Why should we pray to Virgin Mary? The reasons are many.
Why do Catholics pray to Mother Mary? Is Rosary really powerful?
The intercession of Mother Mary is very powerful as Jesus cannot neglect His mothers commands.This can be proved by the first miracle Jesus did at the wedding at Cana. – (John 2:1-11). Mother Mary told Jesus “They have no more wine.” And what was the final result? He turned water into wine.
In “The Poem of the Man-God” by Maria Valtorta, she says that Jesus told her about this incident as “I did it for Mary”. This proves that the intercession of Mother Mary is very very strong.
Mother Mary was blessed with Holy Spirit abundantly. We can see this as we read “At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.” (Luke 1:39-41) ; just by Virgin Mary’s greeting.
Listen to the talk from Apologetics on Mary, Purgatory and The Bible
What the angels thought on this matter:-
When angel appeared before Zechariah,father of John, angel just greets him by his name ,nothing more although he was “upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commandments and regulations blamelessly.” – (Luke 1:6)
When angel appeared before Joseph, the greeting was like this: “an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.” – (Matthew 1:20). Angel greeted him ‘son of david’, thats all.
Now let us see how did the angel greet Virgin Mary. It goes like this: “The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” (Luke 1:28). See the difference….
Also read the article Mary, The Mystical Rose
We keep all of the original book and manuscripts written from and before Jesus Christ. They are not copies of other millions of other people s copies or human writers. WE HAVE THE ORIGINAL BIBLE AND MANUSCRIPTS! We are the only faith in the world who kept all the original manuscripts. Other Christians dont have them! Where are your true bible?
Here is the prove! The disciples died in this place and wrote their books witnesses to Jesus Christ our Lord here in this place!!!
We are the only Christian faith who has all the original books and manuscripts. The desciples wrote their witnesses to Jesus, were guided by the Holly spirit and died here in this place. you do not believe me? Check this web site.
http://asv.vatican.va/
Holy Mary, pray for us…
Queen of heaven
Queen conceived without stain of sin
Ark of the Covenant
Door of heaven
Star of the morning
Healer of the sick
Refuge of sinners
Queen of the angels
Queen of the patriarchs
Queen of the confessors
Queen of all saints
Mystic Rose
Tower of David
Holy Mother of God
Holy Virgin of virgins
Mother of divine grace
Virgin worthy of veneration
Virgin worthy of praise
Powerful virgin
Merciful Virgin
Mirror of righteousness
Throne of wisdom
Source of our joy
Spiritual vessel
Venerable vessel
Yes, these things and many more are said about the Mary of the Rosary, the woman who is presented to us as the mother of our Lord Jesus Christ. Do you really know her? Perhaps you think so because they have told you about her since you were a child, but let’s see if you really know the Mary of the Scriptures.
Take the example of John the Baptist. The Lord Jesus said that John was the greatest of the prophets, but when they asked John, “Who are you?” he refused to take any title or honor for himself. He said, “but admitted, “I am not the Messiah (John 1:20-21)”. Each time he spoke he had less to say about himself, as if he were shrinking! And when they insisted, “What do you have to say for yourself?” he answered, “I am the voice of one crying out in the desert” (John 1:23).
The case of Mary is similar. She was specially blessed of God to conceive and bear the Lord Jesus, and the angel called her “Hail, favored one!” (Luke 1:28). But there is a great distance between this statement and all the titles that the followers and devotees of Mary give her today. And as in the case of John the Baptist, if we allow Mary to speak of herself, this is what she says, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38), and “my spirit rejoices in God my savior” (Luke 1:47). Mary did not lie, I’m sure we agree, and there you have it, she said that God was her Savior, which means she needed to be saved. She knew well who she was, and we have it from her own mouth in the humblest of words.
John the Baptist, the greatest of the prophets, said about the Lord Jesus, “He must increase; I must decrease” (John 3:30). This is the way it was with Mary as well. In John 2:5 she moved into the background and told the servants this about Jesus, “Do whatever he tells you.” If the devotees of Mary really believed her and took her advice, from this moment forward they would be devotees of Jesus Christ, not of Mary. The key to eternal life and the grace of God is the Lord Jesus Christ, not Mary. The Lord Jesus said, “that all men should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father” (John 5:23). We are not told to honor Mary as divine or heavenly. There is no place in the Scriptures where the Apostles or early Christians prayed to Mary or venerated her. Did you know that there is no Rosary anywhere in the New Testament? When the Lord Jesus spoke of heaven, He said, “Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6). He never said, “To Jesus through Mary,” but rather, as His words indicate, the way to God the Father is through Jesus Christ.
So let’s not allow ourselves to be deceived, nor allow our respect for Mary to be misguided by man-made traditions or sentimentalism. She is blessed, but she is not the way to God. The Lord Jesus Christ is the way, the only way (see Peter’s words in Acts 4:12).
Who, then, is the Mary of the Bible? To answer that question we will need to go directly to the Scriptures, not to the Missal, prayer book, catechisms, etc. It’s like drinking water right from the fountainhead, instead of the muddy stream. In the Bible we have already seen that the angel said, ” Hail, favored one! ,” and Mary replied, ” Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word “. The Lord Jesus called her, “woman” (John 2:4), not “holy mother”. The Apostles knew her as “Mary the mother of Jesus” (Acts 1:14), not as “Moter of God”. For true believers, here are four texts, one from an angel, one from Mary herself, one from the Lord Jesus, and one from the Apostles, that describe the Biblical Mary.
