How should we address that fact that there is no devotion to Mary in the New Testament?

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Bartolome_Casas

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What do we say when one of our separated brethren Christians points out that fact?

They are correct, as far as I can see, that in the entire Bible, there is not one example of a single human being or angel giving devotion to or making prayers to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The Bible is, as we all agree, the Word of God.

Do we Catholics simply reply that the devotion and prayers to Mary are part of the Word of God that is carried along by Tradition, but never put into Scripture?

But if St. Peter, St. Paul, St. John, and other New Testament apostles were praying to the Blessed Virgin Mary, why does the New Testament record no incidents of that?

So, then do we say that devotions and prayers to the Blessed Virgin Mary began some time after the death of the original apostles?

Any suggestions would be welcome. Thank you,
 
The problem is that “bible Christians” may read only tiny bits of the bible, separating their favorite verses into ‘faith bites’ that suit their personal desires.

Neither is the Trinity spelled out explicitly in the NT. But, they believe that, right? That was not finally settled until the 4th century!

How about Jesus Himself, who provided a son for Mary as He was dying on the cross? (John 19:26-27) I mean, she had lots of “other children”, right? Why provide a son who would care for her and support her for the rest of her life if He Himself was not devoted to her?

What you need is a copy of Catholicism for Dummies. Great book. Every Catholic, heck, every Christian should have a copy.
 
Bartolome_Casas said:
What do we say when one of our separated brethren Christians points out that fact?
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In the Bible, Mary says “All generations shall call me blessed.”
~~ Luke 1:48
Bartolome_Casas said:
They are correct, as far as I can see, that in the entire Bible, there is not one example of a single human being or angel giving devotion to or making prayers to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
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What about the Angel Gabriel, the first to say,

“Hail Mary, full of grace.
The Lord is with you.”

That’s in the Bible, too. Also in Luke … Luke 1:28.
Sounds to me like an angel giving devotion to Mary.

:angel1:
 
the_phoenix said:
In the Bible, Mary says “All generations shall call me blessed.”
~~ Luke 1:48

What about the Angel Gabriel, the first to say,

“Hail Mary, full of grace.
The Lord is with you.”

That’s in the Bible, too. Also in Luke … Luke 1:28.
Sounds to me like an angel giving devotion to Mary.

:angel1:
Click to expand...
Combined with the fact that, of all women who ever would be, Jesus chose and acted in the creation of Mary, his own mother (John 1:1-3). On a side note, since Jesus was perfect and incapable of sin, how could He then choose the path of sin for His incarnation? Illogical. Rhetorical question for bible Christians: Since sin is inherited, did Jesus then need to save Himself?
 
Bartolome_Casas said:
What do we say when one of our separated brethren Christians points out that fact?

,
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ask them what they think Elizabeth was talking about in her greeting to Mary, and why Jesus responded to her request by working the first of his signs at the wedding in Cana. If they are going to pick and chose what part of the NT they read, yes they will miss the devotion to Mary that is a constant thread throughout, particularly in the gospel of Luke. They will probably have to skip that gospel altogether if they want to retain their disdain for the Mother of God.
 
po18guy said:
Might note that, for some reason, He did not choose their mother for His own… 😉
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not to mention, his gift of his mother to all mankind as his last act before Christ died on the Cross
 
All of these answers are really good, but mine maybe not so much.

Anyways, The 5th commandment says *“Honor thy Father and Mother”, *which means Jesus would obey this as well as Mary’s son. So, if Jesus, The Son of God, God Incarnate, is going to honor her I think that is a pretty good case for us to do likewise, aren’t we supposed to “follow” Jesus’ example? This isn’t rocket science. I don’t get why other denominations have a hard time understanding this, or maybe they do and there is another reason this is an issue? That’s my :twocents:
 
God himself venerates, honors and shows devotion to Mary.

