Blessed Virgin Mary
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- This article is about the Catholic, Orthodox and Anglican understanding of Mary; for other views, see Mary (mother of Jesus) and Islamic view of Virgin Mary. For the religious order BVM, see Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The Blessed Virgin Mary, sometimes shortened to The Blessed Virgin or The Virgin Mary, is a traditional title specifically used by Roman Catholics, Anglicans, some Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholics, and others to describe Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ.
The term carries not merely belief in the virginity of Mary but of her continuing role within the church and in the life of all Christians. In the Dogmatic Constitution of the Church (21 November 1964), passed during the Second Vatican Council, Mary was also given the title Advocate, Auxiliatrix, Adjutrix, and Mediatrix. Mary is often referred to colloquially as Our Lady.
[edit] The Blessed Virgin Mary in Catholicism
Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy focus on Mary as a living person who can intercede to her Son, Jesus, on behalf of humanity. From the beginning of the Church, Catholic theology has maintained that Christ is the sole Mediator between God and Man.[1] Yet as theologian Ludwig Ott observes, "there is nothing to prevent others in a certain way (secundum quid) from being called mediators between God and man, insofar as they, by preparing or serving, cooperate in uniting men to God" (emphasis added).[2] Mary's willed obedience[3] is contrasted with Eve's disobedience,[4] an idea with roots in the writings of the Church Fathers. (All Christians can share in the mediation of Christ in a secondary sense by interceding through prayer for their fellow believers). Mary herself required redemption and is not equal to Jesus in Catholic theology. Nonetheless her role was pivotal, as emphasized by Jerome, Irenaeus 180–199 (see Jurgens §224), Tertullian c.212 (see Jurgens §358) and others including herself in Scripture: "behold the handmaid of the Lord."[5] Mary is also described by Ambrose as "the prototype of the Church."[6]
Marian devotions play a key part in the ritual and liturgy of Western and Eastern Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy. While many of the traits attributed to her and devotions given her within Western Catholicism are not found among the Eastern Orthodox & Catholics, the opposite is also true. For instance, in the Paraklesis service of the Byzantine liturgy, Eastern Christians appeal to her: "O most holy Theotokos, save us!"[7] This appeal to her to save us is not used in Western Christianity, but it is explained by the Eastern Orthodox as "ask(ing) the Most Holy Theotokos to 'save us' not in the sense of the eternal salvation found only through Christ, but in the sense that those drowning call out to those on dry land for assistance in their plight."[8] For more on the place of Mary in Eastern Orthodox tradition and theology, see The Ever-Virgin Mother of God by Archpriest George Florovsky.
[edit] Culture of the Virgin Mary
[edit] Origins
The Council of Ephesus in 431 formally sanctioned devotion to the Virgin as Theotokos, Mother of God, (literally, God bearer) allowing the creation of icons bearing the images of the Virgin and Child. Devotion to Mary was, however, already widespread by this point. The early Church Fathers saw Mary as the "new Eve" who said "yes" to God as Eve had said no. The non-canonical Gospel of James, written around 150, is an example of early devotion to Mary, advocating her perpetual virginity. Mary, as the first Christian Saint and Mother of Jesus, was deemed to be a compassionate mediator between suffering mankind and her son, Jesus, who was seen as King and Judge. Biblical support for this position was found in the story of the Marriage at Cana whereat Mary entreated Jesus to turn water into wine (Gospel of John, Chapter 2). Elizabeth's praise of Mary "blessed art thou among women" and "who am I that the mother of my Lord would visit me?" in Luke 2 are also cited, among other passages of Scripture.
Early representations show Mary as the "Throne of Heaven" with Mary and the Child Jesus both crowned as Royalty. She was further identified with the Bride in the Old Testament Song of Solomon, by such noted theologians as St. Bernard of Clairvaux. She became the prototype for the Church itself. During the Middle Ages, and especially in France, the great Cathedrals were thus named for Mary. The Marian Rosary was popularized by the followers of St. Dominic.Devotion to the Virgin Mary as the "new Eve" lent much to the status of women during the Middle Ages. Women who had been looked down upon as daughters of Eve (first woman), came to be looked upon as objects of veneration and inspiration. The veneration of Mary both as woman and prototype of the Church was greatly responsible for transforming the Germanic Warrior code into the Code of Chivalry. This reinterpretation of women flowered in the Courtly Love poetry of Medieval and Renaissance France. Mary, as the original "vessel of Christ" may have also influenced the legends of the Holy Grail. Her selflessness, obedience and virginal humility were reinterpreted in the literary figure of Sir Galahad, finder of the Grail.