Strangely, in spite of the clear record, there are people who insist on exalting a humble godly woman and making her something that neither angels, apostles, the Lord nor Mary herself claimed to be: a goddess. Perhaps they are unaware that this is the sin of idolatry, but the Mary that they have fabricated is a religious legend, not the true Mary of the Bible. It is another woman disguised, (satan’s counterfeit) as Mary who receives the devotion of her followers.
She is not the mother of God. No one in heaven, or in the Church in the New Testament called Mary “Mother of God,” because God does not have a mother or a beginning; He is eternal. God the Son existed in heaven in perfect fellowship and glory with the Father before creation (see John 17:5). Mary is the mother of Jesus, simply the human vessel through which God became flesh, blessed to receive the Incarnate Lord, not to make Him.
She is most certainly not the door of heaven, for this is a phrase that describes the Lord Jesus Christ. As with many of her titles, they have apparently been robbed from Christ, long years ago, by people who didn’t really know Him, love Him, follow Him, or find Him to be sufficient as their Savior. And Satan is all the time sacrificing Jesus over and over again on roman catholic altars at a vain mass offering. Were they sincere? Probably. But the simple fact is, they insult the Lord Jesus by taking His titles and giving them to His human mother. He said, “I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture.” (John 10:9). That is about as clear as it can be. Therefore, to call Mary the door of heaven is nothing less than blasphemy.
She is not the mother of the Church, nor of the apostles (at least not of the true Church), because the Church is a creation of God through the Holy Spirit, just as Adam and Eve were created without human parents. The Church is the bride of the Lord Jesus Christ, not the daughter of Mary. Therefore, to present Mary as the mother of the Church is not mystic, but simply ridiculous.
The Mary of the Bible is not the mother of all grace, because grace proceeds uniquely from God the Father and Jesus Christ (see Gal.1:3; Eph. 1:2; Phil. 1:2; Col. 1:2; 1 Thess. 1:1, etc.). It is not dispensed by humans but received by them, nor is it dispensed by churches or through sacraments, but only by God. Men should look to God for grace, not to Mary nor to any church.
She is not the throne of wisdom, because wisdom comes from God. She is not given a throne and has no spiritual wisdom to give others. We can learn from her example how to believe God and obey Him in a humble way, but she does not dispense wisdom. True wisdom descends from above, from the Father of lights (James 1:17; 3:17). There is no such thing as a “mother of lights”.
She is emphatically not the queen of heaven, let’s be clear about this, because the Bible never gives her this title. There is no queen ruling in heaven. The throne belongs to God and to the Lamb, but not to Mary (see Revelation 7:15,17; 22:1). In John 14:1 the Lord called heaven, “my Father’s house,” but never said it was His mother’s house. Those who know the Holy Scriptures know that “queen of heaven” is an idolatrous title from the pagan mythology of Babylon (Semiramis), repeated in Egypt (Isis) and elsewhere by other names (see Jeremiah 44:15-19, 25). According to verse 15 of this text, many of the devotees of the pagan “queen of heaven” were women. This pagan practice of devotion to female deities invaded the professing church after the Roman Emperor legalized Christianity and professed to believe, making it popular. Instead of being persecuted, Christians were to be allowed to build temples to worship in, and some pagans erased the names of their gods and goddesses and substituted Biblical names. Instead of the Babylonian mother-god Semiramis and her son Tammuz, or the Egyptian mother-god Isis, and her son Horus, they put the names Mary and Jesus. This practice of devotion to the mother and her son is neither Christian, nor apostolic, nor Biblical.
We are not told to believe in Mary, trust her, nor pray to her. The Lord Jesus said, “You believe in God, believe also in me” (John 14:1) but He never said, “believe also in my mother.” If it were necessary, why didn’t He say so? He taught the disciples to pray in that wonderful way, saying, “Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name” but have you noticed that He never taught them to pray to Mary? Christ said that whatever we ask the Father in His name, will be given us (John 15:16; 16:23). We can go directly to the Father through the Son, and Mary is never presented as a mediatrix or intercessor. No one in the New Testament ever prayed to her. The true Mary cannot hear our prayers nor answer them. She would have to be omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent to do that, and she is not, for she is not God. Anyone who prays to her is guilty of false religion and idolatry.
The Mary of the Bible has already told us who she is. I invite you to look up and read each of the Scriptures, and see for yourself what the truth is in the Bible. The angel Gabriel has spoken. The Holy Apostles have spoken. The Lord Jesus has spoken, and this should be enough. He said, “I and my Father are one” (John 10:30), but never mentioned Mary in this way. Nothing can be added to contradict or modify what the Scriptures say. But if in spite of this anyone continues venerating and practicing devotion to the legendary or mystical Mary that certain churches promote, then such a person shows that he is not a true believer. He is a pagan devotee of a goddess who uses the name of Mary to turn people away and deceive them from the true living God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
The title, Mother of God, seems to have first been used in liturgical and devotional practice by Christians in Egypt. – Perhaps??…. but certainly not to the Biblical Mary – the real mother of Jesus. But instead it is the “pagan goddess” mother/baby son combination called Isis and Horus in Egypt, satan’s counterfeits, given the names “Jesus and Mary” – the alleged “Queen of Heaven” mentioned in Jeremiah 44:15-19, 25 . These woman/child combination mysteriously appears in other religions too – In Hinduism (as Devaki/krishna), in Korea (naju), Shingmoo (Japan), etc.
