YES, CATHOLICS DO WORSHIP MARY (Part 4)

This is the fourth and final article in this series on Mary and why I say that Catholics actually worship her.

There seems to be a silly false dichotomy that is common in Catholicism: Either 1) Protestants should pray to Mary, or 2) if they don’t, they must hate her!

First of all, I want to emphasize that no Protestant that I know hates Mary and we are in no way trying to denigrate her.  In fact, I am glad that God chose her for this great distinction and we know that God knows what He’s doing.  She proved to be a humble, faithful servant of God and a fitting mother and nurturer to bear the Savior.  All of us should agree on that.  This was a great honor and indeed all generations are calling her blessed, as Mary stated (Luke 1:48).  Yes, she had a definite, God-given role in history, but that does not justify praying to her.  As I said in the beginning, the only recipient of prayer should be God.

Putting Things into Perspective

Catholics love to stress that Mary “cooperated” with God by saying “Yes” to Him and agreeing to bear the Savior.  But what if she had said “No”?  Would the will of God have been frustrated?  Would we now be without a Savior?  Of course not.

God is not limited, but Catholics act as though the Messiah coming to earth would have been absolutely impossible if it weren’t for this one humble virgin!  But I’m sure there were very many young, godly and capable virgins in that day who would have done anything to have the honor of bearing the Messiah.  Catholics need to quit acting like God’s hands would have been tied without Mary accepting this honor.  They act as though Mary came to the rescue and saved the day when no one else was willing or able.  In this way, Catholics are almost making her the Savior.  But the truth is that God could have used someone else!

“Mother” of the Church?

In John 19:26-27, Catholics find an interesting concept.  Jesus, from the cross, told the apostle John, “Behold your mother.”  From this statement, Catholics deduce that this is intended to convey the idea that Mary is now going to be the “Mother” of the whole church.  And from this idea, there are a multitude of privileges and special honors that follow her. 

But if that’s true, then what about the second half of the equation?  Does this also mean that John is the “son” of the whole church, since Jesus also told Mary, “Woman, behold your son”?  Why doesn’t the Catholic Church make a big deal over that, as well?  No, Jesus was not giving Mary a new exalted role here, but was simply putting His mother into the care of the apostle as she grew old.  Just as there is no universal “son of the church,” neither is there a universal “Mother of the church.”

Spirit Over Family

“And it came to pass, as He spoke these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto Him, ‘Blessed is the womb that bare Thee, and the paps which Thou hast sucked.’  But He said, ‘Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.’”  (Luke 11:27-28)

No, Jesus was not being rude to His mother here, as some suggest.  But in this passage, Jesus is showing everyone here how it is more blessed to be a follower of Christ than to be the physical mother of Christ!  Jesus emphasizes the importance of the spiritual aspect of the believer’s relationship with Him, over the familial aspect between Him and His mother. 

Abusing James

“Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed.  The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” (James 5:16)

Catholics almost always point to this passage when appealing to the Catholic teaching of praying to Mary and the saints in Heaven.  They’ll eagerly point out the fact that “… The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much,” and that Mary and the saints in Heaven are far more righteous than we are.  Therefore (according to Catholics), we should ask for their intercession, i.e., for their prayers for us. 

But if Catholics want to be consistent in their use of James 5:16, they should also obey the part that says (“… pray one for another”).  So, if that’s true, Catholics on earth should also have to pray FOR Mary and FOR those same saints in Heaven who are (supposedly) praying for those on earth!  The context of this verse is clearly not just one-way prayer, but RECIPROCAL PRAYER (… pray one for another…)! 

But why would anyone need to pray for Mary and the saints in Heaven?  They have need of nothing in the presence of Jesus!  But this is the logical conclusion when trying to use the context of this passage to prove prayers to Mary/saints.  It just doesn’t work.

Again, James is talking about reciprocal prayer – he is actually telling the saints on earth to pray for one another here on earth!  This passage fails to support the teaching of prayer to Mary and the saints.

