Hey!, Wanna See Some Sin?
"Cry aloud, spare not, lift up your voice like a trumpet and show my people their transgressions and . . . their sins." Isa. 58:1
5. Idolatry
Page 5.c.
Shrines and Grottos Dedicated to Mary
The Traveling Shrine of Mary
Planned Shrines to Mary, including one 700 feet high
The Doctrine of Patron Saints ("Intercessors")
The "Patronages" of Mary
Mary leads in Church Dedications
Other "Patron Saints"
Plants, flowers and gardens named in "Devotion to Mary":
Art in Devotion to Mary
When "worship" doesn't mean "worship"?
Conclusion to the Catholic "worship" [their word] of Mary
It is not our purpose here to judge or to condemn anyone. We all judge or condemn ourselves by our personal choices and actions. We are all answerable to God, not to one another. Our purpose here is to point out the meaning of certain words regarding the sins of idolatry. And in that context, to look at related, official church doctrines and established "traditions".
To place anything or anyone in place of, or ahead of God is to commit idolatry. Most of the world does that through materialism and the pursuit of happiness. Some commit idolatry in more than one way.
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Shrines and Grottoes dedicated to Mary
There may be no way to determine how many shrines of Mary exist. Wherever anyone sets up an an image of statuary or a painting or any object and dedicates it to a saint or deity, it constitutes a shrine.
Shrine: 1 a : a case, box, or receptacle; especially : one in which sacred relics (as the bones of a saint) are deposited
b : a place in which devotion is paid to a saint or deity : sanctuary
c : a niche containing a religious image
2 : a receptacle (as a tomb) for the dead
3 : a place or object hallowed by its associations
Grotto: from Latin crypta cavern, crypt
1 : cave
2 : an artificial recess or structure made to resemble a natural cave
http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary
Some Prominent Marion Shrines in the US
Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington, D.C.
Mary, Queen of the Universe Catholic Shrine, Orlando, Florida.
Holy Mary Shrine - A shrine in Golden Meadow, Louisiana,
National Shrine Grotto of Lourdes in Emmitsburg, Maryland.
National Shrine Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes - Euclid, Ohio.
National Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon - North Jackson, Ohio.
National Shrine of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel - Middletown, N.Y.
National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows -St. Louis, Missouri.
National Shrine of the Divine Mercy - Stockbridge, Massachusetts.
Our Lady of Fatima Shrine, Lewiston, NY.
Our Lady of the Rockies - Marian shrine with a massive statue of Our Lady, in Butte, Montana.
The Basilica and National Shrine of Our Lady of Victory, in Lackawanna, New York.
Shrine of the Blessed Virgin Mary, New Sarov - A shrine at Christ of the Hills Monastery, New Sarov, Blanco, TX, with an icon that is said to weep tears of myrrh.
The Grotto of the Redemption, a large complex of grottos dedicated to the Virgin Mary in West Bend, Iowa.
The National Sanctuary of Our Sorrowful Mother, The Grotto, a 62-acre Catholic Shrine and botanical garden in Portland, Oregon, dedicated to Mary.
The National Shrine of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. The Shrine is situated on 60 beautiful, pastoral acres in the mid-Hudson region of New York State.
Assumption Grotto Catholic Church Detroit Michigan, 2nd oldest Catholic Church in Detroit Area, Michigan's Oldest Marian Shrine.
Black Madonna Shrine & Grottos, Eureka, MO.The National Blue Army Shrine of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, in Washington, New Jersey.
"The Shrine's main structure features a towering roof that is capped by a twenty-four foot cast-bronze statue of the Blessed Mother, holding a Rosary and a Scapular. . . . the grounds . . . include many monuments and devotions including exact replicas of the Capelinha of Fatima and the Holy House of Loreto. A religious community of sisters was established on Shrine grounds: the Handmaids of Mary Immaculate".
http://pilgrimvirginstatue.com/jmh/index.html
A Traveling Shrine
"The world-famous International Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Our Lady of Fatima was sculpted in 1947 by Jose Thedim, based on the description of Sr. Lucia, one of the three young seers who saw Our Lady each month from May to October 1917 in Fatima, Portugal.
On October 13, 1947, in the presence of some 150,000 pilgrims, the statue was blessed by the Bishop of Leiria at Fatima, Portugal to be the pilgrim, the traveler.
Sent out to bring the Message of Fatima to the world, the International Pilgrim Virgin Statue has traveled the world many times, visiting more than 100 countries, including Russia and Red China, bringing the great message of hope, "the peace plan from heaven," to millions of people. Many miracles and signal graces are reported wherever the statue travels including shedding tears many times.
In 1951, Pope Pius XII remarked: "In 1946, we crowned Our Lady of Fatima as Queen of the World and the next year, through Her Pilgrim Statue, She set forth as though to claim Her dominion, and the favors She performs along the way are such that we can hardly believe what we are seeing with our eyes."
The Pilgrim Virgin Committee was formed to carry out the mandate set down by the Bishop of Fatima in 1947 and now, after 54 years, Pope John Paul II says that the Message of Fatima is more urgent now than ever. So, the Pilgrim Virgin Committee continues to bring the statue to the world and the demand for visits of the statue remains."
http://pilgrimvirginstatue.com/fatima.html
The program requires a parade in which the shrine is carried on a decorated platform, it's placement in the most prominent part of the church, a "Mary" message is delivered, and the image is "crowned" with a crown.
