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Introduction to the Flame of Love

Fri, 19 Jul 2024 14:56:04 GMT

We have a God Who Speaks. And your listening to His guidance and inspirations is much improved, when you receive the Flame of Love of the Blessed Mother into your heart.

What develops, is a relationship of formation and peace, as we gain confidence in the guidance we receive from our heart, where the Flame of Love, literally, the Word of God indwells us. We will increasingly rely upon God's guidance Who becomes our 'Lord' - steering our day.

The trust and abandonment to God's Will, which develops, brings a wonderful lifestyle of peace and security, despite life trials.

The focus of the Flame of Love Grace is especially to restore and rescue Families, which are so much under attack presently.

The Flame of Love spiritual diary, teaches us that we can repent for the sins of other people, and also offer sacrifices for them, as an empowerment for our prayers.

The Flame of Love 'Unity Prayer' (aka 'The Prayer of Union with the Lord') has been really well received across the world.

Many of people recite the prayer daily. However, it is important that we enter into the intimacy of our own heart, to engage with God and His Word indwelling us there.

In the Diary, Jesus complains about people who pray but do not enter the intimacy of their heart, to meet Him there: 'Lukewarm' - since God wants to be known, loved and trusted by you - as He guides you each day.

You can read more about the devotion and the prayer here.

The Real Enemy

Wed, 17 Jul 2024 16:58:59 GMT

Satan’s Secret Strategies against Catholic and Protestant Christians.

Division and hatred
In the Bible, Satan is called the Accuser of the Brethren, so it is he who has cultivated the Christians to accuse and attack each other so viciously, instead of love. Division and unforgiveness are Satan’s hallmark.
Revelation 12:10 'And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, ‘Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. ‘
The division and hatred between Christians over centuries, has been a major embarrassment for the Church and served to discredit God in the eyes of many onlookers. This contempt has softened in recent years and the Holy Spirit is causing more curiosity and respect between denominations in His Church during these times. The opposite of division and hatred is love and appreciation.
The Counterfeit Grace message

“We are talking about an amazing, major end-time move of the devil … one of the major heresies in the church … spreading throughout Christian radio, TV, books and conferences … it is called ‘The Counterfeit Grace message’… and I want you warned so it doesn’t touch you and your loved ones!”
Sid Roth – Cristian TV presenter of ‘It’s Supernatural’ programme.

There is an increasingly recognise error which, according to a life-changing prophetic vision given to evangelical Pastor Tony Kemp is presently sweeping many Christians to Hell. http://tonykempministries.net
Pastor Tony Kemp is known internationally for his Scripture based teaching condemning a ‘Counterfeit Grace’ message, which is being both actively taught and passively assumed by Christians, both Catholic and Protestant at this time.
Essentially this ‘Counterfeit grace’ message is believing that God is so loving and forgiving that you can stay in your sinful habits because He will understand - that a loving, kind and good God would never condemn a person to the lake of fire. This is unscriptural.
For Catholics, since the Second Vatican Council, there has been a swing away from being petrified of a stern God who is hyper-aware of your sins and demands fasting and penance or you’re in big trouble. This is good because our loving God desires us to love Him in return and not fear Him. However, it is possible to over-swing in the other direction and presume that God is like a foolish parent who will not discipline us, nor is He capable of sending us to Hell. Yes God is forgiving of everything and all understanding of our weaknesses – but the condition for forgiveness is repentance and asking for forgiveness. To sin without repentance is to play with damnation.
In the Protestant camp, the Calvinist teaching of perpetual salvation: that once a person is saved, he cannot lose his salvation no matter what sins he may subsequently commit, has been steadily losing support over past decades amongst Protestants, with even Calvinists being rather embarrassed by it, realising that a Christian can indeed go to Hell, as the Bible points out;

Romans 11:22 'Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity towards those who have fallen, but God's kindness towards you, provided you continue in his kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off'.
Matthew 7:21-23 'Not everyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord", will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day many will say to me, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?" Then I will declare to them, "I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers."
Similarly, according to Pastor Tony Kemp, the loss of awareness of the importance of sin seems to have caused many Protestants (and Catholics) not to feel a need to repent of their sins at all. Again, this is contradicted by Scripture:
1 John 2:3-6 Now by this we may be sure that we know him, if we obey his commandments. Whoever says, 'I have come to know him', but does not obey his commandments, is a liar, and in such a person the truth does not exist; but whoever obeys his word, truly in this person the love of God has reached perfection. By this we may be sure that we are in him: whoever says, 'I abide in him', ought to walk just as he walked.
Much is sometimes made amongst advocates of this Counterfeit Grace message, by referring to the partial Scripture of there being ‘no condemnation for anyone in Christ Jesus’. However, the rest of the Scripture is telling:
Romans 8:1-6 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and to deal with sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace'.
Therefore, for anyone to live in a state of unrepented sin like e.g. pornography, envy, greed, anger or gossip, etc. is to set our minds on things of the flesh and to experience a death.
Despite Catholics’ greater awareness of sin, taught to them as children and the need for repentance in order to fully receive Grace, similarly too the Catholic Church is losing a sense of sin, and has seen a massive reduction in attendance at the sacrament of Confession (also called ‘Reconciliation’). It is also clear that the vast majority of Catholics attending mass, routinely receive Holy Communion – when, because the confessionals are virtually empty, they may not be in a state of grace (as Catholic teaching calls it). Again, this is a Counterfeit Grace message, causing a dulling of the awareness of personal sin, and repentance is so often overlooked. Interestingly, according to the Bible, many Catholics may be experiencing sickness or worse, as a result of still receiving Communion when in a state of sin:
1 Corinthians 11:27-30 ' Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be answerable for the body and blood of the Lord. Examine yourselves, and only then eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For all who eat and drink without discerning the body, eat and drink judgement against themselves. For this reason many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.'
Protestants have little apparent understanding of the theology of Grace, and so they have been more easily misled into a message of ‘Counterfeit Grace’, as Tony Kemp has highlighted. But for Catholics, who are well versed in the ‘law of Grace’ : whereby God cannot abide with sin and so we must repent if we are in any grave sin – or we will live without God abiding in us, and to die in that state means we will go to Hell. This is the ‘law of Grace’ – how Grace works! - wonderful and forgiving as God is, repentance for our sins is an essential requirement – and when we are in a state free of grave sin, we are again open for Grace to pour into our lives.
Dynamic relationship with God and a theology of indwelling (sanctifying) Grace which departs from us when we sin gravely (until we repent of that sin), should be encouraged and taught more from the pulpit. For an individual to live increasingly filled with Grace is a wonderful state of peace and joy, which should be so normal for us Christians that other people witness it and want what we have. Especially in a world so filled with fear and stress, we Christians have what everyone needs.
Matthew 10:13 'If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.'
John 14:27 'Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.'
It is enlightened self-interest for any individual to repent of their sins, so they can be filled with the Holy Spirit and grace anew. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy and peace – who doesn’t want that in a world full of stress and panic attacks? Don’t wait, just repent!!
Galatians 5:22,23 ' By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.'
Insecurity and Inferiority - Another Secret Strategy of Satan
In his book ‘Satan’s Dirty Little Secret’, Pastor Steve Foss shares a profound and very interesting prophetic vision given to him, in which he was shown the deep, deep roots, which allow the many and varied demons which torment people with persistent sin, to resist spiritual warfare and direct prayer against them. These roots are two-fold – Insecurity and Inferiority. Insecurity and Inferiority are the doorways through which every other spirit gets it entrance and manitains it hold.
Insecurity is experienced when the foundations which we base our lives and beliefs on, seem to be discredited; and inferiority comes when we measure ourselves against others and to see our relative inadequacy in relation to them. These two attitudes of mind, also caused the original fall of Adam and Eve and are still widespread and extremely effective today. http://www.stevefoss.com
Pastor Steve Foss elaborates the implications of this insight in considerable detail, including highlighting the advertising and entertainment media deliberately provoking inferiority to cause us to buy products; and expensive lifestyles, cars, houses with big mortgage payments, keeping us insecure from debt and money-centeredness.
Another application of this insight given to Steve Foss may be relevant in the context of this message for Christian unity:
The highly respected prophetic pastor Rick Joyner, shares an anointed vision (book ‘The Vision’ – Rick Joyner), in which he was shown large groups of people huddled together in a prison camp, according to their specific age group or ethnicity amongst prison guards and authority figures who are insisting that ‘we are all the same’. In the vision however, Rick points out and argues that we are evidently not all the same, but those indoctrinating that whole generation cannot hear him and are threatened by his question.
Across our societies presently, much is being made of ‘political correctness’, whereby whole populations are being manipulated and are not permitted to comment upon such things as ethnic traits, or even many observations about gender diferences. It is not unusual in the United Kingdom for the test question to be put: “Would you have said that if the person was not a woman? – or man - as appropriate?”.
Why this political correctness is such a damaging lie for everyone, is that if we are insisting that everyone IS the same, and so by definition - denying the positivity of the differences and diversity between us – the effect is that when we then look at other people who are more gifted in this or that area of talent and diversity, we inevitably feel inferior and insecure in the comparison.
The opposite would be to be very aware of our diversity, to celebrate it, and even if another person has strengths I do not have, I am confident that I have strengths that they don’t have too – and we can all respect and appreciate each other in diversity.
A modern parable, would be like the sibling who realises that his sister is much better at science than he is, who may then feel low self esteem as a result - but the wise parent will point out the fact that he is better than his sister at art and languages, so everyone’s self esteem and mutual appreciation is encouraged.
Women and men are equal but certainly not the same – what a joke! Who is it that is sweeping us all into this insistence on ‘sameness’, when our diversity is so obvious that it should be appreciated and embraced?
Ephesians 4:14 'We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people's trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming.'
Even if the average person in the world doesn’t know who or what they are, this should not be so for us Christians. We do know that we were all uniquely created by a loving Father God, in His image and likeness – and we can undo our inferiority and insecurity by embracing our uniqueness and trusting our dear loving Daddy (Abba) God more and more strongly. Indeed, in Rick Joyner’s vision, it is when Christians come to know the unconditional love of the Father, that they are strongest and most resistant to the arrows and tricks of Satan. http://www.morningstarministries.org
The accusation of heresy
As something of a Post-script, it may be constructive to make a comment about the word ‘heresy’.
In history, the word ‘heresy’ has been used as if it were the most terrible of all sins, and indeed many people were burned at the stake for committing this offence, by all sides.
The Catholic Church, particularly, has been rigid in determining and guarding historical truths and interpretations that it feels have been handed down to it, and why heresy is such an important word in that context.
In the history of the Catholic Church, much has been made of the word ‘heresy’ or the labelling of someone as a ‘heretic’. Perhaps the single biggest reason is the Eucharist or Holy Communion in the Catholic Mass.
When Jesus taught a large crowd of disciples that if they did not eat His body and drink his blood, they would have no life in them, most Protestants believe that Jesus was speaking figuratively and not literally; that taking communion in ‘The Lord’s Supper’ is a ‘remembering’ of the last supper, and not a spiritual event, consuming the real food and drink of Jesus’ Body.
Again, this is not intended to convert Protestants to Catholic beliefs, but only for them to respect that the Catholic position is not unscriptural, but a different interpretation.
Let us look again at the Scripture:
John 6:51 - 67
'I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live for ever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.' The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, 'How can this man give us his flesh to eat?'
So Jesus said to them, 'Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live for ever.' He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum. When many of his disciples heard it, they said, 'This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?'
But Jesus, being aware that his disciples were complaining about it, said to them, 'Does this offend you? Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But among you there are some who do not believe.' For Jesus knew from the first who were the ones that did not believe, and who was the one that would betray him. And he said, 'For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted by the Father.' Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him. So Jesus asked the twelve, 'Do you also wish to go away?'
Please note that when many of Jesus’ disciples found this teaching intolerable and left him, Jesus did not say “Wait, stop, you have misunderstood me – I was only speaking metaphorically, using symbolism!”. No – Jesus allowed them to leave, he had spoken literally.
Similarly today, many non-Catholic Christians have found this teaching unbelievable, although the Lutherans and many Anglicans do believe that the Communion is the real presence of Jesus, and the Catholic Church for 2000 years has certainly held to this belief.
This understanding however, comes with a caution:
1 Corinthians 11:27-30 'Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be answerable for the body and blood of the Lord.
Examine yourselves, and only then eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For all who eat and drink without discerning the body, eat and drink judgement against themselves. For this reason many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.'
1 Corinthians 11:29
For whoever eats and drinks from it being unworthy, eats and drinks a guilty verdict into his soul for not distinguishing the body of THE LORD JEHOVAH. Aramaic Bible in Plain English
So the Catholic Church holds strongly to this interpretation, (borne out by several well documented miracles – where a consecrated bread host has turned into real cardiac muscle) that the bread and wine of the Lord’s Supper actually becomes the Real Body and Blood of Jesus.
(This Biblical caution is also the loving and protective reason why Catholics resist Protestants from receiving the Eucharist in Catholic services – so that their action will not bring condemnation upon themselves.)
As a consideration: if a Protestant minister had a sliver of bread on his kitchen table which was the real Body of Jesus – what would he do; how would he conduct himself; would there be a certain way that he should proceed? After all, we recall what happened to Uzzah:
2 Samuel 6:7 'The anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah; and God struck him there because he reached out his hand to the ark; and he died there beside the ark of God.'
Well this is the situation within the Catholic Church, and after the historical model of the Levitical priests, who were specially selected, trained and performed a definite ritual to enter the Holy of Holies in the Old Testament; similarly to show due reverence to the presence of Jesus in their Communion Service, Catholics have specially prepared priests, who undergo set rituals in preparing and approaching the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. Though Protestants may not believe this, Catholics do.
Now placed in such a position: of on one hand believing the Real Presence of Jesus to be present in the elements of the Lord’s Supper, and also being aware of the strict caution not to approach these elements unworthily or they will bring condemnation on themselves – the Catholic Church has been obliged to remain very close to it’s original and historical traditions.
Therefore, the Catholic Church feels it has had valid reason to be robust in its defence of the truths that it has received through history. It has at times been severe with those who hold to different views – the definition of ‘heresy’ is ‘a belief or opinion contrary to orthodox religious doctrine’. (Concise Oxford Dictionary)
On the other hand, Protestants have been free to ‘do Church’ in diverse styles and ways since they left the Catholic Church, even if they may also be missing something that the Catholic Church holds very dear in the Eucharist.
Brothers and Sisters, let us pray not to be deceived again into hating each other just because of diversity and differences, which are allowed by God for His purposes.
Indeed, when the thousands of different Christian denominations recognise with love and respect, the beauty of the diversity which God has arranged and allowed in His Mystical Body the Church, united in love and mutual respect – then we will be able to also bring the Nations of the World to also recognise their respective strengths and talents and be united in Love.
1 John 4:7,8 'Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love.'

