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.

The Message of Lourdes - Part II

(Sharing at the Novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help on 18 Feb 2012)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Last week, we stopped at the central message of Lourdes; the call to penance, to pray for sinners, and Bernadette’s acts for sinners that would bring about conversion of hearts.

We recall the words of the lady, whom Bernadette called Aquero. “Penance, penance, penance, pray for sinners”; “Would you eat grass for sinners?”; “Go and drink from the spring and wash yourself there”.

This week, we continue with the 13^th apparition.

13^th apparition: 2^nd March 1858

Aquero told Bernadette, “Go and tell the priests that people should come here in procession, and that a chapel should be built here.”

Fr. Peyramale, the parish priest, said to Bernadette, “If your Lady wants a chapel, she must tell us her name and then she must make the rose bush in the Grotto flower!!”

More than a building, the chapel refers to the Church, a people, “moving in procession”, on “pilgrimage”. The Blessed Virgin Mary was encouraging the celebration of Mass. This has come to fruition; today, in full season, two processions (that of the Blessed Sacrament and the Marian candlelight procession) take place daily. More than fifty Masses altogether are celebrated daily throughout the Sanctuary of Lourdes.

14^th apparition: 3^rd March 1858

Aquero repeated her request.

15^th apparition: 4^th March 1858

This was the last of the 15 days requested by Aquero. Bernadette asked for her name, and for the rose bush in the Grotto to flower, as instructed by Fr. Peyramale. Aquero did not give her name, but only smiled.

16^th apparition: 25^th March 1858, Feast of the Annunciation

Bernadette asked, “Madame, would you have the goodness to tell me who you are please?” After she asked four times, Aquero said, “I am the Immaculate Conception.” Bernadette did not understand it, but Fr. Peyramale did.

Only four years before that, the Pope had pronounced the dogma of the ‘Immaculate Conception”, which meant that Mary was born without original sin, and had never sinned. She had chosen to reveal herself on the Feast of the Annunciation, when the Angel Gabriel had told her that she would be the Mother of the Saviour.

17^th apparition: 7^th April 1858, third day of Easter

The miracle of the candle took place; Bernadette did not feel the flame of a candle burning her fingers for ten minutes. It reminds us of the Paschal candle lit three days before that, on Easter Sunday, the Light of the Risen Christ. Bernadette became like the bush on fire that did not burn up. She became a light which would burn for God and light up the world.

No words passed between them.

18^th apparition: 16^th July 1858

It was another silent meeting. Bernadette said, “We didn’t need to speak anymore. We just looked at each other.” That is what contemplation is!

Fr. Jean Longère, President of the French Society of Marian Studies, summarised the apparitions as follows:

·   The fifteen days requested by the Lady can be grouped into three progressive periods, namely

     – Prayer (19 – 23 Feb)

     – Invitation to penance and penitential exercises during Lent (25 Feb – 1 Mar)

     – Message for the creation of a pilgrimage (2 – 4 Mar)

The apparitions relating to penance occurred during Lent, characterised by three main gestures:

     ·  The praying of the Rosary

     ·  Smiles alternating with moments of sadness

     ·  Greetings

Mary, the enemy of sin, friend of sinners, calls for conversion. To overcome sin, we need two things. The first is from above, symbolised by water. The second is from men, consisting of prayer and penance. Coming to the sinners’ rescue, the sinless Virgin proposes three ways that bring us back to the Gospel already announced, i.e. the spring of living water, prayer and penance.

Thus Bernadette received a message concerning the world in a simple heart to heart exchange. It is only a call to a change of hearts, no matter what it may cost – a real penance, but the only road to real happiness.

Like Bernadette, the centre of the “Lourdes Message” becomes an Easter experience: “Go drink at the spring and wash yourself there.” We must see ourselves as being dirty, i.e. sinful, and to realise that we thirst for life, for it is an awareness of sin that shows the way to grace. This thirst, desire, leads to Christ who is Life. Thus the spring of water reminds us of Baptism, which prepares for the first coming of Christ, the Incarnation.

