Respect for the Mother of the Church

While the oldest debate between Catholics and Protestants continues regarding the Catholic approach to the Blessed Ever-Virgin, it is perhaps useful to understand just exactly what is our stand on the “veneration of the Mother of God and thus, the Church”.

A Background to the Debate

Protestants have long accused Catholics and Eastern Orthodox of "Mariolatry," suggesting that Catholics adore the Virgin Mary in breach of the 10 Commandments, which condemn the worship of "false gods." This point was offered especially by a certain John Calvin, a French Protestant theologian during the Protestant Reformation and was a central developer of the system of Christian theology called Calvinism or Reformed theology.

Meanwhile, Catholics have countered the Protestant attack by stating that many Protestants have fallen into the Nestorian heresy which claimed that the "man Jesus" is not both fully divine and fully human, two natures (ousia) united inextricably in one person (hypostasis). Instead, Nestorianism claims that the "man Jesus" had Divine nature bestowed upon him at some time later than His conception and, therefore, Mary could not have been the Mother of God. Instead, the Nestorian doctrine was that she was merely the "mother of his humanity".

With all due respect to the good intentions of the other branches of Christianity, it is important for us to set the record straight not only in defense of our beliefs but to glean the truth from popular perception.  And present them to you so as to alleviate the confusion surrounding this matter.

Catholics do not “worship” Mary

At least not in the true sense of the word as that high-act of adoration is understood to be reserved for God alone. Sometimes we can confuse cultural gestures of reverence for gestures of worship. In doing so, we often judge not as God does, by what is in the heart, but rather by appearances (see John 8:15, Is 11:3).

At the Ecumenical Council held at Nicaea in 787, the Church taught that the special type of worship called adoration may only be offered to God: Latria from the Greek term for enslavement.

However, the Church also acknowledged that certain persons, though only creatures of God, are entitled to honor or veneration of a qualitatively lesser degree than the absolute allegiance owed to God. The Conciliar Fathers termed this lesser devotion: Dulia. Such veneration was proper for Mary and the Saints. In view of Mary's important role in salvation history as Mother of Jesus and thus the Mother of God – Theotokos – an honour and now dogma, instituted by the same Ecunmenical Council, the Church recognized that Mary warranted a special degree of honor among the Saints. For this class of devotion, St. Thomas Aquinas (d. 1274) suggested the term hyperdulia, which rests in part upon the angelic salutation, "Hail, full of grace", a phrase with momentous theological impact.

Catholics Honour the Saints

Devotion to the saints is primarily anchored on the theology of image: Christ is God's image, the saints are Christ's image. We honor them because we desire to imitate them. Mary is the first saint, and holds high honor today, as she did in the early Church. And so we pray to her and the other saints the same as we call upon earthly friends to do a favor for us. In Acts (Acts 3:6), we read that upon encountering a beggar, Peter says, "I have neither silver nor gold, but what I do have I give you: in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean, rise and walk". Peter makes it clear that he has the power of Christ in his possession.

Mary and the Saints do not Replace God

She never has and will never do so for Catholics. We approach Mary and the other saints in prayer as we would approach our friends. Believers on earth and in heaven constitute a living community major Christian denominations recognize as the communion of saints. The saints in heaven are not dead. Their Christian example of virtuous living as well as their closeness to God makes them powerful allies for us struggling mortals. They do not take God's place; they are an expression of his grace.

Likewise, there is nothing in Mary that would not have been in God and come from him. She is a pure product of God; this is the essential meaning of Mary's sinless-ness. Never forget: if God wanted the exclusively direct relation between him and you and me he would never send Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God, never allow scripture to be the foundation of our faith, never encourage his Son to found the Church or institute the sacraments. Christianity is the religion of mediation, essential and foundational in Christ; participative and subordinate in his Church and in varying degrees in the believers.

Catholicism , a Heritage in Intercession

Catholics have long since practised the act of “intercession”. Our parishes contain intercessory groups of laity who intercede for the poor and needy, and even for important Church leaders’ meetings. At the same time, we often pay homage to and invoke the saints for their help. The Catholic doctrine of intercession and invocation is set forth by the Council of Trent, which teaches that “saints who reign together with Christ offer up their own prayers to God for men. It is good and useful suppliantly to invoke them, and to have recourse to their prayers, aid, and help for obtaining benefits from God through His only Son, Jesus, our Lord, Who alone is our Redeemer and Saviour.”

There is a difference between “mediation” and “intercession”. “Mediation” as a position belongs to Jesus, who, half-man, half-God, is fit to act as Mediator between God and Man. He is thus Mediator in the absolute sense of the word, in a way that no one else can possibly be. "For there is one God, and one mediator of God and men, the man Christ Jesus." (1 Timothy 2:5).

While we should pray directly to God as grace and glory can only be given by Him, intercession is also prayer, except it is prayer to the holy angels and to men not that God may learn our petition through them, but that by their prayers and merits our own may be efficacious.

The Catholic Church views Mary as a living person who can intercede to her Son, Jesus, on behalf of humanity. Although Catholic theology has maintained that Christ is the sole Mediator between God and Man, theologian Ludwig Ott observes, "there is nothing to prevent others in a certain way (secundum quid) from being called mediators between God and man, in so far as they, by preparing or serving, cooperate in uniting men to God".  

Source: Written with the aid of www.catholic.org and www.newadvent.org

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