Essay: Mary's Unique Place In Authentic Christianity- by Msgr. Anthony La Femina
Introduction by Matthew Bellisario O.P. 2020
This is the second post in the series 'In Memoriam'which continues to celebrate the life of Monsignor Anthony La Femina.
I was privileged to have been given some of Monsignor Anthony La Femina's theological works before he went on to his eternal reward on Dec 27th, 2019. I have several of them which I hope to post over the month of January. He allowed me to use this paper in my Dominican Third Order Chapter secondary study. This paper on the Blessed Mother of God whom Monsignor spoke about often with great affection, was unfinished, as he wanted to write a second part to it. After I read it and discussed the paper with him he thought it stood well on its own and so our Dominican group enjoyed studying its content.
Monsignor's love for the Blessed Mother rings clear through this essay. He wanted to inform others of her immense importance in God's plan of salvation and in our own personal relationship with God. He also had a great love of Scripture and he used to say often, "So many read the Scriptures and yet do not understand them!" There is a great focus on Biblical prophesy in this paper as well as the title of 'Women' given to the Blessed Mother, beginning in the book of Genesis. “I will put enmities between you and the woman, and your seed and her seed. She shall crush your head, and you shall lie in wait for her heel.” (Gen 3:15) Far from being a derogatory term as some Protestants falsely presume, it was a special title given to only one created person in the history of creation, and for good reason, as you will see! Mary as being of central importance to the Christian faith was something that he often would talk about. As Monsignor often said, "ignorance of Mary denotes a profound ignorance of both Scripture and of God Himself!"
I thought that others would also benefit from reading this paper so I am posting it here. All of the footnotes as he had them, unfinished are also included after the paper. All bold and underlined text was left as it was written offering Monsignor's theological emphasis. I am grateful to have some of his writings, for Monsignor had a way of communicating the faith clearly, boldly and in true charity, something not commonly found in theological writings today. Monsignor abhorred ambiguity.
One caveat here. Monsignor was always very insistent on a careful reading of his material and insisted on it being read line by line and reflected upon. A paper of this size would be covered over the course of several meetings. When teaching one of his papers in a group setting he would often stop and put those in the group on the spot asking if they understood what he was saying. He would many times stop for a time to go into more theological detail. Keep this in mind when reading his articles. Take the time to digest them!
On a side note, Monsignor being a talented artist, in October of 2019 sent me a picture of the statue that he repainted that he had out next to his table on his covered lanai. He loved to have guests over, cook a meal for them and then eat outside next to Our Lady. The first picture is before he repainted it, and the following after he had refinished it with his own artistic touch. Looking at the statue it is as if he brought it to life! He wrote to me, "It took at least two months but now it is finished. Deo Gratias!"
 |
| Before |
 |
| After Monsignor's artistic touch! |
MARY’S UNIQUE PLACE IN AUTHENTIC CHRISTIANITY
+
About
Sacred Tradition
Mary’s signal place in authentic
Christianity is clearly seen in Sacred Tradition. Therefore, before beginning the object of
this work, we must examine briefly Sacred Tradition, which is the Rule of the authentic
Christian Faith. Sacred Tradition, another name for Divine Revelation, is the
Deposit of Faith. Authentic Christian Faith comes from Divine Revelation and
consequently whatever is asserted to be Christian must be measured by this
Rule. St. Paul speaks of this Rule when he wrote, “So then, brethren, stand
firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by
us, either by word of mouth (oral)
or by letter (written)” (2Thessolonians
2:15). St. John also wrote, “Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the
disciples which are not written in this
book…” (Jn 20:30).
Tradition is comprised of two parts: written and oral. Sacred Scripture, the
Bible, is the word of God inasmuch as Divine Revelation has been consigned to
writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. On the other hand, Jesus
Christ and His Holy Spirit entrusted the oral part of God’s word in its full
purity to the apostles and their successors, the Pope and the bishops in
communion with him. This oral revelation is specifically called Tradition to
distinguish it from Sacred Scripture because of its oral mode of transmission.
Tradition is passed on throughout the ages in the Church under the guidance of
the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, “the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my
name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I
have said to you” (Jn14:26). Sacred or apostolic tradition consists of the
teachings that the apostles passed on orally through their preaching, since, as
St. John tells us, all that Jesus did and taught was not written. The divinely guided oral Revelation which is
part of Sacred Tradition but particularly called Tradition by reason of its
oral transmission, is necessary for the integrity of the Christian faith. These
teachings largely (perhaps entirely) overlap with those contained in Scripture,
but the mode of their transmission is different.
The task of authentically interpreting the
Word of God, both written and oral, has been entrusted solely to the
Magisterium of the Church, which consists of the teachings of the Pope and the
bishops in communion with him. Christ entrusted the Deposit of Faith to his
apostles and their successors through the Sacrament of Holy Orders. Jesus said to the Apostles: "He who hears
you, hears me" (Luke 10:16).
Martin Luther, the founder of Protestantism,
was the first to reject the apostolic belief in the Rule of Faith which is the
Word of God found both in Sacred Scripture and Divine-Apostolic Tradition. Centuries after the true Church’s
longstanding belief in the two
sources of Divine Revelation (oral/Tradition and written/Sacred Scripture),
Luther invented his own theory of sola
scriptura (Latin: "Scripture alone"). His theory excludes belief
in the existence of Tradition that is guided in the Church by the Holy Spirit.