Marian Mantras

I would like to address some very common sayings that Catholics have of Mary.  These are like mindless mantras and are often blurted out without even thinking:

• A Catholic once said, “We never give more honor to Jesus than when we honor His mother.”

So, let’s take that idea to its logical conclusion.  According to this logic, the more we honor Mary, the more we honor Christ.  If that’s true, then maybe we should whole-heartedly adore/latria/worship Mary as God, so that Jesus can then be super-duper worshipped!  He would be getting absolutely unlimited honor and worship, right?  But something tells me that Catholics would take issue with this idea.

No, Catholics think that this “more-honor-to-Mary” equals “more-honor-to-Jesus” idea sounds good, but it is utterly false and absurd.

• Another false mantra is that “Mary always points to Jesus!” 

This was true of the biblical Mary, but not with the “Catholic Mary.”  According to one of the popular visions of Fatima, “Mary” gave instructions to pray the rosary every day “to bring peace to the world and the end of the War” [WW1].  But why the rosary, since its prayers to Mary far outnumber those directed to God/Jesus?  This is pointing more toward her. 

This “Mary” also told the children that God wished for “devotion to her Immaculate Heart for world peace and the salvation of souls.”  Again, she requested that they pray that Russia would be consecrated to her Immaculate Heart.  Is this pointing to Jesus or to “Mary”?  Furthermore, she asked that a chapel be built in her honor!  It is her exaltation that seems to be the goal here, not Jesus.’

Amazingly, she also said that peace with Russia would be granted and that “ONLY I CAN HELP YOU.  My Immaculate Heart will be your refuge and the way that will lead you to God.” (Emphasis added)

See this article:

https://answeringcatholicclaims.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-visions-of-fatima.html

It is clear that the “Mary” to whom Catholics pray does not always point to Jesus.

• Mary is a “shortcut to Jesus”!

While this might sound good, the Scriptures tell us that we can go directly to God through Jesus (Hebrews 4:14-16), since He is fully able to sympathize with our needs and weaknesses, and that we can approach the throne of grace with confidence.  Was the author of Hebrews lying when he said this?  No, but adding Mary to the list only adds one more layer to the process.  Some “shortcut”!

• Mary is “the surest way to her Son”!

If we come to Jesus humbly for salvation, we are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-10).  If we come to Him with other needs, it is the same.  But Mary is needed in neither case.  Again, I would repeat what I said just above: Hebrews 4:14-16 assures us that we will be heard, if we approach Him with confidence and with humility.   The surest way to Jesus is by faith in His word, not faith in His mother.

“The Bible Doesn’t Say…”

When Protestants claim that praying to Mary is wrong, Catholics will often say, “But the Bible doesn’t say NOT to pray to Mary, does it?”

But there are countless things that the Bible doesn’t address specifically.  For example, it never says, “Don’t throw your trash over your neighbor’s fence into his yard,” or “Don’t slash your co-worker’s tires.”  There is nothing in the Bible that specifically addresses these things.  But we all know that these things are prohibited because of the command to “love your neighbor” (Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 22:39).  That is a general principle found throughout Scripture that overrides any act that would violate that command.

The Bible may not specifically say, “Don’t pray to Mary,” or “Never address the saints or angels in prayer,” but there is a way that we can know if these things are allowed.  We have biblical principles throughout the Scriptures, and patterns in which to cling when there is no specific instruction.  We should look to examples of what the people of God did, and what they avoided.  And the continuous pattern throughout Scripture is very simple – it is that people prayed to God alone!

Conclusion

It seems that Mary is the only mother in history who has been dignified with such incredible titles of exaltation from the Catholic Church.  Granted, her Son is indeed the Savior and is of immeasurable worth.  But one would think that other mothers of great children would also be dignified in a similar manner for their child’s sake.

