Anyone else blessed by: "Mary - The Church at the Source"?

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and sisters,

Here is the description of this book given by Amazon"

Two great theologians endeavor to recover the centrality of Marian doctrine and devotion for the contemporary Church, offering a spiritually rich approach to Mariology that brings into new relief the Marian contours of ecclesial faith. Ratzinger and von Balthasar show that Mary is both the embodiment of the Church, and the mother who co-operates in giving birth to the Church in the souls of believers.

At once profound and yet readily accessible, Mary: The Church at the Source offers a theologically balanced and biblically grounded presentation of traditional and contemporary thought on Marian doctrine and spirituality.

I have reread the book at least twice and returned to it recently and been even more impressed by The then Cardinal Ratzinger, now Pope Emeritus (Pope Benedict XVI) as he explains his insights into the Church as “The Marian Mystery”.

I continue to be blessed by how Pope Benedict is able to express profound Truth in simple ways. I was struck by this Truth more evident today than when he wrote the following, some 15 years ago:

It is, I believe, no coincidence, given our Western, masculine mentality, that we have increasingly separated Christ from his Mother, without grasping that Mary’s motherhood might have some significance for theology and faith. This attitude characterizes our whole approach to the Church. We treat the Church almost like some technological device that we plan and make with enormous cleverness and expenditure of energy. Then we are surprised when we experience the truth of what Saint Louis-Marie Grignon de Montfort once remarked, paraphrasing the words of the prophet Haggai, when he said, “You do much, but nothing comes of it!” (Hag I:6) 'When making becomes autonomous, the things we cannot make but that are alive and need time to mature can no longer survive. ’

What we need, then, is to abandon this one-sided, Western activistic outlook, lest we degrade the Church to a product of our creation and design. The Church is not a manufactured item, she is, rather, the living seed of God that must be allowed to grow and ripen. This is why the Church needs the Marian mystery, this is why the Church herself is a Marian mystery. There can be fruitfulness in the Church only when she has this character, when she becomes holy soil for the Word. We must retrieve the symbol of the fruitful soil, we must once more become waiting, inwardly recollected people who in the depth of prayer, longing, and faith give the Word room to grow. (From "Mary – The Church at the Source, Ignatius Press 2005, p. 16-17.)

 

[Justin_Mary]

Just downloaded to my Kindle. Looking forward to reading. Thanks for the recommendation.

 

[MariaChristi]

Dear Justin_Mary,

Thanks so much for your reply and your desire to learn more!!! I believe you will surely be blessed by the insights into Mary, written by Cardinal Ratzinger now Pope Emeritus. I hope you will share what you learn on this thread or start one of your own to encourage others to “see by faith” what he saw and wrote about our Mother Mary.

It is so true and seems to have gotten worse over time that Mary is not only being neglected, but marginalized and “separated from His Mother”, even by Catholics who should know better! This must truly wound the Sacred Heart of Jesus as well as the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

It reminds me of Their words to Sister Lucia of Fatima:

Lucia was a postulant in the Convent of St. Dorothy in Pontevedra, Spain when she had the apparition of our Blessed Mother. She was standing over a cloud of light with the Child Jesus at her side. The Blessed Virgin put one hand on Lucia’s shoulder, while her other hand sustained her Immaculate Heart that was surrounded with thorns. The Child Jesus said: "Have compassion on the Heart of your Blessed Mother. It is surrounded with thorns that ungrateful men pierce each moment, and there is no one that is willing to offer an act of reparation to take the thorns away."

Our Lady immediately said to Lucia: "Look, my daughter. My Heart is surrounded with thorns that ungrateful men pierce unceasingly with their blasphemies and ingratitude. You, at least, try to console me .…"

Those of us who love our Mother Mary need to help all those who do not yet know her, as God has revealed her to us through the fullness of His Revelation: in Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition and the Official Magisterium of the Catholic Church. We need to be prayerful witnesses as Mary was on earth and is in heaven, filled with Jesus by the Holy Spirit.

May Jesus. the Word Made Flesh. by the power of the Holy Spirit, in the womb of Mary live and grow in us!

 

[MariaChristi]

Dear Stephie and patricius,

Not surprised – but always happy to see your “faithful hearts” appear on my posts!

How beautiful are these words of Pope Emeritus:

…What we need, then, is to abandon this one-sided, Western activistic outlook, lest we degrade the Church to a product of our creation and design. The Church is not a manufactured item, she is, rather, the living seed of God that must be allowed to grow and ripen. This is why the Church needs the Marian mystery, this is why the Church herself is a Marian mystery. There can be fruitfulness in the Church only when she has this character, when she becomes holy soil for the Word. We must retrieve the symbol of the fruitful soil, we must once more become waiting, inwardly recollected people who in the depth of prayer, longing, and faith give the Word room to grow.

By God’s Grace and Mary’s intercession, may we truly becme as Pope Emeritus wrote:

…fruitful soil, we must once more become waiting, inwardly recollected people who in the depth of prayer, longing, and faith give the Word room to grow.

Please, let us pray for one another and for the Church and all in most need of His Mercy.