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Marian Coredemption in the Hagiography of the 20th Century by Rev. Stefano Manelli, F.I.
Part 2
Bl. Bartolo Longo (+ 1926) St. Francis de Sales and, even more, St. Alphonsus dei Liguori were two Doctors of the Church who engaged themselves with talent and passion in being apostles to the faithful Christians by transmitting to them, in simple and clear language, the very rich patrimony of the truth of our Faith, of the most precious piety and most cherished devotion; they did all this in order to nourish the people's Christian life. St. Francis de Sales and St. Alphonsus dei Liguori desired "to break the bread" (cf. Lam 4:4) of the word of God so that all the faithful might eat of it at ease; and they did this by means of books and essays, devout writings and sacred songs which have formed the Christian people for centuries and which continue to do so today and will continue from generation to generation. Bl. Bartolo Longo had the soul of an apostle and the quality of a Christian giant. He too knew how to enter upon the missionary road to the people, the path of simple and essential catechesis and of a most popular Marian piety, so as to reach all and to teach even the most marginalized and abandoned persons how to pray.[110] He accomplished all this by means of the Rosary, by means of this admirable prayer and devotion which is, effectively, suited for all and is tailored, one might say, for all, especially for the simplest and least gifted persons.
The Rosary, in effect, in its three series of joyful, sorrowful, and glorious mysteries, presents for the pious reflection and contemplation of those praying the fundamental mysteries of salvation the Incarnation, the Redemption, and the Glorification in which Blessed Mary is, respectively, the divine and virgin Mother of the Word Incarnate (the joyful mysteries), the Co-redemptrix alongside the divine Son and Redeemer (the sorrowful mysteries), and the "Woman" assumed into Heaven as Queen and universal Mediatrix (the glorious mysteries). This most authentic and well-founded theological vision of Marian spirituality is certainly complete in the holy Rosary, and Bl. Bartolo Longo presented, offered, explained, and illustrated this in that book of doctrine and mediation, of piety and devotion, entitled The Fifteen Saturdays of the Holy Rosary. This work is, as of now, approaching its 90th edition with millions and millions of copies in many languages.[112] The theme of Marian Coredemption obviously runs through page after page in this text, with invocations and reflections, thoughts and insights, allusions and explanations which, taken altogether, reveal the clarity and certitude of faith in the Blessed Mother as universal Co-redemptrix and Mediatrix of all graces. We can recall here, as an example, the prayer in which he calls the Blessed Virgin Mary "our Co-redemptrix and Dispensatrix of graces" with the invocation: "O Holy Virgin, fulfill today your office of being our Co-redemptrix."[113] How moving are the pages in which Bl. Bartolo speaks of the immense sufferings of Mary Co-redemptrix! He comments on the Presentation of the Infant Jesus in the Temple, where the Madonna had the sublime strength to "offer up her Son, the Only-Begotten, to death for us sinners," accepting that "sword" driven into her soul, which rendered her the "Queen of Martyrs," more heroic than all the martyrs, because from that day on she was offering the Son to the Eternal Father, thinking of the future sufferings which He would have to endure.[114] Bl. Bartolo then expounds upon the most sorrowful participation of the Co-redemptrix in the mysteries of the Passion of Jesus Crucified by considering and manifesting Mary of Sorrows "with her Heart crucified on Calvary,"[115] at the foot of the Cross, where "that Divine Lamb and this innocent little Sheep reciprocally beheld and understood one another: one being tormented by the sorrows of the other."[116] With acumen, Fr. Miotto reflects on this text, so saturated with divine sentiment: "It seems that the sufferings of Both that of the Redeemer and that of the Co-redemptrix were not adding one to the other, but were uniting."[117] Likewise moving, and vibrant with Easter joy, are Bl. Bartolo's reflections on the glorious mysteries of the Rosary, starting with the apparition of the Risen Jesus who first turned to His Mother. In that most joyful apparition the Risen Jesus wished to thank expressly His Mother for her "bitter participation in all the sorrows, as Co-redemptrix of the human race,"[118] for the realization of God's salvific plan. And finally, at the completion of her earthly life, the Mother of God, assumed body and soul into Heaven, was received in Paradise by the Son who placed her "at His right above all the choirs of angels... associating her to Himself as His Mother, Spouse, and Co-redemptrix, as His Cooperatrix for the Redemption of the world and Queen of the universe."