Brothers and sisters, as we enter Lent next Wednesday, let the message of Lourdes help lead us to this experience.

The Message of Lourdes - Part I

(Sharing at the Novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help on 11 Feb 2012)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Today, we commemorate the first apparition of Our Lady to Bernadette Soubirous at Massabielle, Lourdes in 1858. Over the last 154 years, Lourdes has become a major centre of pilgrimage, known for its water that has healed many; but what actually is the message of Lourdes? This is what I would like to share on, based on articles from the Lourdes magazines.

The message of Lourdes can be found in the conversations between the Blessed Virgin Mary and Bernadette, alongside the actions carried out during the 18 apparitions.

1^st apparition: 11^th February 1858

Fourteen-year-old Bernadette saw in the Grotto of Massabielle, a very beautiful young lady as small as herself, about 140cm tall. They each made the sign of the cross. This sign, which we receive and which admits us into the family of the Trinity, thus became their first “greeting”. Bernadette prayed the Rosary while the lady fingered through the beads of the rosary she was holding in silence.

2^nd apparition: 14^th February 1858

The lady smiled at Bernadette sprinkling holy water. Absorbed in “another world”, Bernadette went into a state of ecstasy. The “other world” came to meet Bernadette at “her height”, close to her, just as heaven came to join us as a child at the stable in Bethlehem. Bernadette called the lady, simply, Aquero, which means “That one”.

3^rd apparition: 18^th February 1858, first Thursday of Lent

There was an exchange of promises.

“Would you do me the favour of coming here for fifteen days?” Aquero asked.

For the first time in her life, Bernadette, poor and despised, felt respected and honoured.

“Yes,” she replied.

Then Aquero said, “I do not promise you happiness in this world, but in the other.”

Bernadette did not understand what the “other world” meant, but she would always experience it, which is, in fact, a world of love and joy of life in spite of her suffering. It is also life after death.

4^th, 5^th, 6^th and 7^th apparitions: 19^th, 20^th, 21^st, 23^rd February 1858

During these apparitions, Bernadette recited the Rosary with Aquero and often spoke lovingly and joyfully with her. The crowd that attended the apparitions grew.

8^th apparition: 24^th February 1858

Bernadette cried because Aquero was sad. Aquero said, “Penance, penance, penance” and “Pray to God for sinners.”

9^th apparition: 25^th February 1858

Aquero said to Bernadette, “Would it bother you to go up on your knees and kiss the ground for sinners…to eat the grass there? Go drink at the spring and wash yourself there.”

Bernadette hesitated at first, and went towards the river. Aquero directed her to the Grotto. There, Bernadette knelt and scratched at the muddy earth. She lifted some muddy water to her mouth and smeared her face. The people cried, “She has gone mad!” But some saw in her state the resemblance to Jesus, the Suffering Servant in the book of Isaiah; the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.

After spitting the muddy water out three times, she could drink it. Bernadette kept digging; a spring of fresh water then gushed out from the mud. She washed her smeared face with the fresh water and drank it to remove the muddy taste.

The Blessed Virgin Mary, whose identity was not yet revealed then, had made Bernadette understand that she should always carry others, especially sinners, those who do evil, in prayer. Thus will the infernal circle of reciprocal accusation be broken.

From this apparition onwards, no one understood anything.

Now, we understand that through the mud, the muddy water, and the pure water, Bernadette represents Jesus Christ’s passion, death and resurrection.

Her action of eating grass recalled the Israelites reminding themselves of the bitterness of their slavery in Egypt by chewing bitter herbs.

10^th, 11^th and 12^th apparitions: 27^th and 28^th February and 1^st March 1858

In the 10^th and 11^th apparitions, these actions and Aquero’s words were repeated. “Go and drink from the spring and wash yourself there”; “Penance, penance, penance, pray for sinners”; “Would you eat grass for sinners?”

It signified that Bernadette’s gestures would bring about conversion of heart.

