Are We As Catholics, Obsessed with Mary?

lucien123 · #1 May 4, '12, 5:49 am

Do not get me wrong here, I totally and fully believe everything that is written, the fact that she is the mother of god, as well as a saint, etc, etc, etc.

BUT Lately I'm beginning to be tired, Everywhere I go there's something to do with Mary, I live in europe, everytime something happens the old people are like "Oh Maria" (Oh Mary), I go to church the people pray the rosary, repeating "Mary",

I pray the rosary very devotedly myself but I'm just saying that I tired of "Mary", everywhere I go, I walk in a church> There's a statue of Mary, I go to Confession> I must say hail Marys, People get stressed > The say "Oh Mary", I look to my left> There is a picture of Mary. What baffles me the most the consecration of Churches is done in the Name of Mary. I was also visiting a monastery for a Few days, and there was a statue of her on every corner.

It's getting on my nerve, every single person I meet, place I go, mass I attend is just, Mary, Mary, Mary, Mary, Mary, Mary, Mary, over and over and over.

Can people not Just use other comments, like "oh god, or jesus or St. Michael or whatever? Am I the only one who feels this way?

Please advise,
Thanks
Lucien

Pfaffenhoffen · #2 May 4, '12, 6:20 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by lucien123

Do not get me wrong here, I totally and fully believe everything that is written, the fact that she is the mother of god, as well as a saint, etc, etc, etc.

BUT Lately I'm beginning to be tired, Everywhere I go there's something to do with Mary, I live in europe, everytime something happens the old people are like "Oh Maria" (Oh Mary), I go to church the people pray the rosary, repeating "Mary",

I pray the rosary very devotedly myself but I'm just saying that I tired of "Mary", everywhere I go, I walk in a church> There's a statue of Mary, I go to Confession> I must say hail Marys, People get stressed > The say "Oh Mary", I look to my left> There is a picture of Mary. What baffles me the most the consecration of Churches is done in the Name of Mary. I was also visiting a monastery for a Few days, and there was a statue of her on every corner.

It's getting on my nerve, every single person I meet, place I go, mass I attend is just, Mary, Mary, Mary, Mary, Mary, Mary, Mary, over and over and over.

Can people not Just use other comments, like "oh god, or jesus or St. Michael or whatever? Am I the only one who feels this way?

Please advise,
Thanks
Lucien

A gentle French Priest, survivor of the I World War, used to say: "Religion is like salt in the food; neither too much nor too little!"

Credo in Deum · #3 May 4, '12, 6:21 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by lucien123

Do not get me wrong here, I totally and fully believe everything that is written, the fact that she is the mother of god, as well as a saint, etc, etc, etc.

BUT Lately I'm beginning to be tired, Everywhere I go there's something to do with Mary, I live in europe, everytime something happens the old people are like "Oh Maria" (Oh Mary), I go to church the people pray the rosary, repeating "Mary",

I pray the rosary very devotedly myself but I'm just saying that I tired of "Mary", everywhere I go, I walk in a church> There's a statue of Mary, I go to Confession> I must say hail Marys, People get stressed > The say "Oh Mary", I look to my left> There is a picture of Mary. What baffles me the most the consecration of Churches is done in the Name of Mary.

It's getting on my nerve, every single person I meet, place I go, mass I attend is just, Mary, Mary, Mary, Mary, Mary, Mary, Mary, over and over and over.

Can people not Just use other comments, like "oh god, or jesus or St. Michael or whatever? Am I the only one who feels this way?

Please advise,
Thanks
Lucien

I used to feel this way but then I realized my attitude was unreasonable. According to the commandments I'm suppose to honor my Father and my Mother. Plus since Mary is the New Ark of the Covenant, to not venerate her -after receiving such insight- would in fact be an insult to God since she magnifys the Lord. In short when I venerate Mary, my Mother, I'm giving glory to my heavenly Father.

Brooklyn · #4 May 4, '12, 6:35 am

Our Blessed Mother is the one through whom our Lord chose to come into the world. It was through her that he received his human nature. So it through her (not from her) that we receive all graces. Our Lord could have chosen another way to come to us, but he chose Mary, the most beautiful and perfect of all his creation. Is it possible to give too much honor and glory to this most magnificient of all God's creation? She is the perfect model for all humanity. As St. Louis de Montfort said, Christ came to us through Mary, and it is through her that we go to Christ. Mary is the most perfect path to Christ, the more sure.

From St. Louis de Montfort:

“We never give more honour to Jesus than when we honour his Mother, and we honour her simply and solely to honour him all the more perfectly. We go to her only as a way leading to the goal we seek – Jesus, her Son.”

“All true children of God have God for their father and Mary for their mother; anyone who does not have Mary for his mother, does not have God for his father. This is why the reprobate, such as heretics and schismatics, who hate, despise or ignore the Blessed Virgin, do not have God for their father though they arrogantly claim they have, because they do not have Mary for their mother. Indeed if they had her for their mother they would love and honour her as good and true children naturally love and honour the mother who gave them life.”