[119] The faith of Bl. Bartolo is integral. In his theological vision, permeated by the sensus fidei, the mission of the Co-redemptrix on earth and in Heaven runs through all the events of Blessed Mary's life, a life inseparable from that of her divine Son to whom she remains always bound "by a close and indissoluble union" (L.G. 53), actively and immediately cooperating with the Redeemer in the work of Redemption, always "under Him and with Him" (L.G: 56), and placed in the heavens for eternity "at His right... as His Mother, Spouse, and Co-redemptrix." Bl. Luigi Orione (+ 1940) Great indeed was the apostolic activity of Bl. Luigi Orione, wider still his field of labor, and vaster yet still his projects of evangelization and charity towards others, especially towards the suffering and most needy. The preaching, teachings, and instructions of Bl. Luigi Orione resounded through cities and villages, from pulpits and Cathedrals, through squares and the streets, in churches and homes. . . Words of light, words of life, words of hope, words of eternity! Bl. Luigi Orione was an incredible apostle, wholly dominated by a most ardent, triple love toward Christ, Mary, and the Pope. As for his love towards the Holy Virgin Mary one could gather page after page, as some have in fact already done.[120] These pages do not form a treatise of Mariology, much less do they constitute an academic or scholastic theological textbook on Mary. Quite the contrary. They are a treasure chest of pure and ardent faith in the mystery of Mary, a mystery explained and illustrated, studied and contemplated, and at times, one is tempted to say, sung and praised with enthusiasm, all by a believer whose love for his most sweet and heavenly Mother of God could never be contained. Regarding the mystery of Marian Coredemption in particular, Bl. Orione left us no systematic treatise apart on the subject. However, he does speak of it many times in his usual ardent and luminous style, and he treats all its essential details as common doctrine, as certain, as a patrimony of Faith lived by the People of God, and more precisely as a Faith permeated by that sensus fidei which illuminates, guides, and leads every believer along the way of a truly Christian life, that is, along the road to salvation and sanctification. The primary foundation upon which Bl. Orione bases the truth of Marian Coredemption is the biblical-patristic. Bl. Orione shapes his thought and teaching on the three doublets, involving as it were a kind of opposition and recirculation, found among the pages of the Bible and the Church Fathers, namely Adam and Eve, Jesus and Mary, Eden and Calvary. With these three figures Bl. Orione presents the work of our destruction and our salvation. Bl. Orione writes: "Adam and Eve ruined us; Jesus and Mary save us."[121] These are the first two doublets. The fall of humanity is linked to the moral collapse of the first couple, Adam and Eve; the salvation of humanity is linked to the Redemption wrought by the second couple, Jesus and Mary. In this thought of Bl. Orione it is easy to find the double unity. First there is that of the moral collapse, wrought together by Adam and Eve, with diverse responsibilities: principally for Adam as head of the human race, secondarily for Eve as the instigator and co-sinner (co-peccatrix) with Adam. Secondly, there is that of the Redemption wrought together by Jesus and Mary, with diverse responsibilities: primarily by Jesus as the Redeemer, secondarily by Mary as the Co-redemptrix. Here one can also read the double unity: the effectors of the moral collapse were solely Adam and Eve, and the Effectors of the Redemption were solely Jesus and Mary. The third figure of Bl. Orione is this: "Eden and Calvary were the two culminating points in history, where occurred the two greatest events for humanity."[122] This third couplet, as it were, with one dramatic event placed against the other, is a charming way to indicate even the geographic locale serving as historical theaters for the most important events in human history, namely that of man's devastating fall (Eden) and that of his Redemption (Calvary) wrought by the two opposing couples, the sinner and co-sinner (Adam and Eve) versus the Redeemer and Co-redemptrix (Jesus and Mary). Fr. Miotto correctly observed that in the thought of Bl. Orione
Another enlightened insight of Bl. Orione on the mystery of Mary Co-redemptrix is his teaching on the salvific mission of our Blessed Lady, constituted our universal Mother precisely because she is Co-redemptrix, proclaimed our "Mother" by Jesus Himself on Calvary (cf. Jn 19:25-26) exactly at the consummation of the most sorrowful Coredemption. Bl. Orione writes:
