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Veneration of Mary in Luke 11:27-28
August 15, 2013 | Annalex

Posted on 08/15/2013 7:03:11 PM PDT by annalex

Once a woman in the crowd surrounding Christ and His disciples cries out to Him:

Blessed is the womb that bore thee, and the paps that gave thee suck. (Luke 11:27)

What is it? We have, clearly, an act of venerating Mary. Note that the Blessed Virgin is venerated properly: not on her own but as the mother of Christ. Yet the reason for venerating is indeed concerning: it is her physiological and physiologically unique relationship with Jesus that is emphasized. That is not yet paganism with its crude theories of gods giving birth to other gods, but it is lacking proper focus and Jesus corrects it:

Yea rather, blessed are they who hear the word of God, and keep it. (Luke 11:28)

The Virgin with the Child on her knees and a prophet pointing at the star. Catacomb of Priscilla, late 2nd c. Source
Note that there is no condemnation here, not even asking the woman to stop; the "yea rather" (μενουνγε) is not a negation. It is used other times in the New Testament without a hint of negation. In Philippians 3:8 "αλλα μενουνγε και ηγουμαι παντα ζημιαν ειναι", "Furthermore I count all things to be but loss" (Textus Receptus 1550/1894, Byzantine/Majority Text 2000 has here "αλλα μεν ουν και ηγουμαι…" which is the same word morphology spelled separately and colliding affirmative "γε" with the following "και"). Romans 9:20 "μενουνγε ω ανθρωπε συ τις ει ο ανταποκρινομενος τω θεω" and Romans 10:18 "μενουνγε εις πασαν την γην εξηλθεν ο φθογγος αυτων" use the word reinforcing the subsequent statement. Some translations obscure this linguistic fact: in King James for example, the same word is rendered correctly, "yea rather" in Luke 11:28, wholly incongruously, "nay but" in Romans 9:20, but in Romans 10:18 the translation is again correct, "Yes verily". NRSV has both correct and elegant translations for all three. (See The Holy Mother and the "ΜΕΝΟΥΝΓΕ")

Having gotten past this linguistic hurdle, we can understand clearly what this passage, Luke 11:27-28, does: it establishes veneration of saints based not on their blood relation to Christ but on their obedience to God. It is in that sense that we venerate Our Lady: given that Christ is the Word of God personified, she heard and kept both Him in person as her Child and His teaching, figuratively. In Mary the essence of sainthood is seen in the flesh as well as in the mind. We could say that by the late second century at the latest, when we find evidence of the veneration of both the prophets and the Mother of God in the catacombs, the two reasons to venerate a saint: his martyrdom as in the case of Polycarp, or his obedience to the Word, as in Mary, -- unite into a single practice.


TOPICS: Catholic; History; Orthodox Christian
KEYWORDS: catholic; mary
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To: boatbums

ROFL! Their idea of a fast is eating more than I do. What a joke!


2,661 posted on 09/28/2013 5:26:04 PM PDT by CynicalBear (For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ)
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To: CynicalBear

2,662 posted on 09/28/2013 5:26:34 PM PDT by narses
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To: narses

You should at least post some kindergarten pictures that are relevant. I wasn’t interpreting scripture. Your complex theological input is always such thought provoking, in depth analysis.


2,663 posted on 09/28/2013 5:30:43 PM PDT by CynicalBear (For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ)
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To: CynicalBear

No one would ever believe you capable of interperting Scripture, so don’t worry


2,664 posted on 09/28/2013 5:36:21 PM PDT by Hegewisch Dupa
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To: Hegewisch Dupa
>> No one would ever believe you capable of interperting Scripture, so don’t worry<<

I let scripture speak for itself. It is God’s words you know.

2,665 posted on 09/28/2013 5:42:29 PM PDT by CynicalBear (For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ)
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To: CynicalBear

“All of the Lent and Easter abomination is pagan and God clearly condemned it in scripture.”

“God doesn’t smile down on people who celebrate Easter.”

Not found anywhere in the Holy Writ.


2,666 posted on 09/28/2013 5:49:32 PM PDT by narses
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To: CynicalBear

so where do you stand on Jesus making wine? I don’t know if you are one of those who claims to follow Scripture but still like to pretend our Lord makes grape juice at weddings even though Scripture says otherwise. I sincerely hope you aren’t this silly, but humbly request a calibration point.


2,667 posted on 09/28/2013 5:50:13 PM PDT by Hegewisch Dupa
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To: Hegewisch Dupa

“Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.’ And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’ “


2,668 posted on 09/28/2013 5:53:39 PM PDT by narses
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To: CynicalBear

Anyone who love others unconditionally are putting thier faith in Christ weather they know it or not .

