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- PCPII: A Renewed Evangelization Paragraph 222

Marian Apologetics

Mother of God                                         Perpetual Virginity                                         Mary's Assumption

Virginal Conception and Birth of Jesus Christ

In Defense of Mary: Responding to Objections

By Mark Miravalle   

In God's perfect providence, the Mother of Jesus is intended to be an instrument and symbol of profound unity. For along with the unity in grace that comes from sharing in the grace of Jesus Christ as our Brother, the Father also intended the universal (catholic) unity of all members of the human family by calling one woman, "Mother." And yet, because of her roles of being both Mother of God and Mother of the Church in its fullness, Mary has been perceived as an occasion for division.

Nothing breaks the heart of a mother more than division among her children, especially when she herself is posed as one of the principal reasons for the disunity! But in truth, Mary in her doctrine and devotion is a cause for division only when she reflects her Son, the sign of contradiction to the world (cf. Lk 2:34), and the Body of her Son, the Church, which has been entrusted with safeguarding the revelation of Christ without compromise until He comes again in glory.

Although it is not the intent of this particular article to give a comprehensive response to every objection of the role of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we would like to offer a basic response to ten of the more common objections to points of Marian doctrine and devotion.

General Objections

Objection 1: Objection to "Mariolatry"

Objection: Catholics worship Mary in a manner that violates the First Commandment, offering adoration to her through her images and statues; an adoration due to God alone.

Response: A distinction must be made between adoration (latria) and veneration (dulia). The Church has never taught that acts of adoration, the reverence and glory due to God alone, are to be given to Mary, but only an exceptional veneration (hyperdulia) because of her unique association with Jesus Christ in His work of redeeming humanity.

We must avoid misunderstandings that can arise through the use of the term "worship." Traditionally, "worship" has been used for both adoration and veneration, and the word itself simply indicates a worthiness of some type of honor or dignity (from the Old English, weorthscipe). Although prudence may encourage reserving the term worship exclusively for adoration because of the potential misunderstandings of today, the classical use of the term refers to a broader kind of honor and, hence, cannot be viewed as an example of giving adoration to Mary when the expression "worship of Mary" is used.

In regards to the "worshipping" of Marian statues and images, again we must distinguish. First of all, within the authentic Catholic Church there is no adoration given to Marian images (an act mistakenly perceived to model the pagan worship of idols). A painting or a statue of Mary serves the same purpose as a family photo on an office desk, or a statue of a public hero or statesman erected in a town square. The image serves as a reminder of the person the image represents, and thereby possesses a symbolic or representational value, not a true personal value in itself.

As the father gazes upon the photograph of his family on his desk at work and feels the warming of his heart at the thought of his wife and children, so too, an image of Jesus' Mother can evoke similar feelings of filial love and devotion to her. But, as is true of the family photo and the public memorial statue, the Marian statue or image possesses no intrinsic power nor personhood; it only conveys an image of a heavenly Spiritual Mother most deserving of our earthly devotion and love.

Objection 2: Objection Against Scriptural Bases of Marian Doctrine

Objection: How can Catholics accept Marian doctrines like the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption when they are not explicitly revealed in the Bible?

Response: This question implies a certain misunderstanding about the sources of Divine Revelation. The idea that all divinely revealed truths are explicitly contained in Scripture, is, in short, "unscriptural." Some will quote the Scripture passage of 2 Tim 3:16 to support the position known as sola scriptura (Scripture alone): "Everything in the scripture has been divinely inspired, and it has its uses: to instruct us, to expose our errors, to correct our faults, to educate in holy living."

While this inspired passage describes the great fruits of Sacred Scripture, it nowhere even infers that Scripture is the only source of revelation. In fact, John Henry Newman, in his writing, Inspiration in its Relation to Revelation, explains: "This passage furnishes no argument whatever that the Sacred Scripture, without Tradition, is the sole rule of faith; for although Sacred Scripture is profitable for these four ends, still it is not said to be sufficient. The Apostle (Paul) requires the aid of Tradition" (2 Thes 2:15). (1)

Moreover, it is explicitly taught in Scripture that the Bible is not the only source of Divine Revelation. The last Gospel ends with St. John telling us that everything Christ said and did is not recorded in Scripture (Jn 21:25), and St. Paul attests to much Christian teaching being handed down in the oral tradition of the Church (2 Thes 2:2).

Historically, one must remember that for the first decades of the Church, there were no New Testament writings (since the first estimated New Testament writing was St. Paul's Letter to the Thessalonians in approximately 51 A.D.). But there was the oral tradition of the Church which handed down the saving Gospel and doctrine of Jesus Christ (cf. Acts 2:42; 2 Thes 2:15).

Therefore, the proper question that should be asked regarding Marian doctrine is: "Can these Marian truths be found in the full sources of Divine Revelation, Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition, as safeguarded by the Magisterium?" To this question, one can answer an emphatic "yes." For every Marian doctrine, we have at least implicit (and some explicit) Scripture references containing the revealed seed of the doctrine (i.e., the Immaculate Conception (Gen 3:15, Lk 1:28); the Assumption (Gen 3:15; Ps 131:8; Rev 11:19; Rev 12:1)); copious references from Sacred Tradition, and the de fide teachings of the Church's Magisterium, including explicit papal infallible definitions.

Objections to Marian Doctrines

Objection 3: Objection to Mary as Intercessor and Spiritual Mother

Objection: Mary's role as intercessor and Spiritual Mother assumes an ability of Mary, and of the saints in general, to intercede from Heaven, which presupposes the complete knowledge and power of God Himself, and this in itself is not scriptural.

Response: The right and appropriateness both to venerate the saints and to seek their intercession are expressly taught by the Church (Council of Trent, D986, 984, 998 and Vatican II, Lumen Gentium, No. 51) and can be deduced from scriptural revelation, as in the case of the veneration of the angels (cf. Jos 5:l4;Dn 33:2; Tob 12:16).

