How Can You Honor Any Woman

[Knight of the Holy Rosary]

Beautiful OP!

[Starets]

You can respect earthly women without respecting the Blessed Virgin if you don't see the point of veneration of the Blesed Virgin in the first place. Although I was baptised and confirmed catholic shortly after birth, I was not raised Catholic. My mother died when I was 2, and I didn't exactly have good role models as stepmothers. Besides which, my father's family tended to be non-practicing except for marriages, funerals, and baptisms. In other words, to be hatched, matched, and dispatched.

When I was a tweenaged fundamentalist, I simply didn't see the point of veneration of Mary. Even as a 30+ revert, I still didnt see the point.

Until I saw a post on a catholic mailing list called bit.listserv.catholic. One of the regulars explained it like this:

Because she was a 14 year old girl who said "yes" to God. Without that yes there would have been no incarnation, no crucifixion, and no resurrection. It was then I understood the point of veneration of Mary.

And so I love and respect the Blesed Virgin Mary as a simple peasant farmer would love and respect his queen mother. But for years, I wouldn't dream of asking so august a figure over for a beer and a burger. But on meditating on some of the Joyful Mysteries, especially the Presentation, I began to see someone who was not only an august figure amply worthy of love and respect, but also someone who has gone through common fears as well. So maybe she wouldn't mind coming over for a snack after all!