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In a recent interview with Mel Gibson, Christianity Today referred
to Gibson as a traditionalist Catholic who “likes the Tridentine Latin
Mass and calls Mary Co-Redemptrix.” There’s another well-known Catholic
who also calls the Mother of Jesus the Co-Redemptrix: His name is Pope
John Paul II. He has done so on six occasions during his post Vatican
II pontificate.
What does the Co-Redemptrix title mean? From the
Catholic perspective, it refers to Mary’s unique human participation with
Jesus (and entirely subordinate to her divine Son) in the historic work of
saving humanity from sin. Jesus is the only Redeemer, in the sense that
he alone as the one divine mediator between God and man could redeem or
“buy back” the human family from the bonds of Satan and sin. But God
willed that the Mother of Jesus participate in this redemptive process
like no other creature.
In light of her Immaculate Conception in which she
was conceived without original sin through the foreseen merits of her Son,
Mary is the sinless virgin Mother in total “enmity” or opposition with
Satan, who becomes the ideal human partner with Jesus in the salvation of
the human race. Early Christian writers called her the “New Eve,” who
together with Jesus, the “New Adam,” accomplished the work of salvation
for all the fallen children of the original Adam and Eve.
Mel Gibson has given the world its most powerful
cinematic portrayal of the Mother of Jesus precisely as the Co-Redemptrix
in his blockbuster film, The Passion of the Christ.
From early in the film it is clear that Mary alone
has a special participation in Jesus’ saving mission. As the soldiers of
the Sanhedrin bring Jesus in to stand trial before Caiaphas, Jesus looks
at Mary from across the courtyard and Mary says softly, “It has begun,
Lord ... so be it.” The Mother knows that the mission of human redemption
has begun. She offers her sorrowful “so be it” to this mission to
accompany her joyful “so be it” at the announcement of the angel Gabriel
which first brought the Redeemer into the world.
Throughout the film, it is only Jesus and Mary who
see their mutual adversary Satan, in his androgenized form. During the way
of the cross, Mary slides her way through the crowd to accompany her
tortured Son carrying his cross when she spots Satan as he parallels her
movements on the other side of the crowd. She recognizes her antagonist,
looks at him for a moment, and then refixes her gaze on her suffering
Son.
Earlier, Satan appears during the scourging of Jesus
carrying a demonic child, which conveys the Old Testament Genesis prophecy
of the battle between the “woman” and her “seed” (Jesus Christ), and the
serpent (Satan) and his “seed” or offspring of evil. After the scourging,
Mary is inspired to soak up the blood of the Savior, splattered throughout
the area of the pillar, with linens. She alone knows that each drop of
this divine blood is supernaturally redemptive.
Many times during the savage process of the passion
(for example, at the scourging, during the way of the cross, at Calvary),
it is the glance of his Mother that gives Jesus the human support that
strengthens him to proceed to the next stage of suffering. After one fall
on the Via Dolorosa, Mary crawls next to her mutilated Son and reassures
him: “I’m here.” Jesus regains some focus and replies to her concerning
the mission: “See Mother, I make all things new.”
It is not Jesus alone, but all the disciples (Peter,
John, the Magdalene), who call Mary, “Mother.” On Calvary, Mary receives
from Jesus her designation as universal Mother.
As Jesus, who is affixed to the cross, is being
raised up from the ground, Mary, whose hands clutched the rocky ground as
her sons’ hands were nailed to the cross, rises from her kneeling position
in proportion to her Son’s being raised on the cross. She then stands
upright as her Son is now upright on the gibbet.
After some time, Mary approaches the cross with John,
the beloved disciple. She kisses Jesus’ bloodied foot, and pleads for
permission to die with him at this climactic moment of redemption: “Flesh
of my flesh, Heart of my heart, my Son. Let me die with you!” Jesus
responds to his mother and to John: “Woman, behold your son. Son, behold
your mother.” As the fruit of her sufferings with Jesus, Mary becomes the
spiritual mother of all beloved disciples, and of all humanity redeemed at
Calvary.
In The Passion of the Christ, Gibson has
accomplished a Marian feat no pastor or theologian could achieve in the
same way. He has given the world through its most popular visual medium a
portrayal of a real human Mother, whose heart is inseparably united to her
Son’s heart. This Mother’s heart is pierced to its very depths as she
spiritually shares in the brutal immolation of her innocent Son. Hers is
an immaculate heart which silently endures and offers this suffering with
her Son for the same heavenly purpose: to buy back the human race from
sin.
Mary Co-Redemptrix has been given her first
international film debut in a supporting role, and it’s a hit.
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