Mary, Mary; Quite the Contrary

Instead of the Holy Spirit The Holy Spirit is One Person in the Trinity of the Godhead. He appears all throughout scripture from the creation account right through to Revelation. It was He who hovered over the waters in the beginning, breathed life into Adam, spoke to the prophets, raised Jesus up from the dead and who enters in and remains with Spirit-filled believers all their days. It is He who is our Advocate on earth and who works constantly to transform us into the image of Christ. Jesus called Him the Advocate, Helper, Counsellor, Comforter, Guide, Mediator, Seal, Deposit and Spirit of Truth. In scripture, He is also called the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Christ . The titles, positions and attributes of the Holy Spirit that have been replaced by Mary in the lives and teachings of her followers are: • Our Advocate on Earth • Our Mediator • Our Helper • Our Comforter • Dispenser of spiritual gifts • Seal and pledge of our redemption • Constant companion until the end of this age Not only did they give Mary all the above but the advocates of Mary effectively removed the Holy Spirit from the lives of those that follow their teachings by having exclusively given to her what God already gave to His Spirit as clearly declared in scripture. They did this by using such phrases as only Mary, she alone, that every blessing comes from her or that she is the pledge or seal. The following examples of these teachings are all taken from Liguori’s The Glories: Our Advocate Liguori: ‘Hence St. Ephrem says: Thou art the only advocate of sinners, and of those who are deprived of every help; and he thus salutes her: Hail! refuge and retreat of sinners, to whom alone they can flee with confidence.’ (129) ‘Thou art the only advocate of sinners, the secure haven of the shipwrecked… We have no hope but in thee, oh most pure Virgin!’ (322) ‘No; let my sins never prevent thee from exercising thy great office of mercy by which thou art the advocate, the mediatrix of reconciliation, the only hope, and the most secure refuge of sinners.’ (332-333) ‘And where can we find an advocate who is more occupied with our salvation, and who loves us more than Mary? We acknowledge that one alone in heaven is solicitous for us, as St. Augustine says of her.’ (740) Our Mediator on Earth Liguori: ‘Also the Idiot remarks, that every blessing, every help, every grace that men have received or will receive from God, to the end of the world, has come to them, and will come to them, through the intercession and by means of Mary.’ (119) ‘The glorious St. Cajetan said that we could ask for graces, but we could never obtain them without the intercession of Mary. And St. Antoninus confirms this, expressing himself thus beautifully: Whoever asks and wishes to obtain graces without the intercession of Mary, attempts to fly without wings’ (189) Our Comforter Liguori: ‘WE poor children of the unhappy Eve, guilty before God of her sin, and condemned to the same punishment, go wandering through this valley of tears, exiles from our country, weeping and afflicted by innumerable pains of body and soul! But blessed is he who in the midst of so many miseries turns to the consoler of the world, to the refuge of the unhappy, to the great mother of God, and devoutly invokes her and supplicates her!’ (142) Our Helper Liguori: ‘St. Thomas of Villanova says the same thing, calling her our only refuge, help, and protection.’ (118) When translated into English, the words Advocate, Mediator, Comforter and Helper are often interchangeable used in scripture. In contrast to the claims of Liguori and others, scripture teaches: ‘And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever - the Spirit of truth.’ [John 14:16-17] ‘But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.’ [John 14:26] ‘When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father - the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father - he will testify about me.’ [John 15:26] ‘But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.’ [John 16:7] In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. [Rom 8:26-27] Instead of “we could ask for graces but never obtain them without the intercession of Mary” (189), Jesus promised (as shown in the chapter Mary – The Source of Grace and Gifts from God) “whatever you ask in my name, the Father will give you”. [John 15:16; 16:23; 16-26-28]