In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, “Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you.” (Luke 1:26-28)

The greeting “Hail” has always been reserved for the highest ranking people, people who command the greatest respect and honor. Romans’ said, “Hail Ceasar.” Nazi’s said “Heil Hitler.” We play “Hail to the Chief” in the USA when the president enters the room. This is a singular greeting reserved for a king or a queen or an emperor or president.

Gabriel’s spoke God’s word to Mary, and Mary is greeted with the singular and reserved greeting “Hail.” God himself greets Mary with the greeting of highest respect and honor.
Revelation 12 confirms this greeting of Mary as one worthy of respect and honor when it reveals Mary as a woman wearing a crown of twelve stars - the Queen of Heaven.

A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. (Revelation 12:1)*

So it is impossible to say that there is no devotion to Mary in the New Testament. God himself greets Mary with the singular royal greeting “Hail” and appoints her to the position of Queen of Heaven. God himself venerates, honors and shows devotion to Mary.

-Tim-
 
dcrowmik said:
The truth about Mary and scripture: this will help you out.
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This video is awesome. I would recommend sending a link to any Protestant who is debating the role of Mary. It really goes into a lot of detail. It helped me a lot. When it comes to Mary, a protestant needs a lot more than “Hail full of grace”.
 
Bartolome_Casas said:
But if St. Peter, St. Paul, St. John, and other New Testament apostles were praying to the Blessed Virgin Mary, why does the New Testament record no incidents of that?
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I have the impression that the Apostles were actually devoted to Mary, the Mother of Jesus. An indication of this was that, after the Ascension of our Lord, they used to gather at the “upper room” where they prayed with Mary (Acts 1:13-14). The Blessed Virgin was with them when the Holy Spirit came (Pentecost). Their intimate association with the Mother of God continued after this, as may be inferred from the fact that there are many things that the evangelists wrote, which they themselves could not have known if they had not been in close communication with Mary. For example, the story of the Annunciation, the Visitation, the circumstances surrounding the Nativity and infancy of our Lord - all these would have been unknown to the gospel writers if they had not been closely associated with Mary. Even the fact that it was she who informed our Lord at Cana that the bridegroom was short of wine, would not have been known if Mary did not reveal it. You see, Mary was truly the Mother of the Church because, although she was working behind the scenes, she helped the apostles and the evangelists in their difficult work of writing the gospels, clarifying the mysteries to prevent or stop any heresies about her Son, and strengthening the apostles and their disciples with her prayers and encouragement.

Prayers and hymns to Mary intensified after her death, I’m sure, but records of their development should be sought beyond the NT writings. We need to look at the writings of the early christians or the Church Fathers which, unfortunately, our separated brethren do not like to do. But as early as 262 A.D., for example, we see Gregory the Wonderworker saying in Four Homilies 2: “It is our duty to present to God, like sacrifices, all the festivals and hymnal celebrations; and first of all, [the feast of] the Annunciation to the holy Mother of God, to wit, the salutation made to her by the angel, ‘Hail, full of grace!’” If Mary was being honored by the practice of reciting the Angelic Salutation as early as 262 A.D., then it must have been a practice that started soon after her death. Devotion regarding her Assumption into heaven followed easily, but I don’t want to make this post too long with many quotations from the Church Fathers.
 
Bartolome_Casas said:
But if St. Peter, St. Paul, St. John, and other New Testament apostles were praying to the Blessed Virgin Mary, why does the New Testament record no incidents of that?
Click to expand...
Neither were the Apostles teaching the Trinity. The Apostles were racing against what they thought to be God’s clock. Christ’s return was believed to be imminent, and so the spread of the Gospel was fast and furious, so to speak. When it later became obvious that He would not return immediately and when the Church was better established (the age of the early fathers), much more time could then be devoted to developing theology. It was also in that time frame the the doctrine of the Trinity was fully established and declared against the early heresies.

It is kind of like asking why a seedling tree does not produce fruit. It needs time to develop. Doctrine is the fruit of the Church.
 
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