The feast of the Visitation.
Mary, Mediatrix of All Graces.
Today used to be known as the feast of Mary, Mediatrix, although during the reign of Pius XII, it became the feast of the Queenship of Mary. After the Council, when the liturgical calendar was reformed, the 31 of May became the feast of the Visitation.
Our Lady had been chosen Mother of Christ “in order that she might become a partner in the redemption of the human race”.
Whoever, therefore, reverences the Queen of heaven and earth — and let no one consider himself exempt from this tribute of a grateful and loving soul — let him invoke the most effective of Queens, the Mediatrix of peace; let him respect and preserve peace, which is not wickedness unpunished nor freedom without restraint, but a well-ordered harmony under the rule of the will of God; to its safeguarding and growth the gentle urgings and commands of the Virgin Mary impel us. - Ad Caeli Reginam - Pius XII
Thus we see, that the understanding of Our Lady as Mediatrix, Co-Redemptrix, and Advocate is not a new development in Mariology, but has been accepted by the Church for centuries, and often referenced by the popes. I believe St. Alphonsus Liguori, as well as many other saints, often referred to Our Lady using these titles.
Protestant influences.
Of course the Protestant reformation attempted to do away with these notions, emphasizing Christ as the one Mediator, Redeemer, and Advocate before the Father - which indeed He is. Therefore, as some say, Vatican II, in order to appease Protestant sensitivities, avoided any emphasis upon these venerable titles of Our Lady.
In the United States especially, where the Catholic Church and the faithful have been contaminated by Protestant thought, these attributes are greatly misunderstood.
Where is it in the Bible?
However, if one meditates today’s Gospel, one can see how fitting these titles are for the Blessed Virgin. As the Mother of God, she carried in her womb, as in a tabernacle, the God-man. Her visit to Elizabeth served the Divine plan in so far as - through her mediation - she brought the Son of God to the infant John, while yet enclosed in the womb of his mother, whereby he was sanctified through the merits of Jesus Christ. Just so, if one considers the Gospel of the wedding at Cana, one also witnesses how the Mother of God, Mother of Divine Grace, exercises her privilege as mediatrix when she tells Our Lord, “They have no wine.” Our Lord responds by dispensing wine (Grace) in abundance.
Considering the erosion of traditional Catholic faith and devotion, it seems to me the time has come that these things concerning the role of the Mother of God in our salvation may be officially defined and explained by the Sacred Magisterium of the Church. Several Bishops and Cardinals are currently asking that this role of Our Lady be defined as dogma, as have many of the laity.
Links:
Philosophical and Personalist Foundations of a Marian Doctrine
May 31st, 2008 at 12:49 pm
What a happy day!
May 31st, 2008 at 1:52 pm
The feast of Mary Mediatrix of All Graces is now kept (in Belgium and in other places that have it in their calendar) on August 31st. Other places keep it on May 8th.
On May 11, 2007, during a homily at the canonization of Father Antônio de Sant’Ana Galvão, O.F.M., in Brazil, Pope Benedict XVI gave one of the clearest statements ever made on the Blessed Virgin Mary as Mediatrix of All Graces, when he said: “There is no fruit of grace in the history of salvation that does not have as its necessary instrument the mediation of Our Lady.” In saying this, the Holy Father put to rest, once and for all, the scruples and doubts of those who, misinformed of the teachings of the Church after the Second Vatican Council, or simply ignorant of them, somehow thought it inappropriate to call the Mother of Jesus and our Mother the Mediatrix of All Graces.
May 31st, 2008 at 2:06 pm
Thank you very much Father - I knew you would have something, and express it with greater delicacy than I do. Thanks!
I’m happy to know the feast is still observed.
May 31st, 2008 at 3:46 pm
The point is well made that this proposed dogma represents nothing new and isn’t a break with tradition. But it seems to me that it is a nuanced thing which could easily be misunderstood and misconstrued. There are legitimate 1st commandment concerns here, which should not be dismissed simply as “Protestant contamination” of American thought. Because it would be possible to promulgate this doctrine doesn’t mean that it necessarily should be done. The benefits seem questionable, and the potential is there for media misrepresentation, and misunderstanding due to poor catechesis.