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KANTACK: Catholics don't worship Mary, but look to her as example
Why do Roman Catholics worship Mary?"
As a Catholic, I often get asked this and other similar questions. The special place that Mary, the mother of Jesus, has in the Catholic Church is a frequent source of confusion for non-Catholics. Some consider devotion to Mary a harmless Catholic quirk. Others consider it proof that Catholics worship multiple gods. They point to statues of Mary in Catholic churches and Catholics praying the Hail Mary as indisputable evidence of idolatry, blasphemy or other heresies. But although many condemn Catholics' treatment of Mary as straying from biblical truths, the truth is Marian devotion is firmly rooted in biblical teachings.
Let's look at the origins of the Hail Mary – the prayer, not the football play. This is one of the most common manifestations of Catholics' high regard of Mary, and also one of the most objectionable. As one website puts it, "If you foolishly disobey the Bible by saying ‘Hail Mary,' then you are committing idolatry."
But what many non-Catholics (and even some Catholics) don't realize is that the Hail Mary is not unbiblical. Rather, almost all of it is taken directly from biblical passages and the rest is supported by other biblical evidence. Even if we forego Catholic translations of the Bible and stick to the Protestant King James Version, it's easy to see the biblical nature of Catholic beliefs about Mary.
The first part of the Hail Mary is "Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee." In the Gospel of Luke, the angel Gabriel greets Mary by saying "Hail, thou art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women," (Luke 1:28). Some would argue that "highly favoured" isn't the same as "full of grace." But if we consider the original Greek text, the word is "kecharitomene," which Greek grammar experts translate as "completely, perfectly, enduringly endowed with grace."
The next part of the Hail Mary appears later on in Luke's Gospel, when Mary's cousin Elizabeth greets her by saying "Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb," (Luke 1:42). This is included word-for-word in the Hail Mary: "Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus." The addition of the word "Jesus" is usually not problematic, as most Protestant churches acknowledge that Mary was pregnant with Jesus at the time of her visit to Elizabeth.
Finally, the last section of the Hail Mary reads as follows: "Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen." The assertion that Mary is the mother of God is another common point of contention, and can also be resolved by a closer examination of the Bible. If Jesus was truly "made of the seed of David according to the flesh," (Romans 1:3), then Mary, as a descendent of the royal House of David, must be the true mother of Jesus, who is God. Mary's cousin Elizabeth also recognizes this truth: "And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" (Luke 1:48).
The phrase "pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death" demonstrates that Catholics view Mary not as a goddess to be worshipped, but as a helpful ally in the life-long struggle against sin and temptation. In all of the Marian prayers offered by Catholics, there is not a single claim of Mary's divinity. Likewise, the Hail Mary is not a prayer of worship, but a prayer request.
Most Protestants would not hesitate to ask their fellow churchgoers to pray for them in their struggles, yet many cry foul when Catholics solicit the prayers of Mary. Almost all Christian religions believe that the prayers of sinners, bound by time and space and separated from God, can nevertheless strengthen our souls and ease our sufferings. If this is true, why is it so difficult to believe that Mary, unbound by time and space and living with God in heaven, can pray for us just as (if not more) effectively?
The justification for asking Mary to intercede for us is once again found in the Bible. Revelation 5:8 depicts "the prayers of the saints" being set before the altar of God in heaven. Moreover, the Old Testament describes the custom of asking the king's mother to speak to the king on one's behalf (1 Kings 2:13-18), and notes that the king's mother occupied a special place next to the king's throne, from which she would advise him (1 Kings 2:19). Just as King Solomon's mother Bathsheba promises, "I will speak for thee unto the king," Catholics trust in Mary to speak on our behalf to our heavenly king.
But what about the statues of Mary that adorn most Catholic churches? It's not uncommon to walk into the Newman Center here on campus and find a student kneeling in prayer before a statue of Mary. Doesn't this violate God's commandment about "graven images?" Isn't this a form of idolatry?
Although the Bible warns readers against the worship of statues and images, it also acknowledges the usefulness of religious imagery in augmenting our faith. God commands Moses to make "graven images" of cherubim (angels) on the Ark of the Covenant (Exodus 25:18-20) and instructs David to include cherubim in his design for the Temple (1 Chronicles 28:18-19). Moses also makes a serpent of brass (at God's command) that saves the Israelites from snakebite when they look upon it (Numbers 21:8-9).
A good way to understand Catholics' use of religious statues and images is to consider statues and images from popular culture. For example, just outside of Memorial Stadium there is a statue of Tom Osborne and former Nebraska quarterback Brook Berringer. The statue honors Osborne and Berringer's accomplishments together (two National Championships in 1994 and 1995) and encourages today's Cornhuskers to aspire to their greatness.
When a Catholic sees an image of Mary, he or she is reminded of Mary's unwavering obedience to and trust in God, and is inspired to try to emulate her example. Just as Husker fans can look upon the statue of Osborne and Berringer without worshiping them (or the statue), Catholics draw courage from Mary's example without deifying her or her image.
It's easy to see the way Catholics view Mary and assume there must be something sinister going on. From a distance, it certainly looks a lot like idolatry. But the truth of the matter is that Catholics' veneration of Mary stems directly from the Bible's teachings and precedents.
When a Protestant asks "Why do Catholics treat Mary the way they do?" many Catholics (including myself) wonder "Why don't you?"
Benjamin Kantack is a senior political science and Spanish major. Follow him at @BenjaminKantack and reach him and BenjaminKantack@dailynebraskan.com.
