Propriety of Devotion to the Blessed Virgin. How We Honor Her.
To me it has been one of the most baffling mysteries of the world that the propriety of honoring and venerating the Mother of God should ever have been brought into question. On that memorable day when the Saviour hung on the cross, a bruised and crushed victim for the world's crimes, some of the last words spoken by Him were addressed to His Mother and Saint John: "Woman, behold thy son. After that He saith to the disciple: Behold thy mother." (John 19:26-27) It has always been the belief of Christians that hereby the Blessed Redeemer constituted His Mother as the Mother of all Christians, and placed the faithful of His Church under her special guidance and protection. But one might object that this interpretation is forced and not implied in the words. If not, how can we explain that Our Lord chose such an important moment, if He merely desired to provide for His Mother? An ordinary human being makes many requests upon his deathbed because he realizes that he will be unable to counsel and provide after the hand of death has touched him. But surely, no one will suggest that Our Savior just happened to think of the needs of His Mother as He saw death approaching. No indeed. The solemnity of the occasion, as well as the publicity of the act indicated that here was something important and of interest not only to those who stood beneath the cross, but to the whole world.
For fifteen hundred years Christians the world over honored the Mother of God, sang her praises and joyously celebrated her feasts until the "Reformation" wrought its havoc in Christian beliefs and practices. To be sure, Catholics continue to look to Mary as their Mother, and they offer her the love of dutiful children. But outside the Church her name is actually dishonored. Teachers of religion studiously avoid mentioning her name, not to speak of the utter absence of eulogy. They grow eloquent when speaking of the achievements of the great and glorious Washington and of the immortal Lincoln. But when, by some force of circumstances, they are compelled to mention the name of the Mother of the Saviour, they call her Mary without title or prefix. Whilst they may speak of the Mother of Jesus, she is not given the title of Mother of God. And why not? Is she not really and truly the Mother of God? Certainly she bore Jesus, and His human body was taken from her flesh. But are there two persons in Jesus? Absolutely no. There is a divine nature and a human nature; but the two are so intimately united that there is but one person, the God-man. Jesus is God; He is also the son of the Virgin Mary. Consequently she is the Mother of God. As such does she not merit the honor and veneration that becomes a great personage? No man can honor her as God honored her. He bestowed upon her the marvelous miracle of grace by giving her motherhood together with unstained virginity.
Truly, then, she is the most sacred vessel in which the stainless body of the Saviour was contained. She is the Golden Gate through which He came into the world. Why should not the statues of her, who was one of the most illustrious personages in the history of Christianity, have a conspicuous place in our churches, just as our national heroes continue to live in their images placed in our federal buildings, in parks and public places?
However, I may be told: "Your exposition of the veneration of Mary is reasonable; but you fail to touch upon the most objectionable phase of Catholic devotion to Mary; to wit, you deify her and detract from God the honor and glory that belong to Him only." Surely we do not detract from the magnificence of the sun by admiring the grandeur of the mellow moon which receives its light from the sun. But perhaps our prayers to the Blessed Virgin Mary give offense. Let us examine the most common prayer that is uttered every day by Catholics. It is the following: "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." Surely the first part is orthodox, for it was first uttered by the angel Gabriel, announcing to the Virgin that she had been chosen to be the Mother of the Saviour. The second part is scriptural and proceeded from the mouth of the saintly Elizabeth. The third part of the prayer has been added by the Church. Note well, there is absolutely no indication of adoration or worship. We merely ask the Mother of God to pray for us. Is there anything unreasonable about this? Why yes, some one will answer. Why pray to Mary when we can pray directly to God? Most assuredly you can and may directly ask God to grant your wants. But have you ever observed that when a child wants something that depends upon the kindness and consent of its father, it invariably goes to the mother first with the request? If the mother is inclined to favor the petition, she will lay it before the father? The child, this artful diplomat, knows that it will be more successful if its mother's aid is enlisted. That is exactly the position of the Catholic who prays to Mary. He expects his prayer to be answered by God; but realizing his unworthiness in the presence of the majesty of the Most High, he endeavors to gain the support of his Mother, whom he knows to stand high in favor at the court of heaven. One must do violence to one's better judgment to discover anything offensive or even unreasonable in the veneration of Mary, the Mother of God.
How, then, do Catholics honor the Blessed Virgin Mary? We honor her by celebrating her feasts in memory of the honors and glories that God showered upon her. We honor her, furthermore, by giving a place of distinction to her images in our homes and in our churches. We honor her in prayer and song of praise. But most of all we glorify her name and extol her virtues by imitating them.
Right here let us record the fact that the Catholic Church can rightfully boast of her glorious Catholic womanhood. In a world that has taken away all the beauty and benediction of motherhood. Catholic mothers are for the great part faithful mothers, who not only bring glory to God by rearing God-fearing children, but their virtue and their fidelity constitutes the only hope for the future of nations. Whilst everywhere maidenly charm has given way to mannish mannerisms, and modesty has been supplanted by sex hygiene, the majority of Catholic girls are pure and good. And why? Because the Church has ever held up the Mother of God as the ideal mother, after whom Catholic mothers should pattern their lives. Because she has always drawn her girls into intimate association with the virtues of the Virgin Most Fair, in order that they might learn to love humility and culture purity after the example of their great patroness and protector.
Truly God was signally generous and magnanimous when He sent to earth the lily "without taint in seed or bud." Not only was the purest Mother of Jesus the most important instrument in bringing the Redeemer to the world; but she herself has been a most potent means of bringing Redemption to mankind.
She prophesied: "All generations shall call me blessed." And from that happy day when she greeted Elizabeth and announced the joyful tidings of the great things that God had done to her, the name of Mary the Virgin has been the constant theme of song and praise. Her virtues have been the beacon lights guiding Catholic men and women through the darkness of unbelief and vice with which Satan strives to becloud the pathway to eternal glory. And as long as a true Catholic heart beats in the breast of man, the glorious Mother of Christians will be honored and venerated.
- from The Principal Catholic Practices: A Popular Explanation of the Sacraments and Catholic Devotions by Father George Thomas Schmidt, 1920