Catholics, is there a problem with "Marian abuses" in the Church?

Question

Is carrying Marian devotion too far a common problem? I'll cite three examples:


1. One answer to my last question said: "Devotion to Mary sometimes develops the habit of turning to her first, but it also should develop a deeper relationship with and love of her Son because that's always where she points us."

I would hope that the latter is true, but the fomer seems to be inherently problematic regardless.


2. One answer to the question before, said: "The fear of God's severe judgment, the fear of Jesus as a mighty figure sitting at God's right hand, has led people to flee (figuratively) to Mary as one who is all mercy and has nothing of judgment within her. It's just like a child running to his mother when he fears his father might whip him."


3. A while back I read the autobiography of a sexual abuse victim in which she said that being able to go to Mary was a big deal for her because it was easier to approach a woman than to approach God.

What has the Catholic Church done to address these sorts of things when they arise?

As always, I do not welcome anti-Catholic comments. Please offer thoughtful answers, or refrain. Thanks.

Edge, I don't consider that sort of comment to be anti-Catholic. I'm referring to people who turn someone's questions about Catholicism into a platform for them to make sweeping pronouncements condemning the Catholic Church, especially when they're only vaguely relevant to the original question.

James O: What has the Catholic Church done about these abuses?

I've extended this, because I'm still waiting for someone to tell me what the Catholic Church has done about the abuses that do occur.

Catherine, thank you for reminding me of how careful we have to be with our words online. If you knew anything about me, you would have read my question very differently. My *only* intention was to highlight one woman's errant practice of substiting Mary for Jesus on an ongoing basis.

Sexual abuse has actually hit close to home in my family, and so it saddens me that I could so dramatically miscommunicate, and cause hurt in the process. My question was not intended to address the practice of asking for the prayers of a saint who would be especially understanding of one's crisis situation. I find St. Maria Goretti's story especially moving.

http://www.scborromeo.org/saints/maria.htm

Answer 1

You cite the following as a example of "carrying Marian devotion too far" and "a problem": "A . . . sexual abuse victim . . . said that being able to go to Mary was a big deal for her because it was easier to approach a woman than to approach God."

Sir, would you question the filial devotion of a young woman to her father, if after being released from the Trauma Center she asked to speak alone with a female rape crisis counselor before she confided in her own father? Indeed, I hope you would not.

These wounds to the femininity are horrific, and in their agony these distraught women feel that only another woman can understand. At their very core, they long for the maternal sympathy of one who shares their female humanity.

At times of crisis or trauma, human persons sometimes arrive at a point where they are no longer able to think straight. Our merciful God understands this and makes tender and considerate provision for this.

I hope you will forgive me speaking so bluntly, but that you could consider this very human reaction "a problem", sir, provokes in me the temptation to question your own humanity.


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Sir, you may read a great deal about the Catholic Church's response to the abuse scandal by reading the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops www.usccb.org, and following the links.

Answer 2

Having spent some time in the Catholic Church I would like to comment on this question. It seems to me that the RCC goes way too far with there mariology. I owned a Catholic prayer book that had, among other prayers, the rosary in it. On the rosary page it said, just above an image of a rosary, "your key to heaven". The rosary is not anyone's key to heaven. God's merciful grace through faith in Christ is the key to heaven. This book had a nihil obstat as well so it wasn't just some Catholic's opinion, this had been approved by a bishop, and a pretty conservative one at that. In my opinion, that is obviously going way, way overboard.

Edit: The Church doesn't do anything about the abuses, because the Church, I believe, doesn't really have a problem with them. I mean, when you have Popes, dedicating the Church, and their pontificates to Mary, or saying that the Church is in her hands, rather than God's, I would say anything goes at that point.

Answer 3

Yes'
there are abuses but the problem is not with authenically Catholic Marian doctrines( which are corollaries and commentaries on orthodox Chalcedonian Christology) such as Theotokos,Perpet. Virginnity Immac Conception and Assumption. The problem is with some"popular devotions and expressions" since not all of them are shaped and guided by precise Catholic theological application.

Some people seem to have a craving for someone who may not be the Godess but a female Christ(with maybe a semiArian Christology applied to her).
Some people's marian devotion is more exuberance tha orthodox precision.
Not all Marian prayers,even liturgical hymns or even those penned by saints ,even scholars like St Alphonsus and St Max Kolbie, are flawless or theologically accurate ,balanced and incapable of heterodox or even idolatrous interpetation.

