Is there an Adoration of the Virgin Mary by the Roman Catholic Church like the Adoration of the sacrament?

Answer 1

In the Catholic Church there is nothing like the adoration of the Virgin Mary. But there is the Veneration of the Virgin Mary. Veneration is similar to honor and adoration is similar to worship. In looking at the Catholic Church, a familiarity with the meaning of each word used is very helpful. Mary is honored because she said Yes to God, which nullified Eve's No.

Another Answer!

I totally agree, wonderfully put. Catholics admire mary, and ask her to pray for us, just like anyone asks anyone to pray for them. Therefore we are not "praying" to mary, but asking her to pray for us!:)

AMEN!

Another Answer

though it may seem that we Catholics pray to Mary as we pray to God, it is only that we see her as the holy mother of God.there for we give her praise and ask her to pray that our sin be cleansed and that we are watch over us and our family.

Hail Mary,

Full of grace,

the lord is with thee.

blessed are you among all women

blessed is the fruit of thy womb

hail Mary virgin mother of God

pray for us sinners

now and in the hour of our death

amen

Additional Clarification

Great answers above! :)

Indeed, it has always been a common practice in the Christian community for one Christian to ask another to pray for him or her. Many examples of this can be found throughout Scripture as well as throughout the earliest years of the Church; e.g. pray for one another, that you may be healed. The fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful. James 5:16 NAB

Indeed, saints and theologians over the millenia have pointed out that our love in Christ which binds us to the righteous who have gone before us is greater than the bonds of death that would separate us from them. It is for this reason that St. Paul speaks of a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us that help us keep our focus on Christ: Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith. Hebrews 12:1 NAB

In particular, the Blessed Virgin is pre-eminent among this cloud of witnesses in keeping us focused Christ, as she always reminds every servant of Christ: "Do whatever he tells you." John 2:5 NAB

Moreover, as the first writer above indicates, it is very important to have a familiarity, or basic working knowledge of some of the terms used in Catholic theology. In this case, it is important to distinguish among

• latria
• hyperdulia, and
• dulia

Latria is worship proper to, and due to God alone. As the Blessed Sacrament is the Real Presence of Christ, who is the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, latria is what is offered during the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. It also includes all other prayers directed to, or intended for, God.

Dulia is the veneration or honor we give to saints and angels, as they are made in God's image and likeness, reflect his glory, and draw us closer to God. We honor them by following Christ in the ways they followed Christ. As St. Paul says

• Be imitators of me, as I am ofChrist. 1 Cor 11:1 NAB
• Join with others in being imitatorsof me, brothers, and observe those who thus conduct themselves according to themodel you have in us. Philipians 3:17 NAB
• And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, receiving the wordin great affliction, with joyfrom the holy Spirit, so that you became a model for all the believers inMacedonia and in Achaia. 1 Thessalonians 1:7 NAB
• For you, brothers, have becomeimitators of the churches ofGod that are in Judea in ChristJesus. 1 Thessalonians 2:14 NAB
• We earnestly desire each of you todemonstrate the same eagerness for thefulfillment of hope until the end, so that you may not become sluggish, butimitators of those who, through faithand patience, are inheriting thepromises. Hebrews 6:11-12 NAB

Hyperdulia is a special veneration or honor set aside for the Blessed Virgin Mary, to indicate her preeminence among the saints and angels. Some of the best ways to imitate Mary and venerate her are by

• striving to allow the Holy Spirit to overshadow our lives as perfectly as she did (cf. Luke 1:35, Acts 1:13-14, 2:1-13),
• patiently bearing our daily crosses and sufferings as she did (cf. Luke 2:35),
• raising our children as Mary raised Jesus (cf. Luke 2:51-52)
• carefully following Jesus' every instruction as she did (cf. Jn 2:5), and
• as beloved disciples like John, setting aside a special place for her in the home of our hearts as Jesus wanted us to (cf. Jn 19:26-27).

REFERENCES

Confraternity of Christian Doctrine. The New American Bible, (Iowa Falls, IA: World Bible Publishers, Inc. 1991).