Posted on 08/18/2019 7:05:12 PM PDT by Al Hitan
Today the Church remembers with thanksgiving the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God. Historically, this day was understood to mark her dormition, or "falling asleep," which was most anciently regarded as her natural death and burial. From early on, however, the Church considered that she who conceived and gave birth to the very God of very God, by His Word and Holy Spirit, was also resurrected and ascended into heaven, in both body and soul, soon after her death. There is no word of Holy Scripture to teach these traditions as doctrine, but we should not be too quick to dismiss them as merely pious devotion. Such piety, at its heart, is a confession of that which is the Church's faith in Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary's Son, our Savior and our God.
St. Mary is uniquely honored among all the saints of God in Christ, not only by the Church, but first of all by the Lord God Himself. He has had mercy upon her, blessed her with His grace and favor, and chosen her above all other women to bear the almighty and eternal Son of God. She is rightly called, and truly is, the Mother of God; for her own dear Son, the Fruit of her womb, is indeed the one true God, begotten of the Father from all eternity. It is from her flesh and blood that the Lord has taken for Himself a true and natural body, bone of her bone and flesh of her flesh, so that henceforth He is true Man, the perfect second Adam, our elder Brother, our kinsman Redeemer, the promised Seed of the Woman, by whom we are reconciled to God. As the ancient fathers of the Church confessed, God thus became like us, in order that we become like Him, by grace. It is that great salvation that we celebrate in commemorating any of the saints, and in particular the Blessed Virgin Mother of God, St. Mary.
She is an icon of the Church, a living Sacrament of Christ, and a beautiful example of faith, of all the true children of father Abraham. Her body was comprehended by the Word and Spirit of God to become the tangible means by which the Son of God became flesh and was given to us, and not only for us, but for the life of the world. It is His body, conceived and born of St. Mary, that our sins and sorrows did carry. It is a human body, like our own in every way, save without sin, because He was born of this woman (born under the Law to redeem us). Thus do we recognize in her an archetype of the Blessed Sacrament of our Lord's body and blood.
What is more, in conceiving and giving birth to the Son of God, she is a type of the Church, the holy mother who surely gives birth to the sons of God in Christ. We too have been conceived and given new birth by the same Word and Spirit of the same Holy Triune God that overshadowed the Blessed Virgin Mary and knit within her womb the incarnation of the only-begotten Son. Thus are we, like Him, "born not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God" (St. John 1:13).
Along with her vocation as the woman by whom the Son of God was given to and for the world, St. Mary also stands with us as a living member of the Church, the Body of Christ. When the Word of the Gospel was announced to her, she received that Word in faith, obtained in her by the mercies of God, and meekly bowed her head in humble trust: "Let it be to me according to Thy Word." Blessed is she who has heard the Word of God and kept it, who treasured it in her heart, who believed that there would surely be a fulfillment of all that God had spoken to her. In all of this, St. Mary is one of us, a faithful disciple of her own dear Son, and among that great cloud of witnesses with which we are surrounded, of that blest communion, fellowship divine.
When the Church in pious tradition has considered St. Mary to be resurrected and ascended to heaven, already in both body and soul, it is a confession of faith in that which Christ Jesus our Lord has accomplished for us and for all by His victorious Cross, Resurrection and Ascension. We may indeed contemplate that she by whom the Lord became like us, should exemplify the way in which we all become like Him, recreated in the glorious Image of the Man from heaven. Of course, we do not rest faith upon the tradition of St. Mary's dormition and assumption into heaven; faith clings to Jesus Christ alone and finds true peace and Sabbath rest forever in Him. But what we envision concering St. Mary, we understand to be the Church's hope precisely in Christ our Lord, our Savior and our God. For we know that He is the Resurrection and the Life, and that she who believes in Him will live even if she dies; yes, and everyone who lives and believes in Him will never die.
We believe, teach and confess with the absolute certainty of faith that St. Mary is the Mother of God; that the almighty and eternal Son of the living God was born of this woman, born under the Law, to redeem us who were under the Law. In celebrating that marvelous incarnation of God the Son, in which He died and rose again for us men and our salvation, we may also celebrate proleptically the resurrection of the body that all His saints share with Him by grace through faith in the Gospel. And in that glorious light, we sing: "O higher than the cherubim, more glorious than the seraphim, lead their praises: 'Alleluia!' Thou bearer of the eternal Word, most gracious magnify the Lord: 'Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!"
Sorry enn, you fail.
Does that offend you? Do you worship Francis? If not, what's your problem?
