What Does The Bible Says About Worshiping Mary?

Are Christians allowed to worship Mary?

Early veneration – Earliest fresco of the Virgin Mary, Catacomb of Priscilla, 2nd century Mary, as the mother of Jesus, is documented in Roman catacombs : paintings from the first half of the 2nd century show her holding the Christ Child, Excavations in the crypt of St Peter’s Basilica uncovered a very early fresco of Mary together with Saint Peter.

The Roman Priscilla catacombs depict the oldest Marian paintings from the middle of the 2nd century: Mary is shown with Jesus on her lap; they are next to a man in a tunic, his left hand holding a book and his right hand pointing to a star over his head, the latter being an Old Testament symbol of messiahs and/or the Messiah.

These catacombs also have a depiction of the Annunciation, The Edict of Milan (AD 313) allowed Christians to worship openly. This new freedom also permitted literary development of the veneration of Mary, Hippolytus of Rome being an early example. Ambrose, who lived in Rome before going to Milan as its bishop, venerated Mary as an example of Christian life and is credited with starting a Marian cult of virginity in the 4th century.

1. Marian veneration was theologically sanctioned with the adoption of the title Theotokos at the Council of Ephesus in 431.
2. The earliest known churches dedicated to Mary were built shortly after that date, among these the Church of the Seat of Mary ( Kathisma ) near Mar Elias Monastery, between Jerusalem and Bethlehem.

The first Marian churches in Rome date from the 5th and 6th centuries: Santa Maria in Trastevere, Santa Maria Antiqua and Santa Maria Maggiore, However, the very earliest church dedicated to the Virgin Mary still dates to the late 4th century in Syria, where an inscription dedicating it to the Theotokos (Mother of God) was found among the ruins.

Does the Bible support praying to Mary?

The justification for asking Mary to intercede for us is once again found in the Bible. Revelation 5:8 depicts ‘the prayers of the saints’ being set before the altar of God in heaven.

What does the Bible say about honoring Mary?

Topical Studies What the Bible says about Veneration of Mary ( From Forerunner Commentary ) Luke 1:26-30 This is the sole scriptural reference that even remotely suggests that Mary might be worthy of worship. While the angel gives Mary a number of high compliments, nothing indicates that she is worthy of worship, let alone being an intercessor between Jesus Christ and His followers, a Co-Redemptrix, sinless for her entire life, or given any other honor aside from being God’s chosen vessel for the purpose of the Son of God being made flesh and blood. This is not to denigrate that role in the least, because truly it is a great honor, but God has throughout the ages chosen various people to fill different roles according to His will and purpose—and none of them are shown to be worthy of worship. In verse 28, Gabriel tells Mary in his salutation that she is “highly favored,” and in verse 30, that she “has found favor with God.” The Greek word translated highly favored means “to grace,” “to endue with special honor,” or “to be accepted.” The only other place it is used is Ephesians 1:6, where Paul says to the church at Ephesus and to the body of Christ generally, “., to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.” From this example, we can see that being “highly favored” is not synonymous with being worthy of worship. Everyone in the body of Christ is highly favored because God has accepted us through the justification brought about by Christ’s sacrifice. In verse 30, Gabriel tells Mary that she has found favor with God, “Favor” is the Greek word charis, which means “graciousness of manner or action.” It indicates favor on the part of the giver and thankfulness on the part of the receiver. It is most often translated “grace” in the New Testament. Gabriel tells Mary that she is the recipient of charis, of grace and favor by God—the emphasis is on what God is doing. The type of grace bestowed on Mary is implied to be sweetness, charm, loveliness, joy, and delight. Again, we see nothing in this verse to give any indication that Mary should be worshipped. She simply received God’s favor by being chosen to fulfill this role. Luke 1:26-30 The references to Mary in Luke 1 are the core scriptures that Catholic scholars use to try to prove that Mary is worthy of our worship. It is evident that the verses say little more than that Mary was given grace and favor by God, as we all have. They simply cannot be used as a starting point for establishing a doctrine of worship. Aside from the little that the Bible says about Mary, there are other significant biblical principles that directly contradict a doctrine of Mary-worship. We could examine a whole host of scriptures relating to human death and resurrection to show that Mary is in the same condition as the rest of the dead in Christ—awaiting the resurrection, without consciousness, and not in heaven ( Psalm 146:3-4 ; Ecclesiastes 9:5 ; Job 14:12 ; John 3:13 ; Acts 2:29-34 ; I Corinthians 15:12-55 ; see also Is Heaven the Reward of the Saved ?). We could look at a vast array of scriptures that show that Mary-worship is indeed idolatry, because only God the Father and Jesus Christ are worthy of our worship ( Exodus 34:14 ; Matthew 4:10 ). We could delve into the singular role that Jesus Christ plays as Mediator of the New Covenant—a role in which He does not need any help ( Hebrews 8:6 ; 9:15 ; 12:24 ). These are not difficult concepts. Nevertheless, there is a vital lesson to be learned from this obviously erroneous doctrine. The veneration of Mary, like many pagan practices, has its origin in the heathen religious system created by Nimrod and Semiramis, and more specifically, from the worship of the “Mother and Child.” Through the millennia, the symbol of the “Mother and Child” has been endlessly repeated; one can find evidence of Mother-and-Child worship in all of the nations in ancient times. Though her characteristics varied from culture to culture, the common element is that the Mother was the Queen of Heaven, and she bore fruit even though a virgin. In China, Semiramis became known as the “Holy Mother.” The Germans named her “Hertha.” The Scandinavians called her “Disa.” Among the Druids, the “Vigo-Paritura” was worshipped as the “Mother of God.” To the Greeks, she was “Aphrodite.” To the Romans she was known as “Venus,” and her son was “Jupiter.” The Canaanites, and sometimes even the Israelites, worshipped “Ashtoreth” ( Judges 2:13 ; 10:6 ; I Samuel 7:3-4 ; 12:10 ; I Kings 11:5, 33; II Kings 23:13 ), who was also known as “the queen of heaven” ( Jeremiah 7:18 ). In Ephesus, the Great Mother was known as “Diana.” T.W. Doane in his book Bible Myths sums it up this way: “Thus we see that the Virgin and child were worshipped in pagan times from China to Britain,, and even in Mexico the ‘Mother and child’ were worshipped.” This false worship, having spread from Babylon to the various nations, finally became established at Rome and throughout the Roman Empire. James George Frazer in his The Golden Bough observes: The worship of the Great Mother,, was very popular under the Roman Empire. Inscriptions prove that the received divine honors,, not only in Italy and especially at Rome, but also in the provinces, particularly in Africa, Spain, Portugal, France, Germany, and Bulgaria. (vol.1, p.356) One of the repeated patterns of the Roman church is syncretism, bringing pagan beliefs and practices into the church to keep certain groups happy. This is the same mechanism by which Christmas, Easter, Sunday-worship, and the pagan trinity-god were brought into the Roman church—and which most of mainstream Christianity has accepted without question. The church allowed the pagans within it to continue their practices—in this case, the worship of the Great Mother—only in a slightly different form and with a new name. Many pagans had been drawn to Christianity, but so strong in their mind was the adoration for the Mother-goddess, that they did not want to forsake her. Compromising church leaders saw that, if they could find some similarity in Christianity with the Mother-goddess worship of the pagans, they could increase their numbers by bringing many pagans into their fold. Of course, Mary fit the bill perfectly. So the pagans were allowed to continue their prayers and devotion to the Mother-goddess, but her name was changed to Mary. In this way, the pagan worship of the Mother was given the appearance of Christianity, and the course was set. Scripture cannot be used as a starting place for attempting to prove that Mary is worthy of worship. The true beginning for this practice lies with Semiramis and the Babylonian system begun by Nimrod. When the Catholic Encyclopedia presents as proof the historical fact that early Catholics venerated and worshipped Mary, it conveniently leaves out the fact that this adoration started in paganism and was shifted to the personage of the mother of Christ. Once the Roman Church adopted this practice, support had to be found for it, so it “interpreted” Scripture in a way that would lend credence to this practice. However, in these explanations it is apparent that Catholics start with a conclusion and then attempt to find support for it. Luke 1:28 Maybe the most blatant idolatry in Roman Catholicism is their adoration of Mary, the mother of Christ. On the basis of one scripture, Luke 1:28, Catholic theologians have built a major tenet of their faith : “And having come in, the angel said to her, ‘Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!'” With this, they elevate her nearly to a goddess (if not in fact), pray to her incessantly, claim to see her in visions and hear her in dreams and trances, and worship statues of her in their churches and cathedrals! Two quotations from supposed saints of Catholicism will suffice to illustrate how far Mary worship goes: ? There is no one, O most holy Mary,, who can be saved or redeemed but through thee., (St. Germanius, quoted in St. Alphonsus de Liguori, The Glories of Mary, 1931, p.171.) ? As we have access to the Eternal Father only through Jesus Christ, so have we access to Jesus Christ only through Mary. By thee we have access to the Son, O blessed finder of grace, bearer of life, and mother of salvation., (St. Bernard, ibid,) The Catholic Church has elevated Mary to divine status and given her titles and responsibilities reserved to God the Father and His Son! In fact, she becomes the third member of a trinity modeled after the pagan trinities of ancient times. These heathen trinities, found in most polytheistic religions, follow the Father-Mother-Son pattern: Osiris, Isis and Horus; Nimrod, Semiramis and Tammuz; Zeus, Diana, Dionysus; Jupiter, Venus and Cupid; etc. In like manner, some Catholics attribute to Mary the position and characteristics of the third person of their unscriptural trinity, the Holy Spirit. The official publication of “The Blue Army of Our Lady of Fatima,” boasting 22 million members, claims: Mary is so perfectly united with the Holy Spirit that He acts only through His spouse., All our life, every thought, word, and deed is in Her hands,, at every moment, She Herself must instruct, guide, and transform each one of us into Herself, so that not we but She lives in us, as Jesus lives in Her, and the Father in the Son. ( Soul Magazine, November—December 1984, p.4.) If she has these powers and characteristics, then Mary must be God! There can be no doubt that this adoration of Mary is simply a modern manifestation of goddess worship that began over 4,000 years ago in Mesopotamia! In fact, one of her titles, as used by the present Pope, a devoted Marian, is “Queen of Heaven” ( Jeremiah 7:18 ; 44:17-19, 25)! Luke 11:27-28 During Christ’s ministry, a woman tries to draw special attention to Jesus’ mother, and Christ puts things in the proper perspective for us. Jesus agrees that, even though his mother was “happy and to be envied,” as the Amplified Bible puts it, even more blessed is anyone who hears God’s Word and obeys it. He acknowledges that, yes, His mother was a fine lady —but anyone focusing on the personage of Mary was really missing the point. Christ was interested in the attitude and conduct of people, not their veneration of any human being! We see a similar phenomenon within mainstream Christianity. Protestants tend to twist the gospel into simply a message about the person of Jesus Christ, and they like to gloss over the message that He actually spoke: ” Repent, so you can be in alignment with the soon-coming Kingdom of God !” ( Matthew 3:2 ; 4:17 ; Mark 1:15 ). They are so in love with the personality that they cannot hear what He says.

