Saturday, November 19, 2011
EXPOSING THE LIES AND DECEPTIONS OF ARMANDO ANG PART III
EXPOSING THE LIES AND DECEPTIONS OF ARMANDO ANG
PART III
Marwil N. Llasos, O.P.
(See Part II at: http://bromarwilnllasos.blogspot.com/2011/11/exposing-lies-and-deceptions-of-armando_16.html)
Because the Blessed Virgin Mary is emblematic of Catholicism, anti-Catholic writer Armando Ang expectedly begins his book “The Dark Side of Catholicism” with a blistering and vicious attack on the Blessed Mother – or what he thinks Catholics believe about Mary.
"The Dark Side of Catholicism" reveals the dark side of Armando Ang
At the very start of Chapter 1 of his polemical book, Armando Ang concludes that the “veneration of Mary has gone beyond her natural attributes and borders on the divine.”[1] Ang does not elaborate on how he arrived at that conclusion. Instead, he proffered his opinion: “I do not think Mary would have liked what popes have done with her name.”[2] What did the popes precisely do with Mary’s name? Armando Ang does not say. All throughout his book, Ang almost invariably falls to this style: Make a conclusion, support it with an opinion, leave it there hanging, and move on to the next point. In sum, Ang’s book is long on allegations but short on proof.
The Popes belong to the generations of Catholics who call Mary's name "blessed"
In Chapter 1 of The Dark Side of Catholicism, Ang betrays his ignorance of Sacred Scripture. Without batting an eyelash, Ang dogmatically asserts that “[n]one of her [Mary’s] contemporaries, especially the disciples of Jesus venerated her much less wrote about her in their epistles.”[3] This short statement is laden with perilous errors which could deceive the unthinking.
St. Elizabeth, the mother of the Precursor praised the mother of the Lord. She did so with a loud voice. Contrast this with the cold silence by which Mary is treated by Protestants like Armando Ang
First, what does Ang precisely mean by veneration? If by veneration means honor or respect,[4] only one who is biblically illiterate like Armando Ang can make the silly claim that none of Mary’s contemporaries, especially the disciples of Jesus, venerated her. St. Elizabeth was Mary’s contemporary and she certainly venerated the Mother of the Lord. And Elizabeth did so under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. In a loud cry[5] she said, “Of all women you are the most blessed, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Why should I be honoured with a visit from the mother of my Lord?” (Lk. 1:42-43, JB). If that is not veneration, I don’t know what is.
The angel Gabriel hailed Mary as "full of grace." Armando Ang's angels did not
Before St. Elizabeth, the angel Gabriel who was sent by God hailed Mary as “full of grace” or “highly favored” (Lk. 1:28). If an angel of God can so honor Mary, I don’t think why we ordinary mortals can’t.
More importantly, what Armando Ang does not know is that more than anyone of Mary’s contemporaries, the Lord Jesus Christ venerated or honored Mary, His very own mother. As the perfect Son, Our Lord perfectly obeyed the fourth commandment: “Honor thy father and thy mother” (Exo. 20:12; Dt. 5:16). Unlike Armando Ang, Jesus Christ fully knew and perfectly obeyed this commandment. In fact, the Lord even condemned the Corban rule as vain human tradition because it nullifies the commandment of God (Mk. 7:9-12).
Jesus, the perfect Son, perfectly honored His perfect mother Mary
It is clear, but not to Ang, that veneration of Mary started with Jesus Himself. Presbyterian convert to Catholicism Dr. Scott Hahn points out that “as a man, Christ fulfilled God’s law perfectly, including the commandment to honor one’s father and mother.” The Scripture scholar further notes that the “Hebrew word for honor, kabbed, literally means ‘to glorify.’ So Christ didn’t just honor His heavenly Father. He also perfectly honored His earthly mother, Mary, by bestowing His own divine glory upon her.”[6] Hahn clarifies that our veneration of Mary “is an essential part of our imitation of Christ. We follow Him not just by honoring our own mothers, but also by honoring whomever He honors – and with the same honor that He bestows.”[7]
With His dying breath, the Crucified Savior entrusted His mother to the Beloved Disciple
What about Christ’s disciples? Did they venerate Mary in any way? Of course they did! There were instances when Mary and Christ’s disciples were together – like in the wedding at Cana (Jn. 2:1-12) and at the foot of the cross in Calvary (Jn. 19:25-26). How else could the disciples of Jesus treat Mary but with respect? One of them, the Beloved Disciple, took Mary as his mother into his own home based on the words of the dying Savior (Jn. 19:27). As a son to a mother so did John honor Mary.