Protestantism admits only Sacred Scripture (and Luther even changed parts in
both Testaments) as the measure of Christian faith. Moreover, Protestantism
holds that each individual, not the authoritative teaching of the Church, is
the rightful interpreter of Scripture. This is why there are presently over
40,000 Protestant sects existing alongside the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic
Church, that was founded personally by Jesus Christ and professed by true
Christians in the Nicene Creed.
Introduction
Given the fact that all Scripture is, in
one way or another, precisely about Christ, St. Jerome said that ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of
Christ. However, the nature of God requires that the person and
attributes of Mary as Mother of God be compatible with what the very nature of
the God whom she conceived in her womb. And since all Scripture is concerned
with instruction about the nature of God as the Supreme and all-holy Being as
well as His revelation to, and relationship with humanity through Israel, the intimate
compatibility and necessary connection of Mary with God’s nature should be obvious.
Therefore, it follows that ignorance
of Mary denotes a profound ignorance of both Scripture and of God Himself. The truth of this statement will become evident
in this study.
A mother is most important to her child, as
is her child to its mother. Mary’s child is Jesus, who is the Son of God, the
Second Person of the Most Blessed Trinity. There could be no more splendid a
Son than Jesus, and for this reason there could be no more splendid a mother
than Mary. This is why God took every possible care to making His mother most
compatible with His divine nature and, consequently, the most splendid of all
His creation. Dante says of her: "Vergine
madre, figlia del tuo Figlio, Umile ed alta più che creatura, Termine fisso
d'eterno consiglio.”[1]
Authentic Christianity cannot exist without
due veneration of and tender love for the mother whom God chose, formed and
loved from all eternity to be His very own mother. He formed her to be his fitting
mother, which is to say completely
worthy of that great dignity to which He called her. God owes this both to
Himself and to Mary, his mother. In all justice to Mary, she had to be made by
God to be perfectly capable of fulfilling her vocation. Her God-given qualities
were bestowed precisely for that purpose.
Holiness is the sum total of all God’s
attributes and, with due respect for His own divine nature, what other kind of
mother could God make for Himself except a worthy,
i.e. holy, mother? Her child is not merely a sainted, extraordinary human
being. Rather, we are speaking about the Mother of God, whose Son was made man
from her: flesh of her flesh and blood of her blood. Mary’s Son is a Divine
Being with the human nature he took from Mary. Mary has a consanguineous relationship
in the direct line to the Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity. No other woman exists who can make this boast!
Of all God’s creation, Mary is His unique Masterpiece because she is the only one
of all creation, visible and invisible, who most resembles God in the sum total
of all his attributes: His holiness. Mary’s holiness is required by her
vocation so that she be compatible with God’s holiness; all her beauty lies in
her God-given holiness. She is all beautiful because she surpasses every
creature in her resemblance to God’s holiness. Though, as a creature, Mary’s
holiness is not infinite, it is so great that its magnitude surpasses the capabilities
of being completely understood by any created intelligence, either angelic or
human.[2]
For one who has some understanding of
God’s greatness, Mary’s greatness should pose no problem. Precisely, God’s
greatness requires Mary’s greatness. To suggest that Mary is an ordinary woman is
truly blasphemous because it is an insult to God Himself. God, respecting His
holy name, had to make Mary eminently holy to be His worthy mother. The person
who understands God understands Mary’s greatness. However, he who does not
understand God’s greatness cannot understand Mary’s greatness, and that is why
ignorance of Mary is ignorance of God.
Now we shall see how the Deposit of Faith indicates
that the Mother of Jesus is essential to authentic Christianity. Consequently,
the Christian who does not have a deep devotion to the mother of Jesus lacks an
essential part of what is required for authentic Christianity.
The Gospel of John
and the Book of Genesis
The
response to our quest about Mary’s place in authentic Christianity is found
initially in the Gospel of St. John. It was to John whom Jesus entrusted His
mother (Jn 19:26). John’s gospel is strongly
dependent upon the book of Genesis. This
is evident from their very first words: “In the beginning”.
John’s treatment of Mary starts wth the
curse/blessing God pronounced in Gn 3:15 immediately after the fall of our
first parents. There God prophesied that the woman and her offspring would
defeat the Serpent. Faithful to this concept of Mary and her offspring, Jesus
her Son, in the purview of Genesis’ woman and her offspring, John’s Gospel never
uses the name of Mary, but simply addresses Mary as “woman” and calls her “the
mother of Jesus”. John’s gospel thus faithfully
presents Mary and Jesus as the woman and mother of her offspring.
