.

4. The Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission. (2005). Mary grace and Hope in Christ. Harrisburg, London: Morehouse. ISBN 0-8192-8132-8

5. Buono, Anthony. (2008). The Greatest Marian Titles – their History, Meaning and Usage. The Philippines: St. Pauls. ISBN 978-971-004-004-9.

Mary’s Role in Man’s Redemption – Part II

(Sharing at the Novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help on 26 Nov 2011)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Last week, we shared that Mary freely chose to cooperate in God’s eternal plan of salvation, and that she serves Christ in the mystery of redemption by sharing His life and saving mission, which culminates in His sacrifice on the Cross. We stopped at St. Irenaeus’ strict emphasis on the Adam-Christ and Eve-Mary parallels. How does the parallel explain Mary’s role in our salvation?

(Fr. Keyes wrote that) St. Irenaeus started with the analogy itself: i.e., as sin, and then death, entered the world by one man’s disobedience, so the fruitfulness of life in the dead shall be restored by one man’s obedience. The bonds of death could not be broken unless the original process is reversed. Therefore, based on St. Paul’s doctrine that all things will be re-established in Christ, Christ’s obedience can undo Adam’s wrong only if like Adam, Christ is formed as man by God’s own hands. God formed Adam from virgin earth, but to make Christ’s formation a continuation of Adam’s, He could not have done so with Christ. To be Saviour, Christ must resemble Adam in origin. Therefore God formed Christ from the Virgin Mary. That is why Mary is important in this analogy, as St. Irenaeus set out:  

EVE	MARY
still a virgin	the Virgin
the spouse of Adam	already betrothed
was disobedient	through her obedience
She became both for herself and all the human race the cause of death	She became both for herself and all the human race the cause of salvation
Thus, what the virgin Eve  had bound by her unbelief . . .	The Virgin Mary unbound by her faith . . .

 (Deiss, 1972 cited in Keyes)

Fr. Keyes wrote:

“This is where we find the statement that Mary is the "cause of our salvation," and Irenaeus can only make such a bold remark because of the very strict parallel in which it is placed. Mary really is the cause of our salvation. … not … in the same sense that Christ is. …(but) only in the same sense that Eve caused our death. The actions of Mary do nothing to destroy the prerogatives of Christ, who is the Redeemer, just as the actions of Eve do not diminish the responsibility of Adam for sin. Nevertheless, just as Eve played a major role in the first sin, so does Mary play an active part in the salvation of mankind.”

Vatican II states that this is entirely God’s will (LG, #60) and quoted the early Fathers in saying: "death through Eve, life through Mary" and that Mary is the source of life. (LG, #56)

Fr. Neuner summed up Mary’s role in the divine work of redemption in three conclusions:

1.    (Firstly) Everything in salvation is God’s work, what is required of Mary is her faith, her free response and total involvement. (pp.118-119)

2.    (Secondly) The full implication of Mary’s share in the mystery of redemption, as mother of the Saviour, is realised only at the foot of the Cross (p.46, p.119).

3.    (Thirdly) By her union with Jesus in His life, mission and death, Mary sanctifies herself, for although gifted with holiness from her conception, she has to personalise it in faith and obedience throughout her life. (This is because God allows human freedom in His work.) By accepting her vocation as mother of the Saviour, she became a channel of salvation for all. (p.119-120)

How are we to apply these knowledge? Fr. Neuner wrote,

“…God alone saves us through Jesus Christ. (but) It is our task to receive the message of salvation in faith, respond to it in obedience and become involved and committed in its realisation.” (Neuner, 2004, p.118)

In this respect, we can turn to Mary, for in the divine work of salvation, she embodies the human part (Neuner, 2004, p. 118). Fr. Neuner gave good advice in these words:

“So Mary is model of the Church, redeemed and sharing in God’s redemptive work; the Church is the community of the redeemed which, in turn, becomes “sacrament of salvation” for the world. The same mystery is realised in every Christian. All Jesus’ disciples are redeemed to share their life with their brothers and sisters as members of Christ’s body in continuation of Jesus’ mission.” (Neuner, 2004, p.119)

As we enter the season of Advent, let us reflect on this and like Mary, with faith and obedience make present the mystery of Christ to the world. Then, we would have lived our vocation in the mystery of salvation.

References:

John Paul II. (25 March 1987). Redemptoris Mater.

