There's not enough about Mary

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Does anyone else here agree that reverance to the Blessed Virgin Mary is way too downplayed by many Catholics today?

I am currently reading* True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin* by St. Louis De Montfort (particularly praised by Pope John Paul II). St. Louis teaches us that our relationship with the Virgin Mary is essential in our relationship with Christ. Yet devotion to Our Lady is much too downplayed today, mostly out of fear of offending protestants.
 
Caesar said:
Does anyone else here agree that reverance to the Blessed Virgin Mary is way too downplayed by many Catholics today?

I am currently reading* True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin* by St. Louis De Montfort (particularly praised by Pope John Paul II). St. Louis teaches us that our relationship with the Virgin Mary is essential in our relationship with Christ. Yet devotion to Our Lady is much too downplayed today, mostly out of fear of offending protestants.
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Which Catholics downplay the role of Mary? Where are you getting your stats from?
 
I would gladly; if I had time go to Protestant Alter call and talk about my relationship with Mary and how she lead me to Jesus, and introduce them the Gospel Prayer of the Rosary just like what Fr. Corapi said of a old lady who did just that.

The elders at the Baptist church saw one of those glow in the dark rosary and fainted.

After that, the Catholic woman brought back 10plus Former Catholics back into the Church…
 
Caesar said:
Yet devotion to Our Lady is much too downplayed today, mostly out of fear of offending protestants.
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I am not sure about this. I can speak for myself that I’ve come to her even closer after reading many posts here about Virgin Mary.🙂
 
water said:
I am not sure about this. I can speak for myself that I’ve come to her even closer after reading many posts here about Virgin Mary.🙂
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I’m reffering to average parish churches, schools, retreats, ect. where the presence of a strong devotion to Mary really seems to be lacking.
 
Caesar said:
Does anyone else here agree that reverance to the Blessed Virgin Mary is way too downplayed by many Catholics today?

I am currently reading* True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin*
Click to expand...
by St. Louis De Montfort (particularly praised by Pope John Paul II). St. Louis teaches us that our relationship with the Virgin Mary is essential in our relationship with Christ. Yet devotion to Our Lady is much too downplayed today, mostly out of fear of offending protestants.No, I disagree. And I’m a Knight of the Immaculata, so I’m about as Marian devoted as one can get.

I could actually care less if someone is offended by my devotion and consecration to the Blessed Virgin because every day we MI pray.

Daily Renewal of Total Consecration

Immaculata, Queen and Mother of the Church, I renew
my consecration to you this day and for always, so that
you may use me for the coming of the Kingdom of Jesus
in the whole world. To this end I offer you all my prayers,
actions and sacrifices of this day.

My message is the same as Mary’s. "Whatsoever he shall say to you, do ye.’ (John 2:5)
 
Caesar said:
I’m reffering to average parish churches, schools, retreats, ect. where the presence of a strong devotion to Mary really seems to be lacking.
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Hi Caesar,

I’m a Maronite Catholic in Australia, and I live amongst many Roman Catholics.

I went to a Roman Catholic school and sometimes attend a Roman Catholic Mass; But I’m more involved in the Maronite community.

I think you’re right; The Roman Catholic community does not have as much emphasis on Mary. Perhaps the western protestant culture has affected/infiltrated Roman Catholic culture. Whereas Mary features much more prominately in Maronite culture.
 
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Caesar:
Does anyone else here agree that reverance to the Blessed Virgin Mary is way too downplayed by many Catholics today?
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Maybe by a few Catholics - certainly not by all Catholics, or even by most Catholics I know.

Hey Charlie! Your name sounds familiar - maybe we have met or are related? (I have some cousins with the same last name). Do you go to Our Lady of Lebanon in Harris Park? What village are you from (if from Lebanon?) My grandparents are from Blouza.
 
Charlie_Zeaiter said:
Hi Caesar,

I’m a Maronite Catholic in Australia, and I live amongst many Roman Catholics.

I went to a Roman Catholic school and sometimes attend a Roman Catholic Mass; But I’m more involved in the Maronite community.

I think you’re right; The Roman Catholic community does not have as much emphasis on Mary. Perhaps the western protestant culture has affected/infiltrated Roman Catholic culture. Whereas Mary features much more prominately in Maronite culture.
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It cannot be that Roman Catholicism is lacking in Marian theology- especialy since at one time Marian devotion was far greater then it is today, perhaps even greater then in the Eastern Churches. But so many Catholics today ignore that.
 
My mother was raised around the time of Vatican II. She always had a few statues of Mary around the house and even gave me one for my dresser, but never talked about Mary. I didn’t learn to pray the rosary until college. I got the impression that my mom (and most of my CCD teachers) was embarassed by Mary.

It may take a while for the Marian devotions to recover from the misinterpretation of “ecumenism” to mean “water everything down to the lowest common denominators.” Personally, we have a large painted tile image of Our Lady of Guadalupe in our front hall and my three-year-old always blows kisses to her picture out in the rose garden at church!

Plus, Marian devotion is alive and well in many of the Spanish-speaking communities. Our parish has an annual mass and fiesta for Our Lady of Guadalupe. (Sadly, we seem to be the only non-Spanish speakers who go. The rest of the parish doesn’t know what they’re missing!) Before mass, a mariachi band sings songs to “La Guadalupana” out in the rose garden and a lot of the little kids wear burlap ponchos decorated with roses and the image of OLG. The sermon usually ends with cheers of “Vive la Virgen!” Then we process a statue over to the gym for the fiesta.

