Nor is it the Truth’s fault when some
use it to justify using a label for those for whom the label is grossly, blasphemously unfitting by contrast with
THE ONE who alone earned it on The Cross.
Well, that's kind of the question under discussion.
Your mentioning the cross is apposite because we have been known to call it the Tree of Life as well. So we're not exclusive in our use of metaphor.
I DO think that you will find that a theme in most of our Marian imagery is subordination.
- She is the tree but, or, rather, because Jesus is the fruit.
- She is the dawn because Jesus is the Sun.
- She is the bringer of Joy, because Jesus is the Joy.
- She is the "seat of wisdom" because Jesus is the Wisdom of God.
- She is "mother of the Eucharist" ... do I need to say how?
It is pooh-poohed here, but I think for bad reason, that we claim the title Theotokos is a Christological matter. It is certainly firm in MY alleged mind that Mary "merits" my love in an ESSENTIALLY derivative way. Without Christ and His saving work, there is no devotion to Mary, at least in my heart. She is my hero because she bore Christ and because she demonstrates that giving one's will to God means that you and I can bear Christ to others. The giving of the will is God's gift, clearly. God's response is obviously His will.
But Mary properly shares with all the redeemed the name "Christopher" - bearer of Christ. What dignifies the bearer is what she bears. It can't be otherwise. We thank and praise our garbagemen because, like Christ, they carry away and deal with the refuse of our lives, and make our lives better. But their service to us dignifies them, not what they carry.
We say even the feet of evangelists are beautiful not because of their intrinsic beauty but because they bear glad tidings of peace, and the beauty of those tidings makes even feet look good!
I think that one reason Dominicans have a special devotion to Mary is that we hope to share in her work. It would be more precise to say we hope to share in Christ's work the way she did; that is, by bearing Christ to those who hear us.
I agreed with the Ol' Mizris that for lots of reasons I would log off FR and the net as soon after 2200 hours as possible. So give me your best shot, and I'll try to say something decent tomorrow.