Today I thought I would do something different. Instead of starting with a scripture. I decided to talk to you today about my mentoring topic for this month. It is Why We Love Mary So Much! “Why do Catholics love Mary so much?” This is a question that I have been asked a lot by Catholics as well as other Christians. I have also been often asked, “Why do Catholics Worship Mary.” Let’s address that one first; it is a much simpler answer. We do not worship Mary. We only worship the Lord. We have a deep love and devotion for **Mother Mary** because of her unique role in God's plan for salvation, virtues, and intercession. Today, I will review some key reasons Catholics love Mary so much. Music:"Adding the Sun" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Why We Love Mary So Much!
Today I thought I would do something different. Instead of starting with a scripture. I decided to talk to you today about my mentoring topic for this month. It is Why We Love Mary So Much! “Why do Catholics love Mary so much?” This is a question that I have been asked a lot by Catholics as well as other Christians. I have also been often asked, “Why do Catholics Worship Mary.” Let’s address that one first; it is a much simpler answer. We do not worship Mary. We only worship the Lord. We have a deep love and devotion for **Mother Mary** because of her unique role in God's plan for salvation, virtues, and intercession. Today, I will review some key reasons Catholics love Mary so much. Here are some key reasons for this devotion to Mary:
1. **Her Role as the Mother of God**
Mary is honored as the **Theotokos**, or "God-bearer," because she gave birth to Jesus Christ, who is both fully God and fully man. This makes her central to the mystery of the Incarnation—the event through which God became human to save humanity. Catholics view her as the mother of not only Jesus but, in a spiritual sense, the entire Church.
2. **Her Yes to God’s Will**
Mary's willingness to say **"Yes" (Fiat)** to God at the Annunciation (Luke 1:38) is seen as a model of perfect faith and obedience. She trusted God's plan, even without fully understanding it, and her example inspires Catholics to follow her in surrendering to God's will.
3. **Her Role as a Spiritual Mother**
From the Cross, Jesus entrusted Mary to all humanity when He said to the Apostle John: **"Behold your mother"** (John 19:27). Catholics believe that Mary is a spiritual mother who cares for all believers, interceding for them and guiding them closer to Jesus.
4. **Her Sinlessness and Purity**
Mary’s Immaculate Conception (her being conceived without original sin) and her sinless life make her the perfect model of holiness. Catholics honor her purity and strive to imitate her virtues, especially humility, love, and faithfulness.
5. **Her Intercessory Power**
Catholics believe that Mary, being close to Jesus, has a unique role in interceding for humanity. Asking for Mary’s intercession is like asking a trusted and holy friend to pray on one's behalf. This belief is rooted in her role at the **Wedding at Cana** (John 2:1-12), where her intercession led to Jesus performing His first miracle.
6. **A Deeply Personal Connection**
For many Catholics, Mary is not only a figure of reverence but also a source of comfort, understanding, and maternal love. Devotions like the **Rosary** help foster this personal connection, allowing the faithful to meditate on Jesus' life through Mary's perspective.
7. **Her Title as Queen of Heaven**
Mary is honored as the **Queen of Heaven** because of her close association with Christ, the King. This title emphasizes her exalted place in heaven, where she continues interceding for the Church.
The title **"Queen of Heaven"** is one of the many honorary titles given to Mary, reflecting her unique role in salvation history and her exalted position in heaven. This title is deeply rooted in Scripture, tradition, and theology. Here's an explanation of why Mary is called the Queen of Heaven:
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1. **Mary as Mother of the King (Queen Mother)**
In biblical tradition, the mother of the king in the Davidic kingdom held the role of the **queen mother** (*Gebirah* in Hebrew), a position of honor and influence. For example:
- In the Old Testament, the queen mother often interceded on behalf of the people (e.g., Bathsheba in 1 Kings 2:19).
- Since Jesus is the eternal King of the universe (Luke 1:32-33), Mary, as His mother, is honored as the **Queen Mother** in His heavenly kingdom.
