The Mary of the bible

When I was young, during my catholic days, my favorite saint was Mary, the Mother of our lord Jesus Christ,who I was taught is also my mother , a mother I share with God for she is God’s mother too! In my childhood years in Cataingan, a small town in the southeastern tip of the impoverished  province of Masbate. Almost every night I prayed the rosary, recited her litany,throw flowers and joining procession of her statue during month of May. Reading stories about her, knew numerous appearances and miracles in diverse parts of the world, to name a few, Fatima, Lourdes, Guadalupe.etc.
She was invariably young and beautiful except in her latest appearance along EDSA at corner Ortigas Avenue in Mandaluyong, Metro Manila where she looks so horrifying. But I had been so sure that this Mary would be on hand on my dying day to lead me to her Son in heavenly bliss. Such beautiful thoughts nourished me during my catholic days. What a beautiful thought to enliven my sad life on earth. But oh! What a let-down to discover that this is all a mirage, an illusion!

Mary described by the Holy Scriptures

An inquisitive mind readily discovers that the sources of information concerning the Mary of the Catholics are not from the bible. An examination of the bible contents concerning Mary, Mother of Jesus Christ reveals a totally different Mary.

1) Matthew’s Gospel
Matthew portrays Mary as a young woman engaged to be married to Joseph but discovered pregnant before they came together. Joseph was about to call off the marriage when an angel of the Lord told him what happen to Mary. He went on with the marriage and did not have  sexual relations with her until after Jesus was born, strongly implying that Mary and Joseph lived as a normal married couple afterwards.(Matthew 1:18-25)

Matthew goes on to say that Mary was present when wise men from thee east came to visit the child Jesus, that Mary fled to Egypt with Joseph her husband and the child to escape the wrath of Herod. (Matthew 2:11-14) They returned home after Herod’s death(Mat.2:19-21)

No mention of Mary is made until some scoffing Jews traced Jesus’s ancestry- that He is the Son of Mary and that He has brothers and sisters(Mat.13:55-56).
At the time of Christ crucifixion, mentions two Marys present but did not say whether the mother of Jesus was resent also.(Mat.27:56-61)
Thus in Matthew’s account Mary was portrayed as an ordinary Jewish girl, engaged to be married to Joseph, caught under extra-ordinary circumstances where she conceived without having known man yet through the work of the Holy Spirit. Women ordinarily lose their virginity the result of which they ordinarily conceive. Mary does not play a prominent and visible role in Christ’s public ministry, so unlike Mary of the Catholics,who is also inseparable from Christ-God of the Catholics as “co-redemptrix”

2) Mark’s Gospel

Mary when Jesus was told that His mother, brothers,and sisters were looking for Him. Jesus’s retort is very revealing anyone who does the will of God is His Father, His brother, His Sister, and His mother!(Mark 3:32-35) Adopted, not literal mothers, brothers,sisters.

Just like in Matthew, Mary is mentioned again in Mark in connection with sneering remarks of unbelieving  Jews concerning Jesus’s ancestry. He is a carpenter, His mother is Mary, that he has brothers and sisters ( Mark 6:3)

At the crucifixion, Mark mention two martyrs present, but as in Matthew, mary mother of Jesus was not mentioned as present. (Mark15:47; 16:1)
Here too Mary does not play a significant role in the public ministry of Jesus.

3) Luke’s Gospel

Luke mentioned Mary early in his gospel as “a virgin espoused to a man whose name is Joseph”(Luke 1:27KJV)
The angel Gabriel greeted her with the  words that now from the integral part of that popular  Catholic prayer “HAIL MARY”(Luke 1:28)
Mary reacted to the angelic greetings by asking questions. The angel explained that she had found favor with God and that she was to be the mother  of the savior who should be conceived without the aid of man but through the Holy Spirit. Thus she was virgin although she conceived. Mary humbly accepted the work given to her and the angel left her.(Luke 1:29-30)
Informed by the angel that her cousin Elizabeth had conceived in her old age, Mary went to visit her and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, greeted her “blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit thy womb” (Luke 1:36-45KJV) .  This greetings now forms the latter part of the Catholic prayer, “The Hail Mary”

Mary’s response, the famous magnificat tells of her happiness and acknowledgement of God’s great deeds to her, although she was just the Lord’s handmaid. She stayed with Elizabeth three months and then returned to her own house. (Luke 1:46-56)

Catholics teachers use this event to justify glorification of Mary, but in doing so, they have generated another Mary so different from the true one.

