Post-Conciliar Re-examination of the Consecration to Mary
Looking to the root of Christianity, we cannot deny the relationship between the Virgin and the faithful with the Trinity, source and goal of every act of faith. From this perspective, piety is then a response, in Christian spirituality, to the ecclesial and personal conviction of relationship with Mary. To the “Mother of God” (Mãe de Deus), nations dedicate themselves, sure of finding maternal protection from daily evils.Historically, Ildefonso of Toledo (d. 667) offers us an expression that has persisted to our days: “servants of the Servant of my Lord.” Joining “service” to “Mater Domini,” one recognized in Mary’s royalty the service to Christ, the consciousness of the servant’s indignity, and Mary’s role as one who points the way to God in a merciful manner. Later, we find John Damascene (d. 749), who in a homily offers the first historical record of the use of the expression “consregation” as a total offering of oneself to Mary: “We also present ourselves to you, O Sovereign, indeed, I repeat, O Sovereign, Mother of God, Virgin. We bind our souls to you, our hope, as to an unbreakable anchor, consacrating ourselves to you, soul, body, all our being.” For linguistic precision, the author writes in Greek using the verb “antitithemi,” which indicates a consecration, albeit with necessary distances, at the same level as that made to God.The act of consacrating oneself to Mary, over the centuries, has been desired, proposed, and appreciated by saints, popes, shepherds, and has become a very popular practice within the Catholic community, reaching its peak at the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965). Like all other Christian acts of piety, it experienced a period of eclipse after the Council due to the need for revision. We cannot claim that the Council was against Mary; on the contrary, never in the history of the Church has so much been written about Mary as during the Council. However, the liturgical reform offered by Pope Paul VI to the Church had its time of maturation, and even in 1967, with the document “Signum Magnum” (Great Sign), Paul VI…We have, in the words of the Holy Father, the invitation to call the faithful to consecrate themselves to the Immaculate Heart of the Mother of the Church and “to live this most noble act of worship with a life ever more in conformity with Divine Will, and in a spirit of filial service and devoted imitation of her heavenly Queen.”
Pope John Paul II repeatedly renewed the call to consecration and surrender to Mary, echoing his motto “Totus tuus” (All Yours). The attitude of complete abandonment to Mary after Vatican II faced opposition due to the difficulty of language: the word “consolation” is an expression that denotes God’s work, Christ’s mission, the Church’s ministry, a salvation sacrament, the “dedicatio” (dedication) of the faithful to God and His Kingdom. We note that in theology, expressions are often formed through analogy and metaphor.
The challenge remains, from a mariological perspective, to provide a clear revision of language that respects the identity and mission of the Mother of God without obscuring the absolute transcendence and independence of the Son of God in His relationship with creatures, and His Mother’s cooperation in this. In its profound spiritual sense, Mary’s acceptance derives from the unique consecration to God, and this leads us to her.
The question arises: what is the value of “acceptance,” “surrender,” “donation,” “consolation” to Mary? Well, we begin with a foundational concept: this act is a “sacramental,” that is, contrary to a sacrament that realizes what it signifies, the sacramental realizes itself from the commitment of the faithful who strive to imitate Mary, thereby finding the spiritual lines to follow Christ. The history of the Saints demonstrates the mutual responsibility and cooperation of the faithful in the promises of baptismal consecration to the evangelization of the Church in a secular and globalized world, is enhanced and strengthened by the acceptance of Mary in their lives.
To continue exploring these questions, we will have a course on the post-conciliar re-reading of the consecration to Mary. And to give substance to the course that will soon take place, what are your doubts regarding the consecration? Comment below!
For a deeper re-reading of the consecration to Mary post-Vatican II, refer to Pope Paul VI’s document: Marialis Cultus on the cult of Mary after the Second Vatican Council.
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