Gibson's Passion and Mary Co-redemptrix
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 re-assures 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.
Dr.
Mark Miravalle
Professor of Theology and Mariology
Franciscan
University of Steubenville