Mariaphobic Response Syndrome (commentary on Catholic devotion to the Virgin Mary)

National Catholic Register ^ | August 25, 2005 | Mark Shea

[NYer]

This column is the first of two parts.

[NYer]

How many of us have encountered similar discussions in this forum? Raise your hands!

[willgolfforfood]

I would have thought Mary hasn't been a virgin for 2000 years, give or take.

[End Times Sentinel]

I've had some discussions along these lines, but my biggest problem is Father Mike arguing with me about my practice of praying to the statues.

 

Owl_Eagle

(If what I just wrote makes you sad or angry,

 it was probably sarcasm)

[el_chupacabra]

Very funny article.

If I didn't know better, I'd think the author had been reading my email.

[samiam1972]

That was good for a chuckle! I'm interested in part 2 now! :o)

[InterestedQuestioner]

I'll raise my hand as soon as I stop laughing.

[RosieCotton]

LOL! Great article! I think we've all been there.

I'm reminded of a time when I was maybe twenty and stationed overseas. An Evangelical friend of mine invited me to come to a young adults dinner at their church. I was assured it wasn't really church related - just a free meal. But as it turned out, after the meal they launched into a Bible study.

The reading was the wedding at Cana. The pastor, who was kind of hosting the whole thing, read the passage and then opened the discussion for comment - asked us what we thought we could learn from the reading. One kid said something about Mary being a good example in her saying "Do whatever he tells you."

Well...the pastor got in the guy's face and told him that was "daaaaangerously close to Catholic teaching", and he needed to really think about what he was saying. The guy got all red in the face and kind of scooted down in his seat while everyone glared at him. I was just baffled! Even for those who don't accept any of the traditional Catholic teachings (i.e. those that aren't explicitly spelled out in scripture), can't she at least be an example? But nooooo...too Catholic. Icky. Scary.

[RosieCotton]

Heh...I remember my Mom mentioning the story of someone (wish I could remember who!) pointing to a statue of Our Lady of Fatima with the three children kneeling, and saying "look, even our statues worship statues!"

[InterestedQuestioner]

Has Father Mike been getting after you about worshiping statuary as well?

[Chi-townChief]

That seems to be a common Protestant misconception - I know a lot of my "born again" friends have a somewhat diminished view of the afterlife but I don't think that's true with all Protestants.

[HisKingdomWillAbolishSinDeath]

It will be interesting to see if Mary is in the Bride of Christ, the 144,000, the Army of the Lord. Thats a whole new can of controversy.

[InterestedQuestioner]

I can remember a ninth grader telling me that Catholics worship statues. It's scary, I had the same discussion with him that's in the first part of the article. He was absolutely certain that Catholics worship statues, and told me it was true because his pastor said so. That was supposed to settle it.

[RosieCotton]

Yeah...I've had that discussion a number of times. Once when I was stationed in Italy, a group of us went to a nearby town, and one of the guys in the group asked people to wait up while he took a photo of "this idol here" - said idol being St. Anthony of Padua. So I asked him about it and got the whole spiel. "Well, you see, Catholics build these idols and pray to them and offer flowers and blah blah blah". I informed him that I *was* Catholic and we did no such thing, and tried to explain it all to him, but was basically dismissed as not knowing my faith. Um...kay.

[AnAmericanMother]

Can I raise BOTH hands? < g >

It is amazing to me that so many evangelical types are so absolutely convinced that "Catholics worship Mary" . . . and they have never set foot inside a Catholic church.

[AnAmericanMother]

St. Anthony - the Hammer of the Heretics himself!

[InterestedQuestioner]

I'm sure that would be acceptable.

[Conservative til I die]

I don't care what Protestants, especially the Joe Bob Evangelical types have to say anymore. The Catholic Church gaves us the Gospels, the Epistles, the Canon, the Nicene Creed, the Tridentine Rite, the Cistine Chapel, beautiful Churches that give glory to God, the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Augustine and other Doctors of the Church, saintly folks like Francis of Assisi and Mother Teresa.

Protestantism gives us Jimmy Swaggart, Jack Chick pamphlets, apocalyptic pulp novels, and big screen TVs in baseball stadium sized megachurches.

[InterestedQuestioner]

"Once when I was stationed in Italy, a group of us went to a nearby town, and one of the guys in the group asked people to wait up while he took a photo of "this idol here" - said idol being St. Anthony of Padua."

Nothing like a snapshot of an idol to commemorate your time in Italy!

[NYer]

Thank you for that feedback.! At least one member got it right.

My pastor was invited to a wedding several years ago at which he encountered a female Baptist minister standing in the food line before him. He offered her a glass of wine and asked "White or red?". She explained that she was a Baptist and that she did not imbibe. To which he explained the Story of Cana from a catholic perspective, reminding her that Jesus often ate and drank with 'sinners'. He then asked her again what type of wine she would prefer, to which she replied "Red".

God bless this truly holy man! He speaks 8 languages, understands 3 others and reads Koine Greek, Hebrew, Latin and Aramaic. He is as orthodox as they come and totally devoted to the Blessed Mother.