Scripture also proves that Mary is NOT the Mother of God. Look at Luke 2:43. Mary and Joseph knew not of the whereabouts of Jesus after concluding the passover feast. Mary though she is certainly in Heaven alongwith the Apostles/Saints – None of them can answer prayers except God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit. If Mary was the Mother of God, then she would certainly be aware of the whereabouts of Jesus after the Passover feast. But she knew not.
In John 2:5 Mary said – “do as He (Jesus) tells you. This is a clear directive to us all that we have to look to Jesus for eternal salvation and not going round-about in a Hoopla merry go-round. Salvation is found in a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ and not through the Church, man made sacraments, priests, bishops, popes, pastors or religion. Be aware that Christianity is not a religion but a personal born-again relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ alone. This is God’s ultimate and only plan of salvation unveiled for mankind.
Friend, if you have venerated or prayed to Mary, I think you can see from the Scriptures such behavior is not pleasing to God. Perhaps you did it sincerely, but in ignorance. Nevertheless, now that you know the truth, you should confess it as sin, repent, and put all your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ alone, for He alone can save you. I hope you’ll take the advice of Mary and do whatever the Son says. He says that we should trust in Him for eternal life (John 3:16). And while you’re at it, take the advice of John the Baptist, too, and let the Lord Jesus Christ increase in your life. The apostolic doctrine teaches us that there is one God and one mediator between God and men, not one God and many mediators. The one whose is both God and Mediator is named Christ Jesus. Do you know Him, and have you put your trust in Him alone for salvation? If not, I hope you’ll do so right now.
I wish to ignore this kind of discussion because this was like a broken record I have heard long time ago but there is no harm explaining the other side of the coin because of their ignorance they fail to comprehend the titles attributed to Her. The long enumeration of titles was designed to confuse its readers but will try to address my answers in a context provided as possible by the scriptures itself.
I will start my departure to Wisdom of Solomon: Unlocking the mysteries hidden during the creation of God.
Wisdom of Solomon has been mentioned in the gospel of (Luke 11:31); “Jesus said: On judgment day the Queen of the South will rise up with the men of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and see, there is something greater than Solomon is here. There were two schools of thoughts we can look on this statement of Luke. One of these is some Bible scholars refers this to the queen of Sheba mentioned in the Book of Kings, (1Kings 10:1-3) “ The fame of Solomon having reached the queen of Sheba…she came to test him with difficult questions…”And Solomon answered all her questions; there was nothing hidden from the king which he could not explain to her. And when the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon…†Sheba was The Bible name for an area of what is known today as either southern Saudi Arabia and Yemen, or Ethiopia, or both. Also known as Saba, its people were known as Sabeans. The visit of the Queen of Sheba to King Solomon is one of the most famous stories of Bible History . In the biblical passages which refer explicitly to the Queen of Sheba there are no hints of love or sexual attraction between Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. The two are depicted merely as fellow monarchs engaged in the affairs of state.
The Queen of Sheba is believe to be the Queen of the South, reference, in Matthew 12:42 and Luke 11:31 in the New Testament, where Jesus indicates that she and the Ninevites will judge the generation of Jesus’ contemporaries who rejected him, because of what had been attributed to her in the Book of Kings. Another school of thought is, some Bible scholars believe that The Queen of Sheba was not the Queen of the South, because she did not come from the Ends of the Earth. Now if this is true, can we unlock which of the two arguments may reach to a better conclusion?
Let us pose some questions and see the answers if it may pass the test of reason.
Is the Queen of the South greater than Solomon? Luke answered it yes! “And there is something greater than Solomon is here.†without mentioning other entity but the Queen of the South (and the men of Niniveh to condemn). Take note of the above passage because it will lead us unearthing verses in the scriptures that pertain to judgment day or the first resurrection. Maybe it is good to ask, why Jesus prophesied in this manner where we know that He was the one to judge the living and the dead. (Romans2:16) “On that day when according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.†Is Jesus contradicting himself? Of course not, in fact He was actually supporting what was written by John in revelation (Rev.20:4-5) “Then I saw thrones, and seated on them where those to whom the authority to judge was committed…This is the first resurrection.†Now, we will check the passage some Bible scholars attributed this to the queen of Sheba: (1Kings 10:1-13) “The fame of Solomon having reached the queen of Sheba…she came to test him with difficult questions…on coming to Solomon she opened her mind freely to him; and Solomon had an answer for all her questions, not one of them was too obscure for the king to expound. When the queen of Sheba saw all the Wisdom of Solomon…she said to the king, what I heard in my own country about you and your wisdom was true, then! Until I came and saw it with my own eyes I could not believe what they told me, but clearly they told me less than half: for wisdom and prosperity you surpass the report I heard…†I have not seen any conclusive evidence herein passage the queen of Sheba (1Kings10:1-13) refers to the queen of the South (Luke 11:31) but only to a geographical location. In fact this is what have been written to Solomon; (1Kings 3:12) Yahweh said …“here and now I do what you ask. I give you a heart wise and shrewd as none before you has had and none will have after you…such riches and glory as no other king ever had.†In (1Kings5:9-14), “Yahweh gave Solomon immense wisdom and understanding, and a heart as vast as the sand on the seashore. The Wisdom of Solomon surpassed all the wisdom of the east, and all the wisdom of Egypt. He was wiser than any other, wiser than Ethan the Ezharite, wiser than Heman and Calcol and Darda , the cantors. He composed three thousand proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand and five. He could talk about plants from the cedar in Lebanon to the hyssop growing on the wall; and he could talks of animals, and birds and reptiles and fish. Men from all nations came to hear Solomon’s wisdom, and he received gifts from all the kings of the world, who had heard of his “wisdom.â€Clearly this statement of Yahweh no one can dispute which He pertained to Solomon. And the queen of Sheba by comparison may be less than half as what she said upon witnessing in her own eyes the Wisdom of Solomon. Luke statement “greater than Solomon is here,†does not pertain to the queen of Sheba. Why? Because, he has a better understanding to whom this may refer to.
