Posted on 08/15/2013 7:03:11 PM PDT by annalex
Once a woman in the crowd surrounding Christ and His disciples cries out to Him:
Blessed is the womb that bore thee, and the paps that gave thee suck. (Luke 11:27)
What is it? We have, clearly, an act of venerating Mary. Note that the Blessed Virgin is venerated properly: not on her own but as the mother of Christ. Yet the reason for venerating is indeed concerning: it is her physiological and physiologically unique relationship with Jesus that is emphasized. That is not yet paganism with its crude theories of gods giving birth to other gods, but it is lacking proper focus and Jesus corrects it:
Yea rather, blessed are they who hear the word of God, and keep it. (Luke 11:28)
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| The Virgin with the Child on her knees and a prophet pointing at the star. Catacomb of Priscilla, late 2nd c. Source |
Having gotten past this linguistic hurdle, we can understand clearly what this passage, Luke 11:27-28, does: it establishes veneration of saints based not on their blood relation to Christ but on their obedience to God. It is in that sense that we venerate Our Lady: given that Christ is the Word of God personified, she heard and kept both Him in person as her Child and His teaching, figuratively. In Mary the essence of sainthood is seen in the flesh as well as in the mind. We could say that by the late second century at the latest, when we find evidence of the veneration of both the prophets and the Mother of God in the catacombs, the two reasons to venerate a saint: his martyrdom as in the case of Polycarp, or his obedience to the Word, as in Mary, -- unite into a single practice.
And; no doubt; keeping her up nights!
And; no doubt; keeping her up nights!
When did she move to Antioch?
Yet Gideon is recorded as saying...
25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you may now dismiss[d] your servant in peace.
30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,
31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and the glory of your people Israel.”
SURE she is...
ALL of our Popes are going to be GOOD ones from now on!!
Pope Stephen VI (896–897), who had his predecessor Pope Formosus exhumed, tried, de-fingered, briefly reburied, and thrown in the Tiber.[1]
Pope John XII (955–964), who gave land to a mistress, murdered several people, and was killed by a man who caught him in bed with his wife.
Pope Benedict IX (1032–1044, 1045, 1047–1048), who "sold" the Papacy
Pope Boniface VIII (1294–1303), who is lampooned in Dante's Divine Comedy
Pope Urban VI (1378–1389), who complained that he did not hear enough screaming when Cardinals who had conspired against him were tortured.[2]
Pope Alexander VI (1492–1503), a Borgia, who was guilty of nepotism and whose unattended corpse swelled until it could barely fit in a coffin.[3]
Pope Leo X (1513–1521), a spendthrift member of the Medici family who once spent 1/7 of his predecessors' reserves on a single ceremony[4]
Pope Clement VII (1523–1534), also a Medici, whose power-politicking with France, Spain, and Germany got Rome sacked.
But before him there was Mary saying “yes.” to Gabriel’s astonishing proposal.
Not a bad track record out of more than 250.
You have another candidate?
Surely this does not do justice Luke’s account of events. The incarnation of the Lord is not the trifling thing that you are describing.
It is a unknown bystander who praises Mary.
So if the same woman praised Judas Iscariot, do we claim the Bible praises Judas Iscariot?
It is who is talking that is important, not something that is said by someone of 'unknown stature'.
So if Judas Iscariot said something in the Gospel, then we should heed it? Obviously not.
The woman speaking is not known who she is. That makes the passage 'dubious'.
The words of Jesus are eternal, which is why we must heed them.
I consider that Jesus is re-directing this woman with his response.
Clearly, person who is addressed by an angel (Gabriel) to be the mother of God is a very special person. In my opinion, that is the important scripture.
I subscribe to a very mundane interpretation of Scripture, in line with the extreme humility Christ taught. There is nothing wrong or contradictory in Mary being a normal good young lady chosen by God for no more reason than she, conceived in original sin like any other, was at the confluence of right time, place, and lineage; what greater blessing could there be? A sinless venerated “Queen of Heaven” has a right to such selection, obviating any notion of blessedness.
Wrong. You can't serve two masters.
"I am the LORD; that is My name! I will not yield My glory to another or My praise to idols. Isaiah 42:8
Hear and Obey the WORD; otherwise, you are NOT doing the will of The Father and then none of His but belong to another.
Jesus repuked that lady because she was expressing a WORLDLY concept of what a mother is. In God's Kingdom it is different that the world.
He then taught about His Kingdom - that those who do the will of The Father are His brother, sisters and mother - they are ALL the same in His Kingdom. In His Kingdom there is NO respector of persons - so UNLIKE the world.
The Catholic Church is WORLDLY - and out of it comes worldly teachings which OPPOSE The Word of God. And catholics defiantly disobey God by obeying 'man'. HIS WORD is very clear on this matter of who his mother is to Him in His Kingdom. And like you said - they don't see Jesus as God as long as they hold to this WORLDLY concept of mother. That exposes the counterfeit church as satan doesn't want Jesus to be seen as GOD. Satan wants to be worshipped instead. He masks himself behind it all. As long as they don't belong to Jesus - satan accomplished his goal.
By using the term woman, he is letting Mary know it is the FATHER's WILL that he is stating, not his.
Exactly. Jesus said HE doesn't do or say any thing unless it is FROM THE FATHER.
26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called[b] the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.”
38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.
Don’t need one; as GOD is no respecter of persons.
Besides; if there were candidates; then there would be qualifications.
Oh?
Out of that gaggle grew the PROTEST movement that foment the RCC's Counter Revolution.
Doncha kinda wish that had NEVER happened?
Which has NO scriptural references at ALL!
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