Mary, Mother of the Redemption [antikvár]

INTRODUCTION It is impossible to arrive at a sound interpretation of the Marian mystery in all its truly Christian depth in a treatise in which the subject is dissociated from the mystery of Christ. A true understanding can be achieved only when the mystery of Mary is allowed to develop fully within the mystery of Christ, as Mariology and Christology clearly do not exist as separate entities, but form a single organic whole. If this basic and self-evident view of the Faith is not accepted as the predominant guiding principle in our consideration of the Marian mystery, it is not entirely unreasonable to expect that the Christian redemption will, as a result, be seen in a false perspective, and that our treatment of the subject will detract from the fundamental tenet of Catholic dogma—^namely, that we are redeemed by God. For we are indeed redeemed by God alone, but in and through the human form in which he manifested himself to us—we are redeemed through Jesus Christ, God become man. But, by virtue of our free consent, which is necessarily implied in the Redemption, all of us—and, in a very special and profound way, Mary—share, as human beings, in the Redemption. We are "co-redeemers," even though this takes the form of an "active receptiveness" towards the God-man, Christ, who is the only Redeemer. This is one of the main reasons why the Church tends to avoid the Marian title of "co-redemptrix" in her official documents, and generally has recourse to less overcharged formulations, such as "partner in the Redemption." The Church is so xiii