Those are just prayers said to someone who is loved and honored very much for her unique role in salvation history. Why is that so repellant?It is repellant to God as virtually all the "dedications" etc to Mary are reserved for being directed to God ONLY.
God is who Christians give them selves (and all the parts described) to.
If we "offer ourselves entirely to Mary" we have nothing left to offer to God to whom all these things MUST be directed. Not to Mary.
To "put all my hopes in thee, all my salvation."
See the "all?" That leaves us nothing for Jesus to whom that needs to be directed to, not Mary. Get ALL your hope from Mary, get ALL your salvation from Mary, then no hope in Jesus, no salvation from Jesus.
Get the point? Not just 'prayers to someone' but total dedication to someone who is not God. Not Biblical.
Why ask Mary to cover you with her mantle of protection, when Jesus is so available?
And the One to whom we should look and ask.
Why put Mary in the way?
Why is it so abhorrent to love Mary for her “yes”? To trust in her love for us that she will indeed pray for us when/if we “offer ourselves entirely” to her or “put all our hopes” in her.First of all, Mary NEVER said yes.
That has been explained from the Bible for days recently here in the Religion Forum at Free Republic.
She was told what would happen to her, Luke 1:38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
God knew her heart and knew she would go along with his plan. Which she did. She did NOT say "yes" as has been mistakenly pushed onto people's understanding for a long time.
Offer yourselves "entirely" to Mary, and you have nothing left to offer Jesus.
Put "all you hopes" in Mary, then you have no hopes left to give to Jesus.
Our God is a jealous God, he does not want anyone else to get his glory. Not even Mary.
Contrary "opinions:"
“God has committed to her the treasury of all good things, in order that everyone may know that through her are obtained every hope, every grace, and all salvation. For this is his will, that we obtain everything through Mary.” (Pius IX: Encycl., Ubi primum, February 2, 1849.) — [p. 12, number 12]No where does the Bible say we can't go "to Christ except through his mother."
“With equal truth it may be said that of the great treasury of all graces given to us by Our Lord—for grace and truth came by Jesus Christ—nothing comes to us except through Mary’s mediation, for such is God’s Will. Thus, as no man goes to the Father but by the Son, so no one goes to Christ except through his mother.” (Leo XIII, Encycl., Octobri mense, September 22, 1891.) — [pp. 13,14, no. 19]
One more step inserted between us and Jesus and thus the Father, God.
“As the various mysteries present themselves one after another in the formula of the Rosary, for the meditation and contemplation of men’s minds, they also make clear what we owe to Mary for our reconciliation and salvation.” (Leo XIII: Encycl., Fidentum Piumque, September 20, 1896.) [pp. 15,16, no. 29]Two things I have noticed and posted more than once:
1) It appears that Mary is the central figure in Catholicism.
2) If Catholics wish to follow and believe these things, fine.
But do not try to get Christians to believe these falsehoods.
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Not Mary.
Mary was a self described "handmaiden of the lord" and she is loved throughout Christianity for being the vehicle to birth the physical body of Jesus. She is blessed, but she is not the Mary that Catholicism has created.
Well said and amen.
The phrase “be it done to me according to thy word” is not equivalent to saying “yes”? Ok! I guess if we can’t agree on that you’re right, we Catholics can believe as we wish, and you and other Christians can do the same, and we part amicably. Because there is no point in discussing further if we can’t even agree that Mary freely consented to God’s will.
If that isn’t even agreed, if she is some kind of robot created only to house God the Son, without any free will of her own then nothing I can say will make sense. So thanks for pointing that critical difference out it’ll save us all a lot of time.
God bless,