Luke next mentions Mary after Emperor Caesar Augustus of the Roman Empire issued a tax decree which necessitated that Mary and Joseph should go to Betlehem to be taxed. It was during this time that Jesus was born in a manger(Luke 2:1-7). Shepherd came and found Mary, Joseph, and the child (Luke 2:16) Luke remarks that Mary kept pondering the unusual events in her heart (Luke 2:19)

Thus, in Luke’s gospel, Mary and Joseph took active roles in bringing up of the child Jesus. They marveled at what they were  seeing and hearing about Him. They worried when they lost Him, and when they found Him after a long,weary-some and anxious search, they recieved a strange reply which they did not understand (Luke 2:21-51)

Catholics authors make full use of this to justify their contention that Mary deserves all the honors they can possibly give her as a reward for her role in bringing up the savior. There is no objection if it is God who gave her those honors,but the bible does not indicate this. Only  Catholic authorities gave her those honors that are properly God’s or Christ’s. Besides what Mary did for her son is done by any mother for her children. In fact it takes a lot more heroism and sacrifice to care and nurture a child whose future is not known than to care for a child whom one knows to be the savior of the world.

Luke did not speak of Mary again even after Jesus crucifixion. He speaks of two Mary  present but he was silent on whether or not Mary the mother of Jesus was there.
Thus, although Luke describes lengthily Mary’s role in the rearing up of Jesus, he does not relate her involvement in Christ’s public ministry.

4) John’s Gospel

John first mentions the mother of Jesus during the marriage feast at Cana where Mary told Him that the wine has run out. She got a strange reply but proceeded anyway to tell the servant to do what Jesus would tell them . Jesus performed His first public miracle by changing water into first class wine and afterwards he departed with His mother, brethrens,and disciples for other places (John 2:12)
John next mentions Jesus’s mother as standing by the cross as Jesus was dying. Jesus entrusted His mother to the care of the disciple he loved and who was brave enough to be with Him at that moment with the words “woman.behold thy son….behold thy mother” after which the disciple took her to His own home (John 19:25-27). After that John did not mention Mary again.
Thus, John’s gospel portrays Mary as tagging along with Jesus during His ministry but shows only one instance where Mary took an active part in Christ’s work and here Mary got a strange retort from Jesus. Catholic teachers belittle this retort of Jesus and use this event to tell us that Mary can ask anything fro Him and He will give it to her. This is an addition to what is written.
Mary was helpless with Jesus gone but he entrusted her to the care of His beloved disciple. Catholic authors assert that the disciple represents mankind when Jesus made Mary that disciple’s mother although nothing of the sort is stated by the bible. That is why Catholics consider Mary their “Mommy Mary” with all the powers of God, readily available to her supposed “children”

When Jesus said to Mary, “ Woman, behold thy son” and to the disciple “ Behold thy mother”, He was talking only to these two, and there is no indication that the disciple represents the whole of mankind. What happened was an adoption of Mary and the disciple as mother and son to each other respectively so that Mary would not be abandoned with the death, resurrection, and ascension of her real son.

5) Acts of the Apostles

The Acts of the apostles records the history of the Church of Christ immediately after Christ’s ascension into heaven. Mary the mother of Jesus, is mentioned as being with the brethren in an upper room where reside the apostles (Acts 1:13-14) Then nothing is heard again.
The Acts, therefore, records Mary as an ordinary member of the first century Church of Christ, and not as queen of the apostles as Catholic doctrines would have us believe.
As a human being , Mary  shares with all humans the fate God has decreed for all humans- death (Gen.3:19). This facts, even Catholics accept, although hey termed Mary’s death as “dormition” a latin words which means “falling asleep” which is correct because physical death is really falling asleep.(1Thess.4:13; John 11:11-14; Acts 7:59-60; 1Kings 2:10)
As a member of the Church of Christ, She shares what God’s beloved people in store- wait in the grave (Job 17:13) for her change (Job 14:14) into a being incorruptible and immortal (1Cor. 15:51-53) which will happen on the second coming of Christ when all of His people will receive their full reward.

In the meantime that Christ has not yet returned, she shares the lot of those who have died- cannot participate in anything that is done under the sun. (Eccl.9:5-6). She has not nyet gone into heaven for only three men so far have gone there, namely; Enoch (Gen.5:24; Heb.11:5), Elijah (2Kings 2:11), and Jesus Christ (Act1:11). The Bible does not mention any other human who has gone to heaven.

Now let us compare the Mary of the Catholics

1) “Mary Daughter of God the Father, Mother of God the Son,and Wife of God the Holy Spirit” (Compendio Historico de la Religion, p. 501)

Now, how about Joseph? If we have to accept this unbiblical claims of the Catholic, it would show that Mary has two husbands at the same time, Joseph and the Holy Spirit who is the Father of her Son Jesus. My,my,my,How so absurd and different from what the bible teach.

