Explaining Mary to non-Catholic Christians

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Googler said:
Initially,
  1. I would leave out the apparitions and devotions, as powerful as they may be.
  2. Start at Scripture, Tradition, the Magisterium, and especially the Catechism.
The official teaching of the Catholic Church is clear and stated in 971 of the Catechism: “The Church’s devotion to the Blessed Virgin is intrinsic to Christian worship”. Significantly, “intrinsic” means we cannot do without it. It is important for the Church always to honor the Mother of God and to love her as the Mother given to us by Jesus.
CCC 487 - What the Catholic faith believes about Mary is based on what it believes about Christ, and what it teaches about Mary illumines in turn its faith in Christ.
  1. It is very important to understand the Annunciation and the Incarnation.
God has willed to send His Grace through Mary, as He sent Jesus through her. We do not need to be aware of that mediation of hers. However when we ask God anything through her intercession it is more humble and beautiful to Him.
  1. Avoid quoting Marian Saints.
It is important to know the Truth and be able to speak it.
Some very holy Saints have written some instances that seem to honor Mary to the exclusion of Jesus, which can be mistaken if the reader is unfamiliar with the Saint.
When Mary is shared without due reference to Christ, then we are in excess. She is never equal to or more than Her Son.
What we say and how we say it always matters for we are ambassadors for Christ and a Christian bears responsibility for honoring Him and His Mother at all times and all circumstances.
We need to be very careful among those who can be easily scandalized or have very weak faith.
We should promote Marian devotion only if we can explain it well to those with whom we speak and if they are truly willing to listen.

Eventually, a child of Mary might be interested to read the section ‘Fourth principle: It is more humble to have an intermediary with Christ (paragraphs 83-86)’ in Treatise On True Devotion To The Blessed Virgin by St. Louis de Montfort
  1. It is very important to understand the relationship of Mary to the Holy Spirit.
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Very well written, and thanks!

This all started with me over hearing some ignorant Christians dissing the Catholic devotion to Mary claiming it’s “deception” when really, they are simply IGNORANT!

I’ve been realizing that quite a bit lately. I got to realize not everybody sits and studies church history, theology, etc. like I and others here.

This weekend, an elderly gentleman referenced how the CC doesn’t use “too many prayers in Latin anymore”! I about fell out of my chair. He wasn’t referring to TLM or Traditionalists, just in general. People just don’ t have a clue.

Started reading The World’s First Love
BY THE MOST REVEREND FULTON J. SHEEN, PH.D., D.D.
which I’m really enjoying so far. Beautifully written and really explains what Catholics believe about Mary well. But, will I hand that to my wife or anybody and say “Here, read this!”? I don’t think so as I don’t see that helping.

It’s taken me years to barely understand a lot of Catholicism and like Moses, I’m not exactly eloquent in speech so I have a hard time explaining my faith in general. Maybe it’s best not to anyway, but to show it!

Thanks,
HA
 
hereagain said:
Very well written, and thanks!

This all started with me over hearing some ignorant Christians dissing the Catholic devotion to Mary claiming it’s “deception” when really, they are simply IGNORANT!

I’ve been realizing that quite a bit lately. I got to realize not everybody sits and studies church history, theology, etc. like I and others here.

This weekend, an elderly gentleman referenced how the CC doesn’t use “too many prayers in Latin anymore”! I about fell out of my chair. He wasn’t referring to TLM or Traditionalists, just in general. People just don’ t have a clue.

Started reading The World’s First Love
BY THE MOST REVEREND FULTON J. SHEEN, PH.D., D.D.
which I’m really enjoying so far. Beautifully written and really explains what Catholics believe about Mary well. But, will I hand that to my wife or anybody and say “Here, read this!”? I don’t think so as I don’t see that helping.

It’s taken me years to barely understand a lot of Catholicism and like Moses, I’m not exactly eloquent in speech so I have a hard time explaining my faith in general. Maybe it’s best not to anyway, but to show it!

Thanks,
HA
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👍 You had me glad, just hearing about your new found enthusiasm.

Some thoughts to keep in mind…in protestants thinking or tradition, they equate prayer with worship, so this may be what is behind your wife’s objection. Ask her what “Prayer” is to her.

Prayer, to a catholic, is different. Prayer, as it meant, and still do today, is to ask, to make a plea. So explain this to her and keep in it mind.

The following are short explanations:

ewtn.com/vexperts/showmessage_print.asp?number=388983&language=en

socrates58.blogspot.com/2004/02/is-mary-worshiped-by-catholics-latria.html

And check out this journal about Mary, written by former protestants…chnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/mary.pdf

And lastly, a book recommendation:

Hail Holy Queen by Scott Hahn:

amazon.com/Hail-Holy-Queen-Scott-Hahn/dp/0385501684

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.
 
My two favorites:
  1. The Visitation. The Greek verb used for “Elizabeth exclaimed” is only used that one time in the entire NT. And in the OT? Only 5 times, all in reference to the Ark of the Covenant. There’s more evidence for the typology there, but that’s my favorite bit.
  2. Queen Mothers. In those times, the queen wasn’t the king’s wife, but the king’s mom. And once you know this, it becomes strikingly obvious in 1&2 Kings and 2 Chronicles. Who do they always name alongside the new king? His mom. When else do they mention someone’s mother? Fairly rarely. So if Jesus is the King of Heaven, what does that make his mother?
 
EIF5A said:
…

If that is the case, perhaps the Blessed Mother is like a hostess who guides people to the Table of Salvation.

Titles like “Mediatrix of All Graces” still make me pause a bit, and I can only imagine what Protestants think of that title, but I think perhaps spiritual truth is being revealed more to us as humanity gets older. She is not the source of grace, but through a spiritual mechanism not entirely known to us, she delivers divine grace to us.

(Also in The Dialogue I think, it is said that Mary was not recorded much in the Gospel to increase her humility.)
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I think that the role of Mary as mother helps in understand your analogy. She is more than “hostess” - she is the mother. As in human terms, the father may provide the food (think pre-woman’s “liberation”) but the mother serves it to the family - in that sense, Mary mediates the food of grace for the family.

And Mary IS mother of all “beloved disciples”, as Scripture testifies. From the cross, Jesus said to the beloved disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And to His mother Mary He said, “Behold your son.”

To me, the universal motherhood of Mary is perhaps her most meaningful and beautiful roles in the Church - and it should be one that a woman can understand. But now, we are post-“woman’s emancipation” - and now, many woman have lost or even discarded their innate sense of the great dignity and importance of motherhood for humanity.
 
fide said:
I think that the role of Mary as mother helps in understand your analogy. She is more than “hostess” - she is the mother. As in human terms, the father may provide the food (think pre-woman’s “liberation”) but the mother serves it to the family - in that sense, Mary mediates the food of grace for the family.
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Beautiful!
 
I recently started a website devoted to Catholic evangelism and catechesis at www.logosensarkos.com. Look at the second page (Audio-Visuals and Presentations), which contains several materials that can be downloaded for free. One of these presentations is entitled “The Blessed Virgin Mary”. The angle in this presentation that you might find helpful is that Our Lady has several historical apparitions (Guadalupe, Lourdes, Fatima) which call attention to biblical passages that help explain Marian dogma. For example, The Song of Solomon and the Book of Esther in the Old Testament play a prominent role in the Lourdes and Fatima revelations, respectively. The Apocalypse also stands out in both Guadalupe and Fatima.
 
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