149. “Holy Mary Mother of God”

“Holy Mary Mother of God”

YOUCAT Catechism + Catechism of the Catholic Church Lesson 149

Ave Maria series

149  May we worship Mary?

No.  Only God can be worshipped.  But we can revere Mary as the Mother of our Lord.  [971]

The Wedding Feast at Cana by Marten de Vos around 1596.  Mary’s words at Cana, “Do whatever Jesus tells you “ applies to us, also.” …..149

By worship we mean the humble, unconditional acknowledgment of the absolute superiority of God over all creatures.  Mary is a creature like us.  In faith she is our Mother.  And we should honor our parents.  There is a biblical basis for this, since Mary herself says, “For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed” (Luke 1:48b).  So the Church has Marian shrines and places of pilgrimage, feast days, hymns, and prayers, for instance, the rosary.  It is a compendium of the Gospels.  353, 484

“The Rosary means lingering in the sphere of Mary’s life, the content of which is Christ.”  Romano Guardini (1885-1968)

[971]

DEVOTION TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN

971 "All generations will call me blessed": "The Church's devotion to the Blessed Virgin is intrinsic to Christian worship."(Luke 1:48; Paul VI, Marialis cultus 56)⁵¹⁵ 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."(Lumen gentium 66)⁵¹⁶ 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.(compare Paul VI, Marialis cultus 42; Sacrosactum concilium 103)⁵¹⁷ –Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition

JT  The Marriage