IN DEFENCE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

– TAKEN FROM VARIOUS CATHOLIC SOURCES

Before explaining the Catholic doctrine and practice regarding the Blessed Virgin Mary, let me state the truths which the
Catholic Church teaches most emphatically that God alone, the Supreme, Infinite Being, is worthy of worship. To
worship any creature, however exalted, would be to commit idolatry. It is simply absurd and also grossly unfair to say
that Catholics worship Mary. There is not one document, in the 2000 years of the Catholic Church, will you find the idea
of worshiping Mary.

The Catholic Church teaches there are three forms of praise – latria, hyperdulia, and dulia. Latria refers to adoration
and worship and is reserved for God alone. The honor given to the Angels and Saints is called dulia or veneration. But
Mary is the only person to whom the Church reserves an honor that is neither dulia not the supreme worship of latria,
but of hyperdulia, which is a higher veneration given, unparallel to any other Angel or Saint, due to her great dignity.

Throughout history, Catholics are well known for their devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. For this, they have been
accused of practicing and propagating false devotion. They have been accused of making goddess of her. They have
been also accused of being ignorant of scripture, since they believe something beyond scripture as doctrinal and
apostolic. These are but few of the accusations Catholics suffered mostly since the protestant revolution. Are these
accusations just and is Catholic Church ignorant of Sacred Scripture? Let’s find out.

+ Why is Mary so profoundly honored by the Catholics?

The answer is simple, because GOD wills it. Now you may ask where the Scripture says so. And the reply is and always
will be it does not directly say so but indirectly, like some of the major doctrines of Christianity. Let us take for example
the divinity of our Lord Jesus. Nowhere in the gospels did Lord Jesus directly claim divinity. Nowhere in there will you
find Him saying "I am GOD or Worship Me". But He gave us numerous indirect indications of His divinity. Let us take
another example, the doctrine of Trinity. Nowhere in there will you find that sacred name of GOD, which in a word
explains the concept of GOD in Christianity. But we will find all the components of Triune GOD in the Sacred Scripture.
Let us take third example, nowhere in there will we find Christians celebrating Christmas, Easter or keeping Good Friday,
in honor of the passion and death of Our Lord, yet every Christian honor and celebrate these holy days. There is another
factor to remember here is that the Holy Bible is silent about so many things, which unless we turn to tradition and
belief of early Christians we will never understand. The sacred writers have over and over again advised, through written
scripture, to recourse to unwritten scripture or tradition. For example: John 21:25, 1 Corinthians 11:2, 3 John 13-14, 2
Tim. 2:2, and 2 Thess. 2:15.

The early Christians knew the scripture well. They loved their faith and Church, and preserved and nourished it. They
knew also the fact that not everything was written down. Much of the faith they handed down through oral tradition,
since Christians until the 4th century did not have the Holy Bible, as we have today. The Disciples of Christ handed down
the sacred writings and other teachings to their disciples and they in turn to their followers. They are to this day known
as the Fathers of the Church. These great men not only preserved but explained in details the Christian faith through
preaching and writing. Later I will explain this in detail.

Now coming to the point, not everything is in the Bible. When I say this, what I mean is not everything is written clearly
and directly. We must understand that the Holy Bible is a mysterious book. The problem is that people, mainly
protestants, look at the Bible as one book that is literal. The Bible is a library. Some passages are literal, some passages
are poetic, some passages are symbolic, some are prophetic and much of the Old Testament is dramatic.
Our GOD in His wisdom placed His every doctrine in His scripture but much He shadowed with symbolism. The great
error of Protestantism was the failure to recognize this mystery. The rational and literal interpretation of Scripture, by
protestants, without the support of tradition and the Church led them to the gates of Hell, that is, heresy and the
scandal of division (into thousands of denominations - http://www.biblicalcatholic.com/DENOMS.php) and the
foolishness of private judgment that has caused so much of it.

Now I would like to explain in details how the Catholic Church, the ground and pillar of truth (1 Timothy 3:15) and the
Mother of the Holy Bible, has by the will of GOD unlocked the mysteries pertaining to His Blessed Mother, within the
Holy Scripture.

Let me now present step by step, Biblical, Historical and Rational reasons why Mary must be loved and Venerated and
why Catholics are right in giving Mary such a high esteem and honor, second only to GOD.

1st Reason: Because she is the Eve/Mother of the New Covenant,

Just as Jesus is the Adam of the New Covenant

When we read the history of our salvation in the Holy Bible, one of the facts we come across is that the old law was
imperfect and is perfected in the new law. St Thomas Aquinas in his Summa says, 'The New Law is compared to the Old
as the perfect to the imperfect. Now everything perfect fulfils that which is lacking in the imperfect. And accordingly the
New Law fulfils the Old by supplying that which was lacking in the Old Law.' So also, in spirit, the primary figures of the
old were perfected in the primary figures of the New. In the New, Jesus became the new Adam, the new Moses, the new
Jonah, the new Melchizedek (1 Corinthians 15:22,45, Deuteronomy 18:15-20 and John 5:46, Matthew 12:40, Heb. 7); His
twelve disciples became the representation of the twelve tribes of Israel (Matt. 19:28); St. John the Baptist became the
New Elijah (Matthew 11:14); The Church became the New Synagogue; Rome became the new Jerusalem (As the Heart of
Judaism was Jerusalem, the heart of Christianity is Rome, the City of GOD); So also Mary became the New Eve, the
Queen of the New Kingdom of David and the Ark of the New Covenant.

In order to understand this mystery better let us analyze at least two of this Typology.

(Here let us also understand these are not poetic titles given to express a certain biblical view. They are necessary roles
in salvation history that speak to the recreation of mankind and offering of salvation to all men)

+ JESUS and ADAM

Where Adam fails, JESUS succeeds…

1) Adam disobeyed GOD's command

Jesus became obedient even unto death.

2) Adam brought sin to mankind

Jesus delivered mankind from sin.

3) Adam, the first man surrendered to Satan

Jesus, the first man defeated Satan.

4) Adam, though man, through pride, wanted to be like GOD

JESUS, though GOD, through humility, wanted and became man.

5) According to Jewish and Christian Tradition, Golgotha (means 'place of the skull'), the site of the crucifixion, is the
same place where the skull of Adam was buried. It is believed that Jesus died in the same spot Adam died.

+ JESUS and MOSES

Moses said that another prophet would come after him. This promise reaches its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus. This is
why Jesus is often referred to as “The New Moses”.

In his Gospel, Matthew presents Jesus as ‘the New Moses’ for the people of Israel.

Here are a list of similarities between Jesus and Moses:

1. Pharaoh killed all the male Hebrew babies in Egypt, but Moses was saved (Exodus 1:22; 2:1-2).

Herod killed all the male babies in and around Bethlehem, but Jesus escaped into Egypt (Matthew 2:16-18).
2. Moses fled from Egypt, but later returned to deliver his people (Exodus 2:15; 4:18)

Jesus fled to Egypt and later returned to Israel to deliver his people (Matthew 2:13-23)

3. Moses went up the mountain to receive the Law (Exodus 24:1-3)

Jesus delivered the New Law on the Mount (Matthew 5:1-3)

4. Moses' first public miracle was turning water into blood, (The First Plague)

Jesus' first public miracle was turning water into wine. (John 2)

5. Moses did not eat or drink for forty days and forty nights (Exodus 34:28)

Jesus also fasted, for the same period, while being tempted in the desert (Matthew 4:2)

6. Moses delivers the first five books of the Bible (Genesis – Deuteronomy)

In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus gives five sermons or extended ‘discourses’ (Matthew 5-7, 10, 13, 18, 24-25)

7. Moses lifted up the bronze snake in the wilderness (Numbers 21:9)

Jesus said that, in a similar way, He Himself would be “lifted up” (John 3:14).

8. Moses delivered the faithful from physical bondage

Jesus delivered the faithful from spiritual bondage.

9. Moses was the mediator of the Old Covenant through the blood of young bulls (Exodus 24:8)

Jesus is the mediator of the New Covenant through His own blood (Matthew 26:28)

10. Overall, Moses was considered the greatest teacher, prophet and lawgiver in the Hebrew Bible and throughout the
NT); so also Jesus is portrayed in Matthew’s Gospel as a great teacher, prophet and lawgiver, equal to or even greater
than Moses.

+ MARY and EVE

We know that Jesus is the new Adam, but what of the new Eve? Is there a counterpart to her? A reading of the Bible
shows that the new Eve is clearly Mary. While it was Eve's “yes” to Satan (and “no” to God) that began the Fall, it was
Mary's “yes” to God at the Annunciation that began the Redemption. Once this rich typology is admitted, many of the
Marian doctrines become very clear and necessary. It is essential that Mary is Immaculately Conceived because that
means that she is without personal sin and without original sin – she is in exactly the same state as Eve was when she
made her choice! How could the choice to help with the redemption of humanity be fairly made unless the woman
making it was in the same position as the woman who chose to help with the fall of humanity?

One of the most interesting aspects of the Marian typology is that the Vulgate translation of the Bible made by Saint
Jerome from the Hebrew texts rather than the Greek Septuagint (although, of course, including the books of the
Septuagint canon) refers not to the fact that “he will crush your head” but rather that “she will crush your head”. This,
together with other rich typology, shows that together Jesus and Mary crush Satan's head because it was together Adam
and Eve that caused the infamous fall. It was Adam and Eve’s yes to Satan that doomed humanity, so also it was Jesus
and Mary’s yes to GOD that redeemed humanity.

Remember that Mary is present with Jesus throughout His passion and death – she is present at the foot of the cross
where Satan's head is crushed. Additionally, we read about many women in the Bible who are types of Mary – these are
women who are referred to as being “blessed” above all women or among women (echoing the salutation of Elizabeth
in Luke 1:42). These women also crush or destroy the head of their enemies – both literally (striking at the skulls of men)
and figuratively (by killing the head of an army or kingdom).

Jael crushes the head of General Sisera of the Canaanites in Judges 4:17-22. In Judges 5:24 she we read the words
“Blessed among women be Jael”. Later on in Judges 9:50-55 we read about the killing of King Abimelech when his head
is crushed by a millstone dropped by a woman. In the Deuterocanonical Book of Judith the heroine Judith saves Israel by
beheading the General Holofernes with his own sword. Her victory is celebrated in Judith 13:18 with the words “you are
blessed by the Most High God above all women on earth; . . . to strike the head of the leader of our enemies.”

All these blessed women of the Old, nevertheless were just the forerunner of the Blessed Woman of the New. If these
blessed women of Old were chosen by GOD to crush the enemies of Israel. How much more greater the Blessed Woman
of the New, is chosen to crush not just any mortal enemy but to crush GOD's greatest enemy, satan himself. If it was a
woman that was defeated first, it is just that a woman should defeat first. For the easier it was for satan to crush the
weaker gender first, the harder it will be for him to be crushed by the same.

Mary by her singular privilege of being the Mother of Jesus Christ is blessed above all these blessed women and being
the greatest of all women should be, by GOD’s design, destined to crush His arch enemy, that is satan himself. For it will
be more humiliating and painful to be defeated by a humble ‘handmaid of the Lord’ than GOD himself.

Let us now compare Mary with Eve and also find out what the early Christians believed regarding this great mystery.

1) Eve said "Yes" to Satan and "No" to God.

(The First Eve in the exercise of free will cooperated in the fall of man)

Mary said "Yes" to God and "No" to Satan.

(The Second Eve, in the exercise of her free will, cooperated in the redemption and salvation of the entire human race.)

