There is nothing in approved English Catholic devotional books to take issue with on the topic of Mary
4 min • Digitized on May 9, 2023
From A Defense of the Teachings of Mary, page 106
By St. John Henry Newman
There is one collection of Devotions besides, of the highest authority, which has been introduced from abroad of late years. It consists of prayers of very various kinds which have been indulgenced by the Popes; and it commonly goes by the name of the Raccolta.
As that word suggests, the language of many of the prayers is Italian, while others are in Latin. This circumstance is unfavourable to a translation, which, however skilful, must ever savour of the words and idioms of the original; but, passing over this necessary disadvantage, I consider there is hardly a clause in the good-sized volume in question which even the sensitiveness of English Catholicism would wish changed.
Its anxious observance of doctrinal exactness is almost a fault. It seems afraid of using the words “give me,” “make me,” in its addresses to the Blessed Virgin, which are as natural to adopt, as in addressing a parent or friend. Surely we do not disparage Divine Providence when we say that we are indebted to our parents for our life, or when we ask their blessing; we do not show any atheistical leaning, because we say that a man’s recovery must be left to nature, or that nature supplies brute animals with instincts. In like manner it seems to me a simple purism, to insist upon minute accuracy of expression in devotional and popular writings.
However, the Raccolta, as coming from responsible authority, for the most part observes it. It commonly uses the phrases, “gain for us by thy prayers,” “obtain for us,” “pray to Jesus for me,” “Speak for me, Mary,” “carry thou our prayers,” “ask for us grace,” “intercede for the people of God,” and the like, marking thereby with great emphasis that she is nothing more than an Advocate, and not a source of mercy.
Nor do I recollect in this book more than one or two ideas to which you would be likely to raise an objection.
The strongest of these is found in the Novena before her Nativity, in which, apropos of her Birth, we pray that she “would come down again, and be re-born spiritually in our souls;”—but it will occur to you that St. Paul speaks of his wish to impart to his converts, “not only the gospel, but his own soul;” and writing to the Corinthians, he says he has “begotten them by the gospel” and to Philemon, that he had “begotten Onesimus, in his bonds;” whereas St. James, with greater accuracy of expression, says “of His own will hath God begotten us with the word of truth.”
Again we find the petitioner saying to the Blessed Mary, “In thee I place all my hope;” but this is explained in another passage, “Thou art my best hope, after Jesus.” Again, we read elsewhere, “I would I had a greater love for thee, since to love thee is a great mark of predestination;” but the prayer goes on, “Thy Son deserves of us an immeasurable love; pray that I may have this grace, a great love for Jesus,” and further on, “I covet no good of the earth, but to love my God alone.”
Then again, as to the lessons which our Catholics receive, whether by catechising or instruction, you would find nothing in our received manuals to which you would not assent, I am quite sure.
Again, as to preaching, a standard book was drawn up three centuries ago, to supply matter for the purpose to the parochial clergy. You incidentally mention, p. 153, that the comment of Cornelius à Lapide on Scripture is “a repertorium for sermons;” but I never heard of this work being used, nor indeed can it, because of its size. The work provided for the purpose by the Church is the “Catechism of the Council of Trent,” and nothing extreme about our Blessed Lady is propounded there.
On the whole I am sanguine that you will come to the conclusion, that Anglicans may safely trust themselves to us English Catholics, as regards any devotions to the Blessed Virgin which might be required of them, over and above the rule of the Council of Trent.