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Mary: How high has the Roman Catholic Church
elevated her?
(All scripture quotes are
from the NASB unless otherwise noted)
In this article we will look at Mary and her
position in the Roman Catholic Church (known as RCC from this point in the
article). But first, I would like to be the first one to admit that there
are Protestants who don't hold Mary in high enough esteem. The bible does
say that Mary is blessed among women (Luke 1:42), and she should be treated
that way by all Christians. She was the mother of Jesus Christ and she
deserves that type of respect, but the question in this article is...has the RCC gone too far?
We will be looking at many Roman Catholic
resources to find out what they are teaching their followers. The first
place we will start is the Catechism of the Catholic Church (abbreviated
CCC). For those of you who do not know what this is, it's an official
document that contains the teachings and beliefs held by the RCC. The CCC
can be found at the Vatican website (click
here):
The first article of the CCC that I would like
to focus on is, in my opinion, one of the most troublesome statements of the
church for Protestants:
969 "This motherhood of Mary in the order
of grace continues uninterruptedly from the consent which she loyally gave
at the Annunciation and which she sustained without wavering beneath the
cross, until the eternal fulfillment of all the elect. Taken up to heaven
she did not lay aside this saving office but by her manifold intercession
continues to bring us the gifts of eternal salvation....Therefore the
Blessed Virgin is invoked in the Church under the titles of Advocate,
Helper, Benefactress, and Mediatrix."
As you can see, the RCC has given Mary the
titles of Advocate, Helper, and Mediatrix, but do these titles conflict with
who has been given each of these same titles in the bible? To this question,
I would have to say that the answer is...Yes! Now let's examine whether it's
true or not.
The first title given to Mary by the RCC that
we will look at is the title of Advocate. The RCC has given this title to
Mary because they believe that she can intercede with the Father on their
behalf. Let's look at the definition of Advocate in a religious context.
From the Holman Bible Dictionary comes the following definition of the word:
Advocate - one who intercedes in behalf of another and is used to refer
to Christ interceding with the Father on behalf of the sinners. If you
look at the definition given by Holman, you will see that Christ is
mentioned as the one who intercedes for Christians, not Mary. Why would the
Holman dictionary make this statement? Probably because it's biblical. So,
let's turn to the bible to find out what it says about who our Advocate is:
My little children, I am writing these things
to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with
the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation
for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world
(1 John 2:1-2). Christ is our advocate
because He died for our sins. Therefore, He is the only one who can stand
before the Father and plead our case as believers in Him. Mary, although a
very blessed woman, does not have the authority to do that for us.
The second
title we will look at that was given to Mary by the RCC is that of Helper.
When I think about the word "helper", I immediately think about John chapter 14
where Jesus spoke of the Helper who would come after Him. Was it Mary that
Jesus spoke of? Let"s see: "I will ask the Father, and He will give you
another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of
truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know
Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you (John
14:16-17). And this one as well: "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit,
whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and
bring to your remembrance all that I said to you" (John 14:26). Jesus
tells us that the Helper is none other than the Holy Spirit. This makes
sense because Jesus was our Helper while He was on earth, but the
Father was to send another Helper to be with Christians from the time of
Jesus' departure until now, which is the Holy Spirit. If we look at the
Greek word for another (allos -
alloV)
it means "another of the same kind or type". That means whatever Jesus is,
the Holy Spirit is of the same kind or type. As Christians, we know that
Jesus is God, so that would mean the Holy Spirit is God as well (side note -
this is proof for the tri-unity of God). Mary is not of the same kind
or type as Jesus (God), and therefore is not our Helper today.
