I'm no Catholic, but I've long seen the logic of that opinion. The resurrected Jesus is STILL the Son of Mary. The Bible assures us that the evidence of Jesus' time on earth is preserved in that resurrected body in that He showed the nailprints and scars. If Jesus remembers that, then He remembers His earthly mother.
It's mother's day this weekend, and we will extol moms in most pulpits from coast to coast. "Honor your father and your mother..." "We shall be like Him for we shall see Him as He is..."
But the real biblical question for me is this: do members of the heavenly host converse with Father/Son/HolySpirit?
I do not believe them to be omniscient in the way that God is, but I certainly can see them receiving info from the Lord to the effect that "Yo, Joe, your earthly wife asked me to remind you to pray for her."
Joe, not being omniscient would have little likelihood of knowing his wife's prayer, but no one says he cannot be informed of it.
Therefore, I see knowing all prayers to be a feat only accomplished by God.
Yet, we believe that a fallen angel "Goes about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour." And we believe that he responds to those who follow him....some in direct worship.
Since we're talking a different dimension, it is so hard to speak without direct revelation from God. Perhaps that spiritual dimension is so close that those saints can look over my shoulder and see what I'm typing. But, I'm certain God can.
Thanks for this post :-)
Thanks for your post.
Just as we may entertain angels unaware, I believe that the communion of saints is far more present to us than most people think.
Why?
Isn't the pulpit the place to extol the Son?
This is a reason why I believe it is best to do nothing but expository preaching. You just preach through the Bible and let God decide what the topic is going to be each week.
One of my pet peeves is when preachers use the secular calendar to guide the sermons that are preached in our churches. We end up having sermons tied to Mother's Day, Father's Day, Valentine's day, Secretary day, Earth Day, President's Day, Martin Luther King's Birthday, trash collector day...
But the real biblical question for me is this: do members of the heavenly host converse with Father/Son/HolySpirit?
I would hope so.
From Martin Luther...
One should honor Mary as she herself wished and as she expressed it in the Magnificat. She praised God for his deeds. How then can we praise her? The true honor of Mary is the honor of God, the praise of God's grace . . . Mary is nothing for the sake of herself, but for the sake of Christ . . . Mary does not wish that we come to her, but through her to God. ( Martin Luther -Explanation of the Magnificat, 1521).
And yet RC's bow down, or kneel, in front of statues of Mary with the expectation that their prayers will be heard by her and receive special treatment if she so wills. This is ascribing god like powers to her.
Ex.34:17 You shall make no molded gods for yourselves.
This is what the statues of Mary are and the grotto's RC's flock to seeking her intercession on their behalf.
“The resurrected Jesus is STILL the Son of Mary. The Bible assures us that the evidence of Jesus’ time on earth is preserved in that resurrected body in that He showed the nailprints and scars. If Jesus remembers that, then He remembers His earthly mother.”
“Yo, Joe, your earthly wife asked me to remind you to pray for her.”
“Joe, not being omniscient would have little likelihood of knowing his wife’s prayer, but no one says he cannot be informed of it.”
Pastor, that is a nice sentimental view of heaven captured in many of the old time hymns and Southern Gospel songs but I don’t think it corresponds with the way scripture portrays relationships in heaven. Believers are “reborn” from above. It is not our earthly pedigree that counts. Jesus gave us a glimpse of relationships in heaven when he said:
Mat 12:48-50, “Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.”
or when he said to Mary and John:
Jhn 19:26-27, “When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own [home].”
It is the same with the most profound of earthly relationship:
Mat 22:30, “For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.”
There are no exclusive familial bonds between creative beings in heaven for Jesus occupies all of the affections.
Col 1:16-17, “ For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether [they be] thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. “
Eph. 1:22-23, “And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.”
Honoring father and mother is a temporal command “that your days may be long upon the earth”.
Again the RCC takes the glory of God and doles it out to various dead people who may or may not reside now in heaven.
Do we even know for a fact that Mary is in heaven? We know the thief on the cross is in heaven , but where are the verses (other than our own assumptions) that say Mary was redeemed?
I am not doubting that she was, but the fact that we aren't told this explicitly by Christ (who did tell us explicitly about all believers and the thief on the cross) shows that Mary was no more and no less beloved by Christ than any of His flock.
Mary was not saved because she was the mother of Jesus. She was saved just like all believers are saved -- by God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
Virgin most venerable, pray for us. Virgin most renowned, pray for us. Virgin most powerful, pray for us. Virgin most merciful, pray for us. Virgin most faithful, pray for us. Mirror of justice, pray for us. Seat of wisdom, pray for us. Cause of our joy, pray for us. Spiritual vessel, pray for us. Singular vessel of devotion, pray for us. Mystical rose, pray for us. Tower of David, pray for us. Tower of ivory, pray for us. House of gold, pray for us. Ark of the Covenant, pray for us. Gate of heaven, pray for us. Morning star, pray for us. Health of the sick, pray for us. Refuge of sinners, pray for us. Comforter of the afflicted, pray for us. Help of Christians, pray for us. Queen of angels, pray for us. Queen of patriarchs, pray for us. Queen of prophets, pray for us. Queen of apostles, pray for us. Queen of martyrs, pray for us. Queen of confessors, pray for us. Queen of virgins, pray for us. Queen of all Saints, pray for us. Queen conceived without Original Sin, pray for us. Queen assumed into Heaven, pray for us. Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, pray for us. Queen of Peace, pray for us. Queen of the Church, pray for us. Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world; spare us O Lord! Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world; graciously hear us, O Lord! Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world; have mercy on us. Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ."...Virgin most prudent, pray for us.
Besides the utter insanity of some of those blasphemous titles (Tower of David; Tower of Ivory; Morning Star!) note this common prayer slips in the nomenclature of "Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world."
And then the prayer returns immediately to "Mother of God."
Anyone reading this could naturally assume the title of "Lamb of God" is in reference to Mary, along with the rest of the idolatrous titles given before and after that verse.
Not to mention that men are never going to "be worthy of the promises of Christ."
Only Christ is worthy, and His promise is to cover His flock with His righteousness.
The more that is revealed about the church in Rome, the more it stands condemned by the words it speaks and teaches.
Words count.
"For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned." -- Matthew 12:37.