Free Republic

[Catholic Caucus] Fatima and the Immaculate Conception May God grant you a joyful and blessed Feast of the Immaculate Conception! Although the Church’s faith in the Immaculate Conception is of apostolic origin, the dogma was explicitly defined with infallible petrine authority (ex cathedra) on December 8, 1854. In his apostolic constitution, Ineffabilis Deus, Pius IX teaches: “We declare, pronounce, and define that the doctrine which holds that the most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instance of Her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of...

Kanye West has seemingly found a new passion, and it’s creating Biblical operas. Fresh off the heels of the release of his first opera release, Nebuchadnezzar, Yeezy announced that he is ready to release a second aptly titled Mary. Although major details are scarce at the moment, what is known is that Kanye will be utilizing the talent of his Sunday Service choir and direction by the rapper’s creative partner Vanessa Beecroft. Kanye announced the new project via Twitter, giving fans a glimpse of the artwork while including the bible verse that inspired the performance piece. Scheduled to take place...

[Catholic Caucus] Why the Devil Hates the Blessed Virgin So Much (And Why You Should Love Her) Satan hates the Blessed Virgin Mary. In fact, he has been doing everything in his power to discourage devotion to her and instill hatred for her for two millennia. Have you ever noticed that it is Marian dogmas and devotions that stir the strongest reactions in those who reject the Church? Even some good Catholics are embarrassed by devotion to our Lady, and they feel we should not be too extreme in our veneration of her.Perhaps you, too, have wondered why the...

The song of Mary is the oldest Advent hymn. It is also the most passionate, the wildest, and one might almost say the most revolutionary Advent hymn that has ever been sung. This is not the gentle, tender, dreamy Mary as we often see her portrayed in paintings. This Mary...is passionate, carried away, proud, enthusiastic. There is none of the sweet, wistful, or even playful tone of many of our Christmas carols, but instead a hard, strong, relentless hymn about the toppling of the thrones and the humiliation of the lords of this world, about the power of God and...

The Blessed Virgin Mary was thoroughly Jewish. Different cultures and ethnicities have often portrayed her, Jesus, and others from the Bible as being from their group. Since Christianity for many centuries was based largely in Europe, these important characters of salvation history have often been depicted as white Europeans. Which is fine! But other cultures have also depicted them according to their own appearances. Here are 13 beautiful non-white European depictions of the Blessed Virgin Mary:

  The Perfect Faith of the Blessed Virgin "Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee!" Uttered by the heavenly messenger, Gabriel, to a Jewish maiden (Lk 1:28), these words, of course, make up the first phrase of the Hail Mary. The second phrase of that great prayer come from an earthly creature, Elizabeth, the cousin of Mary, who exclaims: "Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb" (Lk 1:42). St. Bede remarks that this is fitting since the two remarks show that Mary "should be honored by angels and by men...

Mary's Gift of Self Points the Way | Carl E. Olson | "The Blessed Mother and Advent", Part 1 of 4 | Ignatius Insight This is the first of four reflections that consider the relationship between four phrases of the "Hail Mary" and the Advent season. These pieces were originally published during the Advent season of 2004 in Our Sunday Visitor, and are reprinted here, with minor changes, with the gracious permission of Our Sunday Visitor newspaper (200 Noll Plaza; Huntington, IN 46750; 1-800-348-2440, x 2; www.osv.com). "Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with Thee" An advent...

Fundamentalists are sometimes horrified when the Virgin Mary is referred to as the Mother of God. However, their reaction often rests upon a misapprehension of what this particular title of Mary signifies, and what the Protestant Reformers had to say regarding this doctrine. A woman is a man’s mother either if she carried him in her womb or if she was the woman contributing half of his genetic matter or both. Mary was the mother of Jesus in both of these senses; because she not only carried Jesus in her womb but also supplied all of the genetic matter for...

by Marcellino D'Ambrosio, Ph.D. Other Articles by Marcellino D'Ambrosio, Ph.D. Solemnity of the Assumption 08/15/06 I once asked a college theology class if anyone could explain the doctrine of the Assumption. A student replied, “Yeah, that’s the teaching whereby the Catholic Church ‘assumes’ that Mary is in heaven.” In This Article...Greatest of Marian FeastsSomething Unique about MaryNo Decay, No Delay Greatest of Marian Feasts There’s a bit more to it than that. The Church does not just “assume” that any canonized saint in is in heaven. Rather, it authoritatively declares that a person is in glory and should therefore be honored...

