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
Trust Me and I will open your eyes to the Truth of your glorious future
Monday | July 22, 2013 7:09 pm
My dearly beloved daughter, I call out to all the young people in the world, of all creeds and all faiths.
I Am Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world, and I will make myself known to you, soon. Once this happens, during a supernatural event, which will be experienced all over the world at the same time, you will know the Truth.
You may not accept My Call to you now. You may not welcome Me in your day to day lives, but when you feel My Love, nothing else will matter to you again. The time for the Second Coming is close. This event, when I come to bring Peace, as I herald in the New Paradise, will overwhelm you with a joy, which you have never before experienced. I will bring you a life beyond your dreams – a life which when glimpsed will be all that you desire.
The Second Coming is not to be feared, as it will be the most powerful joyous occasion. This is My Promise. You must never worry or feel that life is over – that you will be denied the time you take for granted in the world – because life will only be beginning. This time there will be no torment, hurt, anger, hate or division. Only love will thrive and, with it, a life of splendour, where you will live in great unity, in love and peace with your loved ones.
I Am preparing the world for this great event, which has been prophesised. In order to prepare – so that in the blink of an eye, the world will change for good – you must come to Me. To be given this life in the New Paradise, where you will retain a perfect body and soul, you must ask Me to cleanse your soul. In order for Me to do this, you must ask Me to forgive you your sins. It is this simple. I know you are a sinner. You know that you are a sinner, but this must never separate you from Me.
If you are troubled or fearful, then tell Me your worries and I will soothe your pain. Trust Me and I will open your eyes to the Truth of your glorious future. When the Earth is renewed and the Second Coming is announced, I will be waiting to greet you. I will always love you, because it was for you that I gave up My Body, when I allowed them to crucify Me. If I love you so much, then nothing should stand in your way to call on Me today.
I await your call.
Your Jesus
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Mother of Salvation: The last secret of Fatima was not revealed, so terrifying was it
Monday | July 22, 2013 8:17 pm
My child, the deceit, which the world will face, will be so difficult to discern, that only those who surrender to God and place all their trust in my Son, will be able to endure the trials, which lie ahead.
I gave the world the prophecies in 1917, but the last secret of Fatima was not revealed, so terrifying was it for those within the Catholic Church.
The last secret of Fatima still remains unknown to God’s children, although part of it was revealed to you on 26 January, 2012. Very few within the Church are privy to this. Now, the next part of the final secret of Fatima must be revealed, so that I can warn humanity of the consequences of ignoring my intervention to help save souls.
The Church has been infested, from the inside, by enemies of God. They – and there are twenty of them who control from within – have created the greatest deceit. They have elected a man, not of God, while the Holy Father, accorded the Crown of Peter, has been carefully removed.
The details, which I revealed, are that there would be two men wearing the Crown of Peter in the end times. One will suffer because of lies which have been created to discredit him and which will render him a virtual prisoner. The other one elected will bring about the destruction, not only of the Catholic Church, but of all churches which honour my Father and who accept the Teachings of my Son, Jesus Christ, Saviour of the world.
There can only be one head of the Church on Earth, authorised by my Son, who must remain pope until his death. Anyone else, who claims to sit in the Seat of Peter, is an imposter. This deceit has one purpose, to turn souls over to Lucifer and there is little time for such souls, who will be none the wiser, to be saved.
Children, you must only heed one warning, now. Do not deviate from the Teachings of my Son. Question every new doctrine, which may be presented to you and which professes to come from my Son’s Church on Earth. The Truth is simple. It never changes. My Son’s Legacy is very clear. Do not allow anyone to cloud your judgement.
Soon the Fatima prophecies will make sense. All is now taking place before a disbelieving world, but sadly, very few will understand until it is too late. Pray, pray, pray my Most Holy Rosary, as often as possible, every single day, in order to dilute the effect of the evil, which surrounds you.
Your beloved Mother
Mother of Salvation
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I reveal the secrets contained within the Book of Revelation, and they will not be pleasant
Tuesday | July 23, 2013 3:30 pm
My dearly beloved daughter, the trials you will have to face are because I reveal the secrets contained within the Book of Revelation and they will not be pleasant. The Truth can be so upsetting and unsettling for many. The Truth will cause tears of dismay, tears of sadness and great distress.
Lies, on the other hand, can lull you into a sense of false security. Even when lies, presented to you, come dressed in loving language and noble gestures, don’t feel right in your heart, they can be much easier for man to accept than the Truth.
When someone is told that they have been infected with a terminal disease, they have two choices. They can accept the Truth, prepare their souls, spend time in close proximity with their families, seek My Forgiveness and then, wait for the day. When they do this, although it may be frightening, they will – because they have accepted the Truth – find true peace in their souls. These souls will have nothing to fear from Me. If, on the other hand, they reject the Truth, and believe in magic potions and false gods, which they think can be used to miraculously cure them, they will be very disappointed. These souls, blinded by so-called positive thoughts, believe that if they will themselves to be better, that all will be well. What they fail to understand is that they must call on Me, Jesus, if they wish to be healed. I will answer prayers, but only if the request is for the good of their souls. These souls, who refuse to accept the Truth of their illness and who do not turn to Me, will be lost. They will have wasted the time accorded to them on Earth, to ensure that their house is in order.
The same is true of My Word, the Truth, given to you, now. I gave the world the Truth, during My Time on Earth and I was rejected. Many did follow Me, but the Truth, given to them at that time, will now be challenged by the enemies of God and they will fall prey to deceit. They will soon reject the Truth and will not be able to accept My Warning, given to the world at this time.
I call on you now, not to reveal to you new Teachings, as this is not necessary. You were given the Truth, but now I intervene to remind you of the Truth. I also come to warn you of the evil atrocities, which will be inflicted on you because of your love for Me.
Do not turn your backs on Me, Jesus Christ, as I Am reaching out only to protect you at this time. I do not want to alienate you, but I will keep reminding you of the Truth, time and time again. When you find that your soul becomes agitated, as a result of the new rules to be presented by those who say they are of Me, then you must call on Me through this Crusade Prayer.
Dear Jesus, help me.
I am drowning in tears of sorrow.
My heart is confused.
I do not know who I can trust.
Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit, so that I can choose the correct path to Your Kingdom.
Help me, dear Jesus, to always remain true to Your Word, given to the world by Peter and to never deviate from what You taught us or deny Your death on the Cross.
Jesus, You are the Way.
Show me the Way.
Hold me and carry me on Your journey of Great Mercy.
Amen.
Your Jesus
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Virgin Mary: Just as if a miracle has taken place, the false prophet will seem to rise from the dead
Thursday | July 25, 2013 6:52 pm
My child, it is important my children do not lose courage when faced with the hurt they will have to face, as my Son’s Church will be cast into the wilderness of the desert.
I am the Woman in the Book of Revelation, clothed with the sun, who gave birth to the Child. The Child is Jesus. The Mystical Body of my Son, Jesus, is His Church on Earth. My Son’s Church is being stolen and soon His Body will no longer be present therein. This desolation will tear the hearts of those, who follow the Teachings of my Son, in two. Those, who will have nowhere to turn, will find themselves cast out of the buildings which have, up to now, housed the Holy Eucharist. But, while they will have been thrown out, with little mercy shown to them, they will be filled with the Holy Spirit. This means that they will be guided and will lead fiercely the Remnant Army, which is made up of those who are loyal to God.
Others, blind to the Truth, will follow the false prophet into disarray. Their hearts will be deceived, and soon, when the false prophet will be seen to be at death’s door, they will sob. But then, just as if a miracle has taken place, the false prophet will seem to rise from the dead. They will say that he is blessed with great, supernatural powers from Heaven and they will fall flat on their faces before him in adoration. He will be loved and adored by those who cannot see.
Soon the antichrist will appear and his rise to fame will start in Jerusalem. Once he appears in public, everything in my Son’s Church will change, quickly. The new rules will be introduced. New relics, changes in the garments worn by priests and many new regulations will be enforced. At first, people will say that all these changes stem from a need to be humble. And, while these abominations enter the Christian churches, the persecution will begin. Dare to object to these Satanic rituals and you will be deemed a heretic – a troublemaker.
Many cardinals, bishops, priests, nuns and ordinary people will be excommunicated, if they do not follow the new rules or adore the false prophet. At this stage you must seek out refuges, which will have been created, so that you can worship my Son, Jesus Christ, in peace. Priests must continue to administer the Sacraments and provide my children with the Most Holy Eucharist.
You must never give in to the deceit, which you will be asked to take part in. Those who do will lose their souls to the evil one.
Your beloved Mother
Mother of Salvation
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Although they will cause fear, they are nothing when compared to the Great Chastisement ahead
Thursday | July 25, 2013 8:40 pm
My dearly beloved daughter, the Hand of My Father has now intervened in the world, in punishment for the sin of man. Sin has escalated in the world because man no longer differentiates between right and wrong. You cannot escape the Wrath of My Father’s Anger, when your countries applaud wicked sin, through their laws.
These punishments will be witnessed across the world, quickly. Although they will cause fear, they are nothing when compared to the Great Chastisement ahead. Man is stubborn. He refuses help when it is offered by God. Humanity has chosen to reject God and every single one of you has suffered because of the heathens amongst you.
My Call from Heaven is to save all souls in the first instance, but it is also so that I can help you to mitigate the punishments, which will befall the human race. How great is My Mercy. How great is My Patience, but those who reject My Teachings and who shut themselves off from My Father, their Creator, will soon know the consequences.
I call out to all religions and beg you to pray for clemency, whether you accept these Messages or not. The prayers are necessary to mitigate the catastrophes, which have already begun. Pray, pray, pray, for your lives and for the salvation of your souls.
Your Jesus
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Look behind the mask of humanism and you will not find signs of God
Saturday | July 27, 2013 7:22 pm
My dearly beloved daughter, it is My Desire that all My cherished followers pray hard to deflect the harm to souls, because of the growth of atheism. Atheism does not always declare itself. Very often, people who have decided, for whatever reason, to no longer believe in God, create a substitute.
Because of the makeup of man, he must seek out a cause in order to justify his existence. The curse of humanism is that it exalts man in the eyes of man. All must be done, according to the humanist, is to ensure that man’s needs come first. Many people confuse humanism with Christianity. When one proclaims the importance of worldly goods in the lives of man, at all cost, in order to avoid suffering or poverty, it is easy to assume that this is a form of love for one’s neighbour.
If you say that you want to put a stop to poverty, unemployment and other miseries, many will think you are speaking in the Name of God. Look behind the mask of humanism and you will not find signs of God, nor will you hear His Name mentioned. Those who live their lives as humanists do not love God. They only love themselves. They also believe that all that matters is the wellbeing – usually in the form of worldly things – of humanity, as a means to an end.
While it may seem charitable, to be seen to care about the needs of man, you can never substitute God, by placing the needs of man first. When you do this, you insult God. Humanism, while having all the exterior signs of love for God, is not what it seems. Behind the mask of love lurks a love of self. Man will die, his body will turn to dust, his soul will live on, yet, humanism would have you believe that man is immortal.
Be careful when you embrace humanism, because when you do, you cut yourselves off from Me.
Your Jesus
.
Aug 2, 2013 – St Michael Archangel
August 2, 2013
St. Michael’s Abbey, El Toro California, at 1:00pm
Message ended 1:11pm
St. Michael the Archangel
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Holy Mary Mother of God ??
But in June 2013, a storm flood swept the Shrine at Lourdes … But no miracle by the counterfeit mother of Jesus :(
Image: http://i.i.cbsi.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim/2012/10/20/Lourdes_grotto_AP533959905909_620x350.jpg
The old saying “God works in mysterious ways” was powerfully confirmed for many pilgrims who were forced out of Lourdes by a huge flood.. This proves God is Sovereign and in control of his creation. He does not share his glory with “mortal created beings”.
To the other innocents, who blindly follow the beast and the false prophet, they will be locked into a savage bond
Sunday | July 28, 2013 9:40 pm
My dearly beloved daughter, you must never doubt My Word. You must, if you truly trust Me, do what it is I desire of you, so that I can enlighten the world, at this time, and prepare them for the New Beginning.
Much of what is happening to My Church has been foretold, but you must accept that My Father allows these abominations for a reason. This is the final end of the reign of Satan. He has raised up a beast, in his name, and this antichrist is the spirit of Satan himself. He and his followers have been given very little time in the great battle for souls.
Satan’s revenge is to steal as many souls as he is capable of, before he is chained and thrown into the abyss. Those of his cohorts, who idolize the serpent, only follow his instructions because of the power he tells them will be theirs, if they help him complete his diabolical plan. How these poor souls will suffer for eternity and how they will scream for My Mercy when the awful realisation of their fate becomes clear.
To the other innocents, who blindly follow the beast and the false prophet, they will be locked into a savage bond, from which they will be powerless to escape. They are in desperate need of your help. You must pray hard for their souls to be released back to Me. To the outside world, they won’t see much to alarm them, at first. The wars in the Middle East and the subsequent peace will be greeted with applause.
The man of peace will receive many awards in acknowledgement of his humanitarian works. The false prophet will be seen to be uniting the churches of the world and displaying, at every opportunity, all those attributes, which you associate with a saint.
All will be well, until these two turn and with a vengeance strike down all those who oppose their plan to control the world. They will weave My Church on Earth into the nest of the beast, until darkness covers the Earth.
All will feel a disquiet. All of you will feel the evil, as Satan, through the antichrist, controls all. But then, just as things will seem hopeless, I will descend, through My Great Mercy, to envelop all, to prove to the world the Truth.
So great is My Mercy, that I will enlighten the darkest of souls and they will come to Me with relief in their hearts. At that stage, all their doubts will be driven out of their souls, by the Power of the Holy Spirit. Soon afterwards, as God’s children know the Truth, the Final Trumpet will peal out and the Earth will be renewed. All evil will disappear. The sun will fill all of you with a Great Light and the New Paradise will be handed, with great love, as the greatest Gift you could ever imagine, to each and every one of you.
All you need to do is trust in the Truth I reveal, so that you can avoid the traps which are to be laid down to steal your souls. Those of you who can see, who trust Me, who call on Me, will help Me save the souls of those who can see, but who refuse to see the Truth.
Your Jesus
.
The mark of the beast will bring with it death – death of the soul and death by a terrible disease
Monday | July 29, 2013 11:23 am
My dearly beloved daughter, My Name is rarely mentioned in the same breath, as those who claim to represent Me and shout blasphemies against God. My death on the Cross will not only be dismissed and not spoken about, but the images of demons will be used as a substitute for My Corpus on the Cross. If it is not Me they killed on the Cross, then who is it? Who are they, who proclaim My Word to the world, but who utter profanities, which spill from their mouths?
Beware of the miracles the men in white robes will claim to perform, as if they are made of My Flesh and blessed with My Spirit. When you see wondrous and seemingly miraculous events take place, know that they are nothing of the sort.
You will be told that miracles have been created by the hand of the false prophet. You will then be expected to show great respect and you will be told, at first, that he is a living saint. He will be worshipped, loved and admired and all will say that he is favoured by God. They will believe, in time, that these miracles are taking place to herald My Second Coming.
And then, the beast will appear. And he will honour the first one. And the world will be caught up in terrible confusion. They will be trapped. On the one hand, the false prophet will control all religions in the world and prey on the love of those who know the Truth. Those who do know the Truth, will not reject me, for theirs is the Kingdom of God. The antichrist will show great honour towards the false prophet. But, because his role will be a political one, their allegiance will unite many people who will applaud this alliance.
These events will begin to make sense soon. Those who try to take you away with them into a false faith, not of God, will be very convincing. They will never reveal their true intent, until they believe they are winning this battle. But then, they will destroy many, who refuse to accept the mark of the beast. They will say that this will be a sign of true world peace, love and unity, but hidden within its vile core will be the letters 666, the sign of the beast.
Just as holy medals offer protection from Heaven with Power from God, the mark of the beast will bring with it death – death of the soul and death by a terrible disease. Those who refuse it will have to hide and prepare. I know this is frightening, but it is true. I will intervene with the help of your prayers to put an end to the persecution.
You, my beloved followers, who know the Truth, are being prepared to help those who will struggle with this knowledge. By the time this happens, My Remnant Army, will be a force to be reckoned with. Their strength will lie in their ability to save those who will suffer by this diabolical act of revenge on God’s children.
Your Jesus
.
Sword bearer #2119,
In the same manner the first and the second temple ended into destruction, right? Truly, “God works in a mysterious waysâ€, He allowed it to happen…though He had made a promise (hear the prayer) to Solomon; “I grant your prayer and the entreaty you have made before me. I consecrate this house (temple) you have built: I place my name there forever; my eyes and my heart shall be always there.†(1Kings9:3)
Will the fault finder contend with the Almighty? Let him who reproves God answer it.†(Job 40:2); be careful how you handle your sword…maybe you are not aware you might be carrying a double edge sword that may cut your mindless ideas on both ways.
Ave Maria!
Some more images of the counterfeit Mary – a pagan goddess – the devils incarnate – venerated by foolish ignorant people.
Our Lady of Czestochowa†and her black child. She has two cuts in her face.
http://ivarfjeld.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/pbozia.jpg
The Polish version, and the Haitian lookalike. One is a copy. The other the original. The two cuts in their faces, exposes the truth.
http://ivarfjeld.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/dantor.jpg
The Black Madonna of Haiti is Erzulie Dantor, a lady of African origin. She was a witch.
http://ivarfjeld.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/viewimage_story_element.jpg
The former Pope praying to the lady of Fatima – a muslim lady.
http://ivarfjeld.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/portland-press-herald_30504281.jpg
All world relgions have a mother/child combination which shows a stark coincidence:
http://ivarfjeld.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/anon_dantor.jpg
http://ivarfjeld.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/pagan.jpg
http://ivarfjeld.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/erzuliedantor.jpg
http://ivarfjeld.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/guingampmadonna.jpg
http://ivarfjeld.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/st-gervazy.jpg
http://ivarfjeld.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/notre-dame-de-la-bonne-mort.jpg
enjoy the deception … :)
Why I Left The Catholic Church
Introduction:
In this lesson I want to state some of the reasons I left the Catholic Church. I do not wish to state any of the personal experiences I had as result of leaving. I will mention, though, that I came from a large, devout Catholic family of twelve children. I attended Trinity High School in Louisville, Kentucky. At the time of my intense Scriptural study, I had two brothers who were enrolled in Catholic seminaries studying to be priests. I also want to state I did not leave the Catholic Church because of some evil that I had done or that was done to me. I left the Catholic Church because I came to believe that it was contrary to the Bible. This I will endeavor to show in this study.
The First Reason I Left Is Because The Catholics Do Not Have The Right Attitude Toward The Truth.
To illustrate what I mean by this, I will explain the difference in the two sides. Those with the right attitude toward the truth are always willing to test what they teach with others. They invite those of opposite views to work together for truth and unity. They appreciate when those who differ with them point out where they think they are wrong. They have everything thoroughly tested, studying arguments both for and against, looking at both sides of the question.
Those with the wrong attitude toward the truth are not willing to test what they teach in fair and open discussion, privately or publicly. They do not invite others to point out where they think they are wrong, and do not appreciate when others try to do so. They won’t allow their members to hear both sides of an issue, and especially they don’t want them to examine opposing arguments.
Hopefully, one can now understand what I mean when I said the Catholics do not have the right attitude toward the truth. Catholics are not allowed, and especially are not encouraged to hear both sides regarding truth and error. They are not to read books which differ from their doctrine. Thus, they are encouraged by the clergy to be closed minded to anything which differs from Catholicism. We ask, “Why don’t Catholic officials encourage their members to examine opposing Scriptural teaching?” False teachers have learned that when truth and error are examined side by side, some begin to see the truth. False teachers are afraid of being exposed and of losing their members.
The Next Reason I Left Is Because The Bible Only Is The All Sufficient Guide To Salvation, But The Catholic Church Teaches That It Is Not.
The Catholic Catechism For Adults on page 52 says, “Can you learn to save your soul just by reading the Bible? No, because certain things in the Bible can be misunderstood, and because the Bible does not have everything God taught.” Notice that the first part of their answer to “Can you learn to save your soul just by reading the Bible?” is, “No…” However, their own translations of the Bible teaches the opposite. All Scriptural quotations that I will be giving are from Catholic translations. 2 Tim. 3:15-17 says, “And because from thy infancy thou hast known the holy scriptures, which can instruct thee to salvation, by faith which is Christ Jesus. All scripture, inspired of God, is profitable to teach, to reprove, to correct, to instruct in justice, that the man of God may be perfect, furnished to every good work.” Thus, the apostle Paul by the inspiration of God, says to Timothy “thou hast known the holy scriptures, which can instruct thee to salvation” and make you “perfect, furnished to every good work.”
Rom. 1:16 says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel. For it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth, to the Jew first, and to the Greek. James 1:21 says, “…With meekness receive the ingrafted word, which is able to save you souls.” Consequently, the word contained in the Bible is able to save our souls.
The next part of the answer in the Catechism to the question, “Can you learn to save your soul just by the Bible?” is, “No, because certain things in the Bible can be misunderstood…” They are implying that the Bible cannot be understood. John A. O’Brien, the Catholic author of the book, “The Faith of Millions,” is much more expressive when he says on page 152, “The Bible is not a clear and intelligible guide to all…” The book, “The Faith of Millions” was given to me before my conversion by my older brother Norman who was at the time a student at St. Meinrad Seminary, St. Meinrad, Indiana.
The apostle Paul said we can understand what he wrote. “If yet, you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me towards you: how that, according to revelation, the mystery has been made known to me, as I have written above in few words; as you reading, may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ.” (Eph. 3:2-4). Paul said the mystery had been made know to him by the revelation of God. He then showed that he was writing it e.g., “as I have written above in few words” (in the chapters prior to this) and “as you reading, may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ.” In other words, when we read what he wrote, we can understand what he understood. Paul also said , “For we write nothing to you that you do not read and understand” (2 Cor. 1:13) and “Therefore do not become foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is” (Eph. 5:17). Thus, the inspired writers taught that we most certainly can understand the Scriptures.
The last part of the answer given in the Catechism to the question, “Can you learn to save your soul just by reading the Bible?” was “No…because the Bible does not have everything God taught.” The Faith of Millions, on pages 153-154 says, “The Bible does not contain all the teaching of the Christian religion, nor does it formulate all the duties of its members.” The Scriptures contain everything that is necessary to equip the man of God for every good work (2 Tim. 3:16-17). There is not a solitary good work that the Christian can do which is not provided in the Scriptures. The Scriptural proof they give for the Bible not containing everything God taught, is John 20:30. It says, “Many other signs also did Jesus in the sight of his disciples, which are not written in this book.” (See Catechism For Adults, p. 10).
In John 20:30, John simply said that Jesus did many other signs (miracles) which he did record. Notice, though, what John says in the next verse, “…But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name.” Thus, the apostle clearly shows that he wrote sufficient things to produce the faith which brings life in the name of Jesus. Life in the name of Jesus refers to eternal life and it is obtained by belief in the things written by the inspired writers.
We freely admit that the Scriptures do not contain everything Jesus did. John said, “There are, however, many other things that Jesus did; but if every one of these would be written, not even the world itself, I think, could hold the books that would have to be written.” (John 21:25). Although we do not have everything Jesus did, we do have every necessary thing. We have enough to give us life in His name.
Catholic officials follow up their claim (that we cannot understand the Bible) by stating that one can get the true meaning only from the Catholic Church. The Catechism For Adults on page 10 says, “How can you get the true meaning of the Bible? You can get it only from God’s official interpreter, the Catholic Church.” The Catholics have no passages which mention an official interpreter and, thus, they try to support their claim through human logic and reasoning. Anytime men do such, it amounts to nothing more than human philosophy rather than Scriptural proof. The Bible says, “Let God be true, but every man a liar…” (Rom. 3:4). It also warns, “See to it that no one deceives you by philosophy and vain deceit, according to human traditions, according to the elements of the world and not according to Christ.” (Col. 2:8).
The doctrine of the “infallible interpreter” implies that God did not make Himself clear. It implies that God gave us a revelation that still needs revealing. Did God fail in His attempt to give man a revelation? Do the Catholic officials want us to believe they can express God’s will more clearly than God Himself? We believe that God made the mind of man and is fully capable of addressing man in words which man can understand.
The Third Reason I Left Is Because Christ Did Not Make His Church Infallible As The Catholic Church Teaches.
The Catholic writers try to teach that the church could never go into error and is preserved from error. The Catechism For Adults on page 56 says, “Why can’t the Catholic Church ever teach error? Because Jesus promised to be always with His Church to protect it from error.” The book, “My Catholic Faith” which is based heavily on materials from the Baltimore Catechism, was given to me by my father not long after I was converted. I think his intentions were that somehow it would cause me to return to the Catholic Church. It says on page 144, “Jesus Christ promised to preserve the Church from error.” On page 145, it says, “Jesus Christ commanded all men to listen to and obey the Church, under pain of damnation. If His Church can teach error then He is responsible for the error, by commanding all to obey.” On page 54 the Catechism For Adults says, “Does everyone have to obey the Catholic Church? Yes, because she alone has the authority of Jesus to rule and to teach.” It is easy to see that Catholics have the authority in the wrong place. The authority is not in the body, but in the Head (Eph. 1:22-23; Col. 1:18). The ruling is not in the kingdom, but in the King (Heb. 7:1-2; Rev. 1:5-6). The authority is in not in the church, but in Christ (Matt. 28:18; 1 Pet. 3:22). The church is not the Savior, but simply the body of the saved (Acts 2:47; Eph. 5:22-24).
There are many passages in the New Testament which reveal that the church would not be preserved from error. Acts 20:17, 28-30; 2 Pet. 2:1-3; 1 Tim. 4:1-3; 2 Tim. 4:3-4; 2 Thess. 2:3-11. We see from these passages that there was to come a great falling away from the truth. In Acts chapter twenty we learn that perverse things would come from the bishops of the church. Peter said (2 Pet. 2) that false teachers would arise among you (working from within) and there would be many who would follow them. Paul tell us (2 Thess. 2) that the apostasy was already underway, “for the mystery of iniquity is already at work…” (Verse 7). It started in Paul’s day and was to continue until the second coming of Christ. He added, “…Whom the Lord Jesus will slay with the breath of his mouth and will destroy with the brightness of his coming.” (Verse 8).
We cannot harmonize that which the inspired apostles said (there shall arise false teachers among you) with that which the Catholic writers say (shall be preserved from error). Furthermore, we call your attention to the fact that the characteristics of the departing group are identical with those of the Catholic Church. Everyone knows that the Catholic Church has forbidden its people to eat meat on Friday and at the present it forbids some from marriage. Also, the only way for the wicked one to last from Paul’s day to the second coming of Christ is to have a continual succession. It could not be some wicked person of the past because he will not be here for the Lord to slay when He comes. Furthermore, it could not be ones in the future because their iniquity would not have started in Paul’s day. It must, therefore, be a continual succession from the beginning until now. The Catholic Church is the only group which perfectly fits the apostles’ description of the great apostasy.
The seven short epistles to seven churches of Asia in the book of Revelation reveal the relationship the church sustains to Christ (See Rev. chapters 2 and 3; see especially 2:1-5, 12-14, 18-20; 3:1-3, 14-15). Those verses plainly reveal that when a church continues in Christ’s word, it keeps its identity as His church, but when it fails to abide in His word, it is not longer regarded as His church. Also, they reveal that Christ did not establish His church as one that could never fall into error, because some of those churches went into error. Someone might say that the passages in Revelation referred to the various parishes or congregations rather than the whole church. It is true that the verses were speaking of local churches; nevertheless, the same principle that applied to them relates to the whole church. The Lord does not have a rule for one congregation which is not equally applicable to all. If one church is rejected for embracing error, all others who likewise embrace error are rejected. The early churches had to earnestly contend for the faith, and to continually be on guard against error arising from within. The doctrine of an “infallible church” causes the Catholic Church to fail in this. The Catholic Church is a church which neither recognizes nor corrects its errors.
A Fourth Reason I Left Was Because Christ Did Not Make Peter A Pope.
In the books of men, the following titles are commonly used with reference to a man: “Pope,” “Holy Father,” “Vicar of Christ,” “Sovereign Pontiff.” All of these are titles that rightly belong only to the Lord Jesus Christ and to God the Father. There is not a single instance in the Scriptures where any of the above titles are applied to a man. The term, “Holy Father” is used only once in the entire Bible, and it is used by Jesus in addressing God the Father. (John 17:11). Among the above titles is the bold assertion that the Pope is the “Vicar of Christ.” A “vicar” is “One serving as a substitute or agent; one authorized to perform the functions of another in higher office.” (Webster). When one searches the Bible from cover to cover, he finds only one passage which gives an indication of a vicar of Christ or God. It is 2 Thess. 2:3-4 and is worded as follows: “Let no one deceive you in any way, for the day of the Lord will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and is exalted above all that is called God, or that is worshiped, so that he sits in the temple of God and gives himself out as if he were God.”
Some religionists today advocate that man is saved by faith only. However, there is only one passage in the entire Bible that has the words “faith” and “only” together and it says, “not by faith only” (James 2:24). The Catholics today speak of the Pope as vicar, taking the place of God (Christ Himself is God, Matt. 1:23; John 1:1), yet there is only one passage in the entire Bible which speaks of a man doing such and it calls him “the man of sin.”
James Cardinal Gibbons, a Catholic Archbishop said, “Jesus our Lord, founded but one Church, which He was pleased to build on Peter. Therefore, any church that does not recognize Peter as its foundation stone is not the Church of Christ, and therefore cannot stand, for it is not the work of God.” (The Faith of Our Fathers, p. 82). The apostle Paul said, “For other foundation no one can lay, but that which has been laid, which is Christ Jesus” (1 Cor. 3:11). There is no other foundation but Christ! Therefore, any church which does not recognize Christ alone as the foundation stone cannot be the church of Christ.
Catholic writers often speak of “the primacy of Peter” and “the primacy of the Pope.” However, Col. 1:18, speaking of Christ, says, “And he is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the first-born from the dead; that in all things he may hold the primacy…” Thus, with reference to the authority in the church, the Lord Jesus Christ holds the primacy in all things. This leaves nothing for the Pope!
