- This is the doctoral dissertation presented at the
International Marian Research Institute (Pontifical Theological Faculty
Marianum) by Fr. Paul Duggan, a priest of the Archdiocese of San
Francisco, currently auxiliary chaplain in the United States Air Force.
- The work begins with an analysis and commentary on
the Apostolic Constitution Munificentissimus Deus (1950) defining
the dogma of the Assumption. Succeeding chapters describe both the
intrinsic and extrinsic influences which lead to the definition, the
contents of the dogma, the relation of this doctrine to the other
privileges of Mary. Especially valuable are the interpretations of both
Catholic and non-Catholic theologians on the ecumenical implications of
the definition. The ecumenical significance of the dogma is further
explored by a discussion of the hierarchy of truths. The final section
deals with the Assumption in the thought of John Paul II.
- The study concludes with fifty pages of endnotes and
a twenty-five page bibliography of books and articles. It is a valuable
reference work for information on the Assumption in modern
writers.
--Thomas A. Thompson,
S.M.
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God Alone:
The Collected Writings of St. Louis Marie De Montfort
Montfort Publications, 1987
- God Alone is the translation of writings of
St. Louis Marie de Montfort (1673-1716), known to many primarily for his
classic work on devotion to Mary. The collection includes letters, the
principal works The Love of Eternal Wisdom, The Secret of Mary, True
Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary sermons, rules for the two
religious congregations he founded, and a sampling of the one hundred and
sixty-three hymns he composed.
- God Alone is a well-chosen title: that all
spirituality is ultimately God-centered recurs frequently in these pages.
In True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Louis insists
several times that "the purpose of devotion to Mary is to give glory to
God." Mary, to whom we are dedicated, works only and always for God's
glory. "You never praise or honor Mary without Mary joining you in
praising and honoring God. Mary is entirely relative to God."
- Throughout these pages, one senses the ardor of the
preacher to the poor, the fire of the mystic, the heroism of the truly
holy person. "Light and unction," he writes, "are the first requirements
for perfection, for without these, others will never be attracted to the
love of Wisdom." The cross requires more than resignation: to climb Mount
Calvary, a person must be "courageous, heroic, and resolute." Summaries
and paraphrases of the Scripture abound: "If you have trials and
affliction, if you suffer much persecution for justice's sake, if you are
treated as the refuse of the world, be comforted, rejoice, be glad, and
dance for joy because the cross you carry is a gift so precious as to
arouse the envy of the saints in heaven, were they capable of envy."
- This volume of St. Louis' writings enables us to see
the place Mary holds within his total spiritual perspective. His Marian
writings have a rare intensity, but they are only part of a larger
panorama. The Marian dimensions of St. Louis' thought are well integrated
into his foundational themes of God's glory, eternal wisdom, and the
cross. A listing of sermon titles for his Lenten missions reveals that
only four out of seventy-six sermons are on specifically Marian topics.
- Published during the Marian Year and on the fortieth
anniversary of the saint's canonization, this book has explanatory notes,
an index of subjects, and an index of biblical references. Attractively
printed and bound, this book belongs in every library of spirituality and
Marian devotion.
--Thomas A. Thompson,
S.M.
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Our Father, Our
Mother: Mary and the Faces of God
George T. Montague, S.M.
Steubenville, OH: Franciscan University of Steubenville, 1990.
- Similar to the convergence of three rivers, so three
concerns come together in this work: the full range of meaning for
"father" in both revelation and human experience; the meaning of
"mother," of Mary's motherhood, of the motherhood of the Church; and
finally, the current desire to use inclusive language in the liturgy.
- The first part of the book deals with what is
specific about Jesus' revelation: that God is Abba (a loving
father). The rich notion of Abba includes God's choice of a
people, sealed by the bond of covenant, and God's mercy, compassion, and
intimacy. God as Abba, though limited as every human image and concept of
God is, belongs to the historical core of revelation. As the address
Jesus gave us for God, it is essential, and the liturgy cannot abandon
it without dismantling the heart of Jesus' revelation." The concept of
God overflows that ofAbba, and feminine imagery is used to
describe the compassion and tenderness of God; still the fundamental
image that Jesus conveys to us about God is found in Abba.
- Father Montague is aware that many say that Jesus'
revelation about God has led to political or ecclesiastical patriarchy.
In reply, he cites ancient and contemporary societies who had one or
several feminine representations of God. Despite the female deities,
these societies were not free from a patriarchal structure, nor was the
status of women in them noticeably better than in those which had only
male representations of the deity.
- The second part of the book outlines how several
feminine motifs in the Old Testament come to a convergence in the person
of Mary, who, through the Holy Spirit, provides a context for
experiencing the fullness of God's revelation, especially those qualities
of God characterized as feminine. Three Old Testament motifs receive
fulfillment in Mary: the Queen Mother, the Virgin Daughter Zion, and
Mother Zion. The Holy Spirit continues to use these motifs to bring the
disciples of Jesus into the presence of the Holy Trinity within them.
- This book does not pretend to answer all the
questions raised, especially those dealing with language. It arises from
the concern that some inclusive language tends to deprive God both of
that which is distinctive in Jesus' revelation and also of being a living
person someone we can come to know and love. A fine book for discussion
groups and adult education classes.
--Thomas A. Thompson,
S.M.