January 1, 2007 Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, The Mother of God Psalm: Monday 52 Reading 1Nm 6:22-27 The LORD said to Moses: “Speak to Aaron and his sons and tell them: This is how you shall bless the Israelites.Say to them:The LORD bless you and keep you!The LORD let his face shine uponyou, and be gracious to you!The LORD look upon you kindly andgive you peace!So shall they invoke my name upon the Israelites, and I will bless them.” Responsorial PsalmPs 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8 R. (2a) May God bless us in his mercy.May God have pity on...

Yes, I would like to commit to a rosary for Our Lady's Victory over the Culture of Death and renewal of a Culture of Life! (enter your name and e-mail address at the link above or below)

August 22, 2006 Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary Psalm: Tuesday 35 Reading 1Ez 28:1-10 The word of the LORD came to me: Son of man,say to the prince of Tyre: Thus says the Lord GOD: Because you are haughty of heart,you say, “A god am I!I occupy a godly thronein the heart of the sea!”—And yet you are a man, and not a god,however you may think yourself like a god.Oh yes, you are wiser than Daniel,there is no secret that is beyond you.By your wisdom and your intelligenceyou have made riches for yourself;You have put...

by Mary Kochan Other Articles by Mary Kochan America! America! God Shed His Grace on Thee 07/04/06 Today we celebrate our country’s 230th birthday. We find the U.S. of A. still free, more powerful than ever and prosperous almost beyond imagination. All of these things are reasons for celebration — and cautious pause. In This Article...Confirm Thy Soul in Self-ControlCrown Thy Good with BrotherhoodGod Mend Thine Every Flaw Confirm Thy Soul in Self-Control We celebrate these things because they are goods. They are blessings. That they are blessings means that they are received as gifts and with gratitude. There is nothing...

The Mailbag:TO OUR DEAR BISHOPS: WITH ALL RESPECT, THE TIME HAS COME TO REFORM CHANCERIESWe have always urged obedience to our bishops as they adhere to Vatican rule and always will. Obedience is greater than sacrifice (says the Good Book) -- and we have always held that dear. We urge it for everyone.But these are distressing times, and we are often forced to report unpleasant trends. One of them is what seems like growing dissatisfaction on the part of the faithful with how chanceries are run. While maintaining faith in the Church itself (Mass attendance has held steady despite the...

A Protestant preacher recently said that devotion to the Mother of God is the cause of all bad in the world, since she was not a virgin after she gave birth to Christ and was just another woman. This really has upset me. Why do we worship the Virgin Mary and how do we answer those who say that she was nothing but another woman? What significance does she have for us Orthodox? (B.W., TX) One cannot react to every opinion and idea about Christianity. At some point, common sense must prevail. In the first place, the idea that devotion...

IS THERE A MYSTERIOUS DARK FORCE THAT HOVERS OVER THAT SPOT CALLED PINELLAS?There is a mysterious feeling around the Schiavo case, and we wish we knew what it was. The feeling is this: Pinellas County or parts of it seem to be under the oppression of a dark spirit. From Scripture we know that powers and principalities are the real force with which we contend, and that they hover over vicinities (see Daniel and the "prince of Persia").Is there one hovering over towns in that county, towns with names like Pinellas Park and Clearwater?These are places, of course, that figure...

October 7, 2004 Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary Psalm: Thursday 43 Reading I Responsorial Psalm Gospel Reading IGal 3:1-5 O stupid Galatians! Who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? I want to learn only this from you: did you receive the Spirit from works of the law, or from faith in what you heard? Are you so stupid? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now ending with the flesh? Did you experience so many things in vain?– if indeed it was in vain. Does, then, the one who supplies...

I’ll once again be on the papal plane tomorrow, flying with John Paul II to Lourdes, France, for the 104th foreign journey of his pontificate. It’s a quick trip; we leave 9:00 a.m. on Saturday and return, if things hold to form, at 8:45 p.m. on Sunday. Given John Paul’s physical frailty, reporting on papal trips these days is already largely reduced to an “ER”-style series of medical bulletins. (“The ailing pontiff today pronounced his speech in a clear, strong voice, but seemed to slump towards the end.” Strikingly absent, to take just one example of what gets left out...

May 31, 2004 Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Psalm: Monday 25 Reading I Responsorial Psalm Gospel Reading IZep 3:14-18a Shout for joy, O daughter Zion! Sing joyfully, O Israel! Be glad and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem! The LORD has removed the judgment against you, he has turned away your enemies; The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst, you have no further misfortune to fear. On that day, it shall be said to Jerusalem: Fear not, O Zion, be not discouraged! The LORD, your God, is in your midst,...