Catholics claim that the Pope is the visible head of the church. The Catholic book Answer Wisely, by Martin J. Scott says on p. 49, “The pope, therefore, as vicar of Christ, is the visible head of Christ’s kingdom on earth, the Church, of which Christ Himself is the invisible head.” The book Father Smith Instructs Jackson, by John F. Noll and Lester J. Fallon, on page 42 says, “According to the will of Christ, all its members profess the same faith, have the same worship and Sacraments, and are united under the one and same visible head, the Pope.” Catholic officials always use the word “visible” no doubt thinking that it removes the thought of the Pope standing in opposition to the headship of Christ, and removes the apparent problem of having a church with two heads. Nonetheless, the Scriptures nowhere teach the idea of a visible and invisible head. Jesus said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” (Matt. 28:18; Emp. mine D.R.). Luke 17:20-21 says, “And on being asked by the Pharisees, ‘When is the kingdom of God coming?’ he answered and said to them, The kingdom of God comes unawares. Neither will they say, ‘Behold, here it is,’ or ‘Behold, there it is.’ For behold the kingdom of God is within you.” The kingdom of God is a spiritual kingdom and therefore needs only a spiritual head or king.
Eph. 5:23-25 shows that Christ is the only head of the church. “Let wives be subject to their husbands as to the Lord; because a husband is the head of the wife, just as Christ is head of the Church, being himself savior of the body. But just as the Church is subject to Christ, so also let the wives be to their husbands in all things.” Consequently, the wife is subject to her husband as the church is to Christ. Just as the wife is subject to only one head–her husband, the church is subject to only one head–Christ. Just as the husband does not send a substitute to rule over his wife, Christ does not authorize a substitute to rule over His bride, the church.
Catholics often use the expression, “One fold and one shepherd” to sustain the doctrine of the papacy. (See Catechism For Adults, p. 59). They teach that the “one shepherd” is the Pope and the “one fold” represents the Catholic Church. Hear what Jesus said about it: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep…I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me, even as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for my sheep. And other sheep I have that are not of this fold. Them also I must bring and they shall hear my voice, and there shall be one fold and one shepherd.” (John 10:11, 14-16). Jesus is that one good shepherd. If one can understand that one and one equals two, he can understand this. If one is subject to Christ as the one shepherd–that’s one. If one is subject to the Pope as the one Shepherd–that’s two!
The church is often compared to the human body in the Scriptures. The members of the church are represented as the various parts of the body. Christ is always said to be the head. (See 1 Cor. 12:12-27; Eph. 1:22-23; 4:15-16). Our question is: “What part of the body is the Pope?” Also, “How does one get the idea of a sub-head into the body?”
One of the greatest arguments against the primacy of Peter is the fact that the apostles had an argument among themselves as to which of them should be the greatest. Luke 22:24-26 says, “Now there arose a dispute among them, which of them was reputed to be the greatest. But he said to them, ‘The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them, and they who exercise authority over them are called Benefactors. But not so with you. On the contrary, let him who is greatest among you become as the youngest, and him who is chief as the servant’.” The very fact that the apostles had an argument among themselves shows they did not understand that Peter was to be prince. Also, the occasion of the argument was the night of the betrayal–the last night of the Lord’s earthly ministry–and yet the apostles still did not understand that Christ had given Peter a position of primacy. The Lord settled the argument, not by stating that He had already made Peter head, but by declaring that the Gentiles have their heads, “But not so with you.” Thus, Jesus very plainly taught that no one would occupy any such place as a Benefactor (or Pope) to exercise authority over the others.
Conclusion:
There are other reasons why I left the Catholic Church. I have simple tried to list some of the ones that made the greatest impression on me at the time of my conversion. I hope and pray that these things will be of some benefit to those who are making an honest inquiry regarding truth. I beseech and invite all my Catholic friends and relatives to examine these things in the light of God’s holy Word. May God be with you in your endeavors to serve Him.
@Sword bearer#2123.
The Bible forewarned us of counterfeits… (False or counterfeit Christ & anti-Christ), (counterfeit apostles) and (counterfeit teachers) but never it forewarned us of a counterfeit Mary??? I am very much sure of that…so your argument presented is misplaced and have no bearing to us at all comes condemnation day.
You hypocrite!!! Did you not know that of all born of a woman it is the Triune Godhead (Jesus included) who chose Mary to be His mother??? We do not have that same privileged (do we???) to choose our own mother and so we must honor that choice of our Lord God. “Honor your father and you mother, as Yahweh your God has commanded you…†(DT.5:16)
This time I am afraid the sword you bear will one day cut your tongue in judgment day. “It is better to talk to a stupid fool than someone who talk without thinking†(Book of Proverbs).
Ave Maria!
We are never warned about a counterfeit Mary cult because there isn’t a genuine one. You can only counterfeit what is real.
None of the apostles, nor any of the disciples ever spouted the nonsense the RC talk about Mary.
You shame the memory of a woman of God without cult
Counterfeit = Made in exact imitation of something valuable or important with the intention to deceive or defraud.
Who is the person responsible for counterfeiting? Is he not the person with evil intentions? Why do we see in our society counterfeit money? Is this not the works of the devil?
Jesus emphasized that these false christs will perform great signs and miracles and deceive many. Many Christians think that as long as they believe in Jesus, they will be shielded from the deceptions of the last days. However, these will not be crude deceptions that will be easy to identify. Jesus says that the deceptions of these false christs are so carefully planned and so skillfully carried out, that even God’s chosen ones would be deceived—if that were possible. And the only reason it is not possible is if we keep our focus on the real Jesus through study of His Word and through prayer.
Unfortunately, many will be deceived into following the wrong Jesus. The apostle Paul wrote, “I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough†(2 Corinthians 11:3, 4). The apostle is writing to the Christians of the early church. He warns them concerning false apostles who were preaching about a Jesus who is not the real Jesus of the Bible—a fictitious Jesus, a fabrication of the corrupt imaginations and erroneous thinking of those who want to deceive God’s people. The gospel associated with this false christ is a different gospel; it is not the gospel recorded in the Bible and preached by the true apostles. Further, this false gospel is accompanied by a counterfeit spirit—not the Holy Spirit.
Who is behind these false christs? It is none other than Satan himself. Speaking of these false christs and false prophets, Paul wrote, “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. Is it not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve†(2 Corinthians 11:13-15). These false Christs masquerade as “servants of righteousness,†just as their master, Satan, masquerades as an angel of light.
Can Satan also present a false Mary to deceive?. Yes off course!! Just because one does not find in “written in stone” in the bible about counterfeit Mary .. does that mean unscrupulous men, men with evil cannot be led by Satan to present a false counterfeit Mary – YES!!
The know the true Mother of Jesus .. all one needs to do is to compare what your church denomination teaches or describes about the Mother of Jesus and whether it “lines” up perfectly with what is described in the Bible. If the descriptions do not match .. then houston, we have a problem. This is what the forensics department of INTERPOL does when investigating money counterfeiting.
Without doubt, the images I have show in post #2123 does not point to the true mother of Jesus – but a satan’s counterfeit. The bible describes it as signs and lying wonders in 2 Thes 2:9. CAN PROOF BE PROVIDED THAT THOSE IMAGES POINT TO MARY – THE MOTHER OF JESUS??
Only the Bible presents the true identities of Jesus and True Mary. No other source can.
Many religious imagery we see in our modern world is made to appeal to the human sub-conscious mind with the intentions to deceive. Ignorant people will always carry in their minds of Imagery they see often. For example how people know that the “Coca Cola” logo is associated with soft-drinks? Simply, the Coke company has created an illusion in the sub-conscious mind of consumers who will always associate the coke logo as a soft-drink beverage. The same is with Mc Donald’s Pizza. People get attracted to it. Likewise it is the same for religious imagery.
Mother of Salvation: You must hold on to traditional Crosses, for soon they will disappear
Monday | July 29, 2013 7:05 pm
My children, always remember that, by the Power of God and by the Grace of my Son, I will crush the beast and when all seems hopeless, the reign of the evil one will come to an abrupt end.
My Veil of Protection covers all those who call on my help, during these difficult times. Remember, that just as I lost my Son, when He was twelve years of age, I found Him in the Temple. Pray, my children, and go into your churches, now, to offer up the sacrifices needed to ask for perseverance during this terrible spiritual battle for souls.
My Son has suffered so much by His death on the Cross, but this was only one burden. The greatest suffering He endures today is for those already lost to Him. And now, as the spirit of evil strives to take away from Him all those who love Him, His Pain sears through Him like a sword, cutting Him in two.
Victim souls will now suffer the greatest pain, as the persecution against God’s children mounts. By my Son’s Cross, you have been saved. By His Cross you will fight evil and His Cross, when blessed, will protect you. But, if this Cross changes or appears different, it is a mockery of my Son’s death to save sinners. You must hold on to traditional Crosses for soon they will disappear.
Your beloved Mother
Mother of Salvation
.
Never accept a cross, which does not resemble the Cross upon which I was crucified
Tuesday | July 30, 2013 8:06 pm
My dearly beloved daughter, how sweet are the voices of those who love Me and who comfort Me in this time of great sorrow. You, My beloved followers, who will never desert Me, are like honey, sweet in My Mouth, soothing My Body and lifting My Spirit.
Many will follow the falsities, because they will be afraid to stand up and defiantly defend the Word of God. At first, they will be confused, by the new practices, new symbols, new garments, new formats for altars and new crosses. Then they will accept all these new things, as signs of the times. This new, modern, so-called unified approach to honour God, will be then enthusiastically embraced by those poor souls. But those who are Mine will stay true to My Word, for all ages. They are the backbone of My Church on Earth and they will never break.
My desire is that you, My loyal Christians – of all denominations – gather together to fight the demons, which have been unleashed from Hell and who roam amongst you. Never apologise for loving Me. Never accept a cross, which does not resemble the Cross upon which I was crucified. When I Am missing, or Am not mentioned, then you will know that infestation spreads throughout these Churches, which has been masterminded by My enemies. If you do accept their satanic rituals and symbols, you will leave yourselves exposed to evil.
Stay true to Me. Keep your daily prayers simple. Keep Holy Water and My Cross in your homes. Protect each other. Stay obedient to those sacred servants of Mine, who will remain fiercely loyal to Me and who refuse to betray Me. Then spend the rest of your time praying for the souls of atheists, those who believe in pagan gods and those who will blindly follow the enemies of My Church into the wilderness.
Remain in close union with Me and call on Me every day for strength. I will be at your side during these bitter trials ahead and I will never forsake those who seek Me out.
Your Jesus
.
Mother of Salvation: Just as the Holy Word of God can unite souls, so too can it cause great division
Wednesday | July 31, 2013 6:31 pm
My child, when you love my Son, Jesus Christ, it will bring all those who truly love Him close together. When those who love my Son find it difficult to love others, they need to call on Me, the Mother of Salvation, to open their hearts.
The Love of my Son is so powerful, that with the Power of the Holy Spirit, it can spread so quickly from one corner of the world into every part. When my Son’s Holy Word is given to all of God’s children, through this Mission, it will tear through the hearts of humble souls, who recognize the Saviour as He speaks. The Love, which emulates from His Word, given to you at this time in the history of mankind, will unite millions of souls, instantly, as if you were known to each other all your lives. So powerful is it, that it can, through the power of tongues, spread from nation to nation, in all languages, quickly. This is how you know that these Words, through these Messages, come from my Son.
Just as the Holy Word of God can unite souls, so too can it cause great division. The hatred, which ensues as the Word of God devours souls, is at its worst. When these Messages attract such hatred and wicked actions, by those who call themselves true disciples of my Son, know then that it is the evil one who causes this. My poor souls, my poor confused children, you must never turn your back when you are unsure of my Son’s Words. You must keep an open mind and remain true to what He taught you. Do not judge anyone in His Name. Love one another. If you do not believe that God has sent His final prophet, then it does not matter. Please remember though, your obligation – by carrying out your duties to my Son, by adhering strictly to His Teachings.
You must never accept that He would bless any new doctrine, which He did not give the world when He walked the Earth. He would never condone anything, which substitutes His death on the Cross on the altars of the world.
Your beloved Mother
Mother of Salvation
.
#2127,
This is what you have said. “Only the Bible presents the true identities of Jesus and True Mary. No other source can.†I am glad you finally made a reference now so we can prudently start an interesting discussion.
Before I proceed you have already admitted that you have no witness to support your case… “Just because one does not find in written in stoneâ€. We can safely concludes, that you cannot not win an argument if there was none witnesses to support your case, right? So the arguments # 2119, #2123, #2127, can be shelved and declared closed. The point of reference must stand in any issues pertaining to NEW CONTROVERSIAL TEACHINGS such as you had illustrated. “As there were false prophets in the past history of our people so you too will have your false teachers, who will INSINUATE THEIR OWN DISRUPTIVE VIEWS and disown the Master who purchased their freedom.†(2PETER 2:1) Take a second look of your argument if you can find any teachings of the apostles as what you are trying to INTRODUCE…THERE IS NONE!!!
Now to the latest brouhaha…Let us see if this argument you presented supported by the Bible:
“Can Satan also present a false Mary to deceive?. Yes off course!! Just because one does not find in “written in stone†in the bible about counterfeit Mary .. does that mean unscrupulous men, men with evil cannot be led by Satan to present a false counterfeit Mary – YES
Your presentation is absolutely false, why??? Because, how can satan (small letter intended) disguised to be Mary when light and darkness are opposite??? “Virtue is no companion for crime. Light and darkness have nothing in common.†(2Cor.6:15); and “Virtue you love as much as you hate wickedness.†(Hebrew1:9)
In Genesis 3:14-15; “Be accursed beyond all cattle, all wild beast. You shall crawl on your belly and eat dust everyday of your life. I will make you enemies with each other: you and the woman, your offspring and your offspring, it will crush your head and you will strike its heel.†Do I need to inform you who’s crawling here on this verse whose head was pinned down by the heel…of a WOMAN??? Or shall I go further to enlighten you who the WOMAN pertains too in this verse???
In 1John 4:2; “You can tell the spirits that come from God by this: every spirit which acknowledges that Jesus the Christ has come in the flesh is from God.†Whose flesh???…of the WOMAN of course: because God is Spirit- Jesus Christ took his flesh no other than from his mother of course and no one can dispute that concept. .†In 2John:7; “There are many deceivers in the world, refusing to admit that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. They are the deceiver; they are the antichrist.” You better take notice of these precautions lest you fall to where they rightfully belong.
Ave Maria!
Feast of the Immaculate Conception?
December 8th is observed by Roman Catholics as the ‘Feast of the Immaculate Conception.’ Here is some of what The Catholic Encyclopedia says about it:
The feast of the Immaculate Conception
The older feast of the Conception of Mary (Conception of St. Anne), which originated in the monasteries of Palestine at least as early as the seventh century, and the modern feast of the Immaculate Conception are not identical in their object.
Originally the Church celebrated only the Feast of the Conception of Mary, as she kept the Feast of St. John’s conception, not discussing the sinlessness. This feast in the course of centuries became the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, as dogmatical argumentation brought about precise and correct ideas, and as the thesis of the theological schools regarding the preservation of Mary from all stain of original sin gained strength. Even after the dogma had been universally accepted in the Latin Church, and had gained authoritative support through diocesan decrees and papal decisions, the old term remained, and before 1854 the term “Immaculata Conceptio†is nowhere found in the liturgical books, except in the invitatorium of the Votive Office of the Conception…
Today the Conception of St. Anne is in the Greek Church one of the minor feasts of the year. The lesson in Matins contains allusions to the apocryphal “Proto-evangelium†of St. James, which dates from the second half of the second century (see SAINT ANNE). To the Greek Orthodox of our days, however, the feast means very little; they continue to call it “Conception of St. Anneâ€, indicating unintentionally, perhaps, the active conception which was certainly not immaculate. In the Menaea of 9 December this feast holds only the second place, the first canon being sung in commemoration of the dedication of the Church of the Resurrection at Constantinople. The Russian hagiographer Muraview and several other Orthodox authors even loudly declaimed against the dogma after its promulgation, although their own preachers formerly taught the Immaculate Conception in their writings long before the definition of 1854…
In the Western Church the feast appeared (8 December), when in the Orient its development had come to a standstill. The timid beginnings of the new feast in some Anglo-Saxon monasteries in the eleventh century, partly smothered by the Norman conquest, were followed by its reception in some chapters and dioceses by the Anglo-Norman clergy…
The “Martyrology of Tallaght†compiled about 790 and the “Feilire†of St. Aengus (800) register the Conception of Mary on 3 May. (Holweck, F. (1910). Immaculate Conception. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved December 8, 2012 from New Advent:
From the above we see that:
The ‘Feast of the Immaculate Conception’ NOT an original Christian observance.
The first version of it developed around the seventh century in the Greek/Orient (Eastern Orthodox) church.
Greek/Orient (Eastern Orthodox) church does not consider it to be of much importance.
A falsely named and false book (the so-called Proto-evangelium of James) was claimed centuries later to support this (having read the so-called Proto-evangelium of James, let me state that any ‘support’ even from it is weaker than weak).
The Russian Orthodox denounced the idea of the ‘immaculate conception of Mary.’
The Western Church of Rome did not start to observe a version of it until the 11th century.
Until 1854 the term Immaculate Conception was not used.
The date itself seems to have been changed.
Thus, the ‘Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary’ was not an original Christian observance.
Basically, Catholic dogma, defined in 1854 teaches that Mary was conceived without ‘original sin’ and that she allegedly lived a completely sinless life. Since Catholic scholars realize that this was not the original position of their early theologians (which they normally call “early Church fathers,†but are called “older Fathers†below), The Catholic Encyclopedia declares:
Proof from Tradition
In regard to the sinlessness of Mary the older Fathers are very cautious: some of them even seem to have been in error on this matter… these stray private opinions merely serve to show that theology is a progressive science. (Holweck, F. (1910). Immaculate Conception. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved December 8, 2012 from New Advent:
So, the so-called “Proof from Tradition†disproves the belief in Mary’s claimed sinlessness. And instead of this being a biblical or early tradition, it developed over time.
Here is some of what I wrote about this subject in the past (note: DRB is an abbreviation for Douay-Rheims Bible, which is a Catholic-approved version):
In the 19th century, there was a female apparition in France, known as the Lady of Lourdes. One of the statements she reportedly stated in 1858 was, “I am the Immaculate Conception!â€
Now this is an unusual and biblically contradictory idea as the Bible teaches that all have sinned (Roman 3:23) except Jesus (Hebrews 4:15), as He is the only one who had a biblically immaculate conception, but not the Marian kind.
For non-Catholics, let me explain that what became an extra-biblical Catholic doctrine was that Mary was conceived unlike all other humans and free of what many refer to as “original sin.†Specifically this “dogma†has been explained in Dr. Ludwig Ott’s 20th century book Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma as:
“Mary’s freedom of original sin was an unmerited gift of God, and an exception from the law that was vouchsafed to her only.â€
His book also teaches:
The doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of Mary is not explicitly revealed in scripture… Neither the Greek nor the Latin Fathers explicitly (explicite) teach the Immaculate Conception of Mary.
So where did it come from?
Let’s have a look at some comparative religion. Before the birth of Christ, the Iranian goddess Aredvi Sura AnÄhitÄ, known as the Persian Diana, was called “the virgin, ““the immaculate. “ Kore-Persephoneia was also the “immaculate Maiden“ and “Virgin of the World“ who gave birth to a son for Zeus, and she is believed to be same goddess Diana. Hence, it appears that at least some of the idea was part of paganism associated with “Diana“ goddess worship.
Jumping forward to the 12th century, a British monk Eadmer began to promote the idea of an Immaculate Conception of Mary. When he did so, “St. Bernard of Clairvaux… (about 1140), warned the faithful that this was an unfounded innovation…†So was the Catholic saint Bernard wrong in condemning Monk Eadmer’s heresy here? Of course not! Others, at least as late as the 17th century supported Bernard’s position on this.
Yet, after claiming to see an apparition in Rue du Bac, Paris in 1830, the Catholic saint Catherine Labouré claimed Mary “was conceived without sin.†The extra-biblical teaching of the so-called “Immaculate Conception†did not become a type of Catholic dogma until December 8, 1854. It, thus, was not part of early apostolic tradition…
In a letter to her confessor dated June 12, 1930, Lúcia {of Fatima fame} claimed that she was told the following on the night of May 29th-30th, 1930:
There are five kinds of offenses and blasphemies against the Immaculate Heart of Mary: (1) blasphemies against her Immaculate Conception; (2) against her perpetual virginity; (3) against her divine maternity, refusing to accept her at the same time as the Mother of humankind; (4) by those who try to publicly implant in the hearts of children an indifference, contempt, or even hate for this Immaculate Mother; and (5) for those who insult her sacred images.
Priest Andrew Apostoli, in his Fatima for Today book, wrote:
Those who commit such blasphemies against our Lady are in grave danger of losing their souls, for these sins seriously offend God himself.
I was shocked to read the above.
Now if all five of those statements are blasphemies, then many early Catholic and Eastern Orthodox saints are guilty of blasphemy by that definition. History records that recognized Catholic and/or Eastern Orthodox saints such as Melito, Irenaeus, Theophilus of Antioch, Origen, Basil, Cyprian of Carthage, John Chrysostom, Ambrose, Hilary, Gregory of Tours, Bernard of Clairvoux, Bonaventure, “Albert the Great,†and Thomas Aquinas all took one or more positions that the “messenger†apparently considered to be blasphemous.
Since Priest Apostoli says that salvation may be lost for taking positions against those messages, does not this mean that he is challenging the validity of the sainthood of all Catholic-approved saints who took such supposedly “blasphemous†positions?
He surely does not intend to, but that is what some of the “blasphemy messages†really mean…
Teaching Against the Immaculate Conception
It needs to be understood that the idea of an Immaculate Conception for Mary was not an early tradition of the church nor is it taught in scripture.
The Catholic Encyclopedia article of the Immaculate Conception clearly recognizes this:
No direct or categorical and stringent proof of the dogma can be brought forward from Scripture.
So, the doctrine is simply not provable from the Holy Bible.
One aspects of the belief in Mary’s “Immaculate Conception†is that “she was immune from all sin, personal, or inherited.†Yet, scripture states:
23 For all have sinned, and do need the glory of God. 24 Being justified freely by his grace, through the redemption, that is in Christ Jesus, (Romans 3:23-24, DRB)
All, including Mary, sinned, and need redemption through Christ Jesus (and not Mary) according to the Bible.
Notice that the Catholic Encyclopedia article of the Immaculate Conception also teaches:
* Origen…thought that…for her sins also Christ died (Origen, “In Luc. Hom. Xviiâ€).
*…St. Basil writes in the fourth century: he sees in the sword, of which Simeon speaks, the doubt which pierced Mary’s soul (Epistle 259).
* St. Chrysostom accuses her of ambition, and of putting herself forward unduly when she sought to speak to Jesus at Capharnaum (Matthew 12:46; Chrysostom, Homily 44 on Matthew).
The book Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma also admits that “individual Greek Fathers (Origen, St. Basil, St. John Chrysostom, St. Cyril of Alexandria) taught that Mary suffered from venial personal faults, such as ambition and vanity, doubt about the message of the Angel, and lack of faith under the Cross…â€
Either those Catholic saints (or Orthodox saints in the case of Origen) were not committing blasphemy, they were not really saints, and/or the messages that Lúcia was told did not come from God.
Additionally, as late as the early 5th century, even the Catholic saint Augustine would not teach as dogma that Mary was without sin.
About 1140, the Catholic saint Bernard of Clairvaux warned the faithful not to believe the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of Mary as it was an unfounded innovation.
The Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma also teaches that “the leading theologians of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries (Petrus Lombardus, St. Alexander of Hales, St. Bonaventure, St. Albert the Great, St. Thomas Aquinas…) rejected the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception.â€
Thus, to teach that it is blasphemy or a serious sin against God to not accept the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of Mary (as being different than how other humans were conceived) does not seem to be a biblical or early historical truth—even Catholic saints opposed the view.
Notice also what Jesus taught:
32 And the multitude sat about him; and they say to him: Behold thy mother and thy brethren without seek for thee.
33 And answering them, he said: Who is my mother and my brethren?
34 And looking round about on them who sat about him, he saith: Behold my mother and my brethren.
35 For whosoever shall do the will of God, he is my brother, and my sister, and mother. (Mark 3:32-35, DRB)
Jesus is showing that all who do God’s will are His mother, brother, or sisters. If Mary was sinless or conceived differently, He would have not included His mother in those statements.
The Eastern Orthodox in their Patriarchal Encyclical of 1895 declared:
XIII. The one holy, catholic and apostolic Church of the seven Ecumenical Councils teaches that the supernatural incarnation of the only-begotten Son and Word of God, of the Holy Ghost and the Virgin Mary, is alone pure and immaculate; but the Papal Church scarcely forty years ago again made an innovation by laying down a novel dogma concerning the immaculate conception of the Mother of God and ever-Virgin Mary, which was unknown to the ancient Church (and strongly opposed at different times even by the more distinguished among the Papal theologians).
Thus, the Eastern Orthodox have long taught that the idea of an “Immaculate Conception†of Mary was “unknown by the ancient Church.â€386 And they correctly teach that Jesus alone is pure and immaculate, and refer to the Immaculate Conception teaching as a novel “innovation.†An innovation adopted since the 1800s is not an original teaching—true traditionalists cannot accept such late traditions as essential.
Since Pope Benedict XVI considers that those of the Eastern Orthodox are churches in “the proper sense,â€387 obviously the Pope does not believe that they are committing sin or blasphemy in denying the modern teaching of the Immaculate Conception of Mary.
Nor should anyone else based upon what the Bible teaches.
The pro-Vatican news source Zenit.com reported this related to today:
ROME, DEC. 7, 2012 (Zenit.org).- Padre Pio said that â€The Madonna is the shortcut to get to God.â€
There is no doubt that in order to see the face of Jesus, we must turn to His Mother, and it is to Her who we look to heal our diseases, to turn our tears into prayer.
This also is in conflict with scripture. It is by Jesus’ stripes we are to be healed (Isaiah 53:5), not Mary. Jesus, not His mother Mary, is the one mediator. Here is something I previously wrote related to this mediator matter:
Mark Miravalle, a professor of theology at Franciscan University of Steubenville, wrote:
Let us pray daily for the solemn definition of Our Lady’s spiritual motherhood as co-redemptrix, mediatrix of all graces, and advocate, which truly reveal the saving actions of motherly intercession which come forth from her Immaculate Heart, and thus to bring the Church and the world a giant step closer to the Fatima-prophesied “Era of Peace.â€
Yet, there is nothing in scripture about Mary bringing in an era of peace or being our intercessor—the only intercessor listed in the Bible is Christ (Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:25)—the Bible says He is the “one mediator†(1 Timothy 2:5, DRB). The Bible shows that we are only to call upon the name of the Lord/God/Jesus (2 Timothy 2:22; Romans 10:12-13; Acts 26:20)—never Mary.
Although it is proper for Christians to state that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was blessed (Luke 1:48), it is blasphemous to insist that she was sinless (cf. Romans 3:23) and that one must turn to Mary in order to see Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5).
There is nothing in the Bible, or even in early church writings, that supports the view that December 8th is to be a festival for some type of ‘immaculate conception’ of Mary. Those who are willing to believe what the Bible teaches, as well as truly connect-the-dots related to early church history, will realize that. Sadly, however, multiple millions are not willing to do so.
They will convince My followers to adapt the Laws of My Church by holding a referendum
Wednesday | July 31, 2013 6:56 pm
My dearly beloved daughter, always remember how the devil works. He is very careful not to reveal himself. He, therefore, mixes truths and lies together, in order to confuse. This is his favourite way to deceive souls. He would never tell the truth, by allowing others to see how he really is, but because he is proud, his arrogance and his hatred for Me will always seep out. Those whose eyes are open will immediately recognize the insults, which are thrown in My Face and before My altars.
Satan, remember, is proud, arrogant, boastful and very, very cunning. When he is present in souls, he has a confidence, which is borne out of pride and arrogance and a belief that he is above God. He will always give signs, which insult God, but only those who know what to look for will see them. Those who honour Satan, and who spend much of their time in groups which organize rituals to pay homage to him, will be delighted to see these signs. All who have sold their souls to Satan will communicate, through such signs, as an arrogant and defiant gesture against Me, Jesus Christ.
Those who deceive you, in My Name, will convince My followers to adapt the Laws of My Church, by holding a referendum. All will be asked to condone new practices, which amount to two things. The first is to wipe out My Presence in the Holy Eucharist. The second is to condone sin, by encouraging people to show sympathy for the human rights of those who do not believe in Jesus Christ.
This referendum will be falsified and lies will be presented as the Truth. When the new one world religion is introduced, My Church on Earth – the True Church – will go into hiding, in order to pay homage to Me.
I Am the target of the beast. I Am Who he wants to hurt. He knows he cannot destroy Me, so he will instead try to destroy the human race, who he curses every second. His servants will not stop by just insulting My Presence in the Tabernacles of the world. They will not be happy to destroy only the Sacraments, so that they can blaspheme against Me. They will only be happy when they steal souls by creating the greatest blasphemy of all. This is when they will recreate My First Coming by giving the impression that John the Baptist has been sent. The man who will say he is the Lord’s prophet will lie and cause such wonder when he declares that the antichrist is Me, Jesus Christ.
The antichrist will, through the power of Satan, claim to be Me, Jesus Christ. Woe to those souls who welcome him into their arms, for they will be powerless against him. Allow these two to suck you into their vacuum of lies and you will be so far removed from Me that only by the Intervention of My Father can you be brought into My Great Mercy.
When anyone who comes in the future, and claims to be Me, Jesus Christ, know that he is a liar. I will not come in the flesh a second time. Satan cannot utter these words:
“Jesus Christ, Who came in the flesh.â€
What he will say, through the mouth of the beast, the antichrist, will be the following:
“I am Jesus Christ, I have now come in the flesh, to bring you salvation.â€
When this happens My Divine Intervention will be swift, but by then the false prophet and the antichrist will have stolen many souls.
