Posted on 03/25/2015 10:46:15 PM PDT by Steelfish
Because Mary Said “Yes…” — A Reflection For The Solemnity of the Annunciation of Our Lord
March 25, 2011 by Fr. Thomas Rosica
Standing in the middle of the present day city of Nazareth is the mammoth Basilica of the Annunciation, built around what is believed to be the dwelling of Mary. In a grotto-like room at the heart of the basilica is a small inscription on an altar. It reads, “verbum caro hic factum est,” here the Word became flesh. There, it is believed, the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary, and her response changed the world forever.
Imagine yourself in Mary’s place, asked to say “yes” to a divine plan so vast, so profound and so seemingly impossible that you cannot comprehend it. “How can this be?” she asks, bewildered. She is rooted in the faith of her ancestors, and yet now an angel has appeared in the midst of everyday life, extending a startling invitation. “You have found favor with God,” the angel says, “and you will conceive and bear His Son.” Will she accept?
It is Mary above all others who can teach us what it means to live by faith, and how to respond when God’s providence disrupts the daily course of our lives, overturning its rhythms and expectations. Despite her fears and uncertainty over how this promise could be fulfilled, she still answered “Yes.” Are we able to respond to God this way?
When we reflect on the Annunciation to Mary, and her acceptance of the angel’s message, we also reflect on our own vocation — our own calling from God. In the Lord’s Prayer, we pray, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” — an echo of Mary’s “Be it done unto me according to your word.”
Each time we commit ourselves to embracing God’s call and accepting His will, we mark a new point on the path of our relationship with Him. For the rest of her life, Mary pondered her extraordinary encounter with God, turning the weight of the angel’s message over and over again in her heart. From the manger to the cross, Mary’s life was radically changed — her relationship with God profoundly deepened — the moment she said “Yes.”
Mary received and welcomed God’s Word in the fullest sense — becoming impregnated with it, and bearing it to the world. Angels might not appear in our doorsteps, but we do encounter God in each of our daily prayers, and he whispers to us a similar invitation: Will we accept His love and bring it joyously to those around us? Will we trust in His providence, even when we can’t see the path ahead? Amid the noise of everyday life, will we listen for and embrace his call?
When making his pilgrimage to the Basilica of the Annunciation, Pope Benedict XVI offered this prayer to the humble Virgin of Nazareth. It speaks for all of us who likewise seek to accept God’s will with joy:
Mary, Mother of the “Yes,” you listened to Jesus, and know the tone of his voice and the beating of his heart. Morning Star, speak to us of him, and tell us about your journey of following him on the path of faith."
That is typical atheistic sophistry and reasoning, and consistent for such who hold that that faith is nonsense and worthless brainwashing, and chose to come on a pro-God forum and express such insults, as you have. In their desperation to impugn the character of God in order to justify their rejection of Him, and to see themselves as morally superior, then they portray God as a cosmic rapist of a poor victimized child, and as the perpetrator who wrote the law. Of course, they victimize the "poor Canaanites" also.
It is revealing that you did not even try to interact with my reasoned response, as in reality the only thing that is evidenced is that this was an answered prayer, and the only thing true about the "confused ignorant child" is that this devout teenager who was engaged to be married was simply confused at first as to how she could become pregnant without knowing a man. After being told she how then was no longer ignorant, and was manifestly joyous. Not a poor "victim!"
If rape consisted of an engaged women becoming supernaturally pregnant with the child of her dreams, with her husband supernaturally being affirmed that this was the case, and thus him being privileged to be the foster father, than there would be a waiting line for such rape in the first century.
But by considering what the text says as if true, and in context, then the atheist would be without his necessary strawman.
“It’s only the Catholic Church that proclaims they serve the same god as Muslims.”Who else does? And let's not always think the word "profess" is always said as a truth.Again, no.
Think the word "Al-Taqiyya?"
Muslims lie when it is in their interest to do so and “Allah” will not hold them accountable for lying when it is beneficial to the cause of Islam. They can lie without any guilt or fear of accountability or retribution. A lie in the defense of Islam is approved even applauded in their “holy” books."al-Taqiyya:
deception; the islamic word for concealing or disguising one’s beliefs, convictions, ideas, feelings, opinions, and/or strategies."
Even our President and his advisors are clueless as to the desires, doctrines, and distinctives of Islam.
Do you believe what Iran is saying to Obama is the truth? He seems to, but to Obama Iran is one of his greatest allies, he gives them respect while he works towards Islamic terrorism's goal of destroying Israel.
That horse has been beaten to death.
Why do you look blue in the face? Take a breath.
Nothing new with that.
“intellectualized out of your faith” Wow! Next time don’t try to tell the Islamacists how bankrupt their faith is based on any intelligent argument.
You have just confirmed what is true of all Bible-based Christians that their shallow theological knowledge is so shallow that even a paper boat would not float.
This is exactly what racebannon does by drawing off the putrid waters of anti-Catholic websites he proceeds to quote a swatch of quotes and tries his hand at being an “internet theologian.” Maybe those eminent Lutheran and Episcopalian theologians who after a lifetime of study and historical research and reflection who converted to Catholicism missed out on racebannon’s erudition. This is beyond pathetic.
Thus, the towering intellectuals and theologians dating from the early Church fathers who spoke to Petrine authority and whose works are studied in all the major theological departments in universities across the world, all got it wrong.