The Blessed Virgin Mary, therefore, is our Mother because she was the "Co-redemptrix of humanity." This affirmation reveals that for Bl. Orione, too, the Maternity and Coredemption in Mary are correlative and interdependent. It is with the Coredemption that she regenerated us unto supernatural life, becoming in this way our true Mother, our "Mother in the order of grace," as Vatican II teaches (L.G. 61). Mary's Maternity, therefore, has been a coredemptive Maternity. And such a coredemptive Maternity, which had its ultimate consummation on Calvary, was the mission which Blessed Mary received and welcomed for our salvation, this from the beginning, offering for this goal "the secret tears of her entire life," as Bl. Orione puts it,[125] tears which mixed and became one "with the Blood of our Crucified Lord,"[126] in order to pay the ransom and restore our supernatural life. His Marian teaching also treats the mediation of graces springing from the Coredemption, matrix of all salvific grace to be distributed to every person on the road to salvation. If Mary Co-redemptrix cooperated with Christ in the acquisition of the divine grace lost in Eden, then Mary Mediatrix cooperates with Christ in the distribution of that grace recuperated on Calvary. Concerning her mediation, Bl. Orione is quite aware of how St. Paul speaks of Christ as the "one Mediator" between God and man (I Tim 2:5), and he is careful, therefore, when explaining in what sense Blessed Mary is Mediatrix. He writes:
In accord with the tenor of these brief reflections on the coredemptive doctrine of Bl. Luigi Orione, we too can agree with Fr. Miotto who thus summarizes:
Bl. Ildephonse Cardinal Schuster (+ 1954) Cardinal Ildephonse Schuster is an eminent figure both as a teacher and pastor. Hence, his teaching holds a particular authority, marked by the charism of doctrine and pastoral practice. Orthodoxy and orthopraxis, mutually supportive and strengthened by his vision of faith and apostolic fervor, are the distinctive marks of the person and mission of Bl. Schuster, Cardinal Archbishop of Milan. The mariological doctrine of Cardinal Schuster, found profusely in his numerous books and writings, presents itself in perfect harmony with the perennial Marian theology of the Church. The sentire cum Ecclesia was a constant in all of Bl. Ildephonse's teaching, and especially his Marian teaching contained both in his monumental work in nine volumes, Liber Sacramentorum,[129] and in his other writings, but above all in his last work, L'Evangelo di Nostra Donna,[130] which is truly a testimony of love from his Marian soul. As for the mystery of Marian Coredemption, it is enough to read only a little of his writings to grasp immediately that in the thought of Bl. Ildephonse Marian Coredemption is treated as common and certain Catholic doctrine.[131] The Blessed freely adopts the term Co-redemptrix and frequently calls Mary Co-redemptrix of the human race without any caveats or fears. The term Co-redemptrix appears without quibble throughout his catechesis and studies, his homilies and other writings. Moreover, the term is employed both precisely and appropriately in accord with its semantic structure and clear significance. That structure and significance is soteriologically most exactly expressive of the relation of the Blessed Virgin Mary to the Redeemer in accomplishing the universal redemption. The coredemptive thought of Bl. Ildephonse is ever grounded on Sacred Scripture and the Liturgy. The Old and New Testaments are the primary basis of truth and the foundation of Faith. Bl. Ildephonse always moves in the light of Revelation. And so it is also for his teaching on Marian Coredemption. He relates it to the biblical contrast between the two Testaments: EveMary, Adam Christ. Listen to his brilliant insight while treating the Blessed Virgin Mary's Assumption into Heaven:
Bl. Ildephonse also presents two other women of the Old Testament as figures of Mary Co-redemptrix. He speaks of Deborah[133] and Judith.[134] Regarding Judith the Cardinal writes expressly that she is especially
Liturgically, on the other hand, Bl. Ildephonse explains
in a very timely manner that the Marian celebration of Our Lady's Sorrows during Good Friday was a most ancient
and significant celebration, for which, after many centuries, the date was fixed
With these words Cardinal Schuster expresses in maximal fashion the direct and immediate participation of the Blessed Virgin in the universal Redemption. Listen again to his culminating point: She, "at the foot of the Cross, precisely by means of her cruel martyrdom, redeemed the human race together with her Son." The word "redeemed" seems to say too much, but in reality one can also reinsert here the expressions of Vatican II which speak of the Holy Virgin Mary as being totally united to Christ "by an intimate and indissoluble bond" (L.G. 53), always "serving the mystery of Redemption under Him and with Him" (L.G. 56).