Pray, pray, pray that all those who say they are Mine remain Mine.
Pray that you will all have the strength and courage to carry My Cross during the greatest persecution of My Body – My Mystical Body – My Church on Earth at this time.
Your Jesus
.
The wickedness present in the world is on a scale not seen since the days of Noah
Thursday | August 1, 2013 3:00 pm
My dearly beloved daughter, how I yearn to embrace all of you dear followers of Mine and take you into My Refuge of peace and safety. How I wish I could take you all and hide you from the wickedness, which is being plotted against all Christians.
The wickedness present in the world is on a scale not seen since the days of Noah and it is like an invisible net, which covers the Earth. So lethal is it that very few really understand the level of sophistication involved. But be aware, this plan – the details of which will be given to the world – by those who say that they represent My churches on Earth – will be brought before you and you will be expected to accept it.Then you will be demanded to devour it and you will be given no choice. What you will be asked to do, behind all the garble, is to deny Me, Jesus Christ.
I warn the world, that when you try to dismiss My Divinity – you and all those involved in this devious plot – you will be marked as an enemy of God. When you side with blasphemous laws, you are guilty of sin against God.
I will continue to warn you, to open your eyes to the Truth, but I cannot force you to remain true to Me. I cannot force you to love Me. Your free will is your own, but if you turn and ask Me to guide you, I will open your eyes to the Truth. When you accept the Truth I will save you.
My poor followers, know that as the world will turn against God, that the Almighty Power of My Father will intervene and destroy His enemies one by one.
Your Jesus
.
can #2131 provide the following proofs on the following:
1.) The images posted at #2123 are authentic and real images of Mary – the mother of Jesus? And who is that Child being carried in the arms?
2.) Did Mary – the mother of Jesus appear at Fatima to the three Shepherd Children?
3.) Can u prove that the following photo is the Mary the mother of Jesus?
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YJNRn6QMS_k/T9BCBOlagBI/AAAAAAAAE5c/eL5rt-2qjx8/s720/034Naju.jpg
Origin of the Marian Dogmas: Where Do Catholic Scholars Say The Four Dogmas of Mary Came From?
Having been baptized and raised Catholic, I have long been taught about the one known as Saint Mary, mother of Jesus, or sometimes referred to as mother Mary. Currently, there are four Marion adopted dogmas according to official Catholic sources, with the adoption of another advocated by some.
Where did each of the Marian/Marion dogmas come from? When were they adopted by the Church of Rome? What do Catholic and other scholars teach about their origins? What is the fifth proposed Marian dogma?
This article will provide documented Catholic approved evidence of where each of the Marian dogmas came from.
(Bible Version Abbreviations: DRB: Douay-Rheims Bible; NJB: New Jerusalem Bible; NKJV: New King James Version; KJV: King James Version–the first two are Catholic versions of the Bible, while the last two are Protestant versions. Multiple versions are shown in this article to show the consistency of translation of certain biblical passages related to Mary.)
Dogma 1: Divine Motherhood
This dogma and its origin are a bit tricky in a couple of ways. All who actually believe the Bible realize that Mary was the mother of Jesus (John 2:1,3) and that Jesus is divine (John 1:1). The New Testament specifically refers to her as “Mary the mother of Jesus” (Acts 1:14, DRB/NJB/KJV/NKJV).
Although Elizabeth referred to Mary as “mother of my lord” (Luke 1:43, DRB/NJB/KJV/NKJV), no passage in sacred scripture actually refers to Mary as the “mother of God.” In the Bible Mary is mainly referred to simply as Mary.
While Mary is honored by the Greco-Romans more than other early saints, the reality is that early writings had more positive titles for the original apostles, like the Apostle John (e.g. Polycrates’ Letter; Harris Fragments; Irenaeus Fragments 2,3; Irenaeus Against Heresies, V, 18:2), than they did for Mary.
Despite claims to the contrary concerning Mary, the expression “Mother of God†is never used by early “church fathers†like Ignatius, Irenaeus, or Tertullian nor is it directly found in scripture (DRB/NJB/NJB/NKJV).
Second century writings show that Mary was mainly simply called Mary with no additional descriptions (cf. Ignatius to Ephesians, 7,18,19; Ignatius to Trallians, 9; Fragments from the Lost Writings of Irenæus, 52; Irenaeus Against Heresies, V, 1:2-3; 25:5; 31:1). She is sometimes also called the virgin Mary (e.g. Irenaeus Against Heresies, V, 19:1; Justin’s Dialogue, 100, 113, 120) (Note: the context of the use of the term virgin Mary was at the annunciation and birth, and all who believe the Bible accept that Mary was a virgin then; the expression’s context did not suggest perpetual virginity).
The first time, outside of falsified documents (falsified documents are those whose claimed date and authorships’ are false–and the falsity of them is normally accepted by Catholic and other theological scholars), that the term “His mother Mary” appeared seems to have been around the beginning of the third century (Tertullian. On the Flesh of Christ, 7). And it is correct to call her Mary, mother of Jesus or His mother Mary.
However, several centuries after Mary died, some decided to go a little beyond that. Here is what may be the earliest declaration (there was a pre-311 Alexandrian church that had something similar but I have not been able to locate more specific details, as well details regarding a mid-third century claim involving Dionysius of Alexander):
Pre-328 Alexander of Alexandria calls Mary Theotokos (“God-Bearer”). (McNally TJ. What Every Catholic Should Know about Mary. Xlibris Corporation, 2009 , p. 186).
In 430, a Catholic bishop essentially warned:
If Mary is called the Mother of God, she will be made into a goddess, and the Gentiles will be scandalized. (Chapman, John. “Nestorius and Nestorianism.” The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 10. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 4 Aug. 2011 )
The bishop preferred a term indicating bearer of Christ (Ott L. Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma, 4th ed . TAN Books, Rockford (IL), Nihil Obstat: Jeremiah J. O’ Sullivan. Imprimatur: + Cornelius, 7 October 1954., Printed 1974, TAN Books, p. 196).
Despite his objections, the term Theotokos seems to have become more widely accepted in the 5th century:
Mary’s divine motherhood was proclaimed at the Council of Ephesus in 431…Mary’s Divine Motherhood was not the object of an independent or exclusive dogmatic declaration. The statement is embedded in texts defining the person and natures of Jesus Christ. (The Four Marian Dogmas. Catholic News Agency, http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/resource.php?n=424 viewed 08/26/11)
Yet, even the 431 statements about Mary referred to her as Theotokos literally translates as “one who bore God,“ as opposed to “Mother of God.†(McNally, pp. 186-187).
A Catholic writer, and admitted goddess enthusiast, reported:
Many scholars believe that Mary was declared the Mother of God and allowed to be venerated because of the need of the Hellenistic world for a heavenly feminine principle. They say it was a compromise with pagans in order for Christianity to become acceptable…this is quite true…(Rozett E. Mother Mary and the Goddess. viewed 08/05/11)
No wonder some opposed this in the fifth century as they felt this could make a “goddess“ out of Mary.
The semi-official adoption in the fifth century of the Theotokos title, which is now called the “Mother of God” dogma in the English language, was an innovation as it is not from sacred scripture nor the earliest traditions of the Christian church.
Dogma 2: Perpetual Virginity
The Catholics of Rome and even many of the Protestant Reformers have believed in the idea of the perpetual virginity of Mary.
Notice:
Surprisingly, the Protestant reformers affirmed their belief in Mary’s perpetual virginity. For example, Martin Luther’s (1483-1546) was true to the Catholic tradition when he wrote: “It is an article of faith that Mary is Mother of the Lord and still a virgin. . . . Christ, we believe, came forth from a womb left perfectly intact.â€
The French reformer John Calvin (1509-1564) was not as profuse in his praise of Mary as Martin Luther, but he did not deny her perpetual virginity. The term he used most commonly in referring to Mary was “Holy Virgin.â€
The Swiss reformer, Ulrich Zwingli (1484-1531), wrote, on the perpetual virginity of Mary: “I firmly believe that Mary, according to the words of the gospel as a pure Virgin brought forth for us the Son of God and in childbirth and after childbirth forever remained a pure, intact Virgin.†Elsewhere Zwingli affirmed: “I esteem immensely the Mother of God, the ever chaste, immaculate Virgin Mary; Christ was born of a most undefiled Virgin.†(Bacchiocchi S. “MARIOLOGYâ€. ENDTIME ISSUES NEWSLETTER No. 191, 2007).
But where did this come from?
Well, it did not come from the Bible. Here is some of what two Catholic-translations of scripture teach about Mary and her family:
25 And he knew her not till she brought forth her first born son: and called his name JESUS (Matthew 1:25, DRB).
55…Is not his mother the woman called Mary, and his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Jude? 56 His sisters, too, are they not all here with us? (Matthew 13:55b-56a, NJB).
3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joseph, and Jude, and Simon? Are not also his sisters here with us? (Mark 6:3a, DRB)
So, perpetual virginity for Mary is not explicitly part of sacred scripture. Since Jesus was Mary’s first born son—the implication, which is confirmed in scripture, is that she had other sons.
While some have argued that the term for brothers in Matthew 13:55 may mean cousins, the Greek expressions for brothers (adephos) and sisters (adelphe) are what is in the Greek texts. The Greek terms in those verses do not mean cousins (Danker FW, ed. A Greek-Lexicon of the New Testament and other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, p. 18 ). The Greek terms that better convey “cousin” are suggenh/suggenes/anepsios (Biblesoft’s New Exhaustive Strong’s Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.). And those terms are the only ones that are translated as “cousin” in the Rheims New Testament (Luke 1:36 DRB; Colossians 4:10 DRB). Mark 6:3 also uses the Greek expression for sisters (adelphe), and does not use the one that convey more distant kin like cousins. Thus, even Catholic translators seemingly admit that Jesus had brothers and sisters, and that cousin comes from different words. If the terms in koine Greek clearly was understood to have meant cousins, then most of those who professed Christ and lived in the first century or so after His incarnation would have realized that. But that was not their position.
Furthermore, notice the following:
56 Among whom was Mary Magdalen, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee. (Matthew 27:56, DRB)
The above clearly states that Mary was the mother of James and Joseph. And this is the Mary, mother of Jesus (Mark 6:3; John 2:1)–the Greek term for mother, meéteer, is the same as the one in John 2:1 where Mary is referred to as Jesus’ mother). James and Joseph were not Jesus’ half-brothers from a sometimes claimed prior marriage for Joseph, Mary’s husband. This is not just my opinion. Notice what Catholic Priest and scholar Bagatti has published:
Of the relatives of the Lord mention is made in the Gospels; four are called “brothers of Jesus”, namely James, Joseph (Josuah), Simon and Jude. The first two have Mary as their mother Matt. 27, 56). (Bagatti, Bellarmino. Translated by Eugene Hoade. The Church from the Circumcision. Nihil obstat: Marcus Adinolfi. Imprimi potest: Herminius Roncari. Imprimatur: +Albertus Gori, die 26 Junii 1970. Franciscan Printing Press, Jerusalem, p.52)
Hence, since the Bible does not say Mary would remain a virgin and it shows that Mary was the mother of at least two of Jesus’ brothers, there is no biblical reason to accept the doctrine of Mary’s perpetual virginity (but many still do).
Basically, scripture only says that she was a virgin UNTIL Jesus was born. All real Christians believe that Mary was a virgin when Jesus was conceived inside of her by the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35) and that she remained a virgin until some time after Jesus was born (Matthew 1:25; 13:55-56).
Apparently, the earliest claim as to Mary’s so-called perpetual virginity comes from a false document known as the Protoevangelium of James (McNally, p. 73). Why is it false?
This “gospel” falsely claims to have been written by James in Jerusalem and in the first century (The Protoevangelium of James. Translated by Alexander Walker. From Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 8. Edited by Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1886.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight. ). It states that a midwife checked, and found, intact proof of Mary’s viginity shortly after Jesus was born. The claims of its authorship and date of writing are both being claims scholars realize are false (The Infancy Gospel Of James; Alternate title: The Protovangelion. Geoff Trowbridge’s Introduction. viewed 08/13/11; Kirby, Peter. “Infancy Gospel of James.” Early Christian Writings. 2011. 13 Aug. 2011 http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/infancyjames.html; Reid, George. “Apocrypha.” The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. 17 Aug. 2011 ).
Thus, this perpetual virginity teaching seems to have started from false sources.
It may be of interest to understand that the idea of Mary being a perpetual virgin was denounced once it started to become popular. The Catholic Encyclopedia notes:
Antidicomarianites An Eastern sect which flourished about A.D. 200 to 400…The sect denied the formula “ever-Virgin Mary” used in the Greek and Roman Liturgies. The earliest reference to this sect appears in Tertullian, and the doctrines taught by them are expressly mentioned by Origen (Homilia in Lucam, III, 940). Certain Arians, Eudocius and Eunomius, were great supporters of the teaching. (Shipman, Andrew. “Antidicomarianites.” The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. Nihil Obstat. March 1, 1907. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York. 7 Oct. 2011 .)
…the Antidicomarianites, maintained that the “brethren†of Jesus were His uterine brothers the sons of Joseph and Mary (Bechtel, Florentine. “The Brethren of the Lord.” The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 2. Nihil Obstat. 1907. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John M. Farley, Archbishop of New York. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. 10 Dec. 2008 ).
That last article in The Catholic Encyclopedia also teaches that “St. Ambrose, St. Hilary, and St. Gregory of Tours” held positions similar to the Antidicomarianites. Furthermore, another article in The Catholic Encyclopedia states, “writers like Tertullian, Hevidius, and possibly Hegesippus disputed the perpetual virginity of Mary.” Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma adds that the perpetual virginity of Mary was also denied in the “Early Church†by Eunomius, Jovian, Helvidus, and Bishop Bonosus of Sardica as well as Christians with practices some considered to be Jewish (Ott, p. 204).
The Greco-Roman “Saint Basil the Great” in the fourth century wrote:
“[The opinion that Mary bore several children after Christ] … is not against the faith; for virginity was imposed on Mary as a necessity only up to the time that she served as an instrument for the Incarnation. On the other hand, her subsequent virginity was not essential to the mystery of the Incarnation.†(Homilia in sanctam Christi generationem, PG 31:1468).
(Cited in Cleenewerck L. His Broken Body: Understanding and Healing the Schism Between the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches (An Orthodox Perspective). Euclid University Consortium Press, Washington (DC), 2007, p. 409).
Therefore, the idea that from the beginning all believed that Mary was a “perpetual virgin” simply is without real merit.
It, however, seemed to become formalized in the sixth and seventh centuries:
The Fifth General Council (553) gives Mary the title of honour “perpetual virgin” (Ott, p. 206).
Mary conceived “without any detriment to her virginity, which remained inviolate even after his birth” (Council of the Lateran, 649). Although never explicated in detail, the Catholic Church holds as dogma that Mary was and is Virgin before, in and after Christ’s birth. (The Four Marian Dogmas. Catholic News Agency, http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/resource.php?n=424 viewed 08/26/11)
This dogma originated from a false source (a “gospel” that Saint James did not write). It was opposed after it started to become popular. Catholic saints scholars, and others opposed it. There is simply no evidence that it was taught by the apostles.
The dogma of the perpetual virginity of Mary is an innovation that is not from sacred scripture nor the true earliest traditions of the Christian church.
Dogma 3: Immaculate Conception
What is the Immaculate Conception? The dogma of the Immaculate Conception is that Mary was conceived differently from other humans and that she never sinned. It is not the teaching that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit inside the then virgin Mary.
It is correct to realize that:
The Bible never refers to Mary’s “Immaculate Conception” (Winnail DS. The Lady of Nations. Tomorrow’s World, LCG Magazine).
Similarly, The Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma teaches:
The doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of Mary is not explicitly revealed in scripture…Neither the Greek nor the Latin Fathers explicitly (explicite) teach the Immaculate Conception of Mary. (Ott, pp. 201-202)
The genuine Church of God teaches that Mary was born like everyone else and did sin (the Bible teaches that all have sinned, Romans 3:23, except Jesus, Hebrews 4;15). The Bible gives no indication that Mary’s conception was somehow different than others.
So where did this dogma seem to come from?
Well before the birth of Christ, the Iranian goddess Aredvi Sura AnÄhitÄ, known as the Persian Diana (Boyce A. A history of Zoroastrianism, Part 1. BRILL, 1982, pp. 202-203),was called “the virgin,†“the immaculate†(Fischer-Hansen T, Poulsen B. From Artemis to Diana: the goddess of man and beast. Museum Tusculanum Press, 2009, pp. 44-47). Kore-Persephoneia was also the “immaculate Maiden†and “Virgin of the World†who gave birth to a son for Zeus, and she is believed to be same goddess Diana (Kingsford AB, Maitland E. Virgin of the World of Hermes Mercurius Trismegistus. Kessinger Publishing, 1997, reprint, pp. xx-xxiii). Hence, it appears that at least some of the idea was part of paganism associated with “Diana“ goddess worship. In the late fourth century, some associated with goddess worship transferred some of their practices to Mary.
Apparently because of pagan compromise, “a sect of Christians called Collyridians…made offerings of cakes to the Virgin Mary as a Goddess and Queen of Heaven†(Higgins G. Anacalypsis: an attempt to draw aside the veil of the Saitic Isis : or, An inquiry into the origin of languages, nations, and religions, Volume 1. Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, Green, and Longman, 1836. Original from the Bavarian State Library. Digitized Mar 29, 2010, p. 305) In the fourth century, the Catholic Bishop Epiphanius condemned those Marian devotees (Epiphanius. Section VII, 23,4, p. 618). He claimed â€this idolatrous sect†(Epiphanius. Section VII, 1,7, p. 621) glorified â€her to excessâ€and seemed worried that this would spread (Epiphanius. Section VII, 1,4, p. 621). Some ignored that advice and sometimes call her Queen Mary or Mary Queen of Heaven.
Because Mary was a woman, Epiphanius then reported that Mary is not allowed to have any â€liturgical function†or â€â€™to speak’ in church either†(Epiphanius. Section VII, 3,1-3,7, pp. 622-623). Despite Catholics considering the Collyridians heretics, the “Queen of Heaven†title seems to have entered the Vatican itself by way of a “private revelation†in the 7th century (Henry, Hugh. “Regina Coeli (Queen of Heaven).” The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 12. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 14 Aug. 2011 ). Others picked it up in that and later centuries (Pius XII, Pope. Ad Caeli Reginam Encyclical on Proclaiming the Queenship of Mary. Promulgated October 11, 1954 http://www.newadvent.org/library/docs_pi12ac.htm viewed 08/14/11). (More on the Queen of Heaven origin can be found in the article Mary, the Mother of Jesus and the Apparitions.)
Despite the fact that the goddess followers were condemned as heretics, their influence spread.
Many considered to be saints by the Greco-Roman churches did not accept the idea that Mary was immaculate:
* Origen…thought that, at the time of Christ’s passion, the sword of disbelief pierced Mary’s soul; that she was struck by the poniard of doubt; and that for her sins also Christ died (Origen, “In Luc. hom. xvii”).
* In the same manner St. Basil writes in the fourth century: he sees in the sword, of which Simeon speaks, the doubt which pierced Mary’s soul (Epistle 259).
* St. Chrysostom accuses her of ambition, and of putting herself forward unduly when she sought to speak to Jesus at Capharnaum (Matthew 12:46; Chrysostom, Homily 44 on Matthew). (Holweck, Frederick. “Immaculate Conception.” The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 7. Nihil Obstat. June 1, 1910. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 28 Jan. 2011 )
A British monk Eadmer began to promote the idea of an Immaculate Conception of Mary in the 12th century. When he did so, “St. Bernard of Clairvaux…(about 1140), warned the faithful that this was an unfounded innovation†(Ott, p. 201).
So was the Catholic saint Bernard wrong condemning heresy here? Of course not! Others, at least as late as the 17th century supported Bernard’s position on this (Obrecht, Edmond. “Crisóstomo HenrÃquez.” The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 7. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 14 Aug. 2011 .
Yet, after claiming to see an apparition in Rue du Bac, Paris in 1830, the Catholic Saint Catherine Labouré claimed Mary “was conceived without sin†(Apostoli A. Fatima for Today. Ignatius Press, 2010, p. 7). (More on the apparitions like this, Lourdes, Medjugorje, and Fatima, can be found in the article Mary, the Mother of Jesus and the Apparitions.)
Essentially, after having a similar concept in pagan goddess worship, combined with a innovation from a monk that was opposed by a Catholic saint, later combined with apparitions, this became dogma, despite the fact that it was not from scripture or an original apostolic tradition. The Roman Catholic Church teaches:
In the Constitution Ineffabilis Deus of 8 December, 1854, Pius IX pronounced and defined that the Blessed Virgin Mary ‘in the first instance of her conception, by a singular privilege and grace granted by God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the human race, was preserved exempt from all stain of original sin.’ (Immaculate Conception. Index of New Advent).
The Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instance of her conception, by a singular privilege and grace granted by God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race, was preserved exempt from all stain of original sin. (Pope Pius IX. Ineffabilis Deus. December 8, 1854)
Interestingly, the Eastern Orthodox, like the real Church of God, reject “the dogma of the immaculate conception of the Virgin” (Clendenin D.B. ed. Eastern Orthodox Theology, 2nd ed. Baker Academic, 2003, p. 67). Hence two groups that claim to trace themselves back to the original apostles (see Apostolic Succession) do reject the later added doctrine that Mary was conceived in a manner different than the rest of humanity.
The Orthodox in their Patriarchal Encyclical of 1895 declared:
XIII. The one holy, catholic and apostolic Church of the seven Ecumenical Councils teaches that the supernatural incarnation of the only-begotten Son and Word of God, of the Holy Ghost and the Virgin Mary, is alone pure and immaculate; but the Papal Church scarcely forty years ago again made an innovation by laying down a novel dogma concerning the immaculate conception of the Mother of God and ever-Virgin Mary, which was unknown to the ancient Church (and strongly opposed at different times even by the more distinguished among the Papal theologians). (As cited in Cleenewerck L. His Broken Body: Understanding and Healing the Schism Between the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches (An Orthodox Perspective). Euclid University Consortium Press, Washington (DC), 2007, p. 400)
So, the Orthodox Patriarchal Encyclical of 1895 and Church of God agree on that there was no immaculate conception of Mary and the idea that she was “ever-Virgin Mary” “was unknown to the ancient Church.”
Hence, this dogma is clearly an innovation. There is a ‘Feast of the Immaculate Conception’ that Roman Catholics celebrate on December 8th–the following post has more information about it as well as more about issues with the related doctrines: Feast of the Immaculate Conception?
Devotion to the Immaculate Heart?
A related innovation is that many added is devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Yet, it should be noted that, while a cardinal, Pope Benedict XVI has claimed that the only scripturally-appropriate devotion of the immaculate heart, essentiall is to imitate Mary as she imitated Christ (Ratzinger J, Cardinal. Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The Message of Fatima: Theological Commentary. http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20000626_message-fatima_en.html viewed 04/12/2011).
He did not teach the unscriptual notion that Lucia of Fatima did that “Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary is the means of salvation God has bestowed to help the Church and the world through these difficult times” (Bertone, p. 56).
Catholics and non-Catholics should immediately realize that according to the Holy Bible it is only through Jesus that and no other (including Mary) any can be saved:
10 Be it known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God hath raised from the dead, even by him this man standeth here before you whole. 11 This is the stone which was rejected by you the builders, which is become the head of the corner. 12 Neither is there salvation in any other. For there is no other name under heaven given to men, whereby we must be saved. (Acts 4:10-12 DRB)
There is no “salvation in any other†(Acts 4:12). Offering an alternative is a false gospel (cf. Galatians 1:8). According to the Bible, those that who offer a false gospel should be “accursed†(Galatians 1:9, NKJV) or “anathema†(DRB).
“Traditional†Catholics would also do well to consider that the type of veneration of Mary that many Catholics now participate in is not only NOT found in the Holy Bible, it is also NOT found in the earliest traditions of the church. This is well known to Catholic scholars, and here is some of what The Catholic Encyclopedia admits:
Devotion to Our Blessed Lady…is not contained, at least explicitly in the earlier forms of the Apostles’ Creed…we do not meet with any clear traces of the cultus of the Blessed Virgin in the first Christian centuries (Herbert Thurston. Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XV. Published 1912. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Nihil Obstat, October 1, 1912. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York).
The reason that there are no clear traces of the “cultus†associated with Mary is because it was not an apostolic tradition nor from the Bible. Notice what Saint Jude urged Christians:
3…I was under a necessity to write unto you: to beseech you to contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints. (Jude 3, DRB)
Catholics and non-Catholics should immediately realize that according to the Holy Bible it is only through Jesus that and no other (including Mary) any can be saved:
10 Be it known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God hath raised from the dead, even by him this man standeth here before you whole. 11 This is the stone which was rejected by you the builders, which is become the head of the corner. 12 Neither is there salvation in any other. For there is no other name under heaven given to men, whereby we must be saved. (Acts 4:10-12 DRB)
There is no “salvation in any other†(Acts 4:12). Offering an alternative is a false gospel (cf. Galatians 1:8). According to the Bible, those that who offer a false gospel should be “accursed†(Galatians 1:9, NKJV) or “anathema†(DRB). We are not to call on, or turn to, Mary, but on the Lord God Jesus:
22 But flee thou youthful desires, and pursue justice, faith, charity, and peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. (2 Timothy 2:22, DRB)
12 For there is no distinction of the Jew and the Greek: for the same is Lord over all, rich unto all that call upon him. 13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord, shall be saved. (Romans 10:12-13, DRB)
20 But to them first that are at Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and unto all the country of Judea, and to the Gentiles did I preach, that they should do penance, and turn to God, doing works worthy of penance. (Acts 26:20, DRB)
No verse in the Bible says to pray to, turn to, or call upon, the name of Mary. Notice also that the only two times the DRB uses the term intercession it is referring to Jesus, not Mary:
34 Who is he that shall condemn? Christ Jesus that died, yea that is risen also again; who is at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. (Romans 8:34, DRB)
25 Whereby he is able also to save for ever them that come to God by him; always living to make intercession for us. (Hebrews 7:25, DRB)
Mary is not the intercessor of the Bible, nor was she considered to be by the early Christian church. Considering that Mary provides intercession is not biblically-proper and has other negative consequences.
I have long warned that devotion to, and appearances of apparitions claiming to be, Mary are likely to be factors in the coming ecumenical religion that will not be good. It not be good for the Orthodox, the Protestants, nor the Vatican (Revelation 17:15-17).
Dogma 4: Assumption of Mary
August 15th is a holiday known as the Assumption of Mary. It is now also a Marian dogma that Mary was bodily assumed into heaven (while most early writings indicated that she died first, some teach that she did not–whether or not she was dead or alive is not currently part of the dogma).
The Catholic News Agency teaches:
4) The Assumption…This dogma has no direct basis in scripture. (The Four Marian Dogmas. Catholic News Agency, http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/resource.php?n=424 viewed 08/26/11)
One Catholic writer noted:
Many people, even Catholics, don’t believe in the assumption of Mary. (Rozett E. Mother Mary and the Goddess. http://www.interfaithmary.com/pages/mary_rosary.html, viewed 08/15/2011)
The belief in the “Assumption of Maryâ€â€“the teaching that she did perhaps did not die but went directly to heaven (or was her body was “assumed†into heaven at or after death)–is based on assumption, mysticism, and apparently compromise.
Saint Mary’s tomb has been claimed to have been in both Jerusalem and Ephesus, which suggests, at least, that it was believed that she died and was buried.
The Catholic Encyclopedia admits:
Regarding the day, year, and manner of Our Lady’s death, nothing certain is known…The dates assigned for it vary between three and fifteen years after Christ’s Ascension. Two cities claim to be the place of her departure: Jerusalem and Ephesus. Common consent favours Jerusalem, where her tomb is shown; but some argue in favour of Ephesus. The first six centuries did not know of the tomb of Mary at Jerusalem. The belief in the corporeal assumption of Mary is founded on the apocryphal treatise De Obitu S. Dominae, bearing the name of St. John, which belongs however to the fourth or fifth century. It is also found in the book De Transitu Virginis, falsely ascribed to St. Melito of Sardis, and in a spurious letter attributed to St. Denis the Areopagite.(Holweck, Frederick. “The Feast of the Assumption.†The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 2. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. 26 Aug. 201114 Aug. 2010 )
So, according to The Catholic Encyclopedia the basis for the “belief in the corporeal assumption of Mary is founded on the apocryphal†texts which were claimed to be written by people (like the Apostle John and Melito of Sardis) who did not write them. This makes no sense as a source for any dogma people would hold to be true. Also, if the body of Mary was “assumed†into heaven 3-15 years after Christ’s ascension in the Book of Acts, then why is it not mentioned in sacred scripture? All the books of the New Testament were written at least 5 years after Jesus’ ascension and the last book (Revelation) was apparently written over 60 years later–hence if this is a doctrine that God wanted His people to accept, why is it not specifically mentioned in the Bible? The Catholic writer Epiphanius, in the late fourth century, wrote:
Perhaps this [Rev. 12:13-14] can be applied to her; I cannot decide for certain, and I am not saying that she remained immortal. But neither am I saying that she died. (Panarion of Epiphanius, 78.11.4. As cited in Shoemaker S. The Ancient Traditions of the Virgin Mary’s Dormition and Assumption. Oxford University Press, 2006, p. 12)
Notice what a Catholic translation of the scripture Epiphanius referred to actually states:
13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman, who brought forth the man child: 14 And there were given to the woman two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the desert unto her place, where she is nourished for a time and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. (Revelation 12:13-14, DRB).
Notice that “the woman†goes to “the desert†and “here she is nourished for a time and times, and half a timeâ€. Heaven is NOT a desert. Also understand that Catholic scholars tend to correctly believe that the expression “a time and times, and half a time†refers to 3 1/2 years in this passage (and even if that was in error, this is a finite period of time, not nearly two thousand years). Thus, it makes no sense that Revelation 12:13-14 could possibly apply to Mary. Epiphanius should have been able to decide for certain that it did not, around 400 years after she was born. It should be clear that the idea of Mary’s “assumption†was not a dogmatic belief centuries after she would likely have been expected to have died.
