Posted on 05/31/2011 11:53:33 AM PDT by marshmallow
The Protoevangelium of James
“And behold, an angel of the Lord stood by [St. Anne], saying, ‘Anne! Anne! The Lord has heard your prayer, and you shall conceive and shall bring forth, and your seed shall be spoken of in all the world.’ And Anne said, ‘As the Lord my God lives, if I beget either male or female, I will bring it as a gift to the Lord my God, and it shall minister to him in the holy things all the days of its life.’ . . . And [from the time she was three] Mary was in the temple of the Lord as if she were a dove that dwelt there” (Protoevangelium of James 4, 7 [A.D. 120]).
“And when she was twelve years old there was held a council of priests, saying, ‘Behold, Mary has reached the age of twelve years in the temple of the Lord. What then shall we do with her, lest perchance she defile the sanctuary of the Lord?’ And they said to the high priest, ‘You stand by the altar of the Lord; go in and pray concerning her, and whatever the Lord shall manifest to you, that also will we do.’ . . . [A]nd he prayed concerning her, and behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him saying, ‘Zechariah! Zechariah! Go out and assemble the widowers of the people and let them bring each his rod, and to whomsoever the Lord shall show a sign, his wife shall she be. . . . And Joseph [was chosen]. . . . And the priest said to Joseph, ‘You have been chosen by lot to take into your keeping the Virgin of the Lord.’ But Joseph refused, saying, ‘I have children, and I am an old man, and she is a young girl’” (ibid., 8–9).
“And Annas the scribe came to him [Joseph] . . . and saw that Mary was with child. And he ran away to the priest and said to him, ‘Joseph, whom you did vouch for, has committed a grievous crime.’ And the priest said, ‘How so?’ And he said, ‘He has defiled the virgin whom he received out of the temple of the Lord and has married her by stealth’” (ibid., 15).
“And the priest said, ‘Mary, why have you done this? And why have you brought your soul low and forgotten the Lord your God?’ . . . And she wept bitterly saying, ‘As the Lord my God lives, I am pure before him, and know not man’” (ibid.).
Origen
“The Book [the Protoevangelium] of James [records] that the brethren of Jesus were sons of Joseph by a former wife, whom he married before Mary. Now those who say so wish to preserve the honor of Mary in virginity to the end, so that body of hers which was appointed to minister to the Word . . . might not know intercourse with a man after the Holy Spirit came into her and the power from on high overshadowed her. And I think it in harmony with reason that Jesus was the firstfruit among men of the purity which consists in [perpetual] chastity, and Mary was among women. For it were not pious to ascribe to any other than to her the firstfruit of virginity” (Commentary on Matthew 2:17 [A.D. 248]).
Hilary of Poitiers
“If they [the brethren of the Lord] had been Mary’s sons and not those taken from Joseph’s former marriage, she would never have been given over in the moment of the passion [crucifixion] to the apostle John as his mother, the Lord saying to each, ‘Woman, behold your son,’ and to John, ‘Behold your mother’ [John 19:26–27), as he bequeathed filial love to a disciple as a consolation to the one desolate" (Commentary on Matthew 1:4 [A.D. 354]).
Athanasius
“Let those, therefore, who deny that the Son is by nature from the Father and proper to his essence deny also that he took true human flesh from the ever-virgin Mary” (Discourses Against the Arians 2:70 [A.D. 360]).
Epiphanius of Salamis
“We believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of all things, both visible and invisible; and in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God . . . who for us men and for our salvation came down and took flesh, that is, was born perfectly of the holy ever-virgin Mary by the Holy Spirit” (The Man Well-Anchored 120 [A.D. 374]).
“And to holy Mary, [the title] ‘Virgin’ is invariably added, for that holy woman remains undefiled” (Medicine Chest Against All Heresies 78:6 [A.D. 375]).
Jerome
“[Helvidius] produces Tertullian as a witness [to his view] and quotes Victorinus, bishop of Petavium. Of Tertullian, I say no more than that he did not belong to the Church. But as regards Victorinus, I assert what has already been proven from the gospel—that he [Victorinus] spoke of the brethren of the Lord not as being sons of Mary but brethren in the sense I have explained, that is to say, brethren in point of kinship, not by nature. [By discussing such things we] are . . . following the tiny streams of opinion. Might I not array against you the whole series of ancient writers? Ignatius, Polycarp, Irenaeus, Justin Martyr, and many other apostolic and eloquent men, who against [the heretics] Ebion, Theodotus of Byzantium, and Valentinus, held these same views and wrote volumes replete with wisdom. If you had ever read what they wrote, you would be a wiser man” (Against Helvidius: The Perpetual Virginity of Mary 19 [A.D. 383]).
