www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life The Christian East & West Mary as Mediatrix from an Eastern Perspective

Dear Stephanos,

St Maximilian Kolbe, canonized by His Holiness John Paul II, taught that this was the case by virtue of Mary's spousal relationship with the Holy Spirit.

St M. Kolbe borrowed the Byzantine concept of Mary as the bride of the Spirit (you can find this in the Akathist).

Every grace is applied to us by the Holy Spirit (as at the epiclesis in the Eucharist). This is because the Spirit effects what the Son interceeds for. St Kolbe said that since the Holy Spirit was uniquely present at Mary's conception and dormition, her entire life was conformed to the Spirit.

Therefore, the Spirit and Mary have a unique bond that no other Christian has. I don't think any Orthodox Christian would argue with this. After all, she is higher than the Seraphim!

St Kolbe described this relationship between Mary and the Spirit as "spousal" but not in a sexual or even marital way. It's the only word that can describe a deep union of wills.

To get to the point, Mary's will is perfectly aligned with the actions of the Spirit. Since all grace is applied by the Spirit, her unique union with the Spirit insures that every grace somehow also passes "through" her.

It is really based on the Spirit's proximity to Mary.

I of course understand the argument and appreciate it. However, I have noticed that many "Mediatrix of All Graces" advocates essentially replace "Mary" with the "Holy Spirit" in all their discussions. I think this is an error.

Mary is only Mediatrix because she is "All-Holy," that is, filled to the brim with the Holy Spirit.

My two cents,
Taylor

I think the problem here is that you are using the word "must" (as in, all prayers "must" go
through Mary, all graces "must" come through Mary, etc.).

You are making the common mistake of thinking that Mary is some obstacle which you must get past in order to get to Christ. But that isn't what we're talking about. There's a wonderful little book by a writer named Caryll Houselander called "The Reed of God," in which she compares Mary to a bamboo reed, which is hollowed out so that water can flow freely through it.

Try thinking of Mary as the channel through which God is pleased to send His graces flowing to us. God is the source of all graces - and He chose to give the ultimate grace, His Son, to us through Mary. So it is in that sense that we say "all graces come through Mary" - not that she does anything on her own, but that she surrendered herself completely for His use.

Of course Bretheren we have to see this theology of Mary as Mediatrix in the light of and teaching of the New Testament of Jesus as the unique mediator.
"For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all."
1 Tm 2:15

Never can it be said that Mary somehow supercedes or takes the place of Christ. It is precisely Christ's mediation that Mary and indeed we too share.

Marshal and Theist Gal I dont see any conflict with what you are saying and Mary as Mediatrix.
Definitely it is because of Mary's relationship to God, As daughter of the Father, Mother of the Son and Spouse of the Holy Spirit that this can be said.

However Mary is also a mere creature like us.
God is God alone. But how he shares his grace is up to Him. He chose Mary to be the mother of His Son and thus by her "fiat" Mary accomplished his will.

Stephanos I

First off let me state that I wasn't the one using the word "must". This is my understanding of what the website I was referring to was saying.

Next, let me try and illustrate what I am saying.

St. Mary the Theotokos is the first of all Christians, the first of the redeemed, and the one who voluntarily gave herself to be the one through which God the Son came to the world in the flesh. She is more honorable than the Cherubim, and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim.

The miracle at the wedding in Cana was mediated through her. But in the gospels, as far as I can remember, the Lord did numerous other miracles without Her mediation.

If I ask for her prayers and help now, then she prays for me and the Lord hears her prayers for me, and in this sense grace is mediated to me through her, just as when I ask anyone else to pray for me.

But if I ask the Lord Jesus to help me, He can hear me and come to me and help me directly. If someone reaches the transforming union and they become completely one with the Lord, then they are intimately united with Him directly. Holy Mary can be involved in this, but to say as some people seem to say, (example: that website) that she is involved in every single action of the Lover of Man to His beloved ones is to go over board with the whole thing, in my opinion.

Dear Friends,

I think the point here is that the Grace of Christ is ALWAYS mediated to us.

As St Paul said, "Salvation is through the Man Jesus Christ." In other words, Divine Grace is mediated to us through Humanity of Our Lord.

This issue has to do with the impact of the Divine Incarnation itself.

The mediation of Grace does not stop with Christ's Ministry two thousand years ago.

Christ continues to live in and work through His Church and its members through the Holy Spirit.

In Christ, we all share in His Priesthood of mediating Grace to the world for its salvation and sanctification.

The Mother of God the Word Incarnate has a prevenient role in this.

The Lord Jesus came to us through her. And we go to Him through Her who is the Mother of the Church, the Body of Christ.

The Eastern liturgical prayers invoke the Mother of God and the Saints VERY frequently to underscore this.

That Divine Grace is mediated to us through the Incarnate Son of God and His Church and the Mother of God etc. makes eminent sense as we meditate on the mystery of the Divine Incarnation and its meaning for us today.

We too, as we've said, are called to be mediators of that same Divine Grace through our own persons.

God can indeed save us without the process of mediation.

But He's made it clear that He won't!

Alex

Alex,
Excellent post! I am in total agreement with you.
Stephnos I
"How good and pleasant it is when brethren dewll together in unity"

May the Theotokos through her intercession hasten the day when communion between East and West is restored.
Through the prayers of the Mother of God, O Savior Save our souls.