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Are you supposed to pray to Mary?

Why do we pray to Mary and saints and have several devotions?

Why do we pray to Mary? This is probably one of the most asked questions and is often a focus of criticism. Perhaps the place to start is the word “pray.” In English the word “pray” means simply “to ask.” It does not mean “worship.” Many Protestants equate the two terms, but they are not the same. In Catholicism the word “worship or adore” is latria. This is the adoration given only to God. Catholics do not worship Mary as a goddess and we do not consider her divine. She is human just as we are, but she was chosen by God to be the Mother of Jesus who is God with us. Therefore, we call her Mother of God. We give her what we call dulia, which means “honor or venerate.” As in the command to honor your father and mother. When we ask her to pray, we are asking her to pray for us. St. Paul recommends intercessory prayer for others and such prayer does not end when someone dies and goes to heaven. St. James wrote, “the prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects.” Those in heaven can and do pray for us. That includes all the saints. We consider them to be our elder brothers and sisters in Christ who constantly pray for us before the throne of God. Praying to Mary and the saints is scriptural and part of Christian tradition all the way back to the early Church. One of the earliest prayers dates from the third century, “Mother of God, my petitions; do not disregard us in adversity, but rescue us from danger.” In the catacombs, there are inscriptions asking for the prayers of the saints. Beneath St. Peter’s basilica was found the inscription, “Peter, pray for the holy Christian men buried near your body.” Thus we see devotion to a saint, prayers to a saint, and prayers for the dead all common practice in the early Church. Our Code of Canon Law says in canon 1186: “To foster the sanctification of the people of God, the Church commends to the special and filial reverence of the Christian faithful the Blessed Mary ever Virgin, Mother of God, whom Christ established as the mother of all people, and promotes the true and authentic veneration of the other saints whose example instructs the Christian faithful and whose intercession sustains them.” There are a variety of ways that we show our devotion and ask the prayers of Mary and the saints. Many of these come from the long history of the Church and the wide variety of cultures that are part of our faith. These are tried and true ways to pray. The rosary has pride of place for Latin Catholics, but there are many other forms of prayer. Novenas, litanies, scapulars, medals, and other such devotions are part of the treasure of the Church. Catholics are free to pick which ones they find helpful. Prayer is both simple and complicated. It is simple in that it can just be reciting the rosary. However, if one truly meditates on the mysteries of the rosary, you get into deeper concepts quickly. Faith deals with complicated issues, and so at times is complex in its answers. Our Catholic devotions can appeal to both the simple and the complicated parts of our lives. You can read part four of the Catechism of the Catholic Church for a summary of our teaching on prayer. Given all of this information, what should we do? Personally, we can choose which devotions to Mary and the saints foster our spiritual lives. Everyone has different personalities and needs and there are plenty of ways to pray. Mary is not only the Mother of Jesus, but also the Mother of all of us who by baptism become brothers and sisters of Christ. Mary is our mother too and will always pray for us. We can also choose special patron saints who we ask to pray for us, maybe the one you are named after or your confirmation saint. These devotions help to remind us that we are part of the communion of saints and are never alone. We can also share these things with our Protestant brethren. Many harbor misconceptions about the Church and our devotion to Mary and the saints. Christ is indeed our “one mediator between God and man,” but he invites all of us to pray for each other. In no way does our devotion to Mary and the saints diminish Christ. In fact, it leads us to a deeper relationship with Christ. Mary has only one command recorded in scripture, “do whatever he tells you.” Mary always leads us closer to her son. Catholics know this from 2,000 years of experience dating back to the Apostles. This is a great gift we can offer to non-Catholic Christians.

: Why do we pray to Mary and saints and have several devotions?

Why do we pray to Mary instead of Jesus?

Only one Mediator – But 1 Timothy 2:5 clearly says that Jesus is the only Mediator between God and man. As we have seen, God does act through mediations, but only Jesus is Mediator with a capital “M,” we could say. That is, only he was capable of uniting man to God, only he could become the bridge that overcame sin and brought us to new life.

1. No one else is mediator in the way Jesus is.
2. We have the “Mediator,” who is Jesus, and “mediators,” us Christians.
3. Jesus wanted us to participate in his mediation, but this doesn’t mean we replace him or compete with him.
4. This mediation is what allows us to invite people to know him.
5. He willed his plan of salvation to be carried out in this way.

So, when we say we or Mary are “mediators,” we’re obviously not saying that we’re “Mediators” like Christ. We’re simply saying that he chose to let us partake in his mission by reaching others through us. When Catholics “pray” to Mary, we’re not praying in the same way as we pray to God.

We’re asking for her intercession, the way we ask our brothers and sisters for prayers. That is what we ask from her in the Hail Mary. Here is where the Virgin Mary comes in. She takes a special place among us, who participate in Jesus’ mediation, because God chose to come to us through her and gave her to us as Mother.

Her mission consists in always leading us to him: “Do whatever he tells you” (Jn 2:5). She, like us, mediates under Christ’s mediation. When we say she intercedes for us, we are not saying we forget about God. It simply means we turn to her for prayers, something all Christians do when they ask for prayers from their brothers and sisters.

• So, when Catholics “pray” to Mary, we’re not praying in the same way as we pray to God.
• We’re asking for her intercession, the way we ask our brothers and sisters for prayers.
• That is what we ask from her in the Hail Mary.
• First, we salute her with the Biblical words spoken to her by the angel and Elizabeth: “Hail full of grace; the Lord is with you” (Lk 1: 28).

“Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb ” (Lk 1:41-42). And we end by asking for her prayers: “Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.” What a beautiful prayer! God has given us the beautiful gift of a spiritual Mother to help us become one with him.

Do Christians believe Mary was sinless?

The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that by the grace of God ‘ Mary remained free of every personal sin her whole life long.’

Is Mary Holy according to the Bible?

Holiness and the Blessed Virgin Mary – Sister M. Danielle Peters, Father Johann G. Roten, S.M. The Solemnity of All Saints reminds us of the Universal Call to Holiness issued by Vatican II’s Lumen gentium (LG) chapter V and directed to all the faithful.

• In particular, the Council Fathers identified holiness-“the fullness of life”-with perfection of charity, conformity to Jesus Christ, being moved by the Spirit and apostolic activity. (cf.
• LG 41) The Universal Call to Holiness Jesus Christ, “the divine Teacher and Model of all perfection,
• The author and consumator of this holiness of life” (LG 40) and in Him we are made holy.

In and through the gift of baptismal grace we “are justified in the Lord Jesus, become sons of God and sharers in the divine nature.” (LG 40) As our return gift we are charged to live “as becomes saints” (Eph 5:3) and to put on “as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved a heart of mercy, kindness, humility, meekness, patience” (Col 3:12) and to possess the fruit of the Spirit in holiness.

• Cf. Gal 5:22; Rom 6:22) Contrary to some misconceptions, Vatican II assures us that holiness is not a privilege of a few; it is indeed the universal vocation of each Christian! Likewise, holiness is not a superhuman feat brought about through rigorous asceticism.
• Quite the opposite.
• Holiness is a gift freely given to us by God which needs to be treasured, preserved and continuously re-conquered! Although a high ideal, holiness is our Christian destiny and ultimately the realization of Christian living! John Paul II responded to Vatican II’s teaching on the “universal call to holiness” with great urgency.

The late Pope raised more candidates to the honors of the altar than any other Pope in history. Although this practice did meet with criticism, the Pope believed that it was important to accentuate that the “universal call to holiness” had been accepted on every continent and among people of every walk of life.

Being created in the image and likeness of God who is Love, being incorporated into Jesus Christ and being endowed with the gifts and dynamism of the Holy Spirit marks the foundation for our participation in God’s holiness. In order to cultivate this gift of holiness Christians “must use their strength accordingly as they have received it, as a gift from Christ.

They must follow in His footsteps and conform themselves to His image seeking the will of the Father in all things. They must devote themselves with all their being to the glory of God and the service of their neighbor. In this way, the holiness of the People of God will grow into an abundant harvest of good, as is admirably shown by the life of so many saints in Church history.” (LG 40) Lumen gentium points out that “in the most holy Virgin the Church has already reached that perfection.” For that reason “the followers of Christ,

• Turn their eyes to Mary who shines forth to the whole community of the elect as the model of virtues,
• For Mary,
• Unites in herself and re-echoes the greatest teachings of the faith.” (LG 60) The Blessed Virgin Mary – Chosen Model of Holiness Especially in the Eastern Church Our Lady is invoked as Panagia (Παναγία)-the All Holy One.

The title points to Mary’s unique election among all Christians and highlights that she possessed the fullness of the gift of grace from the first instant of her life. This gift was planted in Mary as “a seed of holiness, or a spring which rises in the soul as a gift from God Himself.” In the mystery of Christ she is present as the one whom the Father has chosen as Mother of His Son and entrusted from the very beginning of her existence to the work of the Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier.

Since in Mary the working of the Sanctifier has never been challenged by sin, she precedes everyone on the path to holiness and “in the hierarchy of holiness.” The Blessed Virgin Mary is the only human person who was able to participate in Christ’s historical life from the Incarnation to His Ascension.

It is in uniting herself with the life and mission of her Son that she discovers the fullness of her vocation to holiness. She is led to the realization that all she is and has is a gift from God (Immaculate Conception). As her gift in return she consecrates her love undividedly to Him, existing only for God (Virginity).

Her life becomes abundantly fruitful through her cooperation with God (Divine Maternity) and after the completion of her earthly pilgrimage she continues her mission in God (Assumption and Spiritual Maternity). The person of the Blessed Virgin Mary is thus a human paradigm of what it means to possess the fullness of the gift of holiness and to return it to Him in love’s full participation.

Mary’s self-gift resulted in her cooperation in the Incarnation and culminated in her alignment with Christ’s attitude of self-emptying on Golgotha. Her complete self-emptying can only be understood through the fullness of grace she had received at the beginning of her life. The Blessed Virgin Mary – Chosen Teacher of Holiness As the chosen model of holiness the Blessed Virgin Mary is also our teacher of holiness who provides us with the example of her own life as well as with a lesson plan leading us towards the exalted goal of holiness.

She was well-prepared for her educational duties through her experience in raising her own child; not only did she conceive and give birth to the Son of God, but she also accompanied Him in His human growth. Jesus Christ was attentive and receptive to His Mother’s teaching. In the concrete circumstances of everyday life, He could find in her a model of perfect love for God and for his brothers and sisters which He could follow and imitate.

Although Christ’s last words to her from the cross (Jn 19:26ff) officially commissioned Mary to be our spiritual Mother and thus our teacher, she also earned this task through her humble cooperation with her Son’s education. Sacred Scripture tells us that this occurred most visibly in the encounter with the twelve-year-old in the Temple (cf.

Lk 2:41ff) when, from being her Son’s teacher, Mary became His disciple and helpmate. The lessons Christ taught His Mother gradually prepared her to cooperate “with a maternal love in the birth and education of the faithful.” In this context of communion between Mother and Son through whom “the Blessed Virgin is also intimately united with the Church” can we be assured that the school of Mary brings forth saints.

In his Apostolic Letter on the Most Holy Rosary Rosarium Virginis Mariae and in his last encyclical focusing on the Eucharist, Ecclesia de Eucharistia, John Paul II enumerated some of the lessons we are to learn in Mary’s school of life. The late Pope pointed out that Our Lady teaches us to gaze at Christ “with adoration and wonder.” As teacher, Mary embodies in herself the lesson she passes on since “in a unique way the face of the Son belongs to Mary.” Hence, it follows that the school of Mary offers a unique lesson on how to “contemplate the face of Christ.” Contemplation of the face of Christ with, and as Mary, implies a “remembering” of all events and thereby “making present,

the works brought about by God in the history of salvation.” In reliving and meditating on the various mysteries of her Son’s life Mary “relates her personal account of the Gospel” and teaches us to discern our own. Moreover, by contemplating the face of Christ in Mary’s school we learn “through, the heart of his Mother” to grow “in living communion with Jesus,” a relationship which ideally seen “marks the rhythm of human life.” Like Mary our pilgrimage of faith will at times have us contemplate Christ with “a questioning look, a penetrating gaze, a look of sorrow, a gaze radiant with the joy and a gaze afire.

The class then consists in assimilating the meaning of God’s intervention in our life so that it “shapes our existence.” Contemplating the mysteries in the life of Christ and Mary by praying the rosary should help the believer to incorporate his own rhythm of life into “the ‘rhythm’ of God’s own life, in the joyful communion of the Holy Trinity, our life’s destiny and deepest longing.” John Paul II notes that repeating the Hail Mary constitutes “the psychological dynamic proper to love.” The repetition is nourished by the desire to be conformed ever more completely to Christ, “the true program of the Christian life.” Thus praying “the Rosary helps us to be conformed ever-more-closely to Christ until we attain true holiness.” John Paul II was also convinced that Our Lady desires to have influence on our hearts to make them more appreciative and enthusiastic for the vocation and mission we have received.

• The Pope was convinced that the “Virgin full of courage” will “teach us,
• To overcome all the obstacles that we encounter in accomplishing our mission.” In the school of the Woman of the Eucharist we learn to assimilate Our Lady’s Eucharistic faith.
• She who “was a witness to the historical unfolding of the saving events is the supreme model of participation in the divine mysteries,

Thus, in daily life as in the Eucharistic celebration, the ‘Virgin presenting offerings,’ encourages Christians to ‘offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ’.” (1 Pt 2:5) In this vein John Paul II was convinced that receiving the gift of Christ in the Eucharist “also means continually receiving this gift,

1. It also means taking on a commitment to be conformed to Christ, putting ourselves at the school of his Mother and allowing her to accompany us.” In sum: the Solemnity of All Saints reminds us of the universal call of holiness of all Christians.
2. In the person of the Blessed Virgin Mary we have a model on our journey heavenwards.

In her relationship with God she is let to realize that she is from God (Immaculate Conception) and that she exists for God (perpetual virginity). She accepts her mission and becomes fruitful in her cooperation with God (Divine Maternity) and after her earthly sojourn (Assumption) she continues to exercise her mission as our Mother in the order of grace by inviting us to attend her School of Holiness.

Does the Bible mention Virgin Mary?

Catholic – In the Catholic Church, Mary is accorded the title “Blessed” ( beata, μακάρια ) in recognition of her assumption to Heaven and her capacity to intercede on behalf of those who pray to her. There is a difference between the usage of the term “blessed” as pertaining to Mary and its usage as pertaining to a beatified person.

Blessed” as a Marian title refers to her exalted state as being the greatest among the saints; for a person who has been declared beatified, on the other hand, “blessed” simply indicates that they may be venerated despite not being canonized, Catholic teachings make clear that Mary is not considered divine and prayers to her are not answered by her, but rather by God through her intercession.

The four Catholic dogmas regarding Mary are: her status as Theotokos, or Mother of God; her perpetual virginity; the Immaculate Conception; and her bodily Assumption into Heaven, The Blessed Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus has a more central role in Roman Catholic teachings and beliefs than in any other major Christian group.

1. Not only do Roman Catholics have more theological doctrines and teachings that relate to Mary, but they have more feasts, prayers, devotional and venerative practices than any other group.
2. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: “The Church’s devotion to the Blessed Virgin is intrinsic to Christian worship.” For centuries, Catholics have performed acts of consecration and entrustment to Mary at personal, societal and regional levels.

These acts may be directed to the Virgin herself, to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and to the Immaculate Conception, In Catholic teachings, consecration to Mary does not diminish or substitute the love of God, but enhances it, for all consecration is ultimately made to God.

Following the growth of Marian devotions in the 16th century, Catholic saints wrote books such as Glories of Mary and True Devotion to Mary that emphasized Marian veneration and taught that “the path to Jesus is through Mary”. Marian devotions are at times linked to Christocentric devotions (such as the Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary ).

Major Marian devotions include: Seven Sorrows of Mary, Rosary and scapular, Miraculous Medal and Reparations to Mary, The months of May and October are traditionally “Marian months” for Roman Catholics; the daily rosary is encouraged in October and in May Marian devotions take place in many regions.

• Popes have issued a number of Marian encyclicals and Apostolic Letters to encourage devotions to and the veneration of the Virgin Mary.
• Catholics place high emphasis on Mary’s roles as protector and intercessor and the Catechism refers to Mary as “honored with the title ‘Mother of God’, to whose protection the faithful fly in all their dangers and needs”.

Key Marian prayers include: Ave Maria, Alma Redemptoris Mater, Sub tuum praesidium, Ave maris stella, Regina caeli, Ave Regina caelorum and the Magnificat, Mary’s participation in the processes of salvation and redemption has also been emphasized in the Catholic tradition, but they are not doctrines.

• Pope John Paul II ‘s 1987 encyclical Redemptoris Mater began with the sentence: “The Mother of the Redeemer has a precise place in the plan of salvation.” In the 20th century, both popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI emphasized the Marian focus of the Catholic Church.
• Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI) suggested a redirection of the whole church towards the program of Pope John Paul II in order to ensure an authentic approach to Christology via a return to the “whole truth about Mary,” writing: “It is necessary to go back to Mary if we want to return to that ‘truth about Jesus Christ,’ ‘truth about the Church’ and ‘truth about man.

‘ ” There is significant diversity in the Marian doctrines attributed to her primarily by the Catholic Church. The key Marian doctrines held primarily in Catholicism can be briefly outlined as follows:

• Immaculate Conception : Mary was conceived without original sin,
• Mother of God : Mary, as the mother of Jesus, is the Theotokos (God-bearer), or Mother of God.
• Virgin birth of Jesus : Mary conceived Jesus by action of the Holy Spirit while remaining a virgin.
• Perpetual Virginity : Mary remained a virgin all her life, even after the act of giving birth to Jesus.
• Dormition : commemorates Mary’s “falling asleep” or natural death shortly before her Assumption. Dormition is part of accepted Eastern Catholic theology, but not part of Roman Catholic doctrine.
• Assumption : Mary was taken bodily into heaven either at, or before, her death.

The acceptance of these Marian doctrines by Roman Catholics and other Christians can be summarized as follows:

Doctrine	Church action	Accepted by
Virgin birth of Jesus	First Council of Nicaea, 325	Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Assyrians, Anglicans, Baptists, mainline Protestants
Mother of God	First Council of Ephesus, 431	Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Anglicans, Lutherans, some Methodists
Perpetual Virginity	Second Ecumenical Council of Constantinople, 553 Smalcald Articles, 1537	Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Assyrians, some Anglicans, some Lutherans (Martin Luther)
Immaculate Conception	Ineffabilis Deus encyclical Pope Pius IX, 1854	Catholics, some Anglicans, some Lutherans (early Martin Luther)
Assumption of Mary	Munificentissimus Deus encyclical Pope Pius XII, 1950	Catholics, Eastern and Oriental Orthodox (only following her natural death), some Anglicans, some Lutherans

The title “Mother of God” ( Theotokos ) for Mary was confirmed by the First Council of Ephesus, held at the Church of Mary in 431. The Council decreed that Mary is the Mother of God because her son Jesus is one person who is both God and man, divine and human. Miraculous Icon of Our Lady of Tartaków in Blessed Virgin Mary Church in Łukawiec The Virgin birth of Jesus was an almost universally held belief among Christians from the 2nd until the 19th century. It is included in the two most widely used Christian creeds, which state that Jesus “was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary” (the Nicene Creed, in what is now its familiar form) and the Apostles’ Creed,

• The Gospel of Matthew describes Mary as a virgin who fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14, The authors of the Gospels of Matthew and Luke consider Jesus’ conception not the result of intercourse, and assert that Mary had “no relations with man” before Jesus’ birth.
• This alludes to the belief that Mary conceived Jesus through the action of God the Holy Spirit, and not through intercourse with Joseph or anyone else.

The doctrines of the Assumption or Dormition of Mary relate to her death and bodily assumption to heaven. Roman Catholic Church has dogmatically defined the doctrine of the Assumption, which was done in 1950 by Pope Pius XII in Munificentissimus Deus,

Whether Mary died or not is not defined dogmatically, however, although a reference to the death of Mary is made in Munificentissimus Deus, In the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Assumption of the Virgin Mary is believed, and celebrated with her Dormition, where they believe she died. Catholics believe in the Immaculate Conception of Mary, as proclaimed ex cathedra by Pope Pius IX in 1854, namely that she was filled with grace from the very moment of her conception in her mother’s womb and preserved from the stain of original sin,

The Latin Church has a liturgical feast by that name, kept on 8 December. Orthodox Christians reject the Immaculate Conception dogma principally because their understanding of ancestral sin (the Greek term corresponding to the Latin “original sin”) differs from the Augustinian interpretation and that of the Catholic Church.