The evil of Protestantism is all around us with multiple off-shoots all claiming to offer an authoritative interpretation of God’s Word. How absurd, given that it was the early Church fathers who in the Synod of Rome in AD 382 after hundreds of years of study and cross checking with the oral tradition finally and infallibly set forth the true Word of God. The books in the Bble did not fall from the skies and self-assembled itself.
This demonstrates the utter bankruptcy of Protestantism. So poor Elsie believes that its okay to regard the canonical texts as assembled by the early Church fathers to be infallible then but not today. When did that infallible authority take flight against the command of Christ that the “gates of hell shall not reveal against it.” Not Islam not Protestantism, not Mormons, not Jehovah’s Witness or any other piece theological trash.
The canonical texts having been assembled in AD 382 had to wait ELEVEN centuries before it went out into the ether because today we have a mudslide of Protestant beliefs to choose from: Take your pick from the lethal scriptural interpretations of David Koresh to the vapid lightweight nonsense of Billy Graham and every other piece of tripe in between based on “faith” and with complete blinders to history, tradition, and infallible authority. Damn the constellation of eminent theologians and the long litany of saints and martyrs of the Church. We have racebannon!
This is why, Protestantism has become a caricature of beliefs right down to mainline denominations that now believe scripture allows for married gays and lesbian pastors. What evil this curse of Protestantism?
This is also why the brilliant English essayist Hillaire Belloc so aptly noted that unlike other heresies, Protestantism “spawned a cluster of heresies.” Don’t tell that to metmom and racebannon, they won’t hear of intellectual inquiry and rightly so. When shallow Bible Christians seek the deep end of the theological pool they drown!
“That horse has been beaten to death.”
We agree it is a horse. And Muslims profess to believe in the God of Abraham. Case closed.
“Why do you look blue in the face? Take a breath.”
I’m breathing fine.
“Who else does?”
A number of Protestants and Jews say that the only God is God and that Muslims worship that God even if they have incorrect views about Him. I know Protestants and Jews who have said this and if you look around the internet you will find such statements.
How long before that happened were priests diddling little boys and their superiors simply shuffling them around to hide the fact?
Those "towering intellectuals and theologians" in Jesus day were called Pharisees. Ever notice what He called them?
“You have heard that Jews say they serve the same god as Muslims?”
No, I have heard Jews say (not “that [I] heard that Jews say”) it. I have had Jews say it right in front of me and I know if you look around the internet you can find similar statements.
“Would you please provide documentation of that?”
No. Do it yourself. It’s not hard.
“Please show proof of the statement that “some Protestants” say they serve the same god as Muslims.”
Use google. I did it this morning. It wasn’t hard.
LOL! Yer funny!
I see your point. Poorly instructed/catechized disciples can be blown around by many heretical winds, denying Jesus was born both fully divine and fully human, denying the Trinity, etc..
For one only accepting instruction in doctrine and righteousness from the Authorized Version of the Bible, "Mary is the mother of God with us" is perfectly scriptural. "Mary is the mother of God" is also scriptural since it falls within that same truth and does not, of itself, introduce any error.
People have been wresting the difficult passages of Paul's letters for almost two thousand years, and that applies to the other scriptures as well. It was foretold there would be heresies Since Catholics, who are properly catechized, already understand Mary is not the mother of God the Father, nor God the Holy Spirit, they are not confused.
Catholics can be sensitive to the weaknesses of the myriad of nonCatholic faith communities and sects, with their differing doctrines, without compromising the faith once delivered to the saints. Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations. For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.
Romans, Catholic chapter fourteen, Protestant verse one,
First Corinthians, Catholic chapter eleven, verse nineteen
as authorized, but not authored, by King James
Nice try. No, the Pharisees did not believe Christ was the Savior. Indeed, Christ established His ONE Church with an infallible authority bestowed to Peter and his successors.
And your talk about child pederasty is about individual lives. Yes, we have saints and sinners too. Have we not had Protestant pastors convicted or murder? adultery? fornication? Go take the beam off your own eye first.
It sure can't be the Catholic Church. Christ would never ever sanction inclusion of paganism like the Catholic Church does.
>>Go take the beam off your own eye first.<<
Um.....dude! It was you who tried to slam all Protestants with the gay and lesbian thing. I simply pointed out that the Catholic Church led the way.
it would be funny if your eternal salvation didnt depend on the doctrine taught by people you call:
“Bible-based Christians”
Because it means you do NOT consider yourself a Bible based Christian, and yet, you define Rome as the head of the body of Christ
You in your own words told everyone what we have been saying all along, namely; that Roman Catholicism isn’t a Bible based system
and you proved it.
google the term CHRISLAM
It is the amalgamation of Christianity and Islam
the Christian leaders are rick warren, joel osteen and the Pope
the muslim leaders are varied, no international ones, but they let the pope pray in the mosque in istanbul, the pope let the mussies pray in the vatican
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/3172858/posts
Nothing new under the sun. Indeed.
Hoss
ping to 495 and 496
.
The speculation is all catholic.
I* was just going by the precise words of scripture.
Rabbis and catholics are all the same! Man made traditions taking precedence over the word of God is the chief characteristic of each, thus they are clearly ‘spiritual’ bedfellows.
.
That's a given and makes my point.
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