virgen maría jpii inglës
TRANSCRIPT
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IMMACULATE CONCEPTION DEFINED BY PIUS IX
Pope John Paul II
According to this dogmatic definition, it has been revealed by God thatMary was preserved from original sin from the moment of her conception
At the General Audience of Wednesday, 12 June, the Holy Father continued his
catechesis on the Immaculate Conception, this time discussing the dogmatic
definition of the doctrine by ope ius I!" #We declare, pronounce and define that
the doctrine $hich asserts that the %lessed &irgin 'ary, from the first moment of her
conception, by a singular grace and pri(ilege of almighty God, and in (ie$ of the
merits of Jesus Christ, )a(iour of the human race, $as preser(ed free from e(ery
stain of original sin is a doctrine re(ealed by God and, for this reason, must be
firmly and constantly belie(ed by all the faithful#, the ope said in his
%ull Ineffabilis"Here is a translation of the Holy Father*s catechesis, $hich $as the2+rd in the series on the %lessed &irgin and $as gi(en in Italian"
1. Down the centuries, the conviction that Mary was preserved from every stain of
sin from her conception, so that she is to be called all holy, gradually gained ground
in the liturgy and theology. At the start of the 19th century, this development led to a
petition drive for a dogmatic definition of the privilege of the Immaculate
onception.
Around the middle of the century, with the intention of accepting this re!uest, "ope
"ius I#, after consulting the theologians, !uestioned the $ishops about the
opportuneness and the possibility of such a definition, convo%ing as it were a&council in writing&. 'he result was significant( the vast ma)ority of the *+ $ishops
gave a positive response to the !uestion.
After such an e-tensive consultation, which emphasied my venerable "redecessor/s
concern to e-press the hurch/s faith in the definition of the dogma, he set about
preparing the document with e!ual care.
Blessed Virgin is free from every stain of sin
'he special commission of theologians set up by "ius I# to determine the revealed
doctrine assigned the essential role to ecclesial practice. And this criterion influenced
the formulation of the dogma, which preferred e-pressions ta%en from the hurch/s
lived e-perience, from the faith and worship of the hristian people, to scholastic
definitions.
0inally in 12, with the $ull Ineffabilis, "ius I# solemnly proclaimed the dogma of
the Immaculate onception( &... 3e declare, pronounce and define that the doctrine
which asserts that the $lessed 4irgin Mary, from the first moment of her conception,
by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God, and in view of the merits of 5esus
hrist, 6aviour of the human race, was preserved free from every stain of original sin
is a doctrine revealed by God and, for this reason, must be firmly and constantly
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believed by all the faithful& 7D6 8+:.
8. 'he proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate onception e-presses the
essential datum of faith. "ope Ale-ander 4II, in the $ull )ollicitudo of 1**1, spo%e
of the preservation of Mary/s soul &in its creation and infusion into the body& 7D68+1;:. "ius I#/s definition, however, prescinds from all e-planations about how the
soul is infused into the body and attributes to the person of Mary, at the first moment
of her conception, the fact of her being preserved from every stain of original sin.
'he freedom &from every stain of original sin& entails as a positive conse!uence the
total freedom from all sin as well as the proclamation of Mary/s perfect holiness, a
doctrine to which the dogmatic definition ma%es a fundamental contribution. In fact,
the negative formulation of the Marian privilege, which resulted from the earlier
controversies about original sin that arose in the 3est, must always be complemented
by the positive e-pression of Mary/s holiness more e-plicitly stressed in the <astern
tradition.
"ius I#/s definition refers only to the freedom from original sin and does not
e-plicitly include the freedom from concupiscence. =evertheless, Mary/s complete
preservation from every stain of sin also has as a conse!uence her freedom from
concupiscence, a disordered tendency which, according to the ouncil of 'rent,
comes from sin and inclines to sin 7D6 1212:.
. Granted &by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God&, this preservation
from original sin is an absolutely gratuitous divine favour, which Mary received at
the first moment of her e-istence.
'he dogmatic definition does not say that this singular privilege is uni!ue, but lets
that be intuited. 'he affirmation of this uni!ueness, however, is e-plicitly stated in
the <ncyclical Fulgens corona of 192, where "ope "ius #II spea%s of &the very
singular privilege which was never granted to another person& 7 AA) 2 >192?, 2+:,
thus e-cluding the possibility, maintained by some but without foundation, of
attributing this privilege also to 6t 5oseph.
'he 4irgin Mother received the singular grace of being immaculately conceived &in
view of the merits of 5esus hrist, 6aviour of the human race&, that is, of his
universal redeeming action.
'he te-t of the dogmatic definition does not e-pressly declare that Mary was
redeemed, but the same $ull Ineffabilis states elsewhere that &she was redeemed in
the most sublime way&. 'his is the e-traordinary truth( hrist was the redeemer of
his Mother and carried out his redemptive action in her &in the most perfect way&
7 Fulgens corona, AA) 2 >192?, 21:, from the first moment of her e-istence. 'he
6econd 4atican ouncil proclaimed that the hurch &admires and e-alts in Mary the
most e-cellent fruit of the @edemption& 7)acrosanctum Concilium, n. 1+:.
Solemn definition serves the faith of God's People
. 'his solemnly proclaimed doctrine is e-pressly termed a &doctrine revealed by
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God&. "ope "ius I# adds that it must be &firmly and constantly believed by all the
faithful&. onse!uently, whoever does not ma%e this doctrine his own, or maintains
an opinion contrary to it, &is shipwrec%ed in faith& and &separates himself from
atholic unity&.
In proclaiming the truth of this dogma of the Immaculate onception, my venerable
"redecessor was conscious of e-ercising his power of infallible teaching as the
universal "astor of the hurch, which several years later would be solemnly defined
at the 0irst 4atican ouncil. 'hus he put his infallible Magisterium into action as a
service to the faith of God/s "eople and it is significant that he did so by defining
Mary/s privilege.
MARY IS THE VIRGIN MOTHER OF GODPope John Paul II
From the very beginning, the Church has recognized the
virginalmotherhood of ary, !ho conceived by the po!er of the "oly
Spirit
At the General Audience of Wednesday, 1+ )eptember, the Holy Father continued the
catechesis he had begun the pre(ious $ee on the %lessed &irgin 'ary" In this tal he
discussed the mystery of 'ary*s (irginal motherhood and the title officially attributed
to her by the Council of -phesus in .+1" Here is a translation of the ope*s
catechesis, $hich $as the second in the series on the %lessed &irgin and $as gi(en in
Italian"
1. In the onstitution /umen gentium, the ouncil states that &)oined to hrist the
head and in communion with all his saints, the faithful must in the first placereverence the memory /of the glorious ever 4irgin Mary, Mother of our God and Bord
5esus hrist/& 7n. 28:. 'he conciliar onstitution uses these terms from the @oman
anon of the Mass, thereby stressing how faith in the divine motherhood of Mary has
been present in hristian thought since the first centuries.
In the newborn hurch Mary is remembered with the title &Mother of 5esus&. It is
Bu%e himself who gives her this title in the Acts of the Apostles, a title that
corresponds moreover to what is said in the Gospels( &Is this not ... the son of MaryC&,
the residents of =aareth wonder according to the <vangelist Mar%/s account 7*(:
&Isn/t Mary %nown to be his motherC&, is the !uestion recorded by Matthew 71(22:.
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#he motherhood of ary also concerns the Church
8. In the disciples/ eyes, as they gathered after the Ascension, the title &Mother of
5esus& ac!uires its full meaning. 0or them, Mary is a person uni!ue in her %ind( she
received the singular grace of giving birth to the 6aviour of humanity she lived for along while at his side and on alvary she was called by the rucified ne to e-ercise
a &new motherhood& in relation to the beloved disciple and, through him, to the whole
hurch.
0or these who believe in 5esus and follow him, &Mother of 5esus& is a title of honour
and veneration, and will forever remain such in the faith and life of the hurch. In a
particular way, by this title hristians mean to say that one cannot refer to 5esus/
origins without ac%nowledging the role of the woman who gave him birth in the 6pirit
according to his human nature. Eer maternal role also involves the birth and growth
of the hurch. In recalling the place of Mary in 5esus/ life, the faithful discover each
day her efficacious presence in their own spiritual )ourney.
. 0rom the beginning, the hurch has ac%nowledged the virginal motherhood of
Mary. As the infancy Gospels enable us to grasp, the first hristian continuities
themselves gathered together Mary/s recollections about the mysterious circumstances
of the 6aviour/s conception and birth. In particular, the Annunciation account responds
to the disciples/ desire to have the deepest %nowledge of the events connected with the
beginnings of the risen hrist/s earthly life. In the last analysis, Mary is at the origin
of the revelation about the mystery of the virginal conception by the wor% of the Eoly
6pirit.
'his truth, showing 5esus/ divine origin, was immediately grasped by the first
hristians for its important significance and included among the %ey affirmations of
their faith. 6on of 5oseph according to the law, 5esus in fact, by an e-traordinary
intervention of the Eoly 6pirit, was in his humanity only the son of Mary, since he
was born without the intervention of man.
Mary/s virginity thus ac!uires a uni!ue value and casts new light on the birth of 5esus
and on the mystery of his sonship, since the virginal generation is the sign that 5esus
has God himself as his 0ather.
Ac%nowledged and proclaimed by the faith of the 0athers, the virginal motherhoodcan never be separated from the identity of 5esus, true God and true man, as &born of
the 4irgin Mary&, as we profess in the =iceneFonstantinopolitan reed. Mary is the
only 4irgin who is also a Mother. 'he e-traordinary coFpresence of these two gifts in
the person of the maiden of =aareth has led hristians to call Mary simply &the
4irgin&, even when they celebrate her motherhood.
'he virginity of Mary thus initiates in the hristian community the spread of the
virginal life embraced by all who are called to it by the Bord. 'his special vocation,
which reaches its ape- in hrist/s e-ample, represents immeasurable spiritual wealth
for the hurch in every age, which finds in Mary her inspiration and model
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'other of God' !as e$pression of popular piety
'he assertion( &5esus was born of the 4irgin Mary& already implies in this event a
transcendent mystery, which can find its most complete e-pression only in the truth of
5esus/ divine sonship. 'he truth of Mary/s divine motherhood is closely tied to thiscentral statement of the hristian faith( she is indeed the Mother of the Incarnate
3ord, in whom is &God from God ... true God from me God&.
'he title &Mother of God&, already attested by Matthew in the e!uivalent e-pression
&Mother of <mmanuel&, GodFwithFus 7cf. Mt 1.8:, was e-plicitly attributed to Mary
only after a reflection that embraced about two centuries. It is thirdFcentury hristians
in <gypt who begin to invo%e Mary as &'heot%os&, Mother of God.
3ith this title, which is broadly echoed in the devotion of the hristian people, Mary
is seen in the true dimension of her motherhood( she is the Mother of God/s 6on,
whom she virginally begot according to his human nature and raised him with hermotherly love, thus contributing to the human growth of the dime person who came to
transform the destiny of man%ind.
2. In a highly significant way, the most ancient prayer to Mary 7&6ub tuum
praesidium...&, &3e fly to thy patronage...&: contains the invocation( &'heot%os,
Mother of God&. 'his title did not originally come from the reflection of theologians,
but from an intuition of faith of the hristian people. 'hose who ac%nowledge 5esus
as God address Mary as the Mother of God and hope to obtain her powerful aid in the
trials of life.
'he ouncil of <phesus in 1 defined the dogma of the divine motherhood,
officially attributing to Mary the title &'heot%os& in reference to the one person of
hrist, true God and true man.
'he three e-pressions which the hurch has used down the centuries to describe her
faith in the motherhood of Mary( &Mother of 5esus&, &4irgin Mother& and &Mother of
God&, thus show that Mary/s motherhood is intimately lin%ed with the mystery of the
Incarnation. 'hey are affirmations of doctrine, connected as well with popular piety,
which help define the very identity of hrist.
MARY AS UNITED TO JESUS ON THE CROSS
Pope John Paul II
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Down the centuries the hurchHs tradition has appreciated ever more
profoundly MaryHs very close sharing in her 6onHs redemptive mission
At the General Audience of Wednesday, 20 ctober, the Holy Father returned to his
catechesis on the %lessed &irgin 'ary and her participation in her )on*s sa(ing $or"
#'ary is our 'other this consoling truth, offered to us e(er more clearly and
profoundly by the lo(e and faith of the Church, has sustained and sustains the
spiritual life of us all, and encourages us, e(en in suffering, to ha(e faith and hope#"
Here is a translation of the ope*s address, $hich $as gi(en in Italian and $as the
third in the series on the %lessed &irgin"
1. 6aying that &the 4irgin Mary ... is ac%nowledged and honoured as being truly the
Mother of God and of the @edeemer& 7 /umen gentium, n. 2:, the ouncil draws
attention to the lin% between Mary/s motherhood and @edemption.
After becoming aware of the maternal role of Mary, who was venerated in the
teaching and worship of the first centuries as the virginal Mother of 5esus hrist and
therefore as the Mother of God, in the Middle Ages the hurch/s piety and theological
reflection brought to light her coFoperation in the 6aviour/s wor%.
'his delay is e-plained by the fact that the efforts of the hurch 0athers and of the
early <cumenical ouncils, focused as they were on hrist/s identity, necessarily left
other aspects of dogma aside. nly gradually could the revealed truth be unfolded in
all its richness. Down the centuries, Mariology would always ta%e its direction from
hristology. 'he divine motherhood of Mary was itself proclaimed at the ouncil of
<phesus primarily to affirm the oneness of hrist/s person. 6imilarly, there was adeeper understanding of Mary/s presence in salvation history.
8. At the end of the second century, 6t Irenaeus, a disciple of "olycarp, already
pointed out Mary/s contribution to the wor% of salvation. Ee understood the value of
Mary/s consent at the time of the Annunciation, recogniing in the 4irgin of
=aareth/s obedience to and faith in the angel/s message the perfect antithesis of <ve/s
disobedience and disbelief, with a beneficial effect on humanity/s destiny. In fact, )ust
as <ve caused death, so Mary, with her &yes&, became &a cause of salvation& for
herself and for all man%ind 7cf. Ad(" Haer", III, 88, )C 811, 1:. $ut this
affirmation was not developed in a consistent and systematic way by the other 0athers
of the hurch.
ary became spiritual other of !hole human race
Instead, this doctrine was systematically wor%ed out for the first time at the end of the
1+th century in the /ife of 'ary by a $yantine mon%, 5ohn the Geometer. Eere Mary
is united to hrist in the whole wor% of @edemption, sharing, according to God/s plan,
in the ross and suffering for our salvation. 6he remained united to the 6on &in every
deed, attitude and wish& 7cf. /ife of 'ary, $ol. 19*, f. 188 v.:. Mary/s association with
5esus/ saving wor% came about through her Mother/s love, a love inspired by grace,
which conferred a higher power on it( love freed of passion proves to be the most
compassionate 7cf. ibid., $ol. 19*, f. 18 v.:.
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. In the 3est 6t $ernard, who died in 112, turns to Mary and comments on the
presentation of 5esus in the temple( &ffer your 6on, sacrosanct 4irgin, and present
the fruit of your womb to the Bord. 0or our reconciliation with all, offer the heavenly
victim pleasing to God& 7)erm" + in urif", 8( / 1, ;+:.
A disciple and friend of 6t $ernard, Arnold of hartres, shed light particularly on
Mary/s offering in the sacrifice of alvary. Ee distinguished in the ross &two altars(
one in Mary/s heart, the other in hrist/s body. hrist sacrificed his flesh, Mary her
soul&. Mary sacrificed herself spiritually in deep communion with hrist, and
implored the world/s salvation( &3hat the mother as%s, the 6on approves and the
0ather grants& 7cf. 3e septem (erbis 3omini in cruce, ( / 19, 1*9:.
0rom this age on other authors e-plain the doctrine of Mary/s special cooperation in
the redemptive sacrifice.
. At the same time, in hristian worship and piety contemplative reflection on Mary/s&compassion& developed, poignantly depicted in images of the "iet. Mary/s sharing
in the drama of the ross ma%es this event more deeply human and helps the faithful
to enter into the mystery( the Mother/s compassion more clearly reveals the "assion of
the 6on.
$y sharing in hrist/s redemptive wor%, Mary/s spiritual and universal motherhood is
also recognied. In the <ast, 5ohn the Geometer told Mary( &Jou are our mother&.
Giving Mary than%s &for the sorrow and suffering she bore for us&, he sheds light on
her maternal affection and motherly regard for all those who receive salvation
7cf. Fare$ell 3iscourse on the 3ormition of ur 'ost Glorious /ady, 'other of
God , in A. 3enger, /*Assomption de la 4r5s )ainte &ierge dans la tradition by6antine,
p. +;:.
In the 3est too, the doctrine of the spiritual motherhood developed with 6t Anselm,
who asserted( &Jou are the mother ... of reconciliation and the reconciled, the mother
of salvation and the saved& 7cf. ratio 28, ( / 12, 92; A:.
