Do Catholics really worship Mary?

Over the years speaking to Catholics about theology I can remember this question was probably one of the first questions I asked. Do Catholics really worship Mary. I can tell you that I did not word it in the question form but in the accusative form. I see other new protestants that join our interfaith discussion forum doing the same: “Catholics worship idols” “Catholics break the 10 commandments by worshipping Mary”. Frankly for me it comes down to the fact that I trust what the other person is saying. If they say they are not worshiping Mary then I trust that it is true and I have a misunderstanding. However, that aside it is a good discussion to have and here are some of the things I learned.

With regard to Catholic saints Robert Morey a leading Christian apologist said

“The largest group of people worshipping gods and goddesses are the millions of misguided Roman Catholics who pray to and worship Mary and the saints. Despite the official teaching of the Church of Rome that Mary and the saints are only to be “venerated” and not worshipped, millions of Catholics do not see the fine distinction and go right on worshiping Mary and the saints the same way they do God.

The saints took over the functions of the “local” pagan deities in popular religion. The old pantheon of gods and goddesses were simply baptized with Christian names. For example, the devotees of “Venus” worshiped Mary as “the Queen of Heaven.” She was no longer the simple, humble Jewish girl who had the privilege of giving birth to the Messiah. But she could now hear the prayers of anyone, at any time, anywhere, and answer them from her throne in Heaven. Her divinity outshone her humanity. She was no longer viewed as a sinner in need of God’s salvation, as she claimed in , but she was viewed by millions as a sinless goddess who did not need a saviour.2

The local gods and goddesses became the saints to whom prayer, allegiance, and worship is given. Each local deity had his or her special province or trade to bless. Thus in the ancient world were gods of the sea, gods of the air, gods of fertility, gods of good fortune, gods of farming, and gods of all the various labors of man. The saints took over these pagan functions. This is the historical origin of all “patron” saints of fishers, farmers, bakers, soldiers, masons, gamblers, travelers, the sick, etc.

That the Roman Catholic world is filled with polytheistic saint worship is admitted and condemned by modern Catholic theologians. The problem of “paganism in Catholic dress” in such places as South America has been a special concern to the Vatican. Various directives have been released to confront this problem, an example being the reduction of the number of the saints. But we have seen no visible sign of change in the situation.”

Morey, R. A. (1989). Battle of the gods: the gathering storm in modern evangelicalism (1st ed., pp. 37–38). Southbridge, MA: Crown Publications.

The first thing to note is that Morey clearly says the catholic church teaches that Mary is not to be worshiped and modern catholic theologians also reject the worship of Mary. It is an error to say that Roman Catholic theology teaches the worship of Mary. Accusing all Catholics of being idol worshippers is a straw man logical fallacy .

Dr. Geisler notes the Catholic and gives protestant responses here. It is certainly important to understand what someone when discussing theology with them

"The Veneration of Mary

The Mariological doctrine that is perhaps most repugnant to Protestants is the veneration of Mary. This is based on her role as “Mother of God.” This is obvious in one of the most popular of all Catholic prayers known as the “Hail Mary,” which ends: “Holy Mary, Mother of God. Pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.”

Catholic Defense of the Veneration of Mary

According to the teaching of the Catholic church, “Mary, the Mother of God, is entitled to the Cult of Hyperdulia,” meaning that Mary may be venerated and honored on a level higher than another creature, angels, or saints. In other words, “In view of her dignity as the Mother of God and her fullness of grace, a special veneration is due to Mary.”78

Catholic scholars are quick to point out, however, that “this [veneration due to Mary] is substantially less than the cultus latriae (= adoration) which is due to God alone, but is higher than the cultus duliae (= veneration) due to angels and to the other saints. The special veneration thus given to Mary is called cultus hyperduliae.”79 So God alone is worshiped in the sense of latria. Mary is venerated in the sense of hyperdulia, and saints and angels are honored with dulia.

Three kinds of arguments are offered in support of the special venerating of and prayers to Mary. Catholics argue from Scripture, tradition, and analogy.

CATHOLIC DEFENSE OF THE VENERATION OF MARY

Argument from Scripture

Catholic scholars are quick to point out, however, that “this [veneration due to Mary] is substantially less than the cultus latriae (= adoration) which is due to God alone, but is higher than the cultus duliae (= veneration) due to angels and to the other saints. The special veneration thus given to Mary is called cultus hyperduliae.”79 So God alone is worshiped in the sense of latria. Mary is venerated in the sense of hyperdulia, and saints and angels are honored with dulia.

Ott summarizes the texts for honoring Mary at a level above all other creatures but below God.

The Scriptural source of the special veneration due to the Mother of God is to be found in : “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee,” in the praise of Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Ghost, : “Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb,” in the prophetic words of the Mother of God, : “For behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed,” in the words of the woman in the multitude, : “Blessed is the womb that bore thee, and the paps that gave thee suck.”80

Argument from Tradition

According to Ott, veneration of Mary was practiced in connection with that of Christ for the first three centuries. Then, “From the fourth century onwards we find a formal veneration of Mary herself.”81 Indeed, such phrases as “Mother of God,” “Co-redemptress,” and even “Queen of Heaven” have been used to support the veneration of Mary down through the centuries.

According to the teaching of the Catholic church, “Mary, the Mother of God, is entitled to the Cult of Hyperdulia,” meaning that Mary may be venerated and honored on a level higher than another creature, angels, or saints. In other words, “In view of her dignity as the Mother of God and her fullness of grace, a special veneration is due to Mary.”78

Three kinds of arguments are offered in support of the special venerating of and prayers to Mary. Catholics argue from Scripture, tradition, and analogy.

Argument from Analogy

Many Catholics think of Mary as the prototypical Christian, the one to whom God gave all the blessings of redemption. They argue that, while all Christians will eventually receive complete sanctification after death, Mary received hers at conception. Likewise, while other Christians will attain bodily resurrection after Christ’s return, Mary received her bodily assumption before Christ’s coming again. Hence, they insist that it is appropriate to honor her more than others now, since she has attained her glorification earlier than other creatures.

