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The Blessed
Virgin Mary
Officially, Roman Catholics
worship only God - the Father, the incarnate Son, and the Holy Spirit. The
Church, however, encourages veneration of the saints, with the virgin Mary
foremost among them.
 Mary has received incredibly high-sounding titles,
such as Mediatrix of all Grace (because Jesus came into the world through her),
Co-Redeemer, Advocate and Dispenser of God's Grace, and "Queen of Heaven,"
despite the fact that the prophet Jeremiah strongly condemned the Jews of his
day for worshipping a personality called by the same name (Jer. 7:18;
44:15-18).
The 'Queen of Heaven' is a Babylonian title for Ishtar, an
important goddess in the Babylonian pantheon. The book of Jeremiah makes
mention of this title five times, always in the context of idol worship.
So do not pray for
this people nor offer any plea or petition for them; do not plead with me, for
I will not listen to you. Do you not see what they are doing in the towns of
Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? The children gather wood, the fathers
light the fire, and the women knead the dough and make cakes of bread for the
Queen of Heaven. They pour out drink offerings to other gods to provoke me to
anger. But am I the one they are provoking? declares the LORD. Are they not
rather harming themselves, to their own shame? [Jeremiah 7:16-19]
These people who were offering
sacrifices to the Queen of Heaven were beyond hope and Jeremiah was told not
even to pray for them. Since they were so deep in their idolatry, God had given
them up. It was not just individuals involved in this idolatry but entire
families ... the children gather wood, the fathers light the fire and the woman
knead the dough and make the cakes of bread to be sacrificed.
 Catholics claim this veneration
given to the Blessed Virgin Mary is in no way idolatrous because it is rendered
to a creature and is not a substitute or an alternative to the worship owed to
the Divinity. The highest type of worship or adoration referred to by Catholic
theologians as "Latria" is accorded to Jesus Christ. The honor paid to Mary
and the saints is infinitely lower. When it is given to the saints, it is
referred to as "dulia" and when it is given to Mary it is referred to as
"hyperdulia" because it surpassses the veneration given to
the angels and saints combined.
Catholic apologists will say
worship does not mean worship and venerate does not mean worship and render
homage does not mean worship and pray to does not mean worship and sacrifice to
does not mean worship. As Bill Clinton once demonstrated in his infamous
parsing of the word, "is", words can be used to convey many meanings that
sometimes ignore the facts.
But, the fact is...
The same worship is rendered to
Mary as to Christ. Churches are built to her honour; her shrines are crowded
with devotees; enriched with their gifts; and adorned with their votive
offerings. To her prayers are addressed as to a divine being, and blessings are
asked as from one, who has power to bestow them. Her votaries are taught to
pray, 'Spare us, good Lady,' and 'From all evil, good Lady, deliver us.' Five
annual festivals celebrate her greatness, and keep alive the devotion of her
worshippers. In Roman Catholic countries the dawn is ushered in with hymns to
her honour; her praises are again chanted at noon, and the day is closed with
an Ave Maria sung to the Lady of Heaven. [James A. Wylie, The Papacy: Its
History, Dogmas, Genius, and Prospects , p. 370.]
The Blessed
Virgin Mary as the Savior of Mankind
I
read recently of the account of a Catholic priest, Fr. Stephen Scheier, who had
a near death experience where he says the Blessed Virgin saved him from
eternity in hell. He had been a priest for 12 years, got in a car accident,
survived, and had a miraculous recovery. He said when his life was reviewed by
Jesus he was condemned to hell. Then he heard a woman's voice asking that he be
spared. Jesus then said that he had already spent 12 years as a priest for
himself. But Mary asked that he be given another chance and also be given extra
graces to assist him. And so, he survived. He had not been particularly devoted
to Mary before this. But he is now and gives her credit for his second chance
along with God's divine mercy.
Notice the reversal of roles accorded
Jesus with His attributes ascribed to Mary. This reversal of roles is
understandable in light of Roman Catholic teaching in The Catholic Catechism
where Mary is presented as co-redeemer of mankind, saying "Being obedient she
became the cause of salvation for herself and for the whole human race ....
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…. She is
inseparably linked with the saving work of her Son."
The Bible says in
1 Timothy 2:5-6, "For there is one God and one mediator between God and men,
the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men--the testimony
given in its proper time." In this near death account, Jesus is not the
mediator, but that honor is attributed to Mary. In fact, it would appear that
Jesus' role as our intercessor (Isa. 53:12), defender (1 Jn. 2:1; Heb. 9:24),
healer (Isa. 53:5; Lk. 4:18) and redeemer (Heb. 7:25; 9:28) is completely
denied.
Prayers to
Mary
Though many Catholics would deny
it, the Blessed Mother, the Virgin Mary has taken the place of God and Christ.
They insist they only ask her to intercede in the same manner that Protestants
would ask a friend to pray for them.
While there is biblical precedent
for intercessory prayer (Ephesians 6:18-19), the difference between
intercessory prayer and Catholic prayer has to do with to whom the prayers are
offered. Biblical intercessory prayer is offered to GOD on behalf of another
person, while Catholic prayers are addressed to Mary for
everything from safety to forgiveness of sins and eternal
salvation.
THE HAIL MARY
Hail Mary, full of grace
The Lord is with thee,
blessed art thou
among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary,
Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
Now the Bible does say that Mary
was blessed among women because she was chosen to give birth to Jesus, the
Christ-child, and as Christians we rightly hold Mary in high esteem. Surely her
chaste example is one that should be praised and followed by women today.
But nowhere in the Bible do we find that Mary is a goddess or that she
resides in heaven today honored as the Mother of God or the Queen of Heaven, or
that she she is uniquely free from sin. The Bible never says she possessed
special powers or authorities to dispense grace, mediate between man and God,
or grant salvation to fallen man.
The Mary of the Bible bears no
resemblance to this "Mary, Queen of Heaven," and never laid claim to be more
than a sinful human being. That she was saved as a disciple of Christ is in the
Bible, for she regarded Jesus as her Lord and Savior. We also read in Scripture
that Mary recognized her own low estate as a mere human being mightily blessed
by the Lord (see Luke 1:46-55). No wonder this wonderful and good woman
exclaimed, "My soul doth magnify the Lord" (Luke 1:46). |
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