What is the difference?

[SamanthaT]

Im not sure if that title is exactly expressing what I want to know… I am trying to learn as much as I can about the Catholic faith. I dont start RCIA untill this fall and will hopefully be baptized next spring. In the meantime, I have some questions and was hoping someone here could help

I was wondering what is meant by “Most Sorrowful Mother” and “Immaculate Heart” and such. I have felt a tremendous pull to learning more about Mary and also the rosary. I am just confused as to why there are so many titles, and what they all mean.

Thank you for any (name removed by moderator)ut you may have.
:grouphug: God Bless

 

[nodito]

Hi Samantha, welcome to Catholic Answers! And welcome to your journey to the Church!

We use a variety of titles to refer to Mary (such as the Most Sorrowful Mother, the Immaculate Conception, Our Lady of Guadalupe, etc) to emphasize different aspects of her life. For example, she is the Most Sorrowful Mother because she witnessed the death of her most holy and innocent Son. She is the Immaculate Conception because she was conceived without sin. She is Our Lady of Guadalupe because she appeared to St. Juan Diego near Mexico City in the 1500s. You’ll often hear these titles used in various litanies.

We also use titles like these for Jesus, for example: the Good Shepherd, King of Glory, Son of the Living God, Our Refuge, Redeemer of the World, etc.

 

[Spirithound]

I was wondering what is meant by “Most Sorrowful Mother” and “Immaculate Heart” and such. I have felt a tremendous pull to learning more about Mary and also the rosary. I am just confused as to why there are so many titles, and what they all mean.

As you’ve figured out, “Most Sorrowful Mother” and “Immaculate Heart” are two ways, or titles to refer to Mary. “Most Sorrowful Mother” relates to what we call the Seven Sorrows of Mary: Simeon’s prophecy in the Temple, flight into Egypt, losing Jesus in the Temple, Mary meets Jesus on the road to Calvary, the Crucifixion, Mary holds Jesus’ body, Jesus is placed in the tomb.

“Immaculate Heart” is a title that stems from Mary’s Immaculate Conception, and parallels honouring Jesus’ Sacred Heart.

There are many more titles, some stemming from places Mary has appeared, for example Our Lady of Fatima, others are given as logical conclusions of proper Christology, for example, Mother of God. I’m sure others would love to post in this thread and tell you about their favourites.

 

[paul11b]

They are just names for the Blessed Virgin Mary. Whenever she appears somewhere as an apparition they tend to call her by the name of the place she appeared (ie Our Lady of Fatima, Our Lady of Lourdes, Our Lady of Guadalupe). They are all just different ways of referring to the Blessed Mother. If you’d like to learn more about Mary I’d recommend that you read the book True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin and Hail Holy Queen. I’ve included a link to each book.

amazon.com/True-Devotion-Blessed-Virgin/dp/1905574304/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1309916552&sr=8-1 .

amazon.com/Hail-Holy-Queen-Explanation-Regina/dp/0895555239/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1309916703&sr=1-3

 

[EucharisticLove]

Im not sure if that title is exactly expressing what I want to know… I am trying to learn as much as I can about the Catholic faith. I dont start RCIA untill this fall and will hopefully be baptized next spring. In the meantime, I have some questions and was hoping someone here could help

I was wondering what is meant by “Most Sorrowful Mother” and “Immaculate Heart” and such. I have felt a tremendous pull to learning more about Mary and also the rosary. I am just confused as to why there are so many titles, and what they all mean.

Thank you for any (name removed by moderator)ut you may have.
:grouphug: God Bless

“Most Sorrowful Mother” and “Immaculate Heart” are titles given to Our Lady. The first involves the pain Our Lady went through when she saw her Son treated badly and even crucified. The Immaculate Heart image is how we honour Our Lady’s purity. She was free from all stain of original sin, so that she would be a pure vessel for Our Lord.

It looks like the Blessed Mother has taken an interest to you. This is wonderful! I invite you to pray the Rosary. It is a wonderful prayer!

As for the titles, do not let them confuse you. Just find one that you really like, and devote yourself to it. Do the same for Our Lord. If you are interested in Our Lady’s maternal embrace, perhaps Our Lady of Grace would be a good one, or Our Lady of Perpetual Help. As for Our Lord, perhaps you would enjoy the Sacred Heart devotion. Do some more research and find one you like!

As a convert to the Faith, I truly hope you enter the Church. You will not be disappointed.

God bless you!