Catholics Don’t Worship Mary — We Love and Honor Her

[Michie]

‘The Church’s devotion to the Blessed Virgin is intrinsic to Christian worship. The Church rightly honors the Blessed Virgin with special devotion.’ (CCC 971)

Many Protestants have been trained from their mother’s milk to be wary of Catholic “displays.” It’s because they have been taught that only God should be worshiped and adored (we totally agree) and because of that, no one else should be honored or venerated at all (we completely disagree, and so does the Bible, I would contend). There are lots of ignorant Catholics, just as there are ignorant practitioners in any Christian group. One can’t “go by” them.

That said, I think Protestant contra-Catholic criticism (especially of the anti-Catholic variety) grossly exaggerates the excesses of Catholic Marian devotion. The main problem is the false belief that any honor to any human being is automatically idolatry. But the latter means that a person has replaced allegiance to God in their hearts with something or someone else. Catholics aren’t doing that with Mary. We simply think she is the highest of God’s creatures, because she is Jesus’ mother. So that status of “highest creature” looks in many Protestant eyes like raising her above God or making her equal to him. That’s the furthest thing from any educated, properly catechized Catholic’s mind.

Continued below.

Catholics Don’t Worship Mary — We Love and Honor Her

‘The Church’s devotion to the Blessed Virgin is intrinsic to Christian worship. The Church rightly honors the Blessed Virgin with special devotion.’ (CCC 971)

www.ncregister.com

 

[fide]

The trouble with apologetics - its weakness, its insufficiency - is that it appeals to human reason, whereas faith is grounded on a foundation not of human reason, but of divine gift of grace. "It is by grace you are saved, through faith, not because of works lest any man should boast." And the deductions and understandings of human reason are a "work" of man built upon whatever foundation is within him already. In other words, Catholic apologetics make sense and sound good to a faithful Catholic, but they may sound circular and self-serving to a non-Catholic who is faithful to beliefs opposed to Catholic revealed truth.

I'm not saying that non-Catholics can not be Christians, but I am saying that their Christianity is inherently incomplete.

And I would say the same thing of Catholics who do not have a true devotion to Mary: their Christianity, their Catholic Faith, is incomplete. Thus:
CCC - 971 “All generations will call me blessed”: “The Church’s devotion to the Blessed Virgin is intrinsic to Christian worship.” [Lk 1:48; Paul VI, MC 56] The Church rightly honors “the Blessed Virgin with special devotion...".

And devotion is a matter of heart and mind, as is love itself. A devout love of Mary is of a dimension beyond mere doctrinal agreement. I have heard from one nationally known Catholic lay ministry leader, who told me that their ministry called for acceptance of all official Church teachings concerning Mary, but "devotion" was a personal matter, a personal "option" so to speak.

[I.e. - You like the Rosary? Fine, Pray the Rosary. You like scapulars? Fine, wear one. Miraculous Medal? No problem. JUST DO NOT claim that we all have to share your personal "devotions."]​

"Devotion" is not a singular of "devotions". "Devotion" is an interior spiritual reality, a matter of mind and heart. "Devotions" commonly means outward expressions which may or may not come out of an interior spiritual reality.

If true Marian devotion is not a spiritual reality in your life - you who are reading this - I would urge you to ponder, meditate upon, seek to really hear the message of the Cross of Jesus our Lord. What did He say to me, when He said to the Beloved Disciple standing at His Cross with Mary His mother, "Behold your mother." This scene, and the messages from this event are infinite and eternal in significance, meaning, importance.

 

[Jimbo Baggins]

‘The Church’s devotion to the Blessed Virgin is intrinsic to Christian worship. The Church rightly honors the Blessed Virgin with special devotion.’ (CCC 971)

Many Protestants have been trained from their mother’s milk to be wary of Catholic “displays.” It’s because they have been taught that only God should be worshiped and adored (we totally agree) and because of that, no one else should be honored or venerated at all (we completely disagree, and so does the Bible, I would contend). There are lots of ignorant Catholics, just as there are ignorant practitioners in any Christian group. One can’t “go by” them.

That said, I think Protestant contra-Catholic criticism (especially of the anti-Catholic variety) grossly exaggerates the excesses of Catholic Marian devotion. The main problem is the false belief that any honor to any human being is automatically idolatry. But the latter means that a person has replaced allegiance to God in their hearts with something or someone else. Catholics aren’t doing that with Mary. We simply think she is the highest of God’s creatures, because she is Jesus’ mother. So that status of “highest creature” looks in many Protestant eyes like raising her above God or making her equal to him. That’s the furthest thing from any educated, properly catechized Catholic’s mind.

