Posted on 06/11/2007 8:11:53 PM PDT by markomalley
| CHURCH GREW IN UNDERSTANDING OF MARY’S ROLE |
| Pope John Paul II |
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Down the centuries, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the Church has sought to understand more clearly the revealed truth about the Mother of God "The sparse information on Mary's earthly life is compensated by its quality and theological richness, which contemporary exegesis has carefully brought to light", the Holy Father said at the General Audience of Wednesday, 8 November, as he continued his reflections on the Virgin Mary. The Pope's catechesis on Mary in Sacred Scripture and theological reflection was the fourth in the series on the Blessed Mother and was given in Italian. 1. In our preceding catecheses we saw how the doctrine of Mary's motherhood passed from its first formula, "Mother of Jesus", to the more complete and explicit, "Mother of God", even to the affirmation of her maternal involvement in the redemption of humanity. For other aspects of Marian doctrine as well, many centuries were necessary to arrive at the explicit definition of the revealed truths concerning Mary. Typical examples of this faith journey towards the ever deeper discovery of Mary's role in the history of salvation are the dogma of the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption, proclaimed, as we know by two of my venerable predecessors, respectively, the Servant of God Pius IX in 1854, and the Servant of God Pius XII during the Jubilee Year of 1950.
Mariology is a particular field of theological research: in it the Christian people's love for Mary intuited, frequently in anticipation, certain aspects of the mystery of the Blessed Virgin, calling the attention of theologians and pastors to them. Mother of Jesus had role in salvation history 2. We must recognize that, at first sight, the Gospels offer scant information on the person and life of Mary. We would certainly like to have had fuller information about her, which would have enabled us to know the Mother of God better. This expectation remains unsatisfied, even in the other New Testament writings where an explicit doctrinal development regarding Mary is lacking. Even St Paul's letters, which offer us a rich reflection on Christ and his work, limit themselves to stating, in a very significant passage, that God sent his Son "born of woman" (Gal 4:4). Very little is said about Mary's family. If we exclude the infancy narratives, in the Synoptic Gospels we find only two statements which shed some light on Mary: one concerning the attempt by his "brethren" or relatives to take Jesus back to Nazareth (cf. Mk 3:2 1; Mt 12:48); the other, in response to a woman's exclamation about the blessedness of Jesus' Mother (Lk 11:27).
Nevertheless, Luke, in the infancy Gospel, in the episodes of the Annunciation, the Visitation, the birth of Jesus, the presentation of the Child in the temple and his finding among the teachers at the age of 12, not only provides us with some important facts, but presents a sort of "proto-Mariology" of fundamental interest. His information is indirectly completed by Matthew in the account of the annunciation to Joseph (Mt 1:18-25), but only with regard to the virginal conception of Jesus. Moreover, John's Gospel deepens our knowledge of the value for salvation history of the role played by the Mother of Jesus, when it records her presence at the beginning and end of his public fife. Particularly significant is Mary's presence at the Cross, when she received from her dying Son the charge to be mother to the beloved disciple and, in him, to all Christians (cf. Jn 2:1-12; Jn 19:25-27). Lastly, the Acts of the Apostles expressly numbers the Mother of Jesus among the women of the first community awaiting Pentecost (cf. Acts 1:14). However, in the absence of further New Testament evidence and reliable historical sources, we know nothing of Mary's life after the Pentecost event nor of the date and circumstances of her death. We can only suppose that she continued to live with the Apostle John and that she was very closely involved in the development of the first Christian community. 3. The sparse information on Mary's earthly life is compensated by its quality and theological richness, which contemporary exegesis has carefully brought to light. Moreover, we must remember that the Evangelists' viewpoint is totally Christological and is concerned with the Mother only in relation to the joyful proclamation of the Son. As St Ambrose observed, the Evangelist, in expounding the mystery of the Incarnation, "believed it was better not to seek further testimonies about Mary's virginity, in order not to seem the defender of the Virgin rather than the preacher of the mystery" (Exp. in Lucam, 2, 6: PL 15, 1555).
We can recognize in this fact a special intention of the Holy Spirit, who desired to awaken in the Church an effort of research which, preserving the centrality of the mystery of Christ, might not be caught up in details about Mary's life, but aim above all at discovering her role in the work of salvation, her personal holiness and her maternal mission in Christian life. Faith of the simple recognized Mary's holiness 4. The Holy Spirit guides the Church's effort, committing her to take on Mary's own attitudes. In the account of Jesus' birth, Luke noted how his mother kept all these things, "pondering them in her heart" (Lk 2:19), striving, that is, to "put together" (symballousa), in a deeper vision, all the events of which she was the privileged witness. Similarly, the people of God are also urged by the same Spirit to understand deeply all that has been said about Mary, in order to progress in the knowledge of her mission, intimately linked to the mystery of Christ.
