MikeLigalig.com

by Jenny Schroedel and Reverend John Schroedel



Many of these devotional practices may seem foreign if you are not from a Roman Catholic or Orthodox background. Although Mary is an integral part of the worship and prayer life of these churches, the intercessions of the saints make up a small (but significant) portion of the whole spiritual life.

Especially for those who are not raised in these churches but come to them later in life, the veneration of Mary can be a great struggle. As prominent Roman Catholic writer Fr. Richard John Neuhaus wrote in a forward to the book Mary: A Catholic-Evangelical Debate, “For many of us who entered into full communion with the Catholic Church later in life, Marian doctrine and devotion was at one time a problem. I daresay that for most of us, and certainly for me, Marian doctrine and devotion has become an exciting and never-ending discovery of deeper dimensions of Christian fidelity.”

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This ancient Christian belief that Mary is present in the Church both yesterday and today is demonstrated through the ongoing devotional practices associated with her. Contemporary Christians, however, may be tempted to dismiss many of these more ancient practices as superfluous, belonging to another place and time. But it is best to retain a respectful silence until one has the opportunity to grasp the deeper idea behind the practice. C. S. Lewis described the temptation to dismiss the beliefs and practices from other times as “chronological snobbery.”

Especially within the ever-evolving Christian world, we may be inclined to think in terms of an ongoing revelation where the faithful are always growing closer to the truth. We may imagine that from our place in history we know more than those who went before us. But according to Lewis, this kind of thinking is a grave error. While it can be equally dangerous to believe the opposite fallacy — that all that is ancient is somehow right or superior — it is certainly wise to listen to the voices of those who have gone before us and to see if their experiences might speak to and enrich our own spiritual lives. This is especially important when we think about how Christians in earlier times expressed their faith and their devotion to the saints.

http://www.netplaces.com/virgin-mary/special-devotions/a-word-for-protestants.htm

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