Planned Shrines to Mary- Buffalo, New York
"On January 16, 2001, The Association for The Arch of Triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and International Shrine of the Holy Innocents, a not-for-profit New York corporation, was formed in Buffalo, New York. As described in detail in our Prospectus, the Association’s purpose is to build a truly world-class, globally significant shrine, to be located on the shore of Lake Erie adjacent to downtown Buffalo. The shrine will feature primarily a monumental, ascendable, golden triumphal arch, The Arch of Triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, to be the world’s tallest monument measuring 700 feet to the tip of the golden Cross that will surmount its peak (seven being the mystical number of perfection, as Mary represents the perfection of humanity)."
http://www.archoftriumph.org/ (emphasis ours)
- Oregon
"The proposed Marian Shrine is being built to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of Jesus. The Shrine site will be a park-like setting, including a chapel, bell tower, Sacred Mystery meditation gardens, and other devotional areas designed to provide a spiritual oasis for Christians of all faiths.The Shrine's centerpiece is a 32-foot (7200 lb.) stainless steel Madonna sculpture . . ."
http://www.ourladyofgraceshrine.org/
The Doctrine of Patron Saints ("Intercessors")"A patron is one who has been assigned by a venerable tradition, or chosen by election, as a special intercessor with God and the proper advocate of a particular locality, and is honoured by clergy and people with a special form of religious observance. The term "patron", being wider in its meaning than that of "titular", may be applied to a church, a district, a country, or a corporation. The word "titular" is applied only to the patron of a church or institution. Both the one and the other, according to the legislation now in force, must have the rank of a canonized saint."
"The churches of St. Peter, St. Paul outside the walls, St. Lawrence in Agro Verano, St. Sebastian, St. Agnes on the Via Nomentana were all cemeterial basilicas, i. e. they were built over the spot where the bodies of each of these saints lay buried."
"From this custom of rendering honour to the relics of the martyrs were derived the names of Memoriœ (memorial churches), Martyria, or Confessio, frequently given to churches. The name of "Title" (Titulus) has from the earliest times been employed with reference to the name of the saint by which a church is known. The practice of placing the body or some relics of a martyr under the altar of sacrifice has been perpetuated in the Church, but the dedication was early extended to confessors and holy women who were not martyrs.
The practice of placing the body or some relics of a martyr under the altar of sacrifice has been perpetuated in the Church, but the dedication was early extended to confessors and holy women who were not martyrs. The underlying doctrine of patrons is that of the communion of saints, or the bond of spiritual union existing between God's servants on earth, in heaven, or in purgatory. The saints are thereby regarded as the advocates and intercessors of those who are making their earthly pilgrimage."
Mary is the Patron Saint:
- Against epidemics, against flooding, against lightning, against storms, air crews, aircraft pilots, Alabama, Alaska, diocese of Albany New York, Americas, Arizona, Arkansas, diocese of Austin Texas, aviators,
- archdiocese of Baltimore Maryland, bicycle riders, bicyclists, diocese of Bismark North Dakota, boatmen, bodily ills, diocese of Burlington Vermont,
- California, diocese of Camden New Jersey, Canada, childbirth, clothworkers, coffee house keepers, coffee house owners, Colorado, diocese of Colorado Springs Colorado, Connecticut, construction workers, cooks, coopers, diocese of Crookston Minnesota, cyclists,
- Delaware, archdiocese of Denver Colorado, diocese of Des Moines Iowa, distillers, District of Columbia, diocese of Dodge City, Kansas, drapers, diocese of Duluth Minnesota,
- enlightenment, epidemics, diocese of Evansville Indiana,
- diocese of Fargo North Dakota, fish dealers, fishermen, fishmongers, flooding, Florida, flyers, diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend Indiana,
- diocese of Gallup New Mexico, diocese of Gaylord Michigan, Georgia, goldsmiths, diocese of Grand Island Nebraska,
- Hawaii, diocese of Honolulu Hawaii, human race,
- Idaho, Indiana, Iowa,
- Kansas,Kentucky,
- diocese of Lafayette Indiana, diocese of Lake Charles Louisiana, lamp makers, lightning, diocese of Lincoln Nebraska, Louisiana,
- Maine, mariners, Maryland, Massachusetts, archdiocese of Miami, Florida, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, diocese of Monterey California, motherhood, motorcyclists,
- diocese of Nashville Tennessee, navigators, Nebraska, needle makers, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, archdiocese of New Orleans Louisiana, city of New Orleans Louisiana, diocese of New Ulm Minnesota, New York, news dealers, North Carolina, North Dakota, nuns,
- Oblate Vocations, diocese of Ogdensburg, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles for Maronites
- Pennsylvania, archdiocese of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, diocese of Phoenix Arizona, pin makers, diocese of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, diocese of Portland Maine, archdiocese of Portland Oregon, potters, diocese of Providence Rhode Island, diocese of Pueblo Colorado, Puerto Rico,
- diocese of Reno Nevada, restauranteurs, Rhode Island, ribbon makers, diocese of Rockford Illinois -diocese of Sacramento, California, sailors, diocese of Salina, Kansas, diocese of Savannah, Georgia, archdiocese of Seattle Washington, diocese of Shreveport Louisiana, silk workers, silversmiths, diocese of Sioux City Iowa, soldiers of the United States, South Carolina, South Dakota, diocese of Spokane Washington, diocese of Steubenville Ohio, storms, diocese of Syracuse New York, tapestry workers, -Tennessee, Teutonic Knights, Texas, tile makers, travellers, diocese of Tyler, Texas
- United States, upholsterers, Utah,
- diocese of Venice Florida, Vermont, Virginia, virgins,
- Washington, watermen, West Virginia, Wisconsin, diocese of Wichita Kansas, Wyoming,
- yachtsmen,
http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/saintbvm.htm
Total Patronages of Mary:
U.S. States - 50
U.S. Cities - 49
U.S. Territories and Districts- 2
Against disasters and acts of nature - 9
Occupational groups - 35
Other - human race, enlightenment, motherhood, virgins
"The honouring of the saints has in some instances doubtless been the occasion of abuse. Spells and incantations have been intruded in the place of trust and prayer; the prayerful abstinence of a vigil has been exchanged for the rollicksome enjoyment of wakes; reverence may have run incidentally to puerile extravagance; and patrons may have been chosen before their claim to an heroic exercise of Christian virtue had been juridically established. Still it remains true that the manifestation of Christian piety in the honour paid to angels and saints has been singularly free from the taint of human excess and error."