Purification of Memory – The 'Reformation Divorce'

Wed, 17 Jul 2024 16:39:26 GMT

John Wayne and Lee Marvin play characters in the film Donovan’s Reef, who relapse into fighting whenever they see each other – predictably every year for decades. And the daughter of one of them points out that they have been fighting so long, they have forgotten what they were fighting about in the first place, so they can never make up and be friends.

There seems something of that dynamic between the Catholic Christians and Protestant Christians – we’ve forgotten what we originally disagreed about ....

Corruption in the Catholic Church

Regrettably, the breakdown of relations between the Catholic Church and the Reformers (who had understandably protested about the unquestioned corruption within the Catholic Church at that time) was very unpleasant and destructive – with scars remaining until this day - like a very unpleasant and bitter divorce. (But we know that bitterness has unforgiveness at its root .... and the Lord's Prayer mentions forgiveness as a condition for receiving God's Grace!!).

It is a well-documented and unquestioned historical fact, that at the time of the Reformation there was widespread corruption, abuse of power and ‘worldliness’ in the Catholic Church, and no doubt many of today’s Catholics would also have ‘protested’ and become ‘Protestants’ at that time.

When the Pope at that time, responded defiantly to the protesters, those conscientious reformers eventually found themselves outside the Catholic Church and subsequently formed the Protestant Churches, where they have continued to test and ironically 'protect'; their parent organisation - the Roman Catholic Church ever since: As Timothy (2Timothy.3:16) states, Scripture is good for correcting error and as such the so called 'Bible-based' Churches have been rather a protection for the Catholic Church in their challenges and debate. Scripture scholarship amongst Protestants is highly respected by Catholic theologians who of course, also have their own Scripture scholars.

(The Bible, as a large collection of separate books by different authors, was of course discerned and composed by the Catholic Church in the first place.)

Indulgences

Leading up to the Reformation it is not difficult to see God’s purposes in the Protestants ‘protesting’ about what the newly available printed Bible told them was wrong in the conduct of the Catholic Church at that time - having become corrupted by land ownership; involvement in politics; untrained clergy who were doing a "job" and not following a "calling"; and also many superstitious practices had developed, which were a distraction from true faith.
The last straw was when the Pope Leo X, who was perhaps one of the most extravagant and worldly Popes in history, decided to renovate St Peter’s basilica in Rome, and to acquire the enormous sums of money for renovation, he encouraged the sale of "Indulgences," which was a promise of relief from eternal penalties. As a result, over-zealous clergy wandered the Continent encouraging and pressuring the poor to give money they couldn’t afford, for fear of their loved ones suffering longer in Purgatory than they otherwise might.

In Germany this over-zealous practice aroused the frustration of Martin Luther, a Catholic monk, who, in 1517 issued ninety-five arguments (theses) suggesting reform of the Catholic Church – many of them aimed at attacking the doctrine of indulgences which was being abused and he also resented the related doctrine of Purgatory – a place of final cleansing of lesser sins (purging) before entering Heaven.

Luther wrote in his 95 Theses criticising the Church, - "Why doesn't the Pope build the basilica of St Peter's out of his own money?" What Luther did was very timely, since there were numerous other factors, like a "perfect storm" which ignited at the spark which he provided – the Church was ripe for reform. German nobles saw an opportunity to cut off currency flowing to Rome which was very much needed at home, so they backed Luther's cause and Europe started to unravel into regional wars due to the combination of political interests and religious zeal..
In 1520, Leo issued the papal bull "Exsurge Domine" demanding Luther retract 41 of his 95 theses, and after Luther's refusal, excommunicated him. (Interesting that out of 95 theses, the Pope only asked him to retract 41 of them – leaving 54 that were presumably valid concerns.)

Anyway, the papacy at that time was defiant and unrepentant, and eventually, after decades of ‘Protesting’, the initial reformers, whose intention had not been to leave the Catholic Church originally, but only to reform it from within, (and whose authority in doing so was reference to the newly printed Bible), ended up being excommunicated by the Vatican and left to fend for themselves. Indeed non-Catholic Christians were denounced and ‘going to Hell’, as far as the Catholic Church believed,for the next 450 years -Though there had been a longstanding debate within the Catholic Church about the salvation of non-Catholic Christians; also unbaptised babies and adults who had not heard the Gospel so had an excuse not to become Catholics, were not viewed so harshly.

Finding themselves outside the Catholic Church, and therefore without the particular interpretation of the Bible that had been handed down to the Catholic Church by the early Christians, the Protestants ‘started from scratch’ - looking at the Bible and interpreting it themselves, which caused inevitable divergence from the original teaching of the Catholic Church and subsequent diversity even within their own numbers. For the Catholic Church’s part, although reforms were actually carried out following the Reformation and corruption undone, the Catholic Church fiercely defended their key truths, that had been handed down through history as Sacred Tradition (solemnly discerned God-inspired Sacred Tradition – note the capital ‘T’ in the word 'Tradition').

Looking around the Christian denominations at present, it is easy to recognise different talents, styles and emphases in the different denominations and ministries; some are more evangelising; some more contemplative; some are more attractive to young people; some are more attractive to older people; some are more involved in Social Action than others, etc.

God is surely active in this diversity, which God clearly enjoys in Nature too, and which the Protestants particularly have been rather free to develop since they were not bound to the emphasis and solemn liturgy which must accompany the celebration of the Eucharist in the Catholic celebration of Holy Mass.

Separated Brothers

In the years since the Reformation the Catholic Church continued to teach for centuries, that anyone outside the Catholic Church could not obtain salvation and were therefore going to Hell. Considering that this stance was completely reversed at the Second Vatican Council in the 1960's, this historical condemnation had been a hurtful and divisive decree to declare against the Protesters, who had after all only opposed the corruption in the Catholic Church, in the first place.

On the other hand, holding their measuring rod of the 'Bible-alone' against the Catholic Church, Protestants have also spent centuries denouncing Catholic teachings which vary from theirs in similar harsh and angry terms, insisting that anything not in the Bible cannot be true faith. Both positions have made unity more difficult.

During the Council several documents were produced concerned ecumenism and a "unity" with non-Catholic Christians. As a result of those pronouncements, the Catholic Church recognized Christians in the Orthodox and Protestant Churches as "separated brethren" i.e. siblings of the same family who are not together!
This was a drastic change from the previous centuries of denunciation that existed between the Catholic Church and other Christian Churches. Catholic and Orthodox Churches have long been very close in their respect for their respective diversity and formal relationships.

