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Hail,
Mary,
Co-Redeemer?
by James G. McCarthy
Though denied by a Vatican
spokesman, it has been widely reported in the media recently that Pope
John Paul II may be about to make an infallible proclamation, recognizing
Mary as the co-redeemer of the human race. Though a long-time Catholic
doctrine, such a declaration would elevate the belief to the level of
dogma. This would establish Mary's role as co-redeemer as part of the
"deposit of faith," a divinely revealed truth, not simply a theological
conclusion. The following excerpt from The Gospel According to Rome
explains what the Church of Rome means by Mary's work of redemption and
why this teaching is unbiblical. Bracketed numbers are cross-references to
the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
According to the Roman Catholic
Church, when Mary accepted God's invitation for her to bear His Son, she
". . . was already collaborating with the whole work her Son was to
accomplish" (1):
The Father of mercies willed
that the Incarnation should be preceded by assent on the part of the
predestined mother, so that just as a woman had a share in bringing
about death, so also a woman should contribute to life. . . . Rightly,
therefore, the Fathers see Mary not merely as passively engaged by God,
but as freely cooperating in the work of man's salvation through faith
and obedience. For, as St. Irenaeus says, she "being obedient, became
the cause of salvation for herself and for the whole human race." Hence
not a few of the early Fathers gladly assert with him in their
preaching: "the knot of Eve's disobedience was untied by Mary's
obedience: what the virgin Eve bound through her disbelief, Mary
loosened by her faith." Comparing Mary with Eve, they call her "Mother
of the living," and frequently claim: "death through Eve, life through
Mary." - - Second Vatican Council(2)
According to the Roman Catholic
Church, Mary's participation in the incarnation was only the beginning of
her role in salvation. The Church teaches that "it was God's design that
the Blessed Virgin Mary, apparently absent from the public life of Jesus,
should assist him when he was dying nailed to the Cross."(3) United with
Christ, Mary offered Him as a sacrifice to God on the cross:
She it was who, immune from
all sin, personal or inherited, and ever more closely united with her
Son, offered him on Golgotha to the Eternal Father together with the
holocaust of her maternal rights and motherly love. . . . - - Mystici
Corporis(4)
Not only did Mary offer her Son
to God, but she remained at the cross to suffer with Christ
[964]:
Thus the Blessed Virgin
advanced in her pilgrimage of faith, and faithfully persevered in her
union with her Son unto the cross, where she stood, in keeping with the
divine plan, enduring with her only begotten Son the intensity of his
suffering, associated herself with his sacrifice in her mother's heart,
and lovingly consenting to the immolation of this victim which was born
of her. - - Second Vatican Council(5)
According to the Church, Mary's
sufferings were so intense that they brought her to the very threshold of
death. She, says the Church, "participated with Jesus Christ in the very
painful act of redemption"(6):
Mary suffered and, as it
were, nearly died with her suffering Son; for the salvation of mankind
she renounced her mother's rights and, as far as it depended on her,
offered her Son to placate divine justice; so we may well say that she
with Christ redeemed mankind. - - Inter Sodalicia(7)
Thus Mary, in a subordinate
role to Christ, had a "part with him in the redemption of the human
race."(8) She is, therefore, called by the Church the "the co-operatrix in
man's redemption,"(9) "our coredemptor."(10) For at the cross, Mary
triumphed "utterly over the ancient serpent."(11)
Following the death and
resurrection of Christ, says the Church, Mary was a major force in the
spread of the gospel [965]:
It is no exaggeration to say
that it is due chiefly to her leadership and help that the wisdom and
teachings of the Gospel spread so rapidly to all the nations of the
world in spite of the most obstinate difficulties and most cruel
persecutions and brought everywhere in their train a new reign of
justice and peace. - - Adiutricem Populi(12)
Finally, the Roman Catholic
Church teaches that when Mary's life on earth was completed, God
miraculously took her into heaven. There He crowned her Queen of Heaven
and Earth [966]:
The Blessed Virgin Mary is to
be called Queen not only on account of her divine motherhood but also
because by the will of God she had a great part in the work of our
salvation. . . . In this work of redemption the blessed Virgin Mary was
closely associated with her Christ. . . . Just as Christ, because he
redeemed us, is by a special title our King and Lord, so too is Blessed
Mary, our Queen and our Mistress, because of the unique way in which she
co-operated in our redemption. She provided her very substance for his
body, she offered him willingly for us, and she took a unique part in
our salvation by desiring it, praying for it, and so obtaining it. . . .
- - Ad Coeli Reginam(13)
There is One Redeemer, Not
Two
Scripture is clear that the
Lord alone is our redeemer. To Israel God proclaimed, "I, the Lord, am
your Savior, and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob" (Isaiah 49:26).
The New Testament Scriptures reveal that it is in God's "beloved Son, in
whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins" (Colossians 1:13-14).
God justifies sinners "through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus"
(Romans 3:24).