Of course, the Bible was clear in the mid-late 1st century that only Jesus had immortality:
13 I charge thee before God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who gave testimony under Pontius Pilate, a good confession, 14 That thou keep the commandment without spot, blameless, unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 Which in his times he shall shew who is the Blessed and only Mighty, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; 16 Who only hath immortality, and inhabiteth light inaccessible, whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and empire everlasting. Amen. (1 Timothy 6:13-16, DRB)
The above was written in approximately 63 A.D. (Ryrie Study Bible, p. 1847). That is more than 3-15 years after Jesus’s ascension, and if Mary had obtained immortality by then, Saint Paul should have mentioned that, but he did not.
Now I have often used the Catholic-approved Douay-Rheims translation in this article to show that these ideas have support even within Catholic-approved writings. If Mary was immortal then, then the Apostle Paul would not have been inspired to write that.
Concerning Mary, the Catholic saint Augustine wrote of “her death†(Augustine. Tractates on the Gospel of John (Augustine) > Tractate 8, Chapter 9. Translated by John Gibb. From Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, Vol. 7. Edited by Philip Schaff. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1888.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight. ). Thus, the idea of Mary dying was an old concept. Dr. Douglas Winnail made the following observation:
The Bible never refers to Mary’s… “Assumptionâ€â€”the doctrine that Mary was bodily transported to heaven. Rather, Scripture clearly states that “no one has ascended to heaven†except Jesus (John 3:13). (Winnail DS. The Lady of Nations. Tomorrow’s World, LCG Magazine. Nov-Dec 2003).
So where did the idea of Mary’s assumption come from? Basically, from apocryphal literature in the fourth century (or possibly as early as the late third century)–but mainly even later than that. Although Epiphanius tried to investigate it, he was uncertain as to when it really first developed.
Interestingly, the ancient Romans had a 1-3 day festival for the goddess Diana. On the first day she allegedly came to earth and on the third day, August 15, they apparently celebrated her assumption into heaven as the queen of heaven. This is the same day of the Catholic feast of the assumption of Mary. Some do not consider this to be coincidental. (Green CMC. Roman religion and the cult of Diana at Aricia, Volume 0, Issues 521-85150. Cambridge University Press, 2007, p. 62; Frazer JG. The Magic Art and the Evolution of Kings V1, Volume 1. Kessinger Publishing, 2006, pp. 14-17). Diana was known as the “revered virgin†(Fischer-Hansen T, Poulsen B. From Artemis to Diana: the goddess of man and beast. Museum Tusculanum Press, 2009, p. 56) and “the Lady Artemis†(Davidson HE. Roles of the northern goddess. Psychology Press, 1998, p. 18); also as â€the virgin†(Morford MPO, Lenardon RJ. Classical mythology, 6th edition. Oxford University Press US, 1999, p. 141).
There is a suspected connection between Diana and how many view Mary (Fischer-Hansen, p. 49). Yet, the Catholic saint Augustine specifically referred to Diana as one of several “false and lying deities†(Augustine. The Harmony of the Gospels, Book I, Chapter 25. Translated by S.D.F. Salmond. From Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, Vol. 6. Edited by Philip Schaff. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1888.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight. ). Hence, it would seem wise that Catholics consider the wisdom in observing the date of her claimed assumption into heaven.
Mary’s “assumption†apparently became more of an issue after the death of Mohammed. Wikipedia notes:
John of Damascus, from this period, is the first church authority to advocate the doctrine under his own name; he had been brought up in an environment in which a corporeal ascent of Muhammed into heaven was official policy, since he, and his father before him, held the post of imperial chancellor of the Islamic empire of the Umayyads, and Muhammed’s ascent into heaven is the subject of the Night Journey, a Surah in the Quran. His contemporaries, Gregory of Tours and Modestus of Jerusalem, helped promote the concept to the wider church.
So, it may be that the assumption became a Catholic-equivalent of not only the pagan Diana, but the Muslim Muhammed. Furthermore, perhaps I should mention that Muslims teach that Muhammed’s daughter Fatima also was assumed into heaven. Some have considered that how certain Muslims venerate Fatima is very similar to how some Catholics venerate Mary.
Of course, since Mary is mentioned in the Quran, there is some Islamic veneration of her as well.
A Catholic writer posted:
The occasion and the site are sacred to Muslims and Christians alike. Every Sunday at least some Muslims come here before ‘Hazreti Meryem Ana’, Her Majesty Mother Mary and attend mass.
(Rozett E. Mother Mary and the Goddess. http://www.interfaithmary.com/pages/mary_Islam.html, viewed 08/15/2011)
Apparently because the Muslims claimed that Muhammed (and Fatima), and Greco-Romans that the goddess Diana, went to directly to heaven, certain Catholics began to promote the idea about Mary in a widespread manner.
However, it should be pointed out that even the place of the “assumption†changed. Wikipedia reports:
In some versions of the story the event is said to have taken place in Ephesus, in the House of the Virgin Mary, although this is a much more recent and localized tradition. The earliest traditions all locate the end of Mary’s life in Jerusalem…
So, the earliest accounts claimed Jerusalem, but that was later changed to Ephesus by some. If Mary died 3-15 years after Jesus, then she likely did not die in the area near Ephesus. Another article in The Catholic Encyclopedia mentions:
As to tradition, there is some testimony for Mary’s temporary residence in or near Ephesus, but the evidence for her permanent home in Jerusalem is much stronger… In Panaghia Kapoli, on a hill about nine or ten miles distant from Ephesus, was discovered a house, or rather its remains, in which Mary is supposed to have lived. The house was found, as it had been sought, according to the indications given by Catherine Emmerich in her life of the Blessed Virgin… In 451 Juvenal, Bishop of Jerusalem, testified to the presence of Mary’s tomb in Jerusalem…Another witness for the existence of a tradition placing the tomb of Mary in Gethsemani is the basilica erected above the sacred spot, about the end of the fourth or the beginning of the fifth century… It has been seen that we have no absolute certainty as to the place in which Mary lived after the day of Pentecost. Though it is more probable that she remained uninterruptedly in or near Jerusalem, she may have resided for a while in the vicinity of Ephesus, and this may have given rise to the tradition of her Ephesian death and burial. There is still less historical information concerning the particular incidents of her life. (Maas, Anthony. “The Blessed Virgin Mary.†The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 15. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. 26 Aug. 201114 Aug. 2010 )
Of course, the presence of a tomb suggests that one was buried within it, not assumed directly to heaven. Others have claimed her body left the tomb:
In the eighth century, St. John Damascene was known for giving sermons at the holy places in Jerusalem. At the Tomb of Mary, he expressed the belief of the Church on the meaning of the feast: “Although the body was duly buried, it did not remain in the state of death, neither was it dissolved by decay. . . . You were transferred to your heavenly home, O Lady, Queen and Mother of God in truth.†(Stevens C, Priest. Assumption of Mary. Catholic Heritage, July-August 1996.
S. Shoemaker also claims that the earliest accounts of the assumption state it occurred in Jerusalem, but later Ephesus:
Nevertheless, the earliest evidence of any such belief appears only in the ninth century, in a Syriac manuscript, copied in 874 which reports that Mary accompanied John to Ephesus, where she died and was buried. (Shoemaker S. The Ancient Traditions of the Virgin Mary’s Dormition and Assumption. Oxford University Press, 2006, p. 75)
The idea that Mary’s house was specifically in Ephesus allegedly began to gain acceptance because of visions that the mystic nun Anne Catherine Emmerich claimed to have had in the early 19th century. Because of her visions,one or more priests went to Ephesus and found a house apparently matching her descriptions (Shoemaker, p. 76). Some in the local area confirmed the location as Mary’s last house. And while some may claim that is proof it was Mary’s home, I should also add that Anne Catherine Emmerich claimed to have seen Limbo in her visions, yet the current Pontiff (Benedict XVI) has indicated that there is no such place as Limbo (What is Limbo? Is There Such a Place as Limbo? What Happens to Babies When They Die?). Despite this, on October 3, 2004 Anne Catherine Emmerich was beatified by Pope John Paul II.
But irrespective of what location may have been “Mary’s houseâ€, the historical accuracy of the “assumption of Mary,†is at best an assumption that seems to contradict scripture. Although some have claimed that the apostles originally reported “the assumption†there do not appear to be any pre-fourth century documents that state this (and even the “apostolic claim†was from testimony in the mid-fifth century by Juvenal, see The Catholic Encyclopedia Assumption of Mary).
The assumption position mainly seems to be have been accepted because people want to believe it as opposed to basing it upon reliable historical documentation:
In view of the striking absence of early historical evidence, the Vatican proceeded to establish the Assumption dogma primarily on a dogmatic rather than a historical basis. It was determined that despite the complete lack of any historical evidence for early belief in the Virgin’s Assumption, the dogma should still be proclaimed…(Shoemaker S. The Ancient Traditions of the Virgin Mary’s Dormition and Assumption. Oxford University Press, 2006, p. 15)
Wikipedia also noted:
Protestant theologians…cite the fact that the idea did not gain acceptance in the church until the sixth century, after Gregory of Tours accepted the apocryphal work “Transitus Beatae Mariaeâ€â€¦Catholic theologian Ludwig Ott stated, “The idea of the bodily assumption of Mary is first expressed in certain transitus-narratives of the fifth and sixth centuries…. The first Church author to speak of the bodily assumption of Mary, in association with an apocryphal transitus B.M.V., is St. Gregory of Tours.â€â€¦The Catholic writer Eamon Duffy goes further, conceding that “there is, clearly, no historical evidence whatever for it.â€â€¦
In Ludwig Ott’s Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma he states that “the fact of her death is almost generally accepted by the Fathers and Theologians, and is expressly affirmed in the Liturgy of the Churchâ€, to which he adduces a number of helpful citations, and concludes that “for Mary, death, in consequence of her freedom from original sin and from personal sin, was not a consequence of punishment of sin. However, it seems fitting that Mary’s body, which was by nature mortal, should be, in conformity with that of her Divine Son, subject to the general law of deathâ€â€¦The point of her bodily death has not been infallibly defined, and many believe that she did not die at all, but was assumed directly into Heaven. The dogmatic definition within the Apostolic Constitution Munificentissimus Deus which, according to Roman Catholic dogma, infallibly proclaims the doctrine of the Assumption leaves open the question whether, in connection with her departure, Mary underwent bodily death; that is, it does not dogmatically define the point one way or the other, as shown by the words “having completed the course of her earthly lifeâ€â€¦Many Catholics also believe that Mary first died before being assumed, but they add that she was miraculously resurrected before being assumed…This doctrine was dogmatically and infallibly defined by Pope Pius XII on November 1, 1950, in his Apostolic Constitution Munificentissimus Deus.
The holiday, then, is an assumption based upon mystic literature like the Transitus Mariae, essentially combined with a dogmatic declaration in 1950.
Now, the Transitus Mary was allegedly an account from an apparition claiming to be Mary. Yet, Catholics need to realize that in the early 6th century, a papal decree, Decretum Gelasianum, classified the Transitus Mariae writings as apocryphal (The Transitus Mariae Non-canonical Account of Mary’s passing. . Anyway, the Transitus Mariae claims that John was in Ephesus and the Holy Spirit transported him to Mary in Bethlehem (Smith Lewis A. Apocrypha syriaca: the Protevangelium Jacobi and Transitus Mariae, with texts from the Septuagint, the Corân, the Peshiá¹ta, and from a Syriac hymm in a Syro-Arabic palimpsest of the fifth and other centuries. C.J. Clay and sons, 1902, p. 25) and that Mary was taken in to heaven from her house in Bethlehem (p. 33) and that was within the jurisdiction of the governor of Jerusalem (p. 36).
Now, having been to Ephesus a couple of times, I would like mention the Islamic Turks in that area actually do celebrate the “assumption of Mary†as well. Not because it is mentioned in the Quran (it does not seem to be), but because Mary is mentioned in the Quran more times than Jesus. Certain Muslims venerate Mary to a degree.
Perhaps I should add that August 15th is considered by certain Catholics to be Mary’s “heavenly birthdayâ€. However, perhaps it should be pointed out that early Christians did not observe birthdays (Did Early Christians Celebrate Birthdays?), hence the “birthday into heaven†position also was not a position of early Christians.
Notice what the Catholic news agency Zenit reported on the dogma:
Why a…dogmatic pronouncement on the Assumption? Because the Vicar of Christ…was inspired to do so to bring forth a new outpouring of grace for the Church through the intercession of the Queen of Heaven — the Mediatrix of all graces who was newly honored by a solemn papal proclamation of her parting earthly prerogative…
One objection voiced during the months preceding the 1950 definition by a group of theologians was that the new Marian definition would wreak havoc to ecumenical efforts newly initiated with other Christians. The late Cardinal Edouard Gagnon who lived through the years preceding and proceeding the Assumption definition, repeatedly testified to the opposite — that immediately following the papal proclamation of Our Lady’s Assumption, the Church experienced its greatest ever advancement in ecumenism in Church history up to its time, which consequently led to its historic flourishing at the Second Vatican Council.
Mothers unite. They do not divide. (Our Lady and Dogmas: Pondering the Assumption. ZE10081612 – 2010-08-16. Permalink:
So, the dogma is for the eventual ecumenical plans of the Church of Rome. But it was not an original dogma (it was adopted in 1950), it is in conflict with sacred scripture, and it was not an original apostolic tradition.
Proposed Dogma 5: Co-Redemptrix
Some have wanted the Church of Rome to adopt a fifth Marian dogma to give Mary the title of co-redemptrix. One of the strongest advocates was Lucia of Fatima.
The Bible tells of only one redeemer, and the Redeemer is male:
25 For I know that my Redeemer liveth…(Job 19:25a, DRB)
34 Their redeemer is strong, the Lord of hosts is his name (Jeremiah 50:34a, DRB)
16…I am the Lord thy Saviour, and thy Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob. (Isaiah 60:16b, DRB)
Furthermore, on this co-redemptrix title for Mary, Cardinal Bertone wrote:
One of the main ideas of Sister Lucia’s book (which, I should add, she presents in a very somber fashion) is that the Church ought to acknowledge Mary as the “Co-redemptrix†of humanity…Both the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith and the Pontifical International Marian Academy had already raised some critical points about the idea of “co-redemption.†(Bertone T Cardinal, with De Carli, Guiseppe. The Last Secret of Fatima. Doubleday, 2008, p. 35)
Of course, if this were to be adopted in the 21st century, it too would clearly be an innovation that was not part of the Bible nor the original apostolic traditions. Some have proposed “co-mediatrix.”
From isle of Ireland, Dr. Douglas Winnail wrote of a related title:
In the last century, apparitions and their supporters have promoted Mary as the “Mediatrix of All Mercies” (thus diminishing Jesus Christ’s true role as revealed in the Bible), and as the “Queen of Peace,” though the Bible never refers to her this way. (Winnail D. The Lady of Nations. Tomorrow’s World, Nov-Dec 2003, pp. 24-28)
The Bible teaches:
5 For there is one God, and one mediator of God and men, the man Christ Jesus: 6 Who gave himself a redemption for all, a testimony in due times.(1 Timothy 2:5-6, DRB)
The biblical fact that there is ONE mediator, who is Jesus, means that there is not another, like Mary. This historically has been the teaching in the true Church of God (and this was also confirmed, for example, in 1705 via William Gibson, September 8, 1705; Cited in Dugger AN, Dodd CO, pp. 275-277).
The Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma states in its section about Mary being the Mediatrix, “Express scriptural proofs are lacking†(Ott, p. 214).
Thus, Catholics who do not wish to deviate from what the Bible teaches would do well not to promote non-biblical titles and attributes to Mary. Furthermore, the Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma teaches:
The mystical interpretation…became prominent in the West in the late Middle Ages…Express testimonies, though few in number, to Mary’s position as mediatrix of grace are found since the eighth century. (Ott, p. 214)
Notice that calling Mary the mediatrix of grace was not from the Bible, was espoused by few, and that no one really started promoting it until the 8th century. Surely this shows that it WAS NOT a belief of the early church. The fact that Lúcia de Fatima wanted it promoted surely shows that she was not keeping with the teachings of the Bible nor the practices of the early church. (More on the apparitions can be found in the article Mary, the Mother of Jesus and the Apparitions.)
Concluding Comments on the ‘Dogmas of Saint Mary’
Marian dogmas (other than the virgin birth) and Marian devotion were absolutely not part of the original apostolic faith that the saints were given. The true Christian faith was not to be changed by heresies often called innovations.
None of the four dogmas for the one known as Saint Mary, mother of Jesus, were original. As far as can be reasonably determined, all originally came from falsified documents, seers of apparitions who reported error, and/or pagan practices. The fifth proposed one has similar problems and origins. None came from the Bible nor were the part of the earliest traditions of the church.
Nor, perhaps it should be added, are statues of Mary–they were not part of the original apostolic traditions (What Did the Early Church Teach About Idols and Icons?). (More on Mary statues can be found in the article Mary, the Mother of Jesus and the Apparitions).
Basically, Catholic and secular history shows that there was opposition to certain titles and practices various heretics introduced about Mary. The opposers were often Catholic bishops, Catholic saints, Catholic scholars, as well as Christians with and/or who supported, original apostolic practices. Despite the opposition, many of those heretical titles and practices later became adopted as traditions, despite the fact that they were innovations, as not early apostolic traditions.
Of the early saints, Mary ended up with more titles than any by the Greco-Romans. Yet, there is nothing in scripture nor in the earliest (non-falsified) writings that suggested that early Christians honored her more than saints, like for example, the Apostle John.
Mother of Salvation: Soon you will be asked to give out a substitute for the Holy Eucharist, which will not be the Body of my Son.
Friday | August 2, 2013 3:10 pm
My child, I stand before my Son, at this time, and fall on my face at His Feet in great sorrow. Just as I had to witness His Agony at the foot of His Cross, during His terrifying Crucifixion, I now have to endure His Pain once again.
My Son’s Crucifixion is taking place again as His Body, His Mystical Body, which is His Church on Earth, has to endure a scourging by His own. They, the enemies within His Church, will scourge His Body, tear It apart, mock Him cruelly and desecrate It, before they throw It aside. My Son’s Church is now to be scourged, during what will be the first stage of His Crucifixion on Earth in these times. They will take His Body – through the Holy Eucharist – and insult Him as well as degrade Him. Many signs will be seen of this, as every disrespectful and devious gesture will be made, in order to curse Him. When they have vilified His Most Holy Eucharist, they will then throw It away and soon It will be very difficult to receive It. This is just one of the many plans underway to wipe out my Son’s Presence in the Holy Mass.
Many will see these wicked gestures and know that they are insulting to my Son. Many will protest, but their voices will not be heard. To those poor priests, who will suffer because of this desecration, you must ask me, your Mother, to help you endure such pain. You must never ever tamper with the Holy Eucharist, for It is your only Food of Salvation. Without It, you will starve. It must always be made available to every single one of God’s children. You must never accept that any other kind of bread is the Food of Life.
Soon you will be asked to give out a substitute for the Holy Eucharist, which will not be the Body of my Son. You must remain true to the Gift of the Holy Eucharist even when you are told that It is no longer relevant – no longer acceptable in the new world religion.
Your Mother in Christ
Mother of Salvation
.
#2131 you said …
In 1John 4:2; “You can tell the spirits that come from God by this: every spirit which acknowledges that Jesus the Christ has come in the flesh is from God.†Whose flesh???…of the WOMAN of course: because God is Spirit- Jesus Christ took his flesh no other than from his mother of course
Your interpretation of the above said verse is far-fetched because you interpret scripture from a view of humanism. John 1:14 says – “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth”. He is the eternal second person of the Trinity, that He entered space and time as God incarnate. This is a hypostatic union. God provided it directly as Mary was impregnated by the Holy Spirit and not by human to human sexual contact. That is why Jesus rose bodily into heaven because his flesh DID NOT see corruption because God does not die for death had no hold on him. Search the scripture for this truths. Mary died and her body suffered corruption, but off course her soul is in heaven with Jesus happily living ever after for all eternity with Jesus – her creator.
God the Father: The names of those in the Book of the Living are the primary target of the beast
Saturday | August 3, 2013 1:17 pm
My dearest daughter, I Call on humanity from the Highest and Most Holy Realm.
My poor little children, how you suffer for the sin of Lucifer, but you must know that, by My Almighty Power, I will wipe him and all the fallen angels off the face of the Earth. That time is close, so you must prepare.
Know that the fallen angels and demons are unknown and invisible to most of you, but they walk amongst you, tempting you every day so that you will fall. When you are taken into this web of deceit, soon you will find that you will be unable to rest or find true peace in your souls.
I declare that those who are led astray by the false prophet will find themselves lost and confused as they accept the great deceit, in which they will become willing victims. When you turn on Me and My beloved Son, Jesus Christ, it will not appear to you that this is the case. You will believe that the Sacraments are the same, although they will be presented to you differently. They will become empty vessels and will no longer be acceptable by Me.
The world is Mine, yet My children do not want Me, their beloved Father, their Creator. Their minds have been blocked and the evil one has used My Gift of intelligence to tempt them into believing that I could not possibly Exist. Those who do not believe in Me will have no real love, joy or peace in their lives. Nor will they accept Eternal Life. Instead, they will seek out only pleasures of the flesh, although they know that their lives on Earth are short.
I will, as a Father Who loves each of them, pull them to Me through the Great Mercy of My Son. My Power is all-encompassing and Satan, My Lucifer, who cut himself away from My Hip, because of his pride, will never defeat Me. Those who follow him, therefore, have driven the same wedge between themselves and Me. They will know by the signs I now reveal that there is only One God, One Creator, one Paradise. All the paradises they are told about, by the false prophets in the world, who lead My children away from Me, do not, nor can they ever exist. I Am all there is. I created all. I will end all. All must be according to My Holy Will. Fight My Will and you will become nothing. Accept My Will and you remain My child.
To those who do believe in Me, you must never reject My Son, Jesus Christ. I came into the world through My Son to bring you back into My Mercy, but you rejected Him. You killed Him, but still you never killed My Love for you. This is why I allowed His Crucifixion to bring you salvation. This, My Son’s death on the Cross, became your way to salvation. His death was not what it seemed – a failure in the eyes of the evil one. It was through this act of great suffering, endured with the greatest humility, which defeated Satan. And it was because of My Son’s death on the Cross, that Satan’s power over humanity failed. Even though he cannot take all of My children with him into the abyss, many will still be seduced by his lies. This is why you must fight, children, not just for your own souls. If you love Me, you will love My Son. If you love My Son, then you must help Him to save all sinners.
I Call on you to tell you that when I Call on souls, especially those who do not know Me, as well as those who do know Me, but who refuse to accept My Commandments, that they have only so much time to save themselves from eternal torture.
The names of those in the Book of the Living are the primary target of the beast. Many of these souls are followers of My Son and are loyal to the Church. They will turn on My Son by accepting new laws, not of My Son, which they will be forced to swallow as a new religion. This new religion has been carefully planned for many years. It follows Satanic rituals, but many will not understand this. When you embrace these rituals, you will give power to Satan. When you give him this power, you will need much prayer, for he will devour you in body as well as in soul.
My children, I intervene now through punishments on the Earth. The poor souls who lose their lives through these chastisements are helping to save those of you who are lost to Me.
When you feel frightened by the wickedness of Satan and his influence in your lives, remember that I will destroy his representatives on Earth. I will cut short your suffering, because I wish to save souls. If I allowed this evil to continue, I would not be able to salvage all those souls whose names are in the Book of the Living.
Your beloved Father
God the Most High
.
THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION #2132,
The presenter had beautifully knitted the doctrine of Immaculate Conception into a questionable faith for a practicing Catholic. The long list of witnesses were actually theologians of RCC but cannot be denied that they were also our fore fathers of the Catholic Church. We will touch first these people of faith mentioned in the list so we may know whose faith they belong.
Cyril of Alexandria (412-444= theologian) Patriarch of Alexandria, Origen (184-254= theologian) Alexandria, Saint Basil the Great, (329 or 330=Bishop and theologian), St. John Chrysostom (347-407= theologian), St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153=Monk), St. Bonaventure (1221-1274= theologian and Doctor of the Church) and finally St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274=philosopher and theologian); All these saints lives on different times and purposes in furtherance of Catholic faith. “Go, therefore, make disciples of all the nations; baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to observe all the commands I gave you. And know that I am with you always, to the end of time.â€(Mt.28:20)
The list of saints that have been indicated is a clear indicator of the process of “Apostolic Succession†we have in our Church as explained by Christ in the gospel of Mathew. “I am with you always, to the end of time.â€
Now what is “Apostolic Succession�
It means the line of bishops we have in our Catholic Church all over the world is stretching back to the first apostles of Christ. This doctrine is illustrated by Paul to Timothy, “What you have heard from me before many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also†(2 Tim. 2:2). In this passage he refers to the first three generations of apostolic succession—his own generation, Timothy’s generation, and the generation Timothy will teach.
How they have done this? Is there a right formula transferring the power of the Holy Spirit to be a disciple Christ?
Absolutely, it is well illustrated in the Bible. “That is why I am reminding you now to into a flame the gift that God gave you when I laid my hands on you.†(2Tim.1:6); so it was through laying out of hands they have received the power to be the true ministers of Christ and St. Paul likewise received in this manner when Ananias perform the same Rites to him in the road to Damascus. “Then Ananias went. He entered the house, and at once laid his hands on Saul and said…so that you may recover your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.â€
What was the reason behind this laying of hands?
“The reason I left you behind in Crete was for you to get everything organized there and appoint elders in every town, in the way that I told you:†(Titus1:5); We know for sure when Paul was in an apostolic missions one of his main concern is to help the Church established its faith through the appointment of elders to be the pillar and bulwark of truth…â€so that the saints together make a unity in the work of service, building up the body of Christ.†(Eph.4:12) We also know for sure that the Body of Christ refers to Church. “And He (Christ) is the of the body, the church (Col.1:18), “which is His body;†“He has put all things under his feet and made him, as the ruler of everything, the head of the Church; which is his body, the fullness of him who fills the whole creation.†(Eph. 1:23); “Who (Paul) now rejoice in my sufferings for you…for His Body’s sake, which is the Church (Col. 1:24), the Apostle Paul writes about himself. Here Paul expresses his love for the Church with sufferings and even “boast about his sufferings for the Church.†(Rom.5:3) Ever since then Paul was been fascinated with the Church that he had written a great deal of knowledge given to him through revelation. “Through all the ages, this has been kept hidden in God, the creator of everything. Why? So that Sovereignties and Powers should learn only now, THROUGH THE CHURCH, how comprehensive God’s wisdom really is, exactly according to the plan which he had from all eternity in Christ Jesus our Lord.†(Eph.3:10-11); this verse clearly emphasize that we shall know all truth pertaining to faith, morals through the Church like the dogma of the “Immaculate Conception†pronounced by Pope Pius IX.
The presenter confused the Immaculate Conception dogma pronounced by Pope Pius IX to a priest named Andrew Apostoli who does only expresses his opinion or his understanding of the messages received by the three children at Fatima. That was the problem with those guys who are outside of the RCC. They were experts in cutting out portion of the said statement and making it appear contradictory as proven by the list of saints (forefathers) he had submitted to justify his foolishness. The presenter failed to realize that to be a theologian or to be Doctor of the Church requires depth knowledge about God and his words found in the scripture. Every theologian of the RCC, individual or collective knows by heart what was written in 2Peter 1:20; “At the same time, we must be most careful to remember that the interpretation of scriptural prophecy is never a matter for individual. Why??? Because no prophecy ever came from man’s initiative; when men spoke for God it was the Holy Spirit that moved them.†So who are we to contest or to contend with the messages given to both apparitions which was already been approved to be of heavenly inspired??? Probably, father Andrew Apostoli was correct in his assessment that “Those who commit such blasphemies against our Lady are in grave danger of losing their souls, for these sins seriously offend God himself.†Why??? Because one of the unforgiving sin that may fall into a man is a sin against the Holy Spirit. “I tell you solemnly, all men sin will be forgiven, and all their blasphemies; but let anyone blaspheme against the Holy Spirit and he will never have forgiveness: he is guilty of eternal sin. This was because they were saying an unclean spirit is in him.†(Mk.3:30)
This verse was crystal clear; all sins are pardonable even a sort of blasphemies against God but why sin against the Holy Spirit is unpardonable??? Can anyone among the fundamentalist think of the best answer???
We acknowledge Jesus to be of divine in origin, right? “He is the image of the unseen God…†(Col.1:15); and …though he is without sin, let us be confident then, in approaching the throne of grace, that we shall have mercy from him and find grace when we are in need of help.†(Heb.4:16) Now, if Jesus is the image of the unseen God, would it be God who is pure in Spirit (HOLY) allowed his Son to stay in the womb of Mary for nine months to be his sanctuary??? How can a sinner’s soul magnify God??? St. Paul’s body can magnify God through his suffering when he unites it with Jesus’ suffering, but how can Mary soul increased our appreciation of God, if she was a sinner??? The answer lies in the application of the passage; suggestively, that Mary’s soul is holy, unblemished, pure, stain less, in a word, immaculately clean. She can only magnify God if her soul, through which she magnifies God, is transparent of any particular or original sin. In the same manner can we approach the throne of grace if we are not pure and holy??? As suggested by Paul in his letter to the Hebrews. It follows then, that those who blaspheme the mother of Jesus to be not of holy, blaspheme the seat of throne of the Holy Spirit. We must therefore confess simply that the Blessed Virgin committed no actual sin, neither mortal nor venial; so that what is written (Cant 4:7) is fulfilled: “You are wholly beautiful, my love, and without a blemish.â€
In other words, we must not commit the same mistake like the Pharisees in Jesus time when they called the precious and Holy Spirit of God, the unclean spirit of Satan. In effect, they charged Jesus Christ with sorcery; one who to be in league with Satan. These accusations are not only inaccurate but extremely serious, and clearly false. As Jesus immediately responded, “How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end. No one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. And then he will plunder his house” (Mark 3:23-27; also see Luke 11:14-23).Thus explained; but let anyone blaspheme against the Holy Spirit and he will never have forgiveness: he is guilty of eternal sin. This was because they were saying an unclean spirit is in him.†(Mk.3:30)
The so called doctrine of the Immaculate Conception though formally revealed just recently in the 19th century has some biblical basis that many Christian denomination failed to recognize. The problem is that they are not bound to know it because of their critical stand to the mother of Jesus. Unless they change their attitude towards her they will forever be at lost to the beauty and grandeur of that Lady. “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) This is just one passage worthy of attention to start grasping her and know her better. I shall reserve some verses for future discussion to anyone who wishes to create sound exposition.