Now, we shall try to expound the passage “because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the Wisdom of Solomon;†There is one instant in the gospel of Mathew 11:19, when Jesus said, “Yet wisdom proves right by her actions.†This passage is parallel to the gospel of Luke 7:35; “Yet Wisdom has been proved right by all her children;†Here, Jesus may quoted the verse in the Book of Wisdom “She deploys her strength from one end of the earth to the other, ordering all things for good†(Wis.8:1): We shall again pose question to fill in the blanks to help us discern the clues given to complete the puzzle. Why Jesus uses wisdom in this text, when He himself is wisdom personified? Is He implying that there is still other wisdom personified by the used of the word ‘her’ in this text? Would it be correct to say that the Wisdom of Solomon came from her “for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s Wisdom? And that is why Luke follows his text with, “there is something greater than Solomon is here� Supporting what Jesus had declared because he (Luke) knows to whom this may concerned.
Will try to answer the best we could all the queries we ask by expounding every available passage that resembles the context of the given verses of the text:
We will tackle the first imputed question why Jesus uses wisdom in this text and personified ‘her’, when He himself is wisdom personified? My answer to this is found in the gospel of John6:38 “because I have come from heaven, not to do my own will, but to the will of the one who sent me.†John 1:1-3; “In the beginning was the Word; the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.†Another one; 1 Colossians1:15-16, “He is the image of the unseen God and the first born of all the creation, for in him were created all things in heaven and on earth. These verses have long been taken by Christian exegetes as references to Christ, who is called the “Wisdom of God” (1 Cor. 1:24) by Saint Paul the Apostle. These were the best answers we can get of Jesus being personified wisdom.
Second (and third) imputed questions: Is He (Jesus) implying that there is still other wisdom personified by the used of the word “her†in this text? Hence this question can be hardly supported with a direct collaboration from other sources, we can imply only to parallelism to other passages in the scripture that denotes the same meaning. So that we may arrive to a much nearer conclusion by the used of the word “her†in Luke, in vv.11-31 it is only fitting we follow his given clue; “because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the Wisdom of Solomon.†In the Book of Wisdom; (Wisdom of Solomon 8:1-7) we may take this account, “She reaches mightily from one end of the earth to the other, and She orders all things well. I loved Her and sought Her from my youth, and I desired to take Her for my bride, and I became enamored of Her beauty. She glorifies Her noble birth by living with God, and the Lord of all loves Her. For She is an initiate in the knowledge of God, and an associate in His works. If riches are a desirable possession in life, what is richer than Wisdom who effects all things? And if understanding is effective, who more than She is fashioner of what exists? And if anyone loves righteousness, Her labors are virtues; for She teaches self-control and prudence, justice and courage; nothing in life is more profitable for humankind than these.†This passage clearly indicates to disprove the arguments the title “Queen of the South†refers to Queen of Sheba; Why? Because King Solomon from his youth loved her and sought her and been enamored of her beauty long before the queen had visited him. “God gave Solomon immense wisdom and understanding, and a heart as vast as the sand on the seashore†(1Kings5:9): This passage holds true of Solomon to understand the meaning of Genesis 1:26-27; “God said, Let us make mankind in our image and likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the cattle, over all the wild animals and every creature that crawls on the earth.†God created man in his image. In the image of God He created him. Male and female He created them.†In similar language God gave Solomon the immense wisdom and understanding that he could talk about plants from the cedar in Lebanon to the hyssop growing on the wall; and he could talks of animals, and birds and reptiles and fish. The same as what have been recorded in Genesis 1:26; “Let them be masters of the fish of the sea, the birds of heaven, the cattle, all the wild beast and all the reptiles that crawl upon the earth.†Even the whole narration of the creations of God in Genesis can be explained by Solomon as proven to many inspirational writings he himself composed. (We shall deal with them later)Solomon provides the key in unlocking the mysteries of the creation of God in Genesis 1:27; “God created man in his image. In the image of God He created him. Male and female He created them.†The scriptural testimony above affirms that created man-meaning the male- in His image and likeness; (Gen.1:27; Gen 5:1).However they also created a female, who is not the image of God since God was depicted as male (Father). In whose image and likeness then the woman created? Surely God had a companion during creation when He said, “Let us make mankind in our image and likeness…†The used of the word “us†indicates a plural form, they maybe two of them or three of them speaking or possibly four of them; but that is not the point I wish to discuss; The Son of God whom John wrote in his gospel (Jn.1:1-3) “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him was made nothing that has been made.†In whose image in likeness then the female created? Definitely it is not of Jesus (the Word) that prescribed by John. Why? Because the likeness of Jesus has a masculine form not a feminine form. Who then is this companion of God during creation that the form of female gender taken to her likeness? Would this be the one greater than Solomon who (she) came from the ends of the earth to listen to the Wisdom of Solomon? Solomon has a good understanding of who she is that is why he had been instrumental in unlocking the mysteries of this “created wisdom†in many of the books prescribed to him in the Old Testament. It was God himself gave him the immense wisdom to understand after Solomon pleased God with his prayer to give him a heart to understand how to discern between good and evil to help him govern God’s people.(Wis.7:7-12)”…I prayed, and understanding was given me; I called upon God, and the Spirit of Wisdom came to me. I preferred Her to scepters and thrones, and I accounted wealth as nothing in comparison with Her. Neither did I liken to Her any priceless gem, because all gold is but a little sand in Her sight, and silver will be accounted as clay before Her. I loved Her more than health and beauty, and I chose to have Her rather than light, because Her radiance never ceases. All good things came to me along with Her, and in Her hands uncounted wealth. I rejoiced in them all, because Wisdom leads them; but I did not know that She was their Mother.” This last text “She was their Mother†is somewhat related in Gen.3:15 and other passages in the scripture (and we shall again deal to them later.) In whose image in likeness then the female created? Clearly in the form of a Woman as Solomon suggested in (Wis.7:7-12).