1. The Perpetual Virginity of Mary asserts Mary’s real and perpetual virginity even in the act of giving birth to the Son of God made Man.
2. The term Ever-Virgin (Greek ἀειπάρθενος ) is applied in this case, stating that Mary remained a virgin for the remainder of her life, making Jesus her biological and only son, whose conception and birth are held to be miraculous.

The Orthodox Churches hold the position articulated in the Protoevangelium of James that Jesus’ brothers and sisters were Joseph’s children from a marriage prior to that of Mary, which had left him widowed. Roman Catholic teaching follows the Latin father Jerome in considering them Jesus’ cousins.

Why praying to Mary is good?

Why pray to Mary and the Saints when I can go straight to Jesus? When a person is baptized they become part of the mystical body of Christ. A Christian is connected spiritually to other Christians through their baptism. Since Christianity is a communal faith we are suppose to help each other out spiritually as well as physically.

• The Bible actually tells Christians to pray for one another in James 5:16 “Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed.
• The prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects” Praying for one another is powerful and the prayers of a righteous person are very powerful.

What human, other then the God-Man Jesus, is more righteous then Mary? She is full of grace (Luke 1:28) and blessed among women (Luke 1:42). Mary is our mother; Jesus extended her motherhood to all humanity when he was on the cross (John 19:26-27). What good mother isn’t concerned with her children? Mary loves her children and prayers for her children.

• Mary along with the other Saints have died and gone to heaven, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t concerned with the Church on earth.
• The Church consists of the Christians on Earth (Church militant), Christians in purgatory (Church suffering) and the Christians in Heaven (Church Triumphant).
• Christians on Earth may be physically separated from Christians in heaven but we are all connected supernaturally in the Mystical Body of Christ.

Christ has conquered death; what is more powerful? Death or the blood of Christ? To say that death has cut off the Christians in heaven from the Christians on Earth is assuming that death is more powerful then the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross. The book of Revelation supports that humans and angels in Heaven are conscious of and pray for Christians on Earth.

Revelation 8:3-4 reads “And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer; and he was given much incense to mingle with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar before the throne; and the smoke of the incense rose with the prayers of the saints from the hand of the angel before God.” The above text clearly states that Angels in heaven are offering up the prayers of the Saints.

Who are they praying for? This scene from the book of Revelation takes place in Heaven; the angels and saints aren’t praying for the people in heaven, they don’t need prayers they have been saved and are with God in Heaven. They aren’t praying for people in hell because they are eternally damned, their prayers are useless.

They must be praying for the Church on Earth and Purgatory; this would imply that angels and saints in heaven hear the prayers of the Church on Earth and intercede on their behalf. The Catholic Church, guided by the Holy Spirit, has always known and taught this from its start in 33AD by Jesus Christ.

Many times non-Catholic Christians accuse Catholics of praying to the Saints and not going to Jesus. Catholics have always gone to Jesus. Every day at Mass millions of Catholics recite the Lord’s Prayer. If one listens closely during Mass, everything is asked “Through Christ our Lord”.

Practicing Catholics have the most intimate relationship with Jesus Christ, greater then any Protestant Christian group; by Christ’s command we actually consume his Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity at every Mass. Christ literally becomes part of us and strengthens us on our road to holiness and salvation.

Protestants have communion services every so often but the bread and wine (or grape juice) is just a symbol of Christ’s body and Blood. The Catholic and Orthodox Churches are the only Churches that have the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.

What greater personal relationship can one have with Jesus then actually partaking in his Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity? Just like Catholics who go directly to Jesus but also ask Mary and the Saints to pray for us, Protestants themselves ask for the prayers of their: pastors, ministers, elders, family and friends.

There is nothing wrong with this; James 5:16 says ” The prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects” and we are told to “pray for one another.” With this in mind, how greater are the prayers of Mary and Saints, particularly Mary, who is most blessed among women.

All Christians should have an intimate relationship with Jesus but also be united with the other members of the Body of Christ in prayer. As said earlier death temporally separates Christians physically but death cannot separate those who have been baptized in Christ’s life, death and resurrection and live in Christ Jesus.

: Why pray to Mary and the Saints when I can go straight to Jesus?

Does the Bible say Hail Mary?

The Hail Mary Is in the Bible Is saying the Hail Mary wrong? It’s not in the Bible. But it is in the Bible. When the angel Gabriel was sent to Mary by the Father, he greeted her, “Hail, full of grace; the Lord is with you” (Luke 1:28). When Mary visited Elizabeth, Elizabeth exclaimed, “Of all women you are the most blessed, and blessed is the fruit of your womb” (Luke 1:41-42).

1. So here we have the first part of, St.
2. Bernardine added the name of Jesus, clarifying who the fruit of her womb is.
3. The second part is in response to the first, asking Mary to pray for us and addressing her as the mother of God.
4. Of course, Elizabeth addressed her in much the same way: “Why should I be honored with a visit from the mother of my Lord?” (Luke 1:43).

Since Gabriel’s words were at the request of God, those words were actually God’s words. So we are honored to repeat them. For more on praying to Mary, see, Did you like this content? Please help keep us ad-free Enjoying this content? Please support our mission! : The Hail Mary Is in the Bible

Why is Mary so important in the Bible?

Why Do We Call Mary the Mother of God? The image of Mary as Queen Mother is directly related to the first official Marian dogma defined by the Church: Mary’s status as Mother of God. The Greek word for the title is Theotokos, which literally means “God-bearer.” That title is one of the oldest and most commonly used titles for Mary, with Christians using it in the very first centuries of the Church.

• The title also appears in one of the oldest known Christian prayers, the Sub Tuum Praesidium (“Beneath Your Protection”), an early form of the Memorare that dates to the third century.
• The first Christians called Mary the “Mother of God” without hesitation.
• There was scriptural precedent, and it seemed logical.

If Jesus was God, and Mary was his mother, then that made her the Mother of God. That sort of logic depends on a principle called the “Communication of Idioms.” According to that principle, whatever one says about either of Christ’s natures can be truly said of Christ himself.

That’s because His two natures, the divine nature and the human nature, were united in Him. He is one divine person. In the fifth century, however, some people raised the same objections to the title that many non-Catholics raise today: They argued that the title “Mother of God” implied that Mary was the “originator of God.” Those objectors said that they could accept the title “Mother of Christ,” but not “Mother of God.” At the heart of those objections, however, was an objection to the unity of Christ’s two natures.

Mary, they claimed, gave birth only to Christ’s human nature, not his divine nature. The Church, led by Pope Celestine I and St. Cyril of Alexandria, disagreed. As St. Cyril pointed out, a mother gives birth to a person, not a nature. Accordingly, Mary gave birth to Jesus Christ, who was and is a divine person.

Although Mary did not “originate” or “generate” God, she did bear Him in her womb and give birth to Him. She was God’s mother. The controversy over Mary’s title as “Mother of God” was addressed in 431 A.D. at the Council of Ephesus. There, more was at stake than simply defending Mary’s title. The Christian teaching about Christ’s two natures was the real issue.

The Church wanted to settle one question: Was Jesus one person or two? Rejecting the teaching of the heretic Nestorius, the Church declared that Jesus is one divine person, with two natures—his mother’s human nature and his Father’s divine nature. Mary did not give Jesus his divine nature or his divine personhood—those He possessed from all eternity as the only begotten Son of the Father.

• But she also didn’t just give Him His flesh: She gave birth to the whole person.
• She gave birth to Jesus Christ, both God and man.
• That is what we confess every time we say the Apostles’ Creed.
• Calling Mary “Mother of God” states a truth that must be stated in order to protect an essential truth about Christ.

In a similar way, that’s what all Mary’s queenly predecessors did for their sons. One of the three essential tasks of the Queen Mother was to be a sign of her son’s legitimacy. She was the link between his father, the former rightful king, and her son, the present rightful king.

Is it right to honor Mary?

How is Mary Honored? – When it comes to honoring Mary, “honoring” is the key word. Too often, non-Catholics confuse honoring, or veneration, for worship or direct prayer. But Catholics do not worship Mary because she isn’t, and never can be, God. There are three levels of respect given by Catholics: Latria, Dulia and Hyperdulia,

Latria is adoration of the Holy Trinity. This is the highest form of reverence, reserved only for God, and He is the only one we worship. Dulia refers to simple veneration. For example, Catholics venerate saints because they are “more closely united to Christ” by their model life on earth (CCC #956). We do not pray or worship saints. We simply ask them to “put in a good word for us” to God. Think of Hyperdulia as an enhanced form of Dulia, or veneration. It’s reserved only for Mary because she shares a more perfect bond with Christ than even the saints, since they were still born with original sin. It doesn’t mean we worship Mary. We absolutely don’t and shouldn’t. We do, however, honor her above all other forms of creation.

The Catechism is very clear on this point: “From the most ancient times the Blessed Virgin has been honored with the title of ‘Mother of God,’ to whose protection the faithful fly in all their dangers and needsThis very special devotiondiffers essentially from the adoration which is given to the incarnate Word and equally to the Father and Holy Spirit, and greatly fosters this adoration” (CCC #971).

Is praying to Mary an idol?

The Rev. Douglas Vu, a priest in the Catholic Diocese of Birmingham, explained the practice of praying for the intercession of saints. (Photo by Greg Garrison/AL.com) A popular Catholic priest in Birmingham asked his social media followers to pray to the Virgin Mary this week, then defended the practice when he was questioned about whether he was promoting idol worship.

• May Our Lady of La Vang intercede for our Twitter family,” wrote the Rev.
• Douglas Vu, pastor of Our Lady of La Vang Catholic Church, in a post on X on Aug.23.
• Our Lady of La Vang is a reference to a reported vision of Mary, mother of Jesus, in his native Vietnam centuries ago.
• She appeared to the Vietnamese Catholics about 400 years ago in Vietnam when the faith was newly introduced to the Vietnamese,” Vu explained.

“The new Catholics were persecuted so fled into the jungles for safety – at night – they cried out for help – the Lady appeared to them to comfort them. Hence the name – La Vang – Crying out loud.” Someone responded to Vu on X, formerly known as Twitter: ” Is this not idol worshipping.

• I thought our Lord Jesus Christ says no one cometh through the father except through me.” It’s a criticism Vu has heard before, and the former director of communications for the Diocese of Birmingham felt an explanation was in order.
• Do you ever ask family or friends to say a prayer for you when you are sick or have problems?” he responded.