For example, Moses is recognized as the greatest Old Testament prophet ever.  Few people are as revered by the Jews as Moses was.  Yet, his mother, Jochebed, was never considered to be:

“Co-Mediatrix between God and the Jews,” Co-Redemptrix of the Jews,” “Mother of the Jews,” “Mother of the Mosaic Law,” “Queen over the Red Sea,” “Co-Provider of manna,” “Sovereign Princess of plagues,” “Mother of the brazen serpent,” “Co-Intercessor of the Israelites,” or “Queen of the Promised Land.”

Someone might say, “But that’s ridiculous!”  But why is it ridiculous for Jochebed when the same thing is being done for Mary?  None of Moses’ exploits, prophecies and great miracles would have been done if Jochebed had not given birth to him.  That seems to be the criteria for Mary’s exaltation, so why not Jochebed, as well?  After all, she literally saved Moses’ life, as a child, when she kept him from the Egyptians and placed him in a basket in the Nile River.  So why is Jochebed not also sharing the attributes of her son, Moses, and the honor he held? 

Funny, but we see very little of Jochebed in the Scriptures, in spite of the great exploits of her son.  The truth is, we also see very little of Mary in the Scriptures, yet her titles, honor and attributes of Jesus abound.

You have to wonder, how many other godly, humble and faithful mothers out there are being deprived by the Catholic Church of the honor and veneration they deserve?  Is it because the Church would see this as usurping the honor their sons deserve?  Yes, it should be.  Then how much more is the Catholic Church usurping the honor and uniqueness of the Savior of mankind when giving Mary the honor and attributes that only her Son should have?

Once again, I would have to say that Mary, by biblical standards, is being worshipped and this is the sin of idolatry.  There is no other way to see it.  And the Catholic Church seems to have no problem with that.

Whom have I in Heaven but thee? And there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee? (Psalm 73:25)

See also these links:

https://answeringcatholicclaims.blogspot.com/2021/03/excessive-devotion-to-mary-in-catholic.html

https://answeringcatholicclaims.blogspot.com/2011/02/praying-to-saints.html

https://answeringcatholicclaims.blogspot.com/2023/10/worship-and-prayer.html

https://answeringcatholicclaims.blogspot.com/2024/01/if-you-cant-find-jesus-look-for-his.html

 

 

YES, CATHOLICS DO WORSHIP MARY! (Part 3)

The Bible tells us that every normal, thinking person knows intuitively that God exists (Psalm 14:1).  Atheism is not the default position for man.  If anything, man leans toward worship, since it is built into his nature.  It is not just a need, but his deepest desire, even for the unregenerate person – because God has put eternity in the heart of man (Ecclesiastes 3:11).  Whether saved or not, he will worship something.  Rather than atheism, the unregenerate heart will tend toward worshipping the creature instead of the Creator (Romans 1:25-26). 

This was exactly the case with the Jews in 2 Kings 18:1-4.  God had previously instructed Moses to erect a statue of a bronze serpent to heal the Jews of snakebite (Numbers 21:4-9).  But as time went on, the Jews turned this symbol (which was provided by God) into a stumbling block when they began to worship the symbol itself – and King Hezekiah had to destroy it. 

Idolatry was a real problem for the Jews in the Old Testament, but this sin did not fade away.  Even today, it appears in many forms.  Everyone (including Catholics and Protestants) is susceptible to this sin.  That’s why the New Testament also tells us to flee idolatry (1 Corinthians 10:7, 14), because man will lean toward idolatry.  It is a message for us all: don’t be so high-minded as to think that it will never affect you in any way.

In Part 2 of this series, I promised to show some more examples of idolatry in Catholicism when it comes to Mary.  So, here we go…

The Cross and the Ark

In the Catholic Church of the Mother of God of Polish Martyrs in Warsaw, Poland, we find a cross with Mary on it (holding Jesus, as a child). 

On another cross in a Catholic Church in Rome (St. Maria Maggiore), we find Jesus hanging on one side of the cross with Mary hanging on the other side (i.e., back to back).  This is absolute blasphemy! 

