JPI 518/757
Theology of Mary
This course will deal with the theological significance of the Virgin Mary, which can only be understood if presented in the wide horizon of God’s plan: to establish a communion of persons with the human being. That means that we will consider Mary, following the guidelines traced by the Second Vatican Council, in the mystery of Christ and of the Church. Only the light of Christ can disclose to us the importance of His mother’s person, ad Mariam per Iesum (cf. GS 22, RM 4): In her unique relationship with Christ she appears as fulfillment of the nuptial covenant of God with the people of Israel and, at the same time, as the living and concrete image of the pilgrim Church. According to a sort of circularity, Mary offers then a point of view that allows us to contemplate rightly the work of Christ, ad Iesum per Mariam. The structure of the course follows a historical thread: the mysteries of the life of Mary. All the traditional topics of Mariology (Immaculate Conception, Virginity, Divine Motherhood, Assumption, collaboration in the redemption, etc.) will be covered as we consider Mary’s course of existence (from her Old Testament roots to the final Parousia). Her pilgrimage in faith will give us the key to contemplating the whole life of Jesus as a mystery, that is, as the revelation and action of the Triune God in the middle of human history. In this way, our study of the Virgin Mary will contribute to the understanding of man’s vocation in Christ (adequate anthropology) and to a better contemplation of the nuptial mystery.
