THE FIFTH MARIAN DOGMA Mary: Coredemptrix, Mediatrix, Advocate We are all privileged to be living during the climax of the universally designated "Age of Mary". International Marian Centres such as Lourdes, Fatima and places of contemporary apparition, as well as numerous other contemporary Marian movements manifest the present climax of love and devotion to the Mother of Jesus throughout the world. But along with a climax in devotion to Our Lady, this Age of Mary is also crucially calling for a climax in the doctrine about Mary. For authentic love of Mary must be firmly based upon the authentic truth about Mary. Up to the present time in the history of the church, four Marian doctrines have been defined as central Catholic truths by the Church: the Motherhood of God, the Immaculate Conception, the Perpetual Virginity of Mary, and her Glorious Assumption into heaven. It is now time for the church, at the summit of this Marian era, to proclaim and define the fifth and final Marian doctrine, that is, Mary's universal mediation as Coredemptrix, Mediatrix of all grace, and advocate for the people of God. When the Church invokes Mary under the title, "Coredemptrix", she means that Mary uniquely participated in the redemption of the human family by Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour. At the Annunciation (cf.Lk.1:38) Mary freely cooperated in giving the Second Person of the Trinity his human body which is the very instrument of redemption, as Scripture tells us: "We have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all" (Heb.10:10). And at the foot of the cross of our Saviour (Jn.19: 26), Mary's intense sufferings, united with those of her Son, as Pope John Paul II tells us, were, "also a contribution to the Redemption of us all" (Salvifici Doloris, n.25). Because of this intimate sharing in the redemption accomplished by the Lord, the Mother of the Redeemer is uniquely and rightly referred to by Pope John Paul II and the Church as the "Coredemptrix." It is important to note that the prefix "co" in the title Coredemptrix does not mean "equal to" but rather "with", coming from the Latin word cum. The Marian title Coredemptrix never places Mary on a level of equality with her Divine Son, Jesus Christ. Rather it refers to Mary's unique human participation, which is completely secondary and subordinate to the redeeming role of Jesus, who alone is true God and true Man. Secondly, Mary is invoked in the Church under the title Mediatrix of all grace. All the graces that flow from the redemption of Jesus Christ are granted to the human family through the motherly intercession of Mary. Mary mediated Jesus Christ, the Author of all graces, to the world when she agreed to be the human mother of God made man (cf. Lk 1:38). And from the cross at Calvary (Jn 19:26) and as the final gift to humanity, Jesus gives Mary as a spiritual mother to us all: "Son, behold your mother" (cf. Jn 19:26). For this reason, Vatican II refers to Mary as a "mother to us in the order of grace " (Lumen Gentium, n. 62) and several twentieth century popes have officially taught the doctrine of Mary as Mediatrix of all graces, quoting the words of St Bernard: "It is the will of God that we obtain all favours through Mary." The Mediatrix performs this task in intimate union with the Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier, with whom she began the drama of our Lord's Redemption at the Annunciation (cf. Lk. 1:35). Thirdly, Mary is our Advocate for people of God, in that she takes the petitions of her earthly children, especially in times of difficulties, and brings them through her maternal intercession before her Son and our Lord Jesus. In the Old Testament, the Queen Mother brought the petitioned needs of the people of Israel to the throne of her son the king (cf. 1 Kings 2:19). Now Mary is the new Queen Mother and Advocate in the new Kingdom of her Son, who brings the petitioned needs of the people of God to the throne of her glorious Son, Christ the King, particularly in our present difficult times. The universal mediation of the Mother of Jesus as Coredemptrix, Mediatrix of all graces, and Advocate for the people of God is already contained in the official and authoritative teachings of the Church's Magisterium. Now, at the summit of
the Marian era, what remains is the final proclamation by the Church of this final Marian doctrine as Christian dogma revealed by God. Dr. Mark Miravalle, Associate Professor of Theology and Mariology at the Franciscan University of Steubenville, has written the book, Mary: Coredemptrix, Mediatrix, Advocate. This work theologically expounds these roles of Mary in Scripture, Apostolic Tradition, and the teachings of the Church's Magisterium, and humbly calls for our Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, to proclaim and define the universal mediation of Mary as Coredemptrix, Mediatrix, and Advocate as "Christian dogma revealed by God, in rightful veneration of the Mother of Jesus, and for the good of the one, holy, Catholic, and apostolic Church of Christ". Cardinal Luigi Ciappi, O.P., who served as Papal Theologian for every pope from Pius XII to John Paul II, has written the foreword in strong endorsement of this work, and himself asserts, quoting the call for papal definition of Mary, Coredemptrix, Mediatrix, and Advocate, "I share the hope of Dr. Mark Miravalle". Vox Populi Mariae Mediatrici (Voice of the People for Mary Mediatrix) is an international lay organization that seeks to work for the papal definition of our Lady as Coredemptrix, Mediatrix, and Advocate by gathering petitions from the faithful throughout the world in humble support of our Holy Father for this final Marian dogma. Vox Populi is distributing Professor Miravalle's work throughout the world in nine languages, and has already received 2.5 million petitions from more than 132 countries worldwide. Vox Populi has also received the endorsements of 36 Cardinals and over 130 Bishops worldwide from the Universal Church. The two previous popes who defined Marian Dogma, Pius IX and Pius XII, both referred to the international petitions of the faithful as one of the criteria that led to the final acts of papally defining the Marian dogmas of the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption.