How many of you have ever experienced being criticized or ridiculed because of your devotion to Mary say by non-Catholics? Does anybody have any common criticism that you've heard?

Male: Where in the Bible does it mention anything about praying to Mary or any devotion to Mary whatsoever?

Father: That's a big one that devotion to Mary is not biblical. Okay, anybody else?

Male 2: Why do you pray to Mary she is not God?

Father: Why do you pray to Mary, we should only pray to God. 

Female: Maybe this isn't about praying to her familiar things that are said about her, like she's a prostitute you know strange things like that 

Father: Okay, you know if we came from New York in the last few years so much mockery of the Catholic Church has been directed towards Mary in the artwork symbolic of her.

Female 2: Also, she wasn't really a virgin she had many other children aside from Jesus.

Father: Okay so basically she was unimportant and she had many children and what's the big deal about Mary?

Female 3: She wasn't conceived without sin?

Father: Or that Mother was conceived without sin, okay why would we say that? Anyone else?

Male 3: Why do you worship Mary that she wasn't the Mother of God.

Father: Okay she wasn't the Mother of God, God couldn't have a Mother. 

Father: Okay these are only some of the objections you can imagine some of the objections towards Mary. Think its appropriate as we honored Mary today to reflect just where does she fit in our love relationship to God and why do we honor Mary?  First of all don't let anyone tell you that Mary's role is not biblical. If you reflect on the place of Mary has, to give you an example, the Annunciation which is biblical -  it's the place where the Incarnate God became man. 

Group: Through Mary

Father: So we think what we're saying happened that the Incarnate God who created this universe the God who is beyond our comprehension, the God who keeps us alive at every moment. The God who is all-powerful Almighty becomes man in the womb of Mary.

That God enters history through Mary and in Mary. One of the most beautiful scenes of course in Scripture is Christmas of God becoming flesh of Mary holding in her arms the Creator of the world nursing the Creator of the world to her breasts. We think about the Word becoming flesh the word that was God. The word that St. John tells us lived for all eternity, the word that entered history. This flesh did Jesus become where did he get his flesh? 

They say if you saw Jesus and saw Mary you would recognize that certainly this was the son of Mary. That Jesus the eternal God the second person of the blessed Trinity take on humanity through Mary. If we go further in the scriptures 

The prophecies when Jesus was presented at the temple do you remember any of those prophecies that Mary would suffer? That a sword would pierce for heart. And certainly the suffering to Mary were revealed throughout the scriptures the fact that Christ was ridiculed the fact that Christ was misunderstood and the most personnel to of course someone who excepted Mary or Jesus or Mary excepting Jesus would accept the implications of that which means she became a refugee she was pursued. She lived in a foreign country without knowing when that would end the threat of her son would end. So the suffering to Mary which ultimately lead to the fact that she was banned beneath the cross. Like you said before there's no greater suffering been a Mother suffering the Mother who feels the pain of her child. So Mary in her love for Jesus would suffer with Jesus suffered.  We go even further certainly the crucifixion the scriptures tell us when the apostles ran away to people remain

Father: They apostles they were in contact with the apostolic church. Although some saw Mary as Eve. As Eve for said no Mary said yes. As Eve brought death Mary brought life in So Mary was seen by the especially by the fathers of the church on that role as the new eve. 

Also the fathers of the church again the successors of the apostles saw Mary as a symbol of the church. That as the church has to be faithful to Christ as imitation to Mary the church has to be faithful to the Word in imitation of Mary. The churches asked to bring forth Christ in history just as Mary did. 

So Mary very beautifully as a woman expresses the openness of her womb to the Word of God and brings forth life. So the church, a woman, the bride, a mother brings forth Christ the bride of the Holy Spirit. You notice too at Mass some churches ring a bell as the priest extends his hands over the bread and wine and invokes the Holy Spirit and that's a very important part of the Mass - that's the most sacred part. Hands over the bread and wine, invokes the Holy Spirit, pray to the Holy Spirit to come upon the simple gifts of bread and wine. And what happens the bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ an invocation to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit comes upon Mary and she becomes Mother of Christ the Word becomes flesh at every Mass. It's the word spoken over the bread and wine the power of the Holy Spirit. So we can see the great symbolism of Mary and the church. 