Catholic scholars are quick to point out, however, that “this [veneration due to Mary] is substantially less than the cultus latriae (= adoration) which is due to God alone, but is higher than the cultus duliae (= veneration) due to angels and to the other saints. The special veneration thus given to Mary is called cultus hyperduliae.”79 So God alone is worshiped in the sense of latria. Mary is venerated in the sense of hyperdulia, and saints and angels are honored with dulia.

Protestant Response to the Veneration of Mary

Response to Argument from Scripture

Argument from Scripture

There is absolutely nothing in the biblical text that supports the conclusions Catholics draw from them, namely, that Mary should be venerated above all creatures but below God. The texts say nothing about veneration or prayers to Mary; they simply call Mary “blessed” of God, which she truly was. Contrary to Catholic practice, however, Mary was not blessed above all women but simply was the most blessed among all women. Even the Catholic New American Bible reads: “Most blessed are you among women” (, emphasis added). This is not a distinction without a difference, for it is strange logic to argue that being the most blessed among women makes Mary worthy of more honor than all other women. Eve was the mother of all the living (), a distinctive honor held by no other person, including Mary, and yet she is not venerated by Catholics in accord with her blessed status. Even great sinners who are forgiven are highly blessed but need not be most highly esteemed because of that blessing (cf. ; ). There is not a single instance in the New Testament where veneration was given to Mary. When the magi came to the manger to visit the Christ child, declares that “they prostrated themselves and did him homage,” not Mary (emphasis added).

Three kinds of arguments are offered in support of the special venerating of and prayers to Mary. Catholics argue from Scripture, tradition, and analogy.

Further, Scripture forbids us to bow down in veneration before any creature, even angels (cf. ; ). The Bible makes it clear that we are not to make “idols” of any creature or even “bow down” to them in an act of religious devotion ().82 To call Mary “Queen of Heaven,” knowing that this very phrase comes from an old pagan idolatrous cult condemned in the Bible (cf. ), only invites the charge of Mariolatry. And Mariolatry is idolatry.

Finally, despite theological distinctions to the contrary, in practice there is often no real difference between the veneration given to Mary and that given to Christ. This is true for many Catholics in spite of the church’s use of verses showing that we should “honor” our parents () and our rulers (). Furthermore, there is clearly a difference, both in theory and in practice, in the way Catholics honor other human beings and the way they honor Mary. Consider the following book, Novena Prayers in Honor of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, with the Catholic Imprimatur (and nihil obstat) on it which guarantees that there is nothing heretical in it.

Ott summarizes the texts for honoring Mary at a level above all other creatures but below God.

We have no greater help,

no greater hope than you,

O Most Pure Virgin; help us, then,

The Scriptural source of the special veneration due to the Mother of God is to be found in : “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee,” in the praise of Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Ghost, : “Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb,” in the prophetic words of the Mother of God, : “For behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed,” in the words of the woman in the multitude, : “Blessed is the womb that bore thee, and the paps that gave thee suck.”80

for we hope in you, we glory in you,

we are your servants.

ARGUMENT FROM SCRIPTURE

Do not disappoint us.83

In the same devotional book Mary’s devotees pray:

Argument from Tradition

Come to my aid, dearest Mother, for I recommend myself to thee. In thy hands I place my eternal salvation, and to thee I entrust my soul. Count me among thy most devoted servants; take me under thy protection, and it is enough for me. For, if thou protect me, dear Mother, I fear nothing: not from my sins, because thou wilt obtain for me the pardon of them; nor from the devils, because thou art more powerful than all hell together; not even from Jesus, my judge, because by one prayer from thee, He will be appeased.84

Numerous examples of this kind of Mary worship can be found in Alphonsus de Liguori’s famous book, The Glories of Mary (a.d. 1750), which is published in over 800 editions! A few examples will suffice:

Ott summarizes the texts for honoring Mary at a level above all other creatures but below God.

Shall we scruple to ask her to save us, when “the way of salvation is open to none otherwise than through Mary.”

According to Ott, veneration of Mary was practiced in connection with that of Christ for the first three centuries. Then, “From the fourth century onwards we find a formal veneration of Mary herself.”81 Indeed, such phrases as “Mother of God,” “Co-redemptress,” and even “Queen of Heaven” have been used to support the veneration of Mary down through the centuries.

“Many things,” says Nicephorus, “are asked from God, and are not granted: they are asked from Mary, and are obtained.”

At the commands of Mary all obey—even God” [!!!]85

Protestants and find such prayers repugnant, if not blasphemous, as do some less traditional Catholics.86 The theoretical distinctions notwithstanding, on the experiential level, there appears to be little if any difference between the intensity of this devotion to Mary and the worship of God.

Argument from Analogy

Response to Argument from Tradition

The evidence from tradition for venerating Mary is not solid and it is not early. While there was some earlier fascination with Mary, even Ott admits that the veneration of Mary only dates from the fourth century.87 It was at that time that a sect (cult) formed consisting of women who worshiped the virgin Mary as a goddess. The group originated in Thrace, was also found in Arabia, and baked cakes as an offering to Mary.88 This group was condemned by Epiphanius of Salamis (c. a.d. 315–403), who became metropolitan of Constantia (Salamis) and was considered an authority on devotion to the blessed virgin Mary. On this idolatrous cult condemned by the church, he stated: “Mary should be honored, but the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost should be adored. Nobody should adore Mary (Haer. 78, 7).”89

The Scriptural source of the special veneration due to the Mother of God is to be found in : “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee,” in the praise of Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Ghost, : “Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb,” in the prophetic words of the Mother of God, : “For behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed,” in the words of the woman in the multitude, : “Blessed is the womb that bore thee, and the paps that gave thee suck.”80

Very early in church history, Epiphanius sensed the potential danger inherent in too much attention being paid to Mary. In this he reminds us of Luther’s attitude many years later. Harold O. J. Brown states the concern of evangelicals: “Even if one accepts the traditional Catholic distinction between the ‘extreme veneration’ (hyperdouleia) offered to Mary and the worship (latreia) which is legitimately offered only to God, one fears that such a distinction becomes quite obscure in practice.”90 Indeed, when attention to Mary imperils the sufficiency of Christ, the very essence of the Gospel is threatened.

