Why Catholics Venerate Mary… And Why Protestants Should Too
Everybody knows that Catholics like Mary. Okay—we really, really like her. We love her. She’s so important that the Catholic Church has formally defined what we believe about her as dogma: official doctrines that affirm Mary’s unique role in salvation history.
Catholics hold four Marian dogmas:
Divine Motherhood – Mary is the Mother of God (Theotokos).
Perpetual Virginity – Mary remained a virgin her entire life.
Immaculate Conception – Mary was conceived without original sin.
Assumption – Mary was taken body and soul into heaven.
These are bold claims, and many people say Catholics love Mary too much. I used to think that myself. But since becoming Catholic, I’ve experienced Mary’s love in ways I can’t adequately put into words—and I’m not even going to try. What I will do is show the biblical evidence for why, if you don’t love Mary like a Catholic, maybe you should.
Catholics, I know you’d prefer I use the full canon, but don’t worry—none of the books I’ll cite have been “taken out.” Protestants… I just can’t do the NIV. So the KJV felt like a fair middle ground for everyone.
The Woman from the Beginning
Genesis 3:15 reads:
“And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.”
In the original Hebrew, the key phrase refers to the “seed” (zeraʿ) of the woman, a grammatically masculine singular noun. That’s why most modern English translations render the verse as “he shall bruise your head”—understood as Christ.
However, St. Jerome’s Latin Vulgate (late 4th century) famously reads ipsa conteret caput tuum—“she shall crush your head.” Jerome likely understood the woman (Mary) as inseparably united to her seed (Christ) in the victory over Satan. The Catholic Church does not claim the original Hebrew says “she.” Instead, it teaches a both/and: Christ is the primary fulfillment—He definitively crushes Satan—but Mary participates in that victory by grace, as the obedient woman whose “yes” undoes Eve’s “no.”
That’s why Marian art and devotional language often say “she will crush your head,” even though modern Catholic translations (NABRE, RSV-CE, ESV-CE) correctly translate the verse as “he.”
Either way, Genesis 3:15 establishes something crucial from the very beginning: there is ongoing enmity between the devil and the woman, and between their respective offspring. No matter how you slice it, Christ wins—and Mary participates in that victory.
The War the Devil Can’t Win
What war is this? And why does it involve the woman at all?
In strictly human terms, Jesus—who is God—would only need a thought to annihilate the devil. Satan is a created being, infinitely beneath God and utterly incapable of defeating Him. So why does Scripture repeatedly show the devil at war with the woman?
There’s a wealth of symbolism throughout the Old and New Testaments showing God preparing and using Mary—fascinating stuff you should absolutely explore—but for the sake of brevity, let’s jump to the end.
The Woman in Revelation
Revelation 12:1 states:
“And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars.”
This woman is clearly royal—a queen. Some say she represents Israel or the Church. Catholics say she is Mary. Why?
Revelation 12:2–5 continues:
“She being with child cried, travailing in birth… And the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron.”
The child is unmistakably Jesus. Did Israel physically carry Jesus in its womb? Did the Church? No. Only Mary did.
Then Revelation 12:9 clarifies:
“That old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan…”
Just in case we missed it, John explicitly connects the serpent of Genesis with the dragon of Revelation. Since the devil cannot defeat God, he wages war against the woman. The devil fell through pride; God humbles him through Mary’s humility. She is the New Eve.
The Woman Protected
Revelation 12:13 says:
“And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.”
Mary gave birth to Jesus. Mary fled from Herod.
Verses 14–16 describe God protecting the woman from the serpent. Luke had already told us why Mary is untouchable: she is “blessed among women” and “full of grace.” Grace is a free gift of God, but to be full of grace implies the absence of sin. Mary didn’t earn this—God gave it to her to accomplish His will.
Jesus’ sacrifice still redeemed Mary; she simply received that redemption in advance. God is allowed to do that.
In Revelation 11:19–12:1, John sees the Ark of the Covenant in heaven and immediately afterward sees the woman. Mary is the Ark of the New Covenant, just as the old Ark carried the Law, manna, and Aaron’s rod. If Jesus is truly God and truly man, then where did He get His perfect human nature? It had to come from a sinless source.
Why the Devil Hates Mary
Revelation 12:17 explains it all:
“And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed…”
The devil cannot touch Jesus or Mary—there are no footholds, no open doors. This enrages him. So he turns his fury on her other offspring: us—those who keep the commandments of God. Not Jesus. He’s already ascended.
“Woman”: Jesus Tells You Who She Is
I used to find it strange that Jesus calls His mother “woman” at the Wedding at Cana (John 2:4) and again from the Cross (John 19:26). Now I understand exactly what He was doing.
At Cana, Mary intercedes, and Jesus begins His public ministry. Catholics ask Mary to pray for us for the same reason we ask anyone else to pray for us—because God designed His Church as a family. James tells us the prayers of the righteous are powerful. Who is more righteous than the Mother of God, perfected in heaven?
Souls in heaven are not dead. They are more alive than we are. When Catholics “pray” to Mary, we are not worshipping her—we are asking her to pray for us. That’s dulia prayer ( asking - no worship implied), not latria prayer (worship implied - reserved only for God). Think of an old play by Shakespeare: “I pray thee…” Shakespeare wasn’t saying he’s worshipping someone by asking them a question.
From the Cross, Jesus again calls Mary “woman” and gives her to John as his mother. This would have been scandalous if Mary had other sons capable of caring for her. Jesus does nothing without purpose. Just as Eve became the “mother of all the living” (Gen 3:20), Mary—the New Eve—becomes the mother of all who live in Christ.
What This Says About Jesus
Ultimately, none of this is really about Mary. It’s about Jesus.
Divine Motherhood affirms Jesus is fully God and fully man.
Perpetual Virginity safeguards the divine origin of His birth.
Immaculate Conception reveals Christ’s perfect redemption.
Assumption proclaims Him Lord over life and death.
As a former Protestant, I once believed all Christians are equal before God—and we are. But God still chooses certain people for unique roles. You weren’t chosen to lead Israel out of Egypt. You weren’t chosen to write the Gospels. And you weren’t chosen to be the Mother of God.
Don’t reject Mary because you think she takes something away from Jesus. Father Mike Schmitz puts it perfectly: loving your mother-in-law doesn’t diminish your love for your spouse—it deepens it. You cannot love Mary more than Jesus does.
This is God’s family, His design. Like her Son, Mary loves you whether or not you love her back. God placed her in a special role to care for His children.
And He knows exactly what He’s doing.
Special thanks to Joe Heschmeyer of Shameless Popery for the inspiration behind this piece.