Regarding the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Bl. Schuster teaches along the same lines that "Mary is the Queen of the world because she is Co-redemptrix of the human race together with Jesus and for Jesus, on whom the Father conferred 'omnis potestas in coelo et in terra' (viz. 'all power in Heaven and on earth') after His Resurrection."[140] And as to the Mediation of all grace, with equal surety and consistent logic, Cardinal Schuster leads us to understand that if the Co-redemptrix cooperated in the acquisition of the graces of Redemption, she too will be the one to dispose of them for distribution. The Cardinal, in fact, maintains that "the Virgin distributes the treasures of Redemption as Queen, Mother, and Mediatrix."[141] And the Marian prayer of the People of God linked to the Co-redemptrix, according to Bl. Ildephonse, is the prayer of the Rosary which is the expression of the faith and love "which," says the Cardinal, "the universal Church nourishes for her who is the Mother of God and of men, the Co-redemptrix of the human race."[142] At this point in our rapid-fire presentation of but a handful of the many texts of Bl. Ildephonse on the Co-redemptrix, there remains nothing else but to conclude with a cursory look at his last work written in 1954, the year of his death; a truly stirring "swan's song" about the Mother of God and Co-redemptrix. It is the Marian work entitled L'Evangelo di Nostra Donna, "in which," writes Fr. Siano, "the remembrance of the Coredemption acts, in some ways, as a counterpoint to the entire text which breathes exclusively the Gospel."[143] This is so because in his mature contemplation Bl. Schuster "had already grasped and also had written how the figure of Mary could not be detached from the shadow of the Cross."[144] What is more, this precious text presents the life of Our Lady in the light of the culminating moments of her coredemptive vocation and mission on earth. At the Annunciation, the Virgin Mary adheres to "the plan of the future Redemption,"[145] "with perfect knowledge of cause and with absolute free will,"[146] in order "to become the Mother of Jesus, and, after a time, the Genetrix of His Mystical Body, the Co-redemptrix of human progeny."[147] At the Presentation of the Infant Jesus in the Temple she encountered the holy and aged Simeon who, writes Bl. Schuster, "already discerns from afar the Cross planted on Calvary, and he foresees Mary Co-redemptrix at the foot of the Cross with her Heart transfixed by the sword... Mary heard the old man, understood, but did not utter a word. Her unbloody martyrdom began from that moment, but she kept silence, because the victim usually keeps quiet and does not speak."[148] At the times for nursing the Baby Jesus, Mary, while nourishing the Body of the divine Infant was nourishing her own soul as well because, writes Bl. Ildefonso, "by hearing the Logos, who had come to teach, during all the times in which she was feeding Him, she was made ever more fit for her mission of Co-redemptrix of the human race."[149] Of the work of Redemption in its consummation on Calvary, Bl. Schuster expresses himself with extraordinary emotion when treating the holocaust of Jesus and Mary, from whom a "wave of mercy will descend to wash away the sins of all generations."[150] From the Redeemer and Co-redemptrix, in fact, comes the cleansing waters which wash away the original sin for the salvation of the world. This was the work of redemption in accord with the loving plan of God, and "the mission of Mary Co-redemptrix," teaches Cardinal Schuster, "entered maximally in that soteriological mystery."[151] In conclusion, Bl. Schuster's coredemptive teaching constitutes a precious patrimony of Marian doctrine which he, a most eminent and qualified teacher of the People of God, has bequeathed to the Church. And in this twenty-first century which has begun with the confidence of Crossing the Threshold of Hope, as our Holy Father John Paul II has written, we can surely affirm, with Fr. Siano, that among
Bl. Pio of Pietrelcina (+ 1968) It has been written, and rightly so, that "if there is an aspect of the mystery of Mary especially fitting to the life and work of Padre Pio of Pietrelcina, it is certainly the coredemptive aspect of the person and mission of the Immaculate in God's salvific plan of love."[153] The mystery of Mary Co-redemptrix is present in the life and writings of Bl. Pio of Pietrelcina at the highest levels of mystical experience which he lived out in body and soul, and of the theologia cordis transmitted by him to his spiritual children in the language of that wisdom transcending by far a language limited to the solely notional and conceptual.[154] Bl. Pio of Pietrelcina in the first place lived the mystery of Marian Coredemption in his exceptional mystical experience of the Passion of Christ Crucified, of which he bore the living and bleeding stigmata in his body for fifty entire years, from 1918 to 1968. He became an "imprinted reproduction of the wounds of the Lord," according to the happy expression of Pope Paul VI.[155] In this exceptional mystical experience he co-immolated himself with Christ, assimilating himself in a most extensive and profound manner to the Mother Co-redemptrix who immolates herself with the Son on the Cross in order to bring to pass the universal Redemption.[156] It has been written that