For those who may not know, according to Scripture, Mary was not on the cross, Jesus was, and He alone paid the price for the salvation of mankind on that cross.  The Catholic Church has no business depicting Mary on the cross.  She didn’t die for our sins.  The real Mary, Jesus’ humble mother, would be utterly shocked if she knew she was being depicted in such a way!

You can see photos of these here:

https://www.wayoflife.org/database/maryolatry.html

And if that’s not bad enough, in St. Stanislaus Kostka Catholic Church in Chicago, in the backdrop of the church’s central altar, there is a statue of Mary sitting between the two angels on the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant!  This exact place is reserved FOR GOD ALONE (Exodus 25:17-22; 1 Samuel 4:4; 2 Samuel 6:2)!  This is utter blasphemy!  If this is not calling Mary “God,” and if this is not worshipping her, then I don’t know what is.

You can see it here:

https://ststanschurch.org/the-sanctuary-of-the-divine-mercy

What’s wrong with these people?!!!  Why haven’t the Catholic faithful risen up and protested?  And why haven’t these blasphemous icons been destroyed by the pope or some other Catholic authorities, as King Hezekiah did in the Old Testament?  Surely, they are aware of this insanity, aren’t they?  Or maybe, it’s because they approve of it and want it there!  This should shock every Catholic in the world who has any sense of decency. 

But the Catholic Church seems to be much more concerned about “canonizing saints” than it is about warning its people against the sin of idolatry!

Parallels?

It’s really hard to ignore the obvious attempts by the Catholic Church to try and force an unbiblical parallel between Jesus Christ and His mother, Mary.  This is how she is presented:

1) Jesus Christ, the Redeemer – Mary, the Co-Redemptrix

2) Jesus Christ, the one Mediator – Mary, the Mediatrix

3) Jesus Christ, the King of Kings – Mary, the Queen of Heaven

4) Jesus Christ, the perfect and sinless Savior – Mary, immaculately conceived and remained sinless throughout her life

5) Jesus Christ, the absolute purest person – Mary, ever-Virgin and undefiled

6) Jesus Christ, the Ark that protected Noah and saved mankind – Mary, the Ark of the New Covenant

7) Jesus Christ, sitting enthroned at the right hand of the Father in Heaven – Mary, sitting enthroned at the right hand of the Son in Heaven

8) Jesus Christ, the Second Adam – Mary, the Second Eve

9) Jesus Christ, suffered on the cross – Mary, suffered at the foot of the cross

10)   Jesus Christ, the Head of the church – Mary, the Mother of the Church

11)   Jesus Christ, the Son of God – Mary, the Mother of God

12)   Jesus Christ, ascended into Heaven – Mary, assumed bodily into Heaven

Do you see the unbiblical pattern here?  This is a relentless attempt to exalt Mary above what her God-intended and biblical role was. 

Insight from John the Baptist

But notice what John the baptist said:

“He [Jesus] must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:30)

John is saying that he needs to put Jesus on the “front burner,” so to speak, elevated above all others.  He is saying that Jesus is to be in the limelight and he (John) is to be in the background, not striving for glory or attention.  Jesus is to be exalted while John should remain a humble and unworthy servant.  This is the essence of what John the baptist is saying here and it applies to every human ever born.

But is this what the Catholic Church is doing with Mary?  Are they leaving her in the background as a humble and unworthy believer?  No, rather they are exalting her to the point of almost being equal with Jesus.  They are attributing to her the hallmarks of Jesus, thus worshipping her.  And I don’t see that changing any time soon.  They deny worshipping her, but their actions contradict the Catholic Church’s official teachings that say she is not to be worshipped.

The Catholic Church claims that Jesus Christ has a unique role in history.  But these issues with Marian devotion make the unique Savior much less unique.

I hope that no Catholic is foolish enough to actually believe that Mary IS God.  They should know better than that.  But you Catholics can say all day long that “We don’t worship Mary,” but the evidence (your actions) speaks louder than your words.