The Church's claim that Mary
offered Christ "on Golgotha to the Eternal Father"(14) contradicts
Scripture. The Bible says that Christ "offered Himself without blemish to
God" (Hebrews 9:14).
Similarly, there is no biblical
support for the Roman Catholic claim that Mary "with Christ redeemed
mankind."(15) The Church says, speaking of Mary:
In her, the many and intense
sufferings were amassed in such an interconnected way that they were not
only a proof of her unshakable faith but also a contribution to the
Redemption of all.
. . . it was on Calvary that
Mary's suffering, beside the suffering of Jesus, reached an intensity
which can hardly be imagined from a human point of view but which was
mysteriously and supernaturally fruitful for the Redemption of the
world. - - Salvifici Doloris(16)
Here the Church, rather than
picturing Mary as a grateful redeemed sinner at the feet of her Savior,
portrays her as making "a contribution to the Redemption of all"(17)
through her own sufferings. In the words of the Second Vatican Council
[968]:
She conceived, brought
forth, and nourished Christ, she presented him to the Father in the
temple, shared her Son's sufferings as he died on the cross. Thus, in
a wholly singular way she cooperated by her obedience, faith, hope and
burning charity in the work of the Savior in restoring supernatural
life to souls. - - Second Vatican Council(18)
Genesis 3:15
Some Catholic scholars point
to Genesis 3:15 in support of the Church's teaching of Mary as the
co-redeemer. In many Roman Catholic versions of the Bible, such as the
Douay Rheims, the standard Roman Catholic English Bible until the middle
of the twentieth century, God's curse upon Satan reads:
I will put enmities between
thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed: she shall crush thy
head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel. - - Genesis 3:15 (Douay
Rheims)
Based on this verse, many
statues and paintings of Mary show her crushing a serpent under her
foot--a graphic representation of her role as co-redeemer. This imagery
is also found in Catholic documents:
Hence, just as Christ, the
Mediator between God and man, assumed human nature, blotted the
handwriting of the decree that stood against us, and fastened it
triumphantly to the cross, so the most holy Virgin, united with him by
a most intimate and indissoluble bond, was, with him and through him,
eternally at enmity with the evil serpent, and most completely
triumphed over him, and thus crushed his head with her immaculate
foot. - - Ineffabilis Deus(19)
This imagery, however, is
based upon a faulty translation of Genesis 3:15 from the Latin texts of
the Vulgate Bible, the official Bible of the Roman Catholic Church since
the fourth century. Until recently, the Latin Vulgate served as the base
text for all Roman Catholic translations, including the English Douay
Rheims Bible.
In the Hebrew text, the
original language of the Old Testament, the subject of Genesis 3:15 is
masculine, not feminine. Therefore, rather than reading "she shall crush
thy head" (Genesis 3:15, Douay Rheims), the verse should be translated
"He shall bruise you on the head" (Genesis 3:15, NASB). The verse is
prophetically speaking of Christ's victory over Satan, not
Mary's.
Though recent Roman Catholic
translations have corrected the error, Roman Catholic theology remains
the same.
Luke 2:34-35
Another passage that the
Church uses to support its teaching of the "union of the mother with the
Son in the work of salvation"(20) is Luke 2:34-35. Joseph and Mary had
taken the infant Jesus to Jerusalem to present Him in the temple.
Simeon, a righteous man who was looking for the coming of the Messiah,
took the child into his arms and said to Mary,
Behold, this Child is
appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to
be opposed--and a sword will pierce even your own soul--to the end
that thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. - - Luke 2:34-35
According to the Church, the
sword here speaks of Mary's participation with Christ in suffering for
our redemption [618]. She, wrote Pope John Paul II, made "a contribution
to the Redemption of all"(21):
. . . it was on Calvary
that Mary's suffering, beside the suffering of Jesus, reached an
intensity which can hardly be imagined from a human point of view but
which was mysteriously and supernaturally fruitful for the Redemption
of the world. - - Salvifici Doloris(22)
The Roman Catholic claim that
Mary suffered for the redemption of the world is unjustified for three
reasons:
1. Mary Did Not Suffer for
Sin
As Mary watched her Son
hanging on the cross, she undoubtedly suffered greatly. However, the
same could be said of the others present who loved the Lord and
witnessed His sufferings: John, Mary Magdalene, Salome, Mary the wife of
Clopas (John 19:25-27, Mark 15:40). We might describe the nature of this
kind of sorrow as the suffering of compassion.
It is also likely that Mary,
even as Christ, endured the taunts and ridicule of evil men. She did so
willingly, knowing that God had called her to serve as the mother of
Jesus. Scripture describes this kind of persecution as suffering for
the sake of righteousness (1 Peter 3:14).
These two kinds of suffering,
however, must be distinguished from what Christ experienced on the
cross. He suffered for sin. Christ, "having become a curse for
us" (Galatians 3:13), became the object of God's wrath as the Father
"caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him" (Isaiah 53:6). This the
Lord Jesus, "smitten of God, and afflicted" (Isaiah 53:4), suffered in
solitary agony:
Reproach has broken my
heart, and I am so sick.
