Customer Reviews

Mary: God's Yes to Man : Pope John Paul II Encyclical Letter : Mother of the Redeemer

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As a young man in the process of converting to Catholicism, I found "Mary: God's Yes to Man" to be a very compelling, deep, and driving study of the role of the Blessed Virgin in History, in Tradition, in the Church, and in the lives of the modern believer. I went into this book with very little knowledge of who the Church says the Virgin Mary is, and coming out of it, I feel like I could comfortably explain the doctrine to anyone. The use of Biblical exegesis, and the style of Biblical interpretation was quite interesting for this former Protestant Evangelical. The Holy Father is an excellent writer, and both Cardinal Ratzinger and von Balthasar offer interesting commentary on his writings. A good read, seeing as it took me less than 36 hours to do so.

I turned to this encyclical as a sort of introduction to Catholic ideas about Mary, the subject being one of those which former Prostestants, especially former Fundamentalists like myself, have a very difficult time understanding. My ever-growing pro-Catholic sympathies are such that I found much here to enlighten me: an understanding of how Mary might be considered the best example of the Christian faith, for instance, and some of the hows and whys regarding Marian devotion. I found especially helpful and charming that those scenes in Mary's life the Pope focuses on are those which form the joyful meditations of the Rosary (annunciation, visitation, etc).

However, I'm not sure this was the best book solely about Mary for me to read first, and I'm sorry to say that I found the main text (that by John Paul II) to be a difficult read. Not because I couldn't follow it, but because the text is so quote- and symbol-heavy that it became repetitious and rather nebulous (both the intro by Cardinal Ratzinger/Benedict XVI and the commentary by von Balthasar, on the contrary, were succinct and helpful). I can't offer objective criticism here, having come to the book from a very particular perspective. So I'll simply say that it's probably not an ideal introduction to the topic--not for the uninitiated. I certainly wouldn't be so presumptious as to call it poorly reasoned, as another reviewer has done, because it is not intended to be a pro-Mary argument for non-Catholics.

Pope John Paul II's love for Mary is no secret. In this encyclical he brings Mary off of the pedestal where she is often placed. In showing her human side he makes her infinitely accessible, and in explaining her relationship with Christ, he illustrates why she is deserving of great honor. The commentary by von Balthasar serves to flesh out the finer points of the encyclical, and what emerges is a useful volume both to enhance devotion to Mary, and to aid in ecumenical dialog. Ratzinger's introduction was simply icing on the cake.

The central role that Virgin Mary plays in the history and economy of salvation has been acknowledged and celebrated from the very beginning of Christianity. Catholic Church has throughout her history venerated and held in the highest esteem the Blessed Virgin. This devotion has manifested itself in various ways, including many forms of popular devotion.

For the better part of his pontificate, Pope John Paul II has been particularly mindful of the approaching great jubilee year of 2000. The occasion of the two millennia since the birth of Christ has been a great opportunity to reaffirm and more vigorously proclaim the Good News of salvation. The birth of Christ in turn could not have been accomplished without the Mary's great active assent to be the crucial part of God's salvific plan. Therefore the great Jubilee is also an appropriate occasion to reflect upon Mary's role in bringing forth God's son into the World. There is some amount of uncertainty about the exact year when Mary was born, but it is a safe assumption to suppose that happened a couple of decades prior to Jesus's birth. Hence 1980s were an appropriate decade to celebrate two millennia of Mary's own birth.

Even just a casual perusal of the Gospels will highlight Mary's central role in all stages of Jesus's mission. She was obviously there at his birth, she was there at the beginning of his public ministry, and she was at the foot of the cross when he died. One of Jesus's parting gifts to us was the gift of his holy mother. However, Mary has also prominently yet somewhat indirectly featured in all of the Scriptures, especially in the prophetic books. The Church has always understood her to be the woman crushing the serpent in Genesis 1, the virgin giving birth in Isaiah, and the woman clothed with the sun in Revelation. It is impossible to fully appreciate the cosmic drama of salvation without understanding Mary's role in it. Pope John Paul II highlights all of these facts and brings them to our attention in a fresh and engaging way. He provides us with ample points for reflection and meditation.

This encyclical also touches upon one of John Paul's constant areas of concern, that of Christian unity. The second millennium of Christianity has witnessed particularly many trends towards fragmentation of the Body of Christ. This internal discord has grievous consequences for the way that the outsiders perceive Christianity. Today more than ever, Christians need to speak with a unified voice about many dangers that the modern world poses for the dignity and prosperity of human beings. It was Pope John Paul II's ardent hope that the third millennium of Christianity will be the time to heal all the wounds and divisions. Unfortunately, the understanding of Mary's significance and role in salvation has been a source of many of these divisions, and Pope John Paul II encourages us to take another look at the scriptures and see how what Catholic Church teaches about Mary is deeply and fundamentally anchored in the word of God.

Throughout his life Pope John Paul II nurtured a special love and devotion to the Blessed Mother Mary. This is clearly seen in the encyclical that he dedicated to her. This is a truly wonderful and inspiring encyclical that and ought to be read by all who wish to appreciate Mary more fully and deeply.

I admire the three authors, and I was curious how they would present the ideas. Maybe one has to be Roman Catholic to follow the thread of these writings, because it struck me as poorly reasoned. As a tool to serve ecumenism, I think it fails. It does provide insight into the affinity these men have for Mary, and it frequently includes references to other works that would be of interest to serious students. It is nevertheless heartening to witness such emiment scholars treating the person of Mary with care and reverence.