To be continued…

“IF YOU CAN’T FIND JESUS, LOOK FOR HIS MOTHER”

I had seen bumper stickers of the title above and had also heard similar comments from certain Catholics.  I know that sometimes it may seem that God doesn’t hear our prayers, yet it is one of the most basic needs of a believer to have his prayers answered.  We all want to know that somebody’s listening.  I understand that, and I understand the seeming desperation that most of us have experienced at some point in our lives.    

But this title reminds me of the story of a man who fell off the edge of a cliff at night and managed to grab onto a small shrub on the way down, hanging on for dear life between Heaven and earth.  In the dark, he was unaware that safe and solid ground was only a couple of feet beneath him.  The desperate man calls out several times for help and no one answers.  Finally, he hears a loud voice from Heaven that says, “If you trust Me, let go!”  The desperate man pauses and thinks for a minute and then yells, “Is there anyone else out there?!!” 

Although the story is intended to be funny, there is a disturbing truth within it that causes some to want a “back-up” when praying.  What if God doesn’t answer your plea for help?  Is your need so strong that you are willing to compromise your spiritual walk with God?  Perhaps you, like King Saul, are desperate enough to go to a psychic or a fortune teller if God doesn’t answer? (1 Samuel 28:7-19)

Hopefully, you would never do such a thing, since this would have dire spiritual consequences (Leviticus 19:26, 31; 20:6, 27; 2 Kings 21:6; Isaiah 8:19-22).  You may never even consider such a thing… yet, you may feel like God is “uninterested” or “too busy,” therefore it’s ok, as a Catholic, to call on some other “positive” spiritual entity to help you, like Mary (Jesus’ mother). 

Surely, if Mary appeals to Jesus for you, He couldn’t turn her down, right?  After all, she is His mother, and as a kid, we know that if you wanted something, but you were afraid to ask your father, Mom would often step in to increase your chances of finding favor.  Therefore, it only seems fitting to call on Mary to do the same for you, right?

Several Assumptions

This slogan, “If you can’t find Jesus, look for His mother” assumes several things.  First, it assumes that one can have the ability to communicate with Mary to start with.  It also assumes that one has God’s permission, that it’s ok, to appeal to Mary and ask for her help.  And if it is ok, it assumes that she can actually hear us.  And if she hears us, it also assumes that she is able to help us in some way.

Furthermore, this slogan is assuming that sometimes we (perhaps “less spiritual”) believers just can’t “find” Jesus like we should.  But why would anyone who has any biblical understanding think that? (Matthew 7:7-8; 11:28; 1 Peter 5:6-7)

The slogan is also assuming that Jesus may not be touched by, or concerned with, our needs.  After all, He’s busy running the universe!  What makes us think that we are significant enough to even be on His “radar”?  But seriously, are Catholics really not aware that He is indeed conscious of our needs?

Hard to Find?

“Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.  For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:14-16)

Jesus, Himself, as a human, had needs and was tempted to sin, so He knows what it’s like to be human and He knows our weaknesses.  Either, this passage is a lie or it is the truth.  Its message is very simple, nothing vague about it.  It is telling us that we can, indeed should, call on Him in time of need.  Trusting in Him is how we hold fast to our profession.

But appealing in prayer to someone else (even someone in Heaven, like Mary) is not “holding fast to our profession.”  In fact, doing so would deviate from our profession.  How so?  This passage is magnifying the person and role of our New Testament High Priest, Jesus Christ.  It is pointing to Him alone.

In the case of those who say, “If you can’t find Jesus, look for His mother,” their interpretation of Hebrews 4:14-16 would have to be: “Hey everyone, let’s give honor to Jesus, the Son of God, who has entered Heaven on our behalf and to whom we can directly and boldly come, without hesitation to help us in time of need (whether for salvation or anything else)… BUT, we will go to Mary first!”  I’m sorry, but that’s not giving Jesus the honor He deserves (Revelation 17:14, 19:16) and that’s not putting Him first and foremost.

