I’m another newbie. I’d like to attempt to point out one thing, if I may and hopefully this is accurate. You say that understanding Mary is the beginning of understanding God, she is the key to Christ. As an Evangelical, I do have some experience with former Catholics (which is what the OP is about) and from what I can tell, there are certain things that former Catholics tend to take with them into the Protestant churches they later attend- a high view of baptism, for example. When Protestants go the other way, they tend to take certain things with them into Catholicism- a very high view of Scripture, for example, and an emphasis on evangelism and conversionism. I notice, however, and I hope this is accurate- former Catholics do not tend to take these sorts of comments about Mary into the Protestant churches that they go to. They may (and sometimes do) defend the teaching that she is the Mother of God, especially if they are well grounded in church history. But among former Catholics, I haven’t observed anything like the comments that you put forward. I can see they’re typical of you, but from what I can tell they’re quite atypical of former Catholics. I strongly suspect they are not universal to all Catholics, it’s just a certain kind that feels really strongly that way. And while there’s nothing wrong with these feelings, I would like to clarify whether you see them as just some strong feelings you have or if this is the very teaching of the Church you belong to. I see them as your own personal feelings, which are quite nice and sweet in a way. But I’m curious to know if it’s your preference that these particular comments be perceived in this way, or if you feel that there is more dogmatic force behind it than that.
A more dogmatic force. Mary is the Theotokos. And she is most
aptly called the Mother of the God-Man Incarnate.
Dogma.
It has been popularly stated through the centuries
that “to be Catholic, one is devoted to Mary”. Or opposition ally
“one will not remain Catholic if not devoted to Mary”.
And history proves this to be true: “The hallmark of
a Catholic is devotion to Mary.”
As far as the whys? Understanding Mary properly avoids
the tendency to “downgrade” the Second Person of
the Trinity.
As Fr. John Hardon wrote years ago:
"This has deeply affected the Western world, which has been so deeply infected by what I may call “non-Catholic Christianity.” After all, it is one thing to believe in Jesus Christ. It is something else to believe that He is the Living God who became man as a child conceived by a human mother. Already in the earliest centuries of Christianity, faith in the real Jesus Christ meant faith also in His Mother as the mother of a human child, indeed, but also, and emphatically, the Mother of God.
This truth is essential to Catholic piety. We are only as truly devoted to Jesus Christ as we believe that He had a human mother, but she is the Mother of the Second Person of the Holy Trinity."
Those MOST likely to reject the title of Mother of God
are those who are insufficient in their understanding
of the two natures and two wills of Christ.
Secondarily are those who are concerned that Mary
conceiving the God-man somehow disproves that
Christ prexisted his Mother.
In any case/ those Catholics that lapse or turn against the
Church it is frequently found they were lacking in devotion
to the Mother so the idea they worshipped her would
be inconsistent.
Thirdly Mary is literally the Mother of the Blessed
Sacrament. When Jesus is received in Communion
we are literally receiving Jesus in ALL of forms.
We receive the Flesh of Jesus- He who took His
Flesh directly from His Mother. Quite rightly both
Jesus and Mary can say they are “flesh of my flesh”.
That view was best put forth by St. Augustine. I will see
if I can find the quote.