[edit] Accusations of idolatry
Modern popular image of the Lourdes Apparition.
These proclamations by the Catholic Church, in addition to calling Mary the Mother of God, which translates the term Theotokos, instituted by an Ecumenical Council (instead of the mother of the human body of Jesus, which may echo the term Christotokos, specifically condemned as Nestorian by an Ecumenical Council), the Queen of Heaven, and the Queen of the World has led to such accusations. However, Catholics and Orthodox Christians believe that Mary is the Mother of Jesus, and that He is both God and man. Mary, as the Mother of Christ, who is King, is naturally and logically declared Queen. This follows the ancient custom in Israel in which the mother of the king held a high position and was honored above all women in the court (e.g. 1 Kings 2:19). Since Protestants refuse to call Mary the Mother of God Catholics respond to them by stating that some Protestants have fallen into the Nestorian heresy[citation needed] which claimed that the "man Jesus" is not both fully divine and fully human, two natures (ousia) united inextricably in one person (hypostasis). Instead, Nestorianism claims that the "man Jesus" had Divine nature bestowed upon him at some time later than His conception and, therefore, Mary could not have been the Mother of God. Instead, the Nestorian doctrine was that she was merely the "mother of his humanity". Catholics do not believe Mary is the source of Jesus' Divine nature, but the source of his human nature. Yet as a person he is truly God and truly man, thus making her His mother. This contributes to the disagreement between Catholics and Protestants.
"Marianism" describes the excessive veneration of Mary, as opposed to Jesus. The term was first used in the 19th century to condemn the "perversion of Christianity into Marianism".
[edit] Marian theology
Marian theology or Mariology is the area of Christian theology concerned with Mary, the Mother of Jesus. It not only deals with her life but her veneration through Roman Catholicism, and her aspect in modern and ancient Christianity.
St. Irenaeus of Lyon called Mary the second Eve because through Mary and her willing acceptance of God's choice, God undid the harm that was done through Eve's choice to eat the forbidden fruit.
- See full article Mariology
- Marian doctrines of the Catholic Church
[edit] Divine motherhood
Highly venerated image in Mexico.
In Roman Catholicism , there are currently four dogmas about the Blessed Virgin Mary: Mother of God (Theotokos), Perpetual Virginity, Immaculate Conception, and Assumption into Heaven.
Three of these dogmas are accepted by the Eastern Orthodox Churches - mainly, all except the Immaculate Conception. However, this is formally accepted by the Old Believers who broke away from the Russian Orthodox Church. The Immaculate Conception is similar, although not identical, to Eastern Orthodox beliefs about Mary's purity, and both stem from patristic traditions. None of these dogmas are formally accepted within Protestant communities, except perhaps in some Anglo-Catholic congregations; although few Protestants would deny the practical implications of the belief that Mary was "Mother of God", as they would acept Mary gave birth to Jesus who was fully God, however they would never refer to her by that title. A debate with them concerning the truth of these dogmas goes on.
[edit] Five Marian dogmas
[edit] The Mother of God
The dogma that declared Mary as the Mother of God or Theotokos is the central dogma within Mariology. This dogma was declared by the Ecumenical Council of Ephesus in A.D. 431. The first of twelve anathemas proposed by Cyril of Alexandra and accepted by the Council of Ephesus declares:
1.If anyone does not confess that Emmanuel is God in truth, and therefore that the holy virgin is the mother of God (for she bore in a fleshly way the Word of God become flesh, let him be anathema.
The Council of Ephesus also declared:
Therefore we confess one Christ, one Son, one Lord. According to this understanding of the unconfused union, we confess the holy virgin to be the mother of God because God the Word took flesh and became man and from his very conception united to himself the temple he took from her.
This is the oldest of all dogmas concerning the Blessed Virgin. It is not only essential in Marian Theology but also in the Theology of Christ. For if Mary was not Mother of God, then Jesus was in fact not God.
This dogma is based in part on the scripture in which Elizabeth greets Mary stating:
"And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" (Luke 1:43)
[edit] The Perpetual Virginity
The dogma of the Perpetual Virginity of Mary defines that Mary was always a virgin, even after giving birth to Christ-in fact, Christ's birth sanctified his mother's virginity.
The Second Council of Constantinople stated in the Fourteen anathemas:
2. If anyone will not confess that the Word of God has two nativities, that which is before all ages from the Father, outside time and without a body, and secondly that nativity of these latter days when the Word of God came down from the heavens and was made flesh of holy and glorious Mary, mother of God and ever-virgin, and was born from her: let him be anathema.
