Co-Redemptrix
Encyclopedia
Co-Redemptrix, a title of Mary, mother of Jesus, refers to her role in the Redemption
process.
The concept of Co-redemptrix refers to an indirect or unequal but important participation by the Blessed Virgin Mary in redemption, notably: that she gave free consent to give life to the Redeemer, to share his life, to suffer with him under the cross, to offer His sacrifice to God the Father for the sake of the redemption of mankind, and to bring about all particular post-assumption
graces by way of intercession. The latter concept is included in the concept of Mediatrix
which is a separate concept but regularly included by faithful who use the title of co-redemptrix.
The title is approved by the Catholic Magisterium
though not included in the concluding chapter of the dogmatic constitution Lumen gentium
of the Second Vatican Council
, which chapter many theologians hold to be a comprehensive summary of Roman Catholic Marian teaching. Even so, it is not a dogma
. Some, in particular the adherents of the Amsterdam visions, have petitioned for a dogmatic definition, along with Mediatrix.
referred to Mary as "causa salutis" [cause of our salvation] given her "fiat" It is a teaching which has been considered since the 15th century but never declared a dogma.
A number of theologians have discussed the concept over the years, from the 19th century Father Frederick William Faber, to the 20th century Mariologist (and advisor to the Holy Office) Father Gabriel Roschini
. In his 1946 publication Compendium Mariologiae, Roschini explained that Mary did not only participate in the birth of the physical
Jesus, but, with conception, she entered with him into a spiritual
union. The divine salvation plan, being not only material, includes a permanent spiritual unity with Christ. Most Mariologists agree with this position. Pope Leo XIII noted that in her Annunciation
, “in a sense, she stood in place of all mankind.” Mary suffered willingly under the cross and, in a sense, offered His sacrifice to the Eternal Father.
The concept of Mary offering Christ's sufferings is theologically complex. Christ offered Himself alone; “the Passion of Christ
did not need any assistance.” It is according to the spirit of the offertory
within the Holy Mass, in which those assisting in the Sacrifice bring their particular offerings, personal hardships, etc., and offer them to the Lord to be included in His Sacrifice, inasmuch as they belong to His mystical body; just the same, they also offer the Lord's own Sacrifice, acknowledging the littleness of their own offerings and the fact that not even the greatest effort, of itself and apart from Christ, can be of God's use. A priest
is, in a sense, able to participate in the Sacrifice in a sacramental manner. For laymen, see for example the prayers of the Divine Mercy Chaplet. The Holy Office has forbidden reference to Mary as a priestess.
The Blessed Virgin “merits for us de congruo”, that is, by way of a fitting reward without any self-binding on God's side, “what Jesus Christ merits for us de condigno”, that is, God binding himself to give the reward. It is uncertain whether St. Pius means with “us” all mankind except Christ's human nature and Mary, or only those living after Mary's merits, since the former would without necessity (salvation does not need Mary's merit if God wants to distribute it without) break the general rule that the effect comes after the cause. (The effect does precede the meritary cause in the case of freeing men from the guilt of sin, and sometimes from some effects of sin, before Christ's Work of Redemption, and in the instance of the Last Supper and maybe, if St. Thomas Aquinas is followed, pre-Passion Christian Baptism; but then again Christ is the Son of God and Mary is not.) What concerns post-Assumption graces, it is a pious and probably opinion that the entirety of them is effected not without an intercession of Mary, see Mediatrix
.
The Roman Catholic view of Co-Redemptrix does not imply that Mary participates as equal part in the redemption of the human race, since Christ is the only redeemer. Mary herself needed redemption and was redeemed by Jesus Christ. Being redeemed by Christ, implies that she cannot be his equal part in the redemption process. Also if the Blessed Virgin intercedes for all graces that are given, this is not because God needed her intercession in any way to give them; rather, it “is to be so understood that it neither takes away from nor adds anything to the dignity and efficaciousness of Christ the one Mediator”; of course also, only with her intercession does by no means say only with calling her for intercession.
Pope Ven. Pius XII has thus in Munificentissimus Deus
, the bull defining the Assumption
dogma, used the alternative expression “the revered Mother of God, [...] joined [...] with Jesus Christ in one and the same decree of predestination [...] as the noble associate of the divine Redeemer.
There is notable opposition of a dogmatisation, for example, Pope Benedict XVI has outspokenly declared his: what is concluded in the title is, in his opinion, sufficiently included in other better expressions of Catholic Marian teaching. For example, the Scriptural account is unsatisfactory, and above all, we are talking most of the time of a merit de congruo which would seem, by the very definition of de congruo, not fit into the exact clearness needed for dogmatic definitions.
