67. Veneration of the Cross, Mary, Relics, and Christ as Mediator

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Lecture Notes

Main Topics #

Veneration of the Cross #

• Whether the cross of Christ merits adoration by latria (the worship due to God)
• The cross can be venerated in two ways: (1) as representing Christ extended upon it, and (2) through contact with Christ’s blood and body
• Both grounds justify adoration by latria of the cross itself
• The cross represents not Christ’s disgrace but his triumph over enemies and the divine power working salvation
• Early Christians’ hesitancy about the cross (e.g., crucifixion was outlawed from the time of Constantine; depictions appeared later, such as on the doors of Santa Sabina in Rome)
• The principle: lex orandi, lex credendi (the law of prayer is the law of belief) - the Church’s liturgical veneration of the cross grounds its theological justification

Mary and the Level of Veneration Due to Her #

• Whether the Mother of God should receive latria (worship) or only dulia (veneration)
• Mary is a pure creature and therefore cannot receive latria
• Mary receives hyperdulia (a special form of dulia exceeding that given to other creatures) because she is the Mother of God
• The honor shown to Mary is referred to her Son, but not in the way an image’s honor is referred to its exemplar
• The Church’s gradual definition of Marian doctrines (Immaculate Conception in 1854; Assumption around 1950) reflects the unfolding of mysteries over time to prevent misunderstanding (e.g., avoiding the appearance that Mary is another God)
• Joseph has a special place in the Church’s veneration (patron of holy death; litanies single him out alongside Mary and Christ)

Relics of Saints #

• Whether the bodies and relics of saints should be venerated
• Objection: Venerating relics imitates pagan worship of the dead; relics are insensible and therefore unworthy of veneration
• Thomas’s response: Relics are venerated not for themselves but (1) in memory of the saints, (2) because they were temples of the Holy Spirit, and (3) as instruments of the Holy Spirit’s operations
• God himself honors relics by working miracles in their presence (e.g., St. Francis of Sales found incorrupt; St. James Chantal kissed St. Francis’s foot and it was raised to meet her)
• The veneration differs fundamentally from pagan worship: pagans worship the dead as gods; Christians honor relics as belonging to God’s friends and intercessors
• Jerome’s defense: We honor relics of martyrs as witnesses to Christ, not by latria; the honor of the relics redounds to God

Christ as Mediator #

• Whether mediation between God and man is proper to Christ alone
• Whether Christ is mediator according to his human nature or divine nature
• Objection: Prophets, priests, angels, and even demons can be called mediators; therefore mediation is not unique to Christ
• Thomas’s response: Christ is the perfect mediator; others are mediators only secondarily (secundum quid) - either as disposing men for union with God or as ministerial instruments

The Nature of Perfect Mediation #

• The notion of mediator requires (1) being distant from both extremes and (2) bringing what belongs to one extreme to the other
• Christ alone perfectly satisfies this:
  • He has beatitude and immortality in common with God
  • He has mortality and misery in common with men
  • He reconciles them by leading mortals to immortality and the miserable to beatitude
  • He reconciles through his death and resurrection

Mediation According to Human Nature, Not Divine #

• Christ is mediator according as he is man, not according as he is God
• As God, Christ is equal to the Father and the Holy Spirit and cannot stand between (cannot be a middle)
• As man, Christ is (1) distant from God in nature and (2) distant from men in the dignity of his grace and glory, thus perfectly positioned as mediator
• The humanity of Christ is essential to mediation: it is by his human death and satisfaction that he reconciles us to God
• If the divine nature were subtracted from Christ, he would lose the unique fullness of grace that makes him superior to all other men and closer to God

Comparison of Mediators #

• Prophets and priests of the old law: called mediators in a dispositional and ministerial sense, as they prefigure the true and perfect mediator
• Priests of the new law: called mediators as living instruments of the true mediator, showing saving sacraments to men
• Good angels: not rightly called mediators by Augustine because they share beatitude and immortality with God but nothing with miserable and mortal men; they act as mediators only ministerially and dispositionally (as in Matthew 4:11, they minister to Christ)
• Demons: placed themselves as bad mediators who separate friends, leading mortals to immortal misery rather than to immortal beatitude
• The Holy Spirit: equal to God in all things and therefore cannot be said to be a mediator; only Christ mediates

Key Arguments #

On the Cross #

Objection 1: A pious son abhors the instruments of his father’s torture and death (e.g., the scourge, the wood of crucifixion); therefore we ought to abhor the cross, not venerate it.

Response: The cross is venerated in two ways: (1) as representing Christ extended upon it, and (2) through contact with Christ’s blood and body. From Colossians 2, Christ triumphed over enemies through the cross. The Apostle (1 Corinthians 1:18) says the word of the cross is the power of God to those saved. The Church sings, “Hail, cross, unique hope.” Therefore, the cross itself receives latria.

Objection 2: The humanity of Christ is adored by latria insofar as it is joined to the Son of God in person, but the cross is not so joined; therefore the cross should not receive latria.

