The Marian Library Newsletter

No. 38 (New Series)
Summer, 1999

The Announcement of the Assumption

Choirs of angels rejoice,
All the saints exult:
Welcome Mary the Queen with great acclaim,
with the rejoicing of all creation.

The pilgrim Church is joyful
and praises God the all-loving Father:
he has done great things in his humble servant,
and raised her to the royal throne of the Son.

This is the Easter of the Virgin Mother,
who is raised in her body to the glory of heaven,
radiant image of the Church in the future,
brought to perfection in the kingdom.

This is the day in which the new Adam,
who overcame sin and death,
raised the new Eve to be beside him,
as his obedient and generous companion.

Today the Virgin Mother of God,
immaculate in her conception,
and virgin even after giving birth,
triumphs over the corruption of the grave.

O day of great hope:
today the Star has been lit in heaven
to light up the path of humanity
with gentle rays of divine splendor.

This is a day of peace and hope
that sees the Mother mediator of grace,
adorned with the glory of the Son,
watching over the steps of all her children.

O God, receive our prayers on this festival day:
may the Light that glows fully in Mary
also shine in us.

From "The Announcement of the Assumption,"
Celebrations for the Millennium, 1999.

66th Recognized Miraculous Healing at Lourdes

Miracles as "Signs of Christ"

On February 10, 1999, Msgr. Claude Dagens, bishop of Angoulˆme, France, announced that the cure which Mr. Jean-Pierre Bély, a member of the diocese, had experienced at Lourdes twelve years earlier, was truly "a sign of Christ." The bishop said, "In the name of the Church, I recognize and acknowledge in public the authenticity of the cure which Mr. Jean-Pierre Bély experienced at Lourdes on Friday, October 9, 1987. This sudden and complete cure is a personal gift of God for this man and an effective sign of Christ the Savior, which was accomplished through the intercession of Our Lady of Lourdes."

In 1984, Mr. Bély was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, and, by 1987, he was completely paralyzed. He was brought to Lourdes on a stretcher in 1987 as a participant in the October Rosary Pilgrimage. On the final morning of the pilgrimage, as Mr. Bély was anointed in the Sacrament of the Sick, he felt a "sensation of coldness" followed by "a gentle warmth" that seemed to fill his entire body. "Later, I took my first steps, just like a baby who is learning to walk." He said he chose not to make known the cure immediately,"for the sake of all the other sick people who were there." He stayed in his wheelchair and waited until he was reunited with his wife and two children before revealing what had happened. He felt obliged to submit his case to the Lourdes Medical Office. "I couldn't keep this sign all to myself," he said, adding that the physical healing was accompanied by a "feeling of total pardon and of love" received in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

The International Medical Committee voted favorably on the miraculous nature of Bély's healing, but only by a small majority. The findings were submitted to Bishop Dagens who conducted a canonical investigation. In his statement which recognized the cure as a miraculous sign, the bishop explained that "the International Medical Committee, even while abstaining from furnishing absolute medical proof of the cure, explicitly wished that the Church formulate its own judgment. The Church has the liberty, as recognized by the International Medical Committee itself, to express its own pastoral discernment, based on Mr. Bély's testimony and on the opinion of the canonical commission."

The bishop's statement, which avoids the term "miracle," is historically significant because it may allow other bishops to recognize cures and healings as divine "signs," even though doctors hesitate to qualify them as totally inexplicable. "We are witness to a new meaning for miracle," commented Msgr. Jacques Perrie, Bishop of Tarbes and Lourdes.

The Special Mission of Lourdes

Since the apparitions at Lourdes in 1858, a procedure has gradually developed for verifying the cures and healings which occur there. Today, Lourdes is recognized as the Church's foremost center for investigating healings. There, medical personnel from all the world are invited to investigate the evidence for reported healings. Included among the medical examiners are those who allow and those who exclude the possibility of miraculous healings. The procedure also attempts to respects the dignity of the person who has been cured. John Paul II reminded the medical personnel of Lourdes that the verification of miraculous cures is Lourdes' "special responsibility and mission" (Nov. 17, 1988).

It is impossible to estimate the number of cures which have occurred at Lourdes. There are healings of a spiritual nature, such as faith, conversion, acceptance, joy. There are also the psychological cures-- freedom from anxiety, release from addiction and compulsion. There are cures of a physical nature, the only type investigated at Lourdes (and also the only type accepted in the beatification or canonization process), because evidence of both the past and present condition can be presented.

