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Venerating Mary with Heart & Soul, Etc.: Bible Analogies

Venerating Mary with Heart & Soul, Etc.: Bible Analogies

Last updated on: June 13, 2026 at 1:11 pm by Dave Armstrong

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Venerating Mary with Heart & Soul, Etc.: Bible Analogies 2026-06-13T13:11:04-04:00 Dave Armstrong

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

: Detail of The Coronation of the Virgin with Six Saints (1504), by Ridolfo del Ghirlandaio (1483-1561) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons]

Sean Luke obtained Masters of Divinity and Masters of Systematic Theology degrees from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He runs the YouTube channel, Anglican Aesthetics, where he made a video, “Roman Catholic Maryolatry – Why Roman Marian Devotion is a Problem” (5-2-24). I’d like to critique some of the claims he makes which I think are demonstrably false. Sean’s words will be in blue.

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4:49 I don’t think Rome is intending to include Mary in the Divine identity, but that functionally prayer and the Liturgy cultivate these affections in the heart that are idolatrous, that are unfitting towards a creature. So first we’re going to take a look at consecration prayers. This is a consecration prayer. I think this is the Morning Consecration . . . this is addressed to Mary:

We consecrate to thee our very being and our whole life, all that we have, all that we love, all that we are to thee, we give our bodies, our hearts, and our souls.

I found a version of this online: “My Queen, my Mother! I give myself entirely to thee, and to show my devotion to thee I consecrate to thee this day, my eyes, my ears, my mouth, my heart, my whole being without reserve, Wherefore, good Mother, as I am thine own, keep me, guard me, as thy property and possession.”

5:32 Okay, so think about that phrase, “love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your mind, all your soul, all your body”, right, so this language appears in the Old Testament to describe people’s relation to Yahweh.

Yes it does, but it’s not exclusive to God, and it seems to me that that’s what Sean would have to demonstrate if his argument here is to be compelling or even all that persuasive. Here are 22 biblical passages of similar (if not identical) “heart language” (one even includes the “soul” too):

2 Kings 10:15 (RSV) . . . he met Jehonadab . . . coming to meet him; and he greeted him, and said to him, “Is your heart true to my heart as mine is to yours?” And Jehonadab answered, “It is.” Jehu said, “If it is, give me your hand.” So he gave him his hand. . . .

1 Chronicles 12:17 David went out to meet them and said to them, “If you have come to me in friendship to help me, my heart will be knit to you; . . .”

Acts 4:32 Now the company of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things which he possessed was his own, but they had everything in common.

Romans 9:2-3 . . . I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. [3] For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen by race.

Romans 10:1 Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved.

2 Corinthians 2:4 For I wrote you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you.

2 Corinthians 3:2-3 You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on your hearts, to be known and read by all men; [3] and you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

2 Corinthians 6:11, 13 Our mouth is open to you, Corinthians; our heart is wide. . . . [13] In return — I speak as to children — widen your hearts also.

2 Corinthians 7:2-4 Open your hearts to us; . . . [3] . . . you are in our hearts, to die together and to live together. [4] I have great confidence in you; I have great pride in you; I am filled with comfort. With all our affliction, I am overjoyed.

2 Corinthians 7:14-16 For if I have expressed to him some pride in you, I was not put to shame; but just as everything we said to you was true, so our boasting before Titus has proved true. [15] And his heart goes out all the more to you, as he remembers the obedience of you all, and the fear and trembling with which you received him. [16] I rejoice, because I have perfect confidence in you.

2 Corinthians 8:16 But thanks be to God who puts the same earnest care for you into the heart of Titus.

Ephesians 5:18-19 . . . be filled with the Spirit, [19] addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart,

Ephesians 6:5-6 Slaves, be obedient to those who are your earthly masters, with fear and trembling, in singleness of heart, as to Christ; [6] not in the way of eye-service, as men-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, (cf. Col 3:22: “. . . in singleness of heart, fearing the Lord.”)