Mary does not cease to be venerated as the Mother of God, but the fact that she is our
Mother gives her divine motherhood a new aspect that opens within us the way to a
more intimate communion with her.
2. Mary/s motherhood in our regard does not only consist of an affective bond(
because of her merits and her intercession she contributes effectively to our spiritual
birth and to the development of the life of grace within us. 'his is why Mary is called
&Mother of grace& and &Mother of life&.
other of the %ife from !hom all ta&e life
'he title &Mother of life&, already employed by 6t Gregory of =yssa, was e-plained
as follows by $l. Guerric of Igny, who died in 112;( &6he is the Mother of the Bife
from whom all men ta%e life( in giving birth to this life herself, she has somehow
given rebirth to all those who have lived it. nly one was begotten, but we have all
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been reborn& 7 In Assumpt" I, 8( / 12, 1:.
A 1thFcentury te-t, the 'ariale, used a vivid image in attributing this rebirth to the
&painful travail& of avalry, by which &she became the spiritual mother of the whole
human race&. Indeed, &in her chaste womb she conceived by compassion the childrenof the hurch& 7K. 89, par. :.
*. 'he 6econd 4atican ouncil, after stating that Mary &in a wholly singular way coF
operated in the wor% of the 6aviour&, concludes( &for this reason she is a mother to us
in the order of grace& 7 /umen gentium, n. *1:, thus confirming the hurch/s
perception that Mary is at the side of her 6on as the spiritual Mother of all humanity.
Mary is our Mother( this consoling truth, offered to us ever more clearly and
profoundly by the love and faith of the hurch, has sustained and sustains the spiritual
life of us all, and encourages us, even in suffering, to have faith and hope.
SEPARATED BRETHREN ALSO HONOUR MARY
Pope John Paul II
'oday many Anglican and "rotestant hristians venerate Mary, and the
rthodo- have always loved and revered her with ardent devotion
It is a source of great 7oy #that among the separated brethren too there are those $ho
gi(e due honour to the 'other of our /ord and )a(iour#, the Holy Father said at the
General Audience of Wednesday, 12 8o(ember, as he continued his catechesis on
ur /ady" In the present tal the ope discussed the honour paid to 'ary by (arious
rotestant and rthodo9 Christians, Here is a translation of his catechesis, $hich
$as the :;th in the series on the %lessed &irgin and $as gi(en in Italian"
1. After e-plaining the relationship between Mary and the hurch, the 6econd
4atican ouncil re)oices in observing that the $lessed 4irgin is also honoured by
hristians who do not belong to the atholic community( &It gives great )oy and
comfort to this sacred 6ynod that among the separated brethren too there are those
who give due honour to the Mother of our Bord and 6aviour ...& 7 /umen gentium, n.
*9 cf. <edemptoris 'ater , nn. 89F:. In view of this fact, we can say that Mary/s
universal motherhood, even if it ma%es the divisions among hristians seem all the
sadder, represents a great sign of hope for the ecumenical )ourney.
Many "rotestant communities, because of a particular conception of grace and
ecclesiology, are opposed to Marian doctrine and devotion, maintaining that Mary/s
coFoperation in the wor% of salvation pre)udices hrist/s uni!ue mediation. In this
view, devotion to Mary would compete in a way with the honour owed the 6on.
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8. In recent years, however, further study of the thought of the first @eformers has
shed light on positions more open to atholic doctrine. Buther/s writings, for
e-ample, show love and veneration for Mary, e-tolled as a model of every virtue( he
upholds the sublime holiness of the Mother of God and at times affirms the privilege
of the Immaculate onception, sharing with other @eformers belief in Mary/s perpetual virginity.
astern Christians have particular devotion to ary
'he study of Buther and alvin/s thought, as well as the analysis of some te-ts of
<vangelical hristians, have contributed to a renewed attention by some "rotestants
and Anglicans to various themes of Mariological doctrine. 6ome have even arrived at
positions very close to those of atholics regarding the fundamental points of Marian
doctrine, such as her divine motherhood, virginity, holiness and spiritual motherhood.
'he concern for stressing the presence of women in the hurch encourages the effortto recognie Mary/s role in salvation history.
All these facts are so many reasons to have hope for the ecumenical )ourney.
atholics have a deep desire to be able to share with all their brothers and sisters in
hrist the )oy that comes from Mary/s presence in life according to the 6pirit.
. Among the brethren who &give due honour to the Mother of our Bord and
6aviour&, the ouncil mentions <astern hristians, &who with devout mind and
fervent impulse give honour to the Mother of God, <verF4irgin& 7 /umen gentium, n.
*9:.
As we can see from their many e-pressions of devotion, veneration for Mary
represents a significant element of communion between atholics and rthodo-.
Eowever, there remain some disagreements regarding the dogmas of the Immaculate
onception and the Assumption, even if these truths were first e-pounded by certain
<astern theologiansLone need only recall great writers li%e Gregory "alamas 7d.
129:, =icholas abasilas 7d. after 1*9: and George 6cholarios 7d. after 1;8:.
'hese disagreements, however, are perhaps more a !uestion of formulation than of
content and must never ma%e us forget our common belief in Mary/s divinemotherhood, her perpetual virginity, her perfect holiness and her maternal
intercession with her 6on. As the 6econd 4atican ouncil recalled, this &fervent
impulse& and &devout mind& unite atholics and rthodo- in devotion to the Mother
of God.
. At the end of /umen gentium the ouncil invites us to entrust the unity of
hristians to Mary( &'he entire body of the faithful pours forth urgent supplications
to the Mother of God and of men that she, who aided the beginnings of the hurch
by her prayers, may now, e-alted as she is above all the angels and saints, intercede
before her 6on in the fellowship of all the saints& 7ibid.:.
5ust as Mary/s presence in the early community fostered oneness of heart, which
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prayer strengthened and made visible 7cf. Acts 1(1:, so the most intense communion
with her whom Augustine called the &Mother of unity& 7)ermo 198, 8 / , 1+1:
will be able to bring hristians to the point of en)oying the longFawaited gift of
ecumenical unity.
#hrough ary !e pray for unity and harmony
3e ceaselessly pray to the $lessed 4irgin so that, )ust as at the beginning she
supported the )ourney of the hristian community/s oneness in prayer and the
proclamation of the Gospel, so today she may obtain through her intercession
reconciliation and full communion among all believers in hrist.
Mother of men, Mary %nows well the needs and aspirations of humanity. 'he
ouncil particularly as%s her to intercede so that &all families of people, whether they
are honoured with the title of hristian or whether they still do not %now the 6aviour,
may be happily gathered together in peace and harmony into one "eople of God, forthe glory of the Most Eoly and ndivided 'rinity& 7 /umen gentium, n. *9:.
'he peace, harmony and unity for which the hurch and humanity hope still seem far
away. =evertheless, they are a gift of the 6pirit to be constantly sought, as we learn
from Mary and trust in her intercession.
2. 3ith this petition hristians share the e-pectation of her who, filled with the virtue
of hope, sustains the hurch on her )ourney to the future with God.
Eaving personally achieved happiness because she &believed that there would be afulfilment of what was spo%en to her from the Bord& 7B% 1(2:, the $lessed 4irgin
accompanies believersLand the whole hurchLso that in the world, amid the )oys
and sufferings of this life, they may be true prophets of the hope that never
disappoints.
MARY HAS ALAYS BEEN SPECIALLY VENERATEDPope John Paul II
6ince the hurchHs beginning, the $lessed 4irgin, as Mother of all
humanity, has always had a special place in the hearts and devotion of thefaithful
#4he )econd &atican Council, in stressing the particular character of 'arian
de(otion, says *'ary has by grace been e9alted abo(e all angels and men to a place
second only to her )on, as the most holy 'other of God $ho $as in(ol(ed in themysteries of Christ she is rightly honoured by a special cult in the Church* = Bumen
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gentium , n" >>?#, the Holy Father said at the General Audience of Wednesday, 10
ctober, as he reflected on the de(elopment of 'arian de(otion in the history of the
Church" Here is a translation of his catechesis, $hich $as the >>th in the series on
the %lessed 'other and $as gi(en in Italian"
1. &3hen the time had fully come, God sent forth his 6on, born of woman& 7Gal (:.
Marian devotion is based on the wondrous divine decision, as the Apostle "aul
recalls, to lin% forever the 6on of God/s human identity with a woman, Mary of
=aareth.
'he mystery of the divine motherhood and of Mary/s coFoperation in the wor% of
@edemption has filled believers in every age with an attitude of praise, both for the
6aviour and for her who gave birth to him in time, thus coFoperating in @edemption.
A further reason for grateful love for the $lessed 4irgin is offered by her universal
motherhood. $y choosing her as Mother of all humanity, the heavenly 0ather haswished to reveal the motherly dimension, so to spea%, of his divine tenderness and
concern for all people in every era.
n alvary, with the words( &$ehold, your sonN&, &$ehold, your motherN& 75n 19(8*F
8;:, 5esus gave Mary in advance to all who would receive the Good =ews of
salvation, and was thus laying the foundation of their filial affection for her.
0ollowing 5ohn, the faithful would prolong hrist/s love for his Mother with their
own devotion, by accepting her into their own lives.
(evotion to Blessed Virgin dates from Church's origins
8. 'he Gospel te-ts attest to the presence of Marian devotion from the hurch/s
origins.
'he first two chapters of 6t Bu%e/s Gospel seem to relate the particular attention to
5esus/ Mother on the part of 5ewish hristians, who e-pressed their appreciation of
her and )ealously guarded their memories of her.
Moreover, in the infancy narratives we can discern the initial e-pressions of and
reasons for Marian devotion, summaried in <liabeth/s e-clamations( &$lessed are
you among women.... And blessed is she who believed that there would be afulfilment of what was spo%en to her from the Bord& 7B% 1(8, 2:.
'races of a veneration already widespread among the first hristian community are
present in the 'agnificat canticle( &All generations will call me blessed& 7B% 1(:.
$y putting these words on Mary/s lips, hristians recognied her uni!ue greatness,
which would be proclaimed until the end of time.
In addition, the Gospel accounts 7cf. B% 1(8F2 Mt 1(8 and 5n 1(1:, the first
formulas of faith and a passage by 6t Ignatius of Antioch 7cf. )myrn. 1, 8( )C 1+,
122: attest to the first communities/ special admiration for Mary/s virginity, closely
lin%ed to the mystery of the Incarnation.
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5ohn/s Gospel, by noting Mary/s presence at the beginning and at the end of her 6on/s
public life, suggests that the first hristians were %eenly aware of Mary/s role in the
wor% of @edemption, in full loving dependence on hrist.
. 'he 6econd 4atican ouncil, in stressing the particular character of Mariandevotion, says( &Mary has by grace been e-alted above all angels and men to a place
second only to her 6on, as the most holy Mother of God who was involved in the
mysteries of hrist( she is rightly honoured by a special cult in the hurch& 7 /umen
gentium, n. **:.
'hen, alluding to the thirdFcentury Marian prayer, &6ub tuum praesidium&L&3e fly
to thy patronage&Lit adds that this characteristic emerges from the very beginning(
&0rom the earliest times the $lessed 4irgin is honoured under the title of Mother of
God in whose protection the faithful ta%e refuge together in prayer in all their perils
and needs& 7ibid.:.
. 'his assertion has been confirmed in iconography and in the teaching of the
0athers of the hurch since the second century.
In @ome, in the catacombs of "riscilla, it is possible to admire the first depiction of
the Madonna and hild, while at the same time, 6t 5ustin and 6t Irenaeus spea% of
Mary as the new <ve who by her faith and obedience ma%es amends for the disbelief
and disobedience of the first woman. According to the $ishop of Byons, it was not
enough for Adam to be redeemed in hrist, but &it was right and necessary that <ve
be restored in Mary& 7 3emonstratio apostolica, :. In this way he stresses the
importance of woman in the wor% of salvation and lays the foundation for theinseparability of Marian devotion from that shown to 5esus, which will endure down
the hristian centuries.
arian devotion is firmly rooted in Christian faith
2. Marian devotion is first e-pressed in the invocation of Mary as #4heot@os#, a title
which was authoritatively confirmed, after the =estorian crisis, by the ouncil of
<phesus in 1.
'he same popular reaction to the ambiguous and wavering position of =estorius,
who went so far as to deny Mary/s divine motherhood, and the subse!uent )oyfulacceptance of the <phesian 6ynod/s decisions, confirm how deeply rooted among
hristians was devotion to the $lessed 4irgin. Eowever &following the ouncil of
<phesus, there was a remar%able growth in the devotion of the "eople of God
towards Mary, in veneration and love, in invocation and imitation& 7 /umen gentium,
n. **:. It was e-pressed especially in the liturgical feasts, among which, from the
beginning of the fifth century, &the day of Mary4heot@os# ac!uired particular
importance. It was celebrated on 12 August in 5erusalem and later became the feast
of the Dormition or the Assumption.
nder the influence of the "roto<vangelium of 5ames&, the feasts of the =ativity, the
onception and the "resentation were also introduced, and notably contributed to
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highlighting some important aspects of the mystery of Mary.
*. 3e can certainly say that Marian devotion has developed down to our day in
wonderful continuity, alternating between flourishing periods and critical ones that,
nonetheless, often had the merit of fostering its renewal even more.
6ince the 6econd 4atican ouncil, Marian devotion seems destined to develop in
harmony with a deeper understanding of the mystery of the hurch and in dialogue
with contemporary cultures, to be ever more firmly rooted in the faith and life of
God/s pilgrim people on earth.
MARY AND THE HUMAN DRAMA OF DEATH
Pope John Paul II
Eaving been closely associated with hristHs redemptive wor%, it was
fitting for Mary to share the e-perience of death before parta%ing of the@esurrection
#4he e9perience of death personally enriched the %lessed &irgin by undergoing
manind*s common destiny, she can more effecti(ely e9ercise her spiritual
motherhood to$ards those approaching the last moment of their life#, the Holy
Father said at the General Audience of Wednesday, 20 June, as he reflected on the
dormition of the 'other of God" Here is a translation of the ope*s catechesis, $hich
$as the 0+rd in the series on the %lessed 'other and $as gi(en in Italian"
1. oncerning the end of Mary/s earthly life, the ouncil uses the terms of the $ull
defining the dogma of the Assumption and states( &'he Immaculate 4irgin, preserved
free from all stain of original sin, was ta%en up body and soul into heavenly glory,
when her earthly life was over& 7 /umen gentium, n. 29:. 3ith this formula, the
Dogmatic onstitution /umen gentium, following my 4enerable "redecessor "ius
#II, made no pronouncement on the !uestion of Mary/s death. =evertheless, "ius #IIdid not intend to deny the fact of her death, but merely did not )udge it opportune to
affirm solemnly the death of the Mother of God as a truth to be accepted by all
believers.
Christ made death a means of salvation
6ome theologians have in fact maintained that the $lessed 4irgin did not die and was
immediately raised from earthly life to heavenly glory. Eowever, this opinion was
un%nown until the 1;th century, whereas a common tradition actually e-ists which
sees Mary/s death as her entry into heavenly glory.
8. ould Mary of =aareth have e-perienced the drama of death in her own fleshC
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@eflecting on Mary/s destiny and her relationship with her divine 6on, it seems
legitimate to answer in the affirmative( since hrist died, it would be difficult to
maintain the contrary for his Mother.
'he 0athers of the hurch, who had no doubts in this regard, reasoned along theselines. ne need only !uote 6t 5acob of 6arug 7d. 281:, who wrote that when the time
came for Mary &to wal% on the way of all generations&, the way, that is, of death, &the
group of the 'welve Apostles& gathered to bury &the virginal body of the $lessed
ne& 7 3iscourse on the burial of the Holy 'other of God , ;F99 in .
4ona, /ateranum 1 >192?, 1:. 6t Modestus of 5erusalem 7d. *:, after a lengthy
discussion of &the most blessed dormition of the most glorious Mother of God&, ends
his eulogy by e-alting the miraculous intervention of hrist who &raised her from the
tomb&, to ta%e her up with him in glory 7 -nc. in dormitionem 3eiparae semperBue
&irginis 'ariae, nn. ; and 1( G * bis, 89 11:. 6t 5ohn Damascene 7d. ;+:
for his part as%s( &3hy is it that she who in giving birth surpassed all the limits of
nature should now bend to its laws, and her immaculate body be sub)ected todeathC&. And he answers( &'o be clothed in immortality, it is of course necessary that
the mortal part be shed, since even the master of nature did not refuse the e-perience
of death. Indeed, he died according to the flesh and by dying destroyed death on
corruption he bestowed incorruption and made death the source of resurrection&
7 anegyric on the 3ormition of the 'other of God , n. 1+( )C +, 1+;:.
. It is true that in @evelation death is presented as a punishment for sin. Eowever,
the fact that the hurch proclaims Mary free from original sin by a uni!ue divine
privilege does not lead to the conclusion that she also received physical immortality.