Keyes, J. (n.d.) Mariology in the Fathers of the Second Century. Retrieved from http://www.rc.net/oakland/cpps/mariology.pdf on 19 October 2011

Neuner, J. (2004). Mary – Mother of the Saviour. Bangalore: Theological Publications in India.

Vatican Council II. (21 November 1964). Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen gentium.

Mary’s Role in Man’s Redemption - Part I

(Sharing at the Novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help on 19 Nov 2011)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Continuing with our theme Mary and the Church, today we shall delve into Mary’s role in man’s redemption. Does Mary play a part in our redemption? While the Church teaches that she does, non-Catholics maintain that man’s salvation is solely the work of Jesus Christ. As Marian devotees, it is good for us to understand better the Church’s teachings on this.

First of all, God’s plan for our salvation is eternal. Quoting St. Paul and Vatican II, Blessed John Paul II highlighted in the encyclical, Redemptoris Mater (RM), that since the fall of Adam and Eve, Mary was “already prophetically foreshadowed in the promise of victory over the serpent…” (LG, #55, cf. Gen.3:15) He wrote:

In the mystery of Christ she is present even "before the creation of the world," as the one whom the Father "has chosen" as Mother of his Son in the Incarnation.’ (RM, #8)

‘…from the first moment of her conception … she belonged to Christ, sharing in the salvific and sanctifying grace and in that love which… (originates) in the "Beloved," the Son of the Eternal Father, who through the Incarnation became her own Son. (RM, #10)

The Incarnation thus marks the “fullness of time” when God’s promise to man after original sin was fulfilled (RM, #11). The Son of God came “born of woman, born under the law… so that we might receive adoption as sons.” (RM, #1 cf. Gal. 4:4-5)

Vatican II says: "The Father of mercies willed that the consent of the predestined Mother should precede the Incarnation." (LG, #56) Thus, it was God’s pleasure to give Mary the freedom to choose whether to cooperate in His plan for man’s salvation. This was realised at the Annunciation, when she freely consented to God’s request of her announced by the angel Gabriel. Accordingly, Fr. Neuner (2004) calls this a topic of Mary’s cooperation, where God’s sovereignty meets human freedom. It is the heart of all theology. (p. 114) He directed us to Vatican II, which describes Mary as “freely cooperating in the work of human salvation through faith and obedience.” (LG, #56) Because our salvation is God’s free gift of His love, it must include human dignity and freedom. This inclusion in achieving God’s plans does not diminish His absolute sovereignty, but rather makes it fully effective. We see in the biblical accounts of the covenant how God realises His designs with Israel and all creation not through force, but through free interplay of His creature’s freedom. (Neuner, 2004)

How involved is Mary in our redemption? Is it only by her free consent and giving Jesus the human body? Fr. Neuner (2004) wrote that by God’s design, Mary is drawn into Jesus’ life not only through physical motherhood, but also by sharing His life and saving mission (p. 45). By her fiat, she accepts her own place in His life and mission and consecrates herself “to the person and work of her Son” so that she “serves him in the mystery of redemption.” (Neuner, 2004, pp. 45, 115; cf. LG, #56) Her fiat-"let it be to me"-enabled her Son’s desire to do God’s will (cf. Heb. 10: 5-7) to be granted only on the human level, but the crowning moment of Mary’s motherhood in the salvific economy of grace is Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross (RM, #23), Blessed John Paul II wrote.

To understand Mary’s place in our salvation, Fr. Neuner proposes to re-look into Jesus’ redemptive mission in the light of His whole person and work, His mission and message, death and resurrection. Obeying His Father, Jesus accepts solidarity with us broken humans, sharing our condition, struggle, failure and death. (I quote Fr. Neuner) “Jesus is Saviour by being both with His Father and with us in His life, death and resurrection.” (Neuner, 2004 , p.117) In short, (from Fr. Keyes, citing St. Irenaeus), Jesus is Saviour by being fully divine and fully human (Irenaeus as cited in Keyes). Based on St. Paul, Fr. Keyes wrote: “It was because of the fact that the Redeemer had associated himself so closely with Adam, that he was able, in himself, to re-establish or re-create all things.”

