The Holy Spirit and Mary
Letter of Pope Paul VI to Cardinal Léon Josef Suenens
on the Occasion of the International Marian Congress May 13,
1975
[In this
letter, dated May 13, 1975, to Cardinal Suenens, president
of the International Mariological Congress in Rome, Pope
Paul VI emphasized the need to couple devotion to the Virgin
Mary with devotion to the Holy Spirit in these critical
times. Italian text in L'Osservatore Romano, May 19-20,
1975.]
WITH GREAT
CONFIDENCE and heartfelt joy We greet the participants in
the International Marian Congress which the Pontifical
International Marian Academy has launched and organized. The
theme of the Congress not only fits in admirably with the
various celebrations of this Jubilee Year; it also adds its
own special charm.
The Holy Year
calls us to interior purification and progress on the path
of holiness. May we not expect that a deeper understanding
of the pure and holy interior bonds which linked and still
link the Virgin Mary to the Holy Spirit in the work of man's
redemption will have very fruitful results not only for the
development of Catholic dogma and theology but also for
increased devotion both to the Holy Spirit and to her who is
Mother of God and Mother of the Church?
The
Holy Spirit First, Mary Second
Catholic theology, as we all know, has in modern times
intensively studied those truths concerning Mary which are
contained in Sacred Scripture and divine tradition. It has
endeavored to understand the content of these truths and to
show their salutary effects. This very praiseworthy and
fruitful effort has not, however, obscured the greater
importance of the faith and worship which the entire Church
offers to the Holy Spirit, in keeping with the Quicumque
creed: "Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have one godhead, equal
glory, and co-eternal majesty." (1)
This proper scale of values is evident in the liturgy which
is the authentic and most accessible expression of faith and
Christian piety, according to the well-known principle that
the rule of prayer manifests the rule of faith.(2)
The
Holy Spirit and Mary
The
Catholic Church has always believed, moreover, that when the
Holy Spirit intervened in a personal way (even though
inseparably from the other Persons of the Most Blessed
Trinity) in the work of man's salvation,(3)
he made the humble Virgin of Nazareth his associate in that
work. The Church has also maintained that the Holy Spirit
acted therein in a manner consistent with his proper
character as Personal Love of the Father and Son. That is,
he acted with both infinite power and infinite gentleness in
perfectly adapting the person of Mary and her dynamic powers
of body and spirit to the role assigned her in the plan of
redemption.(4)
This belief
has arisen from an ever deeper and clearer understanding of
the sacred texts. On the basis of it, the Fathers and
Doctors of the eastern and western Churches have attributed
to the various missions of the Holy Spirit, who proceeds
from the Father and the Son, the fullness of grace and
charity, of gifts and fruits of virtue, of evangelical
beatitudes and special charisms which, like a trousseau for
a heavenly marriage, adorned the predestined mystical Spouse
of the divine Paraclete and the Mother of God's Word made
flesh. It is precisely because of her privileges and the
exceptional gifts of grace which the Holy Spirit gave her
that Mary is saluted in the liturgy as "Temple of the Lord"
and "Sanctuary of the Holy Spirit."
The
Holy Spirit's action in the soul of Mary
It will
therefore be a source of great spiritual strength for us if
we dwell for a while in joyful contemplation of the Holy
Spirit's chief actions in her whom God chose for his mother.
It was
the Holy Spirit who filled Mary with grace in the very first
moment of her conception, thus redeeming her in a more
sublime way in view of the merits of Christ, the Savior of
mankind, and making her the Immaculate One.(5)
It was the Holy Spirit who descended upon her, inspired her
consent in the name of mankind to the virginal conception of
the Son of the Most High and made her womb fruitful so that
she might bring forth the Savior of her people and Lord of
an imperishable kingdom.(6)
It was the Holy Spirit who filled her soul with jubilant
gratitude and moved her to sing the Magnificat to God
her Savior.(7)
It was the Holy Spirit who suggested to the Virgin that she
faithfully remember the words and events connected with the
birth and childhood of her only Son, events in which she
played such an intimate, loving part.(8)
Public life of Jesus
It was
the Holy Spirit who urged the compassionate Mary to ask her
Son for that miraculous change of water into wine at the
wedding feast of Cana, which marked the beginning of Jesus'
activity as a wonder worker and led his disciples to believe
in him.(9)
It was the Holy Spirit who strengthened the soul of the
Mother of Jesus as she stood beneath the cross, and inspired
her once again, as he had at the Annunciation, to consent to
the will of the heavenly Father who wanted her to be
associated as a mother with the sacrifice her Son was
offering for mankind's redemption.(10)
It was the Holy Spirit who filled the Sorrowful Mother with
immense love, widening and deepening her heart, as it were,
so that she might accept as a last testament from the lips
of her Son her maternal mission with regard to John, the
beloved disciple (11):
a mission which, "as the Church has always understood it,"(12)
prefigured her spiritual motherhood toward mankind as a
whole.
