Mariology Series

Mariology

As a protestant, I must say that I have never seen this word before - Mariology - and I am struggling with beginning the study of Mariology – How to start? Will my comments be relative? How can I help others and myself gain knowledge and understanding of Mariology?

On this website, we frequently deal with very intricate apologetical issues relating to Catholicism; the proper understanding of the Greek in the phrase "works of the law" used by St. Paul; specific rebuttals to accusations that Catholics believe the Virgin Mary died for our sins [my objection to this corrupt, fraudulent catholic view; a defense of the concept of Apostolic Succession against attacks that the teaching is contrary to St. Paul's complaints about disciples boasting that they are from Paul or Apollos. Sometimes the focus of our articles presupposes that our readership already possesses advanced knowledge of the points of dispute between Catholics and Protestants. Today, let us go back to basics and examine a very fundamental obstacle to Protestant reunion with the Church: the issue of Marian's devotion to Catholic spirituality. For many Protestants, every other Catholic teaching can be accepted with the proper education and the working of grace. However, aversion to the Catholic veneration of Mary is so firmly ingrained in Protestant Tradition as to be extremely difficult to overcome for some Protestants [myself included], even when they positively will join the Catholic Church. Objection to this doctrine:

1. It is not taught in the Bible.

2. Jesus did not teach it to the disciples.

3. Mary was not made to suffer for my sins or yours.

4. She is not identified as God's daughter [didn't God say, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased"].

5. Mary did not return from the dead as Jesus did.

6. Jesus is recorded many times praying to His Father. He calls Him Father; Mary never addressed Him as "Father."

7. Mary did not tell anyone that their sins were forgiven, as Jesus did.

8. Mary is not said to have healed anyone. However, Jesus healed many.

9. Mary is never said to come from the Father as Jesus did;

10. While hanging on the Cross, Jesus instructed the Apostle John to care for Mary as he would his mother. Should He have asked the same thing of God?

I could give many examples of the objections to the doctrine of Mariology, but that is not necessary; instead, I will trust my future to Jesus, not Mary. He is my Savior! Lord!

It is impossible to treat every aspect of Mariology in an article like this; in many places, our treatment of the issue will be superficial and refer the reader to other sources. We will progress along the outline used in this article.

Does it say we are to offer "veneration" [Worship, Adoration, Reverence, honor, respect] to the Blessed Virgin Mary? She was a good and honored woman to be chosen as the earthly mother of Jesus. Understanding Marian's veneration depends largely upon understanding the doctrine of the Communion of Saints. The Communion of Saints is the truth that the Church exists in three states - the Church Militant, Church Suffering, and Church Triumphant encompassing those believers on earth, in purgatory [a purely Catholic concept], and in heaven that the Church remains one despite its existence in three states.

Therefore, all the members of the Church are capable of sharing in spiritual goods and graces. The fact of physical death is no barrier to this; just as Christ overcame death by His perfect love, so in Christ, death is no longer a barrier for the believer. We can pray for one another on this earth and in the Spirit, pray for those in purgatory, and solicit the prayers of those members of the Church already in heaven, whether they are saints or angels. The interrelationship of the Church in her three states is illustrated aptly in this picture:

St. Thomas Aquinas explains the doctrine this way:

"We must also know that not only the efficacy [effectiveness] of the Passion of Christ is communicated to us, but also the merits of His life; moreover, all the good that all the Saints have done is communicated to all who are in the state of grace because all are one: "I am a partaker of all them that fear Thee." [Ps 118: 63] Therefore, he who lives in charity participates in all the good that is done in the entire world; but more especially does he benefit for whom some good work is done; since one man certainly can satisfy another. Thus, through this communion, we receive two benefits. One is that the merits of Christ are communicated to all; the other is that the good of one is communicated to another."