The Blessed Virgin Mary (Part Seven).

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unless otherwise stated.

Italiano: Giovanni Paolo I con il card Karol Wojtyła nella Città del Vaticano.

English: Pope John Paul I, with Cardinal Karol Wojtyła (later, Pope John Paul II), in the Vatican.

Deutsch: Johannes Paul I mit Kardinal Karol Wojtyła.

Español: Juan Pablo I con el cardenal Karol Wojtyła en la Ciudad del Vaticano.

Català: Joan Pau I amb el cardenal Karol Wojtyła.

Français: Jean-Paul Ier avec le cardinal Karol Wojtyła.

Photo: 4 September 1978.

Source: Archivio.

Author: Sibode1.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Pope John Paul II, made Marian devotions and consecrations 

a hallmark of his Papacy.

Mary's Role in Salvation and Redemption.

One of the components, of the Catholic veneration of Mary, is the focus on her participation in the processes of Salvation and Redemption. Entire books have been devoted to the exploration of the Catholic perspectives on Mary's role in Salvation and Redemption.

The underlying theological issues have been discussed as far back as Saint Thomas Aquinas, in the 13th-Century, and were intertwined with the discussions of the Immaculate Conception. One of the first scholars to offer theological foundations in this area was the Franciscan, Duns Scotus, who developed the notion that Mary was preserved from sin by the Redemptive Virtue of Jesus. Devotions to, and the veneration of, the Virgin Mary continued to spread, as she came to be seen as the helpful Mother of Christians, and by the 15th-Century these practises had oriented all the Catholic devotions.

Andrea Bocelli sings Schubert's Ave Maria.

Available on YouTube at 

http://youtu.be/pwp1CH5R-w4

As of the 17th-Century, a common thread in the writings of Saints and theologians, alike, is the role of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary as joint symbols of Redemption and Co-redemption. Saint Veronica Giuliani expressed how Mary's suffering, on Calvary, united her heart with that of Jesus, as she suffered each torment along with Him. The joint devotion to the hearts was formalised by Saint Jean Eudes, who organised the scriptural and theological foundations and developed its Liturgical themes.

John Eudes wrote that: "The Virgin Mary began to co-operate in the Plan of Salvation, from the moment she gave her consent to the Incarnation of the Son of God". The venerative aspects, of the united nature of the two hearts, continued through the centuries and, in 1985, Pope John Paul II coined the term "Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary", and, in 1986, addressed the international conference on that topic held at Fátima, Portugal.

John Duns Scotus.

One of Scotland's greatest men and, arguably, the most forward-thinking man of the 13th-Century. John of Dunse (as it was then spelt) was so controversial, because of his forward thinking, that many thought he was mad. Hence the word "dunse" or "dunce" for a poor scholar. He was educated at the Franciscan Grammar school in Haddington, Scotland, and, though he never joined the Franciscan Brotherhood, he is revered within that Order. There are Duns Scotus Colleges on the Continent. This statue stands in the public park of his home town, Duns, in Berwickshire, Scotland.

Photo: 16 October 2008.

Source: From geograph.org.uk.

Author: james denham.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Duns Scotus developed the notion that 

Mary was preserved from sin 

by the Redemptive Virtue of Jesus.

By the 18th-Century, the continued growth of Marian veneration had emphasised the role of the Virgin Mary in Salvation. In his classic book, "The Glories of Mary", Saint Alphonsus Liguori explained how God gave Mary to mankind as the "Gate of Heaven", and he quoted Saint Bonaventure, namely: "No-one can enter Heaven, unless by Mary, as though through a door." And he wrote: "Thou art the gate, through which all find Jesus; through thee, I also hope to find Him."

Saint Louis de Montfort, whose writings later influenced Popes, was an ardent supporter of the Virgin Mary's role in Salvation. The Catholic focus on the role of Mary, in Salvation and Redemption, continued into the 20th-Century, e.g., Pope John Paul II's 1987 Encyclical, Redemptoris Mater, began with the sentence: "The Mother of the Redeemer has a precise place in the plan of Salvation."

Catholic Saints and The Blessed Virgin Mary.

The Roman Catholic perspective on the Virgin Mary has not simply been shaped by the theological studies of a few scholars, but also by devotional concepts embraced by millions of Catholics who venerate the Blessed Virgin Mary. These devotions have relied on the writings of numerous Saints throughout history, who have attested to the central role of Mary in God's plan of Salvation.

Early Saints included Saint Irenaeus of Lyons, in the 2nd-Century, who was perhaps the earliest of the Church Fathers to write systematically about the Virgin Mary, and he set out a forthright account of her role in the economy of Salvation. Saint Ambrose of Milan (339 A.D. – 397 A.D.) based the veneration of Mary not only on her virginity but also on her extraordinary courage.


PART EIGHT FOLLOWS.