"Blessed Virgin" - not Saint?
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To add to the other answers given here, in the Catholic liturgy (Mass, Liturgy of the Hours), it is common to address the saints as “blessed.” It is not exactly a title, but a term of respect that recognizes their condition of beatitude in Heaven.
For example, the Roman Canon (Eucharistic Prayer I) says two paragraphs before the epiclesis (the invocation of the Holy Spirit), “In communion with those whose memory we venerate, especially the glorious ever-Virgin Mary, [...] blessed Joseph, her Spouse, your blessed Apostles and Martyrs [...].” It is similar with the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Similarly, on memorials and feast days of saints, whenever the saint is referred to in a prayer, he is addressed as “blessed” (beatus or beata). Here, for example, is the collect for today’s feast (July 3), the feast of St. Thomas the Apostole:
Grant, almighty God, that we may glory in the Feast of the blessed Apostle Thomas, so that we may always be sustained by his intercession and, believing, may have life in the name of Jesus Christ your Son, whom Thomas acknowledged as the Lord. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
That is probably the most direct reason that in English we have tended to use the term “Blessed Virgin Mary” rather than “Saint Mary.” As Raphael Rosch pointed out, in many other languages (especialy Romance languages), the etymologically equivalent word for “saint” simply means “holy,” and so it is more commont to hear expressions such as “Sainte Marie” or “Santa Maria.”
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The reason is probably because, according to Luke 1:48b, Mary states
for behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. (RSV)
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Spanish speaking Catholics do use that title for her. In Spanish, the prayer that Roman Catholics offer up to Mary starts with the words
"Santa Maria.."
literally "Holy Mary" or "Saint Mary". The same word ("Santa") is used for both meanings.
Upvote:1
Like many words, "blessed" has several distinct (though related) meanings. One is as a title for people who have been beatified but not canonized (so it's between "venerable" and "saint"). Another refers to having received some unusual benefit, so that we might say someone was blessed with great intelligence, or with wealth, or with a loving family, etc. In this second sense, "blessed" is a great description of Mary, in view of the extraordinary gifts God gave her (starting with her immaculate conception).
Similar situations arise with other words. For example, if I knew that you lead an exceptionally holy life, I might ask you for advice on how to emulate your holiness, even though "Your Holiness" is also the standard way to address the pope (and you're not the pope).
Upvote:2
Luke 1:42 (here NIV):
41 When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!
If the title 'blessed virgin' has its origin here, the word 'blessed' means 'favoured' rather than 'on its way to saint'.
Why would the title be so much used? One possible cause could be that Lk 1:42 is in the widely used Ave Maria:
Ave Maria, ... Benedicta tu in mulieribus ...
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