Posted on 10/15/2013 3:21:28 PM PDT by NYer
Most of us who are Catholics eventually get asked, “Why do you Catholics worship Mary?” More often than not the question is not a real question it is a rhetorical question. For a few of you who might not know what is meant by the expression “rhetorical question,” it refers to a “question” whose purpose is not to seek an answer, but, rather, to make a (usually hostile) point. For example the expression “Who do you think you are!?” is in the form of a question but it does not seek an answer. Instead it is meant as a rebuke. And so it usually is when we Catholics get asked the “question” Why do you worship Mary?” we’re usually aware that it is not a sincere question seeking a sincere answer. However, for those cases where an answer really is sought I might propose the following approach:
“Well, of course we don’t worship Mary since that would be a terrible sin. Worship belongs to God alone. We DO honor her though. Afterall, she is Jesus’ mother. But let me ask you a question. Why in your church, do you NOT honor Mary at all? Doesn’t scripture say Every generation will call [Mary] blessed because God who is mighty has done great things for [her]? (Luke 1:48-49) It seems to me that we Catholics are fulfilling scripture but that in your denomination you are not fulfilling or following it. So why don’t you honor her at all? Why don’t you call her blessed as the Bible says?”
Now stop there and wait for an answer. Don’t keep going. Just stop and wait. Have them answer for a change. We Catholics are always on the defensive, always in answer mode. But we ought to ask a few questions too. And try to avoid a merely rhetorical or hostile tone. Try to allow this question to be genuine, respectful, one meant to provoke thought. It is possible that many Protestants have never been asked this question or pondered an answer. Now it is also possible that your interlocutor will try to change the subject or evade an answer by piling on about Catholics but just repeat the question respectfully and ask for an answer. Remember your point is not to argue, be hostile or win an argument. Your point is to provoke thought and get a real answer. And even if the conversation ends badly or with no answer, you’ve planted a seed, a question that they will ponder even if they don’t admit it. Jesus often asked questions to proke thought and conversion. I will be doing a post on this next week.
A final thought on Mary. Another way to explain out devotion and love for Mary is that we are imitating Jesus. We love, honor, respect and entrust ourselves to her care because Jesus did all these things and we want to be just like Jesus. Consider that the very Son of God, dwelled in Mary’s womb, nursed at her breasts, was held in her arms, sat on her lap and entrusted himself to her care. Our Lord could have chosen to enter our world in other ways. Perhaps He could simply have entered the world as a full grown man. The fact is that He freely chose Mary to be his mother and he was truly her Son. As her son he loved and honored her as any good son must and as her son he entrusted himself to her care. All of this serves to highlight Mary’s dignity and to show us how devotion to her is in perfect imitation of Jesus himself.
What more need we say: Jesus our Lord and God honors and loves Mary, and his very scriptures sing her praises; so too His Angel Gabriel and countless saints. When we honor Mary we imitate the very Son of God and fulfill Holy Scripture. Certainly our Lord is pleased that we love and honor his mother.
Here’s a little viseo I recently put together. The Music is from the Daughters of St Paul, “I Am Thine” from the Handmaiden of the Lord Album:
Here is Martin Luther in his own words:
"It is a sweet and pious belief that the infusion of Mary’s soul was effected without original sin; so that in the very infusion of her soul she was also purified from original sin and adorned with God’s gifts, receiving a pure soul infused by God; thus from the first moment she began to live she was free from all sin"
- Martin Luther's Sermon "On the Day of the Conception of the Mother of God," 1527.
Why is this news?
I’m not required to honor Mary. It’s not a requisite of my faith.
We do on Mothers Day...does that count ?
Yes, we know . . . the question is, “Why not?”
Luther made many mistakes. But, does this mean he is seen as an authority to you? If so, then I have a bunch of info you need to recognize...
>>. It’s not a requisite of my faith.<<
Faith on the cafeteria plan?
Not unheard of, mind you...
So, then, you disagree with Jesus and with the Archangel Gabriel on this basic point.
My question is why do these religion threads always turn into a snark-fest? Riddle me that. Then look internally.
We do not consider her as Deity. And, we don't pray to the Saints, either.
Protestants do call her blessed. Of course she was blessed as was Abraham, David, Gideon, etc.
Psalm 1 says "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly". Thus, if you are godly you are blessed. Mary doesn't have a corner on the blessedness dept.
There is nothing in Scripture to indicate Mary is to be venerated. She is respected as the mother of Christ, but she has no place herself in the plan of salvation.
We honor her, but we don’t build statues of her or pray to her. We also don’t have statues of Abraham or King David, and we don’t pray to them, either.
We do honor her. She is blessed among women. We just don’t make a big show of it.
((We do on Mothers Day...does that count ? ))
We don’t. We worship Jesus. Matters not what the secular world is doing.
Because there is no “Three tiers of devotion” and the asking dead believers to pray for you is witchcraft as practiced by Saul and condemned by Samuel. (Notice I didn’t say that Catholics pray to the dead as they are often accused of doing)
Mary was a simple human woman, she was favored by God but she was not sinless,divine or in any spiritual way special. She also was not assumed into Heaven. Indeed you can see her tomb near the ancient city of Ephesus I believe. The Eastern Orthodox church knows where she was buried.
That said she was the human mother Christ. She has a special place in history and in the hears of Christians where she is honored but true Christians do not believe in the immaculate conception of Mary.
This article has been posted in the Religion, not News, Forum. Perhaps you did not realize it before clicking on the link.
I value Msgr. Pope’s blog.
90% of what he has to say is valuable Christian teaching.
The other 10% (like this one) I skip over and wait eagerly for the next scripture-based one.
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