So?
Do you believe, as the gospel says, that Mary said to the angel Gabriel, “Be it done unto me according to thy word”?
In other words, Mary, by an act of HER will, made it possible for God the Son to take flesh. I.e., ALL GRACE entered the world through MARY’s willing it.
In other words, the GOSPEL teaches precisely what all those saints you quoted are saying: That the grace that comes from Jesus Christ is made available to us by the consent and cooperation of Mary.
What a joke!!!!
If Mary could have thwarted God's plan, then Mary is above God and y'all have a pretty impotent Catholic god.
SO are you saying that there was no grace before Mary came along? If grace entered the world through Mary, then she could not have been graced before that herself.
And Scripture teaches otherwise about the source of grace.
Ephesians 1:3-10 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
Romans 5:1-2 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
John 1:14-17 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
Do you sell used cars on the side???
God didn't need Mary...God didn't even need Jesus Christ to make grace available to us...In fact, speaking of the Trinity, it was not Jesus who provided the Grace, it was God...And he provided it all thru out the Old Testament (and New) without the presence of the mother of Jesus...
I realize it's your job to repeat what your religion tells you but man, do you ever pick up a bible???
Uh... no. Do you REALLY think she could have said no? Really? Gabriel TOLD her what God was going to do. He didn't say, "Hey, Mary -- God wants to know if he can use you to give birth to a baby who you can call Jesus."
Sheesh.
Since there seems to be such an issue with context in Roman Catholicism, here it is:
" 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”
35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. 36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.”"
Luke 1:31-37
Doesn't seem to be too much "asking" going on there...
So... Mary, being a believer, will say.... no? Really? God chose her. All she did was acknowledge it. And her answer isn't an, "hey, Gabriel -- tell God it's good by me!" it's an acquiescence:
Verse 38:
"And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her."
"Servant" is more like Bondservant. Not voluntary accomplice. "Let it be to me according to you word" is an acquiescence, not an allowance. A bondservant does not allow his master to do something to him; he belongs to his master.
Context is your friend, friend.
Hoss
I 'believe' that Rome PURPOSELY leaves out certain verse when it instills it's TEACHINGS into it's members...
Luke 1:26-38 New International Version (NIV)
26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called[a] the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.”
38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.
(will is NOT 'asking')
(This ain't YES)