Many Catholics think of Mary as the prototypical Christian, the one to whom God gave all the blessings of redemption. They argue that, while all Christians will eventually receive complete sanctification after death, Mary received hers at conception. Likewise, while other Christians will attain bodily resurrection after Christ’s return, Mary received her bodily assumption before Christ’s coming again. Hence, they insist that it is appropriate to honor her more than others now, since she has attained her glorification earlier than other creature”

Response to Argument from Analogy

There are many objections to the overused argument from analogy. First, it is not really an argument at all. At best, analogies only illustrate a point that must be proven some other way; they do not prove anything. Also, there is absolutely no indication in Scripture that any such comparison should be made; Mary is never referred to as the prototypical Christ. What is more, there is no evidence that Mary attained her sanctification earlier than the rest of us: she confessed being a sinner (); she offered a sacrifice for her sinful condition (); and, as even Catholic theologians admit, she died like the rest of us. So Mary showed no evidence of having received ultimate sanctification (glorification) while on earth. Even if Mary had attained her glorification earlier than other creatures, this still would not justify venerating her any more than we should a saint or an angel. Angels in Scripture even forbid humans to bow before them to worship God (cf. "

78 Ott, Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma, p. 215.

79 Ibid.

80 Ibid.

81 Ibid.

78 Ott, Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma, p. 215.

82 The case in where Naaman was given permission by Elisha to bow down with his master (the king) in the idol temple is not in real conflict with the prohibition not to bow before idols for several reasons. First, Naaman clearly affirmed his faith that “there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel” (v. 15). Second, he was clearly not an idolater for he declared: “I will no longer offer holocaust or sacrifice to any other god except the Lord” (v. 17). Third, his presence in the idol temple was only because of his duty to assist his master, the king, not because of his own personal desire to be there (v. 18). Fourth, he made it clear that, as “army commander of the king” (v. 1), “I too, as his adjunct, must bow down in the temple of Rimmon” (v. 18). Thus, his bowing was a social obligation, not part of his religious devotion. Fifth, the fact that he asked forgiveness for the appearance of evil, reveals his heart was not in the act of bowing (v. 18). This is quite different from someone who is intentionally and freely bowing before an image in an act of religious devotion, which the Bible condemns.

ARGUMENT FROM TRADITION

83 Novena Prayers in Honor of Our Mother of Perpetual Help (Uniontown, Pa.: Sisters of St. Basil, 1968), p. 16.

79 Ibid.

84 Ibid., p. 19. Citing Scripture to show it is not wrong to pray for someone else’s forgiveness (; ; ) or of appeasing God’s wrath on others (; ; ) does not negate the near blasphemous content and tone of these Catholic prayers to Mary or their clearly unbiblical direction of praying to a dead human being rather than to the living God.

According to Ott, veneration of Mary was practiced in connection with that of Christ for the first three centuries. Then, “From the fourth century onwards we find a formal veneration of Mary herself.”81 Indeed, such phrases as “Mother of God,” “Co-redemptress,” and even “Queen of Heaven” have been used to support the veneration of Mary down through the centuries.

85 Alphonsus de Liguori, The Glories of Mary, ed. Eugene Grimm (Brooklyn: Redemptionist Fathers, 1931), pp. 169, 180, 137.

80 Ibid.

86 Less traditional Catholics, while bemoaning the extravagance in these prayers, tend to excuse it as poetic license, religious hyperbole, and/or insisting that there is an implied exception here for Christ. This, however, often does not come out in either the wording of the prayers or the religious fervor of the devotee to Mary.

81 Ibid.

87 Concerning devotion to Mary in the ante-Nicene period, Kelly states that, while not completely absent, “reliable evidence of prayers being addressed to her, or of her protection and help being sought, is almost . . . non-existent in the first four centuries” (Kelly, Early Christian Doctrine, p. 491).

88 See articles on “Collyridians,” in The Westminster Dictionary of Church History, ed. Jerald C. Brauer (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1971), p. 220; Cross, Oxford Dictionary, pp. 314–15.

ARGUMENT FROM ANALOGY

89 Ott, Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma, p. 216. On Epiphanius, see John J. Delaney and James E. Tobin, Dictionary of Catholic Biography (Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1961), p. 379.

90 Brown, Protest of a Troubled Protestant, p. 151.

Geisler, N. L., & MacKenzie, R. E. (1995). Roman Catholics and Evangelicals: agreements and differences (pp. 320–321). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.

Geisler, N. L., & MacKenzie, R. E. (1995). Roman Catholics and Evangelicals: agreements and differences (pp. 320–324). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.

Many Catholics think of Mary as the prototypical Christian, the one to whom God gave all the blessings of redemption. They argue that, while all Christians will eventually receive complete sanctification after death, Mary received hers at conception. Likewise, while other Christians will attain bodily resurrection after Christ’s return, Mary received her bodily assumption before Christ’s coming again. Hence, they insist that it is appropriate to honor her more than others now, since she has attained her glorification earlier than other creature”

Geisler, N. L., & MacKenzie, R. E. (1995). Roman Catholics and Evangelicals: agreements and differences (pp. 320–321). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.

It is certainly helpful to read and know some reliable statements by Catholics concerning Mary. Protestants discussing Catholic theology is one thing. The best way to know what Catholicism is about is to go to the source.

