Is Mary Our Co-Redemptrix?

There can be no question that Mary is the Mother of Jesus Christ.  As such, she certainly participated in our redemption like no other.  But is she truly Co-Redemptrix along with our Lord and Savior?

I’ve been mulling this question over since I first heard Mary referred to as Co-Redemptrix many years ago. In all honesty, I’ve never been entirely comfortable with this title.

The DDF’s Doctrinal Note

Last year I seriously started thinking about it again when the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) issued Mater Populi Fidelis, a “Doctrinal Note on Some Marian Titles Regarding Mary’s Cooperation in the Work of Salvation.”

As Edward Pentin wrote at the time, “One of the Catholic Church’s foremost associations of Mariologists issued a strongly critical response to Mater Populi Fidelis.”

Pentin summed up Mater Populi Fidelis saying, “The doctrinal note reaffirms approved Marian titles such as Mother of God and Mother of the Church, but judges the titles “Co‑redemptrix” and certain uses of “Mediatrix of all graces” pastorally and theologically ambiguous, discouraging their use in official teaching or liturgy, while not denying the truths they seek to express.”  In short Mater Populi Fidelis said the title is inappropriate or inopportune to use.

The International Marian Association Theological Commission disagreed that Mary’s “Co‑Redemptrix” title is inappropriate.  They argued that if this is the case “the popes who approved or used the title were acting in an inappropriate and imprudent manner.”

As Pentin pointed out, “The 2010 edition of the New Catholic Encyclopedia states that the title Co-redemptrix first appeared in Catholic literature toward the end of the fourteenth century and that “Catholics no longer question its legitimacy” as the title has been used at various times in the intervening centuries, including by the Holy See in the 20th century.”

The Just Concluded Conference

The recent International Conference at the Augustinian Patristic Institute in Rome on October 7-8, entitled “The Blessed Virgin Mary in dogma and worship,” got me thinking seriously about the Mary’s Co-redemptrix title yet again.  In talks at the conference, according to Pentin, Cardinal Burke and Cardinal Müller, along with other respected theologians, defended the use of Mary’s Co-Redemptrix title.

Cardinal Müller said that, “the title “Co-Redemptrix” must be understood analogically, saying that Christ alone redeems humanity in the primary and perfect sense, while Mary’s role is entirely dependent on and derived from his grace.”

But that little, two-letter prefix “co” carries quite a wallop.  Merriam-Webster says “co” means “with : together : joint : jointly.”  So if someone is a co-founder it means that the someone shares equal billing in the founding of something.  If someone is a co-director it means that person is equally responsible for leading some group of organization.  Someone can also be a co-conspirator, meaning that  the person has equal  responsibility for a conspiracy of some sort.

So saying Mary is “Co-Redemptrix” means that Mary is just as responsible for our Redemption as Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  And saying the title must be understood “analogically” is not a good argument for its continued use.  It’s saying, “Well, Jesus is our Redeemer, but we can say Mary is our co-redeemer because of her uniquely singular role as the Mother of Jesus Christ.”   But the semantics of this statement overwhelm any analogical meaning.   It is not a true or an accurate statement.

What Might Mary Think?

But over and above this, I have to wonder what Our Blessed Mother herself might think of this title.  I just cannot imagine her referring to herself as the “Co-Redemptrix.”

At Lourdes Mary referred to herself as the Immaculate Conception.  This was  just four years after Pope Pius IX officially defined the Immaculate Conception as a dogma.  So Mary affirmed the dogma.  But as she herself also said, “I am the handmaid of the Lord” [Luke 1:38].  And a handmaid is a servant.

As the Pentin article points out, the term Co-Redemptrix is not a new title.   It was first used in the fourteenth century.  But, in my humble opinion, Mary is probably never going to affirm the title Co-Redemptrix.

Mary has had many titles bestowed on her through the ages.   She is the Queen of Heaven, Our Blessed Mother, the New Eve, Mediatrix of all Graces, our spiritual mother, Mother of the Church, and of course, Theotokos (Mother of God).  All of these titles honor Mary and acknowledge her role in our salvation.

God’s Humble Handmaid

But despite these titles, no one can doubt that Our Blessed Mother is the epitome of humility.  And as God’s humble handmaid, she might be uncomfortable with some of these titles.  And of all the titles, Co-Redemptrix might just be the title she likes the least.

My wife and I certainly had a hand in bringing my sons into the world – my wife more so than me.  But I would be a lousy father, and my wife be a lousy mother, if one of our sons won a Nobel prize and we tried to share in the credit for his achievement.

As Cardinal Müller, and the Catholic Church, states, “Christ alone redeems humanity.”  Referring to Mary as Co-Redemptrix just creates confusion.

I fully concur with devotion to our Blessed Mother.  However, I don’t think she would be happy with anyone trying to elevate her unique and singular role in our redemption to something it is not – even if it is just expressing an analogy.

Mary was God’s lowly handmaid and Jesus’ mother.  And I would wager these are the titles she holds most dear.