In his famous ‘Maxims of Christian Perfection for All Christians’, Blessed Antonio Rosmini, who is being made a saint by the Catholic Church because of his exemplary life, wrote (emphases added for clarity):

Jesus Christ has power over all things in heaven and on earth, and has merited to be absolute Lord of all people; and He alone, with unspeakable wisdom, power and goodness, rules all events according to His Divine pleasure, and for the greater good of the elect who form His beloved Spouse the Church.
Christians therefore should feel perfectly at peace and full of joy, resting entirely upon their Lord, however contrary even to the good of the Church events may seem. But they must not cease from praying earnestly that the will of God may be done on earth as it is in heaven, that is, that people may fulfil the holy law of charity on earth as the saints fulfil it in heaven.”
Christians should banish from their hearts all uneasiness, and every kind of anxiety and apprehension, even that which seems at times to have no other object than the good of the Church of Jesus Christ.
Moreover, they must not rashly imagine that they can remedy the evils, which assail the Church, before they see clearly that such is the will of the Lord.*
They must bear in mind that Jesus Christ alone is the Ruler of His Church, and that most displeasing to Him, and most unworthy of His disciples, is the rashness of those who, not called and moved by Him, but, led blindly by a secret pride, presume of their own accord to do any good in the Church, however little it may be, as if the Divine Redeemer stood in need of their poor help, or of that of any person whatever.
(Maxim 3)- http://www.rosminicentre.co.uk/images/witness/MAXIMSPRINTEDBOOKLET.pdf

(* The call to unity on this page, has come from a specific prophetic instruction to bring down the barriers between God’s people)

God has certainly therefore, allowed the diversity of the Orthodox and the Reformation churches as a major factor in His Mystical Body, the Christian Church “according to His Divine pleasure” – and it would be pride and presumption for any of us to resist and be scornful of this God-given diversity without clear guidance from the Lord.

The Catholic Church for its part, has held onto longstanding truths, and has not felt so free to explore different ways of ‘doing Church’ during the centuries. Each denomination has different talents and strengths – we just need, like different members of a corporate team, to respect our differences and not despise them, since the Almighty hand of God is certainly at work in this diversity within His Body.

Having quoted from a Catholic saint, for our Protestant brethren let us also consider this positive view of diversity in the Scriptures, where we may also see that God enjoys diversity and expects it in His Church:
At the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry in Luke 4:18, it is evident from the text He chooses (Isaiah 61) and his explanation (Luke 4:21-27) that he came to save the poor, the captive, the blind, the oppressed, Jews, and the gentiles. Jesus’ love for all people is clearly evident as the Gospels record numerous examples of his ministry: to a Roman officer (Matthew 8:5-13); a Canaanite woman (Matthew 15:22-28); a Samaritan woman (John 4:7-29), and to the “lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 10:6). His inclusivity for His Church is demonstrated by reference to the kingdom of heaven being populated by those “from east and west” (Matthew 8:10-12), no doubt a reference to his “other sheep, which are not of this fold” (John 10:16).

Yet, Jesus’ desire and plan for these 'last days', is for His diverse followers to “become one flock with one shepherd” (John 10:16), “perfected in unity” as proof to the world that He was sent by God (John 17:10-26).
The answer to divisions in the Church is the cross by which Jesus reconciled all things who were once hostile to himself (Colossians 1:19-21) and brought peace out of the hostility that once existed between us:

Colossians 1:19 -22: For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross. And you who were once estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his fleshly body through death.

Of course we also have Jesus in the Book of Revelation describing several diverse attributes of the seven Churches which he refers to positively, as well as the areas of criticism that were also mentioned.

adly within 30 years of the Reformation starting, the Anabaptists insisted that the other reformers (Lutherans and Calvinists etc.) were not even Christian because they were baptised as infants (cf. infant circumcision and entry into covenant on the eighth day after birth), and Protestants began executing other Protestants over doctrinal differences according to the particular creed held to by the judiciary in respective towns and regions. The Catholics of the time were equally hostile against Protestants. In hindsight, all sides were unloving and unchristian to other Christians in the name of 'truth', which must have saddened God greatly..

So in terms of ‘purifying our memories’, as referred to by Pope John Paul II, neither the Catholics: who were in a pitiful mess and subsequently excommunicated and damned to Hell their Christian critics for 450 years; nor the Protestants: who have been equally fierce and unforgiving, not just against Catholics but even against each other, should be quick to ‘cast the first stone’ and we must remind ourselves that when we do accuse, we have one finger pointing forward and three fingers pointing back at ourselves.

The Orthodox and Catholic Churches have made great progress in reconciling their differences but unfortunately, from the Protestant Churches, there is no single voice who could accept his apology and make courageous and loving steps towards forgiveness and reconciliation as Pope John Paul II did.

But let us all now work and prayer to ensure that there are no more obstacles of misunderstanding and unforgiveness between us Christians brothers and sisters.

Catholic apology and unquestioned respect for Protestants

Wed, 17 Jul 2024 16:31:07 GMT

After centuries of accusation and contempt between Catholics, Orthodox and Protestant brothers and sisters, God is today bringing down the barriers between His people and uniting His Mystical Body the Church.

Never before has a Pope publically asked forgiveness for the hostile acts committed by Catholics throughout its history, often in the name of the Church, and forgiven such hostile acts committed against Catholics, but on March 13th 2000 Pope John Paul II did exactly that. He said:

Pope John Paul II

"We forgive and we ask forgiveness. We are asking pardon for the divisions among Christians, for the use of violence that some have committed in the service of truth, and for attitudes of mistrust and hostility assumed towards followers of other religions."

In a clear reference to the Reformation and the horrors of the Inquisition, Crusades and other religious wars, the Pope said:

Pope John Paul II

''We cannot not recognize the betrayal of the Gospel committed by some of our brothers, especially in the second millennium.' ''Recognizing the deviations of the past serves to reawaken our consciences to the compromises of the present.''

He said repeatedly that the New Evangelization he was calling for in the third millennium can take place only after what he has described as a church-wide '' Purification of Memory. ''

Because the Protestant Churches don’t have a single leader or leaders to speak for them, it has been physically difficult for Protestants to actually ‘accept the Pope’s apology’ and forgive the Catholic Church in return.
However, there has been long and constructive dialogue in the World Council of Churches, which has clarified and agreed many matters previously causing misunderstanding and division:

Lutherans: Regarding the Protestant declaration of; justification by ‘Faith Alone’: “On the basis of the agreements reached in the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification, the Lutheran World federation and the Catholic Church declare together:
"The understanding of the doctrine of justification set forth in this declaration shows that a consensus in basic truths of the doctrine of justification exists between Lutherans and Catholics" ’ Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification – 1999. Growth in Agreement II – World Council of Churches.(Emphasis added).
Baptists:Since the Second Vatican Council (1962-65), Baptists and Roman Catholics have undertaken a series of conversations at the international level. Jointly sponsored by the Commission on Baptist Doctrine and Interchurch Cooperation of the Baptist World Alliance and the Vatican Secretariat for promoting Christian Unity, these conversations have focused on a subject of concern to both sides, namely ‘Christian Witness in Today’s World’.
In this series of five conversations, Baptist and Roman Catholic participants, composed of church leaders and scholars, discovered a remarkable amount of consensus on both general and specific issues.
“Our common witness rests on shared faith in the centrality of Jesus Christ as the revelation of God and the sole mediator between God and humankind (1 Timothy.2-5). We come to know Jesus Christ through the scriptures, especially of the New Testament, which we share in common as the source and sustainer of our faith. That knowledge is experientially confirmed by the internal witness of the Holy Spirit, is handed down by the community of believers, and is certified by the authoritative witness of the church throughout the ages. We are also aware that God set forth in Christ “the mystery of his will” (Ephesians.1:9).
And Baptists regarding the Blessed Virgin Mary:
“Because of the long history of misunderstanding and the theological difficulties and subtleties inherent in Marian doctrines, we do not expect consensus in the foreseeable future. In an area such as devotion to Mary, which evokes both strong emotions and strong convictions from both communions, the quest for mutual understanding and respect is put to the test. Roman Catholics must attempt to understand and sympathise with the serious problems Baptists have with Marian devotion and doctrine. Baptists must try to understand not only the biblical and theological grounds of Marian doctrine and devotion, but its significance in popular piety and religious practice.” Baptist – Roman Catholic Dialogue. Summons to Witness to Christ in Today’s World 1988. Growth in Agreement II, World Council of Churches.
Evangelicals: “As a result of these changes in our world and in our churches, many Catholics and Evangelicals have begun talking to and cooperating with each other, including praying together. In the process, they have not only become friends; but they have begun to discover each other as brothers and sisters in the Lord.
“… In this section we have come to recognize, with the help of God’s Spirit, the koinonia [Christian fellowship] with the life of the trinity that both of our communities enjoy. We see it, therefore, as incumbent upon both of us to move from this singular condition of unity with the life of the trinity into an experienced unity with one another. To that end we need to take the actions which will move us from this rediscovery to forge the ecclesial bonds that will express this already bestowed unity. If God has not been dealing with us as if we were apart from Him, why should we continue to live as if we were apart from one another? Church, Evangelisation and the Bonds of Koinonia – A Report of the International Consultation between the Catholic Church and the World Evangelical Alliance 1993 – 2002. Growth in Agreement III. World Council of Churches (Emphasis added)

Despite such conciliatory talks and agreement amongst leaders of Christian denominational groups, some Catholics and Protestants still persist in their verbal tradition of contempt and denunciation towards each other. Some, though fewer these days, even continue their dismissal of each other as being ‘the enemy’ and not even Christian. (We must all be careful of this position of attacking our brothers and sisters, just because God is doing a different thing in them. It is surely the height of pride to insist that God is only in ‘my pocket’ and He cannot be in yours!) The Holy Spirit is alive and active in all the Christian churches and following Saul’s misguided persecution of the early Christians, Jesus rebuked him strongly:

Act 9:4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, 'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?'
Act 9:5 He asked, 'Who are you, Lord?' The reply came, 'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting

Anyway, although the Catholic Church believes that it has a fuller understanding of receiving Grace within its sacraments - which were lost to the Reformers when the 'baby went out with the bathwater' - in humility it has, through Pope John Paul II, asked our Protestant brothers to consider accepting this apology, made on behalf of the world-wide Catholic Church in the Millenium year – a Jubilee year, when debts were traditionally wiped clean in biblical times.

Leviticus 25:10 ' And you shall hallow the fiftieth year and you shall proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you: you shall return, every one of you, to your property and every one of you to your family.'

May they be One

Wed, 17 Jul 2024 16:24:40 GMT

A Call to Unity

We pray God will bless you with love and appreciation for our Christian brothers, and so unite His Church in the Spirit of Love & respect. On this page will be found several insights which are intended to remove the barriers between the Christians and allow us to see God in each other.

1 Corinthians 12:12- 21, 26-27:

‘For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body--Jews or Greeks, slaves or free--and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot were to say, 'Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body', that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear were to say, 'Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body', that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many members, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, 'I have no need of you', nor again the head to the feet, 'I have no need of you.' ….If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honoured, all rejoice together with it. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.

Exactly because of the wide diversity between the denominations, when we are united in the Spirit of Love and respect – then just as Jesus promised: ‘the world will believe’:

John 17:20-21 'I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me'

In His Wisdom and no doubt saddened that it caused so much upset throughout history, God has permitted the diversity within Christianity to exist throughout the centuries, for His own purposes.
Once God brings His Church to the unity of respecting our diverse gifts, the Church will in turn, be a light to the Nations and bring all the people and Nations of the World to the same unity and appreciation of each other’s’ diversity.

