Posted on 01/11/2005 11:30:36 AM PST by missyme
Actor Mel Gibson held a secret meeting with one of the famous visionaries of Fatima, Sister Lucia of Portugal. Sister Lucia, now 98 years of age, is a cloistered nun who as a child saw and spoke with the Virgin Mary in Fatima, Portugal in 1917.
Her visions and those of her two childhood friends, both since passed away, were both prophetic and apocalyptic. The Catholic Church accepted the visions as authentic.
I'm a Methodist, but I truly respect the Catholic Church and consider it to be, in a way, the Mother Church. I respect it's traditions and I respect the Pope. I think many parts of your faith are beautiful.
Enoch is the other one you may be thinking of. He walks with God, as does Elijah.
Though I cannot recall the exact verse, every human is called upon to die once. Enoch and Elijah have not, at this point, died. Thus the speculation that they will be the two end-times prophets who perform conversions in the Great Tribulation.
Sometimes I like to think of the whole body of Christians the way Paul said that we are many parts of the same body. Since I don't know all the answers, I assume that some of my earthly brothers and sisters can teach me a thing or two.
Here is a pretty good explanation of Purgatory from the Catholic Encyclopedia - It's a whole separate ballgame from what we were talking about before.
Purgatory (Lat., "purgare", to make clean, to purify) in accordance with Catholic teaching is a place or condition of temporal punishment for those who, departing this life in God's grace, are, not entirely free from venial faults, or have not fully paid the satisfaction due to their transgressions. The faith of the Church concerning purgatory is clearly expressed in the Decree of Union drawn up by the Council of Florence (Mansi, t. XXXI, col. 1031), and in the decree of the Council of Trent which (Sess. XXV) defined: "Whereas the Catholic Church, instructed by the Holy Ghost, has from the Sacred Scriptures and the ancient tradition of the Fathers taught in Councils and very recently in this Ecumenical synod (Sess. VI, cap. XXX; Sess. XXII cap.ii, iii) that there is a purgatory, and that the souls therein are helped by the suffrages of the faithful, but principally by the acceptable Sacrifice of the Altar; the Holy Synod enjoins on the Bishops that they diligently endeavor to have the sound doctrine of the Fathers in Councils regarding purgatory everywhere taught and preached, held and believed by the faithful" (Denzinger, "Enchiridon", 983). Further than this the definitions of the Church do not go, but the tradition of the Fathers and the Schoolmen must be consulted to explain the teachings of the councils, and to make clear the belief and the practices of the faithful.
Temporal Punishment
That temporal punishment is due to sin, even after the sin itself has been pardoned by God, is clearly the teaching of Scripture. God indeed brought man out of his first disobedience and gave him power to govern all things (Wis. x, 2), but still condemned him "to eat his bread in the sweat of his brow" until he returned unto dust. God forgave the incredulity of Moses and Aaron, but in punishment kept them from the "land of promise" (Num., xx, 12). The Lord took away the sin of David, but the life of the child was forfeited because David had made God's enemies blaspheme His Holy Name (II Kings, xii, 13, 14). In the New Testament as well as in the Old, almsgiving and fasting, and in general penitential acts are the real fruits of repentance (Matt., iii, 8; Luke, xvii, 3; iii, 3). The whole penitential system of the Church testifies that the voluntary assumption of penitential works has always been part of true repentance and the Council of Trent (Sess. XIV, can. xi) reminds the faithful that God does not always remit the whole punishment due to sin together with the guilt. God requires satisfaction, and will punish sin, and this doctrine involves as its necessary consequence a belief that the sinner failing to do penance in this life may be punished in another world, and so not be cast off eternally from God.
Bump for later.
I'm not Catholic. The Virgin Mary's messages (which I read in a book)when she appeared in Vision at the humble village Medjugorje Yugoslavia caused me weep and weep. These messages were simple profound truths.
Whether it's the GOOD message or the serious prophecy - don't discredit the messenger.
I think that the traditional Catholic midnight mass at Christmas is beautiful.
Careful here,
The commandment is "Honor thy father and thy mother."
Not love.
To me, this is further proof that God exists. Can you imagine the trap that commandment would become if the word "love" were to appear there?
I don't love my mother, but I honor her.
Excellent. Thank you. I wish I didn't have to leave but, I gotta go. I will check this thread later this evening.
???
Don't Love Your Mother???? Please Explain..........
I'm confused, too!
"God wishes to establish in the world devotion to My Immaculate Heart...To whomever embraces this devotion, I PROMISE SALVATION."
One BIG problem here. Read the above words carefully.
It is written in Scripture ONLY Jesus Christ is capable of "promising salvation," which makes 'Our Lady's' claim a lie perpetrated by the Serpent to. "Mary" has NO such authority.
Jesus Christ said, "I am the Way and the Truth."
It is also written many shall be deceived -- even the elect during the last days.
If I tell you that I can guarantee you will be forgiven of your sins and you will be granted salvation if you confess your sins and are sorry for them , am I claiming the authority for your salvation.
Mary is stating that if we follow her and her example and honor what she honors (which is what is at the center of the devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary) we will receive salvation from God.
Mary is always pointing us to her son!
Yikes! I know little to nothing about Fatima, but your post is disturbing. ANYONE other than Jesus commanding devotion is deception. Hopefully, it was supposed to be HIS immaculate heart. THere is no salvation thru Mary.
'The Lord will not share his Glory, nonsense, this is nonsense, and notice the tie-in's with Islam'
From the Gospel of John, Chapter 17 (KJV). Clearly Christ says that his followers will share in His glory and His love (which is his essence):
'21: That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
22: And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:
23: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
24: Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.
25: O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me.
26: And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.'
It does pay for that sin in full, as it does all other sin.
Christ was the perfect and final price for the sin of the world. You can do nothing to buy or earn that gift. This salvation from sin is offered freely and simply to those that believe Christ died for you personally.
If you accept this, if you really believe it, then you are saved and you belong to God.
We are then still accountable for all of our actions on earth, as we were before, but we will not be condemned for them.
Simply, the difference between the saved and the unsaved is just faith. You can't live your way into it, or buy it, or have it bestowed upon you by others. It isn't a holiness contest, an IQ test, or a trivia game.
God isn't going to hold a gun to your head and say, "Love me or else." Eve's sin is wiped out by the sacrifice of Jesus, and His Resurrection showed us that he wasn't just blowing smoke.
Salvation is available to everyone, but given only to those who accept it from Him.
What does that mean? The article said "Her visions and those of her two childhood friends, both since passed away, were both prophetic and apocalyptic." That would indicate they were not secret and are known. Unfortunately I am not versed in the bible nor have I ever heard of Sister Lucia before.
In addition, why is she being kept behind bars (cloistered)?????
This post is not intended as sarcasm so please don't treat it as so.....
With all due respect, you're wrong. And no mental gymnastics can alter 'Our Lady's' words and CLEAR meaning:
"God wishes to establish in the world devotion to MY Immaculate Heart..."
NOT Christ's "heart" -- HERS.
"...To whomever embraces this devotion, I PROMISE SALVATION."
To WHOM???
Read it AGAIN.
The entire mission of Satan is to detract and distract the World from the focus of Salvation's ONLY hope -- Jesus Christ.
Behold how the Adversary moves subtlely, yet adeptly in the case of 'Our Lady.'
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