The verification process at Lourdes now involves three stages. The first occurs when the cured person is examined at the Lourdes Medical Bureau. Established in 1883, the Medical Bureau receives the testimony of the cured person, of the doctor and of those who accompanied the person to Lourdes. After the preliminary examination, the cured person is usually asked to return to Lourdes a year later for another examination. Many cases remain at this first level because of the difficulty of gathering the previous medical reports, a frequent occurrence with individuals who come from underdeveloped areas.

Sufficiently documented cases are passed on to the International Medical Bureau. Established in 1946, this bureau consists of medical doctors, psychiatrists, and experts in specific diseases. The criteria for recognizing a cure at Lourdes are the same as those proposed, in 1743, by the canonist Prospero Lambertini (the future Benedict XIV) regarding the miracle required for the beatification and the canonization of saints. The infirmity must have been serious and considered impossible to cure; no medication or treatment must have been given, which could possibly have caused the change; the cure must be sudden and complete, with no relapse. In a word, the cure must be unexplainable, that is, there is no human or natural factor which could have effected the cure. (The doctors at Lourdes speak only of inexplicable cures, not "miracles.") If, in the opinion of the International Medical Committee, there is no natural explanation for the cure, the case is then referred to the bishop of the diocese in which the individual resides.

At present, the final stage in the process is the investigation by the diocesan canonical committee, appointed by the bishop of the diocese. In the early years of Lourdes, the final judgment appeared to rest with the doctors, so much so, that the second President of the Medical Bureau wrote, in 1892, that "the history of Lourdes has been written entirely by doctors." In the twentieth century, church authorities have assumed a greater role in the discernment process. Although medical science has a role to play in their discernment, science alone cannot be the final arbiter. Since miracles are signs which point to something beyond, they belong to the order of faith. It is the Church's prerogative to recognize these signs of faith. In addition, a miraculous cure is not simply an impersonal intervention of divine power, but a gift to the individual, frequently accompanied by greater faith, charity, peace. For that reason, the canonical examination should also consider the individual's disposition at the time of the cure and religious attitudes which are part of his or her life. The final word belongs to the bishop of the diocese, who, as did Bishop Dagens, recognizes the miraculous cure "in the name of the Church."

In the last one hundred years, over 6,500 individuals have reported cures to the Medical Bureau. Of these, at least 2,500 cases are considered truly remarkable, but they lack some requirement needed to allow them to advance to the next stage--witnesses, evidence, lack of agreement on the nature of the ailment. In the last twenty years, there have been reports of about twenty cases of extraordinary cures or healings, about one a year. Mr. Bély's healing is the 66th cure occurring at Lourdes which has been officially recognized by ecclesiastical authorities. The recognition by church authorities has been a feature of Lourdes for a total of sixty- three years of its history.

Requirements for a Miracle

In November 1988, the Congregation for the Causes of Saints sponsored a symposium on healings and miracles, to which were invited the Lourdes Medical Bureau and the International Medical Committee. One question prompting the symposium was the reduced number of verified healings which were reported both at Lourdes and in the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. Was the apparent reduction an indication of the lessening of divine occurrences, or were the advances in medical knowledge now making explicable what was formerly considered inexplicable?

Pope John Paul II's short address to the symposium, November 19, 1988, affirmed that miraculous healings still do occur. "Healings and divine gifts are numerous. Not all are made public, and fewer still are subjected to medical authorities and recognized by church authorities. . But these signs are reminders and messages that God is love. . . .As science advances, it understands and explains more. Nevertheless, the healings, which are numerous, are a reality which have a meaning that can be explained only in the order of faith, which the most rigorous scientific examination cannot a priori deny." He also spoke of the many ways in which God's messages are communicated. "There seems to be evidence today that the divine pedagogy is enlightening humanity by more spiritual and more intimate revelations, and that the cases of physical healing are become more rare. It remains true that God is still granting unexpected and profound gifts, responding to the supplication made in faith and charity, with confidence in the power of his love which is greater than all." Finally, the pope made reference to the personal dimension and message of every cure. "Every medically inexplicable healing, duly verified at Lourdes, and subsequently acknowledged as a miracle by competent authority, embodies a message, a call to a more fervent Christian life, an enlightenment regarding the role of Mary, Immaculate Virgin, Mother of the Church and the Queen of Peace" (November 17, 1988).

