The Trouble With Mary

by Tim Rohr

Catholic Evidence Guild of Guam

originally published in “The Pacific Voice”,

a newspaper published by the Catholic Archdiocese of Agaña

Why all the recent articles on Mary? This question has been raised several times over the last week. Certainly it is not May or October, which are traditional “Mary months.” Christmas is still five months away, so why the focus on Mary? Perhaps a story will help explain.

This humorous story tells of a devout elderly Italian woman who was known to spend several hours a day on her knees in front of the Virgin in the village church. She had been doing this for as long as anyone in the village could remember. With closed eyes, bent frame, and quietly moving lips, she daily beseeched the Blessed Mother in great and deep supplication.

One day, Jesus, having watched the saintly woman for many years, decided to speak to her. “Maria,” he said, “it is I, Jesus. I have heard your prayers and I want to answer you.” But much to his surprise (hey, it’s only a story), the dear woman continued her deep supplication to the Blessed Mother unmoved.

Seeing this, Jesus thought that perhaps the woman was so deep in prayer so as to not hear him. So he called to her again, more loudly this time. “Maria! Maria! It is I, Jesus. I am here. I want to help you. I want to answer your prayer.” This time the woman paused, opened her eyes slightly, and, again to the surprise of Jesus, went back to her prayers.

“Well, this is perplexing,” thought Jesus. “Perhaps she thinks that she is just imagining that she hears my voice. I’ll try again.” With a great booming voice that filled and shook the little church, Jesus again implored the woman to hear him.

This time the woman stopped, half opened her eyes and said sternly, “Hush-a you mouth. I’m a-talking to your mother!” And she resumed her prayer.

To the degree that something is funny it is often also true, but in an exaggerated or ironic sort of way. We recognize the above scene and smile, but it’s one of those “inside” things. It’s sort of like a family understanding.

We know that Jesus does not begrudge the honor we bestow upon His Mother. Even when that honor seems to “cross the line”, as exaggerated in the above story, He knows how to put it to good use. This is harmless zeal, perhaps, but it nevertheless fuels the accusations of “Mary worship” from our separated brethren.

Attacks on the revealed truth of the Immaculate Conception, Mary’s perpetual virginity, and her bodily assumption into heaven are common from our separated brethren. Often the real “trouble with Mary”, however, is the mistaken view that Catholics put Mary above Jesus.

The Catholic Church teaches no such thing, of course, but this is what our separated brethren SEE. One might be tempted to say, “So what? That’s their problem.” No, it is our problem. While there may be a speck in our brothers’ and sisters’ eyes that keeps them from seeing the truth of Mary, in order to remove it we must “first take the plank out of our own eye, and then we will see clearly to remove the speck from our brother’s eye.” (Mt 7:5)

It is our problem because some of our separated brethren are making headway recruiting new members for their ranks from ours using cries of Mary worship. Why do they make headway? It is because many Catholics do not understand or appreciate the beauty, depth, and completeness of Catholic teaching. Subjects like sacramentality, transubstantiation, incarnation, “ex nihilo” creation, sanctification, resurrection and redemption can be very difficult to understand and are even more difficult to explain.

Perhaps in our simple human way, many of us find Mary in her simple humanity more easily accepted than an almighty God or His fully human and fully divine Son. God in His infinite wisdom meets us where we are and has created Mary in order to use our identification with her to draw us into the deeper mysteries.

From Mary’s simplicity, God has exalted her and bestowed many titles upon her: Morning Star, Star of the Sea, Queen of Heaven, Mediatrix, and Immaculate Conception. It is wrong for us to stop there, however, for it is Jesus that we seek. And Jesus gave us His mother and lifted her up so that it would be possible for us to find Him.