AW: [SEELANGS] Coredemptrix

[Olga Meerson]

Rolph, you are quite wrong about "quite a horror for other Christian denominations", besides Roman Catholics. The Orthodox are not Roman Catholic but we are not horrified by the term--merely find it uselessly Thomist (or post-Thomist, but in any case, term-driven) for describing Her huge role in our redemption. In and of itself, the role of the Mother of God in Redemption is not at all a horror to the Orthodox--as the Orthodox Church is Apostolic, as much as the RC. Other denominations may consider this Apostolic nature of the two Churches (Eastern and Western) as perhaps a guide. At least it would be imprudent to dismiss their centuries-long belief as "a horror", for some of the following reasons. After all, the importance of the Mother of God for Redemption is precisely ecclesiastical: She IS the Church, the one who gave Christ His body and who has contained Him bodily the way the Church still does. She is the Temple of God, the Jewish Burning Bush, etc. So ecclesiological!
 ly!
, she is as important for God's presence on earth as the Temple is, and was even for the Jews. But for the Orthodox, calling this co-redemption is about as unnecessary and excessively rationalistic as calling the Church it/herself a Coredemptrix. For the difference between the Catholics and the Orthodox, this argument amounts not to thinking about Her differently but to a difference in attitudes to definitions themselves. If I were you, Rolph, I would think twice before calling the veneration of the Mother of God, the One who gave Him flesh and suffered horrible pains when His flesh suffered, a silly act, let alone a horror. If, of course, you consider the Divine Incarnation itself unacceptable (as the Jewish faith does, not recognizing Jesus as God incarnate), then I would understand why you would feel horrified. But if you happen to consider yourself a Christian, I would at least try to understand why both Apostolic Churches venerate Her as much as we do--or, in other word!
 s,!
 what this veneration has to do with OUR belief in God becoming flesh and dwelling among us, as the Apostle of Love put it. In any case, I am humbly asking you to abstain from offending those who happen to venerate the mother of God for giving Him flesh and containing Him the way the Temple does--Roman Catholic OR Christian Orthodox.
Respectfully,
o.m.

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