Today is September 8 (Manila time).
To the Catholics, September 8 is a very important day - for it is the birthday of Mary, the mother of Jesus. But to the Catholics, she is more than the mother of Jesus. Case in point. When it's Christmas, supposedly the birthday of Jesus, you hear Catholics say, Merry Christmas to everyone. But when it's Mary's birthday, you will hear some of them say, "Happy Birthday Mama Mary! I love you!". So the greeting is more personal, isn't it? She is most revered in the Catholic world. There are many titles attached to her name borne out of healing miracles and apparitions, whether clear or mysterious, in different places, all over the world.
She is known as the Mother of God, the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mama Mary, the Queen of Heaven and Earth, Our Lady of Lourdes, Mother of Perpetual Help, Our Lady of Fatima, Our Lady of Medugorje, Our Lady of Antipolo, Immaculate Conception...and many more.
I have turned my back on Catholicism precisely because of how Catholics treat Mary. I feel that sometimes she is more important than Jesus. Some Catholics, if not most, would rather pray to Mary than to Jesus, or even to God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. It's as if when you pray to Mary, all your prayers will be answered because Mary will intercede for you. It's like presupposing that Jesus can't say no to whatever Mary requests of him. This attitude was borne out of the story in the Bible when Jesus changed the water into wine upon Mary's request.
My Catholic education taught me that God is omnipotent, that is, an all-powerful God; omnipresent, that is, God is everywhere; and omniscient, that is, God knows everything. I can accept these attributes since God is God. What my mind can't reconcile is why some people think and treat that Mary is also attributed with these supernatural or godly powers.
It is only fitting to say that Mary is the mother of Jesus - but we have to qualify - Jesus as a man for Jesus is God and man at the same time. Jesus can't be a man without being born from a woman and God chose Mary to be the mother of His Son. In that aspect, Mary was the most blessed mother of all - and what made it more special is that Mary gave birth to Jesus through the Holy Spirit. That's why she is called the Blessed Virgin Mary because no man touched her before giving birth to Jesus. So if Mary is the mother of Jesus as a man, she should not be called the mother of God for that is not what the Bible teaches.
So it is wrong to associate the all those miraculous and supernatural healings and apparitions to Mary as if she is omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent. Mary is not in the league of the Holy Trinity. Mary is not a God. She was only used by God to be an instrument for Jesus to be born as a man, to be one with us and to suffer the worst form of death which He certainly did not deserve. Just like the role of Judas. If Judas did not betray Jesus, there would be no death on the crucifixion and resurrection.
But because God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16), Mary came into the picture to fulfill the biblical prophesy that a Savior will be born in Bethlehem to save mankind from the death of sin.
I do not hate Mary.
What I'm saying is that Mary is not a God. She doesn't deserve to be worshipped. Some Catholics call it veneration. But what's in a name? What's the difference anyway? Catholics build statues and images in honor of Mary, pray the Rosary, pray to her repeatedly, make sacrifices, light a candle, kneel in front of her image when they need something to pray for. Isn't that a form of idolatry which God abhors?
Mary's place in Christianity is secure. She will always be the most blessed virgin mother of Jesus. It was not her fault that people treat her this way, that is, to be treated like a God, like she is equal with God which is not biblical.
Mary should be treated with respect as part of Christianity but Mary is just like one of us, a human being, who was placed in a very important role in the history of Christianity. But that's all there is to it. Jesus is the main story of the Bible. All the Bible prophets, apostles and disciples lived and sacrificed their lives for God the Father in the Old Testament, and Jesus in the New Testament.
To my mind, the devil used some people to depict Mary to what is considered now so that the focus will not be on Jesus. Satan will use any form of distraction to lure people away from Jesus, who is God and man, the mediator between God and man, the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
That's one of the reasons why I turned my back on Catholicism -- because of how Catholics treat Mary... like a God.
