Trinity Sunday 5 26 2013 Trinity Sunday and Mary Here at the end of the month of May, the month of Mary, we celebrate Trinity Sunday. Many of our brothers and sisters in Christ think we worship Mary,…More
Trinity Sunday 5 26 2013
Trinity Sunday and Mary
Here at the end of the month of May, the month of Mary, we celebrate Trinity Sunday. Many of our brothers and sisters in Christ think we worship Mary, not the Trinity. Because of Catholic Apologetics more and more Protestants are realizing we do not worship Mary. However, we as Catholics should be ready to give an answer for our faith and what we believe.
We worship the most Holy Trinity only as our God and Jesus Christ particularly as our Savior. There is absolutely no salvation outside of the One who died on the Cross for us and rose from the dead. This can be attested to by the many prayers we have in the Catholic Church such as the: Glory Be, Te Deum, Gloria and the Creed. Notice the many songs we have like: All Hail Adored Trinity, Tantum Ergo, O Salutaris Hostia, Holy God We Praise Thy Name, Joyful Joyful We Adore You, Holy Holy Holy Lord God Almighty, Come Holy Ghost, At the Lambs High Feast we sing to name a few. This is not to mention the names we use at baptism and is at the end of every blessing a priest gives.
But are we worshiping Mary by saying "Hail Mary"? No. We are simply saying what the angel Gabriel said to Mary at the annunciation (Lk 1:28) The word "hail" is attributed to God, but as late as two hundred years ago, people would say this to kings and queens. It was a way to give honor. So the word hail is not reserved for God alone. That is why an angel could say this to Mary. If an angel says it, it must be good.
Prayer seems to some to be worship itself. They see that whenever one prays, one worships. This is true, but this does not make prayer worship itself. Prayer is the vehicle by which we worship. The vehicle is not the traveling. Whenever you drive a vehicle, you are always traveling. However the vehicle is not the traveling itself. When we ask something from a saint or Mary in particular everything is always assumed that it would be up to God to make the final decision. Since the final authority lies on God, the worship goes to the highest authority, God-So why go to Mary and the Saints instead of directly to God? To a Catholic, this question makes no sense. First of all this question is too utilitarian. Do we as Christians just go to God to get something and forget the relationship we are to have with Him? We are all brothers and sisters in Christ, whether we have passed from this life already or not. Jesus wants us to have a relationship with our brothers and sisters. What kind of family ignores their brothers and sisters to only talk to Jesus? It is unchristian to ignore a whole population of relatives in Christ. They are truly alive. Or do we not really believe this? If we do not act on this believe in the promise of eternal life, what we are saying is that we do not believe in the promise. That begs the question, can such faith save you?
All hail blessed Trinity! And the creature, Mary, whom God created to serve Him.
Fr Barr
See More of Fr. Barr At: www.stjosephstmary.com
Trinity Sunday and Mary
Here at the end of the month of May, the month of Mary, we celebrate Trinity Sunday. Many of our brothers and sisters in Christ think we worship Mary, not the Trinity. Because of Catholic Apologetics more and more Protestants are realizing we do not worship Mary. However, we as Catholics should be ready to give an answer for our faith and what we believe.
We worship the most Holy Trinity only as our God and Jesus Christ particularly as our Savior. There is absolutely no salvation outside of the One who died on the Cross for us and rose from the dead. This can be attested to by the many prayers we have in the Catholic Church such as the: Glory Be, Te Deum, Gloria and the Creed. Notice the many songs we have like: All Hail Adored Trinity, Tantum Ergo, O Salutaris Hostia, Holy God We Praise Thy Name, Joyful Joyful We Adore You, Holy Holy Holy Lord God Almighty, Come Holy Ghost, At the Lambs High Feast we sing to name a few. This is not to mention the names we use at baptism and is at the end of every blessing a priest gives.
But are we worshiping Mary by saying "Hail Mary"? No. We are simply saying what the angel Gabriel said to Mary at the annunciation (Lk 1:28) The word "hail" is attributed to God, but as late as two hundred years ago, people would say this to kings and queens. It was a way to give honor. So the word hail is not reserved for God alone. That is why an angel could say this to Mary. If an angel says it, it must be good.
Prayer seems to some to be worship itself. They see that whenever one prays, one worships. This is true, but this does not make prayer worship itself. Prayer is the vehicle by which we worship. The vehicle is not the traveling. Whenever you drive a vehicle, you are always traveling. However the vehicle is not the traveling itself. When we ask something from a saint or Mary in particular everything is always assumed that it would be up to God to make the final decision. Since the final authority lies on God, the worship goes to the highest authority, God-So why go to Mary and the Saints instead of directly to God? To a Catholic, this question makes no sense. First of all this question is too utilitarian. Do we as Christians just go to God to get something and forget the relationship we are to have with Him? We are all brothers and sisters in Christ, whether we have passed from this life already or not. Jesus wants us to have a relationship with our brothers and sisters. What kind of family ignores their brothers and sisters to only talk to Jesus? It is unchristian to ignore a whole population of relatives in Christ. They are truly alive. Or do we not really believe this? If we do not act on this believe in the promise of eternal life, what we are saying is that we do not believe in the promise. That begs the question, can such faith save you?
All hail blessed Trinity! And the creature, Mary, whom God created to serve Him.
Fr Barr
See More of Fr. Barr At: www.stjosephstmary.com