“On this subject we have many things to say, and they are difficult to explain because you have grown so slow at understanding. Really, when you should by this time have become masters, you need someone to teach you all over again the elementary principles of God’s oracle; you have gone back to needing the milk, and not solid food. Truly, anyone who still living on milk cannot digest the doctrine of the righteousness because he still a baby. Solid food is mature men with minds trained by practice to distinguish between good and bad.†(Hebrew 5:11-14);
But someone may ask like in the manner presented by the letter writer #2132…â€Yet, after claiming to see an apparition in Rue du Bac, Paris in 1830, the Catholic saint Catherine Labouré claimed Mary “was conceived without sin.†The extra-biblical teaching of the so-called “Immaculate Conception†did not become a type of Catholic dogma until December 8, 1854. It, thus, was not part of early apostolic tradition…â€
Well the writer chooses to be ignorant on the message that God continues to give messages to people of his choice in this present generation. “And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreamsâ€: (Acts.2-17); God also 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 now.
This is where the Magistreium of the Church took its role as explained in 2Peter 1:20:
The term “Magisterium†means “teaching office†and refers to the teaching role of the Pope and bishops. Their unique role, however, is that they, as successors of the apostles, judge authoritatively what is in accord with the gospel and what is not. The teaching of the Magisterium sets the standard. In formulating their teaching, the Pope and bishops rely on the help of theologians who are not bishops. And myriads of teachers pass on and explain the teaching of the Magisterium once it is formulated. Yet it is clear where to look to know the authentically Catholic position on a subject. When we say “the Church teaches†something, we are speaking about the teaching of the Magisterium. Another important point to remember is that in Aquinas’ time and other forefathers mentioned in the list, the Immaculate Conception was a tradition of the Church but was not a required belief. It did not become doctrine (thus a required belief) until the 19th century. So the presumption that their views/ ideas is at variance with the teaching of the CHURCH are but a distorted teaching comes from the enemies of the CHURCH. Why content of the half truth while the whole truth can be won!
But if you heard a Protestant apologist repeatedly say that Aquinas rejected the Immaculate Conception. What’s the deal?
A: What the Protestant apologist said is a classic example of a half-truth. Evangelicals often use the fact that Aquinas (unlike others of his age) did not believe that Mary was entirely sanctified from the moment of her conception to imply that she committed actual, personal sin–as Protestants assert. However, nothing could be further from the truth. Even though Aquinas did not claim that Mary was sanctified from the moment of her conception, he did claim that she was sanctified before her birth, and so never committed personal sin (for unborn children commit no personal sin; cf. Rom. 9:11).
For a Protestant to knowingly push this claim is deceptive on three fronts:
1) It suggests that Aquinas’s views ought to be held to (on those rare occasions) when he disagrees with what the Church has since established as true, but the views of no one theologian, even an Aquinas, may be held in preference to what the Church later establishes. Aquinas’s views–as he himself would insist–simply cease to count as evidence concerning what a Catholic should believe once the Church has infallibly determined otherwise.
2) The fact is that Aquinas did hold to Mary’s entire personal sinlessness, which is what Protestants really object to. They are not concerned about what Aquinas was looking at–whether she was free from each and every stain of original sin during a window of time prior to her birth. That is a trivial matter to them compared to the question of whether Mary committed actual, personal sin during her life. That is what they are obsessed about and which will get them hopping up and down issuing charges of heresy, claiming that a sinless life makes Mary out to be God (as if it would make us God when we have been entirely sactified and are leading totally sinless lives). When Protestants say that Aquinas didn’t believe in the Immaculate Conception but fail to say that he believed in her sinless life, they are picking at something that is from their position a nit and omitting the fact that Aquinas is not on their in the thing which really concerns them.
3) Since Protestants have identified the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception with the doctrine of Mary’s personal sinlessness, it is deceptive of them to say that Aquinas did not believe in the Immaculate Conception because this will imply to their audience–and to anyone else who doesn’t have a good grasp on the doctrine–that he believed Mary sinned, which is simply not true. They will thus mislead their audience into thinking Aquinas said something he didn’t, and to do that knowingly is deception, plain and simple.
In any event, here is what Aquinas said (Summa Theologiae III:27:4):
“I answer that, God so prepares and endows those, whom He chooses for some particular office, that they are rendered capable of fulfilling it, according to 2 Cor. 3:6: ‘(Who) hath made us fit ministers of the New Testament.’ Now the Blessed Virgin was chosen by God to be His Mother. Therefore there can be no doubt that God, by His grace, made her worthy of that office, according to the words spoken to her by the angel (Lk. 1:30,31): ‘Thou hast found grace with God: behold thou shalt conceive,’ etc. But she would not have been worthy to be the Mother of God, if she had ever sinned. First, because the honor of the parents reflects on the child, according to Prov. 17:6: ‘The glory of children are their fathers’: and consequently, on the other hand, the Mother’s shame would have reflected on her Son. Secondly, because of the singular affinity between her and Christ, who took flesh from her: and it is written (2 Cor. 6:15): ‘What concord hath Christ with Belial?’ Thirdly, because of the singular manner in which the Son of God, who is the ‘Divine Wisdom’ (1 Cor. 1:24) dwelt in her, not only in her soul but in her womb. And it is written (Wis. 1:4): ‘Wisdom will not enter into a malicious soul, nor dwell in a body subject to sins.’
“We must therefore confess simply that the Blessed Virgin committed no actual sin, neither mortal nor venial; so that what is written (Cant 4:7) is fulfilled: ‘Thou art all fair, O my love, and there is not a spot in thee,’ etc. ”
Thus you should never tolerate someone to say that Aquinas endorsed the idea that Mary was sinful. He absolutely and unequivocally did not, and you should ask any Protestant who says this whether he has actually read what Aquinas said on the subject or whether he is repeating erroneous claims made in anti-Catholic sources. If he is doing the latter, he is repeating gossip. If he is doing the former, and really does know what Aquinas said, then he is being deceptive.
Jesus king of mercy I trust in you!
Ave Maria!
My Prophecies, which reveal the arrival of the antichrist, are soon to be realised
Sunday | August 4, 2013 11:16 pm
My dearly beloved daughter, My Prophecies, which reveal the arrival of the antichrist, are soon to be realised.
My Prophecies, which reveal the arrival of the antichrist, are soon to be realised
Sunday | August 4, 2013 11:16 pm
My dearly beloved daughter, My Prophecies, which reveal the arrival of the antichrist, are soon to be realised.
The day for all of you to prepare your houses and your routine of prayers is upon you and all who follow Me must be willing to make sacrifices, in order to help Me to open the eyes of God’s children everywhere to this wickedness, which will turn the world upside down.
Just as any true prophet is despised and treated as a nuisance, you, My dear followers, will be seen as an annoyance when you reveal the Truth. Expect ridicule, mockery and contempt, at every corner you turn. People who surround you will bully you, criticize you and find fault, even when you do not even speak with them about My Word.
Every fallen angel and demon, who infiltrate the Earth at this time, will, through weak souls, be immediately drawn to you, in order to discourage you from this Work.
Accept this grief in My Name, for when you do, you give great glory to God and it is one of the greatest gifts you can give Me. I then use these trials of yours to defeat Satan by claiming souls, which are destined to become his.
Very few understand the Divine Laws of Heaven and the role of the Cross in your lives. Someday, all of God’s children will understand why these cruel actions must be endured. Continue with the task of spreading the Truth, ignore the hatred you will witness and do not accept direction from those who deny Me – ever.
Your march towards the New Paradise will be difficult. But with only a small army, you can defeat the severity of the punishments, which will be handed out by the antichrist upon the world. Your task is to warn others of the dangers of accepting the laws of Satan as a substitute for the Laws of God.
Only by the Command of My Father can I take with Me all of those whose names are in the Book of the Living, but who will give their allegiance to the false prophet and, with a docile acceptance, fall for the appealing demeanour of the antichrist.
Your Jesus
.
When they change the Sacrament of Baptism, they will remove all promises to renounce Satan for they will declare these references to be old-fashioned
Monday | August 5, 2013 4:05 am
My dearly beloved daughter, let no man believe during the persecution, which My beloved sacred servants – who remain loyal to Me – will have to endure, that My Church can ever die. For this is impossible. My Church – My Mystical Body – has Eternal Life.
When My enemies change the Sacraments and introduce new relics, new crosses and new practices – and then say that My Church remains as it has always been – they are lying. My Church can never change.
So many arguments will be made, in every nation, in order to defile the Sacrament of Marriage. They, the enemies of God, want Christians to accept marriage between couples of the same sex, but they must never accept this, as it offends My Father. It is not acceptable in His Eyes. When they change the Sacrament of Baptism, they will remove all promises to renounce Satan, for they will declare these references to be old-fashioned and too frightening. They will say it is irrelevant.
Then they will, bit by bit, introduce new versions of My Teachings. You, all of you who believe in My Church, must never betray Me. You must never accept any substitute for the Sacraments as I gave them to you. I Am the Truth. My Church represents the Truth. But you can only claim to be part of My Church if you retain all of My Teachings, My Sacraments and accept that My death on the Cross was the greatest Sacrifice to secure your salvation.
Anything, which deviates from the Truth, for fear of insulting pagans, is very dangerous. When you deny the Teachings of God and follow a new, alternative Church, you will no longer remain part of My Church on Earth. If you object to the new pagan practices, which will be introduced by the false prophet, you will be deemed a heretic. Then they will try to excommunicate you, in My Name. If you remain loyal to Me and refuse to take part in this wicked deceit, you will remain part of My Church.
The choice may be painful, when all these things come about, but it is very simple. You are either for Me or against Me.
Your Jesus
.
Mother of Salvation: This war, to uphold the Word of God, will mean that those priests, who do remain true to Him, will have to seek refuge
Monday | August 5, 2013 1:05 pm
My dear children, this is going to be a time of great trials in your faith. The Catholic Church will be the Church in which the great division will commence. It will be in this Church that My Son’s priests will suffer the most, during the great apostasy, which it will, very soon, have to endure from within.
To those of my Son’s faithful priests, who will be torn in two by indecision, you must be aware of the need to remain in union with the Merciful Christ. You must never feel tempted to desert His Church, by accepting falsities from those amongst you who have fallen into grave error. You must revere my Son at all costs and lead His people on the path to holiness, no matter how difficult this will be for you.
Those of you who will continue to perform the traditional Mass will be tormented until you agree to abandon it entirely. Many amongst your religious orders will betray you to the enemy behind your back. You will, just like my Son before you, be taken before those who claim to be your peers and be accused of heresy, for insisting on continuing to show respect for the most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
The new words, which will amount to the most vile desecration of my Son’s Body, will be forced down upon those sacred servants who dare to object.
It will be within the Catholic Church that brother will fight brother, sister against sister, father against son, children against parent, until there are two sides.
This war, to uphold the Word of God, will mean that those priests, who do remain true to Him, will have to seek refuge. To do this you must start preparing and find such places where you will be able to offer the Holy Mass and provide the Sacraments to God’s children.
I, the Mother of Salvation, will protect such refuges and by the placement of the Seal of the Living God, given to the world by My Father, on the inside walls, they will remain invisible to the enemies of God.
Do not be afraid of these things, because if you prepare well, you will lead God’s children to salvation. Should you not heed this warning, you will be taken captive in mind, body and soul, by the enemies of my Son and salvation will not be yours.
Those who do the bidding of the false prophet will need much prayer, for some of them are blind to the Truth. Others, who will know the Truth, but who will side with those who will deny my Son’s death on the Cross, are to be feared. They will inflict terrible harm on the innocent followers of Christ.
By remaining loyal to the Truth, you will lead my Son’s Remnant Army, so that it becomes a formidable force, against the evil one and those he directs in his fight against my Son’s true servants on Earth.
You must, when the time comes, refuse to accept direction from those who will desecrate the Word of God and through their lies and new obscene doctrines, will mislead many. Those who accept any distortion of the Mass or the Holy Sacraments, will be answerable to my Son. For you will have become, unwitting, servants to the evil one and many, many, souls will be lost, for they will be drawn into rituals, which will pay homage to Satan. These rituals will honour the false prophet and the antichrist, who are enemies of God.
Pray, pray, pray that the Truth will be seen and that lies will be exposed for what they are – an affront to my Son’s agonizing Crucifixion.
Your beloved Mother
Mother of Salvation
.
When you defend My Word, you will be deemed to be cruel, unkind and lacking in sympathy to those who do not believe in God
Monday | August 5, 2013 6:33 pm
My dearly beloved daughter, how I weep with sadness when I see the terrible division which looms within My Church on Earth. The bitterness of My Agony is eased though, by those who truly love Me and who already feel concern for the way in which My Body is being treated.
You must never feel the need to accept any deed, action or words which are against Me. If you feel uncomfortable with what you witness, within my Church, by those who swear that they are in union with Me, when they desecrate My Body, you must follow your heart. I Am with you every second of this great apostasy and for those who will continue to call out to Me, I will open your eyes to the Truth, so that you will remain true to Me.
The time is almost upon you now. The doors of My Church will soon be closed to those who will insist on remaining loyal to the traditional practices of Christianity. These doors will be slammed in your faces when you bear witness to Me. Your faith will be ridiculed, in the most cunning way, so that when you defend My Word, you will be deemed to be cruel, unkind and lacking in sympathy to those who do not believe in God.
You will be scolded if you are a sacred servant of Mine and you will be made to answer for your allegiance to Me. Gather now, all of you. I demand that you do not deny Me. I will protect you, so that you can serve Me. I will help you by lifting your burden. All the Graces of Heaven will be poured down upon you.
Warning to Priests:
I will cut down all those of you who follow the false church – the church of the beast – when it is presented to you. Follow this new church and you will be selling your souls to the beast. Instead of saving souls, in My Name, you will be responsible for handing them over to eternal Hell.
I Am telling you the Truth now, so that you are given ample time to prepare for this day, as it is not far away.
Your Jesus
.
THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION #2132,
The presenter had beautifully knitted the doctrine of Immaculate Conception into a questionable faith for a practicing Catholic. The long list of witnesses were actually theologians of RCC but cannot be denied that they were also our fore fathers of the Catholic Church. We will touch first these people of faith mentioned in the list so we may know whose faith they belong.
Cyril of Alexandria (412-444= theologian) Patriarch of Alexandria, Origen (184-254= theologian) Alexandria, Saint Basil the Great, (329 or 330=Bishop and theologian), St. John Chrysostom (347-407= theologian), St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153=Monk), St. Bonaventure (1221-1274= theologian and Doctor of the Church) and finally St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274=philosopher and theologian); All these saints lives on different times and purposes in furtherance of Catholic faith. “Go, therefore, make disciples of all the nations; baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to observe all the commands I gave you. And know that I am with you always, to the end of time.â€(Mt.28:20)
The list of saints that have been indicated is a clear indicator of the process of “Apostolic Succession†we have in our Church as explained by Christ in the gospel of Mathew. “I am with you always, to the end of time.â€
Now what is “Apostolic Succession�
It means the line of bishops we have in our Catholic Church all over the world is stretching back to the first apostles of Christ. This doctrine is illustrated by Paul to Timothy, “What you have heard from me before many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also†(2 Tim. 2:2). In this passage he refers to the first three generations of apostolic succession—his own generation, Timothy’s generation, and the generation Timothy will teach.
How they have done this? Is there a right formula transferring the power of the Holy Spirit to be a disciple Christ?
Absolutely, it is well illustrated in the Bible. “That is why I am reminding you now to into a flame the gift that God gave you when I laid my hands on you.†(2Tim.1:6); so it was through laying out of hands they have received the power to be the true ministers of Christ and St. Paul likewise received in this manner when Ananias perform the same Rites to him in the road to Damascus. “Then Ananias went. He entered the house, and at once laid his hands on Saul and said…so that you may recover your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.â€
What was the reason behind this laying of hands?
“The reason I left you behind in Crete was for you to get everything organized there and appoint elders in every town, in the way that I told you:†(Titus1:5); We know for sure when Paul was in an apostolic missions one of his main concern is to help the Church established its faith through the appointment of elders to be the pillar and bulwark of truth…â€so that the saints together make a unity in the work of service, building up the body of Christ.†(Eph.4:12) We also know for sure that the Body of Christ refers to Church. “And He (Christ) is the of the body, the church (Col.1:18), “which is His body;†“He has put all things under his feet and made him, as the ruler of everything, the head of the Church; which is his body, the fullness of him who fills the whole creation.†(Eph. 1:23); “Who (Paul) now rejoice in my sufferings for you…for His Body’s sake, which is the Church (Col. 1:24), the Apostle Paul writes about himself. Here Paul expresses his love for the Church with sufferings and even “boast about his sufferings for the Church.†(Rom.5:3) Ever since then Paul was been fascinated with the Church that he had written a great deal of knowledge given to him through revelation. “Through all the ages, this has been kept hidden in God, the creator of everything. Why? So that Sovereignties and Powers should learn only now, THROUGH THE CHURCH, how comprehensive God’s wisdom really is, exactly according to the plan which he had from all eternity in Christ Jesus our Lord.†(Eph.3:10-11); this verse clearly emphasize that we shall know all truth pertaining to faith, morals through the Church like the dogma of the “Immaculate Conception†pronounced by Pope Pius IX.
The presenter confused the Immaculate Conception dogma pronounced by Pope Pius IX to a priest named Andrew Apostoli who does only expresses his opinion or his understanding of the messages received by the three children at Fatima. That was the problem with those guys who are outside of the RCC. They were experts in cutting out portion of the said statement and making it appear contradictory as proven by the list of saints (forefathers) he had submitted to justify his foolishness. The presenter failed to realize that to be a theologian or to be Doctor of the Church requires depth knowledge about God and his words found in the scripture. Every theologian of the RCC, individual or collective knows by heart what was written in 2Peter 1:20; “At the same time, we must be most careful to remember that the interpretation of scriptural prophecy is never a matter for individual. Why??? Because no prophecy ever came from man’s initiative; when men spoke for God it was the Holy Spirit that moved them.†So who are we to contest or to contend with the messages given to both apparitions which was already been approved to be of heavenly inspired???
Probably, father Andrew Apostoli was correct in his assessment that “Those who commit such blasphemies against our Lady are in grave danger of losing their souls, for these sins seriously offend God himself.†Why??? Because one of the unforgiving sin that may fall into a man is a sin against the Holy Spirit. “I tell you solemnly, all men sin will be forgiven, and all their blasphemies; but let anyone blaspheme against the Holy Spirit and he will never have forgiveness: he is guilty of eternal sin. This was because they were saying an unclean spirit is in him.†(Mk.3:30)
This verse was crystal clear; all sins are pardonable even a sort of blasphemies against God but why sin against the Holy Spirit is unpardonable??? Can anyone among the fundamentalist think of the best answer???
We acknowledge Jesus to be of divine in origin, right? “He is the image of the unseen God…†(Col.1:15); and …though he is without sin, let us be confident then, in approaching the throne of grace, that we shall have mercy from him and find grace when we are in need of help.†(Heb.4:16) Now, if Jesus is the image of the unseen God, would it be God who is pure in Spirit (HOLY) allowed his Son to stay in the womb of Mary for nine months to be his sanctuary??? How can a sinner’s soul magnify God??? St. Paul’s body can magnify God through his suffering when he unites it with Jesus’ suffering, but how can Mary soul increased our appreciation of God, if she was a sinner??? The answer lies in the application of the passage; suggestively, that Mary’s soul is holy, unblemished, pure, stain less, in a word, immaculately clean. She can only magnify God if her soul, through which she magnifies God, is transparent of any particular or original sin. In the same manner can we approach the throne of grace if we are not pure and holy??? As suggested by Paul in his letter to the Hebrews. It follows then, that those who blaspheme the mother of Jesus to be not of holy, blaspheme the seat of throne of the Holy Spirit. “No, Wisdom will never make its way into crafty soul nor stay in a body that is debt to sin; the holy spirit of instruction shuns deceit.†(Wisdom 1:4) We must therefore confess simply that the Blessed Virgin committed no actual sin, neither mortal nor venial; so that what is written (Cant 4:7) is fulfilled: “You are wholly beautiful, my love, and without a blemish.â€
In other words, we must not commit the same mistake like the Pharisees in Jesus time when they called the precious and Holy Spirit of God, the unclean spirit of Satan. In effect, they charged Jesus Christ with sorcery; one who to be in league with Satan. These accusations are not only inaccurate but extremely serious, and clearly false. As Jesus immediately responded, “How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end. No one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. And then he will plunder his house” (Mark 3:23-27; also see Luke 11:14-23).Thus explained; but let anyone blaspheme against the Holy Spirit and he will never have forgiveness: he is guilty of eternal sin. This was because they were saying an unclean spirit is in him.†(Mk.3:30)
The so called doctrine of the Immaculate Conception though formally revealed just recently in the 19th century has some biblical basis that many Christian denomination failed to recognize. The problem is that they are not bound to know it because of their critical stand to the mother of Jesus. Unless they change their attitude towards her they will forever be at lost to the beauty and grandeur of that Lady. “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) This is just one passage worthy of attention to start grasping her and know her better. I shall reserve some verses for future discussion to anyone who wishes to create sound exposition.
“On this subject we have many things to say, and they are difficult to explain because you have grown so slow at understanding. Really, when you should by this time have become masters, you need someone to teach you all over again the elementary principles of God’s oracle; you have gone back to needing the milk, and not solid food. Truly, anyone who still living on milk cannot digest the doctrine of the righteousness because he still a baby. Solid food is mature men with minds trained by practice to distinguish between good and bad.†(Hebrew 5:11-14);
But someone may ask like in the manner presented by the letter writer #2132…â€Yet, after claiming to see an apparition in Rue du Bac, Paris in 1830, the Catholic saint Catherine Labouré claimed Mary “was conceived without sin.†The extra-biblical teaching of the so-called “Immaculate Conception†did not become a type of Catholic dogma until December 8, 1854. It, thus, was not part of early apostolic tradition…â€
Well the writer chooses to be ignorant on the message that God continues to give messages to people of his choice in this present generation. “And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreamsâ€: (Acts.2-17); God also 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 now.
This is where the Magistreium of the Church took its role as explained in 2Peter 1:20:
The term “Magisterium†means “teaching office†and refers to the teaching role of the Pope and bishops. Their unique role, however, is that they, as successors of the apostles, judge authoritatively what is in accord with the gospel and what is not. The teaching of the Magisterium sets the standard. In formulating their teaching, the Pope and bishops rely on the help of theologians who are not bishops. And myriads of teachers pass on and explain the teaching of the Magisterium once it is formulated. Yet it is clear where to look to know the authentically Catholic position on a subject. When we say “the Church teaches†something, we are speaking about the teaching of the Magisterium. Another important point to remember is that in Aquinas’ time and other forefathers mentioned in the list, the Immaculate Conception was a tradition of the Church but was not a required belief. It did not become doctrine (thus a required belief) until the 19th century. So the presumption that their views/ ideas is at variance with the teaching of the CHURCH are but a distorted teaching comes from the enemies of the CHURCH.
Why content of the half truth while the whole truth can be won!
But if you heard a Protestant apologist repeatedly say that Aquinas rejected the Immaculate Conception. What’s the deal?
A: What the Protestant apologist said is a classic example of a half-truth. Evangelicals often use the fact that Aquinas (unlike others of his age) did not believe that Mary was entirely sanctified from the moment of her conception to imply that she committed actual, personal sin–as Protestants assert. However, nothing could be further from the truth. Even though Aquinas did not claim that Mary was sanctified from the moment of her conception, he did claim that she was sanctified before her birth, and so never committed personal sin (for unborn children commit no personal sin; cf. Rom. 9:11).
For a Protestant to knowingly push this claim is deceptive on three fronts:
1) It suggests that Aquinas’s views ought to be held to (on those rare occasions) when he disagrees with what the Church has since established as true, but the views of no one theologian, even an Aquinas, may be held in preference to what the Church later establishes. Aquinas’s views–as he himself would insist–simply cease to count as evidence concerning what a Catholic should believe once the Church has infallibly determined otherwise.
2) The fact is that Aquinas did hold to Mary’s entire personal sinlessness, which is what Protestants really object to. They are not concerned about what Aquinas was looking at–whether she was free from each and every stain of original sin during a window of time prior to her birth. That is a trivial matter to them compared to the question of whether Mary committed actual, personal sin during her life. That is what they are obsessed about and which will get them hopping up and down issuing charges of heresy, claiming that a sinless life makes Mary out to be God (as if it would make us God when we have been entirely sanctified and are leading totally sinless lives). When Protestants say that Aquinas didn’t believe in the Immaculate Conception but fail to say that he believed in her sinless life, they are picking at something that is from their position a nit and omitting the fact that Aquinas is not on their in the thing which really concerns them.
3) Since Protestants have identified the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception with the doctrine of Mary’s personal sinlessness, it is deceptive of them to say that Aquinas did not believe in the Immaculate Conception because this will imply to their audience–and to anyone else who doesn’t have a good grasp on the doctrine–that he believed Mary sinned, which is simply not true. They will thus mislead their audience into thinking Aquinas said something he didn’t, and to do that knowingly is deception, plain and simple.
In any event, here is what Aquinas said (Summa Theologiae III:27:4):
“I answer that, God so prepares and endows those, whom He chooses for some particular office, that they are rendered capable of fulfilling it, according to 2 Cor. 3:6: ‘(Who) hath made us fit ministers of the New Testament.’ Now the Blessed Virgin was chosen by God to be His Mother. Therefore there can be no doubt that God, by His grace, made her worthy of that office, according to the words spoken to her by the angel (Lk. 1:30,31): ‘Thou hast found grace with God: behold thou shalt conceive,’ etc. But she would not have been worthy to be the Mother of God, if she had ever sinned. First, because the honor of the parents reflects on the child, according to Prov. 17:6: ‘The glory of children are their fathers’: and consequently, on the other hand, the Mother’s shame would have reflected on her Son. Secondly, because of the singular affinity between her and Christ, who took flesh from her: and it is written (2 Cor. 6:15): ‘What concord hath Christ with Belial?’ Thirdly, because of the singular manner in which the Son of God, who is the ‘Divine Wisdom’ (1 Cor. 1:24) dwelt in her, not only in her soul but in her womb. And it is written (Wis. 1:4): ‘Wisdom will not enter into a malicious soul, nor dwell in a body subject to sins.’
“We must therefore confess simply that the Blessed Virgin committed no actual sin, neither mortal nor venial; so that what is written (Cant 4:7) is fulfilled: ‘Thou art all fair, O my love, and there is not a spot in thee,’ etc. ”
Thus you should never tolerate someone to say that Aquinas endorsed the idea that Mary was sinful. He absolutely and unequivocally did not, and you should ask any Protestant who says this whether he has actually read what Aquinas said on the subject or whether he is repeating erroneous claims made in anti-Catholic sources. If he is doing the latter, he is repeating gossip. If he is doing the former, and really does know what Aquinas said, then he is being deceptive.
Jesus king of mercy I trust in you!
Ave Maria!
Assumption of Mary
August 15th is a holiday known as the Assumption of Mary.
Wikipedia made the following observations:
According to the belief…of the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Catholic Churches, the Eastern Orthodox Churches, the Oriental Orthodox Churches, and the Anglican Communion, the Assumption of Mary was the bodily taking up of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven at the end of her life. The Roman Catholic Church teaches as dogma that the Virgin Mary, “having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.â€[1] This doctrine was dogmatically and infallibly defined by Pope Pius XII on November 1, 1950, in his Apostolic Constitution Munificentissimus Deus. This belief is known as the Dormition by the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Churches. In the churches which observe it, the Assumption is a major festival, commonly celebrated on August 15. In many countries it is a Catholic Holy Day of Obligation…In East Orthodox churches following the Julian Calendar, the feast day of Assumption of Mary falls on August 28, and is also a public holiday in the Republic of Macedonia.
I would like to add that many take devotion to “Mary†quite seriously.
Now it is possible that Mary did live in Ephesus. Basically, the Bible records that Jesus asked the Apostle John to take care of His mother while He was being crucified, and John accepted (John 19:26-27). As far as John being in Ephesus, Polycrates sent a letter to Pope Victor towards the end of the second century and stated that John died in Ephesus (Eusebius. Church History. Book V, Chapter 25). Hence, it is logical that Mary could have as well. The fact that Mary was not mentioned in that letter from Polycrates (and many were) indicates that she may not have gone to Ephesus–she may, for one possibility, simply have died in the Jerusalem area before John moved to Ephesus (which was likely the mid-late 60s A.D.).
But this belief in the “Assumption of Maryâ€â€“the teaching that she did perhaps did not die but went directly to heaven–is based on assumption and mysticism.
