Now, why art thou drawn together with grief?
Hast thou no king in thee,
or is thy counsellor perished,
because sorrow hath taken thee
as a woman in labour.
Micah 4, 9

​And Simeon blessed them,
and said to Mary his mother:
Behold this child is set for the fall,
and for the resurrection of many in Israel,
and for a sign which shall be contradicted:
And thy own soul a sword shall pierce,
that, out of many hearts,
thoughts may be revealed.
Luke 2, 34-35

Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart, and you will find rest for yourselves. My yoke is easy, and my burden light” (Mt 11:28-30). Our Lord cites the Book of Sirach 51, 23-30: ‘Come to me, all you that need instruction, and learn in my school. Why do you admit that you are ignorant and do nothing about it? Here is what I say: It costs nothing to be wise. Put on the yoke and be willing to learn. The opportunity is always near. See you! I have not studied very hard, but I have found great contentment. No matter how much it costs to get Wisdom, it will be well worth it. Be joyfully grateful for the Lord’s mercy, and never be ashamed to praise him. Do your duty at the proper time, and the Lord will give you your reward at the time he thinks proper. Jesus also says, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Mt 26:24).

Jesus identifies himself with eternal wisdom, the Divine Logos of God, by citing Sirach. To find rest for our souls, we must strive to be like Jesus was in his humanity: humbly and obediently following the will of God and perfecting our obedience by suffering willingly for the sins that offend our heavenly Father. Jesus has secured our eternal reward, but if we want to merit it, we must be willing to take up our cross and follow Him. Though it may cost us dearly to walk the path to Calvary in the footsteps of our Lord, our love for God and hope in His promised reward should ease our burdens (Rom 8:18).

When we trust in God and surrender our burdens to Him, while faithfully carrying out our duties of discipleship with Christ’s yoke upon us, He remains faithful to us in return. God provides us with the patience and fortitude we need to endure our yoke through His actual graces (Rom 5:2-3; 2 Cor 12:9-10). These actual graces are efficacious in that they inspire and influence us to do what pleases God, even when it goes against our natural instincts. By opening ourselves to the Divine persuasion with the knowledge and understanding we have received from the Holy Spirit (the sanctifying light of faith), we can acquit ourselves of the temporal debt of sin. We can offer our suffering to God in reparation for our sins.

It is only when we have faith and unite our sufferings with Christ’s afflictions that the trials and burdens we carry hold any redemptive value. Focusing solely on ourselves and neglecting to look at Christ, our paschal victim, will not lighten these burdens. Trying to remove these burdens altogether would be unwise and ignorant, as they are necessary for us to be buried with our Lord into death and to be raised with him to a new life with God. Those of us who have been predestined to grace or adopted as children of God are co-heirs with Christ, but only if we unite our sufferings with our Lord’s suffering in temporal expiation for our sins to appease God’s anger or justice. St. Paul teaches us: “And if sons, heirs also; heirs indeed of God and joint heirs with Christ; yet so if we suffer with him, that we may be glorified with him” (Rom 8:17).

Jesus suffered and died to redeem humanity through eternal expiation for sin. His self-sacrifice’s primary purpose was to gain forgiveness of sin for the whole world and remove mankind’s eternal guilt. As Christians, we do not unite our suffering and dying to self with Christ’s temporal satisfaction to God for sin just to increase in sanctification for the individual allotment of heavenly rewards. This is a Protestant presumption. Instead, our predestination to glory or the attainment of salvation depends on whether we have sufficiently expiated our temporal debt of sin before gaining admittance into Heaven. We must have no stain of the remnants of sin on our souls to enter the gates that lead to the marriage feast of the Lamb. Those predestined to grace must wear white and spotless apparel by having suffered and died to self in union with Christ to be worthy of attending (Rev 2:7; 7:14; 21:27; Mt 22:1-14).

