Une Minute avec Marie
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Do we forget Christ when we pray to the Blessed Virgin? What does it mean to say that Mary "distributes" graces? Father Serafino M. Lanzetta, a Marian Franciscan and author of Semper Virgo (Via Romana publishers), answers the questions posed by Constantin de Vergennes for France Catholique:
Does this mean that all graces, given by Christ, pass through Mary?
Yes, because the Virgin Mary and her Son are one and the same, as the French School of Spirituality emphasized, in particular Fr. Jean-Jacques Olier, who explained the concept of mediation by saying that the Virgin Mary was a "sacrament" of Christ, distributing the grace of her Son. Indeed, by welcoming Jesus into her womb, the Virgin Mary actively participated in our salvation. Grace was acquired by Jesus, with the active contribution of Our Lady. For this reason, we could say that Mary is "co-redemptrix".
This notion is at the heart of the debate as to whether it should be recognized as a new dogma.
I personally do hope that it will be recognized, even if it will meet with some challenges, as there are theological objections and also a certain amount of ignorance: when we stop at the prefix "co", we imagine that the Co-Redemption places Our Lady on the same level as Jesus. But this is not the case. Our Lady remains "subordinate" to Jesus, yet complementary. She was chosen by God to be the cooperatrix, just as Eve was chosen to be Adam's wife.
How do you understand the notion of "perpetual virginity", at the heart of your book?
To say that the Virgin is αειπάρθενος, "always virgin", as defined by the Second Council of Constantinople in 553, means that the Virgin was so before Christ's birth, during childbirth and afterwards. Before childbirth, because Mary was pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit. Virginity during childbirth is certainly the most difficult to understand, and also the most denied today. Yet the mystery of virginity is the manifestation that Jesus is the true God: his birth is a miracle, demonstrating that Christ is God. Finally, her virginity after the birth of Jesus is a reminder that she had no other children. For Catholics, this is dogma.
What does Mary's virginity have to do with her mediation?
It means that Mary's virginity is part of the original mediation that gave us Christ. It also enables Our Lady's act of mediation at the foot of the Cross, alongside Saint John: by remaining a virgin, Mary can be both the Mother of Christ and the Mother of us all, as Jesus affirmed when he said to her from the Cross: "Woman, behold your son", and then to Saint John: "Behold your mother".