The Catholic Encyclopedia admits:
Regarding the day, year, and manner of Our Lady’s death, nothing certain is known…The dates assigned for it vary between three and fifteen years after Christ’s Ascension. Two cities claim to be the place of her departure: Jerusalem and Ephesus. Common consent favours Jerusalem, where her tomb is shown; but some argue in favour of Ephesus. The first six centuries did not know of the tomb of Mary at Jerusalem. The belief in the corporeal assumption of Mary is founded on the apocryphal treatise De Obitu S. Dominae, bearing the name of St. John, which belongs however to the fourth or fifth century. It is also found in the book De Transitu Virginis, falsely ascribed to St. Melito of Sardis, and in a spurious letter attributed to St. Denis the Areopagite.(Holweck, Frederick. “The Feast of the Assumption.†The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 2. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. 15 Aug. 201314 Aug. 2010 )
So, according to The Catholic Encyclopedia the basis for the “belief in the corporeal assumption of Mary is founded on the apocryphal†texts which were claimed to be written by people (like the Apostle John and Melito of Sardis) who did not write them. This makes no sense as a source for any dogma people would hold to be true. The Catholic writer Epiphanius, in the late fourth century, wrote:
Perhaps this [Rev. 12:13-14] can be applied to her; I cannot decide for certain, and I am not saying that she remained immortal. But neither am I saying that she died. (Panarion of Epiphanius, 78.11.4. As cited in Shoemaker S. The Ancient Traditions of the Virgin Mary’s Dormition and Assumption. Oxford University Press, 2006, p. 12)
Notice what the scripture Epiphanius referred to actually states:
13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman, who brought forth the man child: 14 And there were given to the woman two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the desert unto her place, where she is nourished for a time and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. (Revelation 12:13-14, Douay-Rheims).
Notice that “the woman†goes to “the desert†and “here she is nourished for a time and times, and half a timeâ€. Heaven is NOT a desert. Also understand that Catholic scholars tend to correctly believe that the expression “a time and times, and half a time†refers to 3 1/2 years (and even if that was in error, this is a finite period of time, not nearly two thousand years). Thus, it makes no sense that Revelation 12:13-14 could possibly apply to Mary. Epiphanius should have been able to decide for certain that it did not, around 400 years after she was born. It should be clear that the idea of Mary’s “assumption†was not a dogmatic belief centuries after she would likely have been expected to have died. Of course, the Bible was clear in the mid-late 1st century that only Jesus had immortality:
13 I charge thee before God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who gave testimony under Pontius Pilate, a good confession, 14 That thou keep the commandment without spot, blameless, unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 Which in his times he shall shew who is the Blessed and only Mighty, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; 16 Who only hath immortality, and inhabiteth light inaccessible, whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and empire everlasting. Amen. (1 Timothy 6:13-16, Douay-Rheims)
Note that I used the Catholic-approved Douay-Rheims translation in this article to show that these ideas have support even within Catholic-approved writings. If Mary was immortal then, then the Apostle Paul would not have been inspired to write that. The Catholic Saint Augustine wrote of “her death†(Augustine. Tractates on the Gospel of John (Augustine) > Tractate 8, Chapter 9. Translated by John Gibb. From Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, Vol. 7. Edited by Philip Schaff. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1888.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight. ), thus the idea of Mary dying was an old concept. Dr. Douglas Winnail made the following observation:
The Bible never refers to Mary’s “Immaculate Conceptionâ€â€”the doctrine that she was born without sin. Nor does it teach the “Assumptionâ€â€”the doctrine that Mary was bodily transported to heaven. Rather, Scripture clearly states that “no one has ascended to heaven†except Jesus (John 3:13). (Winnail DS. The Lady of Nations. Tomorrow’s World, LCG Magazine. Nov-Dec 2003).
So where did the idea of Mary’s assumption come from? Basically, from apocryphal literature in the fourth century (or possibly as early as the late third century)–but mainly even later than that. Although Epiphanius tried to investigate it, he was uncertain. Mary’s “assumption†became more of an issue after the death of Mohammed. Wikipedia notes:
John of Damascus, from this period, is the first church authority to advocate the doctrine under his own name; he had been brought up in an environment in which a corporeal ascent of Muhammed into heaven was official policy, since he, and his father before him, held the post of imperial chancellor of the Islamic empire of the Umayyads, and Muhammed’s ascent into heaven is the subject of the Night Journey, a Surah in the Quran. His contemporaries, Gregory of Tours and Modestus of Jerusalem, helped promote the concept to the wider church.
So, since the Muslims claimed that Muhammed went to directly to heaven, certain Catholics began to promote the idea. However, it should be pointed out that the place of the “assumption†changed. Wikipedia reports:
In some versions of the story the event is said to have taken place in Ephesus, in the House of the Virgin Mary, although this is a much more recent and localized tradition. The earliest traditions all locate the end of Mary’s life in Jerusalem…
So, the earliest accounts claimed Jerusalem, but that was later changed to Ephesus by some. If Mary died 3-15 years after Jesus, then she likely did not die in the area near Ephesus. Another article in The Catholic Encyclopedia mentions:
As to tradition, there is some testimony for Mary’s temporary residence in or near Ephesus, but the evidence for her permanent home in Jerusalem is much stronger… In Panaghia Kapoli, on a hill about nine or ten miles distant from Ephesus, was discovered a house, or rather its remains, in which Mary is supposed to have lived. The house was found, as it had been sought, according to the indications given by Catherine Emmerich in her life of the Blessed Virgin… In 451 Juvenal, Bishop of Jerusalem, testified to the presence of Mary’s tomb in Jerusalem…Another witness for the existence of a tradition placing the tomb of Mary in Gethsemani is the basilica erected above the sacred spot, about the end of the fourth or the beginning of the fifth century… It has been seen that we have no absolute certainty as to the place in which Mary lived after the day of Pentecost. Though it is more probable that she remained uninterruptedly in or near Jerusalem, she may have resided for a while in the vicinity of Ephesus, and this may have given rise to the tradition of her Ephesian death and burial. There is still less historical information concerning the particular incidents of her life. (Maas, Anthony. “The Blessed Virgin Mary.†The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 15. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. 15 Aug. 201314 Aug. 2010 )
Of course, the presence of a tomb suggests that one was buried within it, not assumed directly to heaven. Others have claimed her body left the tomb:
In the eighth century, St. John Damascene was known for giving sermons at the holy places in Jerusalem. At the Tomb of Mary, he expressed the belief of the Church on the meaning of the feast: “Although the body was duly buried, it did not remain in the state of death, neither was it dissolved by decay. . . . You were transferred to your heavenly home, O Lady, Queen and Mother of God in truth.†(Stevens C, Priest. Assumption of Mary. Catholic Heritage, July-August 1996.
S. Shoemaker also claims that the earliest accounts of the assumption state it occurred in Jerusalem, but later Ephesus:
Nevertheless, the earliest evidence of any such belief appears only in the ninth century, in a Syriac manuscript, copied in 874 which reports that Mary accompanied John to Ephesus, where she died and was buried. (Shoemaker S. The Ancient Traditions of the Virgin Mary’s Dormition and Assumption. Oxford University Press, 2006, p. 75)
By the way, there is a plaque outside of Ephesus near the house that Mary allegedly lived in from the Church of Rome which basically declares that this is Mary’s house (I read the plaque when I was last there). Pope Pius XII declared it a Holy Place as did Pope John XXIII (it is an important religious site for Muslims too); Wikipedia reports “Pope Paul VI visited the shrine on July 26, 1967, and ‘unofficially’ confirmed its authenticity.†The idea that Mary’s house was specifically there was allegedly developed because of visions that the mystic nun Anne Catherine Emmerich claimed to have had in the early 19th century. Because of her visions,one or more priests went to Ephesus and found a house apparently matching her descriptions (Shoemaker, p. 76). Some in the local area confirmed the location as Mary’s last house. And while some may claim that is proof it was Mary’s home, I should also add that Anne Catherine Emmerich claimed to have seen Limbo in her visions, yet the current Pontiff (Benedict XVI) has indicated that there is no such place as Limbo (What is Limbo? Is There Such a Place as Limbo? What Happens to Babies When They Die?). Despite this, on October 3, 2004 Anne Catherine Emmerich was beatified by Pope John Paul II.
But irrespective of what location may have been “Mary’s houseâ€, the historical accuracy of the “assumption of Maryâ€, is at best an assumption that seems to contradict scripture. Although some have claimed that the apostles originally reported “the assumption†there do not appear to be any pre-fourth century documents that state this (and even the “apostolic claim†was from testimony in the mid-fifth century by Juvenal, see The Catholic Encyclopedia Assumption of Mary).
The assumption position mainly seems to be accepted because people want to believe it as opposed to basing it upon reliable historical documentation:
In view of the striking absence of early historical evidence, the Vatican proceeded to establish the Assumption dogma primarily on a dogmatic rather than a historical basis. It was determined that despite the complete lack of any historical evidence for early belief in the Virgin’s Assumption, the dogma should still be proclaimed…
(Shoemaker S. The Ancient Traditions of the Virgin Mary’s Dormition and Assumption. Oxford University Press, 2006, p. 15)
Wikipedia also noted:
Protestant theologians…cite the fact that the idea did not gain acceptance in the church until the sixth century, after Gregory of Tours accepted the apocryphal work “Transitus Beatae Mariaeâ€â€¦Catholic theologian Ludwig Ott stated, “The idea of the bodily assumption of Mary is first expressed in certain transitus-narratives of the fifth and sixth centuries…. The first Church author to speak of the bodily assumption of Mary, in association with an apocryphal transitus B.M.V., is St. Gregory of Tours.â€â€¦The Catholic writer Eamon Duffy goes further, conceding that “there is, clearly, no historical evidence whatever for it.â€â€¦
In Ludwig Ott’s Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma he states that “the fact of her death is almost generally accepted by the Fathers and Theologians, and is expressly affirmed in the Liturgy of the Churchâ€, to which he adduces a number of helpful citations, and concludes that “for Mary, death, in consequence of her freedom from original sin and from personal sin, was not a consequence of punishment of sin. However, it seems fitting that Mary’s body, which was by nature mortal, should be, in conformity with that of her Divine Son, subject to the general law of deathâ€â€¦The point of her bodily death has not been infallibly defined, and many believe that she did not die at all, but was assumed directly into Heaven. The dogmatic definition within the Apostolic Constitution Munificentissimus Deus which, according to Roman Catholic dogma, infallibly proclaims the doctrine of the Assumption leaves open the question whether, in connection with her departure, Mary underwent bodily death; that is, it does not dogmatically define the point one way or the other, as shown by the words “having completed the course of her earthly lifeâ€â€¦Many Catholics also believe that Mary first died before being assumed, but they add that she was miraculously resurrected before being assumed…This doctrine was dogmatically and infallibly defined by Pope Pius XII on November 1, 1950, in his Apostolic Constitution Munificentissimus Deus.
The holiday, then, is an assumption based upon mystic literature like the Transitus Mariae, essentially combined with a dogmatic declaration in 1950.
Now, the Transitus Mary was allegedly an account from an apparition claiming to be Mary. Yet, Catholics need to realize that in the early 6th century, a papal decree, Decretum Gelasianum, classified the Transitus Mariae writings as apocryphal (The Transitus Mariae Non-canonical Account of Mary’s passing. . Anyway, the Transitus Mariae claims that John was in Ephesus and the Holy Spirit transported him to Mary in Bethlehem (Smith Lewis A. Apocrypha syriaca: the Protevangelium Jacobi and Transitus Mariae, with texts from the Septuagint, the Corân, the Peshiá¹ta, and from a Syriac hymm in a Syro-Arabic palimpsest of the fifth and other centuries. C.J. Clay and sons, 1902, p. 25) and that Mary was taken in to heaven from her house in Bethlehem (p. 33) and that was within the jurisdiction of the governor of Jerusalem (p. 36).
Now, having been to Ephesus a couple of times, I would like mention the Islamic Turks in that area actually do celebrate the “assumption of Mary†as well. Not because it is mentioned in the Quran (it does not seem to be), but because Mary is mentioned in the Quran more times than Jesus, Muslims tend to venerate her to a degree.
Perhaps I should add that August 15th is considered by certain Catholics to be Mary’s “heavenly birthdayâ€. However, perhaps it should be pointed out that early Christians did not observe birthdays (Did Early Christians Celebrate Birthdays?), hence the “birthday into heaven†position also was not a position of early Christians.
Why the Assumption of Mary Dogma?
Notice what the Catholic news agency Zenit reported:
Why a…dogmatic pronouncement on the Assumption? Because the Vicar of Christ…was inspired to do so to bring forth a new outpouring of grace for the Church through the intercession of the Queen of Heaven — the Mediatrix of all graces who was newly honored by a solemn papal proclamation of her parting earthly prerogative…
One objection voiced during the months preceding the 1950 definition by a group of theologians was that the new Marian definition would wreak havoc to ecumenical efforts newly initiated with other Christians. The late Cardinal Edouard Gagnon who lived through the years preceding and proceeding the Assumption definition, repeatedly testified to the opposite — that immediately following the papal proclamation of Our Lady’s Assumption, the Church experienced its greatest ever advancement in ecumenism in Church history up to its time, which consequently led to its historic flourishing at the Second Vatican Council.
Mothers unite. They do not divide. (Our Lady and Dogmas: Pondering the Assumption. ZE10081612 – 2010-08-16. Permalink:
So, the dogma is for the eventual ecumenical plans of the Church of Rome.
Based upon visions of various mystics, current practices of the Church of Rome, and biblical prophecies associated with “signs and lying wonders†(2 Thessalonians 2:9), it seems likely that apparitions claiming to be Mary may mislead others in the future in order to encourage ecumenical unification across church lines. And this view, is not unique to me.
The following was written over a decade ago by a member of the Orthodox Church and is warning people that false apparitions claiming to be Mary will lead to people to Antichrist:
…is it any wonder that contemporary “apparitions†of Mary are invariably accompanied by ecumenistic messages promoting the idea that all religions are equally valid and Orthodox Christianity is but one “path†among many? A recent issse of Orthodox Traidition (1966) contains the account of Matushka (wife of a Russian Orthodox priest) Katherine Swanson’s trip to Medjugorje, Croatia, to investigate the most famous of the recent cases of appartions of Mary in the Roman Catholic world. In it she recounts a telling episode:
Our guide took our group for an audience with the “seers.†During this audience, a pilgrim asked one of the children the following questions: “Does the Virgin say that the Catholic Church is the true church?†The response given by the child provides clear evidence of the ecumenical content and religious relativism which, oddly enough, increasingly mark the “revelations†at Medjugorje: “Our Blessed Mother says that all religions are equally pleasing to God.“…
To which Mary are Muslims and Protestants being drawn? …
Today, as heterodox Christians become more and more ecumenist and work toward creating a “One World Church,†the search has begun for a Mary of universal recognition, one who will appeal not only to those who bear the name Christian, but apprently to Muslims and others as well, just as attempts are likewise being made to identify the “new Christ†with the Muslim concept of their coming Mahdi and with the Messiah still awaited by the Jews. This, of course, will be no Christ at all but the antichrist.
(Jackson P. ORTHODOX LIFE., No. I, 1997., Brotherhood of Saint Job of Pochaev at Holy Trinity Monastery, Jordanville, N.Y. pp. 18-22. http://fr-d-serfes.org/orthodox/theotokos.htm viewed 05/11/09)
The reality is that it is likely that false apparitions, claiming to be “Mary†may be among the signs and lying wonders that the Bible warns are coming (2 Thessalonians 2:9).
Hence, if people assume that Mary was “assumed†(taken up) to heaven, many people will likely also accept that she is current alive today (even though she, like others, is awaiting the resurrection, cf. 1 Thessalonians 4:15-16). Thus, they may be favorably inclined to listen to one in the future who will claim to be her.
Don’t assume that Mary was assumed to heaven, nor assume that if in the future there are public apparitions claiming to be Mary, that they are in fact her. Mary is dead and awaiting the resurrection. And while the Bible does call her “blessed†(Luke 1:28,42), her veneration and assumption into heaven are not biblical doctrines, nor were they held by even the Church of Rome until after the start of the fourth century (or late third century).
The idea of an “assumption of Mary†is only an assertion, originally based upon literature declared to be apocryphal as well as mystic visions that were also faulty. It should not be dogma as it was not the position of the early Church. Sadly, it is expected to be an ecumenical tool that will not be good. Neither for the Orthodox or the Vatican (Revelation 17:15-17).
Mother of Salvation: Do not accept tolerance for pagans to take over the churches of God
Tuesday | August 6, 2013 7:37 pm
My child, you must never listen to those who attack these Messages from the Blessed Trinity, for they will distract you from this Work. Remember, this Mission will be attacked more than any other, because of the seriousness of It. The mockery, the ridicule and the criticism, will continue right up to the last day when you receive the Final Message.
The plan to discredit these Messages will intensify and hatred will mount, so please be prepared. These Messages cannot be ignored by believers, or unbelievers, for the Word of God will never go unnoticed. The hatred against God in the world right now is everywhere and those who proclaim His Word in these times will suffer.
The Truth has always been rejected since God sent His prophets in the beginning to warn His children of the dangers of paganism. Paganism is the antithesis of the Truth – the Word of God. Those poor souls, who honour false gods, anger My Father, greatly. He is a jealous God, for it was through Him that all things began. He is Almighty. He is a loving God, but His Wrath is to be feared when pagans infest those who love Him.
When God’s children – those who believe in Him, and who adore Him, through His beloved Son, Jesus Christ – try to unite with all souls, all religions, they must be very careful. God wants all of His children to love one another, irrespective of race, creed or nation. What He will not permit is that Christians embrace pagans, within their church. When this happens, the heathen will wipe out all traces of Christianity. It is insulting to God, to take the Truth – the Word of God – and leave room for lies to contaminate It.
God’s prophets warned humanity of the dangers of embracing paganism, as it leads to complete destruction. When this happens, the nations who allow this abomination into their churches will be wiped out, with little Mercy shown.
Do not accept tolerance for pagans to take over the churches of God. You must never forget the great Sacrifice made by God when He sent His only Son to bring you salvation. The day that you accept the practices of other churches, not of God, or when you show respect for pagans, is the day when you will turn your back on the Truth.
Keep your eyes open and pray that your churches will not force you to forgo your allegiance to Jesus Christ.
Your beloved Mother
Mother of Salvation
.
God the Father: The antichrist is now ready to reveal himself
Wednesday | August 7, 2013 6:50 pm
My dearest daughter, the world must prepare for the arrival of the greatest enemy of humanity since My children were placed on this Earth.
The antichrist is now ready to reveal himself and his plan is this. He will wait until wars rage everywhere. Then he will step in and create a false peace in the state of Israel by joining them with Palestine in an unlikely alliance. Everyone will lavish praise on him. He will not stop there, for he will move at a pace which will astonish many and he will negotiate peace agreements in many war-torn nations. Again, he will be praised and then be admired, with an extraordinary devotion by billions all over the world.
Then all will seem well. Very soon he will become involved with philanthropy and he will link up with the main world banks to create a new, powerful, financial institution. Many businesses and political leaders will become embroiled with his many plans. Soon a new monstrosity will be created, in the name of kick-starting the world’s economy. This will be the new Babylon, the centre of all power, from which the world’s elite and rich will trade. It will be seen to be the source of great news, so that people will benefit in every way from jobs, to the homes they live in and to the food they feed their families with.
All glory will surround the antichrist. Then he will, along with the false prophet, create a global partnership, which will be presented as the greatest humanitarian initiative. The world will applaud this new Babylon and everyone will clamour to try and gain even just a tiny foothold within its centre.
The new Babylon, all will be told, is to glorify the great one, to promote the environment, to embrace mother earth and to rid the world of poverty from the riches, which will pour from its vile mouth.
When this takes place, the Hand of My intervention will turn the world on its axis. I Am not going to stand by without warning My children of the consequences of embracing this abomination, created in the depths of Hell and inflicted upon humanity. My great signs will be given to show all those who embrace and accept this insult in My Holy Name.
I will shake the world and it will tilt. No man will be able to ignore My intervention. Then I will throw fire upon one third of the Earth. Soon, famine will be seen, but not by My Hand – it will be by the deliberate contamination of the Earth by the antichrist. As he and his cohorts inflict wickedness upon unsuspecting people in many nations, I will strike back.
While this suffering will be hard to endure, have no fear, children, for it will be short. My Love is great for all of you, but My Justice is swift and My punishment great.
You must not accept what is brought before you. When you see the man of peace, the antichrist, receive accolades and awards for his great works in war-torn countries, know that My Intervention is close.
You must remain in union with My Son, Jesus Christ, at all times and pray that the Sacraments will be made available to you by loyal priests and clergy during the times of trials which lie before you.
My Will, will be done.
Nothing can, nor will, stop the Final Covenant where My Son will Reign in Peace from being fulfilled.
Your beloved Father
God the Most High
.
THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION #2132,
The presenter had beautifully knitted the doctrine of Immaculate Conception into a questionable faith for a practicing Catholic. The long list of witnesses were actually theologians of RCC but cannot be denied that they were also our fore fathers of the Catholic Church. We will touch first these people of faith mentioned in the list so we may know whose faith they belong.
Cyril of Alexandria (412-444= theologian) Patriarch of Alexandria, Origen (184-254= theologian) Alexandria, Saint Basil the Great, (329 or 330=Bishop and theologian), St. John Chrysostom (347-407= theologian), St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153=Monk), St. Bonaventure (1221-1274= theologian and Doctor of the Church) and finally St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274=philosopher and theologian); All these saints lives on different times and purposes in furtherance of Catholic faith. “Go, therefore, make disciples of all the nations; baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to observe all the commands I gave you. And know that I am with you always, to the end of time.â€(Mt.28:20)
The list of saints that have been indicated is a clear indicator of the process of “Apostolic Succession†we have in our Church as explained by Christ in the gospel of Mathew. “I am with you always, to the end of time.â€
Now what is “Apostolic Succession�
It means the line of bishops we have in our Catholic Church all over the world is stretching back to the first apostles of Christ. This doctrine is illustrated by Paul to Timothy, “What you have heard from me before many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also†(2 Tim. 2:2). In this passage he refers to the first three generations of apostolic succession—his own generation, Timothy’s generation, and the generation Timothy will teach.
How they have done this? Is there a right formula transferring the power of the Holy Spirit to be a disciple of Christ?
Absolutely, it is well illustrated in the Bible. “That is why I am reminding you now to into a flame the gift that God gave you when I laid my hands on you.†(2Tim.1:6); so it was through laying out of hands they have received the power to be the true ministers of Christ and St. Paul likewise received in this manner when Ananias perform the same Rites to him in the road to Damascus. “Then Ananias went. He entered the house, and at once laid his hands on Saul and said…so that you may recover your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.â€
What was the reason behind this laying of hands?
“The reason I left you behind in Crete was for you to get everything organized there and appoint elders in every town, in the way that I told you:†(Titus1:5); We know for sure when Paul was in an apostolic missions one of his main concern is to help the Church established its faith through the appointment of elders to be the pillar and bulwark of truth…â€so that the saints together make a unity in the work of service, building up the body of Christ.†(Eph.4:12) We also know for sure that the Body of Christ refers to Church. “And He (Christ) is the of the body, the church (Col.1:18), “which is His body;†“He has put all things under his feet and made him, as the ruler of everything, the head of the Church; which is his body, the fullness of him who fills the whole creation.†(Eph. 1:23); “Who (Paul) now rejoice in my sufferings for you…for His Body’s sake, which is the Church (Col. 1:24), the Apostle Paul writes about himself. Here Paul expresses his love for the Church with sufferings and even “boast about his sufferings for the Church.†(Rom.5:3) Ever since then Paul was been fascinated with the Church that he had written a great deal of knowledge given to him through revelation. “Through all the ages, this has been kept hidden in God, the creator of everything. Why? So that Sovereignties and Powers should learn only now, THROUGH THE CHURCH, how comprehensive God’s wisdom really is, exactly according to the plan which he had from all eternity in Christ Jesus our Lord.†(Eph.3:10-11); this verse clearly emphasize that we shall know all truth pertaining to faith, morals through the Church like the dogma of the “Immaculate Conception†pronounced by Pope Pius IX.
The presenter confused the Immaculate Conception dogma pronounced by Pope Pius IX to a priest named Andrew Apostoli who does only expresses his opinion or his understanding of the messages received by the three children at Fatima. That was the problem with those guys who are outside of the RCC. They were experts in cutting out portion of the said statement and making it appear contradictory as proven by the list of saints (forefathers) he had submitted to justify his foolishness. The presenter failed to realize that to be a theologian or to be Doctor of the Church requires depth knowledge about God and his words found in the scripture. Every theologian of the RCC, individual or collective knows by heart what was written in 2Peter 1:20; “At the same time, we must be most careful to remember that the interpretation of scriptural prophecy is never a matter for individual. Why??? Because no prophecy ever came from man’s initiative; when men spoke for God it was the Holy Spirit that moved them.†So who are we to contest or to contend with the messages given to both apparitions which was already been approved to be of heavenly inspired???
Probably, father Andrew Apostoli was correct in his assessment that “Those who commit such blasphemies against our Lady are in grave danger of losing their souls, for these sins seriously offend God himself.†Why??? Because one of the unforgiving sin that may fall into a man is a sin against the Holy Spirit. “I tell you solemnly, all men sin will be forgiven, and all their blasphemies; but let anyone blaspheme against the Holy Spirit and he will never have forgiveness: he is guilty of eternal sin. This was because they were saying an unclean spirit is in him.†(Mk.3:30)
This verse was crystal clear; all sins are pardonable even a sort of blasphemies against God but why sin against the Holy Spirit is unpardonable??? Can anyone among the fundamentalist think of the best answer???
We acknowledge Jesus to be of divine in origin, right? “He is the image of the unseen God…†(Col.1:15); and …though he is without sin, let us be confident then, in approaching the throne of grace, that we shall have mercy from him and find grace when we are in need of help.†(Heb.4:16) Now, if Jesus is the image of the unseen God, would it be God who is pure in Spirit (HOLY) allowed his Son to stay in the womb of Mary for nine months to be his sanctuary??? How can a sinner’s soul magnify God??? St. Paul’s body can magnify God through his suffering when he unites it with Jesus’ suffering, but how can Mary soul increased our appreciation of God, if she was a sinner??? The answer lies in the application of the passage; suggestively, that Mary’s soul is holy, unblemished, pure, stain less, in a word, immaculately clean. She can only magnify God if her soul, through which she magnifies God, is transparent of any particular or original sin. In the same manner can we approach the throne of grace if we are not pure and holy??? As suggested by Paul in his letter to the Hebrews. It follows then, that those who blaspheme the mother of Jesus to be not of holy, blaspheme the seat of throne of the Holy Spirit. “No, Wisdom will never make its way into crafty soul nor stay in a body that is debt to sin; the holy spirit of instruction shuns deceit.†(Wisdom 1:4) We must therefore confess simply that the Blessed Virgin committed no actual sin, neither mortal nor venial; so that what is written (Cant 4:7) is fulfilled: “You are wholly beautiful, my love, and without a blemish.â€
In other words, we must not commit the same mistake like the Pharisees in Jesus time when they called the precious and Holy Spirit of God, the unclean spirit of Satan. In effect, they charged Jesus Christ with sorcery; one who to be in league with Satan. These accusations are not only inaccurate but extremely serious, and clearly false. As Jesus immediately responded, “How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end. No one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. And then he will plunder his house” (Mark 3:23-27; also see Luke 11:14-23).Thus explained; but let anyone blaspheme against the Holy Spirit and he will never have forgiveness: he is guilty of eternal sin. This was because they were saying an unclean spirit is in him.†(Mk.3:30)
The so called doctrine of the Immaculate Conception though formally revealed just recently in the 19th century has some biblical basis that many Christian denomination failed to recognize. The problem is that they are not bound to know it because of their critical stand to the mother of Jesus. Unless they change their attitude towards her they will forever be at lost to the beauty and grandeur of that Lady. “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) This is just one passage worthy of attention to start grasping her and know her better. I shall reserve some verses for future discussion to anyone who wishes to create sound exposition.
“On this subject we have many things to say, and they are difficult to explain because you have grown so slow at understanding. Really, when you should by this time have become masters, you need someone to teach you all over again the elementary principles of God’s oracle; you have gone back to needing the milk, and not solid food. Truly, anyone who still living on milk cannot digest the doctrine of the righteousness because he still a baby. Solid food is mature men with minds trained by practice to distinguish between good and bad.†(Hebrew 5:11-14);
But someone may ask like in the manner presented by the letter writer #2132…â€Yet, after claiming to see an apparition in Rue du Bac, Paris in 1830, the Catholic saint Catherine Labouré claimed Mary “was conceived without sin.†The extra-biblical teaching of the so-called “Immaculate Conception†did not become a type of Catholic dogma until December 8, 1854. It, thus, was not part of early apostolic tradition…â€
Well the writer chooses to be ignorant on the message that God continues to give messages to people of his choice in this present generation. “And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreamsâ€: (Acts.2-17); God also 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 now.
This is where the Magistreium of the Church took its role as explained in 2Peter 1:20:
The term “Magisterium†means “teaching office†and refers to the teaching role of the Pope and bishops. Their unique role, however, is that they, as successors of the apostles, judge authoritatively what is in accord with the gospel and what is not. The teaching of the Magisterium sets the standard. In formulating their teaching, the Pope and bishops rely on the help of theologians who are not bishops. And myriads of teachers pass on and explain the teaching of the Magisterium once it is formulated. Yet it is clear where to look to know the authentically Catholic position on a subject. When we say “the Church teaches†something, we are speaking about the teaching of the Magisterium. Another important point to remember is that in Aquinas’ time and other forefathers mentioned in the list, the Immaculate Conception was a tradition of the Church but was not a required belief. It did not become doctrine (thus a required belief) until the 19th century. So the presumption that their views/ ideas is at variance with the teaching of the CHURCH are but a distorted teaching comes from the enemies of the CHURCH.
Why content of the half truth while the whole truth can be won!
But if you heard a Protestant apologist repeatedly say that Aquinas rejected the Immaculate Conception. What’s the deal?
A: What the Protestant apologist said is a classic example of a half-truth. Evangelicals often use the fact that Aquinas (unlike others of his age) did not believe that Mary was entirely sanctified from the moment of her conception to imply that she committed actual, personal sin–as Protestants assert. However, nothing could be further from the truth. Even though Aquinas did not claim that Mary was sanctified from the moment of her conception, he did claim that she was sanctified before her birth, and so never committed personal sin (for unborn children commit no personal sin; cf. Rom. 9:11).