The first recorded miracle of a cure happened during the 12^th apparition.

We are at the central message of Lourdes.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, before we move on to the rest of the apparitions, let us reflect on what we have just heard. The actions and words were seemingly puzzling, but the message is actually simple, clear and universal. Does it touch you? Let it stay with you for a week.

Human Trafficking

(Sharing at the Novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help on 28 January 2012)

“My soul glorifies the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour…”

At every Novena, we echo Our Lady’s Magnificat prayer.  In this prayer, she reminds us of the need to work for social justice in our society, through the words, “He puts forth his arm in strength and scatters the proud-hearted.  He casts the mighty from their thrones and raises the lowly.  He fills the starving with good things, sends the rich away empty.”

Now, what is social justice?  Our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI has taught that “love for widows and orphans, prisoners, and the sick and needy of every kind, is as essential as the ministry of the sacraments and preaching of the Gospel.”

Today’s sharing is about creating awareness on the issue of ‘Human Trafficking’.  Why?  Because it is becoming more rampant everywhere in the world, including in Malaysia. 

First, we need to understand a few words:

1)    Slaves – Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work.

2)    A refugee – is a person who, owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his/her nationality and is unable or (owing to such fear) unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country

-       To give you an example: Over 90% of the refugees in Malaysia come from Burma where ethnic minorities, such as the Chin, Rohingya and Karen, are subjected to systematic human rights abuse

What happens in systematic human rights abuses?

a.  In Burma, “The militants force men into labour, kill old people and children, rape women, burn homes, confiscate properties.”

3)    UNHCR – United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

To safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees.

4)    Human Trafficking – is modern-day slavery and refugees are part of those victims.

Here are some alarming figures;

-       Over 2.2 million children are sold into the sex trade every year

-       In India, children cost less than cattle

-       In 2010, the sex slave industry profited US$ 32 billion (that is more than Starbucks, Google and Nike combined)

-       1 million new victims each year with half of them being children

-       During the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade (mid 1450s) when European countries lack of workforce, they traded African workers for agriculture.  At that time, the price of a young male worker on US soil was an equivalent to US$40,000 today.  You can buy that same young male worker on US soil for about US$300 today.

-       There are more slaved TODAY, than any other time in human history

That may look foreign to you, but do you know that human trafficking is also happening right here in Malaysia?  It was reported in international media that refugees from Burma who were arrested for illegal entry into the country were being sold to human traffickers.  Lwin Ko, a refugee from Burma, said in an interview that after processing in an immigration detention center, the immigration officers transferred him directly to a gang of human traffickers.  None knew the amount of money the traffickers paid the officers, but it is estimated to be somewhere between RM700 to 1,000 for each person sold.

The problem now is:

The Malaysian Immigration Act 1959/1963 does not make a formal distinction between a refugee and an economic migrant.

Both are subject to punishment under Malaysian Law.  Malaysia is not a signatory of the 1951 UN Refugee Convention in Geneva.  If only we can persuade the government to sign the 1951 UN Refugee Convention.

What can we do?

Let us be informed

-       Follow events in the news (online)

-       UNICEF works to see that the rights of every child are realized

Let us raise awareness

-       Share in social network

Get involved

-       Don’t support shops who exploit their workers

Speak up!

-       If you suspect someone has been trafficked, report via 999

-       Or Tenaganita 012-339 5350

Talking about speaking up, Martin Niemöller (1892-1984) said this during the rise of the Nazi era in Germany.

First they came for the communists,

and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a communist.

Then they came for the trade unionists,

and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews,

and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a Jew.

Then they came for me,

and there was no one left to speak out for me…

Marian Devotion: Its Right Ordering and Development

(Sharing at the Novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help on 17 Dec 2011)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Early this year, in introducing our sharing theme, Mary and the Church, we mentioned adopting the right attitude in devotion to Mary. Pope Paul VI (1974) noted how the Church expresses in various attitudes of devotion its many relationships with Mary. So, at the end of the series now, let us see what constitutes “right attitude” in exercising Marian devotion. Besides providing a solid basis for our exercise of piety, it would greatly help promote Marian devotion. For guidelines on this, I will draw mainly from Pope Paul VI’s Apostolic Exhortation, Marialis Cultus (MC).

