What do YOU think about Us Catholics and our veneration of Mary

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PetraG2m Peebo
Scripturally, what was Elizabeth doing when she said, “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.”

Did Scriptures say that Mary said, “No, no, don’t say things like that”? No, she responded with praise of God and yet also, “For he has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed. The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.”

To respond to Mary as Elizabeth did and as John the Baptist did in her womb is totally Scriptural. Our Lord’s praise of her corrected the idea that she is blessed merely for physically being his mother when he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” As Elizabeth recognized, that is what Mary did. Then, of course, on the cross Our Lord said, “Behold, your mother.”

It is all very Scriptural.

Yes…as Catholics we believe that …but most Protestants don’t…or…don’t want to because it’s Catholic
 
You just described every Protestant in the old Amazon discussions. They lament that we’re “going to burn in hell because Catholics have no hope and don’t know Jesus. Mary is their god.”

When I was little, the priest in the parish I went to in the Southwest said, “Don’t go to Protestant churches.” When we moved here, the priests encouraged us to go to Protestant churches (before Confirmation) to see the difference in teaching.

I was raised by a Catholic father and a Protestant mother (although I didn’t know she was Protestant and was mortified when I found out). So I got to experience both ways of teaching. I asked God which one He wanted me to go to. The Catholic Church, of course, which I’d been Confirmed in at the age of 7.

Yes, Protestants think we worship Mary and make her a god. Catholics know that loving the Blessed Virgin doesn’t mean we idolize her. We love her because she is His mother. She never tells us to worship her but to do whatever her Son says.

Protestants only see the number of “Hail Marys” in the Rosary. Catholics know that the Mysteries focus more on Jesus than on His mother.

Protestants are often thrown when we ask them if they love and honor their own mothers and if they worship them the way they claim we worship Mary.

Loving and honoring the mother of Our Lord and Savior doesn’t take anything away from Jesus. If anything, it makes us love Him even more.
 
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gadarperets said:
I have no problem respecting Mary, although that was not her name (Miriam), and I certainly call her blessed.
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Jesus’ name wasn’t Jesus either, it was more like Yeshua.

People adapt names to their own languages, which is fine. We all know who is meant. If it was not fine, the Vatican would have prohibited it long ago.
 
gadarperets said:
I have no problem respecting Mary, although that was not her name (Miriam), and I certainly call her blessed.
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By all means yes Mary is just the English translation of the Greek Miriam.

If you took her name back even further to Aramaic, which is what Jesus spoke, it would be Maryam.

Much in the same way we have the English name Peter, which is Petros in Greek and Cephas in Aramaic.

Let me know what you think about the video, it is a wealth of eye opening information.

God Bless
 
Tis_Bearself said:
I seem to recall a lot of animal slaughter. None of which goes on today
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From the Cross, Our Lord said to his disciple, “Here is your mother.” There is no reason to believe this was not a comment of significance; very little that he said was recorded. Acts of the Apostles notes, “When they entered the city they went to the upper room where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer, together with some women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.” Acts 1:13-14.

In other words, Scriptures specifically note that even though Mary and Jesus had relatives (note that the brothers of Jesus were not referred to as Mary’s children, but as Jesus’ brothers), Mary was entrusted as mother to the only one of the Twelve who was at the foot of the Cross. That is why Our Lord’s pronouncement from the Cross can hardly be read as merely seeing to it that her material needs were met after he died. He meant that Mary would be mother to the Church.
 
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I love Mary as a mother of Jesus and symbol of purity and obedience,intercestion…
 
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lilypadrees2h Peebo
You just described every Protestant in the old Amazon discussions. They lament that we’re “going to burn in hell because Catholics have no hope and don’t know Jesus. Mar is their god.”

When I was little, the priest in the parish I went to in the Southwest said, “Don’t go to Protestant churches.” When we moved here, the priests encouraged us to go to Protestant churches (before Confirmation) to see the difference in teaching.