While many Protestant Christians have declared that Mary did in fact have other children, in accordance with verses such as Matthew 13:55-56 and Mark 6:3 which state that Jesus had brothers and sisters. The Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Churches have held that the word for brother, male cousin, male friend, etc. were the same word adelphos which is Greek for brethren/brother. Within the New Testament the word appears over 346 times. Many Eastern (and some Western) Christians (both Catholic and Orthodox) hold that the "brothers and sisters" of Jesus referenced in the Scriptures were children of Joseph from a previous marriage.
The scripture verse commonly cited for her perpetual virginity is
"Then said the LORD unto me; This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter in by it; because the LORD, the God of Israel, hath entered in by it, therefore it shall be shut." (Ezekiel 44:2)
[edit] The Immaculate Conception
The dogma concerning the Immaculate Conception of Mary was promulgated by Pope Pius IX on December 8, 1854. The official language of the Papal Bull entitled Ineffabilis Deus states:
We declare, pronounce, and define that the doctrine which holds that the most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instance of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin, is a doctrine revealed by God and therefore to be believed firmly and constantly by all the faithful."
Hence, if anyone shall dare--which God forbid!--to think otherwise than as has been defined by us, let him know and understand that he is condemned by his own judgment; that he has suffered shipwreck in the faith; that he has separated from the unity of the Church; and that, furthermore, by his own action he incurs the penalties established by law if he should are to express in words or writing or by any other outward means the errors he think in his heart.
Protestant and Orthodox Christians alike denounce the dogma for different reasons. However, both view it as an example of Papal hubris. Protestants hold that the dogma means that Mary has no need for a savior. Orthodox Christians view the dogma as unnecessary because Original Sin, or First Sin, is not a stain on one's soul. Their understanding is that we do not hold the guilt of Adam's sin, which is held by the West, but we do share in the consequences of that sin, which is chiefly death.
Catholic teaching holds that Mary was granted grace, which is necessary for salvation, from the first moment of her conception. Mary still needed a savior, as without Christ she would not have been preserved from original sin. Mary shared in the gifts of Christ's crucifixion prior to his death by way of God.
Our Lady of Lourdes pronounced herself as the Immaculate Conception in February of 1858 to Saint Bernadette Soubirous. She and her parish Priest were unfamilar with the phrase and took it to their local Bishop who explained that only 4 years prior the Pope had declared Mary was Immaculately Conceived.
Scripture verse sometimes used to show her Immaculate Conception include Luke 1:28 and
"So I made an ark of boards of incorruptible wood, and I hewed tables of stone like the first, and I went up to the mountain, and the two tables were in my hand." (Deuteronomy 10:3 Breton LXX)
Other translations use the words "setim," "acacia," "indestructible," and "hard" to describe the wood used. In any case, Moses used this wood because it was regarded as very durable and "incorruptible." Mary is regarded by Catholic and Orthodox Christians as being the Ark of the Covenant in the New Testament and therefore it would seem fitting that the New Ark likewise be made "incorruptible" or "immaculate."
This is by no means a recent belief. The inclusion of the feast of an individual's birthday indicated that they were regarded as sanctified from the womb. Only three figures in the christian tradition have their birthdays celebrated in the Roman Catholic Church, Jesus, John the Baptist - both of whom are described as sanctified before their birth in Luke's Gospel - and Mary.
[edit] The Assumption of Mary
The Assumption of Mary is held infallibly by both the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches. However, it was not until 1950 that it was officially pronounced a dogma by Pope Pius XII in his Papal Bull Munificentissimus Deus.
The official language states:
"We pronounce, declare, and define it to be a divinely revealed dogma: that the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory. Hence if anyone, which God forbid, should dare willfully to deny or to call into doubt that which we have defined, let him know that he has fallen away completely from the divine and Catholic Faith"
The Orthodox share in the belief of the Assumption though believe it was unnecessary to officially pronounce it, seeing this as another sign of Papal hubris..
