The Blessed Virgin Mary leads all Christians to her Son, and devotion to her is pleasing to Jesus. She is highly honored in the Catholic Church, more than any of the other saints.
While Mary is honored and revered by Catholics, she should never be worshiped since she is human, not God. Only God is to be worshiped.
The Church calls the worship deserved by God alone “latria” while “dulia” is used to describe the honor given to saints. “Hyperdulia” describes the special reverence for Mary that is higher than that of the other saints but not the same as the worship given to God.
The Catholic Church’s devotion to Mary and what it teaches about her is based on what it teaches about Jesus based on Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition. Learning about Mary leads to a better understanding of her Son.
Mary is honored so highly in the Catholic Church, not because of who she was or what she accomplished on her own, but because of her obedience to God and her faithfulness to Jesus and his mission.
The Virgin Mary was chosen by God, conceived without sin, and filled with Grace. Consenting to God’s plan to be the Mother of God while still a young girl, Mary was the first and most perfect disciple.
Mary remained sinless and a virgin for her whole life, which was completely devoted to her Son. Jesus was accompanied by his mother throughout his entire life and she was present during the most significant events of his public ministry.
As a Jewish man, Jesus would have obeyed the 4th Commandment by honoring both of his parents, Mary and Joseph. He adored his mother, and the Blessed Virgin returned the affection with a mother’s love that no other human could ever imitate.
While He was dying on the Cross, Jesus gave his disciples to Mary, giving his mother to his Church and making her the mother of all Christians. She intercedes for all Catholics who ask her to pray with them and for them.
The Blessed Virgin Mary’s place in salvation history is celebrated by the Catholic Church with various prayers, devotions, and feasts throughout the year. The entire month of May is dedicated to her.
She was there with Him throughout his whole life:
Veneration and honor, not adoration or worship:
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Hail, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be. 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.”
Luke 1: 26-31
She has a special place right next to her Son:
No other human has been so close to God:
“All generations will call me blessed”: “The Church’s devotion to the Blessed Virgin is intrinsic to Christian worship.” 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.” 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.
Catechism of the Catholic Church 971
Her most honored title is “mother”:
Mary is the mother of the King:
Mary is our Mother:
Linking itself with Tradition, the Second Vatican Council brought new light to bear on the role of the Mother of Christ in the life of the Church. “Through the gift…of divine motherhood, Mary is united with her Son, the Redeemer, and with his singular graces and offices. By these, the Blessed Virgin is also intimately united with the Church: the Mother of God is a figure of the Church in the matter of faith, charity and perfect union with Christ.” We have already noted how, from the beginning, Mary remains with the Apostles in expectation of Pentecost and how, as “the blessed one who believed,” she is present in the midst of the pilgrim Church from generation to generation through faith and as the model of the hope which does not disappoint. Mary believed in the fulfillment of what had been said to her by the Lord. As Virgin, she believed that she would conceive and bear a son: the “Holy One,” who bears the name of “Son of God,” the name “Jesus” (= God who saves). As handmaid of the Lord, she remained in perfect fidelity to the person and mission of this Son. As Mother, “believing and obeying…she brought forth on earth the Father’s Son. This she did, knowing not man but overshadowed by the Holy Spirit.” For these reasons Mary is honored in the Church “with special reverence.
Pope Paul II, Redemptoris Mater, March 25, 1987
The grace of God perfected and fulfilled:
At the deepest level, the Church is Marian in form:
An appropriate gesture of honor due to her:
The Truth, Goodness, and Beauty of the Catholic Church
Staying Catholic in College:
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