“We believe that God was born of a virgin, because we read it. We do not believe that Mary was married after she brought forth her Son, because we do not read it. . . . You [Helvidius] say that Mary did not remain a virgin. As for myself, I claim that Joseph himself was a virgin, through Mary, so that a virgin Son might be born of a virginal wedlock” (ibid., 21).
Didymus the Blind
“It helps us to understand the terms ‘first-born’ and ‘only-begotten’ when the Evangelist tells that Mary remained a virgin ‘until she brought forth her first-born son’ [Matt. 1:25]; for neither did Mary, who is to be honored and praised above all others, marry anyone else, nor did she ever become the Mother of anyone else, but even after childbirth she remained always and forever an immaculate virgin” (The Trinity 3:4 [A.D. 386]).
Ambrose of Milan
“Imitate her [Mary], holy mothers, who in her only dearly beloved Son set forth so great an example of material virtue; for neither have you sweeter children [than Jesus], nor did the Virgin seek the consolation of being able to bear another son” (Letters 63:111 [A.D. 388]).
Pope Siricius I
“You had good reason to be horrified at the thought that another birth might issue from the same virginal womb from which Christ was born according to the flesh. For the Lord Jesus would never have chosen to be born of a virgin if he had ever judged that she would be so incontinent as to contaminate with the seed of human intercourse the birthplace of the Lord’s body, that court of the eternal king” (Letter to Bishop Anysius [A.D. 392]).
Augustine
“In being born of a Virgin who chose to remain a Virgin even before she knew who was to be born of her, Christ wanted to approve virginity rather than to impose it. And he wanted virginity to be of free choice even in that woman in whom he took upon himself the form of a slave” (Holy Virginity 4:4 [A.D. 401]).
“It was not the visible sun, but its invisible Creator who consecrated this day for us, when the Virgin Mother, fertile of womb and integral in her virginity, brought him forth, made visible for us, by whom, when he was invisible, she too was created. A Virgin conceiving, a Virgin bearing, a Virgin pregnant, a Virgin bringing forth, a Virgin perpetual. Why do you wonder at this, O man?” (Sermons 186:1 [A.D. 411]).
“Heretics called Antidicomarites are those who contradict the perpetual virginity of Mary and affirm that after Christ was born she was joined as one with her husband” (Heresies 56 [A.D. 428]).
Leporius
“We confess, therefore, that our Lord and God, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, born of the Father before the ages, and in times most recent, made man of the Holy Spirit and the ever-virgin Mary” (Document of Amendment 3 [A.D. 426]).
Cyril of Alexandria
“[T]he Word himself, coming into the Blessed Virgin herself, assumed for himself his own temple from the substance of the Virgin and came forth from her a man in all that could be externally discerned, while interiorly he was true God. Therefore he kept his Mother a virgin even after her childbearing” (Against Those Who Do Not Wish to Confess That the Holy Virgin is the Mother of God 4 [A.D. 430]).
Pope Leo I
“His [Christ’s] origin is different, but his [human] nature is the same. Human usage and custom were lacking, but by divine power a Virgin conceived, a Virgin bore, and Virgin she remained” (Sermons 22:2 [A.D. 450]).
The act of consecration is dedicating for a purpose -- we cannot "give" what we are just stewards of, what we do not own.
seems to have been useful for us all to dedicate our grace, our prayers to bringing down the Evil Empire.
I believe that our prayers brought down communism,
Oh, no need to research them.
