Let us consider for a moment the momentous gravity of this event.
Imagine the Angel Gabriel had appeared to you ladies with such news. How would you have reacted? Honestly now. Would you have believed it, let alone agreed to God's request?
I know if an Angel appeared to me right now I'd fall off my chair, let alone entertain a discussion with him.
Mary agreed to God's request and as time went by she knew in advance what was to happen to her precious Son.
Can you imagine yourself knowing what is to happen in your life day by day?
Many people don't understand the Catholics' devotion to Mary, the Mother of God, and often believe that our love for her is wrong and somewhat sacrilegious. They quote bits of the Bible like:
Christ said ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one goes to the
Father except by me.’
Or Paul message in his letter to Timothy when he says, "there is one God,
and there is one mediator who brings God and mankind together, Christ
Jesus."
I'll admit that many Catholics don't understand their devotion to Mary (or the Saints) either. Over the years many confuse devotion for adoration. To be clear, we should worship God alone and there is only one way to God; and that is through His only Son Jesus Christ.
The devotion to the Saints is a sign of respect and love for their role in the life of Christ; and in establishing His Church here on earth. It is not and should not be an act of worship.
The way I see it is this: God chose Mary to be the Mother of His only Son. He obviously had, and still has, high regard for her. Do you think He is upset for the love and respect I have for her?
Or for Joseph? Or any of the other Saints?
I can only imagine she was prepared beforehand spiritually, as was Jospeh. Scholars say her family was devout. She would have known the messianic prophecies. What would I do? It is hard to picture, isn't it? But each of us has been prepared for the things we do in our own lives. Our choice, like Mary's, is obedience or disbelief. She obeyed. For that she should be remembered.
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree with your assessment, Sandi. Mary was prepared beforehand spiritually, but she was not pre-destined to agree to God's request. That is, she did have a choice; like we all have - obedience or disbelief. She chose to say "Yes".
DeleteGod bless you.
...we live in a world with endless points of view.
ReplyDeleteGod bless, Tom.
DeleteI'm actually astounded by Mary's unquestioning belief. Her compliance, so unlike many ladies' independent, over-achieving, "no-one had better get in my way" selves of today.
ReplyDeleteThank you again for explaining the difference between devotion and worship.
So true, Mevely. Attitudes today have changed so much and people are not so willing to believe and obey. The world has rejected God, it seems.
DeleteCatholics do not, and should not, worship Mary and the Saints. Many Catholics still do not understand the difference between devotion and worship. The Church has a lot of teaching to do, (and doesn't!).
God bless you, Mevely.
Victor, this is a thought-provoking set of questions you’ve given us here. I’ll give you my answers:
ReplyDeleteImagine the Angel Gabriel had appeared to you ladies with such news. How would you have reacted? Honestly now. Would you have believed it, let alone agreed to God's request?
As a teenager I would have been terrified by the appearance of the Angel Gabriel, even though I was very familiar with the Christmas story at that time. Now, as 70+ woman, I would still be afraid and would have to first consider if this really was a messenger from the Holy God Himself or a stretch of my imagination. As to agreeing to His request? At my current age, and having given physical birth to 3 children (remembering the morning sickness and physical pain of delivery), that would be a real test of my devotion to Him. I don’t know how I would respond.
Can you imagine yourself knowing what is to happen in your life day by day?
I am reminded of when the doctors told us my husband was terminal and then he died about 24 hours later. It was a horrible realization. No, I don’t want to know what is to happen in my life day by day.
The way I see it is this: God chose Mary to be the Mother of His only Son. He obviously had, and still has, high regard for her. Do you think He is upset for the love and respect I have for her?
I really like how you explained the difference between devotion and adoration. My understanding of the Catholic faith has been helped by your words here. Having been raised as a strict Baptist, I’ll be honest in saying I’ve not appreciated enough what Mary went through as the mother of Jesus. So while I’ve never worshiped her, I’ve also not been as pensively respectful of her as I should. Like our war heroes, Mary needs to be respected and most certainly admired and appreciated.
Or for Joseph? Or any of the other Saints?
No, I do not think God the Father is upset with you for the love and respect you have for Mary, Joseph, or any of the other Saints.
But I do think God the Father wants me to take more seriously the sacrifices of these Biblical people.
Thank you so much, Barbara, for taking the time to respond so fully. I truly appreciate it.
DeleteTaking your points in order:
1 Indeed we would all be terrified if an Angel appeared to us and we would doubt at what we were seeing. I'd like to believe that God would take our fears into consideration when He spoke to us either directly or through an Angel. I know that when He speaks to us He makes sure we know it is Him and not our imagination. As to agreeing to His request ... ... ... God would never ask us for something that is beyond our capabilities to do.
