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C . MARY WITHIN THE PATTERN OF GRACE AND HOPE
- Participation in the glory of God, through the mediation of
the Son, in the power of the Spirit is the Gospel hope (cf.
2 Corinthians 3:18; 4:4-6). The Church already enjoys this hope
and destiny through the Holy Spirit, who is the ‘pledge'
of our inheritance in Christ (Ephesians 1:14, 2 Corinthians
5:5). For Paul especially, what it means to be fully human can
only be understood rightly when it is viewed in the light of
what we are to become in Christ, the ‘last Adam', as opposed
to what we had become in the old Adam (1 Corinthians 15:42-49,
cf. Romans 5:12-21). This eschatological perspective sees Christian
life in terms of the vision of the exalted Christ leading believers
to cast off sins that entangle (Hebrews 12:1-2) and to participate
in his purity and love, made available through his atoning sacrifice
(1 John 3:3; 4:10). We thus view the economy of grace from its
fulfilment in Christ ‘back' into history, rather than ‘forward'
from its beginning in fallen creation towards the future in
Christ. This perspective offers fresh light in which to consider
the place of Mary.
- The hope of the Church is based upon the testimony it has
received about the present glory of Christ. The Church proclaims
that Christ was not only raised bodily from the tomb, but was
exalted to the right hand of the Father, to share in the Father's
glory (1 Timothy 3:16, 1 Peter 1:21). Insofar as believers are
united with Christ in baptism and share in Christ's sufferings
(Romans 6:1-6), they participate through the Spirit in his glory,
and are raised up with him in anticipation of the final revelation
(cf. Romans 8:17, Ephesians 2:6, Colossians 3:1). It is the
destiny of the Church and of its members, the "saints"
chosen in Christ "before the foundation of the world",
to be "holy and blameless" and to share in the glory
of Christ (Ephesians 1:3-5, 5:27). Paul speaks as it were from
the future retrospectively, when he says, "those whom God
predestined he also called; those whom he called he also justified;
and those whom he justified he also glorified" (Romans
8:30). In the succeeding chapters of Romans, Paul explicates
this many-faceted drama of God's election in Christ, keeping
in view its end: the inclusion of the Gentiles, so that "all
Israel shall be saved" (Romans 11:26).
Mary in the Economy of Grace
- Within this biblical framework we have considered afresh the
distinctive place of the Virgin Mary in the economy of grace,
as the one who bore Christ, the elect of God. The word of God
delivered by Gabriel addresses her as already ‘graced',
inviting her to respond in faith and freedom to God's call (Luke
1:28,38,45). The Spirit is operative within her in the conception
of the Saviour, and this "blessed among women" is
inspired to sing "all generations will call me blessed"
(Luke 1:42,48). Viewed eschatologically, Mary thus embodies
the ‘elect Israel' of whom Paul speaks - glorified, justified,
called, predestined. This is the pattern of grace and hope which
we see at work in the life of Mary, who holds a distinctive
place in the common destiny of the Church as the one who bore
in her own flesh ‘the Lord of glory'. Mary is marked out
from the beginning as the one chosen, called and graced by God
through the Holy Spirit for the task that lay ahead of her.
- The Scriptures tell us of barren women who were gifted by
God with children - Rachel, Manoah's wife, Hannah (Genesis 30:1-24,
Judges 13, 1 Samuel 1), and those past childbearing - Sarah
(Genesis 18:9-15, 21:1-7), and most notably Mary's cousin, Elizabeth
(Luke 1:7,24). These women highlight the singular role of Mary,
who was neither barren nor past child-bearing age, but a fruitful
virgin: in her womb the Spirit brought about the conception
of Jesus. The Scriptures also speak of God's care for all human
beings, even before their coming to birth (Psalm 139:13-18),
and recount the action of God's grace preceding the specific
calling of particular persons, even from their conception (cf.
Jeremiah 1:4-5, Luke 1:15, Galatians 1:15). With the early Church,
we see in Mary's acceptance of the divine will the fruit of
her prior preparation, signified in Gabriel's affirmation of
her as ‘graced'. We can thus see that God was at work in
Mary from her earliest beginnings, preparing her for the unique
vocation of bearing in her own flesh the new Adam, in whom all
things in heaven and earth hold together (cf. Colossians 1:16-17).
