 |
| A "nameless" post! |
Because of Mary’s participation in the Mysteries of Christ, the church has honoured her and she has been so instrumental in the life of the church by providing protection for her children on earth. Through this veneration of our Lady as mother of God, her son Christ is known and loved. The church on the other hand encourages all her believer to observe the devotions to our Lady, especially the ones recommended by the teaching authority of the church in the course of the centuries. Yet the church admonish preachers of the word and theologians to refrain from all false exaggerations; and they should use the Holy Scripture, the Fathers and the churches liturgy as sources or guides in talking about the devotion to our Lady. This document went on to stress that true devotion comes from true faith by which we are led to realize our Lady as a Model and the mother of God.
In talking about Mary as true sign of hope and comfort for the pilgrim people of God, this document states that; from heaven, Our Lady still remain in union with the pilgrim church. It is the church’s consolation to know that even among the separated brethrens, there are those who are still devoted to our Lady as mother of God. As she has been exalted into heaven, the Holy Church believes that she will continue to intercede for her children and do them favour as she did during her earthly time. Thus the Holy church believes that with her prayer, salvation will be granted to all mankind.
For the fact that one of the greatest documents of the Second Vatican Council Lumen Gentium dedicated the entire chapter 8 of its document on Mary gives me the insight on how the Church values and cherishes the figure of our Lady in the Church. We are living in the spirit of Vatican II and since Mary is specifically treated in this Council means that the Church is challenging the entire people of God – you and me – to (re)discover in Mary our Mother, that figure who silently and humbly contributed to the salvation history of the entire humanity. This is what Br. Solomon has helped me to understand. I sincerely commend this precise but rich summary/reflection of this brother. Clear and simple approaches were used to bring out the essentials of this summary. Bravo!
ReplyDeleteThere is doubt that the Blessed Virgin has a special place in our salvation history and that she continues to lead us to her Son. It is important, as stated here in this article, that false exaggerations should be avoided as far as devotion to the Blessed Mother is concerned. This, I must say, can easily be done among theologians and priests. The challenge however is to ensure that the lay faithful do the same. If there is any exaggeration at all in the devotion to Mary, it is to be found among the lay faithful who do not have access to the world theological discourse.
ReplyDeleteIt is uncommon and impractical indeed to think of JESUS without considering his origin especially in terms of His humanity without gazing at MARY as Theotokos !!!
ReplyDelete