Family problems (need some advice)

[Kay_Cee]

Cody:

Hey everyone, I have a problem with a particular member of my family and I wondered if I could get some advice.
My cousin’s husband is a Lutheran from Austria, and he swears up and down that we worship the Virgin Mary. And whenever I try to tell him that we don’t he responds back that, “maybe the Church teaches that worship of Mary is wrong, but the fact is that you Catholics do it anyway. You’ve never been to Europe, Cody; and you’ve never lived in a predominately Catholic country.” I even asked a Polish priest at my parish about this before and he told me, "if you go to even the littlest Austrian village and ask a grandma if she worships Mary, she’ll tell you ‘no’, but that she does pray to Mary in that she asks for her intercession."
When I tried to explain what the priest said he blew up at me, and called me every obsenity you can think of. Adding that he lived in Austria 27 years and he knows what he saw. And that I offended him by questioning it.
Ironically, I just noticed an email from him today (although it was dated last month) where he thanked me for giving him some CDs that he used in his mythology class, and he invited me to stop by one of his clubs so long–and I quote–“promise not to talk about Mariolatry in Austria.”
I’m going to see my family on Christmas, and there’s a good chance he will be there. I wish I had some advice to deal with this problem. Has anybody else on this board ever had to go through something similar?

Thanks,

Cody

Does your cousin’s husband equates prayer with worship? If so, to him, the logic probably goes like this:

All prayer is worship.
Catholics pray to Mary.
Therefore, Catholics worship Mary.

The mistake, of course, is with his primary premise. Not all prayer is worship. You might want to tell him (if he will listen) that Catholics consider much prayer to be simply communication, not worship.

One of the ways you can tell that Catholics do not worship Mary is that we do not offer sacrifice to her. We offer sacrifice only to God. If he thinks we offer sacrifice to her, make him prove it. He is the one making the accusation–the burden of proof is on him.

You also might want to check out this article:

catholic.com/thisrock/2003/0301fea3.asp

 

[LSK]

Ham1:

Wasn’t it from Fawlty Towers???

You are RIGHT, Ham! I forgot about that episode - the one with the German tourists?

“We didn’t start it…”

“You most certainly did…you invaded Poland”

 

[Ham1]

Bingo!

He ends up goose stepping around the dining room…classic

 

[Cody]

LittleRose:

And, incidentially, you do not need to live in Austria to see what he sees. Hang out with the immigrant communities from predominantly Catholic countries (especially Latino) in and American parish for a few weeks, and you’ll see the same stuff.

I’m curious. Exactly what do you mean by that?

• Cody +

 

[tdandh26]

Gods mercy and love are the wonder of wonders. It is this mercy and love which drew forth son from His eternal dwelling in the Father, to this sinful world, that He might redeem that which had fallen. God, in His divine nature is incorruptible and therefore incapable of being touched by sin. It was for this reason that the Eternal Wisdom created a vessel through which His incorruptible nature could take on human flesh. This vessel itself had to be free from all sin, for if even the slightest hint of sin was in her, the moment the divine nature entered into her she would have died. For inevitably that all powerful incorrutp nature would have, by its very essence, repelled sin with such force as to destroy the vessel which contained sin. For this very reason God created the Immaculate Conception. Thus at her proper age the son of the most High entered into her through the power of the Holy Spirit, and through her He took on flesh, so as to be able to take on the sins of the world, from beginning to end, and suffer Himself as payment for those sins.
We honor the most perfect of Gods creation, through whom our salvation came into the world. In paying honor to her we give God the greatest glory. For what human does not enjoy it when someone recognizes the great achievements he has done or made.