Mary -- Mother of God A Comparison and Contrast of Martin Luther and Pope John Paul II By Seminarian Jennifer D. Lutz HeplerMary, the mother of Jesus, has been a maternal presence in the Church since its very beginning.  From that gathering on Pentecost when the Spirit first bore the Church and down through the ages, Tradition has spoken of the mother of our Lord as being ever present with the body of Christ.  Only two noticeable controversies regarding Mary appear in the Church's first 1600 years of existence.  In the fourth century, a single scholar disputed Mary's perpetual virginity and was quickly judged to be in error by the Church at large.  Then at the Council of Ephesus in 431, the Church officially titled Mary as theotokos- the Mother of God.   Even through the Reformation, Catholics and Reformers alike still held the belief of Mary's presence in the Church (lecture notes 12/8).

Post-reformation was a very different story.  For Catholics, a belief in Mary became a badge of identity over against the Protestants.  With the rise of Lutheran Orthodoxy in the seventeenth century, Lutherans rid themselves of anything that appeared to be remotely Catholic.  Hence, for all practical purposes, the Lutheran faith buried its belief in Mary although Martin Luther had held Mary in very high regard.

In this paper I wish to look at the doctrine of Mary purported by Martin Luther and the current Pope, John Paul II.  The primary source for the Pope's view of Mary will be taken from his encyclical Redemtoris Mater.  Martin Luther's devotion to Mary will be collected from his commentary on the Magnificat as well as from a number of his sermons.  By putting these two opinions side by side, I wish to compare them and perhaps establish a starting point for retrieving a devotion of Mary in the Lutheran church.   Instead of Mary necessarily being a divisive topic between Catholics and Lutherans, our shared tradition of Marian devotion may actually in the long run serve as a unifying factor.

The first claim that the Pope and Luther establish regarding Mary is that she is the Mother of God.  In the account of the Annunciation, the angel Gabriel brought the Virgin Mary the news that she would give birth to a son.  Gabriel said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God" (Luke 1:35).  Thus God chose Mary above all other women to be the Mother of his Son.  Upon Mary's visitation of Elizabeth, she had this prophecy confirmed further by Elizabeth's joyful response to her greeting, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.  And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me?" (Luke 1:42-43).  Mary was not elected to this auspicious duty because of any merit of her own.  Luther notes that if her election was a matter of merit or standing, it would have been much more fitting for someone like Caiphas' daughter to be given such an honor.  Rather John Paul II and Luther ascribe her election as Mother of God totally to grace.  This is witnessed in the angel Gabriel greeting Mary as "full of grace".

"Mary is 'full of grace,' because it is precisely in her that the Incarnation of the Word, the hypostatic union of the Son of God with human nature, is accomplished and fulfilled."

The empowerment of this title also allowed her to believe that all of this would inevitably come to pass (Luke 1:38,45).  Through her fiat of faith, Mary entered into the mystery of Christ.  Her response in faith culminated in the birth of Jesus, the Son of God.  Luther writes:

In the fullness of time (Gal 4:4) he assumed his humanity from the Virgin Mary, but his divinity he received from eternity from the Father.  Thus this same Son of God who was from eternity is also the Son of the Virgin Mary… [This] gave Mary the right to say, 'This Son Jesus, whom I bore and suckled at my breasts, is the eternal God, born of the Father in eternity, and also my Son.'  And God says likewise, 'Mary's Son is my only Son.'  Thus Mary is the Mother of God."

 Although it cannot be proven in scripture, the Catholic Church believes that Mary was preserved from the inheritance of original sin.  Since Mary is full of grace then she could not have had the taint of original sin at the moment of her conception or at any other point in her life.  The bearer of God was a pure vessel without spot or wrinkle.

Scholars do not agree on whether Luther affirmed the Immaculate Conception of Mary or not.  In his commentary on the Magnificat in 1521, he mentioned Mary as being without sin.  In Luther's sermon on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception in 1527, Eric Gritsch suggests that Luther thought Mary was conceived into sin but was purified through the work of the Holy Spirit after conception in order to prepare her for the birth of Christ.  Luther writes as follows:

"Thus the Virgin Mary remains in the middle between Christ and humankind.  For in the very moment when [Christ] was conceived and lived, he was full of grace.  All other human beings are without grace, both in the first and second conception.  But the Virgin Mary, though without grace in the first conception, was full of grace in the second.  That is quite proper.  For she was a medium between all generations: She was born from a father and mother, but gave birth without a father and mother, partly spiritually and partly bodily, because Christ was conceived of her flesh as well as of the Holy Spirit.  But Christ himself is a father of many children, without a carnal father and mother.  Just as the Virgin Mary remains in the middle between physical and spiritual birth, finishing the physical and beginning the spiritual, so she rightly remains in the middle concerning conception.  Whereas other human beings are conceived in sin, in soul as well as in body, and Christ was conceived without sin in soul as well as in body, the Virgin Mary was conceived in body without grace but in soul full of grace."

Although there is some disagreement among scholars on where Luther actually stands on this issue, Luther does not waver on his view that at the time of Christ's conception and birth, Mary was full of grace and therefore without sin.

Pope John Paul II and Luther both stand within the belief of Church tradition that Mary was perpetually a virgin.  The Church purports that other children claimed to be sisters and brothers of Jesus were only close relatives of the immediate family.  Mary remained a virgin even in the birth of Christ, which did not lessen her "virginal integrity" but in fact sanctified it.  Thus Mary became simultaneously Mother of God and Ever-virgin for Christ and later for the Church.

Besides playing an integral role in the Annunciation and the birth of Christ, Mary also is present at several other significant events in the life of Jesus seen in the Gospel narrative of John.  The first occurrence was at the Wedding in Cana of Galilee that she attended with Jesus and his disciples.  Mary spoke twice in the second chapter of John.  The first time she addressed Jesus she spoke on behalf of the other wedding guests; "They have no wine" (verse3).  Mary recognized that there was a need and automatically turned to her Son to fulfill it.  Mary addressed her second statement to the servants: "Do whatever he tells you" (verse 5).  At her urging and through the involvement of the servants, Jesus acted on behalf of the wedding guests and completed his first miracle of turning the water into wine.

John Paul II sees this event as a microcosm of Mary's role in Jesus' ministry.  Mary acts as a mediatrix placing herself  between Jesus and humanity.  As a mother, she knows that "she can point out to her Son the needs of mankind, and in fact, she 'has the right' to do so."  As the first believer in Jesus' power as the Son of God, she sees the needs of humanity and intercedes for them knowing that her Son is capable of righting wrongs and helping people in their misfortunes in life.  Mary also acts as "the spokeswoman of her Son's will [by] pointing out those things which must be done so that the salvific power of the Messiah may be manifested."  Thus Mary not only acts as the mother of Jesus but also takes on a maternal role with all of humanity.
 Luther interprets Mary's role in this passage quite similarly to the Pope's view.  As he writes in his Sermon of 1528:

See how modestly she speaks!  She doesn't give orders, she doesn't beg, she only point out what is lacking… Here you see the example of the Virgin's faith…That is what the Mother does: she has confidence that he will do it, otherwise she would not have asked.  Here indeed faith prays truly and presents the need.  This is how one should come to God, with faith and confidence…she does not give orders to the servants, but points them to Christ: "Hear what he says!" Mary never said a more lovely word to teachers which must redound to her highest honor.  Where the Christian people and the true preachers are present, there they also say: 'Listen to him!'"

 Luther did truly feel that Mary should be held in high honor but with one reservation: her being honored should never take away from the honor of Christ.  Any attention given to Mary should automatically point one to her Son.
"Therefore let the blessed Virgin keep her special place, for God has adorned her alone among all women in the world with the privilege of giving birth to the Son of God.  But this may in no way mean that the Son is robbed of the glory of our redemption and liberation."

"To bless her with rosaries and a constant mouthing of 'Hail Mary' takes the honor away from Christ, who mediates salvation."

"We dare not put our faith in the mother but only in the fact that the child was born."

Luther was also worried about believers perceiving Mary as a more empathetic presence than Christ.  Thus, believers would run to Mary instead of to Christ.  Luther believed that this misinterpretation of the theotokos was promulgated by St. Bernard who wrote, "Christ is given to scolding and punishing, but Mary has nothing but sweetness and love."  Painting Jesus Christ in such dark tones elevated Mary in the minds of the faithful to such a degree that she risked outshining her Son.  This is exactly what Luther sought to avoid.

Luther's christocentric concerns guided him in the celebration of Marian festivals throughout the church year.  He removed the festivals of Mary's Immaculate Conception (December 8), her Assumption (August 15), and her birth (September 8) due to their not paying homage to Christ but solely to Mary.  Scholars are not completely sure which festivals Luther did favor although they do know that most Lutheran territories in the sixteenth century continued to celebrate the festivals of Purification (February 2), of Annunciation (March 25), and of Visitation (July 2).  Luther did honor Mary with these festivals for in doing so he also honored Christ.

It is a tribute to Luther's devotion of Mary that he did not remove her from the worship life of the church in his liturgical reforms.  Luther preserved the singing of the Magnificat as a part of the Vespers service.  Also the Wittenberg Order of 1533 directed that the German Magnificat should be sung "before a particular feast and after the sermon."  Mary was also mentioned in over thirty hymns that Luther wrote for his German congregations.  For Luther, Mary was too central to the story of Christ to ignore or dishonor.

Besides the appearance of Mary at the wedding in Cana, she also is present later at the foot of the cross with John, the beloved disciple.  Mary, as a true believer in Jesus Christ,  "advanced in her pilgrimage of faith and loyally persevered in her union with her Son unto the cross."  As Jesus drew near death, he established a new relationship between Mary and John.  John now was to be the son of Mary and Mary was now the mother of John.  John 19:28 which immediately follows this scene says, "After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said, "I am thirsty."  Shortly after receiving the wine, Jesus bowed his head and gave up his Spirit.  After creating the relationship between Mary and John, Jesus considered all as "finished" and was ready to die.  His final act cannot be seen as him simply looking after the welfare of his lone Mother after his death.  The connection between Mary and John carried much greater significance.  Pope John Paul II speaks of this event as the firm establishment of Mary's motherhood of all humanity that reached its full maturity at the foot of the cross.  "The Mother of Christ, who stands at the very center of [the paschal] mystery- a mystery which embraces each individual and all humanity- is given as mother to every single individual and all mankind."