'he Mother is not superior to the 6on who underwent death, giving it a new meaning
and changing it into a means of salvation. Involved in hrist/s redemptive wor% and
associated in his saving sacrifice, Mary was able to share in his suffering and death
for the sa%e of humanity/s @edemption. 3hat 6everus of Antioch says about hrist
also applies to her( &3ithout a preliminary death, how could the @esurrection have
ta%en placeC& 7 Anti7ulianistica, $eirut 191, 19f.:. 'o share in hrist/s @esurrection,
Mary had first to share in his death.
. 'he =ew 'estament provides no information on the circumstances of Mary/s
death. 'his silence leads one to suppose that it happened naturally, with no detail
particularly worthy of mention. If this were not the case, how could the information
about it have remained hidden from her contemporaries and not have been passeddown to us in some wayC
As to the cause of Mary/s death, the opinions that wish to e-clude her from death by
natural causes seem groundless. It is more important to loo% for the $lessed 4irgin/s
spiritual attitude at the moment of her departure from this world. In this regard, 6t
0rancis de 6ales maintains that Mary/s death was due to a transport of love. Ee
spea%s of a dying &in love, from love and through love&, going so far as to say that
the Mother of God died of love for her 6on 5esus 74reatise on the /o(e of God , b%. ;,
ch. #IIIF#I4:.
ary's death !as an event of love
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3hatever from the physical point of view was the organic, biological cause of the
end of her bodily life, it can be said that for Mary the passage from this life to the
ne-t was the full development of grace in glory, so that no death can ever be so
fittingly described as a &dormition& as hers.
2. In some of the writings of the hurch 0athers we find 5esus himself described as
coming to ta%e his Mother at the time of her death to bring her into heavenly glory.
In this way they present the death of Mary as an event of love which conducted her
to her divine 6on to share his immortal life. At the end of her earthly life, she must
have e-perienced, li%e "aul and more strongly, the desire to be freed from her body
in order to be with hrist for ever 7cf. "hil 1(8:.
'he e-perience of death personally enriched the $lessed 4irgin( by undergoing
man%ind/s common destiny, she can more effectively e-ercise her spiritual
motherhood towards those approaching the last moment of their life.
DEVOTION TO MARY IS BASED ON JESUS! ILLPope John Paul II
May all discover in his words O$ehold, your motherNH the invitation toaccept the blessed 4irgin as mother and respond to her as true children
#4he $ords, *%ehold, your mother*, e9press Jesus* intention to inspire in his
disciples an attitude of lo(e for and trust in 'ary, leading them to recogni6e her as
their mother, the mother of e(ery belie(er#, the Holy Father said at the General
Audience on Wednesday, : 'ay" 4he ope $as continuing his catechesis on the role
of the %lessed 'other, focusing this time on her spiritual motherhood" Here is a
translation of his reflection, $hich $as the 0;th in the series on the %lessed &irgin
and $as gi(en in Italian"
1. After entrusting 5ohn to Mary with the words &3oman, behold your sonN&, 5esus,
from the ross, turns to his beloved disciple, saving to him, &$ehold, your motherN&75n 19(8*F8;:. 3ith these words, he reveals to Mary the height of her motherhood( as
mother of the 6aviour, she is also the mother of the redeemed, of all the members of
the Mystical $ody of her 6on.
In silence the 4irgin accepts the elevation to this highest degree of her motherhood of
grace, having already given a response of faith with her &yes& at the Annunciation.
5esus not only urges 5ohn to care for Mary with special love, but he entrusts her to
him so that he may recognie her as his own mother.
During the Bast 6upper, &the disciple whom 5esus loved& listened to the Master/scommandment( &Bove one another as I have loved you& 75n 12(18: and, leaning his
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head against the Bord/s breast, he received from him a uni!ue sign of love. 6uch
e-periences prepared him better to perceive in 5esus/ words an invitation to accept
her who had been given him as mother and to love her as 5esus did with filial
affection.
May all discover in 5esus/ words( &$ehold, your motherN&, the invitation to accept
Mary as mother, responding to her motherly love as true children.
#he Blessed Virgin teaches us to love the %ord deeply
8. In the light of this entrustment to his beloved disciple, one can understand the
authentic meaning of Marian devotion in the ecclesial community. In fact, it places
hristians in 5esus/ filial relationship to his mother, putting them in a condition to
grow in intimacy with both of them.
'he hurch/s devotion to the 4irgin is not only the fruit of a spontaneous response to
the e-ceptional value of her person and the importance of her role in the wor% of
salvation, but is based on hrist/s will.
'he words &$ehold, your motherN&, e-press 5esus/ intention to inspire in his disciples
an attitude of love for and trust in Mary, leading them to recognie her as their
mother, the mother of every believer.
At the school of the 4irgin, the disciples learn to %now the Bord deeply, as 5ohn did,
and to have an intimate and lasting relationship of love with him. 'hey also discover
the )oy of entrusting themselves to the Mother/s maternal love, living li%eaffectionate and docile children.
'he history of hristian piety teaches that Mary is the way which leads to hrist and
that filial devotion to her ta%es nothing from intimacy with 5esus indeed, it increases
it and leads to the highest levels of perfection.
'he countless Marian shrines throughout the world testify to the marvels wrought by
grace through the intercession of Mary, Mother of the Bord and our Mother.
'urning to her, drawn by her tenderness, the men and women of our time also meet
5esus, 6aviour and Bord of their lives.
Above all, the poor, tried in heart, in their affections and in their material need, find
refuge and peace in the Mother of God, and discover that for all people true riches
consist in the grace of conversion and of following hrist.
very Christian should ma&e room for ary in his daily life
. According to the original Gree%, the Gospel te-t continues( &0rom that hour the
disciple too% her among his possessions& 75n 19(8;:, thus stressing 5ohn/s ready and
generous adherence to 5esus/ words and informing us about his behaviour for the
whole of his life as the faithful guardian and docile son of the 4irgin.
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'he hour of acceptance is that of the fulfilment of the wor% of salvation. Mary/s
spiritual motherhood and the first manifestation of the new lin% between her and the
Bord/s disciples begins precisely in this conte-t.
5ohn too% the Mother &among his possessions&. 'hese rather general words seem tohighlight his initiative, full of respect and love, not only in ta%ing Mary to his house
but also in living his spiritual life in communion with her.
In fact, a literal translation of the Gree% e-pression &among his possessions& does not
so much refer to material possessions since 5ohnLas 6t Augustine observes =In Ioan"
-(ang" tract" 119, :L&possessed nothing of his own&, but rather to the spiritual
goods or gifts received from hrist( grace 75n 1(1*:, the 3ord 75n 18( 1;(:, the
6pirit 75n ;(9 1(1;:, the <ucharist 75n *(8F2:.... Among these gifts which come
to him from the fact that he is loved by 5esus, the disciple accepts Mary as his
mother, establishing a profound communion of life with her 7cf. <edemptoris
'ater , n. 2, note 1+:.
May every hristian, after the beloved disciple/s e-ample, &ta%e Mary into his house&
and ma%e room for her in his own daily life, recogniing her providential role in the
)ourney of salvation.
JESUS OR"S MIRACLE AT MARY!S RE#UESTPope John Paul II
MaryHs great faith, the power of her prayer and her coFoperation in her6onHs saving mission invite hristians of every age to trust the Bord fully
#'ary*s reBuest *3o $hate(er he tells you*, eeps its e(er timely (alue for Christians
of e(ery age"""" It is an e9hortation to trust $ithout hesitation, especially $hen one
does not understand the meaning or benefit of $hat Christ ass#, the Holy Father
said at the General Audience of Wednesday, 2> February, as he spoe of 'ary*s roleat the $edding in Cana" Here is a translation of his catechesis, $hich $as the ..th in
the series on the %lessed &irgin and $as gi(en in Italian"
1. In the episode of the wedding at ana, 6t 5ohn presents Mary/s first intervention in
the public life of 5esus and highlights her coFoperation in her 6on/s mission.
At the beginning of the account the <vangelist tells us that &the Mother of 5esus was
there& 75n 8( 1:, and, as if to suggest that her presence was the reason for the couple/s
invitation to 5esus and his disciples 7cf. <edemptoris 'ater , n. 81:, he adds &5esus
also was invited to the marriage, with his disciples& 75n 8(8:. 3ith these remar%s,
5ohn seems to indicate that at ana, as in the fundamental event of the Incarnation, it
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is Mary who introduces the 6aviour.
'he meaning and role of the $lessed 4irgin/s presence become evident when the
wine runs out. As a s%illed and wise housewife, she immediately notices and
intervenes so that no one/s )oy is marred and, above all, to help the newly marriedcouple in difficulty.
'urning to 5esus with the words( &they have no wine& 75n 8(:, Mary e-presses her
concern to him about this situation, e-pecting him to solve it. More precisely,
according to some e-egetes, his Mother is e-pecting an e-traordinary sign, since
5esus had no wine at his disposal.
ary strengthened the disciples' faith by obtaining the miracle
8. 'he choice made by Mary, who could perhaps have obtained the necessary wine
elsewhere, shows the courage of her faith, since until that moment 5esus had wor%ed
no miracles, either in =aareth or in his public life.
At ana, the $lessed 4irgin once again showed her total availability to God. At the
Annunciation she had contributed to the miracle of the virginal conception by
believing in 5esus before seeing him here, her trust in 5esus/ as yet unrevealed power
causes him to perform his &first sign&, the miraculous transformation of water into
wine.
In that way she precedes in faith the disciples who, as 5ohn says, would believe after
the miracle( 5esus &manifested his glory and his disciples believed in him& 75n 8(11:.'hus, Mary strengthened their faith by obtaining this miraculous sign.
. 5esus/ answer to Mary/s words, & woman, what have you to do with meC My hour
has not yet come& 75n 8(:, appears to e-press a refusal, as if putting his Mother/s
faith to the test.
According to one interpretation, from the moment his mission begins 5esus seems to
call into !uestion the natural relationship of son to which his mother refers. 'he
sentence, in the local parlance, is meant to stress a distance between the persons, by
e-cluding a communion of life. 'his distance does not preclude respect and esteem
the term &woman& by which he addresses his Mother is used with a nuance that willrecur in the conversations with the anaanite woman 7cf. Mt 12(8:, the 6amaritan
woman 7cf. 5n (81:, the adulteress 7cf. 5n (1+: and Mary Magdalene 7cf. 5n 8+(1:,
in conte-ts that show 5esus/ positive relationship with his female interlocutors.
3ith the e-pression( & woman, what have you to do with meC&, 5esus intends to put
Mary/s coFoperation on the level of salvation which, by involving her faith and hope,
re!uires her to go beyond her natural role of mother.
. f much greater import is the reason 5esus gives( &My hour has not yet come& 75n
8(:. 6ome scholars who have studied this sacred te-t, following 6t Augustine/s
interpretation, identify this &hour& with the "assion event. 0or others, instead, itrefers to the first miracle in which the prophet of =aareth/s messianic power would
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be revealed. Jet others hold that the sentence is interrogative and an e-tension of the
!uestion that precedes it( &3hat have you to do with meC Eas my hour not yet
comeC&. 5esus gives Mary to understand that henceforth he no longer depends on her,
but must ta%e the initiative for doing his 0ather/s wor%. 'hen Mary docilely refrains
from insisting with him and instead turns to the servants, telling them to obey him.
iracle sho!s the po!er of ary's prayer
In any case her trust in her 6on is rewarded. 5esus, whom she has left totally free to
act, wor%s the miracle, recogniing his Mother/s courage and docility( &5esus said to
them, /0ill the )ars with water/. And they filled them up to the brim& 75n 8(;:. 'hus
their obedience also helps to procure wine in abundance.
Mary/s re!uest( &Do whatever he tells you&, %eeps its ever timely value for hristians
of every age and is destined to renew its marvellous effect in everyone/s life. It is an
e-hortation to trust without hesitation, especially when one does not understand themeaning or benefit of what hrist as%s.
As in the account of the anaanite woman 7Mt 12(8F8*:, 5esus/ apparent refusal
e-alts the woman/s faith, so that her 6on/s words, &My hour has not yet come&,
together with the wor%ing of the first miracle, demonstrate the Mother/s great faith
and the power of her prayer.
'he episode of the wedding at ana urges us to be courageous in faith and to
e-perience in our lives the truth of the Gospel words( &As%, and it will be given you&
7Mt ;(; B% 11(9:.
MARY$ THE NE EVE$ FREELY OBEYED GODPope John Paul II
$efore the great mystery of the Incarnation, Mary spo%e her OyesH and
e-pressed her complete acceptance of GodHs saving plan for man%ind
#In stating her total *yes* to the di(ine plan, 'ary is completely free before God" At
the same time, she feels personally responsible for humanity, $hose future $as lined
$ith her reply#, the Holy Father said at the General Audience of Wednesday, 1D
)eptember, as he e9amined the significance of 'ary as the 8e$ -(e" Here is a
translation of the ope*s catechesis, $hich $as gi(en in Italian and $as the ++rd in
the series on the %lessed 'other"
1. ommenting on the episode of the Annunciation, the 6econd 4atican ouncil
gives special emphasis to the value of Mary/s assent to the divine messenger/s words.
nli%e what occurs in similar biblical accounts, it is e-pressly awaited by the angel(&'he 0ather of mercies willed that the Incarnation should be preceded by assent on
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the part of the predestined mother, so that )ust as a woman had a share in bringing
about death, so also a woman should contribute to life& 7 /umen gentium, n. 2*:.
/umen gentium recalls the contrast between <ve/s behaviour and that of Mary,
described by 6t Irenaeus( &5ust as the formerLthat is, <veLwas seduced by thewords of an angel so that she turned away from God by disobeying his word, so the
latterLMaryLreceived the good news from an angel/s announcement in such a way
as to give birth to God by obeying his word and as the former was seduced so that
she disobeyed God, the latter let herself be convinced to obey God, and so the 4irgin
Mary became the advocate of the virgin <ve. And as the human race was sub)ected to
death by a virgin, it was liberated by a 4irgin a virgin/s disobedience was thus
counterbalanced by a 4irgin/s obedience...& 7 Ad(" Haer", 4, 19, 1:.
ary co)operated through free faith and obedience
8. In stating her total &yes& to the divine plan, Mary is completely free before God. Atthe same time, she feels personally responsible for humanity, whose future was
lin%ed with her reply.
God puts the destiny of all man%ind in a young woman/s hands. Mary/s &yes& is the
premise for fulfilling the plan which God in his love had prepared for the world/s
salvation.
'he Catechism of the Catholic Church briefly and effectively summaries the
decisive value for all humanity of Mary/s free consent to the divine plan of salvation.
&'he 4irgin Mary /cooperated through free faith and obedience in human salvation/.6he uttered her yes /in the name of all human nature/. $y her obedience she became
the =ew <ve, mother of the living& 7n. 211:.
. $y her conduct, Mary reminds each of us of our serious responsibility to accept
God/s plan for our lives. In total obedience to the saving will of God e-pressed in the
angel/s words, she becomes a model for those whom the Bord proclaims blessed,
because they &hear the word of God and %eep it& 7B% 11(8:. 5esus, in answering the
woman in the crowd who proclaimed his mother blessed, discloses the true reason
for Mary/s blessedness( her adherence to God/s will, which led her to accept the
divine motherhood.
In the <ncyclical <edemptoris 'ater , I pointed out that the new spiritual motherhood
of which 5esus spea%s is primarily concerned with her. Indeed, &Is not Mary the first
of /those who hear the word of God and do it/C And therefore does not the blessing
uttered by 5esus in response to the woman in the crowd refer primarily to herC& 7n.
8+:. In a certain sense therefore Mary is proclaimed the first disciple of her 6on 7cf.
ibid.: and, by her e-ample, invites all believers to respond generously to the Bord/s
grace.
. 'he 6econd 4atican ouncil e-plains Mary/s total dedication to the person and
wor% of hrist( &6he devoted herself totally, as a handmaid of the Bord, to the person
and wor% of her 6on, under and with him, serving the mystery of redemption, by the
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grace of almighty God& 7 /umen gentium, n. 2*:.
0or Mary, dedication to the person and wor% of 5esus means intimate union with her
6on, motherly involvement in nurturing his human growth and coFoperation with his
wor% of salvation.
ary became cause of salvation for all humanity
Mary carries out this last aspect of her dedication to 5esus &under him&, that is, in a
condition of subordination, which is the fruit of grace. Eowever this is true coF
operation, because it is realied &with him& and, beginning with the Annunciation, it
involves active participation in the wor% of redemption. &@ightly, therefore&, the
6econd 4atican ouncil observes, &the 0athers see Mary not merely as passively
engaged by God, but as freely coFoperating in the wor% of man/s salvation through
faith and obedience. 0or, as 6t Irenaeus says, she /being obedient, became the cause
of salvation for herself and for the whole human race 7 Ad(" Haer" III, 88, :H& 7ibid.:.
