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The Hail Mary of a Protestant
http://www.abouttherosary.com ^ | September 3, 2014 | Robbe Lyn Sebesta

Posted on 09/03/2014 6:36:07 AM PDT by NKP_Vet

A little six-year-old Protestant boy had often heard his Catholic companions reciting the prayer “Hail Mary.” He liked it so much that he copied it, memorized it and would recite it every day. “Look, Mommy, what a beautiful prayer,” he said to his mother one day.

“Never again say it,” answered the mother. “It is a superstitious prayer of Catholics who adore idols and think Mary a goddess. After all, she is a woman like any other. Come on, take this Bible and read it. It contains everything that we are bound to do and have to do.” From that day on the little boy discontinued his daily “Hail Mary” and gave himself more time to reading the Bible instead. One day, while reading the Gospel, he came across the passage about the Annunciation of the Angel to Our Lady. Full of joy, the little boy ran to his mother and said: “Mommy, I have found the ‘Hail Mary’ in the Bible which says: ‘Hail full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou amongst women.’ Why do you call it a superstitious prayer?”

On another occasion he found that beautiful Salutation of St. Elizabeth to the Virgin Mary and the wonderful canticle MAGNIFICAT in which Mary foretold that “the generations would call her blessed.” He said no more about it to his mother but started to recite the “Hail Mary” every day as before. He felt pleasure in addressing those charming words to the Mother of Jesus, our Savior.

When he was fourteen, he one day heard a discussion on Our Lady among the members of his family. Every one said that Mary was a common woman like any other woman. The boy, after listening to their erroneous reasoning could not bear it any longer, and full of indignation, he interrupted them, saying:

“Mary is not like any other children of Adam, stained with sin. No! The Angel called her FULL OF GRACE AND BLESSED AMONGST WOMEN. Mary is the Mother of Jesus Christ and consequently Mother of God. There is no higher dignity to which a creature can be raised. The Gospel says that the generations will proclaim her blessed and you are trying to despise her and look down on her. Your spirit is not the spirit of the Gospel or of the Bible which you proclaim to be the foundation of the Christian religion.”

So deep was the impression which the boy’s talk had made that his mother many times cried out sorrowfully: “Oh my God! I fear that this son of mine will one day join the Catholic religion, the religion of Popes!” And indeed, not very long afterwards, having made a serious study of both Protestantism and Catholicism, the boy found the latter to be the only true religion and embraced it and became one of its most ardent apostles.

Some time after his conversion, he met his married sister who rebuked him and said indignantly: “You little know how much I love my children. Should any one of them desire to become a Catholic, I would sooner pierce his heart with a dagger than allow him to embrace the religion of the Popes!”

Her anger and temper were as furious as those of St. Paul before his conversion. However, she would change her ways, just as St. Paul did on his way to Damascus. It so happened that one of her sons fell dangerously ill and the doctors gave up hope of recovery. Her brother then approached her and spoke to her affectionately, saying: “My dear sister, you naturally wish to have your child cured. Very well, then, do what I ask you to do. Follow me, let us pray one ‘Hail Mary’ and promise God that, if your son recovers his health, you would seriously study the Catholic doctrine, and should you come to the conclusion that Catholicism is the only true religion, you would embrace it no matter what the sacrifices may be.”

His sister was somewhat reluctant at the beginning, but as she wished for her son’s recovery, she accepted her brother’s proposal and recited the “Hail Mary” together with him. The next day her son was completely cured. The mother fulfilled her promise and she studied the Catholic doctrine. After long preparation she received Baptism together with her whole family, thanking her brother for being an apostle to her.

The story was related during a sermon given by the Rev. Fr. Tuckwell. “Brethren,” he went on and said, “the boy who became a Catholic and converted his sister to Catholicism dedicated his whole life to the service of God. He is the priest who is speaking to you now! What I am I owe to Our Lady. You, too, my dear brethren, be entirely dedicated also to Our Lady and never let a day pass without saying the beautiful prayer, ‘Hail Mary’, and your Rosary. Ask her to enlighten the minds of Protestants who are separated from the true Church of Christ founded on the Rock (Peter) and ‘against whom the gates of hell shall never prevail.’”


TOPICS: Apologetics; Ecumenism; Theology; Worship
KEYWORDS: herewegoagain; pleasenomore
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To: caww

I think you are misunderstanding this. God cannot be in an impure vessel without consuming it. Even Mary attributes her sinlessness to Her Son ...her Savior.

Look at all the early writings of the Fathers of the Church. They all believed the same thing. Even Martin Luther believed it. There is nothing about this belief that denies that Jesus paid the price for our sins on the cross. This is one of the reasons that we Catholics place Christ on the Cross in our church buildings....so that we NEVER forget what the cost was of our salvation.


201 posted on 09/03/2014 12:53:18 PM PDT by SumProVita (Cogito, ergo....Sum Pro Vita - Modified Descartes)
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To: dartuser

(”With God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26)


202 posted on 09/03/2014 12:53:22 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: defconw
I really don't understand why certain people find the Mother of Jesus Christ to be such a threat.

That's not it ...

It is a righteous anger and indignation that wells up in a Christian when a Roman Catholic ascribes attributes to Mary that are the sole possession of the Lord of Hosts.

Period ...

203 posted on 09/03/2014 12:53:49 PM PDT by dartuser
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To: SumProVita

No support from scripture. The apostles did ‘t teach it and is thus to be considered “another gospel”.


204 posted on 09/03/2014 1:02:32 PM PDT by CynicalBear (For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ)
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To: SumProVita

Show us where the apostles taught that.


205 posted on 09/03/2014 1:03:50 PM PDT by CynicalBear (For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ)
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To: NKP_Vet

More martian posts.

206 posted on 09/03/2014 1:04:14 PM PDT by fishtank (The denial of original sin is the root of liberalism.)
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To: caww

If I bow before a likeness of the Mother of Jesus, it is INDEED to honor her. I do not worship her (nor any inanimate object with her likeness). I see her as the Mother of my Savior, my Redeemer and Victor of the whole world! I will most certainly honor her in any way that I can.
I love Jesus passionately and I KNOW that He is pleased that I honor her because of her obedience and example. To God be the glory forever!


207 posted on 09/03/2014 1:08:29 PM PDT by SumProVita (Cogito, ergo....Sum Pro Vita - Modified Descartes)
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To: Salvation
We’ll pick our own Bibles, thank you.

why wouldn't you want the most literal translation available? that way we have the best idea of what the original text said.

208 posted on 09/03/2014 1:09:25 PM PDT by ealgeone (obama, borderof)
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To: CynicalBear

Show me where the Apostles taught about the Trinity. ;-)


209 posted on 09/03/2014 1:09:36 PM PDT by SumProVita (Cogito, ergo....Sum Pro Vita - Modified Descartes)
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To: fishtank
A little misspelling there.

A Marian thread.

210 posted on 09/03/2014 1:09:50 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: Salvation
With God, all things are possible.

Is that all it takes? Possibility can be immediately translated into absolute truth by waving your hand?

211 posted on 09/03/2014 1:11:09 PM PDT by dartuser
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To: ealgeone

that way we have the best idea of what the original text said.

______________________________

How so? How can you be sure of that?


212 posted on 09/03/2014 1:16:21 PM PDT by SumProVita (Cogito, ergo....Sum Pro Vita - Modified Descartes)
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To: SumProVita
Please show where the apostles taught that. If not .....

Galatians 1:8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.

213 posted on 09/03/2014 1:19:12 PM PDT by CynicalBear (For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ)
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To: dartuser

BS! You’re afraid of that which you do not understand. Pity! You don’t care about anything other than being right. But no one can know until he comes again. I’m not afraid.


214 posted on 09/03/2014 1:20:15 PM PDT by defconw (Both parties have clearly lost their minds!)
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To: caww; SumProVita

Yeah just as SumProVita said, that quote from St Augustine isn’t saying Mary has the power to forgive sins. He (Augustine) is saying she was given a special grace to resist sin. In other words, the Immaculate Conception, which miraculously (through the power of God, via Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross) preserved her from Original Sin, which also preserved her from what we Catholics call “concupiscence”, which (in the Catholic sense) is a tendency to want to sin, or to resist holiness. (Not merely a tendency to commit sexual sins as the definition implies.).

So there is no blasphemy here per se. (Not in what St Augusinte really said.). Of course, others argue that the Immaculate Conception never happened at all, to which I will depart from this conversation.


215 posted on 09/03/2014 1:21:12 PM PDT by FourtySeven (47)
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To: dartuser; Salvation

Possibility can be immediately translated into absolute truth by waving your hand?

_______________________________

Straw man.

If God wants the Saviour of the World, Jesus Christ, to be born of a sinless woman, does He have the power to do so? Yes or no?


216 posted on 09/03/2014 1:22:20 PM PDT by SumProVita (Cogito, ergo....Sum Pro Vita - Modified Descartes)
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To: huldah1776

So children listening to Christ when He was on earth gives Catholics the right to make up stories?


217 posted on 09/03/2014 1:22:21 PM PDT by CynicalBear (For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ)
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To: CynicalBear

Where did the Apostles teach about the Trinity?


218 posted on 09/03/2014 1:23:44 PM PDT by SumProVita (Cogito, ergo....Sum Pro Vita - Modified Descartes)
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To: SumProVita

Who did Jesus pray to and who did He say would be sent as counselor?


219 posted on 09/03/2014 1:24:40 PM PDT by CynicalBear (For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ)
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To: dartuser

It is a righteous anger and indignation that wells up in a Christian when a Roman Catholic ascribes attributes to Mary that are the sole possession of the Lord of Hosts.

__________________________________

No Catholic I know of does that. Can you name one who does?


220 posted on 09/03/2014 1:26:11 PM PDT by SumProVita (Cogito, ergo....Sum Pro Vita - Modified Descartes)
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