“Mary—Mother of Christ, Mother of the Church

963 Since the Virgin Mary’s role in the mystery of Christ and the Spirit has been treated, it is fitting now to consider her place in the mystery of the Church. “The Virgin Mary … is acknowledged and honored as being truly the Mother of God and of the redeemer.… She is ‘clearly the mother of the members of Christ’ … since she has by her charity joined in bringing about the birth of believers in the Church, who are members of its head.”502 “Mary, Mother of Christ, Mother of the Church.”503 (484–507; 721–726)

I. Mary’s Motherhood with Regard to the Church

Wholly united with her Son …

964 Mary’s role in the Church is inseparable from her union with Christ and flows directly from it. “This union of the mother with the Son in the work of salvation is made manifest from the time of Christ’s virginal conception up to his death”;504 it is made manifest above all at the hour of his Passion: (534; 618)

Thus the Blessed Virgin advanced in her pilgrimage of faith, and faithfully persevered in her union with her Son unto the cross. There she stood, in keeping with the divine plan, enduring with her only begotten Son the intensity of his suffering, joining herself with his sacrifice in her mother’s heart, and lovingly consenting to the immolation of this victim, born of her: to be given, by the same Christ Jesus dying on the cross, as a mother to his disciple, with these words: “Woman, behold your son.”505

965 After her Son’s Ascension, Mary “aided the beginnings of the Church by her prayers.”506 In her association with the apostles and several women, “we also see Mary by her prayers imploring the gift of the Spirit, who had already overshadowed her in the Annunciation.”507

p 252 … also in her Assumption

966 “Finally the Immaculate Virgin, preserved free from all stain of original sin, when the course of her earthly life was finished, was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory, and exalted by the Lord as Queen over all things, so that she might be the more fully conformed to her Son, the Lord of lords and conqueror of sin and death.”508 The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin is a singular participation in her Son’s Resurrection and an anticipation of the resurrection of other Christians: (491)

In giving birth you kept your virginity; in your Dormition you did not leave the world, O Mother of God, but were joined to the source of Life. You conceived the living God and, by your prayers, will deliver our souls from death.509

… she is our Mother in the order of grace

967 By her complete adherence to the Father’s will, to his Son’s redemptive work, and to every prompting of the Holy Spirit, the Virgin Mary is the Church’s model of faith and charity. Thus she is a “preeminent and … wholly unique member of the Church”; indeed, she is the “exemplary realization” (typus)510 of the Church. (2679; 507)

968 Her role in relation to the Church and to all humanity goes still further. “In a wholly singular way she cooperated by her obedience, faith, hope, and burning charity in the Savior’s work of restoring supernatural life to souls. For this reason she is a mother to us in the order of grace.”511 (494)

969 “This motherhood of Mary in the order of grace continues uninterruptedly from the consent which she loyally gave at the Annunciation and which she sustained without wavering beneath the cross, until the eternal fulfilment of all the elect. Taken up to heaven she did not lay aside this saving office but by her manifold intercession continues to bring us the gifts of eternal salvation.… Therefore the Blessed Virgin is invoked in the Church under the titles of Advocate, Helper, Benefactress, and Mediatrix.”512 (149, 501; 1370)

p 253 970 “Mary’s function as mother of men in no way obscures or diminishes this unique mediation of Christ, but rather shows its power. But the Blessed Virgin’s salutary influence on men … flows forth from the superabundance of the merits of Christ, rests on his mediation, depends entirely on it, and draws all its power from it.”513 “No creature could ever be counted along with the Incarnate Word and Redeemer; but just as the priesthood of Christ is shared in various ways both by his ministers and the faithful, and as the one goodness of God is radiated in different ways among his creatures, so also the unique mediation of the Redeemer does not exclude but rather gives rise to a manifold cooperation which is but a sharing in this one source.”514 (2008; 1545; 308)

II. Devotion to the Blessed Virgin (2673–2679)

971 “All generations will call me blessed”: “The Church’s devotion to the Blessed Virgin is intrinsic to Christian worship.”515 The Church rightly honors “the Blessed Virgin with special devotion. From the most ancient times the Blessed Virgin has been honored with the title of ‘Mother of God,’ to whose protection the faithful fly in all their dangers and needs.… This very special devotion … differs essentially from the adoration which is given to the incarnate Word and equally to the Father and the Holy Spirit, and greatly fosters this adoration.”516 The liturgical feasts dedicated to the Mother of God and Marian prayer, such as the rosary, an “epitome of the whole Gospel,” express this devotion to the Virgin Mary.517 (1172; 2678)

III. Mary—Eschatological Icon of the Church

972 After speaking of the Church, her origin, mission, and destiny, we can find no better way to conclude than by looking to Mary. In her we contemplate what the Church already is in her mystery on her own “pilgrimage of faith,” and what she will be in the homeland at the end of her journey. There, “in the glory of the Most Holy and Undivided Trinity,” “in the communion of all the saints,”518 the Church is awaited by the one she venerates as Mother of her Lord and as her own mother. (773; 829; 2853)

In the meantime the Mother of Jesus, in the glory which she possesses in body and soul in heaven, is the image and beginning of the Church as it is to be perfected in the world p 254 to come. Likewise she shines forth on earth, until the day of the Lord shall come”

502 LG 53; cf. St. Augustine, De virg. 6: PL 40, 399.

503 Paul VI, Discourse, November 21, 1964.

504 LG 57.

505 LG 58; cf. .

506 LG 69.

507 LG 59.

508 LG 59; cf. Pius XII, Munificentissimus Deus (1950): DS 3903; cf. .

509 Byzantine Liturgy, Troparion, Feast of the Dormition, August 15th.

510 LG 53; 63.

511 LG 61.

512 LG 62.

513 LG 60.

514 LG 62.

515 ; Paul VI, MC 56.

516 LG 66.

517 Cf. Paul VI, MC 42; SC 103.

518 LG 69.

Catholic Church. (2000). Catechism of the Catholic Church (2nd Ed., pp. 251–254). Washington, DC: United States Catholic Conference.