The
last title given to Mary that we will look at is Mediatrix (mediator in the
masculine form). I have no idea why the RCC ever decided to give this title
to Mary. Vine's says the following in relation to the word "mediator":
"one who mediates" between two parties with a view to producing peace, (1
Timothy 2:5) though more than mere "mediatorship" is in view, for the
salvation of men necessitated that the Mediator should Himself posses the
nature and attributes of Him towards whom He acts, and should likewise
participate in the nature of those for whom He acts (sin apart); only by
being possessed both of deity and humanity could He comprehend the claims of
the one and the needs of the other; further, the claims and the needs could
be met only by One who, Himself being proved sinless, would offer Himself an
expiatory sacrifice on behalf of men. This definition makes total sense
when we look at the scripture reference that Vine's uses to make this
statement: For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and
men, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5). This verse written by Paul
states that there is ONE mediator...not two or more. If Jesus is the ONE
mediator between God and men like the bible states, then by default there
can be no other mediators...not even Mary.
Are you
starting to see what the RCC has done with Mary? They don't like to hear
things like this, but I believe the RCC has elevated Mary to the level of
Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. All the titles given to Jesus and the Holy
Spirit have been given to Mary by the RCC. If you have honestly read this
article, it would be hard to dispute. If you still don't see how much the RCC has elevated Mary, you definitely won't like what I am about to show you
next. It's my opinion that not only has Mary been elevated to the same level
as Jesus and the Holy Spirit, but they are pushing it to the extreme by
putting her on the same level as the Father as well. Don't believe it? Well,
let's look at another article of the CCC:
2162 The second commandment forbids every
improper use of God's name. Blasphemy is the use of the name of God, of
Jesus Christ, of the Virgin Mary, and of the saints in an offensive
way.
The RCC
is including Mary in the second commandment of the improper use of God's
name. The second commandment is reserved for the Triune God alone (Father, Son
and Holy Sprit), not Mary or anyone else. Let's look at the second
commandment in the bible to make sure we are not mistaken about this:
"You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will
not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain" (Exodus 20:7).
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I didn't see any mention of Mary or anyone else
in this verse. The only name that can be taken in vain, which is punishable
by God, is the name of God.
What
about Mary and our salvation? Does the RCC believe that Mary has anything to
do with our salvation? I would like to quote a sentence again from article
#969 of the CCC: Taken up to heaven she did not lay aside this
saving office but by her manifold intercession continues to bring us the
gifts of eternal salvation. Mary continues to bring us the gifts of
eternal salvation? At this point the RCC would probably say that we are
misunderstanding what they are stating in this sentence...are we? At this time
I would like to list some quotes from another Catholic resource that comes
right out and states that Mary and our salvation go hand in hand.
The following book is published by Catholic Treasures and is entitled: The
Apostolic Digest - Abridged Edition. If you turn to the title page of this
book it says, "Complied from sources which have borne the Imprimatur". At
this point you might be asking yourself, "What is an Imprimatur?" Well,
let's go to another Catholic source to find out. The following link (click
here) will give you the answer, but for the sake of time, I will
also give you the definition right here.
Imprimatur is Latin for "let it
be printed." When a Roman Catholic bishop grants his imprimatur to a printed
work, he assures the reader that nothing therein is contrary to Catholic
faith or morals. This imprimatur is not given lightly; only after a thorough
review process. Just to clarify, anything printed with the Imprimatur
has the approval of the RCC and does not contradict any teachings of the
church. So with that being said, I would like to include some quotes from
this book along with the references that were given by the book.
The first chapter that has to do with Mary is entitled: "Devotion to Our
Lady is necessary for salvation".
-
"Every grace
which is communicated has a three-fold origin: it flows from God to
Christ, from Christ to the Virgin, and from the Virgin to us". (Pope Leo
XIII - Jucunda Semper, Sept 8th, 1894).
-
"The Lord has
placed in Mary the plenitude of all good so that, if any hope of grace or
salvation is in us, we know that we derive it all from Mary". (St Bernard
- The Aqueduct, PL 183:437; VOS p.143-144)
-
"If our life
were not under the protection of Mary, we might tremble for our
perseverance and salvation. In her hands Jesus has placed His almighty
power in the order of salvation. All the graces of salvation, both natural
and the spiritual, will be given to us by Mary". (St Peter Julian Eymard - VOS p.137; Our Lady of the most blessed sacrament, NY: Eymard League,
1930, p10).
