Mary a Saint or a demi-god?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Mikaele
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
M

Mikaele

Guest
I’ve spoken to a few Catholics and mentioned that our Lady is a saint, but they were adamant that she’s not a saint, when I asked well what is she then? they had no answer. Am I right in saying that Mary is a saint in heaven like the other saints? (of course she is the greatest of them.)
 
well she is not a “demi-god” because there is no such thing; there’s only human and divine and angelic, and in the case of Jesus, both human and divine.

Our Blessed Mother is fully human, and she is a Saint, but she is also more than that because she is the Mother of God. She is however fully human. The Church teaches she has been placed above the angels and archangels - she is second only to God - but she is not divine herself. The reason she is above the Saints is because she is Jesus’ Mother and gave Him human nature.

God bless
 
Is it not written in your scriptures, He has said, “You are gods”?

He has given her most great and precious promises: by these she has been made a partaker of the Divine Nature.

For the Son of God became man so that man might become God.

The Immaculate All-Holy Theotokos was born a mortal woman like all others, and God graced her to be free from all stain of sin. However, while not granted immediately to others on the promises of Christ’s future merits, He has granted to all the ability to become Sons of God, to be like Him, and see Him as He really is.

Hence, being assumed body and soul into Heaven, she already partakes of the eternal glory of God, and can therefore be called a goddess. She was not created a goddess, but she became one at length through grace.

By the same token and through the sacrifice of Christ all men may partake of his nature and unite our humanity to his divinity in the way that he united his divinity to our humanity. No longer the sinful sons of Adam we; The Son of God became a son of Adam so that sons of Adam could become Sons of God.

Do not forget that when you next go to the ecclesia, your fellow Christian may one day resemble a being that if you saw in all its glory now, you might be tempted to fall down and worship.
 
WetCatechumen said:
Is it not written in your scriptures, He has said, “You are gods”?

He has given her most great and precious promises: by these she has been made a partaker of the Divine Nature.

For the Son of God became man so that man might become God.

The Immaculate All-Holy Theotokos was born a mortal woman like all others, and God graced her to be free from all stain of sin. However, while not granted immediately to others on the promises of Christ’s future merits, He has granted to all the ability to become Sons of God, to be like Him, and see Him as He really is.

Hence, being assumed body and soul into Heaven, she already partakes of the eternal glory of God, and can therefore be called a goddess. She was not created a goddess, but she became one at length through grace.

By the same token and through the sacrifice of Christ all men may partake of his nature and unite our humanity to his divinity in the way that he united his divinity to our humanity. No longer the sinful sons of Adam we; The Son of God became a son of Adam so that sons of Adam could become Sons of God.

Do not forget that when you next go to the ecclesia, your fellow Christian may one day resemble a being that if you saw in all its glory now, you might be tempted to fall down and worship.
Click to expand...
Oh! I guess she would be considered to be a Goddess, as she gave birth to the son of God, right? Could we consider, Jesus as a God along side the All Mighty Father?

Sorry you have sparked my curiosity now…I don’t see Mother Mary as a Goddess, but you explanation does interest me. 🙂 🙂
 
Mary is a Saint, not a demi-god. She is the Queen of Angels, though and has a special place in Heaven as Our Blessed Mother. Her spouse is the Holy Spirit and her son Jesus is the King of Heaven, so she is the Queen Mother.
 
Ashurie said:
Oh! I guess she would be considered to be a Goddess, as she gave birth to the son of God, right? Could we consider, Jesus as a God along side the All Mighty Father?

Sorry you have sparked my curiosity now…I don’t see Mother Mary as a Goddess, but you explanation does interest me. 🙂 🙂
Click to expand...
No.

She is the Mother of God, but only because God became a human. Because God became a human that had the effect of infusing the Divine Nature into all human beings. Some human beings reject this infusion and prefer to remain not even as humans, but animals unable to appreciate the glory of God. These are the damned.

The elect have been given the honor of becoming Sons of God and partaking of his Divine Nature. Therefore, we can be called gods after a fashion. It is even written in the Psalms, “you are gods”, and Jesus Christ cites this in the Gospel of John, when the Pharisees object to the fact that he called himself the Son of God.