“To ask the Mother of Jesus to intercede for us is not idolatry. In the Catholic Church – we believe like all Christians do – salvation through Jesus alone! But we also believe in the communion of saints (those righteous ones who are in the presence of God to give God the Father praise right now in heaven).

1. I pray and wish you much of God’s grace and peace.” He also elaborated on the practice of praying to other saints.
2. To whom this may concern: Catholics do not worship the saints!” he wrote.
3. All Catholics are born again and Jesus is our Lord and Savior.
4. We ‘honor’ His Mother, the saints.
5. As you and I would honor our own ancestors.

We don’t worship our ancestors but we keep their memories alive in our hearts and our lives. Thank you! God bless you all! Peace!” See also: Priest murdered at cathedral in Birmingham 102 years ago honored in memorial If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation.

Are Catholics supposed to worship Mary?

Don’t Catholics Worship Mary? There is something about Mary that drives many fundamentalists and some evangelicals nuts. Of course, they will insist Mary doesn’t bother them, but they claim the “fact” that Catholics exalt her so much she is apparently worshipped, or even — as you can read in the most extreme anti-Catholic literature — promoted to the fourth person of the Trinity.

1. When I was a fundamentalist, I knew that Catholics worshipped Mary.
2. Why else did they have statues of her, pray the Rosary to her and call her the “Mother of God”? Didn’t they know that God has no mother? How ridiculous! It is hard to overstate the reactionary stance of fundamentalists toward any positive teaching about Mary.

For example, in my years attending a small fundamentalist “Bible chapel” as a boy, I recall at least three sermons praising Rahab the harlot (see Jos 2 and 6:17-25), but just one about Mary, the mother of Jesus. And in that sermon, Mary was described as a “good mother” (true, of course) who was no different than anyone else.

A close relative once described the Blessed Mother as “a biological vessel” used by God — the sort of remark that would be rightly considered insulting if directed to any other mother. And a close friend from my Bible college days asked me, upon learning that I was becoming Catholic (in 1997), “But what are you going to do about having to worship Mary?” What exists, then, is a double-pronged problem: Fundamentalists hold to a very lacking, even insulting, view of Mary because they have a deeply distorted understanding of what the Catholic Church teaches and believes about Mary.

Their doctrine is almost completely negative in character, shaped in reactionary fear rather than in receptive faith. If that sounds unduly harsh, consider that fundamentalists are loathe to admit that Mary is indeed the Mother of God. This is an essential point in addressing the accusation that Catholics “worship” Mary.

• Simply put, if a person refuses to admit the truth about Mary being Theotokos (“God bearer,” or Mother of God), he will not understand authentic Catholic devotion to Mary.
• James McCarthy, a former Catholic who operates a ministry meant to “save” Catholics, writes in “The Gospel According to Rome” (Harvest House, 1995) that “the Bible,

never calls Mary the Mother of God for a very simple reason: God has no mother. As someone has rightly said, just as Christ’s human nature had no father, so His divine nature had no mother. This Bible, therefore, rightly calls Mary the ‘mother of Jesus’ (John 2:1; Acts 1:14) but never the Mother of God.” Like Nestorius (d.451), who made the same basic error in the fifth century, McCarthy overlooks that mothers do not give birth to natures, but to persons.

Jesus Christ has two natures, but he is one Person. While Jesus’ human nature comes from Mary and His divine nature from the Father (see Catechism of the Catholic Church, No.503), he is not partially divine and partially human, as McCarthy’s statement implies. Fundamentalists claim they believe that Jesus is one person, true God and true man.

But they fail to reach logical conclusions fixed upon that foundational fact. Prior to the Incarnation, God not only didn’t have a mother, He also never wore clothing, ate food, took naps or went fishing! But the Incarnation, the central event in salvation history, radically changed the relationship between God and man precisely because God became man — and He did so by being born of the Virgin Mary.

Every devotion shown to Mary by Catholics (and the Eastern Orthodox) is based in the belief she is the Mother of God. But this devotion is not worship; that is for God alone. Besides, if Jesus loves His mother — and we know He does — shouldn’t we also express the same sort of familial love? Carl E. Olson is the editor of Ignatius Insight ().

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When did Christians start praying to Mary?

Mary in the Early Church – Virgin and Child on a wall painting in the early Roman catacombs, 4th century. “Many centuries were necessary to arrive at the explicit definition of the revealed truths concerning Mary,” said Pope John Paul II during his papacy in 1995. The importance of Mary and of Marian theology can be seen in the Church after the third century.

• The New Testament Gospels, composed during the late 1st century, contain the first references to the life of Mary; the New Testament Epistles, composed earlier, make no mention of her by name.
• There are, however, references to Mary in the Epistles, most notably in Galatians,
• In the 2nd century, St.
• Irenaeus of Lyons called Mary the “second Eve” because through Mary and her willing acceptance of God’s choice, God undid the harm that was done through Eve’s choice to eat the forbidden fruit.

The earliest recorded prayer to Mary is the sub tuum praesidium (3rd or 4th century) and the earliest depictions of her are from the Priscilla catacombs in Rome (early 3rd century). Hugo Rahner ‘s 20th-century discovery and reconstruction of Saint Ambrose ‘s 4th-century view of Mary as the Mother of the Church was adopted at the Second Vatican Council,

This shows the influence of early traditions and views on Mary in modern times. This view was then emphasized by Pope John Paul II in 1997, and today Mary is viewed as the Mother of the Church by many Catholics, as well as the Queen of Heaven. In the 5th century, the Third Ecumenical Council debated the question of whether Mary should be referred to as Theotokos or Christotokos,

Theotokos means “God-bearer” or “Mother of God”; its use implies that Jesus, to whom Mary gave birth, is truly God and man in one person. Nestorians preferred the title Christotokos meaning “Christ-bearer” or “Mother of the Messiah” not because they denied Jesus’ divinity, but because they believed that God the Son or Logos existed before time and before Mary, and that Mary was mother only of Jesus as a human, so calling her “Mother of God” was confusing and potentially heretical.

Both sides agreed that Jesus took divinity from God the Father and humanity from his mother. The majority at the council agreed with the Pope that denying Mary the title Theotokos would either imply that Jesus was not divine, or that Jesus had two separate personhoods, one of whom was son of Mary and the other not.

Ultimately, the council affirmed the use of the title Theotokos and by doing so affirmed Jesus’ undivided divinity and humanity, Thus, while the debate was over the proper title for Mary, it was primarily a Christological question about the nature of Jesus Christ, a question which would return at the Fourth Ecumenical Council,

Should we worship Mary as God?

No, this is not true. Catholics honor (or venerate) the Blessed Mother; they do not worship her. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (the official teaching of the Church) teaches that worship (or adoration) is meant for God alone. Catholics as well as the Orthodox and some older Protestant groups venerate Mary and the Saints.

Mary is venerated because she is full of God’s own life and love, his Grace (Luke 1:28). Mary, by her own free will said yes to God’s will and brought the Savior of humanity, Jesus Christ, into the World. Mary is great because God made her great, she reflects the light of Christ and her soul magnifies the Lord (Luke 1:46).

This is why since the earliest days of Christianity, Mary has been venerated and loved by Christians. As said above, adoration or worship (latria) is meant only for God, but veneration is meant for Mary and the Saints. Since Mary, by her own free will, brought our Savior into the world she deserves a unique type of veneration that is greater then that of the other Saints.

• Veneration is divided into two categories: dulia and hyperdulia.
• Dulia is a form of veneration that is appropriate for the great Christian men and women known as the Saints (ex. St.
• Anthony, St.
• Teresa, St.
• Francis, etc).
• Due to Mary’s direct and extraordinary role in the salvation of humanity, it is appropriate that she is venerated in a greater manner then that of the other saints, this is called hyperdulia.

Remember veneration, and this particular type of veneration, hyperdulia, is completely different from adoration or worship (latria). Christ is the center of Catholic Christian worship. The honor and veneration given to Mary further expresses the Christian’s worship of God due to the acknowledgement of God’s greatest human creation, the mother of his son, Our Blessed Mother Mary.

The 4 th commandment reads, “Honor your father and your mother”. In John 19:26-27 Jesus hanging on the cross extended Mary’s motherhood to all of humanity by handing her over to the care of the Apostle John. Since early on in Christianity the above verses were understood to mean that Mary now is the mother of all humanity.

Since Mary is our mother we should give her the proper respect and honor, as any child would give his mother. Finally why would a Christian not have love and respect for Mary? She is Jesus’ mother. Many protestant groups pay little or no attention to the Mother of God.

Some groups even go as far as saying that she was just a vessel to give birth to Jesus; that she’s not important! Imagine going up to your own mother and saying “Mom, your not that important you were just a vessel used to give birth to me,” how would this make her feel? The same goes for the Mother of God, even more so because she is the Mother of God and our Mother, The Holy Spirit deemed her “most blessed amongst women” (Luke 1:42).

How can some Christian groups say they love Jesus but then be indifferent to his mother? I don’t think Jesus would be very happy.

Why do Catholics worship Mary and not Jesus?

Honor Your Mother – As Jesus was dying on the cross “he said to his mother, ‘Woman behold, your son.’ Then he said to the disciple, ‘Son, behold, your Mother” (John 19:26-27). In that moment, Jesus gave us his mother. We honor Mary, not only because she is our mother, but because God, himself, honored her.

Why do Catholics pray to Mary and not God?

– Answered by Father Johann Roten, S.M. Q: Why do Catholics pray to Mary? A: For Catholics, there are different types of Marian prayer that reflect different intentions. Reciting the ” Magnificat,” for example, is a way to praise God as Mary did. By reciting the ” Angelus,” you commemorate an event in salvation history, one in which Mary had a major role.

Such commemorations are also made by the entire Church in the liturgical cycle. At Christmas, for example, the faithful recall Mary’s role in the birth of Christ. Prayers invoking Mary’s intercession for your own personal intentions are in a separate class, arousing controversy since the time of the Reformation in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

The practice of invoking saintly people for their intercession before God in union with Jesus has roots in sacred Scripture. In this regard, Matthew 18:19-20 refers to saints on earth, and Revelation 18:20 refers to saints in heaven. In the early centuries of the Church, veneration and invocation was offered to those martyred for Christ.

The practice derives from the doctrine that the saints are united with Jesus in one mystical body ( Romans 12:5 ). The practice of calling on Mary for aid also appears to be very old in the Catholic Church. An ancient testimony of confidence in Mary is the prayer Sub Tuum, which historians place in the third century: We fly to your patronage, O holy Mother of God; despise not our petitions in our necessities, but deliver us always from all dangers, O glorious and blessed Virgin.

