Posted on 09/07/2005 4:50:30 PM PDT by Rosary
Mary was born fifteen years,three months and seventeen days before the birth of Jesus. She was born in a house in which,fourteen years,six months and seventeen days later,the Archangel Gabriel,sent by God,would come and kneel before her and with a bowed head would say, "Hail,full of grace,the Lord is with thee." Mary was three years,two months and thirteen days old when she was presented by her parents to GOD in the Temple. She was fourteen years old when she was espoused to Joseph ANd she was fourteen years,four months and fifteen day old when her espousals to Saint Jpseph were solemnized. She was in her forty-eighth year when Jesus suffered the Passion and death on the cross,and Jesus gave her to John and to all the Faithful as their own Mother!-when Jesus and rose from the dead,and ascended into Heaven,in the year 33. MAry was seventy-two years old when she herself,died and was three days later assumed into Heaven ,in the year 58. Mary has the compassionate heart of a good Mother. She hears those who ask her for help and she leads them on to Jesus. She knows well, all about suffering,sorrow,joy, fear,love and war. please take one second of your time Sept.8th-and wish the Mother of Jesus a Happy Birthday! Ask her to help those at Katrina,at Iraq,in your own life and those of your families,and learn how to say the rosary,and wear the brown scapular.
Good to see the Catholic Bashers and Orthodox Bashers are alive & kicking...
It didn't take long, did it?
Oh well.
Taking that argument to its logical conclusion, does that mean that an orphan who doesn't know his exact birthdate cannot have a birthday party?
BTTT on the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, September 8, 2005!
If you've never heard of it its probably because you are a protestant-this is Catholic belief,and a great part of that Faith.
The authors of this book are a Catholic religious Order founded in the 1940's -who honor Jesus's Mother, Mary, thus they are called SLAVES of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. working under Mary's protection to bring Honor to Jesus the Son of God..Ever see The Passion Of the Christ? Mary DID exsist...just like yourself..only more was asked and expected of her.
For more information I encourage you to check out :
http:www.Catholicsim.org .
Doesn't everything start with zero? And then START.
For those who believe in Mary,Jesus'own Mother,No expalination is necessary,for those who wish to know her better,"LEARNING"
and reading the SAINTS to Remember, book is both eye opening and wonderous!
Suppose we PROVE you and any who response negatively here,that each had a Mother.
The present dating of the birth of Christ was established quite late. Assume that the traditon of Mary's age was already long established and simply fitted into the new scheme.
The Rosary
Roses of Prayer
for The Queen of Heaven
by Rev. Daniel A. Lord, S.J.
Nihil Obstat Athur J. Scanlan S.T.D: Censor Liborum
Imprimatur + Francis J. Spellman, D.D. Archbishop, New York
Joyful Mysteries Sorrowful Mysteries Glorious Mysteries
1. Annunciation
2. Visitation
3. Nativity
4. Presentation
5. Finding in the Temple
1. Agony in the Garden
2. Scourging
3. Crowning with Thorns
4. Carrying of the Cross
5. Crucifixion
1. Resurrection
2. Ascension
3. Descent of the Holy Ghost
4. Assumption
5. Coronation
Flowers for the Queen
Saint Dominic
Praying the Rosary
The Greatest String of Beads
The Way the Rosary is Said Thinking and Praying
Days of the Week
The Indulgences of the Rosary
A Sure Sign of Predestination
To see a larger picture,
click on an image below.
The Annunciation
First Joyful Mystery - The Annunciation
When Adam and Eve sinned in Paradise, they lost their right to happiness. But God promised to send His only Son to regain this happiness for them. Out of all the world, God chose Mary to be the Mother of His Son. One day the Angel Gabriel from heaven appeared to her. "Hail, full of grace!" he cried. And he told her that she was to be the Mother of the Most High. Mary answered, "Behold the handmaid of the Lord!" At that moment the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, God’s Son, entered the world. This is called the Incarnation.
The Visitation
Second Joyful Mystery - The Visitation
The Angel Gabriel told Mary that her cousin Elizabeth, though an old lady, was to have a little son. This son was St. John the Baptist. So immediately Mary hurried over the hills to take care of her cousin. When Elizabeth saw her, she cried, "Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb." Mary answered by singing the Magnificat. Mary stayed with her cousin until John the Baptist was born. She was Elizabeth’s little nurse and maid servant. When John was born and Elizabeth was strong again, Mary returned to her own home to wait for the birth of her own dear Son, Jesus.