Our commitment to baptism is symbolized by the cross which stands at the forefront of it (Jn 12:24; Rom 6:4; Col 2:12). St. Paul preached about the “Christ crucified” (1 Cor 1:23). For those who don’t believe, the cross is a scandal and seems foolish to take up. The wisdom of this world is indifferent to it. However, as heirs with Christ, we will be glorified with him. But, we will only be glorified with him after we have suffered for our sins temporarily (Rom 8:17). Jesus did not remove suffering and death by his passion and death because these evil effects of original sin are a means by which we can make temporal reparation and expiation for our personal sins. They help us mend our broken relationship with God. Our Lord and Savior gave suffering redemptive value, making it the necessary means to redeem mankind. So, unless we accept and unite our suffering and death with the passion and death of our Lord because of our daily sins and offer our suffering to God in reparation for our sins in union with him, we are unworthy to reap the fruit which Christ alone has gained for us – eternal life with God (Phil 3:10).

Pain and suffering have no moral and spiritual value if divorced from repentance. Conversely, repentance is incomplete if the debt of sin remains in the balance. God forgave David for his mortal sins of murder and adultery after he sincerely repented with a contrite heart. But to offset his transgressions and restore equity of justice, God took the life of the child David conceived in his act of adultery with Bathsheba for having murdered her husband Uriah: an innocent life for an innocent life or an eye for an eye. And God also permitted the rape of David’s wives for his act of adultery (2 Sam 12:9-10, 14, 18-19). Only then could David’s broken relationship with God be wholly amended, provided he accepted his pain and loss as a temporal punishment for his sins to restore the equity of justice in his relationship with God.

One might argue that David’s actions were necessary because Christ had not yet died for his sins in real-time. However, if Christ’s just merits had not been applied to David, God would not have forgiven him. Even Abraham could not have been considered righteous before God because of his act of faith. David’s several days of fasting and lying on the ground in sackcloth covered with ashes would be meaningless if Christ’s foreseen merits and the saving grace He produced for us did not apply to him at that time. However, what Jesus accomplished on Calvary transcends historical time. His merits extend to all three dimensions of time – past, present, and future. If this were not the case, all the righteous in Hades of the Old Testament times would still be there forever, but not in Gehenna or Hell, being denied the Beatific Vision of God. Yet, they were liberated by Christ after He had died on the cross and risen from the dead to open the gates of Heaven.

The debt of sin can only be fully forgiven by doing penance for it. Penance involves doing acts that cause pain and loss, which counterbalances the pleasure derived from committing sins. This process of temporal redemption is completed by accepting the pain and loss that God permits us to experience because of our sins. Christ did not suffer and die so that we would no longer owe God what is rightfully due to Him for having offended His sovereignty. Even if we repent, we still need to do penance. Our Lord and Savior made eternal expiation for sin on behalf of mankind (Adam). However, we cannot benefit from his merits unless we make temporal expiation for our own personal sins in union with his temporal and eternal propitiation for sin. Now that he has unlocked the gates of heaven and earned grace for us, he is our ultimate paschal sacrifice.

According to Jesus, repentance and penance are necessary for salvation. He said, “No, I say to you: but unless you do penance, you shall all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3). This means that true repentance requires us to demonstrate our remorse by doing corporal and spiritual works of mercy regardless of the pain or loss that may be incurred. We are called to bear fruit (merit) that show that we have truly repented of our sins through a heart of conversion. Our outward actions, such as giving to the poor and fasting, must reflect our inner spiritual state of charity and self-control. This helps to offset the sins we have committed, such as greed and gluttony, which have been forgiven by our repentance. However, we must still make amends for the harm we have caused, and work towards restoring what we have taken away from others and God’s sovereignty.

