Posted on 02/10/2011 7:57:12 AM PST by Christian Engineer Mass
Jesus said that the truth will set us free. (John 8:32) However, He did not say that the truth would necessarily be easy to accept. It was painful for me to learn the information that I am about to share with you, but it was also liberating and it led to a closer relationship with God.
As a faithful Catholic, and later as a nun, I practiced Mary worship for many years without realizing it. The prayers and practices were so familiar. They were taught to me by good people, sincere people that I trusted. I prayed rosaries and wore a scapular and engaged in other “devotions” which I honestly thought were good and pleasing to God. Because of my lack of knowledge of the Bible and of Church history, I honestly had no idea that I was actually worshipping Mary.
If modern Catholic teachings and doctrines about Mary are true, then they will not be contrary to Scripture, the writings of the Early Fathers, or the decrees of past popes. For a devout Catholic to question these issues and put them to the test can be painful. It certainly was for me. However, it would be far more painful to have God correct us when we face Him on Judgment Day.
LETTING THE CATHOLIC CHURCH SPEAK FOR ITSELF
I believe in letting people speak for themselves. Therefore my primary sources about Catholic doctrines and history come from the Catholic Church.
First and foremost is the official Catechism of the Catholic Church which was written for the purpose of summarizing the essential and basic teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. It was approved by Pope John Paul II in 1992 and the English translation was released in 1994.
(Excerpt) Read more at parkviewgospelhall.com ...
Open Discussion is a good thing!
she wasnt a real Catholic
in 5 ... 4 ... 3 ... 2 ... 1 ...
That is just stupid, I'm sorry. Are we really to believe she didn't know the difference between Mary and God?
All I really need to say in response to this is found in Luke 1:48: All generations to come shall call me blessed.
As the Challoner Douay-Rheims commentary tartly put it 200 years ago, Let the Protestants consider whether they are in any way envisioned in this prophecy.
Jesus on Mary:
Mathew 12
47Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee.
48But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren?
49And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!
50For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.
Read the next post below yours to see what Jesus, the Son of God, had to say about this matter.
Very much blessed. But not to be worshipped. Read the article.
No idea as to whether or not she was a real Catholic, but I have real doubts about her nun claim—either she wasn’t a real nun or the order’s practice and formation stank, as evidenced by her claiming to have worn the scapular for many years—the scapular (a miniature religious habit—pieace of clothing) shows a spiritual affiliation with the Carmelites (a religious order) and if you join an order that is not the Carmelites you set it asside in favour of the order that you have joined. Wearing the habit and the scapular is the equivalent of simultaneously wearing the uniforms of two different teams—it doesn’t make sense.
It may be that she and her superior were ignorant of this fact—in which case she shows that her formation is such that in her case being an ex-nun should not be given much weight, or it may be that the thing is a fraud, and should be given even less weight, as the judgment of some one who lies to promote the truth is not to be trusted.
Here is a true story. I lived in MA for over two decades. I lived across the street from a woman who was born Catholic, attended parochial school and Catholic college, taught parochial school all her life, and worked an unpaid position in the local Catholic Church after her retirement.
One day, in the midst of a long drought, I happened to be visiting this woman. I noticed that her statue of Mary had its back to the kitchen, whereas I recalled it usually faced the room. I asked the woman if she wanted me to turn the statue around.
She said no, she wanted the blessed virgin to face the yard, so she could see how brown and dry it was, and send rain.
I have never forgotten that.
Why is it that Catholics from Norway, Canada or Australia never seem to have such visions?
Even so, a proper understanding of the Saints, including Mary, clearly makes the distinction between Deity and Saintly members of the Faithful.
I think you display some conflict, in your own post.
I also think it is important to note that there really was NO BIBLE in the first 300 or so years of the Church, that nobody alive at the time of Jesus even envisioned a Bible, as Christianity was an oral tradition at that time, and that “Bible Worship” among some Protestants is every bit as bad as “Mary Worship” among some Catholics.
So, as the Church teaches, the biology is less important than luke 1:38 (Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done unto me according to thy word) and John 2:5 (do whatever he tells you).
I often wish I had a little hidden camera on my person at all times so I could catch life’s little gems like that.
The most entertaining thing to me about the cult of mary, is that they with a straight face, they’ll say the mormons are insane for trying to say Jesus popped down to talk to the indians. Yet,,,, mary showed up in a cane in mexico city and told an indian they were all supposed to be catholic.
The Church has not officially taught that Mary is to be worshiped. Mary rather is to be honored and her intercession with Jesus and God sought.
I think this nun needs more education before she writes.
It was quite a shock, and I don’t recall how I kept my chin from hitting the floor.
“I also think it is important to note that there really was NO BIBLE in the first 300 or so years of the Church, that nobody alive at the time of Jesus even envisioned a Bible, as Christianity was an oral tradition at that time, and that “Bible Worship” among some Protestants is every bit as bad as “Mary Worship” among some Catholics. “
So when Jesus said, “It is written...”, he was lying?
mark
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