“Our common belonging to Christ through baptism in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit enables and calls churches to walk together, even when they are in disagreement.
We affirm that there is one baptism, just as there is one body and one Spirit, one hope of our calling, one Lord, one faith; one God and Father of us all (cf. Ephesians 4:4-6).

“Statement on ‘The Church, the Churches and the World Council of Churches’: The Ecclesiological Significance of the World Council of Churches” [The Toronto Statement], in W.A. Visser’t Hooft, The Genesis and Formation of the World Council of Churches, WCC, 1982, IV.3, p.117, cited in Growth In Agreement 3 – Intro. World Council of Churches 2007.)

The Lord's Prayer

Wed, 17 Jul 2024 12:17:36 GMT

THE LORD'S PRAYER

The prayer of our Lord Jesus, which he taught his disciples to pray. The prayer asks for our daily needs, forgiveness and protection, as well as praying for a wonderful future without evil and sadness, where God's Kingdom and Will, are to be done in the world as it is in Heaven.

The Lord's prayer, as dictated by Jesus, taken from Matthew 6:9-13

Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts,
as we have also forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

Amen

The August Queen Prayer

Wed, 17 Jul 2024 12:17:35 GMT

PRAYER 2 OF 2 - THE MARY'S HEEL PRAYER NETWORK

The prayer was given to a holy priest, Blessed Fr. Louis–Édouard Cestac [1801–1868] by the Blessed Virgin Mary, and was recommended by Pope Pius IX. The prayer also has the Imprimatur (Bishop of Bayonne, Leo Albertus, 1945) meaning that it has been approved by the Church.

It calls on us to pray for the defeat of Satan and the fulfilment of the promise within the Lord's Prayer.

August Queen of Heaven and Mistress of the Angels,
You who have received from God the power and the mission to crush the head of Satan;
We humbly ask you to send the heavenly legions,
So that under your command they may:

pursue the demons,
combat them everywhere,
crush their bold attacks, and
drive them back into the Abyss.

"Who is like God?"

O good and tender Mother, you will always be our love and our hope.
O heavenly Mother, send the holy Angels to defend me and repel far from me the cruel enemy.
Holy Angels and Archangels defend and guard us.

PLEASE REGISTER WITH US SO THAT WE HAVE A VIEW OF THE COUNTRIES. / REGIONS REPRESENTED BY MEMBERS

Mary's Immaculate Conception, and her role in salvation history

Tue, 16 Jul 2024 21:31:06 GMT

Many people, even Catholics, wrongly believe the Immaculate Conception to be the event by which Mary came to be pregnant because the Holy Spirit came upon her and Jesus was conceived – so that God was Jesus’ Father and not a man. That event is the Virgin birth. In fact the Immaculate Conception is not when Jesus was conceived, but when Mary was conceived.

She had normal parents – a man and a woman – but although every man and woman is born with Original Sin, because of a special grace relating to the merits of her future child Jesus, Mary was born without experiencing Original Sin – she was born untainted by sin and the devil has no power over her.

This Conception of Mary without sin is a unique grace for a human conceived since the Fall and is because otherwise, ‘sin’ or a person tarnished by sin, would have ‘carried and given flesh to’ Jesus/ God Incarnate in the womb, which could not be. And therefore, because of Jesus’ power, not hers, his mother Mary was uniquely created without Original Sin – as Adam and Eve had been.

Biblical References to Mary’s Immaculate Conception

References to Mary in the New Testament are not numerous, although there are many references in the Old Testament which are recognised to be ‘types’ of Mary, in the way that the Old Testament so often prefigures its more perfect completion in the New Testament. Examples include: Moses the deliverer and Jesus the Redeemer; Abraham willing to sacrifice Isaac and the Father allowing the sacrifice of Jesus; Circumcision as covenant sign and baptism as covenant sign; ritual animal sacrifice for sin and Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. Such ‘typology’ is well recognised throughout the Bible and the New Testament version of the ‘type’ is always a more perfect event than the Old Testament representation, which foreshadowed it.

Colossians 2:17 'These are only a shadow of what is to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.'

1. The New Ark of the Covenant

A type in the Old Testament which applies readily to Mary is that of the Ark of the Covenant - a beautiful container, designed according to God’s Word and which was used to carry the Word of God within itself. Mary is the new Ark of the Covenant – determined by Jesus, the Word of God, and who carried within herself the second person of the Trinity, the Word of God made flesh. God’s presence accompanied the Ark everywhere and as her ‘Spouse’ the Holy Spirit of God will continue to accompany Mary everywhere.

There are striking parallels when we consider Old Testament references to the Ark and New Testament references to Mary:

Perhaps most important to notice, is that God wanted the Old Testament Ark to be “perfect in every detail”, made of the finest materials available – and off limits to everyone. God was so protective of the Ark that nobody was allowed to touch it, since it was of such great importance.

2 Samuel 6:6,7 'And when they came to the threshing-floor of Nacon, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen stumbled. And the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God.'

We may imagine Mary to be even more precious to God, since she is not a box but created in His image and likeness, yet necessarily ‘perfect in every way’ even amongst human kind. The Ark was kept in the most holy place, the holy of holies and was ‘sanctified by His glory’.
'
Each of us are also a potential Ark carrying God’s presence, since we are a temple of the Holy Spirit as Christians, but how much more will Mary be the ‘perfect in every way’ Temple of the Holy Spirit – her Spouse – the new Ark of the Covenant

1 Corinthians 3:16,17 'Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in holy, and you are that temple.'

2. Creation

The perfectly created Universe is another of such ‘types’ which relate to Mary.

Genesis 1:2 'the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters.'

It was from the perfectly formed ‘matter’ of the Earth that God formed the mortal body of Adam and He added His ‘breath of life’.

Genesis 2:7 ' then the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being.'

Obviously Mary conceived without sin compares with this perfectly created matter used to form a human body for her son Jesus

Romans 5:14 'Yet death exercised dominion from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sins were not like the transgression of Adam, who is a type of the one who was to come.'

1 Corinthians 15:22 ' for as all die in Adam, so all will be made alive in Christ.'

Jesus is the second Adam, who undid our separation from God caused by the Fall, His humanity was formed from the body of this immaculate mother Mary.

Luke 1:28 'And the angel being come in, said unto her: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.'

3. The Second Eve

There is another type which Mary is recognised with, in Eve. We know from Genesis 2 that Adam and Eve were created by God in a state of perfection. Eve was created completely free of sin – immaculate in every way.

Genesis 1:27, 31 'And God created man to his own image: to the image of God he created him: male and female he created them. … And God saw all the things that he had made, and they were very good. And the evening and morning were the sixth day.'

Mary is often seen as the second Eve, since because her Son was to be God Incarnate, she too was created without Original Sin like Eve though she remained sinless.

Since Mary is considered to be the Woman in Genesis 3:15, it is because of the sinlessness of Mary that there is such enmity between her and Satan, because he knows that God promised that she is to crush his head.

Genesis 3:15 ' I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed: she shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel.' (DRB)

Many consider that Eve is the woman referred too in Genesis 3:15, but it could not be her since Eve was not an enemy of Satan but his accomplice in sin. Mary on the other hand would be instrumental in God putting right what Eve had destroyed.

The children of Eve would be every person born on Earth, whereas the children of Mary, would be the Mystical Body of Christ who keep the commandments and testimony of Jesus, Revelation 12:17.

Act 22: 7,8 'I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" I answered, "Who are you, Lord?" Then he said to me, "I am Jesus of Nazareth whom you are persecuting."'

Revelation 12:17 'Then the dragon was angry with the woman, and went off to make war on the rest of her children, those who keep the commandments of God and hold the testimony of Jesus.'

Mary’s children are all those who keep the commandments of her Son (Revelation 12:17), since she was also given to the Church to be its mother at the Cross by Jesus.

John 19:27 'Then he said to the disciple, 'Here is your mother.' And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home. '

4. She Will Crush Your Head – Genesis 3:15

Mary is truly the Woman who crushes the Serpent’s Head – see the appendix. Certainly Jesus won the victory against sin and undid the works of the Devil, but it suits God that mankind, which has suffered the cruel fury of Satan, be the final cause of Satan’s demise. However different bible versions differ in their translation - please see the appendix. for more detail.

5. Hail Full of Grace

Luke 1:28 “Hail full of grace, the Lord is with you.” (DRB)

The salutation of the angel Gabriel indicates a unique abundance of grace, a supernatural state of soul, which finds its explanation in the Immaculate Conception of Mary. The term ‘full of grace’, while not explicitly proving the doctrine, does imply her Immaculate Conception and freedom from sin.

The Protestant Scholar Max Thurian observed that the similarity between the prophecy of Zephaniah (3:14) and the angel's announcement to Mary, turns the past participle passage, 'filled with grace,' into a" kind of title”:

'Hail thou . . . daughter
Hail thou, full of grace!’

Mary, the daughter of Zion, receives from the angel a new kind of name which characterizes both her vocation and her purpose.

Mary is the one 'Filled-with-grace,' and she may well rejoice at the joy proclaimed by the prophets to her who should become the Mother of the Messiah, that Daughter of Zion, the symbol of the people who wait for their God, which the Virgin has become by pure grace.

6. Other References to Mary

There are several other Old Testament references which are taken to refer to Mary, such as: from the texts Proverbs 8 and Ecclesiasticus 24 – which exalt the Wisdom of God and which in the Catholic liturgy are applied to Mary, the most beautiful work of God’s Wisdom. Also in the Song of Songs, the love song in which God is taken to be the Bridegroom and the Bride may be Mary, the Church or the individual believer “4:7 Thou art fair, O my love, and there is not a spot in thee”.

A Sign of the Times - God is Raising Up Mary for the End Times Battle of Her Children with Satan.

Because of her sinlessness and special protection from God, Mary is Satan’s main enemy – she who God promised will crush his head. To ask Mary to pray to God for us and also use the power God has given her in these times, is entirely in keeping with God’s Plan and appropriate for us as her children. Mary as the mother of the Church and the New Ark of the Covenant is a champion for us against Satan, empowered by God.

Revelation 12:17 'Then the dragon was angry with the woman, and went off to make war on the rest of her children, those who keep the commandments of God and hold the testimony of Jesus.'

To become the mother of the Saviour then, Mary was enriched by God with gifts appropriate to such a role, including her ‘Immaculate Conception’. Although officially defined as a dogma of the Catholic Church in 1854, this understanding had long been held throughout history, but after Heaven’s miraculous intervention (see below), it was formerly defined by the Pope as one of only two occasions in history when the Pope has made an infallible statement (ex cathedra).

Heaven gave a Sign

The heavenly intervention was a vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Sr. Catherine Laboure, a holy nun – in a chapel at the Rue de Bac in Paris in 1830 when during several apparitions the Blessed Mother outlined the design of a medal which was to be made.