Response: The cross is joined to Christ in two ways: (1) by representation (it represents Christ extended upon it) and (2) by contact (it was deluged with his blood). Both grounds justify adoration by the same adoration (latria) by which we adore Christ.

Objection 3: The nails, crown, and lance are also instruments of the Passion, but we do not exhibit worship of latria to them; therefore we should not to the cross either.

Response: We do venerate these things insofar as they had contact with Christ’s members and blood. However, only the cross represents the image of Christ (the sign of the Son of Man that will appear in the heavens). The angel said to the women seeking Jesus, “You seek Jesus… the crucified one,” not “the lanced one.” Therefore the image of the cross in whatever matter deserves latria, but not the images of nails or lance.

On Mary #

Objection 1: The mother of the king receives honor equal to that shown the king; Christ is adored by latria; therefore Mary should receive latria.

Objection 2: Augustine says the throne of the Mother of God is worthy of honor because she is the tabernacle of Christ; therefore she should receive latria like Christ.

Objection 3: Christ is more closely joined to his mother than to the cross; the cross receives latria; therefore Mary should receive latria.

Response: Latria is owed to God alone. Mary is a pure creature and therefore cannot receive latria. However, she receives hyperdulia (a special form of dulia exceeding that given to other creatures) because she is the Mother of God. The honor shown to the mother is referred to the Son, but not in the way an image’s honor is referred to its exemplar (as the image itself is not venerated except in reference to the exemplar). Rather, the mother is honored according to herself as capable of veneration, but in relation to her Son.

Correction of first objection: The mother of the king does not receive honor equal to the king, but a similar honor by reason of a certain excellence.

On Relics #

Objection 1: Venerating relics seems to pertain to the mistake of the Gentiles who honored dead men; therefore relics should not be honored.

Response: Jerome defends against this (in his response to Vigilantius): We do not give latria to relics as the Gentiles gave to dead men (as gods), but we honor relics of martyrs as witnesses and as belonging to God’s friends. The honor of the relics redounds to God.

Objection 2: It seems stupid to venerate an insensible thing; but relics of saints are without sensation; therefore relics should not be venerated.

Response: The body without sensation is not adored on account of itself, but on account of the soul which was joined to it. That soul now enjoys God, on account of whom the relics were instruments and ministers.

Objection 3: A dead body is not the same in number as a living body (the eye of a corpse is only equivocally an eye, per Aristotle); therefore after a saint’s death his body should not be adored.

Response: The dead body of a saint is not the same in number in that it was when it lived (due to the diversity of form, which is the soul). Nevertheless, it is the same by reason of matter, which is to be again united to its form. God himself honors relics by working miracles in their presence.

On Christ as Mediator #

Objection 1: Prophets and priests (e.g., Moses) are called mediators; therefore mediation is not proper to Christ.

Response: Prophets and priests are called mediators secundum quid (in a qualified sense) - they are dispositive and ministerial mediators, prefiguring the true and perfect mediator.

Objection 2: Good angels are called mediators by Dionysius; demons also mediate in some sense (they have immortality with God, misery with men); therefore mediation is not proper to Christ.

Response: Good angels are not rightly called mediators because they share beatitude and immortality with God but nothing with miserable and mortal men. Demons are bad mediators who separate friends, leading to immortal misery. Christ alone is the good mediator who reconciles by leading mortals to immortal beatitude.

Objection 3: The Holy Spirit intercedes for us (Romans 8); therefore the Holy Spirit is a mediator, and mediation is not proper to Christ.

Response: The Holy Spirit is equal to God in all things and therefore cannot be said to be in the middle or to be a mediator. Only Christ, who according to his humanity is less than the Father, can be mediator.

Objection 4: Christ takes away sin and reconciles us to God, which belongs to him insofar as he is God; therefore he is mediator insofar as he is God, not insofar as he is man.

Response: The notion of mediator and the office of joining require being distant from both extremes. This cannot belong to Christ according as he is God (for as God he is equal to the Father and Holy Spirit). It belongs to Christ according as he is man, because according as he is man he is distant both from God in nature and from men in the dignity of his grace and glory. It is as man that he satisfies, calls upon God for men, and shows gifts to men. Therefore he is most truly called mediator according as he is man.

Clarification on divinity and humanity: If the divine nature were subtracted from Christ, there would be subtracted from him the unique fullness of grace that belongs to him as the only-begotten from the Father (John 1), by which he is constituted above all men and near to God. His humanity’s power to mediate depends on its being united to the divinity. But the actual mediation—standing between God and men, satisfying for sin—belongs to him as man.

Important Definitions #

Latria (λατρεία) #

Worship or adoration owed to God alone, recognizing his supreme dominion and divinity. Only God, as the source and end of all things, may receive latria.

Dulia (δουλεία) #

Veneration shown to creatures out of respect for their excellence or their relationship to God. Dulia is the appropriate honor shown to creatures.

