. . . Perhaps a synopsis will be helpful. . .
This entry will be the first of three regarding the 'issue' of Mary, the saints, and the angels. I'm going to take Mary as the example/subject for consideration, since the objections toward the saints and angels are the same objections as that with Mary (often even to a lesser extent than with Mary). In this first entry, I will (1) address Mary's exalted position (a.k.a. 'worshipped position'), (2) explain why Catholics can lift Mary[/saints] up and still be anything but idolatrous (in a general sense . . . statues, ikons, etc. will be addressed in the third entry), and (3) address prayer to Mary[/saints] for what it really is.
In the next entry, I will (1) continue the consideration of Mary's honour by offering quotes/links of early Marian considerations (to show that this was not some kind of 12th-century 'add-on' to 'original' Christianity), and (2) address Scriptural objections to the teaching of Mary's upright character and perpetual virginity.
In the third entry, I'll (1) tackle the issue of statues, ikons, etc. in relation to idolatry and then (2) end with with the conclusion that the Pre-reconciled peoples have invented a completely novel, baseless approach to the Blessed Virgin.
1. 'The Catholic Church worships Mary.'
(or)
'The Catholic Church places far too much emphasis on Mary.'
As to that first objection - that the Catholic Church worships the Blessed Virgin - I call to mind the words of my pre-reconciled professor Dr. Spaulding in a class session last semester, 'Give me a break! You don't survive for 2,000 years by being polytheistic and pretending to be something else.' But this will be discussed more fully in the third entry on this subject.
As to the second objection (which seems to be more widely held), I call to mind what various Catholics have replied to me (most notably Father Baker in his development of the argument), 'Catholics lift Mary up so much because, well, God did.' Say whatever you want to say about what Mary may or may not have been (or what she is and isn't), God did choose her to be His mother.
If the Catholic Church puts far too much emphasis on the Blessed Virgin, Christians everywhere should probably find a different book than the Bible to read as Scripture. The first half of the Hail Mary is from Luke's Gospel story. The angel hails Mary as 'full of grace' or (even in the conservative rendering) 'highly favoured one.' Elizabeth responds to Mary's greeting with 'Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this come to pass, that the mother of my Lord comes to me?' (Luke 1:43). Maybe St. Luke was a little tainted, like St. James in his 'works-based salvation' theology, and we should just toss both books out in order to save the Faith. Then again, we're ignoring the allusion of St. John in Revelation 11 to 'the woman clothed in the sun, feet on the moon' who is pregnant with a Son - a woman whom John accentuates in the drama as the Ark of the Covenant. We're also overlooking Jesus' last bit of 'business' in John 19:25-27. Maybe we should edit most of this kind of stuff out of the New Testament in large doses, since we're apparently not reading it.
Furthermore (and here is the real clencher, no matter what one's stand on the issue it): everything praiseworthy about the Blessed Virgin (ah-hem: note that title!) is wrapped up in the glory of God. This isn't a stage with the Blessed Virgin and Jesus Christ vying for attention; Mary's story is involved completely in Jesus' (as should ours be). Christ is the example of the Christian life and we should embody the same Spirit in Him, but our Faith speaks of one who did just that: Mary the Blessed Virgin. She submitted completely to the identity and mission God had for her, and she faithfully embraced her identity and the mission He had given her. This is the Spirit that was in Christ and what we are all being shaped into; she is the Type and Mother of our Christian life. She is the new Eve. That deserves at least a tip of the hat, to say the crud of the least.
2. 'This focus on Mary - doesn't it just draw attention away from God?'
I'm sure it could, theoretically, but so could anything else that is praiseworthy. The reality of the Incarnation, however, suggests a sanctification that doesn't 'ditch' troublesome areas but instead fills all areas with a plenitude, embracing and perfecting it. That is, we can hide in a shoe box somewhere to avoid sin, but we're not really living the fullness of the Christian life.
This objection could be the centre of the entire problem: those who are Pre-reconciliation have a misunderstanding of the King's court. As Patrick Madrid or Marcus Grodi put it (to be honest, I forget who it was of the two who offered the illustration), without realising the result, the pre-reconciled describe a King of Kings who is not really that easy to worship in the first place. Worship is, in fact, dubious and almost a joke. He doesn't really seem that kingly; he seems more like a Gnostic, abstract principle - an isolated ion (okay, so I'm embellishing the illustration). This is a king sitting in a concrete room with no decorations, who has no servants around his throne (or, if he does, they are dressed very shabbily), while he himself is dressed in the most royal of clothing.
The Catholic rendering of the King of Kings is a loving God, who hasn't bottled up all the glory in His person. The Catholic King of Kings is based completely in the notion of the Triune Life of God, who created the world with an artistic, selfless outpouring of love and grace. This King (not unlike how even earthly kings truly are/were) lavishes everything in his power with richness and splendour, making the throne-room glitter and clothing all His servants in the finest garments (jewels and gold involved). Of course the queenly Woman sitting next to the King is enough to bring you to your knees in fearful reverence, but all of the court's glory (even the Queen's) is radiating from the lavish glory of the King.
The Incarnation is indeed a portrait of God, and this is not a God who told us, 'Hey, don't capitalise the title of my "Secretary of State" because that takes the spotlight off Me.' God revealed Himself to be Love and died for us, forsaking His throne to become one of us. Furthermore (along the lines of this same, unchanging character of His) God has lavished His grace upon His Church, the Holy Mother, and His Creation, and He doesn't seem nearly concerned with vying for the spotlight (perhaps because there isn't a struggle in the first place). Once the Pre-reconciled soul can embrace this understanding of the Kingdom, the praise of the Blessed Virgin, the martyrs, the saints, and the angels comes naturally.
3. 'Beautiful, beautiful - except that the Catholic Church PRAYS to Mary. That is unacceptable.'
a. Actual Prayers vs. Pre-reconciled Notions of Catholic Prayers
Again, this objection is a Pre-reconciliation misunderstanding of what prayer is and means. Refer to the last paragraph of the last point of discussion, and let's look at the 'Satanic' and so very ominous 'Hail Mary' prayer (pay careful attention to what is actually being said in the prayer):
'Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.'
How scandalous. The first half-and-change of the prayer is from Scripture, describing Mary for who she is. This is not unusual in Catholic prayer, nor should it be; it announces who it is we're addressing and expresses praise for the person's character. This is a formal address. Notice, however, the part that I've placed in bold - the actual petition. I will, if any reader would like, put more and more prayers to the saints on here to demonstrate the point clearly:
All prayer to anyone but God is prayer for intercession. Angels are a technicality, but the prayer for 'defence' or 'taking up the cause' is also prayer for intercession in one of the ways that angels do intercede.
That's right: the Hail Mary is quite simply 'Holy Mother, please pray for us sinners.' This is not unlike asking a friend to pray for us, which reminds me of another objection along this vein of thought. . .
b. 'But why even seek this distracting emphasis? And why pray to the dead anyway?'
-Which is why none of us ever 'distracts' ourselves by asking for the prayers of those brothers and sisters in the Faith who are around us. If we are going to petition those around us to pray for/with us, it is completely ridiculous to nix petition to those who are presently in the throne room of God. As Father Baker noted one day, 'Actually, the saints are much more alive than we are.' Heaven is not 'where dead people go'; heaven is where those who have died have become even more alive, as they are within the very Heart of God. Not only is it 'okay' to petition the Blessed Virgin and the saints for our prayers, but it is foolish to do anything otherwise.
-Rick
