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Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God - Mary, Full of Grace
Boston Catholic Journal ^ | December 31, 2007

Posted on 12/31/2007 11:46:28 AM PST by NYer

"Grace", we are taught by Holy Mother Church, "is a participation in the life of God" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, §1997) – and Mary, the Angel Gabriel declares, is filled with it! Filled with the life of God, participating in the life of God as no other human being in history. She alone is full of grace, she alone participates consummately in the life of God – even before she bore His Son.

Why?

Because she was to bear His Son. It was from Mary that Jesus took His Sacred Humanity. It was from Mary that He took His flesh, becoming like unto us in every way but sin.

How much closer can a human being be to God ... than to have given Him His very flesh ... enabling, yes, enabling God to become man!

Jesus' flesh was not different from Mary's – it was Mary's! ... just as his Divinity was not different from God's, but was, is, God's.

Ponder that a while ... and look at Mary anew, and her place in the scheme of things, in what theologians call, "the economy of Salvation."

She was not just "highly favored" as many current translations inexplicably corrupt the text ,"gratia plena".

Abraham was highly favored by God. Moses was highly favored by God. David was highly favored by God. But neither Abraham nor Isaac, neither Jacob nor David, and not even Moses, were "full of grace" --- that is to say, fully possessed of that participation in the very life of God with which Mary was endowed through her Immaculate Conception in the womb of her mother, St. Anne. She was to bear, to give flesh that was untainted by sin, to the Son of God

Who can possibly be closer to Jesus Christ both in Heaven and on Earth? Who is, ever will be, more one with Him ... than Mary, whose flesh is one flesh with Him since the moment of His conception in her womb, His Incarnation --- and will be for all eternity?

Who is like unto Mary? No man. No other woman. Only her Son.

That we should love her, who loved Him most, is loving Christ Himself in His Sacred Humanity, a humanity inseparable from His Divinity. In Him is Mary as she is in no other; in Mary is Christ as He is in no other!

We cannot love Mary enough. Nor can we separate her from her Son any more than we can separate from Jesus his Divinity from His Humanity.

Look at Mary anew! And if you do not stand back in stupefaction, you are a stone.

Hail Mary! She is full of Grace!

Ite ad Mariam! Go to Mary!

How like unto the Son, the Mother, and like unto the Mother, the Son!

 

 

Faithful to the Holy See in Rome




TOPICS: Apologetics; Catholic; Theology
KEYWORDS: bowing; catholic; catholiclist; kneeling
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1 posted on 12/31/2007 11:46:30 AM PST by NYer
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To: Salvation; narses; SMEDLEYBUTLER; redhead; Notwithstanding; nickcarraway; Romulus; ...

2 posted on 12/31/2007 11:47:37 AM PST by NYer ("Where the bishop is present, there is the Catholic Church" - Ignatius of Antioch)
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To: NYer

How tragic for Mary to be so misrepresented as to become an idol to many.


3 posted on 12/31/2007 11:52:00 AM PST by The Ghost of FReepers Past (Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light..... Isaiah 5:20)
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To: The Ghost of FReepers Past

Anything to take the focus away from what Jesus did.


4 posted on 12/31/2007 11:53:15 AM PST by Texas Eagle (Could pacifists exist if there weren't people brave enough to go to war for their right to exist?)
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To: NYer
What a beautiful painting.

Ave, Maria!

How it must break Jesus' heart that people fail to honor his most beautiful mother.

5 posted on 12/31/2007 11:57:09 AM PST by the invisib1e hand (whose spirit is hillary channelling these days?)
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To: All

SOLEMNITY OF MARY, MOTHER OF GOD LIVE 90 min

Pope Benedict XVI celebrates the Mass of the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God and the 41st World Day of Peace, live from St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.

Tue,01/01/08 4:00 AM Live
Tue,01/01/08 12:00 PM & 6:30 PM Encore

6 posted on 12/31/2007 12:08:06 PM PST by NYer ("Where the bishop is present, there is the Catholic Church" - Ignatius of Antioch)
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To: The Ghost of FReepers Past; Texas Eagle
How tragic for Mary to be so misrepresented as to become an idol to many.

Catholics honor Mary. They do not worship anyone but God.

7 posted on 12/31/2007 12:15:05 PM PST by NYer ("Where the bishop is present, there is the Catholic Church" - Ignatius of Antioch)
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To: The Ghost of FReepers Past
Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yes, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.
8 posted on 12/31/2007 12:26:42 PM PST by papertyger (changing words quickly metastasizes into changing facts -- Ann Coulter)
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To: Texas Eagle
Anything to take the focus away from what Jesus did.

Like everything besides the Gospels?

9 posted on 12/31/2007 12:29:58 PM PST by papertyger (changing words quickly metastasizes into changing facts -- Ann Coulter)
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To: NYer

What’s tragic is Mary becoming a stalking horse for those who use “righteous indignation” as a substitute for the grace of God.


10 posted on 12/31/2007 12:44:25 PM PST by papertyger (changing words quickly metastasizes into changing facts -- Ann Coulter)
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To: NYer
I have always admired that paining: Song of the Angels (1881) by French artist William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1825-1905)

High resolution image 1.28MB

11 posted on 12/31/2007 1:22:37 PM PST by iowamark
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To: iowamark

Thanks for naming it for me, I have always also thought it was exceptionally beautiful.


12 posted on 12/31/2007 1:55:53 PM PST by tiki (True Christians will not deliberately slander or misrepresent others or their beliefs)
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To: NYer
Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God - Mary, Full of Grace

Happy Mother's Day to Mary - the Mother of God

Catholic beliefs about Mary, the Mother of God

Mary, Mother of God

The Early Church Fathers on The Mother of God - Catholic/Orthodox Caucus

Mary, Mother of God

Mary in Feminist Theology: Mother of God or Domesticated Goddess?

Mary: True Mother of God

Feast of Mary, Mother of God (not a Holy Day of Obligation this year)

MARIAN DEVOTION - Akathist Hymn to the Mother of God

Mother of God

Virgin Mother of God

A Homily on the Dormition of Our Supremely Pure Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary

The Mother of the Son: The Case for Marian Devotion

Mary: True Mother of God

13 posted on 12/31/2007 2:50:50 PM PST by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
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To: iowamark; NYer

Thank you-— so very beautiful. It is a balm which heals our hearts and shields us from the ugliness in this world.

Blessed be God in His angels and in His saints.


14 posted on 12/31/2007 3:21:36 PM PST by Mrs. Don-o (Christus natus est! O Magnum Mysterium! Christ is born! Glorify Him!)
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To: NYer

Mary is certainly a singularily unique human. Daughter of the Father, Mother of the Son, and Spouse of the Holy Spirit. The only one in the Holy Scripture who has been described as “Full of Grace”.


15 posted on 12/31/2007 3:44:44 PM PST by Klondike
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To: NYer; motoman; mgist; gpapa; roughman; Not gonna take it anymore; GOP Poet; Apparatchik; ...
+

Freep-mail me to get on or off my pro-life and Catholic Ping List:

Add me / Remove me

Please ping me to all note-worthy Pro-Life or Catholic threads, or other threads of interest.

16 posted on 12/31/2007 3:50:24 PM PST by narses (...the spirit of Trent is abroad once more.)
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To: Klondike

John 19:26-27 “When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! (27) Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own {home}.”


17 posted on 12/31/2007 4:07:28 PM PST by narses (...the spirit of Trent is abroad once more.)
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To: Mrs. Don-o
The Mother of Our Lord is a M O T H E R ... a most sacred role indeed just for we mortals. Image, Mary willingly accepted the greatest honor to any Human ever before. If I could sing like THIS FELLA I would do so. Thanks be to God for the fidelity of The Mother of Our Lord.
18 posted on 12/31/2007 4:20:51 PM PST by MHGinTN (Believing they cannot be deceived, they cannot be convinced when they are deceived.)
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And most importantly, Mary accepted that honor with the utmost humility.


19 posted on 12/31/2007 4:22:33 PM PST by MHGinTN (Believing they cannot be deceived, they cannot be convinced when they are deceived.)
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To: Mrs. Don-o

EWTN


 


"Joan's Rome"
A Daily Blog by Joan Lewis



20 posted on 12/31/2007 4:33:27 PM PST by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
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