Hyperdulia (ὑπερδουλεία) #

A special form of dulia shown to the Blessed Virgin Mary, exceeding that shown to other creatures because of her unique status as Mother of God.

Representation (Imago) #

The cross represents Christ extended upon it. An image’s honor is referred to the thing it represents; the motion of the soul toward an image is the same as the motion toward the thing itself (as Aristotle teaches).

Contact (Contactus) #

The cross is venerated through its contact with Christ’s blood and body. Things intimately joined to persons (like clothing or personal items of one we love) are venerated in memory of those persons.

Secundum quid #

In a qualified sense; not absolutely or perfectly. Prophets, priests, and angels are mediators secundum quid (in a limited, derivative sense), unlike Christ who is the perfect, absolute mediator.

Hypostasis (ὑπόστασις) #

The individual subsisting reality; the person. In Christ, there is one hypostasis (the Word) subsisting in two natures (divine and human).

Examples & Illustrations #

• The King’s Vestment: Just as honoring the king’s clothing honors the king, so adoring Christ’s flesh is adoring Christ by latria (the flesh is not venerated as flesh but as the flesh of the Word incarnate).

• The Flag: Showing respect to a flag shows respect to the country it represents; burning the flag shows disrespect to the nation. The military is careful not to let the flag touch the ground. This illustrates how veneration passes through an image or object to the thing represented.

• St. Francis of Sales: When exhumed for canonization, he was found not to be corrupt. St. Jeanne Chantal was present and went to kiss his foot; his foot was raised to meet her—an example of how God honors relics and the saints themselves through miraculous signs.

• St. Hugo: A saint known for singing hymns to the Blessed Virgin. Apparently these hymns annoyed the Protestants, who killed him. His body was placed in the church and reportedly continued singing the hymns, causing such a disturbance that they had to cover him to quiet him.

• Augustine’s Example: If a father’s clothing and ring are treasured by those who come after him because of their affection for the father, how much more should the bodies of saints be venerated? Bodies are more intimately and closely joined to persons than any external things.

• The Medal of Honor: The soldier receives honor because of his deeds; the honor is referred to what he did. Similarly, we honor the relics of martyrs as witnesses to Christ, and the honor refers to God through them.

• Mediators Among Men: A father is the mediator between a prince and a peasant—he shares nobility with the prince and humanity with the peasant. The demon is a bad mediator who leads mortals away from God. Christ is the perfect mediator who leads mortals to beatitude.

Notable Quotes #

“The word of the cross to those perishing is stupidity. But to those who are saved, that is to us, it is the power of God.” — 1 Corinthians 1:18, cited by Thomas to justify veneration of the cross

“He took it from the middle, and affixed it to the cross… taking away the princes and the powers, he took it away confidently, triumphing over them in himself.” — Colossians 2, cited to show the cross represents Christ’s triumph, not his disgrace

“O cross, hail. Unique hope.” — Church liturgy (Good Friday/Easter Vigil), cited as evidence of the Church’s veneration of the cross (lex orandi, lex credendi)

“If the divine nature is subtracted from Christ, there would be subtracted, consequently, from him a unique fullness of grace, which belonged to him insofar as he is the only-begotten from the Father, from which fullness he has that he be constituted above all men and more nearly approaching to God.” — Thomas, explaining why Christ’s divinity is essential to his role as mediator even though mediation as such belongs to him as man

“The bodies which are more familiarly and more closely joined [to persons] than any… pertain to the nature of man himself.” — Augustine, cited to justify veneration of relics

Questions Addressed #

1. Should the cross of Christ be adored by latria? Yes, both because it represents Christ extended upon it and because of its contact with his blood and body. Both grounds justify the same adoration (latria) by which we adore Christ. The cross represents not disgrace but triumph and divine power.

2. What adoration is due to Mary? Hyperdulia (a special form of dulia), not latria, because she is a creature. The Church gradually defined Marian doctrines to prevent misunderstanding and idolatry.

3. Should relics of saints be venerated? Yes, in memory of the saints and because they were temples and instruments of the Holy Spirit. We do not worship them as gods (as pagans did) but honor them as belonging to God’s friends. God himself honors them by working miracles.

4. Is mediation proper to Christ alone? Yes, as perfect mediation. Others (prophets, priests, angels) are mediators only secondarily, as instruments or disposers toward union with God.

5. Is Christ mediator according to his divine or human nature? According to his human nature. As God, he is equal to the Father and cannot stand between. As man, he is distant from both God (in nature) and men (in grace and glory), thus perfectly positioned to reconcile them. His humanity is essential to the work of mediation.

6. Why is the divinity necessary to Christ’s mediation if mediation belongs to him as man? While mediation as such belongs to Christ’s humanity, the unique power and efficacy of that mediation depends on the union of the humanity with the Word. If the divine nature were removed, the humanity would lack the unique fullness of grace that makes Christ superior to all men and able to reconcile the human race to God.