Mary, associated with hrist/s victory over the sin of our first parents, appears as the
true &mother of the living& 7ibid.:. Eer motherhood, freely accepted in obedience to
the divine plan, becomes a source of life for all humanity.
MARY OFFERS SUBLIME MODEL OF SERVICEPope John Paul II
In declaring herself Othe handmaid of the BordH, the $lessed 4irgin shows
total obedience to GodHs will and ma%es it her own with all her personalresources
#'ary maes the Father*s $ill the inspiring principle of her $hole life, seeing in it
the necessary strength to fulfil the mission entrusted to her#, the Holy Father said at
the General Audience of Wednesday, . )eptember, as he reflected on 'ary*s responseto the angel at the Annunciation, an act of free submission to God" Here is a
translation of his catechesis, $hich $as the +2nd in the series on the %lessed 'other
and $as gi(en in Italian"
1. Mary/s words at the Annunciation &I am the handmaid of the Bord let it be to me
according to your word& 7B% 1(:, indicate an attitude characteristic of 5ewish piety.
At the beginning of the ld ovenant, Moses, in response to the Bord/s call,
proclaims himself his servant 7cf. <- (1+ 1(1:. 3ith the coming of the =ew
ovenant, Mary also responds to God with an act of free submission and conscious
abandonment to his will, showing her complete availability to be the &handmaid of
the Bord&.
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In the ld 'estament, the !ualification &servant& of God lin%s all those who are
called to e-ercise a mission for the sa%e of the hosen "eople( Abraham 7Gn 8*(8:,
Isaac 7Gn 8(1: 5acob 7<- 8(1 < ;(82:, 5oshua 75os 8(89:, David 78 6am ;, ,
etc.:. "rophets and priests, who have been entrusted with the tas% of forming the
people in the faithful service of the Bord, are also servants. 'he $oo% of the "rophetIsaiah e-alts, in the docility of the &suffering 6ervant&, a model of fidelity to God in
the hope of redemption for the sins of the many 7cf. Is 8(2:. 6ome women also
offer e-amples of fidelity, such as Kueen <sther who, before interceding for the
salvation of the 5ews, addresses a prayer to God, calling herself many times &your
servant& 7<st (1;:.
ary's 'fiat' e$presses total obedience
8. Mary, &full of grace&, by proclaiming herself &handmaid of the Bord& intends to
commit herself to fulfil personally and in a perfect manner the service God e-pects
of all his people. 'he words( &$ehold, I am the handmaid of the Bord&, foretell thene who will say of himself( &'he 6on of man also came not to be served but to
serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many& 7M% 1+(2( cf. Mt 8+(8:. 'hus the
Eoly 6pirit brings about a harmony of intimate dispositions between the Mother and
the 6on, which will allow Mary to assume fully her maternal role to 5esus, as she
accompanies him in his mission as 6ervant. In 5esus/ life the will to serve is constant
and surprising( as 6on of God, he could rightly have demanded to be served.
Attributing to himself the title &6on of Man&, whom, according to the $oo% of
Daniel, &all peoples, nations, and languages should serve& 7Dn ;(1:, he could have
claimed mastery over others. Instead, combating the mentality of the time which was
e-pressed in the disciples/ ambition for the first places 7cf. M% 9(: and in "eter/s
protest during the washing of the feet 7cf. 5n 1(*:, 5esus does not want to be served,
but desires to serve to the point of totally giving his life in the wor% of redemption.
. 0urthermore, Mary, although aware of the lofty dignity conferred upon her at the
angel/s announcement, spontaneously declares herself &the handmaid of the Bord&. In
this commitment of service she also includes the intention to serve her neighbour, as
the lin% between the episodes of the Annunciation and the 4isitation show( informed
by the angel of <liabeth/s pregnancy, Mary sets out &with haste& 7B% 1(9: for
5udah, with total availability to help her relative prepare for the birth. 6he thus offers
hristians of all times a sublime model of service.
'he words( &Bet it be to me according to your word& 7B% 1(:, show in her who
declared herself handmaid of the Bord, a total obedience to God/s will.
'he optative genoito, &let it be done&, used by Bu%e, e-presses not only acceptance
but staunch assumption of the divine plan, ma%ing it her own with the involvement
of all her personal resources.
By conforming to God's !ill, ary anticipates attitude of Christ
. $y conforming to the divine will, Mary anticipates and ma%es her own the attitude
of hrist who, according to the Better to the Eebrews, coming into the world, says(&6acrifice and offerings you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me ... 'hen I
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said ... /$ehold, I come to do your will, GodH& 7Eeb 1+(2F; "s + >9?( ;F9:.
Mary/s docility li%ewise announces and prefigures that e-pressed by 5esus in the
course of his public life until alvary. hrist would say( &My food is to do the will of
him who sent me, and to accomplish his wor%& 75n (:. n these same lines, Maryma%es the 0ather/s will the inspiring principle of her whole life, see%ing in it the
necessary strength to fulfil the mission entrusted to her.
If at the moment of the Annunciation, Mary does not yet %now of the sacrifice which
will mar% hrist/s mission, 6imeon/s prophecy will enable her to glimpse her 6on/s
tragic destiny 7cf. B% (F2:. 'he 4irgin will be associated with him in intimate
sharing. 3ith her total obedience to God/s will, Mary is ready to live all that divine
love may plan for her life, even to the &sword& that will pierce her soul.
VIRGINAL CONCEPTION IS BIOLOGICAL FACTPope John Paul II
'he Gospel accounts clearly teach that 5esusH conception was the wor% ofthe Eoly 6pirit and not )ust a theological e-pression of his divine sonship
4he (irginity of 'ary and Jesus* (irginal conception $ere the sub7ect of the Holy
Father*s catechesis at the General Audience of Wednesday, 1; July" 4his truth of
faith is set forth in the Gospels and confirmed by subseBuent tradition" #4he uniform
Gospel $itness testifies ho$ faith in the (irginal conception of Jesus $as firmly
rooted in (arious milieu9 of the early Church#, the ope said" Here is a translation
of his catechesis, $hich $as the 2>th in the series on the %lessed &irgin 'ary and
$as gi(en in Italian"
1. 'he hurch has constantly held that Mary/s virginity is a truth of faith, as she has
received and reflected on the witness of the Gospels of Bu%e, of Matthew and
probably also of 5ohn.
In the episode of the Annunciation, the <vangelist Bu%e calls Mary a &virgin&,
referring both to her intention to persevere in virginity, as well as to the divine plan
which reconciles this intention with her miraculous motherhood. 'he affirmation of
the virginal conception, due to the action of the Eoly 6pirit, e-cludes every
hypothesis of natural parthenogenesis and re)ects the attempts to e-plain Bu%e/s
account as the development of a 5ewish theme or as the derivation of a pagan
mythological legend.
'he structure of the Bucan te-t 7cf. B% 1(8*F 8(19, 21: resists any reductive
interpretation. Its coherence does not validly support any mutilation of the terms or
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e-pressions which affirm the virginal conception brought about by the Eoly 6pirit.
8. 'he <vangelist Matthew, reporting the angel/s announcement to 5oseph, affirms
li%e Bu%e that the conception was &the wor% of the Eoly 6pirit& 7Mt 1(8+: and
e-cluded marital relations.
0urthermore, 5esus/ virginal conception is communicated to 5oseph at a later time( for
him it is not a !uestion of being invited to give his assent prior to the conception of
Mary/s 6on, the fruit of the supernatural intervention of the Eoly 6pirit and the coF
operation of the mother alone. Ee is merely as%ed to accept freely his role as the
4irgin/s husband and his paternal mission with regard to the child.
Matthew presents the virginal origins of 5esus as the fulfilment of Isaiah/s prophecy.
&/$ehold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called
<mmanuel/ 7which means, God with us:& 7Mt 1(8 cf. Is ;( 1:. In this way Matthew
leads us to conclude that the virginal conception was the ob)ect of reflection in thefirst hristian community, which understood its conformity to the divine plan of
salvation and its connection with the identity of 5esus, &God with us&.
arly Church firmly believed in virginal conception
. nli%e Bu%e and Matthew, Mar%/s Gospel does not mention 5esus/ conception and
birth nonetheless it is worth noting that Mar% never mentions 5oseph, Mary/s
husband. 5esus is called &the son of Mary& by the people of =aareth or in another
conte-t, &the 6on of God& several times 7(11 2(; cf. 1(11 9(; 1(*1F*8 12(9:.
'hese facts are in harmony with belief in the mystery of his virginal conception. 'histruth, according to a recent e-egetical discovery, would be e-plicitly contained in
verse 1 of the "rologue of 5ohn/s Gospel, which some ancient authoritative authors
7for e-ample, Irenaeus and 'ertullian: present, not in the usual plural form, but in the
singular( &Ee, who was born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will
of man, but of God&. 'his version in the singular would ma%e the 5ohannine
"rologue one of the ma)or attestations of 5esus/ virginal conception, placed in the
conte-t of the mystery of the Incarnation.
"aul/s parado-ical affirmation( &$ut when the time had fully come, God sent forth his
6on, born of woman ... so that we might receive adoption as sons& 7Gal (F2:, paves
the way to the !uestion about this 6on/s personhood, and thus about his virginal birth.
'he uniform Gospel witness testifies how faith in the virginal conception of 5esus
was firmly rooted in various milieu- of the early hurch. 'his deprives of any
foundation several recent interpretations which understand the virginal conception
not in a physical or biological sense, but only as symbolic or metaphorical( it would
designate 5esus as God/s gift to humanity. 'he same can be said for the opinion
advanced by others, that the account of the virginal conception would instead be
a theologoumenon, that is, a way of e-pressing a theological doctrine, that of 5esus/
divine sonship, or would be a mythological portrayal of him.
As we have seen, the Gospels contain the e-plicit affirmation of a virginalconception of the biological order, brought about by the Eoly 6pirit. 'he hurch
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made this truth her own, beginning with the very first formulations of the faith
7cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 9*:.
. 'he faith e-pressed in the Gospels is confirmed without interruption in later
tradition. 'he formulas of faith of the first hristian writers presuppose the assertionof the virginal birth( Aristides, 5ustin, Irenaeus and 'ertullian are in agreement with
Ignatius of Antioch, who proclaims 5esus &truly born of a virgin& 7)myrn. 1,
8:. 'hese authors mean a real, historical virginal conception of 5esus and are far from
affirming a virginity that is only moral or a vague gift of grace manifested in the
child/s birth.
'he solemn definitions of faith by the <cumenical ouncils and the papal
Magisterium, which follow the first brief formulas of faith, are in perfect harmony
with this truth. 'he ouncil of halcedon 721:, in its profession of faith, carefully
phrased and with its infallibly defined content, affirms that hrist was &begotten ... as
to his humanity in these last days, for us and for our salvation, by the 4irgin Mary,the Mother of God& 7D6 +1:. In the same way the 'hird ouncil of onstantinople
7*1: proclaimed that 5esus hrist was &begotten ... as to his humanity, by the Eoly
6pirit and the 4irgin Mary, she who is properly and in all truth the Mother of God&
7D6 222:. ther <cumenical ouncils 7onstantinople II, Bateran I4 and Byons II:
declared Mary &everFvirgin&, stressing her perpetual virginity 7D6 8, +1, 28:.
'hese affirmations were ta%en up by the 6econd 4atican ouncil, which highlighted
the fact that Mary &through her faith and obedience ... gave birth on earth to the very
6on of the 0ather, not through the %nowledge of man but by the overshadowing of
the Eoly 6pirit& 7 /umen gentium, n. *:.
In addition to the conciliar definitions, there are the definitions of the papal
Magisterium concerning the Immaculate onception of the &$lessed 4irgin Mary&
7D6 8+: and the Assumption of the &Immaculate and <verF4irgin Mother of God&
7D6 9+:.
ary's holiness and virginity are closely lin&ed
2. Although the definitions of the Magisterium, e-cept for those of the Bateran
ouncil of *9, desired by "ope Martin I, do not e-plain the meaning of the term
&virgin&, it is clear that this term is used in its customary sense( the voluntary
abstention from se-ual acts and the preservation of bodily integrity. Eowever, physical integrity is considered essential to the truth of faith of 5esus/ virginal
conception 7cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 9*:.
'he description of Mary as &Eoly <verF4irgin, Immaculate& draws attention to the
connection between holiness and virginity. Mary wanted a virginal life, because she
was motivated by the desire to give her whole heart to God.
'he e-pression used in the definition of the Assumption, &the Immaculate, <verF
4irgin Mother of God&, also implies the connection between Mary/s virginity and her
motherhood( two prerogatives miraculously combined in the conception of 5esus,
true God and true man. 'hus Mary/s virginity is intimately lin%ed to her divine
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motherhood and perfect holiness.
MARY AS FREE FROM ALL PERSONAL SINPope John Paul II
'he special privilege by which Mary persevered in holiness throughout herearthly life invites us to contemplate her sublime growth in faith and love
4he doctrine of 'ary*s perfect holiness $as the sub7ect of the Holy Father*s
catechesis at the General Audience of Wednesday, 1 June" 4his truth asserts #that 'ary, free from original sin, $as also preser(ed from all actual sin and that this
initial holiness $as granted to her in order to fill her entire life#, the ope said" Here
is a translation of his catechesis, $hich $as the 2.th in the series on the %lessed
&irgin and $as gi(en in Italian"
1. 'he definition of the dogma of the Immaculate onception directly concerns only
the first moment of Mary/s e-istence, from when she was &preserved free from every
stain of original sin&. 'he papal Magisterium thus wished to define only the truth
which had been the sub)ect of controversy down the centuries( her preser(ation from
original sin, and was not concerned with defining the lasting holiness of the Bord/s
4irgin Mother.
'his truth already belongs to the common awareness of the hristian people. It
testifies that Mary, free from original sin, was also preserved from all actual sin and
that this initial holiness was granted to her in order to fill her entire life.
*o sin or imperfection can be attributed to ary
8. 'he hurch has constantly regarded Mary as holy and free from all sin or moral
imperfection. 'he ouncil of 'rent e-presses this conviction, affirming that no one
&can avoid all sins, even venial sins, throughout his life, unless he is given a special privilege, as the hurch holds with regard to the $lessed 4irgin& 7D6 12;:. <ven
the hristian transformed and renewed by grace is not spared the possibility of
sinning. Grace does not preserve him from all sin throughout his whole fife, unless,
as the ouncil of 'rent asserts, a special privilege guarantees this immunity from sin.
And this is what happened with Mary.
'he ouncil of 'rent did not wish to define this privilege but stated that the hurch
vigorously affirms it( &'enet&, that is, she firmly holds it. 'his is a decision which, far
from relegating this truth to pious belief or devotional opinion, confirms its nature as
a solid doctrine, !uite present in the faith of the "eople of God. Moreover, this
conviction is based on the grace attributed to Mary by the angel at the time of theAnnuncation. alling her &full of grace&, echaritomEne, the angel ac%nowledged her
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as the woman endowed with a lasting perfection and a fullness of sanctity, without
shadow of sin or of moral or spiritual imperfection.
. 6everal early 0athers of the hurch, who were not yet convinced of her perfect
holiness, attributed imperfections or moral defects to Mary. 6ome recent authorshave ta%en the same position. Eowever, the Gospel te-ts cited to )ustify these
opinions provide no basis at all for attributing a sin or even a moral imperfection to
the Mother of the @edeemer.
5esus/s reply to his mother at the age of 18( &Eow is it that you sought meC Did you
not %now that I must be in my 0ather/s houseC& 7B% 8(9:, has sometimes been
interpreted as a veiled rebu%e. A careful reading of the episode, however, shows that
5esus did not rebu%e his mother and 5oseph for see%ing him, since they were
responsible for loo%ing after him.
oming upon 5esus after an an-ious search, Mary as%ed him only the &why& of his behaviour( &6on, why have you treated us soC& 7B% 8(:. And 5esus answers with
another &why&, refraining from any rebu%e and referring to the mystery of his divine
sonship.
=or can the words he spo%e at ana( & woman, what have you to do with meC My
hour has not yet come& 75n 8( :, be interpreted as a rebu%e. 6eeing the li%ely
inconvenience which the lac% of wine would have caused the bride and groom, Mary
spea%s to 5esus with simplicity, entrusting the problem to him. 'hough aware of
being the Messiah bound to obey the 0ather/s will alone, he answers the Mother/s
implicit re!uest. Ee responds above all to the 4irgin/s faith and thus performs thefirst of his miracles, thereby manifesting his glory.
. Bater some gave a negative interpretation to the statement 5esus made when, at the
beginning of his public life, Mary and his relatives as%ed to see him. @elating to us
5esus/ reply to the one who said to him( &Jour mother and your brethren are standing
outside, desiring to see you&, the <vangelist Bu%e offers us the interpretive %ey to the
account, which must be understood on the basis of Mary/s inner inclinations, which
were !uite different from those of his &brethren& 7cf. 5n ;(2:. 5esus replied( &My
mother and my brethren are those who hear the word of God and do it& 7B% (81:. In
the Annunciation account, Bu%e in fact showed how Mary was the model of listening
to the word of God and of generous docility. Interpreted in this perspective, theepisode offers great praise of Mary, who perfectly fulfilled the divine plan in her own
life. Although 5esus/ words are opposed to the brethren/s attempt, they e-alt Mary/s
fidelity to the will of God and the greatness of her motherhood, which she lived not
only physically but also spiritually.
