- Feb 5, 2002
- 4,009
- 76
- 57
- Faith
- Catholic
- Marital Status
- Married
- Politics
- US-Others
Many times we are asked to explain why the Catholic Church does not outwardly respond to those followers who take a devotion of Mary to a level of deity.
I found a great article from Catholic News Service regarding the recent Marian Congress held in Rome.
From: www.catholicnews.com/data...000921.htm
ROME (CNS) -- Widespread claims of Marian apparitions are a sign of spiritual thirst, but often they also are the fruit of an immaturity in the faith, said Servite Father Salvatore Perrella.
The priest, who teaches at the Marianum Institute in Rome, was one of more than 200 theologians gathered in Rome for the Sept. 15-24 Mariological-Marian International Congress.
Although the theme of the congress was ``The Mystery of the Trinity and Mary,'' a recurring topic among the scholars specializing in studies of the Blessed Virgin Mary was the place of Marian devotion in modern faith.
``The healthy devotion promoted by church doctrine honors Mary and worships her son,'' Father Perrella told Catholic News Service.
Often, he said, modern claims of Marian apparitions come from ``uneducated people who let their feelings get the best of them. They sincerely believe, yet they act as if Mary is omnipotent and they can go to her to get anything'' when God alone is omnipotent.
Father Perrella said that many of the alleged visions, crying statues and other phenomena are reported by people who do not go to church regularly, do not have an adult faith informed by church teaching and the Gospel, and do not have an adult devotion to the Mother of God.
``We must never embarrass these people or say they are stupid. Their devotion rises from the heart and God is heart, but not only (heart). We are called to believe with our heart and our minds,'' the Servite said.
``You'll never hear a priest or bishop say an apparition is more important than the Gospel,'' he said.
Father Perrella said pious devotion to Mary, love for her and a feeling of closeness to her are good and healthy as long as Catholics remember ``our true relationship must be with Jesus, which is what Mary taught.''
Mary must be honored as the first and most perfect follower of Jesus, he said. She is one of the gifts Jesus gave to all who would follow him.
Mary is a sign of tenderness and motherly love, the priest said, ``but she isn't small, overly humble or a fool. Read the Magnificat. She knows what she is doing. She is free and strong. She gives herself freely to God knowing what she is doing.''
Too often, he said, Catholics have almost made a ``thing'' out of Mary.
``Mary is not a Barbie doll we can dress as we want -- one minute a queen, one minute something else. She was a woman of faith who lived at a very difficult time for women. She was flesh and bones, action, tenderness and strength,'' Father Perrella said.
``That is the Mary of the Bible and that is the Mary of our faith,'' he said.
Tina Beattie, a member of the Center for Marian Studies in England, said too often the media leave the impression that modern people ignore Mary or are ``fanatics'' in their devotion to her.
``There are many in the mainstream Catholic culture who have a quiet devotion to Mary,'' one which does not ignore traditions, popular piety or approved apparitions just because they make modern Anglo-Saxon society nervous, Beattie said.
She said congress participants were discussing how Marian devotion is expressed in different cultures; Mariology and its relationship to feminism; and Mary's relationship to the poor and those seeking justice.
Women theologians especially ``are bringing questions about the way Mary has traditionally been understood as passive and obedient. They see Mary's relationship to God in a more active, perhaps courageous, way,'' Beattie said.
``I think there is questionable merit in presenting a model of ideal femininity as essentially passive and obedient to a male God, and many women are saying this can lead to social and sexual relationships which are not healthy,'' she said.
``There is a hope among many women in the church that as we re-imagine Mary, we also re-imagine ourselves and society,'' Beattie said.
The congress theme of Mary and the Trinity, she said, ``is not at all presenting Mary as the fourth person of the Trinity,'' as some critics of Catholic Marian devotion would claim.
``Theologically and in terms of faith, there is great agreement that Mary is the human being in the most perfect relationship with the Trinity and the one who has been most open to God,'' Beattie said.
************************************************************
I thought this article may answer some questions and lay to rest some confusion and misunderstandings about Mary's role in our lives.
I know some people will still have their doubts, but at least there is an official acknowledgement that there are fringe groups who are worshipping Mary and that is wrong and NOT sanctioned by the church or its leaders in any way.
