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Happy Birthday, Mom!

In honor of our Blessed Mother’s Nativity on September 8, I wanted to share why I love Mary. 
Because I grew up without motherly love, I had a harder time relating to Mary as an evangelical-turned-Catholic. (I’ll share my conversion story later. I’m trying to write stuff down as it comes up.)
Even after I understood why it was right to honor her and ask for her prayers, even as I understood how powerful the rosary is, I never felt gushy about Mary as a lot of Catholics do. 
The love has come over time and with personal experiences.


Loving Mary is not idolatry. 
An idol is something that takes the place of God. Something that has greater importance in someone’s life than God. You can make anything an idol. Sunday sports. Work. Another person. Whatever  gets in the way of worshipping God.

We Catholics don’t love Mary instead of Jesus or more than Jesus. If you think we worship Mary, you might be surprised to attend a Catholic Mass (worship service) and hear her mentioned briefly in passing, asking for her prayers, while the whole Mass is focused on Jesus. Jesus is our Lord and Savior, our King. But since all Christian denominations are in agreement about that part, we don’t have to spend time defending it like we do Mary.

We Catholics love Mary because of Jesus and next to Jesus, just like we love our earthly moms next to Jesus. Loving and honoring someone, like parents, is not the same as worship reserved for God. Loving our mom and honoring our mom is pleasing to God.
We can’t possibly love Mary more than Jesus does. We expect Jesus to treat His Mother with just as much honor as the earthly kings of the Old Testament did their queen mothers. (1 King 2:19-20)

One of the last things Jesus did before he died was give his beloved disciple to Mary to be her son. And he gave Mary to his beloved disciple to be his mom. (John 19:26-27) Catholics believe Jesus was giving Mary to the whole Church here. But I believe it in a personal way.
I want to be “the disciple whom Jesus loves.”
Yes, Jesus, I will become your Mom’s daughter. She will be my Mother, too. I will take her into my home, too. 

“Nowhere in the Bible did Jesus or anyone else tell us to pray to Mary.”
Mary was still on earth while the accounts and the letters—that centuries later would be canonized as the New Testament—were being written. But St. Luke wrote in the Acts of the Apostles that after Jesus ascended into heaven, the Apostles and Mary “with one accord devoted themselves to prayer.” (Acts 1:12-14)
I think it’s logical to assume the disciples asked Mary to pray for them before they left on their missions and that Mary prayed for the growing Church. Catholics believe Mary didn’t stop praying for us once she got to heaven; we believe all who have died in Christ continue praying for us still on earth. (Revelation 5:8) 

I see no logical reason why I shouldn’t take Jesus’ Mom into my home and why I shouldn’t ask Mary to pray for me. 

Even though I reserve worship for the One True Living Eternal God…I am still comforted by having pictures of my mom and reminders of her prayers around. 

Feel free to contact me. I am always happy to answer sincere questions and engage in respectful dialogue. 
Once discussions degrade into circular arguments and bickering, I bow out.
I immediately delete and ignore inflammatory or disrespectful comments, while saying a prayer for the sender.



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Handmade Rosaries available in my Etsy shop this week: 

Rosary Divine Mercy chaplet dyed freshwater pearls gold crucifix

Rosary chaplet Divine Mercy red glass beads gold crucifix

Blue Rosary with Flower Beads, Silver Marian Medal Crucifix, Catholic Prayer Beads
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