Quite right. Mary is a human being. She is not a goddess. Nor is she the source of the Trinity. The Word, the second person of the Trinity, existed from the beginning of time, long before Mary was born.
But she is the mother of Jesus. She carried him in her womb for nine months. And Jesus, Christians believe, is God: God incarnate, "the Word made flesh." Mary is the mother of the Word made flesh: ergo, she is the mother of God. If you feel uncomfortable with this phrase, consider this:
The technical term for Mary as mother of God is "theotokos." What theotokos literally means is "God-bearer". It is an entirely appropriate term because Mary bore God in her womb for nine months, then gave birth to him. If you believe that Jesus is God, you should have no problem echoing the early Christians when they call Mary the Theotokos.
Revelations 12 contains a beautiful picture of Mary "clothed in the sun" and crowned with twelve stars. A dragon rises up against the Woman (see Genesis 3:15 for an exciting parallel, and an early promise of the Son who would crush the head of the serpant). But God protected Mary from the dragon-- the devil could not touch her, because of God's protection. Later, we read that:
"Then the dragon was angry with the woman, and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and bear testimony to Jesus." Rev 12:17
Who are the rest of Mary's offspring? We are! All Christians are the spiritual children of Mary. After all, Jesus is our adopted brother. See John 19:26-27, too.
Rather, the queen (or giberah) was the King's MOTHER. (see "Scripture's Revelation of Mary", by Timothy Gray, in Catholic for a Reason, for more information on the position of giberah.) Read 1 Kings 2:19 to see how Bathsheba was treated by her son, the great King Solomon. He had a seat brought for her and placed next to his throne, indicating her position of honor. Note, too, the REASON why Bathsheba approached the throne of Solomon: she was interceding -- speaking on behalf -- for Adonijah. This sets a scriptural precident for Mary's interceding on behalf of us to her son, the King of King.
We know that Mary is the Queen Mother. After all, when she appears in Revelations, she is wearing a crown. Furthermore, the fourth commandment tells us to "honor our father and mother." Do you think Jesus would fail to honor his Mother? Do you think he would do less than Solomon did for his mother? We know from Revelations that He did honor his mother, and protected her from the dragon of sin.
Does Mary intercede like Bathsheba did? Yes, there is evidence of it in the New Testament. Read about the wedding at Cana, in which Mary asks Jesus to help the stewards. She is confident that her son will help them, and indeed, He does.
Can Mary still intercede for us? The early Church says: "Yes, she can!"
Here is the most complete ancient Marian prayer, the Sub Tuum Praesidium. It was recorded in approximately 250 A.D.
We fly to your patronage,
O Holy Mother of God,
despise not our petitions
in our necessities,
but deliver us from all danger,
O ever glorious and blessed Virgin.
-- from Introduction to Mary, by Mark Miravalle, STD
Note that this prayer, written by the middle of the third century, shows a belief that Mary is the mother of God, and that she can listen to our petitions. Next time someone tries to tell you that prayers for Mary's intercession are an invention of the Middle Ages, you'll know that to tell them!
Here is the prayer:
Hail Mary, full of grace!
The Lord is with you! (Luke 1:27-29).
Blessed are you among women,
and blest is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. (Luke 1:42).
Holy Mary, Mother of God (Luke 1:43)
pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. (for a note on the effectiveness of prayer, see James 5:16). Amen.
Note that the Hail Mary does not worship Mary. It proclaims, along with Elizabeth, that Mary is blessed above all other women. Mary herself predicted that "all ages will call me blessed." It asks her to pray for us, just as Paul asked others to pray for him. When we look to Mary, she points us towards her son: just as she did at Cana.
Now, where did the Rosary come from? People began using rosary beads in the twelfth century. The beads helped them keep track of the prayers they were saying as they meditated on the mysteries. The Rosary can be prayed without the beads, of course, but they are helpful. The Rosary has evolved a little over the years; for instance, the "Fatima prayer" at the end of every decade is a twentieth-century addition. It continues to be a major part of the daily prayer lives of may Catholics.
Or go to CatholiCity and request their free tape about Mary!
