Devotion To Mary

• 8 years ago

By DON FIER

The Blessed Virgin Mary, as we observed last week, is not only “a pre-eminent and singular member of the Church” (Lumen Gentium [LG], n. 53) and the mother of the Body of Christ “in the order of grace” (LG, n. 61). She is also an outstanding type and model of the Church. St. John Paul II, during his general audience of August 6, 1997, beautifully encapsulates this remarkable teaching of the Vatican II fathers regarding our Lady:

“By defining Mary as a type of the Church, the Council invites us to see in her the visible figure of the Church’s spiritual reality and in her spotless motherhood, the announcement of the Church’s motherhood. . . .[Mary] is her ‘outstanding model’ and example of perfection to be followed and imitated . . . because her perfection surpasses that of all other members of the Church.”

In a manner of speaking, as articulated by the eminent 20th-century French theologian Fr. Henri de Lubac, SJ, Mary can be seen as “the mirror in which the whole Church is reflected” (The Splendor of the Church, p. 320). “In the mystery of the Church, which is itself rightly called mother and virgin, the Blessed Virgin stands out in eminent and singular fashion as exemplar both of virgin and mother” (LG, n. 63).

Moreover, “the faithful see in Mary an image and an anticipation of the resurrection that awaits them and they invoke her as advocate, helper, benefactress, and mediatrix” (Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 197).

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) now discusses and enthusiastically endorses devotion to the Blessed Virgin, the “Mother of God,” recalling words of Blessed Paul VI from his 1974 apostolic exhortation Marialis Cultus: “The Church’s devotion to the Blessed Virgin is an intrinsic element of Christian worship” (n. 56; as cited in CCC, n. 971).

The fathers of Vatican II likewise teach: “Placed by the grace of God, as God’s Mother, next to her Son, and exalted above all angels and men, Mary intervened in the mysteries of Christ and is justly honored by a special cult in the Church” (LG, n. 66). It is especially notable that Mary’s title as Mother of God is acknowledged here by the Second Vatican Council, for it is from this first Marian dogma, solemnly defined at the Council of Ephesus in 431, that all her other roles and honors flow.

Before proceeding, however, it would be good to define some important theological terms, for what is meant by the honor accorded to Mary (and the saints as well) by Catholic Christians is misunderstood by many of our Protestant brothers and sisters. They wrongly presume that the veneration given to the Blessed Virgin and our prayers for her intercessory help are forms of idolatry (i.e., Mariolatry) and in direct violation to St. Paul’s pronouncement in his First Letter to Timothy: “There is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all” (1 Tim. 2:5-6). But this Protestant misconception could not be further from the truth if one examines what the Church actually teaches.

Adoration or worship is due to God alone and is expressed by the Latin term latria. As defined by Fr. John A. Hardon, SJ, in his Modern Catholic Dictionary (MCD), latria is that form of worship or homage that is “due to God alone for his supreme excellence and to show people’s complete submission to him” (p. 310). It is the most fundamental act of religion and is man’s proper response in fulfillment of the First Commandment given by God to Moses: “I am the Lord your God. . . . You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:2-3).

The perfections of God, however, are also made manifest in His creatures, most especially in the saints. Honor is due to them because of the heroic virtue they practiced during their lives, which is worthy of imitation. The Latin term for this form of reverence is dulia, which Fr. Hardon defines as “the reverence of a disciple for his master or a servant for his lord. It is the honor given to the angels and saints as friends of God” (MCD, p. 174), and corresponds to the English word veneration. An important distinction to make is that honor accorded to the saints does not end in them, but is ultimately directed to God through them.

St. Thomas Aquinas, in his Summa Theologiae (STh), explains this difference in relation to prayer: “We beseech the Blessed Trinity to have mercy on us, while we ask any of the saints to pray for us” (II-II, Q. 83, art. 4).

What does it mean, then, for the Blessed Virgin Mary, who was “full of grace” (Luke 1:28) to such an extent so as to exceed that of all the angels and saints combined? Should not a special veneration be due to the Mother of God, to the “handmaid of the Lord” (Luke 1:38) who played such a prominent role in salvation history? Indeed, the Church teaches, such is the case. The level of reverence which is afforded our Lady is theologically referred to as hyperdulia.

We turn once again to Fr. Hardon for a precise definition: Hyperdulia is “the special veneration due to the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is substantially less than the cultus latria (adoration), which is due to God alone. But it is higher than the cultus dulia (veneration), due to the angels and other saints. As the Church understands the veneration of Mary, it is to be closely associated but subordinated to that of her Son” (p. 261).

The distinctions between latria, dulia, and hyperdulia and why the reverence of hyperdulia is due to Mary alone are superbly summarized in the following explanation:

“Devotion to Mary belongs to the veneration of dulia, or the homage and honor owed to the saints, both angelic and human in heaven, and not to latria, or the adoration and worship that can be given only to the Triune God and the Son incarnate. Because of her unique relationship to Christ in salvation history, however, the special degree of devotion due to Mary has traditionally been called hyperdulia. While latria is owed to her Son by reason of unity of his divine and human natures in the Person of the Word made flesh, hyperdulia is due to Mary as truly his Mother (cf. STh II-II, Q. 103, art. 4; III, Q. 25, art. 5)” (Shaw, ed., Encyclopedia of Catholic Doctrine, p. 401; as cited in “Mary, Saints, Worship and Salvation” by Steve Ray).

If one reflectively considers the biblical evidence, unique and special devotion to our Lady cannot help but make flawless sense. First of all, Jesus chose to come to us through Mary — it was through her that He received a human nature. Does it not follow that it would please Him — even give Him great glory — if we would honor His most magnificent work of creation, His own Mother? Would it not also make sense to ask her to intercede on our behalf in all our requests and pleas for help? As so many great saints and theologians have posited throughout the centuries, our Lord’s love for His Mother is so great that He can refuse her nothing.

Yet, despite the great privileges bestowed upon her, the Blessed Virgin, in her great humility, credits all praise and honor to God. For example, after proclaiming that “all generations will call me blessed” (Luke 1:48), Mary immediately adds, “He who is mighty has done great things for me” (Luke 1:49). And what does the Mother of our Lord say after asking Her Son to perform His first public miracle at the wedding feast of Cana: “Do whatever he tells you” (John 2:5). Mary always, without exception, leads us to her Son.

The council fathers, however, are attentive to remind the faithful to remember always: “True devotion consists neither in sterile or transitory affection, nor in a certain vain credulity, but proceeds from true faith, by which we are led to know the excellence of the Mother of God, and we are moved to a filial love toward our mother and to the imitation of her virtues” (LG, n. 66).

As St. John Paul II explains: “The honor paid to Mary is ordered and leads to adoration of the Blessed Trinity” (general audience, October 22, 1997).

Hope And Solace

The Catechism now concludes its treatment of Article 9 of the Creed by presenting Mary as an eschatological icon of the Church: “In her we contemplate what the Church already is in her mystery . . . and what she will be in the homeland at the end of her journey” (CCC, n. 972). “In the most Blessed Virgin the Church has already reached that perfection whereby she exists without spot or wrinkle” (CCC, n. 829).

In other words, our Lady has already reached that state, glorified in body and soul in Heaven, to which we all aspire in the innermost recesses of our hearts.

She is “a sign of sure hope and solace to the people of God during its sojourn on earth” (LG, n. 68).

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(Don Fier serves on the board of directors for The Catholic Servant, a Minneapolis-based monthly publication. He and his wife are the parents of seven children. Fier is a 2009 graduate of Ave Maria University’s Institute for Pastoral Theology. He is doing research for writing a definitive biography of Fr. John A. Hardon, SJ.)