“IV. The Cult of the Blessed Virgin in the Church

IV. The Cult of the Blessed Virgin in the Church

66. Placed by the grace of God, as God’s Mother, next to her Son, and exalted above all angels and men, Mary intervened in the mysteries of Christ and is justly honored by a special cult in the Church. Clearly from earliest times the Blessed Virgin is honored under the title of Mother of God, under whose protection the faithful took refuge in all their dangers and necessities.21* Hence after the Synod of Ephesus the cult of the people of God toward Mary wonderfully increased in veneration and love, in invocation and imitation, according to her own prophetic words: “All generations shall call me blessed, because He that is mighty hath done great things to me”.301 This cult, as it always existed, although it is altogether singular, differs essentially from the cult of adoration which is offered to the Incarnate Word, as well to the Father and the Holy Spirit, and it is most favorable to it. The various forms of piety toward the Mother of God, which the Church within the limits of sound and orthodox doctrine, according to the conditions of time and place, and the nature and ingenuity of the faithful has approved, bring it about that while the Mother is honored, the Son, through whom all things have their being302 and in whom it has pleased the Father that all fullness should dwell,303 is rightly known, loved and glorified and that all His commands are observed.

67. This most Holy Synod deliberately teaches this Catholic doctrine and at the same time admonishes all the sons of the Church that the cult, especially the liturgical cult, of the Blessed Virgin, be generously fostered, and the practices and exercises of piety, recommended by the magisterium of the Church toward her in the course of centuries be made of great moment, and those decrees, which have been given in the early days regarding the cult of images of Christ, the Blessed Virgin and the saints, be religiously observed.22* But it exhorts theologians and preachers of the divine word to abstain zealously both from all gross exaggerations as well as from petty narrow-mindedness in considering the singular dignity of the Mother of God.23* Following the study of Sacred Scripture, the Holy Fathers, the doctors and liturgy of the Church, and under the guidance of the Church’s magisterium, let them rightly illustrate the duties and privileges of the Blessed Virgin which always look to Christ, the source of all truth, sanctity and piety. Let them assiduously keep away from whatever, either by word or deed, could lead separated brethren or any other into error regarding the true doctrine of the Church. Let the faithful remember moreover that true devotion consists neither in sterile or transitory affection, nor in a certain vain credulity, but proceeds from true faith, by which we are led to know the excellence of the Mother of God, and we are moved to a filial love toward our mother and to the imitation of her virtues.”

Catholic Church. (2011). Dogmatic Constitution on the Church: Lumen Gentium. In Vatican II Documents. Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana.

“518. Saints. The veneration of the servants of God and of their relics and images is good and useful. All the faithful should above all honor with filial affection the Blessed Virgin Mary (1276). Only those servants of God may be publicly venerated who have been placed among the saints and blessed by the authority of the Church (1277, 1). The saints are also laudably chosen and constituted the patrons of nations, dioceses, provinces, confraternities, religious bodies, and of other places and legal bodies, with the confirmation of the Holy See (1278).”

Trudel, P. (1920). In A Dictionary of Canon Law (Second Revised Edition, pp. 203–204). London: B. Herder.

"The council’s teaching affected the popular phenomenon of the saints and Mary in multifaceted ways. Perhaps most unexpected was the noticeable diminishment of private veneration of the saints and Mary among numerous people in industrial societies. This may well be a direct result of the biblical, christocentric, Eucharistic spirituality to which the council gave impetus. With access to God in Christ through Word and sacrament, there is no longer such felt need for approachable intercessors.

The phenomenon in all likelihood also arises from life in the modern secular world, where the imaginative link between heaven and earth has broken down. People experience that those who die have truly disappeared from this world; they are no longer accessible to the living in any direct fashion. Karl Rahner’s analysis roots this situation most profoundly in the contemporary Western experience of God. God is eclipsed, hidden, silent, experienced as utterly remote and incomprehensible even if known as the holy mystery who is ineffably near. “Into this silent, unfathomable and ineffable mystery the dead disappear. They depart. They no longer make themselves felt. They cease any further to belong to the world of our experience.”18 If this is the Western experience even with loved ones who have died, it is not surprising that saints of the past seem inaccessible and interest in them wanes.

In other cultural milieus, however, the situation is decidedly different. In Latin America, Eastern Europe, and the Mediterranean countries, veneration flourishes, sometimes related to national aspirations but more often as the expression of a national character that is warmhearted and affectionate. Among Latino/Latina communities in the United States, love of the saints and Mary in different configurations (Our Lady of Guadalupe from Mexico, Our Lady of Charity from Cuba, and many others) is an essential characteristic of popular religion. In Africa, drawing on that continent’s tradition where the unseen presence of ancestors is foundational for the whole social fabric, the church is adapting the cult of ancestors into veneration of the saints, with several corrections: only God is powerful, so ancestors can do no harm, and Christ rather than family blood ties is the foundation for relation with the living dead.19 The situation is, then, complex, with the experience of church members in different cultures reflecting basic mentalities of their time and place.