Into this area of mystical experience, however, the inexperienced are not allowed to enter nor are they in a position to speak of it. St. Bonaventure, the "Seraphic Doctor," teaches expressly that, with regard to the mystical, "those who are not experts and who do not wish to become experienced, must absolutely keep silent."[158] What is more within the range of our intelligence, then, is the coredemptive aspect of Bl. Pio of Pietrelcina's active ministry. He exercised the ministry of the confessional for more than fifty years, administering the Sacrament of Reconciliation to such a vast family of penitents that Pope Paul VI called it, in yet another happy expression, a "worldwide clientele."[159] But to administer the Sacrament of forgiveness and of reconciliation between mankind and God means to operate on the same wavelength, so to speak, as the Marian Coredemption. In fact, Mary Most Holy, being united with the Redeemer "under Him and with Him," as Vatican II teaches (L.G. 56) reconciled humanity with God through the sacrificial offering consummated on Calvary; and after Calvary she continues unceasingly to reconcile man to God with her Mediation and Distribution of all the graces of Redemption. Consequently, she is proclaimed the Mother of universal reconciliation. The spiritual director of Bl. Pio of Pietrelcina, Fr. Benedict of San Marco, once told Bl. Pio in a letter of spiritual direction that his particular vocation was a "vocation to coredeem" by means of the daily trials, battles, sufferings, and toils coming from the exercise of his ministry. And in reference particularly to his work as a confessor, it has been accurately observed that
To understand Bl. Pio's "vocation to coredeem" better, one must also consult his writings, of primary value where he speaks of the Co-redemptrix in the salvific mystery. And one recognizes immediately that his discourse is not theoretical or notional, but reflects instead the most profound and moving characteristics of the theologia cordis, of theology lived at the level of ascetical and mystical experience, one which gives a knowledge of the mystery characteristically sapiential and experiential, as St. Bonaventure explains.[161] The pages in which Bl. Pio speaks of the Blessed Virgin Mary's sorrows are exceedingly numerous.[162] In these pages the figure of Our Lady of Sorrows is present in her immense coredemptive suffering, and she is seen walking along the way to Calvary "immediately behind Jesus. . . burdened with her own cross."[163] A cross for Jesus, a cross for Mary. It is of value here to recall the insight of Arnold of Chartres who speaks of a double altar on Calvary: "one in the Heart of Mary, the other in the Body of Christ. Christ sacrificed His flesh, Mary her soul."[164] And Bl. Pio recommends to all "to keep always right behind this Blessed Mother, to walk always close to her, since there is no other road which leads to life, except the one trod by our Mother."[165] When Bl. Pio wants to describe the sufferings of Our Lady of Sorrows, he finds a very valid point of reference in his very own suffering, be it moral or physical, a suffering so terrible as to dry up every tear and to petrify him in sorrow.[166] For this reason in contemplating Our Lady's sorrows he can expand his soul and say: "Yes, now I understand, oh Jesus, why in admiring You Your Mother did not weep beneath the Cross,"[167] because "by the excess of sorrow, she remained petrified before her crucified Son";[168] and on another page of sublime contemplation touching his own measureless sorrows and those of Our Lady, he exclaims movingly:
The words "dear Co-redemptrix" express most exactly the soteriological value of the Blessed Virgin Mary's maternal mission in the tones of a pure theologia cordis. She coredeemed humanity by offering the divine Victim, her Son Jesus, in the bloody immolation of the Cross, and co-immolating herself with Him in order to "restore supernatural life to souls" (L.G. 61), became in this way our "Mother in the order of grace" (L.G. 1.c.).[170] She "gave birth to us in sorrows," affirms Bl. Pio. She is, therefore, the Mother Co-redemptrix. She desires to raise her children and, what is more, to make them grow even unto the stature of Christ. She is, therefore, the Mother Mediatrix and Dispensatrix of all graces,[171] always "associated with Jesus in applying the fruits of the Redemption to souls," as Fr. Melchior da Pobladura writes.[172] The Co-redemptrix reacquired the grace lost. The Mediatrix distributes the grace reacquired. There is an operative continuity between the Coredemption and Distribution of saving grace. And, according to the teaching of Bl. Pio of Pietrelcina, we should be eternally grateful to "our dear Co-redemptrix" and to our "Mediatrix and Dispensatrix of all graces."
