“the Mary of Catholicism is not the Mary of the Bible”
Oh, but she is. The real problem is a drive-by, shallow interpretation/penetration of the Scriptures she is mentioned in.
The angel Gabriel says to her, “Hail, full of Grace! The Lord is with you (Luke 1:28).” An angel hails a human being! But she’s just like us? Too often the angels who have hailed me have been fallen angels. The early Church took the words “full of Grace” to mean Mary was sinless by a special gift of God. Can any of us say we’re “full of Grace” and have no need to increase in Grace?
What comes out of Elizabeth’s mouth immediately after we are told she is “filled with the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:41).”
“Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by The Lord would be fulfilled (Luke 1:42-45).”
When I read the words of Gabriel and Elizabeth, I have no problem saying a Hail Mary:
“Hail, full of Grace! The Lord is with you. ... Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. ... mother of my Lord” (Luke 1:28 - 42,43).
And then from Luke 1:46-56, Mary speaks her Canticle in which she says “all generations will call me blessed (1:48).”
“And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart. ... his mother kept all these things in her heart (Luke 2:19, 51).” Why is the prayer life of Mary given two verses? Is there something profound about “her heart”, her meditation and contemplation? Yes! I’ve had it said to me that devotion to Mary’s Immaculate Heart is idolatrous. When I ask if the two mentions of “her heart” in Luke 2 are idolatrous, I get crickets.
At Mary’s words “They have no wine (John 2:3), Jesus starts His public ministry with a miracle He didn’t seem to be planning to do.
Mary’s singular role is in Scripture. The problem is too often those Scriptures are not fully understood, studied, interpreted or deeply penetrated. If Elizabeth filled with the Holy Spirit comes forth with profound praise for Mary, I think I’ll hold onto my devotion to, NOT WORSHIP OF, but devotion to Mary, the Mother of God.
This isn't about drive by or misinterpretation....it is all about catholics reconstructing something, which isn't there, in order to retain and maintain this false worship of a non-biblical mary. All false religions do this as well as cults.
Additionally catholic-ism makes everything far more complicated then Jesus ever intended.....once they joined in with Roman Intellectuals everything could be changed and determined according to the wiles of the catholic leadership..and they did just that.
The Mary of the Bible was not sinless.....the arguments played out here on the threads time and again regarding this....but ‘blind eyes and itchy ears’ cannot bare the truth because to do so would mean the whole house of cards catholics have built around “their church” rather than the Savior Jesus Christ and His Gospel message, would come tumbling down...as it should...and will one day.
Your scripture references and argument holds no water as they have been clearly shown as yet another of the same ol’ empty arguments when up against the true Mary ‘of scripture’, and discerning those as they ‘are’ rather than twisting them to suite the false catholic agenda of keeping her elevated as their co-redempterous...which she is not nor ever was. Quoting the same old catholic teachings handed down by twisted Priests and false teachers, rather than seeking the truth as it is, is a well troddened path by most catholics.