Mary's authority in th Church?

[John1]

What authority does Mary have in the Church?

 

[JReducation]

What authority does Mary have in the Church?

Canonically speaking she has no juridical authority in the Church. After Christ, the second authoritative figure in the Church was Peter and his successors.

Mary’s authority in the Church is a spiritual authority. She is mother of the Church and Mother of the Head of the Mystical Body. But theologically, Mary derives her authority from her Son.

As she was never ordained, she never has had ecclesial authority per se. She was subject to Peter as were all the early Christians.

Mary’s role in the Church is best explained through a clear understanding of the role of the mother in the Jewish family, because that’s what her role is modeled on. The mother is the transmitter of the faith. Mary was the theotokos as the Orthodox have clearly pointed out. She was the God-Bearer. Therefore, she brought into the world the object of the Church’s faith, Jesus Christ. The Church’s obedience is to Jesus Christ and Peter who is his successor. Mary is not his successor.

However, in Jewish tradition, the mother plays an essential role in keeping the family together by teaching the children to love the father and preserve the faith. The father is the head of the family. Christ is the head of the Church. Mary’s role is that of a mother.

This authority should never be comfused with juridical authority. Juridical authority is authority handed down according to the Law. That authority consists in the power to govern, bind, unbind, forgive sin, deny forgiveness, administer the sacraments, preach, and sanctify and ultimately to hand down the same authority through Holy Orders. Mary has none of those powers. Only one who has the fullness of the priesthood has those powers. That would be a bishop.

In simple terms, bishops outrank Mary in authority, though not in holiness obviously or in her role in redemption.

Mary’s role in the Church is very unique, but is not executive one or sacramental as was Peter and his successors.

Fraternally,

JR

 

[rinnie]

The only authority If you can say that Mary has in the Church is she was the Mother Of Jesus and deserves our Respect.

She can interceed for us. What that means is Mary Loves us very Much and is our Mother also. And like a Mother can watch over us and pray for us. I ask her to watch my kids daily, and pray for them.

What Power she has, came from God, He filled her full of Grace. Which we all know grace is what we get when we accept Jesus in our lives.

Her power is her prayers. They have helped many. I believe personally it is by the power of her prayers that help me through any and all of my problems. I Love her so much!

 

[maurin]

She does say “Do as He tells you.”

Jesus says, “Behold Thy Mother.”

That’s real authority, according to the 10 Commandments.

 

[ForMary]

It’s interestig Maurin brings up a quote from the first miracle of Jesus, the wedding at Cana.

Jesus says, I’m not ready…Mary says (in her way)…oh yes, you are and tells the servants to fill the jars and do as He tells them. She sends Him to start His ministry in this fabulous mystery (the second Luminous of the Rosary). So much happens here that has been overlooked.

Who does not have a mother with whom they’ve had this conversation…but I don’t want to…but you will…but I’m not ready…but you are, now do it…?

Unfortunately the Church requires a human have only certain body parts, (not character traits, measure of Holy Spirit or passion) to be ***eligible ***for a role of authority…still I am obedient to the Church, even when I am in disagreement with Her.

 

[maurin]

Unfortunately the Church requires a human have only certain body parts, (not character traits, measure of Holy Spirit or passion) to be ***eligible ***for a role of authority…still I am obedient to the Church, even when I am in disagreement with Her.

Please–bring that up to all Mothers Superior of all the different orders of Nuns–especially the Traditionalist Orders. I’ll bet you’d be floored by thier answers…even if you are in disagreement with them.

Real authority in the Church has always been marked by humble submission to the Truth. Right up until the 1960’s at least.

 

[JReducation]

She does say “Do as He tells you.”

Jesus says, “Behold Thy Mother.”

That’s real authority, according to the 10 Commandments.

You are speaking of Mary as mother. Which no one denies. But one must be careful here not to confuse maternal authority with juridical and sacramental authority.