In Reformed Protestantism, sanctification is not the same as justification. Justification is a one-time event where we are made right with God through Christ’s external merits. Sanctification, on the other hand, is a separate process that focuses on becoming more holy and righteous over time. Some non-Catholics practice penance in order to increase their sanctification and earn greater rewards in heaven. However, in Protestant thought, penance does not contribute to ongoing justification. There is no belief in the idea that our sins can be purged through penance, making us inherently righteous and worthy of heaven. Despite this, Jesus teaches in the Gospel of Luke that unless we do penance, we will perish. Repentance and penance are closely linked, and doing penance is necessary for gaining entrance to heaven, despite the measure of the eternal rewards. Unless we are sanctified, we cannot be justified before God. So, in order for us to personally benefit from Christ’s infinite merits, we must make finite restitution for our sins in union with his temporal and eternal satisfaction for sin.

To learn from Jesus, we should strive to emulate his meekness and humility. Only then can we have the strength and patience to bear our own hardships. Those who are too proud to be humble and meek cannot bear to carry their own burdens. They see their struggles as a personal insult, and their self-centeredness prevents them from recognizing the positive value of their trials. Instead, they focus solely on themselves and their own desires, believing that they deserve better than what they have. As Christians, we should always remember that the challenges we face in life have a redemptive purpose. Even though they may be difficult to bear, they can help us grow and become better people. So let us not lose hope, but instead trust that God has a plan for us and that he will help us overcome any obstacles that come our way. By offering our suffering to God as a way of acknowledging our sins, we can make up for them and satisfy God’s justice. We can do this by uniting our temporal suffering with Christ’s temporal and eternal satisfaction, which ultimately leads to the remission of our personal debts for our past sins.

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and fill up on my part that
which is lacking of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s
sake, which is the church.
Colossians 1, 24

We are still indebted to God for our offenses against Him and we must make restitution for the remittance of our debts. To repair the offense offered to God and make Him favorable to us again, we need to satisfy Him. An act of reparation can only be satisfactory to God if it involves something painful. This is what commutative justice means, the virtue whose object is to render to every one what belongs to them. When we sin against God, we deny Him what He is supremely entitled to, which is our love and obedience. Therefore, saying sorry isn’t enough to restore a balance of equity in our relationship with God. This requires that we show our love for Him, which we have denied Him. We can do this by accepting our sufferings or making personal sacrifices and offering them to God as a way of reparation for our offenses against Him. When we do this, equity is restored, as the pain or loss counters the vain pleasure of selfish gain, which is the object of our sins.

Through his passion and death, Jesus Christ obtained forgiveness and removed the guilt of all humanity for our natural association in Adam’s sin. However, the damage caused by our personal sins still needed to be addressed, and the Blessed Virgin Mary was chosen to help restore humanity to a state of grace. This was because Eve’s actions had contributed to the loss of grace, and Mary’s interior suffering served as a counterbalance to Eve’s pursuit of pleasure. Through Mary’s intercession, the offense committed by our first mother against God’s sovereignty was repaired, as she had enticed her husband to join her in rebellion against God (Gen 3:6).

The sin committed by Eve was an irrational decision to pursue a temporary good, which Satan exploited to deceive her and make her trust him. Therefore, only Mary, by her obedient faith in God, could undo Eve’s transgression. However, this required her to willingly suffer to appease God’s justice. Only then could justice be restored between mankind and God, on the condition that Mary united her suffering with the suffering of her Son, through his merits. The Mother offered finite temporal satisfaction in union with the Son’s infinite temporal satisfaction in his sacred humanity, awaiting the eternal satisfaction to God for the sin he alone could expiate in his divine nature, but not without temporal satisfaction.

God has willed that eternal satisfaction should be achieved on the condition that it is completed and perfected by man’s temporal satisfaction. Jesus, the second Adam, and Mary, the second Eve, achieved this in their shared humanity by learning obedience to God and being made perfect through suffering. If temporal satisfaction wasn’t necessary, then God would have redeemed humanity without having to become a man. This would have made our Lord’s theandric act, which is the combination of divine and human nature, superfluous. As “living stones,” we have been built up into a spiritual house and are a holy priesthood, which enables us to offer up spiritual sacrifices to God that are acceptable through Jesus Christ (1 Pet 2:5). As partakers of the divine nature, we are called to unite our sacrifices to God with the ultimate sacrifice of the Godman for the temporal remission of sin.