Philippians 1:7 It is right for me to feel thus about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.

Colossians 2:2 that their hearts may be encouraged as they are knit together in love, to have all the riches of assured understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, of Christ,

Colossians 4:8 I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts,

Philemon 1:7 For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you.

Philemon 1:12 I am sending him [Onesimus] back to you, sending my very heart.

Philemon 1:19-20 I, Paul, write this with my own hand, I will repay it — to say nothing of your owing me even your own self. [20] Yes, brother, I want some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ.

1 Peter 1:22 Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere love of the brethren, love one another earnestly from the heart.

1 Peter 3:8 Finally, all of you, have unity of spirit, sympathy, love of the brethren, a tender heart and a humble mind.

1 John 3:17 But if any one has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?

All of this! yet Sean — despite all of it — is here to tell us that we must not utter words of consecration of our hearts to Mary, the mother of our Lord Jesus, under pain of making her in effect equal to God or God-like, or however he wishes to express his false and misguided equation? He himself stated earlier in the video:

0:31 Marian devotion is a genuine honoring of Mary. She is a blessed Saint, a blessed mother in the church, a mother of Israel: of the true redeemed Israel. She is an Exemplar for Faith and I hope — I really do hope — she’s praying for me. The early church seemed to think so. So I I hope that’s true, that she’s praying for me. She is a righteous woman and so we ought to hold her in high esteem.

It’s fascinating and ironic that Sean would make such an argument, seeing that he is an Anglican, and noting that the wedding vows in the 1662 Book of Common Prayer uses very similar language to that which Sean contends ought to be applied only to God: “With this ring I thee wed; with my body I thee worship, and with all my worldly goods I thee endow”. An AI Overview offers some interesting observations:

It signifies total bodily fidelity, respect, and the offering of one’s whole self, body and soul, to the partner.

Meaning of “Worship”: In this context, “worship” does not mean treating the partner as a deity. Instead, it uses the older English meaning (derived from “worth-ship”) of honoring, respecting, and giving honor to the spouse.

Significance: It implies a holistic commitment, including sexual fidelity and devotion. It is a promise to care for and honor the spouse’s body.

And of course, this reflects St. Paul’s teaching:

1 Corinthians 7:3-4 The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. [4] For the wife does not rule over her own body, but the husband does; likewise the husband does not rule over his own body, but the wife does.

If Sean wants to see scriptural language that includes “soul” referring to another person (or in some cases to obedience to the Mosaic Law) rather than directly to God, we already saw one example above, in Acts 4:32, and I provide seven more below. He could have looked this up, as I did, but he didn’t, so now he will have to incorporate all of this into his thinking (and hopefully be more fair and understanding to Catholics, as a result):

Genesis 34:3 And his soul was drawn to Dinah the daughter of Jacob; he loved the maiden and spoke tenderly to her.

Deuteronomy 13:6 . . . your brother, the son of your mother, or your son, or your daughter, or the wife of your bosom, or your friend who is as your own soul, . . .

Deuteronomy 26:16 This day the LORD your God commands you to do these statutes and ordinances; you shall therefore be careful to do them with all your heart and with all your soul. (cf. 30:2, 10; Josh 22:5; 1 Kgs 2:4; 2 Kgs 23:3, 25; 2 Chr 15:12; 34:31)

1 Samuel 18:1, 3 When he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. [3] Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul.

1 Samuel 20:17 And Jonathan made David swear again by his love for him; for he loved him as he loved his own soul.

Job 30:25 . . . Was not my soul grieved for the poor?

2 Corinthians 12:15 I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls. If I love you the more, am I to be loved the less?

4:17 We are Yahweh’s property; we are his slaves . . . we belong to Him. I’m going to argue that these features of Yahweh’s unique Divine identity are transposed onto Mary in the Liturgy.

Seriously? He wants to make this argument? Okay, let’s go through profound servant language, referring to human-to-human relationships, and not just man-to-God (is all of this idolatry and making others similar to God, too?):

Matthew 20:25-28 But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. [26] It shall not be so among you; but whoever would be great among you must be your servant, [27] and whoever would be first among you must be your slave; [28] even as the Son of man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (cf. Mk 10:43, 45)

1 Corinthians 3:5 What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each.

1 Corinthians 9:19 For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, that I might win the more.

2 Corinthians 4:5 For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. (cf. Col 1:7; 4:7; Philem 1:13)

2 Corinthians 11:8 I robbed other churches by accepting support from them [sarcasm] in order to serve you.

Galatians 5:13 For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love be servants of one another.

Colossians 3:22-24 Slaves, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in singleness of heart, fearing the Lord. [23] Whatever your task, work heartily, as serving the Lord and not men, [24] knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward; you are serving the Lord Christ. (cf. Eph 6:5-6)

1 Timothy 6:2 Those who have believing masters must not be disrespectful on the ground that they are brethren; rather they must serve all the better since those who benefit by their service are believers and beloved. Teach and urge these duties.

1 Peter 2:18 Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect . . .

13:04 “it is through your hands that all graces come to us from the most Sacred Heart of Jesus”: so she’s being viewed as a mediator here that dispenses grace from the heart of Jesus to the people of God . . .

Yes, just as we see many passages in Scripture of human beings being instruments of grace and even salvation. I just wrote about this eleven days ago:

Jesus the Unique Mediator + “Mini-Mediators” (Human Beings on Earth & in Heaven, & Angels Help to Spread God’s Grace & Salvation, Including Through Intercession) [3-4-26]

I provided 18 explicit biblical examples there.

15:18 the typical response of Roman Catholics is, “well, prayers to Mary are prayers to Jesus,” so some Roman Catholics will admit this sort of high level of

devotion and say, “but it’s really that I’m devoting [sic] through her to Jesus. I’m offering this devotion to Jesus through her.” The problem is, you could justify any idolatrous act that way. So I could . . . use the superlative language of my wife, if I could say, “all that I am is yours; I am your property,” and say, “well I’m really speaking about Jesus.” You could justify any any sort of idolatrous statement by saying, “well it’s really to God”: when Scripture does not direct such language to God.

Sheer nonsense. Scripture, in fact, often uses language that refers simultaneously to a person and to God, doing or referring to the same thing. We already saw a few, above:

Matthew 10:19-20 When they deliver you up, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour; [20] for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. (cf. Ex 4:12; Luke 12:11-12)

Matthew 25:37-40 Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see thee hungry and feed thee, or thirsty and give thee drink? [38] And when did we see thee a stranger and welcome thee, or naked and clothe thee? [39] And when did we see thee sick or in prison and visit thee?’
[40] And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.’

1 Corinthians 3:6-10 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. [7] So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. [8] He who plants and he who waters are equal, and each shall receive his wages according to his labor. [9] For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building. [10] According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and another man is building upon it.

1 Corinthians 12:6 and there are varieties of working, but it is the same God who inspires them all in every one.

1 Corinthians 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God which is with me.

1 Corinthians 15:58 . . . always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

2 Corinthians 4:5 For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.

2 Corinthians 5:20 So we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. . . .
*

Colossians 1:24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church,

Colossians 3:22-24 Slaves, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, . . . [23] Whatever your task, work heartily, as serving the Lord and not men, [24] knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward; you are serving the Lord Christ.

17:03 she receives glory . . . it’s legitimate according to Rome to say that . . . the whole world is full of her glory.

No problem. That’s scriptural, too. Lots of people receive glory from God. That’s what He desires. That being clear in the Bible (and it is), why shouldn’t Mary the Immaculate Mother of God receive more than any other creature? If one actually thinks biblically and not merely in a wrongheaded knee-jerk reaction to anything in Catholicism that is rejected, this is not the slightest difficulty:

Romans 5:2 Through him we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in our hope of sharing the glory of God.

