Mary under Benedict XVI

According to Pope Benedict XVI, Mariology must always be seen within the “nexus mysteriorum“. Therefore, it can only be properly developed in relation to other theological disciplines, lest it lose its role, value, identity, and importance in the entire theological-Christian discourse. Today, Mariology, regulated by the Word of God, educated by the salutary lessons of history, vitally grafted onto dialogue with other theological and anthropological-cultural disciplines, no longer follows the past model of conflict and narcissistic coexistence. Instead, it places itself, as its historical, theological, and exemplary model, Mary of Nazareth, in a state of permanent service for the Kingdom of God and its inalienable values, always present and, therefore, co-existent.Referring to the title of Chapter VIII of the dogmatic constitution Lumen gentium“Maria, in fact, who entered intimately into the history of salvation, in some way brings together and reflects the greatest data of faith. If the close bond between Christ and the Church can be expressed in pairs of concepts such as husband-wife, head-body, in Mary this bond goes even further, because she is not related to Christ primarily as a wife, but as a mother. Here we can grasp the function of the title Mother of the Church. Thus is expressed the transcendence of the Marian doctrine beyond the ecclesiastical sphere and, at the same time, its reciprocal relationship.” — J. Ratzinger, *Maria Church Nascente*.“The ‘yes’ of Mary of Nazareth was necessary for the incarnation of the Word. Indeed, without this response, true and free, the Word could not have entered the world. Joseph Ratzinger expresses this thought thus: ‘The body is prepared for the Son in the moment when Mary submits totally to the will of the Father and thus puts her body at the disposition of the Holy Spirit.’”“This book constitutes a passionate testimony of a great scholar […] on Jesus of Nazareth and on his meaning for the history of humanity and for the true figure of God.” — Carlo Maria Martini, on *Jesus of Nazareth* by Benedict XVI.“She does not stop at the first shock due to God’s nearness through the angel, but seeks to understand. Mary, therefore, appears as a courageous woman who, even before the unprecedented, maintains self-control. At the same time, she presents herself as a woman of great interiority, who keeps heart and reason united and seeks to understand the context, the whole message of God, becoming thus an image of the Church that reflects on the Word of God, seeks to understand it in its entirety and keeps in memory its gift.” — Benedict XVI, on the Annunciation.“I have a particular Marian piety. In fact, after resigning from the petrine ministry, in the book-interview *Last Conversations* he confessed: ‘I pray to Mary every day. I ask her to help me be a good Christian.'”“I was Catholic, and thus the Marian devotions of May and those of Advent, the month of the Rosary and simple love for the Mother of God, were part of our religious sentiment. However, the cult of the Virgin was not so deeply rooted, it did not have the strong emotional connotation that characterizes it in typically Catholic countries like Poland and Italy. Bavaria is also a typical Catholic land, but the emotional force was not as powerful as elsewhere. The veneration of Mary marked me, but never separated from that of Jesus Christ, but within it […]. Marian devotions were very present in our family, they were part of my Catholicism: for example, as children, in May, we set up an altar to Our Lady at home. However, theological formation was of a Christological and ecclesiastical nature, Mariology was present, but did not have an intrinsic strength. Therefore, popular piety and the theological notions we had acquired had not yet integrated.”Analyzing Benedict XVI’s Mariology, we can say that the prominent feature of his Marian teaching is the grasp of the theological exemplarity that Mary offers. He teaches us to listen, to recognize Christ, the holy Revelation of God the Father’s love.Mary as the pedagogy of the Gospel announcement: Benedict XVI’s Mariology in the nexus mysteriorum (Lumen Gentium, VIII)Pope Benedict XVI is convinced that if we wish to return to the truth about Jesus Christ, about the Church, and about man, we must turn to Mary. Mary must be, more than ever, the pedagogy for announcing the Gospel to men today. For Pope Ratzinger, reflection and prayer are inseparable. Prayer to Mary and reflection on Mary always accompany prayer and meditation on Jesus, which the Church has tirelessly pursued throughout the centuries. Mary walks with Christ with the warmth of Church prayer and the sobriety of her reflection.A sober and ardent accompaniment. There is the melody and there is its accompaniment. What matters is the melody. Certainly, the accompaniment also has its importance, but it is subordinate to the melody. A musical accompaniment is never independent of its melody, but always related to it. Thus, the Church has always understood things: it prayed to Mary, formulated her greatness dogmatically, but always only as an accompaniment to prayer to Christ, to reflection and discernment in Christ. An accompaniment that is not arbitrary, but necessary. Mary should never be thought of alone. As in Eastern icons, Mary is never alone: she holds the Child in her arms, shows her Son, gives the world her Son, the Son of God. The East is right! Knowing the Mother helps to love the Son. Mary is directly at the service of faith in Christ. Therefore, it is in the light of Christ that the Church proclaimed the four Marian dogmas, that is, the truths of faith about Mary:1. First, divine motherhood (Mary is the Mother of God) 2. And she is the ever-Virgin, the most beautiful, “tota pulchra” 3. After a long maturation, the Immaculate Conception of Mary, “full of grace” 4. The Assumption into heaven in body and soul.Pope Benedict XVI indicates that Mary, through her intimate participation in the history of her Son, gathers, so to speak, and reflects the fundamental truths of faith.The truths of faith about Mary:– Protect the authentic faith in Christ, as true God and true man: two natures in one Person. – Also safeguard the indispensable eschatological tension: in the Assumption of Mary, we see the immortal destiny that awaits us all. – Place in a safe position the (now threatened) faith in God the Creator who can freely intervene even in matter.To deepen Benedict XVI’s Marian teachings, consult the encyclical *Redemptoris Mater* by John Paul II, a fundamental document of Marian theology that Ratzinger deeply admired.For further study: explore *Mariologia*, *Theology Mariana*, *Marian Apparitions*, and *Post-Graduate Studies in Mariology*.