The image on the medal was of Our Lady standing on a globe with her foot crushing the head of a serpent (cf. the Woman of Genesis 3:15) and there were rays of light coming from gems on her fingers. An inscription around the image read: “O Mary conceived without sin pray for us who have recourse to thee.” On the reverse were images representing Mary (the ‘M’ beneath the Cross and the two hearts of Jesus and Mary – one run through with a sword Luke.2:35) surrounded by twelve stars – cf. the Woman of Revelation.

The medal then confirms Mary as ‘the Woman’ in both Genesis 3:15 and Revelation 12. In the years following, this medal (original called the medal of the Immaculate Conception) came to be called the ‘Miraculous Medal’, because of the repeated miraculous way that God answered the prayers of those millions who honoured this medal. 10 Million medals were sold in the first five years alone.

St. Catherine Laboure’s body remains incorrupt to this day. The incorrupt body of Saint Catherine Laboure in Paris – She died in 1876

In response to such signs from Heaven, and also the longstanding awareness and theological debate within the Church of Mary’s Immaculate Conception without Original Sin, the Pope made this an official dogma of the Church in 1854.

And Yet Another Heavenly Sign…!

Heaven confirmed this action by the Pope 4 years later, when in 1858, there was also a series of miraculous apparitions of the Blessed Mother at Lourdes, France to a young girl: Bernadette Soubirous, during which the Lady of the apparition, to answer a question asked on behalf of the parish priest to identify herself, answered; “I am the Immaculate Conception.” Lourdes became a centre of miraculous healing and pilgrimage. St. Bernadette became a nun and her body remains incorrupt at her convent to this day.

Saint Bernadette Soubirous’s incorrupt body at Nevers – she died in 1879

Such supernatural signs are taken to be a confirmation by Heaven of that person’s holiness and also their message. Such evidence may often be considered when formally declaring someone a Saint of the Church – See: http://www.marypages.com/IncorruptBodies.htm

The Role of Mary in God’s Plan:

God arranged a test for our first parents and we know that Satan was allowed to tempt them – and the Fall occurred.

As a result of the failure of this test, Adam and Eve lost the gift of sanctifying grace living within them, by which they shared in the life of God, and experienced suffering and death. They were cast out from Paradise and because the sin of Adam represented a test for the whole of mankind, the effects of the Fall have affected the rest of mankind.

God knew through eternity that mankind would fail the test in the garden, and by allowing it as He did, He ensured that Satan would be the scapegoat for the Fall of man, because he had tempted Adam and Eve, therefore allowing mankind to achieve forgiveness and redemption.

And so God already had in place a plan for our redemption and eternal happiness with Him in Heaven. He would come Himself in the person of Jesus, who would become a man, being born of a Virgin who would be his mother. Mary alone amongst mankind (because of the merits of the son she was to carry), was preserved immune from original sin.

This means that Satan has never had any power over Mary and it seems to be a matter of God’s Justice that after centuries of Satan persecuting mankind with suffering and sorrow, that it should be mankind – in the person of Mary, who Revelation clearly speaks of as being at enmity with Satan the Red Dragon, who will be the cause of his defeat – using power given to her by God.

As much as David could be a champion for the Israelites and Goliath a champion for the Philistines, Mary is a champion for mankind in the final battle against Satan. Indeed the Dragon goes to make war on the rest of the Church precisely because they are her children. Both Genesis and Revelation really describe a great enmity between these two, Satan and Mary – who is Satan’s mighty foe.

Revelation 12:17 ' Then the dragon was angry with the woman, and went off to make war on the rest of her children, those who keep the commandments of God and hold the testimony of Jesus.'

This takes nothing away from Jesus who conquered Satan on the Cross and who has already won the victory for us – but we still need to apply that victory and to defeat Satan by the blood of the lamb, the word of our testimony and our submission and humility before the kingship of God (did not cling to life):

Revelation 12:11 'But they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they did not cling to life even in the face of death.'

Let us note what the Pope Pius IX said about Mary’s role against Satan in Scripture:

This doctrine was defined as a dogma of the faith by Pope Pius IX in the Apostolic Constitution “Ineffabilis Deus” in 1854:

Pope Pius IX “Ineffabilis Deus”

“We declare, pronounce, and define that the doctrine which holds that the most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin, is a doctrine revealed by God and therefore to be believed firmly and constantly by all the faithful."

This doctrine is implicitly revealed in the Book of Genesis where there is implied the promise of a Redeemer for fallen mankind, a member of the human race born of a woman. Prophecies of the Old Testament make it clear that this Redeemer would be God Himself ( Isaiah 35:4 ), and that He would be born of a virgin. ( Isaiah 7:14 ) Shortly after the fall of our first parents, having been deceived by the devil, God said to the Evil One:

"I will put enmity between you and the woman,
between your seed and hers;
She will crush your head while you strike at her heel."
( Genesis 3:15 )

After referring to the above from Genesis, the Holy Father elaborated on this text as follows:

Pope Pius IX “Ineffabilis Deus”

Pope Pius IX also contrasts Eve and Mary as follows:

Pope Pius IX “Ineffabilis Deus”

"Eve listened to the serpent with lamentable consequences; she fell from original innocence and became his slave. The most blessed Virgin, on the contrary, ever increased her original gift, and not only never lent an ear to the serpent, but by divinely given power, utterly destroyed the force and dominion of the evil one.

Please read the appendix for more details

Respect not Conversion

We hope that to demonstrate that each of the respective Catholic beliefs about the Virgin Mary is rooted in the Bible and Christ-centred is a valid biblical interpretation for the Catholic Church to make, which our Protestant brothers and sisters should be able to respect

Appendix to the Immaculate Conception

Tue, 16 Jul 2024 21:09:55 GMT

She Will Crush Your Head – Genesis 3:15

In Genesis 3:15 in the Douay Rheims English version of the Bible and all older Catholic versions before 1966, God says to Satan:

"I will put enmities between you and the woman, and your seed and her seed: she will crush your head, and you shall lie in wait for her heel."

But some Bibles differ in their version – we explain here the error.

There is a variation in Biblical translation that can be recognized in the passage from Genesis 3:15 concerning whether or not it is the woman, or her seed, that will crush the head of the serpent.

Since 405 AD St. Jerome’s Vulgate translation of the Bible has been the main Bible of the Church, the Douay Rheims bible is based upon the Vulgate. St. Jerome, was translating the original texts for the Church, using both the original Hebrew text, and the Greek Septuagint. In his best judgment, he chose to translate the Hebrew word ( “זרע “ zera‛ ) as: "she will crush thy head." The first translation of the original Hebrew and Aramaic texts was into Greek and it is the Greek translation which uses ‘he’, not ‘she’.

But since the time of the King James translation (1611), Protestant scholars chose to interpret the Hebrew as "it" instead of “she” … shall crush thy head.

In the past 50 years, most Protestant, and Catholic translations have translated the Hebrew passage as "he".
However, there are several reasons to dispute the modern translation into ‘he’, as follows:

1. Literal Translation

The original Hebrew word under discussion only means: "the former" - i.e. the just referred to – in the sentence. The word actually implies no quantity and no gender - which is why the older translations use the phrase: "it" shall crush thy head. That translation is perhaps, the most literal.

And since that immediately prior reference was enmity "between your seed and her seed" - it is not clear if "the former" here refers to "her seed" or perhaps to "her", who was mentioned earlier in the same sentence

2. Plural or Singular ‘Seed’

So the object of “the former” can only be either the Woman or her seed.

If we consider “the former” as referring to the "seed" then the word used for ‘seed’ is the plural word ‘zeh’-rah’! This is same word used elsewhere in the Bible to refer to Abraham’s ‘seed’ being as numerous as the stars – the children of Abraham.

Genesis 15:5 And he brought him forth (H3318) (H853) abroad,(H2351) and said,(H559) Look (H5027) now (H4994) toward heaven,(H8064) and tell (H5608) the stars,(H3556) if (H518) thou be able (H3201) to number (H5608) them: and he said (H559) unto him, So (H3541) shall thy seed (H2233) be.(H1961)

Genesis 3:15 And I will put (H789)6 enmity (H342) between (H996) thee and the woman,(H802) and between (H996) thy seed (H2233) and her seed;(H2233) it (H1931) shall bruise (H7779) thy head,(H7218) and thou (H859) shalt bruise (H7779) his heel.(H6119) KJB+ Strong’s Bible Dictionary

(Highlighted reference numbers refer to the same word “זרע “ zera‛ (zeh'-rah) in Hebrew)
It is clear then, that the Hebrew word ‘seed’ ( “זרע “ zera‛ ) is not a singular object. Therefore, only the Woman can be used as the singular object. So “the former” which the Scripture is referring to, is the Woman – as St. Jerome translated it in the Vulgate.

It is more of a linguistic stretch to try to force the (plural) ‘seed’ of the woman to be a "specific singular" - than it is permit "the Woman" to be the "specific singular".

3. Singular Options in the Sentence

The context is that there is an enmity between the Woman and the Serpent - and later in the sentence, only a singular, not a plural entity (the Hebrew word “זרע “ zera‛ is a third person pronoun singular – he/she or it) can rightly be translated to ‘crush your head’.

Since there is no singular masculine person available in the text, the choices are 1) the Woman, or 2) all of her combined offspring designated by the term "it".

To presume that Jesus, ‘he’ is the ‘seed’ in this sentence, requires us to overlook the plural nature of the word being translated. This would try to suggest "Jesus" as the singular identity ‘he’ who is to "crush" the head of the serpent, when the word used for ‘seed’ is a plural word. This is making a ‘leap’ of translation which cannot be justified.

It is an irresistible and rational explanation, to prefer what St. Jerome chose to do - which is to presume that:
The one specific "singular" (the Woman) refers to the other specific singular (your head) i.e. "She” (singular) shall crush “your” head (singular) - and “you” (singular) will strike at “her” (singular) heel.

This translation is not only acceptable linguistically, but it simply makes more sense given the context of the passage. There is an enmity between the serpent and the woman established and the mutual aggression is between those two.

4. The Enmity and the Victor

One must simply ask the question: if an enmity is established, which it clearly IS "between the woman and the serpent" - who is the prophesied victor?? The answer is the Woman! The enmity between the seed of the woman, and the seed of Satan, is in fact, only a side note. To change the victor of the enmity between the woman and serpent - to be the seed of the woman, simply does not logically follow.

The obvious translation would be: "I will place enmity between you and the woman, and between your children and her children. She shall crush thy head, and you shall strike at her heel."

Obviously Jesus saved humanity by his Redemption and now intimacy with God both on Earth and in Heaven, is now available to us - but this is not the crushing humiliation of the head of the serpent, which is implicit in Genesis 3:15 . The crushing of the head of the serpent is more than "making right” the damage caused the Serpent and is a different kind of action. Paul says in Colossians 2:15 : "Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it."