In fact there's one church in Rome I don't remember which one it is that might be, I don't remember, but above the door is a woman a very ancient church because back to the time of Constantine. There's the question is that woman in the church or is that woman Mary? In many ways it doesn't matter both of them ring that same reality of the Mother who brings forth the word of God which is Christ. So Mary's role is not certainly not biblical in fact it's powerfully biblical. The early Fathers of the Church so the place of Mary the role of Mary 

Father: And even in the common devotion of the eastern church and Western church and ancient church. You know it's interesting The churches that criticize Mary some of them are only 100 years old some of them are 200 years old some of the Evangelical churches and particularly criticize Mary are only their American churches they were found it without the foundation of 2000 years of history. If you want to read one of the most beautiful prayers ever written to Mary was written by Martin Luther. Martin Luther had great devotion to Mary. Even after he broke with the church he had a great devotion to Mary. And one of the most beautiful prayer written to Mary was written by Martin Luther. It was only gradually that Protestants and broke away from the tradition of the church that affair with the earlier he Protestants which had a devotion to Mary. 

Father: As far as Mary's role as intercessory why do we pray to Mary? Again prayer can be used in different words prayer can mean adoration certainly we adore Mary a prayer can also mean medication. 

So when I say do you, "Kevin pray for me today." And you say, "Sure Father I will pray for you." That's what we do with the Saints and the Angels are praying and we're asking them to pray for us Mary you are before the Lord pray for us. Mary Mother Jesus pray for us. As you pray for that young coupling came to intercede for them, they had wine. And with the great what we say every Sunday we believe in the communion of Saints we are in communion with those that have gone before us. So were in communion with Mary she's not a historical figure we're communion with the apostles. In fact the masses we say the feast of the apostles they guide is still the churches founded on the apostles. So we can be in communion with St. Teresa today in realization that she is with us. Especially the Eucharist we’re gathering together with the angels and saints in worshiping the Father this great act of worship especially at mass where we invokes the angels and saints to be with us.

Female: One of the challenges to face about Mary and the Saints my Protestants brothers and sisters say things like, "Mary isn't omnipresent so how is a she's hears your prayers? God is the only one who can hear all prayers at one time. She only hears one-person at a time or how do you explain that?

Father: That is a good question because how can Mary hear our prayers she is not God? It's interesting that scriptures tell us that when we died we will be like God we will not be God we will be like God for entering into a whole new existence. And so we will be like God now that is not us that is something we cannot do because we are human. But once we enter into God's presence in heaven we will live a total new existence. You know eye has not seen ear has not heard what God has prepared for those who love him. So the only way the Saints in heaven could hear our prayers and petitions is in God in Christ and through Christ. And ultimately all prayer is in Christ and through Christ. So even when we're praying for the intercession of the Saints angels and saints is only in Christ and through Christ and the power Christ. But I think again the role of Mary in the church is to remind us of what we should be. She and many ways is the perfect Christian she is model of what Christian should be. Ability to trust. All generation will call me blessed. 

Father: You know every time you talk about not biblical every time we say evening prayer we say the Magnificate. The Bible is quoted and says, "All generations will call me blessed for he was mighty has done great things for me all generations shall call me blessed."

Male: Father isn’t it true even non-Christians have utmost respected for Mary?

Father: I'd say the Muslims remarkably the Muslims. It's interesting we've begun to have dialogue with the Muslims frequently with in relationship with the role Mary. And one of the great shrines in the Middle East, which is honor by both Muslims and Christians is the house where tradition says Mary lived.

Male: Isn't their whole wall dedicated to that?

