Questions Catholics are Asked:Why do you worship Mary?

The short answer:“We no not worship Mary, we honor her.”

Why do we do this? It is natural to honor the mothers of great people

and Jesus, the Son of God, was Mary’s son.

Mary is a model of discipleship.

Mary is mother of the Church—our mother.

Honoring Mary is ancient Church Tradition.

Honoring Mary is biblical.

Mary is the Mother of Jesus“My spirit rejoices in God my savior…” Luke 1:47

Mary is not divine but human as we are.

What is the Doctrine of the Immaculate Conception?

The belief that God, at Mary’s own conception, preserved her from original sin

in anticipation of the saving work of Christ.

What is original sin?The tendency toward fear, distrust and

selfishness that all human beings are marked with from the womb. Mary’s freedom from original sin allowed her

to be the pure and chosen vessel in which the Son of God would be conceived.

Mary is a model of discipleship.She was the first disciple of Jesus

She was the most faithful of the disciplesHer life was made fertile by the Holy Spirit

She kept and contemplated the things of Jesus in her heartShe made the Lord present to the worldShe suffered more than any disciple for her decision to “let it be done unto me…”

Faithfulness, fertility, prayerfulness, giving witness, acceptance of suffering

and trust in God are key hallmarks of discipleship!

Mary is Mother of the Church

If Jesus is Mary’s son, and we are brothers and sisters of Jesus, then Mary is our mother as well.

Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother's sister,

Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. When Jesus saw his mother

and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, "Woman, behold, your son." Then he said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother."

And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.John 19:25-27

Honoring Mary is ancient Church TraditionThe Council of Ephesus (431)

declared Mary to be Theotokos. Literally this means God Bearer, although the Western

Church translated it as Mother of God. To insist that Mary is mother of Jesus in his humanity and divinity was to safeguard the core belief that, in Christ, God is getting intimately involved in the flesh and blood of human life.

“Claims about Mary are ways to keep from smoothing out the scandal of Christ’s Incarnation.

To claim that God is enfleshed, that God has a birth and death date, that God is Jewish,

is the scandal of particularity to which Christian faith is committed.”

Catholic Theologian Lawrence Cunningham

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Where is the Biblical support for honoring Mary?

After Mary conceives by the power of the Holy Spirit she goes to see her cousin…

“Elizabeth, filled with the holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, "Most blessed are

you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb…” Luke 1:42

A few moments later, Mary herself erupts in joy:

"My spirit rejoices in God my savior. For he has looked upon his handmaid's lowliness;

behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed…”

Luke 1:47-48