On October 22-24, 1993, Dr. Roger Pilon, the head of the Lourdes Medical Bureau, organized an International Congress at Lourdes to deal with the topic of miraculous healings and the longstanding questions from the medical personnel concerning the criteria (formulated more than two centuries ago) for the recognition of a miraculous event and their interpretation at Lourdes. The papers published from the symposium (Guérisons et Miracles) deal with the phenomenon of healing in a broad context--healing within Islam, Judaism, and Chinese medicine, amd the qualities of a healer. Only a few of the papers from the symposium dealt with the questions arising from the interpretation of the criteria for verification of miracles.

Benedict XIV's criteria stated that the healing must be sudden, almost instantaneous. Cures such as the sudden restoration of sight or the ability to walk--as found in the Gospels-- can be witnessed and acknowledged by large numbers. Some internal cures are not immediately perceptible. Could not a progressive improvement from a serious illness be recognized as inexplicable? (The former medical director at Lourdes, Doctor Mangiapan, noted that, on the previous questionnaire used at Lourdes, in response to the question about the instantaneous nature of the cure, doctors began to insert qualifiers such as "relatively" or "morally" [instantaneous]. The present questionnaire asks whether, in case of cures which were not sudden, there was an identifiable point at which the healing began. )

Another criteria stated that no previous medical treatment could have been administered which may have been responsible for the cure at Lourdes. Almost all the patients now coming to Lourdes, the doctors commented, have undergone some previous medical treatment, which may possibly produce results at Lourdes. (The present medical questionnaire asks whether the possibility of past treatment as responsible for the cure can be "totally" or "partially" eliminated.)

Medical science and psychiatry can recognize now, more than previously, psychosomatic factors which may have contributed to a cure. Should the cure from a degenerative condition, caused by what was considered an irremediable psychosomatic factor, be excluded from the realm of inexplicable cure? One of the presenters at the symposium, Fr. Xavier Thevenot, S.D.B., thought that such a reversal, even though explicable, should not be eliminated from the category of miraculous. The unexpected concurrence of conditions, he explained, constituted a type of inexplicability.

Finally, a charismatic view on healing was presented by Fr. Etienne Garin, S.J., who, twenty years earlier, had been cured of a serious affliction. For the charismatic, miracles are not exterior events, but the transformation which God's grace and the Holy Spirit bring about within individuals. A charismatic view is that healing occurs on several levels as one enters into a life of prayer and contemplation guided by the theological virtues and the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

A Fuller Picture of Miracles

The questions at Lourdes about discerning the miraculous correspond to a recovery of a larger view of miracles based on biblical and patristic insights. In the first centuries of Christianity, miracles were regarded as indications of the divine presence. St. Augustine stressed that miracles were signs of the presence of heavenly realities on earth. During the middle ages, however, the sign value of miracles was forgotten; they were view as instances of divine intervention which surpassed the created order. (Thomas Aquinas defined a miracle as an intervention of divine power.) During the Enlightenment, miracles were valued for their apologetic value; they were the response to skeptics who denied the possibility of divine intervention. In its early history, Lourdes was influenced by the prevailing antagonism between science and religion.

Whereas Vatican I spoke of miracles as proof of the divine origins of Christianity, Vatican II (Lumen gentium 5) described them as signs that the kingdom of God had come to the earth and was present in the person of Christ. In five successive weekly audiences in 1987, Pope John Paul II spoke of the "works, wonders, and signs" (Acts 2: 22-24) which make Christ known and attest to the revelation of which he is the center. In the Gospel accounts, there is an "miracle" (extraordinary happening), which is also a "sign," pointing to the divine work of redemption. In some of the accounts, Jesus manifests his power over nature and evil, his ability to deliver people from hunger, sickness, death.

In his catechesis on miracles, Pope John Paul emphasized the personal revelation which is part of every miracle. Every manifestation of divine power is also a manifestation of divine love (Dec. 19, 1987). Miracles are not displays of triumphal power, rather they are evidence of God's love for humanity (Dec. 9, 1987). ( The Catechism of the Catholic Church notes that miracles can be occasion for "offense"; they are not intended "to satisfy the curiosity and satiate the desire for magic" [ 548]). "Miracles," the pope commented, "happen even today, and in each of them is delineated the face of the 'Son of Man -- Son of God,' and an affirmation of a gift of grace and salvation" (Nov. 23, 1987). Miracles are recognized through faith while strengthening that faith. "Faith precedes miracles, indeed it is a condition for its accomplishment; but faith is an effect of the miracles" (Dec. 16, 1987).