Solomon also gave us the clue after God gave him the wisdom to be his guide. (Wis.7:13-14) “What I learned without self- interest, I pass on without reserve; I do not intend to hide her riches. For she is an inexhaustible treasure to men, and those who acquired it wins God’s friendship, commended as they are to him by the benefits of her teaching.†Solomon is the first person on earth who had acquired Her (created/ spirit of wisdom) and because of the “immense (created/spirit) wisdom God gave him,†has all the knowledge to introduced Her (created/spirit of wisdom) to us for he “do not intend to hide her riches.â€
In Proverbs 8:22-30; “God created me when his purpose first unfolded, before the oldest of his works. From everlasting I was firmly set, from the beginning, before earth came into being. The deep was not when I was born, there were no springs to gush with water. Before the mountains were settled, before the hills, I came to birth; before he made the earth, the countryside, or the first grains of the world’s dust. When fixed the heavens firm, I was there, when he drew the ring on the surface of the deep, when he thickened the clouds above, when he fixed fast the springs of the deep, when he assigned the seas its boundaries- and the waters will not invade the shore- when he laid down the foundations of the earth, I was by his side, a master craftsman, delighting him day after day, ever at play in his presence, at play everywhere in his world, delighting to be with the sons of men.†Without doubt this created (wisdom) was the companion of God during creation; Genesis 1:26-27; “God said, Let us make mankind in our image and likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the cattle, over all the wild animals and every creature that crawls on the earth.†God created man in his image. In the image of God He created him. Male and female He created them.â€
Footnote: ( source) Jerusalem Bible; thus the Greek translate the Hebrew verb (qanani). The translation ‘acquire me’ or ‘possessed me’ ( Aquila, Symmachus, Theodotion) was adopted by St. Jerome (Vulgate), with an eye to Arius who maintained the ‘ Word’ = Wisdom was a created being. Many Bible scholars equate Proverbs 8:22-30 to 1Cor.1:24 “who is called the Wisdom of God†and to John1:1-3 “In the beginning was the Word; the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.â€
By Faith I am a practicing Catholic Christian, but I do not exactly know the position of the Church regarding (Proverbs 8:22-30) but I know St. Jerome vehemently opposed Arius position, Word=Wisdom was a created being (referring to Christ). Arius position and my personal view differ, he was referring it to Christ but my opinion is somewhat different, it does not refer to Christ…but we both agreed that Proverbs 8:22 was a ‘created Wisdom.’ As suggested by the very verse itself, “God created meâ€; I am not discussing here the doctrine of the Trinity, there were forefathers of the Catholic churches differs in their point of departure but nevertheless arrive with almost identical conclusion to explain the doctrine of the Trinity.
There is a world of difference between the word ‘created’ and the word ‘beget.’ Any reliable dictionary will tell us that ‘create’ means:â€to form out of nothing; to originate, to cause to come into existence.’ On the other hand, ‘beget’ means: ‘to procreate as a father or sire’; ‘generate’, ‘produce out of one’s self.’ This may be the case John uses the word begets: Since Christ was begotten by God, it means that He was produced out of God’s own Divine Self. Christ is not a creature of God like all human beings Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is the same substance and nature. This is just how Augustine expressed it. He declared his intention in these words: ‘to undertake, with the help of the Lord and as far as we can ourselves, a justification (reddere rationem) of this affirmation: the Trinity is one true God and it is exactly true to say, believe and think that the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are of one single and the same substance or essence’ (De Trin. I, 2, 4). (John 1:14) “And we saw His glory-glory as of the only- begotten of the Father.†Never is it mentioned that Jesus was ‘created’ by the Father. KJV translation is ‘possessed’: Definition; ‘have or obtain’ or ‘acquire’ much lesser in meaning to ‘create’: Solomon’s understanding of the “created wisdom†was so vast that he could express all her attributes and revealed to us the mysteries behind the creation of the universe. That she was the very first creation of God before earth came into being. Thus we can safely surmise that one of the companion of God during creation was the “created wisdomâ€, as She herself reveals: “When he fixed the heavens firm, I was there, when he drew the ring on the surface of the deep, when he thickened the clouds above, when he fixed fast the springs of the deep, when he assigned the seas its boundaries- and the waters will not invade the shore- when he laid down the foundations of the earth, I was by his side, a master craftsman, delighting him day after day, ever at play in his presence, at play everywhere in his world, delighting to be with the sons of men.†(Prov.8:27-30). The phrase ‘I was by his side, a master craftsman; resembles the phrase ‘she is fashioner of what exists’ Thus, once again, clearly indicates that she was one of the companion of God during creation (Wis.8:17) For She is an initiate in the knowledge of God, and an associate in His works. If riches are a desirable possession in life, what is richer than Wisdom who effects all things? And if understanding is effective, who more than She is fashioner of what exists?