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The Miracle Accounts of Our
Lady and the History of Mentalities
Les Collections de Miracles de la Vierge en Gallo-et Ibéro-Roman
Au XIII Siecle
Paule V. Beterous
Available from The Marian Library
- Paule V. Beterous, professor of medieval literature
at the University of Bordeaux, exhibits a vast and profound knowledge of
the thirteenth-century collections of Our Lady's miracles written in
Gallic and the Ibero-Romanesque languages in this 733-page, double-issue
volume, which includes charts, bibliography, and indices.
- Her study retraces the history of Marian miracles
between the fifth and the fourteenth centuries. The earliest accounts of
miracles of Mary were from the Latin oral tradition, and Gregory of Tours
(538-594) seems to have been the first to collect these miracles and put
them in writing. Beginning in the eigth century, the miracle accounts
were incorporated into collections of exempla (accounts, legends) and
sermons. At the beginning of this century, Albert Poncelet mentions no
fewer than 1,783 titles of Marian miracles written in Latin, most of
these in multiple variations.
- Between the twelfth and the fourteenth centuries,
miracle accounts written in the vernacular acquired literary status and
quality. They reflect a society with a hierarchical and static character,
in which the strong dichotomy and interdependence between the natural and
the supernatural order, good and evil, punishment and reward, produced a
religious outlook with strong anthropomorphic traits and patterns.
Miracle accounts are based on a religion of other-worldly hope and the
certitude of God's mercy; they appeal to sensitivity more than the
intellect; they are based on extraordinary signs and events. In addition
to their moral purpose, the miracle stories had the didactic function of
explaining Marian feasts and shrines, assisting Marian apologists and
fostering Marian devotion.
- Mary was presented as domina par excellence
(parallel to Christus Dominus). Christians were her vassals.
Accordingly, she held different roles, which all reflected her powerful
intercession with God. Frequently, she made reparation for evil, both
moral and psycho-physical. She commanded through signs, visions, and
voices, and brought about the conversion of the sinner. Mary's
intervention might be retributive, sanctioning just or unjust judgment,
or tutelary, taking the persecuted under her mantle. Mary was the
intercessor, using her dialectic abilities in her arguments with Christ.
She was comfort and assurance in moral and physical danger, and she
assisted in making decisions in time of trial.
- The literary analysis of the miracle accounts takes
up an important portion of the study. Beterous concludes that the
accounts do not constitute a separate literary genre, but should be
considered a special category of the narrative genre. The miracle stories
combine popular aspects (simplicity of considerations and solutions) with
more erudite aspects (literary form and transmission). Their literary
value differs from one collection to another. Borrowing from Latin
models, the clerical authors wrote for believers whose faith related them
to living persons. In the description of the relations, courtly
literature began to influence the miracle accounts. The short life of
this literature was a result of its lack of adaptation to new social
conditions. Written in a monastic and rural context, these accounts did
not survive the new emerging urban mentality.
- The accounts are of liturgical interest (Marian
prayer, especially the "Ave Maria," the joys of Mary, names of Mary,
litanies): they reflect a sound christology (virginal conception,
incarnation), but sometimes a debatable concept of mediation. Popular
piety is mirrored in the miracles. We learn about the official cult of
Mary (the five principal feasts); the saints, especially those related to
that cult (St. John); the local and international Marian pilgrimages; and
pare-liturgical devotions and practices, sometimes of a mixed religious
and magical character.
- This study is of special interest for scholars of
Hispanic literature and culture and for those in medieval studies and
comparative literature. It is precisely in comparative studies that the
work of Beterous will produce a rich harvest. She admirably explores the
miracles of Our Lady from the point of view of the history of
mentalities. Specifically, the miracles present a Mariology ad usum
populi manifesting the powerful role of Mary with God, in this world,
in her fight against the devil, and at the hour of death.
- Although limited geographically and linguistically
to the regions of southern France and northern Spain, Beterous' work has
a paradigmatic character, both methodologically and thematically. The
author succeeds not only in establishing a meticulously qualified
inventory of the collection of miracles under scrutiny, but also
surprises the reader with her comprehensive and qualitative approach to
the material. Last but not least, Beterous' study offers to theologians
and to Mariologists, in particular, an admirable example of Mariology
in situ.
--Johann G. Roten,
S.M.
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Mary, Mother
and Disciple: From the Scriptures to the Council of Ephesus, with a
Woman's Response and Poems
Joseph and Carolyn Grassi
Wilmington, DE: Michael Glazier, Inc., 1988.
- Joseph A. Grassi's book deals with the true place
that Mary found within the memory, beliefs, and theology of the early
Christian communities. The first part follows the Scriptures
chronologically from the letters of Paul to the Apocalypse; the second
part outlines the history and traditions concerning Mary from the
apostolic writings, through the golden age of the Church fathers, to the
Council of Ephesus in 431 A.D. As a result, Mary emerges as Theotokos,
the Mother and Disciple of Jesus, and an enduring female archetype.
- This book is a valuable contribution to the study
and appreciation of Mary after Vatican II. It is recommended for courses
in Mariology, for adult education, for biblical study groups and for
religious in formation. It is a contribution from lay theologians who
present Mary to a world that needs her courageous commitment and feminine
strengths.
--Bertrand Buby, S.M.
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The Assumption Dogma: Some
Reactions and Ecumenical Implications in the Thought of English-Speaking
Theologians