In e-pressing this indirect praise, 5esus uses a particular method( he stresses the
nobility of Mary/s conduct in the light of more general statements, and shows more
clearly the 4irgin/s solidarity with and closeness to humanity on the difficult way of
holiness.
Bastly, the words( &$lessed rather are those who hear the word of God and %eep itN&7B% 11(8:, spo%en by 5esus in reply to the woman who had called his Mother
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blessed, far from putting into doubt Mary/s personal perfection, bring out her faithful
fulfilment of the word of God( so has the hurch understood them, putting this
sentence into the liturgical celebrations in Mary/s honour. 'he Gospel te-t actually
suggests that he made this statement to reveal that the highest reason for his Mother/s
blessedness lies precisely in her intimate union with God and her perfect submissionto the divine word.
ary belonged completely to the %ord
2. 'he special privilege granted by God to her who is &all holy& leads us to admire
the marvels accomplished by grace in her life. It also reminds us that Mary belonged
always and completely to the Bord, and that no imperfection harmed her perfect
harmony with God.
Eer earthly life was therefore mar%ed by a constant, sublime growth in faith, hope
and charity. 0or believers, Mary is thus the radiant sign of divine Mercy and the sureguide to the loftiest heights of holiness and Gospel perfection.
MARY FREELY CO%OPERATED IN GOD!S PLANPope John Paul II
In 6t Bu%eHs Gospel, <liabethHs greeting to Mary presents her as the onewhose faith ma%es her the model of all who live according to the beatitudes
At the General Audience of Wednesday, + July, the Holy Father returned to his
catechesis on the %lessed 'other" In speaing of ur /ady*s response to the angel*s
announcement that she $ould be the mother of the 'essiah, the ope said #'ary is
ased to assent to a truth ne(er e9pressed before" )he accepts it $ith a simple yetdaring heart" With the Buestion *Ho$ can this be*, she e9presses her faith in the
di(ine po$er to mae (irginity compatible $ith her e9ceptional and uniBue
motherhood*" Here is a translation of his catechesis, $hich $as the 20th in the series
on the %lessed &irgin and $as gi(en in Italian"
1. In the Gospel account of the 4isitation, <liabeth, &filled with the Eoly 6pirit&,
welcomes Mary to her home and e-claims( &$lessed is she who believed that there
would be a fulfilment of what was spo%en to her from the Bord& 7B% 1(2:. 'his
beatitude, the first reported in Bu%e/s Gospel, presents Mary as the one who, by her
faith, precedes the hurch in fulfilling the spirit of the beatitudes.
<liabeth/s praise of Mary/s faith is reinforced by comparing it to the angel/s
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announcement to Pechariah. A superficial reading of the two announcements might
consider Pechariah and Mary as having given similar responses to the divine
message( &Eow shall I %now thisC 0or I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in
years&, Pechariah says and Mary( &Eow can this be, since I have no husbandC& 7B%
1(1, :. $ut the profound difference between the interior attitudes of the principalsin these two episodes can be seen from the very words of the angel, who rebu%es
Pechariah for his disbelief, while he gives an immediate reply to Mary/s !uestion.
nli%e <liabeth/s husband, Mary fully submits to the divine plan and does not
condition her consent on the granting of a visible sign.
'he angel, who proposed that she become a mother, is reminded by Mary of her
intention to remain a virgin. $elieving that the announcement could be fulfilled, she
!uestions the divine messenger only about the manner of its accomplishment, in
order better to fulfil God/s will, to which she intends to submit with total readiness.
&6he sought the manner she did not doubt God/s omnipotence&, 6t Augustine
remar%s 7)ermo 891:.
+ntense listening and pure faith is reuired of ary
8. 'he conte-t in which the two announcements are made also helps to e-alt the
e-cellence of Mary/s faith. In Bu%e/s account, we see the more favourable situation of
Pechariah and the inade!uacy of his response. Ee receives the angel/s announcement
in the temple of 5erusalem, at the altar before the &Eoly of Eolies& 7cf. <- +(*F:
the angel addresses him as he is offering incense, thus, as he is carrying out his
priestly duties, at a significant moment in his life the divine decision is
communicated to him in a vision. 'hese particular circumstances favour an easierunderstanding of the divine authenticity of the message and offer an incentive to
accept it promptly.
'he announcement to Mary, however, ta%es place in a simpler, wor%aday conte-t,
without the e-ternal elements of sacredness which accompanied the one made to
Pechariah. Bu%e does not indicate the precise place where the Annunciation of the
Bord/s birth occurred( he reports only that Mary was in =aareth, a village of little
importance, which did not seem predestined for the event. In addition, the <vangelist
does not ascribe unusual importance to the moment when the angel appears and does
not describe the historical circumstances. In meeting the heavenly messenger, one/s
attention is focused on the meaning of his words, which demand of Mary intenselistening and a pure faith.
'his last consideration allows us to appreciate the greatness of Mary/s faith,
especially in comparison with the tendency, then as now, to as% insistently for
sensible signs in order to believe. In contrast, the 4irgin/s assent to the divine will is
motivated only by her love of God.
. Mary is as%ed to assent to a much loftier truth than that announced to Pechariah.
'he latter was invited to believe in a wondrous birth that would ta%e place within a
sterile marital union, which God wished to ma%e fruitful( a divine intervention
similar to those benefiting several ld 'estament women( 6arah 7Gn 1;(12F811(1+F1:, @achel 7Gn +(88:, the mother of 6amson 75gs 1(1F;:, Eanna, the mother
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of 6amuel 71 6m 1(11F8+:. In these episodes the gratuitousness of God/s gift is
particularly emphasied.
Mary is called to believe in a virginal motherhood, for which the ld 'estament
mentions no precedent. In fact, the wellF%nown prophecy of Isaiah( &$ehold, a youngwoman shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name <mmanuel& 7;(1:,
although not e-cluding such a view, was e-plicitly interpreted in this sense only after
hrist/s coming and in the light of the Gospel revelation.
Mary is as%ed to assent to a truth never e-pressed before. 6he accepts it with a
simple yet daring heart. 3ith the !uestion( &Eow can this beC&, she e-presses her
faith in the divine power to ma%e virginity compatible with her e-ceptional and
uni!ue motherhood.
$y replying( &'he Eoly 6pirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most Eigh
will overshadow you& 7B% 1(2:, the angel offers God/s ineffable solution to the!uestion Mary as%ed. 4irginity, which seemed an obstacle, becomes the concrete
conte-t in which the Eoly 6pirit will accomplish in her the conception of the
incarnate 6on of God. 'he angel/s response opens the way to the 4irgin/s coF
operation with the Eoly 6pirit in the begetting of 5esus.
. 'he free coFoperation of the human person is realied in carrying out the divine
plan. $y believing in the Bord/s word, Mary coFoperates in fulfilling the motherhood
announced to her.
ary's act of faith recalls the faith of -braham
'he 0athers of the hurch often stress this aspect of 5esus/ virginal conception. In
commenting on the Gospel of the Annunciation, 6t Augustine in particular states(
&'he angel announces, the 4irgin listens, believes and conceives& 7)ermo 1 in 8at"
3om"?"And again( &hrist is believed and conceived through faith. 'he coming of
faith first occurs in the 4irgin/s heart and then fruitfulness comes to the Mother/s
womb& 7)ermo 89:.
Mary/s act of faith recalls the faith of Abraham, who at the dawn of the ld
ovenant, believed in God and thus became the father of a great posterity 7cf. Gn
12(* <edemptoris 'ater , n. 1:. At the start of the =ew ovenant, Mary also e-ertsa decisive influence with her faith on the fulfilment of the mystery of the Incarnation,
the beginning and the synthesis of 5esus/ entire redeeming mission.
'he close relationship between faith and salvation, stressed by 5esus in his public life
7cf. Mt 2( 1+(28 etc.:, helps us also to understand the fundamental role which
Mary/s faith e-ercised and continues to e-ercise in the salvation of the human race.
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MARY AS CONCEIVED ITHOUT ORIGINAL SIN
Pope John Paul II
'he hurchHs reflection has made e-plicit the profound meaning of the
words Ofull of graceH spo%en by the angel Gabriel to the 4irgin of =aareth
4he perfection of holiness that 'ary en7oys from the first moment of her conception$as the sub7ect of the Holy Father*s catechesis at the General Audience of
Wednesday, 10 'ay" 4he ope $ent on to say that the recognition of this perfect
holiness #reBuired a long process of doctrinal reflection, $hich finally led to the
solemn proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception#" Here is a
translation of his tal, $hich $as the 2;th in the series on the %lessed &irgin and $as
gi(en in Italian"
1. Mary, &full of grace&, has been recognied by the hurch as &all holy and free
from every stain of sin&, &enriched from the first instant of her conception with the
splendour of an entirely uni!ue holiness& 7 /umen gentium, n. 2*:.
'his recognition re!uired a long process of doctrinal reflection, which finally led to
the solemn proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate onception.
'he title &made full of grace&, addressed by the angel to Mary at the Annunciation,
refers to the e-ceptional divine favour shown to the young woman of =aareth in
view of the motherhood which was announced, but it indicates more directly the
effect of divine grace in Mary Mary was inwardly and permanently imbued with
grace and thus sanctified. 'he title echaritomEne has a very rich meaning and the
Eoly 6pirit has never ceased deepening the hurch/s understanding of it.
Sanctifying grace made ary a ne! creation
8. In the preceding catechesis I pointed out that in the angel/s greeting the e-pression
&full of grace& serves almost as a name( it is Mary/s name in the eyes of God. In
6emitic usage, a name e-presses the reality of the persons and things to which it
refers. As a result, the title &full of grace& shows the deepest dimension of the young
woman of =aareth/s personality( fashioned by grace and the ob)ect of divine favour
to the point that she can be defined by this special predilection.
'he ouncil recalls that the hurch 0athers alluded to this truth when they called
Mary the &allFholy one&, affirming at the same time that she was &fashioned as it
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were by the Eoly 6pirit and formed as a new creature& 7 /umen gentium, n. 2*:.
Grace, understood in the sense of &sanctifying grace& which produces personal
holiness, brought about the new creation in Mary, ma%ing her fully conformed to
God/s plan.
. Doctrinal reflection could thus attribute to Mary a perfection of holiness that, in
order to be complete, had necessarily to include the beginning of her life.
$ishop 'heote%nos of Bivias in "alestine, who lived between 22+ and *2+, seems to
have moved in the direction of this original purity. In presenting Mary as &holy and
allFfair&, &pure and stainless&, he referred to her birth in these words( &6he is born
li%e the cherubim, she who is of a pure, immaculate clay& 7 anegyric for the feast of
the Assumption, 2F*:.
'his last e-pression, recalling the creation of the first man, fashioned of a clay not
stained by sin, attributes the same characteristics to Mary/s birth( the 4irgin/s origin
was also &pure and immaculate&, that is, without any sin. 'he comparison with the
cherubim also emphasies the outstanding holiness that characteried Mary/s life
from the very beginning of her e-istence.
'heote%nos/ assertion mar%s a significant stage in the theological reflection on the
mystery of the Bord/s Mother. 'he Gree% and <astern 0athers had ac%nowledged a
purification brought about by grace in Mary, either before the Incarnation 76t
Gregory =aianen,ratio , 1*: or at the very moment of the Incarnation 76t
<phrem, 6everian of Gabala, 5ames of 6arug:. 'heote%nos of Bivias seems to havere!uired of Mary an absolute purity from the beginning of her life. Indeed, she who
was destined to become the 6aviour/s Mother had to have had a perfectly holy,
completely stainless origin.
. In the eighth century, Andrew of rete is the first theologian to see a new creation
in Mary/s birth. 'his is how he reasons( &'oday humanity, in all the radiance of her
immaculate nobility, receives its ancient beauty. 'he shame of sin had dar%ened the
splendour and attraction of human nature but when the Mother of the 0air ne par
e9cellence is born, this nature regains in her person its ancient privileges and is
fashioned according to a perfect model truly worthy of God.... 'he reform of our
nature begins today and the aged world, sub)ected to a wholly divine transformation,receives the first fruits of the second creation& 7)erm" I on the %irth of 'ary:.
'hen, ta%ing up again the image of the primordial clay, he states( &'he 4irgin/s body
is ground which God has tilled, the first fruits of Adam/s soil divinied by hrist, the
image truly li%e the former beauty, the clay %neaded by the divine Artist& 7)erm" I on
the 3ormition of 'ary:.
ary's original holiness is beginning of .edemption
Mary/s pure and immaculate conception is thus seen as the beginning of the new
creation. It is a !uestion of a personal privilege granted to the woman chosen to behrist/s Mother, who ushers in the time of abundant grace willed by God for all
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humanity.
'his doctrine, ta%en up again in the eighth century by 6t Germanus of onstantinople
and 6t 5ohn Damascene, sheds light on the value of Mary/s original holiness,
presented as the beginning of the world/s @edemption.
In this way the hurch/s tradition assimilates and ma%es e-plicit the authentic
meaning of the title &full of grace& given by the angel to the $lessed 4irgin. Mary is
full of sanctifying grace and is so from the first moment of her e-istence. 'his grace,
according to the Better to the <phesians 71(*:, is bestowed in hrist on all believers.
Mary/s original holiness represents the unsurpassable model of the gift and the
distribution of hrist/s grace in the world.
OMAN!S INDISPENSABLE ROLE IN SALVATION HISTORYPope John Paul II
'he ld 'estament presents the figures of some e-traordinary women who, prompted by GodHs 6pirit, played an active part in IsraelHs history
4he role of certain ld 4estament $omen in the sal(ation of God*s chosen people
$as the theme of the Holy Father*s catechesis at the General Audience f
Wednesday, 2: 'arch" 4he ope considered their indispensable role as a prefiguring of 'ary*s mission in sal(ation history" Here is a translation of his tal, $hich $as the
10th in the series on the %lessed &irgin and $as gi(en in Italian"
1. 'he ld 'estament holds up for our admiration some e-traordinary women who,
impelled by the 6pirit of God, share in the struggles and triumphs of Israel or
contribute to its salvation. 'heir presence in the history of the people is neither
marginal nor passive( they appear as true protagonists of salvation history. Eere are
the most significant e-amples.
After the crossing of the @ed 6ea, the sacred te-t emphasies the initiative of awoman inspired to ma%e this decisive event a festive celebration( &'hen Miriam, the
prophetess, the sister of Aaron too% a timbrel in her hand and all the women went
out after her with timbrels and dancing. And Miriam sang to them( /6ing to the Bord,
for he has triumphed gloriously the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea/&
7<- 12(8+F81:.
'his mention of feminine enterprise in the conte-t of a celebration stresses not only
the importance of woman/s role, but also her particular ability for praising and
than%ing God.
Positive contribution of !omen to salvation history
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8. 'he action of the prophetess Deborah, at the time of the 5udges, is even more
important. After ordering the commander of the army to go and gather his men, she
guarantees by her presence the success of Israel/s army, predicting that another
woman, 5ael, will %ill their enemy/s general.
'o celebrate the great victory, Deborah also sings a long canticle praising 5ael/s
action( &Most blessed of women be 5ael, ... of tentFdwelling women most blessed&
75gs 2(8:. In the =ew 'estament this praise is echoed in the words <liabeth
addresses to Mary on the day of the 4isitation( &$lessed are you among women ...&
7B% 1(8:.
'he significant role of women in the salvation of their people, highlighted by the
figures of Deborah and 5ael, is presented again in the story of another prophetess
named Euldah, who lived at the time of Qing 5osiah.
Kuestioned by the priest Eil%iah, she made prophecies announcing that forgivenesswould be shown to the %ing who feared the divine wrath. Euldah thus becomes a
messenger of mercy and peace 7cf. 8 Qgs 88(1F8+:.
. 'he $oo%s of 5udith and <sther, whose purpose is to idealie the positive
contribution of woman to the history of the chosen people, presentLin a violent
cultural conte-tLtwo women who win victory and salvation for the Israelites.
'he $oo% of 5udith, in particular, tells of a fearsome army sent by =ebuchadnear
to con!uer Israel. Bed by Eolofernes, the enemy army is ready to seie the city of
$ethulia, amid the desperation of its inhabitants, who, considering any resistance to be useless, as% their rulers to surrender. $ut the city/s elders, who in the absence of
immediate aid declare themselves ready to hand $ethulia over to the enemy, are
rebu%ed by 5udith for their lac% of faith as she professes her complete trust in the
salvation that comes from the Bord.
