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JOHN PAUL II CLARIFIES HISTORICAL MISUNDERSTANDINGS OVER MARYHer Mediation Is Strictly "in Christ"John Paul II said that over the past four centuries, there have been numerous misunderstandings relating to Mary's role, which have caused controversies that are altogether unfounded. MisunderstandingsReferring to important passages in the New Testament, the Pontiff said that the Church has never stated that Mary's role in the life of the Church is outside Christ's mediation or in addition to it, "as though it were a parallel or concurrent mediation." on the contrary, "Mary's maternal mediation is mediation in Christ."Expanding on this topic, John Paul II referred to Pius IX's bull, "Ineffabilis Deus," which defined the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception. "Mary herself was redeemed by Christ and thus is the first of the redeemed, because the grace given her by the Father at the beginning of her existence is due to the 'merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human species.' " Mary on the Road to the FatherHaving clarified this misunderstanding, the Pope focused directly on Mary's role in the life of Christians. "Mary is on the road that goes from the Father to humanity, as the mother who gives everyone her Savior Son. At the same time, she is on the road that men must take to go to the Father through Christ in the Spirit."In speaking to more than 7,000 pilgrims who gathered in Paul VI Hall in the Vatican, the Holy Father said that, in fact, "Mary does not wish to draw attention to her person. She lived on earth with her gaze fixed on Jesus and the Celestial Father. Her strongest desire is to make all turn their gaze in the same direction. She wishes to promote a gaze of faith and hope in the Savior sent to us by the Father." New Face for New MillenniumThe Pope continued by explaining, "The words spoken to the servants at the miracle of Cana re-echo in every generation of Christians: 'Do whatever he tells you.' ""Mary makes the same request of us today," asserted the Holy Father. Consequently, if "we do what Christ asks us to do, the millennium that is approaching will be able to have a new face, more evangelical and more genuinely Christian, and so respond to Mary's most profound aspirations." "Here is the value of Mary's life: fulfillment of the divine will. Accompanied and sustained by Mary, by way of acknowledgment let us receive the new Millenium from the Father's hands and be determined to correspond to his grace with humble and generous devotion," concluded the Pope. ZE00011202 
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January 13, 2000 volume 11, no. 9 NEWS & VIEWS
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