The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XI, Copyright © 1911
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11562a.htm
Dictionary:Intercession:
1 : the act of interceding
2 : prayer, petition, or entreaty in favor of anotherIntercede:
- to intervene between parties with a view to reconciling differences : mediateMediate:
1 : occupying a middle position
2 a : acting through an intervening agency
b : exhibiting indirect causation, connection, or relationScripture:
"For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;" (1 Tim. 2:5).
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What is said:
"It should be clearly understood that a church is, and always has been, dedicated to God: other dedications are annexed on an entirely different plane."
"In comparing place with place, the rank or precedence of patrons should be kept in view. A convenient arrangement will be the following:
Dedications
(1) to God and the Sacred Humanity of Christ or its emblems;
(2) to the Mother of God;
(3) to the Angels;
(4) to the holy personages who introduced the New Law of Christ;
(5) to the Apostles and Evangelists;
(6) to other saints."
What is done:
Church dedications:
In Rome:
- to God 6
- to Mary 34
- to Angels 0
- to all others 21
In the United States:
- to God 300
- to Mary 536
- to Angels 87
- to (156) male saints 1,047 (Joseph leads with 183)
- to (41) female saints 191
- to all "others" 211The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XI, Copyright © 1911
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11562a.htm
Total dedications:
- to God 300
- to all others 2,072
Just a few of the other "patron saints":
The "Patron Saints Patronage Index" lists 3,748 Patron Saints including:
abuse victims - Margaret the Barefooted
victims of unfaithfulness or adultery - Saint Monica
Africa - Moses the Black
arms dealers - Adrian of Nicomedia
asses - Anthony of Padua
bacterial diseases or infections - Agrippina
bakers - Elizabeth of Hungarybeggars - Benedict Joseph Labre
- Elizabeth of Hungaryblacksmiths - Leonard of Noblac
bomb technicians - Barbara
brides - Margaret the Barefooted
business people - Homobonus
California - Our Lady of the Waysidecats - Gertrude of Nivelles
cattle - Colman of Stockerau
coal miners - Leonard of Noblaccriminals - Dismas
cutters - John the Baptist
dieticians - Martha
diocese of Limerick, Ireland - Saint Munchin
disappointing children - Monica
funeral directors, undertakers - DismasGermany - Our Lady of Kevelaer
hairdressers, hairstylists - Cosmas
hangovers - Bibiana
homemakers, housewives, housekeepers - Martha
lightning - Our Lady of Zapopan
mental asylums, mental hospitals, mental health professionals, mental health caregivers
- Dymphna
mental handicaps, mentally ill people, mental illness, insanity, madness, lunatics, against depression
- Christina the Astonishingmigraine - Ubaldus Baldassini
moles, against - Ulric
murderers - Caedwalla, Guntramnus, Julian the Hospitaller, Nicholas of Myra, Solomon, Vladimi
orphans - Saint Mamasoversleeping, against - Vitus
perfumeries, perfumers - Mary Magdalen
pestilence, relief from - Roch
prisoners on death row, condemned prisoners, death row inmates - Dismas
prostitutes, reformed - Margaret of Cortona, Mary Magdalen, Mary of Egypt
psychiatrists, mental health professionals, mental health caregivers, therapists
- Christina the Astonishing, Dymphna
rain, against - Eulalia, Scholastica, Theodore of Sykeon
rain, for, - Agricola of Avignon, Eulalia, Heribert of Cologne, Isidore the Farmer
Julian of Cuenca, Odo, Theodore of Sykeonsalmon - Kentigern
separated spouses - Edward the Confessor
sexual temptation - Angela of Foligno, Catherine of Siena, Margaret of Cortona, Mary of Edessa,
Mary of Egypt, Mary Magdalen, Mary Magdalen of Pazzi, Pelagia of Antioch [all female]
silence - John Nepomucenestiff neck, against - Ursicinus of Saint-Ursanne
swine, pigs, hogs - Anthony the Abbot
swineherds - Anthony of Padua, Anthony the Abbot
syphilis - Fiacre, George
thieves - Nicholas of Myra
thieves, reformed - Dismas
twitching, against - Bartholomew the Apostle, Cornelius
unattractive people - Drogo, Germaine Cousin
United States - Immaculate Conception of Mary
- Our Lady of the Milk and Happy Delivery
- Our Lady of Victoryvenereal disease - Fiacre
vermin, against - Magnus of Füssen
Washington, DC - Our Immaculate Queen
young people in general - Gabriel of the Sorrowful Mother
pork butchers and processors -* The Transfiguration of Our Lord
http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/patronnf.htm* The "Transfiguration of Our Lord" is not a human saint but Christ during one event in his life:
"And while He was praying, the appearance of His countenance was altered" writes the Evangelist Luke "and His raiment became dazzling white"(Luke 9:29). According to Matthew and stated more explicitly: "And He was transfigured before them and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became white as light" (Matthew 17:2). Likewise appeared, in front of the eyes of the Disciples, Moses and Elijah, who were conversing with Jesus, they were overshadowed by a bright mist, a luminous cloud. And from this mist, a voice was heard, which said: "This is my beloved Son, with Whom I am well pleased! Listen to Him!"