In the introductory part of John’s gospel
called the Prologue (Jn 1:1-18), John begins his gospel with a brief review of God’s
design for the salvation of the human race. John presents Jesus as the Word of
God who is the eternal Son of the Father. Through him was made all that exists. He assumed our human nature (obviously
from his mother, the woman) to destroy the works of the devil (1 Jn 3:8) and to
give those who choose to accept Him in participation in his Sonship (Jn
1:12,13), the inestimable gift of becoming “sons in the Son” (GS n.22)
The verses following the Prologue (Jn
1:19-51) give a further explanation of Jesus’ redemptive mission. Jesus comes into
the world as the sacrificial Lamb of God to undo the disaster wrought by our
first parents. In anticipation of His mission,
Jesus chooses His disciples who, in fact, are his future apostles.[3] These disciples are the
means by which he would accomplish his mission for humanity. Among those chosen
disciples is the future head of the apostolic college whom Jesus named Cephas,
meaning Peter (rock). Jesus takes them to His dwelling for a visit (Jn 1:38,39).
The
Marriage Feast of Cana
Following the brief explanation and
presentation of Jesus’ mission, John begins the account of the marriage feast
of Cana. In these verses, John identifies the characters in the Curse/Prophecy
of Genesis and indicates the crucial mission of the beloved mother of Jesus.
John introduces Mary at the marriage of
Cana together with her Son and His disciples (Jn 2:1-12). It takes place on the
third day recorded in John’s gospel. It is not by chance that this introduction
takes place at a wedding, because a wedding is the symbol of covenant and the
beginning of a covenanted family. This wedding feast brings to mind the
messianic Wedding Feast of the Lamb in Rev. 19:1-7. Verses 4-7, in particular, celebrate
the union of the Messiah with His covenanted family. Thus, the wedding of Cana
is an allusion to that messianic wedding feast to be celebrated in heaven with
God’s new covenanted family. This wedding feast at Cana alludes to the
formation of Jesus’ new family, His Church.
John uses the wedding feast to present the
principal personages of God’s new family (Church): Jesus with His mother –the
woman and her offspring - and his chosen disciples (the apostles), among whom
is Peter, their future head. The other invited guests represent the members of
God’s family.
In the narrative of the marriage feast,
John focuses on the two most notable characters of the New Covenant family: the
Woman and her Son. Mary is the astounding Woman who at Cana was able to move
Jesus to initiate His Redemptive Mission?
The first person John introduces is Mary
as “the mother of Jesus”. Only after this first introduction does John state
that Jesus is also present at the wedding. It is particularly worthy of note
that in his introduction of Mary and Jesus, John strictly adheres to the order
in the prophecy of Gen 3:15: first the woman, and then her offspring. John
gives an extraordinary importance to the mother of Jesus, though it is clear
that Jesus is the main person at the wedding since the central action about to
take place is His.
It is most significant that the Fourth
Gospel never calls the mother of Jesus by her proper name of Mary. Instead, John
employs the specific title that Jesus uses when addressing his mother.[4] Jesus calls her “Woman.” He
did this twice in the Fourth Gospel: at the marriage of Cana (Jn 2:4) and then
on the cross (Jn 19:26). Using the title of woman to address His mother might
seem surprising, but, in truth, it reveals the exclusively unique and inseparable
relationship between Mary and Jesus her Son.
“Woman” is a primordial title, going back
to Creation itself. Genesis recounts its origin. After creating man, God
created all the other living creatures. He then had the first man name their
different species. Yet God saw that among these creatures there was none that
properly responded to man’s specific needs for a companion. Therefore, God cast
a deep sleep over Adam, took one of his ribs and formed a fitting companion.
God then brought her to the man. Upon seeing her, Adam exclaimed: “This at last
is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman”
(Gen 2:23).[5]
God created our first parents in His own
image, male and female. The two sexes are to illustrate and exemplify the
unique fruitfulness of the Godhead: in God fruitfulness is simple, but in
creatures it is divided. He gave Adam and Eve sovereignty over the earth and
all its creatures. He blessed them and
told them to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. With these words God commissioned
Adam and Eve to be cooperators for bestowing the gift of life and its blessings
for the whole human race. “The man called his wife’s name Eve because she was
the mother of all living” (Gn 3:20).
Adam and Eve were free to eat of the fruit
of all the trees in the garden except the particular one that stood in the
midst of the garden. Regarding that tree God gave a specific command: they were
neither to touch nor to eat its fruit. The penalty for disobedience was death.
The ancient serpent, the devil, approached Eve and told her that God deceived
her because if they ate of the forbidden fruit they would become like God, being
able to decide for themselves what is good or bad. They would thus be
independent of God. Believing the
serpent’s lies, Eve ate the forbidden fruit and convinced her husband to do the
same. At that moment, they realized the horrible deed they had done and its
consequences. They lost for themselves and their posterity the signal gift of
supernatural life and all the preternatural gifts. In addition, while human nature
itself remains integral, it is wounded with a darkening of the intellect and a
weakening of the will.
Adam and Eve knew they had no possible
hope of making adequate reparation for their sin in order to regain their lost
state and gifts. However, in this disparate situation God tempered His justice with
His love for mankind. God cursed the serpent, but this curse is the “first good
news” or the Protoevangelium for the
human race: “I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your offspring
and hers; he/she/it shall crush your head while you shall strike at his/her/its
heel” (Gn 3:15).
There is much discussion regarding the
curse/prophecy of Gen 3:15.[6] However, the interpretation of these verses
must take into consideration the facts that these verses are located in the Old
Testament and that they deal with prophecy. Speaking about Scripture, St.
Augustine notes that in the Old Testament the New lies hidden, and in the New Testament
the Old lies open.[7]
This means that New Testament Scriptures clarify the meaning of what is
signified in the Old.
Prophecy is in the realm of faith and
requires belief and absolute trust in God’s word. In prophecy, God speaks about the unknown, but
He does not box Himself in by His prophecies. God reveals only the bare minimum
while remaining silent about the nature and circumstances of its fulfillment.
What is the meaning of Gn 3:15? That
prophecy foresaw a battle between woman and her offspring and the serpent and
his offspring. God Himself set up the battle and drew its lines. He provided
the characters who would fight the serpent and his minions. This battle ends
with victory for the human race. The human party in the prophecy will suffer an
attack, but the serpent’s attack will not be deadly because it would be directed
at its heel. On the other hand, the serpent and his offspring will suffer an attack
at the head, signifying complete defeat. This is what can be concluded from the
text. However, the following matters remain obscure until the prophecy’s
fulfillment: (a) the identities of the woman and her offspring, (b) the nature
of the woman’s “offspring”: is it general or individual, (c) whether it would
be the woman or her offspring that would strike the mortal blow to the serpent
and his offspring, (d) the nature of the prophesied victory.
Who is the woman spoken of in God’s curse
and who is the offspring of the woman? After the Prologue John starts with the
first event of his gospel, which is the marriage feast at Cana. In this account, John treats the meaning of
the mysterious prophecy of Gen 3:15 and identifies its protagonists.
At the marriage feast of Cana, Jesus
himself reveals the identity of the mysterious Woman of Genesis. He does this
by addressing his mother with the title of “Woman” (Jn 2:4). By making this
identification, Jesus reveals Himself as the Woman’s offspring. In this manner,
John discloses the identity of the two persons decreed to fulfill the prophecy
of Genesis.
Adam and Eve were commissioned at their
creation to give life and its blessings to the human race. Now, however, John presents
God’s new couple, Jesus as the new Adam together with “the mother of Jesus,”
the new Eve, as His cooperator. Their corporate
mission is to bring a new life to mankind in accord with Jesus’ statement: “I
have come that they may have life, and have it more abundantly” (Jn 10;10).
Once the wine ran out at the feast, the mother
of Jesus made this simple statement to her Son: “They have no wine.” This
pivotal declaration set into work the process of human redemption.
The scene at Cana brings to mind that of the
Garden of Eden. Eve, tempted by the serpent and having eaten of the forbidden
fruit, approached Adam to convince him to do the same. Jesus’ mother in Cana,
like Eve in the Garden, approached her Son about the lack of wine. Eve acted for
the destruction of humanity at the inspiration of the devil. Mary, under divine inspiration, sought from
her Son that action aimed by divine decree for the fulfillment of the victory of
humanity over the devil as prophesied in Gen 3:15. Just as Eve was the
initiator of the fall of the human race, so the Woman of Genesis, the mother of
Jesus, is the Initiator of the work of her Son.
Responding to her statement, Jesus
answered his mother: "Woman, what has
this to do with me and with you? My hour has not yet come." By addressing
his mother with the title used in the prophecy of Genesis, Jesus openly
identifies his mother as the Woman of Genesis who, as his companion in his
redemptive hour, will conquer the devil in favor of the human race. Jesus associates and includes Mary to his hour
set by the Father for the redemption of the world.
Mary’s statement to Jesus about the lack
of wine was a petition for the needs of the bride, groom and the guests, among
whom were the apostles and disciples of Jesus who represent the Church and its
members. Here John presents the mother of Jesus as the divinely appointed
universal intercessor and advocate for the needs of humanity and, in
particular, of the Church and its members.
Jesus’ statement, “Woman, what has this to
do with me and with you? My hour has not yet come,” is most important because it
highlights important doctrinal points. This statement signifies that Mary’s request
involves not only Jesus but herself also.
Why? Because the prophecy of Gen 3:15 involves both the Woman and her
offspring. The mother of Jesus is to cooperate with Jesus in his redemptive mission
for the redemption of humanity just as Adam and Eve cooperated for humanity’s
destruction. God drew the battle lines at
the fall of our first parents. According to the curse/prophecy it becomes
evident at Cana that the ensuing war is between Mary with her Son against Satan
with his offspring. However, the war
begins with Mary, the Woman since her Offspring is announced afterwards in
Genesis: “the Woman and her Offspring”.
The last part of Jesus’ statement about
“my hour has not yet come” is to bring to Mary’s mind that, because they are
cooperators in God’s single plan for his hour, the hour appointed for the
accomplishment of his mission, is also Mary’s hour. Here John reveals the
truth that Mary, together with Jesus, but in a subordinate manner, is the Co-Redemptrix
of the human race. Jesus, having reminded his mother of her divine mission,
respectfully awaits her final consent to begin their work. The respect that God
bears Mary should be particularly noted.
He, the Almighty, with great delicacy once again asks his mother’s
consent to His plan. The first time was at the Annunciation when he asked her
consent for the Incarnation. Mary’s response to her Offspring at Cana,
equivalent to her consent at the Annunciation, is affirmative and immediate by
addressing the servants her last words in Sacred Scripture, “Do whatever He
tells you.” By changing the water into wine, Jesus first manifested Himself to
His followers to confirm their faith in Himself and His mission.
