Jack Chick: Why is Mary Crying? (pt. 1)

This is the first part in a 4-part series on Jack Chick’s tract, “Why is Mary Crying?” Part 2 will come on Tuesday.

The first tract I want to look at is one called “Why Is Mary Crying?” It inspired this blog. The entire tract can be viewed online here. Although I feel it is honest to link back to the original anti-Catholic sites so you can see for yourself whether or not I am representing them accurately, I discourage you from reading in depth at Chick’s website. His style of delivery is powerful and he is manipulative, mixing lies with truths and half-truths. Remember that Satan is the father of all lies. One common thread among anti-Catholics is how consistently they misrepresent and distort Catholic teaching. This is a question I always pose: if Catholicism is wrong, why must you resort to lies to prove this?

This will be a four part series. Click on the image for a larger view.

On the cover we see a statue of Our Lady of La Salette. The real reason why Mary was crying at La Salette is that people were violating the second and third commandments (third and fourth by Chick’s numbering), which tell us not to take the Lord’s name in vain and to keep holy the Sabbath day. There is certainly nothing unchristian or evil about that! But that’s not the message of this tract, as we shall see.

The second panel says that Mary’s “heart is broken by the very ones who love her.” By this, he means Catholics. But this makes me wonder: what love, if any, does Jack Chick have for Mary? As we will eventually see, his interpretations of some parts of the Bible make it seem as if Jesus Himself did not love Mary and failed to honor her. The obvious consequence of this is that Jesus would be a sinner.

Chick continues his setup of the problem and shows us a picture of a procession in honor of Our Lady’s apparition at Fatima. So far, there is nothing objectionable. In this frame, Mary is crying, despite being loved and honored, because we have failed to do what she asked. I agree. Our Lady of La Salette is still saddened by our continual violations of the 2nd and 3rd commandments.

You’ll see that Chick never dishonors Mary, though he sometimes presents Jesus as dishonoring her. In this frame, he does well. So far, this could be a Catholic tract. Note however, that while Chick quotes from the Bible (KJV) for what the angel says, he does not do this for what Mary says. She said, “How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?” (Luke 1:34). This carries a different force than saying, “But I’m a virgin” (which, ironically, is how some more dynamic modern Bibles translate this verse). Chick’s version indicates that Mary was thinking only in the present tense. The actual translation does not necessitate this, keeping open the possibility that Mary had vowed virginity, or was not intending to have sexual relations with Joseph (this issue will be discussed in later posts). Chick’s version of Mary’s reaction seems odd. Imagine how strange it would be if you said to an engaged virgin woman, “You’re going to have lots of kids!” and she responded, “But I’m a virgin!” You’d probably respond, “I mean, after you get married and engage in sexual relations, you’ll have lots of children. Unless you’re not intending to ever lose your virginity, but you’re not doing that, are you?”

Prayer for Jack Chick

Dear God, through Your infinite merciful Love, and through the intercession of Our Lady of La Salette, soften and open the heart of Jack Chick. Help him to see through the lies about the Church and accept it as the Church which Christ founded, and may he come to love Mary as Jesus loved her, so that he might have a fuller relationship with Your Son. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior. Amen