But who really knows and comprehends this created Wisdom – as distinguished from Uncreated Wisdom, who is God Himself? God the ‘Uncreated Wisdom:’ Romans11:33; “How reach are the depths of God-how deep is His Wisdom and Knowledgeâ€: “But if God had a mind to speak, to open his lips and give you answer, were He to show you the secrets of ‘Wisdom’, which put all cleverness to shame.†(Job11:5-6) Thanks to God: He allowed, and “gave Solomon immense ‘wisdom’ and understanding, and a heart as vast as the sand of the seashore. (1Kings5:9); “No king has known any other beginning of existence†(Wis.7:5); “You yourself have chosen me to be king over your people, to be judge of your sons and daughters. You have bidden me to build a temple on your holy mountain, an altar in the city where you have pitched your tent, a copy of that sacred tabernacle which you prepared from the beginning. With you is “Wisdomâ€, ‘she’ who knows your works, ‘she’ who was present when you made the world; ‘she’ understands what is pleasing in your eyes and what agrees with your commandments.†(Wis.9:7-9): It is but proper that the Uncreated Wisdom Himself reveals to us His companion during creation. (Sirac1:4-10) “Before all other things Wisdom was created, shrewd understanding is everlasting. For whom has the root of wisdom ever been uncovered? Her resourceful ways, who knows them? One is only wise, terrible indeed, seated on his throne, the Lord. He himself has created her out on all his works to be with all mankind as his gift, and he conveyed her to those who love him.†The previous passage also resembles Baruch writings; “But the One who knows all knows her, he has grasped her with his own intellect…He has grasped the whole way of knowledge, and confided it to his servant Jacob, to Israel his well beloved; so causing her to appear on earth and move among men.†(Baruch 3:32&37-38) Scripture have it clear: The Lord God created Wisdom before all things else and He has poured Her forth upon all His works, upon all the living things, according to His bounty. Can we identify “created Wisdom†as a Woman? And if she is a woman what are Her attributes? “He who fears the Lord will act like this, and whoever grasps the Law will obtain wisdom. She will come to meet him like a mother, and receive him like a virgin bride.†(Sir.15:1-2); again, “Say to Wisdom, my sister†(Prov.7:4); again, “Wisdom is their leader though I had known that she is the mother of these.†(Wis.7:12): referring to the above passages from the Book Sirac, Proverbs, Baruch and Wisdom it is very clear that ‘created Wisdom’ was personified as female, a very strong indication that She was the companion of God during creation, in the image and likeness as male and female (Gen. 1:27);
The author of wisdom list twenty- one attributes of wisdom the most perfect of perfect numbers (3×7): Source; footnote, Jerusalem Bible.
“For within her is a spirit intelligent, holy, unique, manifold, active, incisive, unsullied, lucid, invulnerable, benevolent, sharp, irresistible, beneficent, loving to man, steadfast, dependable, unperturbed, almighty, all surveying, penetrating all intelligent, pure, and most subtle spirits; for Wisdom is quicker to move than any motion; she is so pure, she pervades and permeates all things. She is a breadth of the power of God, pure emanation of the glory of the Almighty; hence nothing impure can find a way into her. She is a reflection of the eternal light, untarnished mirror of God’s active power, image of his goodness. Although alone, she can do all; herself unchanging, she makes all things new. In each generation she passes into holy souls, she makes them friends of God and prophets; for God loves only the man who lives with Wisdom. She is indeed more splendid than the sun, she outlines all the constellations; compared with the light, she takes the first place, for light must yield to night, but over Wisdom evil can never triumph.†(Wis.7:22-30)
“Created Wisdom†represented compassion in its purest form, and the female companion of the side of God, she was visible and audible as a feminine entity in her own right with the identity of being Divine in nature. She is a reflection of the eternal light, whose most important function was to intercede with God on behalf of her children. In the beginning of the creation from Adam to Moses, Solomon elegantly recorded the history that may surprise many people to discover that ‘created Wisdom’ (‘Shekhina’ in Hebrew language) play an important role in various events in the history of the Israelites and surely up to the present time. Read the whole chapter of (Wis.10:1-21)
As a time went by, her ( created Wisdom) positioned strengthened through Jesus Ben Sira the author of Ecclesiasticus and several major and minor prophets alike. She has a distinct identity, her most important role, interceding in behalf of the chosen race of God and of course her children as well who follow the commandments of God and bear witness to his Son in the future generation.
Wisdom as a Spirit:
“No, Wisdom will never make its way into crafty soul nor stay in a body that is in debt to sin; the ‘holy spirit’ of instruction shuns deceit, it stands aloof from reckless purposes, is taken aback when inequity appears. “Wisdom is a Spiritâ€, a friend to man, though she will not pardon the words of a blasphemer…†(Wis.1:4-6): The above passage indicates that the (created) Wisdom is a Spirit and a friend to man that she stay not in a body in debt to sin because of her pureness (holy) in form. But what is striking here is that ‘she will not pardon the words of a blasphemer.’ Almost all Christian denomination seek forgiveness of their sins either from God the father or to Jesus Christ and these was proven correct by the many passages we can get in the scripture. In the gospel of (Mathew 9:3-6) “Courage, my child, your sins are forgiven…but to prove to you that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.†In the gospel of (Luke7:49-50) “Then He said to her, ‘your sins are forgiven’. Those who were with him at the table began to say to themselves, who is this man, that he even forgives sins? But he said to the woman, your faith has saved you; go in peaceâ€. These were two instances that Jesus forgave sins and this proved the substance of his inner life is of Divine in Nature. Not created but begotten to justify Proverbs 8:22; (John 1:14) “And we saw His glory-glory as of the only- begotten of the Father.†Scripture tells us, with its striking similarity on Wisdom 1:4-6, (Mt.12:32; Mk.3:28-30; and Lk.12:10) “Everyone who says a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven (either in this world or in the next).†To borrow the word of St. Augustine; The Son, in the language of Scripture, the image of the Invisible God, His Word, His “uncreated wisdomâ€
Note: It is already late in the evening and i do not wish to bore readers by long discussion. Tomorrow i will end my defense to my Lady.