Bl. [Now Saint] Josemaria Escrivà (+ 1975) Bl. Josemaria Escrivà was an extraordinary apostle of our times and for all times. He was preoccupied with carrying the People of God to the highest realms of universal sanctity in accord with the "Work of God" Opus Dei, for which he battled and suffered, sacrificed and consumed himself without respite even to the very end of his life, always retaining the wealth of two precious treasures: that of his "supernatural sense and his most human cordiality."[173]
Bl. Escrivà views the scene of the Presentation of the Infant Jesus in the Temple in the light of the immense love of the Blessed Virgin Mary. He writes:
In this commentary of Bl. Escrivà's on the shocking
words of the holy old Simeon to Mary, we learn that between the Redemption and the Coredemption there is a communality
in that "greater love."
The gift and immolation of life for the salvation Consequently, according to the teaching of Bl. Josemaria Escrivà, between the Redeemer and the Co-redemptrix there was effected a union of sufferings terminating at fusion in the total immolation of both. With her indescribable coredemptive sufferings, then, Mary Most Holy was brought "to fuse herself," as the Blessed writes, "with the redeeming love of the Son," offering all her "immense suffering like a sharpened sword which pierced her most pure Heart."[176] In this fusion of love in her immolation with the Son an immolation which "pierces the soul" one must understand all the personal, direct, and immediate participation of the Co-redemptrix in the work of the universal Redemption. At this point in his reflection, Bl. Escrivà cites the Papal teaching which constitutes the highest guarantee and certitude for every truth of the Faith. He finds here the clearest and most solid confirmation. In his subtle and deep reflection, in fact, he refers to the thought of Pope Benedict XV who speaks, perhaps as no other Pope ever has, of the Marian Coredemption. Pope Benedict XV states that Our Lady's presence at the foot of the Cross on Calvary was
Reechoing the teaching of other Popes before and after Benedict XV as well, Bl. Escrivà reflects and comments in this manner:
In analyzing the core of Bl. Josemaria's reflection we can say that:
In the thought of Bl. Escrivà, this is the graphic panorama of the universal Redemption willed by God and worked out by Christ the Redeemer in His own Blood, in union with the Mother Co-redemptrix transfixed by the "sword" of sorrow, associated and united to Him in "a close and indissoluble bond" (L.G. 53) in order to serve "the mystery of Redemption under Him and with Him" (L.G. 56), with that "fusion" of supreme love in total immolation. And now we turn to yet another reflection of the Blessed. If it is true that the felix culpa of which the celebrated Easter praeconium speaks obtained for us the gift of the divine Redeemer and Savior, then it is also true that it obtained for us the gift of the Mother Co-redemptrix and omnipotent Mediatrix. The Blessed himself writes:
Here we can also conclude with Fr. Miotto who writes:
The Venerable Ven. James Alberione (+1971) Ven. Alberione is a brilliant Founder and extraordinary apostle of the twentieth century, a genius and charismatic pioneer in the field of evangelization by modern means to the entire planet. He was also a theologian, an orator, and a very prolific writer, teacher, and guide to generations of religious and laity. Among his writings, his Marian works occupy a central and consistent place and, claims Roatta, he "set forth the profoundest portraits of the Virgin Mother."[181] Ven. James Alberione wrote an entire Marian trilogy, plus another Marian text dedicated to the Queen of the Apostles,[182] not to mention a rich series of articles and notes. On the subject of Marian Coredemption Ven. Alberione has left us a complete doctrine in lessons and chapters of true and accurate Marian soteriology. All of this he presents in simple but certain language, with solid and clear theological method, expounding certain and commonly held truth, without hesitation or discussion as to the probability of such statements. Ven. James presents and illustrates the Coredemption and Mediation of Our Lady as a truth of Faith, even if not yet defined, but nonetheless a living doctrine in terms of the sensus fidei of the People of God and a genuine sentire cum Ecclesia.[183] Ven. James confirms in a clear and precise synthesis that the Blessed Virgin Mary