The eternal satisfaction that Jesus made for our transgressions through his afflictions was only completed by the temporal satisfaction that our Blessed Lady made through her sorrow in union with her divine Son’s suffering. This was done for the forgiveness of sins and in reparation for Adam’s transgression, which produced the Fall, but not without Eve’s involvement. Our Lord gained mankind’s reconciliation to God through his just merits, and this was completed by the Virgin Mary, whose participation made God’s plan of salvation perfect. The serpent should not be able to gloat, not even half as much as he accomplished by seducing Eve to rebel against God, now that the sin of Adam would be undone by her divine Son.

It is believed that Mary, the mother of Jesus, played a significant role in mankind’s redemption. While Jesus’s passion accomplished objective redemption, Mary’s role was to provide subjective redemption. She offered penance to God for all the sins committed by Adam’s descendants by carrying her cross in union with her Son. As a result, she helped to remit the temporal debt of sin by her act of reparation. Her sorrow for the loss of her beloved Son served as a temporal expiation for mankind’s sins. This helped to complete her Son’s temporal and eternal expiation for mankind. Mary was considered sinless, which enabled her to unite with her Son on behalf of sinful humanity.

Christ chose to be “made of a woman” primarily for the purpose of reconciling us with God and restoring us to the life of His grace. This is why He referred to His mother as the New Eve, both at the beginning and end of His public ministry, in the shadow of the Cross and from the Cross, by calling her “Woman.” (JN 2:2-5; 19:26-27). Adam referred to his spouse and helpmate as “the woman,” even though she didn’t help him much. By her instigation, we who are descended from Adam are “conceived in sin” and “born in guilt” by association (Psalm 51:5). However, Mary’s moral participation contributed to our reconciliation with God and restoration to the life of His grace. Her sorrow beneath the Cross temporarily restored a measure of balance on the scales of Divine justice by counteracting Eve’s selfish pursuit of vainglory – her desire to be like God but apart from God and before Him. It wasn’t enough for Eve to be created in the divine image and to partake in the divine nature by aligning her will with God’s. Mary’s will was God’s will for her despite the motherly sorrow she must endure for our salvation.

But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead,
they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his
side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out.
John 19, 33-34

The Greek translation for “and a sword shall pierce your own soul” is “ψυχὴν διελεύσεται ῥομφαία”. The word “ῥομφαία” can be taken both literally and figuratively. It is a nominative noun which means “a sharp blade”. Thus, in this verse, we have a play on words. Just as the soldier’s spear pierced the body of Mary’s Son, Jesus, so also should Mary’s heart be pierced by a sharp blade. Luke’s message is clear: God wanted Mary to suffer along with her Son to complete His plan, even though Christ’s suffering alone was more than sufficient to make reparation for the world’s sins. The metaphorical “nominative noun” represents the shared anguish of the Son and the Mother, which was necessary for the redemption to be perfect in the Divine order.

According to Christian belief, Mary, the mother of Jesus, also earned merit with God. While Jesus earned merit through His own actions, Mary earned merit through her close relationship with God as His friend and mother. It is believed that if Mary had not made temporal satisfaction for the world’s sins against God, then Jesus would not have made eternal satisfaction. This is why Mary’s participation is considered crucial. In fact, it is mentioned in the Bible that a sword would pierce Mary’s soul, indicating the depth of her suffering. This suffering was not limited to the loss of her son, but also extended to her interior pain. This revelation is emphasized in Luke’s gospel in verses 34-35, which contrast the physical suffering of Jesus with the interior suffering of Mary.