For a Protestant to knowingly push this claim is deceptive on three fronts:
1) It suggests that Aquinas’s views ought to be held to (on those rare occasions) when he disagrees with what the Church has since established as true, but the views of no one theologian, even an Aquinas, may be held in preference to what the Church later establishes. Aquinas’s views–as he himself would insist–simply cease to count as evidence concerning what a Catholic should believe once the Church has infallibly determined otherwise.
2) The fact is that Aquinas did hold to Mary’s entire personal sinlessness, which is what Protestants really object to. They are not concerned about what Aquinas was looking at–whether she was free from each and every stain of original sin during a window of time prior to her birth. That is a trivial matter to them compared to the question of whether Mary committed actual, personal sin during her life. That is what they are obsessed about and which will get them hopping up and down issuing charges of heresy, claiming that a sinless life makes Mary out to be God (as if it would make us God when we have been entirely sanctified and are leading totally sinless lives). When Protestants say that Aquinas didn’t believe in the Immaculate Conception but fail to say that he believed in her sinless life, they are picking at something that is from their position a nit and omitting the fact that Aquinas is not on their in the thing which really concerns them.
3) Since Protestants have identified the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception with the doctrine of Mary’s personal sinlessness, it is deceptive of them to say that Aquinas did not believe in the Immaculate Conception because this will imply to their audience–and to anyone else who doesn’t have a good grasp on the doctrine–that he believed Mary sinned, which is simply not true. They will thus mislead their audience into thinking Aquinas said something he didn’t, and to do that knowingly is deception, plain and simple.
In any event, here is what Aquinas said (Summa Theologiae III:27:4):
“I answer that, God so prepares and endows those, whom He chooses for some particular office, that they are rendered capable of fulfilling it, according to 2 Cor. 3:6: ‘(Who) hath made us fit ministers of the New Testament.’ Now the Blessed Virgin was chosen by God to be His Mother. Therefore there can be no doubt that God, by His grace, made her worthy of that office, according to the words spoken to her by the angel (Lk. 1:30,31): ‘Thou hast found grace with God: behold thou shalt conceive,’ etc. But she would not have been worthy to be the Mother of God, if she had ever sinned. First, because the honor of the parents reflects on the child, according to Prov. 17:6: ‘The glory of children are their fathers’: and consequently, on the other hand, the Mother’s shame would have reflected on her Son. Secondly, because of the singular affinity between her and Christ, who took flesh from her: and it is written (2 Cor. 6:15): ‘What concord hath Christ with Belial?’ Thirdly, because of the singular manner in which the Son of God, who is the ‘Divine Wisdom’ (1 Cor. 1:24) dwelt in her, not only in her soul but in her womb. And it is written (Wis. 1:4): ‘Wisdom will not enter into a malicious soul, nor dwell in a body subject to sins.’
“We must therefore confess simply that the Blessed Virgin committed no actual sin, neither mortal nor venial; so that what is written (Cant 4:7) is fulfilled: ‘Thou art all fair, O my love, and there is not a spot in thee,’ etc. ”
Thus you should never tolerate someone to say that Aquinas endorsed the idea that Mary was sinful. He absolutely and unequivocally did not, and you should ask any Protestant who says this whether he has actually read what Aquinas said on the subject or whether he is repeating erroneous claims made in anti-Catholic sources. If he is doing the latter, he is repeating gossip. If he is doing the former, and really does know what Aquinas said, then he is being deceptive.
Jesus king of mercy I trust in you!
Ave Maria!
The next apparition which all should anticipate, I guess, will be author of #2149.
A soul cannot be made whole again until it recognises the Greatness of God
Friday | August 9, 2013 4:50 pm
My dearly beloved daughter, people do not understand fully what it means to be in union with My Heart. I, Jesus Christ, came to free humanity from its slavery to sin. Sin was created when Lucifer believed that he was greater than God. Because of his wicked jealousy, he tempted man – God’s first children, Adam and Eve – to turn away from Him.
My death gave all of God’s children the Gift of salvation. Many people in the world, of all creeds, including those who do not believe in God or those who deny God and place false idols before Him, are all offered the Gift of salvation. Not all will accept this Gift. I come to each of you as a Saviour. I will come before each of you, to prove to you the Truth, before the final day. I will come to offer the Gift of Eternal Life even to those who have sinned gravely in the Eyes of God.
The Glory of God is your way forward and in order to receive this Gift all you have to do is to accept My Mercy. God is Almighty, Powerful and is Perfect in every way. He is much loved by all of the angels and saints in Heaven. He is much loved by many souls who are alive in the world today. All will witness His Great Glory in the New Heaven and the New Earth.
God does not need man. It is only because of His Love for man that He sends Me, His beloved Son, once again to bring them the Eternal Life, which He has promised. This is why He is Patient. This is why He turns a blind Eye to sin, in hope that His children will turn to Him and accept His Love.
Love is powerful when it is pure and comes from God. When the soul is pure, it will easily be drawn into the Love of God. Souls, who need to be cleansed, will accept the Love of God, if they accept the suffering which is needed to make them whole again. A soul cannot be made whole again until it recognises the Greatness of God and bows before Him in humble servitude.
The day when all of you will be shown the way to salvation is close. Every single sinner will be given the chance to reach out to God. Those who do will be lavished with My Mercy.
Your Jesus
.
Leo Dias #2150,
Is the plain simple truth hurting you…??? May God bless you!!!
Mother of Salvation: What man could ever reject this new perfect existence
Friday | August 9, 2013 6:38 pm
My child, every effort will be made by the evil one to encourage all souls, including those who are closest to the Heart of my Son, to reject and deny His Second Coming.
Just as the spirit of evil fought against me, the Mother of God, in the time leading up to the birth of Jesus, the same opposition will be witnessed as His Second Coming draws near.
Many people are blind to the Promise made by my Son, when He said that He would come again. Many, who do not accept that His Second Coming will happen soon, are unprepared because they cannot accept that it will take place in their lifetime. Whereas, in the days soon after my Son’s death on the Cross, His apostles thought that they would witness His Second Coming. This belief was also prevalent in the minds of Christians many hundreds of years later. But this is not the case today. Some believe that the Second Coming refers to an old part of Holy Scripture and that it is an event which is part of the future. They do not believe that the Second Coming has any relevance for them in today’s modern world. Everything in the world today is based on materialism, modern human intelligence and the great wonders which spring from great advances in science.
Children, you must prepare. You must not be frightened. It is because you are very much loved by my Son that He comes back soon to bring you a great peace, a great freedom from sadness and despair – which is caused directly as a result of sin in the world.
The Second Coming of Christ is what humanity needs to survive. If Jesus did not come soon, as foretold, then the world would be destroyed and man would be forsaken. This Gift will bring you a new life, a new wonderful and glorious beginning in the New Paradise. It will be the greatest renewal of the Earth and with it will come Eternal Life. What man could ever reject this new perfect existence? No one, if given the full knowledge of this New Era of Peace, where Paradise will be restored, would turn their backs. Not one single sinner would want to be excluded, but sadly the minds of many will be blinded to the Truth. Instead, they will believe that peace will be theirs when they swallow the lies, which will soon be presented to them, in the mistaken belief that they come from God.
Pray, pray, children, that you are blessed with the Gift of vision, given to those of you who are worthy to be bestowed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit. Only those who accept the Hand of Mercy, by the Hand of God, will be taken into a life of eternity.
Your beloved Mother
Mother of Salvation
.
Know that the pain of rejection will be exactly as I, and My apostles, had to suffer during My Time on Earth
Saturday | August 10, 2013 12:49 pm
My dearly beloved daughter, not one man amongst you is so clean of soul that he can judge others in My Name. But know this, those of you who are loyal to Me and who follow My Teachings – you will have to bear much sorrow when you have to witness the greatest evil abomination, which faces the world.
In the name of social justice and social compassion, the false prophet will set out, what the world will believe to be, to evangelise and create a modern church. This church will be seen to reach out to all sinners and to embrace those sinners whose sins are not acceptable by Me.
You, My beloved followers, will be viewed as a heretic sect, because you will continue to proclaim the Truth. All attempts to remain true to Me will be attacked vigorously. You will be outcast and declared to be right-wing dissidents. Any attempt to retain the traditions of the Sacred Ceremonies will be ignored.
The power of those who will mislead My churches on Earth must not be underestimated, as millions of sacred servants will embrace the new false doctrine. They will, mistakenly, believe that this new doctrine is a form of evangelism. Their support, as willing servants of the abomination, will make it very difficult for those Christians who know the Truth. Their voices will be like whispers amidst the screams of those who will become slaves to lies, created in My Name.
Know that the pain of rejection will be exactly as I, and My apostles, had to suffer during My Time on Earth. The priests of the day, who claimed to love God, had no hesitation in silencing the voices of My disciples, who brought them the news of Who I was. This time, as I herald My Second Coming, My prophets and My disciples will find it harrowing when their voices will be dismissed and they will be accused of blasphemy.
While My followers expand and grow, they will be like paupers and they will climb the Hill of Calvary – naked, with nothing except their faith. While they will keep the Flame of My Light alive in My Church – My True Church – they will never deviate from the Truth and they will carry on their backs a heavy cross. This is the cross of salvation, for on their poor, weary backs they will carry the sins of those who deserted Me. Their lot will be hard. Because of their love for Me, they will suffer because of others, in order to save their sorry souls.
These souls do not deserve to be saved. They will only be saved because I choose to save them. They will have insulted Me, caused terrible suffering to My loyal followers and tormented My Remnant Army. Yet, I will save them because of the faith of those in My Remnant Army.
Those other people, who have sold their souls to the beast, know this. You may not believe in Hell, but I will reveal to you what suffering it will bring you. The day I will show you the levels of torture in Hell, it will terrorise you and many of you will scream for My Mercy. And I will save you, if you ask Me to forgive you. I will do this during the Day of the Great Warning. Those of you, who witness the burning fires of Hell, but who will not turn to Me – you will not survive The Warning and that moment when you reject Me will be your last.
All those, who remain loyal to Me and true to My Word – though you will suffer – the future ahead of you is one of great glory.
Those who will not heed My Warning or listen to the Truth will be in great danger.
Those of you, who idolise the beast and who follow the false prophet into the new world religion, will be thrown in the burning fires of Hell, alive, with these two.
The Truth is bitter to taste, but when you accept it, it will bring you Eternal Life, where you will enjoy My Kingdom forever with your loved ones. Do not cut off the umbilical cord to Eternal Life, for you will suffer such terrible suffering and you will never be given a reprieve.
Your Jesus
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Floods will be commonplace and you will know which parts of the world anger My Father the most
Monday | August 12, 2013 3:00 am
My dearly beloved daughter, My followers everywhere, including those who do not know about these Messages, will be drawn into My churches at this time seeking Me out. Because of My Gift to them of the Holy Spirit, they will be swept into My Refuge of the Heart. They will sense unease in the world and they will know that they need My help in order to remain firm to My Teachings.
Many will feel the changes in the air, as the enemies of God begin to make known their plan of hatred to deceive the world as their vile acts, to condone sin in all its guises, are made known. The world will be swept into a flood of anguish and many will be shocked by the attempts they will see everywhere to idolise sin in every form.
Sins of the flesh will be applauded. Vanity and an obsessive love of self will be witnessed all over the world. Self-obsession will, like never before, seem to be an essential trait. Those who do not seek out such pleasures will be discarded and made to feel like outsiders. The sins of the evil one will be glorified and as man finds himself sucked into this madness, the world will be shown the floods of wrath as My Father sweeps away many parts of many countries. Floods will be commonplace and you will know which parts of the world anger My Father the most, when the waters pour down in anger upon nations.
All your wicked nations will experience firsthand how sins of the flesh will be punished. My Father will stop the evil one from taking over the souls of those who are guilty of this sin, in order to prevent them from infesting others. They will be stopped. No more will they be allowed to continue with their infestation. This evil will be addressed and Divine Intervention will now be witnessed, everywhere, by the Hand of God.
Pray for Mercy those of you who may be caught up in these chastisements. I will protect those who turn to Me for protection.
Your Jesus
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My Own Know Me
Obedience To Me Your God Comes Before Obedience To Men
Every Devotion Given To My Mother Pleases My Heart
December 4, 1989
My Vassula, be strong; My Sacred Heart is your Fortress, come, My child, and hide in Its depths; exempt by My Hand, Love loves you; you see, My child, these men do not talk My language; My language of Love has really never penetrated them; you are fully aware now that anyone I lift to Me, talks My language and tries to live close to Me in devotion, is certain to be attacked; My language is a language of Love but they have not understood; if they call you heretic, 1 they call Me heretic, and My entire Kingdom, since My Kingdom is based on Love; these ministers need many prayers, followed by sacrifices;
every soul who condemns My Message shall have to face Me in the Day of Judgment, giving Me his accounts and, believe Me, I shall judge them severely; remember, nevertheless, that I am always by your side; think constantly of this, My Vassula; come, let us pray;
“Father!
You who lifted my soul from this dark exile
and placed me under Your Wings,
take pity on me,
raise me up when I am fearing,
grant me Your Peace and Your Love,
establish me in greater Faith
so that I may glorify Your Holy Name again;
amen;”
Love is near you, and I know My own and My own know Me, but I shall take away the sight from those that see, and give sight to those that are blind;
come be My incense and please Me by refusing Me nothing; Wisdom shall instruct you, come;
we, us, My beloved;
(I felt Jesus was calling me, I had to rush to Him.)
daughter, you are the apple of My Eye, let no one deceive you in thinking otherwise; your weakness incessantly infatuates Me; your incapacity reminds Me of My first disciples where they had to, constantly, depend on My Mastery; daughter, worship Me and cling on Me, for I am the Life;
My Vassula, obedience to Me your God comes before obedience to men; meditate on these words;
elevate your soul to Me by reducing your external thoughts, recollect yourself and feel My Presence; let your soul rise from meditation into contemplation; reach Me your God in silence; come to Me in contemplative adoration; see? pray the rosary now;
(Jesus means while on dictation …)
I am listening together with My Mother;
(I prayed the beginning of the Rosary up to the first Mystery. They are the Glorious Mysteries today.)
I resurrected; shall we pray? I shall help you meditate, come;
(After finishing the first mystery.)
beware not to lose your concentration; come into the next mystery when I ascended to the Father; beloved, pray; amen …
enter now into My third mystery, when My Holy Spirit descended like tongues of Fire; pray for the coming Pentecost, already your generation feels the pangs of Its birth; the night is almost over, dawn is soon to break, and when it does, evil who prowled with ease in the night shall flee at daybreak; yes, indeed, My Spirit of Grace shall be poured out on all mankind, and your generation shall be fed directly by Me; you shall be taught and guided by Me and even My saints and My angels from above shall meet you at each street-corner; I will shower upon you My Bread; rejoice and be glad! I, the Lord, am the Light of the world; let those who have ears hear; take courage, dawn is soon with you;
come, meditate; now comes the fourth mystery, My Beloved Mother’s Assumption; be blessed and meditate…
blessed one, let us now enter into the fifth mystery where I, the Lord, crown My Mother and name Her Queen of Heaven; daughter, I desire you to contemplate upon this glorious mystery; come: every devotion given to My Mother pleases My Heart,
come, write, I am near you; rejoice soul, take your pencil and copy all this;
Extract from the Writings of Venerable Mary of Jesus of Agreda – The Mystical City of God
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THE GLORIOUS AND HAPPY TRANSITION OF THE MOST HOLY MARY. HOW THE APOSTLES AND DISCIPLES ARRIVED PREVIOUSLY IN JERUSALEM AND WERE PRESENT AT HER DEATH.
732. And now, according to the decree of the divine will, the day was approaching in which the true and living Ark of the covenant was to be placed in the temple of the celestial Jerusalem, with a greater glory and higher jubilee than its prophetic figure was installed by Solomon in the sanctuary beneath the wings of the cherubim (III King 8, 8). Three days before the most happy Transition of the great Lady the Apostles and disciples were gathered in Jerusalem and in the Cenacle. The first one to arrive was Saint Peter, who was transported from Rome by the hands of an angel. At that place the angel appeared to him and told him that the passing away of the most blessed Mary was imminent and that the Lord commanded him to go to Jerusalem in order to be present at that event. Thereupon the angel took him up and brought him from Italy to the Cenacle. Thither the Queen of the world had retired, somewhat weakened in body by the force of her divine love; for since She was so near to her end, She was subjected more completely to love’s effects.
733. The great Lady came to the entrance of her oratory in order to receive the vicar of Christ our Savior. Kneeling at his feet She asked his blessing and said: “I give thanks and praise to the Almighty, that He has brought to me the holy Father for assisting me in the hour of my death.” Then came saint Paul, to whom the Queen showed the same reverence with similar tokens of her pleasure at seeing him. The Apostles saluted Her as the Mother of God, as their Queen and as Mistress of all creation; but with a sorrow equal to their reverence, because they knew that they had come to witness her passing away. After these Apostles came the others and the disciples still living. Three days after, they were all assembled in the Cenacle. The heavenly Mother received them all with profound humility, reverence and love, asking each one to bless Her. All of them complied, and saluted Her with admirable reverence. By orders of the Lady given to saint John, and with the assistance of saint James the less, they were all hospitably entertained and accommodated.
734. Some of the Apostles who had been transported by the angels and informed by them of the purpose of their coming, were seized with tenderest grief and shed abundant tears at the thought of losing their only protection and consolation. Others were as yet ignorant of their approaching loss, especially the disciples, who had not been positively informed by the angels, but were moved by interior inspirations and a sweet and forcible intimation of God’s will to come to Jerusalem. They immediately conferred with Saint Peter, desirous of knowing the occasion of their meeting; for all of them were convinced, that if there had been no special occasion, the Lord would not have urged them so strongly to come. The apostle saint Peter, as the head of the Church, called them all together in order to tell them of the cause of their coming, and spoke to the assembly: “My dearest children and brethren, the Lord has called and brought us to Jerusalem from remote regions not without a cause most urgent and sorrowful to us. The Most High wishes now to raise up to the throne of eternal glory his most blessed Mother, our Mistress, our consolation and protection. His divine decree is that we all be present at her most happy and glorious Transition. When our Master and Redeemer ascended to the right hand of his Father, although He left us orphaned of his most delightful presence, we still retained his most blessed Mother. As our light now leaves us, what shall we do? What help or hope have we to encourage us on our pilgrimage? I find none except the hope that we all shall follow Her in due time.”
735. Saint Peter could speak no farther, because uncontrollable tears and sighs interrupted him. Neither could the rest of the Apostles answer for a long time, during which, amid copious and tenderest tears, they gave vent to the groans of their inmost heart. After some time the vicar of Christ recovered himself and added: “My children, let us seek the presence of our Mother and Lady. Let us spend the time left of her life in her company and ask Her to bless us.” They all betook themselves to the oratory of the great Queen and found Her kneeling upon a couch, on which She was wont to recline for a short rest. They saw Her full of beauty and celestial light, surrounded by the thousand angels of her guard.
736. The natural condition and appearance of her sacred and virginal body were the same as at her thirty-third year; for, as I have already stated, from that age onward it experienced no change. It was not affected by the passing years, showing no signs of age, no wrinkles in her face or body, nor giving signs of weakening or fading, as in other children of Adam, who gradually fall away and drop from the natural perfection of early man or womanhood. This unchangeableness was the privilege of the most blessed Mary alone, as well because it consorted with the stability of her purest soul, as because it was the natural consequence of her immunity from the sin of Adam, the effects of which in this regard touched neither her sacred body nor her purest soul. The Apostles and disciples, and some of the other faithful, occupied her chamber, all of them preserving the utmost order in her presence. Saint Peter and saint John placed themselves at the head of the couch. The great Lady looked upon them all with her accustomed modesty and reverence and spoke to them as follows: “My dearest children, give permission to your servant to speak in your presence and to disclose my humble desires.” Saint Peter answered that all listened with attention and would obey Her in all things; and he begged Her to seat Herself upon the couch, while speaking to them. It seemed to saint Peter that She was exhausted from kneeling so long and that She had taken that position in order to pray to the Lord, and that in speaking to them, it was proper She should be seated as their Queen.
737. But She, who was the Teacher of humility and obedience unto death, practiced both these virtues in that hour. She answered that She would obey in asking of them their blessing, and besought them to afford Her this consolation. With the permission of saint Peter She left the couch and, kneeling before the Apostle, said to him: “My lord, I beseech thee, as the universal pastor and head of the holy Church, to give me thy blessing in thy own and in its name. Pardon me thy handmaid for the smallness of the service I have rendered in my life. Grant that John dispose of my vestments, the two tunics, giving them to the two poor maidens, who have always obliged me by their charity.” She then prostrated Herself and kissed the feet of saint Peter as the vicar of Christ, by her abundant tears eliciting not less the admiration than the tears of the Apostle and of all the bystanders. From saint Peter She went to saint John, and kneeling likewise at his feet, said: “Pardon, my son and my master, my not having fulfilled toward thee the duties of a Mother as I ought and as the Lord had commanded me, when from the Cross He appointed thee as my son and me as thy mother (John 19,27). I humbly and from my heart thank thee for the kindness which thou hast shown me as a son. Give me thy benediction for entering into the vision and company of Him who created me.”
738. The sweetest Mother proceeded in her leave-taking, speaking to each of the Apostles in particular and to some of the disciples; and then to all the assembly together; for there were a great number. She rose to her feet and addressed them all, saying: “Dearest children and my masters, always have I kept you in my soul and written in my heart. I have loved you with that tender love and charity, which was given to me by my divine Son, whom I have seen in you, his chosen friends. In obedience to his holy and eternal will, I now go to the eternal mansions, where I promise you as a Mother I will look upon you by the clearest light of the Divinity, the vision of which my soul hopes and desires in security. I commend unto you my mother, the Church, the exaltation of the name of the Most High, the spread of the evangelical law, the honor and veneration for the words of my divine Son, the memory of his Passion and Death, the practice of his doctrine. My children, love the Church, and love one another with that bond of charity, which your Master has always inculcated upon you (John 13,34). To thee, Peter, holy Pontiff, I commend my son John and all the rest.”
739. The words of the most blessed Mary, like arrows of a divine fire, penetrated the hearts of all the Apostles and hearers, and as She ceased speaking, all of them were dissolved in streams of tears and, seized with irreparable sorrow, cast themselves upon the ground with sighs and groans sufficient to move to compassion the very earth. All of them wept, and with them wept also the sweetest Mary, who could not resist this bitter and well-founded sorrow of her children. After some time She spoke to them again, and asked them to pray with Her and for Her in silence, which they did. During this quietness the incarnate Word descended from heaven on a throne of ineffable glory, accompanied by all the saints and innumerable angels, and the house of the Cenacle was filled with glory. The most blessed Mary adored the Lord and kissed his feet. Prostrate before Him She made the last and most profound act of faith and humility in her mortal life. On this occasion the most pure Creature, the Queen of the heavens, shrank within Herself and lowered Herself to the earth more profoundly than all men together ever have or ever will humiliate themselves for all their sins. Her divine Son gave Her his blessing and in the presence of the courtiers of heaven spoke to Her these words: “My dearest Mother, whom I have chosen for my dwelling place, the hour is come in which thou art to pass from the life of this death and of the world into the glory of my Father and mine, where thou shalt possess the throne prepared for thee at my right hand and enjoy it through all eternity. And since, by my power and as my Mother, I have caused thee to enter the world free and exempt from sin, therefore also death shall have no tight or permission to touch thee at thy exit from this world. If thou wishest not to pass through it, come with Me now to partake of my glory, which thou hast merited.”
740. The most prudent Mother prostrated Herself at the feet of her Son and with a joyous countenance answered: “My Son and my Lord, I beseech Thee let thy mother and thy servant enter into eternal life by the common portal of natural death, like the other children of Adam. Thou, who art my true God, hast suffered death without being obliged to do so; it is proper that, as I have followed Thee in life, so I follow Thee also in death.” Christ the Savior approved of the decision and the sacrifice of his most blessed Mother, and consented to its fulfillment. Then all the angels began to sing in celestial harmony some of the verses of the Canticles of Solomon and other new ones. Although only saint John and some of the Apostles were enlightened as to the presence of Christ the Savior, yet the others felt in their interior its divine and powerful effects; but the music was heard as well by the Apostles and disciples, as by many others of the faithful there present. A divine fragrance also spread about, which penetrated even to the street. The house of the Cenacle was filled with a wonderful effulgence, visible to all, and the Lord ordained that multitudes of the people of Jerusalem gathered in the streets as witnesses to this new miracle.
741. When the angels began their music, the most blessed Mary reclined back upon her couch or bed. Her tunic was folded about her sacred body, her hands were joined and her eyes fixed upon her divine Son, and She was entirely inflamed with the fire of divine love. And as the angels intoned those verses of the second chapter of the Canticles: “Surge, propera, arnica mea,” that is to say: “Arise, haste, my beloved, my dove, my beautiful one, and come, the winter has passed,” etc., She pronounced those words of her Son on the Cross: “Into thy hands, 0 Lord, I commend my spirit.” Then She closed her virginal eyes and expired. The sickness which took away her life was love, without any other weakness or accidental intervention of whatever kind. She died at the moment when the divine power suspended the assistance, which until then had counteracted the sensible ardors of her burning love of God. As soon as this miraculous assistance was withdrawn, the fire of her love consumed the life-humors of her heart and thus caused the cessation of her earthly existence.
742. Then this most pure Soul passed from her virginal body to be placed in boundless glory, on the throne at the right hand of her divine Son. Immediately the music of the angels seemed to withdraw to the upper air; for that whole procession of angels and saints accompanied the King and Queen to the empyrean heavens. The sacred body of the most blessed Mary, which had been the temple and sanctuary of God in life, continued to shine with an effulgent light and breathed forth such a wonderful and unheard of fragrance, that all the bystanders were filled with interior and exterior sweetness. The thousand angels of her guard remained to watch over the inestimable treasure of her virginal body. The Apostles and disciples, amid the tears and the joy of the wonders they had seen, were absorbed in admiration for some time, and then sang many hymns and psalms in honor of the most blessed Mary now departed. This glorious Transition of the great Queen took place in the hour in which her divine Son had died, at three o’clock on a Friday, the thirteenth day of August, she being seventy years of age, less the twenty-six days intervening between the thirteenth of August, on which She died, and the eighth of September, the day of her birth. The heavenly Mother had survived the death of Christ the Savior twenty-one years, four months and nineteen days; and his virginal birth, fifty-five years. This reckoning can be easily made in the following manner: when Christ our Savior was born, his virginal Mother was fifteen years, three months and seventeen days of age. The Lord lived thirty-three years and three months; so that at the time of his sacred Passion the most blessed Lady was forty-eight years, six months and seventeen days old; adding to these another twenty-one years, four months and nineteen days, we ascertain her age as seventy years, less twenty-five or twenty-six days. *
743. Great wonders and prodigies happened at the precious death of the Queen; for the sun was eclipsed (as I said above in No. 706) and its light was hidden in sorrow for some hours. Many birds of different kinds gathered around the Cenacle, and by their sorrowful clamors and groans for a while caused the bystanders themselves to weep. All Jerusalem was in commotion, and many of the inhabitants collected in astonished crowds, confessing loudly the power of God and the greatness of his works. Others were astounded and as if beside themselves. The Apostles and disciples with others of the faithful broke for thin tears and sighs. Many sick persons came who all were cured. The souls in purgatory were released. But the greatest miracle was that three persons, a man in Jerusalem and two women living in the immediate neighborhood of the Cenacle, died in sin and impenitent in that same hour, subject to eternal damnation; but In figures as follows: Birth of Christ, 15 years, 3 months, 17 days. Death of Christ, 33years, 3 months, .. days. 48 years, 6 months, 17 days. Death of Mary, 21 years, 4 months, 19 days. Age at death. 69 years, 11 months, 5 or 6 days when their cause came before the tribunal of Christ, his sweetest Mother interceded for them and they were restored to life. They so mended their conduct, that afterwards they died in grace and were saved. This privilege was not extended to others that died on that day in the world, but was restricted to those three who happened to die in that hour in Jerusalem. What festivities were celebrated on that occasion in heaven I will describe in another chapter, lest heavenly things be mixed up with the sacred things of earth.
THE BURIAL OF THE SACRED BODY OF THE MOST BLESSED MARY, AND WHAT HAPPENED THEREAT.
747. In order that the Apostles, the disciples, and many others of the faithful might not be too deeply oppressed by sorrow, and in order that some of them might not die of grief caused by the passing away of the most blessed Mary, it was necessary that the divine power, by an especial providence, furnish them with consolation and dilate their heart for new influences in their incomparable affliction. For the feeling, that their loss was irretrievable in the present life, could not be repressed; the privation of such a Treasure could never find a recompense; and as the most sweet, loving and amiable intercourse and conversation of their great Queen had ravished the heart of each one, the ceasing of her protection and company left them as it were without the breath of life. But the Lord, who well knew how to estimate the just cause of their sorrow, secretly upheld them by his encouragements and so they set about the fitting burial of the sacred body and whatever the occasion demanded.
748. Accordingly the holy Apostles, on whom this duty specially devolved, held a conference concerning the burial of the most sacred body of their Queen and Lady. They selected for that purpose a new sepulchre, which had been prepared mysteriously by the providence of her divine Son. As they remembered, that, according to the custom of the Jews at burial, the deified body of their Master had been anointed with precious ointments and spices and wrapped in the sacred burial cloths; they thought not of doing otherwise with the virginal body of his most holy Mother. Accordingly they called the two maidens, who had assisted the Queen during her life and who had been designated as the heiresses of her tunics, and instructed them to anoint the body of the Mother of God with highest reverence and modesty and wrap it in the winding-sheets before it should be placed in the casket. With great reverence and fear the two maidens entered the room, where the body of the blessed Lady lay upon its couch; but the refulgence issuing from it barred and blinded them in such a manner that they could neither see nor touch the body, nor even ascertain in what particular place it rested.
749. In fear and reverence still greater than on their entrance, the maidens left the room; and in great excitement and wonder they told the Apostles what had happened. They, not without divine inspiration, came to the conclusion, that this sacred Ark of the covenant was not to be touched or handled in the common way. Then saint Peter and saint John entered the oratory and perceived the effulgence, and at the same time they heard the celestial music of the angels, who were singing:
“Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.” Others responded: “A Virgin before childbirth, in childbirth and after childbirth.”