The angels have a supernatural dignity worthy of honor which comes from their intimate union with God (cf. Mt 18:10). Since the saints are also intimately united with God (1 Cor 13:12; 1 Jn 3:2), then they also deserve our honor and veneration.

The Jewish people manifested faith in the intercession of saints as attested to by Judas the Maccabean (2 Mac 15:11-16), and in the ability of the angels and saints to offer prayers at the feet of God and support them with their intercession (cf. Tob 12:12; Rev 5:8, 8:3).

St. Paul asked for prayerful intercession from many other disciples (Rom 15:30; Col 4:3; 1 Thes 5:25) and also referred to his prayers for them (2 Thes 1:11). And since Heaven is a state of God's living saints (Mk 12:26-27), St. Paul can certainly continue his prayers for his fellow members of the Body of Christ.

Only a misconception about Heaven as a stagnant, isolated part of the Body of Christ, an assembly without concern or love for the rest of the Body still seeking the crown of heavenly glory, would lead to the conclusion that the saints do not continue their prayer and intercession for their beloved family on earth.

And since Mary is Mother of the Head and of the Body, her maternal intercession rightfully has an exalted ability to bring her earthly children closer to Jesus Christ. We see scripturally that Mary's intercession starts on earth with the wedding of Cana (Jn 2).

As for the need of having God's complete knowledge and power to hear prayers of the faithful on earth and to intercede, we must distinguish between having a divine nature and merely participating in providential acts through the power of God.

As is the case with the life of sanctifying grace in general, God allows creatures to participate in aspects of His life, knowledge, and power, without the creature being God Himself. The saints in Heaven do not have the restrictions of time and space which we experience on earth, but participate in God's experience of events as "one great eternal present."

The saints, therefore, have the privilege of being able to communicate with the faithful on earth, to hear our prayers and intercede on our behalf—all without being "gods," but by sharing in God's experience of reality. This is not so difficult to accept if we remember that the human ability to communicate intellectually and to pray for one another is also performed by the power of God's gifts of reason and grace.

Once again, Mary, being the Spiritual Mother of all humanity (Jn 19:26), would have a particular sharing in the one mediation of Jesus Christ (1 Tim 2:5) for the spiritual benefit of the human family. As Vatican II describes: "Taken up to heaven, she did not lay aside this saving office but by her manifold intercession continues to bring us the gifts of eternal salvation" (Lumen Gentium, No. 62).

Objection 4: Objection Against the Immaculate Conception

Objection: How could Mary be immaculately conceived and remain sinless throughout her earthly life when St. Paul says, "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of Christ" (Rom 3:23)? Therefore all people need a savior and redeemer, including Mary.

Response: In regards to Mary's need for a redeemer, the Church wholeheartedly agrees. As we see in the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception, Mary was redeemed by Christ precisely through her Immaculate Conception. Mary's reception of sanctifying grace at conception was an application of the graces merited by Jesus Christ on the Cross, and applied by God who, by nature, is out of time.

Mary's conception in sanctifying grace was a unique form of redemption, in fact a higher form of redemption, since through the merits of her Son she never had to receive a fallen human nature. Hence, Mary needed to be redeemed and was redeemed through a "preservative redemption," a redemption brought about through the merits of her Son on Calvary and applied to her at the moment of her conception.

This unique act of God made Mary the fitting Mother of the Word made flesh, giving Him an immaculate human nature in a fully maternal way, and meriting the title given to her by Gabriel, "full of grace" (Lk 1:28).

As to the words of St. Paul that "all have sinned" (Rom 3:23), the Church rightfully interprets this passage as a divinely revealed truth about the general masses that make up humanity. But since the teachings of St. Paul were primarily directed to spreading the Good News which had to precede an accurate understanding of Marian doctrine (Mary is who she is because of her Son), then clearly it would be inappropriate for St. Paul to make an explicit, exceptional clause about the Mother of Jesus in his teaching of the universal need for Redemption. This would be inappropriate before the people of the time had fundamental, doctrinal clarity about the basic message of the Gospel.

Clearly, St. Paul's intention in this passage of Romans was not a teaching on Marian doctrine, but a general instruction on the universal sin of humanity, and thereby the universal need for a redeemer.

Also, St. Paul's statement that "all have sinned" does not include infants before the age of reason who are incapable of sinning (since the children cannot yet choose in reason and freedom). The statement of St. Paul need not be all-inclusive to convey the divine truth that the sinning masses have unquestionable need for Our Lord, the one Redeemer of the world.

Objection 5: Objection Against the Perpetual Virginity of Mary

Objection: Mary could not have remained virginal after the birth of Christ for several reasons: a) because there are scriptural references to the "brethren of the Lord" (Mt 12:46; Mk 3:31; Lk 8:19); b) because it would negate the true marriage between Mary and Joseph if it were never consummated; c) because Scripture speaks of Mary being found with child before she and Joseph came together: "When his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child" (Mt 1:18), which infers that they "came together" after the birth of Jesus; and d) Scripture says Jesus was the first-born Son of Mary (Lk 2:7; Mt 1:25), which infers that additional children were born later.

Response: a) The Greek word for brother, "adelphos," is often used in the Bible to mean brother, cousin, or near relative. In fact, there are several instances in the Bible where the word "adelphos" is used and, by examining the context, we know that it could not possibly refer to a relation of biological brother.

For example, in Genesis 13:8, Lot is called Abraham's "brother" (adelphos), although Lot was Abraham's cousin (Gen 12:5). In Genesis 29:15, Jacob is referred to as the "brother" (adelphos) of Laban, although Jacob was actually Laban's nephew (Gen 29:10).