As the Virgin Mary remained an ever-virgin and sinless, it is viewed that the Virgin Mary could not thus suffer the consequences of Original Sin, which is chiefly Death. The Virgin Mary was defined as declared not only perpetual virgin but sinless by the Second Ecumenical Council of Nicea:
"..we also confess the two natures of the one who became incarnate for our sake from the God-bearer without blemish (immaculate), Mary the ever-virgin.."[9][10]
Jesus and Mary are both considered sinless by Catholic and Orthodox. Sinlessness is not unique to Christian, in Judaism there is traditionally four men that are regarded as never having committed sin of their own, and only died due to the Sin of Adam. They are exceptions to the norm that all men have sinned, they are as follows: Benjamin, the son of Jacob; Amram, the father of Moses; Jesse, the father of David; and Kileab, the son of David.[11][12]
[edit] Mother of the Church
The title, Mother of the Church, was proclaimed by Pope Paul VI at the Second Vatican Council in an address ending the third session of the Council on November 21, 1964. The title was further affirmed at a general audience by Pope John Paul II on September 17, 1997. [13]
The title, Mother of the Church is a parallel to a more ancient title, Mary, Mother of all Christians which is based on an traditional Catholic interpretation of John 19:25-27:
Jesus' mother stood near his cross. His mother's sister was also standing there with Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. Jesus saw his mother. He also saw the follower that he loved very much standing there. He said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son." Then Jesus said to the follower, "Here is your mother." So after that, this follower took Jesus' mother to live in his home.
The traditional Catholic interpretation is that the "beloved disciple" is a type for all Christians who are beloved disciples. Thus, Jesus gives all Christians his mother as their own. As Mother of all Christians, Mary is Mother of the Church.
[edit] Other doctrines
[edit] Queen of Heaven
While this has never been declared officially a dogma of the Catholic Church, there is a feast day devoted to Mary the Queen of Heaven, which is celebrated on August 22.
[edit] Mediatrix of all Graces and Advocate for the People of God
In the first of his so called Rosary encyclicals, Supremi Apostolatus (1883), Pope Leo XIII calls Our Lady the guardian of our peace and the dispensatrix of heavenly graces.
The following year, 1884, his encyclical Superiore Anno speaks of the prayers presented to God through her whom He has chosen to be the dispenser of all heavenly graces.
But it was in Octobri Mense (1891) that Leo XIII gave the most forceful exposition of this doctrine:
"With equal truth can it be affirmed that, by the will of God, nothing of the immense treasure of every grace which the Lord has accumulated, comes to us except through Mary.... How great are the wisdom and mercy revealed in this design of God.... Mary is our glorious intermediary; she is the powerful Mother of the omnipotent God.... This design of such dear mercy realized by God in Mary and confirmed by the testament of Christ (Jn. 19:26‑27), was understood from the beginning and accepted with the utmost joy by the holy Apostles and the earliest believers. It was also the belief and teaching of the venerable Fathers of the Church. All the Christian peoples of every age accepted it unanimously.... There is no other reason for this than a divine faith."
[edit] Non-doctrinal title: Co-Redemptrix
The fifth Marian dogma is not dogmatically defined (unlike the other four Marian dogmas). It has been proposed, and is subject to discussion.
It would dogmatically define that Mary co-operated in the Redemption, because of her free participation in the birth of Christ. Should she have refused participation, there would have been no birth of Christ, and consequently no redemption. Thus she was an alternative Eve, who of her own free will carried out the will of God, and so doing contributed as a necessary, but not in itself sufficient, instrument in the redemption process of Christ.
However, it is quite important to remember that the Catholic Church does not view Mary as a member of the Holy Trinity or as a goddess. The term Co-Redemptrix would not imply that Mary is equal to Christ the Redeemer, but instead she is Co-Redemptrix "with" Christ. She chose to allow herself to be Mother of Our Lord, it was not forced upon her. Professor Mark Miravalle of the Franciscan University in Steubenville in the United States launched a petition to urge Pope John Paul to make such a move, by defining the teaching of the Church that Mary is Co-Redemptrix, Mediatrix of All Graces, and Advocate for the People of God.
More than six million signatures were gathered from 148 countries. Signatories included Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Cardinal John O'Connor of New York, 41 other cardinals and 550 bishops.
However, such a proposal was also heavily criticized by many Catholics who suggested that such an act would drive a wedge in relationships with other Christian faiths, notably the Orthodox Church and Anglicanism, neither of whom would accept such a designation.