So no, she does not possess the Divine Nature in and of herself. She is not co-equal, consubstantial, co-eternal, and co-powerful with the Three Divine Persons of the Holy and Life-Giving Trinity. Hence, we cannot call her “Goddess”. She is not the source of any of us. God is the only source. He is her source and Father. He gave her the extraordinary grace of being the Mother of His Only-Begotten Son. This did not confer on her the right to be Goddess, but merely revealed her as one of the Most Blessed of his children.

Because of the new union of divinity and humanity within the Godman Jesus Christ, all man are able to be gods. Not to be gods like the Mormons believe, and certainly not God as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are God, but we will be like them. For he who was immortal became mortal, and now we who are mortal will become immortal. He was was life suffered death, and we who suffer death now gain life through it. That which was divine became human, and now that which is human will become divine.

Because we partake of who he is and live with him in perfect communion as his Sons and Daughters, we may be called gods after a fashion, and St. Mary, the glorious, All-Holy, Immaculate Theotokos, is the brightest goddess among us.

But she is not Goddess.
 
WetCatechumen said:
No.

She is the Mother of God, but only because God became a human. Because God became a human that had the effect of infusing the Divine Nature into all human beings. Some human beings reject this infusion and prefer to remain not even as humans, but animals unable to appreciate the glory of God. These are the damned.

The elect have been given the honor of becoming Sons of God and partaking of his Divine Nature. Therefore, we can be called gods after a fashion. It is even written in the Psalms, “you are gods”, and Jesus Christ cites this in the Gospel of John, when the Pharisees object to the fact that he called himself the Son of God.

So no, she does not possess the Divine Nature in and of herself. She is not co-equal, consubstantial, co-eternal, and co-powerful with the Three Divine Persons of the Holy and Life-Giving Trinity. Hence, we cannot call her “Goddess”. She is not the source of any of us. God is the only source. He is her source and Father. He gave her the extraordinary grace of being the Mother of His Only-Begotten Son. This did not confer on her the right to be Goddess, but merely revealed her as one of the Most Blessed of his children.

Because of the new union of divinity and humanity within the Godman Jesus Christ, all man are able to be gods. Not to be gods like the Mormons believe, and certainly not God as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are God, but we will be like them. For he who was immortal became mortal, and now we who are mortal will become immortal. He was was life suffered death, and we who suffer death now gain life through it. That which was divine became human, and now that which is human will become divine.

Because we partake of who he is and live with him in perfect communion as his Sons and Daughters, we may be called gods after a fashion, and St. Mary, the glorious, All-Holy, Immaculate Theotokos, is the brightest goddess among us.

But she is not Goddess.
Click to expand...
Oh right, thanks 🙂
 
Yes but she is not a part of the Godhead, and no other saint is a part of the Godhead. Mary is the greatest Saint, but in saying that, she is a Saint, like St Philomena etc. Thanks for the answer.
 
Mikaele said:
I’ve spoken to a few Catholics and mentioned that our Lady is a saint, but they were adamant that she’s not a saint, when I asked well what is she then? they had no answer. Am I right in saying that Mary is a saint in heaven like the other saints? (of course she is the greatest of them.)
Click to expand...
Mikaele

The Way to the Lord Jesus is the Lord Jesus. That’s a given. As in Jesus is the only Way. The Catholic Church assembled the New Testament in agreement that it is of the Truth of God. So that is what the Catholic Church teaches, whether some might be in error of understanding the message, or not.

The Virgin Mary’s participation in the Salvation of Mankind most certainly makes Her a Saint. That is honored and remembered just as any other who had been chosen by God Himself to do the same. Moses, Paul, Peter, John, King David, Abraham, Noah so on, and so forth.

They are honored and respected as God’s Chosen. Should we not respect our God’s Choice. Note these names you do know, and the whole world knows, and remembers, for God has given them His Honor and His Respect.

One should consider when questioning such things, has God associated your name, to His?
 