The second and last time in the Fourth
Gospel that Jesus spoke to His mother and addressed her as “Woman” is when He saw
her and His beloved apostle John standing at the foot of His cross. This time Jesus explicitly confides His
Church to Mary’s maternal care when He says to His mother, “Woman, behold your son” and to John, “Behold, your mother.” Then the gospel specifies: “From that hour
the disciple took her to his home.” In this way, Jesus declares that his
followers, who make up the Church, are part of the offspring of that Woman who,
according to the Genesis, will battle with the Serpent together with Himself. As
Mary is the mother of Jesus, so is she mother of the Church, his mystical body.
The members of the Church are part of the mystical body of Jesus. The mother of
the head is also mother of the body. The Woman’s mission, together with her
Son, is to bring new life to the human race, to those who accept and believe in
Christ. This new life is a share in the life of the Son of God so that the
members of the Church become “sons in the Son.”
The
Book of Revelation
John’s treatment of Jesus and Mary in Chapter
12 of the Book of Revelation is based, like his Gospel, upon the original
curse/blessing of Gen 3:15.
Rev. 12 treats the final battles between
God and his enemies. In these battles the personages are the same as in the
curse/blessing: the Woman and her Offspring against Satan and his offspring.
How does John identify these contenders?
The first one John mentions in Rev. 12 is
the Woman. He specifies that she is with child. Thus from the beginning, John
establishes the Woman as the mother of Jesus: the Woman and her Offspring.
John gives further specifications about
the Woman.
PAUL
St. Paul is his letter to the Galatians
sums up the realization of Gen 3:15 through the offices of Mary, the Woman. He
states: “But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a Woman,
born under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the
Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So through God you
are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son then an heir.” (Gal 4:4-7)
Paul is in complete agreement with John’s
Gospel about the part of Mary in authentic Christianity. Jesus, the Son of God,
and Mary, the Woman, have been sent to bestow upon those who desire to receive
Jesus, his life of divine sonship. The mission of Jesus and his mother is to
offer divine sonship to fallen humanity. They did this by winning the battle
over the serpent and his offspring.
LUKE
St. Luke says much about Mary’s essential place
in authentic Christianity. He knew Mary personally and learned much at her feet.
For reasons known only to God, Luke reveals certain matters about Mary that the
other Evangelists do not.
After treating the
announcement to Zechariah about the birth of his son and Jesus’ forerunner, John
the Baptist, Luke treats the mystery of Jesus’ taking human nature from the virgin
Mary (Lk 1:26-56). This later event took place in Nazareth, a city of Galilee. Luke
mentions all the persons involved in the mystery of the Incarnation: God the
Father, the Angel Gabriel, the virgin Mary and her spouse Joseph of the house
of David, the Holy Spirit, the Son of God, and Elizabeth, Mary’s relative.
The Annunciation begins with God’s
messenger, the angel Gabriel, asking, on the part of God the Father, Mary’s
permission for the Incarnation of His Son to take place. This scene is truly amazing
because it reveals the reverence and respect that Almighty God Himself has for
this maiden whom He had chosen from all eternity and finally created to be the
mother of His Son, the Second Person of the Most Blessed Trinity. This fact alone
should clearly indicate Mary’s essential importance in the whole Christian
Dispensation.
The title by which the Angel salutes the
virgin Mary is also truly amazing.[8] This title can be hers
alone: Kecharitomene. The title is part of God’s personal message
delivered to Mary by the Angel Gabriel.
Luke says that Gabriel’s greeting troubled
Mary. The reason is because she did not understand the meaning of this truth of
faith about herself that was just revealed to her by the angel. However, to calm Mary’s fear, Gabriel
reverently hastened to reassure her.
The Latin and English translations of the
title, usually “Gratia Plena” or “Full of Grace”, do not do justice to the Greek
text. Only the Greek text is the inspired one; and if the translations are not
faithful to it then, to that extent, they do not precisely convey the gospel
message. In order to understand Mary’s title correctly, it is necessary to
examine briefly some grammatical points of the Greek title.
Kecharitomene is a participial form of the Greek verb charitoo,
and means to make someone or something an object of favor or to bestow divine
grace. As the form of a verb, the participle expresses a particular action.
In its
proper context, Kecharitomene is a substantive
participle because it is used as a title for Mary. As such, the word
does
not describe
Mary as an adjective would. Rather, as a title, the word is used as a noun
– a substitute for Mary herself - and indicates Mary’s singular position
as the unique Woman of Genesis (Gen 3:15). She is the appropriately suited
and perfect companion of her Seed in their battle against the ancient Serpent.
Thus, Mary may correctly be addressed, as she was by the Angel Gabriel, simply
and properly as “Kecharitomene”, without
any further explication. Since there can be no other person so gifted with
grace than Mary, the title does not need to be used together with her proper
name.
The participle’s prefix, ke-,
indicates the perfect tense. This tense in Greek means that the action
expressed had already been completed in past time but its results are
permanent. The perfect tense particularly emphasizes the effect of the
action that took place in an unexpressed past time. This is to say that the
participle, while admitting a dependence upon a past action, emphasizes more precisely
what that past action accomplished and continues to accomplish rather
than the precise time when it took place.