In the Gospels, a miracle is an extraordinary happening, a sign of Christ's power to save, but also a gift to the individual, a sign of God's love for that person. The past approach to miracles emphasized the manifestation of divine power, but neglected the sign value and the true gift conferred on the person who had been cured. At the 1992 Lourdes symposium, a "working" definition of miracle was proposed, drawn from the writings of René Latourelle, which includes three elements--an extraordinary happening, the sign, the message: [A miracle is] "a religious wonder that expresses, in the cosmic order (human beings and the universe), a special and utterly free intervention of the God of power and love, who thereby gives human beings a sign of the presence of his message of salvation in the world."

Today, Mr. Bély, now sixty-two years old, has returned to his work and is active in both parish and diocesan activities. The recognition of his cure by the medical and church authorities took almost twelve years. It was a long time, he said, but "I could not keep this sign only for myself." His attitude, as described by the director of the Lourdes Medical Bureau, is similar to that of Bernadette after the apparitions--one of simplicity and humility. After his cure, he worked with a diocesan organization devoted to the spiritual care of the sick. He is also active in many areas in his parish. He believes that his cure was the result of many prayers of those who accompanied him on the pilgrimage. "Prayer has a great power . . . I am an ordinary person . . . I believe that cure which I received was as if God winked at me."

Bibliography:

Proposed Dogma: Mary, Coredemptrix, Mediatrix, Advocate
The Marianum's Position on the Dogmatic Definition

For the past few years in the religious press, there have been references to a movement promoting a fifth Marian dogma--Mary, Cordemptrix, Mediatrix, and Advocate. Especially in the United States, people are encouraged to send petitions for the definition to the Holy See. The Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has examined the matter, but, as far as we know, its views or conclusions have not been made public.

The XII International Mariological Congress, held at Czestochowa in August 1996, considered the matter and wrote a declaration which was published in Osservatore Romano with a commentary by the Pontifical Marian Commission.

In an attempt to say something thoughtful and dispassionate on the topic, the Marianum organized, on August 28, 1998, an informal but serious meeting to discuss the matter. Professors of Mariology from a number of Roman theological faculties attended. The discussion was centered on a paper presented by the president of the Marianum, Fr. Ignazio M. Calabuig, "A Reflection on the Request for a Dogmatic Definition of 'Mary Coredemptrix, Mediatrix, Advocate.'" While awaiting the publication of this lengthy paper in the Marianum [journal], we give here a few extracts making known the position taken by the Marianum faculty. ". . .Catholic doctrine is substantially unanimous in acknowledging Mary's cooperation in the work of salvation, but this unanimity is fractured when theologians want to express the doctrine precisely, in precisely appropriate language without ambivalence or misunderstanding.

The titles Coredemptrix, Mediatrix, and Advocate do not have a univocal meaning. Each of them has been understood in various ways throughout history and in different theological traditions. For example, the term mediatrix has a different meaning in Eastern theology than in Western theology.

Questions arise about the nature of these titles. Are they ontological, that is, do they refer to an action on Mary's part that was determining and necessary for the redemptive event, as was her fiat for the Word's becoming man? Or are they functional titles that make clear the role entrusted to Mary, namely, that through her cooperation, redemption comes all people?

From a biblical viewpoint, these three titles refer properly to Christ. He is "the one Savior of all" (Rom. 5), for outside of him "there is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name given to the human race by which we are to be saved" (Acts 4, 12). Nothing is lacking to his perfect act of redemption and nothing can be added. He is the one and perfect Mediator: "There is also one mediator between God and the human race, Christ Jesus, himself human, who gave himself as ransom for all" (I Tim. 2,5-6). To his perfect and immediate mediation nothing can be added, nor can anything be taken from it. He is the just and merciful Advocate; St.John writes: "If anyone does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous one" (I John 2,1). He is the high priest "who has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of the majesty in heaven" (Heb. 8,1), and who "lives forever to make intercession" (Heb. 7,25) for those who listen to God.

In the New Testament, none of the three titles--Coredemptrix, Mediatrix, Advocate--is attributed to Mary. On the contrary, the New Testament texts describing Christ as Redeemer, Mediator and Advocate seem--and we repeat, seem--not to support the idea of a creature alongside him acting as Coredemptrix, Mediatrix and Advocate in an ontological sense.

On the other hand, we recognize with the New Testament itself that, by the gift of grace, God calls creatures to take part in the realization of the plan of salvation in Christ. Speaking of his own ministry and that of his companions, St. Paul does not hesitate to affirm, "We are God's coworkers" (I Cor. 3,9). Vatican II recalls that the Church "is driven by the Holy Spirit to do her part for the full realization of the plan of God, who has constituted Christ as the source of salvation for the whole world" (LG 17). Now, Mary is "preeminent" (LG 53) among the members of the Body of Christ. There is no doubt that, in her faith and obedience, she cooperated in a more intense way in the realization of God's saving project and in a unique way in the redemptive incarnation of the Word.