Mary has no juridical and sacramental authority in the Church. She has maternal authority.

Mary cannot ordain or consecrate or forgive sins. She can and does intercede for sinners, as she did at the wedding.

The answer to the OP is, because Mary does not have Apostolic Succession, as does the clergy, she has no binding authority over the Church.

However, because she is the Mother of the Church, she has the authority that is proper to Motherhood.

Fraternally,

JR

 

[ForMary]

Please–bring that up to all Mothers Superior of all the different orders of Nuns–especially the Traditionalist Orders. I’ll bet you’d be floored by thier answers…even if you are in disagreement with them.

Real authority in the Church has always been marked by humble submission to the Truth. Right up until the 1960’s at least.

Yes, I’ll be sure to do that, it might be very entertaining.

My true authority is God and how God has been revealed to me in many ways, still I am obedient to The Church. A bit of a paradox perhaps, but one that I can live with.

The fact remains that to even begin a path that leads to any sort of **Church authority **from Deacon to Pope, one must first have a penis.

 

[jmcrae]

What authority does Mary have in the Church?

None; she is a married lay person. But like all married lay people, her voice is listened to with concern by those in authority.

The Church pays special attention to her because of her unique and especially close relationship with Jesus Christ.

 

[JReducation]

None; she is a married lay person. But like all married lay people, her voice is listened to with concern by those in authority.

The Church pays special attention to her because of her unique and especially close relationship with Jesus Christ.

Theoloically it is a little deeper than that. It’s not that she’s very close to Christ. It also has to do with the fact that she is the Theotokos, the Immaculate Conception, Mother of the Church, Queen of Heaven and Earth, and was selected by the Father since before time to be the Bride of the Holy Spirit.

Technically speaking, Mary and Joseph were not married. A marriage has to be consumated in both Jewish and Christian theology. Mary and Joseph’s marriage was never consumated. She remains forever his betrothed, but not legally his wife. A valid marriage must be consumated. Therefore, Mary was not a married woman in the sacramental sense of the word. She may have been married legally, because they went through the espousal ceremony prescribed by the Law.

She is a lay woman, but that does not take any authority from her voice. In the Judeo-Christian tradition we have had many lay women who had very powerful roles in Salvation History, including prophets and saints such as Catherine of Siena.

Mary’s authority in the Church is a maternal authority. That is a very powerful role in the Judeo-Christian tradition, which continues to this day.

If you want to compare her authority to that of the clergy, there is a difference. She does not have the authority that comes from the ontological change that results from Holy Orders. She cannot have that, becaue it was never authorized by Christ, not because the Church denies it to her or other women.

The Church cannot do what it is not authorized to do. It cannot bend the will of God to accommodate to changing times and changing roles in society. The Church can only accommodate those things that are within her scope of authority to do so. One thing that is not within her scope of authority is to tamper with the essence of the sacraments. She can change the accidens of the sacraments, but not the essence. Masculinity is essential to the Sacrament of Holy Orders as is already proven through scripture and sacred tradition and explained by the early Fathers.

But we cannot minimize Mary’s authority either. We must say that they are two different kinds of authority. Ecclesial authority comes from the Sacrament of Orders and Maternal authority comes from the nature of motherhood. Both are valid forms of authority and are to be respected.

That being said, in the case where a judgment has to be made between something that Mary says and the voice of Peter, Peter’s voice is the highest authority in the Church.

In the Acts of the Apostles we see very clearly the Church being led by the Apostolic College in which Mary is not included. Nonetheless, we do see her present at Pentecost. This tells us that the Apostles regarded her as a central figure in the events of the time, but not as a ordained to lead the Church in the same capacity as they were.

There is a link between Mary’s maternity and the maternity of the Church that cannot be denied. The link is ontological, not based on gender. Mary is the model of what the Church has to become and the Apostles and their successors have the authority and mandate to make this happen.

Fraternally,

JR