And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you,
though the more abundantly I love you,
the less I am loved.
2 Corinthians 12, 15

God, in His wisdom and justice, chose Mary to assist Him in His mission of salvation for humankind through the merits of Christ. This decision was entirely God’s own initiative, and Mary freely accepted it through her faith, which worked in collaboration with the Holy Spirit. In the context of Christian life, the merit of our good works done in grace is attributed first to the grace of God, and then to the faithful who cooperate with divine grace to perform good deeds in Christ (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2008). Since we are created in God’s image and have free will, we can choose to accept or reject God’s grace (Acts 7:51).

After Adam’s fall, humans became separated from God’s Beatific Vision eternally. To be released from this eternal debt of sin, man needed the satisfaction of infinite value to God for his sins. Only God himself could provide this infinite satisfaction, which he did through Jesus Christ, the Divine Word made man. However, we still need to provide temporal satisfaction for sin to achieve temporal remission of the debt of sin and the conferral of sanctifying or justifying grace. Our finite satisfaction has a supernatural value, which confers supernatural merit provided it is joined with Christ’s temporal and eternal satisfaction to the Father in and through his merits. Mary made this satisfaction on behalf of humanity by uniting her interior suffering with the suffering of her divine Son in his Passion.

Sin is considered a violation against the divine justice that God uses to govern the universe. God has arranged everything with balance and order. As a result, Christ’s role was to balance out the eternal consequences of sin and restore justice between humanity and God. However, Christ did not intend to act alone (sola Christo). It was God’s will that his blessed mother should also play a role in balancing out the temporal consequences of sin by joining her suffering with Christ’s to restore the balance of friendship and justice between God and humanity. In order to restore equilibrium to His divine order of creation, God required a fair amount of satisfaction from her on behalf of humanity.

But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering
on the sacrifice and service of your faith,
I am glad and rejoice with all of you.
Philippians 2, 17

The satisfaction made by Christ was infinite, which made it possible for Mary’s finite satisfaction to occur, since she acted in unity with him in charity and grace. When Adam sinned against God, he did not sin as an individual, but as the natural head of an organic whole, humanity. Humanity is like a human body in that when the head falls off, all the lower members are destroyed with it. So, when Adam sinned against God and fell from the supernatural life of grace, the entire human race fell with him. We are all members of this one organic whole and have all fallen from grace in Adam. As members of this one organic whole, we have all inherited the penalties of Adam’s sin, including suffering and death, since we have all sinned (Rom 5:12).

The Blessed Virgin Mary is the “neck” that joins us with our Head in the order of grace. As the Second Eve and Dispensatrix of Grace, she channels the grace that comes from Christ and flows to the members of his body. Through Mary’s maternal mediation, we receive the life of grace that our primordial mother, Eve, lost for all her offspring due to her disobedience. Mary’s obedience and suffering to appease an offended God through His grace counter-balanced and undid Eve’s rejection of God, which had led to her fall from grace due to her inordinate love of self. The Virgin Mary appeased the Divine justice by acting contrary to her natural maternal instinct- by joyfully offering her Son back to God in faith despite her sorrow for the world’s salvation. She “rejoiced” in God our savior, even in the depths of her pierced soul and wounded heart.

Wherefore I pray you not to faint
at my tribulations for you,
which is your glory.
Ephesians 3, 13

Mary’s role as the mother of Jesus was much more than just a natural one. As a member of her Son’s Mystical Body, Mary was called to participate with Him in His redemptive work. This required her to suffer in order to repair the offense that mankind had committed against God and amend the broken relationship between man and God. The suffering that Mary endured gained its supernatural value from the suffering that her Son had to endure during His passion. Only through suffering could Christ merit the grace of redemption for mankind. And since her Son suffered to provide this channel of grace, Mary’s suffering could also serve as an instrument for the dispensation of grace. By joining her suffering with her Son’s, it could be used to repair the penalty of our sins. As Head of His Mystical Body, of which Mary was a member, Christ could suffer in His blessed mother. As one member of a body suffers, so too the other members are affected.

