Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

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
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 61-8081-100101-120 ... 941-942 next last
To: Albion Wilde; NKP_Vet

On the local Catholic radio program (Relevant Radio) a fill in for the “Go ask your Father” show said that muslims will be saved easier than Protestants because they love Mary and believe in doing good works.

When you put Mary above faith in Jesus, you have a huge problem.


81 posted on 09/03/2014 9:06:39 AM PDT by redgolum ("God is dead" -- Nietzsche. "Nietzsche is dead" -- God.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 77 | View Replies]

To: redgolum

Sounds more like someone inventing their own theology than anything else. He certainly wasn’t passing on Catholic teaching if you understood him properly.


82 posted on 09/03/2014 9:08:43 AM PDT by vladimir998
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 81 | View Replies]

To: Salvation

I am a believer in the Bible and the Bible tells us that Jesus said to pray directly to God. So given the choice of following the teachings of Jesus or following the teachings of anyone else, I choose to follow the teachings of Jesus.

Mary was, is and will always be a daughter of Adam. She, like the rest of us, is tainted by sin. And it is by the intercession of Jesus that she is made holy (blessed). That same intercession is afforded to all that believe in Jesus and accept him as their savior. As such, Mary is man (generic sense) like the rest of us. Praying to her is no different than praying to your priest or neighbor or some distant relative. God is all powerful, so go to the source.


83 posted on 09/03/2014 9:10:26 AM PDT by taxcontrol
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 62 | View Replies]

To: CynicalBear

“The Catholic Church has declared that Muslims and Catholics serve the same god.”

Are you sure?

The Catholic Church says: “841 The Church’s relationship with the Muslims. “The plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator, in the first place amongst whom are the Muslims; these profess to hold the faith of Abraham, and together with us they adore the one, merciful God, mankind’s judge on the last day.”

Acknowledge, profess and adore. I don’t see “serve” anywhere in there.


84 posted on 09/03/2014 9:11:11 AM PDT by vladimir998
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 79 | View Replies]

To: Salvation
Are you trying to second-guess God?

No, but Catholic dogma apparently is.

God, at the very beginning of the world picked Mary as the Mother of Christ.

True.

Through Him [Mary] was spared from original sin

False. And nobody can cite any scripture which logically and reasonably supports the drawing of such an outlandish conclusion.

All have sinned, and fallen short of the Glory of God. All.

Christ was God. Mary was not. As Blessed as she was, she was still a sinner, just like you, me, and every Saint that ever lived.

There is absolutely no scriptural basis for claiming otherwise. Such claims represent the height of whimsical, man-made supposition. Wishing them to be true does not make them so.

85 posted on 09/03/2014 9:11:32 AM PDT by sargon
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 75 | View Replies]

To: NKP_Vet; Salvation
I am also Catholic who always had a profound respect and reverence for Mary mother of Jesus Christ. Recently I saw a video on YouTube about a priest who had a near death experience.

youtube.com/watch?v=QqiqO5BzH74

He was condemned to hell by Christ for not being the Priest he should have been when he said he heard a women's asking Jesus to give the priest a second chance. Jesus said "Mother he didn't live his life for Me but for himself". Mary then says "Give him special Graces to help do what he needs to do and if he (priest) fails again Your "Will" will be done (damnation)."

Watching this had a Profound effect on me! Every time I pray the Hail Mary or a Rosary it has ALOT more meaning for me.

86 posted on 09/03/2014 9:11:39 AM PDT by painter ( Isaiah: “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil,")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 52 | View Replies]

To: sargon
IMHO, it is an example of the intrusion of Goddess mythology into Christendom...

Nimrod & wife Semiramis (Nimrod built Tower of Babel and started the spread of false religions of ancient world. The god & goddess of these false religions were called various names as they spread from ome empire to the next)
Egypt: Osiris & Isis
Assyria: Assur & Ishtar
Babylon: Bel & Belit
Persia: Mithra & Anahita
Greece: Helios & Artemis
Rome: Apollo & Diana (See: Acts 19:35)
Bible: Moloch & Ashteroth, queen of heaven; in Acts 7:43 are called Moloch and Rephan

87 posted on 09/03/2014 9:12:27 AM PDT by Albion Wilde ("LEX REX." ("The law is the king.") -- Samuel Rutherford)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 72 | View Replies]

To: vladimir998

That is why I was honestly stunned.

The caller asked him to clarify, and he doubled down in say that muslim will be saved because of their good works and love of Mary.