The suffix of the participle, -mene,
signifies that the verb’s action is in the passive voice. This means
that the action of the verb is not Mary’s action. Rather, it involves an action
that was done to Mary. This is to say that Mary was the passive
recipient of the action expressed by the participle. Grace was bestowed upon
her. The title informed Mary about who she is, but because it expressed a
supernatural mystery of which Mary was unaware, she was unable to understand
its meaning. It was precisely this past action – completely unknown to her and absolutely
independent of her will - that perplexed her and moved her to fear. Mary’s fear
is brought on by a reverential awe in the presence of the divine and Gabriel’s
mysterious salutation. Such fear is not uncommon in Scripture. See the apparitions of our Lord to the
Apostles after His death. He had to reassure them.
In practical terms, then, what does the
angelic salutation mean?
One must logically ask who is responsible
for that action done to Mary that is expressed in the participle. Since God’s
messenger spoke of it, the clear implication is that God Himself accomplished
that sanctifying action in Mary. That action consisted in the bestowal of a
grace that was unknowingly received by Mary at an unspecified time in her past.
God is free to bestow His grace when and how He
pleases (cf. Jn 3:8). In Scripture, grace is a gift of God that sanctifies a
person, makes a person holy. Grace makes one godlike. Grace has no place with sin (cf. Eph.
1:7). St. Paul stated, “But by the grace
of God I am what I am and His grace toward me was not in vain” (1 Cor 15:10)
God’s gift of grace
to Mary was completely gratuitous and obviously bestowed anteriorly to any act
of Mary’s mind and will. By this grace, God implemented His intention to make
Mary holy and dispose her to act freely at all times and in every action in a
way that is always pleasing to Himself. This grace did not violate Mary’s free
will. Rather it filled her with so much
love of God that she abhorred with her whole being anything that would
displease Him, in even the slightest manner.
In this grace-filled condition, Mary enjoyed complete peace and perfect
freedom.
Thus, from her very conception in her
mother’s womb and before any act of her mind and will, Mary was always godlike
and, therefore, pleasing to God. She singularly
escaped that common fate of all the rest of mankind: “… death spread to all men
because all men sinned” (Rm 5:12). Mary is, in the words of the poet, William
Wordsworth, “Our tainted nature's solitary boast”.
With all that has been considered above,
it seems the only conclusion is that Kecharitomene may be rendered as “Pre-sanctified
One.” This translation is not
one that interprets the Greek word but rather, one that renders a literal
translation of it. Thus, Gabriel’s greeting would have been “Hail, Pre-sanctified One. The Lord is with
you!” This most singular grace of pre-sanctification is called Mary’s Immaculate Conception.
The grace which Mary received at the
moment of her conception was indeed most special. The grace of the immaculate conception made
Mary to be above all others of God’s creation and from the first moment of her
conception, to most resemble God. This
grace set Mary above all other creatures because it gave her such a
relationship and resemblance to God.
Mary’s grace, in fact, is the second greatest grace given to man. There is only one and infinitely more eminent
grace, the grace of the hypostatic union of the Divine and human natures in the
Person of the man, Jesus Christ, the Seed of Mary. This grace made the man conceived
in Mary’s womb to be the Second Person of the Most Blessed Trinity, Jesus
Christ the God-Man.
The reason for Mary’s singular grace
becomes evident in what follows the angelic salutation. Mary did not merit her
plenitude of grace, but in God’s plan it was absolutely necessary for the Incarnation
to take place. While Mary’s grace was not necessary for her sake, it was most
especially necessary for God’s very own sake.
There are reasons for Mary’s unique plenitude
of grace, and these reasons are interconnected. The very nature of God is
holiness, and sin is diametrically opposed to God’s nature. Satan is the author
of sin, and because of the original sin of our first parents, all their
children are born in the state of sin and are consequently subjects of Satan’s
kingdom. Since Mary was chosen by God to be the mother of his Son, God could
not countenance that His mother would ever have been, even for one instant, a
subject of Satan. There is no other being, human or angelic, who could be
closer to God than his mother could. It is from her that He would take His
human nature, which He would offer in sacrifice for humanity, and be enclosed
within her womb. She would, throughout His life, perform every sacred maternal
duty for Him. Obviously, she had to be not only sinless, endowed with every
possible holiness. She must be a worthy Mother of and to God. God was thus
obliged by His very own Divine Nature of infinite holiness to bestow the grace
of perpetual sinlessness and eminent holiness upon Mary. God endowed her with
every quality required by His very own Divine Nature to enable her to fulfill in
a worthy and perfect manner her sublime vocation. Her vocation to the Divine Maternity is so singular
that it really surpasses the mind’s ability to understand. God could not give
Mary her unique vocation without giving her the necessary graces to fulfill it
in a perfect manner. Mary is, of all
God’s creation, His unique masterpiece, the one in whom He finds all delight
because she is, above all His creatures, the one who most resembles Himself. God’s
love is creative, and in Mary His mother, God’s love finds its greatest
accomplishment.
The above reasons for the Immaculate
Conception are the existential reasons
why Mary had to be so prepared in order to be a fitting subject for her unique vocation.
What does existential mean here?
