Our
Blessed Virgin Mother is honored by God as most favored daughter,
of God, the Almighty Father. But she is also honored to be the
spouse of God's Holy Spirit, Who proceeds from both Father
and Son. And, of course, she reigns as Queen of Heaven, so
selected by the King, Himself, her Son.
And
so, clearly, the Catholic faith differs from what is
now called the Greek Orthodox, who hold that God's Holy Spirit,
while God in an undivided Trinity, nevertheless proceeds only
from The Father, but not The Son; and who believe Mary to
be the bearer of God, or Theotokos, but not endowed by
God with the titles, above.
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Clearly
Catholics differs
from Muslims, who while they esteem and honor Mary, will also not
recognize the titles due her, that Catholics know God specifically
chose for her; as He chose her from before time began. And,
clearly, Catholics differ from Protestants, who seem to accord
Mary even less honor than the Muslims, in the Protestant's fear
that to elevate Mary beyond the title of even 'good woman' is to
somehow incur the wrath of God.
What
Catholics believe, rather, is that He
honored and elevated His most perfect creature
this woman,
Mary, not even perfect for her own sake, but perfect as an
example to both men and women in her utter obedience to all
things, God. Adam was first created, but in need of the woman.
But it was the woman, only as the utter handmaid of The Undivided
Trinity, One God, who triumphed over Adam's fatal mistake,
and was raised up to glory for acting as the soldier to the centurion
when ordered to act;
whom of all God's little creatures, the last was made
the first, by her obedient act of will and abandonment to the
holy things of God; the lowest handmaid was exalted, as she herself
had repeated from Scripture upon meeting Elizabeth, when all
was just beginning.
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