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.’”
Uggg....so, there is no such thing as the Trinity? With God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit being equal in all aspects? We need to throw that part of the Bible out? If I pray to Jesus or the Holy Spirit, is that not praying to God the Father?
Mary? She was a great woman for bearing the Son, but still a sinner and no longer a virgin after having other children. Not worthy of my praying to.
Ancient heresy.
This is absolutely NOT TRUE!!! The Catholic Church explicitly teaches that belief in private revelations, of which Lourdes and Fatima are probably the prime examples, are NOT REQUIRED FOR SALVATION.
While I happen to believe that both Lourdes and Fatima are true, such belief in no way is part of the deposit of faith that all must believe in order to be saved.
Please do not put stumbling blocks in the way of our Protestant brothers and sisters.
**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.’”**
Lump in my throat. What a beautiful story. May all have this experience.
Like I said do as you please, more for me. :)
Who was at the Transfiguration?
I always think of them as my prayer posse, with Michael the Arch Angel guarding my flank.
Mary is alive in heaven. There’s your problem, correct? You have no belief?
You are projecting a false argument on to my response. I was showing that the teaching of the Popes to pray to Mary is not based on anything in the Bible. Others then postulated that we pray “through” Jesus. Again, not based on what Jesus taught us to do.
We have direct access to God and can pray directly to God. In fact, that is what Jesus taught us to do. To address God directly. That is based upon scripture and if you look at the scriptures that I quoted, they state “Our father which art in heaven....”
Would you honor your own mother?
Jesus does. She hears our prayers and passes them on to her son.
“The Church’s deification of Mary is a mistake, she does not hear or answer prayers IMHO”.
More Christians hold the Catholic view of the Blessed Mother than do not.
Yes, but to a non-believer, your statement sounds as though we can not pray directly to Jesus, either. Just a point of clarification, nothing more, and said in love.
*** Mary also had mortal children and a mortal husband. She was a woman among women. When Christ told John to behold his mother He did not give His mother authority over John, in fact the opposite was true, John was the new caretaker of Mary.***
If Mary had other mortal children, then why did Jesus make John the new caretaker of Mary. Why wouldn’t one of her other children have that responsibility? Isn’t that what the Jews of the Old Testament did? All women were cared for by other living male relatives, no?
Muslims know more about Mary than protestants and hold her in very high esteem. Now read that again. The despised Muslims know more about Mary and her role in salvation than protestants, who mock her every chance they get. Now that’s saying a mouthful, but it’s fact. The primary reason protestants have no use for Mary is because Catholics hold her in such high esteem. And nothing a Catholic does can possibly be right.
I have not come to this thread to debate with you or others. But to encourage those who know what I know. Who I ask to pray with me and for me has no bearing on what you do or don't do.
True that. I am not arguing with them, but they keep coming. I will continue to hold Mary in my heart and know that she holds me in hers. It’s good enough. We know what we know. Just thankful that I am a Catholic.
“When Jesus was asked by the Apostles how to pray what was his response?”
The Our Father.
“Did Jesus say to call on him?”
Are you saying we CAN’T call on Him?
“Did Jesus say to pray through him?”
John 14:6
Think about what you said for a moment. The Moslems, who are catastrophically wrong about nearly everything, share your view on the topic. Not exactly the best endorsement. And nothing wrong with holding Mary in high esteem, I just don’t see her as a deity I can or should go through.
And the greatest mockery I see of Mary is when Catholics see her in tree stumps, caves, tortillas, and pancakes.
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