Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary

Who is Mary?

The mother of Jesus has long drawn people closer to her Son, but she has also caused a lot of controversy, especially between Catholics and Protestants disagreeing how much praise this holy, human woman deserves. When does appreciation become veneration? When does veneration become worship? How far is too far, and how little is not enough?

The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith recently released a doctrinal note, “Mater Populi Fidelis” (“Mother of the Faithful People of God”) clarifying the Church’s position on Mary. It discouraged using the titles “co-redemptrix” and “co-mediatrix” noting that such titles caused confusion for many. The titles have been used, unofficially, for several decades, without formal approval and without clear definition of what they mean. This has caused arguments over implications of Mary’s role in salvation history.

“Co-redemptrix,” the note said, “carries the risk of eclipsing the exclusive role of Jesus Christ” in salvation.

“Co-mediatrix” could imply that Mary could somehow mediate the grace that she herself received and should not be used in a way that casts doubt on “the unique mediation of Jesus Christ, true God and true man.”

The note affirmed that Mary’s role in salvation is unique. She was selected as the mother of Jesus. She willingly accepted. She received particular graces in order to live out that role. She raised Christ, fully human and fully divine. She points others to Him.

But she is not divine herself, and there is a danger of proper veneration becoming exaggerated in practice and blurring the lines of saintly veneration and god worship. This leads to disordered prayer. And it reaffirms the assertion of the critics who claim that Catholics worship Mary.

Pope Benedict XVI, then Cardinal Ratzinger said in 1996, that the meanings of these particular titles were not clear and “the doctrine contained in them is not mature.”

While some will argue that they technically didn’t ban the use and the debate will continue on precise theological meaning, I think the conclusion of the note makes the strongest case on how to go forward: “When an expression requires many repeated explanations to prevent it from straying from a correct meaning, it does not serve the faith of the People of God and becomes unhelpful.”

As Advent approaches, it is a good time to ponder on Mary. She was just a young woman given extraordinary grace and faith. She experienced an encounter with the divine no one else can fully understand. She defeated evil with her fiat. She became the Mother of God, the Queen of Heaven, and the Mother of the Church. She loves her Son and the Church and prays for us mightily. She offers motherly understanding and comfort. She is a relatable woman and an inspiring role model.

More than anything, Mary loves the Lord and wants others to follow Christ. She does not seek her own validation, nor does she want to be a stumbling block to someone’s faith. No matter how much veneration you show her (from daily rosaries to just dusting off in your nativity set every December), respect her by not losing sight of what (who) is really important: Christ Jesus.