[Perhaps Christ during the events of Mark 5:1-17 and Mat. 8:28-34 would have been more appropriate for pork processors?]
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Plants, flowers and gardens named in "Devotion to Mary":
Mary's Gardens HomePage
"Mary's Gardens was founded in 1951 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to research the hundreds of flowers named in medieval times as symbols of the life, mysteries and privileges of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus - as recorded by botanists, folklorists and lexicographers; and to assist in the planting of "Mary Gardens" of "Flowers of Our Lady" today.""In the fullness of time, through the fiat of the Blessed Virgin's assent to be the Mother of the Divine Word Incarnate, and through Christ's expiating sacrifice on the Cross, flowers, along with the rest of the world and nature, were freed of their associations with the false pagan deities imposed upon them. Thus liberated, flowers, in their created purity, beauty and varied forms from the hand of God, were then given true Christian associations through the renewing poetic imagery of faith, hope and love.
In this they referred to Jesus, Mary and the Saints, but especially to Mary,. . . "
"From Queen of the Missions, April, 1955:
I. THE FATHERS' PRAISE OF MARY, Orate Fratres, Collegeville Minnesota
May 1951 pp 268-271 (abstracted):
The following list of titles of Mary drawn exclusively from the patristic writing compiled by Sister Marie Stephen O.P. of Rosary College from "The Blessed Virgin in the Fathers of the First Six Centuries", by Fr. Thomas Linius, C.SS.R., published by Burns and Oates in 1893.
Most holy paradise of Eden. Tree of good foliage. Tree of Life. Earth unsown. Cloud raining upon the earth. Burning bush unconsumed. Open Meadow. Blossoming rod of Aaron. Fruitful olive tree. Tree of the Father. Flower of the field. Lily of the valley. Spotless lily that brought forth Christ the unfading rose. Garden enclosed. Garden fertile though untilled. Vine fruitful with grapes. Vine bringing forth a pleasant odor. Rod that blossomed forth Christ as the flower. Mead of sweet savor. Unleavened meal banishing from food the bitterness of death. Root of the loveliest Flower that blooms. Flower unfading. Garden of the Father. Root of all good things. Vine bearing beautiful grapes."
"II. OUR LADY'S TITLES IN THE BREVIARY, Worship, Collegeville
Minnesota May 1952 pp 319-322 (abstracted): Sister Marie Stephen, O.P.... has now compiled a second list of Our Lady's titles from the divine office of the Roman rite:
Royal virgin of David's rose. Fruit to the barren. Paradise where blossoms the Tree of Life. Verdant tree of life-giving joy. Flourishing vine. Bush burning and unconsumed. Apple tree among the trees of the woods. Keeper in the vineyard. Garden enclosed. Unploughed field. Cedar of Libanus. Cypress of Mount Sion. Bud of promise. Slender branch carrying the Fruit of the whole human race. Priestly rod blossoming without root. Lily among the thorns. Flowering rod of Aaron. Rod of Jesse bearing Christ. Fruit from which came the sweet Jesus. First rose of martyrs. Choice of firstfruits. Light cloud releasing heavenly rain. Rose soothing the afflicted. Rose giving back to all the destiny of salvation. Rose white by virginity. Rose ruddy by love. Rose white in seeking virtue. Rose ruddy in trampling vices. Rose white in purifying the affections. Rose ruddy in mortifying the flesh. Rose white in loving God. Rose ruddy in pitying her neighbor. Bridal Flower. Garden of delight. Mountain of God, fertile and shady. Flowers of the roses in springtime. Lily at the edge of the stream. Flower of the field. Palm tree in Cades. Roseplant in Jerusalem. Rosebush in Jerico. Fair olive tree in the plains."
http://www.mgardens.org/
-------------------------------Papal Documents
Papal Documents "promulgating", "exhorting", "urging" and "proclaiming" "frequent prayers and devotions" to Mary, celebrations in her honor, and granting her "titles":
John Paul II: Mary Leads Us to Eucharist - Message of Pope John Paul II To 19th International Marian Congress Czestochowa, Poland August 15, 1996.
