Responding to the Accusation of Mary-Worship

Probably one of the most common questions one hears on Catholic radio goes something like this:

"One thing I don't understand about the Catholic religion is why ya'll worship Mary.  Doesn't God say you'll worship Him and Him alone?"

This is probably one of the most common accusations which Catholics have to deal with when talking to their non-Catholic friends and acquaintances.  Today I want to look at a couple strategies I use for navigating these exchanges.

 The Official Word:

The best way to start is by clearing the table and setting the record straight.  One can begin by pointing to what the Church officially teaches about the honor we give to Mary.  The Catechism says:

“The Church rightly honors the Blessed Virgin with special devotion.  This devotion differs essentially from the adoration which is given to the incarnate Word and equally to the Father and the Holy Spirit.” - CCC 971 

So right there we can see the Church teaching that while Mary is worthy of very high honor, that reverence must be of a totally different nature than the worship which is owed to God alone.  Worshiping Mary would be therefore be a form of idolatry - something which the Catechism likewise teaches against:

“Idolatry consists in divinizing what is not God. Man commits idolatry whenever he honors and reveres a creature in place of God. Idolatry is a perversion of man's innate religious sense" - CCC 2113-2114.

Anyone in Particular?

Sometimes it is enough to show how the official teaching of the Church forbids worshiping Mary.  However, usually the conversation takes a turn to the unofficial, lived experience of Catholic piety.  The person says:

"Well, the Roman Church may officially  teach against the worship of Mary.  But it's kind of like the speed limit - everyone breaks it.  Just like how everyone knows Mariolatry is commonplace in Catholic culture.  And your Bishops don't seem in a hurry to put a stop to it."

This kind of a broad, non-specific accusation is difficult to grapple with.  So I like to respond by bringing the conversation back into the realm of the concrete and particular:

“Well, let me ask you.... have you ever met a Catholic who actually says Mary is equal to God and admits to worshiping her?  I mean, if it really is everywhere, surely you can give me one example from your experience.” 

Pressing this question (and it usually takes some persistence) eventually reveals something embarrassing - your interlocutor has never actually met a Catholic who admits to worshiping Mary.  Rather, he is basing his accusation on his interpretation of various Marian devotional practices which he thinks constitute worship.


Another Man's Shoes:

So the next part of the conversation goes like this:

"Oh come on.  You have people kneeling, praying, and lighting candles in front of statues of Mary.   You can't tell me with a straight face that isn't worship!"

At this point you could  launch into an explanation of what those practices mean to a Catholic, and how they don't actually imply worship.  But I've found those explanations fall on deaf ears.

Instead, you need to realize your objective is to plant an idea in the person's mind - like the movie Inception.  You need to get the person to think:

"Viewing an action through a foreign cultural lens can lead to misunderstanding." 

That's why I suggest reversing the situation by presenting an analogy.

"Suppose there was a person whose culture taught him that the giving of flowers was always an act of worship - reserved only to God.  And now suppose this person observed you laying flowers on your great-grandmother's gravestone. 

'Aha!' he says, 'I saw you laying flowers on your great-grandmother's totem.  You are engaging in ancestor worship!  You cannot deny it!' 

How would you respond to this fella's accusation?" 

The goal here is to put the person in your shoes.  Namely, what would it be like if someone who was unfamiliar with the nuances of your culture accuses you of idolatry after misreading something you did?

Answering the analogy will eventually force your friend to reply to his own complaint.  That is, you have to know what a gesture means to the person doing it before you can pass judgment.  Just because you perceive something as worship, that doesn't mean it really is.

The same goes with Catholic practices of Marian piety.  A person can kneel, bow, and light candles all day long - but as long as he is clear that Mary isn’t the uncreated God of the universe, that person isn’t engaging in worship.

And hopefully these illustrations will help make that clear.