And it also re-enforces the truth that the majority of mainstream Catholics have a quiet and respectful devotion to Mary and worship only God.
Just something to share.
I found a great article from Catholic News Service regarding the recent Marian Congress held in Rome.
From: www.catholicnews.com/data...000921.htm
ROME (CNS) -- Widespread claims of Marian apparitions are a sign of spiritual thirst, but often they also are the fruit of an immaturity in the faith, said Servite Father Salvatore Perrella.
The priest, who teaches at the Marianum Institute in Rome, was one of more than 200 theologians gathered in Rome for the Sept. 15-24 Mariological-Marian International Congress.
Although the theme of the congress was ``The Mystery of the Trinity and Mary,'' a recurring topic among the scholars specializing in studies of the Blessed Virgin Mary was the place of Marian devotion in modern faith.
``The healthy devotion promoted by church doctrine honors Mary and worships her son,'' Father Perrella told Catholic News Service.
Often, he said, modern claims of Marian apparitions come from ``uneducated people who let their feelings get the best of them. They sincerely believe, yet they act as if Mary is omnipotent and they can go to her to get anything'' when God alone is omnipotent.
Father Perrella said that many of the alleged visions, crying statues and other phenomena are reported by people who do not go to church regularly, do not have an adult faith informed by church teaching and the Gospel, and do not have an adult devotion to the Mother of God.
``We must never embarrass these people or say they are stupid. Their devotion rises from the heart and God is heart, but not only (heart). We are called to believe with our heart and our minds,'' the Servite said.
``You'll never hear a priest or bishop say an apparition is more important than the Gospel,'' he said.
Father Perrella said pious devotion to Mary, love for her and a feeling of closeness to her are good and healthy as long as Catholics remember ``our true relationship must be with Jesus, which is what Mary taught.''
Mary must be honored as the first and most perfect follower of Jesus, he said. She is one of the gifts Jesus gave to all who would follow him.
Mary is a sign of tenderness and motherly love, the priest said, ``but she isn't small, overly humble or a fool. Read the Magnificat. She knows what she is doing. She is free and strong. She gives herself freely to God knowing what she is doing.''
Too often, he said, Catholics have almost made a ``thing'' out of Mary.
``Mary is not a Barbie doll we can dress as we want -- one minute a queen, one minute something else. She was a woman of faith who lived at a very difficult time for women. She was flesh and bones, action, tenderness and strength,'' Father Perrella said.
``That is the Mary of the Bible and that is the Mary of our faith,'' he said.
Tina Beattie, a member of the Center for Marian Studies in England, said too often the media leave the impression that modern people ignore Mary or are ``fanatics'' in their devotion to her.
``There are many in the mainstream Catholic culture who have a quiet devotion to Mary,'' one which does not ignore traditions, popular piety or approved apparitions just because they make modern Anglo-Saxon society nervous, Beattie said.
She said congress participants were discussing how Marian devotion is expressed in different cultures; Mariology and its relationship to feminism; and Mary's relationship to the poor and those seeking justice.
Women theologians especially ``are bringing questions about the way Mary has traditionally been understood as passive and obedient. They see Mary's relationship to God in a more active, perhaps courageous, way,'' Beattie said.
``I think there is questionable merit in presenting a model of ideal femininity as essentially passive and obedient to a male God, and many women are saying this can lead to social and sexual relationships which are not healthy,'' she said.
``There is a hope among many women in the church that as we re-imagine Mary, we also re-imagine ourselves and society,'' Beattie said.
The congress theme of Mary and the Trinity, she said, ``is not at all presenting Mary as the fourth person of the Trinity,'' as some critics of Catholic Marian devotion would claim.
``Theologically and in terms of faith, there is great agreement that Mary is the human being in the most perfect relationship with the Trinity and the one who has been most open to God,'' Beattie said.
************************************************************
I thought this article may answer some questions and lay to rest some confusion and misunderstandings about Mary's role in our lives.
I know some people will still have their doubts, but at least there is an official acknowledgement that there are fringe groups who are worshipping Mary and that is wrong and NOT sanctioned by the church or its leaders in any way.
And it also re-enforces the truth that the majority of mainstream Catholics have a quiet and respectful devotion to Mary and worship only God.
Just something to share.