(Dictionary of Mary, p.143) This practice became an area of significant disagreement between Catholics and Protestants. After the crisis of the Reformation, the Catholic Council of Trent repeated traditional Christian teaching on the intercession of the saints, which applies preeminently to Mary: The saints who reign together with Christ, offer up their prayers to God for men;,

It is good and useful to invoke them suppliantly and, in order to obtain favors from God through his Son Jesus Christ our Lord who alone is our Redeemer and Saviour, to have recourse to their prayers, assistance and support. ( Theotokos, p.188) The Synod of Jerusalem held by the Orthodox Church proclaimed a similar position about a century after Trent.

Protestants counter that reliance on Mary and the saints detracts from reliance on Jesus Christ, who is our ‘one mediator’: For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony borne at the proper time.

( 1 Tm 2:2-5 – New American Bible ) A thorough examination of this topic by the Lutheran-Catholic Dialogue Commission may be found in The One Mediator, The Saints and Mary (Augsburg Press, 1992). An excellent contemporary Catholic reflection on the subject is found in chapter 3 of Pope John Paul II’s 1987 encyclical, Mother of the Redeemer,

A small subsection of paragraph 38 of that chapter is as follows: The Church knows and teaches with Saint Paul that there is only one mediator: “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all.” (1 Tm 2:5-6).

1. The maternal role of Mary toward people in no way obscures or diminishes the unique mediation of Christ, but rather shows its power : it is mediation in Christ.
2. Catholics do not pray to Mary as if she were God.
3. Prayer to Mary is memory of the great mysteries of our faith (Incarnation, Redemption through Christ in the rosary), praise to God for the wonderful things he has done in and through one of his creatures (Hail Mary) and intercession (second half of the Hail Mary).

The latter is addressed to Mary not as to a vending machine but a support person helping us to discern the will of God in our lives. Mary is a volunteer, highly recommendable and recommended, but not a mandatory and inescapable passage. The Magnificat My being proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit finds joy in God my Savior, For he has looked upon his servant in her lowliness; all ages to come shall call me blessed.

God who is mighty has done great things for me, holy is his name; His mercy is from age to age on those who fear him. He has shown might with his arm; he has confused the proud in their inmost thoughts. He has deposed the mighty from their thrones and raised the lowly to high places. The hungry he has given every good thing, while the rich he has sent empty away.

Don’t Watch This Video If You’re CATHOLIC (You Will STOP Worshipping Mary)

He has upheld Israel his servant, ever mindful of his mercy; Even as he promised our fathers, promised Abraham and his descendants forever. (Luke 1:46-55) The Angelus The angel of the Lord declared to Mary and she conceived by the Holy Spirit. (Recite the Hail Mary) Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to your word.

1. Hail Mary) And the Word was made Flesh and dwelled among us.
2. Hail Mary) Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, That we may be worthy of the promises of Christ.
3. Let us pray: Pour forth, we beseech you, O Lord, your grace into our hearts that we to whom the incarnation of Christ your son was made known by the message of an angel may, by his passion and cross, be brought to the glory of his resurrection, through Christ Our Lord.

Amen. Matthew 18:19-20 Again I tell you, if two of you join your voices on earth to pray for anything whatever, it shall be granted you by my Father in heaven. Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in their midst. Revelation 18:20 Rejoice over her, you heavens, you saints, apostles and prophets! For God has exacted punishment from her on your account.

• Romans 12:5 So we too, though many, are one body in Christ and individually members of one another.1 Timothy 2:5-6 And the truth is this: “God is one.
• One also is the mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all.” This truth was attested at the fitting time.

All About Mary includes a variety of content, much of which reflects the expertise, interpretations and opinions of the individual authors and not necessarily of the Marian Library or the University of Dayton. Please share feedback or suggestions with [email protected],

What was Mary’s original sin?

Mary Was Conceived Without Original Sin | EWTN

• MARY WAS CONCEIVED WITHOUT ORIGINAL SIN
• Pope John Paul II
• The Church’s reflection has made explicit the profound meaning of the words ‘full of grace’ spoken by the angel Gabriel to the Virgin of Nazareth

The perfection of holiness that Mary enjoys from the first moment of her conception was the subject of the Holy Father’s catechesis at the General Audience of Wednesday, 15 May. The Pope went on to say that the recognition of this perfect holiness “required a long process of doctrinal reflection, which finally led to the solemn proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception”.

1. Here is a translation of his talk, which was the 20th in the series on the Blessed Virgin and was given in Italian.1.
2. Mary, “full of grace”, has been recognized by the Church as “all holy and free from every stain of sin”, “enriched from the first instant of her conception with the splendour of an entirely unique holiness” ( Lumen gentium,n.56).

This recognition required a long process of doctrinal reflection, which finally led to the solemn proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception. The title ” made full of grace”, addressed by the angel to Mary at the Annunciation, refers to the exceptional divine favour shown to the young woman of Nazareth in view of the motherhood which was announced, but it indicates more directly the effect of divine grace in Mary; Mary was inwardly and permanently imbued with grace and thus sanctified.

The title kecharitoméne has a very rich meaning and the Holy Spirit has never ceased deepening the Church’s understanding of it. Sanctifying grace made Mary a new creation 2. In the preceding catechesis I pointed out that in the angel’s greeting the expression “full of grace” serves almost as a name: it is Mary’s name in the eyes of God.

In Semitic usage, a name expresses the reality of the persons and things to which it refers. As a result, the title “full of grace” shows the deepest dimension of the young woman of Nazareth’s personality: fashioned by grace and the object of divine favour to the point that she can be defined by this special predilection.

• The Council recalls that the Church Fathers alluded to this truth when they called Mary the “all-holy one”, affirming at the same time that she was “fashioned as it were by the Holy Spirit and formed as a new creature” ( Lumen gentium,n.56).
• Grace, understood in the sense of “sanctifying grace” which produces personal holiness, brought about the new creation in Mary, making her fully conformed to God’s plan.3.

Doctrinal reflection could thus attribute to Mary a perfection of holiness that, in order to be complete, had necessarily to include the beginning of her life. Bishop Theoteknos of Livias in Palestine, who lived between 550 and 650, seems to have moved in the direction of this original purity.

In presenting Mary as “holy and all-fair”, “pure and stainless”, he referred to her birth in these words: “She is born like the cherubim, she who is of a pure, immaculate clay” ( Panegyric for the feast of the Assumption, 5-6). This last expression, recalling the creation of the first man, fashioned of a clay not stained by sin, attributes the same characteristics to Mary’s birth: the Virgin’s origin was also “pure and immaculate”, that is, without any sin.

The comparison with the cherubim also emphasizes the outstanding holiness that characterized Mary’s life from the very beginning of her existence. Theoteknos’ assertion marks a significant stage in the theological reflection on the mystery of the Lord’s Mother.

• The Greek and Eastern Fathers had acknowledged a purification brought about by grace in Mary, either before the Incarnation (St Gregory Nazianzen, Oratio 38,16) or at the very moment of the Incarnation (St Ephrem, Severian of Gabala, James of Sarug).
• Theoteknos of Livias seems to have required of Mary an absolute purity from the beginning of her life.

Indeed, she who was destined to become the Saviour’s Mother had to have had a perfectly holy, completely stainless origin.4. In the eighth century, Andrew of Crete is the first theologian to see a new creation in Mary’s birth. This is how he reasons: “Today humanity, in all the radiance of her immaculate nobility, receives its ancient beauty.

The shame of sin had darkened the splendour and attraction of human nature; but when the Mother of the Fair One par excellence isborn, this nature regains in her person its ancient privileges and is fashioned according to a perfect model truly worthy of God. The reform of our nature begins today and the aged world, subjected to a wholly divine transformation, receives the first fruits of the second creation” ( Serm.

I on the Birth of Mary ). Then, taking up again the image of the primordial clay, he states: “The Virgin’s body is ground which God has tilled, the first fruits of Adam’s soil divinized by Christ, the image truly like the former beauty, the clay kneaded by the divine Artist” ( Serm.

I on the Dormition of Mary ). Mary’s original holiness is beginning of Redemption Mary’s pure and immaculate conception is thus seen as the beginning of the new creation. It is a question of a personal privilege granted to the woman chosen to be Christ’s Mother, who ushers in the time of abundant grace willed by God for all humanity.

This doctrine, taken up again in the eighth century by St Germanus of Constantinople and St John Damascene, sheds light on the value of Mary’s original holiness, presented as the beginning of the world’s Redemption. In this way the Church’s tradition assimilates and makes explicit the authentic meaning of the title “full of grace” given by the angel to the Blessed Virgin.

1. Taken from: L’Osservatore Romano Weekly Edition in English
2. 22 May 1996, page 11
4. L’Osservatore Romano is the newspaper of the Holy See. The Weekly Edition in English is published for the US by:
5. The Cathedral Foundation L’Osservatore Romano English Edition 320 Cathedral St. Baltimore, MD 21201 Subscriptions: (410) 547-5315 Fax: (410) 332-1069
6. [email protected]

: Mary Was Conceived Without Original Sin | EWTN

When did the church say that Mary was without sin?

Where in the Bible does it say that Mary, mother of Jesus, is sinless? And if it is not in the Bible, why does the Catholic Church act like she is? Catholics differ from some Christian Churches, which accept the Scripture as the only source of God’s revelation.

Catholics have a strong belief in the truth of Scripture, but we also believe in tradition as a way in which God continues to reveal truth to us. Tradition can include beliefs, customs, prayers, and worship, the teaching of popes, bishops, theologians, and Church councils. It’s our process of continually reflecting on the way in which the Word of God encounters our own experience as a community of faith.

Catholic understanding is that tradition includes Scripture and began before the gospels and letters were written. We do believe that Scripture is a unique revelation from God and that the truths of tradition must always be tested and evaluated against the truths revealed in Scripture.

They should not contradict Scripture. They should find their roots in Scripture. The belief that Mary lived without sin from the moment of her conception springs from Church tradition. It evolved over a period of time and was not formally defined as a teaching of the Church until 1854. It is not found explicitly in Scripture, but seems for Catholics to flow naturally from the testimony of Scripture that Mary was “full of grace” (Luke 1:28) and “blessed” (Luke 1:42).

In Catholic understanding, the belief in Mary’s “immaculate conception” does not say so much about Mary as it is about Christ’s saving power. We believe that God created the human person to be in God’s own image. Grace is more original than sin. Our natural state was to be “full of grace.” Sin is our universal experience, but it’s not what God intended for us in the past nor wants for us in the future.