2 Can we imagine for a moment how Jesus felt throughout His life knowing what would happen to Him? As a small boy of 12 when speaking in the Temple, He knew about His arrest, beatings, torture and horrible Crucifixion. Throughout His life He must have seen this nightmare on a daily basis. Mary too; she knew what was to happen as foretold by Simeon in the temple.
3 Catholics must not worship Mary and the Saints. This is wrong. The Catholic Church has a lot of teaching to do in this respect. It is OK to show devotion, respect, and love to Mary, Joseph and all those who contributed to spreading the Word of God. But we should only worship God; and the only way to God is through Jesus.
God bless you and yours, Barbara.
Merry Christmas Victor: An amazing post, thank-you, I was at a stitching Retreat at Totino Grace Retreat Center in Fridley Minnesota many years ago, there were some ladies sitting at a table, they were of the Lutheran Faith, they were talking about how the Catholics worship The Blessed Virgin Mary, then they saw me and tried to cover what they said, they asked me why as a Catholic did I worship the Mother of Jesus, I told them we do not worship Mother Mary but honor her, they tried to argue the point, I then asked if there children gave them gifts on Mother's day and if so is that considered to be of worship oh no they said they are honoring us as their mothers, my point was well taken they never questioned my Devotion to the Most Blessed Virgin Mary.
ReplyDeleteCatherine
Well said, Catherine. And you made your point well to those ladies. The Catholic Church has not explained this well to its own congregation let alone those who are not Catholic. There are still many Catholics who light candles to Mary and the Saints and expect favours in return. God cannot be bought, and neither can Mary, Joseph or the Saints. We do these things as acts of devotion and respect. And we only worship God.
DeleteGod bless always.
Victor: I forgot to mention that if an Angel Gabrial appeared I would be very skeptical but it would be a though I need to Pray about. I know in my praying I would have the right answer, as for knowing what would happened day by day, it would be devasting to me, Mary's courage knowing what would happen to her only Son, my heart cries for her pain.
ReplyDeleteCatherine🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄
Don't worry, Catherine; when God speaks to us He makes sure we know it is Him; and He will not ask us something we cannot possibly do. Each according to his faith and capabilities - because He loves us all equally but each according to his needs.
DeleteGod bless.
Since I'm not Catholic, I always appreciate your explanations of why those saints are honored. It isn't the same as worship, and you always make this easy to understand for us Protestants. Blessings always, Victor!
ReplyDeleteThere really is not that much difference between Catholics and other denominations, Martha. From my experience, a lot of Catholics tend to be confused !!!
DeleteGod bless always.
Many years ago, we were taught to love and respect Mary, we could also pray to her if we so wished. Our devotion was always to God.
ReplyDeleteIndeed Bill, we worship only God.
DeleteGod bless.
Mary had free will in the matter of becoming the mother of Jesus, but since the Immaculate Conception is the belief that Mary was conceived without original sin, I think that she may have been more disposed to the idea than other women.
ReplyDeleteI believe that God would not ask us to do something that we cannot possibly do.
DeleteGod bless you, Kathy.
This is such a thoughtful discussion, and I’m struck by how much we can learn from Mary’s example of faith and obedience. It’s humbling to consider how each of us is prepared in our own way for the paths we’re called to walk. Like you mentioned, reflecting on the sacrifices of Mary, Joseph, and so many others reminds me to approach my own challenges with faith and gratitude. It’s similar to how I approach tasks in everyday life—whether it’s something small like scheduling an auto repair in logan ut or tackling a larger, more personal challenge, having the right mindset makes all the difference.
ReplyDeleteThe right mindset based in faith and trust in the Lord is, I believe, the right way to start.
DeleteGod bless, Shelby.
Boy oh boy Victor, you stirred up some great comments. I know why also, because you broached a subject I have often wondered about. With all the millions of good folk in this world, what would if an angel appeared to me. One MUST respect Mary for her faith here.
ReplyDeleteLove you dude. Try to be good, it is close to Christmas.
Over the years, God has asked many things of people on earth. Mary, Joseph her husband, Paul/Saul on the way to Damascus, Noah, Jonah, and many others. Sometimes, they needed a nudge to obey His request/command. But they always had the choice to say "No". I am sure He has spoken to you at some time in your life, Jack.
DeleteGod bless you and yours always, my friend.
Love and kindness always. ❤️
ReplyDeleteGod bless, CM.
DeleteA beautiful painting for this post Victor.
ReplyDeleteAll the best Jan
God bless, Jan.
DeleteRespecting them and their dedication to The Lord, as well as, to paraphrase St. Paul, imitating them as they imitate Christ, is right and good.
ReplyDeleteAmen Mimi. You said it well.
DeleteGod bless.