O
OneTrueCathApos
Guest
**It is a tragic fact that beliefs about Mary, the Mother of Jesus, have become a source of division among Christians.
Many Christians honestly do not understand what Catholics believe about Mary and why. Sometimes Catholics have been accused of worshipping Mary. For their part, many Catholics do not understand why other Christians are sensitive to the attention given to Mary by Catholics. Many Catholics do not understand what their own Church teaches about Mary, and are ill-equipped to explain these beliefs to others.
I will try and explain “Mary”, the Mother of Jesus Christ.
Catholics believe that there is a “hierarchy” or order of Christian truths. In other words, not all Christian truths are equally central to the basic Gospel message. Official Catholic teaching has never considered beliefs about Mary as being equal in importance to truths about God–the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Truths about Mary are significant as they are related to the basic Gospel message. Not all New Testament writings explicitly mention Mary. For example, in all the NT letters attributed to Paul, Mary is mentioned only once, and not even by name (Gal. 4:4). This certainly does not prove that Paul never spoke about Mary, but it does indicate that the basic Gospel could be proclaimed without focusing on Mary.
However, many other NT writings DO speak about Mary, and Catholic Christians therefore believe that it is important to have a correct understanding of her role in God’s plan of salvation.
The Catholic church has never ceased to teach about Mary, and in the past 150 years it has made some major pronouncements about her life and her role in God’s saving plan. Catholic’s believe that the church’s understanding about Mary, as about all Christian truth, has deepened and become more precise over time through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Beliefs about her have been clarified to answer new questions and to settle new controversies.
When the Catholic church appears to teach “new things” about Mary, it is usually an official statement or clarification of things that have long been taught and believed by Christians.
These statements usually present truths that originated in the church during the early centuries of Christianity.
The principle of the “hierarchy” of truths points out two extremes that must be avoided in Christian teaching about Mary. On the one hand, Marian doctrines must not be presented as equal in importance to the fundamental Christian truths about the nature of God and redemption. Mary must never be exalted to the status of “goddess” deserving the worship and adoration due only to God. On the other hand, Mary’s role in God’s plan of salvation must not be ignored nor neglected.
Although the doctrine of Mary is not essential for salvation, she has an important place in God’s saving plan, and hence she has a definite role in the faith and life of every Christian.
I will talk about Mary’s role in God’s plan of salvation next…**
Many Christians honestly do not understand what Catholics believe about Mary and why. Sometimes Catholics have been accused of worshipping Mary. For their part, many Catholics do not understand why other Christians are sensitive to the attention given to Mary by Catholics. Many Catholics do not understand what their own Church teaches about Mary, and are ill-equipped to explain these beliefs to others.
I will try and explain “Mary”, the Mother of Jesus Christ.
Catholics believe that there is a “hierarchy” or order of Christian truths. In other words, not all Christian truths are equally central to the basic Gospel message. Official Catholic teaching has never considered beliefs about Mary as being equal in importance to truths about God–the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Truths about Mary are significant as they are related to the basic Gospel message. Not all New Testament writings explicitly mention Mary. For example, in all the NT letters attributed to Paul, Mary is mentioned only once, and not even by name (Gal. 4:4). This certainly does not prove that Paul never spoke about Mary, but it does indicate that the basic Gospel could be proclaimed without focusing on Mary.
However, many other NT writings DO speak about Mary, and Catholic Christians therefore believe that it is important to have a correct understanding of her role in God’s plan of salvation.
The Catholic church has never ceased to teach about Mary, and in the past 150 years it has made some major pronouncements about her life and her role in God’s saving plan. Catholic’s believe that the church’s understanding about Mary, as about all Christian truth, has deepened and become more precise over time through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Beliefs about her have been clarified to answer new questions and to settle new controversies.
When the Catholic church appears to teach “new things” about Mary, it is usually an official statement or clarification of things that have long been taught and believed by Christians.
These statements usually present truths that originated in the church during the early centuries of Christianity.
The principle of the “hierarchy” of truths points out two extremes that must be avoided in Christian teaching about Mary. On the one hand, Marian doctrines must not be presented as equal in importance to the fundamental Christian truths about the nature of God and redemption. Mary must never be exalted to the status of “goddess” deserving the worship and adoration due only to God. On the other hand, Mary’s role in God’s plan of salvation must not be ignored nor neglected.
Although the doctrine of Mary is not essential for salvation, she has an important place in God’s saving plan, and hence she has a definite role in the faith and life of every Christian.
I will talk about Mary’s role in God’s plan of salvation next…**