Existential has to do with existence and in the present case it means
that God and sin cannot possibly coexist at any time in Mary. This means that the Mother whom God has
chosen for Himself cannot have any part with sin or Satan, its author. This
requires that she be preserved from the effects of the original sin of our
first parents and be given such a degree of godliness that she would be
impeccable. This grace was bestowed upon Mary by the foreseen merits of the
sacrifice of her Son, Jesus Christ, the Redeemer. One may sadly question why
this is not easily and happily admitted by every Christian to be fitting, right,
reasonable and logical since Jesus took from Mary His human nature, the very life
of which He offered for mankind’s sins. This should not cause any conflict of
honor between Jesus and His mother since Mary is the Woman prophesied in
Genesis who with her Seed will finally conquer the ancient Serpent and his seed
(Gn 3:15). By Mary’s Immaculate Conception Jesus, through an abundance of His
grace, saved His Mother in the most perfect manner by preserving her
from sin and its consequences rather than, as He does for all others, by healing
from them.
Considering all of the above, one is led
to the necessity of highlighting the main reason for Mary’s singular grace of
her Immaculate Conception: the Divine Maternity.
In fact, Mary’s Immaculate Conception is most fittingly seen, not as merely
a preparation for the Incarnation, but rather as the first part of the mystery of the Incarnation itself.
Mary’s greatness derives basically from
the fact that she had been chosen from all eternity by God, above every other
woman, to be the Mother of the Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity in His
human nature. No other woman has such a relationship to the Godhead. Mary is
the beloved Daughter of God the Father, worthy Mother of God the Son, and faithful
Spouse of God the Holy Spirit. All this can be patently deduced from Gabriel’s
message to Mary.
After Gabriel’s initial greeting, he assures
Mary of God’s faithful love for her. He then proceeds to explain in more detail
God the Father’s plan for the Incarnation of His Son. This proposed plan is
very detailed.
Gabriel announced: “you will conceive
in your womb and bear a Son.” With these words, Gabriel explicitly assured
Mary that the Child she would conceive would be truly her Son, the issue of her
body, flesh of her flesh and blood of her blood. Gabriel also gives Mary the
name God chose for their Son: Jesus. He would be the Son of God and a
descendant of the house of David in His human nature. He would sit upon David’s
throne forever as King of Israel. Jesus is the long awaited prophet like Moses
(Deut. 18:15) who is now clearly revealed to Mary as the God-Man
(Son of God), the divine Messiah (i.e. the Christ). This echoes the
profession of Peter elicited by Jesus at Caesarea Philippi: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living
God” (Mt 16:16); the profession of Nathanael: “Rabbi, you are the Son of
God. You are the King of Israel” (Jn
1:49). And the profession of faith required by St. John: “these are written
that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that
believing you may have life in His name” (Jn 20:31). These professions of faith show how important
Mary is for the authentic Christian since their salvation depends upon the
profession of Him who chose to come to us through Mary his beloved Mother. She
is the Woman of Gen 3:15, Jesus’ divinely appointed Companion in the work of
our salvation.
Mary then asked Gabriel how her conception
could take place “since I know no man” (Lk 1:34). This statement raises
another important matter that should be clarified before delving further into
the meaning of Mary’s words.
Lk 1:27 states that Mary is espoused/betrothed
to Joseph.[9] The translation of the Greek word emnesteumenen as “espoused” or
“betrothed” to express the relationship between Mary and Joseph is misleading.
The present usage of the translation does not correspond to the reality of
Jewish marriage nor does it take into consideration the fact that Luke supposes
the reader is acquainted with Jewish marriage law.[10] These are very important
points because otherwise Mary would be considered unwed! Jewish marriage took
place in two stages. The espousals/bethroal or, properly speaking, the kiddushin,
which is the first stage of Jewish marriage. From that time the woman was, in
fact, the lawful wife of the man to whom she was espoused (Deut. 28:30; Matt.
1:18-21). Therefore, at the time of the Annunciation, Mary and Joseph were already
truly united as husband and wife. They were in the first stage of Jewish
marriage, the kiddushin.
Mary’s statement to Gabriel in Lk
1:34,“since I know no man,” seems to ignore the fact that she is married to
Joseph. However, Mary’s answer to Gabriel was not about her relationship with
Joseph, it was about her virginity.
An interpretation dating to the Middle Ages
based itself on a supposed decision or vow of Mary to remain a virgin. However,
militating against such an interpretation is the fact that Jews considered
childlessness or being barren to be a great misfortune or even a divine
punishment. It is argued that the Middle Ages interpretation seems
anachronistic since virginity is a Christian value ( ), beginning with the teaching of Jesus
( ). Moreover, there is no support in
the Scripture that Mary made a vow of virginity. Nonetheless, due to a long held tradition, Mary is believed to have had, under divine inspiration, a
desire for virginity. If Mary had such a desire then it was confirmed and
fulfilled by Gabriel’s announcing the virginal conception and birth of God’s
and Mary’s Son (see below).
Another interpretation of Lk 1:34 understands
Mary’s response to Gabriel, “since I know no man,” as meaning that there could
be no conception “since I am a virgin.” In biblical language, “to know a
man” means to have sexual relations with him. But in Lk 1:34, Mary, said the
opposite, “I know no man.” Therefore, Mary is stating that she is a
virgin.