2 Corinthians 3:18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

2 Thessalonians 2:14 To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 4:14 If you are reproached for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.

1 Peter 5:1 So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ as well as a partaker in the glory that is to be revealed. (cf. 5:4)

2 Peter 1:3-4 . . . who called us to his own glory and excellence, [4] . . . and become partakers of the divine nature. [see many more passages along these as well]

Lastly, the Bible teaches from beginning to end (Genesis to Revelation) that prayers of more righteous people have more effect, so that if we really want to get an answer from God, and His aid, we ought to find the most righteous person we can find and ask him or her to pray for us to God. That was Moses and Abraham and Samuel and Jeremiah in the Old Testament, and it’s the same in the new, with James, chapter 5 illustrating the principle through the example of Elijah stopping the rain for three-and-a-half years. I proved the principle with scores of passages:

Bible on the Power of Prayers of the Righteous [11-16-22]

And so this is why we ask Mary to pray for us, more than anyone else, because she’s the holiest created human being who ever lived. Remember, Sean himself stated, “She is an Exemplar for Faith and I hope — I really do hope — she’s praying for me. . . . She is a righteous woman and so we ought to hold her in high esteem.” That’s what we’re doing. She prays for us, so we ask her to do so, which entirely follows from the first thing, and the extraordinary qualities of saints in heaven, which enables them to hear us. In this regard, see my paper, Saints Can Hear “Millions” Of Prayers? (Vs. Jordan Cooper): Including a Summary of the Extraordinary, Unfathomable Characteristics of Redeemed Human Beings in Heaven [3-20-24]

St. Alphonsus de Liguori: Mary-Worshiper & Idolater? [8-9-02]

Blessed Virgin Mary Will Soon be Promoted to Godhood? (vs. Douglas Wilson) [11-7-04]

Defense of the Our Lady of Perpetual Help Devotion vs. Calvinists [7-16-07]

Immaculate Heart of Mary & Mary Mediatrix (Excessive Devotions?): Explanations Especially for New Converts to the Catholic Faith [11-25-08]

Was St. Louis de Montfort a Blasphemous Mariolater? (cf. abridged, National Catholic Register version) [2009]

Maximilian Kolbe’s “Flowery” Marian Veneration & the Bible [2010]

Sacred / Immaculate Heart Devotions & the Bible [6-8-10]

Sacred Heart and Immaculate Heart: Biblical Reflections [11-23-10]

Defense of Allegedly “Idolatrous” Marian Devotions [1-11-13]

Honoring Jesus Thru Mary: 50 Biblical Reasons [4-21-15]

Reply to Protestants on “Excessive” (?) Marian Devotion [1-4-17]
*

The Earliest Veneration of Mary Can Be Found in the Bible Itself [National Catholic Register, 1-31-23]

“Excesses” in Catholic Mariology & Devotion [6-12-23]

Catholics Think Mary is “Co-Creator”? (vs. T.F. Kauffman) (Refuting a Distortion of What St. Alphonsus de Liguori Actually Teaches in The Glories of Mary) [7-17-23]

Mary, Not Jesus, is the Catholic “Savior”? (Response to More Misrepresentation of St. Alphonsus de Liguori’s Book, The Glories of Mary) [7-21-23]
*

Catholics Don’t Worship Mary — We Love and Honor Her [National Catholic Register, 7-31-23]
*

How Mary is Called “Blessed” is Unique in Scripture [6-20-25]
*

Goddess Mary? Reply to Gospel Simplicity’s Austin Suggs . . . and His Objection to St. Louis de Montfort’s True Devotion to Mary [9-25-25]
*

Photo credit: Detail of The Coronation of the Virgin with Six Saints (1504), by Ridolfo del Ghirlandaio (1483-1561) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons]

Summary: Anglican apologist Sean Luke tries every which way to knock down the Catholic veneration of Mary. I refute this with 70 relevant analogical biblical arguments.

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