It was
the Holy Spirit who raised Mary on the burning wings of love
so that she might be a model intercessor during those hours
in the Supper Room when the disciples of Jesus "together ...
devoted themselves to constant prayer" along with "some
women ... and Mary the mother of Jesus,"(13)
and waited for the promised Paraclete. Finally, it was the
Holy Spirit who brought love to its supreme pitch in the
soul of Mary while she was still a pilgrim on earth and made
her yearn for reunion with her glorified Son. The Holy
Spirit thereby disposed her for her crowning privilege: her
Assumption body and soul into heaven, according to the
dogmatic definition which, as we recall with deep emotion,
was pronounced twenty-five years ago this year.(14)
The
Assumption did not, however, put an end to Mary's mission as
associate of the Spirit of Christ in the mystery of
salvation. Even though she is now absorbed in joyful
contemplation of the Blessed Trinity, she continues to be
spiritually present to all her redeemed children, being
constantly inspired in this noble function by the Uncreated
Love which is the soul of the Mystical Body and its ultimate
source of life.
The
continuous presence of Mary at the heart of the pilgrim
Church has been confirmed by the Second Vatican Council. The
Council states: "Mary's motherhood in the economy of grace
goes on unceasingly. ... When she was assumed into heaven,
she did not lay aside this salvific role; rather, by her
constant intercession she continues to obtain for us the
gifts of eternal salvation. (15)
Mary
is Subordinate to Christ and the Spirit
It is
therefore fitting and just that the holy Mother of God
should continue to be called blessed by all generations,(16)
as she has been since the earliest days of the Church,(17)
and should be "invoked in the Church under the titles of
Advocate, Auxiliatrix, Adjutrix, and,
Mediatrix."(18)
But, as the Council prudently warns us: "This [invocation]
is understood in such a way that it neither takes away from,
nor adds to, the dignity and efficacy of Christ, the one
Mediator."(19)
It is also understood, we should add, in such a way that it
does not detract from nor add to the dignity and efficacy of
the Spirit who is the Sanctifier both of the Head and of the
individual members of the Mystical Body.
The
Testimony of the Fathers of the Church: St. Ephraem
We must
therefore keep in mind that the activity of the Mother of
the Church in behalf of the redeemed neither substitutes for
nor rivals the omnipotent, universal action of the Spirit.
Mary's role is rather to impetrate and prepare for the
action of the Holy Spirit, not only through intercessory
prayer that accords with the divine plan she contemplates in
the beatific vision but also through the direct influence of
her example, including the supremely important example of
her docility to the inspirations of the divine Spirit.(20)
Thus it is always in dependence on the Holy Spirit that Mary
leads souls to Jesus, forms them in his image, inspires them
with good counsel, and acts as a living bond of love between
Jesus and the faithful.
By way
of support for the reflections we have been offering, we may
recall the testimony which the Fathers and Doctors of the
Eastern Church, so exemplary in their faith and devotion to
the Holy Spirit, have given to the faith and devotion of the
Church to the Mother of Christ as Mediatrix of God's gifts.
The statements of these writers may prove surprising, but
they should upset no one, for they always presuppose, and at
times explicitly affirm, the dependence of the Virgin's
mediatorial activity on the activity of God's Spirit as its
source. Thus, St. Ephraem, for example, exalts Mary in this
unrestrained fashion: "Blessed is she who became the
fountain of all blessings for the whole world,"(21)
or, again: "Most holy Lady ... sole repository of all the
graces of the Most Holy Spirit."(22)
St.