The Nativity
Third Joyful Mystery - The Nativity
The proud Roman Emperor ordered all his citizens to pay their taxes in their home cities. So Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary traveled to Bethlehem. Bethlehem was so full of visitors they could not find a place to sleep. So they went out to a little stable in a hill. And there Jesus, the Savior of the world, was born. A glorious star shone in the heavens. Angels sang, "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to men of good will!" Shepherds came to adore the newborn King. Wise Men from the east brought Him lovely gifts. Mary was deeply happy. She lifted Him high for the world to see. This was the first Christmas.
The Presentation
Fourth Joyful Mystery - The Presentation
All men and women are the children of God. The holy Jews carried each first born son to the Temple and offered him to God. Then in his place, they gave God a lamb or, if they were poor, a pair of pure white doves. So Mary carried her Son to the Temple. She offered Him to God. Then, because she was poor, she offered in His place two white doves. But a great prophet called Simeon saw the Baby and knew this was the Savior of the world. He cried aloud in his joy. And a wise old lady named Anna blessed Him and His dear Mother. Then Mary carried her Son home again. She was His beloved nurse and teacher and protector.
The Finding in the Temple
Fifth Joyful Mystery - The Finding in the Temple
The Jewish Temple was God’s house on earth. When Jesus was twelve years old, Joseph and Mary took Him to Jerusalem where the Temple stood. Jesus loved His Father’s house. So when Mary and Joseph returned to Nazareth, their home town, He stayed behind. He knew that God wished Him to stay longer in His Father’s house. Soon Mary and Joseph found that Jesus was lost. They hurried back to the Temple. For three days and nights they looked everywhere for Him. Finally, they found Him seated among the doctors and priests. He was asking them wise questions and teaching them about the Savior. He did this because this was "His Father’s business." Then quietly He returned to Nazareth with Joseph and Mary and for the rest of His youth, He was perfectly obedient to them.
The Agony in the Garden
First Sorrowful Mystery - The Agony in the Garden
Everyone who commits a sin is a criminal against the good God. So he should be punished. But Jesus, our Saviour, came to take the sinner’s place. He asked God to punish Him instead of us who really are the guilty ones. This suffering of Christ we call His Passion. On Holy Thursday after He gave us the Blessed Sacrament, He went into a lonely garden called Gethsemane. He looked ahead and saw all He was going to suffer. He saw all our sins, ugly, filthy, evil. And the thought of His Passion and our sins made Him sweat blood. This blood poured down upon the ground in His agony. Then Judas came with the soldiers. Like a traitor he kissed Jesus. The soldiers led Him away to death.
The Scourging
Second Sorrowful Mystery - The Scourging
Pilate, the Roman Governor, knew that Jesus was not guilty. But all the people cried out for His death. And because Jesus had taken our place, God, His Father, was willing to let His Son die. Pilate ordered Him to be whipped. The soldiers fastened Him to a stone column. Then with heavy whips, they beat His back. Jesus suffered terribly from this scourging. But He did not cry out. For He knew who many people commit sins with their bodies. We sometimes call these the sins of the flesh. So He wanted to suffer for their sad sins. He wanted us to be strong against this kind of ugly sin.
The Crowning with Thorns
Third Sorrowful Mystery - The Crowning with Thorns
Jesus was the King of Kings, the King of the Jews. But the Roman soldiers thought this was funny. "Still, let’s pretend that He is," one of them cried. "For a joke let’s make Him a crown." So they picked up a branch of cruel thorns, and made it into a crown. They pushed it into the head of our Savior. It hurt Him terribly. The blood ran down into His eyes. The thorns tore His skin and reached toward His brain. Then the soldiers put a reed in His hand. They threw a dirty red cloak over His shoulders. They laughed at Him and cried, "Hail to the King!" Jesus suffered all this because of our sins of thought and pride.
The Carrying of the Cross
Fourth Sorrowful Mystery - The Carrying of the Cross
Pilate heard the people cry out, "Crucify Him!" So Pilate ordered Him to be nailed on a cross. But first He had to carry His own cross up to the top of Calvary. The cross was very heavy. The soldiers put it on His shoulder and it rubbed against His torn flesh. They dragged Him through the city and up the hill to die. The people laughed at Him and threw rocks and mud. When He fell, the soldiers kicked Him to His feet. Once along the way, He met Mary, His Mother. But she could do nothing to help her dear Son. Veronica ran out of the crowd and wiped His face with her veil. Some good women wept for Him. And Simon was forced to help Him carry the cross.
