![](http://www.arxpub.com/bursts/saint-paul.jpg")
Saint Paul pray for those who hate the Church.Blessed art thou among women, and
Blessed is the fruit of thy womb...
Catholicism has right there the key reason no Christian can support candidates who are pro-abortion... If the Democrat Party Platform had its way, a young teen mother pregnant without explanation would have been rushed to Planned Parenthood for a quick abortion, no questions asked. Ergo, no Jesus.
And don't anyone start with that "it's pro-choice not pro-abortion" crap, because I've never seen a "pro-choice" person support the "choice" we make to be "pro-life".
Protestants who are so worried about this “worship” of Mary need to leave us alone. We’re Christians—it’s amazing how many don’t know that—we believe that Jesus is the son of God. (In fact, we believed it first) Go bother somebody who doesn’t, and leave us be.
“Alive”?
Try “definitional.”
It’s one of many points that marks Roman Catholicism off from Biblical Christianity.
You wrote:
“Nope, no idolatry here.”
You’re right. There isn’t any idolatry there. I like James White’s sister much more than James White.
"Never apologize for the Blessed Virgin Mary!"
~~Mother Angelica
There you go again — using a non-Catholic website to try to define Catholic beliefs.
How many times to we need to tell you that Catholics do not worship the Blessed Virgin Mary. We venerate her as the Mother of Jesus Christ, true God and true Man.
Ping for later
I think many of them do it without even recognizing fully that they're doing it. That's my experience in talking with them about it. That's why it's such a dangerous doctrine to support in the Church. The average lay person around the world cannot possibly separate veneration from adoration in their mind or heart, in most cases, I would think. It's quite easy to cross the line - and Benedict's prayer shows that.
Mary doesn't "lead us" to Jesus. She isn't "mediator" of anything. This is completely without support anywhere in Scripture and is solely an invention of the Church (and it's a late, medieval invention, too, it has no basis in the tradition or practice the early Church). All Mary can do is act as an example of someone's submission to God's will and responding positively to his grace. But Scripture clearly says that there is one mediator between man and God, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy), and Hebrews lays it out too, that Jesus is our great high priest and is the sole mediator between man and God. We don't need any mediator other than Christ - no priests, no saints, no one but Jesus.
Hear prayers, provide special intercession as the Mother of the Son of God, that she is the Mother of God, that she is the mother of the church, that she is the Queen of Heaven, that she was immaculately conceived, that she was ever virgin, the dispenser of all grace, that she gave birth while keeping a hymen intact, or that she is our co-redeemer, that she appears to people with messages, that she performs miracles from heaven.
And that she is rightly called:
Holy Mary
Holy Mother of God;
Most honored of virgins;
Chosen daughter of the Father
Mother of Christ;
Glory of the Holy Spirit
Virgin daughter of Zion,
Virgin poor and humble,
Virgin gentle and obedient,
Handmaid of the Lord,
Mother of the Lord,
Helper of the Redeemed,
Full of grace,
Fountain of beauty,
Model of virtue,
Finest fruit of the redemption,
Perfect disciple of Christ,
Untarnished image of the Church,
Woman transformed,
Woman clothed with the sun,
Woman crowned with stars,
Gentle Lady,
Gracious Lady,
Our Lady,
Joy of Israel,
Splendor of the Church,
Pride of the human race,
Advocate of grace,
Minister of holiness,
Champion of God’s people,
Queen of love,
Queen of mercy,
Queen of peace,
Queen of angels,
Queen of patriarchs and prophets,
Queen of apostles and martyrs,
Queen of confessors and virgins,
Queen of all saints,
Queen conceived without original sin,
Queen assumed into heaven,
Queen of all earth,
Queen of heaven,
Queen of the universe (pp. 190,191)
From the “Litany of Loreto”
Mother of the Church,
Mother of Divine grace,
Mother most pure;
Mother of chaste love;
Mother and virgin,
Sinless Mother,
Dearest of Mothers,
Model of motherhood,
Mother of good counsel;
Mother of our Creator;
Mother of our Savior;
Virgin most wise;
Virgin rightly praised;
Virgin rightly renowned;
Virgin most powerful;
Virgin gentle in mercy;
Faithful Virgin;
Mirror of justice;
Throne of wisdom;
Cause of our joy;
Shrine of the Spirit;
Glory of Israel,
Vessel of selfless devotion;
Mystical rose;
Tower of David;
Tower of ivory;
House of gold;
Ark of the covenant;
Gate of heaven;
Morning star;
Health of the sick;
Refuge of sinners;
Comfort of the troubled;
Help of Christians;
Queen of the rosary;
Among hundreds of other names.
The worship of the Saints is an act of veneration (dulia), not of adoration (latria), which can be given only to God. It is wrong to imagine, as many Protestants do, that by praying to and venerating the Saints we subtract something from the homage we owe to God...From the thread The Veneration and Imitation of the Saints
All y’all have bigger problems than worrying about what you think Catholics believe”
“US PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH VOTES TO ALLOW “UNRESTRICTED RIGHT” TO ABORTION TILL VIABILITY
WASHINGTON, June 24, 2002 (LSN.ca) - The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) voted Friday to affirm the “unrestricted right” to abortion prior to the child being able to survive on his/her own outside the womb. After viability, the assembly says, late term abortion is still acceptable but pastoral and medical counsel is advised and it is suggested only in cases of rape, incest, fetal suffering, and to preserve the health and life of the mother.
Judy L. Woods, moderator of the denomination’s advisory committee on litigation said “We affirmed the fundamental right to (abortion) prior to viability. But after viability, we have said that although there is still a right to choose, that choice has to be undertaken after prayer and pastoral consultation . . . and only in certain circumstances.” The denomination also voted to continue to fund late-term abortions under the church’s medical benefits plan. http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2002/jun/02062401.html
We face a social and moral disaster if Comrade Zero, Plugs and the Thugocracy is elected.
Therefore it's not "Roman Catholics" out of step with the rest of the Christian world with their ideas about Mary. Rather, it's the ENTIRE Christian world has one view about Mary -- and the ONLY Christians who don't accept it are churches descended from the 15th century protestant schism.
This whole "Mary gave birth to a mortal man only" stuff on this board does seem to bother me. Christianity since its earliest days has held that the Jesus that walked on the earth was both human AND divine, and anyone who refused to accept that was a hectic. Don't argue the point with me, take it up with the fathers of the church.
Great article Otto, thanks for posting it!
For reference, I think it would be a good idea to read the actual prayer these excerpts came from. It seems as it’s the prayer below, even though it apparently has the name of “Supplication to the Madonna of Pompeii”, and not “Supplication of the Blessed Virgin of the Rosary”. (I believe)
A brief note though, about the man who wrote the prayer, would, I think, be also interesting and informative. This devotion was started by Bl. Bartolo Longo, who had once been a Satanist “priest”. He converted, did penance, and became a lay Dominican. In 1872, Longo, a lawyer, went to Pompeii see to the affairs of Countess Marianna Farnararo De Fusco. He started there a Confraternity of the Rosary. They obtained a picture of the Blessed Virgin from a monastery, which before that was in a second hand store, before which they could recite the Rosary every day. It showed Mary with Sts. Dominic and Catherine of Siena. In 1875 Longo received permission to build a church. Miracles were reported and pilgrimages began. The picture has been restored several times since then. Longo also saw tot he building of complex for works of mercy with orphans and prisoners. Pope John Paul II beatified Bartolo Longo in 1980. Some of his writings form the basis of the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary.
Source of above and of the prayer below: http://wdtprs.com/blog/2008/05/8-may-indulgence-supplication-to-ol-of-pompeii-at-1200h-2/
The prayer:
PETITION TO OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY OF POMPEII
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
I.
O august Queen of victories, Virgin who reignest in paradise, whose mighty name causes heaven to rejoice and hell to tremble, o glorious Queen of the most holy Rosary, we, thy happy children chosen by thy goodness in this century to build thee a temple at Pompeii, kneeling at thy feet on this solemn day to commemorate thy latest triumphs on the spot where idols and demons were formerly worshipped, we pour out with tears the feelings of our hearts and with a filial confidence lay before thee our miseries.
From that throne of mercy where thou sittest as Queen, o Mary, turn down thy pitiful eyes on us, on our families, on Italy, on Europe, and the whole Church; take into pity the afflictions which overwhelm us and the cares which embitter our life. Thou seest, o Mother, how many dangers of soul and body, how many calamities and afflictions press upon us.
O Mother, keep back the arm of justice of thy indignant Son, and conquer by thy mercy the hearts of sinners, since they are our brethren and thy children, redeemed through the blood of our sweet Jesus and through the wounds of thy most tender heart pierced with the sword. Show thyself to all in this day, as thou art, the Queen of peace and mercy.
Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of mercy,...
- Vouchsafe that I may praise thee, o sacred Virgin.
- Give me strength against thy enemies.
- Pray for us, Queen of the most holy Rosary,
- That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
II.
It is but too true that we, although thy children, are the first who crucify Jesus in our hearts and wound anew thy heart by our sins. We confess it, we deserve the severest chastisements; yet remember how thou didst receive, on the top of Golgotha, the last drops of that divine blood, and the testament of our dying Redeemer. And this testament of a God, sealed with the blood of a Man-God, appointed thee our Mother, the Mother of sinners. Thus, as our Mother, thou art our Advocate and our Hope. To thee, amidst sighs, do we lift up our hands, crying for mercy!
Have pity, good mother, have pity on us, on our souls, on our families, on our relations, on our friends, on our departed brethren, above all, on our enemies, and on so many who claim the name of Christians, yet wound the loving heart of thy Son. Pity, o Mother, we now implore thee for pity on the erring nations, on all Europe, on the whole world, that they may repair repentant to thy heart. Be merciful to all, o Mother of mercy.
Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of mercy,...
- Vouchsafe that I may praise thee, o sacred Virgin.
- Give me strength against thy enemies.
- Pray for us, Queen of the most holy Rosary,
- That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
III.
What does it cost thee, o Mary, to hear us? What does it cost thee to save us? Did not Jesus entrust to thy hands all the treasures of his graces and mercies? Thou sittest as Queen at the right hand of thy Son, crowned with immortal glory, above all the choirs of angels. Thou extendest thy dominion as far as the heavens expand, the earth and all the creatures that people it are subject to thee. Thy power even reaches hell; and thou alone, o Mary, canst rescue us from the devil’s grasp. Thou art almighty by grace, and therefore thou canst save us. Now if you sayest thou wilIest not help us because we are ungrateful children and unworthy of thy protection, tell us at least to whom shall we have recourse in order to be released from so many evils? Oh! No, thy maternal heart will never bear to see the ruin of thy children. The divine Child we behold on thy knees, the mystical crown we admire in thy hand, both inspire us with hope that we will be heard. And full of confidence in thee, we throw ourselves at thy feet, we trust ourselves as feeble children into the arms of the tenderest amongst mothers and today, this very day, we expect from thee the graces we are longing for.
Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of mercy,...
- Vouchsafe that I may praise thee, o sacred Virgin.
- Give me strength against thy enemies.
- Pray for us, Queen of the most holy Rosary,
- That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us ask Mary for her blessing
We now ask of thee, o Queen, a last favor which thou canst not refuse on this solemn day. Grant to all of us thy constant love and in a special manner thy maternal blessing. No, we will not leave thy feet today nor cease clasping thy knees till thou hast blessed us. Bless now, o Mary, the sovereign Pontiff: to the first laurels of thy crown, to the ancient trophies of the Rosary, whence thou art called Queen of victories, add also this one, o Mother, grant triumph to religion and peace to mankind. Bless our bishop, the priests and particularly those who promote the honor of thy Sanctuary; bless finally all those who are associated to thy new temple of Pompeii and who practice and spread devotion to thy most holy rosary .
O blessed rosary of Mary, sweet chain which unites us to God, bond of love, which connects us with the angels, tower of safety against the assaults of hell, sure harbor in the universal shipwreck, never more shall we part with thee; thou shall be our comfort in the hour of agony: to thee the last kiss of our life; and the last word of our dying lips shall be thy sweet name, o Queen of the Rosary of Valle di Pompei. Mother dear, only refuge of sinners, supreme comforter of the afflicted, blessed be thy name, now and forever, on earth and in heaven. Amen.
Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of mercy,...
- Vouchsafe that I may praise thee, o sacred Virgin.
- Give me strength against thy enemies.
- Pray for us, Queen of the most holy Rosary,
- That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
I think it’s worth noting that this devotional prayer to Mary, like many many other devotional prayers that are often cited out of context by anti-Catholics, ultimately have a central focus on Christ. This is clear in that it, like all Catholic prayers, start and end “in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit” and also particularly here, the final request of the prayer itself is that Mary “pray for us” so that we “may be made worthy of the promises of Christ”.
Thus, the point of the prayer is clear: It is begging Mary to “come to our aid” in the way it’s always understood that she helps us, by praying to her Son on our behalf. There is absolutely nothing “idolatrous” about that, or else it’s “idolatrous” every time we have a prayer thread on FR.
Saint Paul pray for those who hate the Church.