**She is, in the words of the poet Wordsworth, **
“our tainted nature’s solitary boast,”
Click to expand...
**
**
See ****A Priestly Commentary
s**he is Mary, the Mother of God and Our Mother, preserved from sin and entrusted to all who would seek to be beloved Disciples, ever Immaculate and ever Virgin, mother and maiden, wiser than Solomon yet simple in her humility. Mary. **
Click to expand...
 
I heard that when St Margaret Mary asked Our Lord who the closest Saint to his Sacred Heart was, he said, St Francis. I was expecting it to be Our Lady.
 
There is only God in heaven. He is Father, Son and Holy Spirit all in one and shares His glory with no one, not even Mary. Mary is the mother of God and she is a Saint. Nothing more, nothing less.

I, like most (if not all) practicing Catholics have great respect for mother Mary and honor her but to deify her is ridiculous and should be avoided at all costs. She is certainly unique and a figure that is highly favored above most, but she is definitely not God or a god.
 
Daegus said:
There is only God in heaven. He is Father, Son and Holy Spirit all in one and shares His glory with no one, not even Mary. Mary is the mother of God and she is a Saint. Nothing more, nothing less.

I, like most (if not all) practicing Catholics have great respect for mother Mary and honor her but to deify her is ridiculous and should be avoided at all costs. She is certainly unique and a figure that is highly favored above most, but she is definitely not God or a god.
Click to expand...
thank you. I was beginning to think I was the only Catholic here who felt this way. It scares me when it seems people give Mary more power than even Jesus! There’s definitely more talk of Mary than there is of Jesus and that bothers me greatly. Even in our nearby Catholic bookstore, there is an entire bookcase full of books regarding Mary but only one shelf of books specifically to Jesus and the Holy Spirit. I find that very disturbing.
 
I suspect that the original poster was meeting people confused by the custom in America of not usually calling Mary “St. Mary”, but either just “Mary” or one of her titles, like “Our Lady” or “the Blessed Mother” or “the Blessed Virgin Mary”, etc.

Alternately, they might have been trying to explain dulia vs hyperdulia in the veneration of saints, but nobody remembers a term like hyperdulia!
 
On 2 occasions I have been asked who my favourite Saint is, and I replied, ‘Mary.’ They both replied, ‘Mary isn’t a Saint!’ then I replied on both occasions, ‘So what is she, a god?’ Also when Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque asked Jesus who the closes to his most Sacred Heart was, he said St.Francis of Assisi, why didn’t he say Our Lady?
 
Ashurie said:
Oh! I guess she would be considered to be a Goddess, as she gave birth to the son of God, right? Could we consider, Jesus as a God along side the All Mighty Father?

Sorry you have sparked my curiosity now…I don’t see Mother Mary as a Goddess, but you explanation does interest me. 🙂 🙂
Click to expand...
No Mary is not a goddess… partaking in Divine Grace does not make someone equal to God, or God. It means having union with God. Her union with Him is greater than anyone else’s 🙂
Mikaele said:
I heard that when St Margaret Mary asked Our Lord who the closest Saint to his Sacred Heart was, he said, St Francis. I was expecting it to be Our Lady.
Click to expand...
Mary is the closest human person to His Sacred Heart. She is His Mother, she is more than a Saint. It could very well be that the closest Saint to Jesus’ Heart is St Francis; I could believe that 🙂
Sandalwood said:
thank you. I was beginning to think I was the only Catholic here who felt this way. It scares me when it seems people give Mary more power than even Jesus! There’s definitely more talk of Mary than there is of Jesus and that bothers me greatly. Even in our nearby Catholic bookstore, there is an entire bookcase full of books regarding Mary but only one shelf of books specifically to Jesus and the Holy Spirit. I find that very disturbing.
Click to expand...
well we can come to Jesus through Mary… there is no competition between them 🙂
 
“Mary is the closest human person to His Sacred Heart. She is His Mother, she is more than a Saint. It could very well be that the closest Saint to Jesus’ Heart is St Francis; I could believe that”
  • I disagree, Mary is a Saint like St Joseph, St Philomena, St Rafqa etc. Of course she is the greatest Saint, but she is not ‘more than a Saint.’
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top