[edit] See also
[edit] Perpetual virginity
It is a fundamental Catholic and Orthodox teaching that Mary remained a virgin her entire life. She conceived Jesus solely through the power of the Holy Spirit. Several explanations are offered regarding verses such as Matthew 13:55 and Mark 6:3, which list "adelphoi" of Jesus. Jerome translated the ambiguous Greek term "adelphoi" to possibly mean certain types of close relatives such as "cousins".[14] Several early writers (the Clementine literature, Hegesippus-Eusebius) suggest that they were stepbrothers of Jesus, sons of a previous wife of Joseph.[15][16][17] It is important to note that the perpetual virginity of Mary is linked to the belief in her Immaculate Conception, or sinlessness: her physical virginity is reflective of her spiritual virginity. Mary's perpetual virginity also stresses her exclusive love and dedication to her offspring, Jesus Christ. Catholics and Orthodox Christians, as well as some Early Church Fathers such as St Jerome, cite Ezekiel 44:2 as evidence for Mary's perpetual virginity:
He said to me: This gate is to remain closed; it is not to be opened for anyone to enter by it; since the LORD, the God of Israel, has entered by it, it shall remain closed.
This teaching is rejected by the majority of Protestant theologians and some academic New Testament scholars, who interpret "adelphoi" in the usual sense of "brother," although most Reformers regarded Mary as ever virgin.
[edit] Immaculate Conception
Since the Middle Ages, Roman Catholic theologians had argued the question of whether or not Mary had been subject to original sin. In general, the Franciscans argued in favor of her "immaculate conception", the doctrine that she, from the moment of her conception, had been preserved by God from all sin and all tendency to sin; the Dominicans, on the other hand, including most notably Thomas Aquinas, argued that Mary's sinlessness is a grace granted to her at some time after her conception. In 1854, Pope Pius IX effectively ended the debate for Roman Catholics by proclaiming the dogma of the "Immaculate Conception", stating that "the Blessed Virgin Mary in the first instant of her conception was preserved exempt from all stain of original sin by a singular privilege and grace granted by God (cf. Luke 1:28), in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the human race." ("Ineffabilis Deus", issued on 8 December 1854). It was subsequently claimed that the Blessed Virgin Mary during her sixteenth appearance in Lourdes on March 25 1858 announced to Bernadette Soubirous "I am the Immaculate Conception". The term Immaculate Conception is also widely used within Roman Catholicism to refer to the Virgin Mary.
[edit] Assumption
In 1950, speaking ex cathedra, in his encyclical Munificentissimus Deus Pope Pius XII proclaimed the Dogma of the Assumption, in which he stated that "at the end of her earthly course, Mary was assumed into heavenly glory, body and soul". This was a long held belief by Christians since the time of the early Church, despite its recent definition as dogma. Pope Pius XII also stated that he was relying both on scripture and on "apostolic tradition". As an infallible pronouncement, the Dogma of the Assumption is thus a mandatory belief for Roman Catholics. No pope since has issued an infallible dogma. This doctrine is based on the vision of John in Revelation 12:1: A great sign appeared in the sky a Woman clothed with the sun with the moon under her feet and on her head a crown of twelve stars.
- The Marian appartions support this as well.
[edit] Co-Redemptrix
Some Catholics in the late twentieth century urged Pope John Paul II to infallibly declare Mary Co-Redemptrix, not meaning by this title that Mary herself redeems mankind, but that she cooperates with Jesus in His redemption of the world; as a co-pilot is not equal to the pilot of an airplane, so is the case with Jesus and His Mother as well as with any other Christian faithful who, by the Baptism, becomes member of the Mystical Body of Jesus and, as such, "co-redemptor".
Professor Mark Miravalle of the Franciscan University in Steubenville in the United States launched a petition to urge Pope John Paul to make such a move, by defining the teaching of the Church that Mary is Co-Redemptrix, Mediatrix of All Graces, and Advocate for the People of God. More than six million signatures were gathered from 148 countries. Signatories included Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Cardinal John O'Connor of New York, 41 other cardinals and 550 bishops. However, such a proposal was also heavily criticized by many Catholics who suggested that only Jesus could be a Redeemer and that such an act would drive a wedge in relationships with other apostolic tradition Christian faiths, notably the Orthodox Church and Anglican Church, neither of whom would accept such a designation. Though both Pope Pius XI in 1935 and Pope John Paul II himself in 1985 did use the word co-redemptrix to refer to Mary, no formal infallible dogma supporting such a designation has been issued, notwithstanding the petition.
Mary as Co-Redemptrix is entirely tied to her role in the Incarnation of Jesus. Because Jesus was miraculously incarnated in the womb of the Virgin Mary, the physical, human nature of Jesus was thus derived from Mary. In a very real sense, the blood Jesus shed on the Cross was the blood he received from Mary. And since Jesus saved mankind by his incarnation, and this was made possible by the obedience of Mary, this becomes a source of understanding Mary as Co-Redemptrix. Mary's role, however, is totally dependent upon her relationship to the redeemer, Jesus, and her total obedience to the Will of the Spirit.