God is unconditional love-that is always the will of God


2,669 posted on 09/28/2013 6:00:33 PM PDT by tekakwitha
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To: narses
>>Not found anywhere in the Holy Writ.<<

Deuteronomy 12:32 What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.

Please show where God commanded to observe Easter. Book, Chapter, and verse please.

2,670 posted on 09/28/2013 6:05:58 PM PDT by CynicalBear (For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ)
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To: CynicalBear

Please show where God commanded us NOT to observe Easter. Book, Chapter, and verse please.


2,671 posted on 09/28/2013 6:15:15 PM PDT by narses
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To: tekakwitha

My soul magnifies the Lord,
And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.
For He has regarded the low estate of His handmaiden,
For behold, henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
For He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name. And His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with His arm:
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
and exalted those of low degree.
He has filled the hungry with good things;
and the rich He has sent empty away.
He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy;
As He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to His posterity forever.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen

Magníficat ánima mea Dóminum,
et exsultávit spíritus meus
in Deo salvatóre meo,
quia respéxit humilitátem
ancíllæ suæ.

Ecce enim ex hoc beátam
me dicent omnes generatiónes,
quia fecit mihi magna,
qui potens est,
et sanctum nomen eius,
et misericórdia eius in progénies
et progénies timéntibus eum.
Fecit poténtiam in bráchio suo,
dispérsit supérbos mente cordis sui;
depósuit poténtes de sede
et exaltávit húmiles.
Esuriéntes implévit bonis
et dívites dimísit inánes.
Suscépit Ísrael púerum suum,
recordátus misericórdiæ,
sicut locútus est ad patres nostros,
Ábraham et sémini eius in sæcula.

Glória Patri et Fílio
et Spirítui Sancto.
Sicut erat in princípio,
et nunc et semper,
et in sæcula sæculórum.

Amen.


2,672 posted on 09/28/2013 6:15:51 PM PDT by narses
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To: narses

What type of a Christian are you? Why would God possibly want us to celebrate the resurrection of His only Son???? Obviously God would view such banality as something worth of ignoring.......


2,673 posted on 09/28/2013 6:19:41 PM PDT by Hegewisch Dupa
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To: Hegewisch Dupa

Credo in Deum Patrem omnipotentem;
Creatorem caeli et terrae.

Et in Jesum Christum,
Filium eius unicum, Dominum nostrum;
qui conceptus est
de Spiritu Sancto,
natus ex Maria virgine;
passus sub Pontio Pilato,
crucifixus, mortuus, et sepultus;
descendit ad inferos;
tertia die resurrexit a mortuis;
ascendit ad caelos;
sedet ad dexteram Dei Patris omnipotentis;
inde venturus est
iudicare vivos et mortuos.

Credo in Spiritum Sanctum;
sanctam ecclesiam catholicam;
sanctorum communionem;
remissionem peccatorum;
carnis resurrectionem;
vitam aeternam. Amen.

In English:

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ,
his only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived
by the power of the Holy Spirit,
and born of the Virgin Mary,
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
He descended into hell.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
he will come again
to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy Catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen


2,674 posted on 09/28/2013 6:21:51 PM PDT by narses
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To: narses

yeah, sorry - I only read Polish


2,675 posted on 09/28/2013 6:24:18 PM PDT by Hegewisch Dupa
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To: Hegewisch Dupa
>>so where do you stand on Jesus making wine?<<

John 2:7 Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it. 9 When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine (oinon), and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom, 10 And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine (oinon); and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine (oinon) until now.

Ephesians 5:18 And be not drunk with wine (oinon), wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;

oinon
Short Definition: wine
Definition: wine.

I let scripture speak for itself. It's God's words you know.

2,676 posted on 09/28/2013 6:25:43 PM PDT by CynicalBear (For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ)
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To: tekakwitha
>>Anyone who love others unconditionally are putting thier faith in Christ weather they know it or not .<<

Book, Chapter, and verse please.

2,677 posted on 09/28/2013 6:27:30 PM PDT by CynicalBear (For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ)
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To: CynicalBear

nice. There is hope for you; bless you Brother.


2,678 posted on 09/28/2013 6:28:22 PM PDT by Hegewisch Dupa
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To: narses
>>Please show where God commanded us NOT to observe Easter. Book, Chapter, and verse please.<<

Deuteronomy 12:32 What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.

Now by observing Easter you are going directly against God’s command unless you can show where He commanded to observe Easter.

2,679 posted on 09/28/2013 6:31:06 PM PDT by CynicalBear (For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ)
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To: narses

and where sayth that Cyn Bear ought post on FR? Where is this written?????????????


2,680 posted on 09/28/2013 6:32:56 PM PDT by Hegewisch Dupa
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