Continued below.

Catholics Don’t Worship Mary — We Love and Honor Her

‘The Church’s devotion to the Blessed Virgin is intrinsic to Christian worship. The Church rightly honors the Blessed Virgin with special devotion.’ (CCC 971)

www.ncregister.com

Hello Michie,
I think there is enough liturgical, historic and present evidence around that aptly demonstrates Mary was specifically and deliberately lifted to an unbiblical status that caused division in the Body of the Lord and division to the worship and devotion of the Lord... the iconography that abounds also bears testimony to this. I am reminded of the hundreds of wasted years devoted to the theology and apologetics that has tried to justify and maintain the special status of Mary, all the while claiming Mary doesn't share the glory of God or replace Jesus as the sole intermediary, but the peoples devotion to her speaks otherwise.
It is good to have a solid loving and truthful understanding of the outstanding part Mary played after being chosen to bear, nourish and nurture the Lord, but it was never acceptable to invent certain attributes in order to give Mary a sort of piety, holiness and divine otherworldliness that should be the reserve of G-d alone.
I'm sure you're right and many Catholics don't do this, but I think you are kidding yourself if you don't think it still occurs in many places.

 

[RileyG]

@Jimbo Baggins This is a Catholic forum. You are welcome to post here, but you cannot debate our beliefs.

God bless you

 

[Michie]

Hello Michie,
I think there is enough liturgical, historic and present evidence around that aptly demonstrates Mary was specifically and deliberately lifted to an unbiblical status that caused division in the Body of the Lord and division to the worship and devotion of the Lord... the iconography that abounds also bears testimony to this. I am reminded of the hundreds of wasted years devoted to the theology and apologetics that has tried to justify and maintain the special status of Mary, all the while claiming Mary doesn't share the glory of God or replace Jesus as the sole intermediary, but the peoples devotion to her speaks otherwise.
It is good to have a solid loving and truthful understanding of the outstanding part Mary played after being chosen to bear, nourish and nurture the Lord, but it was never acceptable to invent certain attributes in order to give Mary a sort of piety, holiness and divine otherworldliness that should be the reserve of G-d alone.
I'm sure you're right and many Catholics don't do this, but I think you are kidding yourself if you don't think it still occurs in many places.

Please familiarize yourself with the rules of the Catholic forum you are posting in. Thank you.

 

[Jimbo Baggins]

@Jimbo Baggins This is a Catholic forum. You are welcome to post here, but you cannot debate our beliefs.

God bless you

Apologies... I should have checked the rules. God bless and encourage you in His ways too.

 

[fide]

Apologies... I should have checked the rules. God bless and encourage you in His ways too.

Jesus taught in His words and in His actions, and His Truth continues to be taught and informed and understood rightly, only through the one Holy Spirit who was sent to lead and guide His Church into all the Truth. Man is tempted to elevate his own exegesis above any other man's if they disagree. But to do so apart from the Holy Spirit is to guess in darkness. It is truly amazing how much Holy Truth emerges through Scripture when heard humbly, submissively, obediently in the Light of the Holy Spirit!

Isa 66:1 Thus says the LORD: "Heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool; what is the house which you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest?
Isa 66:2 All these things my hand has made, and so all these things are mine, says the LORD. But this is the man to whom I will look, he that is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word."

 

[Jimbo Baggins]

Jesus taught in His words and in His actions, and His Truth continues to be taught and informed and understood rightly, only through the one Holy Spirit who was sent to lead and guide His Church into all the Truth. Man is tempted to elevate his own exegesis above any other man's if they disagree. But to do so apart from the Holy Spirit is to guess in darkness. It is truly amazing how much Holy Truth emerges through Scripture when heard humbly, submissively, obediently in the Light of the Holy Spirit!

Totally agree... without Him we can do nothing.

 

[rstrats]

‘The Church’s devotion to the Blessed Virgin is intrinsic to Christian worship. The Church rightly honors the Blessed Virgin with special devotion.’ (CCC 971)




Other than Galatians 4:4 saying that the Messiah was born of a woman, any thoughts on why Mary is not mentioned by any of the Apostles in the New Testament Epistles?