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jttierney1
Guest
Why do non-catholics think we Catholics worship Mary?
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Tietjen
Guest
Because we pray to her. Many Protestants equate prayer with worship.
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angelusm
Guest
No, we don’t. We venerate her. Protestants believe in many lies about the CC. I think they just want to spread lies to discourage their mambers from joining the CC.
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Claire_from_DE
Guest
Because somebody told them so. And the person who told them believed the person who told him, etc. So it’s really because of their faith in the traditions of men.
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Calliope
Guest
I was raised Catholic, and I wasn’t sure we DIDN’T worship Mary! I knew it wasn’t part of the official church teaching, but in some areas and subcultures within Catholicism veneration of Mary can be pretty intense. Where I was raised, adoration of Mary was at least equal to, and for some greater than any attention showed to Christ. What I’m saying is that there is confusion even among Catholics.
What I saw, experienced and took part in, growing up, I thought we were worshipping Mary. It looked and felt like worship, even though we gave a different name to it, I could not discern any difference in what I was doing or feeling, it was the same (and in some cases less) than I did or felt for Jesus.
We visited shrines, prayed in front of traveling statues of her, participated in May crownings, had nuns come and teach us to make rosaries, were encouraged to join the Blue Army, sang litanies to her, brought flowers to her, made promises to her…etc.
Christ was the dead guy on the cross that we had to feel guilty about, but Mary was the one from whose hands gems of grace fell on us. Mary was the one crushing the serpents head. Mary was the one who came and spoke to children and healed people at her shrines, etc.
We were given glow in the dark statuettes of her to keep in our rooms (and glow in the dark rosaries), so that it was almost like we were having our own glowing visitation from her. She was emphasized by the church and the church school to a degree that I think many of us did think she was at least as important as Christ, and certainly more active in our daily lives. It made perfect sense to us to worship her, it was a natural response to the significance she was given. It had to be unlearned later, and was really confusing, because as a kid it was one of the more interesting and engaging parts of the faith.
I know it’s not cool to talk like that here, but I don’t think I’m the only person who was raised in Catholicism that had this type of experience.
Calliope
What I saw, experienced and took part in, growing up, I thought we were worshipping Mary. It looked and felt like worship, even though we gave a different name to it, I could not discern any difference in what I was doing or feeling, it was the same (and in some cases less) than I did or felt for Jesus.
We visited shrines, prayed in front of traveling statues of her, participated in May crownings, had nuns come and teach us to make rosaries, were encouraged to join the Blue Army, sang litanies to her, brought flowers to her, made promises to her…etc.
Christ was the dead guy on the cross that we had to feel guilty about, but Mary was the one from whose hands gems of grace fell on us. Mary was the one crushing the serpents head. Mary was the one who came and spoke to children and healed people at her shrines, etc.
We were given glow in the dark statuettes of her to keep in our rooms (and glow in the dark rosaries), so that it was almost like we were having our own glowing visitation from her. She was emphasized by the church and the church school to a degree that I think many of us did think she was at least as important as Christ, and certainly more active in our daily lives. It made perfect sense to us to worship her, it was a natural response to the significance she was given. It had to be unlearned later, and was really confusing, because as a kid it was one of the more interesting and engaging parts of the faith.
I know it’s not cool to talk like that here, but I don’t think I’m the only person who was raised in Catholicism that had this type of experience.
Calliope
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Claudius
Guest
Because they lie. They know we don’t really worship Mary, or they have a warped sense of what the word prayer is. Protestants don’t worship GOD, only pray to him and so they think that if you pray to anyone you are worshiping them. This point gets protestants into a lot of integraty issues when they pray to the judge in a court case or pray to the queen over on the unfaithful islands of albion.
Mostly though, they just lie.
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CuriousInIL
Guest
Huh?
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rinnie
Guest
No what we have is intercession. They think because we ask her and other Saints for prayers we are worshiping her. But they can ask us or other to pray for them (which we do also) but its not the same thing to them. They also have a problem because we have statues in our church. Funny how people can have budda, etc and nothings ever said. and they admit they worship other gods. we have statues and say we dont but we arent believed. go figure.
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tiemry
Guest
Your not the only one. This is how I was raised in the RCC. I respect Mary and thankful for her for her for saying yes to God. From what I have read in the Bible of Mary, she was a simple, very good virginal girl who called herself the handmaid of the Lord. My mother put her statute up for any type of crazy reason, in the window for good weather,
, yet Jesus was always in the backround. There, but not that important
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st_lucy
Guest
I have brother who swears this was the case in our house growing up. It really baffles me because although we did venerate our Lady, we always knew that Jesus was the King. So it makes me shake my head when my brother says these things, how can one out of five kids have seen things so different. I do know that he never did say these things until he started dating a very strong Protestant girl with very little knowledge of the RCC but a huge amount of hate for the Church.Your not the only one. This is how I was raised in the RCC. I respect Mary and thankful for her for her for saying yes to God. From what I have read in the Bible of Mary, she was a simple, very good virginal girl who called herself the handmaid of the Lord. My mother put her statute up for any type of crazy reason, in the window for good weather,
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MH84
Guest
Calliope and tiemry bring up interesting points. I quite simply say that in general Catholics know more about Mary than they do about the Blessed Trinity, especially the Holy Spirit and God the Father. I dare say the average Catholic hardly knows the basic understanding of the Trinity.
If people pray its normally the Rosary and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. Besides through the Mass, the Blessed Trinity is not worshipped by Catholics as They should be. However, Ive even heard that many people used to pray the Rosary during the Mass!
I think there is too much emphasis on praying to Jesus and Mary, and not enough foucus on God (the Trinity) alone. Even the Eucharistic benediction includes honouring Mary and the St. Joseph.