Whatever the case may be, in response to
Mary’s question to Gabriel, he informed her about how, in God’s plan, the unique
conception of God’s and her Son would take place. It would happen by the coming
upon her of the Holy Spirit and by the overshadowing of the power of the Most
High. With these words, Gabriel is telling Mary that her Son’s conception
will be virginal since it will take place without a human father. That is
why her Son, who will be called the Son of God, will be born holy. By saying that Jesus will be born “holy,”
means that He will be born pure in the ritual sense, which is to say without
blood (cf Lev. 12). Therefore Mary’s virginity is left intact because her
hymen is not broken by Jesus’ birth. Therefore, not only is the conception of the
Son of God virginal, but also His birth. Both Jesus’ conception and birth are
connected as the work of the Holy Spirit and both effect Mary, who is personified
by the Ark of the Covenant, making her God’s consecrated temple. Mary is a virgin before, during
and after her Son‘s birth.
In his description of Jesus’ conception,
Gabriel revealed to Mary the divine mystery of the Holy Trinity, enumerating
the three Divine Persons Who would be involved in her conception: the Father, the
Most High; the Son of God the Father and her Child; the Holy Spirit, the Giver
of life. By God’s proposal for the
Incarnation, Mary was to be part of the hypostatic order, and, fittingly, Mary
became the first human being to whom God revealed the inscrutable mystery of His
intimate Trinitarian Life.
Then Gabriel immediately gave Mary a gratuitous
sign as a confirmation of the truth of what he said. He told Mary that her
relative Elizabeth, who had been barren, conceived a son in her old age and was
in the sixth month of her pregnancy.
Gabriel then said that nothing is
impossible with God. This sign was a
confirmation for Mary’s faith regarding the proposal that had just been made to
her by God’s messenger, Gabriel. Then Mary accepted the proposal by Gabriel to
become the Mother of God saying, “Behold the handmaiden of the Lord, be it done
to me according to your word.” Having
completed his mission, Gabriel departed from Mary’s presence.
Before Gabriel’s announcement to Mary, he was
also sent to announce the birth of John the Baptist to Zechariah, John’s father.
However, Zechariah, due to his own and his wife’s advanced age, did not believe
Gabriel’s message. Because of his disbelief, Zechariah was struck dumb until
Gabriel’s prophesy would be fulfilled. This was God’s sign to Zechariah. In
contrast, Mary’s reaction to Gabriel’s message is most noteworthy. Mary posed
no problem for the realization of Gabriel’s message while Zechariah doubted the
possibility of its realization. Thus, Mary was gratuitously given a sign to
confirm her belief while Zechariah was punished for his disbelief.
[1] Virgin
Mother, Daughter of thy Son, lowly and uplifted more than any other creature,
fixed goal of the eternal counsel, (Paradiso, Canto XXXIII)
[3]
John does not use the word “apostle” to designate any or all of the twelve
chosen by the Lord to be his principal cooperators. Though John never gives a list of the names
of the twelve, he does refer to them as “the twelve” in four instances: Jn 6:67; 70, 71 and 20:24.
[4]
There is a very important difference between a name and a title. A name
designates a particular individual, place or thing. A title,
separate from the individual’s name, signifies an individual’s official
position, office, function or mission.
[5]
The transliterated Hebrew word for man is
ish; for woman: iishshah.
[6]
Scholars have disputed the literal meaning of the biblical texts (Hebrew,
Greek, Latin) as to who made the deadly attack on the serpent; whether it was
the woman or her offspring (general or individual),. While there is no
unanimous solution to the question, St. John offers one that is treated in this
work.
[7]
Augustine, cf 1Quaestiones in Heptateuchum, ll,73
[8]
There is a very important difference between a name and a title. A name designates a particular individual,
place or thing. A title, separate from
the individual’s name, signifies an individual’s official position, office,
function or mission.
[9]
The same problem is found in Mt 1:18.
Here the Greek word mnesteutheises
substantially signifies betrothal as in Lk 1:27.
[10]
Jewish marriage in Torah law is a two-step process. The first stage is called kiddushin, loosely translated as
betrothal or engagement, and the second step is known as nisu'in, which marks the finalization of the nuptials. Both kiddushin and nisu'in are celebrated successively beneath the chupah (the wedding canopy). The kiddushin consists in the groom giving
the bride the wedding band, and the nisu'in
finalizes the nuptials with the husband uniting the wife under one roof with
himself for carrying on their married life together.
Kiddushin actually makes
the bride and groom full-fledged husband and wife. However, the couple does not
yet cohabit until the second stage, the nisu'in,
is completed.
Originally, there was a
year between the kiddushin and nisu'in. During this year, the wife did
not live with her husband but remained a part of her father's household. This period was for the new husband to have
time to prepare a place for his bride to live. This transition period also gave
the bride and groom the time to get to know each other (remember, there is no
engagement or dating). The period of a year was a formality since divorced
women or widows did not have a father to rely upon during the kiddushin. For
these the period was only 30 days. Outside of Israel, most Jews today celebrate
the two steps in a single ceremony.
Comments
Post a Comment