Our Lady and the Church

Our Lady and the Church, first published in English shortly after the declaration of the dogma of the Assumption, is a testament to the breadth and depth of Hugo Rahner’s Mariology. The dogma of the Assumption, for Rahner, raises two questions: First, what is the precise place of the dogma in the body of Catholic teaching? Second, what is its significance for the development of the spiritual life? The answer to these questions lies in resolving the apparent—but not actual—contradiction between the place of the sacraments and the liturgy and the role of Mary the Mother of God in the Christian life. The humble life of the Virgin Mary is the stage for the Incarnation of the Son of God and his founding of the one, holy, catholic, apostolic Church.In eleven visionary chapters, Rahner weaves the wisdom of the Church Fathers with his own insights to show the unity of Mary and the Church and the effects of that relationship on the spiritual life of every Christian. Read more