We also have the abuse of avoiding venerating Mary Our Mother and Mother of the Eternal Word Incarnate at all cost and avoiding giving her the hyperdulia that her function and heroism in our Family of Christ deserves.

Someone once said(and if anyone remembers who please tell me)" A ton of honor to her [Mary} is grossly too little and one gram of adoration is grossly too much."

Answer 4

I try my best not to offer anti-catholic comments regardless of what some may believe. However as someone outside the Catholic church looking in it often appears to go too far. People bowing to statues of Mary. The great veneration which she is shown. To outsiders it often appears Mary is worshiped as much and as highly as Jesus is.


Quailman - You are right and I was careful to add that word "seems". Talking to the Catholics on here and trying to understand has led me to understand the difference Catholics see in it. However I do think a portion of Catholics, likely a small portion, do cross the line into worship of Mary and the saints.

Answer 5

All Catholics remain obligated to attend Mass every Sunday, where Jesus is ALWAYS worshipped and praised as the source and summit of our Christian existence, along with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit.

This places God front and center, as the only one we worship, and this should be clearly understood by everyone, without fail.

In a secondary and much inferior position to God, we find Mary, all the angels, and all the saints, who are members of the same family of God, the body of Christ, and Communion of saints, from whom we are encouraged to request help, in an effort to ultimately perfect our faith.

In the end, everything that Mary is empowered to do is a function of God's power and grace, is done only with his express permission, and is facilitated by the Holy Spirit, who could certainly prevent such activities, if they were in any way improper.

And I personally have no doubt that God created Mary and empowered her to do exactly what she does, in order to give comfort and respite to those wretched souls who may feel (however deluded they may be) that they have alienated themselves from God.

In those cases, Mary's typical response (and her final words, as recorded in the scriptures) is most probably: "Do whatever Jesus tells you."

Answer 6

there is not any contrevosry. the two Pelosi and biden are incorrect. there is not any such component as descesion from doctrine for a catholic. there have been great catholic leaders in the democratic party, and we glance forward to yet another to upward push, who has the braveness to stick to doctrine in this difficulty. with connection with the Republicans, there are different existence matters that they are on the incorrect facet as an occasion, captiol punshment, battling poverty, and the humanization and sprituality of artwork -- exertions -- in spite of the shown fact that abortion is rightly the main sailient of the existence matters, it would supply up. so, catholics have a deliama and a derth of management by ability of meant catholic elected officals. there's a catholic majority ont he mind-blowing court docket, attributable to President George Bush. it rather is as much as them to calrify the criminal definiton of whilst existence starts off. whilst this is odne the unborn will relish the rights that we relish and all eintitled to, which incorporate existence, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. in spite of the shown fact that, they the catholic justices ought to conform their critiques to catholic doctrine and their leagal ability, and carry what's the actuality. it rather is a straightforward rely, existence starts off at concept and this is the job of the government to guard the civil rights of the conceived. And yet another which incorporate a mom ought to guard those rights besides. How might desire to a mom not. so, catholics in oreder to vote our judgment of right and incorrect ought to, I beleive, write in an aceptable candidate, who lives as much as the form and protects the rights of all. secure practices of the rights of the conceived, is the main serious civil rights difficulty of our time, one could think of Obama, being african american, could comprehend this. as a replace nonetheless we are left with a Democratic party that seems to have an interest in extending rights to sexaul deveiants -- a decision not a civil actual -- then they're in retaining the leigimate rights of the conceived.

Answer 7

435 The name of Jesus is at the heart of Christian prayer. All liturgical prayers conclude with the words "through our Lord Jesus Christ". The Hail Mary reaches its high point in the words "blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus." The Eastern prayer of the heart, the Jesus Prayer, says: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner." Many Christians, such as St. Joan of Arc, have died with the one word "Jesus" on their lips.

At Cana, Mary’s pointed observation, “They have no wine,” expresses Israel’s longing for the feast of the messianic kingdom, while her imperative “Do whatever he tells you,” comes from a believer now within the messianic community. Beyond the surface of Jesus’ words from the cross to his mother and the beloved disciple, the text of Jn 19:25-27 gives Mary a maternal role in the church, since the Fourth Gospel presents this disciple as the beginning of the church, that is, as object of Jesus’ love, faithful follower, and reliable witness (MGH 26).

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Answer 8

i don't know what the church has done besides just keeping the rules and not giving in to it.


i mean, you don't know what's going on in their heads.

Edge said it seems they worship Mary( to an outsider). The key word is seems. i mean, to an outsider it would seem that Christians hit themselves before and after they pray.

lost.eu/21618