And I looked for sympathy, but there was
none,
And for comforters, but I found none.
- - Psalm 69:20
Apparently, neither Mary nor
any of the others at the foot of the cross were even aware that before
them the Son of God was suffering for the sins of the world.
2. Mary Did Not Suffer Death for
Sin
Despite the intensity of
Christ's physical sufferings, the Scriptures consistently link our
redemption not to his pain, but to His death. Paul writes that "we were
reconciled to God through the death of His Son" (Romans 5:10). The
writer of Hebrews reminds us that "a death has taken place for the
redemption of the transgressions" (Hebrews 9:15). John tells us that
Jesus "released us from our sins by His blood" (Revelation
1:5).
The reason, of course, is
that the penalty for our sin is death (Genesis 2:17, Romans 6:23). A
life, therefore, had to be given to redeem us. That is why Christ came:
"to give His life a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45). Christ "died for sins
once for all, the just for the unjust, in order that He might bring us
to God. . . ." (1 Peter 3:18). Nowhere do the Scriptures teach that we
were redeemed by Christ's righteous life, faithful obedience, or even
His sufferings at the hands of cruel men.
Here again the sufferings of
Mary fall short of being redemptive. The Church claims that "Mary
suffered and, as it were, nearly died with her suffering Son,"(23) that
she "in her heart died with him, stabbed by the sword of sorrow."(24)
But the fact of the matter is that Mary did not die on Calvary. Christ
alone gave His life for our redemption.
3. Mary Was Not Qualified to Redeem
Mankind
Even if Mary had died on
Calvary, her death would not have redeemed anyone. As we saw in the last
chapter, Mary herself was a sinner. As such, she was guilty before God
and unfit to redeem anyone. The same is true of every other man or
woman. Scripture teaches:
No man can by any means
redeem his brother,
Or give to God a ransom for him--
For the
redemption of his soul is costly,
And he should cease trying
forever
- - Psalm 49:7-8
That is why God sent His Son,
the Lord Jesus Christ, to redeem us. He alone was qualified. Since He
was the Son of God, His life was of infinite value and able to redeem
all mankind. Having been made "in the likeness of men" (Philippians
2:7), He was capable of both representing humanity before God and
physically dying (Hebrews 2:14-17). Since He was without sin, His life
was an acceptable sacrifice (1 Peter 1:19; 2:22). Christ alone,
therefore, deserves the title of Redeemer. "Worthy is the Lamb that was
slain" (Revelation 5:12).
Endnotes
1 Catechism of
the Catholic Church, 973.
2 Second Vatican
Council, "Dogmatic Constitution on the Church," no. 56.
3 Pope Benedict XV, Inter Sodalicia. This quote and some
of the others which follow can be found in a collection of statements by
recent popes compiled by Francis J. Ripley, Mary, Mother of the
Church (Rockford, IL: Tan Books, 1969).
4 Pope
Pius XII, Mystici Corporis.
5 Second Vatican
Council, "Dogmatic Constitution on the Church," no. 58.
6 Pope Pius XI, Explorata Res.
7 Pope
Benedict XV, Inter Sodalicia.
8 Pope Pius XII,
Ad Coeli Reginam.
9 Pope Leo XIII, Ubi
Primum.
10 Decree of the Sacred Congregation of
the Holy Office, "Indulgences," June 26, 1913, published in Acta
Apostolicae Sedis. Also refer to Henry Denzinger, Sources of
Catholic Dogma (St. Louis, MO: Herder Book Co., 1957), p. 502,
article 1978 a and footnote 2; A. Tanquerey, A Manual of Dogmatic
Theology (New York, NY: Desclee Company, 1959), vol. 2, p. 108-109;
and Ludwig Ott, Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma (Rockford, IL: Tan
Books and Publishers, 1960), p. 212-213.
11 Pope Pius
IX, Ineffabilis Deus.
12 Pope Leo XIII,
Adiutricem Populi.
13 Pope Pius XII, Ad
Coeli Reginam.
14 Pope Pius XII, Mystici
Corporis.
15 Pope Benedict XV, Inter
Sodalicia.
16 Pope John Paul II, Salvifici
Doloris, no. 25.
17 Pope John Paul II,
Salvifici Doloris, no. 25.
18 Second Vatican
Council, "Dogmatic Constitution on the Church," no. 61.
19 Pope Pius IX, Ineffabilis Deus.
20
Second Vatican Council, "Dogmatic Constitution on the Church," no.
57.
21 Pope John Paul II, Salvifici Doloris,
no. 25.
22 Pope John Paul II, Salvifici
Doloris, no. 25.
23 Pope Benedict XV, Inter
Sodalicia.
24 Pope Leo XII, Jucunda
Semper.
The above is an excerpt from
The Gospel According to Rome by James G. McCarthy, (©) Copyright
1995. It may be reproduced in its entirety, without editing, as long as
it is distributed as "freeware" (without charge) and this copyright and
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