Just as you were perplexed and questioned in post 1062 on what had been excerpted in post 789 (which I explained above and seems more a difference in terminology)
, I'm sure you would be as concerned as i was about the sheer blasphemy in the following statements
| By Jesse Duplantis |
| God has the power to take life, but He can’t. He’s got the power to do it, but He won’t. He’s bound; He can’t. He says, “Death and life is in the power of” who’s tongue? Yours. You ready for this? You want something that’ll knock your lights off? You choose when you live; you choose when you die. Death and life is in the power of your tongue, not God’s. "Adam (not God) breathed life into animals" “The very first thing on Jesus’ agenda was to get rid of poverty! "With fierce prayers and determination to see my mother healed, I started talking to God. "What is going on here?! I'm praying! Dad's praying! Why isn't she healed? You cannot allow death to defeat me, God. You made a covenant with me through Jesus' blood! And that covenant says by His stripes we were healed! Where is that healing? If you break this covenant with me, you'll have to cease to be God! You must keep covenant with me. You must obey your Word!" God tells Jesse: "You have Me in a hard place, Jesse. Someone has got to give in. Get yourselves together and tell Me what I am to do!" --> So God needs Jesse to tell Him what to do? |
| By benny hinn |
| God has 9 parts (tri-theistic). A. God has a body, soul and spirit. B. Jesus has a body, soul and spirit. C. Holy Spirit has a body, soul and spirit. (Benny Hinn, Benny Hinn broadcast, recorded 10/13/90) "He [Jesus] who is righteous by choice said, 'The only way I can stop sin is by Me becoming it. I can't just stop it by letting it touch Me; I and it must become one.' Hear this! He who is the nature of God became the nature of Satan where He became sin!" (Benny Hinn, TBN, 12/1/90).
|
| I don't understand how people can read this and still say Many folks assume that because Benny Hinn doesn't fit our notions of integrity and a lot of other truly very important factors--GOD SIMPLY COULD NOT AND WOULD NOT EVER USE HIM IN ANY WAY FOR ANY REASON IN ANY CONTEXT. |
Isn't this If you break this covenant with me, you'll have to cease to be God sheer blasphemy?
i'm sure, just as you were concerned about the wording earlier, you two will be concerned about these gross blasphemies too, correct?
Allow me to get my snotty on:
I believe that , through our prayers and through the intercession we asked of the Panagia, God brought down communism.
But wow do I believe it! I remember when I was in seminary taking a bus to DC to go to the Shrine to get a rosary. In the Shrine I passed a chapel filled with "little old ladies" saying to Rosary a la mode d'Irlandais, to wit: "... and blayssed be t' froot of dy woomb, JAYsus,: and scorning them.
Less than 20 years later down comes the Berlin Wall and Yeltsin is president of a diminished Russia.
Wow! Color me Catholic! Never get between a gaggle of little old Irish Ladies and their goal 's all I'm sayin'.
On the other, they're hysterical!
I'd go with hysterical. Laughing is good.
By using our God-given graces, by focusing them and putting them to the will of God, communism was brought down -- not by human hands but by the prayers of millions.
This is in according with the writings of Malachi 11For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the LORD of hosts. -- the purest of all offerings in heaven..
Exactly!
Dominicans, even lay Dominicans, often speak of "our Holy Father Dominic". There's enough of my pre-Catholic self in me to give a teeny wince whenever we say that.
But 99% of the time that we say it, the sentence is finished, "Pray for us."
I find the Dominican approach to things congenial to my gifts (if any) and inclinations, at least my better inclinations.
The recent scandal involving a man called "Dominique" has given me the ear-worm of the song of the "singing nun" back when Cronos was a gleam in his father's eye (well, almost). The last line of the chorus was,"En tous chemins, en tous lieux, il ne parle que du bon Dieu"
in all his travelling, in all places, he spoke only of the good God.
The standard line is "Dominic spoke only to God or of Him."
In a meager imitation of this I do hardly any politics on FR anymore and am weaning myself from politics on Facebook.
What this is about is that, for me, to consecrate and dedicate myself to the Lord involves models and guides. Chief among these would be Mary's self-giving as exemplified by the Annunciation.
But after that would be Dominic's joyfulness, courage, faith, and focus. It still amazes me that when his order was young, small, and poor, he scattered the friars, two-by-two, and sent them off to preach and to study. Everyone thought that would kill the order as it was coming to life.
(As I like to say, "It's all about the 'glad tidings,'" which is why I took the name Dominic Gabriel when I joined the order. They seem to me to be the principle 'glad tidings' D00ds, and I've thought Gabriel was cool since I was,like, five years old.)
This is a strained comparison, but if the master left me with, say, 5 talents and went away, and if I wanted to serve him well, I might find a local 'mentor' to advise me on how best to make the talents generate wealth and income for my lord.
