“No One Has Ever Seen God … Behold Your Mother”:
Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary
Jenny duBay
December 3, 2019
(2) “No One Has Ever Seen God ... Behold Your Mother”: Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary
The Blessed Virgin Mary has always held an esteemed role within Catholic faith. From her willing fiat, her sacrifice as she witnessed the excruciating death of her Son, and her Spirit-filled presence at Pentecost, sacred Scripture repeatedly attests to Mary’s devoted witness to God. Through the hundreds of apparition claims (the first dating before her death, to St. James the Elder in Zaragoza, Spain) … the declared doctrine of Mary as Theotókos (Mother of God) at the Council of Ephesus in 431 A.D., and a wide range of testimony from the Church’s most trusted theologians, Mary has always played an active role in the living Tradition of the Church. However, there has been considerable debate regarding the cult of the Virgin Mary. It has been repeatedly claimed that Catholics worship Mary, yet this argument is based on a misunderstanding of what Marian devotion truly is. It’s crucial to remember that “the maternal duty of Mary toward men in no wise obscures or diminishes [the] unique mediation of Christ, but rather shows His power” (Lumen Gentium, 60; henceforth LG). ….
In fact, “since the Church’s earliest days, Marian devotion has been meant to foster faithful adherence to Christ.” ….
Although two thousand years ago “the Word became Flesh and dwelt among us” (Jn 1:14, RSV), Christ was still not truly seen, for “the world knew Him not” (John 1:10), a truth that remains to this day. Even those who understand the Incarnation of Christ and authentically seek His ways cannot grasp the fullness of Truth which is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The vulnerability of humanity, mired by original sin, by necessity needs a guide, a spiritual helpmate who is more intimate with Christ than anyone else; someone who is more open to the Holy Spirit, more willing to unreservedly do God’s will, and who can show believers “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6) in a deeper way than can be attained on their own. Humanity was made by God “to come to the fullest development of our own powers in total union with Him” … but only one human being has ever achieved this goal to the fullest extent—the Blessed Mother.
That’s why emulating her, seeking her intercessory assistance, and even consecrating oneself to her, is not a slight to Jesus but rather the best and quickest way individuals have develop the deepest possible relationship with Christ.
This is the reason Catholics turn to Mary. Without any possible stain of error it’s she, and she alone, who can hold the hands of believers as she urges them toward her Son. She’s enthusiastic--as only a proud mother can be—to not only introduce individuals to Christ, but to encourage them to draw closer to Him. She, and only she, can show them how to cultivate that relationship. “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Matt. 3:17; see also Mark 1:11, Luke 9:35).
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St. Louis de Montfort (1673-1716) wrote about the “virginal path to find Jesus” which is the path guided by Mary. “Virginal” in this sense speaks of complete devotion, uncluttered and untouched by any other distraction. Mary, as maternal guide, provides the “easy, short, perfect and secure way to attaining union with Our Lord.” …. For this reason, de Montfort not only dedicated his life to the Blessed Mother, but he became the premier saint in promoting consecration to her.
This devotion is a secure means of going to Jesus Christ, because it is the very characteristic of our Blessed Lady to conduct us surely to Jesus, just as it is the very characteristic of Jesus to conduct us surely to the Eternal Father … It is the way which Jesus Christ Himself trod in coming to us. ….
Consecration to Mary has proven spiritually fruitful for centuries, and is now more popular than ever. Pope Leo XIII approved a plenary indulgence to those who consecrate themselves to the Blessed Mother, while Popes Pius X, Benedict XV, Pius XI and XII, and most famously St. John Paul II advocated and consecrated themselves using Louis de Montfort’s trusted formula. ….
Perhaps the most famous Marian devotion is that of the Rosary, a string of beads consisting of five decades of the Hail Mary between one Our Father and one Glory Be (a full Rosary consists of fifteen decades). The Rosary is considered the most powerful Marian prayer, so esteemed that it’s “second only to the liturgical prayer of the Church centering around the holy Sacrifice of the Mass.” ….
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Although Christ is the only true Mediator between God and man, in the fallen state of humanity it can be difficult to approach Him. Who better to turn to than His own Mother, who desires nothing more than to reveal the glory of her Son? As theological historian Luigi Gambero observed … “the importance of Mary’s role stems from the fact that she contributed to bringing man closer to God, to making God more accessible to man.” …. This is a role she continues to fulfill through her constant, loving intercession.
In conclusion, Catholics don’t worship Mary as if she’s a pagan goddess exclusive of God’s grace. Rather, hyperdulia means Catholics honor and venerate the Blessed Mother while fully recognizing her humanity and dependence upon the pure grace of God. The faithful see in her a mirror, a reflection of Eden: God’s perfect creation without blemish or stain of sin. It is she whom believers gaze upon as a model for their own aspiring spiritual perfection. St. Irenaeus of Lyons stated that Mary was the “cause of salvation” in contrast to Jesus, who is salvation. …. “This devotion consists, then, in giving ourselves entirely to Our Lady, in order to belong entirely to Jesus through her.” ….
