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Daily Mass Gospel Reflection- Mary, Mother Of God, Understood
Word on Fire Ministry ^ | 1.1.23 | Bishop Robert Barron

Posted on 01/01/2023 5:52:44 AM PST by MurphsLaw

Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
the Mother of God

Luke 2:16-21

Friends, today we celebrate the Blessed Virgin Mary as the Mother of God.

St. Irenaeus says that, throughout the history of salvation,
God was trying on humanity, gradually suiting divinity and humanity to one another—
preparing for the Incarnation.
All of that preparation was a prelude to the Israelite girl who would say yes
to the invitation to be the Mother of God.

To say that Mary is the Mother of God
is to insist on the density of the claim that God truly became human.
As Fulton J. Sheen commented, Mary is like the moon,
for her light is always the reflection of a higher light.

Catholic theology has drawn a further implication from Mary’s status as Mother of God—
her role as Mother of the Church.
If she is the one through whom Christ was born,
and if the Church is indeed Christ’s Mystical Body,
then she must be, in a very real sense, the Mother of the Church.
She is the one through whom Jesus
continues to be born in the hearts of those who believe.
This is not to confuse her with the Savior,
but it is to insist on her mission as mediator and intercessor.



TOPICS: Catholic
KEYWORDS:
+++The shepherds went in
haste to Bethlehem and found
Mary and Joseph,
and the infant lying in the manger.
When they saw this,
they made known the message
that had been told them about this child.
All who heard it were amazed
by what had been told them
by the shepherds.
And Mary kept all these things,
reflecting on them in her heart.

Then the shepherds returned,
glorifying and praising God
for all they had heard and seen,
just as it had been told to them.

When eight days were completed
for his circumcision,
he was named Jesus, the name
given him by the angel
before he was conceived in the womb.+++


1 posted on 01/01/2023 5:52:44 AM PST by MurphsLaw
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To: MurphsLaw

As Fulton J. Sheen commented, Mary is like the moon,
for her light is always the reflection of a higher light.
= = =

Gen 1:16
And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars.

John 3:19
And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.

Jesus:
I am the Way, the Truth and the Light.

1 Thes 5:4
But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief.

I say the greater light is God/Jesus who rules the day.

The lesser light rules the night (darkness) and gets any power (reflected) from the greater light. That would be satan.

Note the Muslims worship the Moon God.

So, I won’t be called to be a Bishop of the Catholic Church.


2 posted on 01/01/2023 2:00:25 PM PST by Scrambler Bob
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To: Scrambler Bob

Way to twist an analogy.

Mary is more than just a figure in your nativity scene.


3 posted on 01/01/2023 4:48:27 PM PST by Texas_Guy
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To: Texas_Guy

I would kindly suggest that Sheen twisted the analogy.

Read the verses, and any more that I encourage you to search out. Listen to God, not me.

I mean that.


4 posted on 01/01/2023 5:03:08 PM PST by Scrambler Bob
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To: Scrambler Bob
The lesser light rules the night (darkness) and gets any power (reflected) from the greater light. That would be satan.

Satan reflects God's light? His power, authority, goodness, and justice?

Wrong!

In your zeal to impugn Mary -- the woman who said to the angel, "Let it be done to me according to your word" -- you are blaspheming.

5 posted on 01/02/2023 9:16:21 AM PST by Campion (Everything is a grace, everything is the direct effect of our Father's love - Little Flower)
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To: Campion

The lesser light rules the night (darkness) and gets any power (reflected) from the greater light. That would be satan.
Satan reflects God’s light? His power, authority, goodness, and justice?

Wrong!

In your zeal to impugn Mary — the woman who said to the angel, “Let it be done to me according to your word” — you are blaspheming.
= = =
I am not impugning Mary. I may be impugning Sheen. And my zeal is for the truth of scripture. Read the verses I quoted. They are true. Bishop Sheen is a human (sorry) like I am. His words about Mary being the moon are just mistaken.

Where do you think Satan gets any power? God lets him have it.
Look up God and Satan discussing Job, and how God lets Satan attack Job.

And while we are discussing, The other day this was posted form the USCCB for Jan 1

...First, Mother Mary was preserved from all sin when she was conceived within the womb of her mother, Saint Anne. This special grace was a grace that was imparted to her from the future life, death and resurrection of her Son. It was the grace of salvation, but God chose to take that gift of grace and transcend time to impart it to her at the moment of her conception, thus making her the perfect and pure instrument necessary to bring forth God into the world.

Second, Mother Mary remained faithful to this gift of grace throughout her life, never choosing to sin, never wavering, never turning from God. She remained immaculate throughout her life....

This sounds like Mary was perfect, sinless all her life.

So why do we need Jesus to live a sinless life and die on the cross? Mary could have done that.

Now, I am not trying to tell you what to think or believe. If I am correct in any way, maybe God will confirm that, or if I am wrong, God will reveal that, too.

But that you seem so threatened by any negative discussion of Mary is a sign to me that your ‘faith’ is not strong enough to ignore that discussion, and ignore me as an ignorant blasphemer.

Oh, if I am blaspheming Mary, she must be Sinless God herself, again, why then did we need Jesus?


6 posted on 01/02/2023 10:02:49 AM PST by Scrambler Bob
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To: Scrambler Bob
Bob,
I actually thought the wise Bishop Sheen
was alluding to Revelation - The Queen of Heaven...
"with the Moon under her feet"...

Now obviously his analogy was contained in the notion of "reflectivity"...
So I think your just confused about that...
Reflecting light- vs. Generating light...
The humble Blessed Virgin knows her place...
And no human could ever love or adore her
any more then Jesus did.


7 posted on 01/02/2023 4:01:26 PM PST by MurphsLaw ("Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." )
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To: MurphsLaw

As you can see, I have been accused of blasphemy first thing this morning.

So . . . to restate my main point -
The Greater Light that rules the day is God.
The lesser light that rules the night is satan.

Greater light = sun
lesser light = moon.
And a lot of stars = angels and demons?

The moon generates no light of it’s own. It is generated by the Sun and reflects off the moon. The moon’s power is only what the Sun gives it.

I have never made any connection to Mary, and wouldn’t have till I read the Bishop Sheen statement. Then I brought in my observations to contribute. Which did not contribute, but conflagrated.

I’ll have to study on the Queen of Heaven in Revelation. Never made that observation before.

And also the woman clothed with the sun in Revelation with the moon under her feet might fit with the moon being satan, and him being under submission/conquered by the woman.

Thanks for not calling me a blasphemer. You have been pretty kind.


8 posted on 01/02/2023 4:59:23 PM PST by Scrambler Bob
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