2) EVE - A VIRGIN Listens to the bad angel

MARY - A VIRGIN Listens to the Good Angel

(If the First Virgin was without sin, before giving her consent to the Angel, it is reasonable that the Second Virgin must
also be in that same state, before giving her consent to the Angel.)

3) Eve, through pride and rebellion, gave birth to Sin & Death (Human nature)

Mary, through humility and submission, gave birth to Grace & Salvation (Divine nature)

4) Eve Becomes the “Mother of all those living (in Sin)”

Mary Becomes the “Mother of all those living in Christ”

5) It was listening to Eve that caused Adam to commit the first sin.

It was listening to Mary that caused JESUS to perform the first miracle.
The Early Church Scholars and teachers believed and taught Mary to be the Second Eve. The following words from few
of them explore the role of Eve in the fall to the role of Mary – the New Eve – in the Salvation of the World.

In AD 135, the Early Church Father Justin Martyr said the following in a dialogue with a Rabbi Trypho in Ephesus.6

[Jesus] became man by the Virgin, in order that the disobedience which proceeded from the serpent might receive its
destruction in the same manner in which it derived its origin. For Eve, who was a virgin and undefiled, having conceived
the world of the serpent, brought forth disobedience and death. But the Virgin Mary received faith and joy when the
angel Gabriel announced the good tidings to her that the Spirit of the Lord would come upon her, and the power of the
Highest would overshadow her: wherefore also the Holy Thing begotten of her is the Son of God and she replied, ‘Be it
unto me according to your word.’

The Virgin Mary is the Advocate of the Virgin Eve:

It was Bishop Irenaeus, in the 2nd Century, who more fully developed St. Paul’s concept of recapitulation. He goes on to
say: “If the former [Eve] disobeyed God, the latter [Mary] was persuaded to obey God, so that the Virgin Mary became
the advocate of the virgin Eve…”

The same St. Irenaeus (Bishop of Lyon and a second generation

disciple from the Apostle John) said:

“[W]hat is joined together could not otherwise be put asunder than by

inversion of the process by which these bonds of union had arisen; so
that the former ties be cancelled by the latter… […] [I]t was that the
knot of Eve’s disobedience was loosed by the obedience of Mary. For
what the virgin Eve had bound fast through unbelief, this did the
Virgin Mary set free through faith. (Against Heresies, III.22.4, A.D.
180)

For just as [Eve] was led astray by the word of an angel, so that she
fled from God when she had transgressed His word; so did [Mary], by
an angelic communication, receive the glad tidings that she should
sustain God, being obedient to His word. And if the former did disobey
God, yet the latter was persuaded to be obedient to God, in order that
the Virgin Mary might become the patroness of the virgin Eve. And
thus, as the human race fell into bondage to death by means of a
virgin, so is it rescued by a virgin; virginal disobedience having been
balanced in the opposite scale by virginal obedience. (Against
Heresies, V.19.1, A.D. 180)

The Early Church thinker Tertullian [who coined the word 'TRINITY'] comments on how Eve – a female – sinned and
brought about the Fall; thus, there is a certain justice in God’s providence allowing someone of the same sex – Mary –
usher in the salvation of humanity. In his own words: “For it was while Eve was yet a virgin, that the ensnaring word had
crept into her ear which was to build the edifice of death. Into a virgin’s soul, in like manner, must be introduced that
Word of God which was to raise the fabric of life; so that what had been reduced to ruin by this sex might be the selfsame
sex be recovered to salvation." (The Flesh of Christ, 17, A.D. 210)
St. Gregory the Wonder-worker, in the 3rd
century said:

“When I remember the disobedience of Eve, I

weep. But when I view the fruit of Mary, I am
again renewed. Deathless by descent,
invisible through beauty, before the ages
light of light; of God the Father wast Thou
begotten; being Word and Son of God, Thou
didst take on flesh from Mary Virgin, in order
that Thou mightest renew afresh Adam
fashioned by Thy holy hand. “(Homily
Concerning the Holy Mother of God Ever-
Virgin, 1)

St.Cyril of Jerusalem (315-386) taught: "Since

through Eve, a virgin, came death, it
behoved, that through a Virgin, or rather
from a Virgin, should life appear; that, as the
Serpent had deceived the one, so to the other
Gabriel might bring good tidings." -Cat. xii.15.

St. Ephrem, in the 4th century said:

“With the body then that [was] from the

Virgin, [Jesus] entered Sheol and plundered its storehouses and emptied its treasures. He came then to Eve the Mother of
all living. This is the vine whose fence Death laid open by her own hands, and caused her to taste of his fruits. So Eve the
Mother of all living became the well-spring of death to all living. But Mary budded forth, a new shoot from Eve the
ancient vine; and new life dwelt in her, that when Death should come confidently after his custom to feed upon mortal
fruits, the life that is slayer of death might be stored up [therein] against him…” (Homily on Our Lord, 3)

“Let women praise Her, the pure Mary — that as in Eve their mother, great was their reproach — lo! In Mary their sister,
greatly magnified was their honor. […] Of him the Lord said, that he had fallen from Heaven.— The Abhorred One had
exalted himself; from his uplifting he has fallen. The foot of Mary has trod him down, who bruised Eve with his heel.
“(Hymns on the Nativity, 15)

Another great father of the Church St. Augustine, in the 4th-5th century wrote:

“Our Lord . . . was not averse to males, for he took the form of a male, nor to females, for of a female he was born.
Besides, there is a great mystery here: that just as death comes to us through a woman, life is born to us through a
woman; that the devil, defeated, would be tormented by each nature, feminine and masculine, as he had taken delight in
the defection of both. “(Christian Combat 22.24, A.D. 396)

Saint Jerome, the great Church father of the 4th Century, in his Epistle 22 wisely said - “Death by Eve, life by Mary”

I suggest you read ‘Mary as the New Eve’ by JOHN HENRY NEWMAN (a great theologian of the 19th Century, who was
born a protestant but died a Catholic) Link - http://www.christendom-awake.org/pages/marian/newman1.html
IN THE OLD COVENANT, EVE COMES FROM ADAM.

IN THE NEW COVENANT, ADAM COMES FROM EVE.

THE ORDER IS REVERSED , TO REVERSE THE EFFECT OF THEIR FALL.

So a simple comparison of Adam and Christ is incomplete. What is needed is a holistic comparison between the original
creation and the recreation: Adam to Christ, Eve to Mary, Fall to Salvation, and Tree of knowledge to Tree of the Cross.

Since Eve and Adam together caused the fall and doomed Creation; so also Mary and Jesus together brought restoration
and Sanctified Creation.

Hence, if Eve corporated with Adam in the fall of mankind; it must be that Mary corporated with Jesus in the redemption
of mankind. This does make Mary the Co-Redemptrix , one who participated in the act of redemption with Jesus; as Eva
participated with Adam in the act of transgression. Even before the year 200, the Church Father St. Irenaeus referred to
Mary as the cause of our salvation. (Even as Eve, having become disobedient, was made the cause of death, both to
herself and to the entire human race, so also did Mary . . . by being obedient, become the cause of salvation, both to
herself and to the whole human race-----and therefore, as the human race was made subject to death by a virgin, so is it
saved by a virgin.) Another great Church Father St Augustine, in the 4th Century, said “Who can worthily thank thee and
adequately praise thee, O Blessed Virgin, who by thy Fiat hast saved a lost world!” We also find in the writings of St.
Cyril of Alexandria, 5h Century Doctor of the Church: “All praise to you, holy Mother of God! . . . Through you the
heavens exult, the Angels and Archangels rejoice, the demons flee, and man himself is once more admitted to Heaven.
Through you, souls bound by the chains of idolatry have been brought to know the truth and led to Holy Baptism . . . By
your help nations have come to repentance. Through you, the prophets have spoken and the Apostles have preached
salvation to all nations. Mary, Virgin and Mother, who can worthily proclaim the praises of your power?”

Eve was the first woman, and with Adam our first parent at the inception of human history. According to the original
plan of God, she should have transmitted to her children a human nature sanctified by grace, by divine filiation. Through
the fall into original sin, she instead passed on to each of her offspring that horrible "stain" which caused the birth of
dead children, "children of wrath" of God (Eph 2:3). Thus, in fact, Sirach writes: "From a woman sin had its beginning,
and because of her we all die" (Sir 25:24).

In view of the fall into original sin, one may therefore say that Eve has prefigured Mary only in a negative or antithetical
sense, becoming effectively a counter-figure of Mary. In fact, Eve was redeemed by Mary, according to St. Irenaeus in his
teaching on "recirculation" of grace.

Thus, the fiat of Eve to the solicitation of the serpent/Satan (Gen 3:1-6) was redeemed by the fiat of Mary to the
requests of the Angel Gabriel (Lk 1:30-38). In this way, the personal cooperation of Eve in the fall with Adam into original
sin (Gen 3:6) was redeemed by the personal, active and immediate cooperation of Mary in the redemption wrought by
Christ.

Regarding this angelic salutation of Gabriel, the Blessed Virgin Mary herself related the following information to Saint
Mechtilde of Hackeborn (died in 1298): “My daughter, I want you to know that no one can please me more by saying the
salutation which the Most Adorable Trinity sent to me and by which He raised me to the dignity of Mother of God. By
the word “Ave,” which is the name Eve, I learned that in His infinite power God has preserved me from all sin and its
attendant misery which the first woman had been subject to. “

Moderns would likely dismiss Saint Mechtilde’s account as pious fiction for the simple fact that the Blessed Virgin Mary
would not have likely received the angelic salutation in Latin with the Latin greeting ‘Ave’. Rather, the Greek of Saint
Luke’s Gospel reads ‘Chaire’, not the Latin Ave.
There is, however, something to Saint Mechtilde’s revelation. The Catholic commentator Cornelius a Lapide makes an
excellent observation. [I recommend you to read the commentary of Cornelius on the Annunciation and Visitation -
http://www.catholicapologetics.info/scripture/newtestament/1luke.htm] Saint Gabriel would have addressed Mary in
Hebrew, and likely would have begun his annunciation with the Hebrew greeting “cha-ve” meaning “Live,” as in “Long
live the king” or “Viva Papa” or “Viva Cristo Rey.” Now then, according to Genesis 3:20, the Hebrew name of Eve is “cha-
va” meaning “living” because, as the Holy Spirit explains, Eve is the “Mother of the Living.”

[Hail, Ave. It is very probable that the angel used the ordinary salutation of the Hebrews, ‫לך שלום‬, Peace be to thee.
Unless the opinion of Serarius is to be preferred, that ave is the Hebrew ‫ חוה‬chave or have, that is, “Live;” so that there
is an allusion to the name of Eve, which is in Hebrew ‫ חוה‬chava, that is the mother of all living (Gen. iii. 20), so that the
meaning will be, Eve was not the mother of life but of death, because by sin she delivered over all her children to death,
but thou, O Mary, art truly called Eve, because thou art the mother of life, grace, and glory. Hence in Latin AVE is Eva
reversed, because Mary turned the maledictions of Eve into blessings.]

This shows that there is indeed a mystical meaning in the original Hebrew greeting of Gabriel to Mary, and that the
Virgin’s explanation to Saint Mechtilde is linguistically accurate within the limits of Hebraic vocabulary. Moreover, this
linguistic commonality further establishes Mary as the New Eve. It also reveals that the Latin Vulgate version captures
the original Semitic meaning through an Indo-European root.