The Crucifixion
Fifth Sorrowful Mystery - The Crucifixion
For three hours our dear Lord hung on the cross. He was taking on Himself the punishment for our sins. He prayed to His Father in heaven, "Father, forgive them." He forgave the terrible sinner who became the Good Thief. He gave us His own dear Mother. He cried out because He was thirsty for our love. At length, He knew that God had forgiven our sins. Once more, we had the right to enter heaven. So He dropped His head and died. "Greater love than this no man hath than to lay down his life for his friends."
The Resurrection
First Glorious Mystery - The Resurrection
Christ died on Good Friday. He was buried in the Holy Sepulchre. For three days He lay dead. Soldiers guarded the tomb. The Roman Governor, Pilate, placed on the heavy door the seal of Rome. Then Sunday morning dawned. Beautiful light appeared in the sky. The soldiers saw light pouring from the grave where Jesus lay. The great, heavy stone rolled away of itself. And Jesus, glorious, strong, beautiful, and alive, came forth from the tomb. He visited His dear Mother and thanked her. He showed Himself to Mary Magdalen who was weeping for Him. He appeared to His Apostles. He proved to us that we shall live forever. This was the first Easter.
The Ascension
Second Glorious Mystery - The Ascension
For forth days Jesus remained on earth after His Resurrection. He established His Church and gave it wonderful powers. He talked to His friends, telling them about heaven, and about the work they must do first for God and souls. Then one Thursday, He took them all up on Mount Olivet. He gave them His last instructions and said goodbye. Slowly by His own power, He began to rise from the earth. He stretched out His hands to bless them. He smiled down for the last time upon His Mother. At last a cloud covered Him, and He entered the joys of heaven. An angel then came to the Apostles and told them to go back and begin to work for souls. Some day they too would enter heaven and be happy forever.
The Descent of the Holy Ghost
Third Glorious Mystery - The Descent of the Holy Ghost
Christ had promised the Apostles, "I will send you the Holy Spirit. He will be your Comforter." After Jesus left them, the Apostles were afraid. So they hid themselves in the little apartment of Mary. They prayed and waited for nine days. This was the first Novena. Then on Pentacost, over their heads, the Apostles saw parted tongues of fire. A tongue settled on each of their heads. The Holy Spirit had come. At once, they went out and began to tell everyone about Jesus. They spoke so strongly that thousands believed and were baptized. This was the birthday of the Catholic Church.
The Assumption
Fourth Glorious Mystery - The Assumption
For a long time, Jesus left His Mother on earth. He wanted her to take care of His Apostles, and be the Mother of the new Church. Then one day He quietly sent for her, and with a smile she died. The Apostles came from all over the earth to be at her deathbed. They carried her body to her grave and laid it gently in the ground. Saint Thomas came late, after the burial. When the Apostles took him to the grave, they found it empty and open. Where Mary’s body had rested, beautiful lilies were growing. Jesus had sent His angels to bring the body of His Mother to heaven. It was too pure to rest in the earth. It had served Him so well that it must at once enjoy the happiness of heaven.
The Coronation
Fifth Glorious Mystery - The Coronation
Mary had served Jesus all her life. She had loved and served God with her whole heart and soul. She had never committed the slightest sin. So in heaven she was to have her reward. Body and soul, Mary entered heaven. Her Son, Jesus, met her and took her in His grateful arms. The heavenly Father said, "This is My dear devoted daughter." The Divine Son said, "This is My dear faithful Mother." The Holy Spirit said, "This is my sweet, pure bride." And the saints and angels all cried, "This is our Queen!" So Jesus, the King of Kings, seated her on her throne. On her head He placed a glorious crown of stars. But Mary looked down to see her children on earth. For now she could help her sons and daughters to reach heaven. Mary is the Queen of Heaven. But she is our loving Mother who protects us with her power.
Flowers for the Queen
Mary is the lovely Mother of the world. She is the beautiful Queen of Heaven. Now the sweetest gift that people give to a mother and a queen is a bouquet of flowers. Mary, since that first Christmas, has been wonderfully good to all her children. So we love to give her roses. Since she is in heaven, it is hard to give her roses from our gardens. Yet we do this when we decorate her shrines. Always we can give her our Rosary, a beautiful bouquet of prayers. So we lay the Rosary in the arms of our Queen and Mother.
