By Fr. Thom Hennen
Question Box
Why is Mary so honored in the Catholic Church? Is she recognized in other churches?
It is no big secret that the Catholic Church has a deep love and respect for Mary, the Mother of Jesus. Her relationship to Jesus alone merits this. I have often wondered how other Christians could pay her such little mind.
That said, many other Christians also have a great devotion to Mary. She is revered in the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Anglican Communion and even among some mainline Protestant denominations. Both Martin Luther and John Calvin wrote highly of her and her pivotal role in our salvation, even as they set aside other beliefs about her. They both would have defended Mary’s personal holiness and the virginal birth of her son. She is also highly respected within Islam.
Let’s face it: no Mary, no Jesus. She was not chosen at random. We believe she was specially prepared and called by God for this mission. Furthermore, we believe that everything that made Jesus truly and fully human he received from her, without losing anything of his divinity. Had he not been made incarnate of the Virgin Mary, he could not have laid down his life for us on the cross. Given this, how can we fail to honor her?
Mary features prominently in the infancy narrative of Luke’s Gospel and appears throughout the public ministry of Jesus, from the wedding feast at Cana to the foot of the cross. There are a few verses to which I think we should pay special attention.
In Luke 1:28 we have the greeting of the Archangel Gabriel to Mary: “Hail, full of grace,” or some translations say, “Hail, favored one!” The word “hail” doesn’t mean “worship” but is simply a greeting. As for “full of grace/favored one,” the Greek word used here is “kecharitomene,” which literally means “you who have been graced.” It is in the past perfect tense, which indicates that something has happened prior to this encounter. She is not simply graced by the angel’s presence or by God’s choice of her only in this moment. Rather, she has already received from God the grace to accept this role.
This is at the heart of the Catholic teaching on the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, namely, that Mary was conceived without stain of original sin. She is the “New Eve,” only the grace that she received from the first moment of her precious life in the womb was even greater than that of our first parents in the garden. It was the grace of our redemption, applied to her in advance, as though baptized at the moment of her conception.
“But wait, Jesus hadn’t even been born yet to redeem us! How is that possible?” God is eternal; he lives in the eternal now. He is not subject to linear time in the way that we are. And so, God can apply the graces won for us through the passion, death and resurrection of his son “out of order,” if you will. While the Immaculate Conception was only formally defined as a dogma in 1854 by Pope Pius IX, it was long held by the Church. The early Church fathers attested to this belief in their writing and preaching.
Another key couple of verses that demonstrate why we hold Mary in such regard are John 19:26-27. With his dying breaths, from the cross, Jesus said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son,” indicating the beloved disciple. In turn, he looked at the beloved disciple, representing all disciples, and said, “Behold, your mother.” Regardless of whether all Christians accept her as such, she is our mother.
(Father Thom Hennen serves as the pastor of Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport and vicar general for the Diocese of Davenport. Send questions to messenger@davenportdiocese.org)