In addition to older locales that serve as centers of spiritual pilgrimage—Mexico City, Lourdes, Fatima—newer places such as Medjugorje in Bosnia/Herzegovina have claimed Marian appearances in the postconciliar decades. There is no definitive church teaching about what actually happens during an apparition. Theologians offer various explanations. In Rahner’s view, such an occurrence is a manifestation of the charismatic element in the church, an unpredictable moment in which the Spirit of God seizes the imagination of a person to receive a message from heaven.20 According to Schillebeeckx, such an event is a hermeneutic of the nearness of God to poor people who are outside the normal channels of official church power: the young, the uneducated, and rural women.21 In all cases, the church considers such happenings to be a matter of private, not public, revelation. This means they are not essential to the faith. As with other devotional matters, church approval does not bind consciences to believe in the apparition or its historicity. Rather, ecclesial approval indicates that the practices and prayers associated with the apparition are in accord with the gospel, so participating in them will not lead one astray. The U.S. Catholic bishops explained this clearly in their pastoral letter on Mary:

Even when a private revelation has spread to the entire world, as in the case of Our Lady of Lourdes, and has been recognized in the liturgical calendar, the Church does not make mandatory the acceptance either of the original story or of particular forms of piety springing from it. Within the Vatican Council we remind true lovers of Our Lady of the danger of superficial sentiment and vain credulity. Our faith does not seek new gospels, but leads us to know the excellence of the Mother of God and moves us to a filial love toward our Mother and to the imitation of her virtues.22"

18 Karl Rahner, “Why and How Can We Venerate the Saints?” in Theological Investigations (New York: Herder & Herder, 1971), 8:7.

19 Edward Fasholé-Luke, “Ancestor Veneration and the Communion of Saints,” in New Testament Christianity for Africa and the World, ed. Mark E. Glasswell and Edward W. Fasholé-Luke (London: SPCK, 1974), 209–21.

20 Karl Rahner, Visions and Prophecies, trans. E. Henkey and R. Strachan (New York: Herder & Herder, 1963).

21 Edward Schillebeeckx, Mary, Mother of the Redemption (London: Sheed & Ward, 1964), 131–75.

22 U.S. Catholic Bishops, “Behold Your Mother: Woman of Faith,” Catholic Mind 72 (1974): 26–64, no. 100.

Johnson, E. A. (2011). Communion of Saints and Mary. In F. S. Fiorenza & J. P. Galvin (Eds.), Systematic Theology: Roman Catholic Perspectives (Second Edition, pp. 443–444). Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press.

"the cult of the blessed virgin

1. Definition of Terms.—Worship or devotion (cultus) to some person, idea or thing1 may be religious or profane, absolute or relative. It always comprises three separate and distinct acts:

a) An act of intellectual assent to the venerability of the person, idea or object which is the object of worship;

b) An act of the will by which the theoretical judgment becomes practical;

c) An external act giving expression to the internal sentiment.2

The formal object of every act of religious worship is the supernatural dignity, excellence or perfection of the person, idea or thing worshipped. Hence we may distinguish different kinds of worship according to the various species or degrees of perfection inherent in the persons, ideas or things themselves.

The absolute worship we owe to the increate majesty of God and to the Godman Jesus Christ, and which is called latreutic or divine worship (adoration), differs essentially from that due to any creature. When directed to a creature, latreutic adoration (cultus latriae) is called idolatry (idololatria).

The worship which we owe to specially endowed creatures, such as the angels and saints, is technically termed dulia. The highest form of dulia is due to the Blessed Virgin Mary, because she transcends all other creatures by her unique dignity as Mother of God. Theologians are wont to call this special worship hyperdulia. Some even hold that there is a specific difference between it and the ordinary worship paid to the saints. In making this distinction they do not, of course, lose sight of the essential difference between the hyperdulic devotion rendered to our Lady and the latreutic adoration due to God alone.3

2. The Blessed Virgin Mary is Entitled to a Special Kind of Worship Superior to that Paid to the Other Saints.—In demonstrating this proposition we must distinguish between the quaestio iuris and the quaestio facti.

a) First as to the quaestio iuris. The higher the dignity and holiness of a person, the greater is his or her claim to our respect and veneration. Now, the dignity of the Blessed Virgin, morally considered, is immeasurably high4 and her sanctity commensurate with the fulness of grace with which God has endowed her.5 Consequently, she is entitled to a worship which, while essentially below that due to God, exceeds the ordinary dulia exhibited to the Saints in precisely the same measure in which, as θεοτόκος, Mary outranks the angels and saints. This is precisely what is called hyperdulia.

From the fact that Mary deserves such a high degree of veneration, it may be inferred that devotion to her is a religious duty. It is difficult to conceive how a Catholic could really love Jesus without honoring His mother.6 By a kind of psychological necessity habitual neglect of Mary leads to contempt of her Divine Son. This truth is clearly exemplified in the history of Protestantism. The Church had good reasons for linking the “Hail Mary” with the “Our Father,” for enriching the ecclesiastical calendar with numerous beautiful festivals in honor of Our Lady, and for exhorting the faithful to pray to her often and fervently by reciting the Rosary and other special devotions.7

b) The quaestio facti offers no greater difficulties than the quaestio iuris. Christians have at all times since the institution of the Church rendered to Mary that peculiar kind of worship which is now technically known as hyperdulia.

During the first three centuries, it is true, Mary did not occupy such a prominent place in the thoughts and prayers of the faithful. Her glory was overshadowed by that of her Divine Son. We need not wonder at this; for the Godman Himself had first to be generally acknowledged and adored before Mary could come into the worship due to her as His mother.8

Towards the end of the sixth century a sect of Arabian women went so far astray as to adore Mary and to offer her cakes, which were consumed at feasts similar to the thesmophoria held in honor of the pagan goddess Demeter.9 This aberration was condemned by St. Epiphanius, who declared that Mary, though “a select vessel” exalted above all the Saints, is not entitled to divine honors.

Soon after Constantine the Great had led forth the infant Church from the catacombs, devotion to our Lady began to spread. The cities of Nicaea (where the first general council was held) and Byzantium (Constantinople), the new capital of the empire, were officially dedicated to the Blessed Virgin by the Emperor Constantine. His mother St. Helena erected the first churches in honor of Our Lady at Bethlehem and Nazareth. In Rome, Pope Liberius (352–366) built the famous basilica known as Santa Maria Maggiore. The Third Ecumenical Council of Ephesus (A. D. 431) held its sessions in a temple dedicated to the θεοτόκος. Recent discoveries in the catacombs show that devotion to the Blessed Virgin is as old as the Church. Her image appears at the beginning of the second century in the catacombs of St. Priscilla, where she is represented in a sitting posture with the Divine Infant in her arms, facing the prophet Isaias who carries a manuscript roll in his left hand and points to a star with his right.10"

1 Cfr. Pohle-Preuss, Christology, p. 278.

2 On the distinction between absolute and relative worship, and that between the formal and the material object of religious worship in general, see Pohle-Preuss, Christology, pp. 279 sq.