Father: There is and Muslims and Christians will be praying there at the same place. And they saw her as a, as someone we that we would honor as the Mother Jesus. How can we understand Mary? In the litany of Loreto, Mary has given a title, one of them she is called Ark of the Covenant

Father: The Ark of the Covenant was carried among Jewish people and it was the place where the presence of God was found. The Ark with sacred, the Ark was Holy but the Ark was not God. It was the place where God was found. And when we think about what Mary had in her womb think about this reality that Mary was the Ark of the Covenant that brought the presence of God among the people and so one of the titles given terror with the Ark of the Covenant. Yesterday we pray before the Blessed Sacrament and the Blessed Sacrament the Eucharist in its vessel called the monstrance, now that monstrance is sacred in that it brings us to Jesus. So Mary another way of looking at is the monstrance she brings to us she brings history she brings the church the presence of Jesus. So lonely honor Mary were honoring what God honored you know God chose Mary, God chose her. 

And the Council of Ephesus again one of the earlier he counsels of the church in the three hundredths which is really early declares Mary the Mother of God in order to protect who Jesus is and that's why they proclaimed Mary the Mother of God Theotokas. Because Mary Mother of God because Jesus we cannot separate divinity from humanity Christ is true God and true man. So when we honor Mary as Mother of God were honoring the fact that we believe that Jesus is true God and true man 

Father: He is truly a human being he truly became flesh but he remains God and he remains God in our midst and beautifully when Jesus returned to his Father returned to heaven, he returned in his divinity but also humanity. Humanity is ever linked united with God and Jesus again through Mary yes through Mary's flesh. I think what happens in Catholicism in Orthodox Church remember East and West ancient church honor Mary had 2000 years to reflect on this mystery. You know it's always presumptuous to think that we can exhaust God. 

Father: And that God shows Mary to be the Mother. And so we believe because of that Mary was prepared to be sinless just as interestingly we became sinless at baptism. Nothing we say about Mary is not said about us. 

Mary was conceived without original sin and we in baptism are conceived without original sin. Mary was assumed in heaven and we will be assumed in heaven body and soul. Mary was chosen to bring forth Christ we're chosen to bring forth to Christ. Mary was called to be an evangelist we’re called to be evangelist. So Mary is the symbol of the church and reminder of what are role is as well. St. Therese had a great love for Mary and part of her experience of God as you know came from seeing the gentle love of Mary.

Father: When my father was dying my father was one of these men who never got sick, always went to work, never missed Mass always said his prayers. And all of a sudden the my father got sick even though we found he had cancer all through his body cancer he had a tumor in a few months my father was dead. And it was very, very painful for us to see this very strong man who had a very strong will need to be served, needed to be washed, needed to be fed, needed to be cleaned it was very, very humbling for him. And I think God was using in that in times a grace to get my father to heaven my father had become humble in a very few months. One day of his sitting next to my father and my father was in bed and one day he was extremely intense he really didn't suffer he just got weaker and weaker. On this day was very weak and very pensive. I sat next to him and said, "Dad what are you thinking about?" Excuse me. And he said to me, "I'm thinking about how much I love you...... I thinking about how much I love you and your brothers and your mother. 

I'm thinking about how much I love you your brothers and you mother." And to be honest with you I think that's the last words I heard my father say and after that he got very, very weak and I guess he went into a coma. And few weeks later dead. And those words were very precious to me I think it was great gift think I gave me those words of my father. 

But if you think of Jesus on the cross the words of Jesus on the cross it would of also been precious there were the last words he spoke. He spoke of redemption as accomplished. He spoke of forgiveness, "forgive them they don't know what they are doing." All the words he could have said and now of all the words he could have said he said, "Behold your mother he holds your mother. Mother behold your son." And St. John brought Mary into his home, the early church brought Mary into their home. So the early church would have held all into those words as precious that Mary was given to the church by Jesus as he was dying. And so much with the early church would have known that about Jesus would only be learned for Mary. And you can only imagine how they would surround her and gather around her and listen to her and loved her as their contact. 

Father: I think when we think of Mary we shouldn't think of doctoring we shouldn't think of the theology we should think of a person that Jesus gave us his mother to be our Mother to be the Mother of the Church.