LOL, you need something with sugar in it, your energy is flagging. I called your pope Francis the talking mule. Was that not a big enough clue, ebb?
Then what’s your problem with me criticizing Francis?
I couldn't make this a Catholic caucus thread because the article was authored by a Protestant pastor.
so that leaves just you
Your sleuthing skills leave a lot to be desired. As does your understanding of orthodox Christianity. We welcome you to come in from the fringe.
Clutch your pearls and turn to Genesis1:26-27 and Genesis 5:1-3.
You DO know that Adam was CREATED in the likeness of God don’t you? That is exactly what 1:26-28 and 5:1 says.
But read Gen. 5:3. What does God say here? That Adam BEGAT sons IN HIS OWN LIKENESS after his own image.
Do you see the difference between these two scenarios? Adam was CREATED in the likeness of God; men are BEGOTTEN in Adam’s likeness (v.3). God’s likeness was PERFECT: Adam’s likeness was imperfect because of the fall in the garden of Eden and the ORIGINAL SIN. From that day forward each and every one EVER BORN were born in the likeness of Adam,depraved with the law of sin and death working in and bringing it to ruin (Job 14:4,25:4;Ps.14:3;51:5, Rom.5:12-21,1Cor.15:39, AND EPH.2:2-3). Even Mary was conceived WITH A SIN NATURE, since she was from Adam. She was a sinner with the ORIGINAL SIN ALL ADAM’S DECENDANTS HAVE HAD SINCE THE FALL.
Unless you still want to cling to that false claim that MARY WAS CONCEIVED WITHOUT SIN, IN WHICH CASE SHE MUST BE PART OF THE SINLESS GODHEAD.
God will not force someone to be born again, born from above. But He is faithful to send warnings, like don't take the Mark when commanded to you in the near future.
A number so great that John could not count it come out of the Tribulation into Heaven. Not one of those arriving souls took the Mark so don't you do it either.
Too cool! You have nailed this fraud to the wall. Now, will any Catholic see it, since seeing it requires spiritual eyes not present in the perishing?
Based on your posting history here, you're opinion on this can't be considered reliable.
You will do as you choose. Catholics mostly do what catholiciism has told them to do
Make up your mind.
Not one of those arriving souls took the Mark so don't you do it either.
Of course not. I'm pleased that you at least read the scriptures as preserved by the Church over the millennia.
1Pe 3:15 But G1161 sanctify G37 the Lord G2962 God G2316 in G1722 your G5216 hearts: G2588 and G1161 be ready G2092 always G104 to give an answer G4314 G627 to every man G3956 that asketh G154 you G5209 a reason G3056 of G4012 the G3588 hope G1680 that is in G1722 you G5213 with G3326 meekness G4240 and G2532 fear: G5401
Lord
G2962
κύριος
kurios
koo'-ree-os
From κῦρος kuros (supremacy); supreme in authority, that is, (as noun) controller; by implication Mr. (as a respectful title): - God, Lord, master, Sir.
God
G2316
θεός
theos
theh'-os
Of uncertain affinity; a deity, especially (with G3588) the supreme Divinity; figuratively a magistrate; by Hebraism very: - X exceeding, God, god [-ly, -ward].
You might want to notice that Lord and God are two separate words and they come from two different Greek words...
It was changed...Just as all Christians will have to, Jesus put on an incorruptible body...One that could walk thru walls...One that could have open wounds without blood dripping all over the floor...
Yes, as I originally noted. I thought we've already been over this.
Again, thanks for making my point (from your post):
Deposit of Faith...Now there's a catchy phrase that comes from nothing in the scriptures...Jesus didn't deposit anything anywhere...But it sounds cool tho...
Really?
Why don't you get back to your "scripture"?
[19] Now when it was late that same day, the first of the week, and the doors were shut, where the disciples were gathered together, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them: Peace be to you. [20] And when he had said this, he shewed them his hands and his side. The disciples therefore were glad, when they saw the Lord.
...
[27] Then he saith to Thomas: Put in thy finger hither, and see my hands; and bring hither thy hand, and put it into my side; and be not faithless, but believing. John Chapter 20.
+1
Naw...They were all looking for the promised Messiah, the King...
And they found Him, did they not?
BTW, ebb, in the Rapture all believers will be transformed into the same type of physical, real, living bodies, but not dependent upon blood for life, for as John told us, when He appears we shall see Him as He really is, for we shall be like Him.
Your spaceship is waiting. Better board before they leave you.
and you’re gonna knock off the personal stuff..or you’ll be leaving us.
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.