The Serpent is not humiliated by Jesus - who in the account of the battle of the End Times, was immediately "taken up to God and to his throne” before the Serpent/ Dragon ever has a chance to even do battle with him! ( Rev. 12:5 ) No - Satan immediately goes away to "make war on the rest of her children." These are the children of the Woman. Nowhere - is there any reference to Jesus doing battle with Satan --Satan is never even given so much as a moment to do battle directly with Jesus.

Instead, the battle is immediately begun with: "the rest of her children."

So - who is the one who crushes Satan's head? - The only singular object that the Scripture could refer to is the Woman.

It seems strange that all the modern translations have dropped the ‘she’ of the long established Vulgate translation and used ‘it’ or ‘he’, when:

‘he’ seems to be an inaccurate translation of the original Hebrew; and
it’ places the meaning of the sentence in poor context?

5 Church History and Sacred Tradition

Pope Pius IX in the Apostolic Constitution “Ineffabilis Deus” which defined the dogma of the Immaculate Conception in 1854 referred to the Scripture:

"I will put enmity between you and the woman,
between your seed (offspring) and hers;
She will crush your head while you strike at her heel."
( Genesis 3:15 )

After quoting the above verse from Genesis, the Holy Father elaborated on this text as follows:

Pope Pius IX “Ineffabilis Deus”

"The Fathers and writers of the Church, well versed in the heavenly scriptures . . . These ecclesiastical writers in quoting the words by which at the beginning of the world God announced his merciful remedies prepared for the regeneration of mankind -- words by which he crushed the audacity of the deceitful serpent and wondrously raised up the hope of our race, saying, "I will put enmities between you and the woman, between your seed and her seed" taught that by this divine prophecy the merciful Redeemer of mankind, Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, was clearly foretold; that His most Blessed Mother, the Virgin Mary, was prophetically indicated; and, at the same time, the very enmity of Both against the evil one was significantly expressed. Hence, just as Christ, the Mediator between God and man, assumed human nature, erased the handwriting of the decree that stood against us, and fastened it triumphantly to the Cross, so the most holy Virgin, united with Him in a most intimate and indissoluble bond, was, with Him and through Him, eternally at enmity with the evil serpent, and most completely triumphed over him, and thus crushed his head with her immaculate foot.taught that by this divine prophecy the merciful Redeemer of mankind, Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, was clearly foretold; that His most Blessed Mother, the Virgin Mary, was prophetically indicated; and, at the same time, the very enmity of Both against the evil one was significantly expressed. Hence, just as Christ, the Mediator between God and man, assumed human nature, erased the handwriting of the decree that stood against us, and fastened it triumphantly to the Cross, so the most holy Virgin, united with Him in a most intimate and indissoluble bond, was, with Him and through Him, eternally at enmity with the evil serpent, and most completely triumphed over him, and thus crushed his head with her immaculate foot.”(Emphasis added)

It would appear that more than 1,600 years of Catholic translations were correct and it is modernist influences that have changed things in the last 50 years - inaccurately it would appear?

This explanation is based closely on the excellent article by David Hughes and Rick Salbato: ‘She Shall Crush Your Head. http://www.unitypublishing.com/SheWillCrush.htm

Mary's perpetual virginity

Tue, 16 Jul 2024 19:59:05 GMT

This is another truth which the Catholic Church holds to, but which is not of highest priority for salvation in terms of the Hierarchy of Truths.

There may be considered to be a mean agenda behind this observation, namely to either prove that Mary, the mother of Jesus was not of a saintly disposition but just a random little Jewess, or otherwise, to discredit the teaching of the Catholic Church.
Matthew 13:55,56 'Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all this?'

It should not at all be the intention of Christians to throw the mud of average humanity at the Mother of Jesus, who as the new Ark of the Covenant is of special importance to God. Whereas untrained readers of the Bible may need things explained, Scripture scholars should be slow to suggest that Mary has other children than Jesus, because they would know that a) the words ‘brothers’ and ‘sisters’ in Aramaic culture were also used to refer to cousins, uncles and other close relatives, not only siblings; b) the people listed as ‘brothers of Jesus’ are shown to be sons of other women in the Scripture, thereby proving the flexible use of the words in Aramaic culture.

As Patrick Madrid (‘Where is That in the Bible?’) describes particularly well:

Patrick Madrid (‘Where is That in the Bible?’)

“The Bible nowhere says that Mary had other children besides Jesus. Nor does the Bible ever refer to anyone beside Jesus as the “son of Mary”.

Some passages refer, however to the “brothers of the Lord”, and these passages (Matthew.12:46-48; 13:55-56; 27:56) are sometimes invoked in an attempt to disprove the Catholic Church’s teaching that Mary was a perpetual virgin.

Notice that in these passages, such as in Matthew 13, two of the four men mentioned by name and called “brothers of the lord” are actually sons of another Mary, the wife of Cleophas (cf. James and Joseph:

Matthew 27:56 'among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee'.

Compare with:
John. 19:25 'These things therefore the soldiers did. But there were standing by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.'

In Hebrew and Aramaic languages, as they were spoken at the time of Christ, there was no word for cousin or uncle or some other close relative. All close relatives were referred to simply as “brother” or “sister”. And though in Greek there are specific words for these relationships, it is quite reasonable to assume that the Greek word for brother (adelphos) was employed even in instances where it would have been more precise to call someone a cousin or a nephew.

Note also that at the “finding in the Temple” episode of the Gospel:
Luke 2:43-51 'When the festival was ended and they started to return, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. Assuming that he was in the group of travellers, they went a day's journey. Then they started to look for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, 'Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety.' He said to them, 'Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house? But they did not understand what he said to them. Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart.'

No “other children” of Mary and Joseph are mentioned, only Jesus. If there had been other children in the Holy Family, it is reasonable to assume they would have been mentioned here. The fact that no other sons or daughters were even alluded to here, is a strong indication that there were no others.

Also Scripture only refers to Christ as “the” son of Mary, but never as “a” son of Mary, which we would expect if there were other sons.

Finally, as we see in John 19, Christ entrusted his mother to the Apostle John, a man outside the family, though a close friend. This arrangement would not have been acceptable, or even necessary, if there were in fact other sons of Mary available to take care of her after Christ’s death. The fact that he entrusted his mother to John is powerful evidence in favour of the doctrine of Mary’s perpetual virginity.

One final point can be made here. In the Old Testament book of Ezekiel, we glimpse a mystical foreshadowing of Mary’s perpetual virginity. The symbolism is found in the “East Gate” that Ezekiel describes as part of his vision of the heavenly Jerusalem. That gate is perpetually sealed. No one is permitted to pass through it except for one person: the Prince of Israel (Christ).

Ezekiel 44:1 'Then he brought me back by the way of the outer gate of the sanctuary, which looketh toward the east; and it was shut. '

Ezekiel 44:2 'And Jehovah said unto me, This gate shall be shut; it shall not be opened, neither shall any man enter in by it; for Jehovah, the God of Israel, hath entered in by it; therefore it shall be shut.'

Ezekiel 44:3 'As for the prince, he shall sit therein as prince to eat bread before Jehovah; he shall enter by the way of the porch of the gate, and shall go out by the way of the same.'

Patrick Madrid – ‘Where is That in the Bible? – Our Sunday Visitor Publishers www.osv.com
A Vow of Virginity
Scott Hahn also observes astutely that Mary’s question in Luke 1:34 is a telling one.
“There the angel Gabriel appears to Mary – who was then betrothed to Joseph – and tells her that she will conceive a son. Mary responds: “How shall this be, since I have no husband?” (Luke 1:27-34).

Now this would be an odd question if Mary had planned to have normal marital relations with her husband. The angel had told her only that she would conceive a son, which is a commonplace event in marriage. … Mary should have known exactly “how shall this be.” It would happen in the normal course of nature.

But that, apparently, was beyond the realm of possibility for her. The unspoken assumption behind her question is that, even though she was betrothed, she should not have an opportunity to conceive a child. How can that be? Some commentators speculate that Mary must have vowed virginity from an early age, and that Joseph knew of her vow, accepted it, and eventually took it on himself. … we do find examples of celibacy in the time of Jesus, evidenced by Jesus Himself and by Saint Paul, among others. The Dead Sea Scrolls attest that celibacy was a common practice of some Israelite sects. So it is not unthinkable that Mary could not have vowed virginity.”
(Scott Hahn – ‘Hail Holy Queen – The Mother of God in the Word of God’.)

Respect not Conversion

Mary Queen of Heaven

Tue, 16 Jul 2024 19:42:10 GMT

Heaven is inhabited by the Holy Trinity, angels and the souls of men, women and children. Amongst this collection it would seem perfectly reasonable for there to be a special place for the mother of Jesus; the specially chosen daughter of the Father and the Spouse of the Holy Spirit.

Elsewhere in these pages is an explanation that the Blessed Virgin Mary is a New Testament ‘type’ of the Ark of the Covenant since the cloud of God’s Presence overshadowed her and she contained Jesus the Word of God for 9 months. She may be considered to have an ongoing special and intimate connection with the Spirit of God who is her Spouse.

While we are all called to be a Temple of the Holy Spirit how much more then will Mary be filled with Grace and the Holy Spirit?

1 Corinthians3:16,17 ' Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy that person. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.'

Ephesians 5:31 -32 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. This is a great mystery, and I am applying it to Christ and the church.

There are several ways that Mary is suggested as being a queen, both in the Old Testament and also in the New in Scripture:

It is recognised that the importance of the ‘queen mother’ is well established in the Davidic kingdom. At the time of King David when a new king took his place, his mother was routinely given the title of ‘gebirah’, which is Hebrew for ‘great lady’ or ‘queen’. It was not the wife of the king who was acclaimed as ‘queen’, but his mother. The sense behind this may be understood because they often had many wives (King Solomon had 700) and since the king had only one mother, there was much wisdom in this arrangement.

Edward Sri observes that in ancient Israel, “… the queen mother was no mere figurehead. Rather she held an actual office with real authority in the kingdom. In fact the prophet Jeremiah described how she shared in the king’s rule over the people and even possessed a throne and a crown of her own – a symbol of her royal power.

Jeremiah 13:18,20 'Say to the king and the queen mother: 'Take a lowly seat, for your beautiful crown has come down from your head.' … Lift up your eyes and see those who come from the north. Where is the flock that was given you, your beautiful flock?'

In this passage, Jeremiah forecasts the imminent fall of the kingdom of Judah. But in doing so, he reveals how the “flock” of Israelites will be taken away from the current Jewish monarchs and will be handed over to the invading Babylonians.

What is important to note is that this prophecy is addressed to both the king and the queen mother. Thus, when God says “your beautiful flock” will be taken away, He is referring to the fact that the king and his royal mother shepherded the people together. But because of their unfaithfulness, both will lose their flocks. Both will lose their thrones (“take a lowly seat”) and their thrones will be taken away.”

(Edward Sri: Catholic for a Reason II – Scripture and the Mystery of the Mother of God, also Edward Sri: Queen Mother – A Biblical Theology of Mary’s Queenship.)

