In Luke 8:21 Jesus says, "My mother and my brethren are those who hear the word of God and do it.”
Exactly. Earlier in the same Gospel, Mary is described as she who heard the word and believed it (1:45). So Jesus is confirming that she is blessed not merely because of her biological ties to Him, but primarily because of her perfect faith.
In Luke 11:27-28, a woman from the crowd says to Jesus, "Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed. "And Jesus replies, "Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it."
If Jesus is denying Mary’s blessedness then Luke’s Gospel contradicts itself! Remember that earlier Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to Mary, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!" (1:42). And Mary herself said, "Behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed"(1:48). Jesus is not denying Mary’s blessedness; He is giving us the true reason why she is so blessed: her obedience to the word of God — that she heard the word of God and observed it, as it says in Luke 1:45. Mary is blessed not merely because of her biological ties to Jesus, but primarily because of her perfect faith.
Why do Catholics pray to Mary when Jesus is the "one mediator between God and men" (1 Tim. 2:5)?
There are two forms of mediation: the mediation of sacrifice and the mediation of prayer. When Paul says that Jesus is our only Mediator with God he is referring to His Sacrifice on the Cross (cf. 1 Tim. 2:6). Because Jesus alone is both God and man, His death alone had the power to reconcile us with God. Mary’s intercession, on the other hand, is a mediation of prayer, which is entirely different. In fact, Paul calls all Christians to this kind of mediation a few verses earlier: "First of all, then, I ask that supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings be offered for everyone … . This is good and pleasing to God our savior" (1 Tim. 2:1, 3).
Why do Catholics worship Mary?
Catholics do not worship Mary; we worship God alone! The reason why non-Catholics think we worship her is that they confuse prayer and worship. Prayer is part of worship, but prayer by itself is not worship. … The biblical definition of worship consists of the offering of a sacrifice. … Catholics offer sacrifice to God alone at Mass.
Why do you Catholics talk so much about Mary? You need to focus on Jesus!
Everything the Church teaches about Mary brings us into a deeper relationship with Jesus. Mary’s title the Mother of God, for instance, actually says more about Her Son than about her. (We call her the Mother of God because Her Son is God.) We believe in Mary’s Perpetual Virginity because it would not have been fitting for sinners to come from the same womb that produced Him. We believe in her sinlessness because it would not have been fitting for the Son of God to take sinful flesh for Himself. Contemplating the holiness of Mary helps us ultimately to understand better the holiness of Jesus.
Read a summary on Mary, Mother of God.
Read a summary on the Immaculate Conception.
Read a summary on Mary's Perpetual Virginity.
Read a summary on the Assumption of Mary.
Read a summary on the Veneration of Mary.
Read more about Mary in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
Why do you pray the Rosary when Jesus condemned praying with "vain repetitions, as the heathen do" (Matt. 6:7)?
Jesus did not condemn repetition in prayer, but vain repetition. Prayers addressed to God or the Saints are not vain repetition. The Bible tells us that Jesus Himself prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane three times "saying the same words" (Matt. 26:44).
Why do you say Mary was sinless when the Bible says, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23; cf. 1 John 1:8-10)?
This is a general statement, like saying, "Everyone in town was there." Obviously it was not meant to be an absolute statement about every single human being since there are some, such as infants and the mentally handicapped, who are incapable of committing actual sin. Mary is simply another exception. It makes more sense to say this statement refers to Original Sin, which encompasses everyone. Mary, too, fell under the curse of Original Sin in the sense that she was not sinless by nature, as Jesus is. God needed to intervene on her behalf to preserve her from sin.
How can you say Mary remained a virgin when the Bible says Jesus had brothers and sisters (cf. Matt. 13:55, et al.)?
Nowhere are these "brothers and sisters" called children of Mary, as Jesus often is (cf. Matt. 13:55). In fact, Galatians 1:19 tells us that "James the Lord’s brother" was one of the Apostles. According to the Gospels, there were two Apostles named James, one being "the son of Zebedee" and the other being "the son of Alphaeus" (Matt. 10:2, 3; cf. Matt. 13:55 with 27:56).
How can you say Mary remained a virgin when the Bible says Joseph "knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son" (Matt. 1:25)?
The word until in that verse affirms that up to that point in time the marriage had not been consummated. It does not, however, say anything certain about afterwards. Consider, for instance, Second Samuel 6:23, which says Michal "had no child to the day of her death." Obviously this does not mean she had a child after death. … Also, "firstborn son" is an honorary title that simply means a child not preceded by another. It does not necessarily mean, however, that there were subsequent children. The epitaph of a Jewish woman, who died in Egypt in the first century says she died after the birth of her first child. Obviously she did not have other children.