Moreover, Mother Mary did not simply undo the sin of Eve. In a full understanding of her biblical roles in salvation
history – the New Eve, the New Ark of the Covenant, and the Queen of the Eternal Davidic Kingdom – Mary is seen as
the highest created being. She was the pure and perfect vessel for Christ’s Incarnation, i.e., the Theotokos, the Mother
of God. No other created human being will ever have such an elevated role.

We have comprehended how Mary is the New Eve and therefore the New Mother of all children of the New Covenant.
Now let us see how Mary is the Ark of the Covenant.
 2nd Reason: because she is the Ark of the New Covenant

One of the titles the Catholic Church honors Mary with is the 'Ark of the New Covenant'.

Every time Catholics pray the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary, they ask her intercession as the Ark of the Covenant
which Protestants deem unbiblical.

The question is Are Protestants right? Is it unbiblical?

The answer is NO. Luke the Evangelist unveiled this mystery in his Gospel and St John the Apostle in his Revelations. The
Bible, tradition as well as reason enshrine Mary as the Ark of the New Covenant and we shall see how.

As Matthew in his Gospel, relates Jesus to Moses, so also Luke in his Gospel, relates Mary to the Ark of the Covenant.
(Remember, the New Testament unlocks, reveals, perfects and fulfills the Old Testament)

1) God the Holy Spirit overshadowed and then indwelled the Ark. The Ark became the dwelling place of the presence of
God [Exodus 40:34-35]

God the Holy Spirit overshadowed and then indwelled Mary. At that time Mary's womb became the dwelling place of
the presence of God [Luke 1:35].
2) The Ark contained the Ten Commandments [the words of God in stone], a pot of manna, and Aaron's rod that came
back to life [Deuteronomy 10:3-5; Hebrews 9:4].

The womb of the Virgin contained Jesus: the living Word of God enfleshed, the living bread from heaven, "the Branch"
(Messianic title) who would die but come back to life [Luke 1:35].

3) The Ark traveled to the hill country of Judah to rest in the house of Obed-edom [2 Samuel 6:1-11]

Mary traveled to the hill country of Judah (Judea) to the home of Elizabeth [Luke 1:39]

4) Dressed in a priestly ephod, King David approached the Ark and danced and leapt for joy [2 Samuel 6:14]

John the Baptist, son of a priest who would himself become a priest, leapt for joy in Elizabeth's womb at the approach
of Mary [Luke 1:43]

5) David shouted for joy in the presence of God and the Holy Ark [2 Samuel 6:15]

Elizabeth exclaimed with a loud cry of joy in the presence God within Mary [Luke 1:42]

6) David asked, "How is it that the Ark of the Lord comes to me?" [2 Samuel 6:9]

Elizabeth asks, "Why is this granted unto me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" [Luke 1:43]

7) The Ark remained in the house of Obed-edom for 3 months [2 Samuel 6:11]

Mary remained in the house of her cousin Elizabeth for 3 months [Luke 1:56].

8) The house of Obed-edom was blessed by the presence of the Ark [2 Samuel 6:11]

The word "blessed" is used 3 times in Luke 1:39-45 concerning Mary at Elizabeth's house.

9) The Ark returned to its sanctuary and eventually ends up in Jerusalem where the presence and glory of God is
revealed in the newly built Temple [2 Samuel 6:12; 1 Kings 8:9-11]

Mary returned home from visiting Elizabeth and eventually comes to Jerusalem, where she presents God the Son in
the Temple [Luke 1:56; 2:21-22]
10) God made Aaron's rod (which would be kept in the Ark) return to life and budded to prove he was the legitimate
High Priest [Numbers 17:8].

God would resurrect His Son, who had become enfleshed in Mary's womb and born to bring salvation to all mankind,
to prove He is the eternal High Priest [Hebrews 4:14].

11) When the Ark was outside the Holy of Holies [when it was being transported]
it was to be covered with a blue veil [Numbers 4:4-6]

In Mary's appearances outside of heaven visionaries testify that she wears a

blue veil.

12) In Revelation 11:19 John sees the Ark of the Covenant in heaven [this is the
last verse of chapter 11]

In the next verse Revelation 12:1 John sees Mary in heaven. It is the same
vision Juan Diego saw of Mary in 1531 — the Woman clothed with the sun and
standing on the moon.

[Mary is the Ark of the New Covenant

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-0WywmkQCw

Mary: Mother of God & Ark of the New Covenant

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFdujLSVL5Y ]

All these similarities paint a picture. Luke wants us to recall a

story of the Ancient Ark of the Covenant now retold in the
context of a visit of Mary, the Mother of God. What the Ark of
the Covenant was in the Old Testament (that which carried the
presence of God in Israel) Mary is now in the New Covenant
(who carried the living GOD). The teaching is inescapable. Luke
and the Holy Spirit want us to understand that Mary is the Ark
of the New Covenant. The Ark has been found and it is Mother
Mary. Note too an important contrast. When David brought the
Ark up to Jerusalem there was great fear mixed in with the joy.
In the new story however as Mary carries Jesus in her womb,
mercy is front and center and there is only joy.

Traditionally the “ark of the covenant” and the “woman” are

considered the same portent. During Christ’s time on the earth,
the Ark of the Covenant was not in the Temple; in fact, it had
been missing for a few hundred years. As aforementioned, Mary
was seen as the New Ark of the Covenant, because like the old
ark, she was the vessel wherein heaven and earth met.
The ark was to be highly special, no defiled can come near it. The sons of Aaron were instantly killed by GOD for
inordinately approached Him. Imagine how much more intense will be the wrath of GOD upon those who dishonor or do
not give due reverence to the New Ark, which is more favored and pleasing
to Him.

The biblical account states that, after its creation by Moses, the Ark was
carried by the Israelites during their 40 years of wandering in the desert.
Whenever the Israelites camped, the Ark was placed in a separate room in
a sacred tent, called the Tabernacle.

When the Israelites, led by Joshua toward the Promised Land, arrived at
the banks of the River Jordan, the Ark was carried in the lead preceding the
people and was the signal for their advance (Joshua 3:3, 6). During the
crossing, the river grew dry as soon as the feet of the priests carrying the
Ark touched its waters, and remained so until the priests—with the Ark—
left the river after the people had passed over (Josh. 3:15-17; 4:10, 11, 18).
As memorials, twelve stones were taken from the Jordan at the place
where the priests had stood (Josh. 4:1-9).

In the Battle of Jericho, the Ark was carried round the city once a day for
seven days, preceded by the
armed men and seven priests
sounding seven trumpets of
rams' horns (Josh. 6:4-15). On the seventh day, the seven priests sounding the
seven trumpets of rams' horns before the Ark compassed the city seven times
and, with a great shout, Jericho's wall fell down flat and the people took the
city (Josh. 6:16-20). After the defeat at Ai, Joshua lamented before the Ark
(Josh. 7:6-9). When Joshua read the Law to the people between Mount
Gerizim and Mount Ebal, they stood on each side of the Ark. We next hear of
the Ark in Bethel where it was being cared for by the priest Phineas the
grandson of Aaron (Judges 20:26f, where 'Bethel' is translated 'the House of
God' in the King James Version). According to this verse it was consulted by the
people of Israel when they
were planning to attack the
Benjaminites at the battle
of Gibeah. Later, however,
the Ark was kept at Shiloh, another religious centre some 10 miles
north of Bethel, at the time of the prophet Samuel's apprenticeship
(1 Samuel 3:3), where it was cared for by Hophni and Phinehas, two
sons of Eli (1 Samuel 4:3f).

This makes it clear, the Ark of the Covenant was very significant and
has a very prominent place in the life and worship of Israelites. Most
scholars say that what it is, is a kind of throne because many other
cultures had temples with arks. The only thing weird about Israel's
Ark is that it was empty. It was a throne with two cherubim over the
top, but nobody sat on it. In fact, you can actually discover, and I'm
going to unpack this a little bit more later on, that in the Ancient
world, it was usually the throne for the Queen Mother. For instance, one of the greatest German scholars in his book,
Symbolism in the Biblical World, speaks about the great popularity of cherubim thrones, box thrones with cherubim
angels over top. It goes on, in Canaan and in Phoenicia during the late Bronze and early Iron Ages, excavators describe it
"as a female figure sitting in a square armchair." Odd? Why would these ancient cultures have an ark on which sat this
female figure on kind of a throne posture? And why did they also just like Israel often lead that ark out into battle ahead
of the troops? Because it was a kind of Queen Mother
figure perhaps.

We already saw that in his gospel, St Luke constructed

literary parallelism to compare Mary to the Ark. What
many do not know is that he did not stop there. In his
another book, Acts of the Apostles he again presents
Mary with the same symbolism during the Pentecostal
event.

In the New Testament, the Ark is mentioned in the

Epistle to the Hebrews and the Revelation to St John.
Hebrews 9:4 states that the Ark contained "the golden
pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and
the tablets of the covenant". Revelation 11:19 says the
prophet saw God's temple in heaven opened, "and the
ark of his covenant was seen within his temple".

Roman Catholic writers connect this verse with the

Woman of the Apocalypse in Revelation 12:1, which
immediately follows, and say that the Blessed Virgin
Mary is the "Ark of the New Covenant." Carrying the
saviour of mankind within her, she herself became the
Holy of Holies. This is the interpretation given in the
third century by Gregory Thaumaturgus, and in the
fourth century by Saint Ambrose, Saint Ephraem of
Syria and Saint Augustine.

So there is clear evidence that Protestants including Lutheran, Presbyterian, Anglican, as well as Catholic scholars
acknowledge that the New Testament deliberately depicts Mary in terms related to the Ark of the Covenant. And we'll
discover in Revelation after 580 years without an Ark, Jewish Christians look up and see a sign. It's the Ark of the
Covenant in heaven which had not been seen in 580 years approximately. This is where "Raiders of the Lost Ark" comes
from. It's been lost for that long. John sees it in Revelation up in heaven and the very next thing he sees is a woman
clothed with the sun and the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars, a Queen Mother. The Ark is no longer an
empty throne.

It is believed by Roman Catholics that Athanasius the bishop of Alexandria (4th Century) wrote about the connections
between the Ark and the Virgin Mary: "O noble Virgin, truly you are greater than any other greatness. For who is your
equal in greatness, O dwelling place of God the Word? To whom among all creatures shall I compare you, O Virgin? You
are greater than them all O (Ark of the) Covenant, clothed with purity instead of gold! You are the Ark in which is found
the golden vessel containing the true manna, that is, the flesh in which Divinity resides" (Homily of the Papyrus of Turin).

If Jesus is the Word made flesh, then we could consider Mary as the Ark made flesh.
 The High Priest of Israel bowing before the Ark of the Old Covenant

The Priests of the Catholic Church bowing before the Ark of the New Covenant
Christian Ark of the Covenant carried by the Catholic Deacons.
Catholics Escorting the Ark of New Covenant to Rome

David Escorting the Ark of Old Covenant to Jerusalem

 3rd reason: because she is Sinless/Immaculate
We already saw earlier how justice demands that Mary
has to be in the same state as Eve to reverse the curse.
We also know that the Ark of the Old Covenant was all
holy and no one can approach it in a defiled state. So
also must be Mary, who is the living Ark of the New
Covenant.

Now Scripture says in Romans 3:23, “all have sinned,

and do need the glory of God” how is then Mary
sinless? And again in Romans 3:11, 'There is none that
understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
All have turned out of the way; they are become
unprofitable together: there is none that doth good,
there is not so much as one’.

Protestants say that these verses confirm that Mary is

not sinless. That she is not Immaculate Conception. But
that is simply not true. The direct interpretation of the
Scriptures without proper understanding of the
passage will heap much confusion and error.

