Na styku mariologii i eklezjologii

Abstract

The second Vatican Council, in its Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, quoted among others the statement of St Ambrose: „Deipara est Ecclesiae typus” (LG 63), developing chiefly as the „tertium comparationis” the idea of the virginal maternity, and indicating as an example the perfect union with Christ on the basis of the three theological virtues. These formulations were preceded by a pre-history both in the form of the ancient tradition of the Fathers, and in the recent achievements of biblical theology. The present article is a summary of these achievements, while indicating the possibilities of developing further analogies between Mary and the Church. The key text is the picture of „the Woman robed with the sun” (Rev 12,1-6.13.17), according to which Mary recapitulates in her person the whole faithful People of God of the Old Testament, the ideal Sion of the prophets, and begins the new People. The Church of Christ. Mary in this picture is owing to the contrast with the Dragon, at the same time the antitype of Eve, a New Eve, thanks to whom the Daughter of Zion will bring the Messiah into the world. The key contained in Rev 12 opens up the sense of the other mariological texts of the New Testament. St Luke places Mary both at the beginning of the history of Christ (Lk 1,26-38) and at the beginning of His prolongation, the Church (Acts 1,14). In the scene of the Annunciation there are echoes of the Old Testament prophecies on the Daughter of Zion (Zeph 3,14-17; Zech 9,9); what is more, „full of grace” is the antitype of the Bride, „beautiful without a flaw” (S. of S. 4,7) and the antitype of the Ark, covered by the „shadow of the glory of Yahweh” (Ex 40,34; 1 Kg 8,10-13). The hymn ,,Magnificat” shows the many connections of Mary with the history of the People of God. In the prophecy of Simeon (Lk 1,34) the future sufferings of Mary are at the same time the sufferings of the primitive Church. The mariological texts of John: Cana (Jn 2,1-11) and the testament on the Cross (Jn 19,55ff) are connected with each other on the basis of the concept of the „Hour” of the Messiah and through the use of the unsual title of „Woman”. Both the first and the second component of this description speak of the ecclesial dimension of Mary as the one who was the cause of the faith of the disciples effected by the first miracle, and was suffering under the cross the pangs of travail during the birth of the new People of God, the Church, given to her maternal care in the person of John. The words of Christ about the woman in childbirth (J 16,20) may be appried to this scene (A. Feuillet). The study of the mutual relation of Mary and the Church gives a fuller picture of the saving plan of God, throws a new light on the dogmas of the Immacultate Conception and Assumption, and in the pastoral aspect allow to evaluate better the ecclesial dimension both of virginity and of maternity.