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.’”
The verse you quoted in context:
Mark 8:33-35 (AMP)
33 But turning around [His back to Peter] and seeing His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, Get behind Me, Satan! For you do not have a mind intent on promoting what God wills, but what pleases men [you are not on God's side, but that of men].
34 And Jesus called [to Him] the throng with His disciples and said to them, If anyone intends to come after Me, let him deny himself [forget, ignore, disown, and lose sight of himself and his own interests] and take up his cross, and [joining Me as a disciple and siding with My party] follow with Me [continually, cleaving steadfastly to Me].
35 For whoever wants to save his [higher, spiritual, eternal] life, will lose it [the lower, natural, temporal life which is lived only on earth]; and whoever gives up his life [which is lived only on earth] for My sake and the Gospel's will save it [his higher, spiritual life in the eternal kingdom of God].
>>>>This revelation is profound if you will receive it. God has His plan for Salvation. Religion, in this case Peter under the inspiration of the god of this world, wanted to do it a different way. That is why there was such a strong rebuke of Peter.
God's Salvation plan is just too simple for the religious. Pride fuels the human desire to earn it instead of placing their faith in God's Love and His Grace. The enemy wants you in bondage, confused, doubting, under condemnation, and in unbelief, never knowing with certainty your standing or relationship with your Heavenly Father. Religion is the enemy's greatest tool.
So, with that in mind, what do you propose Believers could do on this side of the cross that would surpass what Jesus has already done for YOU? Is there anything you could suffer, endure, or do, that would prove to God that you are worthy of His favor?
Ephesians 2:1-10 (AMP)
1 AND YOU [He made alive], when you were dead (slain) by [your] trespasses and sins
2 In which at one time you walked [habitually]. You were following the course and fashion of this world [were under the sway of the tendency of this present age], following the prince of the power of the air. [You were obedient to and under the control of] the [demon] spirit that still constantly works in the sons of disobedience [the careless, the rebellious, and the unbelieving, who go against the purposes of God].
3 Among these we as well as you once lived and conducted ourselves in the passions of our flesh [our behavior governed by our corrupt and sensual nature], obeying the impulses of the flesh and the thoughts of the mind [our cravings dictated by our senses and our dark imaginings]. We were then by nature children of [God's] wrath and heirs of [His] indignation, like the rest of mankind.
4 But God—so rich is He in His mercy! Because of and in order to satisfy the great and wonderful and intense love with which He loved us,
5 Even when we were dead (slain) by [our own] shortcomings and trespasses, He made us alive together in fellowship and in union with Christ; [He gave us the very life of Christ Himself, the same new life with which He quickened Him, for] it is by grace (His favor and mercy which you did not deserve) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ's salvation).
6 And He raised us up together with Him and made us sit down together [giving us joint seating with Him] in the heavenly sphere [by virtue of our being] in Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed One).
7 He did this that He might clearly demonstrate through the ages to come the immeasurable (limitless, surpassing) riches of His free grace (His unmerited favor) in [His] kindness and goodness of heart toward us in Christ Jesus.
8 For it is by free grace (God's unmerited favor) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ's salvation) through [your] faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [of your own doing, it came not through your own striving], but it is the gift of God;
9 Not because of works [not the fulfillment of the Law's demands], lest any man should boast. [It is not the result of what anyone can possibly do, so no one can pride himself in it or take glory to himself.]
10 For we are God's [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live].
Oh, if only people would actually read the Pauline Epistles. This is God's revelation to the Body of Christ, and it will end most religious ignorance if received.
So we are doing Satan's work by rebuking and reproving those who are using God's name to lead people into darkness...Mormons are ok...Catholics are ok...Muzlims are ok...
I don't believe God shares your philosophy...I know I don't...
Well said...for those with ears to hear.
I agree...to a point. We are commanded to “earnestly contend for the faith” and to “study to show ourselves approved by God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed” and to “be ready always to give an answer to everyone that asks us of the reason for the hope that is within us, in gentleness and respect”. Sometimes, that may mean contradicting false doctrine WITH God’s word - as the early church fathers did pretty consistently. We are NEVER supposed to intentionally injure another’s spirit but, in love, exhort, correct, teach and train in righteousness so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (II Tim. 3:16,17)
Luther called the Pope the anti-Christ. Luther was Christianity’s number 1 heretic and it’s a miracle he didn’t lose his head. Luther and his radical followers broke apart Jesus’ Pilgrim Church on Earth. Error has been taught for over 500 years due to the heretic Luther.
Actually..you're full of it! You cannot point to ANYONE on this site that says such things...and I think you know it! That's why you had to revert to some anonymous - and unverifiable - Internet interaction you might have had to defend such a lame accusation. I'm sure I could scroll through some of the threads HERE and find even worse statements from Catholics - like advocating for a new Inquisition and delighting in the thought that all "Protestants" could be put to the stake and burned. So, NO, Albion Wilde is correct in her statement and you will not find such views among the vast (maybe ALL) non-Catholic Christians on Free Republic. Can you at least admit there are some extreme anti-Protestant bigots here or will you say FRoman Catholics never express such sentiments?
