Apologetics Session 5: Mary, Part I

Mary, Our Blessed Mother, Our Lady: These and countless other names are given to the woman who has no real equal. Scripture, Tradition and the Magisterium of the Church all praise her. Yet, in separating from the Catholic Church, persons have become divided in their attitudes toward her. As Catholics, we need to understand for ourselves and be able to help others to understand God's intentions concerning Mary. We shall consider some questions and some possible answers, being always mindful of the need to speak the truth in love. How we say the truth can help or hinder the other person's hearing of it.

Question 1: Do Catholics worship Mary? This is a recurring question from non-Catholics (or from former Catholics who have been convinced by them) that Catholics give far too much attention to Mary.
Answer 1: NO. (Now, what do we need to understand in the dialog with questioners?)
The Catechism of the Catholic Church in Part One on the Creed begins to answer this question:

CCC 487 "What the Catholic faith believes about Mary is based on what it believes about Christ, and what it teaches about Mary illumines in turn its faith in Christ."

We do NOT worship Mary because she is NOT God. We revere and honor her, however, as His mother. Are we not commanded by the Fourth Commandment to honor father and mother? Jesus certainly honored His mother and desires us to do the same. Catholic teaching clearly distinguishes the differences in the worship that is due to God alone and the veneration due to Mary, His mother, and to the saints. The Church in fact gives three different theological names to these: Latria is the worship due to God alone; dulia is the veneration we give to the saints. Hyperdulia is the honor we give to Mary because she is the highest and holiest of the saints. Notice that dulia and hyperdulia are distinctly different, in kind and not in degree, from latria.
No other saint bore Christ in the womb as Mary did. No other kept His word as she did. Mary is unique and special because God chose to make her so; God chose to send His son through a woman.
Scriptures which can help in the dialogue:

And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden. For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. (Luke 1: 46 - 49)

The Scripture tells us that Mary magnifies the Lord; that is, she shows how great He is because of what He has done for her. She is never in "competition" with Him! Nor is He "worried" that He receives less when we honor her. Rather in honoring her, we honor Him for she has received everything from Him.

"As he said this, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, "Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts that you sucked!" But he said, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!" (Luke 11 :27-28)

Jesus calls attention to Mary's blessedness by telling us that she was blessed as one who heard His Word and kept it.
Important point to remember in this particular question: Is there excess among some Catholics?

An admission must be made that some Catholics can use excessive language, really not precise theologically, in speaking about Mary, or they may use words in the company of those who have no background for understanding what they mean. For instance, I have heard expressions like the "Divine Mary". Now, in one sense the early Church Fathers and some writers particularly in the East wrote about the "divinization" of Christians. In the context of those writings, which are faithful to Catholic teaching, it is true that God is working in us a greater participation in His Divine Life but no human being, including Mary, is anything but human. We are not Divine as God is Divine.

So, while we may admit that individual Catholics may go to a certain "excess" in their devotion, there are some Catholics and non-Catholics alike who are guilty of a certain "defect" in not giving her enough attention and devotion. The Catholic Church's teaching, however, is clear and balanced. Individuals may be in error, but the Church maintains true to what God has revealed about Mary. Whenever there has been a need to defend the truth about Mary (just as when there is a need to defend the truth about Jesus) the Church will make a pronouncement or a dogma to define the truth and keep us from error. (see again CCC 487)

Question 2. Why do you call Mary the Mother of God? She was only the mother of the human Jesus. God was God before Mary was even born.
Answer 2. Mary is not just the mother of a human nature. She is the mother of a Person, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity. Jesus is God, therefore Mary is Mother of God. There is indeed great mystery here, just as there is great mystery in the fact that God became man. The great mystery of the Incarnation, that Jesus is God and man, having a true Divine nature and a true human nature in One Person is an amazing mystery. Once again, what the Church believes about Jesus, she believes about Mary. Jesus is God and so Mary is the Mother of God.

Scripture that may help in the dialogue:

And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end." And Mary said to the angel, "How shall this be, since I have no husband?" And the angel said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. (Luke 1: 30-35)

This question of Mary's Motherhood of God is a very old one that was answered by the Church in the Council of Ephesus in 431 AD. We see again, how the truth of Jesus and the truth of Mary are inseparable.
Another question involving Mary's motherhood is often asked:

Question 3. Did Mary have other children? Scripture mentions "brothers and sisters of Jesus".
Answer 3. No.

CCC 500 The Church has always understood these passages (Mark 3:31 - 35; 6:3) as not referring to other children of the Virgin Mary. They are close relations of Jesus according to an Old Testament expression.

Misunderstood Scriptures:

The New Testament, which refers to brothers and sisters of Jesus, was written in Greek which used the same word adelphos for brothers as it did for any close family relationship, even as we sometimes use the word "kin". Some non-Catholics want to take the literal meaning of the words as we mean them today and regard "brothers and sisters" as "physically born of the same mother, father or both". However, even today we use the term "brothers and sisters" in a spiritual sense as children of God.
Mary's perpetual virginity will be discussed more in detail next week, but even as we look at her as Mother of God, we can see that God's intention for her was so exalted and unique that she needed for this special Motherhood to be unique in every way. Once chosen as His first and only Tabernacle of Flesh, she would remain as His first and foremost. None could occupy God's place. This is the unique Mother of the Unique Son.
Final Words for this class: God chose to give Jesus to the world through Mary, so all the questions return to His intentional choice of her. We are ever seeking His Will in what He has done, is doing and will do in His creation. We are not looking to "win arguments." We are not looking for "arguments" at all!! Our answers need always to be warmed by His Love.

Next week: Why is Mary sinless, ever-virgin and assumed into heaven? Why call her Mediatrix?

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.