And that "ontological inference" would be wrong. No Catholic thinks that Mary predated God or created Him.
Is Christ God? Certainly.
And is Mary His mother? Certainly.
It's no more complicated than that.
Did God create Mary? Certainly. Is Christ God? Certainly. Was Christ incarnated thru Mary? Certainly. Did Mary contribute anything to his Divinity? Certainly not. Thus she is the mother of the incarnated Christ, God manifest in the flesh, being a holy instrument of God, like Israel. "of whom
as concerning the flesh [distinction made] Christ
came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen. "(Romans 9:5).
That Scriptural truth is is also part of Catholic theology, but as clearly stated, it is the uncritical the uncritical use of the term as part of the hyper-exaltation of Mary* by Catholics far above that which is written (contra
1 Co. 4:6).
I think what Ratzinger said of the title “Co-redemptrix” should apply here also, even if he did not do so himself:
“the response of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, is, broadly, that what is signified by this is already better expressed in other titles of Mary, while the formula “Co-redemptrix” departs to too great an extent from the language of Scripture and of the Fathers and therefore gives rise to misunderstandings.”
“Everything comes from Him [Christ], as the Letter to the Ephesians and the Letter to the Colossians, in particular, tell us; Mary, too, is everything she is through Him. The word “Co-redemptrix” would obscure this origin. A correct intention being expressed in the wrong way. “For matters of faith, continuity of terminology with the language of Scripture and that of the Fathers is itself an essential element; it is improper simply to manipulate language.” (God and the world: believing and living in our time, by Pope Benedict XVI, Peter Seewald, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, 2000, p. 306)
*Such as,
• whose [Mary] merits we are saved by, • who "had to suffer, as He did, all the consequences of sin," • and was bodily assumed into Heaven, which is a fact (unsubstantiated in Scripture or even early Tradition) because the Roman church says it is, and "was elevated to a certain affinity with the Heavenly Father," • and whose power now "is all but unlimited," • for indeed she "seems to have the same power as God," • "surpassing in power all the angels and saints in Heaven," • so that "the Holy Spirit acts only by the Most Blessed Virgin, his Spouse." • and that “sometimes salvation is quicker if we remember Mary's name then if we invoked the name of the Lord Jesus," • for indeed saints have "but one advocate," and that is Mary, who "alone art truly loving and solicitous for our salvation," • Moreover, "there is no grace which Mary cannot dispose of as her own, which is not given to her for this purpose," • and who has "authority over the angels and the blessed in heaven," • including "assigning to saints the thrones made vacant by the apostate angels," • whom the good angels "unceasingly call out to," greeting her "countless times each day with 'Hail, Mary,' while prostrating themselves before her, begging her as a favour to honour them with one of her requests," • and who (obviously) cannot "be honored to excess," • and who is (obviously) the glory of Catholic people, whose "honor and dignity surpass the whole of creation. (
Sources)
