If Catholics Are Right About Mary, Why Is She Talked About so Little in the Bible?

Michie · Jun 10, 2024

For many Protestants, devotion to Our Lady is the single biggest obstacle to their becoming Catholic. Even many Catholics admit that they struggle with relating to Mary, or fail to understand why the Church seems so obsessed with her. Underlying this confusion might be a simple question which lurks behind all the others: If Catholics are right about Mary, then why on earth does the New Testament hardly ever mention her?

This question can present a considerable intellectual roadblock for Catholics and Protestants alike. Sure, there might be (according to Catholics, at least) some clever exegetical arguments that show the reasonableness of the Immaculate Conception or the Perpetual Virginity. But it feels as if that approach still sidesteps the much bigger challenge, namely, Mary’s near-total absence in Scripture. Again, if she’s so important, then why is she mentioned so little?

Here we need to push back a bit. Contrary to popular belief, it is not the case that Our Lady barely appears in the Bible. She actually appears multiple times in all four Gospels, and she is depicted as an important figure not only at Jesus’s conception and birth, but also at His first miracle and at His crucifixion. In the Acts of the Apostles, moreover, she is shown to be present in the Upper Room at Pentecost, and a robust case can be made that she is the heavenly queen figure described in Revelation 12.

Now admittedly, Mary is largely absent from the New Testament epistles, but this can hardly be construed as a strike against the Catholic view. For one thing, there are many important doctrines and devotions which St. Paul and the other letter writers simply don’t address. The doctrine of the divinity of the Holy Spirit, for example, isn’t stated explicitly anywhere in the New Testament epistles, but nonetheless it’s a doctrine we should accept based on a reading of the Scriptures as a whole, especially as interpreted through the living tradition of the Church.

Another point worth remembering here is that many of the New Testament epistles were written before the Gospels, and so when we look at the New Testament as a whole, it’s actually the later books like Luke, Acts, John, and Revelation which give us the final word on Our Lady—and in all these books, she plays a major role!

Continued below.

If Catholics are Right about Mary, Why is She Talked About so Little in the Bible?

For many Protestants, devotion to Our Lady is the single biggest obstacle to their becoming Catholic. Even many Catholics admit that they struggle with relating to Mary, or fail to understand why the Church seems so obsessed with her. Underlying this confusion might be a simple question which lurks

stpaulcenter.com

Chrystal-J · Jun 10, 2024

Mary is mentioned in Revelation: 12 "a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars"

AlexB23 · Jun 10, 2024

Michie said:
For many Protestants, devotion to Our Lady is the single biggest obstacle to their becoming Catholic. Even many Catholics admit that they struggle with relating to Mary, or fail to understand why the Church seems so obsessed with her. Underlying this confusion might be a simple question which lurks behind all the others: If Catholics are right about Mary, then why on earth does the New Testament hardly ever mention her?

This question can present a considerable intellectual roadblock for Catholics and Protestants alike. Sure, there might be (according to Catholics, at least) some clever exegetical arguments that show the reasonableness of the Immaculate Conception or the Perpetual Virginity. But it feels as if that approach still sidesteps the much bigger challenge, namely, Mary’s near-total absence in Scripture. Again, if she’s so important, then why is she mentioned so little?

Here we need to push back a bit. Contrary to popular belief, it is not the case that Our Lady barely appears in the Bible. She actually appears multiple times in all four Gospels, and she is depicted as an important figure not only at Jesus’s conception and birth, but also at His first miracle and at His crucifixion. In the Acts of the Apostles, moreover, she is shown to be present in the Upper Room at Pentecost, and a robust case can be made that she is the heavenly queen figure described in Revelation 12.

Now admittedly, Mary is largely absent from the New Testament epistles, but this can hardly be construed as a strike against the Catholic view. For one thing, there are many important doctrines and devotions which St. Paul and the other letter writers simply don’t address. The doctrine of the divinity of the Holy Spirit, for example, isn’t stated explicitly anywhere in the New Testament epistles, but nonetheless it’s a doctrine we should accept based on a reading of the Scriptures as a whole, especially as interpreted through the living tradition of the Church.

Another point worth remembering here is that many of the New Testament epistles were written before the Gospels, and so when we look at the New Testament as a whole, it’s actually the later books like Luke, Acts, John, and Revelation which give us the final word on Our Lady—and in all these books, she plays a major role!

Continued below.

If Catholics are Right about Mary, Why is She Talked About so Little in the Bible?

For many Protestants, devotion to Our Lady is the single biggest obstacle to their becoming Catholic. Even many Catholics admit that they struggle with relating to Mary, or fail to understand why the Church seems so obsessed with her. Underlying this confusion might be a simple question which lurks

stpaulcenter.com

Remember, Mary also appeared in the Old Testament.

Isaiah 7:14 (NRSV-CE): "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel."

Isaiah 7:14 (NIV): "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel."

Isaiah 7:14 (KJV): "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel."

Cis.jd · Jun 10, 2024

Answer is simple.
God's purpose for the Bible was to reveal himself to mankind. The Bible is about Christ, not Mary. Christ is the origin of our faith, Christ is what the the old testament eventually points too. This is why Mary isn't "mentioned much" because she isn't as important as God.
Nevertheless, history of Christianity has shown it's acknowledgement on her importance and there is still a few verses where we can see her being highly viewed, but her not being mentioned much should be of obvious reasons. She isn't God, she isn't as important as God, and no Catholic sees her as that.

