Posted on 04/09/2007 10:55:31 PM PDT by Macoraba
The Holy Spirit speaking through Mary says that all generations will call her blessed.
Luke 1:48. Because he hath regarded the humility of his handmaid: for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
I do not see how a person can call themselves a Christian and not call Mary "Blessed"!
It's a sign of those who truly believe in the Word of God; that they will call her "Blessed"!
She takes nothing away from her Son.
Like if someone were to say to President George W. Bush that his mother Barbara was a fine woman would he become angry and say "Why are you insulting me?". No! On the contrary he would be honored.
She was definitely a blessed woman. What better position to play than a gateway for our Savior! :) I, do, however see the concern when some go so far as to worship her. Despite being possibly one of the most blessed human beings of our history, she is still only human... And... If I recall correctly, even the Angels refused worship (when people tried worshipping them)...
Has anyone ever admitted to you that, yes, indeed they worship Mary?
Freegards
My grandmother prays to her daily... She probably says quite a few on this list :P - http://www.catholic.org/clife/prayers/prayer.php?s=31
Yes, many in my family have admitted regular prayer to Mary (which implies, to me, ‘worship’).
She is blessed. She’s the Virgin Mary, Blessed. Many praise her, saying the Rosary daily. But most understand, as she said, she is a way to her Son, the Savior.
Many don’t understand that or how some worship her. My mother was devoted to the Blessed Mother. She said the Rosary daily for many decades. We had a couple hymns at her funeral that honored the Blessed Mother and even the nun, pastoral assistant that we’re friends with, questioned having a couple hymns since it’s only supposed to be one hymn then the rest about Jesus. She understood how my mother was devoted to the Blessed Mother and said the Rosary daily. So she let it slide and we we;re allowed to have 3 songs devoted to Mary at her funeral.
However, she’s not supposed to be “worshipped” That’s reserved for Jesus and God. But many adore her, sorta worship her, or pray to her with the Rosary. My mother prayed the Rosary every day for at least 4 decades. She was devoted to the Blessed Mother. When I was planning her funeral a few months ago, the pastoral assistant brought up that I chose more than one song to the Blessed Mother (it’s usually not allowed, etc.). I said I knew but that she was devoted to the Rosary and the Blessed Mother and that it was no big deal but if I could have these hymns then I wanted them, etc. Since they knew me and by knowing me knew my mom, they allowed it. But, it’s a big deal. I was raised believing Mary was the “gateway” like another poster said, nothing wrong with a gateway, but not to be worshipped. That’s why they’re sorta stict about it. She’s not to be worshipped like Jesus but is an intercession so to speak.
My mother was devoted to her. She prayed the Rosary daily for at least 4 decades, most likely more but the 4 I recall. They allowed the two hymns at her funeral mass plus the Ave Maria, lol. She was devoted to the Blessed Mother but not over Jesus and God so they allowed it. She was devoted to her as the intercession. Make sense? It’s my first post so be easy.
The rosary is the best way to honor Mary. I am so blessed to be Catholic. What an honor to try to emulate Jesus. Hard job, but a worthy try that is for sure.
Has anyone said she is not blessed.
Why do Catholics insist on callimg Mary mother of God instead of Mother of Jesus?
Are you familiar with "First Things", the monthly magazine? A couple of months ago an evangelical wrote approvingly about * Evangelicals and the Mother of God . It's not only Catholics who give that title to Mary.
I get that decisions of early councils are not authoritative to a lot of Protestants, but it matters to us that two early councils, Ephesus and Chalcedon, determined as a matter of Christology that "Theotokos" was an appropriate thing to call Mary.
As I tried to suggest in another thread where you raised this same issue, I think Catholics and Orthodox churches have a vision of the blessed state somewhat different from that which seems to be held by some Protestants. Working with such texts as Col 1:24 we have a notion that the blessed are privileged to share in the saving work of God. Clearly this is a huge mystery, well nigh inexplicable and incomprehensible. When, of all people, Paul talks about his "completing what is lacking (!!!!!) in Christ's afflictions", we have to conclude that he is beyond the realm of the strictly logical or easily comprehensible, he to whom nothing was so certain as the sufficiency of Christ's work, suffering, merit, and grace.
These days I am attending Mass frequently, praying the Morning and Evening offices, the "office of readings" (which includes a selection from Scripture and another from the writings of Holy men and women) and "Night Prayer" (formerly known as Compline). Most days the intercession of Mary is mentioned at most once (yesterday not at all) and an "antiphon" to her concludes Night Prayer. In the almost 3 hour long Easter Vigil, Mary was mentioned maybe twice.
So I have a growing sense that this is a bogus issue. I mean, yeah, there is a doctrine to be discussed and examined. But we don't call ourselves "Calvinists" or Zwinglians or Lutherans or Campbellites, and only in the heat of logomachy would we suggest that those who use those names to describe themselves do so because they "worship" men. We understand the difference between worship and veneration. So this almost obsession, so prone as it is to exaggeration and misstatement, with our thinking about and devotion to Mary begins to get my attention.
Here we go again. Prayer means asking, simply. As language evolved prayer came to mean communicating with God, so that at this point a kind of activity which is more like listening than speaking is still called "prayer".
I will "admit" to "regular" (that is, according to a rule, in my case a daily rule) praying of the Rosary. Also, about once a day, I sing or recite a hymn (or antiphon) to Mary. During Eastertide one of my favorites is Regina Caeli, in which I invite Mary to rejoice with me at the Lord's Resurrection. It's TO her; it's ABOUT Him! "Resurrexit sicut dixit, alleluia!"
Catholics think about the blessed state as, I don't know how else to say it, something more than what protestants think it to be. We think the blessed share in some divine characteristics, by the gift of God and His indwelling Spirit. We think the blessed can "hear" us and are aware of what goes on in Creation.
Just as we pray for one another and ask one another for prayers, so also we ask saints for their prayers. Yesterday, for example, I asked Dominic to pray to God to help me reach a decision and for God's blessing on something I am about to undertake. This is a matter I have also asked a bunch of Freepers to pray about. And I can assure you I do not worship Freepers or Dominic. I have great respect for some Freepers and great affection for others.
But worship? Get out of TOWN!
Now there's a good question.
Good punctuation.
I certainly don’t call her a person having the ability to Hear prayers, provide special intercession as the Mother of the Son of God, that she is the Mother of God, that she is the mother of the church, that she is the Queen of Heaven, that she was immaculately conceived, that she was ever virgin, that she gave birth while keeping a hymen intact, or that she is our co-redeemer, that she appears to people with messages, that she makes statues bleed, that she performs miracles from heaven,
Why do Catholics insist on callimg Mary mother of God instead of Mother of Jesus?+
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Yes.
Of course she was blessed...The bible says so...But many people in the bible are blessed...Obviously Jesus didn't want folks putting his mother on a pedestal...
Luk 11:27 And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked.
Luk 11:28 But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.
Jesus says Christians are more blessed than Mary...
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