Mary and the Church

Mary and the Church

Lecture delivered to the members of the COM, Lapu-Lapu City

May 12, 2012

Regletto Aldrich Imbong

 Before we formally begin with our discussion, let me first explain the perspective I am adopting in giving this lecture.

Let me raise this question first: what event in the Bible makes Christianity or the existence of the Church possible? If we say it’s Jesus’ death alone, then there is something missing in our faith. Gutierrez clarifies that through Jesus’ “death and resurrection, he redeems man from sin and all its consequences…”[1] Central to the Christian faith is the Resurrection of Christ (which I believe is near to your hearts for you annually re-enact this event) which happens on the Easter.

During the Easter Triduum, I sent messages for reflection to my close friends. The message goes like this: In this Easter Triduum, let us view Christ’s suffering, death and resurrection from a different perspective: from the perspective of the women. Unlike Peter, who denounced him three times for fear of punishment, Mary and Magdalene were constantly accompanying Jesus even at the foot of the cross, fearless and courageous. Unlike the other apostles, they “followed those who took down Jesus’ body from the cross to see where they would put him.”[2] Finally, unlike Thomas, Magdalene undoubtedly proclaimed her faith during their encounter with the risen Lord, with her response Rabbouni. In terms of faith, the men failed in some instances to prove it to the messiah; the women on the other hand were always consistent with it.

It is in this regard that my lecture, entitled Mary and the Church be framed from a feminist perspective. I would make a contention that, in the course of the history of the church, little importance has been given to women who in fact played a very crucial role in the establishment of the Church. My hope is that, after this lecture, we would be more enlightened with the important role women plays today, both inside and outside the church. I will divide my lecture into two parts. First is entitled Mary and the Magnificat which gives another perspective of who Mary was, and the second is entitled The Church and its Poor which is a sort of reminder of what the Church really should be as confirmed by the Second Plenary Council of the Philippines (PCP II)

MARY AND THE MAGNIFICAT

            Let us begin our discussion by examining and sharing our thoughts regarding one biblical account:

            My soul magnifies the Lord, and my Spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on, all generations will call me blessed; for the mighty one has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever (Lk. 1: 46-55 NRSV).

            From the Canticle of Mary, we can discover new insights which we fail to recognize from her before, being a woman and being a mother. In the Magnificat, Mary started by praising the deeds of her savior to her. Why? Because “he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.” We must consider the context of Mary’s praise. During her times, women were inferior entities as compared to men. Thus, they were outcasts of society that they would even be used as scapegoats for the sins committed also by men (we are familiar with the story of the woman caught in adultery [John 8: 1-11], ending in Jesus’ comforting words, neither do I condemn you).[3] The eyes of the finite had seen guilt among these women but the eyes of God had seen favor to them, especially to Mary.

            More than being a woman is Mary’s being a Mother. The canticle happened during Mary’s visit to her cousin, Elizabeth, shortly after the birth of Jesus was foretold. By that time, Elizabeth was also pregnant (Lk. 1: 41). Aside from the nature of their unborn children (one being human only and the other being both human and divine), what makes Mary’s pregnancy different from that of Elizabeth?

           

            As conceived by the Holy Spirit, Mary’s pregnancy does not need a man. As Miles argued “Mary doesn’t need a man to have a baby”[4] and this means danger for Mary has to disobey worldly social norms. Imagine yourselves being a woman and you got pregnant, without any known partner/husband. How would the eyes of society, of those people who are judgmental to the guilt of others, describe you? You would perhaps feel shame. But your shame will not end there. Let us say that you will tell them that you are conceiving the Son of God. How much insult and mockery will you get from these kinds of people? If they will not make you as a laughing stock, then they will condemn you for blasphemy! You could just imagine the circumstances Mary was about to undergo.

But the question is: did she let the social norms, the patriarchal voices of the religious leaders of her time, hinder her submissive faith to God? “Be it done unto me according to your word” was her reply, a courageous and fearless response that implies disobeying established social norms. I am reminded of the intro of the song by Sampaguita entitled Nosi: wag mong pansinin ang naninira sa ‘yo basta’t alam mo lang, tama ang ginagawa mo.