In support, Mary herself said in Luke 1:48, "...for behold, henceforth ALL GENERATIONS 'SHALL' CALL ME BLESSED".
[edit] Controversy
Some Biblical scholars, as well as some Jewish[18] and even Christian commentators, claim that the tradition that the Messiah would be born of a virgin arose from a mistranslation of a prophetic text in Isaiah 7:14. The original Hebrew stated that an almah ("young girl" or "virgin") would give birth to a figure called Emmanuel (whom Christians traditionally identify with Jesus), but the Septuagint translated almah into Greek as parthenos ("virgin"). The Peshitta text (Aramaic)of Isaiah also states a "virgin."[19] Catholics and Orthodox, on the other hand, accept that the translation of the Septuagint is inspired, and refer to its citation in the Gospel of Matthew as proof.
The tradition of the Eastern Orthodox Church is thus: one of the translators of the Septuagint hesitated over the translation of Isaiah 7:14 "Behold a virgin (almah) shall conceive", doubting the possibility of a virginal conception. Instead of translating 'almah' with 'parthenos' (virgin), he translated it with 'gyne' (young woman) - also admissible from the Hebrew . According to this same tradition, an angel appeared to him and advised him that 'virgin' was the correct translation, and that he would not die until he had seen the Christ born of a virgin. Thus the scholar-translator remained in the Temple of Jerusalem for over three hundred years, awaiting the sign. This was the Simeon the Righteous, the "just and devout" man of Jerusalem who, according to Luke 2:25-35, met the Virgin Mary and Jesus as they entered the Temple to fulfill the requirements of the Law of Moses on the fortieth day from Jesus' birth. On taking Jesus into his arms he uttered the prayer Nunc dimittis, about having finally seen the promised salvation.
[edit] Marian prayers
- See main category: Marian prayers
Beneath your compassion, We take refuge, O Mother of God: do not despise our petitions in time of trouble: but rescue us from dangers, only pure, only blessed one.
A popular Marian devotional is the Rosary (erroneously attributed to Saint Dominic), a form of prayer in which an Our Father, ten Hail Marys and a Glory Be to the Father (together forming a "decade of the Rosary") are recited five times while meditating on the mysteries of the life of Jesus and Mary (Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful and Glorious) to be followed by a prayer called the "Hail Holy Queen" and perhaps the "Litany of Loreto". The rosary as a "devotional path" to the Virgin Mary has been a source of inspiration for a number of Roman Catholic figures. For instance, in his encyclical Rosarium Virginis Mariae Pope John Paul II discusses the inspiration of the rosary and how his motto "Totus Tuus" was inspired by the writings of Saint Louis de Montfort[20].
Other famous Marian prayers include the "Magnificat," the Angelus and the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Marian hymns include O Mary, we Crown Thee With Blossoms Today, O Purest of Creatures, the Regina Coeli, and the Ave Maria. May and October are traditionally seen within Roman Catholicism as Marian months.
The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a weekly cycle of prayers said throughout the day, based on the Liturgy of the Hours, and consists of hymns, psalms, scripture, and patristic readings.
[edit] Marian apparitions
The central role of Mary in the belief and practice of Catholicism is reflected in the fact that many Roman Catholic churches contain side altars dedicated to the Virgin Mary. She is also celebrated through major religious sites where it is claimed apparitions or appearances of the Virgin have occurred, often with claims by witnesses that messages to humanity were delivered.
[edit] Marian titles
- See main article: Titles of Mary
- Mary, the Immaculate Conception (Patroness of the United States and Principal Patroness of the Philippines)
- Mary Help of Christians (Patroness of Australia)
- Mary, Queen of Heaven
- Mary, Queen of the World
- Mary, Seat of Wisdom
- Mary Untier of Knots
- Mary Undoer of Knots
- Our Lady, Help of Christians
- Our Lady of Aparecida (Patroness of Brazil)
- Our Lady of Combermere
- Our Lady of Doctrine (celebrated in Tarxien, Malta)
- Our Lady of Expectation (Our Lady in Expectation) [21] [22]
- Our Lady of Fatima
- Our Lady of Good Counsel
- Our Lady of Good Health (Vailankanni, India)
- Our Lady of Good Success
- Our Lady of Grace
- Our Lady of Guadalupe
- Our Lady of La Salette
- Our Lady of Lebanon
- Our Lady of Loreto
- Our Lady of Lujan (Patron of Argentina, in Lujan city where the impressive basilica is built)
- Our Lady of Mount Carmel
- Our Lady of Perpetual Help or Succour (Patroness of the Philippine Islands and Haiti)
- Our Lady of Prompt Succor
- Our Lady of Salambao, (Patron of Obando, Bulacan)
- Our Lady of Solitude of Porta Vaga, (Patron of Cavite City)
- Our Lady of Sorrows
- Our Lady of the Holy Rosary
- Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal.