John Paul II: Redemptoris Mater - Encyclical "Mother of the Redeemer," promulgated 25 March, 1987. A reflection on the role of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the life of the Church. 166K.
John XXIII: Grata Recordatio - On the Rosary. Encyclical promulgated 26 September 1959.
Leo XIII: Iucunda Semper Expectatione - On the Rosary. Encyclical promulgated 8 September, 1894.
Leo XIII: Laetitiae Sanctae - Commending devotion to the rosary. Encyclical promulgated 8 September, 1893.
Leo XIII: Octobri Mense - On the Rosary. Encyclical promulgated 22 September 1891.
Leo XIII: Superiore Anno - On the recitation of the rosary. Encyclical promulgated 30 August, 1884.
Leo XIII: Supremi Apostolatus Officio - Encyclical promulgated September 1, 1883. Testifies to the rosary's venerability and power, and exhorts the faithful to its frequent use.
Leo XIII: Vi E Ben Noto - On the rosary and public life. Encyclical promulgated 20 September, 1887.
Paul VI: Christi Matri - On Prayers to Mary for Peace. Encyclical promulgated 15 September, 1966.
Paul VI: Mense Maio - On the Occasion of the First of May. Encyclical promulgated 30 April, 1965.
Paul VI: Signum Magnum - Encyclical promulgated 13 May, 1967. About the spiritual motherhood of Mary, urges imitation of her virtues.
Pius XI: Ingravescentibus Malis - On the Rosary. Encyclical promulgated on 29 September 1937.
Pius XI: Lux Veritatis - Encyclical of Pope Pius XI promulgated on December 25, 1931.
Pius XII: Ad Caeli Reginam - On Proclaiming the Queenship of Mary. Encyclical promulgated on 11 October 1954.
Pius XII: Deiparae Virginis Mariae - Encyclical promulgated on 1 May 1946. Asks the bishops to pray about whether the Assumption of Mary should be defined as dogma.
Pius XII: Fulgens Corona - Proclaiming a Marian Year to commemorate the centenary of the definition of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception. Encyclical promulgated on 8 September 1953.
Pius XII: Ingruentium Malorum - On reciting the Rosary. Encyclical promulgated on 15 September 1951.
Pius XII: Munificentissimus Deus - Apostolic Constitution, Pope Pius XII, November 1, 1950, on proclaiming the dogma of the Assumption.
http://dmoz.org/Society/Religion_and_Spirituality/Christianity/Denominations/Catholicism/Saints/M/Blessed_Virgin_Mary/Papal_Documents/---------------------------------
Art in Devotion to Mary:
It would probably be impossible to list all the icons, images, artifacts, relics, and other "things" associated with "devotion" to Mary. A search on Google yielded 145,000 results.
One web site dedicated "In Honour of Our Lady" puts it this way:
"Apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary have been occurring for 2000 years. It is said they began even before She died when She appeared to Saint James in Spain. Miraculous signs are usually associated with these appearances.
Icons of the Mother of God are extensions of Mary's association with us too, and many miracles have occurred by praying to Our Lady through Her many names and titles.
In the West we use holy pictures and statues to remind us of God and His Saints. Eastern Christians see these as powerful aids to prayerful contact with God. By praying with the gaze fixed on the eyes of the icon, these windows of the soul allow essential contact with the holy person being revered.
In Mary we have a perfect example of how God should be glorified. God made-man loved Her and wants us to love Her too. In our prayers we not only show our love for Her, but glorify Her Son. She refines our thoughts and messages and gives them to Jesus on our behalf.
Many different icons of the Mother of God are scattered throughout the world, and devotion to Her through these portraits has continued for centuries. These Web pages present just a few of the beloved images, which occupy a special place in the hearts of Catholics.
Icons of the Mother of God are not pictures, but images of revealed truths and are painted under the Divine inspiration after much fasting and prayer. They are held in reverence with almost the same honour given to the Scriptures because of the truths they show. People who reverence them spend much time in deep prayer."
http://www.homebusinesslink.com/mary.html (emphasis ours)
The Catholic Encyclopedia seems to contradict the attribution to "inspiration".:
"The paintings of the churches are in place of books to the uneducated" (quasi libri laicorum)."The constant doctrine of the Church was defined at the Second Council of Nicaea (787), and is summed up in the often quoted formula: "The composition of the image is not the invention of the painters, but the result of the legislation and approved tradition of the Church" ("Synod Nicaea" II, Actio VI, 331, 832)."
"Art being regarded as didactic, necessarily partook of the severe nature of dogma. The slightest error bordered on heresy. To alter anything in the garments of the saints or of the Blessed Virgin, to depict the former shod or the latter barefooted, to confuse the piety of the simple by innovations and individual whims, were all serious matters. The Christian artist was surrounded by a strict network of prohibitions and prescriptions.""For the sake of completeness, mention must be made of the numerous icons, the various types of the Madonna (Panagia, Nicopoeia, Hodegetria), of the miniature paintings in manuscripts which were important for the diffusion of motives, of enamels such as those in the Pala d'Oro of St. Mark's, and of the small portable mosaic pictures, like the valuable diptych preserved at the Opera del Duomo at Florence."
[The article also discusses frescoes, murals, madonnas and stained glass at length.]
["Legislated" Art Imitates Life]
" . . . its object was to reach the emotions, and it made manifest the character of humanity in Christianity. Hence the many paintings of the Blessed Virgin, in which art incessantly sang to her the tenderest hymns of love. The Panagia of the Byzantines, the Virgin of the Middle Ages, Throne of God, Queen of Heaven, gave place to the Mother, the most beautiful, the sweetest, and the tenderest of women. After St. Bernard—il suo fedele Bernardo— St. Francis of Assisi, and St. Bonaventure, devotion to the Madonna became one of the chief Christian devotions. Schools competed as to which should paint the holiest and most exquisite Virgins, . . . ""Such pictures have the force of a sermon; there is no strictly artistic intention, but an obvious intention to instruct and impress."
[Some German painters] "went to extremes in the search for expression and the mania for the pathetic. It was inspired by the mystery plays. All technical progress and perfection of realization were utilized to express emotion. It began with Van der Weyden, Memling did not escape it in his Munich picture of the "Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin", Massys painted blood-besprinkled Holy Faces and Magdalens with reddened and streaming eyes, Dürer's "Passions" terrify by their intensity of sorrow, but the most tragic of all was Mathias Griünewald, whose terrible "Crucifixions" at Colmar and Stuttgart are like the nightmare of a barbarian visionary. This love of the horrible became a genre. Infernal fantasies, the dreams of an unhealthy imagination, haunt the thoughts of Jerome Bosch, . . . "
The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XI, Copyright © 1911
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11395a.htm
When "worship" doesn't mean "worship"?:"THE PRINCIPLES OF IMAGE-WORSHIP"
"Lastly something must be said about Catholic principles concerning the worship of sacred images. The Latin Cultus sacrarum imaginum may quite well be translated (as it always was in the past) "worship of holy images", and "image-worshipper" is a convenient term for cultor imaginum -- eikonodoulos, as opposed to eikonoklastes (image-breaker). Worship by no means implies only the supreme adoration that may be given only to God. It is a general word denoting some more or less high degree of reverence and honour, an acknowledgment of worth, like the German Verehrung ("with my body I thee worship") in the marriage service; English city companies are "worshipful", a magistrate is "Your worship", and so on. We need not then hesitate to speak of our worship of images; though no doubt we shall often be called upon to explain the term.
We note in the first place that the First Commandment (except inasmuch as it forbids adoration and service of images) does not affect us at all.
On the other hand, as far as it is positive law, it was once for all abrogated by the promulgation of the Gospel (Rom., viii, 1-2; Gal., iii, 23-5, etc.; Acts, xv, 28-9).Since there is no Divine positive law in the New Testament on the subject, Christians are bound firstly by the natural law that forbids us to give to any creature the honour due to God alone, and forbids the obvious absurdity of addressing prayers or any sort of absolute worship to a manufactured image;
"They [the Fathers] speak of real adoration, supreme worship paid to a being for its own sake only, acknowledgment of absolute dependence on some one who can grant favours without reference to any one else. This is what they mean by latreia and they declare emphatically that this kind of worship must be given to God only. It is sheer idolatry to pay latreia to any creature at all. In Latin, adoratio is generally (though not always; see e.g. in the Vulgate, II Kings, i, 2, etc.) used in this sense. Since the council especially there is a tendency to restrict it to this sense only, so that adorare sanctos certainly now sounds scandalous. So in English by adoration we now always understand the latreia of the Fathers of the Second Nicaean Council.""It is this relative worship that is to be paid to the cross, images of Christ and the saints, while the intention directs it all really to the persons these things represent."
"The text then of the decision of the seventh session of Nicaea II is: "We define (orizomen) with all certainty and care that both the figure of the sacred and lifegiving Cross, as also the venerable and holy images, whether made in colours or mosaic or other materials, are to be placed suitably in the holy churches of God, on sacred vessels and vestments, on walls and pictures, in houses and by roads; that is to say, the images of our Lord God and Saviour Jesus Christ, of our immaculate Lady the holy Mother of God, of the honourable angels and all saints and holy men. For as often as they are seen in their pictorial representations, people who look at them are ardently lifted up to the memory and love of the originals and induced to give them respect and worshipful honour (aspasmon kai timetiken proskynesin) but not real adoration (alethinen latreian) which according to our faith is due only to the Divine Nature. So that offerings of incense and lights are to be given to these as to the figure of the sacred and lifegiving Cross, to the holy Gospel-books and other sacred objects in order to do them honour, as was the pious custom of ancient times. For honour paid to an image passes on to its prototype; he who worships (ho proskynon) an image worships the reality of him who is painted in it" (Mansi, XIII, pp. 378-9; Harduin, IV, pp. 453-6).That is still the standpoint of the Catholic Church."
The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume VII, Copyright © 1910
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07664a.htm
Conclusions to the Catholic "worship" [their word] of Mary1. The Catholic Church clearly states that it "worships" (lateria) God, and "worships" (proskuneo) images, saints, and icons.
The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume VII, Copyright © 1910On the subject of worship, the New Testament makes no such semantic distinction (between lateria and proskuneo).
"God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship (proskuneo) him in spirit and in truth." (Jn. 4:24).
The Greek lateria is not translated in the NT as "worship" but as "service" (to God), and it only appears five times.