Mary’s canticle expresses both Mary’s submission to God’s will and subversion against oppressive social orders. Coming from the mouth of a creature considered inferior, Mary proclaimed that “[h]e has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.” Consistent with her radical attitude to go against social norms is her proclamation of faith that those people in power, those whose actions oppress others, those whose riches and wealth starves the many, will be cast down by God from their thrones, sending them away empty. Furthermore, showing His favor for the lowly, the marginalized, the women, the poor, God will fill them with good things. Mary simply is reminding us to surrender to God rather than to oppressive social orders; oppressive structures that cater to the greed of the few. As Jesus reminded us “[y]ou cannot serve God and wealth” (Mat. 6: 24).

Inspired by the saying vox populi vox dei, I was able to suggest to the VDR-KOASM that our motto would be “service to the people is service to God.” We cannot serve God directly. However, Jesus had given us a hint on how we can genuinely serve God when he told us the parable of the judgment of the nations: “whatever you do to the least of my brethren, you do it to me.” This challenge calls each of us to perform our collective task as a Church, with the help of Mary, our mother.

THE CHURCH AND ITS POOR

            I am assigned to explain the four marks of the Church which I suppose have been taught to us over and over again. These are One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. To understand these concepts better, we will place these in the context of the proclamations made during the Second Plenary Council of the Philippines (PCP II).

            What I find interesting when we address to the Church is that we use feminine pronouns like her or she. What could be these feminist attributes of the Church consistent with its four marks? What is Mary’s role in the Church?

Basic to our understanding of the Church is that it is the Church of the poor. Moreno clarifies this when he argues that concerns centering on the Church of the poor “include evangelical poverty, love for the poor, solidarity, justice, the poor as subjects (not only objects) of evangelization, and following Jesus Christ through poverty.”[5]

            Let us now clarify each mark of the Church. First, the Church as One implies unity: we are united in being “mindful of the conditions of the people in the society.”[6] Unity means community[7] and this community today is “finding expression in one ecclesial movement, that is the movement to foster Basic Ecclesial Communities” (PCP II 137). Furthermore, the “Basic Ecclesial Communities consciously strive to integrate their faith and their daily life… Poverty and their faith urge their members towards solidarity with one another, action for justice, and towards a vibrant celebration of life in the liturgy” (PCP II 139). These BEC’s are now very common especially in the countrysides, where peasants and farm workers gather together to celebrate their faith in God. And in these small communities, women play a vital role of sharing their faith and practice to others. They are reminded of the faith of Mary who, like them, was also a peasant from Galilee.

            Second, the Holiness of the Church does not come from herself. Rather, it is an overflow from the Holiness of God himself/herself. Gutierrez argues that “God does Justice: God is Holy.”[8] Holiness requires the practice of justice. That is the reason why Isaiah, announced that “is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to do the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?” (Is. 58:6) Furthermore he continued “is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover them…” (Is. 58: 7).

To work for justice is to work for the liberation of the subjugated, including the women. As Pope Paul VI described Mary, “the disciple who works for that justice which sets free the oppressed and for the charity which assists the needy.”[9] Justice, as one of the moral virtues, enables us Christians to genuinely love our brothers and sisters, and cultivate holiness in us. Let us ask ourselves, have we really been holy, or is our holiness rooted in our self-righteousness? Let us not be the same with the Pharisees who equated holiness with self-righteousness.

            Third, catholicity of the church means its universality, its inclusivistic attitude. In this sense, “the Church is Catholic because she has been sent out by Christ on a mission to the whole of the human race.”[10] The missionary characteristic of the church proves its catholicity and its faithfulness to the challenge during the Pentecost. This implies evangelization, of proclaiming the Good News. This is a task of men and most especially of modern women, as Mary was also present in the Pentecost event.

But we must be reminded of the preference of the Church in proclaiming the gospel. A lot of people today do not have the chance to hear good news: contractual laborers, unemployed graduates, out-of-school youth, exploited women, the poor. All they have heard in their entire lives is the affirmation of their sad state of affairs. The Church then must have a preferential option for the poor, to evangelize, to bring the good news of salvation, of liberation, to the poor. Gutierrez affirms that “the proclamation of the good news to the poor is a sign of the presence of Christ the messiah in human history.”[11] As Balasuriya reminded, “The Church’s love of preference for the poor is wonderfully inscribed in Mary’s Magnificat.”[12] There is no greater relief than giving hope to the hopeless.