RileyG · Jun 10, 2024

Cis.jd said:
Answer is simple.
God's purpose for the Bible was to reveal himself to mankind. The Bible is about Christ, not Mary. Christ is the origin of our faith, Christ is what the the old testament eventually points too. This is why Mary isn't "mentioned much" because she isn't as important as God.
Nevertheless, history of Christianity has shown it's acknowledgement on her importance and there is still a few verses where we can see her being highly viewed, but her not being mentioned much should be of obvious reasons. She isn't God, she isn't as important as God, and no Catholic sees her as that.

You’re right, but we still hold her in very, very high regard since she literally gave birth to God in the flesh. She’s the ark of the new covenant.

AlexB23 · Jun 10, 2024

Cis.jd said:
Answer is simple.
God's purpose for the Bible was to reveal himself to mankind. The Bible is about Christ, not Mary. Christ is the origin of our faith, Christ is what the the old testament eventually points too. This is why Mary isn't "mentioned much" because she isn't as important as God.
Nevertheless, history of Christianity has shown it's acknowledgement on her importance and there is still a few verses where we can see her being highly viewed, but her not being mentioned much should be of obvious reasons. She isn't God, she isn't as important as God, and no Catholic sees her as that.

Amen to that, fellow Catholic.

Jesus is the most important, and as a Catholic, I do not even pray the Rosary (plus, ADHD here, I do not like repetition).

RileyG · Jun 10, 2024

Chrystal-J said:
Mary is mentioned in Revelation: 12 "a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars"

Amen! She was also the “book end” in John’s Gospel, which emphasizes on Christ’s divinity.

She’s mentioned at the beginning during the wedding at Cana, and at the end where Jesus tells St. John to take care of her.

Cis.jd · Jun 10, 2024

AlexB23 said:
Amen to that, fellow Catholic. Jesus is the most important, and as a Catholic, I do not even pray the Rosary (plus, ADHD here, I do not like repetition).

you should pray the rosary, it's a good form of meditation/prayer.

The Rosary allows you to reflect on the key moments of Christ's life.

AlexB23 · Jun 10, 2024

Cis.jd said:
you should pray the rosary, it's a good form of meditation.

I might try, but I struggle to focus on things like this.

RileyG · Jun 10, 2024

AlexB23 said:
Amen to that, fellow Catholic. Jesus is the most important, and as a Catholic, I do not even pray the Rosary (plus, ADHD here, I do not like repetition).

You should try the rosary out, especially offering it up after someone passed away. I agree it can be difficult at first, but it’s still a beautiful devotion.

I try to say it at least one per week if I can.

My mind does wander, so I sympathize with you.

AlexB23 · Jun 10, 2024

RileyG said:
You should try the rosary out, especially offering it up after someone passed away. I agree it can be difficult at first, but it’s still a beautiful devotion.

I try to say it at least one per week if I can.

My mind does wander, so I sympathize with you.

I might just watch a video of someone else doing it. Is that okay?

Cis.jd · Jun 10, 2024

RileyG said:
You’re right, but we still hold her in very, very high regard since she literally gave birth to God in the flesh. She’s the ark of the new covenant.

No doubt.
But Protestants have this misconception and just want all these "catholics worship mary" misrepresentations that they hear from their lying pastors to be true.

The reason is, the Bible is about God's reveling himself to man. It's all about Jesus. There isn't room for anyone else and we do not believe she is greater or more important than God as much as they want to lie about. The quantity of her being mentioned is good enough, and the quality of how she is mentioned is more than evidence for us in what we view her as.

Cis.jd · Jun 10, 2024

AlexB23 said:
I might just watch a video of someone else doing it. Is that okay?

Why? You are just going to watch and waste your time?

AlexB23 · Jun 10, 2024

Cis.jd said:
Why? You are just going to watch and waste your time?

Well, then I can pray with the person saying the rosary on my TV.

RileyG · Jun 10, 2024

Cis.jd said:
No doubt.
But Protestants have this misconception and just want all these "catholics worship mary" misrepresentations that they hear from their lying pastors to be true.

The reason is, the Bible is about God's reveling himself to man. It's all about Jesus. There isn't room for anyone else and we do not believe she is greater or more important than God as much as they want to lie about. The quantity of her being mentioned is good enough, and the quality of how she is mentioned is more than evidence for us in what we view her as.

Amen.

joymercy · Jun 10, 2024

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,

my spirit rejoices in God my Savior for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children forever.

(Lk 1: 46-55)

RileyG · Jun 10, 2024

joymercy said:
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, View attachment 349969

my spirit rejoices in God my Savior for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children forever.

(Lk 1: 46-55)

This prayer is said at every evening prayer of The Church (Vespers)

joymercy · Jun 10, 2024

AlexB23 said:
I might just watch a video of someone else doing it. Is that okay?

Yes, pray along and receive the graces that come with meditating on the Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary

AlexB23 · Jun 10, 2024

joymercy said:
Yes, pray along and receive the graces that come with meditating on the Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary

I might try this. Anyways, it is getting late here.

joymercy · Jun 10, 2024

AlexB23 said:
Well, then I can pray with the person saying the rosary on my TV.

Yes, pray along with other Catholics. We all do, as we need each other, the Community of saints.

Praying with others is beautiful.

If Catholics Are Right About Mary, Why Is She Talked About so Little in the Bible?

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