The proposal is the first-ever case that an apparition, that in Amsterdam to wit, has proposed, or rather, demanded a dogma from the Church. Up to then, apparitions confirmed existing dogmas rather than demanding new ones. The Amsterdam apparitions do now, i. e. since 2002, have an approval of the diocesan bishop, Monsignor Jos Punt
. However, given the fact that a non-approving decision on Roman level in the 1970s seems to have had some degree of finality, some go even so far as to put the validity of Msgr Punt's canonical action into question. Comprehensive information on the subject is hard to come by.
Other arguments opposing are that such a dogma might limit, in popular understanding, the redemptive role of Jesus Christ. It is, if no specific heresies are to be reproached, among the senses of new dogmas to foster religion and devotion; however, to foster the devotion for Mary as a Co-Redemptrix might lead devotion away from the Redeemer instead, as the Assumption dogma did for example, underline the glorious actions of the Redeemer. There is no need to dogmatise everything that happens to be true, even if the arguments for truth even happen to be sufficient for such an attempt. Another argument, though by no means the only one, is that it would also complicate ecumenical efforts for a better understanding of the role of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the salvation mystery of Jesus Christ.
In the early 1990s Professor Mark Miravalle
of the Franciscan University of Steubenville
and author of the book Mary: Coredemptrix, Mediatrix, Advocate launched a popular petition to urge Pope John Paul II
to use Papal infallibility
to declare Mary as Co-Redemptrix. More than six million signatures were gathered from 148 countries, including those of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Cardinal John O'Connor of New York, and 41 other cardinals and 550 bishops.
Redeemer (Christianity)
In Christian theology, Jesus is sometimes referred to as a Redeemer. This refers to the salvation he is believed to have accomplished, and is based on the metaphor of redemption, or "buying back". Although the New Testament does not use the title "Redeemer", the word "redemption" is used in several...
process.
The concept of Co-redemptrix refers to an indirect or unequal but important participation by the Blessed Virgin Mary in redemption, notably: that she gave free consent to give life to the Redeemer, to share his life, to suffer with him under the cross, to offer His sacrifice to God the Father for the sake of the redemption of mankind, and to bring about all particular post-assumption
Assumption of Mary
According to the belief of Christians of the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, and parts of the Anglican Communion and Continuing Anglicanism, the Assumption of Mary was the bodily taking up of the Virgin Mary into Heaven at the end of her life...
graces by way of intercession. The latter concept is included in the concept of Mediatrix
Mediatrix
Mediatrix in Roman Catholic Mariology refers to the role of the Blessed Virgin Mary as a mediator in the salvation process. It is a separate concept from Co-Redemptrix....
which is a separate concept but regularly included by faithful who use the title of co-redemptrix.
The title is approved by the Catholic Magisterium
Magisterium
In the Catholic Church the Magisterium is the teaching authority of the Church. This authority is understood to be embodied in the episcopacy, which is the aggregation of the current bishops of the Church in union with the Pope, led by the Bishop of Rome , who has authority over the bishops,...
though not included in the concluding chapter of the dogmatic constitution Lumen gentium
Lumen Gentium
Lumen Gentium, the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, is one of the principal documents of the Second Vatican Council. This dogmatic constitution was promulgated by Pope Paul VI on November 21, 1964, following approval by the assembled bishops by a vote of 2,151 to 5...
of the Second Vatican Council
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
, which chapter many theologians hold to be a comprehensive summary of Roman Catholic Marian teaching. Even so, it is not a dogma
Dogma
Dogma is the established belief or doctrine held by a religion, or a particular group or organization. It is authoritative and not to be disputed, doubted, or diverged from, by the practitioners or believers...
. Some, in particular the adherents of the Amsterdam visions, have petitioned for a dogmatic definition, along with Mediatrix.
Teaching
The concept of Co-redemption is not new. Even before the year 200, the Church Father IrenaeusIrenaeus
Saint Irenaeus , was Bishop of Lugdunum in Gaul, then a part of the Roman Empire . He was an early church father and apologist, and his writings were formative in the early development of Christian theology...
referred to Mary as "causa salutis" [cause of our salvation] given her "fiat" It is a teaching which has been considered since the 15th century but never declared a dogma.
A number of theologians have discussed the concept over the years, from the 19th century Father Frederick William Faber, to the 20th century Mariologist (and advisor to the Holy Office) Father Gabriel Roschini
Gabriel Roschini
Gabriel M. Roschini, O.S.M. , was a Roman Catholic Italian priest and professor of Mariology, who published over 900 titles on Mariology. During the pontificate of Pope Pius XII, he worked closely with the Vatican on Marian publications....
. In his 1946 publication Compendium Mariologiae, Roschini explained that Mary did not only participate in the birth of the physical
Physical property
A physical property is any property that is measurable whose value describes a physical system's state. The changes in the physical properties of a system can be used to describe its transformations ....