The Greek proskuneo is translated as "worship", "worshipped" and "worshipping" 46 times and is used only in the context of worshiping God, or in false worship including devils, the "dragon", the "beast", and the "image of the beast".Several other Greek words are also translated as "worship". They also only refer to worship of God or to false or vain worship. One refers to living people, but actually means "glory" in Greek, not "worship".
Nowhere in the NT or OT, are there examples of anyone who is righteous, "worshiping" (by any definition) anyone or any thing other than God and Christ. Christ instructed that prayers "to the Father" be made in his (Christ's) name, not the name of Mary. Christ and the apostles taught that Christ and the Holy Spirit perform intercession, not Mary.
2. False gospels, "can be believed and read", according to Saint Jerome, "Doctor of the Church", secretary to Pope Damasus and translator of the the Bible into Latin for the Church. This endorsement is repeated in the Catholic Encyclopedia. This acceptance specifically concerns "The Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew" which offers the "story of Mary". The "Gospel of the Nativity of Mary" is also preserved by the Catholic Church. Are these "gospels" substitutes for the gospel accounts of the "life of Christ"?
3. Mary is proclaimed "Intercessor", "Co-Redeemer" and "Mediator". These are titles of Christ (Isa. 59:16-20; Isa. 49:26;1 Tim. 2:5).
Mary is proclaimed by the Pope as "Queen of Heaven" and is said to "sit at the right hand of God", which is the throne of Christ (Rom. 8:34, Heb. 12:2). In some statements, it is the "right hand of Christ".
Mary's prominent position is attributed to Christ's statement during his crucifixion (Jn. 19:27). But he had already said that the seats at his right hand and left hand were not his to give (Mat. 20:23; Mk. 10:40).
4. The "Rosary" which seems to be the primary symbol of Catholic spirituality, is predominately a series of prayers to Mary and has its own "feast day".
"Clement XI after the important victory over the Turks gained by Prince Eugene on 6 August, 1716 (the feast of our Lady of the Snows), at Peterwardein in Hungary, commanded the feast of the Rosary to be celebrated by the universal Church."
The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XIII, Copyright © 1912
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13189a.htm
" . . . the rosary which can be called the mystical crown of the heavenly Queen."
-- Ad Caeli Reginam, His Holiness Pope Pius XII
Encyclical on Proclaiming the Queenship of Mary
Promulgated October 11, 1954
http://www.newadvent.org/docs/pi12ac.htmIn the Rosary, Mary gets 54 prayers and the Father, Son and Holy Spirit share the remaining 17 to 19 prayers. Mary also gets four of the "mysteries" while the Son gets ten and the Holy Spirit one.
5. Pope Pious XII proclaims Mary as "Queen of Heaven":
"Heaven and earth praise thee as a powerful Queen . . ."
" . . . meditate upon the ruling power of Mary which embraces heaven and earth, . . ."
"she is so beautiful and perfect, and possesses such fullness of innocence and holiness, that under God a greater could not be dreamed, and only God can comprehend the marvel."
-- Ad Caeli Reginam
His Holiness Pope Pius XII
Encyclical on Proclaiming the Queenship of Mary
Promulgated October 11, 1954
6. Pope Paul VI "Exhorts Devotion to Mary":"Christ is the only way to the Father . . . But . . ."
"Devotion to the Mother of the Lord becomes for the faithful an opportunity for growing in divine grace, and this is the ultimate aim of all pastoral activity."
"Given in Rome, at Saint Peter's, on the second day of February, the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, in the year 1974, the eleventh of our Pontificate."Paulus PP. Vl.
http://www.papalencyclicals.net/Paul06/p6marial.htm
7. The majority of Catholic "Feasts", "Celebrations", "Devotions" and "Masses" are in honor of Mary.
Mary has 100 annual "feasts", Christ has 1 to 8 depending on location. God has one if we count the feast of the Trinity.The "daily" Mary-Mass:
"Further, we must note the almost universal custom of leaving legacies to have a Mary-Mass, or Mass of Our Lady, celebrated daily at a particular altar, as well as to maintain lights to burn continually before a particular statue or shrine."
"Still more interesting were the foundations left by will to have the Salve Regina [see prayers to Mary] or other anthems of Our Lady sung after Compline [the last "hour" of daily activity] at the Lady altar, while lights were burned before her statue.
The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XV, Copyright © 1912
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15459a.htm
8. Officially prescribed prayers to Mary:"The Hail Mary (sometimes called the "Angelical salutation", sometimes, from the first words in its Latin form, the "Ave Maria") is the most familiar of all the prayers used by the Universal Church in honour of our Blessed Lady."
The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume VII, Copyright © 1910
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07110b.htmOne site alone lists 40 "approved" prayers to Mary.
http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/saintbvm.htmThe Rosary [see No. 4, above] is to be recited once a day and the Angelus three times a day. The Angelus is mostly a Marion prayer and includes three Hail Marys.
http://www.geocities.com/Vienna/2983/Angelus.html
9. Names and titles. Mary has 325 names and titles (more if we count the names of plants and flowers "named after" her).Apparently, God is the "man with no name":
"Objection 1. It seems that no name can be given to God. For Dionysius says (Div. Nom. i) that, "Of Him there is neither name, nor can one be found of Him;" and it is written: "What is His name, and what is the name of His Son, if thou knowest?" (Prov. 30:4).