Hence the term "brothers of the Lord" could refer to Jesus' cousins, His near relatives, or even His disciples, as Christians today refer to themselves as "brothers and sisters of the Lord." The term "brothers of the Lord" does not create a valid scriptural objection to Mary's perpetual virginity.

b) The perpetual virginity of Mary does not constitute an impediment to a true marriage between Mary and Joseph. The essence of marriage consists in the vow of a total gift to other which includes the marital right of conjugal relations. The validity of the marriage bond lies not in the exercise of this right, but rather, in the true gift of self to the spouse. To agree mutually to offer even the material exercise of the marital rights of relations as a gift to God does not violate or prevent the essence of an authentic and valid marriage vow.

Therefore, Mary and Joseph experienced a true marriage with the total gift of self to other, even though they did not exercise the marital gift of conjugal relations.

c) The biblical words "before" and "until" state merely what has not yet taken place; it does not establish that it will take place afterwards. Let us look at other passages of the Bible where these words are used. In 2 Samuel 6:23, it says: "Michal, that daughter of Saul, had no child until the day of death." Does this establish, therefore, that Michal had a child after the day of death? Obviously not.

Psalm 110:1 prophesies about the reign of Christ the King: "Sit then at my right hand, until I make thy enemies thy footstool." Does this establish that after the defeat of the enemies of Christ that Jesus will no longer sit at the right hand of the Father? This obviously could not be the case.

Even in terms of present usage, if one were to say, "the thief refused to give back the stolen goods before he died," does this mean that he gave back the stolen goods after he died?

Therefore, the scriptural passages that state that Mary and Joseph did not come together before Mary was with child, in no sense establishes the fact that they did so after the birth of Christ, but simply that their coming together had not taken place before Christ's birth.

d) The term "first-born Son" neither infers nor establishes that other children were born later. In the Mosaic law the term "first-born" was applied to the child whose birth had not been preceded by another, regardless of whether other children followed or not. According to the Law, every mother was required to go through certain rituals after the birth of her first child (whether followed by other children or not).

Moreover, Jesus is rightly called "first-born of the Father" and "first-born of Mary." Does this infer that the Father, too, had other divine sons? Certainly not.

According to accurate scriptural exegesis and Church teaching, the perpetual virginity of Mary remains a firmly grounded doctrine.

Objection 6: Objection to the Assumption of Mary

Objection: Mary had to remain in the grave after her death since death is a result of the sin that all humanity experiences (cf. Rom 3:23, 5-8; Heb 2:14-15). Therefore, Mary's bodily assumption is a human impossibility, due to her human and therefore sinful condition.

Response: As Pope Pius XII explained in the infallible definition of the Assumption in 1950, Genesis 3:15 reveals Mary, the woman and mother of the seed of victory (Jesus Christ) over Satan, as sharing in the same absolute victory in her complete opposition or "enmity" to sin. As St. Paul states, the effects of the seed of Satan (evil) are twofold: sin and death. Mary, sharing in the same enmity as her Son towards Satan's seed of evil, triumphs over sin in her Immaculate Conception and over the corruption of death in her glorious Assumption of body and soul into Heaven at the end of her earthly life.

A further distinction needs to be made regarding an accurate understanding of "death" as it results from sin. The death that takes place as a result of sin is associated with the corruption of the body. Jesus Christ, for example, also experienced death, but not as a result of the corruption of the body due to sin. Rather the death of Jesus consisted of a separation of soul from body on the Cross.

In regards to Mary, the Church has never officially defined the fact of her earthly death, but it remains a strong secondary tradition in the Church. What we do know is that if Mary died, it was not as a result of the corruption of the body due to sin (in light of her Immaculate Conception and sinless earthly life), but rather, as a willed acceptance of a temporary separation of soul and body in imitation of her Son as Jesus' perfect disciple.

In short, the bodily Assumption of Mary is the effect of her Immaculate Conception and a fitting close of that earthly life that ended in the same sinless state that it began, by God's unique gift and privilege.

Moreover, there is nothing in Sacred Scripture that would forbid a bodily assumption by God's power before His second coming. In fact the Gospel reference in Matthew 27:52-53 affirms its possibility: "...and the graves were opened, and many bodies arose out of them, bodies of holy men gone to their rest" (Mt 27:52).

Mary's bodily Assumption is, therefore, the appropriate conclusion of her Immaculate Conception, her sinlessness, her participation in man's redemption, and her share in Christ's glorious triumph over sin and death. It is the fitting tribute of Christ to Mary in the fulfillment of the Fourth Commandment to "honor your mother."

Objection 7: Objection to Mary as Mediatrix of All Graces

Objection: How can it be said that all graces of Christ come to humanity through Mary, if we consider a) the saving graces of Christ applied to humanity before the time of the Redemption; and b) the sanctifying grace which, according to the infallible teaching of the Church, is produced automatically in the souls of those who properly receive the sacraments?

Response: a) After the Redemption of Christ Mary distributes the graces of her Son at least as a "secondary moral cause," by her willed acts which are always subordinate and in conformity with Jesus the Redeemer and Mediator of grace.

As for those people living before the Redemption of Christ, they received graces through Mary's mediation with Mary as a "final cause." In other words, in view of the future merits and intercession of Mary by virtue of her participation with her Son in the world's Redemption, Mary also mediated graces to those living before the Redemption. Because Mary had an exalted participation in the Incarnation and Redemption of Jesus, which merited the graces of Redemption, she can be seen as having a secondary mediating effect in all those who receive the saving graces of Jesus, which necessarily include the saved of the Old Testament.

b) As for the sanctifying grace which the sacraments automatically confer, Mary nonetheless mediates it in several ways. First, Mary mediates the grace of the sacraments by being Mother of Jesus, the Author of Grace and the First Sacrament to the world. Secondly, Mary mediates the grace of the sacraments by her role as Co-redemptrix. By Mary's direct and meritorious participation in the Redemption of the world by Jesus Christ, she shares in the acquisition of the graces of Calvary which are distributed through the sacraments of the Church. So in this foundational and pivotal manner, Mary mediates the grace of the sacraments through her association with Christ.