After a long invocation to God, she who is a symbol of fidelity to the Bord, of
humble prayer and of the intention to remain chaste goes to Eolofernes, the proud,
idolatrous and dissolute enemy general.
Beft alone with him and before stri%ing him, 5udith prays to Jahweh, saying( &Give
me strength this day, Bord God of IsraelN& 75dt 1(;:. 'hen, ta%ing Eolofernes/sword, she cuts off his head.
Eere too, as in the case of David and Goliath, the Bord used wea%ness to triumph
over strength. n this occasion, however, it was a woman who brought victory(
5udith, without being held bac% by the cowardice and unbelief of the people/s rulers,
goes to Eolofernes and %ills him, earning the gratitude and praise of the Eigh "riest
and the elders of 5erusalem. 'he latter e-claimed to the woman who had defeated the
enemy( &Jou are the e-altation of 5erusalem, you are the great glory of Israel, you
are the great pride of our nationN Jou have done all this singleFhanded you have
done great good to Israel, and God is well pleased with it. May the Almighty Bord
bless you for everN& 75dt 12(9F1+:.
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. 'he events narrated in the $oo% of <sther occurred in another very difficult
situation for the 5ews. In the %ingdom of "ersia, Eaman, the %ing/s superintendent,
decrees the e-termination of the 5ews. 'o remove the danger, Mardocai, a 5ew living
in the citadel of 6usa, turns to his niece <sther, who lives in the %ing/s palace where
she has attained the ran% of !ueen. ontrary to the law in force, she presents herselfto the %ing without being summoned, thus ris%ing the death penalty, and she obtains
the revocation of the e-termination decree. Eaman is e-ecuted, Mordocai comes to
power and the 5ews delivered from menace, thus get the better of their enemies.
5udith and <sther both ris% their lives to win the salvation of their people. 'he two
interventions, however, are !uite different( <sther does not %ill the enemy but, by
playing the role of mediator, intercedes for those who are threatened with
destruction.
"oly Spirit s&etches ary's role in human salvation
2. 'his intercessory role is later attributed to another female figure, Abigail, the wife
of =abal, by the 0irst $oo% of 6amuel. Eere too, it is due to her intervention that
salvation is once again achieved.
6he goes to meet David, who has decided to destroy =abal/s family, and as%s
forgiveness for her husband/s sins. 'hus she delivers his house from certain
destruction 71 6m 82:.
As can be easily noted, the ld 'estament tradition fre!uently emphasies the
decisive action of women in the salvation of Israel, especially in the writings closestto the coming of hrist. In this way the Eoly 6pirit, through the events connected
with ld 'estament women, s%etches with ever greater precision the characteristics
of Mary/s mission in the wor% of salvation for the entire human race.
ISAIAH!S PROPHECY FULFILLED IN INCARNATION
Pope John Paul II
'he ld 'estament only points to mystery of MaryHs motherhood, but the
=ew 'estament proclaims that the birth of 5esus fulfils the prophetHs words
#4herefore the /ord himself $ill gi(e you a sign" %ehold, a (irgin shall concei(e and
bear a son, and shall call his name -mmanuel# =Is :1+1.?" 4hese $ellno$n
$ords from the prophet Isaiah $ere the sub7ect of the Holy Father*s catechesis at the
General Audience of Wednesday, +1 January, as he continued his reflections on
'ary*s role in sal(ation history" Here is a translation of his tal, $hich $as the 1+th
in the series on the %lessed &irgin and $as gi(en in Italian"
1. In discussing the figure of Mary in the ld 'estament, the ouncil 7 /umen
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gentium, n.22: refers to the well %nown te-t of Isaiah, which caught the particular
attention of the early hristians( &$ehold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and
shall call his name <mmanuel& 7Is ;(1:.
During the annunciation of the angel, who invites 5oseph to ta%e to himself Mary, hiswife, &for that which is conceived in her is of the Eoly 6pirit&, Matthew gives a
hristological and Marian significance to the prophecy. In fact, he adds( &All this
too% place to fulfil what the Bord had spo%en by the prophet( /$ehold, a virgin shall
conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called <mmanuel/ 7which means GodF
withFus:& 7Mt 1(88F8:.
8. In the Eebrew te-t this prophecy does not e-plicitly foretell the virginal birth of
<mmanuel( the word used 7almah:, in fact, simply means &a young woman&, not
necessarily a virgin. Moreover, we %now that 5ewish tradition did not hold up the
idea of perpetual virginity, nor did it ever e-press the idea of virginal motherhood.
#he %ord himself !ill give you a sign
In the Gree% tradition, however, the Eebrew word was translated &parthenos&,
&virgin&. In this fact, which could seem merely a peculiarity of translation, we must
recognie a mysterious orientation given by the Eoly 6pirit to Isaiah/s words in order
to prepare for the understanding of the Messiah/s e-traordinary birth. 'he translation
of the word as &virgin& is e-plained by the fact that Isaiah/s te-t very solemnly
prepares for the announcement of the conception and presents it as a divine sign 7Is
;(1+F1:, arousing the e-pectation of an e-traordinary conception. =ow, it is not
something e-traordinary for a young woman to conceive a son after being )oined toher husband. Eowever, the prophecy ma%es no reference to the husband. 6uch a
formulation, then, suggested the interpretation given later in the Gree% version.
. In the original conte-t, the prophecy of Is ;(1 was the divine reply to a lac% of
faith on the part of Qing Aha, who, threatened with an invasion from the armies of
the neighbouring %ings, sought his own salvation and that of his %ingdom in Assyria/s
protection. In advising him to put his trust solely in God and to re)ect the dreadful
Assyrian intervention, the prophet Isaiah invites him on the Bord/s behalf to ma%e an
act of faith in God/s power( &As% a sign of the Bord your God&. At the %ing/s refusal,
for he preferred to see% salvation in human aid, the prophet made the famous
prediction( &Eear then, house of DavidN Is it too little for you to weary men, thatyou weary my God alsoC 'herefore the Bord himself will give you a sign. $ehold, a
virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name <mmanuel& 7Is ;(1F1:.
'he announcement of the sign of <mmanuel, &GodFwithFus&, implies the promise of
God/s presence in history, which will find its full meaning in the mystery of the
Incarnation of the 3ord.
. In the announcement of the wondrous birth of <mmanuel, the indication of the
woman who conceives and gives birth shows a certain intention to associate the
mother with the destiny of the sonLa prince destined to establish an ideal %ingdom,
the &messianic& %ingdomLand offers a glimpse of a special divine plan, which
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highlights the woman/s role.
'he sign, in fact, is not only the child, but the e-traordinary conception revealed later
in the birth itself, a hopeFfilled event, which stresses the central role of the mother.
'he prophecy of <mmanuel must also be understood in the horion opened by the
promise made to David, a promise we read about in the 6econd $oo% of 6amuel.
Eere the prophet =athan promises the %ing God/s favour towards his descendent( &Ee
shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his %ingdom
forever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son& 78 6am ;(1F1:.
God wants to e-ercise a paternal role towards David/s offspring, a role that will
reveal its full, authentic meaning in the =ew 'estament with the Incarnation of the
6on of God in the family of David 7cf. @om 1(:.
2. 'he same prophet Isaiah, in another very familiar te-t, confirms the unusual nature
of <mmanuel/s birth. Eere are his words( &0or to us a child is born, to us a son is
given and the government will be upon his shoulder, and he will be called
/3onderful ounsellor, Mighty God, <verlasting 0ather, "rince of "eaceH& 79(2:.
'hus the prophet e-presses, in the series of names given the child, the !ualities of his
royal office( wisdom, might, fatherly %indness, peacema%ing.
'he mother is no longer mentioned here, but the e-altation of the son, who brings the
people all they can hope for in the messianic %ingdom, is also reflected in the woman
who conceived him and gave him birth.
*. A famous prophecy of Micah also alludes to the birth of <mmanuel. 'he prophet
says( &$ut you, $ethlehem <phrathah, who are little to be among the clans of
5udah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose
origin is from of old, from ancient days. 'herefore the Bord shall give them up until
the time when she who is in travail has brought forth...& 72(8F:. 'hese words reFecho
the e-pectation of a birth full of messianic hope, in which once again the mother/s
role is stressed, the mother e-plicitly remembered and ennobled by the wondrous
event that brings )oy and salvation.
Prophecy prepares revelation of virginal motherhood
;. Mary/s virginal motherhood was prepared for in a more general way by God/s
favour to the humble and the poor 7cf. /umen gentium, n. 22:.
$y their attitude of placing all their trust in the Bord, they anticipated the profound
meaning of Mary/s virginity. $y renouncing the richness of human motherhood, she
awaited from God all the fruitfulness of her own life.
'he ld 'estament then does not contain a formal announcement of the virginal
motherhood, which was fully revealed only by the =ew 'estament. =evertheless,
Isaiah/s prophecy 7Is ;(1: prepares for the revelation of this mystery and was
construed so in the Gree% translation of the ld 'estament. $y !uoting the prophecythus translated, Matthew/s Gospel proclaims its perfect fulfilment through the
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conception of 5esus in Mary/s virginal womb.
VICTORY OVER SIN COMES THROUGH A OMAN
Pope John Paul II
'hrough her coFoperation with hrist in the wor% of salvation, the $lessed
4irgin contributes in a uni!ue way to the triumph over 6atan
#'ary*s uniBue (ocation is inseparable from humanity*s (ocation and, in particular,
from that of e(ery $oman, on $hich light has been shed by the mission of 'ary,
proclaimed God*s first ally against )atan and e(il#, the Holy Father said at theGeneral Audience on Wednesday 2. January, as he returned to his catechesis on the
%lessed &irgin" Here is a translation of his address, $hich $as the 12th in the series
and $as gi(en in Italian"
1. &'he boo%s of the ld 'estament describe the history of salvation, by which the
coming of hrist into the world was slowly prepared. 'he earliest documents, as they
are read in the hurch and are understood in the light of a further and full revelation,
bring the figure of a woman, Mother of the @edeemer, into a gradually clearer light&
7 /umen gentium, n. 22:.
3ith these statements the 6econd 4atican ouncil reminds us how the figure of Marygradually too% shape from the very beginning of salvation history. 6he is already
glimpsed in the ld 'estament te-ts but is fully understood only when these &are
read in the hurch& and understood in the light of the =ew 'estament.
'he Eoly 6pirit, by inspiring the various human authors, oriented ld 'estament
@evelation to hrist, who was to come into the world from the 4irgin Mary/s womb.
8. Among the biblical accounts which foretold the Mother of the @edeemer, the
ouncil particularly cites those in which God revealed his plan of salvation after the
fall of Adam and <ve. 'he Bord says to the serpent, the personification of the spiritof evil( &I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and
her seed he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel& 7Gn (12:.
'hese statements, called the rotogospel , i.e., the first Good =ews, by hristian
tradition since the 1*th century, enable us to see God/s saving will from the very
origins of humanity. Indeed according to the sacred author/s narrative, the Bord/s first
reaction to sin was not to punish the guilty but to offer them the hope of salvation
and to involve them actively in the wor% of redemption, showing his great generosity
even to those who had offended him.
'he "rotogospel/s words also reveal the uni!ue destiny of the woman who, althoughyielding to the serpent/s temptation before the man did, in virtue of the divine plan
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later becomes God/s first ally. <ve was the serpent/s accomplice in enticing man to
sin. verturning this situation, God declares that he will ma%e the woman the
serpent/s enemy.
. <-egetes now agree in recogniing that the te-t of Genesis, according to theoriginal Eebrew, does not attribute action against the serpent directly to the woman,
but to her offspring. =evertheless, the te-t gives great prominence to the role she will
play in the struggle against the tempter( in fact the one who defeats the serpent will
be her offspring.
3ho is this womanC 'he biblical te-t does not mention her personal name but allows
us to glimpse a new woman, desired by God to atone for <ve/s fall in fact, she is
called to restore woman/s role and dignity, and to contribute to changing humanity/s
destiny, coFoperating through her maternal mission in God/s victory over 6atan.
. In the light of the =ew 'estament and the hurch/s tradition, we %now that the newwoman announced by the "rotogospel is Mary, and in &her seed& we recognie her
6on, 5esus, who triumphed over 6atan/s power in the paschal mystery.
3e also observe that in Mary the enmity God put between the serpent and the
woman is fulfilled in two ways. God/s perfect ally and the devil/s enemy, she was
completely removed from 6atan/s domination in the Immaculate onception, when
she was fashioned in grace by the Eoly 6pirit and preserved from every stain of sin.
In addition, associated with her 6on/s saving wor%, Mary was fully involved in the
fight against the spirit of evil.
'hus the titles &Immaculate onception& and &oFoperator of the @edeemer&,
attributed by the hurch/s faith to Mary, in order to proclaim her spiritual beauty and
her intimate participation in the wonderful wor% of @edemption, show the lasting
antagonism between the serpent and the =ew <ve.
2. <-egetes and theologians claim that the light of the =ew <ve, Mary, shines from
the pages of Genesis onto the whole economy of salvation. In that te-t they already
see the bond between Mary and the hurch. Eere we point out with )oy that the term
&woman&, used in its generic form in the Genesis te-t, spurs women especially to
)oin the 4irgin of =aareth and her tas% in the wor% of salvation, for they are called
to ta%e part in the fight against the spirit of evil.
3omen who, li%e <ve, could succumb to 6atan/s seduction, through solidarity with
Mary receive superior strength to combat the enemy, becoming God/s first allies on
the way of salvation.
God/s mysterious alliance with woman can also be seen in a variety of ways in our
day( in women/s assiduous personal prayer and liturgical devotion, in their
catechetical service and in their witness to charity, in the many feminine vocations to
the consecrated life, in religious education in the family, etc.
All these signs are a very concrete fulfilment of the "rotogospel/s prediction. Indeed, by suggesting a universal e-tension of the word &woman& within and beyond the
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visible confines of the hurch, the "rotogospel shows that Mary/s uni!ue vocation is
inseparable from humanity/s vocation and, in particular, from that of every woman,
on which light has been shed by the mission of Mary, proclaimed God/s first ally
against 6atan and evil.
MARY!S PLACE IS HIGHEST AFTER CHRISTPope John Paul II
ur BadyHs uni!ue calling and privileges must always be seen as pointingto hrist her 6on, while she is also a model of faith and holiness for us
4he proper $ay to e9plain 'arian doctrine $as the topic of the Holy Father*s $eely
catechesis at the General Audience of Wednesday, + January" Here is a translation of
his address, $hich $as the 1;th in the series on the %lessed &irgin and $as gi(en in
Italian"
1. 0ollowing the, Dogmatic onstitution /umen gentium, which in chapter eight &set
forth painsta%ingly both the role of the $lessed 4irgin in the mystery of the Incarnate
3ord and the Mystical $ody, and the duties of the redeemed towards the Mother of
God&, in this catechesis I would li%e to offer a basic summary of the hurch/s faith in
Mary, while reaffirming with the ouncil that I do not intend &to give a complete
doctrine on Mary&, nor &to decide those !uestions which the wor% of theologians hasnot yet fully clarified& 7 /umen gentium, n. 2:.
It is my intention first of all to describe &the role of the $lessed 4irgin in the mystery
of the Incarnate 3ord and the Mystical $ody& 7ibid.:, by referring to data from
6cripture and the Apostolic 'radition, and ta%ing into account the doctrinal
development that has ta%en place in the hurch up to our day.
Moreover, since Mary/s role in the history of salvation is closely lin%ed to the
mystery of hrist and the hurch, I will not lose sight of these essential reference
points which, by offering Marian doctrine the proper conte-t, enable us to discoverits vast and ine-haustible riches.
<-ploring the mystery of the Bord/s Mother is truly vast and has occupied many
"astors and theologians down the centuries. 6ome, in their endeavour to point out the
central aspects of Mariology, have sometimes treated it together with hristology or
ecclesiology. Eowever, ta%ing into account her relationship with all the mysteries of
faith, Mary deserves a specific treatment which highlights her person and role in the
history of salvation, in the light of the $ible and of ecclesiastical tradition.
8. It also seems useful, following the ouncil/s directives, to e-plain accurately &the
duties of the redeemed towards the Mother of God, who is Mother of hrist and
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Mother of men, and most of all of those who believe& 7ibid.:.
Indeed, the part assigned to Mary by the divine plan of salvation re!uires of
hristians not only acceptance and attention, but also concrete choices which e-press
in life the Gospel attitudes of her who goes before the hurch in faith and holiness.'he Mother of the Bord is thus destined to e-ercise a special influence on believers/
way of praying. 'he hurch/s liturgy itself recognies her singular place in the
devotion and life of every believer.
It is necessary to emphasie that Marian teaching and devotion are not the fruit of
sentimentality. 'he mystery of Mary is a revealed truth which imposes itself on the
intellect of believers and re!uires of those in the hurch who have the tas% of
studying and teaching a method of doctrinal reflection no less rigorous than that used
in all theology.
