Is the perpetual virginity of Mary biblical?
It is the official position of the Roman Catholic Church that Jesus’ mother Mary remained a virgin for her entire life. Is this concept biblical? Before we look at specific Scriptures, it is important to understand why the Roman Catholic Church believes in the perpetual virginity of Mary. The Roman Catholic Church views Mary as…
What are the Seven Sorrows of Mary?
The Seven Sorrows of Mary, also called the Seven Dolors of Mary, are a religious theme and spiritual devotion within Roman Catholic theology. The theme is usually portrayed artistically with a painting of the Virgin Mary pierced with seven swords or crying with seven tears upon her face. In view of this theme, Mary is…
What is the difference between veneration and worship?
In response to the accusation that they worship Mary and the saints, Catholics will often claim that they “venerate,” not worship, them. To venerate is to regard with great respect or to revere. Veneration can be defined as “respect or awe directed toward someone due to his/her value or greatness.” The simplest definition of worship…
Is Mary the co-redemptrix / mediatrix?
Some Catholics view Mary as a co-redemptrix or a mediatrix who plays a key role in the salvation of mankind. (The suffix -trix is a feminine word ending in Latin, so a redemptrix is a female redeemer, and a mediatrix is a female mediator.) Within Catholicism, there is a drive to define a new Marian…
Is prayer to saints / Mary biblical?
Some Roman Catholics draw a fine line between praying to Mary—which they deny doing—and praying with her. They maintain that a prayer addressed to Mary or the saints is simply a way of asking people in heaven to pray for people on earth and is no different from asking someone here on earth to pray…
What is beatification and canonization and are they biblical?
Beatification and canonization are acts of the Roman Catholic Church declaring that a deceased person led a holy life. People still living can then request the blessed (if beatified) or saint (if canonized) to intercede with God on their behalf. The blessed or saint is honored and revered due to their actions while living, but…
Is Mary the mother of God (Theotokos)?
The phrase mother of God traces back to the third century and continues to be used in some liturgical churches, including the Roman Catholic Church. One of the topics at the Council of Ephesus in AD 431 was the use of the Greek term Theotókos (literally, “God-bearer” or “the one who gives birth to God”)…
What is the Hail Mary that Catholics say so often?
The “Hail Mary,” Ave Maria in Latin, is a Roman Catholic prayer to the Virgin Mary that consists of salutations and a plea for her intercession. Also, the term “Hail Mary pass” was used by the press to describe a pass by Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach in a 1975 divisional playoff game and has…
Who are the fourteen holy helpers of Catholicism?
The fourteen holy helpers in Catholicism date back to a crisis in the fourteenth century. From 1346 to 1353, approximately two out of three Europeans died from the bubonic plague. Known also as the Black Death, the disease was transmitted by flea-infested rats; as there was no known cure, more than 25 million people died…
What is the Assumption of Mary?
The Assumption of Mary (or the Assumption of the Virgin) is a teaching that, after the mother of Jesus died, she was resurrected, glorified, and taken bodily to heaven. The word assumption is taken from a Latin word meaning “to take up.” The Assumption of Mary is taught by the Roman Catholic Church and, to…