2) Mary- “Daughter,spouse,and mother of God” (Glories and Virtues of Mary, p. 143)

What is the implication of this teaching of the catholic?

 The implication: God married His own daughter who is also His own mother! What an unspeakable blasphemy  to God and crime to the law of God and  man.

3) Mary has taken over the honors belongs to Christ, let us read their book ..” ……Mary whom He has made sovereign of heaven and earth, general of His armies……restorer of the human race, Mediatrix of men, the Exterminator of the enemies of God, and the faithful companion of His grandeurs and triumphs” (True Devotion to the Blesed Virgin Mary, pp.18-19)

Such honors heaped on Mary by Catholic authors have no basis in fact. They have no proof that God did these things to Mary. On the contrary, these honors belong to Christ. That would make Mary an usurper.

4) The Mary of the Catholics is greater than God, has become God. Let us read….

“ Mary, being altogether transformed into God…..that in heaven and on earth everything, even God Himself, is subject to the Blessed Virgin” (Ibid, p.17)

“ …. That the length of her power, which she exercises even over God Himself”( Ibid, p.6)

“ St. Bernaredine of Siena declares that all obey Mary’s commands, even God Himself”  (Glories and Virtues of Mary, p. 177)

“ I will say plainly that I had rather believed(which is impossible) that there is no God at all, than that Mary is greater than God” ( The Book of Catholic Quotations, p.101)


Hang on ,hang on, there is more and this is shocking truth , hold your breath……

5) The Mary of the Catholic is lesser than the Catholic priest!! Yes! You read it right! Lesser! Let us read…..

“ Truly God has bestowed  ‘Great Things’ upon us PRIEST which would be the envy of the ancient Jewish priesthood. We may justifiably ask the question: Upon whom has he bestowed more? Only on Mary. And as we know we are more blessed in many ways than she was, for we can call Christ down on the altar and absolve sinners.  Mary,could not do these things” ( Mary And The Priest, p.58)


The Mary of the Catholics is non-existent
I fully understand if any Catholics reading this, feels a murderous rage against me, for that was exactly what I felt when, as a believer in Mary of the Catholics, I felt that this is an attack, an attack directed to all Catholics. But hang on again, this is not an attack, this is only  comparing the Mary of the bible, and the Mary being taught by the Catholics.

The truth hurts, but it is still  the truth. The bible is the truth, the word of God (Eph.1:13) and the Mary portrayed in the bible is the true Mary. The Majestic Mary of the Catholics is a creation of Catholic bishops,priest,writers. The Mary of the Catholics was created by Cyril, bishop of Alexandria, at the council of Ephesus when he declared Mary to be the “Mother of God”  Such a Mary was embellished with more and more honors and titles, most of which are usurped from God, making her even greater than God Himself but strangely enough, lesser than the Catholic priest. Thus, the Mary of the Catholics is not only a big lie but a blasphemous creation of Catholicism.

But what about the numerous apparitions and miracles which this Mary has supposedly displayed lately?  Such miracles are cures of incurable diseases, all for the good of people who sorely need help.  Such miracles dazzle even the most educated.

Are these not proofs that the Mary of the Catholics is the true Mary of the Christians?

Miracles can also be done by pagans, as the one done by the priest of the Pharaoh (Gen.7:10-12; by false prophets (Mat.24:24; Rev. 13:13-16) And by spirits of the devils (Rev.16:13-14)

Mary, who is now “fallen asleep” in the grave, who cannot participate in anything done under the sun, connot possibly be the author of these miracles and apparitions. Those who patronize these miracles and apparitions, who claim that it was Mary who did all these, evidently lied. Liars are children of the devil(John 8:44).
Hence, these teachers  about the Mary of the Catholics, who coincidentally prohibit their priest from getting married, and  forbidding their priests to marry and who command their faithful to abstain from meats during some days of lent is according to the bible is a doctrines of the devils( 1Tim.4:1-3)

Such miracles appear to help cure the sick and to do apparently good works. However,these deny the knowledge that saves man, the knowledge that the Father is the only true God (John 17:1,3) Advocates of Mary of the Catholics teach that the Father is not the only true God,beause they have Christ as true God also, and the Holy Spirit as true God also.


How about  the “ Woman Clothed with the Sun” ? Is this not Mary?
Woman in prophecy means church. The Church of Christ is likened to a chaste virgin(2Cor.11:12). That  is why Jesus is often portrayed as the husband to the Church of Christ The  “ Woman Clothed with the Sun” in Revelation 12:1-2 is not Mary but the Church of Christ.