Mary, can you please give it a rest? WHICH Catholic has actually said that Mary and Jesus are equal? Think real hard. Are you sure some anti-Catholic person is not giving you false witness? Maybe a Jack Chick tract? I got to tell you, I don't know any Catholic who puts Mary and Jesus on the same pedestal! Mary is the HANDMAIDEN OF THE LORD! They are not equal. This sort of talk becomes frustrating after awhile, because it is flat out lies.
Mary would be offended at all the attention given to her. She was an obedient child and God used her to bring forth the Christ child but she would be the first one to reject all the adulation given to her.
She herself said all generations shall give her honor. I will presume that means something more than singing "Silent Night" during Christmas... What do YOU do to honor Mary "just enough"?
Mary's place in the Church is quite profound. Perhaps you should read some Catholic writers on the subject on Mary and the Church. Vatican 2 and Lumen Gentium would be a good place to start. It is actually quite eye-opening once you get past the stereotypes that you have been taught by anti-Catholics. You would be amazed by the similarities that we find - all from Scriptures.
Regards
I have a lot of friends who are Catholic, plus many acquaintances. My husband and former pastor were both raised in the Catholic church. Many people who now attend our church were Catholic. I've heard about Mary so many times from them. I'm not anti-catholic, but I disagree with some of the church's teachings. I want people to know the truth, not just doctrine or writings from church fathers, etc. We all need to dig more into what God has to say about things. I think most of us are guilty of not doing that and just accepting what priests and ministers have to say without checking it out for ourselves.