These preliminary and elementary notes make sufficiently clear that the significance of the three titles, considered singly and as a whole, is not a slight one. Among theologians, they raise many questions to which there is not a readily agreeable answer. When we venture beyond the hermeneutical horizon of Lumen gentium in relation to the three titles, we find ourselves in a lively debate of theological crossfire. The request for a dogma is centered on these very titles: Mary Coredemptrix, Mediatrix, Advocate. Since the issue has gained some publicity, there has arisen among theologians renewed interest in those titles, sometimes to show how founded they are in church teaching, sometimes to point out the ambiguities they involve.

Why the Marianum does not support the request:

The staff of the Marianum [journal] does not support the request for a dogmatic definition for the following reasons:

--From Marianum Notizie-News, 2/1998.

Preparing for the Great Jubilee

The article, Preparing for the Great Jubilee is a review of three volumes entitled, Celebration for the Millennium. You can find the review at: http://www.udayton.edu/mary/resources/bkrev.html.

The Virgin Mary
"Present in Every Sunday of the Church"

On May 31, 1998, Pope John Paul II addressed an apostolic letter on the importance of Sunday. "The celebration of Sunday," explained the pope, "remains, on the threshold of the third millennium, an indispensable element of our Christian identity." It is the Lord's Day, the first and the eighth day, the weekly commemoration of the Resurrection of the Lord. In the history of Christianity, the celebration of the Eucharist has always been the central event of the day, though the remaining activities of the day have been observed in different ways. In Catholic countries, the day has been one of freedom from work, rest, joy, and solidarity.

A section of the letter (# 86) speaks of the Virgin Mary's relation to Sunday. Mary is present in the Church's celebration of Sunday. "Without in any way detracting from the centrality of Christ and his spirit, Mary is always present in the Church's Sunday." Mary's presence is founded in her inseparable relation to the saving work of Christ celebrated in the Eucharist. The Eucharist celebrates "the mystery of Christ" and his whole saving activity, which embraces Mary and the Communion of Saints. Because of her relation to the mystery of Christ and the Church, Mary is present in a "unique" way. "How could she who is mater Domini and mater ecclesiae fail to be uniquely present on the day which is both dies Domini and dies ecclesiae?"

To the Church celebrating the Eucharist, Mary is the examplar of those attitudes neccesary for divine worship. First, as Mary received and pondered the word, so the Church listens to the Word in liturgy Maria audiens, Ecclesia audiens. "As they listen to the word proclaimed in the Sunday assembly, the faithful look to the Virgin Mary, learning from her to keep it and ponder it in their hearts (Lk. 2:19)." In Eucharist, the members of the Church stand with Mary in the offering of Christ and of their own lives Maria offerens, Ecclesia offerens. "With Mary, they learn to stand at the foot of the cross, offering to the Father the sacrifice of Christ and joining to it the offering of their own lives."

At litury and in their daily lives, the faithful join with Mary in her prophetic hymn of praise: "With Mary, they experience the joy of the resurrection, making their own the words of the Magnificat, extolling the inexhaustible gift of divine mercy in the inexorable flow of time." Throughout the week, Mary precedes and accompanies the Church in its pilgrimage to the triune God. "From Sunday to Sunday, the pilgrim people follow in the footsteps of Mary." Lastly, the members of the Church are confident that Mary's prayer is joined to theirs in praise of the Trinity. ""

References to Mary in the liturgy need not be limited to Marian feasts. Unfortunately, many Catholics hear a reference to Mary only on the Marian solemnities-- Immaculate Conception, Mother of God, the Assumption. On the Sundays, there is the great silence about the Virgin Mary. Yet, Mary is related to the mystery of Christ celebrated in every Eucharist. An occasional and discreet reference to Mary--in word, song, and art--can provide to the Church gathered on Sunday a model of the attitudes requisite for worship. The Mother of the Lord and Mother of the Church is present in a unique way on Sunday, the Day of the Lord and the Day of the Church.

The Marian Library Newsletter appears twice yearly and sent to those interested in the Marian Library and the International Marian Research Institute. Donations to cover printing and postage costs--and to support the activities of the library and the institute--are gratefully accepted.

Editor: Fr. Thomas A. Thompson, S.M.
Marian Library/IMRI: 937 229-4214
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