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"This union of the mother
with the Son
in the work of salvation
is made manifest
from the time of Christ's virginal conception up to his death";[502] it is made manifest above all
at the hour of his Passion:
Thus the Blessed Virgin
advanced in her pilgrimage of faith,
and faithfully persevered in her union
with her Son unto the cross.
There she stood, in keeping with the divine plan,
enduring with her only begotten Son
the intensity of his suffering,
joining herself with his sacrifice
in her mother's heart,
and lovingly consenting
to the immolation of this victim,
born of her:
to be given, by the same Christ Jesus
dying on the cross,
as a mother to his disciple,
with these words:
"Woman, behold your son."[503] P
Thus teaches The Catechism of The Catholic Church.
Freewill
However the very fact that we have freewill - totally - also gives proof of Mary's role as Co-redemptrix.
It is a fact that each and every one of us is unable to obtain eternal-life
unless we choose it.
Even thought Christ brought us Salvation it is up to us to partake in it. Each must say his particular Yes to God and to Jesus Christ.
In the same way
it also stands to reason
that God sought a representative
of His creation
to speak on its behalf
and to use her freewill
to co-operate or not to co-operate
in the great Work of Salvation.
This of course, Mary did and at her Yes - only at her yes - The Spirit of God brought a new Life into her holy and most sacred womb.
Immaculate Conception to Co-redemptrix
Mary's role as Co-redemptrix began from Eternity, in the Mind of God.
Mary's role as Co-redemptrix was confirmed in the Garden of Eden when God made it clear that the woman would overcome the serpent through her seed:-
P 14 ¶ And the Lord God said to the serpent: Because thou hast done this thing, thou art cursed among all cattle, and beasts of the earth: upon thy breast shalt thou go, and earth shalt thou eat all the days of thy life.
15 I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed: she shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel. P
Mary's role as Co-redemptrix was further confirmed at the instant of her Immaculate Conception by which she became The Mistress of the Fullness of Grace (kecharitomene - Luke 1:28) which fullness she retained completely and perfectly (obviously) up until the Archangel requested her approval to become Mother of The Christ but, of course, thereafter.
When Gabriel greeted her as
Mistress of the Fullness of Grace
and sought her assent to be Mother, we find yet again, a confirmation of her role as Co-redemptrix.
Indeed, we perceive this role of The Woman of Scripture as Co-redemptrix again and again not only in the Tradition of The Universal Church but repeated throughout Scripture, as well.
The basic truth that she is Mother of The Lord is clear evidence of her absolute involvement in the History of Salvation.
P 41 And it came to pass that when Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the infant leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost.
42 And she cried out with a loud voice and said: Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.
And whence is this to me
that the mother of my Lord
should come to me?
For behold as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. P Luke 1.
We observe here, that
it was when Mary greeted Elizabeth
that the infant John
was sanctified in the womb.
P 15 For he shall be great before the Lord and shall drink no wine nor strong drink: and
he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost,
even from his mother's womb. P Luke 1.
It is true that Mary's words of greeting to Elizabeth were so powerful because Mary carried Jesus in her holy womb, yet it is also perfectly true
that the words were the words of Mary
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