Jesus, but, with conception, she entered with him into a spiritual
Spirituality
Spirituality can refer to an ultimate or an alleged immaterial reality; an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of his/her being; or the “deepest values and meanings by which people live.” Spiritual practices, including meditation, prayer and contemplation, are intended to develop...
union. The divine salvation plan, being not only material, includes a permanent spiritual unity with Christ. Most Mariologists agree with this position. Pope Leo XIII noted that in her Annunciation
Annunciation
The Annunciation, also referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary or Annunciation of the Lord, is the Christian celebration of the announcement by the angel Gabriel to Virgin Mary, that she would conceive and become the mother of Jesus the Son of God. Gabriel told Mary to name her...
, “in a sense, she stood in place of all mankind.” Mary suffered willingly under the cross and, in a sense, offered His sacrifice to the Eternal Father.
The concept of Mary offering Christ's sufferings is theologically complex. Christ offered Himself alone; “the Passion of Christ
Passion (Christianity)
The Passion is the Christian theological term used for the events and suffering – physical, spiritual, and mental – of Jesus in the hours before and including his trial and execution by crucifixion...
did not need any assistance.” It is according to the spirit of the offertory
Offertory
The Offertory is the portion of a Eucharistic service when bread and wine are brought to the altar. The offertory exists in many liturgical Christian denominations, though the Eucharistic theology varies among celebrations conducted by these denominations....
within the Holy Mass, in which those assisting in the Sacrifice bring their particular offerings, personal hardships, etc., and offer them to the Lord to be included in His Sacrifice, inasmuch as they belong to His mystical body; just the same, they also offer the Lord's own Sacrifice, acknowledging the littleness of their own offerings and the fact that not even the greatest effort, of itself and apart from Christ, can be of God's use. A priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
is, in a sense, able to participate in the Sacrifice in a sacramental manner. For laymen, see for example the prayers of the Divine Mercy Chaplet. The Holy Office has forbidden reference to Mary as a priestess.
The Blessed Virgin “merits for us de congruo”, that is, by way of a fitting reward without any self-binding on God's side, “what Jesus Christ merits for us de condigno”, that is, God binding himself to give the reward. It is uncertain whether St. Pius means with “us” all mankind except Christ's human nature and Mary, or only those living after Mary's merits, since the former would without necessity (salvation does not need Mary's merit if God wants to distribute it without) break the general rule that the effect comes after the cause. (The effect does precede the meritary cause in the case of freeing men from the guilt of sin, and sometimes from some effects of sin, before Christ's Work of Redemption, and in the instance of the Last Supper and maybe, if St. Thomas Aquinas is followed, pre-Passion Christian Baptism; but then again Christ is the Son of God and Mary is not.) What concerns post-Assumption graces, it is a pious and probably opinion that the entirety of them is effected not without an intercession of Mary, see Mediatrix
Mediatrix
Mediatrix in Roman Catholic Mariology refers to the role of the Blessed Virgin Mary as a mediator in the salvation process. It is a separate concept from Co-Redemptrix....
.
The Roman Catholic view of Co-Redemptrix does not imply that Mary participates as equal part in the redemption of the human race, since Christ is the only redeemer. Mary herself needed redemption and was redeemed by Jesus Christ. Being redeemed by Christ, implies that she cannot be his equal part in the redemption process. Also if the Blessed Virgin intercedes for all graces that are given, this is not because God needed her intercession in any way to give them; rather, it “is to be so understood that it neither takes away from nor adds anything to the dignity and efficaciousness of Christ the one Mediator”; of course also, only with her intercession does by no means say only with calling her for intercession.
Pope Ven. Pius XII has thus in Munificentissimus Deus
Munificentissimus Deus
Munificentissimus Deus is the name of an Apostolic constitution written by Pope Pius XII. It defines ex cathedra the dogma of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It was the first ex-cathedra infallible statement since the official ruling on papal infallibility was made at the First Vatican...
, the bull defining the Assumption
Assumption of Mary
According to the belief of Christians of the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, and parts of the Anglican Communion and Continuing Anglicanism, the Assumption of Mary was the bodily taking up of the Virgin Mary into Heaven at the end of her life...
dogma, used the alternative expression “the revered Mother of God, [...] joined [...] with Jesus Christ in one and the same decree of predestination [...] as the noble associate of the divine Redeemer.
Quotes from Scripture
The Sacred Scriptures are commonly cited in favour of this teaching:- Luke 1:38 : "And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her". It is interpreted that she is His handmaid even in His work of Redemption.
- John 19:25-27 : "Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home." In the Middle Ages, the notion that St. John stands virtually for every believer has become quite general; thus, Mary is the mother of all the faithful. Furthermore, these verses indicate that she stood in fact under the Cross, where she suffered alongside her Son, fulfilling the prophecy of Simon, Lk 2:25: "And a sword will pierce through your own soul also."