Moreover, 5esus himself had invited his contemporaries not to be led by enthusiasmin considering his Mother, recogniing in Mary especially the one who is blessed
because she listens to the word of God and %eeps it 7cf. B% 11(8:.
=ot only affection but particularly the light of the 6pirit must guide us in
understanding the Mother of 5esus and her contribution to the wor% of salvation.
. 3ith regard to the measure and balance to be maintained in both Marian doctrine
and devotion, the ouncil strongly urges theologians and preachers of the divine
word &to be careful to refrain ... from all false e-aggeration& 7 /umen gentium, n. *;:.
'his e-aggeration comes from those who adopt a ma-imalist attitude, which see%s to
e-tend systematically to Mary the prerogatives of hrist and all the charisms of the
hurch.
Instead, it is always necessary in Marian doctrine to safeguard the infinite difference
e-isting between the human person of Mary and the divine person of 5esus. 'o
attribute the &ma-imum& to Mary cannot become a norm of Mariology, which must
ma%e constant reference to the testimony of @evelation regarding God/s gifts to the
4irgin on account of her sublime mission.
Bi%ewise, the ouncil e-horts theologians and preachers to &refrain ... from toosummary an attitude& 7ibid.:, that is, from the danger of a minimalism that can be
manifest in doctrinal positions, in e-egetical interpretations and in acts of devotion
which tend to reduce and almost deny Mary/s importance in the history of salvation,
her perpetual virginity and her holiness.
6uch e-treme positions should always be avoided through a consistent and sincere
fidelity to revealed truth as e-pressed in 6cripture and in the Apostolic 'radition.
. 'he ouncil itself offers us a criterion for discerning authentic Marian doctrine(
Mary &occupies a place in the hurch which is the highest after hrist and also
closest to us& 7 /umen gentium, n. 2:.
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'he highest place( we must discover this lofty position granted to Mary in the
mystery of salvation. Eowever, it is a !uestion of a vocation totally in relationship to
hrist.
'he place closest to us( our life is profoundly influenced by Mary/s e-ample andintercession. =onetheless we must as% ourselves about our effort to be close to her.
'he entire teaching of salvation history invites us to loo% to the 4irgin. hristian
asceticism in every age invites us to thin% of her as a model of perfect adherence to
the Bord/s will. 'he chosen model of holiness, Mary guides the steps of believers on
their )ourney to heaven.
'hrough her closeness to the events of our daily history, Mary sustains us in trials
she encourages us in difficulty, always pointing out to us the goal of eternal
salvation. 'hus her role as Mother is seen ever more clearly( Mother of her 6on
5esus, tender and vigilant Mother to each one of us, to whom, from the ross, the
@edeemer entrusted her, that we might welcome her as children in faith.
COUNCIL!S TEACHING ON MARY
Pope John Paul II
Council/s teaching on ary is rich and positive
3ith great concern for the biblical foundation of Marian doctrine, the0athers portray Mary as a woman of faith and as the type and e-emplar of
the hurch
4he treatment of 'ary by the Fathers of the )econd &atican Council $as the sub7ect
of the Holy Father*s $eely address at the General Audience of Wednesday, 1+
3ecember" #4he entire e9position in the eighth chapter of the 3ogmatic Constitution
on the Church clearly sho$s that terminological precautions did not pre(ent a (ery
rich and positi(e presentation of basic doctrine, an e9pression of faith and lo(e for
her $hom the Church acno$ledges as 'other and 'odel#, the ope said" Here is atranslation of his catechesis, $hich $as the ninth in the series on the %lessed &irgin
and $as gi(en in Italian"
1. 'oday I would li%e to reflect on the particular presence of the Mother of the
hurch at what was certainly the most important ecclesial event of our century the
6econd 4atican <cumenical ouncil, opened by "ope 5ohn ##III on the morning of
11 ctober 19*8 and closed by "ope "aul 4I on December 19*2.
An e-traordinary Marian tone actually mar%ed the ouncil from its indiction. In the
Apostolic Better Celebrandi Concilii ecumenici, my venerable predecessor, the
6ervant of God 5ohn ##III, had already recommended recourse to the powerfulintercession of Mary, &Mother of grace and heavenly patroness of the ouncil& 711
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April 19*1, AA) 2 >19*1? 88:.
#reatment of ary placed in Constitution on the Church
6ubse!uently, in 19*8, on the feast of the "urification of Mary, "ope 5ohn set theopening of the ouncil for 11 ctober, e-plaining that he had chosen this date in
memory of the grant ouncil of <phesus, which precisely on that date had
proclaimed Mary &'heoto%os&, Mother of God 7Motu proprio Concilium, AA) 2
>19*8? *;F*:. Bater, in his opening address, the "ope entrusted the ouncil itself to
the &Eelp of hristians, Eelp of $ishops&, imploring her motherly assistance for the
successful outcome of the ouncil/s wor% 7 AA) 2 >19*8? ;92:.
'he ouncil 0athers also turned their thoughts e-pressly to Mary in of their message
to the world at the opening of the ouncilHs sessions, saying, &3e successors of the
Apostles, )oined together in prayer with Mary, the Mother of 5esus, form one
apostolic body& 7 Acta )ynodalia I, I, 82:, thus lin%ing themselves, in communionwith Mary, to the early hurch awaiting the Eoly 6pirit 7cf. Acts 1(1:.
8. At the second session of the ouncil, it was proposed that the treatment of the
$lessed 4irgin Mary be put into the onstitution on the hurch. 'his initiative,
although e-pressly recommended by the 'heo logical ommission, prompted a
variety of opinions.
6ome, who considered this proposal inade!uate for emphasiing the very special
mission of 5esus/ Mother in the hurch, maintained that only a separate document
could e-press Mary/s dignity, preFeminence, e-ceptional holiness and uni!ue role inthe @edemption accomplished by the 6on. 0urthermore, regarding Mary as above the
hurch in a certain way, they were afraid that the decision to put the Marian teaching
in the treatment of the hurch would not sufficiently emphasie Mary/s privileges
and would reduce her role to the level of other members of the hurch 7 Acta
)ynodalia, II, III, F8:.
thers, however, spo%e in favour of the 'heological ommission/s proposal to put
the doctrinal treatment of Mary and the hurch in a single document. According to
them, these realities could not be separated at the ouncil which, in aiming to
rediscover the identity and mission of the "eople of God, had to show its close
connection with her who is the type and e-emplar of the hurch in her virginity andmotherhood. Indeed, as an eminent member of the ecclesial community, the $lessed
4irgin has a special place in the hurch/s doctrine. 0urthermore, by stressing the lin%
between Mary and the hurch, hristians of the @eformation could better understand
of the Marian teaching presented by the ouncil 7 Acta )ynodalia, II, III, F2:.
'he ouncil 0athers, moved by the same love for Mary, thus tended, in their
e-pression of different doctrinal positions, to favour various aspects of her person.
6ome reflected on Mary primarily in her relationship to hrist, others considered her
more as a member of the hurch.
. After an intense doctrinal discussion attentive to the dignity of the Mother of Godand to her particular presence in the hurch/s life, it was decided that the treatment of
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Mary would be situated in the ouncil/s document on the hurch 7cf. Acta
)ynodalia, II, III, *8;:.
'he new schema on the $lessed 4irgin, drafted so as to be included in the Dogmatic
onstitution on the hurch, shows real doctrinal progress. 'he stress placed onMary/s faith and a more systematic concern to base Marian doctrine on 6cripture are
significant and useful elements for enriching the piety and esteem of the hristian
people for the $lessed Mother of God.
Moreover, with the passing of time the danger of reductionism, feared by some
0athers, proved to be unfounded( Mary/s mission and privileges were amply
reaffirmed( her coFoperation in the divine plan of salvation was highlighted the
harmony of this coFoperation with hrist/s uni!ue mediation appeared were evident.
0or the first time, the conciliar Magisterium offered the hurch a doctrinal
e-position of Mary/s role in hrist/s redemptive wor% and in the life of the hurch.
'hus, we must consider the ouncil 0athers/ choice, which proved very fruitful for
later doctrinal wor%, to have been a truly providential decision.
. During the ouncil sessions, many 0athers wished further to enrich Marian
doctrine with other statements on Mary/s role in the wor% of salvation. 'he particular
conte-t in which 4atican II/s Mariological debate too% place did not allow those
wishes, although substantial and widespread, to be a accepted, but the ouncil/s
entire discussion of Mary remains vigorous and balanced, and the topics themselves,
though not fully defined, received significant attention in the overall treatment.
- balanced presentation of arian doctrine
'hus, the hesitation of some 0athers regarding the title of Mediatri- did not prevent
the ouncil from using this title once, and from stating in other terms Mary/s
mediating role from her consent to the Angel/s message to her motherhood in the
order of grace 7cf. /umen gentium, n. *8:. 0urthermore, the ouncil asserts her coF
operation &in a wholly singular way& in the wor% of restoring supernatural life to
souls 7ibid., n. *1:. Bastly, even if it avoided using the title &Mother of the hurch&,
the te-t of /umen gentium clearly underscores the hurch/s veneration for Mary as a
most loving Mother.
'he entire e-position in the eighth chapter of the Dogmatic onstitution on the
hurch clearly shows that terminological precautions did not prevent a very rich and
positive presentation of basic doctrine, an e-pression of faith and love for her whom
the hurch ac%nowledges as Mother and Model.
n the other hand, the 0athers/ differing points of view, as they emerged during the
conciliar debate, turned out to be providential, because, on the basis of their
harmonious relationship, they have afforded the faith and devotion of the hristian
people a more complete and balanced presentation of the marvelous identity of the
Bord/s Mother and of her e-ceptional role in the wor% of @edemption.
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MARY SHEDS LIGHT ON ROLE OF OMEN
Pope John Paul II
GodHs saving plan which is revealed in creation attributes e!ual dignity and
worth to women, but it also affirms the uni!ueness of the gift of femininity
At the General Audience of Wednesday, > 3ecember, the Holy Father continued his
catechesis on the &irgin 'ary, calling particular attention to her as the model for
$oman*s role in the contemporary $orld" Here is a translation of his address, $hich
$as the eighth in the series on the %lessed &irgin and $as gi(en in Italian"
1. As I have already e-plained in the preceding catecheses, the role entrusted to Mary by the divine plan of salvation sheds light on the vocation of woman in the life of the
hurch and society by defining its difference in relation to man. 'he model
represented by Mary clearly shows what is specific to the feminine personality.
In recent times some trends in the feminist movement, in order to advance women/s
emancipation, have sought to ma%e her li%e man in every way. Eowever, the divine
intention manifested in creation, though desiring woman to be man/s e!ual in dignity
and worth, at the same time clearly affirms her diversity and specific features.
3oman/s identity cannot consist in being a copy of man, since she is endowed with
her own !ualities and prerogatives, which give her a particular uni!ueness that is
always to be fostered and encouraged.
'hese prerogatives and particular features of the feminine personality attained their
full development in Mary. 'he fullness of divine grace actually fostered in her all the
natural abilities typical of woman.
'%et it be done to me according to your !ord'
Mary/s role in the wor% of salvation is totally dependent on hrist/s. It is a uni!ue
function, re!uired by the fulfilment of the mystery of the Incarnation( Mary/s
motherhood was necessary to give the world its 6aviour, the true 6on of God, butalso perfectly man.
'he importance of woman/s coFoperation in the coming of hrist is emphasied by
the initiative of God, who, through the angel, communicates his plan of salvation to
the 4irgin of =aareth so that she can consciously and freely coFoperate by giving
her own generous consent.
Eere the loftiest model of woman/s collaboration in the @edemption of manLevery
manLis fulfilled this model represents the transcendent reference point for every
affirmation of woman/s role and function in history.
8. In carrying out this sublime form of coFoperation, Mary also shows the style in
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which woman must concretely e-press her mission.
3ith regard to the angel/s message, the 4irgin ma%es no proud demands nor does she
see% to satisfy personal ambitions. Bu%e presents her to us as wanting only to offer
her humble service with total and trusting acceptance of the divine plan of salvation.'his is the meaning of her response( &$ehold, I am the handmaid of the Bord let it
be done to me according to your word& 7B% 1( :.
It is not a !uestion of a purely passive acceptance, since her consent is given only
after she has e-pressed the difficulty that arose from her intent to remain a virgin,
inspired by her will to belong more completely to the Bord.
Eaving received the angel/s response, Mary immediately e-presses her readiness,
maintaining an attitude of humble service.
It is the humble, valuable service that so many women, following Mary/s e-ample,
have offered and continue to offer in the hurch for the growth of hrist/s %ingdom.
. 'he figure of Mary reminds women today of the value of motherhood. In the
contemporary world the appropriate and balanced importance is not always given to
this value. In some cases, the need for women to wor% in order to provide for the
needs of their family and an erroneous concept of freedom, which sees childFcare as
a hindrance to woman/s autonomy and opportunities, have obscured the significance
of motherhood for the development of the feminine personality. n the contrary, in
other cases the biological aspect of childbirth becomes so important as to
overshadow the other significant opportunities woman has for e-pressing her innatevocation to being a mother.
In Mary we have been given to understand the true meaning of motherhood, which
attains its loftiest dimension in the divine plan of salvation. 0or her, being a mother
not only endows her feminine personality, directed towards the gift of life, with its
full development, but also represents an answer of faith to woman/s own vocation
which assumes its truest value only in the light of God/s covenant 7cf. 'ulieris
dignitatem, n. 19:.
. In loo%ing attentively at Mary, we also discover in her the model of virginity lived
for the %ingdom.
'he 4irgin par e9cellence, in her heart she grew in her desire to live in this state in
order to achieve an ever deeper intimacy with God.
0or women called to virginal chastity, Mary reveals the lofty meaning of so special a
vocation and thus draws attention to the spiritual fruitfulness which it produces in the
divine plan( a higher order of motherhood, a motherhood according to the 6pirit
7cf. 'ulieris dignitatem, n. 81:.
0omen so! the seeds of the civilization of love
Mary/s maternal heart, open to all human misfortune, also reminds women that the
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development of the feminine personality calls for a commitment to charity. More
sensitive to the values of the heart, woman shows a high capacity for personal selfF
giving.
'o all in our age who offer selfish models for affirming the feminine personality, theluminous and holy figure of the Bord/s Mother shows how only by selfFgiving and
selfFforgetfulness towards others is it possible to attain authentic fulfilment of the
divine plan for one/s own life.
Mary/s presence therefore encourages sentiments of mercy and solidarity in women
for situations of human distress and arouses a desire to alleviate the pain of those
who suffer( the poor, the sic% and all in need of help.
In virtue of her special bond with Mary, woman has often in the course of history
represented God/s closeness to the e-pectations of goodness and tenderness of a
humanity wounded by hatred and sin, by sowing in the world seeds of a civiliationthat can respond to violence with love.
MARY SHOS US GOD!S RESPECT FOR OMEN
Pope John Paul II
'he hurch holds that a proper reading of the figure of Mary in the Gospels provides a model of authentic emancipation for women according to GodHs plan
#4he figure of 'ary sho$s that God has such esteem for $oman that any form of
discrimination lacs a theoretical basis#, the Holy Father said at the General
Audience of Wednesday, 2 8o(ember, as he continued his reflections on the &irgin
'ary" 4he ope*s catechesis on 'ary and the (alue of $oman $as the se(enth in the
series on the %lessed 'other and $as gi(en in Italian"
1. 'he theological and spiritual aspects of the hurch/s teaching on Mary, which have been amply developed in our century, have recently ac!uired a new importance from
the sociological and pastoral standpoint, due also to a clearer understanding of
woman/s role in the hristian community and in society, as we see in many
significant interventions of the Magisterium.
'he message to women addressed by the 0athers at the conclusion of the 6econd
4atican ouncil on December 19*2 are well %nown( &$ut the hour is coming, in
fact has come, when the vocation of woman is being achieved in its fullness, the hour
in which woman ac!uires in the world an influence, an effect and a power never
hitherto achieved& 7 -nchiridion &at", 1, +;:.
I confirmed these affirmations a few years later in the <ncyclical 'ulieris
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dignitatem( &'he dignity and the vocation of womenLa sub)ect of constant human
and hristian reflectionLhave gained e-ceptional prominence in recent years& 7n. 1:
'he role and dignity of woman have been particularly championed in this century by
the feminist movement, which has sought to react, sometimes in forceful ways,against everything in the past and present that has hindered the full appreciation and
development of the feminine personality as well as her participation in the many
e-pressions of social and political life.
'hese demands were in large part legitimate and contributed to building up a more
balanced view of the feminine !uestion in the contemporary world. 'he hurch,
especially in recent times, has paid special attention to these demands, encouraged by
the fact that the figure of Mary, if seen in the light of her Gospel life, is a valid
response to woman/s desire for emancipation( Mary is the only human person who
eminently fulfils God/s plan of love for humanity
very !oman shares in ary's sublime dignity
8. 'his plan is already manifest in the ld 'estament, with the creation narrative that
introduces the first couple created in the image of God himself( &6o God created man
in his own image, in the image of God he created him male and female he created
them& 7Gn 1(8;:. 'hus woman, no less than man, bears God/s image in herself. 'his
means that, since her appearance on the earth as a result of the divine action, she too
is appreciated( &God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good&
7Gn 1(1:. According to this view, the difference between man and woman does not
imply the inferiority of the latter nor her ine!uality, but is a new element whichenriches God/s plan, and is &very good&.