As Mariology develops, the particular role of the Christian people emerges. They co-operate, by the affirmation and witness of their faith, in the progress of Marian doctrine, which normally is not only the work of theologians, even if their task is indispensable to deepening and clearly explaining the datum of faith and the Christian experience itself. The faith of the simple is admired and praised by Jesus, who recognized in it a marvellous expression of the Father's benevolence (cf. Mt 11:25; Lk 10:21). Down the centuries it continues to proclaim the marvels of the history of salvation, hidden from the wise. This faith, in harmony with the Virgin's simplicity, has led to progress in the recognition of her personal holiness and the transcendent value of her motherhood. The mystery of Mary commits every Christian, in communion with the Church, "to pondering in his heart" what the Gospel revelation affirms about the Mother of Christ. In the logic of the Magnificat, after the example of Mary, each one will personally experience God's love and will discover a sign of God's tenderness for man in the marvels wrought by the Blessed Trinity in the woman "full of grace". |
Even if one didn't begin from the point of believing the Bible was true, just reading those elegant verses you posted should be enough to convince men that God is speaking through the Scripture.
"From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I." -- Psalm 61:2
The rock is not an edifice made with bricks and mortar. The rock is not Mary or the magisterium or any saints in heaven.
The Rock is singular; the rock is specific; the rock is God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit.
The answer is that they would not unless taking the generalistic "not a Catholic" view.
The AoG did not spin off from any particular denomination. It was formed as a cooperative fellowship coming out of the early Pentecostal movement.
It is the Name published at the very beginning of the Song of Moses, which will also be sung in heaven. (Revelation 15:3) – emphasis mine:
[He is] the Rock, his work [is] perfect: for all his ways [are] judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right [is] he. – Deuteronomy 32:1-4
They are mental tools we use to comfort ourselves against the big bad world, not paradigms, though our different paradigms will cause us to reach for one kind of tool over another.
Picture yourself stripped down nekkid & shivering. What do you mentally reach for to find comfort? You gonna be angry at the guy who put you where you are or are you gonna reach for self pity, oh look at how I am suffering? If the first thing that came to mind was trying to figure out how to get out of that situation, are you quite sure that that is what you're supposed to do?
Some of us find comfort from anger, while others of us find comfort in self pity. Still others reach for taking action or finding the intellectual answer to the riddle. Any one of them can become our own personal holy cows.
Now, picture yourself sitting down & finding acceptance for the state you're in. Now who or what are you reaching for? IMHO, there is only one right answer & if I'm not going directly to Him, anything that I use to try to get to Him is another potential sacred cow to me. I didn't say that it is a sacred cow, only that it can be.
That's the conclusion that I'd come to. Thanx
"...all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; And did all eat the same spiritual meat; And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. – 1 Cor 10:1-4
AMEN!
What perfect Scripture. Thank you.
Hi friend,
Why do catholics pray to Mary?
Holy Mary, Mother of God
Pray for us sinners
But there is only one mediator between us and God. Should catholics pray to Jesus? I am not putting Mary down, she was highly favored.
The Oneida Community folks made great traps and other goods. Interesting group of people. The Mansion House exists today. You can tour it. I think there are apartments for folks who may have descended from the Noyes family. Oneida Community Silver was founded by them as well. Unfortunately, they aren’t doing well anymore.
Is the word “cousin” ever used in the Bible? I don’t think it is, so why can’t “brothers’ just be a collective word for “kin”.
Is the word 'brother' ever used in the Bible to denote a known cousin? No.
Welllllll....what do they call COUSIN in the Bible?
Well, I am sure you NEVER ask anyone to pray for you....right?
The King James version uses the word Cousin, at least in the book of Luke (see 1:36 and 1:58)
God's richest blessings to you!
Your post, #220, was absolutely inspired of God, you may never know how much.
As I read your post, I thought of this passage...
But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, without uncertainty or insincerity. And the harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. (Jas 3:17-18 RSV)
May the peace of Christ be with you.
Never a dead person :)
The Rock is singular; the rock is specific; the rock is God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit.
Dr. E.,
Truer words were never spoken.
Your statements reminded me of a Psalm that is prayed by Catholic clergy and many laypeople as a part of the Liturgy of the Hours:
O come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. The sea is his, for he made it; for his hands formed the dry land.
O come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker! For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. O that today you would hearken to his voice!
Harden not your hearts, as at Mer'ibah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness, when your fathers tested me, and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.
For forty years I loathed that generation and said, "They are a people who err in heart, and they do not regard my ways." Therefore I swore in my anger that they should not enter my rest.
What do you think is the Rock that we pray to every morning with this Psalm?
May the word of Christ continue to dwell in you richly!
When I've found myself in the situation before (stuck in the middle of a white out storm, on the access road to a remote mountaintop communications station...with a broken down truck), I was not terribly concerned with blaming anybody. I was concerned with survival and getting the other people who were in the truck with me out of the situation. And we are talking walking off a mountain (we were closer to a little Turkish village at the bottom of the mountain than we were to the communications site at the top of the mountain).
So your analogy is probably not a good one for me ;)
But I know what you're saying here.
And in the hypothetical, I would hope that I would feel neither anger nor self pity. Rather, I'd hope to have the same reaction as St. Paul, Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, (Col 1:24)
There is that about you alright.
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