I was raised by a Catholic father and a Protestant mother (although I didn’t know she was Protestant and was mortified when I found out). So I got to experience both ways of teaching. I asked God which one He wanted me to go to. The Catholic Church, of course, which I’d been Confirmed in at the age of 7.

Yes, Protestants think we worship Mary and make her a god. Catholics know that loving the Blessed Virgin doesn’t mean we idolize her. We love her because she is His mother. She never tells us to worship her but to do whatever her Son says.

Protestants only see the number of “Hail Marys” in the Rosary. Catholics know that the Mysteries focus more on Jesus than on His mother.

Protestants are often thrown when we ask them if they love and honor their own mothers and if they worship them the way they claim we worship Mary.

Loving and honoring the mother of Our Lord and Savior doesn’t take anything away from Jesus. If anything, it makes us love Him even more.

Imagine this scene in heaven…
Jesus…welcome my son/daughter…would you like to meet my dear Mother…and your dear Mother also
Protestant…huh!!..what do I want to meet her for…she meant nothing to me on earth…why should she now.
Jesus…uh oh…maybe you need to rethink that
 
Even in the Bible, it says a sword shall pierce the heart of Mary as well…

As in she will suffer also/as well with Our Lord.

For some inexplicable reason, God willed it…obviously only Jesus is our savior and redeemer, but God willed that Our Lady suffer as well.

Who on earth, past, present, or future, can be greater than Mary, the Mother of God? Even if she did not suffer alongside with Jesus, she is worthy of the greatest honor given to a creature.
 
Kts1816 said:
Sometimes too much…dont get me wrong I love Mary as a mother of Jesus and symbol of purity and obedience,intercestion…but sometimes Legion of Mary sound like they never mention Lord,Carmelites too…
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When you say the “Glory Be” in a Rosary, who does that refer to? Is Mary mentioned in the “Our Father”?

At the end of a Rosary, if you recite the “Salve Regina”:

Hail, holy Queen, Mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To thee to we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn, then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us, and after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.

V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray. Almighty and everlasting God, Who by the working of the Holy Spirit didst prepare both body and soul of the glorious Virgin Mother, Mary, that she might deserve to be made a worthy dwelling for Thy Son, grant that we who rejoice in her memory, may, by her loving intercession, be delivered from present evils and from lasting death, through the same Christ our Lord. Amen

Clearly, she is praying for us and with us when we recite a Rosary. We are praying that she be our help and an intercessor, as any of our brothers and sisters here on earth might be, except that by the grace of God she has been placed to do so in a far more excellent manner, not that she herself grant us anything that God alone has the power to give or to judge.
 
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Kts1816 said:
So sorry…i agree
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Oh, sorry.

The main point is that Our Lord intended for us to regard Mary as our mother, not just as His mother. He did this by a pronouncement from the Cross and by his correction of the woman who regarded Mary as blessed merely by the fact that she was His physical mother: “Rather, blessed are they who hear the word of God and keep it.” It was her obedience and total submission to the Holy Spirit that was pleasing to God and the reason she is considered blessed, not the mere fact of her physical motherhood. God did not use her as a convenient physical object; the important thing to salvation history was the relationship of unreserved love between Mary and her Creator and her total obedience to everything that relationship justly called on her to do. That is the relationship from which everything praiseworthy about her flows.
 
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Christians do not “need” scripture in the strict sense. The first generations of Christians had none. Just preaching. Jesus did not write a thing. He did not command the writing of anything. He made no mention of any writing when He sent His apostles forth, guided by the Holy Spirit. He did mention the “New Testament” though. Know what that is?

The Holy Eucharist. At the last supper, in the upper room is the only place in the entire bible where the words “New Testament” are used (Check the KJV or Douay-Rheims bible. Newer bibles have changed His words. “New Testament” refers strictly and solely to His Body and Blood in the Eucharist. Little Christian history lesson there.

