The role of Mary is deeper than that of Peter or of the Bishops
Cardinal Ouellet made this statement in the context of ecumenism; but it strikes me as much more urgent to bring to the front this truth in the context of the hierarchy in our days when we see the weakness and failure of an exaggerated relevance of the ministerial priesthood in the Church, and of a primacy of right doctrine over right and holy living of gospel values.
The role of Mary is both unique and irrepeatable as Mother of Christ, but also she is the model and example of true Christian discipleship for everyone, clergy as well as lay people. She is the contemplative par excellence always listening to the Spirit, and the Mediatrix with Christ of all graces. The source of her immense and humble power is not from ecclesial ordination but from her sharing in the highest possible way for a human being in the same life and holiness of God.
And here is the amazing thing: that humble and ultimate power of Mary for bringing grace to the Church and to the world is available to each one of us if we too open our hearts and our lives to the transforming and sanctifying power of the Spirit always at work in making us grow into the likeness of Christ -and Mary. Her total acceptance of and response to the Plan of God for her, and through her for the world is the ultimate road to holiness and the goal of each of our lives on earth.
As important and necessary as the role of the ordained priesthood is in the Church, there is sometimes a tendency to emphasize the ritual aspect of the priesthood, and the channel of authority and tradition over and beyond that of personal holiness and relationship with God in the building up of the life of the Church. It is certainly in the service of the Church that by means of the ordination to the priesthood the person has become an instrument of Christ the Priest so literally that we don't need to guess what is the level of his personal holiness in order to be sure that Christ is really acting through him. But as true as this is, if it is overestimated we can also fall into a magical approach in which the priestly ministry is valued mainly by external performance. This is a permanent temptation because we like to judge and evaluate and we can do that with actions but not with the inner promptings and intentions of the person.
In our days loaded with news of scandals and abuse in the part of the clergy we all need to reflect on the urgency of personal transformation and holiness as means of exercising the powerful common priesthood of all baptized Christians in the building up of the Reign of God.
May Mary, Queen of the Apostles, and Mother of Divine Grace guide us in our journey of discipleship and transformation, as we continue praying also for Pope Benedict, for Cardinal Marc Ouellet, and for all our bishops and priests so that they may always strive to grow in holiness as the first means to faithfully perform their challenging and graced filled ministry in the service of the Church and of the whole world.
