Know the difference between adore and venerate
There are some who think that we Catholics adore Mary. Is that true?
First of all, it must be said that we Catholics do not worship the Virgin Mary. The cult that we profess to him is not adoration, since this corresponds only to God. Catholics we venerate to the Virgin Mary, because She is the woman whom God chose to be the Mother of Christ. That is, Mary is not just any person, she is the Mother of God himself.
Mary is blessed by the fact that she was chosen by God to carry the Savior in her womb, and for this reason we Catholics have called her that for “all generations”. The respect and veneration that we Catholics profess for the Blessed Virgin therefore has solid biblical foundations.
1. From divine design
God commands to praise Mary. The angel Gabriel sent by God greeted Mary with these words: “Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you” (Lk 1,28). God the Father wanted to associate Mary with the realization of his Reconciliation Plan. Thus, Mary is associated with the work of her Son, the Lord Jesus. It is not a simple whim or exaggeration to recognize the divine motherhood of Mary. The mystery of Mary is intimately linked to the mystery of her Son. In her “everything is referred to Christ”, subordinated to Him. Mary does not have a divine nature and all her gifts come to her through the merits of her Son, and this does not mean that she is no longer a unique woman, with unique gifts for a very important mission. particular in history.
Mary cooperates in the work of Reconciliation. To be the Mother of the Savior, Mary was endowed by God with gifts commensurate with her important mission; she is the “full of grace”. Without this unique grace, Mary would not have been able to respond to such a great call. She is Immaculate, free from all original sin, by virtue of the merits of her Son (LG 53).
The Gospel accounts present the virginal conception as a divine work that surpasses all human understanding and possibility (Catechism of the Catholic Church n. 497). Mary is, therefore, a very special woman, gifted by God to be the Mother of the Redeemer, the Mother of God.
2. Testimony of the Scriptures
The Gospels present her to us as an active collaborator in the mission of her Son. In Bethlehem she gives birth to Jesus, she presents him to the shepherds, to the Magi and in the Temple; she lives with him thirty years in Nazareth; she intercedes at Cana; she suffers at the foot of the cross; she prays in the Cenacle. Therefore, setting Mary aside from her, separating her from Christ, is not what her revelation teaches. If the Magi adored Jesus in the arms of Mary, would it be idolatry to imitate her example?
3. In the life of the Church
The Church presents Mary to us as Advocate, Help of Christians, Help, Mediator. “But all this must be understood in such a way that it does not subtract or add anything to the dignity and efficacy of Christ, the only Mediator” (St. Ambrose). The moon shines because it reflects the light of the sun. The light of the moon does not take away or add anything to the light of the sun, but rather manifests its radiance. In the same way, the mediation of Mary depends on that of Christ, the only Mediator.
The cult of Mary is based on these prophetic words: “All generations will call me blessed, because the Mighty One has done wonders for me” (Lk 1, 48-49). She will be called blessed, not because her nature is divine, but because of the wonders that the Mighty One did in her. Just as Mary presented the shepherds to the Savior, the Magi to the King, so that they adore him, present him gifts and rejoice with the joy of his coming, so the cult of the Mother makes the Son better known, loved, glorified and that, at the same time, his commandments be better fulfilled. Mary never seeks to diminish the glory of her own Son; Quite the contrary, and this is how the Church has understood it since the first centuries, when the disciples prayed to the Lord in the Upper Room in the company of the Virgin Mother (Acts 1:14).
Return to the main page of
catholic reflections
Sign in the guest book
Subscribe for free to Javier’s Catholic Web mailing list to receive weekly updates by email.