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What About Catholics and Mary?

The following came into our question box from a reader:

 

I know the Virgin Mary was the mother of Jesus but why do Catholics pray and honor her?  It sometimes seems she is equal to Jesus.

 Thanks for this question. It is our first!

Catholics often hear questions like this. Sometimes we are even told, much to our  surprise, that we  “worship” Mary and “pray to statues.” The vivid devotion that many Catholics have for Mary should not be construed to mean that we consider her to be equal to Jesus. She is not God and it is the clear Catholic teaching that to ever think of her in this way would be seriously wrong. Our Catholic teaching and belief is clear: to worship Mary would be a serious sin, for worship belongs to God alone. We do ask Mary and all the Saints in heaven to pray for us, but this is no more wrong than if I were to ask you to pray for me. Nor would doing so be a denial of the fact that I can talk directly to God on my own behalf.  

 

So what is the proper way to understand  Catholic reverence and teaching regarding Mary and all the Saints? How can such practices be properly understood and appreciated? Let us consider two things: first, to honor Mary is a very Biblical thing to do, and second, to honor and love Mary is a very Christ-like thing to do.

 

Biblical Basis – In the first place the veneration of Mary is Biblical. The Scriptures themselves describe the honor that will be given Mary. For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. (Lk 1:48-49) Thus each time we call to mind the dignity and blessedness of Mary, we fulfill this biblical prophecy. And when we do this, we also glorify God for he alone is the source of all that is good and holy. The Blessed Mother is surely His masterwork and she herself acknowledges it. Note also that the most common prayer in which we honor Mary and seek her intercession is the Hail Mary. It is also a biblically-based prayer. The entire first half of this prayer is drawn from Scripture. The Angel Gabriel praised Mary: Hail full of grace the Lord is with you! (Lk 1:28-29) Elizabeth also praised her: Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb. (Lk 1:48). Thus our Catholic traditions about Mary both echo Scripture and fulfill its prophecies. And while we pray this prayer, we meditate on biblical stories about Jesus.

 

An Imitation of Jesus – We also  imitate Jesus himself when we give honor to Mother Mary. Think first about the way Jesus entrusted himself to Mary’s care. He could have chosen to enter the human scene in ways other than He actually did. Perhaps He could simply have appeared as a full grown man. Yet He did not. When God chose to enter human history He chose to do so through Mary. And not only did Jesus dwell nine months in her womb, He also entrusted himself to her ongoing care. She nursed him, sang to him, comforted him, and clothed him. In time she taught him to walk and to talk. He shared a family resemblance to her. They spoke with the same accent and probably shared many mannerisms. Mary was also present during Jesus’ public ministry and had an important influence in the working of his first miracle at Cana. She was at the foot of the cross as Jesus accomplished His greatest work—our redemption. In all of these ways, God instructs us that Mary’s role is far more than ceremonial. A truly biblical view does not downplay or minimize Mary’s role in God’s plan. Instead we seek to learn the rich meanings of what Jesus said and did in regard to Mary by His word as well as His example.  Hence when Catholics are asked why they  honor Mary a rightful answer may be, “I love Mary, I honor her and entrust myself to her care because Jesus did all these things and I want to be just like Jesus.”  

 

I hope this answer helps to answer your questions. Please feel free to comment.

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Websites to Grow By

Consider enhancing your faith in this Lenten season. There are many on-line opportunities to listen to talks and view short videos. Here are just a few. 

The daily readings of the Mass can be found here: http://www.usccb.org/nab/. 

A 3-minute video sermon based on the readings of the day can be found here: http://www.usccb.org/video/reflections.shtml.

Short videos on Catholic current events, etc. can be found here: http://www.usccb.org/video/.

A short video series on the Sacraments can be found here: http://www.usccb.org/video/sacraments.shtml.

Inspirational videos of living the faith are found here: http://www.usccb.org/video/sacraments.shtml.

The Catholic Standard, the paper of the Archdiocese is on line here: http://cathstan.org/.

