Articles

The Voice of the Immaculata - Nov. 2002

By Fr. Tim Alkire

Long Live Christ the King!

Dear friends in Christ,

This weekend, we celebrate the Feast of Jesus Christ our King. What a glorious celebration - to give Jesus the place of honor He so richly deserves, to give Jesus our very selves, accepting Him as King of all we are and have. That's what our Blessed Mother did.

Sometimes that‚s very difficult for us as Americans to understand. We tend to think of ourselves as Americans first. As I've mentioned before, though this land is the place of our birth and we love our homeland, our first Homeland will always be heaven. We owe God our first and final loyalty. His Way, revealed by Jesus Himself, is the answer to our every need and longing.

Standing with Jesus throughout His entire life was Mary His Mother. In a unique and most complete way, through every action of her life, through every word and breath, she acknowledged Christ not only as her Son, but also as her King.

From the very beginning we read in the Scripture that Mary completely cooperated with God's plan of salvation. And at every opportunity, she renewed her cooperation. St. Maximilian Kolbe writes, "Even as the first Eve brought ruin upon us by acts which were truly free, a ruin which is therefore attributed to her, so Mary took part in the reparation by her own fully free actions."

Even to the end, on Calvary, Mary completed in her own body, what was still lacking for her in the sufferings of Christ (cf. St. Paul's Letter to the Colossians 1:24). In this mystical and touching way, she completed what she had begun at the Annunciation: she became the associate of Christ the Redeemer par-excellence, as we say it, the Co-Redemptrix.

That term describing Mary, Co-Redemptrix, is sometimes misunderstood, though easily clarified. The document Light to the Nations of the Second Vatican Council teaches us that Mary, "...advanced in her pilgrimage of faith, and faithfully persevered in her union with her Son unto the Cross, where she stood, in keeping with the divine plan (cf. St. John 19:25), enduring with her Only-begotten Son the intensity of His sufferings and associating herself with His Sacrifice in her Mother's heart." (Lumen Gentium, n. 58)

The Church's use of the title Co-Redemptrix does not intend to place Mary on a level of equality with Jesus Christ, the Redeemer. Rather, the term refers to a unique participation of our Blessed Mother with and under her Son in the work of human redemption. Co-Redemptrix means "the woman with the Redeemer," with Jesus in an exceptional and freely given cooperation with Christ in our salvation as we read in the Bible.

We remember that she gave Jesus His Body, the very instrument of human redemption. At the foot of the Cross, the total suffering of her heart was united to the suffering of her Son's heart. We hear the fruit of this intimate cooperation from the lips of Jesus Himself, as He gave Mary to the world as the spiritual Mother of all people: "Woman, behold your son! Son, behold your Mother!" (St. John 19:27). Our Holy Father, Pope John Paul II described the intimate communion between Mother and Son, teaching us that Mary was, "spiritually crucified with her crucified Son," and further that "her role as Co-Redemptrix did not cease with the glorification of her Son."

In fact her role continues in the intercession for all of us. St. Irenaeus the 2nd century Father of the Church explains so simply and beautifully, "Just as Eve, wife of Adam, yet still a virgin, became by her disobedience the cause of death for herself and the whole human race, so Mary too, espoused yet a virgin, became by her obedience the cause of salvation for herself and the whole human race."
Each and every one of us is called by our baptism to become co-workers or co-redeemers with Jesus in the ongoing work of salvation. When we receive and cooperate with Grace, we assist Christ, wherever we are sent in the work of salvation that will continue until the end of time.

Finally, as you all hear me encouraging personal consecrations to our Blessed Mother so often, let's remember that the final end or purpose of consecration and following the sublime example of our Blessed Mother is Heaven. And here and now in consecrating ourselves to her, by the irresistible power of her love, we want to conform our thoughts, words and desires and actions to hers, thus like her, becoming completely conformed to the Will of God. Mary's life and complete cooperation with the Will of God, her life as Co-Redemptrix teaches us without a doubt, that love overcomes all!

- Fr. Tim Alkire, MI

If you are not already consecrated to our Blessed Mother, please prayerfully consider making this beautiful commitment to strive to love as she loved. Click here for more info on Marian Consecration.

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