Bathsheba, the wife of David and mother of Solomon is perhaps one of the best Scriptural demonstrations of the authority and importance of the queen mother in the Davidic kingdom.

1 King 2:19 -20 'So Bathsheba went to King Solomon, to speak to him on behalf of Adonijah. The king rose to meet her, and bowed down to her; then he sat on his throne, and had a throne brought for the king's mother, and she sat on his right. Then she said, 'I have one small request to make of you; do not refuse me.' And the king said to her, 'Make your request, my mother; for I will not refuse you.'

Throughout the Bible, anyone sitting on the right hand side is the ultimate place of honour. Jesus is referred to as sitting at the right hand of the Father (Hebrews1:13), so Solomon offers his mother the most powerful position he could in his whole kingdom – a throne at his right hand side. Sitting at the king’s right hand, the queen mother clearly has a powerful share in the king’s royal authority, allowed to her by the king.

Asking Mary to Pray for Us

An obvious dynamic mentioned in this Scripture also relates to how the Catholic Church regards Mary. Bathsheba was approached to speak to her son on behalf of another person, who was confident that the king would listen to her. To confirm this, her son himself assures her that he will not refuse her request. (In this example the king doesn’t heed her request, but obviously she is an influential advocate towards the king.

Similarly, many Catholics recognise that Mary is a powerful advocate to speak on behalf of individuals to her Son Jesus. Hence there are so many prayers asking for her intercession on our behalf. Certainly Protestants ‘can go straight to Jesus’, no problem, but Catholics may be aware of a powerful advocate that Protestants don’t!

Also interesting in our reflection about Mary (as queen mother sitting at the right hand of the King - Jesus), to recall the words of Jesus in the gospel:

Matthew 20:21-23 …She said to him, 'Declare that these two sons of mine will sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.' But Jesus answered, 'You do not know what you are asking.… to sit at my right hand and at my left, this is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.'

In the gospel of Luke, amongst several important things that Gabriel says to Mary he also prophecies that her royal Son will have an eternal kingdom and God the Father will restore the Davidic Kingdom to Him.

Luke 1:31-33 'And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.'

And as we have just seen clearly from scripture, David’s kingdom held a very high position of authority and honour for the queen mother – the mother of the King, within his kingdom. In Jesus’ Kingdom, that powerful queen mother at His right hand is Mary, to whom He has given power and authority.

New Testament and Mary as Queen of Heaven

Finally, let us consider the Book of Revelation chapter 12:1,2,5 and particularly let us examine “the Woman clothed with the sun”.

Revelation 12:1-2 'A great portent appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pangs, in the agony of giving birth.'

Revelation 12:5 'And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron. But her child was snatched away and taken to God and to his throne;'

Her Son is Jesus

Because the Woman gives birth to a son who will ‘rule with a rod of iron’, and this imagery is also used in Psalm 2:8,9 which clearly speaks of the coming Messiah:

Revelation 12:5 'And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron. But her child was snatched away and taken to God and to his throne;

Psalm 2:7-9 'I will tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to me, 'You are my son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron, and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.'

So, we know the mother of Jesus is Mary and considering our previous discussion about the place of the queen mother, in the vision of the Woman clothed with the sun, we see Mary alongside her Son Jesus, reigning in Heaven.

On Her Head a Crown of Twelve Stars

Like other queen mothers from the time of David’s Kingdom, we see Mary wearing a crown, which symbolises her status and authority.

The fact that her crown is made of twelve stars has several significant implications. Firstly it represents the twelve tribes of Israel, because she will bear the Davidic king, so she has an exalted place in relation to Israel and can be identified as the ‘Daughter of Zion’.

Zechariah 9:9 'Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Sion, shout for joy, O daughter of Jerusalem: Behold thy king will come to thee, the just and saviour: he is poor, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt, the foal of an ass.'

The daughter of Zion is a virgin who belongs to the Lord who will marry her:

'For as a young man marries a virgin, so shall your sons marry you, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you' (Isaiah. 62: 5).

Also the twelve stars represent the twelve apostles, who were the very foundation of the Christian Church. Jesus identifies Himself with His Church as demonstrated when He protested to Saul (later Paul) for persecuting Christians:

Act 9:4,5 'He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, 'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?' He asked, 'Who are you, Lord?' The reply came, 'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.'

So the Christian Church is often recognised as the Mystical Body of Christ, but because of the intimacy and spiritual union which God calls us to as His sons and daughters, the Church of Christ is also referred to as the Bride of Christ, especially from Ephesians 5:22-32 “Husbands love your wives as Christ loved the Church”.

Mary then, represents the Church as the Bride of Christ, ‘without spot or wrinkle’, since she is already the Bride or Spouse of the Holy Spirit who fathered her Child. Her crown of twelve stars, when applied to the 12 Apostles and the Church, suggests that she has authority over the Church – indeed she is also considered to be the Mother of the Church (the Mystical Body of Christ her Son).

Ephesians 5:25-27 ' …. just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, in order to make her holy by cleansing her with the washing of water by the word, so as to present the church to himself in splendour, without a spot or wrinkle or anything of the kind--yes, so that she may be holy and without blemish.'

Ephesians 5:31,32 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.' This is a great mystery, and I am applying it to Christ and the church.

Certainly such a union is a mystery when it takes place between two humans, but when such union takes place between God and a person, this has been long recognised within the Church as ‘mystical union’ of the soul with God, according to the writings of Saint John of the Cross and Saint Teresa of Avila. Such a spiritual union is considered to be the height of spiritual perfection and maturity, accompanied by great peace and joy - of God abiding in us and us in him.

Galatians 2:19, 20 '…. I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.'

1 John 3:24 'All who obey his commandments abide in him, and he abides in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit that he has given us.'

Mary as a person in whom the Holy Spirit abides perfectly, is Mother of the Church and represents the perfection of all her children (who keep the commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus), and in whom the Holy Spirit abides as in a temple:

Revelation 12:17 'Then the dragon was angry with the woman, and went off to make war on the rest of her children, those who keep the commandments of God and hold the testimony of Jesus.'

Clothed with the Sun

As for the sun, with which the Woman is clothed, this symbolises the presence of God, the Light of the world, who had overshadowed her and dwelt within her, just as with the Old Testament Ark, so His presence would always accompany her. By this we may presume that Mary the New Ark of the Covenant would be both empowered with the Holy Spirit and also protected by God’s presence, just as He jealously guarded access to the old Ark of the Covenant.

Standing on the Moon

The moon is beneath her feet as a representation of night and the darkness of sin, always being beneath her feet. Similarly the weakness of sin in Mankind, was also to remain beneath her feet without having any hold upon her.
In this image, is also represented, the connection with Genesis 3:15, where the Woman (Mary), is prophesied to crush the head of Satan – and her we see her standing upon the moon symbolising the darkness of sin and the Fall of mankind.

1 Thessalonians 5:5 'for you are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness.'

Revelation 21:23,25 ' And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb. Its gates will never be shut by day--and there will be no night there.'

She was Pregnant

To show Mary in her pregnant state, emphasises that she is ‘her in whom God dwells’ the New Ark of the Covenant. As an important observation, the chapter delineations were allocated well after the Scriptures were written, and it is apparent that the end of Chapter 11 and beginning of Chapter 12 of Revelation should not have been separated by the Chapter end:

Revelation 11:18-19 'The nations raged, but your wrath has come, and the time for judging the dead, for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints and all who fear your name, both small and great, and for destroying those who destroy the earth. Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple; and there were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail.'

Revelation 12:1-2 'A great portent appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pangs, in the agony of giving birth.'

Just as the Ark of the Covenant is seen in Heaven, so the pregnant Woman is also seen, separated only by the description of a spectacular ‘symphony’ of some of the loudest powers from Nature.

Compare this display of nature with Jesus’ comment on his final entry into Jerusalem and His Passion:
Luke 19:38-41 … saying, 'Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!' Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, 'Teacher, order your disciples to stop.' He answered, 'I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.' As he came near and saw the city, he wept over it,'

This was a loud acclaim from Creation which announced the appearance of the Woman clothed with the sun – Mary, the New Ark of the Covenant.

Travailing in birth and pained to be delivered

Because Mary had no original sin, it cannot be the case that she experienced the pain of childbirth, since this was a punishment from the Fall which would affect all (other) women.

While some scholars including Feuillet and McHugh consider that this reference to pain in childbirth must relate not to the infant birth of Jesus, but to his death and resurrection – giving new life for the Church, which of course was preceded by the sorrow of the crucifixion and Mary bravely accompanied Jesus to Calvary. Although plausible from Scripture exegesis, there may be another explanation.

Since Mary knew that she would be the mother of the Messiah, from Scripture she also knew how He would be treated and sacrificed unfairly as the Redeemer of Mankind, so it is very likely that Mary was saddened and tormented about bringing her Child into the world to face His fate, which She knew about so clearly.

Revelation 12:2 'AndG2532 she being with childG2192 G1722 G1064 cried,G2896 travailing in birth,G5605 andG2532 painedG928 to be delivered.G5088 '

The Greek word translated in most Bible translations of the verse as ‘pain’ is ‘βασανίζω’ basanizō (bas-an-id'-zo)
From” G931; to torture: - pain, toil, torment, toss, vex.” (Strong’s Bible Dictionary = KJV+)

If we look then at the other instances where this Greek word ‘βασανίζω’ basanizō also occurs, we see that the only time, in the whole Bible that this word is translated as ‘pain’ is in Revelation 12:2, the verse we are looking at – the rest of the time it is usually translated as ‘tormented’ ( 8 out of 12 times) or ‘toiling’, ‘tossed and ‘vexed’. This is quite a different emotional meaning than the extreme physical pain of childbirth.on
So it would appear that Mary was not in physical pain, but in emotional pain about the birth .

Her Child was snatched way and taken to God and to His Throne

Some scholars have struggled with this verse, suggesting that when Jesus was born, he remained with Mary and Joseph and on Earth until his Resurrection and he wasn’t immediately taken up to Heaven. However, this may be taking the verse rather too literally, since it is referring to the shifting and spiteful dynamics happening in the Throne Room of Heaven around the time of the birth of Jesus – particularly in relation to the dragon planning to destroy the Child.
Revelation 12:4,5 '… Then the dragon stood before the woman who was about to bear a child, so that he might devour her child as soon as it was born. And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron. But her child was snatched away and taken to God and to his throne;'

Clearly Satan the fallen Archangel believed that he could destroy Jesus, who was about to be born a Man and for Satan to be reminded that even if Jesus is a man, he cannot destroy God Incarnate - because He enjoys the authority of God’s throne, seems a reasonable boundary for him to be given in the circumstances. The Woman seems to be relatively untouchable by the dragon also, because of God’s protection – so Satan is left with making war on Mary’s children – the Church.

Revelation 12:17 'Then the dragon was angry with the woman, and went off to make war on the rest of her children, those who keep the commandments of God and hold the testimony of Jesus.'

