Father, I must have posted something that really irritated you…and if I did I apologize.
I think if you objectively read the content of my posts, I have been pretty balanced.
I’ve repeatedly stated that the prominence of Mary in individual’s lives can vary. This would seem to agree with your last assertion that the Church gives latitude. Yes, of course. I don’t disagree. Nor do I think that any specific devotion is required universally.
What I will not concede is that Mary does not have a privileged place in Catholic spirituality, in the Catholic “heart,” if you will, corporately speaking.
I will affirm my contention that Bl. Mother Theresa’s devotion to Our Lady was balanced and integrated, neither maximalist nor minimalist; a pretty good model for most folks to imitate-- not necessarily in the exact details, but in its general naturalness and sensibility. I don’t see anything “Indian” about it; she was ethnically Albanian and raised in Yugoslavia.
I have around me numerous churches, hospitals, schools, and organizations named in ho nor of Our Lady. The USA is dedicated to the Immaculate Conception. What this shows me is that the faithful have always recognized Mary’s role in salvation history and that historically this has expressed itself in concrete forms. Not always the same across eras, cultures, and individuals, but never completely absent.
I re-read Marialis Cultis and I cannot see where my position conflicts with it. I find in my own life I find myself contemplating Christ with Mary. I’m offering that image to those who may be struggling. Just a thought-- if they find it helpful, good; if not, they can simply ignore it.
Again, if I didn’t express something as clearly as I could have, please forgive me.
I have taught Mariology for years. The theology of Mary is not a matter of what a person concludes. It is a specific body of knowledge and subcategory of theology. Whether a person thinks that what they have concluded is “balanced” or not is immaterial…the question is: is what they articulate faithful to that body of knowledge. It is quite specific, in so far as the topic discussed here, and its formulation is quite precise, relative to what we are discussing.
So, it is a matter of accurately presenting what the Church teaches about the Blessed Virgin, articulating that which the Church allows (and that which the Church disallows) relative to popular piety – and what the Church expresses in herself about Our Lady as well as what she requires of her individual members regarding the Blessed Virgin. This is the task of Mariology.
It is splendid that you find inspiration in Mother Teresa. Having known her, I would be the first to say what an extraordinary person she was. However…that does not mean that one can say that her Marian piety is any sort of measure over against any other that should be applied to everyone. Such a methodology would have deprived the Church of both a Saint Louis de Montfort on the one hand and a Saint Benedict on the other.
In terms of Mary’s role in the spiritual life, there is tremendous gamut that is open. One could pick, for example, Saint Louis de Montfort as a saint whose charism is a Marian centered spirituality. His writings are a wonderful path for those who find his teachings and spirituality helpful and beneficial. It is there for those who are enriched by it. It is perfectly legitimate for one who is attracted to that spirituality to live it and to live it fully.
On the other hand, one can look to a saint like Saint Benedict and one will find no presence or mention of Mary in his life and spirituality or in the charism that the Church received through him. And one can attain the heights of holiness by the faithful living of monastic life according to the rule he left us.
Yes, the United States is under the patronage of the Immaculate Conception, by the petition of the US Bishops and by the action of Blessed Pius IX. An American Catholic, like any Catholic, may freely choose to make novenas to Our Lady as the Immaculate Conception, to entrust themselves to her under this title. They can make a pilgrimage the National Shrine in Washington, DC. Or any of a number of practices of personal piety, such as the wearing of the Theatine scapular. Or…they can, once per year, attend the Mass of precept on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. That is what is required. They can give the assent of faith that Mary is immaculately conceived, according to the dogmatic formulation of Blessed Pius IX, which is what is required.
In the writings of the Councils, of the Popes, of the Doctors and Saints of the Church as well as the great masters of the spiritual life, there is an incredible patrimony about the Blessed Virgin to draw from. However, it is left to the individual to make that selection, as they choose.
And that is the crucial point on which all of this turns, theologically.
The practices of inculturation that I referenced have to do with the practices of piety and religious observance within the Missionaries of Charity and their particular observance of Religious Life…they are there because of Mother and because she specifically wanted them there.
I don’t intend to return to this topic. It is purposeless to keep repeating the same thing.
