The subject matter of this dissertation is Marian mediation. While numerous Church Fathers and theologians have spoken of the spiritual Motherhood of the Blessed Virgin Mary since Sts. Justin Martyr and Irenaeus first called her the "Second Eve," the doctrinal boundaries for Marian mediation still elude us.
The push for a solemn definition of a doctrine on Marian mediation at the Second Vatican Council produced chapter 8 of " Lumen Gentium " along with Pope Paul VI's declaration of the Blessed Virgin Mary as Mother of the Church. Since Vatican II, the theological conversation about Marian mediation all but disappeared until recently. As we move into the third millennium, there are significant reasons for this renewed interest in Marian mediation. How do we keep the Mother of the Church from being a perpetual stumbling block in the ongoing quest for Christian unity? Similarly, if Marian mediation is in reality a significant aspect of saving truth, is it not important to articulate this aspect of the truth accurately so that it may be honored and profited from by all Christians and not merely swallowed up in the effort to seek the lowest common denominator among us?
What exactly is the Blessed Virgin Mary's role in Redemption? Is she a mere bystander who gives consent to something that happens outside of her or does she, by God's design, play an inherent and inseparable part in both the objective and subjective Redemption of all creation by Jesus Christ? If so, what is that role and how is it best articulated? This dissertation seeks to answer these questions by looking anew at the writings of St. Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort. While his writings are usually consulted to teach Christians how to develop devotion to the Blessed Virgin, this dissertation seeks to look afresh at his writings in a theological way to see what light Montfort's work can shed on Marian mediation.
