Posted on 12/27/2011 8:24:19 PM PST by RnMomof7
Rome, Italy, Dec 8, 2011 / 04:28 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Benedict XVI reflected on the biblical description of a “woman clothed with the sun” in his remarks at Rome's Spanish Steps on the 2011 Feast of the Immaculate Conception.
“What is the meaning of this image? It represents the Church and Our Lady at the same time,” the Pope told the crowd assembled before the nearby statue commemorating the 1854 definition of Mary's Immaculate Conception. “Before all, the 'woman' of the apocalypse is Mary herself.”
The 12th chapter of the Biblical Apocalypse – also known as the Book of Revelation – describes the glorification and persecution of “a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.”
Though not named, this woman is described as the mother of the Messiah. In poetic language akin to the Bible's other prophetic books, Saint John says she faced the threat of “a huge red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns,” and “fled into the desert where she had a place prepared by God.”
Pope Benedict, offering white roses in his traditional yearly act of Marian veneration, gave listeners his insight into the connection between the Virgin Mary and the Church – portrayed in the Apocalypse through the single image of the sun-clad woman.
“She appears 'clothed in sunlight,' that is, clothed in God,” observed the Pope. “The Virgin Mary is in fact completely surrounded by the light of God and lives in God … The 'Immaculate One' reflects with all of her person the light of the 'sun' which is God.”
“Besides representing Our Lady, this sign personifies the Church, the Christian community of all times,” he continued.
The Church, he explained, is “pregnant, in the sense that she carries Christ” and “must give birth to him to the world.”
“This is the labor of the pilgrim Church on earth, that in the midst of the consolations of God and the persecutions of the world, she must bring Christ to men.”
Because the Church continues to bring Jesus into the world, Pope Benedict said, it “finds opposition in a ferocious adversary,” symbolized in scripture by the “dragon” that has “tried in vain to devour Jesus,” and now “directs his attacks against the woman – the Church – in the desert of the world.”
“But in every age the Church is supported by the light and the strength of God,” the Pope said. “She is nurtured in the desert with the bread of his word and the Holy Eucharist.”
“And in this way, in every tribulation, through all of the trials that she finds in the course of the ages and in the different parts of the world, the Church suffers persecution, but comes out the victor.”
Pope Benedict said the Church should not fear persecution, which is bound to arise, but will be defeated.
“The only pitfall of which the Church can and must be afraid is the sin of her members,” he warned, highlighting the key difference between the Church and the woman who is its prototype.
“While in fact Mary is immaculate – free from every stain of sin – the Church is holy, but at the same time marked by our sins.”
While sinless herself, Mary remains in solidarity with the Church struggling against sin.
“That is why the people of God, pilgrims in time, turn to their heavenly mother and ask for her help,” explained Pope Benedict.
He stressed the world's need for the hope brought by the “woman clothed with the sun” – “especially in this difficult moment for Italy, for Europe and for different parts of the world.”
“May Mary help us to see that there is a light beyond the veil of fog that appears to envelop reality,” he declared.
“For this also we, especially on this day, never cease to ask with filial trust for her help: 'O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to you.'”
Ignoring his many and varied odd heretical views, his obsession with UFOology went from unusual to disturbed very quickly.
Was Post 619 actually intended to be Exhibit A for Post 618?
Ping to post 613.
GREAT post.
So who’s “squeez[ing] and manipulat[ing]” the scripture? The ones who follow and conform to the teachers and overseers established by the apostles, or the ones who invent new interpretations? I’ll give you a hint: When Luther invented the doctrines of sola fides, sola scriptura, and rejected purgatory and atonement, the Church said, “Here, in the bible, is where we find our doctrines, and here, in the bible, is where your false doctrines are refuted.” And Luther rejected those books of the bible, Revelations, 2-3 John, Hebrews, 1-2 Macabees, Wisdom, Sirach, 1-2 Peter and James.
Thanks for the ping metmom. Great post roamer_1 and so true.
This can only be followed by wailing and gnashing. Because the truth hurts, sometimes.
Again, thanks!
Dear friend,do you even realize the possible implications of what you're saying is?
The OT is revealed in the NT through Christ and therfore superior.
Just one example through typology...
Moses is a "type"(typology) of Christ and is inferior to the superior NT reality which is Christ
He says, "As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." (I Peter 2:4-5)
Then he adds, " But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy." (I Peter 2:9-10) Now, if God had not desired that we see ourselves as his royal priesthood offering spiritual sacrifices, why did he inspire Peter to say so? I doubt anyone would have just "come up" with the idea had it not been written down for us to see it. What you accuse us of doing "twisting anything are the same ones who migrate which time frame they use for their definitions depending on what they have already decided the Scriptures should say rather than ever bothering to even try and understand what Scriptures do say", sure seems to be the same thing you are doing with regard to this term. Yet you have refused to even address the verses. Have you removed them from your Bible? Why not just answer the question?
Excellent points! Thank you. We have the Bible because God desired that we have it and those who would like nothing better than to usurp its authority will fight the concept every chance they get.
“Talk about someone in the worst possible way,...”
Come now, everyone here knows that quix was a UFO believer. That alone gets him close to the eccentric label. His posting history takes him the rest of the way. And yes, I posted as much to him before he was banned.
“Your hate is on display”
No hate, just honesty. In your case, try a mirror.
Great post, roamer —
Thanks — and thanks for the ping, Mom!
Hoss
Did you expect anything different from this bunch? I think they need a LONG trip to the confessional.
Hoss
“We have the Bible because God desired that we have it ...”
How did He do that? Stone tablets or maybe did He use men? Men that He gave authority to?
Tell us which versions of the Bible you consider authoritative and why. Can you?
roamer_1 wrote:
“We are blessed to be in possession of the Word of YHWH ...”
OK, where is it? In the King James Version?
I wrote nothing about him that I didn’t write to him when he was around to respond. But my point in writing about him wasn’t to say anything about his character, but to make a point about the Calvinists who cheered him on whenever he attacked Catholicism, ignoring the fact that his beliefs were, in fact, were so bizarre and conspiratorial as to suggest insanity.
And I told him he was writing like a schizo, and like a true schizo, he didn’t reply to that directly, but went on further insane ramblings about still greater conspiracies.
Seriously:
If you tell most people that they are sounding insane, they typically will scale back their arguments to the core discussion at hand, trying to maintain credibility. Not Quix. If you question why Bede would be referring in England to a long-dead religious belief from the Bering Straits, he’d tell you about how the Sphinx was really white with red polka dots, and how the Smurfs, Santa Claus and Catholicism were a giant conspiracy to make people worship Babylonian Gods!
I’m not exaggerating. I’ve had this conversation with him a few times. (I’m sorta fascinated with the way schizos minds work, and whether they can be reasoned with within their delusions.)
That’s the hallmark of a schizo: Most people care about maintaining credibility. Schizos are desperately looking for that one person who will believe their own personal theories that no-one before has ever figured out.
But again: my concern in writing that isn’t Quix; it’s the Calvinists who congratulated him and egged him on, but then never reigned in his insanity. He filled their purpose, and that was all they cared about.
I don’t see a response to your question so if you find out, let me know. Thanks.
MarkBsnr :And the Colts (minus Peyton Manning) might win the Super Bowl. :)
Don't worry you won't hear his call to come up hither , it won't interrupt your worldly pleasures in the least .
Many thanks for interrupting our lighthearted aside. Charming, to the last.
It would suck not to be ready and not have oil in your lamp See ya , wouldn't want to be ya
In spite of being shown the truth of Christ, you return to odd theologies. 2 Peter 2:22.
#593
I do not discern any of Jesus' loving kindness in any of your posts.
Mark 8: 22 And they came to Bethsaida; and they bring to him a blind man, and they besought him that he would touch him. 23 And taking the blind man by the hand, he led him out of the town; and spitting upon his eyes, laying his hands on him, he asked him if he saw any thing. 24 And looking up, he said: I see men as it were trees, walking. 25 After that again he laid his hands upon his eyes, and he began to see, and was restored, so that he saw all things clearly.
We will pray that all things will be made clear.
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