Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary

III. DEVOTION TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

843 A. State of the Question.

1. Errors. The cult which Catholics pay to the Blessed Virgin Protestants bitterly attack as superstitious, illusive, even idolatrous.

2. Catholic doctrine. The cult of the Blessed Virgin is not the cult of latria, which is due to God alone, nor is it the simple cult of dulia due to the saints. But it is the cult of hyperdulia because of her singular supernatural superiority. Therefore devotion to Mary embraces:

1) Veneration and reverence because of the dignity of the divine maternity conferred on her and because of her outstanding holiness;

2) Invocation and confidence because she is a powerful and also a merciful mediatrix with Christ;

3) Filial love because she is our spiritual Mother; this love leads us on to an imitation of her virtues.

844 B. Thesis: Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary is altogether legitimate and beneficial. This is de fide from the ordinary universal magisterium of the Church.

1. Proof from Scripture.

a. God teaches us how great a veneration we must have for Mary when, through the Angel Gabriel, He thus addressed her: “Hail, full of grace”; similarly when, through the mouth of Elizabeth, He says to the Blessed Virgin: “Blessed art thou among women”.

b. Christ instructs us how great a confidence we must have in Mary when He performs His first miracle at the request of the Blessed Virgin.

c. Finally, when dying upon the cross, Christ shows us with what great love we must cherish the Blessed Virgin when to John and to all Christians He addresses these words: “Behold thy mother”.

2. Proof from Tradition.

That devotion to the Blessed Virgin flourished in the first centuries is evident from the images found in the catacombs, from the temples, erected as soon as peace was granted to the Church, from the encomiums of the Fathers, from all the Liturgies.

3. Proof from Reason.

This cult is proper:

a. It is in no way offensive to God because ultimately it is referred to God, the author of all the gifts which we venerate to Mary;

b. It is an imitation of God’s way of acting: because He sent His word to us through Mary, it is right that we approach Jesus through Mary.

c. It is very profitable for obtaining graces more efficaciously: as in human affairs we obtain favors from the King through intercession of the Queen, so we gain many graces from the Supreme King through the intervention of the Queen of heaven. 

- The Manual of Dogmatic Theology, Adolph Tanguerey quoted, quoted in Christ of Chaos, a blog by Thomas Droleskey.