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In order to tackle common objections to Catholic teachings about Mary, Curtis Martin leads us into a deeper reading of Scripture. Through the Scriptural texts that he presents, Martin ultimately highlights the Biblical foundation of Marian doctrine in the Church. Questions that are covered include Mary’s role as mediator, whether Catholics worship Mary, Mary’s virginity,…

As a Protestant, I believed that Mary was the virgin mother of Jesus, but she had no place in my life. She was a disciple, but so were many others. I do not recall a sermon on Mary’s fiat, her loving care for Jesus as his mother, or her devotion to him all the way to the cross. Now I feel how tragic it is that Mary is ignored by so many who love her son, especially when imitation of Christ is at the heart of Christian practice.

The light of the Son of God is so brilliant that it reaches throughout history, even into the far corners of the Old Testament. Just as the sun’s light is reflected by the moon, so too, where the light of the Son of God shines, that light will be reflected by Mary. In keeping with Catholic tradition, Saint Pius X taught that where Christ is prefigured in the Old Testament, Mary was usually prefigured as well: “In a word, after Christ, we find in Mary the end of the law and the fulfillment of the figures and prophecies.” One example of this is the ark of the covenant, which bore the presence of God and thus foreshadowed Mary’s bearing of Christ as the Theotokos, or Mother of God.

Of all of the obstacles littering my path toward the Catholic Church, none loomed larger than Mary. She represented diversion from true devotion to Our Lord to a plastic (or ceramic or marble) substitute. She was only the box that held the Present; did it honor the Giver to play with the box and ignore the Gift? Depending on which Catholic friend I spoke to, I heard qualities attributed to her that bordered on divinity, including titles such as Queen of Heaven and Mother of God. How could I reconcile the love for Jesus which I shared in common with Catholic brothers and sisters with the antagonism I felt toward Mary, His mother?

We carefully differentiate between veneration of Mary, which is good and right, and adoration of Mary, which the Catholic Church condemns as idolatry. For Protestants, worship consists of songs, prayer, and a sermon.

For two-thousand years, Christians around the world have sought the Blessed Virgin Mary as a guide to growing closer to her Son, Jesus. Through Scripture, Catholic teaching, devotions, and countless works of art, we come to see Mary as our Mother, too.

Through the Year with Mary by Katherine Bogner brings together the Church’s traditions in one place and provides a year-long plan for coming to know and love the Mother of God.

One of the significant and most common misconceptions about Catholicism is that Catholics worship Mary. But Catholics worship only God; they do not worship Mary. Her whole mission and disposition as the mother of Jesus is to bring others into closer communion with her Son. She would be the most horrified if anyone were to worship her. However, the Church does hold a special honor for her because of who she is and her unique relationship with Christ. For a proper understanding, we need to make some important distinctions. 

JOURNEY THROUGH SCRIPTURE Mary as you’ve never seen Her BEGIN YOUR STUDY! En Español Exactly who is the Blessed Virgin Mary? Can you explain her role in God’s plan for the world? Do you fully understand the vital role she plays in your life?   While Catholics know Mary is important, many never fully grasp…

The image of Mary as Queen Mother is directly related to the first official Marian dogma defined by the Church: Mary’s status as Mother of God. The Greek word for the title is Theotokos, which literally means “God-bearer.” That title is one of the oldest and most commonly used titles for Mary, with Christians using it in the very first centuries of the Church. The title also appears in one of the oldest known Christian prayers, the Sub Tuum Praesidium (“Beneath Your Protection”), an early form of the Memorare that dates to the third century.

For the Love of Mary takes the reader on a spiritual journey of tender love that begins with the questions, “How do I fall in love with Mary, the mother of Jesus and my spiritual mother? How do I cultivate a deeper, more intimate and meaningful relationship with her, inviting her into my spiritual life?”…