When did the doctrine of "Mary Worship" start being accepted in the Catholic Church?

Question

I can find no scriptural evidence that Mary was to be revered the way she is nor do I see any scripture references to her appearing in visions to people. There's really not much, if anything, said in scripture about her by the Apostles after the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Answer 1

The worship of Mary began when the Church parked itself in the old places in Europe. The people of the area just kept doing what they were doing and the Church started to rename the pagan holidays and gods and goddesses. St. Bridget, et al were goddesses of the pagan populations. The people couldn't really accept a god with no goddess it made them feel off balance. The Churches accepted their worship of Mary and that's where it began.

Answer 2

We Catholics do not worship Mary -- worship is reserved for God Alone. We honor her as the mother of Jesus, and we ask her to intercede for us, just as we would ask any other believer for their prayers.

She is also one of the most beautiful role models of all time for believers. She was brave: she risked her own life to bring our Savior into the world, knowing that she could have been stone to death for having an out-of-wedlock child.

She had a servant's heart: she immediately went to help her cousin Elizabeth when she found out that the older woman was pregnant for the first time. She was humble: being the wife of a carpenter meant being poor and working hard to care for her family.

She was loving and caring: when the wedding couple at Cana were about to be embarassed because the wine had run out, she asked her Son to spare them that social shame.

And she was certainly loyal: she stood at the foot of the Cross to be with Jesus when all the disciples except John had fled in fear. She was filled with the Holy Spirit when the disciples gathered together at Pentecost.

Those are all Scriptural examples of why we Catholics love and honor Mary. And if the angel Gabriel called her "full of grace," who are we to do any less?

Answer 3

Pastor Billy says: try to remember that the persons in the bible are real people and had real lives and everything about them could not possibly be listed in the bible. Don't forget we are instructed in the bible with regards to simply Jesus, if everything was listed that he said and did there would not be enough books in all the world to write everything down.
Therefore as the gospel is central to Jesus Christ why is is so hard to realize not much will be said on his family?
We do know Mary was the first believer, she is most beloved of God, she has what non-Catholics label a "personal relationship" but one so special she has it with all 3 persons of the Holy Trinity.

We should make a clear distinction here Mary is worshipped but not given Godly worship that is given to God alone and the Catholic doctrine of Trinity attests to this, Catholicism teaches only the Father, Son and Holy Spirit form the Trinity.

In the ancient world there were several different meanings for love you might already know this, love of God, love of neighbor(brotherly love), and love of spouse. the same can be said for worship (latria hyperdulia, dulia)

Latria is only made to God and Marian worship is not latria.
Try to remember the ancient world of Christianity did not use English as one of it's founding languages most of time when people criticise the Catholic Church they do so out of ignorance and not correctness

see: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05188b.htm

I strongly suggest you read Thomas Aquinas also and his
Exposition of the Angelic Salutation (Ave Maria)

here is the original text translated to English
http://www.ewtn.com/library/SOURCES/TA-CAT-5.TXT


here is a blog review of it
http://catholicunity.blogspot.com/2007/02/exposition-of-angelic-salutation-ave.html

Answer 4

There is much you cannot see if your only source is the Bible. That's why the Bible tells us that the Church - not a book compiled by the Church - is "the pillar and foundation of truth". As for so-called "Mary Worship", this, if it existed, would constitute idolatry, and is therefore absolutely forbidden by the Catholic Church. If you concult the Catechism of the Catholic Church you will find idolatry defined as "giving to any creature the singular worship and adoration reserved for God alone", and the statement that idolatry is "incompatible with Christian life". You can honor someone without worshipping them. We honor those who have been instrumental in a great way in the development of our country. Why would we not honor those who have been instrumental in a great way in the development of our faith and our Church? And, other than the Savior Himself, who played a more vital role in the history of salvation than the one person who brought the Savior into the world?
.

Answer 5

I was having the same difficulty with the Doctrine of Voldemort worship in Harry Potter stories.

isn't it fun to sit around and ponder fictional stories like this? and then pretend like they have profound meaning to our lives if we let them.

Mary Worship! WOW! Considering the accounts of the so-called resurrection all contradict one another, let's pretend that any account of Mary Worship would be consistent!!

Answer 6

Before Jesus Christ died for our sins and opened the gates of heaven there were no saints in heaven. Therefore there are no Old Testament writings that would mention them.

Very few of the new Christians died before most of the New Testament was written. Therefore there is little in the Bible about asking saints to pray for us.

However the last book of the Bible does talk about the saints in heaven praying.

Revelation 5:8: Each of the elders held a harp and gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of the holy ones.

Revelation 8:3-4: He was given a great quantity of incense to offer, along with the prayers of all the holy ones, on the gold altar that was before the throne. The smoke of the incense along with the prayers of the holy ones went up before God from the hand of the angel.

The Holy Spirit guided the early Church in many things not explained in the Bible including how does the Body of Christ (believers) living on Earth relate to the Body of Christ (saints) living in heaven. We are still one Body.

Catholics share the belief in the Communion of Saints with many other Christians, including the Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, Episcopal, and Methodist Churches.

The Communion of Saints is the belief where all saints are intimately related in the Body of Christ, a family. When you die and go to heaven, you do not leave this family.

Everyone in heaven or on their way to heaven are saints, you, me, my deceased grandmother, Mary the mother of Jesus, and Mother Teresa.

As part of this family, you may ask your family and friends living here on earth to pray for you. Or, you may also ask the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint Andrew, or your deceased grandmother living in heaven to pray for you.

Prayer to saints in heaven is simple communication, not worship.

With love in Christ.

Answer 7

Mary is not worshiped, that belongs to God alone. She is revered as the mother of God the Son, Jesus. We do not pray to Mary, rather plead for her help and intersession for us in our hours of need.

Answer 8

Catholics DO NOT worship Mary, the Mother of Christ – as though she were a deity. Of all the misconceptions about Catholic belief and practice, this one is the most absurd.

Catholics are just as aware as Protestants that Mary was a human creature, and therefore not entitled to the honors which are reserved to God alone. What many non-Catholics mistake for adoration is a very profound love and veneration, nothing more.

Mary is not adored, first because God forbids it, and secondly because the Canon Law of the Catholic Church, which is based on Divine Law, forbids it. Canon Law 1255 of the 1918 Codex strictly forbids adoration of anyone other than the Holy Trinity. However, Catholics do feel that Mary is entitled to a great measure of exaltation because, in choosing her as the Mother of Redemption, God Himself exalted her – exalted her more than any other human person before or since. Catholics heap tribute and honor on Mary because they earnestly desire to be "followers of God, as most dear children." (Eph. 5:1). Mary herself prophesied: "For behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. Because he that is mighty, hath done great things to me; and holy is his name." (Luke 1:48-49). Catholics know that every bit of the glory they give to Mary redounds to the glory of her divine Son, just as Mary magnified God, not herself, when Elizabeth blessed her. (Luke 1:41-55). They know that the closer they draw to her, the closer they draw to Him who was born of her.

In the year 434 St. Vincent of Lerins defended Christian devotion to Mary this way: "Therefore, may God forbid that anyone should attempt to defraud Holy Mary of her privilege of divine grace and her special glory. For by a unique favor of our Lord and God she is confessed to be the most true and most blessed Mother of God." Today 75% of all Christians still hold to this same view.

Answer 9

this question is almost worthy of being included in the drinking game.

Roman Catholics do not worship Mary. At least I don't.

Answer 10

One of the popes came up with it.
Sometime in the 12th. century.
This is a catholic tradition and is not biblical.