I often hear it asked, especially at Christian gatherings, "Why do Catholics pay so much attention to Mary instead of Jesus?" This question inspired me to investigate the Church's teaching regarding Mary and to do a Bible study on Mary's rôle in our redemption. The results of my inquiry are the basis for this article about Mary, the Mother of Jesus.
During the course of my research, I discovered that the Church has a wealth of teaching about Mary, and that there have been hundreds of articles and books written about Her life on earth and on Her rôle in the Church during the ages since the its birth on Pentecost Sunday two millennia ago. There is a great richness to be had through devotion to Her.
Very often, Catholics are accused of disobeying Scripture by worshipping Mary -- the Bible says to worship God alone. As it turns out, Catholics do not worship Mary, however they do praise Her and thank Her for Her fiat , which was Her "yes" to Jesus at the Annunciation (cf. Luke 1:26-38) when Gabriel was sent to Her to tell Her what God wanted to do to Her, with Her, and through Her.
Why praise Mary? Should we not just praise Jesus? After all, He is the Saviour of the world, not Mary! Well, let's look again to the Gospel for the answer. The Greek word which translates to "blessed" actually means "worthy of praise". According to St. Luke, Mary is described three times (in the first chapter alone) as "blessed":
This certainly set me to thinking again about my relationship with Jesus and my relationship with His Mother. How can I say that Jesus is my best friend if I consciously ignore His Mother? How can I say that I am right with God while ignoring His written word which says to call Mary blessed? If I call Her blessed (which means worthy of praise), should I not also praise Her because She is worthy of it? And why not thank Her while I am at it? Hmm-m-m-m...
Why do Catholics call Her "Mother of God"? Once again we can turn to Scripture for the answer. In Old Testament times, the Divine Name was written YHWH in the Hebrew language. This form is known as the "Tetragrammaton". Over time, the Name came to be considered too sacred to be pronounced so, when the Masoretes added vowel sounds to the ancient Hebrew texts, the vowel signs which they added to the Tetragrammaton indicated that in Its place the Hebrew word Adonai should be used when the Hebrew Scriptures were read in the synagogue. Ancient Greek translators employed the word Kyrios ("Lord") for the Name. The Vulgate likewise used the Latin word Dominus ("Lord").
When Elizabeth greeted Mary (cf. Luke 1) she asked "Why should I be honoured with a visit from the mother of my Lord?" Notice that "Lord" is spelt with a capitol L; as noted above, this form of the word is used to translate the Hebrew word Adonai which was used for the Divine Name. So then, Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit at that moment, recognized Mary as the Mother of God.
We also know from St. Paul's writings that the fullness of God resided in Jesus. In his letter to the Church at Colossæ he stated "In his [Christ's] body lives the fullness of divinity" (Col 2:9). [The NRSV uses the word "deity" in place of "divinity"; King James uses the word "Godhead" in that verse.]
Does it not follow that Mary, the Mother of Jesus, rightfully has the title "Mother of God" since Jesus clearly is God?
Mary's life was totally caught up with the life and works of Her Son. She was there at the Annunciation; She was there at the birth of John the Baptist (the precursor); She was there at Nativity; She was there at His circumcision; She was there when He was presented to the Lord at the Temple; She was there at His bar mitzvah when He was twelve and She was with Joseph when they found Him teaching in the Temple a few days later; She was there when He worked His first miracle (the wedding feast at Cana); She was counted among the women who accompanied Him to look after His needs and the needs of the Apostles during His travels; She encountered Him as He carried His cross to Calvary; She watched as the nails were driven into His hands and feet; She stood beside the Cross and watched as the soldiers shared out His clothing; She heard Him ask the Father to forgive His executioners; She heard the taunts of the crowd; She heard His last cry "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit"; She saw blood and water gush forth when a soldier pierced Him with a lance; She was there when two of His disciples took Him down from the Cross and placed Him in a borrowed tomb; She was among the women who found the tomb empty on Easter morning; She watched as He was caught up in a cloud during His Ascension; She was with the Disciples in the Upper Room for the birth of the Church on Pentecost Sunday when the Holy Spirit descended upon them from heaven.
Who else in the whole of creation was as intimate with Jesus as was His Holy Mother? Who nursed Him at Her breast? Who changed His diapers, washed His clothes and gave Him His bath? Who taught Him to walk and to talk? Who taught Him to pray? Who did God trust to become the Mother of His only Begotten Son? Who brought Jesus to the world and stood by His side when the world rejected Him and His personally chosen disciples ran away? Was not that person Mary, His Virgin Mother? Perhaps this is why Catholics honour Her and praise Her so much.
Would we not do well perhaps to heed the Catholic Church by giving honour and praise to our Saviour's Mother? I do just that now and it has done wonders for my relationship with Jesus. When we turn to Mary, she simply takes us by the hand and leads us to Her Son. That is all that she can do. She did it at Cana during a wedding banquet when the wine ran out. When the servants approached Her, she went to Jesus on their behalf to present the problem to Him. Then She returned to the servants pointed them to Jesus and said "Do whatever he tells you." (John 2:5).
As you can see, Catholics do not pay a lot of attention to Mary instead of Jesus. Rather, they go to Mary and join Her in worshipping Her Son. Just as Mary is the One chosen by God to bring Jesus to us, so She also wants to bring us to Jesus. Let us allow Her to do it.
We thank you Lord Jesus, God Almighty, for the gift of Mary, your Mother, to assist us in this life and to lead us to You. Amen.