Of Mary, both personally and as a representative figure, we
can say she is "God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus
for good works which God prepared beforehand" (Ephesians
2:10).
- Mary, a pure virgin, bore God incarnate in her womb. Her bodily
intimacy with her son was all of a piece with her faithful following
of him, and her maternal participation in his victorious self-giving
(Luke 2:35). All this is clearly testified in Scripture, as
we have seen. There is no direct testimony in Scripture concerning
the end of Mary's life. However, certain passages give instances
of those who follow God's purposes faithfully being drawn into
God's presence. Moreover, these passages offer hints or partial
analogies that may throw light on the mystery of Mary's entry
into glory. For instance, the biblical pattern of anticipated
eschatology appears in the account of Stephen, the first martyr
(Acts 7:54-60). At the moment of his death, which conforms to
that of his Lord, he sees "the glory of God, and Jesus"
the "Son of Man" not seated in judgement, but "standing
at the right hand of God" to welcome his faithful servant.
Similarly, the penitent thief who calls on the crucified Christ
is accorded the special promise of being with Christ immediately
in Paradise (Luke 23:43). God's faithful servant Elijah is taken
up by a whirlwind into heaven (2 Kings 2:11), and of Enoch it
is written, "he was attested as having pleased God"
as a man of faith, and was therefore "taken up so that
he should not see death; and he was not found because God had
taken him" (Hebrews 11:5, cf. Genesis 5:24). Within such
a pattern of anticipated eschatology, Mary can also be seen
as the faithful disciple fully present with God in Christ. In
this way, she is a sign of hope for all humanity.
- The pattern of hope and grace already foreshadowed in Mary
will be fulfilled in the new creation in Christ when all the
redeemed will participate in the full glory of the Lord (cf.
2 Corinthians 3:18). Christian experience of communion with
God in this present life is a sign and foretaste of divine grace
and glory, a hope shared with the whole of creation (Romans
8:18-23). The individual believer and the Church find their
consummation in the new Jerusalem, the holy bride of Christ
(cf. Revelation 21:2, Ephesians 5:27). When Christians from
East and West through the generations have pondered God's work
in Mary, they have discerned in faith (cf. Gift 29) that
it is fitting that the Lord gathered her wholly to himself:
in Christ, she is already a new creation in whom "the old
has passed away and the new has come" (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Viewed from such an eschatological perspective, Mary may be
seen both as a type of the Church, and as a disciple with a
special place in the economy of salvation.
The Papal Definitions
- Thus far we have outlined our common faith concerning the
place of Mary in the divine purpose. Roman Catholic Christians,
however, are bound to believe the teaching defined by Pope Pius
XII in 1950: "that the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever-Virgin
Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed
body and soul into heavenly glory." We note that the dogma
does not adopt a particular position as to how Mary's life ended,10
nor does it use about her the language of death and resurrection,
but celebrates the action of God in her. Thus, given the understanding
we have reached concerning the place of Mary in the economy
of hope and grace, we can affirm together the teaching that
God has taken the Blessed Virgin Mary in the fullness of her
person into his glory as consonant with Scripture and that it
can, indeed, only be understood in the light of Scripture. Roman
Catholics can recognize that this teaching about Mary is contained
in the dogma. While the calling and destiny of all the redeemed
is their glorification in Christ, Mary, as Theotókos,
holds the pre-eminent place within the communion of saints and
embodies the destiny of the Church.
- Roman Catholics are also bound to believe that "the most
blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception,
by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and in view
of the merits of Christ Jesus the Saviour of the human race,
preserved immune from all stain of original sin" (Dogma
of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, defined by Pope Pius IX,
1854).11
The definition teaches that Mary, like all other human beings,
has need of Christ as her Saviour and Redeemer (cf. Lumen
Gentium 53; Catechism of the Catholic Church 491).
