Instead of anti catholic ranting on all topics, can you get back to Mary?
The fact that a woman would get the noteriety that Mary does in scripture shows the authors did not pass her over. Women were close to being garbage in her era from a cultural standpoint yet she figures prominently.
More powerful?
Those are important doctrines. The Catholic Church never requires prayers to the Virgin Mary. In fact, all of our liturgical prayers end with the same invocation to Jesus, as our intercessor. Don’t get confused by private devotion and church doctrines. People can be emotional, and have different ways to show their love. But you don’t have to be bothered by it. Adhere to the doctrines you already accept, and that should be sufficient until you feel inclined to move further in one direction or another.
You’re looking at it the wrong way. When Jesus is too intimidating to approach, go to Mary. She’ll point you right back to Jesus, but you’ll have someone by your side.
The Catholic Church requires many prayers to the Virgin Mary as the church recognizes her maternal solicitude over the church including each individual member as well as over every human being. This is shown by the many liturgical feasts we celebrate in her honor throughout the liturgical year. Mary is our mother in the order of divine grace (CCC #968) who cooperates with the Holy Spirit in the generation and formation of all the redeemed (Vatican Council II, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, #63). God has given to Mary this role and she has accepted it with all her being. The role Mary plays in our spiritual life or the life of grace is analogous to the role our natural mothers played in bringing us into this world (Pope John Paul II, Encyclical Redemptoris Mater, #45). Certainly, no one can say that we didn’t need our mothers to bring us into this world. I’ll end with a quote from St. Louis Marie de Montfort in the Secret of Mary, #12:Those are important doctrines. The Catholic Church never requires prayers to the Virgin Mary. In fact, all of our liturgical prayers end with the same invocation to Jesus, as our intercessor. Don’t get confused by private devotion and church doctrines. People can be emotional, and have different ways to show their love. But you don’t have to be bothered by it. Adhere to the doctrines you already accept, and that should be sufficient until you feel inclined to move further in one direction or another.
It would appear you are unwilling (or unable) to answer the rest of my questions, so I will attempt to answer them for you (in blue).
I understand entirely what you are saying about this matter. In fact for much of the same reasons I left the Catholic Church. I also returned to the Church. However, lets be honest about something. This is an unfair challenge to the Catholic Church. Let me explain if I tell you that the moon is made up of rock and you still describe it as being made of cheese does that lessen the truth of what I said? No. My family like your family were secular Catholics or just cultural Catholics. And in fact there are many secular Catholics who have no real faith. Look at VP Biden and Congresswoman Pelosi who work hard against the Catholic Church’s beliefs. Yet they still call themselves Catholic and are in actuality not. It doesn’t mean that they cannot come back to the faith in repentance but really what they have faith in is what they personally believe. Not what the Church teaches. So it is with our families. Every day as Catholics we are faced with the choice of Adam and Eve. Will I remain obeying God or will I do my own thing? Unfortunately, many Catholics choose their own way to include certian Clergy!!! Another way your observation is unfair is that it is clear there are many Faithful Catholics you don’t know who study the scripture live faithful lives who daily take up their cross and follow Jesus. Just as there are many Protestants who continue to live in sin. At this one baptist church I attended before returning to the Catholic faith a Childrens Sunday School teacher would come to Church drunk! And her husband being a deacon kept it quiet. In another Church near by a Youth Minister just got sentenced to jail for child abuse (molestation). And when you combine all the Protestant Christian Denominations together you find that the Majority don’t follow Christ but their own way by living immoral lives. I knew a single deacon who was living with his girlfriend and it was an cheep grace he held to and sin wasn’t a big issue because he only needed to mentally ask God for forgiveness and it wasn’t a big deal. In our Catholic Faith every mortal sin is a fall from Grace much like when Adam ate the fruit God told him not to. For Catholics its serious we must bring it to the cross and confess our sins and as the act of contrition says to make a firm resolution to “never more offend thee”. Whereas to a protestant you sin, you let up a quick mental “please God forgive me” and continue living with your live in girlfriend.
That’s a great question Zenith. But I think the issue is that even if he started creating sinless beings the ones that came from the sinful line would still need a savior.
One important thing I always try and remind myself of my protestant upbringing and my present Catholic walk is we were all people before we were Christians. Our righteousness is as filthy rags. Praise G-d He came to seek and to save that which was lost and that His word is promised to never come back void.
I understand what you are getting at, but you have mistaken the meaning of my post. I was referring to the Church REQUIRING a private devotion to Mary by saying private prayers, like the Rosary for example.
Converts are often the best Catholics. Us cradle Catholics never had to fight for or lose something for the Catholic faith.
Reverts are right behind them. You point is well taken.
I think a lot of Catholics get confused about prayers, the Rosary and even those who love and honor her, she keeps all to herself. This is wrong as you well know yourself. All prayers, love, honor and devotion to the Immaculate Virgin Mary she carries to the feet of Jesus her Beloved Son. The humility of Mary so inexplicably great she echos all the desires and great Love of the Holy Trinity wishes. Who couldn’t love what the Immaculate Conception emulates. That’s why I love her in humility because she is the mother of my soul.