2. **Scriptural Foundations**
The title is not explicitly mentioned in Scripture but is supported by several biblical themes:
- **The Annunciation** (Luke 1:32-33): The angel Gabriel tells Mary that her son will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end. If Jesus is King, Mary is logically the Queen Mother.
- **The Woman Clothed with the Sun** (Revelation 12:1): In this passage, Mary is symbolically depicted as a woman crowned with twelve stars, representing her royal dignity and role as the Queen of Heaven.
3. **Tradition and Early Church Fathers**
- From the earliest centuries, Christians recognized Mary’s special status as the mother of the King. Titles like **“Queen of Heaven”** and **“Queen of Angels”** began to appear in Christian prayers and hymns.
- Saints like **St. Ephrem** and **St. Augustine** wrote of Mary’s royal dignity, associating her with Christ’s kingship and her role in the divine plan of salvation.
4. **Mary’s Coronation**
Catholic tradition holds that, after her Assumption into heaven, Mary was crowned as Queen by Christ. This is often depicted in Christian art and is the subject of the **Fifth Glorious Mystery of the Rosary**: *The Coronation of Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth.*
5. **Her Role in Intercession**
As Queen of Heaven, Mary is believed to intercede for humanity before her Son, Jesus Christ. This is similar to the role of the queen mother in the Davidic kingdom, who acted as an advocate for the people.
6. **Papal Affirmations**
- Pope Pius XII, in his encyclical **Ad Caeli Reginam (To the Queen of Heaven)** in 1954, formally proclaimed Mary as **Queen of Heaven and Earth**, affirming this title as a reflection of her close relationship with Christ and her role in the Church.
- He declared that Mary’s queenship is rooted in her divine motherhood and her unique participation in Christ’s work of redemption.
7. **Symbolism of Her Queenship**
Mary’s title as Queen of Heaven underscores her:
- **Exalted dignity** as the Mother of God.
- **Role as intercessor** and advocate for the faithful.
- **Victory over sin and death**, as she shares in her Son’s triumph through her Assumption.
8. **Devotions to Mary as Queen**
- **The Litany of Loreto** includes the invocation “Queen of Heaven, pray for us.”
- Feasts like the **Queenship of Mary** (celebrated on August 22) honor her royal status.
Marian hymns, such as **"Hail, Holy Queen" (Salve Regina)**, reflect this devotion.
Ultimately, Catholics love Mary because she leads them closer to Jesus. Her life and example remind believers of the transformative power of grace and the importance of trusting in God's plan.
I hope you enjoyed this explanation about Mary and why we love her so much. I hope it cleared up any confusion about whether or not we worship Mary. We don’t. I hope listening to all this makes you a bit more curious to study Mary on your own. She is really a remarkable woman. Her yes to the Lord is so incredible. She always points us back to her son or to the Father.
Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless everyone listening to this episode. Lord, thank you so much for sending your son to Earth to save us. Thank you for giving us Mary as our spiritual Mother. We couldn’t have asked for a better example. Lord, we ask that you help us be more like Mary. We ask that you help us to say yes, even when we don’t quite understand all you are calling us to do. Give us the strength to say Yes to all you ask us to do, Lord. We ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus’s holy name. Amen!
Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus. You can see the whole mentoring session on my YouTube channel if you liked this teaching on why we love Mary so much. It talks about the Immaculate Conception and explains what it means to do a Marian Consecration. It also has some little-known facts about Mary. I think you will enjoy it. I would also like to invite you all to join mentoring for this upcoming year. The first month’s theme will be Identity, and it is so needed. If we stand firm in our identity as children of God, then the enemy won’t be able to attack us as much. I look forward to meeting you here again tomorrow. Remember, Jesus loves you just as you are, and so do I! Have a blessed day!
Today’s Word from the Lord was received in June 2024 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email CatholicCharismaticPrayerGroup@gmail.com. Today’s Word from the Lord is, “My children, open more fully to my grace. Open to my love. Open your ears to everything I tell you. The more you are open, the more you are likely to receive, my children.”