“Catholic Popes teach Catholics to elevate Mary. There is no such command in the Bible, nor are there any examples of such an act in the Bible. Mary would not want to be exalted in such a way. In fact, a woman in the crowd called out, “Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.” Jesus replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” See Luke 11:27-28. Does that sound like Jesus wanted Mary exalted to the level that the Catholic Church has exalted her? No. Someone told Jesus, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.” Jesus replied, “My mother and brothers are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice.” See Luke 8:20-21. Does it sound like Jesus wants us to elevate and worship his mother? No!”-God’s Truth
Let us read what the Catholic Church actually teaches. According to the Catechism, lines 970-971, "Mary's function as mother of men in no way obscures or diminishes this unique mediation of Christ, but rather shows its power. But the Blessed Virgin's salutary influence on men . . . flows forth from the superabundance of the merits of Christ, rests on his mediation, depends entirely on it, and draws all its power from it. No creature could ever be counted along with the Incarnate Word and Redeemer; but just as the priesthood of Christ is shared in various ways both by his ministers and the faithful, and as the one goodness of God is radiated in different ways among his creatures, so also the unique mediation of the Redeemer does not exclude but rather gives rise to a manifold cooperation which is but a sharing in this one source."
"’All generations will call me blessed’: ‘The Church's devotion to the Blessed Virgin is intrinsic to Christian worship.’ 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.’ 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.”
But these quotes mean nothing to those who hold a disdain for the Catholic Church. So let us look to the Bible.
“Those epistles will be searched in vain for any explicit mention of Mary.” –Jerry
Granted, I do not recall off the top of my head a quote from the epistles. So excellent argument, Jerry. But, is Mary ever elevated outside of the epistles? We could pour over the book of Revelation. It is full of references to the Mother (Rev, Chapter 12). This is a clear, concise, and rather important reference to Mary. God’s Truth charged, there are no examples of Mary being elevated in the Bible (paraphrased). What would you say about the greeting of the angel, announcing the Conception of Christ? He greeted her with “Hail, full of Grace.” As it has been pointed out before in the discussion, we want to take the Bible literally. So let us do that with this greeting. “Full of,” means that there could not possible be room for more. Thus, she is completely full of God’s perfect favor and love. No other human has ever been greeted in this manner, or with these words. No other human created has ever been created in fullness of God’s grace, except for Adam and Eve, but they lost it and fell from this grace. This is why Mary is referred to as the new Eve. She is what creation was meant to be. Obviously, she is not worshiped in the same way that Christ is because He is the source of all grace, whereas Mary is full of grace.
Allow me to continue addressing God’s Truth’s charge, via a tangent, which will come full circle. When Christ was on the cross, he spoke a total of seven times. When He said, “I thirst,” (John 20:28) what did He mean? According to Jerry, this must be literal. Therefore Christ was just thirsty. However, very few Christian believe “I Thirst” to be only literal human thirst, but a divine meaning. A thirst for souls. What about verses 26 and 27?
“When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, ‘Woman, behold thy son!’ Then saith he to the disciple, ‘Behold thy mother!’ And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.”
The crucifixion was the pinnacle of creation. All prophecies and events of the Bible point forward to it. All history will remember it and tremble with the power of it. God, and therefore, Christ, knows this. Wouldn’t a logical and rational mind conclude that anything spoken during this event would bear great weight and meaning? So why, would Christ, who has been preaching to His disciples for years to take care of sick, infirm, widows, etc., give such a command? Would the disciple not have already assumed the care of the mother of God Incarnate? Taking all of this into account, is this not an elevation? Just as “I Thirst,” Christ had a deeper and more divine meaning in “Behold thy mother.”
The Church in no way worships Mary. Does it hold her in reverence? Yes. Does it adore her and honor her? Absolutely. Is this unjust or unchristian? In no capacity. The Church obeys the command of Christ on the cross, follows the actions of the angel, and exhibits reverence and love to His Mother. In the adoration of Mary, we observe the fulfillment of Christ’s last command as a mortal, which in turn glorifies Him eternally.