John Chrysostom summed up Mary's part in our salvation with
this striking encomium: "A virgin drove us from paradise;
through the intervention of another virgin we have recovered
eternal life. As we were condemned through the sin of one
virgin, so we have received our crowns through the merits of
another virgin."(23)
His
statements are echoed in the eighth century by St. Germanus
of Constantinople, who addressed Mary in these moving words:
"Most chaste, good, and merciful Lady, strength of
Christians ... shelter us under the wings of your
loving-kindness. Intercede for us and protect us; win
eternal life for us. You are the Christians' hope, and that
hope will not be disappointed. ... Your favors are beyond
counting. No one wins salvation except through you, Most
Holy One; no one is freed from sin except through you. Who
bestows such care upon mankind as you do in union with your
only Son?"(24)
Pope
Leo XIII
This
traditional faith, shared by the eastern and western
Churches alike, was authoritatively confirmed in the
teaching of Our great predecessor, Leo XIII. He issued many
encyclicals in order to foster devotion to the Mother of
God, especially under the title of Queen of the Holy Rosary.
But he also devoted an extensive, well documented encyclical
to the honor of the Holy Spirit (which is even more
important than that of the Virgin) and the spread of
devotion to him. (25)
At the
present time, so critical for the Church and the destiny of
mankind, when the interior renewal of Christians and their
reconciliation with God and each other are an absolute
necessity if the Church is to "exist in Christ as a
sacrament or sign and an instrument of intimate union with
God and of the unity of the whole human race,"(26)
the faithful must cultivate an outstanding devotion to the
Spirit as the supreme source of love, unity, and peace. At
the same time, however, and in harmony with this first
devotion which draws ever new strength from the fire of the
Divine Love, the faithful should also be deeply devoted to
the great Mother of God who is Mother of the Church and
incomparable model of love for God and our brothers.
Conclusion
We recommend
these thoughts to the loving meditation of the participants
in the International Marian Congress. We ardently desire and
pray for the success of the study sessions, which will be
crowned, as is right, by manifestations of Christian
solidarity in devotion to the holy Virgin. To you, Lord
Cardinal, to the zealous President of the Pontifical
International Marian Academy, to the speakers at the
Congress, and to all participants in it, We impart Our
Apostolic Blessing as the pledge of a special outpouring of
the Holy Spirit's gifts and of the maternal protection of
God's Mother.
(1)
PL 88, 585.
(2)
See Pius XII, Encyclical Mediator Dei, 20 November
1947: AAS 39 (1947), 541.
(3)
See G. Philips, L'Union personnelle avec le Dieu vivant:
Essai sur l'origine et le sens de las grƒce cr‚‚e, Gembloux,
1974.
(4)
See St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa theologiae, II, qu. 27.
(5)
See Pius IX, Ineffabilis Deus, 8 December 1854, in
DS, 32nd ed., Rome, 1963, 2803.
(6)
(cf. Lk 1:35- 38)
(7)
(cf. Lk 1:45- 55)
(8)
(cf. Lk 2:19, 33, 51)
(9)
(cf. Jn 2:11)
(10)
(cf. Jn 19:25)
(11)
(cf. Jn 19:26-27
(12)
Leo XIII, Encyclical Adiutricem populi, 5 September
1985: Acta Leonis XIII XV, 302.
(13)
(Acts 1:14)
(14)
Pius XII, Munificentissimus Deus, 1 November 1950:
AAS 42 (1950), 768.
(15)
LG 62.
(16)
(cf. Magnificat, Lk 1:48)
(17)
Recall the antiphon Under your protection (Sub tuum
praesidium).
(18)
LG 62.
(19)
Ibid.
(20)
LG 63-65.
(21)
St. Ephraem, Hymni et sermones, edited by Th. Lamy,
Mechlin, 1882-1902, II, 548.
(22)
St. Ephraem, Opera omnia: Graece et latine, edited by
J. S. Assemani, Rome, 1732-1746, III, 524.
(23)
St. John Chrysostom, Expositio in Psalmos 44, 7: PG
55, 193.
(24)
St. Germanus of Constantinople, Concio in Sanctam Mariam:
PG 98, 327.
(25)
Leo XIII, Encyclical Divunum illud munus, 9 May 1897:
Acta Leonis XIII XVLL, 126- 148.
(26)
LG 1.
Source: Pope
Paul VI, The Holy Spirit and the Blessed Virgin
[Letter to Cardinal Léon Jozef Suenens], May 13, 1975,
The Pope Speaks 19-20.