The Beloved Disciple honored the Blessed Virgin Mary as his mother. He took her into his own (Jn. 19:27). And so do Catholics
Mary was part of the apostolic community (Acts 1:14) because she was confided by Christ to His beloved disciple John (Jn. 19:26-27). The apostles expectedly honored Mary by treating her as a mother. This is in line with the apostle Paul‘s instruction to treat “the elder women as mothers” (1 Tim. 5:2). Catholics of today, like the apostles of yesterday, venerate Mary by treating her as their mother. We are thus in step with Jesus, St. Elizabeth and the apostles. Armando Ang is definitely not in league with them but with his father the devil (cf. Jn. 8:44).
St. Michael the Archangel vanquishing Armando Ang's father the devil
Catholic veneration of the Blessed Virgin Mary is anchored on her blessedness. For centuries, Catholics have fulfilled the prophecy of Mary herself that all generations shall call her blessed (Lk. 1:48). Generation after generation of Catholics honor Mary by calling her blessed unlike Protestants, Armando Ang included, who don’t.[8]
Another pathetic claim of Armando Ang is that none of Mary’s contemporaries and the disciples of Jesus wrote about her in their epistles. Matthew and John were two of the original apostles of the Lord and expectedly, they were also contemporaries of the Blessed Virgin Mary. They did not write any epistle but they wrote something more important – the Gospels (according to Matthew and John). Mary was mentioned significantly in the Matthean and the Johannine Gospels. Marian reference can be seen in John’s depiction of the “woman clothed with the sun” in Revelation 12:1. Mark and Luke were disciples of the apostles Peter and Paul, respectively, and they, too, wrote about Mary in their Gospels. Of all the Gospel writers, Luke wrote extensively on the Blessed Virgin Mary. He also mentioned Mary in his Acts of the Apostles (Acts 1:14).
"When the fullness of time has come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law" (Gal. 4:4)
Armando Ang’s ignoramus claim that none of the disciples of Jesus wrote about Mary in their epistles is refuted by Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians. In Galatians 4:4-5 we read: “But when the fullness of the time was come, God hath sent His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.” It takes monumental blindness for Armando Ang not to read that!
[1] Armando Ang, The Dark Side of Catholicism (Manila: A1 Publishing, 2005) p. 1.
[4] Veneration: respect or awe inspired by the dignity, wisdom, dedication, or talent of a person. See: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/veneration.
[5] “Crying out in a loud voice” is “a liturgical gesture of Israel in front of the Ark of the Covenant” (see: 1 Chron. 15:28; 16:4, 5, 42) [Felipe Gomez, S.J., Mary, Virgin and Mother in Theology and Devotion (Makati City: St. Paul’s Philippines, 2011) p. 56].
[6] Scott Hahn, She Gave the Word Flesh, in Scripture and the Mystery of the Mother of God, Scott Hahn and Leon J. Suprenant, Jr., eds. (Quezon City: Jesuit Communications, 2004) p. 5
[7] Ibid.
[8] Evangelical author Scot McKnight quips, “Mary might have predicted that ‘from now on all generations – except Protestants – will call me blessed’” [Scott McKnight, The Real Mary (London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 2007) p. 143.
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I tell you, on the day of judgment people will render an account for every careless word they speak. By your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned." (Mt 12:36-37).