- John 2:3: "The mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine." If the title of Mediatrix be distinguished, it is rather a verse for this title than for Co-Redemptrix.
- Colossians 1:24: I, that is St. Paul, “now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church.” And if St. Paul could fill up what was behind, a fortiori could the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Proposed dogmatic definition
There have been efforts to propose a formal dogmatisation, which has had both popular and ecclesiastical support with millions of signatures gathered. It was brought up at Vatican II by Italian, Spanish and Polish bishops but not dealt with on the council floor. Subsequently, Popes, while sympathetic to requests from the faithful and bishops, did not include such language in their encyclicals.There is notable opposition of a dogmatisation, for example, Pope Benedict XVI has outspokenly declared his: what is concluded in the title is, in his opinion, sufficiently included in other better expressions of Catholic Marian teaching. For example, the Scriptural account is unsatisfactory, and above all, we are talking most of the time of a merit de congruo which would seem, by the very definition of de congruo, not fit into the exact clearness needed for dogmatic definitions.
The proposal is the first-ever case that an apparition, that in Amsterdam to wit, has proposed, or rather, demanded a dogma from the Church. Up to then, apparitions confirmed existing dogmas rather than demanding new ones. The Amsterdam apparitions do now, i. e. since 2002, have an approval of the diocesan bishop, Monsignor Jos Punt
Jos Punt
Mgr. dr. Jozef Marianus Punt Mgr. dr. Jozef Marianus (Jos) Punt Mgr. dr. Jozef Marianus (Jos) Punt (*Alkmaar, January 10, 1946, is the current Roman Catholic bishop of Haarlem-Amsterdam in the Netherlands.Punt became a priest on June 9, 1979 and auxiliary bishop of Diocese of Haarlem in 1995. On...
. However, given the fact that a non-approving decision on Roman level in the 1970s seems to have had some degree of finality, some go even so far as to put the validity of Msgr Punt's canonical action into question. Comprehensive information on the subject is hard to come by.
Other arguments opposing are that such a dogma might limit, in popular understanding, the redemptive role of Jesus Christ. It is, if no specific heresies are to be reproached, among the senses of new dogmas to foster religion and devotion; however, to foster the devotion for Mary as a Co-Redemptrix might lead devotion away from the Redeemer instead, as the Assumption dogma did for example, underline the glorious actions of the Redeemer. There is no need to dogmatise everything that happens to be true, even if the arguments for truth even happen to be sufficient for such an attempt. Another argument, though by no means the only one, is that it would also complicate ecumenical efforts for a better understanding of the role of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the salvation mystery of Jesus Christ.
In the early 1990s Professor Mark Miravalle
Mark Miravalle
Mark Miravalle is a professor of theology at Franciscan University of Steubenville, specializing in Mariology. He is president of Vox Populi Mariae Mediatrici, a Catholic movement promoting the concepts of the Blessed Virgin Mary as Mediatrix and Co-Redemptrix.- Education :Mark Miravalle made his...
of the Franciscan University of Steubenville
Franciscan University of Steubenville
Franciscan University of Steubenville is a Catholic institution located in Steubenville, Ohio, west of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The school was founded in 1946 by the Franciscan Friars of the Third Order Regular. In 1974, Fr...
and author of the book Mary: Coredemptrix, Mediatrix, Advocate launched a popular petition to urge Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
to use Papal infallibility
Papal infallibility
Papal infallibility is a dogma of the Catholic Church which states that, by action of the Holy Spirit, the Pope is preserved from even the possibility of error when in his official capacity he solemnly declares or promulgates to the universal Church a dogmatic teaching on faith or morals...
to declare Mary as Co-Redemptrix. More than six million signatures were gathered from 148 countries, including those of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Cardinal John O'Connor of New York, and 41 other cardinals and 550 bishops.
See also
- Roman Catholic Mariology
- Congregation of the Mother Co-RedemptrixCongregation of the Mother Co-RedemptrixThe Congregation of the Mother Co-Redemptrix is a religious order within the Roman Catholic Church. The order is dominated by men of Vietnamese extraction. The unofficial title Co-Redemptrix in its name refers to the Blessed Virgin Mary...
External links
- Fathers and Doctors of the Catholic Church on Mary as Co-redemptrix
- A Response to 7 Common Objections (against the title Co-Redemptrix)
- Peter Dimond OSB: Is Our Lady the Co-Redeemer?
- Michael J. Miller: Mediatrix, Si! Coredemptrix, No!
- Fr. Frederick William Faber argues for the title of co-redemptress in his book The Foot of the Cross: or, The Sorrows of Mary
- Mary the Co-redemptress in the writings of Fr. Frederick William Faber