Jesus Christ, our Lord, earned redemptive grace for humanity by suffering as the Head of his Mystical Body. As a member of her Son’s Body, Mary also merited an increase in grace by joining him in the objective redemption through her willingness to suffer. The grace that Mary merited for mankind was channeled to her from her divine Son. Her intimate participation with her Son in his redemptive work as his mother and pre-eminent member joined with the Head in His Mystical Body had a supernatural effect on mankind. St. Paul tells us:

‘As it is, there are many parts, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t
need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those
parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think
are less honorable, we treat with special honor.’
1 Corinthians 12:20-23

The Catholic Church has honored Mary since ancient times for her significant role in dispensing redemptive grace as a member of Christ’s Mystical Body. She serves as the neck that transmits all the signal graces from the Head to all the lower members of the body. As “the mother with (cum) the Redeemer,” the Blessed Virgin Mary is our co-Redemptrix. Jesus, being both the Head and Body, chose his mother Mary to collaborate with him due to his desire and the will of his heavenly Father. All members of his Mystical Body serve the Head in some capacity in the order of grace, each according to their spiritual gifts, as stated in 1 Corinthians 12. Mary’s gift is the Divine Maternity, which belongs to the higher hypostatic order of Christ’s incarnation. Her participation in and through the merits of her divine Son, by her loving devotion to God, far exceeds that of any of his apostles in the redemption. Our Blessed Lady is the spiritual mother of all of Eve’s descendants in her co-redemptive participation with her Son, the new Adam. Jeremiah prophesies: “A woman shall encompass a man” (Jer. 31:22).

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,
for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.
And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect
and complete, lacking in nothing.
James 1, 2-4

Mary played a significant role in Christ’s priesthood when she agreed to the sacrifice of the Cross. As a loving mother, she spiritually offered up her Son to God, accepting the oblation and immolation of her Son in her motherly sorrow. Although the priestly power was with Jesus, Mary’s act of offering her Son to God bestowed upon her the character or spirit of the priesthood. She offered up her Son to God in conformity with his suffering, by the interior suffering of hers because of a mother’s love for her Son – the God-man. Spiritually, Mary was the first among the royal priesthood of believers to offer up the Eucharistic sacrifice to God in union with our eternal High Priest in the order of Melchizedek and sacrificial victim.

The presentation of the infant Jesus in the Temple by Mary was a foreshadowing of her later offering for the expiation of sin on Calvary, in union with her son’s self-sacrifice on the cross at the Last Supper. The fruit of Mary’s womb was the Lamb of God, who came to take away the sins of the world. Jesus offered himself as the ultimate propitiation of sin, but he chose to do so in union with his blessed mother. Our Lord chose to be “made of a woman” so that she could have an active priestly role as a member of his mystical body.

Mary’s sorrow for the Godman, who is the most perfect and pleasing oblation offered up to God the Father for the world’s sins, temporarily appeased God’s justice. It was under the shadow of the cross that Mary consecrated her firstborn and only Son to God. She did this by presenting the infant Jesus in the Temple to commemorate Abraham’s consent to offer up Isaac as a fragrant oblation (Gen 22:1-19). It was fitting then that Simeon prophesied that a sword would pierce Mary’s soul, and this prophecy was fulfilled at the moment when the soldier pierced Jesus’ side with his lance, drawing out blood and water. This event represents justification and regeneration and symbolically marks the birth of the Church (Jn 19:34).

