That Whole "mary Thing"

[Selah]

[Apotheoun]

I never had a real problem with the veneration of Mary (even as a Protestant), because it always seemed to me to be a logical consequence of the incarnation that she was (and is) venerable.

[Hilde]

Mary isn't usually talked about except on Christmas.

[BG45]

[quote name='Hilde' post='1768677' date='Feb 1 2009, 05:21 PM']Mary isn't usually talked about except on Christmas.[/quote]

Ditto. My old church once did a four Sunday series on her though, and managed to mention Mary less than six times in about two hours worth of sermons supposedly on her...

As to the OP; to an extent I still struggle with the issues of Mary. I've prayed a Decade a day since last Lent began without fail. I've asked for her intercession, I've sat there near statues about her and thought about how none of it could have happened without her saying yes to God. Intellectually knowing all about her and that she is only venerated, not worshiped doesn't necessarily make it entirely easy.

[tinytherese]

I'm not a convert myself but I've heard that Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen's book "The World's First Love is a great book.

[url="http://www.amazon.com/Worlds-First-Love-Fulton-Sheen/dp/0898705975/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1234214345&sr=1-1"]http://www.amazon.com/Worlds-First-Love-Fu...4345&sr=1-1[/url]

[Orans]

I'm a craddle Catholic and had a lot of Marian devotions in my childhood and growing up. But at some point I lost it all because I didn't really have a personal relationship with Mary.

Years later Mary helped me to get back to her, basically through the Rosary but especially through her special protection and Motherhood. The relationship with Mary is now very important for me, and I cherish it. She is such a powerful help in daily life, in resisting temptations, in loving Jesus, in perseverance, in everything.

I've come to realize that it is not just the Church but God who wants us to get closer to Mary because she teaches us so much about ourselves and how to love God, and she always leads us to Jesus. Besides, she is fully human, like us, so there is no excuse as to how far we can go loving God if we really dedicate ourselves to live as God wants us to live, Mary really speaks of how much God wants us participating of the very life of the Trinity in Christ. This really blows my mind, but is so very great.