Questions and Answers about Catholic Church Why do Catholics place so much emphasis on Mary? One of the other questions that continually arises, as ideal as a Catholic, with people who are not Catholic, and sometimes I need to be able to say these things in front of Catholics too, is what about this situation of Mary? What about Mary, the Mother of Jesus? Is it true that Catholics believe that Mary is a God? Well let me say to you very clearly that the bottom line is for me and for Catholics, Mary is nothing without Jesus. The greatness of Mary comes from the fact that she is loved by God. Mary is a person needing the salvation that God gives through the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. And yet as we read especially through the Gospel of Luke, we find that there's a special openness of God toward Mary. She's the one that the Angel Gabriel comes and says, waiting for an answer, Will you become the Mother of the Messiah? She's given that choice as to whether or not she will or she won't. And isn't it marvelous that God loves that much? And then we hear in the beautiful word of Mary, My soul magnifies the Lord. It makes big the Lord. My spirit rejoices in God my Savior, because God has looked on his lowly servant with love and care, and that's Mary's greatness. Not in what Mary does, but in what Mary receives in the terms of grace. The beauty of Mary is the beauty of one who receives God, who receives Christ in her womb. And it's Mary who is the one that we look to, to remind us that we, too, are temples of the Holy Spirit as, as Saint Paul says. And may we always live with that confidence of a beautiful woman, loved by God, and in that she is great. Oftentimes it seems that Catholics give an undue stress to Mary, and I, I must admit that oftentimes when I'm with them they seem to speak more about Mary than they do about Jesus, and that's wrong. And it needs to be always remembered that Mary is nothing without Jesus, but her greatness comes in the love that God has given her, and we see that in the words that she gives of saying My soul glorifies the Lord. Because the Lord had looked at me in my weakness and in my humility, and has found great things. And that's the joy of Mary. And it's the joy that we have in the midst of all of our sinfulness. We too, like Mary, believe that God can still love us. Even though we've failed, even though we've sinned, God can come to us and love us, and believe in us, and call us to everlasting life. And Mary if you will, is the one that we turn to and look to a beautiful example of something more. < Return to Questions and Answers about Catholic Church Call Toll Free: 1-888-496-7363