Hi InLove,
Something missing ...
The prefix 'co' does not necessarily infer equality, which is how it is commonly read today, and from where the erroneous assumption derives. 'Co' derives from the Latin word '***' which means 'with', but not 'equal to'.
So the proper theological reading of the term is the Blessed Virgin is is foremost with Christ in the work of salvation, but He alone is the work ... and we were saved on the Cross, which is His alone to bear (eternally).
It is His Resurrection that assures eternal life for us, nothing else ... without that, as Paul said, our faith is in vain
By her assent, Christ came into the world, to save it. But be in no doubt that the Catholic Church is absolutely and dogmatically emphatic on the point that Christ alone is the Redeemer, that He alone saves, and that He alone is the source of grace.
Catholic doctrine states:
"Mary gave the Redeemer, the Source of all graces, to the world, and in this way she is the channel of all graces. (Sent. certa.)"
Ott "The Fundamentals of Christian Dogma" — 'sent certa' is shorthand for 'theologically certain', that is, we are theologically certain of the fact even though it is not stated explicitly in Scripture. Our certitude comes from the fact that had she said 'no', there would be no Incarnation.
As the statement says, she, by her motherhood, is 'the channel of all grace' because though her the Son came into the world, but she is not, nor has the Church ever claimed, she is the source of that grace, or any gifts and graces of the Blessed Virgin originate with her ... every gift and grace she distributes to her spiritual children come from Him.
In her own words she is, and remains "the handmaid of the Lord" (Luke 1:38) — but through His redemptive sacrifice, she does so eternally.
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Salve Regina:
Hail, holy Queen, Mother of Mercy,
our life, our sweetness and our hope.
To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve;
to thee do we send up our sighs,
mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.
Turn then, most gracious advocate,
thine eyes of mercy toward us;
and after this our exile,
show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.
Pray for us O holy Mother of God,
that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
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If we understand her as the Mother of Mercy, and He as that Mercy personified, then everything else falls into its proper place.
Her assent to the Archangel Gabriel is absolutely crucial for Catholic anthropology ... for we believe that whilst Christ alone saves, it is God's will that we might co-operate in and act towards our own salvation, as she freely co-operated in His incarnation, a Gift by which we are saved and even though a gift which is entirely free, gratuitous and unmerited — nothing we can do can 'earn' us participation in the Interior Life of God (that is a 'good' that transcends every natural good to which we can by our nature lay claim), nothing except accept the gift with an open heart — it is God's will (as we see it) and His gift that He chooses to enoble His creature with the dignity of allowing it to saying 'yes.'
But no 'yes' of ours can ever match the yes of she who is the Theotokos, the God-Bearer ... every yes that humanity offers is subsequent to her yes to the angel, in that sense she is mother to Him, and mother of us all in Christ.
Hope that helps you understand the depth of our devotion to her (not worship of her), as His mother...
Pax et bonum,
Thomas