But is Jesus ever really “hard to find”?  His offer to “come boldly unto the throne of grace” does not permit the idea of praying to someone else in order to get to Him.  It does not leave room for an appeal to another person in Heaven.  He doesn’t say, “Come boldly unto the throne of grace and if I have time, I’ll try to get to you.”  Or, “Come boldly unto the throne of grace by going through other ‘mediators’ first who can then get My attention.”  Or, “Come through My mother, who always puts in a good word for you and convinces Me to help you.  Otherwise, I might not be interested.” 

No, there is no guessing what Hebrews 4:14-16 is saying.  If you turn your heart toward Him and seek Him, you will find Him.  He will make Himself known to you without having to go through other “heavenly intercessors.”  That’s a promise.  To say that there are others to which one should pray is simply eisegesis (reading something into the text that is not there).

On Whom are You Really Depending?

Now, Catholics will say, “But we, just like you Protestants, also rely on people here on earth when we ask them to pray for us.  So why can’t we appeal to Mary or the saints in Heaven, who are far more spiritual than anyone on earth?  Their prayers are stronger than anyone else’s.”

But requesting prayer from others here on earth is perfectly fine.  That is totally biblical, while requesting prayer from others who are supposedly in Heaven is not.  Catholics just don’t seem to get the concept that there are absolutely no examples in the whole Bible of anyone praying to Mary or the saints, and there is nothing to suggest that we should.  That idea is utterly absent from the pages of Scripture.  Yet, that doesn’t stop Catholics from doing it.  This is because they are simply being a faithful son or daughter of “Holy Mother Church.”  You are doing what the Catholic Church tells you to do.

This whole concept of depending on Mary’s intercession appears to be saying that somehow, we can better depend on her than we can on Jesus.  So, I would have to ask, when addressing Mary in prayer, on whom are you really depending? 

A Purely Human Concept

Recently, a devout Catholic and I were having a nice discussion and the conversation led to Mary and the subject of praying to her.  At this point, the Catholic gave that familiar comment and said something along these lines: “If, for some reason, you find it hard to pray to Jesus, pray to His mother, instead.  She will surely hear you and appeal to her Son to help you.” 

Well, that sounds good, but this is purely a human (and unbiblical) mindset.  Yes, on earth, moms generally intercede for their kids when speaking to their fathers.  And that’s because many fathers may be harsh and unloving – nothing like the High Priest in Heaven to which we have access today.  But He is a gracious Savior who knows what you need before you even ask (Matthew 6:7-8).  He just wants you to admit your need and come humbly, yet confidently, to Him.  He wants you to come directly to the Savior, not to a relative of the Savior.

Pointing to Jesus

Catholics are quick to say that Mary always points to Christ.  For example, they love to use this particular verse:

“His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it” (John 2:5). 

And then they say, “See!  Approaching Mary is a good thing, since she always points to her Son.”  But every true Christian does that.  How does that separate Mary from other believers?  It doesn’t. 

And while we are on that topic, “pointing to Jesus” was exactly what John the baptist was doing when he said:

“He [Jesus] must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). 

THAT is pointing to Jesus and honoring Him, and John did this while denying himself and lowering his own importance.  But, it’s funny, I have never seen a Catholic ever use this verse to apply to Mary decreasing.  Why do you think that is?  I’ll tell you why.  I believe that they will never accept any lowering of Mary’s status, never admitting that Mary must also decrease, because the Catholic Church will not let them. 

Interestingly, there are far, far more Catholic shrines that were built to honor her than there are to Jesus, and I’ve never seen a pope or any other Catholic official object to this.  The Catholic Church will turn its head the other way when there are large numbers of people who are giving Mary “excessive devotion” (using the Catholic Church’s own term).  No one seems to object to that.   But don’t you dare suggest that Mary diminish her own status!  The Church will simply not let that happen.  

A Bit Much!