From Saint Bernard of Clairvaux:

“Let us not imagine that we obscure the glory of the Son by the great praise we lavish on the Mother; for the more she is honored, the greater is the glory of her Son. There can be no doubt that whatever we say in praise of the Mother gives equal praise to the Son.”

From Saint Maximilian Kolbe:

“Never be afraid of loving the Blessed Virgin too much. You can never love her more than Jesus did.”

Christ is our mediator with the Father, but Mary is our mediator with Christ. She love us far more than any human is capable of loving us, and all she wants is to bring us to her Son. All honor and glory that we give to Mary goes directly to her Son. She gave of herself completely while on earth. I think of the fact that she gave us her divine Son as a sacrifice for our Sins - beautiful and perfect - and we gave back to her a beaten, bloody pulp, hardly recognizable as a human being, whom she held lovingly in her arms. And despite what our sins did to her Son, she still loves us and still wants to bring us to Him.

You will be hard pressed to find any saint who did not have a deep devotion to Mary. I'm very sorry that devotion to Mary is getting on your "nerve." I most definitely do not feel that way. As I stated in another thread, all those people I know who have remained faithful to the Church their entire lives (and I'm talking about people in their 70's and 80's who never strayed), all of those people have a deep devotion to Mary and the Rosary. That cannot be a coincidence.

GRATEFULONEjim · #5 May 4, '12, 7:05 am

Don't forget, May is a month devoted to the Blessed Virgin. May Crowning, Queen of May, Flores de Mayo (Flowers of May). I can never become "tired" of any part of our faith.

SeekNFind · #6 May 4, '12, 7:12 am

I am still learning about Mary and trying to develop an appropriate relationship with her. Admittedly, sometimes when I am praying to her, I wonder if I am not praying to God enough, so I can see where the OP is coming from. However, I asked God to open my mind because I realize that I may not understand everything.

ConstantineTG · #7 May 4, '12, 7:16 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by lucien123

Do not get me wrong here, I totally and fully believe everything that is written, the fact that she is the mother of god, as well as a saint, etc, etc, etc.

BUT Lately I'm beginning to be tired, Everywhere I go there's something to do with Mary, I live in europe, everytime something happens the old people are like "Oh Maria" (Oh Mary), I go to church the people pray the rosary, repeating "Mary",

I pray the rosary very devotedly myself but I'm just saying that I tired of "Mary", everywhere I go, I walk in a church> There's a statue of Mary, I go to Confession> I must say hail Marys, People get stressed > The say "Oh Mary", I look to my left> There is a picture of Mary. What baffles me the most the consecration of Churches is done in the Name of Mary. I was also visiting a monastery for a Few days, and there was a statue of her on every corner.

It's getting on my nerve, every single person I meet, place I go, mass I attend is just, Mary, Mary, Mary, Mary, Mary, Mary, Mary, over and over and over.

Can people not Just use other comments, like "oh god, or jesus or St. Michael or whatever? Am I the only one who feels this way?

Please advise,
Thanks
Lucien

I agree with you, but somehow I wonder if it's the Church's fault or the people just going overboard with the devotion. I've seen people make comments like saying that the Rosary is the only way to heaven. Really? Sometimes it makes me wonder that those accusations by Protestants are true. I don't see it in Church teaching though, which is a good thing. But people do step on, and even cross the line, between veneration and worship.

Oh, and this is a Western thing. The East I feel so far is pretty balanced with its devotion to Mary. Despite the fact that she is mentioned more often in the Divine Liturgy than in the Mass.

Brooklyn · #8 May 4, '12, 7:19 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by ConstantineTG

I agree with you, but somehow I wonder if it's the Church's fault or the people just going overboard with the devotion. I've seen people make comments like saying that the Rosary is the only way to heaven.

I can't speak for everything that has ever been posted on this forum, but I have never seen this. I think you may be confusing it with comments such as the Rosary is one of the surest ways to heaven, because devotion to Mary is one of the surest ways to heaven. As I said, you will be hard pressed to find any saint who did not have a deep devotion to Mary. Devotion to Mary means devotion to Christ. It cannot be separated.

ConstantineTG · #9 May 4, '12, 7:24 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brooklyn

I can't speak for everything that has ever been posted on this forum, but I have never seen this. I think you may be confusing it with comments such as the Rosary is one of the surest ways to heaven, because devotion to Mary is one of the surest ways to heaven. As I said, you will be hard pressed to find any saint who did not have a deep devotion to Mary. Devotion to Mary means devotion to Christ. It cannot be separated.

No, I am not mixing it up. That is exactly what the person said. Again, I do not find that in Church teaching, but it is indeed troubling that some lay people do think that way.

Deep devotion is not a bad thing, as long as our faith is well formed. The fact is many have deep devotions but their faith is formed wrongly, they are poorly catechized. In anything, an excess is a bad thing. Even in myself I have seen the devil tempt me with my own love for God, turning something good into something bad. One example of it is extreme self righteousness and also pride of the love.

