Mary

The following document concerning Mary, Mother of Jesus, contains little that is fundamentally new. It is rather for the most part a synthesis of Mary's exalted roles as Coredemptrix, Mediatrix, and Advocate as they are already contained in the sources of divine revelation, Sacred Scripture and Apostolic Tradition, as interpreted by the Magisterium (cf. Dei Verbum, n. 9, 10), and as it is presently understood and experienced in the dynamic ecclesial life of the Living, Pondering, and Praying Church, the People of God. It is true that in the divine drama of how God makes himself and his will known to humanity, certain doctrinal truths are only more fully penetrated after the Church has ages of human history in which to ponder and reflect upon the divine seeds of these truths which are contained in the Word of God, both written and handed down. If God has reserved a greater and more complete understanding of certain revealed seeds of faith regarding Mary, the Mother of Jesus, until our own recent centuries, then such a greater understanding granted by the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, should not be met with a potentially stagnant incredulity on this fact alone. Rather, it should evoke a fresh appreciation for the ever- dynamic designs of God in leading the pilgrim People of God towards their eternal home, and for the Holy Spirit, who blows where he wills (cf. Jn 3:8). I believe such to be the case about the roles of Mary, Mother of Jesus, as the Coredemptrix, Mediatrix, and Advocate for the People of God. This in no way infers a new public revelation about the Mother of Jesus; but rather a new and more developed penetration into the already revealed truths about Mary and the intimate "union of the mother with the Son in the work of salvation" (Lumen Gentium, n. 57). May our minds and hearts be one with the Lord and his words at the Last Supper, in openness to and trust in the Holy Spirit, the Counselor of the People of God and Divine Spouse of Mary, in leading us to the deepest possible understanding about the revelation of God concerning the Mother of Jesus. May the Holy Spirit lead us to the whole truth about Mary: "I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of Truth comes, he will guide you in all truth; for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come" (Jn 16:12). Mark I. Miravalle, S.T.D. Associate Professor of Theology and Mariology Franciscan University of Steubenville 31 May 1993