For instance, look at this prayer from a doctor and “saint” of the Catholic Church named Liguori:

"Most Holy and Immaculate Virgin! O my Mother! Thou who art the Mother of my Lord, the Queen of the world, the Advocate, Hope, and Refuge of sinners! I, the most wretched among them, now come to thee. I worship thee, great Queen, and give thee thanks for the many favors thou hast bestowed on me in the past; most of all do I thank thee for having saved me from hell, which I had so often deserved.  I love thee, Lady most worthy of love, and, by the love which I bear thee, I promise ever in the future to serve thee, and to do what in me lies to win others to thy love.  In thee I put all my trust, all my hope of salvation…” (emphasis added)

See here:

http://laudatedominum.net/marian.php#sal

If this doesn’t offend you as a believer, there is something wrong with you.  These are things said of Mary that the true and biblical Mary would never accept or attribute to herself. 

Actually, the above prayer is from Liguori’s very popular book, The Glories of Mary.  You can find the book online here:

http://www.themostholyrosary.com/the-glories-of-mary.pdf

It’s funny that some will object that Liguori’s “worship” doesn’t really mean worship, yet the extravagant language they use exposes them.  As the old saying goes, “If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck and quacks like a duck, then it is probably a duck!”  The activity around Mary is, by definition, worship, regardless of what the non-biblical detractors want it to mean. 

And this is only one of a multitude of blasphemous comments and prayers in his book. 

See also this article addressing Liguori’s book here:

https://answeringcatholicclaims.blogspot.com/2019/04/liguoris-idolatry-and-catholic-churchs.html

Furthermore, I think that another reason for not allowing Mary’s status to diminish is that the Catholic Church plans to use this unbiblical version of her as a tool in the global ecumenical arena to form a one-world religion as the Bible predicts (Revelation 13:8).  As one source describes it, she is:

“… rapidly becoming the ‘queen of ecumenism,’ someone whom diverse religions can honor, rally around, and even worship without offending their respective theologies.” 

Very well said!

See here:

https://www.thebereancall.org/content/mary-who?sapurl=Lys5MjZkL2xiL2xpLyt3dm44dWs4P2JyYW5kaW5nPXRydWUmZW1iZWQ9dHJ1ZSZyZWNlbnRSb3V0ZT1hcHAud2ViLWFwcC5saWJyYXJ5Lmxpc3QmcmVjZW50Um91dGVTbHVnPSUyQnd2bjh1azg=

Conclusion

It is critical to remember that there must be a clear distinction between mankind and the Savior of mankind.  The problem with the Catholic Church’s magnifying of Mary is that it causes this distinction to be blurred by such exalted language.

All this boils down to the fact that the Catholic Church wants Mary to remain exalted, even at the expense of Jesus losing status and staying in the background.  Of course they won’t say this out loud, but this is the logical consequence of a “continually increasing” Mary. 

It is also interesting that many pictures we see of Mary often have her holding the “baby Jesus.”  Folks, let’s not forget that He grew up and that He performed His ministry and death on the cross (the most important part of His life) as an adult, not while on His mom’s lap.  It’s as though there is a force in the Catholic Church that wants Mary to appear to be the one in control, to be the main figure, while Jesus is depicted as a toddler in need of guidance.

Now, I’m certainly not saying that Mary shouldn’t have honor, since the Bible says to give honor to whom honor is due (Romans 13:7).  But praying to someone other than God is not “honor” – it is worship.  All Christians will be exalted in due time, but never as the object of prayer. (Acts 10:25-26; Revelation 22:8-9)

Again, Mary was a wonderful, humble and godly handmaid, whom I believe is in Heaven today, but I’m sure that never did she expect to have such attention, devotion, veneration and idolization directed toward her.  But if God would allow her, from Heaven, to see all this attention directed toward her, I would bet that the humble Mary of the Bible would be utterly grieved and weep over it.  And I believe that she would say, “If you can’t find Jesus, humble yourself and continue seeking Him, since He is always nearby!” (Matthew 11:28; Acts 17:27)