From that time on many of the faithful expressed their devotion toward the most blessed Mary in these words of praise; and from them they were handed down to be repeated by us with the approbation of the holy Church. The two holy Apostles, saint Peter and saint John, were for a time lost in admiration at what they saw and heard of their Queen; and in order to decide what to do, they sank on their knees, beseeching the Lord to make it known. Then they heard a voice saying: “Let not the sacred body be either uncovered or touched.”
750. Having thus been informed of the will of God, they brought a bier, and, the effulgence having diminished somewhat, they approached the couch and with their own hands reverently took hold of the tunic at the two ends. Thus, without changing its posture, they raised the sacred and virginal Treasure and placed it on the bier in the same position as it had occupied on the couch. They could easily do this, because they felt no more weight than that of the tunic. On this bier the former effulgence of the body moderated still more, and all of them, by disposition of the Lord and for the consolation of all those present, could now perceive and study the beauty of that virginal countenance and of her hands. As fo rthe rest, the omnipotence of God protected this his heavenly dwelling, so that neither in life nor in death anyone should behold any other part except what is common in ordinary conversation, namely, her most inspiring countenance, by which She had been known, and her hands, by which She had labored.
751. So great was the care and solicitude for his most blessed Mother, that in this particular He used not so much precaution in regard to his own body, as that of the most pure Virgin. In her Immaculate Conception He made Her like to Himself; likewise at her birth, in as far as it did not take place in the common and natural manner of other men. He preserved Her also from impure temptations and thoughts. But, as He was man and the Redeemer of the world through his Passion and Death, He permitted with his own body, what He would not allow with Hers, as that of a woman, and therefore He kept her virginal body entirely concealed; in fact the most pure Lady during her life had Herself asked that no one should be permitted to look upon it in death; which petition He fulfilled. Then the Apostles consulted further about her burial. Their decision becoming known among the multitudes of the faithful in Jerusalem, they brought many candles to be lighted at the bier, and it happened that all the lights burned through that day and the two following days without any of the candles being consumed or wasted in any shape or manner.
752. In order that this and many other miracles wrought by the power of God on this occasion might become better known to the world, the Lord himself inspired all the inhabitants of Jerusalem to be present at the burial of his most blessed Mother, so that there was scarcely any person in Jerusalem, even of the Jews or the gentiles, who were not attracted by the novelty of this spectacle. The Apostles took upon their shoulders the sacred body and the tabernacle of God and, as priests of the evangelical law, bore the Propitiatory of the divine oracles and blessings in orderly procession from the Cenacle in the city to the valley of Josaphat. This was the visible accompaniment of the dwellers of Jerusalem. But besides this there was another invisible multitude, that of the courtiers of heaven. It was composed of the thousand angels of the Queen, continuing their celestial songs, which were heard by the Apostles and disciples and many others, and which sweetly continued for three days. In addition to these many other spirits had descended from heaven, namely, many thousands or legions of angels with the ancient Patriarchs and Prophets, among whom were saint Joachim, saint Anne, saint Joseph, saint Elisabeth and the Baptist and numerous other saints, who were sent by our Savior Jesus to assist at the exequies and burial of his most blessed Mother.
753. In the midst of this celestial and earthly accompaniment, visible and invisible, the Apostles bore along the sacred body, and on the way happened great miracles, which would take much time to relate. In particular all the sick, of which there were many of the different kinds, were entirely cured. Many of the possessed were freed from the demons; for the evil spirits did not dare to wait until the sacred body came near the persons thus afflicted. Greater still were the miracles of conversions wrought among many Jew sand gentiles, for on this occasion were opened up the treasures of divine mercy, so that many souls came to the knowledge of Christ our Savior and loudly confessed Him as the true God and Redeemer, demanding Baptism. Many days thereafter the Apostles and disciples labored hard in catechizing and baptising those, who on that day had been converted to the holy faith. The Apostles in carrying the sacred body felt wonderful effects of divine light and consolation, in which the disciples shared according to their measure. All the multitudes of the people were seized with astonishment at the fragrance diffused about, the sweet music and the other prodigies. They proclaimed God great and powerful in this Creature and in testimony of their acknowledgment, they struck their breasts in sorrow and compunction.
754. When the procession came to the holy sepulchre in the valley of Josaphat, the same two Apostles, saint Peter and saint John, who had laid the celestial Treasure from the couch onto the bier, with joyful reverence placed it in the sepulchre and covered it with a linen cloth, the hands of the angels performing more of these last rites than the hands of the Apostles. They closed up the sepulchre with a large stone, according to custom at other burials. The celestial courtiers returned to heaven, while the thousand angels of the Queen continued their watch, guarding the sacred body and keeping up the music as at her burial.
The concourse of the people lessened and the holy Apostles and disciples, dissolved in tender tears, returned to the Cenacle. During a whole year the exquisite fragrance exhaled by the body of the Queen was noticeable throughout the Cenacle, and in her oratory, for many years. This sanctuary remained a place of refuge for all those that were burdened with labor and difficulties; all found miraculous assistance, as well in sickness as in hardships and necessities of other kind. After these miracles had continued for some years in Jerusalem, the sins of Jerusalem and of its inhabitants drew upon this city, among other punishments, that of being deprived of this inestimable blessing.
755. Having again gathered in the Cenacle, the Apostles came to the conclusion that some of them and of the disciples should watch at the sepulchre of their Queen as long as they should hear the celestial music, for all of them were wondering when the end of that miracle should be. Accordingly some of them attended to the affairs of the Church in catechizing and baptizing the new converts; and others immediately returned to the sepulchre, while all of them paid frequent visits to it during the next three days. Saint Peter and saint John, however, were more zealous in their attendance, coming only a few times to the Cenacle and immediately returning to where was laid the treasure of their heart. Nor were the irrational creatures missing at the exequies of the Mistress of the universe; for as the sacred body arrived near the grave, innumerable large and small birds gathered in the air, and many animals and wild beasts rushed from the mountains toward the sepulchre, the ones singing sorrowfully the others emitting groans and doleful sounds and all of them showing grief in their movements as if mourning over the common loss. Only a few unbelieving Jews, more hardened than the rocks and more impious than the wild beasts failed to show sorrow at the death of their Restoratrix, as they had failed to do also at the death of their Redeemer and Master.
Extract from the Writings of Venerable Mary of Jesus of Agreda – The Mystical City of God
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THE SOUL OF THE MOST HOLY MARY ENTERS THE EMPRYEAN HEAVEN AND, IN IMITATION OF CHRIST OUR REDEEMER, RETURNS TO RESUSCITATE HER SACRED BODY; IN IT SHE AGAIN ASCENDS TO THE RIGHT HAND OF THE LORD ON THE THIRD DAY.
760. Of the glory and felicity of the saints in the beatific vision saint Paul says with Isaias (I Cor. 2, 9;Is. 64, 4), that neither have mortal eyes seen, nor ears heard, nor can it enter into the heart of man what God has prepared for those who love Him and who hope in Him. In accordance with this Catholic truth, we should not wonder at what is related of saint Augustine, the great light of the Church, that, in setting out to write a book on the glory of the blessed, he was visited by his friend, saint Jerome, who had just died and entered into the glory of the Lord, and was admonished by his visitor, that he would not be able to compass his design; since no tongue or pen of man could describe the least part of the blessings enjoyed by the saints in the beatific vision. Such is the testimony of saint Jerome; and if through holy Scriptures we had no other information than that this glory is eternal, it would be beyond all our comprehension. For, however much of our intellect may expand, it will never comprehend eternity; and as this is infinite and boundless, it is inexhaustible and incomprehensible, how much so ever it may be known and loved. Just as God, the Infinite and the Almighty, created all things, without being thereby exhausted, and even if He had created endless worlds ever anew, would remain still infinite and immutable; so also, although seen and enjoyed by countless saints, He will remain an infinite source of new knowledge and love; for in creation and in glory all creatures participate in Him only to a limited extent, each according to its condition, while He in Himself is without limitation or end.
761. If on this account the glory even of the least of the saints is ineffable, what shall we say of the glory of the most blessed Mary, since among the saints She is the most holy and She by Herself is more like to her Son than all the saints together, and since her grace and glory exceed those of all the rest, as those of an empress or sovereign over her vassals? This truth can and should be believed; but in mortal life it cannot be understood, or the least part of it be explained; for the inadequacy and deficiency of our words and expressions rather tend to obscure than to set forth its greatness. Let us in this life apply our labor, not in seeking to comprehend it, but in seeking to merit its manifestation in glory, where we shall experience more or less of this happiness according to our works.
762. Our Redeemer Jesus entered heaven conducting the purest soul of his Mother at his right hand. She alone of all the mortals deserved exemption from particular judgment; hence for Her there was none; no account was asked or demanded of Her for what She had received; for such was the promise that had been given to Her, when She was exempted from the common guilt and chosen as the Queen privileged above the laws of the children of Adam. For the same reason, instead of being judged with the rest, She shall be seated at the right hand of the Judge to judge with Him all the creatures. If in the first instant of her Conception She was the brightest Aurora, effulgent with the rays of the sun of the Divinity beyond all the brightness of the most exalted seraphim, and if afterwards She was still further illumined by the contact of the hypostatic Word, who derived his humanity from her purest substance, it necessarily follows that She should be his Companion for all eternity, possessing such a likeness to Him, that none greater can be possible between a Godman and a creature. In this light the Redeemer himself presented Her before the throne of the Divinity; and speaking to the eternal Father in the presence of all the blessed, who were ravished at this wonder, the most sacred humanity uttered these words: “Eternal Father, my most beloved Mother, thy beloved Daughter and the cherished Spouse of the Holy Ghost, now comes to take possession of the crown and glory, which We have prepared as a reward for her merit. She is the one who was born as the rose among thorns, untouched, pure and beautiful, worthy of being embraced by Us and of being placed upon a throne to which none of our creatures can ever attain, and to which those conceived in sin cannot aspire. This is our chosen and our only One, distinguished above all else, to whom We communicated our grace and our perfections beyond the measure accorded to other creatures; in whom We have deposited the treasure of our incomprehensible Divinity and its gifts; who most faithfully preserved and made fruitful the talents, which We gave Her; who never swerved from our will, and who found grace and pleasure in our eyes. My Father, most equitous is the tribunal of our justice and mercy, and in it the services of our friends are repaid in the most superabundant manner. It is right that to my Mother be given the reward of a Mother; and if during her whole life and in all her works She was as like to Me as is possible for a creature to be, let Her also be as like to Me in glory and on the throne of our Majesty, so that where holiness is in essence, there it may also be found in its highest participation.”
763. This decree of the incarnate Word was approved by the Father and the Holy Ghost. The most holy soul of Mary was immediately raised to the right hand of her Son and true God, and placed on the royal throne of the most holy Trinity, which neither men, nor angels nor the seraphim themselves attain, and will not attain for all eternity. This is the most exalted and super eminent privilege of our Queen and Lady, that She is seated on the throne with the three divine Persons and holds her place as Empress, while all the rest are set as servants and ministers to the highest King. To the eminence and majesty of that position, inaccessible to all other creatures, correspond her gifts of glory, comprehension, vision and fruition; because She enjoys, above all and more than all, that infinite Object, which the other blessed enjoy in an endless variety of degrees. She knows, penetrates and understands much deeper the eternal Being and its infinite attributes; She lovingly delights in its mysteries and most hidden secrets, more than all the rest of the blessed. Although between the glory of the divine Persons and that of the most holy Mary there is an infinite distance; for the light of the Divinity, as says the Apostle (I Tim. 6, 16), is inaccessible and in it alone dwells immortality and glory by essence; and though also the most holy soul of Christ without measure exceeds in its gifts those of his Mother; yet the great Queen surpasses inaccessibly all the saints in glory and has a likeness to that of Christ, which cannot be understood in this life, nor ever described.
764. Just as little can be explained the extra joy, which the blessed experienced on that day in singing the new songs of praise to the Omnipotent and in celebrating the glory of his Daughter, Mother and Spouse ;for in Her He had exalted all the works of his right hand. Although to the Lord himself could come no new or essential glory, because He possessed and possesses it immutably infinite through all eternity; yet the exterior manifestations of his pleasure and satisfaction at the fulfillment of his eternal decrees were greater on that day, and from the throne a voice, as if of the eternal Father resounded, saying: “In the glory of our beloved and most loving Daughter all the pleasure of our holy will is fulfilled to our entire satisfaction. To all the creatures We have given existence, creating them out of nothing, in order that they may participate in our infinite goods and treasures according to the inclination and pleasure of our immense bounty. The very ones who were made capable of our grace and glory, have abused this blessing. Our cherished Daughter alone had no part in the disobedience and prevarication of the rest, and She has earned what the unworthy children of perdition have despised; and our heart has not been disappointed in Her at any time or moment. To Her belong the rewards, which according to our conditional decree We had prepared for the disobedient angels and for their followers among men, if they had been faithful to their grace and vocation. She has recompensed Us for their falling away by her subjection and obedience; She has pleased Us in all her operations and has merited a seat on the throne of our Majesty.”
765. On the third day after the most pure soul of Mary had taken possession of this glory never to leave it, the Lord manifested to the saints his divine will, that She should return to the world, resuscitate her sacred body and unite Herself with it, so that She might in body and soul be again raised to the right hand of her divine Son without waiting for the general resurrection of the dead. The appropriateness of this favor, its accordance with the others received by the most blessed Queen and with her super eminent dignity, the saints could not but see; since even to mortals it is so credible, that even if the Church had not certified it, we would judge those impious and foolish, who would dare deny it. But the blessed saw it with greater clearness, together with the determined time and hour as manifested to them in God himself. When the time for this wonder had arrived, Christ our Savior himself descended from heaven bringing with Him at his right hand the soul of his most blessed Mother and accompanied by many legions of the Angels, the Patriarchs and ancient Prophets. They came to the sepulchre in the valley of Josaphat, and all being gathered in sight of the virginal temple, the Lord spoke the following words to the saints.
766. “My Mother was conceived without stain of sin, in order that from Her virginal substance I might stainlessly clothe Myself in the humanity in which I came to the world and redeemed it from sin. My flesh is her flesh; She co-operated with Me in the works of the Redemption; hence I must raise Her, just as I rose from the dead, and this shall be at the same time and hour. For I wish to make Her like Me in all things.” All the ancient saints of the human race then gave thanks for this new favor in songs of praise and glory to the Lord. Those that especially distinguished themselves in their thanksgiving were our first parents Adam and Eve, saint Anne, saint Joachim and saint Joseph, as being the more close partakers in this miracle of his Omnipotence. Then the purest soul of the Queen, at the command of the Lord, entered the virginal body, reanimated it and raised it up, giving it a new life of immortality and glory and communicating to it the four gifts of clearness, impassibility, agility and subtlety, corresponding to those of the soul and overflowing from it into the body.
767. Endowed with these gifts the most blessed Mary issued from the tomb in body and soul, without raising the stone cover and without disturbing the position of the tunic and the mantle that had enveloped her sacred body. Since it is impossible to describe her beauty and refulgent glory, I will not make the attempt. It is sufficient to say, that just as the heavenly Mother had given to her divine Son in her womb the form of man, pure, unstained and sinless, for the Redemption of the world, so in return the Lord, in this resurrection and new regeneration, gave to Her a glory and beauty similar to his own. In this mysterious and divine interchange each One did what was possible: most holy Mary engendered Christ, assimilating Him as much as possible to Herself, and Christ resuscitated Her, communicating to Her of his glory as far as She was capable as a creature.
768. Then from the sepulchre was started a most solemn procession, moving with celestial music through the regions of the air and toward the empyrean heaven. This happened in the hour immediately after midnight, in which also the Lord had risen from the grave; and therefore not all of the Apostles were witness of this prodigy, but only some of them, who were present and watching at the sepulchre. The saints and angels entered heaven in the order in which they had started; and in the last place came Christ our Savior and at his right hand the Queen, clothed in the gold of variety (as David says Ps, 44, 10), and so beautiful that She was the admiration of the heavenly court. All of them turned toward Her to look upon Her and bless Her with new jubilee and songs of praise. Thus were heard those mysterious eulogies recorded by Solomon: Come, daughters of Sion, to see your Queen, who is praised by the morning stars and celebrated by the sons of the Most High. Who is She that comes from the desert, like a column of all the aromatic perfumes? Who is She, that rises like the aurora, more beautiful than the moon, elect as the sun, terrible as many serried armies? ‘Who is She that comes up from the desert resting upon her Beloved and spreading forth abundant delights? (Cant. 3, 6-9; 8,5). Who is She in whom the Deity itself finds so much pleasure and
delight above all other creatures and whom He exalts above them all in the heavens! O novelty worthy of the infinite Wisdom! 0 prodigy of his Omnipotence, which so magnifies and exalts Her!
769. Amid this glory the most blessed Mary arrived body and soul at the throne of the most blessed Trinity. And the three divine Persons received Her on it with an embrace eternally undissoluble. The eternal Father said to Her: “Ascend higher, my Daughter and my Dove.” The incarnate Word spoke: “My Mother, of whom I have received human being and full return of my work in thy perfect imitation, receive now from my hand the reward thou hast merited.” The Holy Ghost said: “My most beloved Spouse, enter into the eternal joy, which corresponds to the most faithful love ; do Thou now enjoy thy love without solicitude; for past is the winter of suffering for Thou hast arrived at our eternal embraces.” There the most blessed Mary was absorbed in the contemplation of the three divine Persons and as it were overwhelmed in the boundless ocean and abyss of the Divinity, while the saints were filled with wonder and new accidental delight. Since, at the occasion of this work of the Omnipotent happened other wonders, I shall speak of them as far as possible in the following chapter.
Extract from the Writings of Venerable Mary of Jesus of Agreda – The Mystical City of God
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MOST HOLY MARY IS CROWNED AS QUEEN OF HEAVEN AND OF ALL CREATURES; ALL HER GREAT PRIVILEGES IN FAVOR OF MANKIND ARE AGAIN CONFIRMED UPON HER.
775. When Christ Jesus the Savior took leave of his disciples in order to enter upon his suffering, He told them not to be disturbed in their hearts on account of the things He had told them; because in the house of his Father, which is eternal happiness, there are many mansions. He further assured them, that there was room and reward for all, although the merits and their good works be diverse and that no one should be disturbed in his peace and hope, though he should see others more favored or advanced; because in the house of God there are many grades and many dwellings, in which each one shall be content with what shall belong to him without envy; for this is one of the great blessings of that eternal felicity. I have said that most blessed Mary was assigned to the supreme position and state on the throne of the most blessed Trinity. Many times have I expressed myself in these terms in order to point out great sacraments and similar terms are used by the saints and by the sacred scriptures themselves (Apoc.1, 4; 3, 21). Although no other argument is really necessary, nevertheless, for those who have not such a deep insight, I will say that God, as He is the purest Spirit and at the same time infinite, immense, incomprehensible, has no need of a material throne or seat; for He fills all creation and is present in all creatures; He is comprehended or circumscribed by none, but He himself comprehends and encompasses all things. The saints do not see God with corporal eyes, but with those of the soul; but as they see Him in some certain location (in order to adapt ourselves to our terrestrial and material ways of thinking and speaking) we say that He is upon the royal throne of the most blessed Trinity, though in reality He has his glory within Himself and communicates it to his saints. But I do not wish to deny, that the most sacred humanity of Christ our Savior and of his most blessed Mother holds a place super eminent over all the saints; and that among the blessed, who are in heaven with body and soul, there will be some kind of order in their relative position nearer or farther from Christ our Lord and the Queen; but here is not the place to inquire into the manner into which this arrangement shall be made in heaven.
776. We call that the throne of the Divinity, from which God manifests Himself to the saints as the principal cause of their glory and as the infinite, eternal God, independent of all things and on whose will all creatures depend, from which He manifests Himself as the Lord, as the King, as the Judge and Master of all that is in existence. This dignity Christ the Redeemer possesses, in as far as He is God, essentially, and as far as He is man, through the hypostatic union, by which He communicates his Godhead to the humanity. Hence in heaven He is the King, the Lord and supreme Judge; and the saints, though their glory exceeds all human calculation, are as servants and inferiors of this inaccessible Majesty. In this the most holy Mary participates in a degree next inferior and in a manner otherwise ineffable and proportionate to a mere creature so closely related to the Godman; and therefore She assists forever at the right hand of her Son as Queen (Ps. 44, 10), Lady and Mistress of all creation, her dominion extending as far as that of her divine Son, although in a different manner.
777. After placing the most blessed Mary on this exalted and super eminent throne, the Lord declared to the courtiers of heaven all the privileges She should enjoy in virtue of this participation in his majesty. The Person of the eternal Father, as the first principle of all things, speaking to the angels and saints, said to them: “Our Daughter Mary was chosen according to our pleasure from amongst all creatures, the first one to delight Us, and who never fell from the title and position of a true Daughter, such as We had given Her in our divine mind; She has a claim on our dominion, which We shall recognize by crowning Her as the legitimate and peerless Lady and Sovereign.” The incarnate Word said: “To my true and natural Mother belong all the creatures which were created and redeemed my Me; and of all things over which I am King, She too shall be the legitimate and supreme Queen.” The Holy Ghost said: “Since She is called my beloved and chosen Spouse, She deserves to be crowned as Queen for all eternity.”
778. Having thus spoken the three divine Persons placed upon the head of the most blessed Mary a crown of such new splendor and value, that the like has been seen neither before nor after by any mere creature. At the same time a voice sounded from the throne saying: “My Beloved, chosen among the creatures, our kingdom is Thine; Thou shalt be the Lady and the Sovereign of the seraphim, of all the ministering spirits, the angels and of the entire universe of creatures. Attend, proceed and govern prosperously over them, for in our supreme consistory We give Thee power, majesty and sovereignty. Being filled with grace beyond all the rest, Thou hast humiliated Thyself in thy own estimation to the lowest place; receive now the supreme dignity deserved by Thee and, as a participation in our Divinity, the dominion over all the creatures of our Omnipotence. From thy royal throne to the centre of the earth Thou shalt reign; and by the power We now give Thee Thou shalt subject hell with all its demons and inhabitants. Let all of them fear Thee as the supreme Empress and Mistress of those caverns and dwelling-places of our enemies.
In thy hands and at thy pleasure We place the influences and forces of the heavens, the moisture of the clouds, the growths of the earth; and of all of them do Thou distribute according to thy will, and our own will shall be at thy disposal for the execution of thy wishes. Thou shalt be the Empress and Mistress of the militant Church, its Protectress, its Advocate, its Mother and Teacher. Thou shalt be the special Patroness of the Catholic countries; and whenever they, or the faithful, or any of the children of Adam call upon Thee from their heart, serve or oblige Thee, Thou shalt relieve and help them in their labors and necessities. Thou shalt be the Friend, the Defender and the
Chieftainess of all the just and of our friends; all of them Thou shalt comfort, console and fill with blessings according to their devotion to Thee. In view of all this We make Thee the Depositary of our riches, the Treasurer of our goods; we place into thy hands the helps and blessings of our grace for distribution; nothing do We wish to be given to the world, which does not pass through thy hands; and nothing do We deny, which Thou wishest to concede to men. Grace shall be diffused in thy lips for obtaining all that Thou wishest and ordainest in heaven and on earth, and everywhere shall angels and men obey Thee; because whatever is ours shall be thine, just as Thou hast always been ours; and Thou shalt reign with Us forever.”
779. In the execution of this decree and privilege conceded to the Mistress of the world, the Almighty commanded all the courtiers of heaven, angels and men, to show Her obedience and recognize Her as their Queen and Lady. There was another mystery concealed in this wonder, namely, it was are compense for the worship and veneration, which, as is clear from this history, the most blessed Mary, notwithstanding that She was the Mother of God, full of grace and holiness above the angels and saints, had bestowed upon the saints during her mortal pilgrimage. Although during the time when they were comprehensors and She yet a pilgrim, it was for her greater merit, that She should humble Herself beneath them all according to the ordainment of the Lord; yet now, when She was in possession of the kingdom, it was just, that She should be venerated, worshipped and extolled by them as her inferiors and vassals. This they also did in that most blessed state, in which all things are reduced to their proper proportion and order. Both the angelic spirits and the blessed souls, while rendering their adoration to the Lord with fear and worshipful reverence, rendered a like homage in its proportion to his most blessed Mother; and the saints who were there in their bodies prostrated themselves and gave bodily signs of their worship. All these demonstrations at the coronation of the Empress of heaven redounded wonderfully to her glory, to the new joy and jubilee of the saints and to the pleasure of the most blessed Trinity. Altogether festive was this day, and it produced new accidental glory in all the heavens. Those that partook more especially therein were her most fortunate spouse saint Joseph, saint Joachim and Anne and all the other relatives of the Queen, together with the thousand angels of her guard.
780. Within the glorious body of the Queen, over her heart, was visible to the saints a small globe or monstrance of singular beauty and splendor, which particularly roused and rouses their admiration and joy. It was there in testimony and reward of her having afforded to the sacramental Word an acceptable resting place and sanctuary, and of her having received holy Communion so worthily, purely and holily, without any defect or imperfection, and with a devotion, love and reverence attained by none other of the saints. In regard to the other rewards and crowns corresponding to her peerless works and virtues, nothing that can be said could give any idea; and therefore I refer it to the beatific vision, where each one shall perceive them in proportion as his doings and his devotion shall have merited. In the foregoing chapter I mentioned that the Transition of our Queen happened on the thirteenth of August, while her Resurrection, Assumption and Coronation happened on Sunday the fifteenth, on the day in which it is celebrated in the Church. Her sacred body remained in the sepulchre thirty-six hours, just as the body of her divine Son; for her Transition and her Resurrection took place in the same hours of the day. According to the computation given above, I advert that this miracle happened in the year of our Lord fifty-five, which had advanced as many days as intervene between the Nativity of the Lord and the fifteenth of August.
781. We have left the great Lady at the right hand of her divine Son, reigning through all the ages of eternity. We now return to the Apostles and disciples, who in flowing tears surrounded the sepulchre of Mary in the valley of Josaphat. Saint Peter and saint John, who had been the most constant in their attendance, noticed that the celestial music had ceased; for they failed to hear it on the third day. Partly enlightened by the Holy Ghost, they conjectured that the most pure Mother had arisen and had entered heaven, body and soul, like her divine Son. They conferred about this matter and came to the conclusion that so it must be; and saint Peter, as the head of the Church, decided that such a wonderful fact should be ascertained as far as possible and made known to those who had witnessed her death and burial. For this purpose, on the same day, he called together the Apostles, disciples and the other faithful at the sepulchre. He told them of his reasons for the conjecture now in the mind of all and the reasons for manifesting the truth of this wonder to the Church, namely, that it should be reverenced in the coming ages and would redound to the glory of the Lord and of his most blessed Mother. All approved of the decision of the vicar of Christ and at his order immediately removed the stone, which closed the sepulchre. This being done, they saw the grave despoiled of the sacred body of the Queen of heaven and the tunic in the same position as when it had covered her, showing that it must have passed through the tunic and the stone of the sepulchre without disturbing any part of them. Saint Peter took out the tunic and the mantle and, with all the others, venerated it, as they were now certain of the Resurrection and Assumption of the blessed Mother into heaven. In mixed joy and sorrow they wept sweet tears at this prodigy and sang psalms and hymns of praise and glory to the Lord and his most blessed Mother.
782. In their affectionate wonder all of them remained looking at the sepulchre, spellbound, until the angel of the Lord descended and manifested himself to them, saying: “Ye men of Galilee, why are you astounded and tarry here ? Your and our Queen now lives body and soul in heaven and reigns in it forever with Christ. She sends me to confirm you in this truth, and in her name I tell you that She recommends to you anew the Church, the conversion of souls, and the spread of the Gospel. She desires to tell you that you now return to your ministry, with which you were charged, and that from her throne She will take care of you.” At this message the Apostles were consoled; they experienced her protection in their wanderings, and much more in the hour of their martyrdom; for to each of them did She appear in that hour to present their souls to the Lord. Other particulars concerning the Transition and Resurrection of the most blessed Mary were not made known to me for record here; nor have I during the whole course of this heavenly history had any choice of saying except what was made known to me and what I was commanded to write.
They will soon use churches as places to trade in and profit from
Tuesday | August 13, 2013 3:00 pm
My dearly beloved daughter, what misery will be felt by Catholics and Christians, all over the world, when they see how their churches and places of worship will be turned into places of entertainment.
Many events will be held in churches, which are meant to pay homage to Me, but which will insult My Name. They will soon use churches as places to trade in and profit from. All of these things are to come and for those who love Me, they will weep in great sorrow. How these poor souls will suffer, as they will have to battle such blasphemies. The heresies forced down their throats will mean that little respect will be shown to such souls during the many practices and ceremonies, which insult God. There will be singing, laughter, loud voices and the recital of tales, which have nothing to do with Me. Yet all of these vile acts will be committed in My Churches and before Me.
My daughter, heed now My Promise. I will go to the ends of the Earth to save every sinner. But, so infested will souls become, that no matter what I do for them, they will never accept My Mercy, even at the point of death, although they will know that Hell awaits them.
Therefore, you must accept that souls will be lost to Me, because their wickedness is so ingrained within their souls that no intervention will separate them from the beast.
What I must tell you is this. Do not allow those who are infested by the evil one to take you away form Me through their lies. When you accept lies, dictated to you by those who do not honour Me, you will weaken your faith – even if it is just one, in one aspect relating to My Teachings. If you give in to just one demand, designed to change your interpretation of what I have told you, this will mean that you will be allowing the evil one to tempt you, more forcibly, to turn away from Me.
Cover your ears with your hands when the blasphemies spill forth from the mouth of the beast. Accept nothing at all which will betray My Sacraments or My Teachings. Turn the other way and follow Me because, when all these things come to pass, there will be only one path you can walk. This is My Path – the Path of Truth. Only the whole truth is acceptable. Half a truth means that it becomes a lie.
Your Jesus
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