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Evangelical, Pentecostal or ProtestantStep 2 of 11

Mary: honored, not worshiped

A wedding, an empty wine jar, and the only instruction she ever gives in the Gospels.

Adoration is due to God alone.1 The Church honours Mary with a special devotion that, in its own words, “differs essentially from the adoration which is given to the incarnate Word and equally to the Father and the Holy Spirit.”2

Start reading 4 min read · 9 min film
The Annunciation, by Fra Angelico: the angel Gabriel bows before the Virgin Mary under a blue loggia.

Fra Angelico, The Annunciation, 1425–1426 (main panel). Museo del Prado, Madrid. Public domain, source.

Journeys / Evangelical, Pentecostal or Protestant / Step 2 of 11

Cana in Galilee, a wedding feast

There is a wedding in Cana, and the mother of Jesus is there.3 Jesus and his disciples have been invited too.4

Then the wine runs out, and Mary tells her Son: “They have no wine.”5

Then she turns to the servants and gives them one instruction. Hold on to it. It is the key to everything Catholics believe about her.

01The worry

“Do Catholics worship Mary?”

Many Christians grew up hearing that Catholics worship Mary. If that is what you were told, it is a sincere concern, and it deserves a clear answer in the Church’s own words.

The answer is no: adoration is due to God alone.1 To adore God is to acknowledge him as God, the Creator and Saviour, the Lord and Master of everything that exists.6

The Church says its devotion to Mary “differs essentially from the adoration which is given to the incarnate Word and equally to the Father and the Holy Spirit.”2

Then why honour her at all? Because Scripture does, first.

02The reason

Why Catholics honour her

The angel greets her: “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.”7 Her cousin Elizabeth cries out: “Blessed art thou among women.”8

“Because he hath regarded the humility of his handmaid: for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.”

Luke 1:489

Catholics call Mary “Mother of God” because the one she conceived, who truly became her Son, was none other than the Father’s eternal Son.10

And the Catechism adds that what Catholics believe about Mary is based on what they believe about Christ.11

But Scripture also says there is only one mediator. Does honouring Mary get in his way?

03The centre

Christ is the one Mediator

“For there is one God: and one mediator of God and men, the man Christ Jesus:”

1 Timothy 2:513

The Church agrees, and says so plainly. Mary’s role “in no way obscures or diminishes this unique mediation of Christ, but rather shows its power.”14

Everything she does for us depends entirely on Christ and draws all its power from him. No creature could ever be counted along with the Incarnate Word and Redeemer.14

And the statues? That question comes up in almost every family.

04The statues

What about statues?

The Church teaches that religious worship is not directed to images in themselves, considered as mere things. The honour given to an image passes to the person it shows, and it is a “respectful veneration,” not the adoration due to God alone.1

Think of a photo of someone you love on your desk. You are not loving the paper.

Back at Cana, Mary is still standing with the servants.

05The instruction

“Whatsoever he shall say to you”

“His mother saith to the waiters: Whatsoever he shall say to you, do ye.”

John 2:515

The servants fill six stone jars with water, and Jesus turns it into wine, the best of the feast.16 It was the beginning of his miracles, and his disciples believed in him.17

Mary does not point to herself. She points to her Son, and then she steps back.

Her only instruction in the Gospels is about him. It still is.

Your move

Try this, this week

  1. Read Luke 1:26-56. Notice who calls Mary blessed, and why.
  2. Read John 2:1-11. Listen to what Mary tells the servants.
  3. Compare the Hail Mary with Luke 1:28 and 1:42. Its first lines come from those verses.
  4. Ask a Catholic friend what Mary means to them. Listen first.

You’ll need

  • A Bible, open to Luke 1 and John 2.

Remember Everything Mary does points to her Son.

Optional: watch a short film

Video: Why Catholics Call Mary Their Mother, Ascension Presents (Ascension). Link checked 4 October 2026. Loads from YouTube (privacy-enhanced mode) only when you press play. Watch on YouTube

What this video covers (summarized from the publisher’s description, not a transcript): Fr. Mike Schmitz gives two reasons why calling Mary our mother deepens our relationship with Christ: loving the people Jesus loves helps us love him more, and Jesus gave Mary to us as our mother from the Cross.

What the Church teaches on this: From the Cross Jesus said to the disciple, “Behold thy mother.” John 19:27 The Church teaches that Mary’s role in the Church is inseparable from her union with Christ. CCC 964

Videos come from faithful Catholic teachers. Where a video and this page differ in wording, the Catechism and Scripture cited here are the authority.

If this is hard

If devotion to Mary feels strange or uncomfortable, you are not alone; many Christians who became Catholic felt the same at first. Read what the Church actually says and take your time. A priest can talk through any lingering worries.

How to talk to a priest

Two questions people ask

Did Mary have other children? What about the “brothers of Jesus”?

The Church confesses Mary’s real and perpetual virginity and celebrates her as “Ever-virgin.”18 It has always understood the passages about the brothers and sisters of Jesus as not referring to other children of Mary, but to close relations of Jesus, according to an Old Testament expression.19

Where does the Hail Mary (Ave Maria) come from?

The Catechism explains that the Hail Mary opens with the greeting of the angel Gabriel.127 Its next words are Elizabeth’s greeting: “Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.”128

Doesn’t honouring Mary take something from Jesus?

The Church teaches that Mary’s influence flows from the superabundance of the merits of Christ, rests on his mediation and depends entirely on it.14 It says that devotion to Mary greatly fosters the adoration given to the Word, the Father and the Holy Spirit.2

Only one thing to do

Your one next step

Read John 2:1-11 once, slowly. Then put Mary’s words, “Whatsoever he shall say to you, do ye,” somewhere you will see them this week. When you are ready, the next step looks at the saints.

Next: the saints

Step 2 of 11 · Evangelical, Pentecostal or Protestant

If Mary can pray for us, what about everyone else who is alive in Christ?

Step 3: The saints, and asking for prayers

Take it with you

Printable one-page cardDownload card (A4 PDF)Download card (US Letter PDF)

Short link: stoneandincense-preview.pages.dev/go/cg2

Notes

  1. Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 2132. vatican.va
  2. Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 971. vatican.va
  3. John 2:1, Douay-Rheims. read the chapter
  4. John 2:2, Douay-Rheims. read the chapter
  5. John 2:3, Douay-Rheims. read the chapter
  6. Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 2096. vatican.va
  7. Luke 1:28, Douay-Rheims. read the chapter
  8. Luke 1:42, Douay-Rheims. read the chapter
  9. Luke 1:48, Douay-Rheims. read the chapter
  10. Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 495. vatican.va
  11. Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 487. vatican.va
  12. Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 2676. vatican.va
  13. 1 Timothy 2:5, Douay-Rheims. read the chapter
  14. Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 970. vatican.va
  15. John 2:5, Douay-Rheims. read the chapter
  16. John 2:6-10, Douay-Rheims. read the chapter
  17. John 2:11, Douay-Rheims. read the chapter
  18. Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 499. vatican.va
  19. Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 500. vatican.va

Excerpts from the English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church for use in the United States of America Copyright © 1994, United States Catholic Conference, Inc. – Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Used with Permission. English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church: Modifications from the Editio Typica copyright © 1997, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops – Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Scripture: Douay-Rheims, Challoner revision (public domain). Early Christian writers: Ante-Nicene Fathers (1885, public domain). Video: “Why Catholics Call Mary Their Mother,” Ascension Presents, supporting material, not a teaching source.

Scenes marked “Imagine” are an invitation to picture the moment, not a historical record. Stone & Incense restates Church teaching in plain words; our wording is not an official Church text. Report an error.