3 Cfr. St. Thomas, Summa Theol., 2a 2ae, qu. 103, art. 4, ad 2: “Hyperdulia est potissima species duliae cammuniter sumptae: maxima enim reverentia debetur homini ex affinitate, quam habet ad Deum.” (Cfr. De Lugo, De Myst. Incarn., disp. 35, sect. 2.)

4 V. supra, pp. 16 sqq.

5 V. supra, pp. 24 sqq.

6 Cfr. Newman, Difficulties of Anglicans, Vol. II, pp. 82 sqq.

7 Cfr. Benedict XIV, De Festis D. N. Iesu Christi et B. Mariae Virginis, Venice 1767.

8 “Sicut gloriam in Filio praecessit humilitas, sic matris humilitatem, quae redundabat a Filio, est subsecuta sublimitas,” says Abbot Guibert (De Laude S. Mariae, c. 2).

9 On this sect, called Collyridians (from κολλύρια, small cakes) cfr. Hergenröther, Kirchengeschichte, Vol. I, 4th ed., p. 394, Freiburg 1902; Wernsdorf, Dissert. de Collyridianorum Secta, Vitemb. 1745.

10 Cfr. C. M. Kaufmann, Handbuch der christlichen Archäologie, pp. 361 sq., Paderborn 1905; Scaglia-Nagengast, The Catacombs of St. Callistus, pp. 67 sq., Rome 1911; Shahan, The Blessed Virgin in the Catacombs, Baltimore 1892.

Pohle, J., & Preuss, A. (1919). Mariology: a dogmatic treatise on the Blessed Virgin Mary, mother of God with an appendix on the worship of the saints, relics and images (pp. 133–137). St. Louis, MO: B. Herder.

“Saints (Veneration of the).—All the reasonable creatures, angels or men, whom God has admitted to the participation of His eternal glory are called saints. The name saint (holy) is given to the sovereign Pontiff and all the Popes receive this appellation on account of the veneration due to the high dignity of the holy Father in the Church. But by saint is understood more particularly those, whose virtues, practiced in the highest degree, have been attested by miracles, and on which account they were canonized. See BEATIFICATION and CANONIZATION.

Saints (Veneration of the).—All the reasonable creatures, angels or men, whom God has admitted to the participation of His eternal glory are called saints. The name saint (holy) is given to the sovereign Pontiff and all the Popes receive this appellation on account of the veneration due to the high dignity of the holy Father in the Church. But by saint is understood more particularly those, whose virtues, practiced in the highest degree, have been attested by miracles, and on which account they were canonized. See BEATIFICATION and CANONIZATION.

We honor the saints as the friends and servants of God, whom He has overwhelmed with his choicest gifts and most precious graces. That religious veneration may be paid to holy persons on account of the extraordinary supernatural gifts accorded to them, we may conclude from certain facts of Holy Scripture. The sons of the Prophets, for instance, on perceiving that the supernatural power of Elias had passed to Eliseus, came to meet him and worshiped him (4 Kings 2:5). From the first centuries the angels and saints were honored in the Church. St. Justin (Apel. I., n. 6) writes: “We honor Him (God the Father), and the Son, and the host of blessed spirits.” Even before the time of St. Justin, the Church of Smyrna, in a letter on the martyrdom of St. Polycarp, declares: “We adore the Son of God; but we honor His martyrs as the disciples and followers of our Lord, for the exquisite love of their king and master.”

The veneration of the saints is, on the one hand, the natural outcome of the worship of God; and, on the other hand, it contributes to the increase of divine worship. For, if we honor God, we also honor His distinguished friends and servants; just as we love our neighbor if we love God Himself; and, contrary, if we honor the saints on account of their supernatural gifts, we honor also God Himself, the giver of those divine gifts. Nay, God Himself gives us the example: “If any man minister to Me, him will My Father honor” (). The veneration of the saints is also salutary for us, inasmuch as it incites us to the imitation of their example. Therefore the Church rightly professes that the “saints, who reign with Christ, are to be honored” (Sym. Trid.).

The invocation of the saints is useful and salutary. From the dogma of the Communion of Saints it follows that the blessed in heaven can, and actually do, pray for us and obtain for us the grace of God by their intercession. This is still more emphatically true of the saints; for, owing to their more intimate union with God, as His special friends, they have a stricter title (as far as we can speak of right in this matter) to be heard; and, owing to their greater love for us, they are more inclined to use their intercession in our behalf. But they are more certain to intercede for us if we invoke their intercession; for, what is true of God Himself, who is the pattern of the saints, holds good also of the saints themselves; as God, though of Himself, inclined to bestow His favors, confers His gifts with more certainty and in greater abundance in answer to our prayers, so also the saints will more certainly intercede for us if we invoke them. That the saints are conscious of our prayers may be easily understood from what we have said concerning our relation to good angels. See ANGEL.

From time immemorial it has been customary in the Church to invoke the saints. In the Catacombs of Rome, particularly on the graves of the martyrs, may be found inscriptions like the following: “Pray for me,” “Pray for thy brethren,” etc. St. Augustine says, that while in the holy sacrifice of the Mass we commemorate other departed souls in order to pray for them, we invoke the martyrs that they may pray for us. (St. Augustine: In Joan. Tract. 84.) See IMAGES; RELICS; MARY (Prerogative of).”

Thein, J. (1900). In Ecclesiastical Dictionary: Containing, in Concise Form, Information upon Ecclesiastical, Biblical, Archæological, and Historical Subjects (pp. 622–623). New York; Cincinnati; Chicago: Benziger Brothers.

