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)
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| The Virgin with the Child on her knees and a prophet pointing at the star. Catacomb of Priscilla, late 2nd c. Source |
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.
If you're a GENTILE, there is a DIFFERENT list...
Well, Catholics justify their additions and modifications of worship by stating 'GOD can do anything so why can't we...'
Much like this guys equally valid observations:
Well; not necessarily a FOLLOWER, but...
Luke 9:52-56
52 and He sent messengers on ahead of Him, and they went and entered a village of the Samaritans to make arrangements for Him. 53 But they did not receive Him, because He was traveling toward Jerusalem. 54 When His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” 55 But He turned and rebuked them, and said, “You do not know what kind of spirit you are of; 56 for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.” And they went on to another village.
John 6:28 speaks of sufficiency of the One Holy Catholic Church, who gives one full faith in Christ without redactions, shortcuts and omissions. Yup, fasting is part of it.
Now by observing Easter you are going directly against God’s command unless you can show where He commanded to observe Easter.Amazing that anyone could say such nonsense, but here is is!
Yep, He said that.
“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.’ “
Jeremiah 10:2 Thus saith the Lord, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. 3 For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. 4 They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.
Wow! All those posts about me and no ping to me. Hmmm.
I now recognize where Baghdad Bob got HIS inspiration!
John 6:28-29
Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”
Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”
Too late!
Your foot fell out!
I don't think Protestants, surely not Mormons or Jehova's Witnesses, or other para-Christian sects "believe in the one God has sent". I want you to understand that, and begin to worry about the salvation of the sectants who are so well represented on this thread. OK?
Amazing that someone, who might want others to think Cynical Bear just volunteered that opinion out of the blue on a thread about the Veneration of Mary, failed to identify himself as the one who ASKED the question in the first place! Disingenuous is a word that comes to mind.
If one doesn't like to hear said opinion - one that they have heard many times before on many different threads (often which are also unrelated to the topic, but asked anyway) - I'd think it would be a good idea to not ASK for it again in the first place. There IS that pesky rule about not dragging disputes across threads, isn't there?
No doubt many Catholics will end up in hell. But no CHRISTIANS will. There's a difference.
*Catholic* does not by default mean *Christian* nor does *Christian* by default mean *Catholic*.
The two terms are not synonymous. The term *Catholic* is not found in Scripture whereas *Christian* is.
Sounds more like Buddhism.
Paul, in those chapters, says that deacons bishops, and presbyters, are to be the husband of one wife.
IF Catholicism teaches Scripture, then why does it teach in contradiction to the clear instructions of Paul.
Additionally, the forbidding of marriage is also closely associated with false teaching.
Huge error there. Nobody offers Christ as a sacrifice for us.
Jesus wasn't a human sinless sacrifice for us to offer to God. Jesus laid down his own life for us to pay for our sins for us because we can't.
John 10:17-18 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”
Seclusion in a monastery by default means disobedience to the command of Christ to go out into all the world and preach the gospel and make disciples.
There is simply no precedent in Scripture for seclusion while people are dying and going to hell. We are to be in the world but not of it and if we don't share the gospel, how are those who need it the most ever going to hear?
It's appallingly selfish and irresponsible to let people die and go to hell to allegedly assure our own place in heaven. To save oneself at the expense of another's soul.... How reprehensible!
That's a lot to answer to God for.
The Catohlic priests do.
This is my body, which is given for you. Do this for a commemoration of me. (Luke 22:19)
Seclusion in a monastery
If a monk has a gift of preaching, by all means, he should go and preach. Monastic life is defined by obedience, poverty and celibacy, in full compliance with what Christ asked of us.
Please take me off your ping list. If I happen to see something of yours that I think I need to respond to I’ll do it on my own. The rest of what you post is so far off of scripture I’m really not interested.
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