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By NiteOwlDave
The adoration of Mary by the Roman Catholic Church is not just
a tad excessive; it is a ton excessive.
Luke 1:28 does call Mary "blessed" and "highly
favored," yes. And we are to honor the birth mother of the Lord Jesus
Christ as a chosen vessel of God. But to worship her as the "Advocate,
Auxiliatrix, Adjutrix, and Mediatrix," as the Vatican insists? No.
Very little is said in the Bible about Mary following the
miracle virgin birth of Jesus Christ. This should set off alarm bells.
There are solid reasons to believe that Mary had an earthly
purpose, only. There is no biblical support for her to be lofted high for
heralded honor beyond being the birth mother of the Savior.
Consider these biblical observations, keeping in mind that the
27 books of the New Testament were officially recognized as being inspired by
God at the Roman Catholic Council of Hippo in North Africa in 393 AD.
1. Mary is mentioned only 21 times in the New Testament, while
the apostle Paul is mentioned 153 times. There is no mention of Mary beyond the
fifth book of the New Testament; in Acts. 1:14.
2. Apostle Matthew in Matthew 11:11 quotes Jesus as saying,
"I tell you the truth: Among those born
of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist."
Mary, then, is less significant than John. Mary was the daughter of Heli.
Is Jesus suggesting that He too is of lesser importance than
John the Baptist? Absolutely not. The Bible proclaims that Jesus is one with
Father God, that He was God in the flesh.
The apostle John quotes Jesus in John 8:58,
"I tell you the truth, before Abraham was born, I am!"
In John 14:6, John later quotes the Lord as saying,
"Jesus answered, I am the way and the
truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
Notice that Jesus says "me."
These are muscle verses where Jesus whams down His stamp of
supreme authority.
He declares that He is God in the flesh and the lone way to
Heaven.
3. It is proclaimed by the Roman Catholic Church that Mary was
born without sin, lived a sinless life, and was swept into Heaven without dying
a mortal death. None of these ideologies have any biblical support.
Mary essentially declared that she was a sinner when she is
quoted in Luke 1:47, "And my spirit
rejoiced in God my Savior." Only a sinner needs a Savior. A sin-less
person would not say that.
4. A fast-held plank in the Roman Catholic Mariology platform
is that Mary remained a virgin and had no children beyond the immaculately
conceived Jesus, the promised Messiah.
The Holy Scripture weighs heavily on the idea that Mary birthed
at least seven children—Jesus, James, Joseph, Simon, Judas, and sisters. Check
out these verses.
"Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not His
mother called Mary, and His brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas?"
(Matthew 13:55)
"And when the Sabbath had come, He began to
teach in the synagogue; and the many listeners were astonished, saying, 'Where
did this man get these things, and what is this wisdom given to Him, and such
miracles as these performed by His hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of
Mary, and brother of James, and Joseph, and Judas, and Simon? Are not His
sisters here with us?" (Mark 6:2‑3)
"After this He went down to Capernaum, He
and His mother, and His brothers, and His disciples; and there they
stayed a few days." (John 2:12)
In the previous verse, note the divide between His brothers and
His disciples.
"These all with one mind were continually
devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of
Jesus, and with His brothers." (Acts 1:14)
"But I did not see any other of the apostles
except James, the Lord's brother. Do we not have a right to eat and drink? Do
we not have a right to take along a believing wife, even as the rest of the
apostles, and the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas?"
(1 Corinthians 9:4‑5)
"But other of the apostles saw I none; save
James the Lord's brother." (Galatians 1:19)
It is debatable archaeology, but in 2002 the world took sharp
notice when a 2,000-year-old ossuary thought to have once held the bones of
James, the brother of Jesus, was discovered in Israel. The box bears the
inscription "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus."
5. Isn't it curious that the Lord Jesus Christ made no
celebrated reference to Mary prior to His returning to Heaven? If she were to
be elevated above others for special honor, wouldn't He have clearly reminded
His followers to take heed? Of course He would have. But he didn't. His silence
speaks volumes, and again points out that Jesus is the one and only way to
Heaven, with no other between or alongside and that all his creation is fallen
and is parallel as sinners.