This passage simply means that all mankind are under

the guilt of sin, as a burden; and under the government
and dominion of sin, as enslaved to it, to work
wickedness. This is made plain by several passages of Scripture from the Old Testament, which describe the corrupt and
depraved state of all men, till grace restrain or change them.

If GOD created the entire universe out of nothing, don't you think that GOD who imposed Adam and Eve's sin on all
mankind could exempt one little Jewish girl of original sin?

Remember firstly that Romans 3:10 says 'As it is written: There is not any man just (dikaios).' But Matthew 1:19 says
'Joseph was a just man'(dikaios).

Secondly, in Matthew 08:10 Our Lord said: “…Amen I say to you, I have not found so great faith in Israel.” Was there
truly no one of greater faith than the Roman Centurion? We know that is not true.

The great Biblical commentator CORNELIUS À LAPIDE very beautifully explains the verse:

And he said to them which followed, &c. When Christ says I have not found so great faith, no, not
in Israel, you must understand Him to speak of the ordinary run of people at the time of His
preaching, for there was without doubt greater faith in the Blessed Virgin, in Abraham and Moses,
and John the Baptist, and others. Or as S. Chrysostom, I have not found so great faith, that is, in
proportion, for this centurion was a Gentile; those were believing Israelites. The same S.
Chrysostom prefers the faith of the centurion to the faith of the Apostles at their first vocation. Hear
S. Chrysostom: “Andrew believed, but it was when John said, Behold the Lamb of God. Peter
believed, but it was when Andrew had told him the glad tidings of the Gospel. Philip believed, but
by reading the Scriptures. And Nathanael first received a sign of Christ’s Divinity, and then offered
the profession of his faith.” Hear likewise Origen: “Jairus, a prince of Israel, asking in behalf of his
daughter, said not, Say in a word, but Come quickly. Nicodemus, when he heard of the Sacrament
of faith, answered, How can these things be? Martha and Mary said, Lord, if thou hadst been here,
my brother had not died, as though doubting that the power of God is everywhere present.”

Thirdly, the Holy Bible tells us that no one has ever seen God (John 1:18) except the Lord Jesus Christ. In Exodus 33:20,
God declares, “You cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” We know that is not true. For example, Exodus
33:11 describes Moses speaking to God “face to face.” In Genesis 32:30, Jacob saw God appearing as a man; he did not
truly see God. Samson’s parents were terrified when they realized they had seen God (Judges 13:22), Few prophets also
saw GOD. By this can we conclude that Jesus was wrong? No, He is GOD and cannot be wrong. It is true that these Holy
men and women saw GOD, not in His essence and in all His fullness but only in representations and appearances.

Also Acts 2:21 states “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord, shall be saved.”
But Our Lord warned us that, “Not every one that saith to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven…”
Matthew 7:21-23. Does then St Peter contradict Our Lord? No, it is true that all who call upon the name of the Lord will
be saved but not without penance, good works and being the member of His Body on earth, the Church He founded on
St Peter. (Luke 13:3, Matthew Ch 24 and 25, Matthew 16:15-19)

By Siting and expounding these verses, all I want to show is that not all verses can be understood or interpreted literally.
This is also the reason why not all can and should interpret the Bible. GOD has only given His Church the authority to
canonize the books of the Holy Bible and to interpret it. By this we can understand that not all are bound to Romans
3:23. Mary for one other than Jesus is exempted from corruption.

Now you must be wondering why in Mary’s Magnificat, she says in verse 47, “And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my
Savior.” If Mary was sinless, why did she refer to God as a Savior? This implies that she needed a Savior, right? In verse
48, she calls herself a handmaiden or lowly servant girl and said that God took notice of her which also implies her being
nothing significant. I thought being sinless meant she had a high status. Why are we putting some much focus on Mary
when she herself said that she isn’t really significant? She was obviously blessed by God to be chosen as the mother of
Jesus but I don’t see where she is more than that.

Here we have to understand what a savior is. Literally, a savior is one who saves. A savior can save in two ways: First,
before the tragedy and secondly, after the tragedy by making things right. So in Christian context, all mankind was saved
from sin after the fall by the Blood of Christ; but Mary was saved from sin by the act of preservation. GOD, her Son
preserved her from sin and filled her will grace at her conception, so that the stain of sin be not on her and she became
His Immaculate abode on earth for nine full months. We know through scripture and by faith, GOD cannot coexist with
sin. He cannot reside in one who is a slave of satan (John 8:34 ,1 John 3:8). If Mary was conceived in sin, then she is the
slave of satan. Another theological disaster is the biological outcome of protestant theory, by which, the Body that was
wounded for our sins and the Blood that was shed for our salvation was in fact corrupt since it was inherited through a
corrupt woman under the bondage of sin. Catholics know that Jesus is holy, Immaculate Lamb, truth and light. Just, as
good cannot coexist with evil; light cannot coexist with darkness; and truth cannot coexist with error, so also Jesus,
being GOD cannot coexist with sin. Hence Mary has to be sinless. If the lifeless Ark, that had the presence of GOD, has
to be all pure and beautiful; how much more a living woman in whom GOD dwell in greater perfection. Hence Mary has
to be sinless.

There are others who concluded by saying: “Why are we putting so much focus on Mary when she herself said that she
isn’t really significant.” Mary said she was the Lord’s humble servant (“Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord” [Luke
1:38]), but she never said she was insignificant, rather is said she is blessed for all generations to come. Did not Our Lord
say often that He is a servant of the Father? Does that mean He is not divine? We know that is not true. He is as divine as
the Father.

Mary is also the one who said, “All generations will call me blessed.” That’s hardly the place of insignificance. As for the
focus we place on her, it is no more than what Scripture gives, or what the angel Gabriel and her relative Elizabeth gave.
We honor her and venerate her just as they did.

This means she had no stain of sin at her conception, no 'Original Sin'. GOD and sin are mutually excludable. God cannot
co-exist with sin. Rev 21:27. When Adam and Eve sinned, they were thrown out of Eden and the gates of Heaven were
closed (Gen 3:24). There was no salvation of mankind into Heaven until Jesus Christ died on the cross, and the gates
were reopened. When GOD gave the plans of the Ark of the Covenant to the people, He was very meticulous as to just
how the 'container' of His 'WORD', the stone tablets of the 'Ten Commandments', was to be constructed. It had to be
perfect and without blemish. Ex 25:8-40. The 'New Ark of the Covenant', the vessel that was to 'contain' the 'WORD',
Jesus Christ Incarnate, had to be 'made' without blemish also.

Did Jesus Rebuke the Notion of Mary’s Sinlessness in Luke 11: 27-28?

NO. First of all, the Greek word menounge, which in Luke 11:28 is translated as “on the contrary” or “yea, rather” can
also mean “indeed” or “what is more”, as it does in Philippians 3:7-8: “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the
sake of Christ. Indeed I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”

What this means is that what comes after menounge need not negate what came before it. In this case, we know it
doesn’t because if Jesus was somehow trying to say that Mary was not blessed then He would be contradicting
Scripture. After all, earlier in the same gospel, it is quite plainly revealed that Mary is blessed: “Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God” (Luke 1:30); ? “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your
womb!” (Luke 1:42); ? “And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from
the Lord.” (Luke 1:45); ? “For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed” (Luke 1:48).

Since Jesus cannot be contradicting the Holy Spirit or the woman from the crowd, what is He doing? He’s expanding on
the category of who can consider themselves blessed to include those who hear the word of God and keep it. Mary’s fiat
(“Let it be done to me according
to your word”) is evidence
enough that she is someone who
hears the word of God and keeps
it. So, in no way can Jesus be
seen here to be diminishing His
mother in any way.

What’s interesting is that Luke

11:27-28 isn’t even about Mary’s
sinlessness. That is nowhere
mentioned in the passage. Only
indirectly is it even about Mary
at all. The woman who said this
is praising Jesus, not Mary. She is
essentially saying, “Your mother
must be truly blessed to have YOU as her son!” This passage does nothing to refute the sinlessness of Mary.
We know that GOD is all pure and cannot coexist with sin. Hence, no one with the stain of sin can ever enter His
kingdom. For this reason, Mary has to be Immaculate, for GOD to coexist, not just with her, but in her and to inherit her
body and blood. She has to be free from the slavery of satan (for a soul becomes a slave of satan by sinning) for GOD to
be so perfectly united with her, as no one ever from the beginning to all eternity.

For detailed Theological explanation for Mary’s sinlessness, kindly watch the video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTVyptxPQ04

Now you may say alright Mary is Holy and Immaculate and the most Blessed of all, but why pray to her. The answer is
simple. We pray to her, so that she may Pray (Intercede) for us to her beloved Divine Son. The Scriptures say that the
prayer of a righteous soul is pleasing and acceptable to GOD. [“For the continual prayer of a just man availeth much.”
James 5:16]

We find in Scripture that GOD heard the prayers of just men and women:

Genesis 20:17 So Abraham prayed to God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bore
children.

2 Chronicles 30:20 And the LORD listened to Hezekiah, and healed the people.

Genesis 19:29 And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham...

Exodus 17:11 And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand,
Amalek prevailed.

Numbers 11:2 And the people cried to Moses; and when Moses prayed to the LORD, the fire was quenched.

Numbers 21:7-9 Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD,
and against you; pray to the LORD...

1 Samuel 12:18 So Samuel called to the LORD; and the LORD sent thunder and rain that day: and all the people greatly
feared the LORD and Samuel.

1 Kings 13:6 And the king answered and said to the man of God, Entreat now the face of the LORD your God, and pray
for me...

Psalm 10:17,18 LORD, you have heard the desire of the humble: you will prepare their heart, you will cause your ear to
hear...

Psalm 34:15 The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their cry.

Proverbs 15:8,29 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD: but the prayer of the upright is his delight...

John 9:31 Now we know that God hears not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and does his will, him he
hears.

Acts 12:5-11 Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church to God for him...

1 John 3:22 And whatever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are
pleasing in his sight.

Colossians 1:9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you...
Hebrews 13:18 Pray for us: for we trust we have a good conscience, in all things willing to live honestly.

These verses very beautifully demonstrate that the prayer of a Just soul is pleasing to GOD, and He will hear their
prayers. When people prayed for themselves, even together in masses, GOD did not listen to them but when a good soul
prayed, his prayer was heard. The Apostles prayed for the Church (There is no doubt that the early Christians asked for
their prayers). St John the Apostle says that GOD hears the prayers of the humble soul who does his will. No one has
ever been more humble than Blessed Virgin Mary (she comes second only to her Divine Son Jesus), and done the will of
GOD more perfectly ever. There leaves no doubt then that the prayers of the Blessed Virgin Mary are most pleasing to
GOD, then anybody else.

It is true that there is one Mediator before GOD, Christ our Savior but there are also mediators before Christ. These
mediators or advocates are wanting because they are just and pleasing to Jesus.

Have we not asked the ministers of the Lord and those we know are good to ‘pray for us’ or to ‘remember us in their
prayers’? If we can ask the good yet sinful souls around us to pray for us why not the Mother of Christ, our Brother? For
we through Him became the children of the same Father in Heaven, so also the same Mother now in Heaven.

You may say but Mary is dead, contrary to holy men and women of old and new who were alive. True, but she is not
dead unlike the dead of the old. The dead of the old were not yet in Heaven, because the heaven was not open to them
until the Sacrifice of the Lamb of GOD opened the Gate of Heaven to them. We know by faith that after death Christ
descended into Limbo of the Fathers, to take them to Heaven. The dead of the New are already in Heaven, they are
before GOD, praising Him and praying for their brethren on earth. The dead of the New, are more alive and aware of the
eternal truths especially the spiritual battle on earth; the diabolical war waged by Satan and his army against the souls
for whom her Divine Son suffered so extremely and died such a sorrowful death. She and the Saints in heaven are
constantly interceding for the Church militant on earth but they cannot interfere in our lives without our will. The
providence of GOD demands that they get involve in our lives only if we freely will they do by asking for their help.

