Thy Sweet Name: The Vatican’s Doctrinal Note & Mary’s Fiat

Thy Sweet Name: The Vatican’s Doctrinal Note & Mary’s Fiat

By Franci Revel Eckensberger, Lead Editor

Mystical Rose. Cause of Our Joy. Queen of Heaven. Theotokos, Mother of God. Blessed Mother.
Our Lady.

We have countless titles for the Virgin Mary, each capturing a specific aspect of her exceptional nature, her spiritual beauty, or her role in salvation. The image of her that each title paints magnifies a quality we ought to elevate and, prayerfully, emulate.

On Tuesday, the Vatican released an important doctrinal note about Marian titles that has generated commentary across Catholic media outlets and boisterous conversation on X, Substack, and the like. Mater Populi Fidelis (Mother of the Faithful People) clarifies that Mary’s role in salvation does not need enhancement through titles that might suggest she shares in Christ’s work of redemption—specifically “Co-Redemptrix” and “Mediatrix.” The former is deemed inappropriate, as it “carries the risk of eclipsing the exclusive role of Jesus Christ” (Mater Populi Fidelis, 22). The latter is acceptable only if used with careful precision to express “an inclusive and participatory mediation that glorifies the power of Christ” as Vatican News explains.

Various theologians and Marian devotees have used the title “Co-Redemptrix” to describe Mary’s

cooperation in Christ’s saving work for centuries, and Popes Pius X, Pius XII, and John Paul II have used the term in devotional contexts. The Church never defined it as official dogma. Concerns arise from the title’s potential to cause confusion: the suggestion that Mary was a sort of “equal partner” in redemption rather than a faithful participant. Popes Benedict XVI and Francis both cautioned against its use, emphasizing instead Mary’s role as disciple and Mother of the Church. The Vatican’s newest doctrinal note follows this caution, offering clear guidance and a reminder that language requiring too much explanation to be properly understood can prove intellectually burdensome for both the faithful and the inquiring. Some titles like “Co-Redemptrix” and “Mediatrix,” the document says, “pose significant difficulties regarding their content because they can often lead to a mistaken understanding of Mary’s role, which carries serious repercussions at the Christological, ecclesiological and anthropological levels” (2).

The main problem in interpreting those titles as applied to the Virgin Mary is how one should understand her association with Christ’s work of Redemption—that is, “what is the meaning of Mary’s unique cooperation in the plan of salvation?” The present document, without intending to be comprehensive or exhaustive, seeks to maintain the necessary balance that must be established within the Christian mysteries between Christ’s sole mediation and Mary’s cooperation in the work of salvation, and it seeks to show how this is expressed in various Marian titles. (3)

The document clearly cautions against language that can obscure the central truth of our faith: Christ alone is our Redeemer. There is one mediator between God and humanity, and Mary herself was redeemed by Him. Beyond the lively commentary already circulating online, this moment invites us to pause and reflect on Mary’s irreplaceable role in that central truth. Mother of God, Mother of the Church, our own spiritual mother, each of these roles belongs singularly to Our Lady, and they flow naturally from the endlessly vital spring of her fiat.

When the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary, he brought an invitation that would change the course of human history. “Let it be done to me according to your word”—her response was an act of faith and surrender beyond measure, beyond our own comprehension, particularly when taken in the context of what she would go on to endure as a result of that fiat. In that moment, she became the first disciple, the first to say yes to Jesus, her own words proving her life’s complete devotion to His Word. Her primacy as a role model is in this radical surrender, her willingness to become so small that Christ could become all in all. Each of her aspects that we invoke in the titles we attribute to her is balanced upon this foundational act of trust and obedience to God. “Any gaze directed at her that distracts us from Christ or that places her on the same level as the Son of God,” the document says, “would fall outside the dynamic proper to an authentically Marian faith” (66).