Jesus king of Mercy i trust in you.”oh Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee! ( to be continued )
well, well, well, Dear Vil,your language was so nice.if you can spit so much openly, how much more you might have in your heart? And if your Church or Bible teaches you like this, certainly someone will voice against you. that is what happened against the Roman Churches. of course Luther,s name was never mentioned in any Bible.so what? no body worship him or ask him to intercede.
What does it shows about Mary in RCC Bible?to worship her? JESUS pointing us to go to Mary? or The Apostles advises to go for Mary,s intercede? did they worshiped Mary? if not, are they lairs? .- She was a Virgin and stayed virgin for the rest of her life,- where? I could not find anywhere from Mathew to Revelation in RCC Bible.-sinful human being like any other.- thanks. you agreed to that as Mary did.until JESUS Resurrection, there were no Christians. -They all started popping out of no where for the last two three hundred years like cockroaches.- Yes Yes ,when the people, who called them selves Catholic Christians started sinning against GOD, THE LORD would certainly choose some people to warn them.The whole Bible have proofs for this.
The word of Christian means, follower of CHRIST only.not a mixture of all culture. come and see in velankanni in south India.many devotees are offering their hair to so called mother Mary. like venkataswamy a hindu god who accepts hair as offering.shaaaaaame.
I have more and more to say how corrupted are the RCC preaching. But I know these are will never make them to TURN BACK TO THE TRUE GOD.Only if they start reading the Bible and follow it, GOD,s Grace may come upon them, and they will be SAVED. Let us Pray for that.
Mr Celestino Culaba … all the confusing stuff you post has nothing to do whatsoever with the original title of this article – “Should we pray to Virgin Mary.
I know you are a filipino (pinoy) based in Tacloban City, Philipines.
I would be best if you advised readers reading this article post and justify the same who is to be blamed for the “self-flagellation” mess in your own country – the philipines as mentioned in the article at .
So instead of maligning the name of the true mother of Jesus by writing irrelevant scriptures to support your wild imaginations. It would be advisable to you to desist from such falsehoods that lead everyone toward the wrong path,
Hope you accept my request with humility and oblige.
( continuation )
This representation was guided by his desire to share some unnoticed passages of the scripture that may unlock the mysteries of creation and reveals to us gradually its importance and purpose. I have opened my point of origin heavily to the Book of Wisdom of Solomon and to the passage also attached to him in the gospel of Mathew and Luke where he was been mentioned, then concentrated mainly on Proverbs 8:22; Gen.1:26-27; John1:1-14; Sirac1:4-10 &24:10; Baruch3:20-22; and other verses with equal importance. The purpose of this endeavor is to invite theologians and Bible scholars and clergies alike to look earnestly what these passages meant to you. Do not confuse my argument advocating new gospel or promoting doctrinal matters. The intention of this invitation is to expound passages in the scripture with identical representation to Christ, the center piece of our Christian faith. Since the formulation of councils attended by eastern, western clergies and orthodoxy there were number of issues that have been resolved like for example the Divinity of Christ, the doctrine of the Trinity and the numerous titles awarded to the blessed Virgin Mary but none to the wisdom of Solomon who left us resounding clues that may point to the interesting mystery of God’s companion in the creation of the universe. What had been initially introduced on this article conclusion is withheld till someone may take notice and share his or her materials (supporting verses base in scripture) about the concept that had been raised on Proverbs 8:22. I am here not to contradict the doctrine of the Nicaea council about the Trinity in fact I have acknowledged and accepted their sound arguments. Though we can notice they differ on their point of departure nevertheless they arrive of the same conclusion.
The members of the Trinity are said to be co-equal and co-eternal, one in essence, nature, power, action, and will. As stated in the Athanasian Creed, the Father is uncreated, the Son is uncreated, and the Holy Spirit is uncreated, and all three are eternal with no beginning. On the other hand, the Cappadocian Fathers argued that the Holy Spirit was an equal person to the Father and Son. So what we have, then, are the same truths, seen on different points of view.
This representation believes that revelation written by St. John does not stop there, there are still more revelations to come, God described Himself to Amos and to Israel:
‘..it is He who forges the mountains, creates the wind, who reveals His mind to humankind..’God used ‘reveals’, not ‘revealed’, present tense, which means that He speaks His mind to us from the beginning of time up to our present time. And this has been proven true by historical events; the many recorded apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary and reported visions of the passion of Christ to his chosen individual to be victim soul and shared his suffering for the conversion of sinners and of the whole world. We have been given the duplicate key to unlock the meaning of all what is written, maybe the most important treasure in heaven can be found in the past history, hidden to us for a long time but those who trace her find knowledge and truth. It is like saying to have a better understanding of the future revelations we must go back of what was written the past prophesies God provided us. To Wisdom 6:12-13; “Wisdom is bright, and does not grow dim. By those who love her she is readily seen, and found by those who look for her. Quick to anticipate those who desire her, she makes herself known them.â€
The Ark of the Old Covenant
The Ark of the Covenant is somewhat related to all the above passages we have discussed through its symbolical pattern, and king Solomon has also a hand in planting the clues for our final understanding. The parallelism used by St. Luke and St. John provided us the path to trace the hidden treasure king Solomon have been discussing long time ago. To borrow the word of St. Augustine, “the Old Testament is the New concealed, but the New Testament is the Old revealed”. This means that the Old Testament is full of stories of people and historical events. Typology is a type, a person, thing, or event in the Old Testament that foreshadows something in the New Testament. St. Luke, St. John and St. Paul, being Jews knew the Jewish principle of how they would construct their gospel in the New Testament consistent with the Old Testament when possible quotation should arise. Here are a few more examples of biblical typology:
• Peter uses Noah’s ark as a type of Christian baptism (1 Pt. 3:18-22).
