How to Talk to Protestants about Mary (A Mindset) | Matt Fradd

Hi, I’m Matt Fradd, and today I wanted to share a quick reflection with you on Mary the mother of God, and why we ought to love her, and why she is the greatest creature in Heaven.

If I were to ask you who you are, you might say my name is John, or my name’s Mary. And suppose I would then say to you, “I didn’t ask your name, I asked who you were. Who are you?”

That might be a little frustrating and you might say I’m Australian or American or Canadian or whatever.

Which is good, but I didn’t ask your nationality, so try again. “Who are you?”

At this point you might be a little frustrated with me and say, “Well, my parents are Gary and Debbie,” or “I’m really into this football team that I love,” or “these are the things I love.”

And I might say, “Well, I didn’t ask your parents’ names, and I didn’t ask you what things you were into, or what sports team you followed, I asked who are you.”

And perhaps the truest answer would be something like “I’m a son of God” or “I’m a daughter of God.” This is my identity, I am a beloved son of God. That’s who you are, a beloved child of God.

The Problem with Seeking Our Identity Elsewhere

Incidentally this is why whenever we seek to find our identity in something other than that, we end up disappointed. For example, “I write books, don’t you know.” “I have a podcast, maybe you’ve heard of it.” “I’m really good at the guitar.”

The problem with these things is that they can be deceptive. Because they are legitimately good things and people do recognize these as legitimate goods. And so sometimes we say, “Yeah, I write books,” or “I run a podcast,” and people say “Gosh! You podcast? Great!” And we’re like, “Yeah, I’m great.”

But that’s not who you are.

What if the podcast falls apart tomorrow, or you stop being able to write books, or whatever. Who are you then?

So “I’m a son of God” or “I’m a daughter of God” is a much better answer.

Who Is Mary? What is Her Identity?

All right. But what does this have to do with Mary? Well, the difference between Mary and every other person, every other human creature, is that not only is she a daughter of God the Father, but also she is in a very mystical way a spouse of God the Holy Spirit.

It was through the Holy Spirit that she became fruitful with the Word of God.

And she is the Mother of God the Son, so she has a unique relationship with the Blessed Trinity in a way that no one else does

Now if you start saying this to an evangelical Protestant, they are going to be skeptical of this sort of language about Mary. Because they’ll think, “I know where this is going, I know what you Catholics are going to tell me you believe about her.” They’re not going to be willing to go with you all the way there, and it doesn’t make sense to ask them to.

Just like when I was an agnostic, it would’ve been unhelpful if somebody had said to me, “All right, you know, if you believe in God, then you have to accept biblical inerrancy.”

I would have been like, “I’m not ready to do that.” But a good evangelist might say, “Okay, well let’s just think about God. Does God exist?” Once I accept that, I can accept more.

But I do think that evangelicals and Catholics and those who believe that God became man ought to stand with silenced tongues in the presence of Mary, even at the thought of Mary.

All Generations will Call Her Blessed

Who is she? You know, who is this woman?

Because as Christians, we believe that God became man. That means God became a zygote. An embryo. “God the fetus.” God was a fetus. Did you ever think about that?

Now Mary fed him. She taught him to pray.

Stop and think about that.

She taught Christ his prayers.

St. Augustine says this, and I think I’ll wrap it up with this, “Him whom the heavens cannot contain the womb of one woman bore.” or “She ruled our Ruler. She carried him in whom we all are.”

Women in general are mind-blowing. I look at my wife, and see how she was able to develop my children within her, give birth to them, feed them.

But when you talk about Mary! Who is this woman? Who is she?

This is why she says, “All generations will call me blessed.”

So maybe Evangelicals aren’t willing to say all that the Catholics want to say of her right now, and the Orthodox, and some other Christians.

But when you’re talking to Protestants about Mary, it’s not too much to ask that from this day forth they should call her blessed Mary.

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