The Paradise in Christianity is not like that of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, heaven is a place of sensual pleasure;
a place for sex and drink, not worship. There they are lost in their filthy delights. Such is not the doctrine in Christianity.
In Christ, we become one body. Whether we are in heaven or earth we are one. Our dead in heaven are not going to be
busy in the delights of paradise until the end of the world, the day of general judgment.

We read in the story of Lazarus and the rich man, how the rich man after going to the other side prayed to Father
Abraham for his relatives on earth. This shows that the dead can intercede for us. Will your parents or beloved forget
you after they reach heaven, knowing that the road to hell is straight and wide? Will you forget your beloved ones on
earth once you are in Heaven, I will not. How can you expect the Saints in heaven to forget us, their brothers and sisters
in Christ, much less our Mother in Christ? She, better then all saints, know what price her beloved Son paid for our
salvation. Will she forget to intercede for us in heaven; she who, while on earth, could not but have compassion and
intercede to save the bride and bridegroom from the disgrace at the wedding. So also the Saints prayed so much for
their neighbor while on earth, will they forget us, now that they are in Heaven. Neither GOD, nor Mary, nor the Saints
and Angels rest until the final judgment.
Did the early Christians pray to Mary and the Saints?
YES, The Virgin Mary has been honored and venerated as Mother of God since the early centuries of Christianity. The
early Christians honored Mary as the Mother of GOD and prayers were offered to her in the early churches. The first
Christians, whose lives are an example for us, showed a loving veneration to the Virgin. In the paintings produced during
the first three centuries of Christianity, those that are conserved in the Roman catacombs, the Virgin is contemplated
through her representation with the baby Jesus in her arms.

One of the first Christian Apologist St. Justin Martyr (100–165 AD), articulated Mary’s role in salvation history as the
Second Eve. This was followed up by 2nd Century Father of the Church St. Irenæus, whom Fr. Herbert Thurston calls "the
first theologian of the Virgin Mother” wrote of Mary’s role in the economy of salvation. We already saw how the early
Church Fathers and Scholars compared Mary to Eve and Ark of the Covenant. (Note that these Fathers were the first
and second generation disciples of the Apostles) The Early Christians had a high veneration for the Mother of GOD.
Through archeological evidence we have found that many of the tombs of early saints and martyrs had paintings of
Mary holding the Christ Child. Excavations in the crypt of St Peter's Basilica uncovered a very early fresco of Mary
together with Saint Peter. The Roman Priscilla catacombs depict the oldest Marian paintings from the middle of the 2nd
century: Mary is shown with Jesus on her lap, a standing man with tunic in left hand a book right hand a star over his
head symbol of messiahs. Priscilla also has a depiction of the annunciation.

The oldest known image of the Virgin Mary, Catacomb of Priscilla, A.D. 150.
 Madonna and Child with the Magi Bringing Him Gifts – 3rd century

Virgin and Child on a wall painting in the early Roman catacombs, 4th century.
 Protectress of the Roman People

– 5th century

Madonna and Child Enthroned among the

Angels and Saints

– 6th century
 Agiosoritissa (Mother of God)

– 7th century

Cover of Copy of the Gospels

– 8th-9th century
During the early Christian era, much of the holy icons and writings were destroyed, yet we have these icons well
preserved for us by the goodness of GOD, by which we know that the early Christians had a great veneration to Mary.
Now that we know the early Christians venerated Mary as the Catholics and Orthodox Christians do today, let us also
find out if they prayed to her.

One magnificent demonstration of the Marian devotion is the prayer “Sub tuum praesidium” (We fly to thy patronage)
that dates back up to the third to fourth century, and that illustrates the intercession of Mary.

Reliable ancient texts dated 225 A.D., used in the liturgical celebration of the Eucharist, mention the veneration of Mary.
They also honor her during the feasts of the Incarnation, Nativity, Epiphany, etc. of our Lord. Towards 380 A.D., the first
Marian feast, identified as “Memory of the Mother of God”, “Feast of the Most Holy Virgin”, or “Feast of the glorious
Mother”, was instituted.

Being guided by the principle of Solus Christus – that salvation is through Christ alone and that Christ is the sole
mediator between man and God, Protestantism frowns on Christians praying to the Virgin Mary or the saints. They
confuse Mary’s role as a chief intercessor by mistakenly thinking our Blessed Virgin Mary to be a deity! Sadly, many
Protestants wrongly believe with little evidence and even less serious study that Christianity became corrupted and
encrusted by non-biblical beliefs around the time of Emperor Constantine in the early 300s, if not earlier. However, this
hypothesis has been discredited by the growing evidence that early Christians prayed to the Virgin Mary prior to
Constantine. Papyrus 470 which dates back to 250 can thus be considered an example of a very early extra-biblical
tradition.

In 1917, the John Rylands Library acquired a collection of papyri.

Many Protestant pastors who took New Testament Greek and
exegesis are likely to have heard in passing Rylands Papyrus P52
dating as early as 117 to 138 and considered to be the oldest extant
record of the canonical New Testament. During this early period were
other early Christian writings like the Didache, Clement’s first Epistle
to the Corinthians, and Ignatius of Antioch’s letters. It is important to
keep in mind that many if not most of the first generation of the
Apostles’ disciples were still alive and leading the Church during the
time of these early writings. These disciples of the Apostles devoted
themselves to preserving and passing on the Apostles’ teachings. The
Protestant notion of the Holy Spirit “Blinking-Off” in the Church soon
after the Apostles died then “Blinking On” with the Reformation is
problematic both historically and theologically. Orthodoxy rejects this
Protestant approach to history and upholds Pentecost as a continuous
ongoing reality, that is, the Holy Spirit was present in the early Church
teaching and guiding the Church into all Truth, as Christ promised
(John 16:13). The Rylands collection contains P470 which contains a
prayer to the Virgin Mary dating as early as 250 AD. The date 250 AD
is significant in light of the fact this was the time of the Decian
Persecution and thus predates Constantine’s Edict of Milan issued in
313. This early prayer to Mary arose from the vibrant spirituality of the early Church.
As we read the text of this short prayer – 22 words in the original Greek – we find a number of significant
ideas. One aspect is the titles given to Mary:

 “Theotokos” – the prayer addresses Mary not on a first name basis but by the formal title “Theotokos,”
 “Only blessed” – a reference to Mary’s special election by God, and
 “Only pure” – a reference to Mary’s perpetual virginity.

This was not an individual prayer but a corporate prayer – the early Christians prayed to Mary in their Sunday worship!
This prayer was translated into Latin and in the Latin tradition came to be known as “Sub Tuum Praesidium.” In the
Orthodox tradition this prayer is sung during the Vespers service for Great Lent and is echoed in similar prayers in the
daily prayers and the Sunday Liturgy. This points to the universality of this ancient prayer. In light of the Vincentian
Canon – that which is believed everywhere, always, and by all — prayer to Mary the Theotokos is a catholic or universal
Christian practice.

The Greek term Theo-tokos means "God-bearer" or Mother of God. It is still the most popular title given to Our Lady in
the Eastern Christian Churches. It was affirmed in early Church Councils precisely because it confirmed the Christian
claim about who Jesus Christ is and protected the meaning and implications of His Incarnation. The Catechism of the
Catholic Church puts it simply," What the Catholic faith believes about Mary is based on what it believes about Christ,
and what it teaches about Mary illumines in turn its faith in Christ" (CCC#487).

We find a myriad of affirmations of Mary in the early Christian writings. Here are a few more: "you are the vessel and
tabernacle containing all mysteries. You know what the Patriarchs never knew; you have experienced what was never
revealed to the Angels; you have heard what the Prophets never heard. In a word, all that was hidden from preceding
generations was made known to you; even more, most of these wonders depended on you.” (270 A.D., St. Gregory
Thaumaturgus),

"Blessed Virgin, immaculate and pure you are the sinless Mother of your Son, the mighty Lord of the universe. You are
holy and inviolate, the hope of the hopeless and sinful; we sing your praises. We praise you as full of every grace, for you
bore the God-Man. We all venerate you; we invoke you and implore your aid...Holy and immaculate Virgin...be our
intercessor and advocate at the hour of death and judgment...you are holy in the sight of God, to Whom be honor and
glory, majesty, and power forever” (373 AD, St. Ephem of Edessa).

"It becomes you to be mindful of us, as you stand near Him Who granted you all graces, for you are the Mother of God
and our Queen. Help us for the sake of the King, the Lord God Master Who was born of you. For this reason you are
called 'full of Grace'..." (373 St. Athanasius).
"Blessed Virgin Mary, who can worthily repay you with praise and thanksgiving for having rescued a fallen world by your
generous consent? ...accept then such poor thanks as we have to offer, unequal though they be to your merits. Receive
our gratitude and obtain by your prayers the pardon of our sins. Take our prayers into the sanctuary of heaven and
enable them to bring about our peace with God...Holy Mary, help the miserable, strengthen the discouraged, comfort
the sorrowful, pray for your people, plead for the clergy, intercede for all women consecrated to God. May all who
venerate you, feel now your help and protection....Make it your continual care to pray for the people of God, for you
were blessed by God and were made worthy to bear the Redeemer of the world, who lives and reigns forever “(St
Augustine in 430 A.D. )

Why and how can Mary and the saints hear our prayers?

In the Book of Revelation 5:8; 8:3-4 we read: "In heaven the elders and angels offer up the prayers of the saints [on
earth] as incense before the throne of God." In this passage it is important to note that the New Testament uses the
word "saint" of every baptized Christian, not because we are all perfectly holy, but because we have all at least received
the gift of the Holy Spirit. So this passage implies that the angels and elders (holy Christian leaders now in heaven) hear
the prayers of every Christian on earth, and join their prayer now with ours.

In the early tradition of the Church, the early liturgies almost all have passages which imply that the saints join their
prayers with ours, and that ours are joined with theirs. Some examples of these early liturgical prayers are included in
the modern rite of the Eucharist: "Now with angels and archangels, and the whole company of heaven, we sing the
unending hymn of your praise ..." (Preface of the Baptism of the Lord). There are invocations of the martyrs inscribed in
the catacombs from the time of the late 2nd century onward, and the first prayer directly addressed to the Blessed
Virgin Mary, of which we have record, was written in the early 3rd century. By the 4th century the invocation of the
angels and saints is universally practiced in the Church, and there is no evidence of any significant division or dispute
about it at any stage of this development. Catholic theologians see this consensus as a sign of the work of the Holy Spirit
in the Church, guiding the Christian people to perceive ever more clearly their relationship in the Body of Christ with the
saints who have gone before us into heaven.

The doctrine of the invocation of the angels and saints also fits well with the wider pattern of the Christian Faith. Our
growth in faith and holiness is aided by the intercession of other members of the Body of Christ (Eph 6:18; 1 Thess 3:11-
13; 1 Tim 2:1-4), and the Church on earth and in heaven are evidently united in some way in Christ (Heb 12:22-24). It is
hard to see how asking the angels and saints to pray for us can be misconstrued as "idolatry" (the accusation made by
some Evangelicals), while asking one's Christian family members and friends for their prayers is not. Both acts seem to
be based on similar principles of charity and intercessory prayer. Idolatry would only occur if one believed that a saint or
angel would give you something that our Lord would not (as if praying to an alternate God); but authentic prayers to the
angels and saints are no more than requests made to them to pray for us to GOD! The final address is still the same, as
in the "Hail Mary": "Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death."