Thirdly, it is through Mary's direct mediation that we receive the actual graces to desire the reception of the sacraments and to prepare us for worthy reception of the sacraments. Through Mary's direct distribution of actual graces, we receive a temporary enlightening of the mind and strengthening of the will to perform the meritorious acts of receiving the sacraments, which constitute the spiritual backbone of the Christian life. Mary's mediating presence is at every baptismal font, leading people by actual graces into the sacramental life of Jesus Christ and the Church.

Moreover, Mary's profound union with the Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier, leads to her role as Mediatrix of every grace bestowed to the human family. As St. Maximilian Kolbe taught, the Holy Spirit is so deeply united to Mary in the work of sanctification, that their inexpressible spousal union resembles (without fully reaching it) the union of the divine nature and human nature in the one person of Christ. And since the Holy Spirit always acts through the Virgin Mary in His sanctifying action, then all graces must come through Mary as Mediatrix of all graces. As St. Maximilian Kolbe describes:

The union between the Immaculata and the Holy Spirit is so inexpressible, yet so perfect, that the Holy Spirit acts only by the Most Blessed Virgin, His spouse. This is why she is the Mediatrix of all grace given by the Holy Spirit. (2)

Again, many prominent mariologists of the twentieth century (Garrigou-LaGrange, O.P., Roschini, O.S.M., Cardinal Lepicier, O.S.M., Hugan, O.P., etc.) propose Mary's physical instrumentality in the distribution of graces. One author explains Mary's mediation of the grace of the sacraments in this more proximate and direct way: "Grace begins in the Divine Nature (of Jesus), passes through the Sacred Humanity of Christ (a physical instrument), passes through Mary (also a physical instrument), and finally passes through the sacrament (also a physical instrument)." (3)

Through her foundational role as Mother of the Redeemer and Co-redemptrix, Mary's role as Mediatrix of all graces inclusively extends to the precious graces of the sacraments of the Church.

Objections to Marian Devotion

Objection 8: Objection to the Rosary

Objection: The repetitious nature of the Rosary is condemned by Jesus in the Gospel where He said, "And in praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think they will be heard for their many words" (Mt 6:7).

Response: The false type of prayer that Jesus condemns in the gospels is the heaping of "empty phrases." Surely, no Christian would consider the Our Father or the scriptural salutation of the Hail Mary (Lk 1:28, 42) as "empty phrases," without meaning or content.

And the legitimacy of repetitious prayer is obvious by its unquestionable presence in Sacred Scripture. For example, Psalm 117 is completely structured upon the frequently repeated phrase: "His mercy endures for ever." So, too, is repetitious prayer an integral part of the canticle of Daniel 3:52-88, which is built upon the constantly repeated phrase, "praise and exalt him above all forever." Also, the angels give unceasing praise in the account of Heaven in the book of Revelation (cf. Rev 4:8).

The repetitious nature of the Rosary prayer (as discussed in Chapter 4) is a means of entering more deeply into the revealed Gospel mysteries of Jesus Christ thereby promoting Christian meditation. Far from being an empty repetitional structure, the peaceful repetition of Hail Marys is an incarnational way of keeping the body focused on the disposition of the soul in order to penetrate the mysteries of Christian salvation.

What Our Lord condemns in the Gospel passage is the "empty" repetition and quantity of words that are bereft of the attention of the mind and devotion of the heart. The Rosary is vocal and mental prayer form that utilizes a prayerful repetition of the Gospel-based Our Father and Hail Mary and has no intrinsic connection with the "heaping of empty phrases" condemned by Christ.

But it is important to remember that every prayer form can be abused by a type of formalism that practices the external act without the proper internal intention of the heart to "communicate with the One whom you know loves you," in the words of St. Teresa.

When the Rosary is used as an authentic form of Christian vocal prayer and meditation and is prayer with the proper internal disposition of love of God, necessary for any true Christian prayer form, it is then a litany-like succession of Hail Marys that, in the words of Pope Paul VI, "becomes in itself an unceasing praise of Christ."

Objection 9: Objection Against Consecration to Jesus Through Mary

Objection: The act of Marian consecration involves a) giving oneself entirely to Mary, and this constitutes an act of adoration; now a Christian is only permitted to give himself entirely to God and never to a creature; and b) giving all our merits and good works to Jesus through Mary will make us spiritually incapable of helping the souls of our parents, relatives and friends.

Response: a) Here again a distinction must be made between acts of "latria" and "dulia." Consecration to God, for example, to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, is an act in the order of latria, which is the worship paid exclusively to God, and in which a person is given directly and completely to God.

Consecration to Mary (for example, to her Immaculate Heart) is an analogous act in the order of hyperdulia, that exalted devotion which the Mother of God properly deserves. Here a person gives himself entirely to Mary as a means of union with Jesus Christ. Giving oneself entirely to Mary does not mean that Mary is the goal or final recipient of the self-gift; but rather, that it is a Christ-designated means of consecrating oneself to Jesus and renewing one's baptismal vows. One's gift of self to Mary in the order of hyperdulia, or exalted veneration, is the best means to a complete and total gift of self to Christ in the order of adoration, which is proper only for Our Lord.

b) To the objection that through Marian consecration we lose our spiritual ability to aid the souls of our parents, relatives, and friends, St. Louis Marie de Montfort offers the following clear and succinct answer:

It is not credible that our parents, friends and benefactors should suffer from the fact of our being devoted and consecrated without exception to the service of Our Lord and His Holy Mother. To think this would be to think unworthily of the goodness and power of Jesus and Mary, who know well how to assist our parents, friends and benefactors, out of our own little spiritual revenue or by others. (4)

De Montfort's response reflects the spiritual humility all Christians should have in regards to their limited ability to dispense properly their own spiritual benefits, in contrast to the best and perfect distribution of graces made by Jesus and Mary. Further, we must remain assured that total consecration to Jesus through Mary will result only in a greater obedience to the commandments of God, including the Fourth Commandment to "honor your father and mother" and the Gospel command to "love your neighbor."