Lastly, the Church as apostolic reminds our apostleship in Christ. We are called to become followers of Christ, to be on earth his compassionate heart. Doing this entails love. The love to commit ourselves in building God’s Kingdom here on earth. As Jesus’ prayer goes “your kingdom come,” God’s Kingdom is something we have to establish here on earth, here and now. We have to be vigilant to the signs of the times. Poverty, injustice, hunger, exploitation and oppression all run contrary against the essence of God’s Kingdom. We must dismantle the structures that preserve these evil conditions. Therefore, “the kingdom requires us to change our present reality, reject the abuses of the powerful, and establish relationships that are fraternal and just.”[13]

Again, Pope Paul VI reminds the modern women that “Mary of Nazareth, while completely devoted to the will of God, was far from being a timidly submissive woman... on the contrary, she was a woman who did not hesitate to proclaim that God vindicates the humble and oppressed, and removes the powerful people of this world from their privileged positions.”[14]

This is our role as members of the Church. And we must always be inspired by that peasant woman, who sacrificed her reputation in order to bring into fulfillment God’s plan for humanity. I do hope that we could appreciate better Mary as a mother, our mother, and before ending this day, let us greet her in advance “Happy Mothers’ Day.”

BIBILIOGRAPHY

Books

Gutierrez, Gustavo. A Theology of Liberation: History, Politics and Liberation. Trans. Sr.           Caridad Inda and John Eagleson. New York: Obrbis Books.

_____________. The God of Life. Trans. Matthew J. O’Connell. Manila: St. Pauls        Philippines, 1994.

____________. Gustavo Gutierrez: Essential Writings. Ed. James Nickoloff. New York:          Orbis Books, 1996.

Nolan, Albert. Jesus Today: A Spirituality of Radical Freedom. Quezon City: Jesuit       Communications Foundation, Inc.

Journals:

Moreno, Antonio. S.J.. “PCP II Ecclesiology: A Critical Evaluation.” Landas. 8 (1994): 42.

Mangibin, Ferdinand. “’Church of the Poor: ‘Revisiting the Catholic Social Teachings of      the Church.” Lumina. 20, 2 (2009): 1.

Electronic Sources:

Balasuriya, Tissa O. M. I. Mary and Human Liberation. Article Online. Available from             http://tissabalasuriya.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/mary-human-liberation1.pdf. 12 May 2012.

Miles, Sara. My Soul Proclaims: Submission and Subversion in Mary’s Magnificat. Article         Online. Available from         http://www.journeywithjesus.net/Essays/20071210JJ.shtml. 12 May 2012.

Catechism of the Catholic Church. Second edition.             http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p123a9p3.htm. 12 May 2012.

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[1] Gustavo Gutierrez, A Theology of Liberation: History, Politics and Liberation, trans. Sr. Caridad Inda and John Eagleson (New York: Obrbis Books), 176. Emphases mine.

[2] Albert Nolan, Jesus Today: A Spirituality of Radical Freedom (Quezon City: Jesuit Communications Foundation, Inc.), 86.

[3] Alber Nolan enlightens us with this issue. Ibid., 84.

[4] Sara Miles, My Soul Proclaims: Submission and Subversion in Mary’s Magnificat, 10 December 2007, 12 May 2012 http://www.journeywithjesus.net/Essays/20071210JJ.shtml.

[5] Antonio Moreno, S.J., “PCP II Ecclesiology: A Critical Evaluation,” Landas, vol. 8 (1994), 42.

[6] Ferdinand Mangibin, M.A., “’Church of the Poor:’ Revisiting the Catholic Social Teachings of the Church,” vol. 20, no. 2, 1. Mangibin further clarifies that the solidarity with the oppressed and the poor entails three important points: deeper practice of Christian living, read the signs of the times, and duty.

[7] We can learn better the concept of community through examining the early community of the Christians found in Acts 4: 32 which says “Now, the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common.”

[8] Gustavo Gutierrez, The God of Life, trans. Matthew J. O’Connell (Manila: St. Pauls Philippines, 1994), 3.

[9] Tissa Balasuriya, O. M. I, Mary and Human Liberation, 12 May 2012, http://tissabalasuriya.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/mary-human-liberation1.pdf.

[10] Catechism of the Catholic Church, second ed., 12 May 2012 http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p123a9p3.htm.

[11] Gustavo Gutierrez, Gustavo Gutierrez: Essential Writings, ed. James Nickoloff (New York: Orbis Books, 1996), 264.

[12] Tissa Balasuriya, O. M. I, Mary and Human Liberation, 12 May 2012, http://tissabalasuriya.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/mary-human-liberation1.pdf.

[13] Ibid., 174.

[14] Tissa Balasuriya, O. M. I, Mary and Human Liberation, 12 May 2012, http://tissabalasuriya.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/mary-human-liberation1.pdf.