The Church is 2,000 years old. We should know by now that it always seems to take at least a generation to properly understand and implement a Council, but it will come!
 
I’m really trying to figure out a way to put this Charitably- so if I botch it, please feel free to help me out.

It has been my perception (and bear in mind, this is coming from a middle-class white woman with a Master’s degree), that “excessive” (read: visable) devotion to our Lady is more of a hallmark of Latino culture, and, as such, not something that non-Latinos should/would want to cultivate. The media is no help either, with cliched image after image of the Mexican gang-banger with his tricked out ride, sporting a giant decal of our Lady of Gaudalupe on the back, kissing his Rosary just before killing someone. The role of our Lady has been shorthand for “uneducated, poor minority”.

That said, I feel I have to put in my disclaimer that I am extremely devoted to our Lady, and that it was our Lady’s intercession through exposure to the Miraculous Medal that led to the conversion of both my husband and myself, and the subsequent raising of our children in the Faith. The above is not reflective of my personal devotion to Mary, nor perceptions of Latinos, but it is indicitive of the subtle aversion to our Lady I’ve noticed among people of my socio-economic group.

Cheers,
Cari
 
Cari said:
I’m really trying to figure out a way to put this Charitably- so if I botch it, please feel free to help me out.

It has been my perception (and bear in mind, this is coming from a middle-class white woman with a Master’s degree), that “excessive” (read: visable) devotion to our Lady is more of a hallmark of Latino culture, and, as such, not something that non-Latinos should/would want to cultivate. The media is no help either, with cliched image after image of the Mexican gang-banger with his tricked out ride, sporting a giant decal of our Lady of Gaudalupe on the back, kissing his Rosary just before killing someone. The role of our Lady has been shorthand for “uneducated, poor minority”.

That said, I feel I have to put in my disclaimer that I am extremely devoted to our Lady, and that it was our Lady’s intercession through exposure to the Miraculous Medal that led to the conversion of both my husband and myself, and the subsequent raising of our children in the Faith. The above is not reflective of my personal devotion to Mary, nor perceptions of Latinos, but it is indicitive of the subtle aversion to our Lady I’ve noticed among people of my socio-economic group.

Cheers,
Cari
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It is unfortunate that this perception exists. My family is of Austro-German and French descent, and my grandparents and great-grandparents (and now myself) had great Marian devotion.
 
Caesar said:
It is unfortunate that this perception exists. My family is of Austro-German…
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Family on my mother’s side was also of Germanic stocck from Austria-Hungary. In fact, we had distant relatives escape to Toronto during the Hungarian Revolution in 1956, but subsequently lost contact with them.
 
rr1213 said:
Family on my mother’s side was also of Germanic stocck from Austria-Hungary. In fact, we had distant relatives escape to Toronto during the Hungarian Revolution in 1956, but subsequently lost contact with them.
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Ah, we were from North-western Austria near the borders with Germany and France. My grandfather was the son of a former-aristocrat (was stripped of his titles when the Austrian Empire was dissolved in 1918- we still have a painting of Blessed Emperor Karl in the front hall) who came to Canada in 1947. They all had great devotion to the Blessed Virgin.

He went first to Montreal, then to Windsor though.

Family history is interesting 😃
 
Caesar said:
Ah, we were from North-western Austria near the borders with Germany and France. My grandfather was the son of a former-aristocrat (was stripped of his titles when the Austrian Empire was dissolved in 1918- we still have a painting of Blessed Emperor Karl in the front hall) who came to Canada in 1947. They all had great devotion to the Blessed Virgin.

He went first to Montreal, then to Windsor though.

Family history is interesting 😃
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Agreed. Sounds unlikely that we’re related. 😃
 
I am sure that many cases are differant, but on average is it not possible to say that the average Catholic in North America does not possess the same devotion for the Blessed Virgin as was once common 80 years ago?
 
promethius95945 said:
who’s afraid of offending protestants!!! CERTAINLY not I…
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Perhaps you should be.

Mt 13:41 "The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness,

Lu 17:2 "It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.

1Co 8:13 Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.

If Protestants are separated brethren, and you cause your brother to be offended, you have a problem.
 
Caesar said:
Does anyone else here agree that reverance to the Blessed Virgin Mary is way too downplayed by many Catholics today?

I am currently reading* True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin* by St. Louis De Montfort (particularly praised by Pope John Paul II). St. Louis teaches us that our relationship with the Virgin Mary is essential in our relationship with Christ. Yet devotion to Our Lady is much too downplayed today, mostly out of fear of offending protestants.
Click to expand...
I think your question is too broad to be answered well. Is there an acceptable number of Catholics that would satisfy you if they downplay it, and how can you measure it?

I don’t believe that Montfort’s writings are official church teaching; I seem to recall that these sorts of devotions are optional for Catholics, and for good reason. You seem to imply all Catholics should be very highly Marian - whatever that means. Do you think all Catholics should say the Rosary daily? What would be a satisfactory level of Marian devotion to you?

I think you will agree that Marian devotion among Protestants is much less than among Catholics or Orthodox, and less than it was several hundred years ago. Perhaps Protestants may have some valid critiques of Marian theology that you should consider. Perhaps that critique is shared by some Catholics. The Catholic church is not uniform on this matter, after all.
 
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