Objection 10: Objection Against Marian Private Revelation

Objection: How can any human being, including Mary, appear after death in a way only possible by God Himself?

Response: Again, we return to the distinction between "being God" and "participating in the power of God." Mary, especially since she is not bound by the limits of time and space, as she is in Heaven, can participate in God's power to become visible to a person on earth, to communicate, and even to be present in her assumed body in a type of three dimensional apparition. Scripture attests to a vision or apparition by persons who have died and have risen in Christ; this is recorded in Matthew 27:52-53: "...and the graves were opened and many bodies arose out of them, bodies of holy men gone to their rest; who, after his rising again, left their graves and went into the holy city, where they were seen by many." If the dead who rise in Christ can appear in bodily form to others, certainly the Mother of Jesus, whose body is gloriously assumed into Heaven, can appear to her earthly children with Gospel messages encouraging greater faith, prayer, penance, conversion and peace.

Conclusion

It is our hope that the explanations provided in this article have provided some theological and reasonable grounds for a full acceptance and appreciation of Mary's role in God's drama of human salvation, a maternal role that hopefully will evoke a sincere filial Christian love on the part of her earthly children.

We end with the words that ended the Second Vatican Council's profound treatment on Mary. It is a prayer of petition that beseeches the most powerful intercession of the Mother of God for the unity of all her earthly children into the one Church of Christ:

The entire body of the faithful pours forth urgent supplications to the Mother of God and of men that she, who aided the beginnings of the Church by her prayers, may now, exalted as she is above all the angels and saints, intercede before her Son in the fellowship of all the saints, until all families of people, whether they are honored with the title of Christian or whether they still do not know the Savior, may be happily gathered together in peace and harmony into one People of God, for the glory of the Most Holy and Undivided Trinity (Lumen Gentium, No. 69).

This article was excerpted from Introduction to Mary: The Heart of Marian Doctrine and Devotion, Queenship, 1993.

Notes

(1) Henry Cardinal Newman, Inspiration in its Relation to Revelation, 1884; cf. Karl Keating, Catholicism and Fundamentalism, (San Francisco: Ignatius Press) Ch. 10.

(2) Fr. H. M. Manteau-Bonamy, O.P., Immaculate Conception and the Holy Spirit: The Marian Teachings of Fr. Kolbe, (Kenosha, WI: Franciscan Marytown Press, 1977). Letter to Father Mikolajczyk, July 28, 1935, p. 99.

(3) William Most, Mary in Our Life, (New York: Kenedy and Sons, 1954) p. 38.

(4) De Montfort, True Devotion, I. art. 2, No. 132.

General Apologetics

Catholic Apologetics Biblical Cheat Sheet

Roman Catholic Church is Apostolic, Instituted by Christ Himself, with Peter as the first Pope (appointed head):

Mt 16:18-19; -- upon this rock I will build my Church
Mt 18:17-18; -- if he refuses to listen even to Church...
Mt 28:18-20; -- go baptize and teach all nations
Mk 16:16; -- go to the whole world and proclaim the gospel
Lk 10:16; -- whoever hears you, hears Me; rejects you, rejects Me
Jn 14:16,26; -- Holy Spirit is with you always, teach and remind everything
Jn 16:12; -- Spirit of truth will guide you to all truth
1 Tim 3:15; -- Church is the pillar and foundation of truth
Jn 15:16; -- Jesus chose special men to be his apostles
Jn 20:21; -- Jesus gave the apostles their own mission
Lk 22:30; -- Jesus gave them a kingdom
Mt 16:18; -- Jesus built Church on Peter, the rock
Jn 10:16; -- one shepherd to shepherd Christ's sheep
Lk 22:32, Jn 21:17; Peter appointed to be chief shepherd
Eph 4:11; -- church leaders are hierarchical
1 Tim 3:1, 8; 5:17; -- identifies the roles of bishops, priests, deacons
Tit 1:5; commission for bishops to ordain priests


The Church is the Body of Christ:

Col 1:18; -- he is the head of the body, the Church
1 Cor 12:20-27; -- you are Christ's body, individually parts of it
Eph 5:30; -- we are members of His body
Rom 12:4-5; -- though many, we are one body in Christ
1 Cor 6:15; -- don't you know your bodies are members of Christ


The Church Must be One:

Jn 10:16; -- there shall be one fold and one shepherd
Eph 4:3-6; -- one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father
Rom 16:17; -- avoid those who create dissensions
1 Cor 1:10; -- I urge that there be no divisions among you
Phil 2:2; -- be of same mind, united in heart, thinking one thing
Rom 15:5; -- God grant you to think in harmony with one another
Jn 17:17-23; -- I pray that they may be one, as we are one
Jn 17: 23; -- that they may be brought to perfection as one
1 Cor 12:13; -- in one spirit we were baptized into one body
Rom 12:5; -- we, though many, are one body in Christ
Eph 4:4; -- one body, one Spirit, called to one hope
Col 3:15; -- the peace into which you were called in one body


The Authority and Infallibility of the Church:

