Finding the Best in Catholic Faith Formation
Who Mary Is
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Mary, also known as the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint Mary the Virgin, Saint Mary, Mary Mother of God or the Virgin Mary is the greatest of all Christian saints. The word “saint” simply means holy.
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The Catholic Church venerates Mary as the holiest of all of God's creatures. The main events of her life are celebrated as liturgical feasts of the universal Church. She was foreshadowed throughout the Old Testament and the major events of her life are recorded in the New Testament.
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There are many misconceptions about how Catholics should understand Mary and relate to her. The Catholic church does not worship Mary. We venerate her because it is fitting to do so. All of Christianity should do this simply because she was chosen by God to carry God in her womb and raise Him in human form. Venerating Mary in a way that depicts her importance in the covenant through Christ is a natural and intended part of God's plan for us all. It should never be intentionally understated or rejected. Basically, no mother, no son, no salvation is a good truth to begin with when approaching Mary.
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We pray to Mary, not as a divinity, but as a human who has passed, exists in heaven, is very close to her son who is God complete as well as part of the Trinity that fully comprises God. She can intercede if she chooses to do so in our prayerful petitions to God when they align with His grace and want for our actions and way of living.
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Think of it like this. Have you ever asked anyone to pray for you? Do you believe that someone in heaven can hear you in prayer in some way and is able to intercede in petition to the Father for your prayerful requests? That is what praying to Mary is all about. She is as close to God as anyone who earns a residence in heaven can be, thus why would you not ask her for help?
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When we begin to understand Mary and her role in the story of our salvation, her absolute significance cannot be denied. In order to really understand this most important of humans who has ever existed, you need to know the incredible plan that God lays out for us in scripture. Yes, the Bible. That really long book that is comprised of 73 books, 46 making up the Old Testament and 27 comprising the New Testament.
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However, it is not a matter of trying to read the entire bible as quickly as you can, unless you want to; but that, in most cases; will not provide you with the full benefit you deserve.
If you do go this route, we suggest reading the bible along with a widely used program that provides guidance and insight. One such program is the Bible in a Year from Ascension Press.
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This organized and reflection based scripture reading, learning about the major events of Mary’s earthly life, learning what the Church knows and teaches about her and when the Church celebrates liturgical feasts of Mary will bring you along in your journey.
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What you will find after inviting Mary to be a part of your faith and Life is that her story began at the beginning, both figuratively and literally. The book of Genesis (3:15) talks about her. Most of the books of the Old Testament foreshadow the coming messiah and that Mary will be a part of the Father’s new Covenant with His children through Jesus Christ.
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The links below will provide you with some great foundational support in your consideration and prayerful acceptance that Mary is Queen in Heaven and always there for you.
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The primary reason why Christians who are not Roman Catholic, part of one of the twenty-three Eastern Rite Catholic Churches or the Eastern Orthadox church claim that you should not pray to Mary or even really consider her as really important comes from scripture. However, it is a misinterpretation and twisting of scripture that has found a foothold since the days of the Protestant reformation in the 1500s. In fact, there is only one occurrence in the entire Bible causing this divide. Beyond this, it is only a few sentences as well. Tens of millions of people would have benefited even more from their faith during their earthly sojourning if they were told to consider Jesus’ words in the context of the larger picture.
So here it is, the cause of so much disagreement. It is found in the Gospel of Luke.
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Gospel of Luke 11:27-28
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 nursed you!” But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”
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Jesus was not denying that Mary is Blessed, the Queen of Heaven or that she is anything less than Full of Grace. He was warning us that worrying about where someone else stands in their relationship with God won’t do you any good. We need to hear, understand and follow God’s direction in order to achieve true life here and in our forever. In fact, in the last sentence, Christ was referring to His Mother as an example of how to be.
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Three quick, yet really important facts and Church teachings about Mary.
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Many of us need clarification on two important facts about Mary that are celebrated by the Church, they are the Announciation and the Immaculate Conception. The Annunciation is Mary being told by the Angel Gabriel of God’s plan, of which she accepted without hesitation. The Immaculate Conception is that Mary is the only human to be conceived and born without original sin. Why is this? Because she is the Ark of the New Covenant through Christ. Only the purest of person would be fit to carry the Christ child and there is only one and she is Mary.
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The third fact is that contrary to the belief of many Christians, Mary is the Blessed Virgin Mary and did not have any other children. If she had, Jesus would have not needed the Apostle John to take Mary into his home. While hanging from the Cross and about to die, Jesus asked John to take Mary into his home and care for her. He would not have needed to do this if He had brothers and sisters. In doing this He also gave her to the entire Church and all of us. i.e. Mother Church.
We hope you enjoy growing your faith right along with us and getting to know Mary better. If you already know our Mother Mary and cherish her glory, or if you had never really considered her; we are excited you are here and pray that we can be a part of your journey ahead.
