Trying to understand Blessed Mary

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With all due respect, I don’t understand all of the Marian doctrine and prayers. I love this woman and what an amazing individual she had to be but I’m still trying to understand the Catholic side of this topic. Sometimes it looks like worship and I can’t get on board with that. Help me understand and I would live some book reccomendations?
 
I wish I’d read Fulton Sheen’s “The World’s First Love” earlier in my life. It is the first book I would hand anyone who wants to better understand the Blessed Mother.

After that it would be Scott Hahn’s “Hail, Holy Queen”.
 
I completely understand where you are coming form.
If I may offer a little help, for me the start of understanding was when I was explained to the difference between admiration, adoration and worshiping.
Also reading threads about this here, and especially one poster (TisBearself) really challenging me on it helped me really start to understand better.
I also started going to Adoration over a year ago…and that was really helpful, understanding the Rosary and really focusing on Mary and her role.
Humanizing the whole of Jesus and His ministry and life.

Chew on that for a bit and I hope it helps.
 
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The honor we as Catholics give to Mary is quite simply because she points us and leads us directly to Jesus
 
I found Tim Staples good, Behold Your Mother, very good also.
 
Bluemaxx
“I was explained to the difference between admiration, adoration and worshiping.”

Can you help me understand the difference?
 
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Mary was (and in a some ways still is) tough for me. There were a few keys for me:
  • Understand the difference between worship and veneration. Also, understand that worship is something intentional and interior. Only God is worshipped. Worship cannot be judged from the outside.
  • Understand who Mary was and what Mary’s role is. Within Catholic thinking, things must always be understood from the point of view of what the nature of a thing is and what it’s God given purpose is. Mary always ALWAYS points to Christ. She desires no attention for herself.
  • Mary is a creature of God. She is not a God or even a mini-God. Any assignment she was given , any grace she was given, and any power she seems to have is a gift of God and God alone.
Finally, I am by no means completely comfortable with all aspects of the Blessed Virgin Mary, so I will give you a piece of advice that was given to me:
  • It’s OK if you don’t understand. It’s OK if you aren’t comepletely comfortable with her. This is a relationship that takes time to develop. Chances are you have been more intently focused on your relationship with God and Jesus. It is totally understandable for your new relationship with Mary to take time. She is your mother, she loves you, and she is willing to wait.
 
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Just remember, OP, these are private revelation books. What they contain is not to be taken as doctrine or official teachings.

I’d stick with the apologetic/instructional information and get a good grasp on the Dogmas and Doctrines before diving into private revelations.
 
The book A Protestant Pastor Looks At Mary, by Charles Dickson, might be a good place for you to start.
 
Tshort said:
Can you help me understand the difference?
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While not in depth, here is the definition for worship in the Catholic Dictionary by Fr. John Hardon. Following is the definition for hyperdulia, which is the special veneration reserved for Mary.

Term​

WORSHIP-Acknowledgment of another’s worth, dignity, or superior position. In religion, worship is given either to God, and then it is adoration, or to the angels and saints, and it is called veneration. Divine worship actually includes three principal acts, namely adoration (or the recognition of God’s infinite perfection), prayer or the asking for divine help, and sacrifice or the offering of something precious to God. Worship as veneration also has three principal forms, whereby the angels and saints are honored for their sanctity, asked to intercede before the divine Majesty, and imitated in their love and service of God. (Etym. Old English weorthscipe, honor, dignity, reverence: weorth, worth +ship.)

HYPERDULIA-The special veneration due to the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is substantially less than the cultus latria (adoration), which is due to God alone. But it is higher than the cultus dulia (veneration), due to angels and other saints. As the Church understands the veneration of Mary, it is to be closely associated but subordinated to that of her Son. “The various forms of piety towards the Mother of God, which the Church has approved within the limits of sound and orthodox doctrine according to the dispositions and understanding of the faithful, ensure that while the mother is honored, the Son through whom all things have their being and in whom it has pleased the Father that all fullness should dwell, is rightly loved and glorified and His commandments are observed” (Second Vatican Council, Lumen Gentium, VII, 66). (Etym. Latin hyperdulia, virtue of deep submission.)

Here is a link to the dictionary in case you ever come across terms you don’t understand.

Dictionary : MANDATUM

MANDATUM The washing of the feet in the Liturgy of Holy Thursday. In the revised ritual the washing of the feet takes placed after the Gospel, which narrates the same event at the Last Supper. The men who have been chosen are led to chairs prepared for them. Then the priest goes to each man...
www.catholicculture.org www.catholicculture.org
 
On the “Catholic answers live”’app, look up “behold, your mother”

There’s two hour long shows about the author Tim Staples who was once a Protestant.

Really eye opening as to how we venerate, honor, and love her.

I strongly recommend it, it’ll be 2 hours very well spent.
 
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Tshort said:
With all due respect, I don’t understand all of the Marian doctrine and prayers. I love this woman and what an amazing individual she had to be but I’m still trying to understand the Catholic side of this topic. Sometimes it looks like worship and I can’t get on board with that. Help me understand and I would live some book reccomendations?
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I would definitely recommend Behold your Mother, this brought me to her in more ways than I could have imagined. When I thought I could not have gotten closer to her, I became so much closer. Everything I do, I wish to mirror her, so that when others see me, they can see her. Read it, but don’t go through it fast. Let it sink in, I promise that you will grow closer to her.
 
If you love her and think she’s amazing, you’re already ahead of the game.

I think the Sheen and Hahn books are good places to start, but IMHO you don’t need to read books or study. Just picture Mary who you say you love…then picture her kneeling next to you and the two of you praying to God together. Because that’s what we are doing when we say Marian prayers. Asking her to please pray for us and pray with us.

If she thought for one minute we were “worshipping” her, she’d be the first one to say, “Not me, HIM” and point right to Her Son.
 
savedbyfaith1 said:
Has the Roman Catholic Church made the true, blessed, and humble Mary the Queen of Heaven?

JEREMIAH 44
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Do yourself a favor and look up this topic on the search forum. You’ll get all the answers to why the argument you’re trying to make is false. Using a Catholic document, the Bible, to disprove a Catholic doctrine is a real tough row to hoe.
 
She is first among saints, the vessel through which God became man. Yes, Jesus received his humanity from Mary, that alone is enough to place her first among saints.
 
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