This is the theological paradigm of the coredemptive, distributive and maternal Mediation of Mary Most Holy. In a few lines Ven. James shows the specific, constitutive elements and consequences of Mary's cooperation in the acquisition of redemptive graces as Co-redemptrix, in her dispensation of redemptive grace as Mediatrix, and in the maternal care of her children as spiritual Mother. Here a theologian has spoken, one who sought to catechize, one who knew how to "break the bread" of the word of God for the faithful (cf. Lam 4:4). His explanation continues, simply and convincingly, with regard to Marian Coredemption. The Venerable writes concisely: "Co-redemptrix. She cooperated with Jesus Christ the Redeemer, though in a secondary and dependent mode, in saving us from eternal damnation."[185] With these words Ven. Alberione specifies that the Marian Coredemption is "secondary and dependent" with respect to the primary and absolute Redeemer; he maintains that the Coredemption served in the very reopening of the doors to the Kingdom of Heaven, that is to say, the Co-redemptrix cooperated in the very "effecting" of the universal Redemption. In the second volume of the Marian trilogy The Feasts of Mary the Venerable presents the truth of Mary Co-redemptrix with other reflections made from different perspectives. He writes as follows:
Here one immediately understands how the coredemptive mission was fundamental for Mary from the very moment of the Incarnation of the Word and Redeemer. She knew well from the Annunciation and, even more so, from the words of the aged Simeon, that she "would have to share in the pains because (she was) Co-redemptrix."[187] Furthermore, in order to offer Jesus as Victim "she had disposed and offered herself to become Co-redemptrix."[188]
In this text we find a particular item of great worth in the expression "she offered the Blood of Jesus and her own pangs in payment to the heavenly Father." Here Alberione clearly displays Mary's active and immediate cooperation in the very "effecting" of the Redemption, by giving the personal contribution of "her own pangs in payment to the heavenly Father," that is, by paying off, she too, the price of ransom with "her own pangs" united to "the Blood of Jesus." There is a divine union here between the Redeemer and the Co-redemptrix in working out the universal Redemption. And as a support to this doctrine, Ven. James cites the magisterial text of Pope Benedict XV, considered so expressive and decisive in presenting the active and immediate cooperation of the universal Co-redemptrix: "Mary," states Pope Benedict XV, "as far as what depended upon her, immolated the Son... in such a way that one can rightly say she, with her Son, redeemed the human race."[190] If this is the doctrine of the Church, this is also the doctrine of Ven. Alberione who presents, explains, and communicates it to the People of God as a secure truth from the patrimony of our perennial and immutable Faith. In his volume on Mary, Queen of the Apostles, Ven. Alberione adds other brilliant points of reflection on Mary Co-redemptrix in a chapter dense with Marian doctrine and spirituality, with a particular emphasis on the bond that runs between the Marian Coredemption and the active apostolate, or, put more precisely, between the work of Mary as Co-redemptrix and as Co-apostle which is in harmony with the apostolic work of the Pious Society of St. Paul.[191]
The intimate union between the Redeemer and the Co-redemptrix through Their lives (a union "of wills, of intentions, and of sorrows"); the dynamic rapport between the Reparatrix-Co-redemptrix who acquired the fruits of Redemption, and the Dispensatrix who distributes the fruits of the Cross; Jesus as the one Redeemer "by office," Mary as "the secondary and associated Redemptrix . . . by the divine will." These are the constitutive and supporting elements of Marian Coredemption as analyzed in-depth and argued logically and consistently, with theological precision, in Ven. Alberione's writings. They are founded on Revelation, on Tradition and on the Papal Magisterium, on the Liturgy and the sensus fidelium of the People of God. The theological thought of Alberione is luminous and solid, profound and clear, even in its simple style: the doctrine of Marian Coredemption makes up part of the patrimony of the Church's Faith, it belongs to the timeless theology of the Church, and is rooted in the Church's living sensus fidei which has always loved the Mother of God and Co-redemptrix. Let us conclude summarizing the thought of Ven. James on the Blessed Mother: She
Ven. Gabriel Mary Allegra (+ 1974) Friar Minor, missionary in China and celebrated biblical scholar, Ven. Gabriel Allegra supported and defended the truth of Marian Coredemption and Mediation by demonstrating authoritatively the dogmatic definibility of the universal Coredemption and Mediation of all graces.[194] The thought of Ven. Gabriel Allegra on Marian Coredemption reveals itself as theologically "clear and integral, luminous and harmonious," says Fr. L. Murabito,[195] particularly rich in its biblical authority and spiritual intonation. Above all on this subject of biblical authority,