You may still be a skeptic and ask the logical question, ‘How can Mary and the saints hear million prayers in different
languages?’ To which I say I do not know because it is an attempt to delve into mysteries of heaven which God has not
fully revealed to the Church. But that does not mean we can't get at least close to an answer.

There are two possibilities:

1) GOD for a greater good shares His attributes with His saints for a purpose.

Even on earth men have done some extraordinary things that only GOD is capable of. We read in the Holy Scriptures
and the History of the Church how some holy men did great wonders and miracles, which humanly speaking is
impossible to men but not to GOD. For GOD all things are possible. (Matthew 19:26)
We know that only GOD can raise dead to life but if He wishes and He has raised many dead through His saints.

Example: Beginning with the Apostles then we read in Acts 9:40 how Peter raised Tabitha from the dead (Tabitha is
Dorcas in Greek), and in Acts 20:12 we read how St Paul raised Eutychus from the dead. Saint Patrick Raised 33
People from the Dead. St. Vincent Ferrer had raised 28 persons from the dead. Saint Martin of Tours raised Three
People from the Dead. St. Joan of Arc brought a baby back to life after it had started to decompose, so the baby
could be baptized. St. Francis Xavier, St. Patrick, St. John Bosco, St. Catherine of Siena, St. Teresa of Avila, St.
Elizabeth of Hungary, St. Rose of Lima, Bl. Margaret of Castello, etc raised numerous dead to life.
(http://www.miraclesofthesaints.com/2010/10/saints-who-raised-dead-people-brought.html)

Then there is Bilocation, which is, being in two places at the same time. No one except GOD can be at two or more
places at the same time yet many saints were given this gift by GOD for His sublime purpose. St. Alphonsus Marie
De'Liguori, ST. GERARD MAJELLA, ST. JOSEPH OF CUPERTINO, VEN. MARY OF AGREDA, ST. ANTHONY OF PADUA, ST.
FRANCIS XAVIER and many other saints had this gift. (http://catholicmystics.blogspot.in/p/bilocation-bilocation-is-
phenomenon-in.html)

If GOD can give such supernatural powers to His saints while they were on earth bound by a mortal body, how much
more can He bestow upon them while they are before Him in heaven as His holiest children.

We must also understand that heaven is not like earth. Here our knowledge and attention span is severely limited,
largely because our souls are limited by their connection to our lowly, physical bodies. However, the saints are
disembodied spirits and Mary has a glorified, spiritual body which does not limit her soul as a physical body would.
Thus they are able to see and know more than we can.

Even if everyone in the world prayed to her at once, that would only be a finite number of prayers, and one does not
need infinite knowledge to hear a finite number of prayers. God certainly can enable her to hear them without her
becoming omniscient. The Holy Spirit can give His beloved spouse the gift of interpretation of tongues (I Co 12:10).
Though we do not know exactly how God helps her accomplish this, we know that He can do it, for nothing is
impossible with Him.

2) The Time factor (If only God is omnipresent and all-knowing, how can Mary and the other Saints hear millions of
different prayers from millions of different people at the exact same time?)

We know by faith and reason, that GOD is Alpha and the Omega; He is not bound by time. Everything is present to
Him. The days of Creation, to the days He walked on earth, to the end of time, everything is present to Him.

Now if Mary and the Saints cannot hear billions of prayers at once and they have to hear and intercede one at a
time, and it were to take them millions of years to intercede to GOD on our behalf, even then GOD can apply them
right at the very moment we need them. For example: If I were to ask Mother Mary for a grace at this moment, and
she due to huge backlog of prayers, intercede for me century later, still GOD can bestow upon me that grace at this
very moment; just like I can even today pray to GOD to grant my great grandfather a holy and happy death.

We must remember that the heavenly existence is no longer bound by time. There is no time in heaven; that is what
we call eternity. Therefore, we must not try and answer a question of this nature by using our own limited
understanding of how things work in this life.
Why Christians must pray to Mary or why devotion to Mary is necessary?

To begin with there is no creature more blessed then her. She is the only one in all of heaven and earth who has
received the honor of being the

1) Daughter of GOD the Father

2) Mother of GOD the Son and
3) Spouse of GOD the Holy Spirit

No other being ever has or ever will be so closely and intimately related to GOD. No one can ever love GOD more than
her and no one GOD can love more than her. This proves that she is something like no other. Like the saints say her
greatness will be fully understood only in heaven. She alone is the Immaculate temple of GOD. She cannot be
separated from GOD. She belongs totally, absolutely and completely to GOD. Her heart, mind, soul and will is so much
united to GOD’s that she wills what GOD wills; she feels what GOD feels. If GOD is sad because of sins, she is sad. If GOD
is happy because of good deeds, she is happy. Now if GOD is the GOD of the living, and no one deserves to be more alive
than her, then no one deserves to be heard more than her.

She is the perfection of Eve; a mother of the children sanctified by the Blood of Christ, her Son. She is more mother then
all the mothers combined. She cannot be silent before GOD when her children are in danger of becoming the slaves of
satan, instead of the friends of Her Divine Son, and thereby are in the threshold of losing their eternal soul. She is bound
by Justice and Charity to help her children until they are all united with their Abba Father in His eternal home. If the soul
of the sinful rich man in hades (Luke 16: 19:31) is compelled out of natural good to intercede for his family still on earth;
how much more the Blessed Virgin Mary, the holiest of all women, now in heaven, will be compelled by supernatural
virtue to intercede for her children still in battle on earth.

Now if GOD hears the prayer of the righteous and no one is more righteous then Mary, then GOD hears her prayers
more readily than anybody else’s. If her will is to do the will of GOD and GOD wills our sanctification, then Mary will not
rest until the will of GOD is satisfied.

Mary, the greatest instrument of GOD.

It is GOD who chooses the means. This is evident from the Holy Scriptures. Let me present one example:

We read in 2 Kings Chapter 5 about Naaman, General of the Army of the king of Syria, who was cured by GOD from
Leprosy. He was advised by Prophet Eliseus to ‘go, and wash seven times in the Jordan’ to be clean but Naaman ‘was
angry and went away, saying: I thought he would have come out to me, and standing would have invoked the name of
the Lord his God, and touched with his hand the place of the leprosy, and healed me. Are not the Abana, and the
Pharphar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel, that I may wash in them, and be made clean?’ Yet he
washed himself in river Jordan and was healed.

Now you may wonder! How is Blessed Virgin Mary the chosen instrument of the New Covenant? The answer is found in
the Scripture and History of the Church. Firstly, Our Lord Himself chose to come to us through her, thereby making her a
portal between heaven and earth. In the Old Testament, the Ark of the Covenant was the portal through which GOD
dwelt among man. Where the ark was there was GOD unlike in any other place. The ark was a highly revered object of
Jewish worship. Wherever they went they carried the ark with them, with praise and honor. They knew that as long as
the ark is in their midst, GOD is with them. How much more must be Mary then, the living perfection of the old ark? That
is one of the reasons why Catholics can be assured that as long as Mary is with them, GOD is with them.
All Protestant Churches, and even Orthodox Church to some degree, are wrong in believing that she is some insignificant
women whose role was only to give birth to 'human' Jesus. We already learned that this is not true. She is far from being
insignificant. GOD does not anoint people without merit for His mission. Her destiny was to be the most intimate and
greatest instrument in His salvific mission.

Secondly, throughout Church history we find that GOD chose this same Blessed Woman to become advocate between
GOD and man. Even time the Church and Christians were in danger or needed heavenly guidance, GOD often chose to
send His Mother as His messenger and crusader. The early Christians had a great devotion to Mary, yet much about her
was concealed from them, in the Scripture, to be revealed when Christians were most in need of a most powerful
heavenly advocate to guide them to the way, the truth and the life, that is her divine Son Jesus Christ. GOD sends her
every time His bride, the Catholic Church was in turmoil. He sends her with the greatest spiritual weapons, the Holy
Rosary and the Brown Scapular, when the Church suffered the Albigensian heresy and spiritual laxation. Then soon after
the cursed protestant reformation which snatched 5 million souls from the Bride of Christ, she appeared in the New
World to gain 9 million souls for her Divine Son and His Bride, the Catholic Church. Since then she came down to her
children again and again to guide them, to warn them and to bestow upon them spiritual gifts like the Miraculous
Medal. Finally, when the world and the Church was threatened by the precursors of the Antichrist, namely, the
Freemasons and their revolutions (French, Communist and New Age) she came down again for her Children at La
Salette, Lourdes, Fatima, Akita to warn us, remind us of the spiritual weapons, to restore our faith in her Divine Son and
live holy lives. She is the One. The one GOD send as His final means for His Church and the world, to defeat satan and
transform the Church and the world into the Kingdom of Christ the King. Just like GOD chose the blessed women of old
to defeat the enemies of Israel, He chose the most blessed of all women, His Immaculate Mother, to destroy His greatest
enemy, lucifer and his antichrists. Yes, she is important because GOD made her important and special unlike any other.
To disdain her is to disdain GOD.
To Summarize:

1) MARY IS THE MOTHER OF GOD, because Jesus is True GOD and True Man; Scriptural evidence: Elizabeth her
cousin inspired by the Holy Ghost addresses her as the “Mother of my Lord”. None of the 5500 protestant
denominations except Lutheran care about this address of the Holy Ghost to Mary. Lutheran tradition retained
the title of "Mother of God" (German Mutter Gottes, Gottesmutter), a term already embraced by Martin Luther;
and officially confessed in the Formula of Concord (1577), accepted by Lutheran World Federation ; Historical
evidence: The early Christians honored her as the Theotokos (Mother of GOD) even before the Church councils
declared her Theotokos. "If anyone does not confess that God is truly Emmanuel, and that on this account the
holy virgin is the "Theotokos" (for according to the flesh she gave birth to the word of God become flesh by birth)
let him be anathema." (The Council of Ephesus, 431 AD)

2) MARY IS THE EVE OF THE NEW COVENANT. Scriptural evidence: How the Scriptures provide evidence for
parallels between Eve and Mary. Historical evidence: Writings of the early Fathers of the Church.

3) MARY IS THE ARK OF THE NEW COVENANT AND IMMACULATE. Scriptural evidence: St Luke the Evangelist
purposely relates Mary to Ark of the Covenant. As the Ark of the old contained the Bread from heaven, the
word of GOD, the symbol of priesthood; so also Mary contained all these in absolute perfection in her womb. As
the Ark of the old was to be keep undefiled; so also Mary was undefiled by sin from the very moment of her
conception. Historical evidence: Writings of the early Fathers of the Church.