Why, heck, you can even listen to my own sermons which I post here in mp3 format: http://frpope.com/audio/recordings.php.

Consider some of the resources as you grow in your faith this Lent!

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A New Look

Written by: Laura Cramer

When you think of the Catholic Church, what do you picture?

Something you might not picture is a 20-something young professional female. What’s my point? My point is that the Catholic Church may be very different from the picture you have in your mind. In reality, it’s more universal, more diverse, and more relevant than it has ever been.

You are welcome in this community! The Church is full of people like you as well as people who aren’t like you at all. And that’s the beauty of it!

The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” Luke 2:10

Now let’s go back to your picture of the Catholic Church. In your mind, does the Church proclaim “good news of great joy”? Do you question doctrines, beliefs, and practices that seem like less than good news to you?

This is the place to ask those questions and get authentic answers. The Catholic Church is chock-full of good new of great joy, and hopefully that will become apparent to you through this blog.

So post your comments and open your mind to a new way of seeing the Catholic Church!

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So, What are You Longing For?

I am going to be bold and claim that I can “prove” to you that God exists, and that our desires and longings are that very proof! Think about it: your desires and longings are infinite aren’t they? When was the last time you were ever completely satisfied and needed absolutely nothing? If we’re really honest, we have to admit that our desires and longings are infinite—without any limit. But wait a minute! The world in which we live is finite; it has limits. How can a limited, finite world give us unlimited and infinite desire? The answer is that it cannot. There is an old saying in Latin: Nemo dat quod non habet (no one can give what he does not have). So we must have received these infinite, unlimited longings from that which is also unlimited and infinite. This unlimited and infinite One we call God. Have I proved my case? Let me know what you think. The world couldn’t give you these deepest longings! Only the infinite God could have done that! He exists and he has written his name on our hearts. All these desires and longings we have are ultimately pointing us to God. Consider reading the Gospel of John, Chapter 4, where Jesus meets the Woman of Samaria at the well. She comes to the well of world to satisfy her thirst. But Jesus reminds her that “everyone who drinks from this well will be thirsty again.” He goes on to teach her that He  is really the only one who can give her water that will truly satisfy her longings. In effect he says to her, “What are you longing for? Maybe it’s God!”

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Marked with the Sign of the Cross

Have you noticed that Ash Wednesday is one of the days when Catholic churches are most crowded? What about wearing ashes captures people’s imagination? The practice is so powerful that in recent years Lutherans and Methodists among others have rediscovered this ancient practice. This is even more surprising since the ashes remind us that one day–we will die.

For Catholics Ash Wednesday is the start of Lent, a forty-day period of time where we examine our relationship with God. Specifically we look at the ways sin weakens our relationship with God and weakens our relationship with the people who fill our lives and our cubicles.

Really, there is more to Lent than not eating meat on Friday. When has good sushi on Friday ever made a difference in your relationship with God? Reducing Lent to “giving up something” or not eating meat is at best Lent Lite.

The three ancient practices of Lent get at the heart of what is means to be Christian and help me take Lent more seriously. In Prayer–I examine my relationship with God. Is God at the center of my life and is God getting quality time? Prayer is both listening to God and talking with God. I can always do more of both.

By Fasting–I examine myself. Do I treat the good things in life as gifts from God and gifts to be used responsibly and in moderation? Is the way I am eating and drinking contributing to good health or making it harder to live healthy. Am I looking for love in all the wrong places? Am I spending too much time in cyberspace and in a virtual world–at the expense of real relationships and real responsibilities in the real world? Fasting teaches me moderation and right balance in all areas of my life.

Through Almsgiving–I think about how I share my time, my talent and my treasure for the good of other people. Sometimes, it is so much easier to write a check or make a donation than to give up some of the time that I seem to have so little of for me, to support a cause or “be there” for a family member or friend. Jesus teaches us that the measure of our love for God is the measure of our love for others–especially the others that we don’t really like.

Make the most of these 40 days to let go of some bad habits and pick-up some good habits that in the language of faith are called virtues.

May God fill these days with his grace and mercy.