A Response to 7 Common Objections
To Lysbeth, my beloved wife; and to our precious children, John-Mark, Michael, Christiana, Mariana, Joseph, Annaleah, Mary-Bernadette, and Philumena.
Imprimatur:
Ernesto Cardinal Corripio Ahumada
Mexico City
May 1, 2001
PART 1
On December 23, 2000, The New York Times ran a major story on the international Catholic movement Vox Populi Mariae Mediatrici, which is seeking to encourage the papal definition of the Blessed Virgin Mary as "Co-redemptrix, Mediatrix of all graces, and Advocate." Existing Catholic teaching of Mary as a Coredemptrix refers to the unique participation of Mary, Mother of Jesus, in the redemption accomplished by Jesus Christ, the divine Redeemer.
The New York Times article was in turn reprinted in a great number of U.S. major newspapers and therefore sparked great and high-spirited debate across the country and internationally over the idea of the Blessed Virgin as a "Co-redemptrix" with Jesus Christ.
Although slightly different in their expression, most objections to the teaching of the Catholic Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary as Co-redemptrix fall into the same basic categories. The following is a summary of seven common objections to Mary as Co-redemptrix, taken principally from recent newspaper publications, both secular and Christian. A basic response will be offered to each objection.
Objection 1:
Calling Mary a "Co-redemptrix" places her on an equal level with Jesus Christ, the Divine Son of God, making her something like a fourth person of the Trinity, a goddess or quasi-divine goddess, which is blasphemy for any true Christian.
PART 2
Objection 4:
To call Mary a co-redemptrix or to call Christians in general "co-redeemers" is to have a human being actively participate in redemption, which is a divine or, more specifically, a "theandric" activity, accomplished by Jesus Christ in his divine and human natures alone, and thus forbidden by Christianity. Such would only encourage paganism, since it places a human person, Mary, as part of a divine redemptive action which only Jesus Christ can accomplish.
PART 3
Objection 6:
On a more speculative theological level, it appears that Mary cannot participate in the acquisition of the graces of redemption (or "objective redemption") as the Co-redemptrix when she herself needed to be redeemed. If she did cooperate in objective redemption, it is because without her objective redemption has not been accomplished. But if objective redemption has indeed not been accomplished, then she herself cannot benefit from it personally. This would be to accept that at the same time objective redemption is in the act of being accomplished and has already been accomplished, which would be a contradiction.
