Olga Krabovská and Věra Mrázová
Mary is not often mentioned in the New Testament, but we can notice that she is present in all the decisive events from which the Christian mystery arises: at the incarnation, as it took place within her; at the completion of Christ's work of our redemption, when she stood at his cross, and at Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was given, acting so that the work of salvation would remain effective in the church. These facts are mentioned by Father Raniero Cantalamessa in his book "Maria, the Mirror of the Church." However, we can trace the Gospel accounts of Mary even further. The Archangel Gabriel addresses her during the Annunciation as full of grace, with whom the Lord is, and informs her that she has found grace with God. In this address, in this fullness of grace, the well-known English convert Cardinal Newman sees a confirmation of Mary's extraordinary election, namely that she was conceived without the stain of original sin. There is no other way to interpret it. And Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, blesses her as blessed among women, and Mary, this humble servant of the Lord, inspired by the same Spirit, not only glorifies him and his mercy, but also contemplates her blessedness by all generations.
Jesus performs his first miracle at the wedding at Cana in Galilee at her intercession. Although he initially refused, citing that his time had not yet come, overcome by her trust and faith, he transcends the boundaries of his time and turns water into wine. We can marvel at how the power of this woman manifests itself in Jesus right from the beginning of his public ministry. How could it not manifest after its conclusion, during which, in unimaginable pain and truly the most cruel anguish of her maternal heart, she shared in the redemptive work of her Son, that Saint John Paul II called her Co-Redemptrix!
The same pope highlights Mary's faith in his encyclical Redemptoris Mater - Mother of the Redeemer - as follows: "In honoring the Mother of God, the praise of her faith is always included. All who in numerous nations accept the mystery of Christ as the Incarnate Word turn to Mary not only with confidence, but also seek in her faith strength for their own faith... In her faith, the Father opened from the Annunciation to the Cross the space in which he fills us with every blessing. In the faith that Mary confessed as the 'handmaid of the Lord' and in which she continually goes before the people of God, the Church seeks to gather the people under one head, who is Christ, and this in the unity of the Holy Spirit."
Perhaps visitors to the Holy Mountain will remember that years ago a challenge from Cardinal Tomášek appeared in the vestibule of the basilica, urging the faithful not to sing in the Holy Mountain Hail Mary: "… intercede for us, Virgin Mary," but "O Virgin Mary!" The cardinal was a special devotee of Mary and her Immaculate Heart and seemed to have a hard time tolerating that tiny address (though it came from loving hearts) to the woman whom the Church invokes among other titles as the Glorious Virgin, the Powerful Virgin, Tower of David, Gate of Heaven, Queen of Angels and all Saints, Mother of the Church! This last invocation was included by Pope Paul VI in the Litanies of Loreto right after invoking Mary as the Mother of Christ.
Regarding Mary's mission to be the Mother of the Church, the Mother of God's people, the Dutch bishops write aptly in their pastoral letter "On Marian Devotion after the Council": "… The woman whom God first and foremost gave to his Son as a mother was also chosen to be the mother of God's people. In the Church, one has always thought of the words spoken by the dying Christ to John, who remained faithful, and in him to all his disciples and followers: 'Woman, behold your son.' Christ asked nothing from this earth but what the poorest person has: a mother. And that one thing he took from the goods of this earth he did not want to keep for himself but shared it as a sign of his foresight love. Thus, Mary has a unique, irreplaceable place in the Church. And it is just and fitting that we should always be grateful to God for the great things he has done in Mary and continues to do in the Church, for which Mary is the image and model."
Finally, here are at least a few sentences from "The Credo of God's People" by Pope Paul VI from June 30, 1968: "We believe that the holy Mother of God, the new Eve, the Mother of the Church, continues in heaven with her maternal task, with regard to the members of Christ, as she cooperates in awakening and developing divine life in the redeemed souls."