St. Irenaeus explained how the death of mankind is transformed into salvation by emphasising on the Adam-Christ analogy with the paralegal of Eve and Mary (Keyes). He placed great importance on the parallels between Adam and Christ and between Eve and Mary, stressing that this is God’s analogy; God accomplished every detail of His work to preserve the analogy. (Keyes)

How does this analogy explain Mary’s role in man’s redemption? Next week, we will unpack this and also reflect on our own part in the mystery of salvation.

References:

John Paul II. (25 March 1987). Redemptoris Mater.

Keyes, J. (n.d.) Mariology in the Fathers of the Second Century. Retrieved from http://www.rc.net/oakland/cpps/mariology.pdf on 19 October 2011

Neuner, J. (2004). Mary – Mother of the Saviour. Bangalore: Theological Publications in India.

Vatican Council II. (21 November 1964). Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen gentium.

Mary as Our Intercessor

(Sharing at the Novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help on 22 October 2011)

Blessed Virgin Mary as our Advocate, Helper, Benefactress and Mediatrix.

Though various /many different terms are used / Whatever the term used it all brings us to call or address Mary as our Intercessor, and thus that brings me to the topic of my sharing this evening – Mary as Our Intercessor. 

I believe, for the very fact that each of us are here today in itself, shows /demonstrates/ testifies that we do recognize Mary as our Intercessor.

There is no doubt that it is because we believe that we can ask our Blessed Mother to intercede for our needs and the needs of others that, time and again, we go to her seeking her intercession.

Intercessor, as we know, originates from the word intercede – the act of interceding or offering petitionary prayer to God on behalf of others OR “to interpose on behalf of one in difficulty or in trouble, as by pleading or petition...". In the gospel, an intercessor is a go-between or advocate who represents and pleads our case to God.

To illustrate Mary’s role as our intercessor, I would like to focus on the second Luminous Mystery of the Rosary – The Wedding Feast at Cana. 

In John Chapter 2, Jesus, his mother, and his disciples are invited to a wedding banquet in the town of Cana in Galilee. At that time a wedding celebration lasted not just for a day like our celebrations but for almost a whole week. When all the wine provided for the celebration had been served and they ran out of wine, the Mother of Jesus said to him “They have no wine.” (John 2:3). It must have been a big embarrassment in Cana when the wedding party ran out of wine. Mary then interceded and sought Jesus to turn the situation around.

After Mary’s intercession and advocacy to remedy the situation at Cana, Jesus replies by saying “Woman, why turn to me? My hour has not yet come.” (John 2:4)

Mary’s response to Jesus was to tell the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” (John 2:5) It shows us Mary’s total trust in the Word of God. She is the first person in John’s Gospel to show total trust in the Word of God. Mary is therefore a model Christian for us as she says, “Do whatever he tells you.”  When Mary says, “Do whatever he tells you” once again we see Mary’s importance as our intercessor, pleading on our behalf.

Her role as an intercessor is also illustrated further in the Lumen Gentium    document – quote:

“This motherhood of Mary in the order of grace continues uninterruptedly from the consent which she loyally gave at the Annunciation and which she sustained without wavering beneath the cross, until the eternal fulfillment of all the elect. Taken up to heaven she did not lay aside this saving office but by her manifold intercession continues to bring us the gifts of eternal salvation. By her maternal charity, she cares for the brethren of her Son, who still journey on earth surrounded by dangers and difficulties, until they are led into their blessed home. Therefore the Blessed Virgin is invoked in the Church under the titles of Advocate, Helper, Benefactress, and Mediatrix. This, however, is so understood that it neither takes away anything from nor adds anything to the dignity and efficacy of Christ the one Mediator.” (Lumen Gentium Vatican II §62)

In was also in this document that the Vatican II gave Mary the title Advocate because she intercedes before God on our behalf as our advocate.

In the prayer which we pray after the Rosary, the “Hail Holy Queen”, we ask Mary to intercede before God for us. We ask Mary to be our “gracious advocate” before God.

Hence let us remember the many times each day we ask Mary to intercede before God for us, to be our Advocate, as we pray the “Hail Mary” and say,

Lastly, let us ask Mary to help us to do whatever Jesus tells us. As Mary says, “Do whatever He tells you to do.”

There are so many images of Mary as intercessor that it is impossible to detail them all here. But it is helpful to understand that all images of Mary are connected. Her role as intercessor is also connected to her role as Mother of the Church, demonstrating to all what it means to live a life of prayer, love, and action.