Mt 28:18-20; -- Jesus delegates all power to apostles
Jn 20:23; -- power to forgive sin
1 Cor 11:24; -- power to offer sacrifice (Eucharist)
Lk 10:16; -- power to speak with Christ's voice
Mt 18:18; -- power to legislate
Mt 18:17; -- power to discipline
Jn 16:13; -- guided by Holy Spirit into all truth
Jn 14:26; -- Holy Spirit to teach and remind them of everything
Lk 10:16; -- speak with Christ's own voice
1 Tim 3:15; -- church called "pillar and foundation of truth"
1 Jn 2:27; -- anointing of the Holy Spirit remains in you
Acts 15:28; -- apostles speak with voice of the Holy Spirit
Mt 28:20; -- I am with you always


The Church is Perpetual:

Is 9:6-7; -- of Christ's government there will be no end
Dan 2:44; -- God's kingdom shall stand forever
Dan 7:14; -- His kingdom shall not be destroyed
Lk 1:32,33; -- no end to Christ's kingdom
Mt 7:24; -- Jesus is like a wise man who built his house on a rock
Mt 13:24-30; -- let wheat and weeds grow together until harvest
Mt 16:18; -- gates of hell will never prevai against Christ's church
Jn 14:16; -- Holy Spirit will be with you always
Mt 28:19-20; -- I am with you always


Primacy of Peter and Apostolic Succession:

Mt 16:18; -- upon this rock (Peter) I will build my church
Mt 16:19; -- I give you the keys of the kingdom; power to bind and loose
Lk 22:32; -- Peter's faith will strenghthen his brethren
Jn 21:17; -- given Christ's flock as chief shepherd
Mk 6:7; -- angel sent to announce Resurrection to Peter
Lk 24:34; -- risen Jesus first appeared to Peter
Acts 1:13-26; -- headed meeting which elected Matthias
Acts 2:14; -- led apostles in preaching on Pentecost
Acts 2:41; -- received the first converts to Christianity
Acts 3:6-7; -- performed first miracle after Pentecost
Acts 5:1-11; -- inflicted first punishment; Ananias and Saphira
Acts 8:21; -- excommunicated first heretic, Simon Magnus
Acts 10:44-46; -- received revelation to admit Gentiles into the Church
Acts 15; -- led first council in Jerusalem
Acts 15:17; -- pronounces first dogmatic decision
Gal 1:8; -- after conversion, Paul visits chief apostle
Gal 2:11-14; -- I opposed Cephas to h is face, for his hypocrisy
Mt 10:1-4; Mk 3:16-19; Lk 6:14-16; Acts 1:13; -- Peter's name always heads the list of the apostles
Mt 18:21; Mk 8:29; Lk 12:41; Jn 6:69; -- Peter speaks for all the apostles
2 Chr 19:11; -- high priest is over you in everything of the Lord's
Mal 2:7; -- seek instruction from priest; he is God's messenger
Eph 2:20; -- church built upon foundation of apostles and prophets
Eph 4:11; -- God gave some as apostles, others as prophets
1 Cor 12:29-29; God designated in church: apostles,....
Acts 1:20; -- let another take his office
Acts 1:25-26; -- Matthias takes Judas's apostolic ministry
1 Tim 3:1, 8; 5:17; -- qualifications for bishops, priests and deacons
1 Tim 4:14; -- gift conferred with the laying on of hands
1 Tim 5:22; -- do not lay hands too readily on anyone
Acts 14:23; -- they appointed presbyters in each church
2 Tim 2:2: -- what you heard from me entrust to the faithful teachers
Tit 1:5; -- appoint presbyters in every town, as I directed


Bible Plus Tradition:

1 Cor 11:2; -- hold fast to traditions I handed on to you
2 Thess 2:15; -- hold fast to traditions, whether oral or by letter
2 Thess 3:16; -- shun those acting not according to tradition
Jn 21:25; -- not everything Jesus said is recorded in Scripture
Mk 13:31; -- heaven and earth shall pass away, but My Word won't
Acts 20:35; -- saying of Jesus not recorded in the gospels
2 Tim 1:13; -- follow my sound words; guard the truth
2 Tim 2:2: -- what you heard, entrust to faithful men
2 Pet 1:20; -- no prophecy is a matter of private interpretation
2 Pet 3:15-16; -- Paul's letters can be difficult to grasp and interpret
1 Pet 1:25; -- God's eternal Word is the Word preached by you
Rom 10:17; -- faith comes from what is heard
1 Cor 15:1-2; -- being saved if you hold fast to the word I preached
Mk 16:15; -- go to the whole world, proclaim the gospel to every creature
Mt 23:2-3; -- chair of Moses; observe whatever they tell you
Mt 15:3; -- break commandment of God for your tradition
Mk 7:9; -- set aside God's commandment to uphold tradition
Col 2:8; -- seductive philosophy according to human tradition
1 Cor 11:2; -- commends them for following Apostolic tradition
2 Thess 2:15; -- commands them to keep traditions
2 Thess 3:16; -- shun those acting not according to tradition


Have You Been Saved? Faith Plus Works:

Rom 8:24; -- for in hope we are saved
Eph 2:5, 8; -- by grace you have been saved through faith
2 Tim 1:9; -- He saved us, called us, according to His grace
Tit 3:5; -- He saved us through bath of rebirth, renewal by the Holy Spirit
Phil 2:12; -- work out your salvation with fear and trembling
1 Pet 1:9; -- as you attain the goal of your faith and salvation
Mt 10:22; -- he who endures to the end will be saved
Mt 24:13; -- he who perseveres to the end will be saved
Mk 8:3-5; -- whoever loses his life for My sake will save it
Acts 15:11; -- we shall be saved through the grace of Jesus
Rom 5:9-10; -- since we are justified, we shall be saved
Rom 13:11; -- salvation is nearer now than first believed
1 Cor 3:15; -- he will be saved, but only as through fire
1 Cor 5:5; -- deliver man to Satan so his spirit may be saved
Heb 9:28; -- Jesus will appear a second time to bring salvation
Jam 2:24; -- a man is justified by works and not by faith alone
Jam 2:26; -- faith without works is dead
Gal 5:4-6; -- only thing that counts is faith working in love
1 Cor 13:2; -- faith without love is nothing
Jn 14:15; -- if you love Me, keep My commandments
Mt 19:16-17; -- if you wish to enter into life, keep My commandments
Mt 7:21; -- not "Lord, Lord," but he who does the will of the Father
Jn 14:21; -- he who keeps My commandments loves Me
Rom 2:2-8; -- eternal life by perseverance in good works
Eph 2:8-10; -- we are created in Christ for good works
Jas 2:14-24; -- man is justified by works and not faith alone