4) MARY IS A PERPETUAL VIRGIN. Since Eve was a virgin (before fall), Mary is also a virgin; the only difference
being Mary is an Ever-Virgin (because she never fell). Scriptural evidence: The fact that Lord Jesus at the foot of
the cross gave His mother to His beloved disciple John proves Mary had no other children [or else Our Lord
would has committed an act of injustice against His brothers and sisters. Also where were they during His
passion, death and resurrection] Clarifications on Matthew 1:25 and Matt. 12:46 –
And he knew her not untill she brought forth her firstborn son:
Until. From hence the heretics have taken occasion to say that Joseph knew her after she had brought forth her
Son. Whence they deny that the Blessed Virgin always remained a Virgin, and that after bearing her Child she
lost her virginity. Thus Helvidius, Jovinian, the Ebionites, and the rest of the Antidicomariani, who are confuted
by S. Epiphanius, S. Jerome, S. Augustine and others, who teach that the word until, in this place, only signifies
what took place up to the time of the birth, not what happened after the birth, which is not here referred to. For
by this word ‘until’, Matthew wished to assert a wonderful thing—a thing hitherto unheard of, and, according to
nature, incredible—even the Conception of Christ, without a father, by a virgin mother. Similarly, until is used,
Ps. 110:2, “Sit thou on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool,” not because Thou shalt not after
that sit any longer, but because Thou shalt then sit far more gloriously, as victor and triumphant at my right
hand. And in Matthew 5:26, “Thou shalt not come out thence until thou hast paid the uttermost farthing;” that
is, thou shalt never come out from the fire of hell. And 2 Sam. 6:23, “And Michal, the daughter of Saul, had no
child unto the day of her death,” i.e., never. And, Gen. 8:8, concerning the raven, which Noah sent forth out of
the ark: “It returned not until the waters were dried up;” i.e., it never returned. Thus, too, we say, “S. Agnes
continued a virgin until death;” i.e., she always remained a virgin, for she could not lose her virginity after she
was dead.
You may urge, S. Matthew says, until she brought forth her first-born son; therefore she had other sons, by
Joseph, namely those who in the Gospel are called the Lord’s brethren. I reply by denying the conclusion. For, in
Scripture, any one is called a first-born son, who has no elder brothers, even though he be the only son. This is
plain from Exod. 4:22, and 13:2. The word “first” denies the existence of any previous sons, but does not
require, or presuppose, that there were any subsequent. Thus, an only son is even now called the first-born.
 Therefore it is a doctrine of the faith that the Blessed Virgin always remained a virgin, as is plain from S. Luke
1:34, Ezek. 44:2, and by the universal consent of the Fathers, and the common consent, and perpetual tradition
of the Church. (The Great Commentary Of Cornelius À Lapide)

As he was yet speaking to the multitudes, behold his mother and his brethren stood without, seeking to speak to
him. https://www.catholic.com/tract/brethren-of-the-lord
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlT_mphFRKs

Jesus' "Brothers" (adelphoi)) = Cousins or Kinsmen

In Hebrew and Aramaic, there is no word for "cousin."

Luke 22:32 - Jesus tells Peter to strengthen his "brethren." In this case, we clearly see Jesus using "brethren" to
refer to the other apostles, not his biological brothers.
Acts 1:12-15 - the gathering of Jesus' "brothers" amounts to about 120. That is a lot of "brothers." Brother means
kinsmen in Hebrew.
Acts 7:26; 11:1; 13:15,38; 15:3,23,32; 28:17,21 - these are some of many other examples where "brethren" does
not mean blood relations.
Rom. 9:3 - Paul uses "brethren" and "kinsmen" interchangeably. "Brothers" of Jesus does not prove Mary had
other children.
Gen. 11:26-28 - Lot is Abraham's nephew ("anepsios") / Gen. 13:8; 14:14,16 - Lot is still called Abraham's brother
(adelphos") . This proves that, although a Greek word for cousin is "anepsios," Scripture also uses "adelphos" to
describe a cousin.
Gen. 29:15 - Laban calls Jacob as "brother" even though Jacob is his nephew. Again, this proves that brother
means kinsmen or cousin.
Deut. 23:7; 1 Chron. 15:5-18; Jer. 34:9; Neh. 5:7 -"brethren" means kinsmen. Hebrew and Aramaic have no word
for "cousin."
2 Sam. 1:26; 1 Kings 9:13, 20:32 - here we see that "brethren" can even be one who is unrelated (no bloodline),
such as a friend.
2 Kings 10:13-14 - King Ahaziah's 42 "brethren" were really his kinsmen.
1 Chron. 23:21-22 - Eleazar's daughters married their "brethren" who were really their cousins.
Neh. 4:14; 5:1,5,8,10,14 - these are more examples of "brothers" meaning "cousins" or "kinsmen."
Tobit 5:11 - Tobit asks Azarias to identify himself and his people, but still calls him "brother."
Amos 1: 9 - brotherhood can also mean an ally (where there is no bloodline).

Historical evidence: Writings of the early Fathers of the Church including St. Jerome who taught, “We, as it is in
the book which we have written against Helvidius, say, that the Lord’s brethren were not children of Joseph, but
cousins of the Saviour, and children of Mary, the maternal aunt of the Lord, who is called the mother of James
and Joseph and Jude.”

5) MARY IS THE MOTHER OF ALL CHRISTIANS. Since Eve is our biological mother, Mary is our spiritual mother. She
is the Mother of all God's children, beginning with St John the Apostle at the foot of the cross. St. John
representing all Jesus’ disciples and thus at that moment she becomes the mother of all His disciples. The
Spiritual Motherhood of Mary was ordained by Jesus at Calvary.
6) MARY IS THE QUEEN OF HEAVEN. Scriptural evidence: The kingdom of her Divine Son is a Davidic kingdom.
Davidic kingdom had a Queen Mother. Her Son, the king of Kings, has a kingdom not of this earth (Though
technically, the Church is His kingdom on earth). Heaven is His Everlasting kingdom, where He sits on the throne
of David and Mary on the throne of a Queen Mother. Historical evidence: Writings of the early Fathers of the
Church.
The most common objection of protestant against the title 'Queen of Heaven' is Jeremiah 7:18. They say the
scripture clearly states the Queen of Heaven is a false pagan goddess: "The children gather wood, and the
fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour
out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger." Catholics are often bombarded with
this scripture verse to question their devotion to Mary as the Queen of Heaven and also to justify their belief
that 'Catholicism is Paganism'. But there is a major fallacy in quoting the Old Testament to condemn the New.
This is so because in Numbers 23:19 we read "God is not a man, that he should lie, nor as the son of man, that
he should be changed. Hath he said then, and will he not do? hath he spoken, and will he not fulfill?" Does that
mean Jesus is not GOD? If Protestants take the former verse to strip Mary of her Queenship then they will de
facto have to take the latter verse to not just strip Jesus of His Divinity but also to accuse Him of falsely claiming
to be GOD or Son of Man? This is just one example how protestants out of false conviction and self-
righteousness consider themselves masters of the Scripture unto their own destruction.

So therefore just as GOD was not yet a son of man so also Mary was not yet a queen of the Davidic kingdom
because her Son, the Everlasting King of the Eternal Davidic Kingdom, through whom she received the honor of
the Queen Mother was not yet ascended to His throne as the rightful victorious King, through His passion, death
and resurrection.
Also the goddess the Israelites offering sacrifices to was a pagan, mythical goddess. They had displaced their
living God with a mythical pagan goddess. Mary is neither a mythical goddess nor pagan. She is a very real
believing woman. She has NOT replaced God or been “put ahead of God.” We know she is NOT a goddess or
divine. She is a creature like you and I; yet, she is the Mother of Our Lord; the Mother of Our King.

Mary indeed is the Queen of Heaven because her Son is the King of Kings. Why is Mary the rightful and proper
Queen of Heaven? Because Jesus is a Jewish king. He sits on the throne of his fathers David and Solomon (Lk
1:31-33 “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. “He will be
great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David;
and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.”
Would it not be correct to say that Jesus would be the best of the Jewish kings and since the Law demands that
we honor our father and mother—would he not honor his mother better than anyone else? How did the kings of
Judah honor their mothers? Listen to 1 Kings 2:19 “So Bathsheba [mother of the king] went to King Solomon to
speak to him for Adonijah. And the king arose to meet her, bowed before her, and sat on his throne; then he
had a throne set for the king’s mother, and she sat on his right.” From that point on the kings in the line of
David, all had queens but they were not their wives—they were their mothers. Over and over again the Old
Testament refers to the queen as the “Queen Mother.” Read the section on The Great Lady or Queen Mother in
Roland de Vaux’s book Ancient Israel: Its Life and Institution. (http://www.catholic-convert.com/wp-
content/uploads/Documents/GreatLadyQueen.pdf) As a Jewish king Jesus would—better than any other king—
raise his mother up to be his queen too. That is one reason we believe in the Assumption and the Queenship of
Mary. It is simply allowing Scripture and history to form our theology.
 7) IS MARY UNIQUELY SPECIAL, UNLIKE ANY OTHER CREATED BEING EVER?
YES, Firstly, because MARY IS FULL OF GRACE AND BLESSED ABOVE ALL WOMEN. Scriptural evidence:
Numerous times she is called Blessed in the Scripture. Her prophecy in Luke 1:48. “for behold from henceforth all
generations shall call me blessed": These words are a prediction of that honour which the church in all ages
should pay to her. Let Protestants examine whether they are in any way concerned about this prophecy.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTVyptxPQ04&t=3152s] Historical evidence: Writings of the early Fathers
of the Church and prayers of the early Christians.

Secondly, because she is more close to GOD then anyone ever been or ever will be. GOD will never be close to
anyone more than her. He was united with her, not just spiritually but literally, in all His perfection.
Secondly, because she is holier than all that is created. The person closest to GOD must be the holiest.
Therefore, Mary must be necessary to ascend to HEAVEN, due to the merits of her intercession before GOD.
Now you may say, “Ok, Mary is special and deserves some honor but Catholic Church honor her too much.” To
that i answer, “No matter how much honor Catholic Church give her, she can never honor her more than GOD
THE SON did, by taking her flesh and blood and by loving her as a mother. We can never honor her more than
GOD THE FATHER who exempted her alone from all stain of sin and death. We can never honor her more than
GOD THE HOLY GHOST who chose her as His spouse. No matter how much the Catholic Church love and honor
her, it is infinitely less to the love and honor GOD bestowed on her.

I suggest you to read the book The Mystical City of God: Life of the Virgin Mother of God, manifested to Sister Mary of
Jesus of Agreda. MARY appeared to Sister Mary and revealed to her in detail her life. You will discover how precious and
unique she is, greater then all angels and saints, second only to GOD.

Below are 3 videos about Blessed Maria de Agreda, the Spanish Nun whom Mother Mary revealed her life:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RAnta2r1bQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyusTdiN_yA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4vJ_M32mDU

http://www.roman-catholic-saints.com/mary-of-agreda.html

Below are the links to the book The Mystical City of God

https://www.ecatholic2000.com/agreda/mystical/city.shtml

http://www.stellamarismedia.com/book_city_of_god.html

I suggest you also to read about the Apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe to St. Juan Diego. There are numerous
mysteries and miracles related to the apparition. Also watch these videos that explain the marvels of Mary’s apparitions
in Mexico:

The Amazing and Miraculous Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ds7nD_QNeKA

Our Lady of Guadalupe Conquers the Enlightenment

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5kp_csZ7MY
AMAZING BOOKS ON THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY:

1) True Devotion to Mary by Saint Louis de Montfort

2) The Glories of Mary by St. Alphonsus Liguori

3) The World’s First Love by Blessed Fulton Sheen

4) See How She Loves Us by Joan Carrol Cruz

5) Behold Your Mother by Tim Staples

6) Hail Holy Queen by Scott Hahn

7) Under the Mantle by Fr. Donald Calloway

8) The Secret of Mary by St. Louis de Montfort

9) Mary and the Fathers of the Church by Fr. Luigi

Gambrel

10) The Life of the Blessed Virgin Mary: From the Visions of Ven. Anne Catherine Emmerich
QUOTES FROM THE POPES AND SAINTS ON THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY:

“Happy is he who lives and dies under the protection of the Blessed Virgin.” - St
John Mary Vianney

'After the love which we owe Jesus Christ, we must give the chief place in our
heart to the love of His Mother Mary.' - St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori

”A man is no true Christian if he has no devotion to the Mother of Jesus Christ.”

