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THE ART of THEOLOGY Mary As Bride of Christ

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THE ART of THEOLOGY Mary As Bride of Christ COMPASS dents interpreted the findings along the lines tightly to its culture and faith. of their own understanding and experience, Yet on the other hand, young people, un- THE ART OF THEOLOGY and this at times contributed towards a more like seasoned theologians, are not commonly conservative approach to the interpretation dissidents and their theological outlook often of data. begins conservative. Their religious interest, Mary as Bride of Christ If one was to interpret the survey re- if pursued, will over time become exploratory sponses as a theologian of many years’ expe- and possibly more inclusive. Yet this will de- rience, one would identify here a school co- pend on their mentors, their teaching and for- MARY BARKER and MERVYN DUFFY SM hort that is quite ‘religious’ and faithful to mation, and the ability to discern from the pro- Catholic teaching compared to the majority lific and varied information that is presented Mariology has progressed by applying biblical imagery to the relation- of young Australians as revealed in findings to them. ship between Mary and Jesus. ‘Mother to Son’ is supplemented by by Phillip Hughes in Putting Life Together. ‘Bride to Husband’, which in the high Middle Ages was expressed in Findings from Australian Youth Spirituality Conclusion powerfully erotic words and imagery. The article traces the theological Research (2007) and Michael Mason, discussion through patristic writings and then considers some public Andrew Singleton and Ruth Webber in The Sitting in the background observing and lis- artworks that show the wide reception of the themes discussed. Spirit of Generation Y. Young People’s spir- tening to these enrichment students unravel ituality in a changing Australia (2007). Re- the survey findings, lively debate ensured. search and reflection informs one’s interpre- There were issues that polarised the group, Liturgy and theology use paradox to express and his beloved, identified as ‘the Shulamite’ tation of data, yet does this knowledge also such as the ‘necessity’ of attending Sunday the mystery of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The (7:1), address each other in verse of the great- colour one’s interpretation? Mass, while other issues elicited opinions central paradox of a mother who is a virgin is est intimacy: ‘ You ravish my heart my sister, For the enrichment students it was a leading to further discernment. enlarged and echoed when other biblical my promised bride (4:9)’ he says; ‘Let my Be- given that students accept, often without What emerged overall from this pro- themes are applied to Mary and her Son. St loved come into his garden, let him taste its question, the teachings of the Church, or see gramme included findings which revealed to Paul styled Jesus as the Second and Last Adam, rarest fruits’ she replies (4:16). They are the priest as the final authority on issues, or the enrichment students, a College student Irenaeus (c.130-202) extended that typology united, divided, sought and found, constantly acknowledge that suffering is sent by God body that in general still practices the to Mary and cast her as the New Eve. The par- and seductively seeking each other’s presence. to purify one, etc. For these young people Maronite Catholic faith. It also revealed that allel is not exact because Mary is the mother Attributed to Solomon but now believed to be the practice of questioning and challenging there are querying minds. The unexpected of Jesus, while Eve was the wife of Adam, yet of unknown authorship, it is dated to around and stepping out of boundaries was neither responses opened and challenged the minds the power of liturgical imagery and a mystical 900 BC. viewed as part of their religious practice nor of the enrichment students to a wider view strand in theology are untroubled by apparent This idealized language of love is ex- understanding. of how ‘Religion’ is understood and contradiction. Interpreting Mary as a figure pressed in conjugal terms. Insofar as it is an The status quo was generally accepted, practiced. This can become a starting point representing the Church enabled the Pauline expression of God’s love for his creation, the although there were emerging indications that for a more open and questioning stance on image of the Church as bride of Christ to be greatest and most powerful metaphor is articu- religion is not always black and white. The their behalf in regards to how they tend to applied to Mary. Mariological development lated in a manner closest to human understand- issue of homosexuality and attendance at view ‘Religion.’ progressed more by a series of symbolic leaps ing—the love of a man for a woman united in Mass indicates that young people move to- Through the process of leading them to than any logical progression. As will be shown a vowed commitment: ‘my promised bride’ he wards personal decision making in regards elicit responses from other young people and this led to imagery of the relationship between calls her. The familiarity of these words from to religious positions, but this can be a analysing data in a meaningful way, the en- Mary and Jesus that the piety of our age finds the Hebrew scriptures easily found its way into gradual process. richment students were confronted with per- shocking. One leap in the series is the appli- the Gospels and offered a new dimension to A seasoned theologian has critique as part ceptions that did not necessarily conform to cation to the Virgin Mary of the most erotic the apostles striving as they were, to under- of one’s tools, and would likely have honed in their ‘religious’ views and so the practice of section of the Old Testament. stand both Christ’s human presence and Christ on the responses of students, concluding that theological discernment began. If the practice In elegant and sensuous prose the Song of as fulfillment of the Messianic promise. John the continued religious maintenance and of delving into unfamiliar religious terrain of Songs of the Old Testament articulates argu- the Evangelist, for instance, uses ‘bridegroom’ practicies by this school cohort may be due to their peers excited them, we may be on the ably humankind’s finest attempt to describe as a metaphor for Christ’s coming (3:29) and the ethno-religious background that includes way to forming open-minded and thoughtful the indescribable—to express in terms of hu- mentions, but does not identify, His bride. The a tight-knit Maronite community that holds theologians. man beauty, God’s abiding and loving concern Author of the Book of Revelation expands this for his people Israel. A lover, described as insight. Here the bride becomes the ‘New Je- ‘King’ (1:4 and 12) or Solomon (3:7 and 9) rusalem’ and the ‘Bride that the Lamb has 38 39 COMPASS THE ART OF THEOLOGY married’ (Revelation 21: 2, 9-10). Mary Barker is an artist from the beginning that it was all to do with to the discourse of the age. It is not surprising The Apostolic Fathers built on the words who has a PhD in art virginity. This glorious nuptial language trans- that at the same time as he was formulating of the Gospels so as to establish within the history and has been a lated from the Old Testament to the New, was his theology, the High Middle Ages was cap- various religious and philosophical currents of contract lecturer in art to be lived in the mind, in the realm of imagi- tured by ideas of courtly love. Courtly love the time the identity of Christ as true God and history at the University nation, exultation and sublimated desire. As was the ‘pure love’ of the troubadours. Tied true man.1 Hippolytus of Rome (d.235 AD) of Auckland. Her special Marina Warner points out, the love songs of initially to the love poems of Ovid, courtly love describes the movement of God into the hu- interest is in the way art, Solomon and the Shulamite were predomi- was the unrequited love of knight or courtier man sphere through the act of procreation: especially early nantly applied to the love of Christ and the for an unattainable noblewoman expressed in Christian and medieval consecrated life of virgin or nun.8 The coun- elevating music and emotional and erotic Being outside of the flesh, the word of God took art, both responds to upon himself the holy flesh of the holy Virgin; ter-intuitive ideology surrounding Mary’s verse. Such love was a secular version of and explains theology. like a bridegroom he prepared himself that gar- place as mother, spouse and bride of the Song Bernard’s spiritual yearnings but it gave him ment which he would weave together with his of Songs and type of the Church, limited this the language and the disposition to allow his sufferings on the cross … in this way he in- fragile understanding to the learned and clois- imagination full reign. tended to obtain salvation for man, who was tered. Some early attempts had been made to il- perishing.2 Mervyn Duffy is a Marist priest. He is a It was not until the twelfth century that lustrate the mystical and ambiguous relation- It was Ephrem the Syrian (306-373) who lecturer in Theology Mariological mysticism reached its high point ship between Christ and his mother. These first explicitly identified Mary as the Bride of and Dean of Studies at in the impassioned love and language of were limited to illuminations that accompa- Christ. This great doctor of Syrian Christian- Good Shepherd Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153). In a series nied texts from the Song of Songs in Bibles ity was one of the first Fathers of the Church College, Auckland.
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