Are We Assured of Salvation?:

Rom 2:5-8; -- God will repay each man according to his works
2 Cor 11:15; -- recompense according to what you did in body; their end will correspond to their deeds
1 Pet 1:17; -- God judges impartially according to one's works
Rev 20:12-13; -- dead judged according to their deeds
Col 3:24-25; -- will receive due payment for whatever you do on earth
Rom 11:23; -- remain in His kindness or you will be cut off
1 Cor 9:27; -- drive the body for fear of being disqualified
1 Cor 10:11-12; -- those thinking they are secure may fall
Gal 5:4; -- separated from Christ, you've fallen from grace
Hb 6:4-6; -- describes sharers in the Holy Spirit who have fallen away
Heb 10:26-27; -- if you sin after receiving the truth, judgment remains


Purgatory:

Mt 5:48; -- be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect
Heb 12:14; -- strive for that holiness without which we cannot see God
Jam 3:2; -- we all fall short in many respects
Rev 21:27; -- nothing unclean shall enter heaven
1 Jn 5:16-17; -- degrees of sins are distinguished
Jm 1:14-15; -- when sin reaches maturity, it gives birth to death
2 Sam 12:13-14; -- David, though forgiven, was still punished for his sins
Mt 5:26; -- you will not be released until you've paid the last penny
Mt 12:32; -- sin against the Holy Spirit is unforgiven in this life and the next
Mt 12:36; -- account for every idle word on judgment day
2 Macc 12:44-46; -- atoned for dead to free them from sin
1 Cor 3:15; -- suffer loss, but saved as through fire
1 Pet 3:18-20; -- Jesus preached to the spirits in prison
2 Tim 1:16-18; -- Paul prays for his dead friend, Onesiphorus
1 Cor 15:29-30; -- Paul mentions people baptizing for the dead


About Hell:

Is 33:11,14; -- who of us can live with the everlasting flames
Mt 25:41; -- depart, you accursed, into the eternal fire
Mt 25:46; -- these will go off to eternal punishment
Lk 3:16-17; -- the chaff he will burn in unquenchable fire
2 Thess 1:6-9; -- these will pay the penalty of eternal ruin


Call No Man Father:

Acts 6:14, 7:2; -- St. Stephen calls Jewish leaders "fathers"
Acts 21:40, 22:1; -- St. Paul calls Jerusalem Jews "fathers"
Rom 4:16-17; -- Abraham called "the father of us all"
1 Cor 4:14-15; -- I became your father in Christ through the gospel
1 Tim 1:2; -- my true child in the faith
Tit 1:4; -- my true child in our common faith
Heb 12:7-9; -- we have earthly fathers to discipline us
Lk 14:26; -- if anayone comes to me without hating his father...
1 Thess 2:1; -- we treated you as a father treats his children
Philem 10; -- whose father I became in my imprisonment
1 Jn 2:13-14; -- I write to you, fathers, because you know Him


Homosexuality:

Gn 1; -- complementarity of sexes reflects God's inner unity
Gn 2; -- transmission of life through total self donation; one flesh
Gn 19; -- original sin deteriorates to Sodom's sin, destroyed
Lv 18:22; -- called abomination, cut off from the people
Lv 20:13; -- both shall be put to death for abominable deed
Rom 1:27; -- called unnatural, shameful, and a perversity
1 Cor 6:9; -- active homosexuals won't inherit the kingdom of God
1 Tim 1:10; -- those who engage in such acts are called "sinners"


Drinking Fermented Wine:

Gn 27:25; -- Isaac brough Jacob wine, and he drank
Dt 14:23-26; -- spend money on sheep, wine, and strong drink
Prov 20:1; -- wine is a mocker, and it is unwise to be led astray by it
Eccl 9:7; -- drink your wine with merry heart; God approves
Is 25:6; -- God will provide feast of rich foods and choice wines
Is 5:11; -- woe to those who rise early and run after strong drink
Is 5:22; -- woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine
Lk 7:33-34; -- Son of Man eats and drinks; behold the glutton and the drunk
Jn 2:2-9; -- miracle at Cana; water turned into wine by Jesus
Eph 5:18; -- do not get drunk with wine; that is debauchery
1 Tim 5:23; -- drink a little wine for the sake of your stomach


Marriage, Divorce and Remarriage:

Mal 2:14-16; -- for I hate divorce, says the Lord
Mt 5:32-33; -- to divorce or marry divorced wife is adultery
Mt 19:4-6, 9; -- to divorce wife and remarry is adultery
Mk 10:11-12; -- if either divorces and remarries, it is adultery
Lk 16:18; -- to divorce and remarry or marry a divorced person is adultery
Rom 7:2-3; -- if a wife consorts, she is adultress if husband is alive; if dead, not
1 Cor 7:10-11; -- if a wife separates, she must stay single or reconcile
Mt 19:5; -- leave father and mother, join a wife; the 2 become 1 flesh
Mk 10:7-12; -- what God has joined together, no man can separate
Eph 5:22-32; -- union of man and wife is the image of Christ and His Church
1 Thess 4:4; -- acquire a wife for yourself in holiness and honor


