Why do you think Catholic's worship Mary?

Question

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
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).
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.

So why do you say Catholics worship Mary when we don't?

Good to be back Pangel, had a few days holiday by the coast, it was wonderful

Answer 1

Because we can? Kidding - I just wanted to say hi and we love you.

Answer 2

They see statues of Mary, people praying to her, "Do three Hail Mary's", etc, and assume it's worship. My late friend Lucy was a very devout Catholic, and she'd set your butt straight in a second if you said "Catholics worship Mary and not Jesus." The major problem as I see it is, they don't understand it, so they fear it, and they don't really understand the bible they constantly preach, so they claim it's idol worship.

Actually, it always kind of made sense to me that Mary should get some of the praise, since she was chosen by God to bear the Christ child. (I know that's a funny thing for an atheist to say, but I study different religions.) You know what's true about your faith - don't let it get to you.

Answer 3

No because I freely admit I worship Jesus. In fact I often say I worship you Jesus. So kind if hard for it not to be worship. As to Catholics worshiping Mary. Only you and God know what is in your heart. If you are crossing the line He will deal with you. He is the judge so I will leave the judging to Him.

Answer 4

There is an incredible amount of misinformation about catholicism. Protestant ministers have delighted in spreading sensational lies since the reformation. I think part of the "Mary worship" thing is an anti-woman sentiment. I also think in the United States anti-catholicism is connected to racism. All those "dirty immigrants" from Ireland, Italy, the Slavic countries and now Latin America are Catholic.

I am an atheist who was raised catholic. I have a very good catholic education. I no longer believe in God, but I still believe in tolerance and accepting all human beings. Peace to all.

Answer 5

Because people are ignorant.

Might I add a little WHY on the special place Mary holds in Catholicism - Mary was asked by God to bear his child, despite the fact that she was unmarried. She placed a supreme amount of trust (or faith) in a mere dream and accepted her place in God's plan. Do many of you know that women could be stoned to death if pregnant and unwed? Indeed, Mary is worth honoring.

Why people think honor is worship, I don't know...

Answer 6

I agree with what have said.
I think it's very difficult to define the difference between 'worship' and veneration, exaltation, 'profound love'.
Those words are all very similar in meaning.
Also, it is difficult to tell the difference as far as people's actions, and attitudes. What is love and veneration, can easily be mistaken for and appear to be worship.

Answer 7

People say, "Mary was a person just like us." Umm...no she wasn't. What other "person just like us" do you know that was chosen by God the Father to give birth to the Savior of the world? Nobody that I know.

Do most people know that the "Hail Mary" prayer is Scriptural? Lynn Nordhagen says:

"The Hail Mary, traditionally known as the Ave Maria, is a Biblical prayer. In the first half, the words are directly from the Gospel of St. Luke, while the second half reflects what this could mean to us, praying Christians in the Body of Christ, pondering these things in our hearts."

She also says:

"What does it mean to be greeted as one "full of grace"? At the very least, Mary is highly favored by having been chosen to bear the Son of the Most High. The Latin translation using "full" points to the overflowing abundance and perfection involved. God Himself will dwell in her womb, the Creator will come into the world. The Holy Spirit will overshadow and dwell in her. It is all of grace. By this grace, Mary is special and blessed. The Church’s reflections over the centuries have their root in these words of the angel Gabriel, sent from God. She teaches us to look to Mary for our model of what we ourselves hope to become by God’s fullness of grace."

She's written a brilliant piece at the link below. I implore my Protestant brothers and sisters to read it with an open heart. (My fellow Catholics would also gain by reading it.)

In closing all I have to say is this: If Mary was good enough for Jesus, Prince of Peace and Savior of the World, shouldn't she be good enough for the rest of us?

Answer 8

Thanks for this question, it is a good one.

First off, Kait, you should read your Bible more and do so without the bias of your pastor or you denomination. Look at the Old Testament and you will see how much the Hebrew revered Moses as well as Elijah and the prophets. This was obviously a different kind of thing than the worship and reverence due to God alone. They also clearly praised the heros of the past for the deeds they did with God's aid.

Check out the Book of Ben Sirach (ch 44-50)(which though you may not consider scripture, the reformers considered good to read, and at least it can help you enter into the Hebrew mentality).

Also, check out the letter to the Hebrews chapter 3. The author talks about how much more "honor" and "glory" is due to Jesus than to Moses, indicating a kind of reverence given to Moses.

Don't forget the praise of Abraham, Moses, the judges, David, and the prophets in Hebrew chapter 11.

By the way, Kait, protestants who say that worship entails praying to someone do not understand English nor do they understand the worship that belongs alone to God. Prayer means to entreat. In Shakespear we hear Henry V say to his cousin Westmoreland in the famous St. Crispin Day monologue "I pray thee wish not one man more." So, to pray to someone is to ask of them.

So when a protestant Christian asks another Christian to pray for them, they are technically "praying" to that person, even if they are not worshipping that person.

We Catholics do the same. We ask, pray, that a saint help us by their prayers.

In other languages one sees the difference. German for example "bitte" means "I pray" and "please" in the sense of to entreat someone. Same with "prego" in Italian... it means to pray and to ask.

Personally I like to remember that it is God who is glorified in His saints!

And the saints are to spurn us on to continue in this journe pf ours and to trust in God as they did.

Surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin... and persevere. Heb 12:1

Answer 9

Eh, I don't know. People assume that if you have a statue of something, then you must worship it (though by that logic I suppose a number of park dwellers worship soldiers). I'm not a Catholic, but I know enough about Catholicism to know that Catholics don't worshp Mary. The "Hail Mary" is just a way of asking Mary TO pray on one's behalf, as I understand it.

Answer 10

Full of grace - that phrase was used only twice in the Bible. Once to describe Mary and once about Jesus.

So I am in FULL agreement with you and my fellow Catholics - if she was good enough for God, she is most certainly good enough fr me!

Great to see you back!!

Answer 11

60 year catholic here.

You need to study the roots of the catholic faith.

This goddess worship idea was borrowed from some of the earlier more authentic belief systems. What we catholics do is very close to what the so-called pagan faiths have always done. The only difference being when we do it we call it respect. When they do it we call it worship and make fun of them for doing it.

Love and blessings Don