2007-06-12 14:48:17 · 11 answers · asked by ? 6 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Catholics venerate the virgin mary because she is Christ's mother. Because Christ called her into heaven when she died. she ascended
2007-06-12 14:53:40 · answer #1 · answered by smileytexas 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Belief in the Mary has been a part of Christianity since the time of the writings of the Gospels. Christians believe that Mary was a Virgin when she conceived Jesus. After the birth of Jesus there is a question as to if Mary remained a virgin or not. It has been a part of Catholic tradition that Mary remained a virgin. This tradition is still being debated among Catholics. Protestants have been divided on this issue.
One can be a Catholic and believe that Mary had other children besides Jesus.
2007-06-12 22:00:06 · answer #2 · answered by Mary W 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋
The answer "The Carmelite" gave is right on track. In every sence, the Virgin Mary is the quintessential, perfect Christian. She is our "role-model," so to say. She is also like our prayer warrior because her holiness ensures us that when we ask the Blessed Mother to pray for us, her prayers will hold much weight with God. The Bible tells us that the prayers of righteous people are worth alot, and this applies to Mary in a profound way.
Mary is the Ark of the New and everlasting covenant. Just like the ark of the old covenant, a perfect vessel was needed to deliver such a covenant. Mary, concieved without sin, is the New Eve and the spotless bearer of the Spotless Lamb. We know that Jesus Christ is God, He is perfect - so what does this have to tell you about His mother, the "delivery system" of the New Covenant, the Spotless Lamb of God. Mary was held with very high esteem by the Apostles and by Jesus Himself, which is obvious from reading in the Gospels about the wedding feast at Cana, the first miracle which Christ performed in Scripture.
We Catholics have never worshiped Mary. Worship and adoration are for God ALONE, that is our doctrine. We HONOR Mary and the Saints as our spiritual "heroes" and ask them to pray for us as we would anyone else, becuase they are still living in heaven today.
2007-06-12 22:18:34 · answer #3 · answered by Nic B 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Not just Latin Rite Catholics, but all Catholics, and those former Catholics now called "Eastern Orthodox" continue the original Christian recognition of Mary as the one that was ever a virgin, as concieving as one, bearing the ONE concieved as one, and finding herself still one even after having given birth. She was spiritually a virgin all through life, as the Second Eve.
2007-06-13 02:06:03 · answer #4 · answered by Travis J 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not sure what you mean by "believe" here. After all, every Christian (including Protestant ones) believes that Mary was Jesus' mother, and that she was a virgin at least at the time she conceived and bore Jesus.
If you mean that we believe that she was a virgin, and remained one her entire life, those beliefs were held by the very earliest Christians.
It was much later on that Protestants broke away from belief in Mary's perpetual virginity, and began to believe that after Jesus was born she had normal relations with Joseph and had more children.
There are other beliefs about Mary -- her Immaculate Conception, her Assumption into Heaven -- which were formally defined by the Church at a relatively late date, but had in reality long been held by Catholics.
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2007-06-12 22:07:03 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
We started believing in her as soon as the Bible stated that she accepted God's call for her to be the mother of Jesus Christ. There's a passage in the book of Luke stating that she shall be called blessed among all women, and Catholics take that seriously, hence the veneration of the Blessed Virgin.
2007-06-12 21:54:26 · answer #6 · answered by solarius 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
In Luke 1:48, Mary prophesied: "From henceforth all generations shall call me blessed."
A question for Christians who take the Bible literally: Do you call Mary "blessed"? If no, why?
All Christians believe in the Blessed Virgin Mary.
She is in the Bible.
She is the mother of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
She witnessed the Crucifixion.
+ Saints +
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 here on earth to pray for you. Or you may also ask the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint Andrew, or your deceased grandmother in heaven to pray for you.
Prayer to saints is communication, not worship.
+ The Hail Mary Prayer +
The Hail Mary prayer simply recites Bible passages (the Word of God) and asks Mary to pray for us:
Hail Mary Full of grace, the Lord is with you. (These are the words the angel Gabriel said to Mary, a Bible quote, Luke 1:28)
Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. (This is Mary's cousin Elizabeth's greeting, another bible quote, Luke 1:42)
Holy Mary, (The angel Gabriel said she was full of grace and Elizabeth said she was blessed.)
Mother of God, (the Bible says Mary is the mother of Jesus Christ, God the Son)
Pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. (A simple request to pray for us.)
Amen.
+ With love in Christ.
2007-06-13 01:45:09 · answer #7 · answered by imacatholic2 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
We honor -- NOT worship Mary. The gospel of Luke tells us that Mary herself claimed that "....from this day all generations will call me Blessed" (LK 1:48b). The thing is, she is called Blessed NOT because of anything she did BUT BECAUSE of what GOD DID for her. And yes.....all will CALL her Blessed...not describe her as such but call her Blessed.....a big difference in meaning.
Mary was always about one thing: God. She never claimed anything for herself. Heres was the most unselfish act of love aside from the death on the cross of Jesus.
God tells us to "honor they father and mother". Therefore we know that Jesus honored his mother.....and since we like to claim Jesus as our brother, then it stands to reason that his mother becomes our mother!
2007-06-12 22:06:01 · answer #8 · answered by The Carmelite 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Right from the begining we believed in her because of her Son. We love her because she is the Mother of our Savior and Redeemer,the Mother of all believers in the adopted Family of Christ and my personal spiritual mother,example and prayer-partner.
2007-06-13 08:13:43 · answer #9 · answered by James O 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is a recycled myth from the Mithran belief system.
Love and blessings Don
2007-06-12 21:54:08 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