Praying—with the Saints—to God Our Mother - Daniel F. Stramara

Скачать книгу

Christians who have more fully conformed their lives to Christ than we have (see also 1 Thess 1:6–7; 2 Thess 3:7–9; Heb 6:12 and 13:7). Eventually, the issue arose of deciding who ought to be held up publicly as a model of Christian virtue and teaching. The Roman Catholic Church, of all the catholic apostolic churches, over time devised a method and system for deciding who is worthy of such a widespread status. Every Christian is called to be a saint, but in certain people the splendor of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit more brightly shine. I have chosen to use writings from those Christians who have been sanctioned by the Catholic Church. There are three ascending levels of Catholic sainthood: Venerable (Ven.), Blessed (Bl.), and Saint (St.). The names of the men and women quoted herein will be preceded by their recognized Catholic title and position.

      However, a few saints will also be quoted who are not formally recognized as such by the Roman Catholic Church. Originally there was one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church. This body of Christians became divided in the fifth century into two major camps: the “new” Oriental Orthodox Churches and the original Catholic Orthodox Churches. Eventually there was another split, a schism between East and West in the eleventh century, resulting in the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Churches. Over the centuries, various non-Roman Christians sought communion with the Church of Rome; these have formed what are known as the Eastern Catholic Churches. The Roman Church is only one of more than eighteen Catholic Churches in communion with the bishop of Rome, who is known as the pope. Because all the Catholic Churches in communion with the bishop of Rome recognize the various Orthodox Churches as fully apostolic and preserving the catholic faith, men and women who are regarded as saints in these particular churches will also be quoted. One such illustrious (Greek) Orthodox saint is Gregory Palamas. His spiritual authority and learning in Orthodoxy is comparable to that of St. Thomas Aquinas in the West.

      Because of the length of this book, quotes from non-canonized Christians—whether they are Catholic or Orthodox, as well as Protestant—will be found in a forthcoming book. Many would expect to find excerpts from Dame Julian of Norwich in this volume; however, she has never been canonized by the Catholic or Orthodox Churches and thus her texts are not included in this book. Reformers such as Luther, Calvin, and Zinzendorff, not to mention other Protestant renowns, also used feminine metaphors when speaking about God. As should be evident by now, and as will become strikingly clear later, Christians throughout every century and belonging to every church affiliation have celebrated the feminine aspects of God. Meditational passages in this book have been drawn from eight non-canonized but officially recognized Fathers of the Church, thirteen authoritative church documents (five of which are from Ecumenical Councils), and seventy-five Catholic and Orthodox saints speaking almost every language, and spanning every century. In Appendix A you will find a complete chronological list of these Fathers, documents, and Catholic/Orthodox saints.

      Finally, there is the peculiar case regarding St. Gregory of Nyssa, who was highly influential during the Second Ecumenical Council, known as Constantinople I. For some reason, he is not yet acclaimed by the Roman Catholic Church as a Doctor of the Church, even though he is a weighty and brilliant authority whom the Seventh Ecumenical Council hailed as the “Father of the Fathers.” Two Eastern Catholic Churches in communion with Rome acknowledge Gregory of Nyssa as a “Doctor of the Church”: the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church and the Chaldean Catholic Church. Because the Seventh Ecumenical Council, recognized by Rome, as well as two Eastern Catholic Churches, accord Gregory of Nyssa the title of Doctor of the Church, I have likewise, thus raising the number by my reckoning to thirty-four Doctors.

      I have used authors sanctioned by the Catholic Churches as well as Orthodox to demonstrate that speaking about God in feminine terms is not contrary to the Catholic Church’s Tradition. In fact, it is part and parcel of the Apostolic Tradition as demonstrated by several authors included herein. Authors will be followed by the date of their death so that one can appreciate the persistency and continuity of this tradition.

      About the Translations

      One of the most difficult jobs is to translate accurately from one language into another. All translations are my own and are based on the most critical text available, unless noted otherwise. While I am concerned with the authenticity of the text in question and the historical meaning the author most probably had in mind, I am more intent upon presenting the possible historical perception that the Christian community had when pondering these texts. This is especially true for the Psalms, which were prayed in a christological context. I have striven to be faithful to the actual wording and to maintain any vagueness that might have permitted an alternate understanding of the text. For example, the Hebrew version of Isaiah 46:3 is polyvalent, that is to say, open to various interpretations. It reads:

      Listen to me, O House of Jacob,

      and all the remnant of the House of Israel,

      whom I have borne since your conception,

      whom I have carried since you were born.

      The Hebrew does not make it explicit if God “carried” Israel internally or externally. Because the passage is open to a feminine interpretation—God carrying us within God’s own womb—I have used this passage. It could legitimately be heard in this fashion. Such a contention is verified by the Vulgate. When Jerome translated this text he explicitly brought out the feminine possibility in his Latin translation:

      Listen to me, O house of Jacob,

      and all the remnant of the house of Israel,

      you who are carried by my uterus [meo utero],

      you who are borne by my womb [mea vulva].

      I have always attempted to be faithful to the original wording. However, sometimes I felt some modifications to be necessary for flow in the English language.

      1) The Psalms were originally written as poetry to be sung. Accordingly, I have tried to maintain some semblance of meter, rhyme when appropriate, plays on words and the like. To do this, at times it was necessary to add an adjective or adverb so that the beat could be facilitated in public recitation. In all cases, what I perceive to be the meaning of the text was never violated. Reputable translations were always consulted. Some admirably captured the beauty of a turn of phrase, or the full force of a verb. I am indebted to their insights and sometimes a wording has been borrowed, not out of plagiarism, but out of praise for the translator. In the final analysis there are only so many ways in which a sentence can validly be translated. Biblical translators can appreciate my predicament.

      2) Unlike English, nouns in most languages have a grammatical gender: masculine, feminine, or neuter. Verbs likewise take corresponding feminine and masculine endings. Some nouns are grammatically masculine but can refer to either sex of an animal, or some are feminine. Case in point: Isaiah 31:5 refers to birds that are hovering. The noun is grammatically feminine in the singular but becomes masculine in form when plural.

Скачать книгу