We are saved from sin through Christ. Mary’s being conceived without sin takes place in the context of the entire saving act of Christ. In being “full of grace” she is a model of what we human beings were intended to be and who we are redeemed to be through God’s saving power. She is the first sign of God’s victory over sin in Christ.

For the past few months, I’ve been training for an upcoming 15k (9.3-mile) race. A dear college friend and I plan to reunite for the We were sitting in the shade at a playground watching our preschoolers dash from slide to slide when my best friend turned to me and : Where in the Bible does it say that Mary, mother of Jesus, is sinless? And if it is not in the Bible, why does the Catholic Church act like she is?

What do Catholics believe about Mary?

Mary & The Saints Catholics believe that worship is due to God alone. Catholics do, however, venerate Mary. In other words, we honor our Blessed Mother with great reverence and devotion because she is the Mother of God. Mary is the model of perfect love and obedience to Christ.

God preserved Mary from sin, and she conceived our Lord by the power of the Holy Spirit, bringing Christ into our world. Catholics can’t help but honor the Blessed Virgin Mary, who is full of grace, the Mother of God and our Mother, for her “yes” to God that made the Incarnation possible. And without the Incarnation, we would not have salvation.

Mary is the most beautiful model of total submission to the will of God. Catholics do not view Mary as equal to Christ, but rather venerate Mary because of her relationship to Christ. The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains, “Mary’s role in the Church is inseparable from her union with Christ and flows directly from it” (CCC 964).

1. As Catholics, we pray that we can respond to God’s call to holiness for our lives in the way that Mary did.
2. Mother Theresa prayed to emulate Mary’s devotion to Christ: “Mary, Mother of Jesus, give me your heart so beautiful, so pure, so immaculate, 
so full of love and humility that I may be able to receive Jesus in the Bread of Life, 
love Him as You loved Him, and serve Him as You served Him.” 1 Tim 2:5 reads as follows: “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” Many think that the practice of praying to the saints goes against the Bible, claiming that Catholics are making them mediators between God and man and thus diminishing Jesus‘ role as the sole mediator.

But this is not an appropriate interpretation of the passage. Let‘s see why notIn the O.T. we see that Moses, Abraham, and Job interceded on behalf of others that’s mediating between God and man. We know that it is okay to ask others here on earth to pray and intercede for us.

That’s mediating between God and man. So we have a situation here where a passage of the Bible is being misinterpreted and misunderstood. There is only one mediator between God and man, the man Jesus Christ, but as members of the Body of Christ, He allows us to share in His mediation. Also, Scripture tells us that we have only one foundation, Jesus Christ (1 Cor 3:11); but, Scripture tells us that there is more than one foundation (Eph 2:19-20).

Scripture tells us that we have only Lord, Jesus Christ (Eph 4:4-5); but, Scripture tells us there is more than one lord (Rev 19:16). Scripture tells us that we have only one Judge, Jesus Christ (James 4:12); but, Scripture tells us there is more than one judge (1 Cor 6:2).

• These are not contradictions in Scripture, not when these passages are all properly understood in context.
• Jesus is the only foundation; Jesus is the only Lord; and Jesus is the only Judge.
• But, we are members of Jesus‘ Body.
• Therefore, we are able, according to the graces given by Christ, to share in Jesus‘ role as foundation, as lord, and as judge, and in other aspects of Christ, as well.

Another example, a father shares in God‘s role as Father, by His grace. And, so also, we, and the saints in Heaven, and the angels in Heaven, can share in Christ‘s role as Mediator. Romans 3, verse 10 says, “as it is written: ‘None is righteous, no, not one.'” Yet, James 5:16 says that the prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

If absolutely no one is righteous, then who is James talking about? Luke 1 says that Elizabeth and Zechariah were righteous before God. If absolutely no one is righteous, then how can that be? Is Scripture contradicting itself? No. Rather, we have to make sure to interpret Romans correctly, and that means realizing that the key to understanding Romans 3:10 is the phrase, “it is written.” Here in Romans, Paul is quoting from the O.T., Psalm 14 to be exact.

In Psalm 14 it says, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God. They are corruptthere is none that does good.'” But then that same psalm goes on to talk about the “righteous.” Well, if none has done good, who are these righteous the psalm is talking about? Obviously, when the psalmist says that none has done good, he is talking about the fools who say there is no God.

He is not talking about absolutely everyone.The same goes for St. Paul when he quotes from this psalm. Paul is not saying absolutely no one is righteous; if he was, then how we would have a hard time explaining all the Old and New Testament passages that refer to the righteous. In Romans 3:11 it says that no one seeks for God.

Does that mean that absolutely no one is seeking God? No, to interpret it that way would be strange. This also is true for verse 23, which says that “all have sinned.” Babies haven’t sinned. This is not an absolute. There are exceptions. It’s something to think about.

So, it is perfectly legitimate to say that these passages from Romans, when interpreted in context, in no way conflict with the Church’s teaching on Mary being without sin. In Jeremiah 7:18, God is indeed upset with the Israelites for worshipping a false goddess called the “queen of heaven”. However, just because God rebuked them for worshipping the false queen of heaven, doesn’t mean that we cannot pay honor to the true Queen of Heaventhe Blessed Mother.That type of thinking would lead you to believe that just because people worship a false god that they call “god,” we, therefore, should not call the true God, by that same nameGodbecause that’s the same title the idolaters use for their god.

That is faulty logic.In the same way, the fact that there is a false “queen of heaven,” does not lead to the conclusion that we worship a false goddess when we call Mary the “Queen of Heaven.” Just as the fact that there is a false “god,” does not lead to the conclusion that we worship a false god when we call our Father in Heaven God.

And there is a true Queen of Heaven, which we see quite clearly in Revelation 12:1: “And a great portent appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars” So in this passage, we read that there is a womanshe’s in Heavenand she has a crown on her head.

It is the true Queen of Heaven, Mary, the mother of the male child who is to rule the nations. As Catholics, we do not worship Mary; we honor her, just as Jesus honors her. So there is absolutely nothing wrong, from a scriptural point of view, in calling Mary the Queen of Heaven, and in honoring her just as Jesus honors her.

Mark 6:3 says, “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses, and Judas and Simon, and are not His sisters here with us?” We need to realize a few things here about these “brothers and sisters.” First, there was no word for cousin, or for nephew or niece, or for aunt or uncle in ancient Hebrew or Aramaic – the words that the Jews used in all those instances were “brother” or “sister.” An example of this can be seen in Gen 14:14, where Lot, who was Abraham’s nephew, is called his brother.Another point to consider: If Jesus had had any brothers, if Mary had had any other sons, it’s hard to believe that the last thing Jesus did on earth was to grievously offend his surviving brothers? What I mean by that is in John 19:26-27, right before Jesus dies, it says that Jesus entrusted the care of His mother to the beloved disciple, John.

If Mary had had any other sons, it would have been a bit of a slap in the face to them that the Apostle John was entrusted with the care of their mother.Also, we see from Matthew 27:55-56 that the James and Joses mentioned in Mark 6 as the “brothers” of Jesus are actually the sons of another Mary.

And, one other passage to consider is Acts 1:14-15: ” with one accord devoted themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus and with His brothersthe company of persons was in all about a hundred and twenty.” A company of 120 persons composed of the Apostles, Mary, the women, and the “brothers” of Jesus.

There were 11 Apostles at the time. Jesus’ mother makes 12. The women were probably the same three women mentioned in Matthew 27, but let’s say it was maybe a dozen or two, just for argument’s sake. So that puts us up to 30 or 40 or so. So that leaves the number of Jesus’ brothers at about 80 or 90! It is hard to argue that Mary had 80 or 90 children.

So Scripture does not contradict the teaching of the Catholic Church about the “brothers” of Jesus, when Scripture is properly interpreted in context. By Hilda Graef By Jaroslav Pelikan Jaroslav Pelikan, world-renowned historian and author of the best-selling Jesus Through the Centuries and many other books, examines all of Christian history and culture to create the most complete portrait of the Virgin Mary ever written.

Pelikan assesses the ways Protestants, Catholics, Jews, and Muslims, artists, musicians, and writers, and men and women everywhere have depicted, venerated, and been inspired by Mary, a symbol of hope and solace for all generations. By Patrick Madrid The best ever explanation of the Catholic doctrine of the communion of saints written for a popular audience.

Patrick Madrid explains in a clear, easy-to-follow style why Catholics pray to and honor Mary and the saints. Using the Bible and the testimony of the early Church Fathers, he provides a concise overview of the biblical and historical foundations of this often misunderstood Catholic doctrine. He also walks you through the standard anti-Catholic arguments against praying to Mary and the saints and demonstrates from the Bible why these arguments are themselves unbiblical.

By Scott Hahn A fresh and enlightening new perspective on Mary, Mother of God, and her central importance in the Christian faith, from the author of the highly successful The Lamb’s Supper. In The Lamb’s Supper, Catholic scholar and apologist Scott Hahn explored the relationship between the Book of Revelation and the Roman Catholic Mass, deftly clarifying the most subtle of theological points with analogies and anecdotes from everyday life.

In Hail, Holy Queen, he employs the same accessible, entertaining style to demonstrate Mary’s essential role in Christianity’s redemptive message. Most Christians know that the life of Jesus is foreshadowed throughout the Old Testament. Through a close examination of the Bible, as well as the work of both Catholic and Protestant scholars and clergy, Hahn brings to light the small but significant details showing that just as Jesus is the “New Adam,” so Mary is the “New Eve.” He unveils the Marian mystery at the heart of the Book of Revelation and reveals how it is foretold in the very first pages of the Book of Genesis and in the story of King David’s monarchy, which speaks of a privileged place for the mother of the king.

Building on these scriptural and historical foundations, Hahn presents a new look at the Marian doctrines: Her Immaculate Conception, Perpetual Virginity, Assumption, and Coronation. As he guides modern-day readers through passages filled with mysteries and poetry, Hahn helps them rediscover the ancient art and science of reading the Scriptures and gain a more profound understanding of their truthfulness and relevance to faith and the practice of religion in the contemporary world.

By Edward Sri, Scott Hahn A compelling, in-depth presentation of the gebirah, or “Great Lady,” tradition in salvation history and its profound connection to the doctrine of Mary’s queenship. Edward Sri elucidates the common approaches taken to Mary’s role as Queen and demonstrates how the queen-mother theme in the Davidic kingdom can shed light on the presentation of Mary as heavenly Queen in the New Testament and in the Church.