The negative notion of ‘sinlessness' runs the risk of obscuring
the fullness of Christ's saving work. It is not so much that
Mary lacks something which other human beings ‘have', namely
sin, but that the glorious grace of God filled her life from
the beginning.12
The holiness which is our end in Christ (cf. 1 John 3:2-3) was
seen, by unmerited grace, in Mary, who is the prototype of the
hope of grace for humankind as a whole. According to the New
Testament, being ‘graced' has the connotation of being
freed from sin through Christ's blood (Ephesians 1:6-7). The
Scriptures point to the efficacy of Christ's atoning sacrifice
even for those who preceded him in time (cf. 1 Peter 3:19, John
8:56, 1 Corinthians 10:4). Here again the eschatological perspective
illuminates our understanding of Mary's person and calling.
In view of her vocation to be the mother of the Holy One (Luke
1:35), we can affirm together that Christ's redeeming work reached
‘back' in Mary to the depths of her being, and to her earliest
beginnings. This is not contrary to the teaching of Scripture,
and can only be understood in the light of Scripture. Roman
Catholics can recognize in this what is affirmed by the dogma
- namely "preserved from all stain of original sin"
and "from the first moment of her conception."
- We have agreed together that the teaching about Mary in the
two definitions of 1854 and 1950, understood within the biblical
pattern of the economy of grace and hope outlined here, can
be said to be consonant with the teaching of the Scriptures
and the ancient common traditions. However, in Roman Catholic
understanding as expressed in these two definitions, the proclamation
of any teaching as dogma implies that the teaching in question
is affirmed to be "revealed by God" and therefore
to be believed "firmly and constantly" by all the
faithful (i.e. it is de fide). The problem which the
dogmas may present for Anglicans can be put in terms of Article
VI:
Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation:
so that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved
thereby, is not to be required of any man, that it should
be believed as an article of the Faith, or be thought requisite
or necessary to salvation.
We agree that nothing can be required to be believed as an
article of faith unless it is revealed by God. The question
arises for Anglicans, however, as to whether these doctrines
concerning Mary are revealed by God in a way which must be
held by believers as a matter of faith.
- The particular circumstances and precise formulations of the
1854 and 1950 definitions have created problems not only for
Anglicans but also for other Christians. The formulations of
these doctrines and some objections to them are situated within
the thought-forms of their time. In particular, the phrases
"revealed by God" (1854) and "divinely revealed"
(1950) used in the dogmas reflect the theology of revelation
that was dominant in the Roman Catholic Church at the time that
the definitions were made, and which found authoritative expression
in the Constitution Dei Filius of the First Vatican Council.
They have to be understood today in the light of the way this
teaching was refined by the Second Vatican Council in its Constitution
Dei Verbum, particularly in regard to the central role
of Scripture in the reception and transmission of revelation.
When the Roman Catholic Church affirms that a truth is "revealed
by God", there is no suggestion of new revelation. Rather,
the definitions are understood to bear witness to what has been
revealed from the beginning. The Scriptures bear normative witness
to such revelation (cf. Gift 19). This revelation is
received by the community of believers and transmitted in time
and place through the Scriptures and through the preaching,
liturgy, spirituality, life and teaching of the Church, that
draw upon the Scriptures. In The Gift of Authority the
Commission sought to explicate a method by which such authoritative
teaching could arise, the key point being that it needs to be
in conformity with Scripture, which remains a primary concern
for Anglicans and Roman Catholics alike.
- Anglicans have also questioned whether these doctrines must
be held by believers as a matter of faith in view of the fact
that the Bishop of Rome defined these doctrines "independent
of a Council" (cf. Authority II 30). In response,
Roman Catholics have pointed to the sensus fidelium,
the liturgical tradition throughout the local churches, and
the active support of the Roman Catholic bishops (cf. Gift
29-30): these were the elements through which these doctrines
were recognized as belonging to the faith of the Church, and
therefore able to be defined (cf. Gift 47). For Roman
Catholics, it belongs to the office of the Bishop of Rome that
he should be able, under strictly limited conditions, to make
such a definition (cf. Pastor Aeternus [1870], in Denzinger-Schönmetzer,
Enchiridion Symbolorum [DS] 3069-3070). The definitions
of 1854 and 1950 were not made in response to controversy, but
gave voice to the consensus of faith among believers in communion
with the Bishop of Rome. They were re-affirmed by the Second
Vatican Council. For Anglicans, it would be the consent of an
ecumenical council which, teaching according to the Scriptures,
most securely demonstrates that the necessary conditions for
a teaching to be de fide had been met. Where this is
the case, as with the definition of the Theotókos,
both Roman Catholics and Anglicans would agree that the witness
of the Church is firmly and constantly to be believed by all
the faithful (cf. 1 John 1:1-3).
- Anglicans have asked whether it would be a condition of the
future restoration of full communion that they should be required
to accept the definitions of 1854 and 1950. Roman Catholics
find it hard to envisage a restoration of communion in which
acceptance of certain doctrines would be requisite for some
and not for others. In addressing these issues, we have been
mindful that "one consequence of our separation has been
a tendency for Anglicans and Roman Catholics alike to exaggerate
the importance of the Marian dogmas in themselves at the expense
of the other truths more closely related to the foundation of
the Christian faith" (Authority II 30). Anglicans
and Roman Catholics agree that the doctrines of the Assumption
and the Immaculate Conception of Mary must be understood in
the light of the more central truth of her identity as Theotókos,
which itself depends on faith in the Incarnation. We recognize
that, following the Second Vatican Council and the teaching
of recent Popes, the Christological and ecclesiological context
for the Church's doctrine concerning Mary is being re-received
within the Roman Catholic Church. We now suggest that the adoption
of an eschatological perspective may deepen our shared understanding
of the place of Mary in the economy of grace, and the tradition
of the Church concerning Mary which both our communions receive.
Our hope is that the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican
Communion will recognize a common faith in the agreement concerning
Mary which we here offer. Such a re-reception would mean the
Marian teaching and devotion within our respective communities,
including differences of emphasis, would be seen to be authentic
expressions of Christian belief.13
Any such re-reception would have to take place within the context
of a mutual re-reception of an effective teaching authority
in the Church, such as that set out in The Gift of Authority.
ENDNOTES
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The reference
in the dogma to Mary being assumed ‘body and soul' has
caused difficulty for some, on historical and philosophical
grounds. The dogma leaves open, however, the question as to
what the absence of her mortal remains means in historical
terms. Likewise, ‘assumed body and soul' is not intended
to privilege a particular anthropology. More positively, ‘assumed
body and soul' can be seen to have Christological and ecclesiological
implications. Mary as ‘God bearer' is intimately, indeed
bodily, related to Christ: his own bodily glorification now
embraces hers. And, since Mary bore his body of flesh, she
is intimately related to the Church, Christ's body. In brief,
the formulation of the dogma responds to theological rather
than historical or philosophical questions in relation to
Mary.
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The definition
addressed an old controversy about the timing of the sanctification
of Mary, in affirming that this took place at the very first
moment of her conception.
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The assertion
of Paul at Romans 3:23 - "all have sinned and fall short
of the glory of God" - might appear to allow for no exceptions,
not even for Mary. However, it is important to note the rhetorical-apologetic
context of the general argument of Romans 1 – 3, which
is concerned to show the equal sinfulness of Jews and Gentiles
(3:9). Romans 3:23 has a quite specific purpose in context
which is unrelated to the issue of the "sinlessness"
or otherwise of Mary.
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In such circumstances,
the explicit acceptance of the precise wording of the definitions
of 1854 and 1950 might not be required of believers who were
not in communion with Rome when they were defined. Conversely,
Anglicans would have to accept that the definitions are a
legitimate expression of Catholic faith, and are to be respected
as such, even if these formulations were not employed by them.
There are instances in ecumenical agreement in which what
one partner has defined as de fide can be expressed
by another partner in a different way, as for example in the
Common Christological Declaration between the Catholic
Church and the Assyrian Church of the East (1994) or the
Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification between
the Roman Catholic Church and the Lutheran World Federation
(1999).
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