Catholic question?

Question

I grew up Catholic but could not answer this question that my husband asked last night. He asked, "I understand why people worship Jesus, but why do people also worship the Virgin Mary just as equally?" (I must have fallen asleep in CCD while they were talking about that!)

What I mean is, for example, my mom has the virgin Mary and Jesus displayed on her mantel, or she prays to the Virgin Mary a lot, etc; and I said I GREW up Catholic, I don't practice it now...

Answer 1

Mary the subject of preaching and worship

From Vatican Collection Volume 1, Vatican Council II, The Conciliar and Post Conciliar documents. General Editor Austin Flannery, O.P. New revised edition 1992; Costello Publishing Company, Northport, New York. 1992 pages 420-421 (par. 65)

65. But while in the most Blessed Virgin the church has already reached that perfection whereby she exists without spot or wrinkle (cf. Eph. 5:27), the faithful still strive to conquer sin and increase in holiness. And so they turn their eyes to Mary who shines forth to the whole community of the elect as the model of virtues. Devoutly meditating on her and contemplating her in the light of the Word made man, the Church reverently penetrates more deeply into the great mystery of the Incarnation and becomes more and more like her spouse. Having entered deeply into the history of salvation, Mary, in a way, unites in her person and re-echoes the most important doctrines of the Faith: and when she is the subject of preaching and worship she prompts the faithful to come to her son, to his sacrifice and to the love of the Father. Seeking after the glory of Christ, the Church becomes more like her lofty type, and continually progresses in faith, hope and charity, seeking and doing the will of God in all things. The Church, therefore, in her apostolic work too, rightly looks to her who gave birth to Christ, who was thus conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin, in order that through the church he could be born and increase in the hearts of the faithful. In her life the Virgin has been a model of that motherly love with which all who joined in the church's apostolic mission for the regeneration of mankind should be animated.



IV. THE CULT OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN IN THE CHURCH1
66. Mary has by grace been exalted above all angels and men to a place second only to her Son, as the most holy Mother of God who was involved in the mysteries of Christ: she is rightly honored by a special cult in the Church. From the earliest times the Blessed Virgin is honored under the title of Mother of God, whose protection the faithful take refuge together in prayer in all their perils and needs. Accordingly, following the Council of Ephesus, there was a remarkable growth in the cult of the people of God towards Mary, in veneration and love, in invocation and imitation, according to her own prophetic words: "all generations shall call me Blessed, because he that is mighty hath done great things to me" (Luke 1:48).

Comments on this passage

1. Nowhere in Scripture are we told to put our eyes upon anyone other than the Lord himself. We are told to fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfect of our faith (Heb. 12:2).
In addition, it is Jesus who is the model of virtue, not Mary. Though she was greatly blessed, and undoubtedly a godly woman, she still needed a savior. Mary said, "And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior" (Luke 1:47). Contrary to the Roman Catholic teaching that Mary was sinless, Mary herself admitted that God was her savior. A sinless person does not need a savior. It is in the person of Jesus said grace and truth (and virtue) our best exemplified and our eyes should be kept on him.
2. "Spouse?" Still researching to discover what is meant.
3. The only proper object of preaching and worship is God. Jesus said, "...You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only" (Matt. 4:10). The incredible danger of getting Mary the subject of both preaching and worship is warned about in Exodus 20:4-5, "You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. "You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me." God clearly warns against creating any idol before which anyone should bow. It goes without saying that the countless images of Mary strewn throughout Catholic churches all over the world are most assuredly shrines of idolatry, since thousands of times a day, Catholics over the world break the commandment of God by bowing before these images in worship.
4. We should look to Christ alone. When you take your eyes off of Jesus and put them on anything else, or anyone else, you will be led astray.
5. Where is this taught in Scripture? Where does it say that Mary was exalted above angels and men second only to her son? This would mean that Mary is just under Jesus, the creator of the universe, in position. I assumed his place is a place of authority, holiness, etc. Vatican II's comments are not biblical. This teaching can not be found in Scripture and should be abandoned.
6. This is a misleading term. Mary is not the Mother of God in the sense that God, the created the universe, had a mom. This would be far too close to Mormon theology. Rather, Mary is the mother of the human nature of Jesus, not the mother of the divine nature.
However, it can be said in some sense that she is the Mother of God if what is meant is that her womb carried the incarnate Word. This incredible privilege does not mean that God, the holy and infinite being, was nursing at her breast after his birth. But, it does mean that the person of Jesus was. It was the human nature that nursed, not the divine.


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1. "Cult" in this sense means a community of worshippers and not the "non-Christian cult" meaning that is often used of Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, etc.