For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while
suffering unjustly. For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you
endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious
thing in the sight of God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also
suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.
1 Peter 2, 19-21

God ordained that His Only-begotten Son would be born of a woman, rather than created from the dust of the earth like the first Adam. This was done in part so that a woman could make temporal satisfaction to God for Eve’s transgression. Mary, through her faith working through love, had in fact subjectively redeemed the entire human race as its maternal representative. In addition to the infinite satisfaction that the Son alone made in strict justice, with its value and dignity derived from His divine Person, Mary offered for us a satisfaction of becomingness and friendship with God. The worth of this satisfaction rested upon her obedient act of faith and charity in God’s grace and through Christ’s merits. The immeasurable love she had for her divine Son, the God-man, could only please God. Without it, the merits of our Lord’s sacrifice would not have been formally applied to the human race in the Divine plan.

What our Lord and Savior accomplished in his passion and death was more than sufficient. However, his work would not have been complete without the moral participation of his blessed mother. Similarly, Mary would not have been perfect in God’s grace if she had lost faith in God during Jesus’ crucifixion. The collaboration between the Mother and her Son had to be faultless and complete for God’s plan of salvation to be fulfilled.

Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing
Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake, I have suffered the loss of all things and count
them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a
righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through
faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know
him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like
him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
Philippians 3, 8-11

According to Catholic theology, Mary made a satisfaction de convenientia, which means that her suffering was able to appease God on our behalf. This was possible due to the dignity of her divine motherhood and the abundance of grace she was endowed with. Through her love for her crucified Son, who was also God, Mary’s interior suffering was able to make satisfaction to God. Her perfect human love held supernatural value, and as the Mother of the Redeemer, Mary was intimately united with him in his work of redemption. She conformed her will to the Divine will, showed poverty of spirit, and suffered for the sake of God’s infinite love and goodness, just as her Son did in his loving obedience to the Father. Both the Son and the Mother suffered to appease God the Father, who was offended by sin and to save humanity, which was ravaged by sin. God “desires that everyone be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim 2:4). The Mother and the Son suffered in unity so that God’s antecedent will might be fulfilled, for “God so loved the world…” (Jn 3:16).

Hence, Mary’s obedience to God’s will brought us temporal satisfaction and repaired the offense against God. The purpose of making satisfaction to God is to regain His goodwill after we have sinned. This can only be achieved by suffering pain or loss while being in grace. Mary’s agreement to be the mother of our Lord was a meritorious act since it was done with charity and grace. However, what made it a means of satisfaction and temporal expiation was the suffering that would be involved. Her satisfaction was perfect because it was made out of love and an offering that were more pleasing to God than the sin of Eve was displeasing to Him. It was made by a woman full of grace, who worked alongside the Lord in the vineyard (Lk 1:28; 1 Cor 3:9).

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you
to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But
rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice
and be glad when his glory is revealed.
1 Peter 4, 12-13

Mary’s interior suffering was characterized by satisfaction because, like her divine Son, she suffered due to sin and the offense it causes to God. As Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange, a late Catholic theologian explains, her suffering was measured by her love for God, who was offended by sin, her love for her son, who was crucified for our sins, and her love for those who commit sin. God honored her suffering based on her state of grace and her union with the Son, with whom she was united for the same purpose. Through Jesus, the inner thoughts of many could be revealed, but only if it involved the wounded love of his sorrowful mother because of sin. Therefore, a sword should pierce her heart so that the inner thoughts of many might be revealed.

Mary’s role in her Son’s suffering was part of God’s plan. She had to stand by the Cross and experience deep sorrow to redeem Eve and all of her descendants. This was necessary to make temporal restitution for the sins of the world, in addition to her Son’s eternal expiation. Jesus’ sacrifice undid the sin of Adam and enabled us to enter Heaven, but we must also willingly offer our own suffering to God to make temporal satisfaction for our sins and the sins of others. Jesus did not eliminate suffering and death through his passion and death, but rather gave these penalties for sin redemptive value, which we can share in through our participation in his work.

