Posted on 01/11/2005 11:30:36 AM PST by missyme
Actor Mel Gibson held a secret meeting with one of the famous visionaries of Fatima, Sister Lucia of Portugal. Sister Lucia, now 98 years of age, is a cloistered nun who as a child saw and spoke with the Virgin Mary in Fatima, Portugal in 1917.
Her visions and those of her two childhood friends, both since passed away, were both prophetic and apocalyptic. The Catholic Church accepted the visions as authentic.
Correct. However, the word has several different meanings. I take it in this case to mean a house of worship.
I can't argue with you on that one. You should see the Mass dedicated to the Virgin Guadalupe.
As far as what was meaning to be accomplished, I agree, I don't think it matters. The point was that the apostles would see Jesus as a deity and that happened.
I only bring it up because I was under the belief that no human had ever come back to earth (I guess you could technically count Lazarus, but I think you know what I mean).
I don't actually think the Church teaches that she didn't die. The Church only says that after her time on Earth ended she was taken body and soul into Heaven.
Some support for this idea comes in the fact that there is no known grave for Mary on Earth. We know where almost all of the Apostles are buried. We also know (based upoon the writings of Ignatius of Antioch) that the early Christians had a deep honor for Mary as the Mother of God. In his letters to John the Apostle, Ignatius states that he wants to visit Mary with a group of women who can't wait to see and touch the breasts that nursed our Lord.
So, understanding the fact that Mary was held in such honor. It's hard to imagine that her remains were not honored and remembered. You can go to the Vatican and just outside the wall and you will see were the final remains of Peter and Paul are. But, you can't find Mary anywhere.
Jesus commanded us to Love and honor our mothers... am I right? If that is the case... Since he loves and Honors his mother.... Shouldn't we love and Honor what he loves...?
Politically, I have deep honor for Barbara Bush as the mother of our president as well. Doesn't mean I mistake her for being the president herself though!
I agree that it is odd that we don't know where Mary is buried. However, at the time of her death, Christians were still being persecuted quite heavily by the Romans, correct? Maybe it was an added insult by the Romans to take her body and dispose of it somewhere unknown as a slap in the face to the "illegal" Christians.
Yes we should. However, some people seem to go near that fine line that separates love/honor and worship. Jesus also commanded us to love and honor our fathers, yet we don't see people coming close to that line with Joseph, who was essentially Jesus' adoptive father on earth and the one who tied him into the lineage of David and Abraham.
If her actions undid what the pride & disobedience of Eve did, why are we still being punished for Eve's sin? We are still cast out from the Garden of Eden and we still are subject to death because of her actions.
See Inchib's clarification of my original comment.
Catholics also very much honor St. Joeseph. He is the patron of the Church itself.
Catholics have the Holy Scripture and Holy Tradition. The Tradition tells us that the apostles were gathered around Mary when the time came, and she was taken to Heaven. They could not find her body nor any bones nor anything to bury. The site of her "dormition" or falling asleep is still a place I think that you can visit in the Holy Land, although I have never been and so I don't know first-hand. I believe there is a chapel or church of some sort there. Others will surely know more than I do.
Also, the fourth Glorious Mystery of the Rosary is the one where we contemplate Mary's Assumption as we pray.
Do Catholics believe Mary was more than a human?
But Catholics never honor Mary as God. We honor her as the Mother of God. She never draws worship to herself. Catholics never Worship Mary. But, by HONORING her, we honor God. Mary always points us to her son.
I understand the idea that they may not have been able to move her remains. However, if there were actually remains there, the Church in Jerusalem (which was always a vibrant and great Church in the times after the Ressurection) would have honored her by at least keeping track of where they were. We know of the locations of other Apostles throughout the world. Even though they died in the time of the persecution.
Many of the remains of various Saints were moved in secret during the times of persecution in the Church. I have a hard time believing that the remains of the Mother of God would not have been moved into a safe place by secret if necessary.
Like Inchib said - The Transfiguration in the Gospels when Christ and his apostles went up on a mountain and they asked him if they should prepare a tent for Him when a Cloud appeared out of the sky with a blinding light and they saw Elijah and Moses standing on either side of Christ and a Voice came out of the Clouds and said "This My beloved Son - hear Him".
Its in one of the Gosples - I'll check it out and get back to you.
I can't remember numbers - just words.
Baptists have the Bible. : )
Seriously, I mean no disrespect. I had never heard anything regarding Mary ascending to Heaven, however I'm not disputing it. After all, we know it can happen because it happened with Elijah. Interesting. I'm going to have to learn more about this. Thanks!
I thought all three secrets have been revealed.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.