The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1913-05-31
"ALL GENERATIONS SHALL CALL
Me BLESSED"

It is unfortunate that the Catholic
belief, with regard to the Blessed Vir-
gin Mary, Mother of God, should be so
often misunderstood and misstated by
our non Catholic friends. The Church
honors Blessed Mary greatly, but 1t is
not attempted to place her upon par
with God. AS a creature, high and
perfect as she is, she remains I'M
measureably, or rather infinitely, in
ferior to the Omnipotent Creator. To
worship her with supreme or highest
alteration, would be idolatry, and a
grave offense against God.
But the Church holds that we may
and should honor Mary in an especial
manner, with an homage different
from, and inferior to that which is
due the Lord Almighty. Catholics see
no incompatibility here. They honor
Mary, because of her relationship TO
Our Lord Jesus Christ; and in doing
so they intend to and do honor our
Divine Saviour Himself They know
full well that kings, queens, and other
persons of higher dignity in this life
are greatly honored; anG. yet no one
dreams that any detraction is worked
thereby to the alteration due to God.
If, when Queen Victoria reigned,
the Englishman honOred her above
other living women, simply because
she exercised over British territory
regal authority; why may not Catho-
lies especially honor that most pure
and noble Woman, whom God Himself
chose from all Eternity, to be His own
Blessed Mother? In honoring Mary
specially. do we do more than Christ
Jesus Himself did? Is it impossible to
specially love and venerate the Moth
er. without doing injustice to the Son?
On the contrary, does not true love
and reverence for Jesus Christ Him
self imply holding of his own dear
Mother as something far above the
ordinary woman?
That Mary has such claim to par
ticular veneration, is, we Catholic con-
slider, indicated in Holy Scripture, as
well as by natural reason. We are
told in the Gospel duke, Chap. |, &c,
81, 28) that the Angel Gabriel, at the
Annunciation, speaking for God Him
self said: Hail! Full of grace, the
Lord is with thee; Blessed art thou
among women" And Elizabeth, in
spired by the Holy Ghost, duke l,
verse Al, cried out, blessed art thou
among women, and blessed is the fruit
of thy womb verse AZ. Again, Mary
herself exclaimed prophetically: For,
behold from henceforth, all genera
tons shall call me blessed" duke 1,
verse 49,.
Indeed, since the generations here
contemplated are of the holy and good;
should they not fear for themselves,
as excluded from among such genera
tons, who refuse to call our Dear
Mother "Blessed?" And, if an earthly
king must feel just indignation against
those who deny proper respect to his
mother: how shall our Heavenly King
overlook the thoughts and acts of
those, who seek to humble His
Blessed Mother to the rank of the
Gus considerations, for our separated
brethren.
AS to Mary's intercession: even sin
full mortals pray for each other; and
solicit prayers also one from the other
No interference here with the dignity
of Christ! Must it be otherwise with
those who have attained Heaven?
What privilege to pray for those we
love, or for any who ask our prayers
Have we on earth this privilege to
the exclusion of Gods saints? If So
we are more powerful before God
than they. If Jesus heard His Moth
er's prayer at the Marriage Feast OF
Cana; why should she be dumb, and
He deaf, now that she sits near Him
in Glory? Is an earthly king dishon
ored by our applying to his mother
for intercession before him, in oul
behalf? On the contrary, must thai
mothers advocacy not be powerful il
our behalf? Who dares say that Jesus
celestial King, has less an ear and {
heart, for the applications of His owl
Blessed Mother!
With regard to the Immaculate Con
ception of the Ever-Blessed Virgin
Mother of God, the Catholic Church
teaches:
1. That Adam was created original
ly innocent, and free from the stain o
sin.
2. That Adam, having yielded t.
the temptation of satan, and eaten thu
forbidden fruit, fell from the state o
grace, and through him, his progeny
that, by his deliberate offence agains
God, he corrupted his nature, ant
made himself slave of satan; that hi
descendants inherit from him a guilt,
and corrupt nature, and this state o
slavery: that, with the ordinary hu
man being baptism emancipates from
this inherited guilt, and hereditar,
slavery.
8. That, with regard to Mary, b.
special and exceptional grace, she wa
conceived and born, free from this il
herited faint; that is from origina
sin and its consequences. In othe
words she was conceived and born i
original innocence, as was Adam, a
his creation.