Per homines. Antropologiczny model zbawczego pośrednictwa

Abstract

The traditional theology of Mary's and the Saints’ mediation, defined as the theology of mediation to Christ (mediatio ad Christum), charged with serious objections, began – especially after The Second Vatican Council – to give way to the theology of mediation in Christ (mediatio in Christo). K. Rahner put forward the idea to approach the old problem in a new way: mediatio per homines. This notably anthropological proposal takes as its point of departure the notion (and the fact) of radical interpersonal solidarity, which causes that everybody depends on everybody, also in the domain of salvation. Assuming that the natural absolute love of the neighbour is implicitly the love of God, Rahner treats amor, caritas and salus as equal. What is more, he considers the situation of radical interpersonal solidarity as a bridge leading to God. It is because an event of individual salvation, owing to the common solidarity, is always a mediation of this salvation to everybody else. This theory arouses suspitions of far leading simplifications (it indeed approaches the matter in some aspects only, so not fully), however, it has the merit of appealing to a cathegory intimate to the contemporary man. Nevertheless it must be further worked on in order to enable the priests to find in it an efficient instrument for more correct prophesying about Mary and the Saints.