• Paul explains that circumcision foreshadowed Christian baptism (Col. 2:11-12).
• Jesus uses the bronze serpent as a type of his Crucifixion (Jn. 3:14; cf. Nm. 21:8-9).
• The Passover lamb prefigures the sacrifice of Christ (1 Cor. 5:7).
I have been fortunate to come across of one of Steve Ray’s article about the Ark of the Covenant that boost my confidence and search the true meaning of it. And what surprise me of the author is that he is a catholic convert, it turn out that he is more knowledgeable than many Catholic Christian. Verbatim I shall share his article to establish my point because I found it helpful to what I am discussing on my own article.
God loved his people and wanted to be close to them. He chose to do so in a very special way. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says, “The prayer of the people of God flourished in the shadow of the dwelling place of God’s presence on earth, the Ark of the Covenant and the Temple, under the guidance of their shepherds, especially King David, and of the prophets” (CCC 2594). God instructed Moses to build a tabernacle surrounded by heavy curtains (cf. Ex. 25-27). Within the tabernacle he was to place an Ark made of acacia wood covered with gold inside and out. Within the Ark of the Covenant was placed a golden jar holding the manna, Aaron’s rod that budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant (cf. Heb 9:4).
When the ark was completed, the glory cloud of the Lord (the Shekinah Glory) covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle (Ex. 40:34-35; Nm. 9:18- 22). The verb for “to cover” or “to overshadow” and the metaphor of a cloud are used in the Bible to represent the presence and glory of God. The Catechism explains:
In the theophanies of the Old Testament, the cloud, now obscure, now luminous, reveals the living and saving God, while veiling the transcendence of his glory—with Moses on Mount Sinai, at the tent of meeting, and during the wandering in the desert, and with Solomon at the dedication of the temple. In the Holy Spirit, Christ fulfills these figures. The Spirit comes upon the Virgin Mary and “overshadows” her, so that she might conceive and give birth to Jesus. On the mountain of Transfiguration, the Spirit in the “cloud came and overshadowed” Jesus, Moses and Elijah, Peter, James and John, and “a voice came out of the cloud, saying, ‘This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!’” Finally, the cloud took Jesus out of the sight of the disciples on the day of his Ascension and will reveal him as Son of Man in glory on the day of his final coming. The glory of the Lord “overshadowed” the Ark and filled the tabernacle. (CCC 697)
It’s easy to miss the parallel between the Holy Spirit overshadowing the Ark and the Holy Spirit overshadowing Mary, between the Ark of the Old Covenant as the dwelling place of God and Mary as the new dwelling place of God.
God was very specific about every exact detail of the Ark (Ex 25-30). It was a place where God himself would dwell (Ex 25:8). God wanted his words—inscribed on stone—housed in a perfect container covered with pure gold within and without. How much more would He want his Word—Jesus—to have a perfect dwelling place! If the only begotten Son were to take up residence in the womb of a human girl, would he not make her flawless?
The Virgin Mary is the living shrine of the Word of God, the Ark of the New and Eternal Covenant. In fact, St. Luke’s account of the Annunciation of the angel to Mary nicely incorporates the images of the tent of meeting with God in Sinai and of the temple of Zion. Just as the cloud covered the people of God marching in the desert (cf. Nm 10:34; Dt. 33:12; Ps 91:4) and just as the same cloud, as a sign of the divine mystery present in the midst of Israel, hovered over the Ark of the Covenant (cf. Ex 40:35), so now the shadow of the Most High envelops and penetrates the tabernacle of the New Covenant that is the womb of Mary (cf. Lk.1:35).
King David and Elizabeth
Luke weaves additional parallels into the story of Mary—types that could be overlooked if one are unfamiliar with the Old Testament. After Moses died, Joshua led the Israelites across the Jordan River into the Promised Land. Joshua established the Ark of the Covenant in Shiloh, where it stayed for more than 200 years. One day the Israelites were losing a battle with the Philistines, so they snatched the ark and rushed it to the front lines. The Philistines captured the Ark, but it caused them great problems, so they sent it back to Israel (1 Sm. 5:1-6:12).
David went out to retrieve the Ark (1 Sm. 6:1-2). After a man named Uzzah was struck dead when he touched the Ark, David was afraid and said, “How can the Ark of the Lord come to me?” He left the Ark in the hill country of Judea for three months. We are also told that David danced and leapt in front of the Ark and everyone shouted for joy. The house of Obed-edom, which had housed the Ark, was blessed, and then David took the Ark to Jerusalem (2 Sm. 6:9-14).
Compare David and the Ark to Luke’s account of the Visitation:
In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a city of Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the voice of your greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”