- Our Lady of the Pillar
- Our Lady of Walsingham
- Our Lady of the Wayside (Patron Saint of California)
- Our Lady, Queen of Croats
- Our Lady, Queen of Ireland
- Our Lady, Queen of Poland
- Queen of the Angels--Patron and namesake of Los Angeles, California, whose original Spanish name was El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles del Río de Porciúncula
- Queen of Genoa
- Queen of Peace
- The Madonna of Consolation
- The Madonna del Ghisallo
- The Virgin of the Charity of Cobre (Patron Saint of Cuba)
- Star of the Sea (Stella Maris)
- The Blessed Virgin Mary, Patron and Queen of Poland
- White Lily of The Trinity and Vermilon Rose of Heaven
- The Rose
- Ark of the Covenant
- Nuestra Señora Del Buen Suceso ( Patroness of Parañaque )
- Mother of All Sorrows
Among the most prominent Marian titles in the Eastern Orthodox and Greek-Catholic liturgical calendars are:
- Panagia Myrtidiotissa
- Panagia Evangelistria (Our Lady of the good Tidings)
- Aeiparthenos Maria (forever virgin Mary)
- Hyperagia Theotokos (most Holy Mother of God)
- Axion Esti (it is worthy to bless Thee, the Virgin)
- Panagia Despoina (Our Lady and Queen)
- Rodon to Amaranton (the Unfading Rose)
[edit] Marian Feast days
Among the most prominent Marian feast days in the ordinary Roman Catholic Calendar are[23]:
- January 1 Mary, Mother of God
- January 8 Our Lady of Prompt Succor
- February 2 Purification of the Virgin
- February 11 Our Lady of Lourdes
- March 25 Annunciation by Archangel Gabriel (it may be either moved to the day before Palm Sunday should this date be on Holy Week; or to the Monday after the second Sunday of Easter if this date falls on either Friday or Saturday of Holy Week or during Easter Week[24])
- April 26 Our Lady of Good Counsel
- May 1 Queen of Heaven
- May 13 Our Lady of Fatima
- May 24 Mary Help of Christians
- May 31 Mary, Mediatrix of all Graces
- May 31 Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
- June 27 Our Lady of Perpetual Help
- August 15 Assumption into Heaven
- August 21 Our Lady of Knock
- August 22 The Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary
- September 8 Nativity (birth) of the Blessed Virgin Mary
- September 15 Our Lady of Sorrows
- October 7 Feast of the Most Holy Rosary
- November 21 Presentation of Mary
- December 8 Feast of the Immaculate Conception
- December 12 Our Lady of Guadalupe
In the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite, the Visitation is observed on July 2. Its modern date, May 31 is instead the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Immaculate Heart of Mary is commemorated on August 22 (which in the modern calendar is the Queenship). Friday in Passion Week (the week prior to Holy Week) is observed as the Seven Dolors of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Feast of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary is celebrated on September 15, and the Motherhood of the BVM is October 11. The Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, does not exist in the extraordinary calendar.
Among the most prominent Marian feast days in the Eastern Orthodox and Greek-Catholic liturgical calendars are:
- March 25 Annunciation of the Theotokos
- August 15 Dormition of the Theotokos
- September 8 Nativity of the Theotokos
- November 21 Entry of the Theotokos into the Temple
- December 26 Synaxis of the Theotokos
[edit] Marian shrines
Many of the shrines have acquired a symbolic value for patriotism and nationalism in their area.
Among the shrines considered most significant for their apparitions:
- Loreto, Italy
- Our Lady of Fatima in Fatima, Portugal
- Our Lady of Lebanon, Harissa, Lebanon
- Our Lady of La Salette in La Salette, France
- The Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City, Mexico
- The Basilica of Our Lady, Queen of Ireland in Knock, Ireland
- The Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar, Zaragoza, Aragón, Spain
- Black Madonna of Częstochowa in Częstochowa, Poland
- The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes in Lourdes, France
- The Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal in Paris, France
- Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary of Orani, Bataan Philippines
- The Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, Manila, Philippines
- The Minor Basilica of Our Lady of Caysasay, Taal, Batangas, Philippines
- Shrine of Nuestra Señora Del Buen Suceso, La Huerta, Philippines
- Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health in India.