With significant expression, for example, Ven. Allegra calls Our Lady the "new Eve-Co-redemptrix," to indicate with clear biblical reference that the first Eve was the cause (secondary) of our fall with the first Adam (primary cause), while the second Eve has been the cause (secondary) of salvation with the second Adam (primary cause): He, the new Adam-Redeemer, she the "new Eve-Co-redemptrix."[197] With another expression, no less clear, the Venerable writes that "the Mother of the Word Incarnate was also the Co-redemptrix, the new Eve, as Jesus was the new Adam."[198] Elsewhere on other pages of his Marian writings Ven. Gabriel
Allegra speaks of the "mystery of the Immaculate-Mother-Co-redemptrix"[199] and calls
Our Blessed Lady the "Sorrowful
Mother-Co-redemptrix,"[200] and again: "our
Co-redemptrix,"[201] thus employing the term Co-redemptrix with great freedom,
This is the word of a great biblical scholar, one who is about to be honored at the altars. Ven. Allegra expounds the truth of the term Co-redemptrix and its theological significance in terms of a balanced and secure Marian soteriology: that is, the term Co-redemptrix signifies the dependent participation, nonetheless direct and immediate, of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the work of the universal Redemption: "Mary's cooperation in our Redemption," writes the Venerable, "is such that Mary merited the title Co-redemptrix,"[203] above all because "she intimately united herself to her dying Son on the Cross as our Co-redemptrix,"[204] and thus she was united with Him by means of that maternal compassion which "intimately unites us to the dying Christ. . . The Compassion constitutes the Coredemption."[205] And again: to be the Co-redemptrix means to be a "partaker of all the mysteries of the Son on earth," explains Fr. Murabito, "a partaker of the definitive battle and eschatological triumph of Jesus,"[206] according to Ven. Allegra. He structures the Marian Coredemption, therefore, entirely in terms of the intimate and total union between the divine Son and Mother, between Jesus the Redeemer and Mary the Co-redemptrix. It is in the union of both their sorrows offered together that the universal Redemption is effected.
Furthermore, Ven. Gabriel also points to the celebrated Franciscan thesis of the predestination of the Blessed Virgin "together with her Son from all eternity. Jesus is the King, and Mary the Queen of the universe; Jesus is the Redeemer, Mary the Co-redemptrix,"[208] and at that fixed moment, "when the fullness of time arrived" (cf. Gal 4:4), the Immaculate Conception became "the Mother of the mystical Body of the Lord, in virtue of the 'fiat' of the Annunciation, of the Coredemption on Calvary and of the glorious Assumption."[209] Regarding the doctrine of the absolute primacy of Christ and Mary, Ven. Allegra "knew well," Fr. Murabito points out, "that not a few theologians ignored the Franciscan and Scotistic doctrine on the Incarnation and absolute predestination of Christ together with Mary," and yet the Venerable, as early as 1945, noticed: "I hear that the exegetes and biblical theologians are ready to direct themselves towards the doctrine of the absolute Primacy of Christ...;"[210] and Fr. Murabito adds that the Venerable was already speaking of the
Ven. Allegra, to the contrary, and in perfect accord with St. Leopold Mandic, was thoroughly convinced that "the Immaculate Mother, the Mediatrix and Co-redemptrix, would be the Victor of the ecumenical battle because, as he would say, the Immaculate will triumph."[213] The doctrine of Ven. Allegra on Mary Immaculate, universal Co-redemptrix and Mediatrix-Dispensatrix of all graces, is filled with light, is anointed with inspiration, is solid in its structure, grounds a most lively hope for the whole Church and for all humanity. The Immaculate Co-redemptrix and universal Mediatrix is an entirely maternal Heart for us.[214] Conclusion Fr. Miotto, concluding his accurate study on the Coredemption in the hagiography of the 20th century, could write that this
This conclusion, comprehensive and compelling, equally serves to conclude our hagiographical research embracing a larger number of Saints, Blessed and Venerable, all exclusively belonging to the twentieth century. And this resounding chorus of voices, though but a handful with respect to the much larger number of living "elect" of the twentieth century, are a chorus more tha |