Why do you think that we require a bible, when that is not a biblical belief? Where does the bible say that must only believe that which is in it? For that matter, where does the bible mention what should even be in it?

Doesn’t.

As to the mother of Jesus. He honored her. 6th commandment. He gave her to John at the crucifixion as his mother - even though his birth mother was there! Catch that? She is the “Woman” of Revelation 12. Why? That “Woman” gave birth to a male child (Christ) opposed by the serpent (devil). A child destined to rule the nations with a rod of iron. Check psalm 2 - a Messianic Psalm of David. The heir to his throne will rule the nations with a rod of iron - Jesus. The baby in Revelation 12 is Christ and the “Woman” is His mother. Read further in chapter 12. She is not only John’s mother, but the mother of all who keep the commandments of Christ. Therefore, she is our spiritual mother.

Christ honored His mother, then gave her to us. So, obeying Christ and following His example, we honor her as He did.

Follow? It is theology that is far far deeper than anything that came out of 16th century Europe.
 
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Great question!

I think a few things:
  1. I think Catholics want to serve God faithfully and faithfully follow what the Catholic church says will bring them closer to God.
  2. I think the Catholic church began without veneration of Mary, then around AD 600 was added to church beliefs and has continued its intensity through the years.
  3. I KNOW there are very few verses of the bible that mention Mary. But all of them mention her as a humble and chosen women to be a vessel for Jesus, which is an blessed honor. However, no bible scripture portrays her as anything that the Catholic church claims. That is, that we should pray to her and “venerate” her.
I have two questions for you. 1) After searching all the verses in the New Testament that reference Mary (there’s not many so it won’t take long to read through all of them), what conclusion do you come to about how we should treat her?
  1. As a follow-up to question #1: Although there are few verses referencing Mary, there are countless referencing Abraham, David, and Moses, just to name a few. I’m very surprised that Catholics primarily venerate Mary and not these men of the Old Testament who were truly men of God per the scriptures (although still sinners). I honestly don’t know the answer, could you help me understand this? As a protestant, I choose to worship (and venerate) only the Lord Christ Jesus, as he is “a jealous God” and all glory should go to him.
Peace be with you!
 
"She never tells us to worship her but to do whatever her Son says."
She told some people this at a wedding. She is not the authority of scripture, Jesus is. At any point in time if Jesus had said something that rebuked her words, you’d have to go with Jesus. Not saying this happened, but my point is that Jesus’ words and the inspired words of the prophets and apostles is all that we can rely on. I have no big issue with what you said, but I wanted to point that out.

Protestants only see the number of “Hail Marys” in the Rosary. Catholics know that the Mysteries focus more on Jesus than on His mother.
–No scripture tells us to focus on her at all. However, every book of the bible in some fashion tells us to give all the glory to God. NONE say give any glory to anyone else. Honor your father and mother is an entirely different concept, and that’s an obvious difference. You honor the President of the united states, due to his office. You honor your father and mother. You honor those in other high standings. BUT you do not worship them or glorify or pray to them. Only god, per the scriptures.
Imagine this scene in heaven…
Jesus…welcome my son/daughter…would you like to meet my dear Mother…and your dear Mother also
Protestant…huh!!..what do I want to meet her for…she meant nothing to me on earth…why should she now.
Jesus…uh oh…maybe you need to rethink that
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This scene will sound appealing to the Catholic believer, but unfortunately does not have any ties to scripture. It’s a fantasy of men, not from scripture.
 
PJM said:
Dear friend in Christ,

What do YOU think about us Catholics and our veneration of Mary?
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Some good, some bad.

I wonder what you think of protestant veneration of Mary (just as critical i suppose)
 
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PetraG said:
The main point is that Our Lord intended for us to regard Mary as our mother, not just as His mother.
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Well, that verse was contextually intended for John. However, she is our mother, even sister as Augustine points out, for Christ said,

“For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother."”
 
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