Veneration of Mary in Luke 11:27-28

August 15, 2013 | Annalex

[annalex]

Once a woman in the crowd surrounding Christ and His disciples cries out to Him:

Blessed is the womb that bore thee, and the paps that gave thee suck. (Luke 11:27)

What is it? We have, clearly, an act of venerating Mary. Note that the Blessed Virgin is venerated properly: not on her own but as the mother of Christ. Yet the reason for venerating is indeed concerning: it is her physiological and physiologically unique relationship with Jesus that is emphasized. That is not yet paganism with its crude theories of gods giving birth to other gods, but it is lacking proper focus and Jesus corrects it:

Yea rather, blessed are they who hear the word of God, and keep it. (Luke 11:28)

The Virgin with the Child on her knees and a prophet pointing at the star. Catacomb of Priscilla, late 2nd c. Source

Note that there is no condemnation here, not even asking the woman to stop; the "yea rather" (μενουνγε) is not a negation. It is used other times in the New Testament without a hint of negation. In Philippians 3:8 "αλλα μενουνγε και ηγουμαι παντα ζημιαν ειναι", "Furthermore I count all things to be but loss" (Textus Receptus 1550/1894, Byzantine/Majority Text 2000 has here "αλλα μεν ουν και ηγουμαι…" which is the same word morphology spelled separately and colliding affirmative "γε" with the following "και"). Romans 9:20 "μενουνγε ω ανθρωπε συ τις ει ο ανταποκρινομενος τω θεω" and Romans 10:18 "μενουνγε εις πασαν την γην εξηλθεν ο φθογγος αυτων" use the word reinforcing the subsequent statement. Some translations obscure this linguistic fact: in King James for example, the same word is rendered correctly, "yea rather" in Luke 11:28, wholly incongruously, "nay but" in Romans 9:20, but in Romans 10:18 the translation is again correct, "Yes verily". NRSV has both correct and elegant translations for all three. (See The Holy Mother and the "ΜΕΝΟΥΝΓΕ")

Having gotten past this linguistic hurdle, we can understand clearly what this passage, Luke 11:27-28, does: it establishes veneration of saints based not on their blood relation to Christ but on their obedience to God. It is in that sense that we venerate Our Lady: given that Christ is the Word of God personified, she heard and kept both Him in person as her Child and His teaching, figuratively. In Mary the essence of sainthood is seen in the flesh as well as in the mind. We could say that by the late second century at the latest, when we find evidence of the veneration of both the prophets and the Mother of God in the catacombs, the two reasons to venerate a saint: his martyrdom as in the case of Polycarp, or his obedience to the Word, as in Mary, -- unite into a single practice.

[narses]

[GeronL]

[Iscool]

Christ commanded His Apostles to become Catholic priests when He sent them to offer the Holy Eucharist (Luke 22:19) and to remit sins (John 20:21-23). The need for the Catholic priests remains today and “until he come” (1 Cor. 11:26).

Another good Catholic...You obviously don't even check the scripture to see if annalex is telling the truth... Those verses have nothing to do with commanding anyone to become a priest, let alone Catholic, which doesn't exist in the scriptures...

[Iscool]

And each time the scripture shown was solid Catholic teaching and the poster either misunderstood the scripture or the Catholic teaching.

There is no solid Catholic teaching in the scripture albeit there is plenty of solid anti-Catholic teaching...

You think it goes unnoticed that most every time you quote scripture, you add to it or take away from it apparently to make it resemble something Catholic???

[Salvation]

**commanding anyone to become a priest, let alone Catholic,**

Then why does St. Paul in 1 Timothy describe Bishops, Deacons and Presbyters?

The Church was Catholic. History tells us so through St. Paul.

[WVKayaker]

Sorry, but you can't take it!

[narses]

[smvoice]

Here's something you can explain to me, while you're correcting us all on Catholic teaching...

Does the RCC claim to be spiritual Israel? (one question at a time here..)

[Elsie]

...Neither is worshipped with men's hands,...

Hmmm there seems to be a conflict between Yehova and the catholics.

Conflict???

Where???http://catholicism.about.com/od/holydaysandholidays/a/2013_Lit_Cal.htm

[Elsie]

So far today; Mary is still dead.

[Elsie]

Sometimes... But then again; so do small ones!

[Elsie]

When each one of us dies, we are judged at that moment for our works. That is particular judgment...

Hebrews 9:27
Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment...

Dang!

I've missed the part (again, evidently) that says we'll face TWO judgements.

[Elsie]

Calvinasaurusization of Scripture.

Gotta love it!

[Elsie]

This is what makes the Holy Mass different than Levitical priesthood.

Who cares...

[Elsie]

I'll go back to ignoring you, I think.

[Elsie]

The gospel is filled with some people being praised and some condemned; an intelligent reader would know that when, for example, John the Baptist is praised (Matthew 11:11) God is ultimately being glorified.

And when your beloved First Pope is being CONDEMNED; then what is GOD getting?

[Elsie]

The prayers are identified as “of the saints”.

Yup; and they sure ain't from Catholic Saints!

[Elsie]

Dear Surveyor, the Book of Acts is written by the same individual whom you described as "satan".

At least it wasn't JESUS who call someone SATAN!!

Matthew 16:23

[Elsie]

Dear Surveyor, the Book of Acts is written by the same individual whom you described as "satan".

Nice try, but Surveyor did NOT call anyone satan.

He implied that the TRANSLATION into Greek was satanic.

The WRITER he claims did it in Hebrew.

[Elsie]

I don't remember what the original dispute was, really.

Then all of your posting replies have worked.