A Neapolitan saying that reads “everything to Mary, nothing to Jesus” summarizes well a common error linked to Marian devotion: placing the figure of the Mother of God at the centre, making her hoard everything, far from the Son and the Church. The note Mater Populi Fidelis of the Dicastery for the doctrine of the faith, on Marian titles, presented last November 4, seeks to shed light on these issues, as the theologian Sister Daniela Del Gaudio, director of the International Observatory of the Apparitions, explains to us.
What is the heart of this note and why is it published at this time?
«Because it wants to answer, as Cardinal Fernandez says in the introduction, to various questions that have arisen from Christian people in recent decades regarding some Marian titles. In particular, the title of “co-redemptrix” and “mediatrix” has been attributed to the Madonna practically forever. We needed to make some clarifications.”
Is this note addressed to the simple faithful, who perhaps don’t think about all this when they pray? Or is it instead aimed at those who educate the people of God?
«It is certainly a document aimed above all at experts, who however lead groups, do catechesis… One of the main concerns is that Marian worship is often not included in the Church, that Marian devotion can be used to go against the Church. However, the note also speaks to the faithful, it explains that we must learn to know well who Mary is. In the end, the document wants to answer precisely these questions: who was Mary in the work of salvation? How did he collaborate with Christ in our salvation? What does Mary do in my life of grace? What is your role in the Church?».
How can this theme of the “co-redemptrix” be explained simply?
«The document explains it well, where it says that Mary collaborates in a unique and singular way in our redemption, but always on a creaturely level. She participates as a mother, in the sense that she was chosen by God to be the way through which the Redeemer came into the world, a mother who then faithfully followed her son to the cross. Mary represents a great model for us, she bears witness in a privileged way to the saving power of Christ.”
Can you give us some examples of the most common mistakes that are also made in prayer, addressing the Madonna?
«The most frequent error is an individualistic spirituality that sees Mary detached from Marian dogmas and therefore from the teaching of the Church. There is a risk of making her a “goddess”, without understanding that Mary’s true mission is to go to Jesus, for Maria ad Iesum. It is not possible to contemplate Mary without Christ and on the other hand it is not possible to contemplate the mystery of Christ without Mary. An interesting part of the document refers to Mariology studies, which have made a lot of progress in recent years, explaining some biblical passages well. For example, Genesis 3.15 is cited, when God at the beginning of Genesis, speaking of the Redeemer, tells us that he will come from a woman and then “I will put enmity between you and the woman”. What is the importance of putting this woman at the center? And again Galatians 4:4, “when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman”. The role of this woman is then fundamental, however not as a goddess, almost an absolute protagonist, but precisely to make people understand the role of humanity and, therefore, of the creature that participates in the work of redemption of the incarnate Son of God.”
We also talk about the risks of a certain spirituality spread on social media…
«This is a problem: today there are groups that have a great echo on social media and teach doctrines that absolutize the role of Mary outside the Church, putting her in contrast with the Pope, the hierarchy, ecclesial communion. Therefore the problem is not only the relationship with Christ, but also with the Church.”
Therefore we can say that this document does not take anything away from Marian devotion authentic?
«No, on the contrary, in my opinion it offers an important orientation precisely for a correct understanding of the mystery of God and therefore also for a growth in devotion: the document speaks of Mary as the mother of grace, as a mediator, a model for the faithful. This is what the Second Vatican Council already said, because Mary continues this maternal function by interceding for us, accompanying us and protecting the life of every believer and of the whole Church.”
In the photo: Our Lady of Mercy by Giovanni d’Agnolo di Balduccio (Ipa Alamy).
