Why Catholics Love Mary and You Should Too!

Mary was a holy woman, born without original sin and endowed with full reason from birth.³ She never committed a sin in her life. Throughout her entire life, she possessed great humility beyond what any person could imagine. She was able to see her guardian angels and converse with them when needed.³ Even so, she still regarded herself as the least of God’s creatures and devoted her life to serving Him, asking God to use her as He pleased.³ This description draws inspiration from the book The Life of Mary as Seen by the Mystics by Raphael Brown, which recounts visions from approved mystics including Ven. Anne Catherine Emmerich, Ven. Mary of Ágreda, St. Bridget of Sweden, and St. Elizabeth of Schönau.

There is a troubling misconception among many Protestants about Catholics: the idea that we worship Mary. This misconception has fostered a worldwide heresy, resulting in offenses and blasphemies against the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Mary received the grace of her Immaculate Heart through the exemplary lives of her parents, St. Anne and St. Joachim, who lived in deep faith, prayer, and endurance of the cross of infertility while maintaining profound trust in the Lord. After thirteen years, the Lord deemed St. Anne and St. Joachim sufficiently purified to conceive the Immaculate Conception, the blessed Mother of God, preserved from original sin by a singular grace in view of Christ’s merits, as dogmatically defined by the Church.^3,4

This misconception about worshiping Mary has extended to false claims that Catholics also worship saints. These assertions are far from the truth. Catholics understand clearly that we worship God alone. To prevent confusion, the Church has established a hierarchy of honor for venerating holy persons.⁵ The first level is dulia, reserved for saints and angels. This form of veneration involves praying to them for intercession; they, in turn, pray for us, and any answers come through God’s grace. The next level is hyperdulia, the highest form of honor that can be given to any created person—distinct from worship. This honor is accorded to Mary due to her exceptional grace and her role as the Mother of God. At the pinnacle of the hierarchy is latria, reserved exclusively for the worship of the Holy Trinity.

As St. Louis de Montfort explains in True Devotion to Mary, it is impossible to worship Mary because the more we adore her, the more we worship God: “She is an echo of God. If you say ‘Mary,’ she says ‘God’.²” Building on this, we can view honoring Mary as a multiplier: every act of honor toward her doubles the worship given to God. True Devotion to Mary also poses a profound question: Would it not make sense to adore the Mother who gave birth to our Redeemer? We are all stained with sin; none of us is worthy of entering heaven or to approach a perfect King with requests or offerings. In earthly courts, we often employ representatives to speak on our behalf. Similarly, in the heavenly kingdom, we have a mediator to approach the King. For an ordinary judge or king, such an intermediary help avoid missteps. How much more essential is a mediator to intercede with our Lord, given our unworthiness?

During a group ruck march I undertook for penance, I learned that God has a special affection for the Virgin Mary and will honor her requests as His Queen—also known as His holy spouse and Blessed Mother. A humorous analogy illustrates her role as our greatest mediator: If we wish to offer the Lord a simple gift like a banana, it becomes infinitely more pleasing if we ask our Mother Mary to present it. She would serve it on the finest platter, elevating its value and making our gesture more acceptable to God. This amplifies the strength of our offerings and adds profound weight to our prayer requests.

Many believe that Mary’s coronation as Queen is unbiblical, but this is untrue. In the Book of the Apocalypse (Revelation) 12:1, Scripture describes “a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.” This woman can be understood as Mary and the encyclical of Pope Pius XII backs up the claim of Mary being the queen of heaven.⁶ However, Apocalypse (Revelation) 12 is a complex chapter, particularly with its references to birth pains—which seem at odds with the belief that Mary experienced no such pains.¹ The most fitting interpretation is that the people of the Old Testament endured the agony of waiting for the Messiah, and Mary shared in this prophetic suffering as she awaited her role as the Mother of God. Moreover, Mary experienced the spiritual pains of Jesus’ crucifixion because her will was perfectly united with God’s.⁷ As Revelation is a prophetic book concerning the end times, this passage also foreshadows the trials believers will face while awaiting Christ’s second coming. Another biblical reference to Mary’s queenship is Psalm 45:9, which serves as a prophecy: “The daughters of kings have delighted thee in thy glory. The queen stood on thy right hand, in gilded clothing, surrounded with variety.” This psalm depicts a king exalting his bride and highlighting her special role in his kingdom. In God’s kingdom, Mary’s position enhances our access to the King, just as her crown symbolizes the triumph of the Church.

Bibliography:

1.      Nunez, J. (2018, August 6). A Woman Clothed with the Sun – Catholic Stand. Catholicstand.com. https://catholicstand.com/a-woman-clothed-with-the-sun/

2.     Autor: Louis-Marie Grignion De Montfort, Saint, & Company Of Mary. (2010). True devotion to Mary : with Preparation for total consecration. Saint Benedict Press.

3.     Brown, R. (1951). The life of Mary as seen by the mystics : from the revelations of St. Elizabeth of Schoneau, St. Bridget of Sweden, Ven. Mother Mary of Agreda, and Sister Anne Catherine Emmerich. Tan Books And Publishers, Inc.

4. Pope BI. Pius IX. (1854, December 8). Ineffabilis Deus - Papal Encyclicals. Papal Encyclicals. https://www.papalencyclicals.net/pius09/p9ineff.htm

 5. Hierarchy of Honor (Dulia, Hyperdulia, Latria) – St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae (1265–1274), II-II, q. 103, a. 3 (on adoration and veneration: latria for God, dulia for saints, hyperdulia for Mary). Confirmed by the Council of Trent, Session 25 (December 3–4, 1563):  . https://www.newadvent.org/summa/3103.htm

6. Ad Caeli Reginam (October 11, 1954) | PIUS XII. (n.d.). Www.vatican.va. https://www.vatican.va/content/pius-xii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-xii_enc_11101954_ad-caeli-reginam.html

7. Alphonsus, S. (n.d.). ST. ALPHONSUS LIGOURI THE GLORIES OF MARY. https://maryourhelp.org/e-books/marian-ebooks/glories_of_mary.pdf