Today is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception amd a glorious day it is. I chose today's topic because I think the Blessed Virgin Mary, aside from authority, is probably one of the most contentious aspects of Catholicism.
The main reason the Blessed Mother is such a contentious figure is because she seems to distract us from Jesus and from God. The title, Mother of God appears to assign her some sort of special power, as if she were a God, herself. The devotion, the glorification, the emphasis is almost undeserved because she is NOT God. She is only a woman. How could she be special?
These thoughts and more flew through my mind tonight as I entered church for mass; the statue of the Blessed Virgin standing prominantly in front of the pews.
Now, it might seem like I have a problem with the Blessed Virgin; but I don't. I love her above all other women and turn to her for guidance often. She has always been a hard part of Catholicism for me, though, because I dont ever want to worship her. There is a fine line between hyperdulia, special veneration for the Blessed Virgin Mary, and latria, or worship. As Catholics, we are often are accused of latria towards Mary because she is such a big part of Catholicism. And it's easy to see why. We have rosaries, statues, saint cards. You will find her in every Catholic Church and almost every Catholic home. The Blessed Virgin Mary is a game changer. And today was our chance to showw the world why she is so important.
As I listened to the first, then the second readings, her story came to life. The new eve was standing in front of us in all her glory. As the gospel was read and we turned to the homily. That was where my prize was. Father said, "As the angel speaks to her, he addresses her with the title, Full of Grace. How dare he call her 'Full of Grace' before the first coming of Jesus. How dare he call her that before Jesus' sacrifice."
That is when I realized just how amazing she is. She was the only person in history who was full of grace and she was full of grace before Jesus came to save us. I didn't hear the rest of the homily because I was blown away by our Blessed Mother. Not only was she immaculately concieved, she also had to agree to God's will; and she did.
Today is only a small part of Mary's story. I hope you found some time to worship today and are having a great advent.
The main reason the Blessed Mother is such a contentious figure is because she seems to distract us from Jesus and from God. The title, Mother of God appears to assign her some sort of special power, as if she were a God, herself. The devotion, the glorification, the emphasis is almost undeserved because she is NOT God. She is only a woman. How could she be special?
These thoughts and more flew through my mind tonight as I entered church for mass; the statue of the Blessed Virgin standing prominantly in front of the pews.
Now, it might seem like I have a problem with the Blessed Virgin; but I don't. I love her above all other women and turn to her for guidance often. She has always been a hard part of Catholicism for me, though, because I dont ever want to worship her. There is a fine line between hyperdulia, special veneration for the Blessed Virgin Mary, and latria, or worship. As Catholics, we are often are accused of latria towards Mary because she is such a big part of Catholicism. And it's easy to see why. We have rosaries, statues, saint cards. You will find her in every Catholic Church and almost every Catholic home. The Blessed Virgin Mary is a game changer. And today was our chance to showw the world why she is so important.
As I listened to the first, then the second readings, her story came to life. The new eve was standing in front of us in all her glory. As the gospel was read and we turned to the homily. That was where my prize was. Father said, "As the angel speaks to her, he addresses her with the title, Full of Grace. How dare he call her 'Full of Grace' before the first coming of Jesus. How dare he call her that before Jesus' sacrifice."
That is when I realized just how amazing she is. She was the only person in history who was full of grace and she was full of grace before Jesus came to save us. I didn't hear the rest of the homily because I was blown away by our Blessed Mother. Not only was she immaculately concieved, she also had to agree to God's will; and she did.
Today is only a small part of Mary's story. I hope you found some time to worship today and are having a great advent.