I think that Mary and the saints should be freely venerated, but I wonder if there’s enough focus on God, like the Apostles and early disciples use to have.
Our prayer life is quite different to the Christianity of say 2000 years ago. Im not sure but I think the Muslims have prayed the same over the last 1500 or so years.
If people pray its normally the Rosary and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. Besides through the Mass, the Blessed Trinity is not worshipped by Catholics as They should be. However, Ive even heard that many people used to pray the Rosary during the Mass!
I think there is too much emphasis on praying to Jesus and Mary, and not enough foucus on God (the Trinity) alone. Even the Eucharistic benediction includes honouring Mary and the St. Joseph.
I think that Mary and the saints should be freely venerated, but I wonder if there’s enough focus on God, like the Apostles and early disciples use to have.
Our prayer life is quite different to the Christianity of say 2000 years ago. Im not sure but I think the Muslims have prayed the same over the last 1500 or so years.
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Gabriel_of_12
Guest
Calliope, that was a very wonderful upbringing to be schooled in a spiritual way,. You are right to question this later if you do not understand. What you described is not worship to Mary, It is veneration. We worship God at Mass as a community.
The point I hope to relate here is not to denounce your comments, on the contrary, I support them. You were being taught how to begin to enter into the Spiritual realities, this is a good thing, I am sad that you walked away from you true worship to God, which was coming next. The Catholic Church teaches us to love first before we can live and love.
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MH84
Guest
I remember as a boy joining my mum in praying the Rosary from house to house every Saturday at one stage. We would all gather around a stature of the Virgin Mary and pray together. After lunch, we would carry the statue from one house and walk to another house to pray another set of Mysteries.
This is my opportunity to bring up something that Ive found curious.
I have seen how some good Catholics always make a big defence of how the Rosary is basically a prayer to Christ. I remember never really seeing the Rosary from that point of view before. I think that it is a good perspective. Of course, the Rosary will always have a Marian flavour to it, as it should be.
However, isnt it strange when many people pray the Rosary, they don’t reflect on the Mysteries, they just mention the titles of each Mystery and then continue. There is no reading of the Scripture of the Mystery or a pause. I know Ive many, many times prayed like that. The Rosary to most people, I suggest, is more about the 1 Our Father, 10 Hail Mary’s and 1 Glory Be.
In defence of that, it is very hard to focus on the words you are praying and focusing on the Mystery of the decade at the same time.
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CapIV
Guest
worshiping anyone other than God is heresy and the worst sin according to the Decalogue. No Catholic “worships” Mary.
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MH84
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Answer this without thinking much (no cheating
):How would an average Catholic distinguish veneration to Mary and worship to God? What’s the difference? Its very subtle isnt it?
What’s the difference between worshipping and praying the Litany of the Blessed Virgin?
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st_lucy
Guest
I find rather strange that one who considers himself a Christian insist on declaring what everyone is doing. I have never seen the rosary said as you have described. In all of my life I have only seen the rosary said only in light of our Lords life. With the whole mystery recited. In fact I myself will say the scriptural rosary, which is a bible verse in between each Hail Mary. It is very insightful.
I also find that if you are not focusing on the mystery than you are probable only paying lipservce.
Please don’t try to assume that all are doing this just because you might of had hard time doing something. We are not all you.
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water
Guest
Hello MH84,
There are different ways of praying the Rosary: (1) to say scripture for each of Hail Mary (2) meditate while praying the Rosary. It is important to meditate on the Mysteries on every Hail Mary; however, we cannot tell if one meditates on the mysteries or not since they might be meditating silently as mentioned in method (2).
You could read more about the Rosary by some books written by Saint Luis De Montfort:
- The Secrets of the Rosary
- Devotion to Mary
To Jesus through Mary!
God bless.
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MH84
Guest
- I never said “everybody”, but I often said “many”. Would I be wrong with saying that? Im a realist I guess. Im not making wild accusations here, but talking about myself and when I have prayed with other.
- since you are so defensive about it, maybe you have had the same troubles.
- the Scriptural rosary is a relatively new way of praying the Rosary. Not everyoneprays it or has prayed it.
- if you are focusing 100% on the Mysteries, then that means you are saying the prayers without thinking about them. How ironic that you hint that I have been paying lipservice while praying.
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Deacon110
Guest
I think this comes from Roman Catholics who claim that Mary has done so much for them when they pray to her. I was in a conversation with a Roman Catholic the other day and she said “I usually pray to St. Christopher he always seems to come through for me”.
I’ve heard many say the same thing about Mary. I was watching ETWN the other night and they had a web of faith question regarding this very issue. The response was quite interesting in that the Priests were explaining the RCC’s position on this. But over the next few minutes of the conversation they talked about all these miracles that get attributed to Mary. Not one time did they give any glory to GOD. Then they had the audacity to say hey we’re not trying to squeeze out Jesus, we’re just recognizing Mary’s rightful place. This was a little disturbing.
The other thing that seems to aggravate non-RCs is all the work that gets put into creating doctrine for venerating Mary. Like the current effort to title her co-mediatrix. Also when I see Vatican Officials on TV i.e. Bishops, Cardinals, and the Pope walking past the huge statue of Mary in the Vatican they bow down to it.
It’s pretty easy to confuse this all with Mary worship. Let’s try focusing on the 66% of the world that doesn’t even believe.
PEACE
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water
Guest
Deacon, maybe you were focusing on so much if they ever mentioned about Jesus and you missed the whole point. Have you ever heard someone admiring a picture without even mentioning the name of the artist. I am sure you have. But admiring the picture does not taking away the admiring of the artist even when we do not mention his name.
I could understand your point of view and how you want the program to be. Perhaps, if the speaker of this program mentioned more about God without assuming that the audiences would understand “honoring Mary is to honor God”, then you would convert to Catholism.
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