6. It may surprise some that Mary hasn't always been held with
such celebrated esteem. The Church of Rome has given Mary a recent elevator
ride, and her upturn of adoration is, for some unknown reason, gathering
momentum. Here are Mary dates of note instituted by the Vatican.
Worship of Mary is approved in 431 AD.
Prayers to Mary are approved in 600 AD.
The Ave Maria (Hail to Mary) is approved in 1508 AD.
Immaculate conception of Mary is announced and approved
in 1854 AD.
Mary is proclaimed Mother of the Church in 1965 AD—a
mere 41 years ago.
Pope John Paul became Mary's greatest cheerleader by dedicating
his papacy to her and taking his episcopal motto the Latin words, "Totus
Tuus," meaning "Totally Yours," and had these words of devotion
to Mary embroidered on his papal robes. One would think a
proclaimed follower of Christ would promote the Savior ahead of His "mother."
"Mary's mediation continues in the history of the Church
and the world...and the Church expresses her faith in this truth by invoking
Mary under the titles of Advocate, Auxiliatrix, Adjutrix, and Mediatrix."
(See Pope John Paul II Encyclical, "Redemptoris Mater," page 87.)
"She (the Virgin Mary) is the shrine of the Holy Spirit.
This gift of outstanding grace makes her outstrip by far all other creatures in
excellence whether they are in heaven or on earth. All Christ's faithful must
issue urgent pleas to the Mother of God and Mother of men." (Vatican II;
Dogmatic Constitution on the Church.)
These papal statements are blatantly blasphemous. Mary is not
our advocate; Jesus Christ is. He died on the cross and rose again for our
sins. Mary watched and has no role as "mediator."
7. The apostles and first century believers did not worship
Mary. Neither did they honor Peter, the alleged first Pope, but we won't
address that subject here. So why does anyone today make such a fuss over the
blessed earthly mother of our Lord? It makes no sense.
Mary received zero fuss on the day of Pentecost when the Holy
Spirit descended upon the 120 of His followers and empowered them with the Holy
Spirit to spread the gospel of eternal salvation through the finished sacrifice
of Jesus Christ. Mary was praying with the others. There is no mention
that she was being prayed to.
The Bible speaks of attempts by followers to worship the
Apostles. In each instance, the Apostles refused any worship. In Revelation
22:89, a high-ranking heavenly angel refused John's worship saying, "See
thou do it not for I am thy fellow servant—worship God."
8. Not only is Mary not mentioned in the Bible beyond the Book
of Acts, but she is suspiciously absent in the apostle John's Book of
Revelation, a visionary tour of Heaven in which John saw differently ranked
angels and Christ standing at the throne and at the prayer altar. Christ is
seen as the only candidate worthy to open the seals of the title deed to earth.
It is Christ alone who's the heavenly mediator in Hebrews 7. It
is Christ alone in the midst of the seven churches in Revelations 1‑3.
There is no suggestion anywhere in the Bible that Mary is an "Advocate,
Auxiliatrix, Adjutrix, or Mediatrix."
To sum up:
1. In Scripture, Mary is never called the 'mother of
God.'
2. Mary had other children after she bore Jesus; she was
not a perpetual virgin.
3. Mary was not sinless; she had need of a Savior.
4. The Bible does not say that Mary ascended to Heaven;
this is pure legend.
5. The only mention of Queen of Heaven in the Bible
refers, not to Mary, but to a heathen goddess idol (Jeremiah 44:18‑19).
6. The Apostles and prophets did not exalt Mary.
7. Mary has absolutely no role in the work of redemption.
Jesus Christ alone is Savior and Intercessor and Mediator.
"For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man
Christ Jesus, Who gave himself as ransom for all, to be testified in due
time," states 1 Timothy 2:5‑6. He purged our sins "by
himself," states Hebrews 1:3.
8. Mary is not mentioned in the Book of Revelation, which
is a look into the future.
What are the source books for this over adoration of Mary?
There is no documentation. The Mariology movement is the vile brainchild of
mere men at the Vatican.
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