Welcome Rev. Bob! May I suggest if you want to learn more about Mary, that you read St. Louis de Montfort's True Devotion to Mary. True Catholic studies build on the written word. de Montfort's True Devotion to Mary is the classic of all Marion devotion. True Devotion To Mary by Saint Louis de Montfort
Wonderful. If you are doing this it is because God called you too. I was a child when I first did so. I believe that if I hadn't I would be in hell now.
I must say, the fact that Mary is human, the Immaculately Conceived New Eve, makes her much more interesting and lovable. I'm much happier venerating Mary and adoring God alone, than adoring Mari. (The Pre-Christian weather goddess of the Basque people)
Yes to understand Mary as A Godess is to totally invert who and what Mary is and was. If I could find two words to decribe her it would be humility and love. These comes across so well in the Magnificat.
A great thread. I too had many problems in my relationship to my mother who abandoned me and being that I had many fathers growing up I never came to know Mother or Father as something good and lasting. My relationship with Our Mother is one of devotion and admiration. She led me to the Church, to Our Lord, as well as here. She had to take great care of me (as only a Mother can) because not only had I greatly sinned against her but I was as a toddler in my understanding and my masculinity even as a fully grown man. I had no discipline, I greatly misunderstood all things and how they are intended to serve God who loves us in a way which is sometimes hard to understand but always to our good. I think of Her in times of sorrow, pain, and sacrifice for the great sorrows she experienced and Her great devotion. It brings comfort. She never fails to lead us to Our Lord and I believe this is Her great Joy. To unite us to Him. I especially like the movie the Passion of the Christ. Many times during the Passion movie Our Lord sees His Mother and is strengthened. This I think is the right relationship to Her for us Her children as well. I had a dream a while back that she appeared to me at the time of my death and led me to the final trial. I have great Hope for this comfort when the time comes. She will never abandon us who have recourse to Her.
Hey MMM, That's great! Though all four saints are wonderful in Gaitley's book, the Maximilian and Teresa meditations are my favorites. Safe in the Refuge of the Immaculate Heart!
Bob, I see from your avatar, that you love the Holy Spirit. Are you Pentecostal? I have developed a deep appreciation of Our Lady as the Spouse of the Holy Spirit. Maybe you could shed some light on their marvelous and precious relationship! Luke 1 is, after all, one of my favorite chapters in the Bible! Hail, Full of Grace!
The Gospel of St Luke (1:46-55), The Canticle of Mary also known as the Magnificat...... Antiphon. Who is she that cometh forth as the morning rising, fair as the moon, bright as the Sun, terrible as an army set in battle array? My soul doth magnify the Lord. And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For He hath regarded the humility of His handmaid. And behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For He that is mighty hath done great things to me, and Holy is His name. And His mercy is from generation unto generations to them that fear Him. He hath showed might in His arm. He hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart. He hath put down the mighty from their seat: and hath exalted the humble. He hath filled the hungry with good things. And the rich He hath sent empty away. He hath received Israel His servant. Being mindful of His mercy. As He spoke to our fathers. To Abraham and to his seed forever. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Antiphon. - Who is she that cometh forth as the morning rising, fair as the moon, bright as the sun, terrible as an army set in battle array? V. O Mary conceived without sin. R. Pray for us who have recourse to Thee. Let us pray... O Lord Jesus Christ our Mediator with the Father, Who hast been pleased to appoint the Most Blessed Virgin, Thy Mother, to be our Mother also, and our Mediatrix with Thee, mercifully grant that whosoever comes to Thee seeking Thy favours may rejoice to receive all of them through her. Amen.
Depends on what you read into things. Mary is human, yet seen by many in visions? Her paintings show a lot. Moons are in Her motif, as it was for many Goddesses centuries before. A lot of what is thought of for Her, from all the titles, etc...all used for other Goddesses. What of Sophia in the Old Testament? Again, not trying to twist or upset someone's faith.
In the beginning , it is said , 'Let US Make man in OUR image, Male and Female created them" Who is this US? The Trinity? Not even listed as such in the Bible. Nicean teaching did.
I believe the Trinitarian inference in Genesis 1 requires the linkage of v. 27 and 28. The male and female are fruitful and bring forth offspring. The imaging of the Trinity is found in the family: father-mother-child. In fact, Jesus connects this with the corresponding verses in Genesis 2 (v.23 & 24) in Matthew 19. In v. 24, the son leaves his parents to cleave to his wife and thus start a new family. Though Jesus was clarifying God's Will regarding divorce in Matthew 19, the Church has expanded the discussion through the centuries to touch upon a fuller understanding of the family. Again, I believe if you focus only on v. 27 in Chapter 1, you'll miss the Trinitarian reference. Safe in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary!
Mary helped lead me to the Catholic Church.... once I figured out that Sola Fidé was deeply wrong, I started wondering what else Protestantism might have gotten wrong / tossed out unnecessarily. If Luther and those who came after him were wrong about how we are saved, could they have been wrong about Marian veneration? Her role? Our relationship to her? What she's able to do? Should I trust the Reformers, or the earliest Christians? https://dappledthings.org/10640/sub...arliest-prayer-to-her-whose-offspring-is-god/ Coming to the Church is a journey. I had to get rid of a lot of baggage, assumptions, pride, and expectations, and am still letting go of a lot of those things. It's a very little, invisible, quiet journey. But the reality of that journey is far better than what we imagine in our heads.
Mary is certainly the Mother of God, but is still a human. Human, but unique in that from her conception, she was free from sin. Totally pure, unable to love God imperfectly, to love man imperfectly. So beautiful! So unique! Human, yet more beautiful and great and loving and real and perfect than any imagined goddess that humans came up with, searching for a divine mother. We have one; she is not God, or creator, but is uniquely united with God, able to help us, and full of love. I think that goddesses are our ancestors' memories of Eve, and expectations of Mary, only distorted, imperfect, foggy. Yes, we look for a mother who is above us. And in Mary, we have her. The Church kind of gives us back and restores everything the world looks to and believes in, but the true version.
Thank you Gracia, I suppose growing up as a Catholic one just absorbs the truth without realising how that is happening! In reality this absorbing of truth is a wonderful grace from God, given by Jesus to His Catholic Church! It seems to me that some non-catholics have a real battle when it comes to understanding Our Lady's role in redemption! They either dismiss her out of hand ..... or if they reciecve a grace to realise that Our Lady is particular, is special, some are then tempted to attribute pagan notions to her specialness! This is something I have never really thought about and it makes me very thankful to have been raised a Catholic! God Bless all non-catholics who struggle with understanding the most Blessed Virgin Mary's role as Queen and Mother.
