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.’”
...”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”.....
Exactly....
The “Mary” of the Roman Catholic church as they present her is not recognizable as the real Mary of the Bible.
Well said, brother!
When you look at most false religions today...along with the new age spiritualism, you find “female personages” in every one of them, who are elevated/”venerated” if you will. From Hinduism to Buddhist's and on....they all have them.
Could be that this infatuation with a “female goddess” might be used to entice further the unity of those faiths since they all have that in common.
“Repent, change your mind and do the only work God demands: BELIEVE in the one he has sent”
2,000 years of Catholic teaching on Mary and Orthodox teaching on Mary overrule any PROTESTant view on the Blessed Mother. You’re the one that will have to explain to the Lord on Judgement Day why you held His mother in such low regard.
It’s pitiful and shameful.
The great lapsed Catholic has weighed in. Drum roll please.
Uhh, there's one on this forum who did just that within this thread, attributing to Mary the power to hear the supplications of sinners (and--absurdly--with a motherly nudge hopefully influence her Son to grant the prayer).
Si experimentum quæritis circumspicere....If you seek evidence, look around.
And Mary did not? What absurdity.
I didn’t say she was in there. (the decision making)
“2,000 years of Catholic teaching on Mary and Orthodox teaching on Mary overrule any PROTESTant view on the Blessed Mother.”
Hinduism has been around longer, and is still around. Is it the Truth? Longevity of error is possible because of the longevity of the evil one (who energizes all false religion). Note also that Paul declared “after my departure savage wolves will come in, not sparing the flock”. How many souls have been crushed under the doomed works “gospel” of Rome?
“You’re the one that will have to explain to the Lord on Judgement Day why you held His mother in such low regard.”
I’m not the one who has invented, promoted and arrogantly defended fabrications and lies about her and her role as a servant of God. I take the Scripture about her and cherish her based on that. I will not commit idolatry for her, though, and pretend it’s something else.
“It’s pitiful and shameful.”
Religious deception indeed is.
“The great lapsed Catholic has weighed in. Drum roll please.”
I’m a lousy drummer but I’ll do my best for metmom! Her feet are securely planted on the Gospel of grace. Roman Catholicism can’t touch or affect a born-again child of God, nor is one who has escaped it “lapsed”. God is the one who justifies, who is he that condemns?
New use for a word?
Missed that one. Thanks.
Except in the U. S.
Silly spell check approved it! LOL!
But you are startled by a thypo?
I notice pride appears as many catholics on this thread are "clamoring" to the defense of Mary.
Having spent years studying various denominations, including much time on Catholicism and the veneration of Mary, I'm astounded but not surprised in the least.
It looks like Mary is the center of their belief system.
Nice pictures you posted btw.
All those people clustered around the statues and apparitions, looking at Mary, bowing down to her, leaving her little trinkets.
Consumed with their attraction to her.
I can just imagine Jesus around the corner or standing in a doorway quietly saying "Here I am. Do you have a minute for Me?
The power of Mary is blinding.
I see that no one has recognized your fair-minded remarks... Thank you for them, as your words are correct.
There are sects that believe she was no more than a vessel a sort of rent a womb but that belief is in the minority.
I don't think that is right - It might feel that way to you because of a visceral reaction to mariology in more fundamentalist branches, but from what I have experienced, the whole of Protestants/Evangelicals/Fundamentalists/Pentecostals are right in line with your previous words... Though by 'sect', perhaps you are wandering farther afield than what I would consider to be under the most generic sense of the 'Protestant' umbrella.
At any rate, thank you for your reasonable position.
Mary wasn’t in anything to do with God. She was a human woman. Human like you and me. She had one mission on earth, to birth the LORD Jesus Christ. That was the end of her mission. The Scriptures tell nothing of her doing anything after the crucifixion. John took her in and was her son after that. People who want to make a religion based on Mary are wrong! Scripture does not, does not give Mary any position in salvation. Only Jesus can do that. I hope those that keep praying to Mary get it straight before it is too late. Those that are seeing signs of Mary are seeing signs brought on by Satan. Satan is making people think Mary is the one. Anything to do away with people looking to Christ.
Protestants have a child-like, elementary view of Christianity, The only thing necessary for their salvation is to BELIEVE!! Forget about living your life for others. Only BELIEVE! Do whatever you feel like doing. Stay drunk all the time, be a dope addict, shack up all your life and never get married, only BELIEVE! Never set foot in the front door of house of worship, only BELIEVE! Well by God if Billy Bob says the only requirement for going to heaven is to believe and watch his TV sermon, then that must make it true! Only believe!
Thank You for weighing in with your opinion.
You post started off well.
But Catholicism is based on God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
The first half of the Mass is from the Bible. Have you ever been to a Catholic Mass?
You insinuate that Satan causes apparitions, etc. I strongly disagree.
Where do you get this false information? A pamphlet, peprhaps? A preacher who hates Catholicism?
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