Thinking of Mary
Mary seems like the topic that draws the strongest emotional response from Protestants. It seems to go beyond logic. Sure there has been a deepening of our understanding of Mary that goes a few levels beyond what has happened in other areas. We arrived at the truth that Jesus is fully human and fully divine. Then we ask the question about what does that mean for His mother. If you can accept the church’s answers to questions about the nature of Christ why is it hard to accept her answers on the nature of His mother? It is an extra logical step but why should that be a problem? It still boils down to whether the church is trustworthy. So why do Protestants who can see themselves trusting the church on other issues have such a hard time on the Marian doctrines?
Some would say it is because there is very little biblical mention of Mary. But that cuts both ways. There is little biblical evidence for going to church on Sunday morning. Does that make it wrong? Most of the time protestants take the silence of scripture to mean a freedom to believe whatever you want. With Mary silence is taken as proof that the Catholic teaching must be wrong. In fact, some of the weakest arguments that protestants persist with revolve around Mary. Romans 3:23,1 Tim 2:5 and Matthew 1:25 are just major reaches in terms of trying to disprove Catholic teaching. Still many otherwise very respectable protestant scripture scholars will embarass themselves trying to twist these passages to somehow contradict Catholic teaching. There is a passion there that defies logic when Mary is involved.
I wonder if there isn’t a deeper spiritual issue. When I look at Catholics both today and in history it seems like a solid view of the church and a devotion to Mary go hand in hand. They are both seen as spiritual mothers. People seem to either accept Mary and the church as spiritual mothers or they accept neither. I have not seen a study on this but in my experience they go together quite consistently.
It seems like Marian devotion is more connected with how to live out the faith on a day to day basis. Protestantism focuses a lot on firm resolve. We want to decide to be holy and to overcome sin and to win the world for Jesus. Marian devotion is more about how to get up when we have fallen and how to slowly let Jesus into out hearts. It reminds me of what Agelo Matera said here:
What’s interesting is that the Pope doesn’t recommend remedying this situation through sheer willpower, as if having “the courage to be Catholic” would be enough. He calls for more creativity and imagination in how the faith is lived and presented, and opening up to God through prayer, service, and communion with others. In other words, rather than more willpower, which only encourages our tendency towads self-sufficiency and autonomy, he’s calling us to be more receptive to the living God who is the source of our being.
That seems very maternal to focus on eucharist, confession, and contemplative prayer. It is like a mother feeding you, binding your wounds, and giving you lots of hugs. You still might need a dad to help with the willpower but the constant drawing strength from on high is something Mary can help us with.
it seems like a solid view of the church and a devotion to Mary go hand in hand…People seem to either accept Mary and the church as spiritual mothers or they accept neither.
Very true. I was thinking of how both Catholics and Orthodox - the serious “Church” Christians - are big into Mary, yet who else is? It can’t be just historical, or one or both would have dropped the devotion over time.
Interesting that I’ve never thought of this before. There must be something here.
May 8th, 2008 at 10:02 pm