WHAT IS MARY'S ROLE IN THE CHURCH?
Mary has a special place in the story of salvation history and is foremost among the saints. The New Testament reports that she was singled out and graced by God for the special and unique privilege of being the mother of Jesus. Not fully understanding how she — an unmarried woman — was to conceive a child, she became the perfect symbol of faith when she said yes to the invitation to bear God’s Son. With her husband, Joseph, Mary raised Jesus in a loving, prayer-filled home, taught and cared for him. When Jesus launched his public ministry, Mary faithfully witnessed and supported him. With courage and sorrow in her heart, she stood at the foot of the cross in Jesus’ dying moments. Finally, Mary was with the apostles praying in the upper room after Jesus’ resurrection, expectantly awaiting the descent of the Holy Spirit. The Church teaches that Mary is the greatest saint and the model of Christian faith.
WHAT ARE SOME OF MARY'S TITLES?
The Church honors Mary with many titles, such as Our Lady, Mother of God, Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, Blessed Mother, Mother of the Church, Ever Virgin, Queen of Heaven and Earth and many more. These titles reflect what the Church teaches and believes about Mary.
WHAT DO WE MEAN BY THE "IMMACULATE CONCEPTION"?
The Church teaches that Mary was conceived without original sin. This means that from the first moment of her existence Mary was full of grace, that is, free of any alienation from God caused by the human condition. Because of her special role in God’s saving plan, she was graced with divine favor in anticipation of her son’s death and resurrection. In addition, Mary was so attuned to God that she was free of all personal sin. She lived a holy and blameless life.
WHAT IS THE CHURCH'S TEACHING ABOUT MARY'S VIRGINITY?
The Apostles’ Creed states that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. She conceived Jesus without a human father, and the Church has traditionally taught that she was a virgin “before, in and after” the birth of the Lord. Her virginity is significant because it attests to the divinity of Jesus. By believing in Mary’s virginity, the Church teaches that God is the unique Father of Jesus Christ.
HOW IS MARY BOTH MOTHER OF GOD AND MOTHER OF THE CHURCH?
In reflecting on the identity of Jesus, the early Church, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, taught that Jesus is one divine person who has both a human and a divine nature. Further, the Church taught that Jesus was divine from the first moment of his conception in Mary’s womb. Thus, at the Council of Ephesus (A.C.E. 431) the Church solemnly declared that Mary is theotokos (a Greek word meaning “God-bearer”). By being the mother of Jesus, Mary is truly the mother of God. She also is the mother of the Church. As the Lord was dying on the cross, he gave his mother to all people everywhere to serve as their spiritual mother. By giving Mary to us as our mother, the Lord wants us to learn what God does for those who are loved. The Church is also a mother. As such, the Church can learn from Mary, the perfect model of faith, obedience, fidelity, compassion, and prayerfulness. Mary is the model of Christian holiness and an image of God’s love for us.
WHAT IS THE ASSUMPTION?
In 1950, Pope Pius XII officially proclaimed what Catholics had long believed: “The Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.” In her assumption, Mary was preserved from the decay of death. She is thus the first to share in the Lord’s resurrection. She is the living model for all people whose future destiny is union with the Lord.
WHY DO CATHOLICS HAVE A SPECIAL VENERATION OF MARY?
We honor Mary because we look to her as the mother of God and our mother. Devotion to the Blessed Mother leads to deeper love of her and imitation of her virtues, especially her total commitment to God’s will and her single-hearted faith in God’s work. We also honor Mary because, in so doing, we draw closer to her son.
Sometimes Catholics are accused of worshiping Mary as though she were a god. True devotion, however, honors Mary, and is a source of praise and thanks for God’s blessings upon her and upon us who honor her.
WHAT IS THE ROSARY?
There are a number of devotions to Mary, but the most popular is the Rosary. The Rosary centers on the recitation of a number of decades of Hail Marys, each decade introduced by the Lord’s Prayer and concluded by a Glory Be. Introductory prayers to the Rosary include the Apostles’ Creed, an initial Our Father, three Hail Marys and a Glory Be. During the recitation of these prayers, participants meditate on certain events, or mysteries, from the life of Christ and Mary.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE OTHER DEVOTIONS TO MARY?
There have been a number of popular devotions to Mary through Christian history. Among them are the Angelus, the First Saturday devotion, the Litany of the Blessed Mother, and various novenas.
The Angelus commemorates the incarnation and is traditionally recited in the morning, at noon, and in the evening. It includes three short verses which recall the angel Gabriel’s announcing to Mary that she was chosen to be the mother of the lord and her humble acceptance. Three Hail Marys and a special prayer are also included.
The First Saturday devotion originated as a result of Mary’s appearances to the children at Fatima, Portugal in 1917. The devotion consists of the celebration of the sacrament of reconciliation, receiving holy communion on the first Saturday of five consecutive months, reciting five decades of the Rosary and meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary for 15 minutes. This practice is offered to God for the intention of the conversion of sinners and in reparation for sin.
A litany is prayer in the form of petitions with a response. The Litany of the Blessed Mother is an example.
A novena is a devotion practiced over nine consecutive days (or over a period of nine weeks, with one day a week set aside for the devotion). A novena recalls the nine-day period of prayer spent by the apostles and disciples of Jesus in the upper room before the descent of the Holy Spirit. A popular novena to Mary is the novena in honor of Our Mother of Perpetual Help.
WHAT ARE MARIAN APPARITIONS?