For the Greek Orthodox the major Marian Shrine is the Church of Our Lady of Tinos, at Tinos island in Greece which constitutes the most important Christian pilgrimage in the Aegean.
A major Anglican pilgrimage site is the shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham, at Walsingham, in Norfolk, England.
[edit] Anglican recognition of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Mary's special position within God's purpose of salvation as "God bearer" (theotokos) is recognised in a number of ways in the Anglican Church. The Church affirms in the historic creeds that Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary, and celebrates the feast days of the Presentation of Christ in the Temple; the Annunciation of our Lord to the Blessed Virgin; the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin; and the Birth of the Blessed Virgin.
The Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary is kept in the 1662 Book of Common Prayer. In certain Anglo-Catholic parishes this feast is called the Immaculate Conception. Again, the Assumption of Mary is believed in by most Anglo-Catholics, but is in considered a pious opinion by moderate Anglicans.
Although these feasts are officially celebrated in the Anglican Church, Protestant minded Anglicans often neglect them.
Prayer to and with the Blessed Virgin Mary varies according to churchmanship. Low Church Anglicans rarely invoke the Blessed Virgin except in certain hymns, such as the second stanza of Ye Watchers and Ye Holy Ones. Anglo-Catholics, however, frequently pray the rosary, the Angelus, Regina Caeli, and other litanies and anthems of Our Lady. The Anglican Society of Mary maintains chapters in many countries. The purpose of the society is to foster devotion to Mary among Anglicans.
[edit] See also
- Angelus
- Anglo-Catholicism
- Anthropotokos
- Ballinspittle
- Hail Mary
- Hail, Holy Queen
- Immaculate Heart of Mary
- Islamic view of Virgin Mary
- Marian Cross
- Marian doctrines of the Catholic Church
- Mary (mother of Jesus)
- The perpetual virginity of Mary
- Rosary
- Theotokos
- Frithjof Schuon
[edit] References
- ^ Bible - 1 Timothy 2:5
- ^ Ludwig Ott. Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma 1954;Bk III, Pt. 3, Ch. 3, §7
- ^ Bible - Luke 1:38
- ^ Bible - Genesis 3:6
- ^ Bible - Luke 1:38
- ^ Ambrose Expos. Ev. Sec. Luc. II 7
- ^ The Blessed Virgin Mary Fervent Defender of Christians by Bishop Alexander (Mileant)
- ^ St. Mary Orthodox Church
- ^ Nicea II Session 6 Decree
- ^ Nicaea II Definition, "without blemish"
- ^ Sin, Original Sin
- ^ Shabbath fol. 55, col. 2.
- ^ http://www.ewtn.com/library/papaldoc/jp2bvm63.htm
- ^ "The Perpetual Virginity of Blessed Mary" from the Catholic Encyclopedia
- ^ The Book of the Birth of Saint Mary
- ^ The Protoevangelium of James
- ^ Liturgy of St James
- ^ http://www.outreachjudaism.org/matthew.html
- ^ Isaiah 7 with lexicon
- ^ Pope John Paul II's encyclical Rosarium Virginis Mariae http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_letters/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_20021016_rosarium-virginis-mariae_en.html
- ^ http://www.polamjournal.com/Library/Holidays/xmasindex/xmas-expectation/xmas-expectation.html
- ^ http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05712a.htm
- ^ Memorials of the Blessed Virgin Mary
- ^ Vatican changes dates for 2008 feasts of St. Joseph, Annunciation, Singapore Catholic News, 24 August 2006
[edit] External links
- The Mary Page (The Marian Library/International Marian Research Institute, University of Dayton)
- Mariology.com
- Memorials of the Blessed Virgin Mary
- Mary's Intercession for us
- The Virgin Mary in the Bible
- Grace, Original Sin and Mary
- "The Blessed Virgin Mary". Catholic Encyclopedia. (1913). New York: Robert Appleton Company.
- Immaculate Conception
- Queenship of Mary
- Mary Defended
- Heart of Mary
- Rosary of the Unborn
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| Iconography | Hodegetria · Eleusa · Panakranta · Agiosortissa · Oranta · Blachernitissa · proskynesis (Second Council of Nicaea, 787) | |
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