Saint Dominic
Like all the great saints, Saint Dominic deeply loved God’s Mother, Mary. He dedicated his splendid priests, the Dominicans, to her. Dominic taught men to love the name of Jesus. He longed to make them know and love the sweet Mother of Jesus. He wanted them to pray to her, to think of her, to recall the wonderful life of Jesus and Mary. Mary loved her son, Dominic. So she gave him a string of beads like a necklace. She taught him how to use it. She asked him to give it to the world. And from that day on, men and women have used the Rosary when they pray to God’s Mother.
Praying the Rosary
Sometimes, when we pray to Mary, we talk to her. Sometimes, when we pray to Mary, we just think about her and her Son. When we use the Rosary, we talk to her and think about her and Jesus at the same time. For our vocal prayers we use the Apostles Creed, the Our Father, the Hail Mary, the Glory Be to the Father. For our mental prayers, we think about the great events in the life of Mary and her divine Son called Mysteries. So when we use the Rosary, we talk to the Blessed Trinity, to Our Father in Heaven, and to Mary herself. And all the while we keep think about the great events that filled the life of Jesus and Mary on earth.
The Greatest String of Beads
Often we call the Rosary our "beads." Almost every Catholic carries these beads in his pocket or in her purse. Little children love to say them with their parents. When Catholics die, usually their beads are twined through their fingers and they are buried with them. Great saints have called their beads a ladder leading up to heaven. But simple, uneducated people loved them too. Today, good Catholics say them when they walk, in street cars, while they wait for friends, at night in their rooms, driving their autos, wherever they have a minute to think of Jesus and talk to Mary.
The Way the Rosary is Said
Most beads are only one-third the full Rosary. The beads start with a crucifix. On this, we recite the Apostles Creed. Then on all the large beads we say the Our Father. At the beginning of the Rosary there is one of these large beads. Following it are three small beads. On each bead we say the Hail Mary. The beads are connected with a chain. When we come to the big space that follows each group of Hail Marys we say the Glory Be to the Father. The beads are grouped in decades called Mysteries; one Our Father, ten Hail Marys, and one Glory Be. On a small set of beads, there are five decades. On a complete Rosary, there are fifteen decades.
Thinking and Praying
We like to say important things over and over again. Our mother loves to hear us say repeatedly, "Mother, I love you!" When a hero passes, the crowds keep shouting, "Hooray! Hooray!" So in the Rosary we repeat the beautiful Hail Mary. Mary loves to think we greet her over and over again. But while we do this, we keep thinking about her and her Son. We pick a scene from her life and the life of our Lord. We think of that while we say one decade. So with our voices we praise and love God and Mary. And all the time, we keep thinking about the things that made her happy, the cruel Passion of Our Lord that made her sad, the glorious events that made her Queen of Heaven.
Days of the Week
So when we start the Rosary, we ask ourselves what day of the week it is. If it is Monday or Thursday, we say, "For the five decades of my beads, I will think of the things that filled Mary’s heart with joy." These are the Joyful Mysteries. If it is Tuesday or Friday, we say, "Today I will think of the things that made the heart of our Mother sad." These are the Sorrowful Mysteries. If it is Wednesday or Saturday, we say, "This day I will think only of those things which made Mary deeply happy." These are the Glorious Mysteries. If it is Sunday in Advent and up to Lent, we think of the Joyful Mysteries. During Lent on Sunday we think of the Sorrowful Mysteries. The rest of the year on Sundays we think of the Glorious Mysteries.
The Indulgences of the Rosary
When you get a new Rosary, you should have it blessed (if a priest is available). The Popes have loved the Rosary very much. So they gave priests power to bless the Rosary, and when they do, each bead carries with it an Indulgence. This Indulgence is the remission of the temporal punishment we must suffer for our sins either on earth or in Purgatory. There are various kinds of Rosary blessings and each has a different kind of Indulgence. One blessing is called the Dominican, for the great Saint Dominic who received the Rosary from Mary. Another is called the Apostolic. This is the blessing of the Pope. Another is called the Crosier, which makes us think of the cross on the Rosary.
A Sure Sign of Predestination
Pope Pius X said: "If you want peace in your heart, in your home, in your country, assemble together every night and say the ROSARY. Many complain that it is tiring repetition – that they cannot meditate on the mysteries. Our Blessed Mother gave this advice to St. Dominic: "This is why, before doing anything else, priests should try to kindle a love of prayer in people’s hearts and especially a love of my rosary. If only they would all start saying it and persevere, God, in His mercy, could hardly refuse to give them His grace. So I want you to preach My Rosary!"
