As a Protestant on the fence about converting (or at least doing RCIA), I’ve wondered about the Catholic practice of venerating Mary.
I mean, only God is our hope and our life, and I know the Catholic response is, Mary is leading to Jesus our hope and our life…but then why make things confusing by calling her our hope and our life?
I liked what bzkoss236 wrote. It is exaggerated, poetic language…spoken to someone we love.
How does Mary obtain graces for us? I also know the Catholic response is that going through a mother when asking a father for something is more efficacious…but isn’t that kind of limiting God to a human perspective? It makes God seem scary and unapproachable.
Our Lord came to us the first time via Mary. Grace first entered into the world through Mary. At the wedding at Cana, she obtained graces for the hosts when she asked Jesus to perform the miracle that turned water into wine. Even now, Mary continues to obtain graces for us by speaking to the Lord on our behalf. One thing you need to understand is that Mary’s will is totally united with our Lord’s. She only asks for what the Lord wants for us. I don’t see how her making a request on our behalf limits God or makes him seem scary and unapproachable. I still talk to him a lot, but I like having Mary ask him when I need something because she is his Mother and I know it is going to be harder for him to turn her down.
Doesn’t God want us to depend on Him alone?
Everything comes from God and that includes Mary. Jesus gave us his Mother as a gift to help us. His graces and blessings often come to us through other people and their actions. That is exactly what goes on with Mary except to a much greater degree. So, if we depend on Mary, we are depending on him.
Or is there an “allowable” balance between asking God and asking for intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, saints, and angels?
I am a convert. I struggled with Mary for a long time. Eventually things started to click for me. I began asking for her intercession often. I felt more distant from the Lord because I was talking to her so much. So, I asked him at Eucharistic adoration if what I was doing was OK. The answer was “you can ask my Mother for anything. With me your prayer is to be love and adoration”. I realized that if I felt distant from him, I just needed to talk to him more. And, also that what he most wanted from me was love. He is very much OK with me talking to his Mother and asking her for help when I need that. He loves her and is pleased that I love her too.
And does Mary make intercessions and obtain graces for us through her Son or through the Father, or both, or through her Son ultimately from the Father? I know They are One, but even in Catholic theology, they are individual Persons of the Trinity, and the Father is the source of the Son.
The wedding at Cana suggests to me that she mediates through the son.
What is the practical difference (i.e.: not just dictionary definition) between latria and hyperdulia? Sure, it’s easy to say one is worship and one is veneration, but what is the difference in practice?
Well here is what I would say practically as to how this has affected me. There are times when I felt I was in the presence of the Lord and I became so overwhelmed that I needed to be lying prostrate on the floor…totally humbled. I would do absolutely anything for him. Other times when at communion, I have felt as if I should go down on my knees to receive him. Often at adoration I have difficulty even gazing at our Lord in the monstrance. That is how I would practically describe latria.
As for hyperdulia, as you note this is veneration. It is having the utmost respect for someone. I imagine if I met the Queen of England, I would be very excited and do my best to learn the formalities necessary to show proper respect (e.g. curtsy, bow, kneel or whatever). But, I can’t imagine I would feel compelled to prostrate myself before her…or even to do the expected gestures. I would be doing them because they were expected rather than because I felt compelled.
I should also say that I have never felt that I need to go to extremes before Mother Mary either. In fact, what I feel for her is love like that towards a close family member. But this developed slowly.
I would encourage you to ask the Lord to help you understand his Mother better. He will lead you to her if you do that. A good book you might want to read is Hail Holy Queen by Scott Haan. I found his books very helpful when I was converting.
God bless you.