Answer 2

You are "so close" to say they worship Mary. You see the Catholics dodging the issue above my answer. While technically they do not worship her, in fact, they do.

They pray directly to her (God said have no Gods before Me). Jesus never said to pray to her. Jesus also lumped her as an equal with His siblings and all people in attendance.

In a Catholic church, they have a statue of Jesus on one side of the alter, and an EQUAL in size statue of Mary on the other. Mmm....seems like worship to me.

Mary said she would be called Blessed. That does NOT mean to pray to her OR worship her.

Last point: In the NT, at NO time do the disciples place any special merit on Mary, at all. She is merely mentioned as a tag along....right along with Mary Magdalene. READ the NT for yourself, specifically the four Gospels and you will see perfectly clear that Mary is not to be prayed to. You also won't see priests there...you also won't see the Catholic church in there....which is why I left.

Edit: I am not saying Catholics are going to hell because of this. I'm just saying they need to "lower" Mary down a notch or two. Within in the Catholic church, there are very Christian people, certainly going to heaven, and there are some duds, clearly headed the other way. Just like many Christian denominations.

Answer 3

Mary the Mother of God, is venerated, Catholics do not worship Mary. And they do not pray to Mary, This is usually the next question about Mary, why do Catholics pray to Mary? We ask Mary to intercede for us and pray for us, as you will know when you say the Hail Mary. The doctrine of Mary is developed in the Catholic Church, and many other Christian denominations look for answers on Mary, from Catholics, why not do a study on the Doctrine of Mary the Mother or God, with Your Husband . Christmas Blessings

Answer 4

Catholics do not worship the Virgin Mary equally with Jesus. They may pray to Mary to intercede with Jesus. Some people have an emotional attachment with Mary that may APPEAR as if they think she is as important as Jesus.

Answer 5

Catholics do not worship the Blessed Virgin Mary. But we do honor her as we do all the saints in heaven.

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, Mother Teresa and Pope John Paul II.

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.

Asking others to pray for you whether your loved ones on Earth or your loved ones in heaven is always optional.

For more information, see the Catechism of the Catholic Church, section 946 and following: http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt1sect2chpt3art9p5.htm#946

With love in Christ.

Answer 6

Despite praying for her intecession, saying endless number of rosaries and novenas, adorning endless statues, which are also paraded through the streets and crowned as the "Queen of Heaven", despite the endless hymns such as "Hail Holy Queen Enthroned Above", Roman Catholics will tell you that they don't worship Mary.

The truth of the mater is they do and they have done so for millennium.
As one Catholic theologian put it, she is now the fourth person of the Holy Trinity.

Catholics will tell you that they are only asking for her to intercede with God, as a mother asking a favor of her son.

If they actually had a relationship with God, why would they need a "middle man" or ":middle woman"? Why couldn't they simply go to God to repent, to petition rather than having to go through a "saint" or even a priest?

I didn't sleep through CCD, and I spent more than six years in a Roman Catholic religious order studying for the priesthood.

Somewhere between learning to read the Torah in Hebrew as well as the prophetic writings, studying the New Testament and how it was compiled as well as the history of the church led me to leave.

Sadly, most Catholics, which includes a good many preists and religious, simply haven't been well educated although they have been very well indoctrinated and have been taught to perform on command.

I can still recall hearing the monsignor at our parish telling us not to read the Old and New Testaments ourselves as we would not be able to understand their true meaning.

After I left, I studied Buddhism and evnetually was led by God to Islam. Alhumdulillah!

May everyone who seeks God with a sincere heart and good intentions be blessed.

Ma'a salaam

(I can count those "thumbs down" already!)

Answer 7

Catholics DON'T worship the Virgin Mary as equally as Jesus!!!!!!

Answer 8

What's not to worship? According to the catholic mythology, she is 1 of only 2 people born without sin, and the only woman born so. She is also the mother of god. If that's not worthy of some reverance, what is?

Answer 9

Umm... if you grew up Catholic you already know the answer to that. Catholics don't worship Mary, they ask her to intervene on their behalf and hope that she'll put in a good word with the Christian God so that he'll be more inclined to do as they ask.

But you already knew that didn't you? Or are you not Catholic at all?

Answer 10

You can pray to the guy down at 'Dunkin Donuts'.
Who you pray to and why has little to do with any status of prayability. You're just wanting answers, right?
Pray to whomever gets you the best answers.

Answer 11

I do not believe catholics worship the virgin, Mary. However she is revered by them as the mother of Christ. I also have experienced the same attitude of reverence proferred by members of other religions.