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Protestants, rightly, protest at a number of Roman Catholic claims about Mary. At times, Protestants distort and exaggerate Roman Catholic teachings. That is unfortunate, since the official Catholic teaching is objectionable enough by itself. And the errors of Marian doctrine reveal some of the underlying problems of Roman Catholic theology as a whole, revealing problems not only with regard to authority (Scripture v. tradition, the question of \u201cWhere do they get this?\u201d), but with regard to the nature of salvation, sexuality (and hence creation), sin, and what might be called \u201ccosmology.\u201d Here I summarize some of the errors of Roman Catholic teaching on Mary, as expressed in the 1994 Catechism of the Catholic Church <\/em> . I should add that there is more to the Catechism\u2019s Marian theology than I have described, and I am in hearty agreement with much of it. <\/p>\n The same Catechism teaches that Mary remained a virgin throughout her life as well. As the church developed in its understanding of Mary\u2019s virgin motherhood, the catechism argues, the church was led \u201cto confess Mary\u2019s real and perpetual virginity even in the act of giving birth to the Son of God made man. In fact, Christ\u2019s birth \u2018did not diminish his mother\u2019s virginal integrity but sanctified it.\u2019 And so the liturgy of the Church celebrates Mary as . . . the \u2018Ever-virgin.\u2019\u201d The \u201cbrothers of Jesus\u201d mentioned in the gospels are not children of Mary, but \u201cclose relations of Jesus\u201d and children of \u201canother Mary, a disciple of Christ whom St. Matthew significantly calls \u2018the other Mary\u2019\u201d (sections 499-500). <\/p>\n Further, Mary \u201cwas taken up body and soul into heavenly glory, and exalted by the Lord as Queen over all things, so that she might be the more fully conformed to her Son, the Lord of lords and conqueror of sin and death.\u201d This \u201cAssumption of the Blessed Virgin is a singular participation in her Son\u2019s Resurrection and an anticipation of the resurrection of other Christians\u201d (966). <\/p>\n Because of her motherhood of Jesus, she is also the mother of all Christians \u201cin the order of grace\u201d: \u201cIn a wholly singular way she cooperated by her obedience, faith, hope, and burning charity in the Savior\u2019s work of restoring supernatural life to souls. For this reason she is a mother to us in the order of grace.\u201d This is unobjectionable in itself, but the Catechism states further that when she was \u201ctaken up to heaven she did not lay aside this saving office but by her manifold intercession continues to bring us the gifts of eternal life . . . . Therefore the Blessed Virgin is invoked in the Church under the titles of Advocate, Helper, Benefactress, and Mediatrix\u201d (967-969). <\/p>\n The church, in response to her contributions to our salvation, \u201chonors \u2018the Blessed Virgin with special devotion. From the most ancient times the Blessed Virgin has been honored with the title of \u2018Mother of God,\u2019 to whose protection the faithful fly in all their dangers and needs . . . This very special devotion . . . differs essentially from the adoration which is given to the incarnate Word and equally to the Father and the Holy Spirit, and greatly fosters this adoration.\u2019 The liturgical feasts dedicated to the Mother of God and Marian prayer, such as the rosary, an \u2018epitome of the whole Gospel,\u2019 express this devotion to the Virgin Mary\u201d (971). <\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Protestants, rightly, protest at a number of Roman Catholic claims about Mary. At times, Protestants distort and exaggerate Roman Catholic teachings. That is unfortunate, since the official Catholic teaching is objectionable enough by itself. And the errors of Marian doctrine reveal some of the underlying problems of Roman Catholic theology as a whole, revealing problems […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3021,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1668","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-theology"],"yoast_head":"\n
Mary was \u201cenriched by God with gifts appropriate\u201d to her role as the mother of Jesus. She was \u201cfull of grace,\u201d and for Catholics this means that Mary \u201cwas redeemed from the moment of her conception.\u201d In his encyclical letter Ineffabilis Deus, Pope Pius IX said that \u201cThe most blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin.\u201d This deliverance from original sin is not something that Mary achieved on her own, but is a gift from Christ; yet, the say that she was \u201credeemed, in a more exalted fashion\u201d than others. This is the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception, which refers to Mary\u2019s conception, and not to Mary\u2019s conception of Jesus. The Catechism teaches that \u201cMary remained free of every personal sin her whole life long\u201d (sections 490-493). <\/p>\n