John, as the beloved disciple, acts as a representative of all the disciples of Christ who now share Christ's relationship with his mother.  Therefore Mary as Mother of God is both mother of all humanity and specifically mother of all that believe in her Son.  The Pope affirms this statement by quoting from Lumen Gentium:

"[Mary] belongs to the offspring of Adam she is one with all human beings…Indeed she is 'clearly the mother of the members of Christ…since she cooperated out of love so that there might be born in the Church the faithful.'"

It is not surprising then to see in Acts 1:14 that at the birth of the Church at Pentecost, Mary gathers in the Upper Room with the disciples and prays for the outpouring of the same Spirit "who had already overshadowed her in the Annunciation." The same Holy Spirit who had conceived in her the Son of God comes again at this gathering to give birth to the Church.  As the mother of Christ and the mother of the body of Christ, Mary's intimate union with her Son continues for all eternity as she fully takes part in the mystery of Christ.

Luther also recognizes Mary as having a maternal presence in the Church.  This is most clearly seen in two excerpts from two of his Christmas Sermons:

"Therefore Mary is Christ's Mother, and the Mother of us all, although he alone lies on her lap…If he is ours, then we are to be in his place; where he is, there we also are to be, and everything he has is ours, and therefore his Mother is also our Mother." (1529)"O this is the great joy of which the angel sings.  This is the comfort and the overflowing goodness of God, that a human being, so long as one believes, can boast of such a treasure, that Mary is one's real Mother, Christ one's Brother, God one's Father." (1522)

 As mother of God, mediatrix for all humanity, the first disciple of Christ, and mother of the Church, Mary is undeniably a model of faith for all who believe.  In the Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Melanchthon lifts up Mary as an example to be considered and followed.  Pope John Paul II speaks of Mary's faith as the faith that enlivens the Church.

"As the Council says, 'Mary figured profoundly in the history of salvation…Hence when she is being preached and venerated, she summons the faithful to her Son and his sacrifice, and to love for the Father.' For this reason, Mary's faith, according to the Church's apostolic witness, in some way continues to become the faith of the pilgrim People of God: the faith of individuals and communities, of places and gatherings, and of the various groups existing in the Church.  It is a faith that is passed on simultaneously through both the mind and the heart.  It is gained or regained continually through prayer.  Therefore, 'the Church in her apostolic work also rightly looks to her who brought forth Christ, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin, so that through the Church Christ may be born and increase in the hearts of the faithful also.'"

Through sharing in her faith, the Church carries out its mission of  "introducing to the world the Kingdom of her Son".   In Mary's faith, the Church takes on her dual role as both mother and faithful spouse.  Through preaching and Baptism, the maternal Church bears children into a new and immortal life "who are conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of God".  These sons and daughters of the human race become brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ, their Savior.  As noted in Ephesians 5:21-33 and II Corinthians 11:2, the Church remains faithful as the bride of Christ through purity of faith, a steadfast hope, and sincere charity.  The devotion of the Church to Christ results in its motherhood through the Holy Spirit.  The Church not only grows as new members are born into the family of God, but also as it grows in deeper communion to Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit.

Luther speaks of Mary modeling the faith through her life of lowly service.  In his commentary on the Magnificat he writes:
"She is not puffed up, does not vaunt herself or proclaim with a loud voice that she is become the Mother of God.  She seeks not any glory, but goes about her usual household duties, milking the cows, cooking the meals, washing pots and kettles, sweeping out the rooms, and performing the work of maidservant or housemother in lowly and despised tasks…"

In his Sermon of 1532 Luther adds:
 

"She went because she wanted to serve Elizabeth… Therefore you do the same: this is the outward shaping of one's way of life depicted for us in the Virgin, which should make us ashamed of our filthy, stinking pride… She could have let herself be celebrated, but she makes herself a child's maid as an example to us that when we are learned and rich, we are adorned by God, not so that we may raise ourselves up on high, but so that we may come down and serve others."

Through lives of humility and service, we proclaim the kingdom of God and bear witness to the presence of Christ in our lives.  As Mary serves as our model of faith, we model this same faith to all humanity that all people may heed the Spirit's call to believe in Christ.

In summary, one can see that the Mariology of Pope John Paul II and of Martin Luther is quite similar.  Both acclaim Mary as the mother of God, the mediatrix of humanity, the first disciple of the Church, a model of faith, and mother of the Church.  For Lutherans, a lengthy process of teaching and rethinking Mary lies ahead before we can fully welcome her back into our worship life once again.  Seeing the parallels in thought between these two great theologians is only an initial step yet a vital one.  As we pray the Magnificat more regularly and slowly begin to recognize and appreciate Mary's presence among us, what once was an issue of discord will become the cord that helps bind us closely together.  As we all work towards the unity of the Church, Mary too intercedes on our behalf and urges us all to be one in her Son.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.  ~Luther's Small Prayer Book