Apparition is the technical term for an inexplicable appearance of someone, usually someone deceased. While there are instances in Church history of claims regarding apparitions of saints or of Jesus, the most frequent claims are those involving the Blessed Virgin Mary. The International Marian Research Institute at the University of Dayton reports that nearly 80,000 apparitions of Mary have been claimed since the third century A.C.E. Yet only seven (about a hundredth of 1 percent) have received official recognition by the Church.
WHAT ARE THE "APPROVED" MARIAN APPARITIONS?
1531, Guadalupe, Mexico: On a hill outside Mexico City, the Blessed Mother appeared four times to a recent convert to Christianity named Juan Diego. Mary proclaimed herself “the Mother of the true God who gives life” and left her image permanently upon Diego’s tilma or mantle.
1830, Paris, France: In the chapel of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent dePaul, Mary showed herself three times to novice Catherine Laboure (age 24). Laboure said she was commissioned by the Virgin to have a medal of the Immaculate Conception or “Miraculous Medal” made in order to spread devotion to Our Lady.
1846, La Salette, France: Six-thousand feet up in the French Alps, Mary is believed to have come to Maximin Giraud (age 11) and Melanie Calvat (age 14) while they tended sheep. Her appearance in sorrow and tears called for conversion and penance for sins.
1858, Lourdes, France: At the Grotto of Massabielle, the Virgin showed herself 18 times to Bernadette Soubirous (age 14). Under the title, “the Immaculate Conception,” she called for penance and prayer for the conversion of sinners.
1917, Fatima, Portugal: While tending sheep, Lucia de Santos (age 10) and her two cousins, Francisco (age 9) and Jacinta Marto (age 7), reported six apparitions of Mary, who identified herself as “Our Lady of the Rosary.” Mary urged prayer of the Rosary, penance for the conversion of sinners and consecration of Russia to her Immaculate Heart.
1932-33, Beauraing, Belgium: Mary is believed to have come 33 times to the playground of a convent school to five children (ages 9-15), Andree and Gilberte Degeimbre, and Albert, Fernande and Gilberte Voisin. Identifying herself as “the Immaculate Virgin” and “Mother of God, Queen of Heaven,” she called for prayer for the conversion of sinners.
1933, Banneux, Belgium: In a garden behind the Beco family’s cottage, the Blessed Mother is said to have appeared to Marie Beco (age 11) eight times. Calling herself the “Virgin of the Poor,” Mary promised to intercede for the poor, the sick and the suffering.
HOW DOES AN APPARITION RECEIVE CHURCH APPROVAL?
For the most part, the Church reserves judgment concerning the nature and truth of any particular apparition. In many cases, the Church itself will make no official pronouncement but will allow the local bishop to test the truth of and respond most appropriately to reports of apparitions. In all events, however, the “supernatural” nature of an event must never be presumed — rather, it must be proved. Even then, the Church only pronounces whether the events are of a supernatural nature or not; there is never a mention of Mary.
In 1978 the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued standard guidelines for bishops to use in assessing claims of private revelation. The facts in the case must be free of error; the person(s) receiving the messages must be psychologically balanced, honest, moral, sincere and respectful of Church authority; any doctrinal errors must not be attributed to God, Our Lady or to a saint; theological and spiritual doctrines must be free of error; moneymaking must not be involved in any way; and a healthy religious devotion and spiritual fruits must result, with no evidence of collective hysteria.
WHAT IS A HEALTHY RELIGIOUS DEVOTION TO THE BLESSED MOTHER?
In addition to liturgical remembrance, Catholics honor Mary by prayers and practices, both private and public, such as the Rosary, pilgrimages and veneration of icons. Pope Paul VI, in his 1974 apostolic exhortation Marialis Cultus, laid down theological principles and practical guidelines for a healthy Marian devotion.
The principles stem from basic truths found in the Creed: Honoring Mary should occur within the bounds of a rightly ordered faith and thus not overshadow the one, triune God: Father, Son, and Spirit. It should keep clearly in view that Christ alone is the merciful Savior and the one Mediator between God and human beings. It should give due recognition to the working of the Holy Spirit in the gift of grace. And it should give expression to the newly recognized connection between Mary and the Church.
The guidelines are drawn from biblical, liturgical, ecumenical and anthropological developments endorsed by the Second Vatican Council: Honoring Mary should be imbued with the Scriptures, not just a text or symbol here or there but the great biblical themes of salvation history. Since the liturgy is the golden norm of Christian piety, devotion to Mary should harmonize with its spirit, themes and seasons. Ecumenically, care should be taken lest a wrong impression be given to other Christian churches, even unintentionally, especially with regard to Christ’s unique role in salvation. Culturally, practices should reflect the understanding of a society that recognizes the emergence of women into all fields of public life. All of these principles and guidelines should be used to judge the adequacy of traditional devotional practices or the formation of new ones.
HOW ARE WE TO JUDGE THE CONTENT OF APPARITION MESSAGES?
The content of the messages cannot contradict the public revelation which God has entrusted to the Church through Scripture, Tradition (creeds, councils, writings of the saints) and the teaching office of the Church. This test is far more important than apparent conversions, cures or even miracles reported to validate messages and messengers.
WHAT PLACE DOES PRIVATE DEVOTION HAVE IN THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH?
Private revelations from Mary or another messenger may never be placed on a par with or above public revelation. The Church has always taught and continues to proclaim that God’s revelation was brought to completion in Jesus Christ, who is the fullness of that revelation and that no new public revelation is to be expected before the glorious manifestation of our Lord.
