During the fifth meeting of the Power and Beauty of Faith, Fr. Salvatore Perrella expressed his belief that for John Paul II, Mary was a “companion in the journey to the Lord” and a “living letter written by hand of God.”
The Rector of the Marianum Pontifical Theological Faculty was giving a lecture on “The Mother of the Redeemer in the Catechesis of John Paul II.” The series was organized by the John Paul II Pontificate Documentation and Research Center (The John Paul II Foundation) and the Polish Chaplaincy through the Church of St. Stanislaw in Rome. The Rector reminded us that the Holy Father developed his Marian devotion in the St. Louis Marie de Montfort School, and studied Mariology at the school of the Second Vatican Council. Father Perrella pointed out that between September 1995 and November 1997, Pope John Paul II gave seventy Marian catecheses. In the original project he had planned to deliver twice as many. Nevertheless, the catecheses given form “a complete course of Mariology,” which are divided into three parts: “The Presence of Mary in the History of the Church,” the most comprehensive part – “Mary in the Faith of the Church” and “The Role of Mary in the Church.”
The Rector of the Marianum emphasized that the image of Mary in the Pope’s teaching is deeply biblical. This can be achieved not only in catechesis, but also in the encyclical “Redemptoris Mater” (1987), in which John Paul II applied a sapiential-pastoral exegesis and in the apostolic letter “Mulieris Dignitatem” (1988). There is also currently a biblical and pastoral perspective in the encyclical “Ecclesia de Eucharistia” (2003), in which Mary is presented as a Woman of the Eucharist, teaching us to accept Christ, and in the apostolic letter “Rosarium Virginis Mariae” (2002), in which the Pope shows the richness in looking to the Blessed Virgin to Christ.
We also find John Paul II’s original approach to the Marian dogmas in the catechesis. Prof. Perrella said that the Holy Father saw a motherhood in Mary which had both an ecclesiological and soteriological aspect. Referring again to the encyclical Redemptoris Mater, Father Perell explained the theological concept of “maternal mediation” that Mary is our Mother and performs as a conduit in the act of mercy while working with Christ in the act of salvation.
He further noted that John Paul II significantly deepened our understanding of the truth of faith of Mary’s virginity. He highlighted a very important speech, delivered by the Pope during a Mariological symposium in Capua, in Italy, on May 24th 1992. Pope John Paul II, giving a catechesis at th Dormition of Our Lady, said that Mary could share the experience of suffering and death with us. She was united with the art of salvation of Christ to the end and showed solidarity with the human family. This statement is an important contribution to the understanding of the dogma of the Assumption of Mary.
Father Perrella dedicated a lot of time explaining the truth that the Mother of Christ stands before us in the pilgrimage of faith. The Marian attitude of faith consists of a purity of the heart, obedience, courage, intelligence and faith. Mary’s faith was wise and full of hope. Father Perrella stressed that Mary teaches us to have faith in Christ and to love him. He added that the Catechism of the Catholic Church, thanks to John Paul II, has a profound Marian dimension.
Father Perrella pointed out that John Paul II’s comprehensive and creative Marian magisterium allowed him to award the Holy Father the title of Doctor Marianus. This does not mean that we need not learn from his teachings and examples of reverence and love for the Mother of God. On the contrary – it should be the inspiration for our own exploration of faith.
Rev Andrzej Dobrzyński