We keep our eyes fixed on Christ even as we turn to His mother—she helps us sharpen our sight. If we are seeking to know Mary better in our lives, the Vatican document is well worth reading beyond its discussion of these particular titles. It is filled with clear, edifying, often beautiful explications of the nature of grace and Mary’s expressions in our lives, which it says are “constant and daily. Even when we do not request her intercession, she shows herself near to us as a Mother to help us recognize the Father’s love, to contemplate Christ’s saving self-gift, and to receive the Spirit’s sanctifying action” (44).

Admittedly, as a revert to the faith, my own devotion to Mary seems to be often in flux. I sometimes feel it requires a sort of “upkeep” that can feel unnatural or intimidating. This intimidation can feel particularly heavy as I prepare to welcome my first child in December. More often than I’d like, I allow the common anxieties of matrescence to be exacerbated rather than balmed by considering Mary: I don’t devote myself enough to the rosary. Why can I not “let her in” more during my pregnancy? How will I model a relationship with her to my child when my own relationship feels weak? There’s a wide web of reasons for this, and in the fluster of intimidation, in seeking to become a model Marian devotee, I know I risk obscuring my own comprehension of her role. I have heard similar sentiments from fellow converts who, perhaps through maternal wounds, theological confusion, internalized wariness toward “Catholic excess,” or any number of other spiritual hesitations, share this anxious relationship to Marian devotion. 

Beyond the risk of obscured comprehension, this anxiety muddles the singular peace I find when I am able to really let the meaning of her yes sink in. I respond well to considering all that precedes and follows that yes. When I set my sights on the intellectual reality of why her fiat matters as more than a singular moment—its significance stretching from her Immaculate Conception to Christ’s Passion to her Assumption—I am often led to the spiritual safety I seek in her. Today, in light of this clarifying document, I am reminded to look to Mary’s yes and know that what I am seeking out in relation to her does not need much qualifying. It is the strength to be steered back toward God in all that I do without pause, terror, or anxiety. I can allow Mary to invite me personally into relationship with Christ by inviting me to emulate her, above all, in my own yes to God’s will, even when I don’t understand it, or find it impossible or hopeless. The first and greatest among His followers, she shows us what discipleship looks like in its essential form. Always, she points us to her Son, just as she did at the wedding at Cana: “Do whatever he tells you.” My role is to look at Him, but that doesn’t mean I should ever forget who is doing the pointing. 

As we swiftly approach Advent and prepare to celebrate Christ’s birth to His Blessed Mother, this document comes as an early gift. May we continue to cultivate a devotion to Mary that reflects Scripture and Tradition, honors her singularity, and invites us into deeper relationship with Jesus through her maternal intercession. Her yes to God echoes in our own hearts as believers, and in her care, we find our way closer to her Son. In her “first and foremost” example, we see someone who walks with unmatched faith, trust, and grace. Let us come to further trust these qualities and to know the Blessed Mother’s intercession as “a motherly sign of the Lord’s mercy” (42).

A Resounding Yes! is our podcast centered around Mary’s fiat and how we can say yes to the Lord. Listen to our episodes with filmmakers, theologians, authors, priests, chefs, artists, and more on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

Prayer to Our Lady
St. Bonaventure

Blessed is the man who loves thy name, O Mary.
Yes, truly blessed is he who loves thy sweet name,
O Mother of God!
Thy name is so glorious and admirable
that no one who remembers it
has any fear at the hour of death. 
I ask thee, O Mary, for the glory of thy name,
to come and meet my soul
when it is departing from this world,
and to take it in thine arms. 
Amen.

Holy Mother of God, pray for us!

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Writer and editor Franci Revel Eckensberger holds a Master of Fine Arts in Poetry from Cornell University. With years of experience as a copyeditor for academics, fellow writers, and various small businesses, she takes pride in maintaining clarity, consistency, and beauty in each client’s voice. 

Franci finds grace and insight in the Catholic Church’s rich relationship to language and invites that relationship to influence both her literary and editorial work. Saint Cecilia and Catherine of Siena continue to play a vital role in her journey to the faith as an artist. She lives in coastal Delaware with her husband.