The Irish standard., 1895-05-11
THE BLESSED VIRGIN
Why THE Church Honors Mary's
Name.

r Z. 4-s 4
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Why the Church Honors Mary's
Name, sz.
"Catholic Worship of the Virgin Ma
rye was Father Cleary's subject at st.
Charles church last Sunday evening.
He said in part: AS during the beauti-
fuI month of May the universal church
in every land offers special honors TO
Mary, the virgin mother of Jesus, atteh-
tion is awakened in the reverence and
devotion which the faithful followers OF
her divine Son feel for the mother who
bore him. Since "the angel Gabriel was
sent from God into city of Gallllee
called Nazareth to a virgin, and the vlr-
gins name was Mary" Nuke l., 26-35),
the Christian world has freely offered
reverence and homage to Mary, the
mother of Jesus. In thus IGNORING Ma
ry the church has never lost sight of the
fact that the efforts Of her children TO
show their admiration and love for her
whom the angel called "full of grace
must fall short of the honor. which heav-
en- showed. her in sending one OF It's
brightest messengers to greet her as the
blessed among women" and the most
favored Of all Gods creatures. =
The. church honors Marys name and
Mary's memory, because of the exalted
dignity with which heaven crowned hei
in selecting her to be the mother OF the
eternal Son of God The idle objection
isroften made that Mary could not have
been the mother of Christ's divine ma
ture. and hence was not the mother OF
God. although the mother Of Christ
humanity. AS well might one contend
that because his mother did not create
his immortal soul, she could not be re-
garded as his mother indeed. Our moth
ers are worthy of all our love and honor,
as the authors of our being, although
they are not the creators of our lmmor-
tai souls, for they bring into the world
the man, composed of body and soul, the
one person, who must for all time be
|.known as the child of the woman who
bore him.
The Virgin Mary has always held the
highest place in. the esteem and honor OF
the church founded by her divine Son,
of any creature whom God has made.
She is the queen of angels and OF men,
the most powerful advocate with her
divine Son in heaven, in behalf OF hui
man needs, yet all Christians are re-
minded that she is still creature, inf
nitely below God in dignity and power,
not deserving of the homage of supreme
religious worship that belongs to God
alone. We adore God. We honor Mary
with our reverence and love, because of
her Son, and of the affection with which
he must regard her.
The reverence with which Mary is re-
garded may with perfect propriety be
called Worship for worship does not
by any means invariably convey the no.
ton of supreme alteration and praise,
but also that Of reverence and love. Je-
sls, the son of Mary, is our only medi-
ator of atoneznent, he, was sacrificed for
DIR sins, but his mother may we'll be
honored as the most powerful mediator
of intercession between God and man.
The Catholic asks Mary and the saints
to pray for him, while he implores God
to have mercy on him.
The plea sometimes made that honors
offered to Mary imply any disregard or
neglect Of the llonors that are due to her
divine Son is not deserving of considers
ton. Every honor offered to Mary is
offered because of the exalted dignity
with which heaven crowened her when
selecting her to be the mother of the
Savior Of the. world. No SON can, feel
offended at the honers paid to the moth
or whom he loves with true flial devo-
ton. Jesus, the most devoted of sons, the
most reverent Of children, cannot be but
pleased at the honors given to the great
est among mothers, because she brought
into the world the noblest of sons.
In appealing to Mary to be our kind
and gracious advocate in heaven, we do
not imply any distrust Of Gods good
ness or any disregard Of Gods fatherly
kindness, but we enlist in our behalf
the best and dearest friend of God, the
mother, who shared his best and fondest
love.