Eowever, God/s intention goes well beyond what is revealed in the $oo% of Genesis.
In fact, in Mary God created a feminine personality which greatly surpasses the
ordinary condition of woman as it appears in the creation of <ve. Mary/s uni!ue
e-cellence in the world of grace and her perfection are fruits of the particular divine
benevolence which see%s to raise everyone, men and women, to the moral perfection
and holiness which are proper to the adopted children of God. Mary is &blessed
among women& however, every woman shares in some way in her sublime dignity
in the divine plan.
. 'he remar%able gift to the Mother of the Bord not only testifies to what we could
call God/s respect for woman, but also emphasies the profound regard in God/s
plans for her irreplaceable role in human history.
3omen need to discover this divine esteem in order to be ever more aware of their
lofty dignity. 'he historical and social situations which caused the reaction of
feminism were mar%ed by a lac% of appreciation of woman/s worth fre!uently she
was relegated to a secondFrate or even marginal role. 'his did not allow her to
e-press fully the wealth of intelligence and wisdom contained in her femininity.
Indeed, throughout history women have not infre!uently suffered from scant esteem
for their abilities, and sometimes even scorn and un)ust pre)udice. 'his is a state ofaffairs that, despite important changes, unfortunately continues even today in many
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nations and in many parts of the world.
. 'he figure of Mary shows that God has such esteem for woman that any form of
discrimination lac%s a theoretical basis.
'he marvellous wor% which the reator achieved in Mary gives men and women the
possibility to discover dimensions of their condition which before were not
sufficiently perceived. In beholding the Mother of the Bord, women will be able to
understand better their dignity and the greatness of their mission. $ut men too, in the
light of the 4irgin Mother, will be able to ac!uire a fuller and more balanced view of
their identity, of the family and of society.
Attentive consideration of the figure of Mary, as she is presented to us in 6acred
6cripture as read in faith by the hurch, is still more necessary in view of the
disparagement she sometimes receives from certain feminist currents. 'he 4irgin of
=aareth has, in some cases, been presented as the symbol of the female personalityimprisoned in a narrow, confining domesticity.
Mary, on the contrary, is the model of the full development of woman/s vocation,
since, despite the ob)ective limits imposed by her social condition, she e-ercised a
vast influence on the destiny of humanity and the transformation of society.
+n ary all are called to trust the %ord
2. Moreover Marian doctrine can shed light on the multiple ways in which the life of
grace promotes woman/s spiritual beauty. In view of the shameful e-ploitation thatsometimes ma%es woman an ob)ect without dignity, destined for the satisfaction of
base passions, Mary reaffirms the sublime meaning of feminine beauty, a gift and
reflection of God/s beauty.
It is true that feminine perfection, as it was fully realied in Mary, can at first sight
seem to be an e-ceptional case and impossible to imitate, a model too lofty for
imitation. In fact, the uni!ue holiness of her who from the very first moment received
the privilege of the Immaculate onception is sometimes considered unreachably
distant.
Eowever, far from being a restraint on the way of following the Bord, Mary/s e-altedholiness is, on the contrary, destined in God/s plan to encourage all hristians to open
themselves to the sanctifying power of the grace of God, for whom nothing is
impossible. 'herefore in Mary all are called to put total trust in the divine
omnipotence, which transforms hearts, guiding them towards full receptivity to his
providential plan of love.
MARY IS MODEL OF PERSEVERING SILENCE
Pope John Paul II
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'he $lessed 4irgin invites the church to meditate constantly on the mystery
of hrist and she witnesses to the significance of !uiet humility and lovingobedience
#ur /ady*s motherly smile, reproduced in so much 'arian iconography, e9presses
a fullness of grace and peace that sees to be shared" 4his e9pression of her serenity
of spirit effecti(ely contributes to gi(ing the Church a 7oyful face#, the Holy Father
said at the General Audience on Wednesday, 22 8o(ember, as he continued his
reflections on the &irgin 'ary, 4he ope*s catechesis on 'ary*s influence on the
Church*s life $as the si9th in the series on the %lessed 'other and $as gi(en in
Italian"
1. After reflecting on the Marian dimension of ecclesial life, we are now going to cast
light on the immense spiritual wealth Mary communicates to the hurch by her
e-ample and her intercession.
3e would first li%e to pause and briefly reflect on some significant aspects of Mary/s
personality, which offer all believers valuable guidance in accepting and fulfilling
their own vocation.
Mary has gone before us on the way of faith believing the angel/s message, she was
the first to welcome the mystery of the Incarnation and did so perfectly
7cf. <edemptoris 'ater , n. 1:. Eer )ourney as a believer began even earlier than her
divine motherhood and developed more deeply throughout her earthly e-perience.
Eers was a daring faith. At the Annunciation she believed in what was humanly
impossible, and at ana she urged 5esus to wor% his first miracle, pressing him tomanifest his messianic powers 7cf. 5n 8(1F2:.
Mary teaches hristians to live their faith as a demanding and engaging )ourney,
which, in every age and situation of life, re!uires courage and constant perseverance.
ary's !as a humble and hidden life
8. Mary/s docility to the divine will was lin%ed to her faith. $elieving in God/s word,
she could accept it fully in her life and, showing herself receptive to God/s sovereign
plan, she accepted all that was as%ed of her from on high.
ur Bady/s presence in the hurch thus encourages hristians to listen to the word of
the Bord every day, to understand his loving plan in various daily events, and to coF
operate faithfully in bringing it about.
. 'his is how Mary teaches the community of believers to loo% to the future with
total abandonment to God. In the 4irgin/s personal e-perience, hope is enriched with
ever new reasons. 6ince the Annunciation, Mary concentrates the e-pectations of
ancient Israel on the 6on of God, incarnate in her virginal womb. Eer hope was
strengthened during the successive stages of 5esus/ hidden life in =aareth and his
public ministry. Eer great faith in the word of hrist, who had announced his@esurrection on the third day, prevented her from wavering, even when faced with
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the drama of the ross. 6he retained her hope in the fulfilment of the messianic wor%
and steadfastly, after the dar%ness of Good 0riday, awaited the morning of the
@esurrection.
n their difficult path through history, between the &already& of salvation receivedand the ¬ yet& of its fulfilment, the community of believers %now they can count
on the help of the &Mother of Eope&. After e-periencing hrist/s victory over the
powers of death, she communicates to them an ever new capacity to await God/s
future and to abandon themselves to the Bord/s promises.
. Mary/s e-ample enables the hurch better to appreciate the value of silence.
Mary/s silence is not only moderation in speech, but it is especially a wise capacity
for remembering and embracing in a single gae of faith the mystery of the 3ord
made man and the events of his earthly life.
It is this silence as acceptance of the 3ord, this ability to meditate on the mystery ofhrist, that Mary passes on to believers. In a noisey world filled with messages of all
%inds, her witness enables us to appreciate a spiritually rich silence and fosters a
contemplative spirit.
Mary witnesses to the value of a humble and hidden life. <veryone usually demands,
and sometimes almost claims, to be able to realie fully his own person and !ualities.
<veryone is sensitive to esteem and honour. 'he Gospels fre!uently mention that the
Apostles were ambitious for the most important places in the %ingdom and they
argued among themselves as to which of them was the greatest. In this matter 5esus
had to teach them the need for humility and service 7cf. Mt 1(1F2 8+(8+F8 M%9(F; 1+(2F2 B% 9(*F 88(8F8;:. Mary, on the contrary, never sought
honour or the advantages of a privileged position she always tried to fulfil God/s
will, leading a life according to the 0ather/s plan of salvation.
'o all those who often feel the burden of a seemingly insignificant life, Mary reveals
how valuable life can be if it is lived for love of hrist and one/s brothers and sisters.
2. Mary, moreover, witnesses to the value of a life that is pure and full
of tenderness for all men. 'he beauty of her soul, totally offered to the Bord, is an
ob)ect of admiration for the hristian people. In Mary, the hristian community has
always seen the ideal woman, full of love and tenderness because she lived in purityof mind and body.
0aced with the cynicism of a certain contemporary culture, which too often seems
not to recognie the value of chastity and degrades se-uality by separating it from
personal dignity and God/s plan, the 4irgin Mary holds up the witness of a purity that
illumines the conscience and leads to a greater love for creatures and for the Bord.
*. 0urthermore, Mary appears to hristians of all times as the one who feels
deepcompassion for the sufferings of humanity. 'his compassion does not consist
only in an emotional sympathy, but is e-pressed in effective and concrete help when
confronted with humanity/s material and moral misery.
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In following Mary, the hurch is called to ta%e on the same attitude towards all the
earth/s poor and suffering. 'he maternal attention of the Bord/s Mother to the tears,
sorrows and hardships of the men and women of all ages must spur hristians,
particularly at the dawn of the new millennium, to increase the concrete and visible
signs of a love that will enable today/s humble and suffering people to share in the promises and hopes of the new world which is born from <aster.
;. Euman affection for and devotion to the Mother of 5esus surpasses the hurch/s
visible boundaries and fosters sentiments of reconciliation. As a mother, Mary
desires the union of all her children. Eer presence in the hurch is an invitation to
preserve the unanimity of heart which reigned in the first community 7cf. Acts 1(1:
and, conse!uently, to see% ways of unity and peace among all men and women of
goodwill.
In interceding with her 6on, Mary as%s the grace of unity for all humanity, in view of
building a civiliation of love, overcoming tendencies to division, temptations torevenge and hatred, and the perverse fascination of violence.
ary is the cause of our 1oy
. ur Bady/s motherly smile, reproduced in so much Marian iconography, e-presses
a fullness of grace and peace that see%s to be shared. 'his e-pression of her serenity
of spirit effectively contributes to giving the hurch a )oyful face.
3elcoming, in the Annunciation, the angel/s invitation to &re)oice& 7haire re)oice(
B% 1(8:, Mary was the first to share in the messianic )oy foretold by the "rophets for the &daughter of 6ion& 7cf. Is 18(* Pep (1F12 Pec 9(9:, and she passes it on to
humanity in every age.
Invo%ing her as &causa nostrae laetitiae&, the hristian people find in her the capacity
to communicate the )oy that is born of hope, even in the midst of life/s trials, and to
guide those who commend themselves to her to the )oy that %nows no end.
TO HONOUR MARY IS TO GO TO JESUSPope John Paul II
Down the centuries, devotion to Mary has inspired a rich treasury ofhymns, poetry and art, all celebrating GodHs great gift of @edemption
#It can be clearly seen """ ho$ the 'arian dimension per(ades the Church*s $hole
life" 4he proclamation of the Word, the liturgy, the (arious charitable and cultural
e9pressions find in 'ary an occasion for enrichment and rene$al#, the Holy Father
said at the General Audience on Wednesday, 10 8o(ember, as he continued his
reflections on the &irgin 'ary" 4he ope*s catechesis on 'ary in the spiritual
e9perience of the Church $as the fifth in the series on the %lessed 'other and $as
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gi(en in Italian"
1. After following in our previous catecheses how the hristian community/s
reflection on the figure and role of the $lessed 4irgin in salvation history too% shape
from the earliest times, let us pause today to meditate on the 'arian e9perience ofthe Church.
'he development of Mariological thought and devotion to the $lessed 4irgin down
the centuries has contributed to revealing ever better the hurch/s Marian aspect. f
course, the $lessed 4irgin is totally related to hrist, the foundation of faith and
ecclesial e-perience, and she leads to him. 'hat is why, in obedience to 5esus, who
reserved a very special role for his Mother in the economy of salvation, hristians
have venerated, loved and prayed to Mary in a most particular and fervent way. 'hey
have attributed to her an important place in faith and piety, recogniing her as the
privileged way to hrist, the supreme Mediator.
'he hurch/s Marian dimension is thus an undeniable element in the e-perience of
the hristian people. It is e-pressed in many ways in the life of believers, testifying
to the place Mary holds in their hearts. It is not a superficial sentiment but a deep and
conscious emotional bond, rooted in the faith which spurs hristians of the past and
present to turn habitually to Mary, to enter into a more intimate communion with
hrist.
8. After the most ancient prayer, formulated in <gypt by the hristian communities
of the third century, to implore &the Mother of God& for protection in danger,
numerous invocations were addressed to her, whom the baptied consider most powerful in her intercession with the Bord.
Christian people have e$pressed deep devotion to ary
'oday, the most common prayer is the Hail 'ary, whose first part consists of words
from the Gospel 7cf. B% 1(8, 8:. hristians learn to recite it at home from their
earliest years and receive it as a precious gift to be preserved throughout life. 'his
same prayer, repeated tens of times in the @osary, helps many of the faithful to enter
into prayerful contemplation of the Gospel mysteries and sometimes to remain for
long intervals in intimate contact with the Mother of 5esus. 6ince the Middle Ages,
the Hail 'ary has been the most common prayer of all believers who as% the EolyMother of the Bord to guide and protect them on their daily )ourney through life 7cf.
Apostolic <-hortation 'arialis cultus, nn. 8F22:.
hristian people have also e-pressed their love for Mary by multiplying e-pressions
of their devotion( hymns, prayers and poetic compositions, simple or sometimes of
great !uality, imbued with that same love for her who was given to men as Mother by
the rucified ne. 6ome of these, such as the &A%athist Eymn& and the &6alve
@egina&, have deeply mar%ed the faith life of believers.
'he counterpart of Marian piety is the immensely rich artistic production in the <ast
and 3est, which has enabled entire generations to appreciate Mary/s spiritual beauty."ainters, sculptors, musicians and poets have left us masterpieces which, in shedding
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light on the various aspects of the $lessed 4irgin/s greatness, help to give us a better
understanding of the meaning and value of her lofty contribution to the wor% of
@edemption.
In Mary, hristian art recognies the fulfilment of a new humanity whichcorresponds to God/s plan and is therefore a sublime sign of hope for the whole
human race.
. 'his message could not fail to be grasped by hristians called to a vocation of
special consecration. In fact, Mary is particularly venerated in religious orders and
congregations, in institutes or associations of consecrated life. Many institutes,
primarily but not only female, include Mary/s name in their title. =evertheless, over
and above its e-ternal e-pressions, the spirituality of religious families, as well as of
many ecclesial movements, some of which are specifically Marian, highlight their
special bond with Mary as the guarantee of a charism fully and authentically lived.
'his Marian reference in the lives of people particularly favoured by the Eoly 6pirit
has also developed the mystical dimension, which shows how the hristian can
e-perience Mary/s intervention in the innermost depths of his being.
'his reference to Mary binds not only committed hristians but also simple believers
and even the &distant&, for whom it is fre!uently their only lin% with the life of the
hurch. "ilgrimages to Marian shrines, which attract large crowds of the faithful
throughout the year, are a sign of the hristian people/s common sentiment for the
Mother of the Bord. 6ome of these bulwar%s of Marian piety are famous, such as
Bourdes, 0atima, Boreto, "ompei, Guadalupe and RstochowaN thers are %nownonly at the national or local level. In all of them, the memory of events associated
with recourse to Mary conveys the message of her motherly tenderness, opening our
hearts to God/s grace.
'hese places of Marian prayer are a wonderful testimony to God/s mercy, which
reaches man through Mary/s intercession. 'he miracles of physical healing, spiritual
redemption and conversion are the obvious sign that, with hrist and in the 6pirit,
Mary is continuing her wor% as helper and mother.
arian dimension pervades Church's !hole life
. Marian shrines often become centres of evangeliation. Indeed, even in the hurch
today, as in the community awaiting "entecost, prayer with Mary spurs many
hristians to the apostolate and to the service of their brothers and sisters. Eere I
would especially li%e to recall the great influence of Marian piety on the practice of
charity and the wor%s of mercy. <ncouraged by Mary/s presence, believers have often
felt the need to dedicate themselves to the poor, the unfortunate and the sic%, in order
to be for the lowliest of the earth a sign of the motherly protection of the $lessed
4irgin, the living icon of the 0ather/s mercy.
It can be clearly seen from all this how the Marian dimension pervades the hurch/s
whole life. 'he proclamation of the 3ord, the liturgy, the various charitable and
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cultural e-pressions find in Mary an occasion for enrichment and renewal.
'he "eople of God, under the guidance of their "astors, are called to discern in this
fact the action of the Eoly 6pirit who has spurred the hristian faith onward in its
discovery of Mary/s face. It is he who wor%s marvels in the centres of Marian piety.It is he who, by encouraging %nowledge of and love for Mary, leads the faithful to
learn from the 4irgin of the Magnificat how to read the signs of God in history and to
ac!uire a wisdom that ma%es every man and every woman the architects of a new
humanity.