A challenging read that will bear much fruit for those seeking to grow in knowledge of Scripture. The Letter & Spirit Project aims to make studies of important themes in Sacred Scripture widely available to students, clergy, and laymen. The Project is sponsored by the St.

Paul Center for Biblical Theology, of which Scott Hahn is founder and president. By Pope John Paull II, John P. Beal By Fulton J. Sheen Fulton J. Sheen tells the story of Mary and examines Marian beliefs ranging from the Immaculate Conception to the miracle of Fatima, from the angel’s announcement that Mary was to be the mother of Jesus to the time of her assumption into heaven.

By Edward P. Sri This popular introduction to praying the Rosary draws readers closer to Jesus and Mary by placing the mysteries—including the new “Luminous Mysteries”—in the context of Scripture. The book explains Pope John Paul IIÂ’s profound reflections on the meaning of the Rosary, addresses commonly asked questions about Mary and the Rosary, presents his practical teaching on how to pray it, and provides the biblical background for all twenty mysteries.

It also includes a Scriptural Rosary that offers ten Bible texts suitable for meditation on each mystery. An appendix offers the complete text of Pope John Paul IIÂ’s Apostolic Letter, Rosarium Virginis Mariae. By Gary Jansen THE ROSARY is a beautifully illustrated practical and reverential primer to a centuries old prayer that has touched millions of lives.

In the introduction, author Gary Jansen appeals to the universality of one of the original Christian prayers, “Though traditionally considered a Catholic act of devotion, the rosary with its primary focus on the life, death, and resurrection of Christ Jesus, is ultimately a,

universal prayer–one that can appeal to Christians of all denominations.” Written for both Catholic and Protestant Christians, candid explanations on why and how to pray the rosary along with useful instructions on how to get the most out of the meditative and spiritual exercise of repeating prayers are in the first of two sections.

Prayers including a visual and spiritual journey that illuminates the teachings of the New Testament follow in the second section. By Woodeene Koenig-Bricker Revealing how the saints actually lived, a daily guide offers a saint for each day, detailing their hopes, joys, fears, and sorrows, little known quirks and sayings, as well as a full year of meditations and practical suggestions.

Bert Ghezzi Catholics around the world rely on the Catholic saints for guidance and inspiration, so it’s important that the saints and their stories be easy to find. Voices of the Saints by Bert Ghezzi provides readers with many convenient ways to look up 365 Catholic saints: chronologically, alphabetically, by feast day, even by theme.

The saint’s patronage is also listed when available, as is the date of beatification or canonization. The voice of each Catholic saint comes through clearly in quotations drawn from their own writings, the recollection of witnesses, and the careful work of biographers.

A prayer or Scripture verse concludes each entry. By Peter Kreeft For the first time in 400 years the Catholic Church has authorized an official universal catechism which instantly became an international best-seller, the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Using this official Catechism, the highly-regarded author and professor Peter Kreeft presents a complete compendium of all the major beliefs of Catholicism written in his readable and concise style.

Since the Catechism of the Catholic Church was written for the express purpose of grounding and fostering catechisms based on it for local needs and ordinary readers, Kreeft does just that, offering a thorough summary of Catholic doctrine, morality, and worship in a popular format with less technical language.

He presents a systematic, organic synthesis of the essential and fundamental Catholic teachings in the light of the Second Vatican Council and the whole of the Church’s Tradition. This book is the most thorough, complete and popular catechetical summary of Catholic belief in print that is based on the universal Catechism.

By Peter Kreeft, Ronald Tracelli Unbelievers, doubters and skeptics continue to attack the truths of Christianity. Handbook of Catholic Apologetics is the only book that categorizes and summarizes all the major arguments in support of the main Christian beliefs.

1. Also included is a Protestant-friendly treatment of Catholic- Protestant issues.
2. The Catholic answers to Protestant questions show how Catholicism is the fullness of the Christian faith.
3. Handbook of Catholic Apologetics is full of the wisdom and wit, clarity and insight of philosophers Peter Kreeft and Ronald Tacelli.

This is an informative and valuable guidebook for anyone looking for answers to questions of faith and reason. Whether you are asking the questions yourself or want to respond to others who are, here is the resource you have been waiting for. Topics include: faith and reason, the existence of God, God’s nature, creation and evolution, providence and free will, miracles, problem of evil, Bible’s historical reliability, divinity of Chris, Christ’s resurrection, life after death, salvation, the Eucharist, Catholic hierarchy and more.

Directed by Stephen Ray Zealous for the God of Israel, Saul of Tarsus pursued murderous threats against the disciples of Jesus. But Saul s zeal was turned upside down when he was knocked from his high horse and humbled by the hand of God. Join the adventure in this edition of the Footprints of God series as Stephen Ray, best-selling author and popular Bible teacher, takes you on the road with St.

Paul through Israel, Syria, Turkey, Greece and Italy. Fall from a horse in the desert and dangle over the Damascus Wall in a basket. Cling to driftwood in the sea and stride along ancient Roman roads. You ll better understand the life, ministry, and sufferings of Paul the Apostle. Need some guidance finding a parish near you? MassTimes.org has a parish-finding resource for that. ©2008-2023 Catholics Come Home, Inc. PO Box 1802 Roswell, GA 30077 : Mary & The Saints

Why do Christians believe in Mary?

Mother of God – Mary is often described as the Mother of God. This title refers to her as the mother of Jesus. The Greek term for this is Theotokos, which means God-bearing. This term is used to confirm the divinity of Christ as fully God as well as fully man.

When did Christians start praying to Mary?

Mary in the Early Church – Virgin and Child on a wall painting in the early Roman catacombs, 4th century. “Many centuries were necessary to arrive at the explicit definition of the revealed truths concerning Mary,” said Pope John Paul II during his papacy in 1995. The importance of Mary and of Marian theology can be seen in the Church after the third century.

1. The New Testament Gospels, composed during the late 1st century, contain the first references to the life of Mary; the New Testament Epistles, composed earlier, make no mention of her by name.
2. There are, however, references to Mary in the Epistles, most notably in Galatians,
3. In the 2nd century, St.
4. Irenaeus of Lyons called Mary the “second Eve” because through Mary and her willing acceptance of God’s choice, God undid the harm that was done through Eve’s choice to eat the forbidden fruit.

The earliest recorded prayer to Mary is the sub tuum praesidium (3rd or 4th century) and the earliest depictions of her are from the Priscilla catacombs in Rome (early 3rd century). Hugo Rahner ‘s 20th-century discovery and reconstruction of Saint Ambrose ‘s 4th-century view of Mary as the Mother of the Church was adopted at the Second Vatican Council,

This shows the influence of early traditions and views on Mary in modern times. This view was then emphasized by Pope John Paul II in 1997, and today Mary is viewed as the Mother of the Church by many Catholics, as well as the Queen of Heaven. In the 5th century, the Third Ecumenical Council debated the question of whether Mary should be referred to as Theotokos or Christotokos,

Theotokos means “God-bearer” or “Mother of God”; its use implies that Jesus, to whom Mary gave birth, is truly God and man in one person. Nestorians preferred the title Christotokos meaning “Christ-bearer” or “Mother of the Messiah” not because they denied Jesus’ divinity, but because they believed that God the Son or Logos existed before time and before Mary, and that Mary was mother only of Jesus as a human, so calling her “Mother of God” was confusing and potentially heretical.

Both sides agreed that Jesus took divinity from God the Father and humanity from his mother. The majority at the council agreed with the Pope that denying Mary the title Theotokos would either imply that Jesus was not divine, or that Jesus had two separate personhoods, one of whom was son of Mary and the other not.

Ultimately, the council affirmed the use of the title Theotokos and by doing so affirmed Jesus’ undivided divinity and humanity, Thus, while the debate was over the proper title for Mary, it was primarily a Christological question about the nature of Jesus Christ, a question which would return at the Fourth Ecumenical Council,

Is it okay to pray the rosary?

Why should you pray the Rosary? As we celebrate the Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary on October 7,, offers a reflection on the practice of praying the Rosary. This past June, on the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, I was pleased to lead the National Shrine in praying the 13 th Annual Global Rosary Relay for the Sanctification of Priests.

This special time of prayer, with the Shrine faithful and thousands around the world, was an opportunity to give thanks to God for priests and to implore the protection of Our Lady for all priests. Certainly this moment of worldwide prayer drew grace upon the world. Leading the Rosary on this day reminded me of Father Patrick Peyton, C.S.C., affectionately known as the “Rosary Priest,” who often said, “The family that prays together stays together,” and “A world at prayer is a world at peace.” The Rosary is a meditative prayer that can transform hearts and change lives.

The Rosary is our prayer to God through the intercession of the Blessed Mother. When we gather for a funeral vigil, family and friends gather to pray the Rosary. It offers us peace of mind. When a close friend of mine learned that a family member fell ill, he prayed the Rosary, offering his worries and prayer intentions to God.

As we meditate on the mysteries of the Holy Rosary, be it the Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious, or Luminous mysteries, we reflect on Scripture and enter key moments of the life of Jesus Christ. And the closer we dwell on the love of God for us, the more our own faith, hope, love for, and trust in God increases.

We need to remind ourselves, however, that praying the Rosary need not be limited to those occasions when we are facing challenges and difficulties in our journey of faith. When I was Pastor, I would often join parishioners at their home for supper and together we would pray the Rosary before sitting at the table.

• I would often see parishioners quietly praying the Rosary before the Blessed Sacrament in church.
• I would join the Men’s Group on Saturday mornings and begin the day by praying the Rosary.
• And I know many individuals who pray the Rosary on their commute to work because it is a peaceful start to their day.

I begin my day by praying the Rosary. It truly is a beautiful, daily encounter with the Lord. All of us live busy and distracted lives – whether we are a student, working from 9-5 (or longer), or if we are retired. No doubt, you are now reading this blog post from your computer or smartphone.

All of us need to step back to retreat from the busyness and distractions of our day, switch off the phone, and social media, and quiet our minds. Take a moment today to pray the Rosary. Offer it for a friend or family member, for peace of mind, for peace in the world. Praying the Rosary allows us to encounter Mary and to enter the mysteries of Jesus Christ.

From his Incarnation, to the Cross, to the Resurrection, we come to understand that God has revealed himself and saved us. May the Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady of the Rosary, continue to inspire us to a life of discipleship. : Why should you pray the Rosary?

Is Mary a goddess in Christianity?

The simple answer is no. According to official Christian theology throughout the centuries, Mary is not and cannot be a goddess. Christianity is monotheistic and acknowledges only one god, even though Christians describe their god as the Holy Trinity with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost.