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.'”
Actually, all us Christians. You can join us believers in Christ, Lord, God and Savior if you wish. If not, ta ta.
Yes, they all who leave are fallen. Didn’t you leave orthodoxy too? Just like him?
Didn’t you leave just two posts ago?
There are false preachers creeping in to all denominations .
A preacher is suppose to be led by The Spirit not by sin .They are going to have to give an answer for what they.
BTW the priest I mentioned before that I saw get drunk and gamble , he destroyed the church he was sent to watch over . When he finally left the country he left the church flat broke and in debt and the people in it wondering if God really does exist .BTW the priest I am talking about he is the same one who raped ex congressman Foley when he was an alter boy (my FIL is Catholic) after which all they did was pawn him off on another church to destroy
Scripture teaches otherwise.....
Christ is in us. We have Him in us.
Romans 8:9-11 9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
Romans 8:23 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
1 Corinthians 2:16 “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
2 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!
Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Galatians 3:27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Ephesians 3:14-19 14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Colossians 1:27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Colossians 2:6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him,
Colossians 3:11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.
1 John 5:12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
2 John 1:9 Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.
Oh, lookie there...
They were ARRESTED. Not shuffled around from church to church by the church hierarchy to cover up the crimes. Not covered up and threatening the victims with eternal damnation if they spoke out about it.
Justice was done.
Ouch.....
You shouldn't drink and gamble.
In circumcised hearts
What do you do? Trim off 10% of the aorta?
MB: What do you do? Trim off 10% of the aorta?
Cluelessness abounds......
I've heard that exact same argument from atheists.
Exactly -- so don't give the example of one bad priest or pastor to smear against the many good ones.
Dear Friend,If you want to be technical, we can assume many things about many books of the Bible of what and if they are authentic since we only have scraps in many cases.
Indeed, but in the case of divinely inspired scripture, it's veracity is proven within the text - the intertwining of prophecy with the instruction allows one to render a verdict... In some cases that cannot be trusted fully because the text has been corrupted, but by and large, the method works.
You’re relying on the catholic/orthodox traditions to authenticate many things in the Bible whether you like it or not
Less than you'd imagine. I work out of the Protestant canon because it is the most sure (everyone agrees on those books), but I am not limited to it, or the Roman canon, or any canon, with the exception that the originally sanctioned Torah, Prophets, and Writings are declared (by YHWH and by Yeshua).
Anyway, there is a theme of continuity in Saint Clement’s writings with others writing and traditions of that time period that certainly gives reason to assume them credible.
Only if one assumes the other writings from that period are credible, which they are not. Again, there are no extant copies which date prior to 300AD... With Rome's propensity toward forgery, and more importantly, inclusions, and 250 years to tweak the works, I see no reason at all to hold the documents as being faultless.
In fact, the general tenor would suggest they have faults. It is, as I said before, LUDICROUS to suggest that a Torah keeping sect of Judaism became a liturgical (greek/latin based, semi-pagan to be kind) hierarchical, authoritarian religion literally over night. It is on this premise that your (y'all) claim to authority rests, and I find no need to accept these writings in order to bolster your claim.
In fact, when there is a dispute, it is only natural to go back to the original contract(s), hence my strong defense of sola-scriptura. An agent claiming authority based upon those contracts is naturally bound by them, or the agent is false.
OK, where is it? In the King James Version?
Sure. The KJV works for me. It is my preference. I am not as picky as some are though, because I know that EVERY variant has it's flaws. I was saved reading the Gospel of John from an NIV (which I now consider to be sub-standard). Somehow, the Word was there to convince me. That which drew me and showed me was not IN the text of the translation. Do not get me wrong- Sturdy text is more important than my words above would probably lead you to believe. But with a reasonable copy, and with a good concordance, one can go very far.
Dear friend,do you even realize the possible implications of what you're saying is?
Yes, I think I do.
The OT is revealed in the NT through Christ and therfore superior.
See, I do not see one covenant being different from the other... Or one being more important than the other. I see them all as a single thing... and needfully so.
Just one example through typology...
Moses is a "type"(typology) of Christ and is inferior to the superior NT reality which is Christ
But Christ does not cancel out Moses - Indeed, Yeshua lifts Moses up. And He would HAVE TO. Those things YHWH has already spoken cannot come back to Him empty. That is an integral part of His proof that He is Almighty. That there is none like He. That is not to say that typologies have no place, FRiend, but I would assert they have their limits. Yeshua Himself seemed most concerned with things which made the Word of YWHW to have no effect - things that nullify His words cannot be true.
And Hebrews explains that what makes Yeshua's ministry and priesthood superior is that it is more ancient than Aaron - Melchizedek is precedent, and thereby more powerful in authority. Levi bows before Melchizedek, even from within Abraham, before Levi was ever born. That is why, for instance, the Priesthood can come from Judah rather than through Levi. And needfully it must, as THE High Priest is prophesied to come out of Judah (out of David particularly).
“”Only if one assumes the other writings from that period are credible, which they are not. Again, there are no extant copies which date prior to 300AD... With Rome’s propensity toward forgery””
Even Protestant Scholars like J.N.D Kelly disagree with you because they realize by ignoring the writings of Origen,Irenaues,Eusebius, Jerome, Athanasius and others you end up backing yourself into a corner regarding authenticity of the NT Scripture
If you believe the approved writings of early church fathers are flawed you’re going to have question canon and many Scriptures if your being honest with yourself.
Here is something for you to read from UPENN written by Robert Kraft- who holds a PhD in “Christian Origins”
CHRISTIAN TRANSMISSION OF GREEK JEWISH SCRIPTURES:
A METHODOLOGICAL PROBE
http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/gopher/other/journals/kraftpub/Transmission%20of%20Gk-Jewish%20Scriptures
If you don’t mind me asking-what denomination or group of protestant are you ,dear friend?
MB: What do you do? Trim off 10% of the aorta?
Cluelessness abounds...... I've heard that exact same argument from atheists.
When did you ever hear this exact same argument from atheists? Do you have examples?
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