Relevant radio used to be pretty good. I listen to in on occasion on my drive to lunch (the priest, Father Rocky I think, who normally does “Go ask your Father” is a hoot).

But things have changed. Once Francis did the prayer with the imam in the Vatican, it became very pro islam.


88 posted on 09/03/2014 9:12:43 AM PDT by redgolum ("God is dead" -- Nietzsche. "Nietzsche is dead" -- God.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 82 | View Replies]

To: Salvation
>>We ask her to pray for us and for others.<<

You just posted, and I pointed out to you, that in addition Catholics ask her to directly do things for them that scripture teaches is a function of God. Catholics can delude themselves all they want but need to realize they aren't deluding Spirit filled Christians.

89 posted on 09/03/2014 9:14:40 AM PDT by CynicalBear (For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 76 | View Replies]

To: DesertRhino

The bleetings be upon him prophet of Islam most likely stole some of the beliefs of area Christians and put them in the Koran. Nestorianism was very influential in that area in his time and that explains the Koran’s writing that Jesus was only a prophet and not God himself. This borrowing from Christianity also explains the esteem in which the Virgin Mary is held.


90 posted on 09/03/2014 9:14:49 AM PDT by lastchance (Credo.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 60 | View Replies]

To: NKP_Vet

My goodness, such stilted language from a purported six year old boy.


91 posted on 09/03/2014 9:15:05 AM PDT by RegulatorCountry
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: vladimir998

The “saints” are dead. The Apostles are dead. Mary is dead.

The Bible teaches that praying to the dead is sin and morally wrong. It further teaches that the dead know nothing (Ecclesiastes 9: 5-6). Jesus teaches that we should pray directly to God.


92 posted on 09/03/2014 9:18:20 AM PDT by taxcontrol
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 80 | View Replies]

To: NKP_Vet
Not the protestant Martin Luther. He had a great devotion to the Blessed Mother. So protestants pick and choose what they liked about Luther and disregard the rest.

Oh my, poor ol' Martin's back in favor with the FR Catholic contingent. Love, hate, love, hate, it's enough to make this childhood Lutheran's head spin.

Is there some secret code that triggers the Luther pivot?

93 posted on 09/03/2014 9:18:56 AM PDT by RegulatorCountry
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 24 | View Replies]

To: painter

https://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=AtUI.sOWDMN0dYEC_TClCw6bvZx4?p=youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DQqiqO5BzH74&toggle=1&cop=mss&ei=UTF-8&fr=yfp-t-901&fp=1

Powerful.......tears in my eyes.


94 posted on 09/03/2014 9:19:15 AM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 86 | View Replies]

To: vladimir998

Nice try Vlad. Weak at best but nice try.


95 posted on 09/03/2014 9:19:18 AM PDT by CynicalBear (For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 84 | View Replies]

To: ecomcon

Nothing like a straw man argument.


I agree.

The angel said Hail Mary nothing more than a greeting.

Full of grace.

God found her to be fit to raise his son.

Blessed among women, she was not blessed because she bare the son of God but baring the son of God is how she was blessed.

She was blessed more than any other woman and Jesus was her blessing.


96 posted on 09/03/2014 9:20:53 AM PDT by ravenwolf (nd)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: redgolum
The caller asked him to clarify, and he doubled down in say that muslim will be saved because of their good works and love of Mary.

No one can achieve salvation through works. Nor sentiment. Only by acceptance of the gift of grace, in gratitude for which we atone for our sins, recognize and accept the one means of Salvation: Jesus Christ, the very God Who sent an aspect of Himself to earth in the form of a man so that we could understand His will -- through Christ's teachings.

97 posted on 09/03/2014 9:22:02 AM PDT by Albion Wilde ("LEX REX." ("The law is the king.") -- Samuel Rutherford)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 88 | View Replies]

To: sargon

https://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=AtUI.sOWDMN0dYEC_TClCw6bvZx4?p=youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DQqiqO5BzH74&toggle=1&cop=mss&ei=UTF-8&fr=yfp-t-901&fp=1


98 posted on 09/03/2014 9:23:27 AM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 85 | View Replies]

To: taxcontrol

A feast is made for laughter,
wine makes life merry,
and money is the answer for everything.


99 posted on 09/03/2014 9:23:56 AM PDT by TexasGator
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 92 | View Replies]

To: Salvation
Powerful.......tears in my eyes.

YUP

100 posted on 09/03/2014 9:24:00 AM PDT by painter ( Isaiah: “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil,")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 94 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 61-8081-100101-120 ... 941-942 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson