"Do Whatever He Tells You"

I had a soft spot in my heart for Mary, long before I became a Catholic. (November 24, 2009)

Our attitude toward Mary, Mother of God, makes Catholics stand out: and is, I think, very misunderstood. The Catechism of the Catholic Church discusses her and the Church. At length. (Catechism, 963-975, for starters)

We venerate Mary. (972) Which is most emphatically not the same as worshiping her. There's more about veneration, too. (127, 1090, 1154, 1378, 1674, 2129-2132) I've written about veneration before. (July 12, 2010)

I don't expect to change the mind of anyone who's determined to believe otherwise: and I've mentioned that before, too. (November 1, 2010)

One of these days, I may opine about Marian apparitions: which is what we call the times that Mary has shown up with a message. There was one in Wisconsin, fairly recently. A legitimate one, as well as a bogus claim, which is about par for the course. (December 8, 2010)

It seems to me that each time she comes, Mary has variations on what she said back in Cana: "His mother said to the servers, 'Do whatever he tells you.' " (John 2:5) It's hard to see how a person can go wrong, paying attention to Mary: since she's directing attention to Jesus, the Christ.

Still: bear in mind that I've got the teaching authority of "some guy with a blog." Which is where those links come in. The Catholic Church has a vast array of knowledge and insights recorded and available online: and that's another topic.

Related posts:

• "Mary, Mother of Jesus: Reading Glasses for Catholics"
  (August 15, 2010)
• "May: Mary's Month"
  (May 17, 2010)
• "New on the Blogroll: Denver Roman Catholic Examiner"
  (February 24, 2010)
• "Feeling Forgiven: My Faith and Emotional Perks"
  (November 24, 2009)
• "The Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God: Yeah, It's Kind of a Big Deal"
  (January 1, 2010)

Background:

• John 2:5
• "Mary: Grace and Hope in Christ"
  Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC) (February 2, 2004)
• "Popular Devotional Practices: Basic Questions and Answers"
  United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (November 12, 2003)
• "The Message of Fatima"
  Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (June 26, 2000)
• "Ecclesia in America - John Paul II - Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation"
  Post-Sunodal Apostolic Exhortation | Ecclesia in America | of the Holy Father John Paul II | To the Bishops, Priests and Deacons, Men and Women Religious, and All the Lay Faithful on the Encounter with the Living Jesus Christ: the Way to Conversion, Communion and Solidarity (January 22, 1999)