In this sense, then, the Blessed Virgin Mary is our co-Redemptrix, Reparatrix, and Advocatrix of grace. She shouldered the moral responsibility of humanity for its sins and temporally restored the equality of justice between God and His fallen created children by her act of reparation, which universally relieved mankind of the temporal debt of sin, forgiven by the merits of Christ through his passion and death on the Cross. Since God judges the world in equity, he shall judge the world in justice. Mary had to stand beneath the Cross and feel its total weight upon her on behalf of all Eve’s offspring, who were indebted to God for their sins if her Son were to be crucified on the Cross for the dispensation of the grace of justification and forgiveness. As our co-Redemptrix, the Virgin Mary is indeed the spiritual mother of all the living, who gave birth to redeemed humanity through the labor of her sorrow.

In order to redeem mankind, God ordained that our sorrowful mother takes up her cross along with her Son. By sharing in her Son’s sufferings, Mary helped reveal the glory of the Lord to all mankind. She made up for what was lacking in her Son’s afflictions by enduring her own sorrow and anguish on the Cross. Our Blessed Lady suffered the loss of her maternal right so that the world could gain Christ and be restored to the life of grace.

Mary’s endurance in suffering for the sake of God’s love and goodness, which had been violated, was a gracious act in the eyes of God. He honored her suffering and was pleased by it. Her faith and love made up for mankind’s unworthiness to be forgiven. Mary’s obedient act of faith counterbalanced mankind’s infidelity and disobedience, its cold-hearted indifference and hatred. This act of reparation temporarily restored the balance of justice between God and man. By suffering because of mankind’s sins, Mary made satisfaction for them, and thus God was fully appeased for the sin of both Adam and Eve.

Mary, by proving herself more virtuous than Eve, offered temporal satisfaction to God for our sins. She appealed to the Divine justice and mercy and her love and sorrow fulfilled that appeal completely. As a human being, she represented the human race as worthy of redemption through the blood of the Cross in strict justice. Unlike the rest of humanity, Mary had never fallen from grace and was not alienated from God. This is why, for his mother’s sake more than for ours, Jesus willingly delivered himself into the hands of ungrateful and unworthy sinners. Through this act, he designated Mary as the Mother of the Church and redeemed humanity because of her perseverance in faith alongside him. They both obeyed the will of the Father, despite all the suffering they had to bear for the sins of the world.

In the story of Adam and Eve, Eve encouraged Adam to disobey God. In contrast, Mary encouraged her Son, Jesus, as He suffered in humanity to fulfill God’s will. She stood by His side, enduring suffering with Him so that the grace of redemption could be given to the world, and mankind could be reborn. Both Mary and Jesus aligned their human wills with God’s divine will, even though it required them to endure suffering to appease God, who was greatly offended by the sins of humanity.

A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun
with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head.
She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth.
Revelation 12, 1-2

Early Sacred Tradition

For it was necessary Adam should be summed up in Christ,
that mortality should be swallowed up and overwhelmed by immortality;
and Eve summed up in Mary, that a virgin should be a virgin’s intercessor,
and by a virgin’s obedience undo and put away a virgin’s disobedience.”
St. Irenaeus
The Demonstration of the Apostolic Preaching, 33
(A.D. 190)

“She stood before the Cross and looked up full of pity
to the wounds of her Son, because she expected not the death
of her Son but the salvation of the world.”
St. Ambrose of Milan
De Institutione Virginis
(c. A.D. 392)

​“Eve brought in sin by means of a tree; Mary,
on the contrary, brought in Good by means of
the tree of the Cross.”
St. Gregory of Nyssa
Sermon on the Nativity of Christ
(A.D. 395)

​“The cross and nails of the Son were also those
of his Mother; with Christ crucified the Mother
was also crucified.”
St. Augustine of Hippo
Of Holy Virginity
(c. A.D. 401)

“Oh, womb so holy that welcomed God,
womb in which the writ of sin was torn up.”
St. Basil of Seleucia
Homily 39 on the Annunciation
(ante A.D. 460)

“Through Mary we are redeemed
from the curse of the Devil.”
St. Modestus of Jerusalem
PG 86; 3287
(ante A.D. 630)