“The Scapular Privileges. The above promise is what is known as the “first privilege” of the Carmelite order, and it amounts to this: That all who out of true love and veneration for the Blessed Virgin constantly wear the scapular in a spirit of faith after they have been properly invested in it, shall enjoy the protection of the Mother of God, especially as regards their eternal welfare. If even a sinner wears this badge through life, not presumptuously relying on it as a miraculous charm, but trusting in the power and goodness of Mary, he may hope that through her intercession he will obtain the graces necessary for true conversion and for perseverance.”

Sullivan, J. F. (1917). The Externals of the Catholic Church: Her Government, Ceremonies, Festivals, Sacramentals, and Devotions (p. 194). New York: P. J. Kenedy & Sons.

“A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH MARY

A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH MARY

All that we have said so far leads us to a final question: Is it possible and profitable to have a personal relationship with Mary? I remember hearing a story told by a prominent Catholic writer, Karl Keating. There were two military chaplains, one a Protestant minister and the other a Catholic priest. The minister was concerned about the salvation of the priest and asked, “Have you ever received Jesus as your personal Savior?” The priest assured the minister that he had done exactly that, and that he had an ongoing personal relationship with Jesus. The minister seemed relieved to hear it.

Then the priest asked the minister a similar question: “Have you ever received Mary as your personal Mother?” The minister did not know what to say because he had never thought of that question. Having been a Protestant minister for eighteen years, I can fully understand that minister’s bewilderment. That kind of question never crossed my mind.

But is the idea of having a personal relationship with Mary all that strange? The New Testament seems to teach clearly that having a personal relationship with other Christians is important. And those who are in heaven are certainly Christians. Christ wants us to love those who love him (cf. ). If Jesus wants us to love his Mother, then what does a relationship with Mary look like? The kind of love that is appropriate for Mary is honor or veneration.

Consider Mary’s role as the first believer in Jesus. Others had known that the Messiah was coming, but she was the first to know who the Messiah was, the first to recognize her unborn Son as the Lord and Savior of mankind. Mary, then, can be said to be the first believer in Christ because she said “yes” to the angel’s message and so was the first to receive the Son of God within herself.

As the first believer in Christ, Mary is a model for every believer, an example of trust and love. She gave herself completely to God’s service when she responded to the divine invitation with her words, “I am the Lord’s servant. Let it be done to me according to your word” (, translated by the author from the original Greek). Her faithfulness shows itself by her presence at the foot of the cross (cf. ). So, the kind of love we have for our fellow Christians is certainly appropriate for her. John makes love for fellow believers a test of our love for God (cf. ).

Still, our relationship with Mary should be more than just loving her as the prototypical Christian because she is Jesus’ Mother. Mary is the Mother of the family of God—the Church—and she loves us with a mother’s love. Our love for Mary ought to be in keeping with her unique position. When Jesus said, “Behold, your mother,” he was giving us the woman who gave birth to him to be our Mother, too.

Our relationship with Mary should be like the love children have for their mother. Just as children grow in love for their natural mothers throughout their lives, so our love for Mary can and should grow for our whole lives. The confidence that the Catholic Church gives us is that we will grow more in love with Jesus the more we love Mary, his Mother.”

Howell, K. J. (2005). Why Mary?: Her Role in God’s Plan (Evangelization Guide) (pp. 19–21). San Diego, CA: Catholic Answers.

66. Placed by the grace of God, as God’s Mother, next to her Son, and exalted above all angels and men, Mary intervened in the mysteries of Christ and is justly honored by a special cult in the Church. Clearly from earliest times the Blessed Virgin is honored under the title of Mother of God, under whose protection the faithful took refuge in all their dangers and necessities.21* Hence after the Synod of Ephesus the cult of the people of God toward Mary wonderfully increased in veneration and love, in invocation and imitation, according to her own prophetic words: “All generations shall call me blessed, because He that is mighty hath done great things to me”.301 This cult, as it always existed, although it is altogether singular, differs essentially from the cult of adoration which is offered to the Incarnate Word, as well to the Father and the Holy Spirit, and it is most favorable to it. The various forms of piety toward the Mother of God, which the Church within the limits of sound and orthodox doctrine, according to the conditions of time and place, and the nature and ingenuity of the faithful has approved, bring it about that while the Mother is honored, the Son, through whom all things have their being302 and in whom it has pleased the Father that all fullness should dwell,303 is rightly known, loved and glorified and that all His commands are observed.

67. This most Holy Synod deliberately teaches this Catholic doctrine and at the same time admonishes all the sons of the Church that the cult, especially the liturgical cult, of the Blessed Virgin, be generously fostered, and the practices and exercises of piety, recommended by the magisterium of the Church toward her in the course of centuries be made of great moment, and those decrees, which have been given in the early days regarding the cult of images of Christ, the Blessed Virgin and the saints, be religiously observed.22* But it exhorts theologians and preachers of the divine word to abstain zealously both from all gross exaggerations as well as from petty narrow-mindedness in considering the singular dignity of the Mother of God.23* Following the study of Sacred Scripture, the Holy Fathers, the doctors and liturgy of the Church, and under the guidance of the Church’s magisterium, let them rightly illustrate the duties and privileges of the Blessed Virgin which always look to Christ, the source of all truth, sanctity and piety. Let them assiduously keep away from whatever, either by word or deed, could lead separated brethren or any other into error regarding the true doctrine of the Church. Let the faithful remember moreover that true devotion consists neither in sterile or transitory affection, nor in a certain vain credulity, but proceeds from true faith, by which we are led to know the excellence of the Mother of God, and we are moved to a filial love toward our mother and to the imitation of her virtues.

Catholic Church. (2011). Dogmatic Constitution on the Church: Lumen Gentium. In Vatican II Documents. Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana.

Do Catholics really worship Mary?

Do Catholics Really Worship Mary?