Reply to Objection 1. The reason why God has no name, or is said to be above being named, is because His essence is above all that we understand about God, and signify in word."
The Summa Theologica of St. Thomas Aquinas
Second and Revised Edition, 1920
http://www.newadvent.org/summa/101301.htm
However, a non-Catholic site lists 168 scriptural names (or titles) for God and Christ combined.
http://www.geocities.com/encourge/names.html
10. Many of the most prominent and exclusive "Special Catholic Organizations" are Devoted To Mary."Sodalities of Our Lady are religious associations approved by the Holy See. They organize Catholics under Our Lady's name and cultivate in them a deep devotedness, reverence, and filial love for the Blessed Virgin Mary. Under the patronage of the Mother of God, Sodalities of our Lady aim at making their members outstanding Catholics who give themselves wholeheartedly to sanctifying themselves in their own states of life, to sanctify others and to defend the Church of Jesus Christ against the attacks of their enemies."
http://sacredheartparishweymouth.org/parish_orgs.htm
11. It appears from various searches of the Internet, that the vast majority of Shrines and Grottos are dedicated to Mary. There are at least 19 major shrines to Mary in the U.S.
One of the most well known and popular is the Traveling Shrine of Mary. The largest, 700 feet high, is still being planned. Another will include a steel Madonna over three stories tall.
12. The "Doctrine of Patron Saints" proclaims them to be "Intercessors".
"The practice of placing the body or some relics of a martyr under the altar of sacrifice has been perpetuated in the Church, but the dedication was early extended to confessors and holy women who were not martyrs. The underlying doctrine of patrons is that of the communion of saints, or the bond of spiritual union existing between God's servants on earth, in heaven, or in purgatory. The saints are thereby regarded as the advocates and intercessors of those who are making their earthly pilgrimage."
Mary is the "patron saint" of all 50 U.S. States, D.C, and Puerto Rico, plus 49 American cities.
http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/saintbvm.htm
13. Mary leads in Church Dedications:Churches dedicated to God 300
Churches dedicated to Mary 536The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XI, Copyright © 1911
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11562a.htm
14. Hundreds of plants and flowers and whole gardens are named in "Devotion to Mary". We have not yet determined if any are "devoted" to God or Christ, however there may be a few.
15. It appears from Catholic sources that Mary is the most popular subject of painting, sculpture and other art forms.
16. Papal support. From 1883 to 1996, six of the nine Popes from Leo XIII to Paul VI issued documents encouraging devotion to Mary.
(Of the other three, one was in office less than four years and published only eight documents. Another died after 33 days in office. The third was in office for seven years, the first four of which were concurrent with World War I. Five of his 12 documents concerned the War.)
http://dmoz.org/Society/Religion_and_Spirituality/Christianity/Denominations/Catholicism/Saints/M/Blessed_Virgin_Mary/Papal_Documents/In view of all this, it appears that more time and effort is spent "worshiping" Mary than "worshiping" God or Christ.
For what its worth:
How much of the Internet is devoted to Mary?
Various web inquiries yielded the following results.1.
Virgin Mary 738,000
Mother of God 2,480,000
Holy Mother 1,310,000
Queen of Heaven 678,000
Saint Mary 1,230,000How does this compare to sites about Christ?
2.
Christ + Catholic 901,000
Jesus Christ + Catholic 574,000
Son of God + Catholic 487,000The difference between 1 and 2 is heavily in Mary's favor. If we limit 1 to "Catholic" it appears to tilt in favor of Christ.
3.
Virgin Mary + Catholic 206,000
Mother of God + Catholic 501,000
Holy Mother + Catholic 370,000
Queen of Heaven + Catholic 79,400
Saint Mary + Catholic 277,000However, part of the difference is that other churches also teach a certain "devotion" to Mary.
4.
Mother of God + Orthodox 182,000
Mother of God + Lutheran 81,200
Mother of God + Episcopal 79,800
Mother of God + Anglican 48,100
Total 492,100When we add 500,000 to each of the numbers in 3, it tilts back in favor of Mary.
None of these numerical comparisons necessarily prove anything, but it further illustrates the widespread "devotion" to Mary.
For more information:
Non-Catholics are "Culturally illiterate"
The following urls link to articles defending Catholic practices including one which states that it's "hard for (non-Catholic) Americans to understand the Catholic "devotion to Mary", because Americans "are "culturally illiterate". According to the article, we have an "abhorrence of royalty, nobility, and monarchy, a weakness in language, a lack of knowledge of history (especially of hierarchies and kingdoms), and a lack of respect for elders, nobility, and heroes, reflected in the fact that most "heroes" today are not the kind of heroes venerated in generations past." These abilities, according to the author, (an American and former Evangelical), are " well and alive in more "ancient and civilized" societies." Going on, he says, "Unhappily, we Americans are at a great disadvantage. We don’t think like Jews, we don’t have a Jewish or early Christian "literacy", we have forgotten about kingdoms and honor, . . ." Protestant Americans are "culturally illiterate [in light of Catholic history]."
http://www.catholic-convert.com/writings/mary.html
http://dmoz.org/Society/Religion_and_Spirituality/Christianity/People/Saints/M/Virgin_Mary/Doctrine/
http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/saintbvm.htm
The "apparitions" of Mary:
At Fatima, Guadalupe, and Lourdes
http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/saintbvm.htm