Mary, the Blessed Mother of Jesus:

Lk 1:28, 30; -- angel Gabriel: "full of grace....found favor with God"
Lk 1:40; -- Elizabeth: "most blessed among women"
Lk 1:48; -- Mary: "all generations wil call me blessed"

Mary as the Mother of God:
Lk 1:43; -- Elizabeth calls her "mother of my Lord"
Mt 1:23; -- a virgin will bear a son, Emmanuel (means "God is with us")
Lk 1:35; -- child born will be called holy, the Son of God
Gal 4:4; -- God sent His Son, born of a virgin

The Assumption of Mary's Body into Heaven after her Death:
Gn 5:24; Hb 11:5; -- Enoch taken to heaven without dying
2 Kg 2:11; -- Elijah assumed into heaven in a fiery chariot
Mt 27:52; -- many saints who had fallen asleep were raised
1 Thess 4:17; -- caught up to meet the Lord in the air
1 Cor 15:52; -- we shall be instantly changed at the last trumpet
Rom 6:23; -- for the wages of sin is death
Rev 11:19; 12:1; -- ark in heaven is a woman clothed with the sun

Immaculate Conception (Mary was Conceived Without Sin):
Lk 1:28; -- hail full of grace, highly favored daughter; the Lord is with you
Lk 1:30; -- you have found favor with God
Lk 1:37; -- for with God, nothing shall be impossible
Gn 3:15; -- complete enmity between woman and Satan (sin)
Ex 25:11-21; -- ark made of purest gold for God's Word

Mary Ever-Virgin; Her Perpetual Virginity:
Lk 1:34; -- how can this be, since I do not know man
Lk 2:41-51; -- at age 12, Jesus was apparently the only child of Mary
Mk 6:3; -- "the" son of Mary, not "a" son of Mary
Mt 27:56; -- Mary the mother of James and Joseph is also...
Jn 19:25; -- Mary, the wife of Clopas
Jn 19:26; -- entrusted Mary to John, not a younger sibling
Jn 7:3-4; -- brothers advise like elders: "go to Judea, manifest...."
Mk 3:21; -- set out to seize him, "he is out of his mind"
Mt 28:20; -- I am with you always, until the end of ages


Communion of Saints:

Eph 1:22-23; -- He is head of the Church, which is His Body
Eph 5:21-32; -- Christ is head of the Church, the Saviour of the body
Col 1:18, 24; -- He is the head of the body, the Church
1 Cor 12:12-27; -- if 1 suffers, all suffer; if 1 is honored, all rejoice
Rom 12:5; -- we are 1 body in Christ, individually parts of one another
Eph 4:4; -- one body, one Spirit, called to one hope
Col 3:15; -- you were called in one body
Rom 8:35-39; -- death cannot separate us from Christ
Rom 12:10; -- love one another with mutual affection
1 Thess 5:11; -- encourage and build up one another
Gal 6:2; -- bear one another's burdens
Gal 6:10; -- let us do good to all, especially those in the family of faith


Intercessory Prayer to the Saints:

Rom 15:30; -- join me by your prayers to God on my behalf
Eph 4:3; -- pray for us
2 Th 1:11; -- we always pray for you
2 Th 3:1; -- finally, brothers, pray for us
Eph 6:18; -- making supplication for all the saints and for me
Tob 12:12; -- angel presents Tobit and Sarah's prayer to God
Rev 5:8; -- angel offers prayers of the holy ones to God
Mk 12:26-27; -- He is God of the living, not of the dead
Mk 9:4; -- Jesus is seen conversing with Elijah and Moses
Lk 23:43; -- this day you will be with me in paradise
Rev 6:9-11; -- martyrs under the altar want earthly vindication
Heb 12:1; -- we are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses
Lk 16:19-30; -- departed rich man intercedes for his brothers
Rev 20:4; -- saw the souls of those who had been beheaded
Wis 3:1-6; -- the souls of the just are in the hand of God
1 Tim 2:1-7; -- offer prayers, petitions for all men
1 Pet 2:5; -- be a holy priesthood to offer sacrifices through Christ
Mk 10:18; -- only God is good
Mt 25:23; -- well done my good and faithful servant
Jn 10:11-16; -- I am the good shepherd; one flock, one shepherd
Jn 21:15-16; -- feed my lambs, tend my sheep
Eph 4:11; -- He gave some as apostles...others as pastors
Heb 3:1; 7:24; 9:12; -- Jesus is the eternal high priest; one sacrifice
Rev 1:6; 5:10; -- He made us a kingdom of priests for God


Veneration of the Saints (is NOT Worship!):

Jos 5:14; -- Joshua fell prostrate in worship before an angel
Dan 8:17; -- Daniel fell prostrate in terror for Gabriel
Tob 12:16; Tobiah and Tobit fall to the ground before Raphael
Mt 18:10; -- angels in heaven always behold the face of God (We venerate angels because of their great dignity, which comes from their union with God. Saints are also united with God in heaven.)
1 Jn 3:2; -- we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is
1 Thess 1:5-8; -- you became an example to all belivers
Heb 13:7; -- remember leaders, consider and imitate their life and faith

Relics:
2 Kgs 13:20-21; -- contact with Elijah's bones restored life to a dead man
Acts 5:15-16; -- cures performed through Peter's shadow
Acts 19:11-12; -- cures through face cloths that touched Paul

Statues:
Ex 25:18-19; -- make 2 cherubim of beaten gold
Num 21:8-9; -- Moses made a bronze serpent and put it on a pole
1 Kgs 6:23-29; -- temple had engraved cherubim, trees, flowers
1 Kigs 7:25-45; -- temple had bronze oxen, lions, pomegranates