Inter-Faith Series, Catholicism: Why is our Lady a unique member ...?

Question

…of the Communion of Saints? The Church defines Communion of Saints as the union of all members of the Church in heaven, on earth and in purgatory as one family of Jesus Christ.

Mel, here are some Scriptural references on Communion of Saints.
(1 Corinthians 12,26; Hebrews 12,22f; also Luke 16,9; 1 Corinthians 12,12.20f; Revelation 5,8)

Answer 1

The Blessed Virgin Mary is important to Catholics because the Bible says she is important to God.

+ Mary is the first Christian. All other Christians follow her on the road of faith. She is the model for all of us because she actively cooperated with the Will of God by saying "Yes" to God in the plan of salvation.

+ Mary is the model of faith. Mary's faith never wavered throughout Jesus' life, even while watching him die on the cross when most of the Apostles ran away.

+ Mary is full of grace. The angel Gabriel called her, "Full of grace" and said, "The Lord is with you." She is full of grace at that moment; the Lord is with her at that moment, before she says "yes" to the angel's question. Catholics believe the state of grace was with her since her Immaculate Conception. God prepared her for her later role as the mother of Jesus.

+ Mary is the mother of Jesus Christ, of God the Son.

+ Mary is a dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, a tabernacle. The angel Gabriel says to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow." (Luke 1:35)

+ God praised Mary through His messenger, the angel Gabriel, "Rejoice, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you." How many other people have been praised by God?

+ Jesus honored Mary. Jesus kept the Commandments and did not sin. Jesus fulfilled the Commandment to honor both his father and his mother. WWJD? What would Jesus do? Jesus would and did honor Mary, his mother.

+ The Holy Spirit inspired praises of Mary. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit,
cried out in a loud voice and said, "Most blessed are you among women," and "Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled." (Luke 1:41-45)

+ The Scriptures tell of Mary's place with Jesus. Mary gives birth to Jesus, presents him to the shepherds, to the wise men, to God in the Temple. She lived with him for many years in Nazareth, intercedes with Jesus in Cana, suffers with him at the foot of the Cross, and prays to him with the apostles in the Upper Room.

+ Mary was a prophet. "Behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed. The Mighty One has done great things for me." (Luke 48-49) As Christians who believe the Bible, we must call Mary "blessed."

+ Mary is our Mother too. While he was on the Cross, Jesus said to his beloved disciple (who represents all Christians), "this is your mother." (John 19:27)

For more information, see the Catechism of the Catholic Church, section 484 and following: http://www.nccbuscc.org/catechism/text/pt1sect2chpt2art3p2.htm

With love in Christ.

Answer 2

The Mother, of God, Mother of Jesus, wife of St. Joseph, and the greatest of all Christian saints.

The Virgin Mother “was, after her Son, exalted by divine grace above all angels and men”.

Mary was jesus's first apostle
A LIFE SURROUNDED BY MIRACLES
In the life of The Virgin, miracles begin before her birth, and
continue after her death. From these:
1. She was generated with a miracle, from sterile parents, with an
annunciation from the angel.
2. The miracle of her bethrothal, in a divine manner which
determined who will take her and care for her.
3. The miracle of her conception of Christ while she is a virgin, and
the continuation of her virginity after giving birth.
4. The miracle during her visit to Elizabeth who, when she heard the
voice of her greeting, the babe leaped for joy in her womb, and she was
filled with the Holy Spirit.
5. Innumerable miracles during her visit to Egypt, one of which is
the fall of idols (Is. 19:1).
6. The first miracle which the Lord did in Cana of Galilea, happened
through her request.
7. The miracle of the dissolution of iron, and the deliverance of the
apostle Matthias, happened through her intervention.
8. The miracle of Christ receiving her soul, at the hour of her death.

9. The miracle of the striking of the jews by the Lord, when they
wanted to attack her corpse after her death.
10. The miracle of the ascent of her body to heaven.
11. The miracles which happened everywhere by her hands, about
which books were written.
12. Her apparition in numerous places, and especially her wonderful
apparation in our churches in Zeitoun, and in Papadopoulo.
Miracles are still happening everywhere, and will happen as a
testimony to the honor of this saint.

Answer 3

She was the first to say 'yes' to God, and in fact the first disciple of Jesus. "All generations will call me blessed."(Lk. 1.47-48) Though this does not exhaust the scriptural references to Mary and her role as a powerful intercessor before God on our behalf, one can begin to understand why the Reformers held Mary such high esteem, and why many Christians still call her "blessed today.

Even if Mary was great and God did great things through and with her, why such an emphasis on her today? It seems unfounded… until you read Revelation 12: "And a great sign appeared in the heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; she was with child and she cried out in her pangs of birth, in anguish for delivery." Who do you suppose the "woman" from Revelation 12 is referring to? Some have argued that the woman is the Church. Perhaps in a secondary sense, however that argument deteriorates in the context of the passage. It was Jesus who gave birth to the Church, not the Church who gave birth to Jesus. Therefore, the woman who gave birth to the "male child, destine to rule the nations" was Mary. (Rev 12:4)

Reading further we see the great red dragon (Satan) appear and "stood before the woman who was about to bear a child, that he might devour her child when she brought it forth."(Rev. 12:4) The dragon pursued her, but God protected her. "Then the dragon was angry with the woman, and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring," Who are those offspring? St. John does not leave us to wonder. He tells us her offspring are, "those who keep the commandments of God and bear testimony to Jesus."(Rev. 12:17)

Why does Revelation emphasize Mary? Because Christ emphasizes her. He inspired John to write about her in Revelation as the Mother of all those who keep the commandments of God and bear testimony to Jesus; He gave his mother to mankind (symbolized by John) at the foot of the cross; He followed the commandment of "honor thy mother and father" and we are called to act in like manor, not just with our earthly mothers and fathers, but with our heavenly mother and father.

But does not all of this emphasis on Mary detract from the glory of God and Jesus? We already addressed the fact (earlier in the article) that her intercession establishes God's glory rather than detract from it. Furthermore, Mary is like the moon and Jesus like the sun. The moon has no light of its own that it does not receive from the sun. However, the moon reflects and radiates the light of the sun and is seen as glorious, not to the exclusion of the sun, but because of it. And so it is with Mary. She reflects and radiates the glory of Jesus to the benefit of her offspring. This in no way makes her equal with Jesus; however, one can safely say that she holds a special place in heaven.

Answer 4

I need scriptures on this one.

Answer 5

why not?