Hiatus

I won’t be posting again ‘till August 7th - got a nice vacation coming up :) See y’all soon!

Blessings & Peace,
Hugo

A Series of Posts – Bringing it Home – Mary as Mediatrix

http://www.unhub.com/hugodlr (for my Facebook fans!) :)

The titles of “Mediatrix” and “Co-Redemptrix” are not officially defined dogmas of the Catholic Church regarding Mary (I defined the dogmas at the beginning of this document). They may be used of her in an unofficial capacity, but again, like the actual Marian dogmas of the Church, they are Christological in nature; that is, they aim to define more clearly who and what Jesus is instead of trying to define who and what Mary is. The titles refer to her freely given consent to be the Mother of Jesus, the Redeemer and Savior of all humanity and of all the cosmos. If she would have said “no,” we would not have had Jesus. That is a historical fact. Since she said yes, she is part of salvation history. She cannot save us, she does not save us – she is not the Savior, plain and simple. But by merit of her yes, she plays a role in salvation history. That is all those words connote.

In all of the passages above, every reference to Mary ultimately is a reference to Jesus. “To Jesus through Mary” is a popular Catholic saying that teaches that Mary will always point us in the direction of her Son, and will always lead us, with motherly care, to worship and adore her Son. The Catholic view of Co-Redemptrix does not imply that Mary participates as equal part in the redemption of the human race, since Christ is the only redeemer Mary herself needed redemption and was redeemed by Jesus Christ her son. Being redeemed by Christ, implies that she cannot be his equal part in the redemption process. (Quoted from Wikipedia)

One final note: In a document that spans 2,865 sections [talking about the Catechism here], less then 1% of them are related to Mary – yes, she is important to the Christian Church, but we always keep the Blessed Trinity (and Jesus’ Paschal Mystery) central to the mystery of our salvation.

The original document ended here, so I’ll leave it here as well. Next post – some short stories (because I feel like doing fiction instead of non-fiction). :)

Blessings & Peace,
Hugo

A Series of Posts – Worship of Mary & the Saints

I post on my blog using Windows Live Writer, and then that blog post gets pulled into my Facebook page using Simplaris Blogcast. But it doesn’t seem to provide a link (only the first paragraph), so I’ll see if the links I posted above go through. :) And now, on to your regularly scheduled blog . . .

Translating from one language to another is difficult. Translating from one time period to another is difficult as well. If we try to read the English of Shakespeare's time, we stumble and fall over unfamiliar words and outdated colloquialisms. If we try to read something translated from a different language we invariably run into phrases that cannot be translated literally because they have no corresponding words in the new language.

For those who accuse Catholics of worshipping Mary we run into the same problem. All of the official writings of the Church are done in Latin. It has been the official language of the Church for hundreds of years. So in Latin we are told the following:

We latira God alone.
We dulia the saints who surround God’s throne and who surround us as a great cloud of witnesses.
We hyperdulia Mary as the Mother of God.

There is an exact translation of latira into English: worship. The Catechism and the church are clear – we worship God alone, and no one else. There is no equivalent translation for dulia and hyperdulia into English. In older English translations they are translated as “worship.” However, the definition for worship is more nuanced then most people know.

Here's the definition from answers.com for worship:

Worship (noun)
1a. The reverent love and devotion accorded a deity, an idol, or a sacred object.
b. The ceremonies, prayers, or other religious forms by which this love is expressed.
Ardent devotion; adoration.

Worship (verb)
1a.To honor and love as a deity.
1b. To regard with ardent or adoring esteem or devotion. See synonyms at revere(1)
2a. To participate in religious rites of worship.
2b. To perform an act of worship.

I think in Christianity the term is more specific and applied only to God (Father, Son & Spirit), but in general usage it can be properly applied to the way Catholics interact with the saints, with Mary in particular, with pictures/icons, etc. - it's a "reverent love and devotion." It should not detract from our worship of God - it's supposed to enhance our worship of God, lead us ever-closer to the source and summit of our strength - Jesus Christ, God with us.

We honor Mary and the saints in the same way that Protestants may honor Billy Graham, Luther, Moody, Tyndale, King or any other celebrated preacher. We honor them with love and devotion the same way a husband honors and loves his wife. But we do not and never have worshipped them.

Another point to consider is that we are never dead in Christ. We are either alive here on earth or we are (hopefully) with God – there is no middle ground. If we can ask one another for prayers here in this world, how much more can we ask those already around God’s throne for prayers as well? That great cloud of witnesses that surrounds us is the same as the saints that are arranged around God’s throne continually praising him. If I can ask you for prayers, how much more can I ask someone who is right next to God for prayers? All of our prayer goes directly to God; we can choose to ask others to pray with us or for us, both here on earth and already in God's presence, but the prayer is always directed towards God.

Jesus Christ is truly the only mediator between God and humanity, but he is not the only intercessor. Otherwise, why would we ever ask anyone else to pray for us again?