St. Louis de Montfort said: "I beg of you to beware of thinking of the Rosary as something of little importance – as do ignorant people and even several great but proud scholars. Far from being insignificant, the Rosary is a priceless treasure which is inspired by God." He also tells us: "For never will anyone who says his Rosary every day become a formal heretic or be led astray by the devil."
St. Dominic prayed to Our Lady that she would force the devils, who possessed a man, to reveal the truth about devotion to her. The devils were forced by Our Lady to reveal: "Now that we are forced to speak we must also tell you this: Nobody who perseveres in saying the Rosary will be damned, because she obtains for her servants the grace of true contrition for their sins and by means of this they obtain God’s forgiveness and mercy."
St. Teresa of Avila tells us how priceless a treasure it is by showing the value and merits of a single HAIL MARY. Shortly after her death, she appeared to one of the sisters of her community and told her that she was willing to return to a life of suffering until the end of time to merit the degree of glory which God rewards one devoutly recited Hail Mary.
What a wonderful consolation to know that we can be assured of salvation by giving just fifteen minutes a day to praying the Rosary.
I believe that Mary was the mother of Jesus. I just don't think she was born on the date your post indicated....as my post indicated.
No knowledgeable student of the Bible believes that Jesus was born on 25 December. Tradition has established that date, but it certainly does not match the Biblical narrative.
Having said that, there is even less revelation from God about the birth date of Mary.
I would be interested in hearing your opinion about the Biblical narrative.
In the early Greek periods, December was the month of orgies and feasts and festivals to the gods. It was the time of the feast of Saturnalia. The winter was coming, and they wanted to appease the gods, that they would survive the winter and they would see the spring and all of this. So these tremendous pagan festivals to Saturnalia and to many other deities were held in December. Now, the Constantine Roman Empire that came about in about 300 or so, after that they wanted to sort of Christianize everything, and so in approximately 450 AD the bishop of Rome decided that it would be really good if they could Christianize the festivals of December. So he determined in some kind of conjunction with the Bishop of Jerusalem that they would spot December 25 as the birth of Christ. And if they could pick December 25th as the birth of Christ, that might sanctify all of this, even though it’s highly unlikely that He was born then. They were really trying to overpower the paganism. But instead, they got a mishmash.
Additionally, The biblical narrative of Jesus' birth gives no date for the event, though it more likely occurred in spring than in winter. Saint Luke tells us that shepherds were "abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flocks by night" -- shepherds guarded their flocks day and night only at lambing time, in the spring; in winter, the animals were kept in corrals, unwatched.
The biblical narrative of Jesus' birth gives no date for the event, though it more likely occurred in spring than in winter
How about the narrative in Luke 1:5 where Zechariah, belonging to the priestly division of Abijah(I Chron 24:10)upon finishing his service (2 weeks) in the temple.... verse 24, "after this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion." Zechariah's service was the sixteenth division according to the Hebrew way of reckoning and would have taken place about four months after the beginning of the Hebrew year....or about July through August our time.(Four months from the first Hebrew month of Nisan), which corresponds to our April.
If Elizabeth became pregnant around the first of August Mary would have visited her around the first of February, Luke 1:26-45. "In the sixth month...." If Mary became pregnant with Jesus the first part of February then Jesus would have been born in the fall...perhaps around the date of the Feast of Tabernacles.
The Feast of Tabernacles was God's last annual holiday each year and this seems quite fitting to me if indeed this was the case.
Zechariah's division was the eighth, but each division served 2 weeks in the temple....so I meant the 16th week.
I absolutely believe in Mary. I always have and always will. I also hold a great deal of respect for the Catholics and the Orthodox. You might have seen my postings on how I have been temporarily attending a Ukrainian Catholic church and how I admire the liturgy there. However, as a born-and-bred Protestant, I have never heard of a festival to do with the birth of Mary, nor seen any document that outlines her age to such detail. I am interested in learning more, although I am unlikely to follow these beliefs because they are not specifically in the Bible. For example, I would LIKE to believe that St Thomas went to India and was martyred there. I have even seen the hand print on the cave wall that he supposedly left there. However, this is from tradition and not the Bible so I can chose to believe it or not.
My original post was not meant to be bashing but rather derives from a confusion about where the ages given for Mary would possibly come from. I didn't realize that this was from real Catholic and/or Orthodox sources and not some strange sort of cult. I have no objection to people celebrating Mary's birthday as a saint's day, which I believe is today.
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