Firstly, the exercise of piety towards Mary should clearly express its Trinitarian and Christological nature. “In the Virgin Mary everything is relative to Christ and dependent upon Him.” Besides being particularly Christ-centred, it should also reflect God’s plan (MC, #25) of Mary’s origin and the Incarnation of the divine Wisdom (Pius IX, 1854 as cited in Paul VI, 1974). This will help towards full knowledge of the Son of God and increase worship due to Him. Prominence is also due to the Person and life-giving work of the Holy Spirit in the history of salvation.

Secondly, the honour given to the Mother of the Lord should clearly show her place in the Church, i.e. “the highest after Christ and yet very close to us.” (LG, #54) This can be through symbolisms of church building architecture and images showing Mary’s place in the mystery of the Church. Examples are paintings of the Anunciation or the icon of the Theotokos often found in European churches. (MC, #28) The faithful can be led to appreciate Mary’s special dignity by highlighting the fundamental concepts of the Church as the Family, People or Kingdom of God, and the Mystical Body of Christ. They will then also realise that both the Church and Mary collaborate to give birth to the Mystical Body of Christ; that the Church’s action in the world extends Mary’s concern for the poor and the weak, for peace and social harmony and for mankind’s salvation merited by Christ’s death. Thus, love for the Church will become love for Mary and vice versa, since both must exist together. (MC, #28)

The characteristics mentioned were based on Mary’s relationship with the Holy Trinity and with the Church. To highlight the bond uniting us to Mary, Christ’s Mother and our Mother in the communion of saints, Pope Paul VI gave four more guidelines for Marian devotion.

For one, it should be biblical, but the biblical imprint should not be merely a skilful selection of texts and symbols from the Sacred Scriptures. Rather, texts of prayers and chants should be inspired and drawn from the Bible. Above all, devotion to the Virgin should be instilled with the great themes of the Christian message. Then only will the faithful be enlightened by the divine word and be inspired to live according to Christ’s teachings. (MC, #30)

Secondly, the devotions should draw inspiration from sacred liturgy and direct the faithful towards it. He emphasised that Marian devotions should not be suppressed, but neither should they be merged into the Eucharistic Sacrifice, which should be preserved as the summit of the Christian community’s gathering. (MC, #31)

Thirdly, Marian devotion should reflect the Church’s concerns, among which especially is the restoration of Christian unity. Thus, while preserving its uniqueness, it must carefully avoid misleading exaggeration or abolish any expression of cult contradicting true Catholic doctrine. (MC, #32 cf. LG, #67)

Finally, some people may find it difficult to see Mary, the Virgin of Nazareth, as a model in current social and intellectual settings. Marian devotion may seem to be old-fashioned to them. (MC, #34) Concerning this, Pope Paul VI observed that

1) the Church has always proposed imitating Mary not in her ancient type of life, but rather in her fully and responsibly accepting God’s will, in her charity and in her spirit of service. It is because she was the first and most perfect of Christ’s disciples. (MC, #35)

2) this difficulty is due to some disconnection between Mary’s image in popular writings and Gospel accounts or doctrinal data about her (MC, #36). However, we should compare human science ideas and this disparity, and guided by the Holy Spirit, verify knowledge of reality with the Scriptures. Then will we be able to see how Mary mirrors the expectations of men and women of our time and how she is the perfect model of the Lord’s disciple. (MC, #37)

Other incorrect attitudes of piety are those that emphasise on external practices without serious commitment, and searches for extraordinary phenomena. (MC, #38)

Finally, the ultimate purpose of devotion to the Blessed Virgin is to glorify God and to lead Christians to commit to lives conforming absolutely to His will. (MC, #39)

References:

Paul VI. (2 February 1974). Marialis Cultus.

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

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.