Brooklyn · #10 May 4, '12, 7:28 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by ConstantineTG

No, I am not mixing it up. That is exactly what the person said. Again, I do not find that in Church teaching, but it is indeed troubling that some lay people do think that way.

Deep devotion is not a bad thing, as long as our faith is well formed. The fact is many have deep devotions but their faith is formed wrongly, they are poorly catechized. In anything, an excess is a bad thing. Even in myself I have seen the devil tempt me with my own love for God, turning something good into something bad. One example of it is extreme self righteousness and also pride of the love.

I can see this turning into a major argument, so I think I'll leave it at that.

Aelred Minor · #11 May 4, '12, 7:31 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brooklyn

I can't speak for everything that has ever been posted on this forum, but I have never seen this. I think you may be confusing it with comments such as the Rosary is one of the surest ways to heaven, because devotion to Mary is one of the surest ways to heaven. As I said, you will be hard pressed to find any saint who did not have a deep devotion to Mary. Devotion to Mary means devotion to Christ. It cannot be separated.

Exactly. As long as it's in the right spirit I'm not sure it's possible to be too devoted to Mary.

I'll mention though that when I was still a new Catholic I didn't see it that way. I accepted the Marian dogmas and even things like the Rosary, but tried to keep all that in a nice little corner of my faith life. I did not yet understand how Mary could be at or even very near the center of one's spirituality without it competing with Christ's being at the center. More and more I'm beginning to intuitively understand how strong Marian devotion really brings us to Christ and keeps Him at the center all the more strongly.

But I don't think the matter can be forced. If "to the side" Marian devotion is where someone is, that's ok. In the future they may have that paradigm shift regarding her, but it takes time if that's not how you were raised.

GRATEFULONEjim · #12 May 4, '12, 7:32 am

This should not be an argument. It all comes down to the bottom line...Catechisis. We need to know our faith. All of it. Then we need to live it.

ChrisRedfield47 · #13 May 4, '12, 7:39 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by lucien123

Do not get me wrong here, I totally and fully believe everything that is written, the fact that she is the mother of god, as well as a saint, etc, etc, etc.

BUT Lately I'm beginning to be tired, Everywhere I go there's something to do with Mary, I live in europe, everytime something happens the old people are like "Oh Maria" (Oh Mary), I go to church the people pray the rosary, repeating "Mary",

I pray the rosary very devotedly myself but I'm just saying that I tired of "Mary", everywhere I go, I walk in a church> There's a statue of Mary, I go to Confession> I must say hail Marys, People get stressed > The say "Oh Mary", I look to my left> There is a picture of Mary. What baffles me the most the consecration of Churches is done in the Name of Mary. I was also visiting a monastery for a Few days, and there was a statue of her on every corner.

It's getting on my nerve, every single person I meet, place I go, mass I attend is just, Mary, Mary, Mary, Mary, Mary, Mary, Mary, over and over and over.

Can people not Just use other comments, like "oh god, or jesus or St. Michael or whatever? Am I the only one who feels this way?

Please advise,
Thanks
Lucien

I think we need to honor her more in fact.

Once you realize that by honoring our Blessed Mother, you are actually honoring God in a more perfect way, you will want to honor her more and more each day.

Oneofthewomen · #14 May 4, '12, 7:39 am

From my experience, yes, some Catholics can and do take devotion to Mary a little too far.

I have been told, by more than one person, that if I do not have a devotion (which I do not) to the Blessed Mother, I will not get to Heaven, that I do not love Jesus, and that by not saying the rosary daily, I am disrespecting her and the Church.

I honor Mary, and am grateful that she said that great big "yes" to God, however I do not find Marian devotions to be an effective way for me to pray.

And that my friends is the whole key to a rich life of faith-
PRAY AS YOU CAN, NOT AS YOU CAN'T-
WHAT MATTERS IS THAT YOU PRAY!!

And don't ever let anyone tell you any different!!

Monicad · #15 May 4, '12, 7:42 am

Perhaps this will help, I will paraphrase some advise on this very matter that I heard on a Catholic television show and I found it very meaningful:

If you feel somehow, that Mary is "getting in your way" then put aside your devotion to her and your prayers asking for her intercession. Mary does not want to be an obstacle for you! Mary does not want to force herself on you! Mary does not want you to feel uncomfortable! Mary is happy to step to the sidelines until you feel more comfortable!
Mary has her arms wide open and will wait for you, but devotion to Mary is a beautiful invitation not something forced.

If you need to put her aside from your mind for a while then go ahead and put Mary aside. Many Catholics find that devotion to Mary brings them closer to Christ then they ever thought possible, but since you are having problems and it is creating a spiritual problem for you do not force it, Mary does not want to force herself! The Church certainly encourages a relationship with our Blessed Mother (and so do I personally) but does not require it of any of us.

She loves you very much, go to her when you are ready. Hope this helps.