- Saint John Eudes

“Mary is the most perfect and most holy work of GOD.” – St. Bonaventure

“Every objection against devotion to Mary grows in the soil of an imperfect

belief in the Son.” – Ven. Fulton Sheen

“What a joy to remember that she [Mary] is our Mother! Since she loves us and
knows our weakness, what have we to fear?” - Saint Therese of Lisieux

“With reason did the Most Holy Virgin predict that all generations would call her blessed, for all the Elect obtain eternal
salvation through the means of Mary." - Saint Ildephonsus, Bishop

“No one will ever be the servant of the Son without serving the Mother.” - Saint Ildephonsus, Bishop

“The greatest saints, those richest in grace and virtue will be the most assiduous in praying to the most Blessed Virgin,
looking up to her as the perfect model to imitate and as a powerful helper to assist them.” - Saint Louis Marie de
Montfort

"Mary having co-operated in our redemption with so much glory to God and so much love for us, Our Lord ordained that
no one shall obtain salvation except through her intercession." - St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori

"Never be afraid of loving the Blessed Virgin too much. You can never love her more than Jesus did.” - Saint Maximilian
Kolbe

“The Blessed Virgin is like a good mother who, not content with looking after all her children in general, watches over
each one separately.” - St John Mary Vianney

Mary seeks for those who approach her devoutly and with reverence, for such she loves, nourishes, and adopts as her
children." - Saint Bonaventure, Doctor of the Church

"Mary has the authority over the angels and the blessed in heaven. As a reward for her great humility, God gave her the
power and mission of assigning to saints the thrones made vacant by the apostate angels who fell away through pride.
Such is the will of the almighty God who exalts the humble, that the powers of heaven, earth and hell, willingly or
unwillingly, must obey the commands of the humble Virgin Mary. For God has made her queen of heaven and earth,
leader of his armies, keeper of his treasure, dispenser of his graces, mediatrix on behalf of men, destroyer of his
enemies, and faithful associate in his great works and triumphs." - Saint Louis Marie de Montfort, True

Devotion to the Blessed Virgin "O sinner, be not discouraged, but have recourse to Mary in all your necessities. Call her
to your assistance, for such is the divine Will that she should help in every kind of necessity." - Saint Basil the Great

"Let us not imagine that we obscure the glory of the Son by the great praise we lavish on the Mother; for the more she is
honored, the greater is the glory of her Son. There can be no doubt that whatever we say in praise of the Mother gives
equal praise to the Son." - Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, Father and Doctor of the Church
“No matter how sinful one may have been, if he has devotion to Mary, it is impossible that he be lost." - Saint Hilary of
Poitiers - Bishop, Father, and Doctor of the Church

“The demons are very anxious in their pursuit of souls, yet, they quickly abandon their prey merely at the name of
Mary.” - St. Bridget of Sweden

“JESUS CHRIST, after having given us all He could give, that is to say, the merit of his toils, His sufferings, and His bitter
death; after having given us His Adorable Body and Blood to be the Food of our souls, willed also to give us the most
precious thing He had left, His holy Mother.” - St John Mary
Vianney

“If anyone does not believe that Holy Mary is the Mother of God,
such a one is a stranger to the Godhead.” - Saint Gregory
Nazianzen, Father and Doctor of the Church

"Prayer is powerful beyond limits when we turn to the

Immaculata who is queen even of God's heart." - Saint
Maximilian Kolbe

"The world being unworthy to receive the Son of God directly

from the hands of the Father, he gave his Son to Mary for the
world to receive him from her." - Saint Augustine, Father and
Doctor of the Church

“As mariners are guided into port by the shining of a star, so

Christians are guided to heaven by Mary" - Saint Thomas
Aquinas, Doctor of the Church

“It is through the Blessed Virgin Mary that Jesus came into the world, and it is also through her that he must reign in the
world.” – St. Louis Marie de Montfort

“Think of what the Saints have done for their neighbor because they loved God. But what Saint's love for God can match
Mary's? She loved Him more in the first moment of her existence than all the Saints and angels ever loved Him or will
love Him. Our Lady herself revealed to Sister Mary Crucified that the fire of her love was most extreme. If Heaven and
earth were placed in it, they would be instantly consumed. And the ardors of the seraphim, compared with it, are like
cool breezes. Just as there is not one among all the Blessed who loves God as Mary does, so there is no one, after God,
who loves us as much as this most loving Mother does. Furthermore, if we heaped together all the love that mothers
have for their children, all the love of husbands and wives, all the love of all the angels and Saints for their clients, it
could never equal Mary's love for even a single soul.” - Saint Alphonsus Liguori

"The reason why Christ is unknown today is because His Mother is unknown." - Blessed Cardinal John Henry Newman

Happy, indeed sublimely happy, is the person to whom the Holy Spirit reveals the secret of Mary, thus imparting to him
true knowledge of her. Happy the person to whom the Holy Spirit opens this enclosed garden for him to enter, and to
whom the Holy Spirit gives access to this sealed fountain where he can draw water and drink deep draughts of the living
waters of grace. That person will find only grace and no creature in the most lovable Virgin Mary. But he will find that
the infinitely holy and exalted God is at the same time infinitely solicitous for him and understands his weaknesses. Since
God is everywhere, he can be found everywhere, even in hell. But there is no place where God can be more present to
his creature and more sympathetic to human weakness than in Mary. It was indeed for this very purpose that he came
down from heaven. Everywhere else he is the Bread of the strong and the Bread of angels, but living in Mary he is the
Bread of children. - Saint Louis Marie de Montfort
"Let us run to Mary, and, as her little children, cast ourselves into her arms with a perfect confidence." - Saint Francis de
Sales

“In trial or difficulty I have recourse to Mother Mary, whose glance alone is enough to dissipate every fear.” - Saint
Therese of Lisieux

"We never give more honour to Jesus than when we honour his Mother, and we honour her simply and solely to honour
him all the more perfectly. We go to her only as a way leading to the goal we seek - Jesus, her Son." - Saint Louis Marie
de Montfort

"Men do not fear a powerful hostile army as the powers of hell fear the name and protection of Mary." - St.
Bonaventure

"All true children of God have God for their father and Mary for his mother; anyone who does not have Mary for his
mother, does not have God for his father." - Saint Louis Marie de Montfort

"The Immaculate alone has from God the promise of victory over Satan. She seeks souls that will consecrate themselves
entirely to her, that will become in her hands forceful instruments for the defeat of Satan and the spread of God's
kingdom." - St. Maximilian Kolbe

"Only after the Last Judgment will Mary get any rest; from now until then, she is much too busy with her children." - St.
John Vianney

“The pious and learned Jesuit, Suarez, Justus Lipsius, a devout and erudite theologian of Louvain, and many others have
proved incontestably that devotion to our Blessed Lady is necessary to attain salvation. This they show from the
teaching of the Fathers, notably St. Augustine, St. Ephrem, deacon of Edessa, St. Cyril of Jerusalem, St. Germanus of
Constantinople, St. John Demascene, St. Anselm, St. Bernard, St. Bernardine, St. Thomas and St. Bonaventure. Even
according to Oecolampadius and other heretics, lack of esteem and love for the Virgin Mary is an infallible sign of God's
disapproval. On the other hand, to be entirely and genuinely devoted to her is a sure sign of God's approval.” - Saint
Louis Marie de Montfort

”The honor of Mary is so intimately connected with the honor and glory of Jesus that to deny the one is at the same
time a denial of the other.” - Blessed William Joseph Chaminade

”To desire grace without recourse to the Virgin Mother is to desire to fly without wings.” - Pope Pius XII, 1876-1958 AD

”The conflict with Hell cannot be maintained by men, even the most clever. The Immaculata alone has from God the
promise of victory over Satan.” - Saint Maximilian Mary Kolbe, Martyr

”Jesus honored her before all ages, and will honor her for all ages. No one comes to Him, nor even near Him, no one is
saved or sanctified, if he too will not honor her. This is the lot of Angels and of men.” - Saint Maximilian Mary Kolbe,
Martyr

“Always stay close to this Heavenly Mother, because she is the sea to be crossed to reach the shores of Eternal
Splendour.” - Saint Padre Pio, 1887-1968 AD

“When the devil wishes to make himself master of a soul, he sees to make it give up devotion to Mary.” - Saint
Alphonsus Mary De Liguori

“Some people are so foolish that they think they can go through life without the help of the Blessed Mother. Love the
Madonna and pray the rosary, for her rosary is the weapon against the evils of the world today. All graces given by GOD
pass through the Blessed Mother.” - Saint Padre Pio, 1887-1968 AD
“Only she who raised Christ can raise a Christian.” – Ven. Archbishop Fulton Sheen

”Let not that man presumes to look for mercy from God who offends His Holy Mother!" - Saint Louis Marie de Montfort

”It is impossible to save one's soul without devotion to Mary and without her protection.” - Saint Anselm, Archbishop
and Doctor of the Church

”I have great doubts about the salvation of those who do not have special devotion to Mary.” - Saint Francis Borgia

“You must never separate what GOD has so perfectly united. So closely are Jesus and Mary bound up with each other
that whoever beholds Jesus sees Mary; whoever loves Jesus, loves Mary; whoever has devotion to Jesus, has devotion to
Mary.” – St. John Eudes

"In dangers, in doubts, in difficulties, think of Mary, call upon Mary. Let not her name depart from your lips, never suffer
it to leave your heart. And that you may obtain the assistance of her prayer, neglect not to walk in her footsteps. With
her for guide, you shall never go astray; while invoking her, you shall never lose heart; so long as she is in your mind, you
are safe from deception; while she holds your hand, you cannot fall; under her protection you have nothing to fear; if
she walks before you, you shall not grow weary; if she shows you favor, you shall reach the goal." - Saint Bernard of
Clairvaux, Father and Doctor of the Church

“It has always been the habit of Catholics in danger and in troublous times to fly for refuge to Mary…” – Pope Leo XIII

”Not only do they offend thee, O Lady, who outrage thee, but thou art also offended by those who neglect to ask thy
favors . . . He who neglects the service of the Blessed Virgin will die in his sins . . . He who does not invoke thee, O Lady,
will never get to Heaven . . . Not only will those from whom Mary turns her countenance not be saved, but there will be
no hope of their salvation . . . No one can be saved without the protection of Mary. - Saint Bonaventure, Cardinal-Bishop
and Doctor of the Church

"Devotion to you, O Blessed Virgin, is a means of salvation which God gives to those whom he wishes to save." - Saint
John Damascene
MORE VIDEOS AND ARTICLES RELATED TO THE TOPIC:

Venerable Fulton J Sheen -The Blessed Virgin Mary- The Woman I Love

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TG5-RSevDBI

Iconoclasm in Passiontide of Church

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzSy_7UbYPk]

Apologetics: Defending Mary, the Mother of God

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibI_TE0igZY

Why do Catholics pray to the saints in heaven?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lj0k1j2MX6E

How can Mary and the Saints in Heaven hear our prayers?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aM6K0BSF68

For further explanation refer:

https://www.catholic.com/tract/praying-to-the-saints

http://www.catholicbible101.com/thedead.htm

http://www.newadvent.org/summa/5072.htm

http://maryimmaculate.tripod.com/marian11.html

http://maryimmaculate.tripod.com/marian.html

http://maryimmaculate.tripod.com/links2.html