At a deeper and even less clear level, Paul is always talking about being "in" someone, usually Christ, but sometimes one's spouse. And while Paul and John seem so different in style and diction, in John's Gospel Jesus also talks about being "in" him and he in us and he in the Father, and so forth.
I think of the Ptolemaic concept of the universe and the idea that the entire universe rotates once a day. That motion carries all the planets, yet 'in' the outer sphere with its daily "motion of the same" the planets (including, don't forget, the sun and the moon in this scheme) have their own "motion of the other", which retards their motion with respect to the daily rotation, and gives them their apparent motion among the stars.
So, "in" Dominic or "in" Mary, I am still "in" Christ.
This is not an argument but a offering of a notion which might shed light on the attitude some of us have.
-- the purest of all offerings in heaven..
This is so evocative of the Eucharist as shared by us in orthodoxy around the world and through time.
, oh that was nearly 19 years before... ;-P
Many people have...But that has nothing to do with you or I or Mary performing miracles...
Consarned whippersnappers! ;-)
You say:
But I don't see everyone doing signs and miracles...I haven't done any...Have you???
then you say.
Many people have [seen or participated in miracles]...But that has nothing to do with you or I or Mary performing miracles...
I'm wondering if your 'thesis' could be stated. Right now it seems that it's amorphous. it's like global warming: whatever any one observes (including colder climate) is proof of your point, while the point is unclear to me, and the argument nonexistent, so far.
I suppose John was saying exactly what he said...
Joh 21:25 And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.
That tells us Jesus was a very busy person...And then John goes on to say
Joh 20:30 And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book:
Joh 20:31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.
As the verse tells us, every thing we need to know to attain salvation has been written...Those other things that Jesus did would not contribute one iota of knowledge to our ability to get saved...
2Th 2:14 Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Act 20:24 But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.
And that would be the gospel that was given to Paul to give to us...And he did...In full...
2Th 2:15 Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.
There is absolutely nothing that indicates the oral tradition would be any thing different than the written tradtion...Nothing...In fact, it would be ridiculous if they were...
With your religion's position, the pope would be telling the people to stand fast and EITHER follow the bible or the Catholic tradition...
Bu then too, the verse doesn't say the BIBLE or tradition...It says tradition, whether spoken OR written...
There's no way the verse can be twisted or stretched make it say, hold the teachings which you have been taught, by the written scriptures and the oral tradition...And that's what you guys try to make it say...And it doesn't...
And please do not get derailed by the phrase "stewardship of the heart" - those are my words attempting to sum up the parable.
The first two stewards in the parable personally work the owner's possessions and are rewarded with doubled resources in the new life. The third who hid the talent was banished to torment. The owner who is God in the parable obviously owns the stewards, i.e. He decrees their fate.
Interestingly the parable does not mention that a steward-investor in an "exchanger" would receive the same double resources (one talent plus interest) to enter the new life.
Truly, I believe intercessory prayer is one of the most important ways we "work out" the "talents" God has given.
In my view, as a Christian it would be burying the talent to be mute in the face of suffering.
I see that not so much as an exchange but more as a way to increase the grace by focusing it (bad terminology but I hope that gives the meaning)
Communism I'm convinced was collapsed through prayer. The focal point of that prayer was the "conversion of Russia", the dedication of prayers, of these talents of these graces given to us, the stewards of this -- the focal point was focused on the Kremlin and it worked a miracle!
Never get between a gaggle of little old Irish Ladies and their goal 's all I'm sayin'.My father would always say those old ladies were "cramming for the finals," but I know better; they are keeping towns afloat.
Our view of the cosmos- heaven and earth is a vast, innumerable family gathered under the Trinity. There is a physical death, but the soul continues.
They live and worship God now. Life continues both inside and outside time.
The Communion of the Saints is not something simply on earth among believers only understood by our limited human minds, but a infinite family throughout time and space.
It is a family, interacting on earth and in heaven solely when God allows petition.
~When God allows petition~ I can ask a saint to pray with and for me, but it is God who answers my prayer. It is no different to me than if I were sitting in Adoration praying with other people for petition. We will always talk past each other because of this. It can't be helped. The redaction of the bible has limited our ability to understand each other.
By focusing our prayers, by consecrating/dedicating them to a particular cause we can work global-level miracles like the fall of communism
As Christ pointed out in the parable of the Talents, we must use our gifts and increase them -- and how does it increase? By putting them to good use to increase the bounty for Christ
Thank you.
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