Blessings & Peace,
Hugo

A Series of Posts – A Scripture Passage

I’ve already written about the passages where it talks about Jesus’ siblings, but one Scripture passage also deals with family – where he talks directly to Mary, his mother. The relevant text is: And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked. But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it. (King James Version). ALSO: As he said this, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, "Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts that you sucked!" But he said, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!" (Revised Standard Version)

In the time of Jesus, family was important. More important then strangers, more important then neighbors – you would give everything for your family, and they would give everything for you. Jesus is here teaching that following him means letting go of the genetic family bonds and holding close to your new spiritual family bonds – your new family in Christ. In other areas of the Gospels he does the same thing: he heals a Canaanite woman’s daughter even though they worshipped false gods. He heals a Roman centurion's daughter even though they worshipped false gods. His stories put Samaritans as “good guys” even though they had mixed their Jewish faith with that of their pagan neighbors. He touches lepers, forgives women caught in adultery, and welcomes killers, tax-collectors and doubters as his closest followers.

In all of these instances Jesus is trying to break his disciples free of their narrow, sectarian, close-minded view of family and form their thoughts to see every single human being as their new family. They were called to love everyone without judgment, showing mercy as God showered mercy on them. It is not an indictment of his mother, but an indictment of Jewish ways of thinking about family life.

It now becomes an indictment for all Christians down through the ages – anytime we start to make lines (we’re over here, they’re over there) Jesus reminds us that we are called to love and serve everyone, especially the poorest and voiceless among us, and especially those that are the hardest for us to love.

Blessings & Peace,
Hugo

A Series of Posts – The Marian Dogmas Part II

Assumption

The dogma states that "Mary, Immaculate Mother of God ever Virgin, after finishing the course of her life on earth, was taken up in body and soul to heavenly glory." Some distinctions: We don't know if she died first and then was assumed, or if she was assumed on the verge of death, or if she was assumed before dying. Also, we distinguish her assumption from the ascension of Jesus: Jesus ascended to heaven under his own power and on his own authority; Mary was assumed into heaven by the grace and power of God. It is symbolic of God's hope that all of us will one day be in heaven - that we will make the journey to our true home and bask in God's presence.

Regarding her bodily assumption, we believe that at the end of her life, due to her special place as the mother of Jesus, God lifted her (assumed her) directly into heaven (body, mind, soul & spirit). As the "first fruits" of Christ's redemptive sacrifice, she was able to forego the corruption of the physical body here on earth and proceed directly to the glory of the resurrection.

Perpetual Virginity

The earliest extant manuscript which talks about Mary's perpetual virginity (no sexual intercourse, no further children) is the Protogospel of James from around 150 AD. We see further discussion and development and finally acceptance of this teaching around the middle of the 4th century. Origen, Basil, Ambrose, Jerome & Augustine all defended the doctrine, which was solemnly taught in 553 at the 5th Ecumenical Council held in Constantinople. Like the doctrine of divine motherhood, Mary's perpetual virginity points to the singular nature of her son, Jesus - it is not a detraction from the normal way of life for spouses, it is not a condemnation of married sexual love, and it is not an exaltation of celibacy over sexuality: it is another Marian teaching subsumed under Christology because it helps focus on the unique nature of the incarnation of Jesus.

I’m aware of the texts in the Gospels that talk about the brothers and sisters of Jesus. The word that's usually translated as "brothers" (or “brothers and sisters”) in the NT can also refer to cousins, young uncles, close family friends, etc. - more of a close-knit tribe/family than just biological siblings. Since the word can go either way, and since the Church has defined the perpetual virginity of Mary (going along with the teaching of the early church) we take it to mean that Mary was indeed ever virgin.

Having said all that, we do not worship Mary, nor pray to her statues, nor offer offerings to her in lieu of God . . . all of the honor given to Mary as the Mother of Jesus and the Mother of God flows exactly from her special, singular and unique relationship to her son: one part of the Holy & Blessed Trinity.

Queen of Heaven (Not a dogma, but it fits well in this section)

Regarding Mary as Queen of Heaven, in ancient Israel it was the king's mother who reigned as queen, not his wife. Most kings had harems full of wives and concubines - none of them were ever called "queen" - it was always the mother of the king (and there was only ever one mother!) who was given that title in relation to her son. In 1 & 2 Kings the name of the Queen Mother is mentioned many times along that of her royal son. In Jeremiah 13:18 the Queen Mother is shown as wearing a crown just like her son the King. The Queen Mother was expected to help her son in his work, and she often served as an advocate for the people, hearing their petitions and taking them to the king. In 1 Kings 2 we have an account of Bathsheba coming in to see her son, the king - she is treated royally, with the king bowing to her and seating her in a place of honor - he listens to her and faithfully follows her wishes.

This is the historical and scriptural background which underscores the Catholic and Orthodox veneration of Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth. For the ancient Jews who saw Jesus as a new Davidic king, Mary would naturally inherit the role of Queen Mother. When Elizabeth greeted Mary she used courtly language: “how is it that the mother of my Lord should come to me." In the courtly language of the time "my Lord" was another way of saying "my king" - from the beginning of the gospel accounts we are given hints as to how Mary was regarded by those around her.

Continued in two days :)

Blessings & Peace,
Hugo