-
"Mary is the
whole hope of our salvation". (St Thomas Aquinas - Studies of the Hail
Mary, Parmensi: 1852, vol.XVI, p.133)
If the above quotations don't have your mouth
hanging down, then check out the next chapter that references Mary. It's
entitled: "Those devoted to Our Lady shall obtain salvation".
-
"If you persevere till death in true
devotion to Mary, your salvation is certain". (St Alphonsus Maria Liguori
- MCH p.363)
-
"However great a sinner may have been, if
he shows himself devout to Mary he will never perish". (St. Hilary of Poitiers - GM p.223; VOS p.139)
-
"Souls protected by Mary, and on whom she
casts her eyes, are necessarily justified and saved. Just as it is
impossible that they be saved from whom Mary turns away her eyes of mercy,
so it is certain that they who are loved by Mary, and for whom she
intercedes, will obtain justification and eternal life". (St. Antoninus -
On the Blessed Virgin, GM p.243; IPM p.28)
-
"We believe that Mary opens the abyss of
God's mercy to whomsoever she wills, when she wills, and as she wills; so
that there is no sinner, however great, who is lost if Mary protects him".
(St. Bonaventure - IPM p.16)
And last but not least, the final chapter in
reference to Mary in this book is entitled: "Those who refuse to honor Our
Lady will be lost".
-
"He who neglects the service of the
Blessed Virgin will die in his sins. He who does not invoke thee, O Lady,
will never get to Heaven. Not only will those from whom Mary turns her
countenance not be saved, but there will be no hope of their salvation. No
one can be saved without the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary". (St.
Bonaventure - Psalter of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Ps.116; DDP p.413; IPM
p.90; GM p.221, 170; cf. also SOR p.30)
-
"To desire grace without recourse to the
Virgin Mother is to desire to fly without wings". (Pope Pius XII -
PTC:969)
-
"Whoever does not wish to have Mary
Immaculate as his Mother will not have Christ as his Brother either; the
Father will not send His Son to him; the Son will not descend into his
soul; the Holy Spirit will not make him a member of the Mystical Body of
Christ; for all these mysteries of grace take place in Mary Full-of-Grace,
and in her alone. And, since the First-Born Son was conceived only through
the specific consent of the Most Blessed Virgin, the same holds true for
all other humans". (St. Maximilian Mary Kolbe - ICS p.85)
Now let's read some bible passages to find out
what God's word reveals about who plays the role in our salvation:
-
For God has
not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord
Jesus Christ, (1 Thessalonians 5:9)
-
For this
reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, so that
they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it
eternal glory. (2 Timothy 2:10)
-
"For the Son
of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." (Luke 19:10)
-
"For God did
not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world
might be saved through Him". (John 3:17)
-
"I am the
door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and
out and find pasture". (John 10:9)
-
"But we
believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same
way as they also are." (Acts 15:11)
-
They said,
"Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your
household."
-
That if you
confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God
raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; (Acts 16:31)
-
It is a
trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came
into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all. (1
Timothy 1:15)
I didn't see one
mention of Mary being needed for or as the source of our salvation. The bible tells us that it's
Jesus Christ who is the source of our salvation. It is through Christ that
we are able to come to the Father, not Mary. Don't believe it?...then listen
to the words of Jesus Himself:
-
Jesus said to
him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the
Father but through Me". (John 14:6)
The RCC has
committed a heresy by what they have done with Mary. They have taken a
wonderful servant of God and turned her into someone whom the RCC must
serve. They have elevated her to a deistic status, putting her on the same
level as Jesus Christ himself. There is even a movement by Roman Catholics
to get the church to declare Mary as Co-Redemptrix (click
here). The
RCC likes to say that Mary cooperates with Jesus when it comes to our
salvation. I only have one question to ask in response to that
statement...When did Jesus ever need anyone's help to save and redeem His people?
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