Blah, blah, blah, yada, yada, yada. You at least stay consistent...always missing the point!
“I am a Catholic not like someone else would be a Baptist or a Methodist, but like someone else would be an atheist”.
~ Flannery O’Connor
The authority is explicitly given to Peter and His Apostles. Every pre-eminent theologian from Augustine to Aquinas to Benedict XVI and leading Protestant theologian ands scholars who converted to Catholicism confirm this belief and realize there were in serious error. Apparently, you think they are all wrong!
The rebuke to Protestants is simple. They have rejected this core understanding based on scripture, the received oral tradition and divine revelations through the apostles, saints and martyrs of the Church.
There are exceptions but as a rule given we don’t have sainthood nor elevate earthly leaders or preachers so much it stands to reason fewer schools with prod names
A few though....Lipscomb fairly near me comes to mind
And Harding maybe.....
Millsaps College
Rhodes maybe
It happens
Hmmm, are you arguing that based on the comprehensibility of Scripture? You expect me to understand? Do I have that right?
Christ elevated Peter to head His Church and Peter gave His life for Christ.Thus the Church too elevates saints and martyrs. The Church is nourished by the blood of is martyrs and the holiness of its saints. And God’s Mother, Mary is the Queen of All Saints.
Having the right to read Scripture is one thing, being wrong is another just as Jim Jones, David Koresh, Billy Graham, Joel Osteen are!
This is very good, boatbums....because, in the days that are coming, we will all need to strive to demonstrate our faith (and by this, I mean our utter TRUST in the Lord) in order to give hope to those who will desperately need it. We will need to encourage one another and love one another as well ...to demonstrate it to those who have no faith....or very little.
This means that, from time to time, you and I and all of our other brothers and sisters in Christ will have to eat some humble pie and leave many things in God’s capable hands.
May our God surround you and yours with His protection and wisdom.
By the way, I love reading what the early Church Fathers wrote! :-)
Having eyes, see you not? and having ears, hear you not?
“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.”
Oh yeah, you don’t hear well.
ouch......
The rebuke to Protestants is simple. They have rejected this core understanding based on scripture, the received oral tradition and divine revelations through the apostles, saints and martyrs of the Church.
Its a wonderful rant full of sound and fury, but I would suggest actually reading through the entire Bible, especially those letters written specifically to the Body of Christ.
Galatians 2:7-9 (AMP)
7 But on the contrary, when they [really] saw that I had been entrusted [to carry] the Gospel to the uncircumcised [Gentiles, just as definitely] as Peter had been entrusted [to proclaim] the Gospel to the circumcised [Jews, they were agreeable];
8 For He Who motivated and fitted Peter and worked effectively through him for the mission to the circumcised, motivated and fitted me and worked through me also for [the mission to] the Gentiles.
9 And when they knew (perceived, recognized, understood, and acknowledged) the grace (God's unmerited favor and spiritual blessing) that had been bestowed upon me, James and Cephas (Peter) and John, who were reputed to be pillars of the Jerusalem church, gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, with the understanding that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised (Jews).
>>> Does Rome require circumcision?
2 Peter 3:15-16 (AMP)
15 And consider that the long-suffering of our Lord [His slowness in avenging wrongs and judging the world] is salvation (that which is conducive to the soul's safety), even as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the spiritual insight given him,
16 Speaking of this as he does in all of his letters. There are some things in those [epistles of Paul] that are difficult to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist and misconstrue to their own utter destruction, just as [they distort and misinterpret] the rest of the Scriptures.
>>> This is why admire Peter so much. Imagine how difficult it was to take correction from Paul (Galatians 2) when he had known Jesus in the flesh. Or to admit the importance of the Revelation God had given through Paul, recognizing how some (and many religious even today) refuse to understand and believe it.
Paul rightly observed:
1 Corinthians 1:11-13 (AMP)
11 For it has been made clear to me, my brethren, by those of Chloe's household, that there are contentions and wrangling and factions among you.
12 What I mean is this, that each one of you [either] says, I belong to Paul, or I belong to Apollos, or I belong to Cephas (Peter), or I belong to Christ.
13 Is Christ (the Messiah) divided into parts? Was Paul crucified on behalf of you? Or were you baptized into the name of Paul?
Ephesians 5:21-26 (AMP)
21 Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).
22 Wives, be subject (be submissive and adapt yourselves) to your own husbands as [a service] to the Lord.
23 For the husband is head of the wife as Christ is the Head of the church, Himself the Savior of [His] body.
24 As the church is subject to Christ, so let wives also be subject in everything to their husbands.
25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her,
26 So that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the Word,
There is only one Head of the Body of Christ. No pastor, priest, bishop, cardinal, or blue jay stands above Jesus as Head of the Church. Jesus is alive. The Word is alive. The Holy Spirit is the indwelling presence in every Believer to comfort and Guide. Believers are the Body of Christ. Popes and pastors will fail you. Jesus NEVER will.
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