Summary

To conclude then, the Catholic Church believes, with significant Scriptural evidence and interpretation, that the Woman referred to Revelation 12 in Heaven wearing a crown is the mother of the Child that sits with God at His throne – Mary the mother of Jesus. The Catholic Church regards her as being honoured by God with the title of ‘Queen’ in Heaven as represented by the crown of stars. This does not place her on any throne of equality with God, or suggest that she is at all divine, but only that she has authority in Heaven over angels and souls, given to her by God.

Respect not Conversion
It is not our intention to convert Protestants to believe or agree with Catholic teaching, but to demonstrate and reassure any Protestant reader of the intellectual integrity of the Catholic Church’s interpretation of Holy Scripture, and particularly on these pages, the Catholic understanding of the role of the Virgin Mary – “the handmaid of the Lord “ in God’s plans for mankind.
We hope that to demonstrate that each of the respective Catholic beliefs about the Virgin Mary is rooted in the Bible and Christ-centred is a valid biblical interpretation for the Catholic Church to make, which our Protestant brothers and sisters should be able to respect.

New Paragraph

“From Bath Abbey in August Richard Layton wrote “I send you vincula S. Petri, which women put about them at the time of their delivery … I send you also a great comb called St Mary Magdalen’s comb, and St Dorothy’s and St Margaret’s combs.”

From Bury St. Edmonunds John ap Rice reported:

(Eamon Duffy The Stripping of the Altars)

“Amongst the reliques we found moche vanitie and superstition, as the coles that Sant Laurence was toasted with, the paring of S. Edmundes naylles, S. Thomas of Canterbury penneknyff and his bootes, peces of the olie crosse able to make a hole crosse of … with such others"

.“…At Westminster was Our Lady’s girdle “which women with cheild were wont to girde with”, at Bruton in Somerset St Mary Magdalene’s girdle “sent to women travailing”.“…In attacking monastic “superstition”, then, Cromwell’s men were striking at institutions with a central place in popular religious practice, perhaps most unexpectantly in the domestic intimacies of pregnancy and childbirth. In such widespread evidence of the integration of the monastic shrines into the fabric of popular religion however, the visitors aw, or chose to see, nothing more than evidence of large-scale exploitation of simple believers. Yet they could hardly be unaware of the large numbers of devotees affected, and potentially alienated, by their actions.”

“Henry [King Henry VIII] was happy to see images venerated so long as they were not “honoured as God”. Cranmer in contrast, thought images should have “no manner of honour” neither that due to God nor “such as is due to his reasonable creatures”.

We have shown above that Cranmer is contradicting Scripture in his zeal to eliminate superstitious practices. There is no suggestion in the historical references or in today’s Church, that any object or image is not considered to be the actual saint or actually Jesus on the crucifix hung on a wall.

These were always ‘aids to devotion and prayer’, especially in the 1500’s when most people could not read the Latin or eventually English Bibles – the images and statues helped the simple faithful in their faith.

(Eamon Duffy The Stripping of the Altars)

“On the feast of the Assumption 1537 Thomas Emans, a Worcester serving-man, entered the despoiled shrine of Our Lady of Worcester, recited a Paternoster and an Ave, kissed the feet of the image, from which jewels, coat, and shoes had been taken away, and declared bitterly for all to hear, “Lady, art thou stripped now? I have seen the day that as clean men hath been stripped at a pair of gallows as were they that stripped thee.”

He told the people that, though her ornaments were gone, “the similitude of this is no worse to pray unto, having a recourse to her above, then it was before”.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states:

CCC 2132 The Christian veneration of images is not contrary to the first commandment which proscribes idols. Indeed, "the honor rendered to an image passes to its prototype," and "whoever venerates an image venerates the person portrayed in it." The honor paid to sacred images is a "respectful veneration," not the adoration due to God alone:

Religious worship is not directed to images in themselves, considered as mere things, but under their distinctive aspect as images leading us on to God incarnate. The movement toward the image does not terminate in it as image, but tends toward that whose image it is.

Images and statues are aids to prayer

CCC 1192 Sacred images in our churches and homes are intended to awaken and nourish our faith in the mystery of Christ.

Through the icon of Christ and his works of salvation, it is he whom we adore. Through sacred images of the holy Mother of God, of the angels and of the saints, we venerate the persons represented.

The public procession of a statue of Mary or a saint – usually on an occasional day of celebration - is in no way different to using a statue as an aid to prayer to that saint.

Similarly, while easily misunderstood, to kiss a statue is an extension of such a private devotion – not to the statue but to the figure it represents – like kissing a photograph of loved ones, is obviously not kissing them in practice.

When groups of people elevate something that they value greatly, it is an expression of emotion and not a gesture of divine worship. Whether a Crucifix, a statue of a saint or a hard-won trophy, they represent something, but they are not considered to be a God to worship.

CCC1162 "The beauty of the images moves me to contemplation, as a meadow delights the eyes and subtly infuses the soul with the glory of God." Similarly, the contemplation of sacred icons, united with meditation on the Word of God and the singing of liturgical hymns, enters into the harmony of the signs of celebration so that the mystery celebrated is imprinted in the heart's memory and is then expressed in the new life of the faithful.

Respect not Conversion

It is not our intention to convert Protestants to believe or agree with Catholic teaching, but to demonstrate and reassure any Protestant reader of the intellectual integrity of the Catholic Church’s interpretation of Holy Scripture, and particularly on these pages, the Catholic understanding of the role of the Virgin Mary – “the handmaid of the Lord “ in God’s plans for mankind.
We hope that to demonstrate that each of the respective Catholic beliefs about the Virgin Mary is rooted in the Bible and Christ-centred is a valid biblical interpretation for the Catholic Church to make, which our Protestant brothers and sisters should be able to respect.

Worship of Mary

Tue, 16 Jul 2024 19:22:59 GMT

Amongst the concerns that are most often expressed against the Catholic Church and which have no basis whatsoever in the mind of the typical Catholic is the accusation of idolatry in terms of Mary. The Catholic Church does not worship Mary and it would be a gross offense of the First Commandment if this were true.

Unfortunately the use of the old fashioned word ‘venerate’ doesn’t help the situation, since few people would ordinarily use the word, so it’s meaning as used by Catholics has been somewhat ‘assumed’ by many Protestants.

The word ‘venerate’ means ‘to regard with great respect’, which is how Catholics view Mary. The Catholic Church certainly does honour and greatly respect Mary, but she is never considered to be God, or a deity alongside God, or anything other than a Woman who has a special place in God’s heart and also in the heart of her children – the Church.

Having earlier considered the Scriptural references to Mary, as considered by the Catholic Church, in the other pages of this website, the reader will recognise many of the titles by which we consider Mary listed below in the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary. All of them relate to Scriptural insights as already mentioned and using all of these titles, we ask for Mary to ‘pray for us’ to God.

Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary - Approved by Pope Sixtus V in 1587

Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.

God the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us.

God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.

God the Holy Ghost, have mercy on us.

Holy Trinity, one God have mercy on us.

Holy Mary, pray for us. Holy Mother of God pray for us.

Holy Virgin of virgins, pray for us.

Mother of Christ pray for us.

Mother of divine grace, pray for us.

Mother most pure pray for us.

Mother most chaste, pray for us.

Mother inviolate, pray for us.

Mother undefiled, pray for us.

Mother most amiable, pray for us.

Mother most admirable, pray for us.

Mother of good counsel, pray for us.

Mother of our Creator, pray for us.

Mother of our Savior, pray for us.

Virgin most prudent, pray for us.

Virgin most venerable, pray for us.

Virgin most renowned, pray for us.

Virgin most powerful, pray for us.

Virgin most merciful, pray for us.

Virgin most faithful, pray for us.

Mirror of justice, pray for us.

Seat of wisdom, pray for us.

Cause of our joy, pray for us.

Spiritual vessel, pray for us.

Vessel of honor, pray for us.

Singular vessel of devotion, pray for us.

Mystical rose, pray for us.

Tower of David, pray for us.

Tower of ivory, pray for us.

House of gold, pray for us.

Ark of the Covenant, pray for us.

Gate of Heaven, pray for us.

Morning star, pray for us.

Health of the sick, pray for us.

Refuge of sinners pray for us.

Comforter of the afflicted, pray for us.

Help of Christians, pray for us.

Queen of angels, pray for us.

Queen of patriarchs pray for us.

Queen of prophets, pray for us.

Queen of apostles, pray for us.

Queen of martyrs, pray for us.

Queen of confessors, pray for us.

Queen of virgins, pray for us.

Queen of all saints, pray for us.

Queen conceived without Original Sin, pray for us.

Queen assumed into Heaven, pray for us.

Queen of the most holy Rosary, pray for us.

Queen of peace, pray for us.

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, Spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, Graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, Have mercy on us.

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Grant, we beseech Thee, O Lord God, that we Thy Servants may enjoy perpetual health of mind and body and by the glorious intercession of the Blessed Mary, ever Virgin, be delivered from present sorrow and enjoy eternal happiness, through Christ Our Lord. Amen.”

In no way then, as evidenced by this comprehensive Litany which is still commonly used today, is Mary ever in any way, considered to be a deity.

Statues and images generally

The Bible states that we must not ‘bow down to’ or worship anyone as if they were God, that only God is to be worshipped. But bowing down to anything or anyone, is not to worship them, and Scripture advocates such conduct for displaying honour to another:

Genesis 27:29 'Let peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, and may your mother's sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you, and blessed be everyone who blesses you!''

As usual God examines the heart and if we do not intend to worship someone as if they were God, then showing honour to a person is quite permitted – even encouraged

Also Jesus Himself states:

Revelation 3:9 'I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but are lying--I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and they will learn that I have loved you.'

There are numerous examples of bowing or honouring in the Bible which are clearly not being seen as offensive or idolatrous, but it is clear that the gesture is not so important as the heart and the intention. At the time of the Reformation and Henry VIII’s attack on the Catholic Church in England, while there is no question that there were abuses and superstitions amongst lay people across the Catholic Church in England as seen in the following examples, these were interwoven with practical expressions of faith (Please note Olde English spelling!):

New Paragraph

From Bury St. Edmonunds John ap Rice reported:

(Eamon Duffy The Stripping of the Altars)

He told the people that, though her ornaments were gone, “the similitude of this is no worse to pray unto, having a recourse to her above, then it was before”.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states:

Images and statues are aids to prayer

CCC 1192 Sacred images in our churches and homes are intended to awaken and nourish our faith in the mystery of Christ.

Through the icon of Christ and his works of salvation, it is he whom we adore. Through sacred images of the holy Mother of God, of the angels and of the saints, we venerate the persons represented.

The public procession of a statue of Mary or a saint – usually on an occasional day of celebration - is in no way different to using a statue as an aid to prayer to that saint.

Respect not Conversion

Media Gallery - New to the Network

Tue, 16 Jul 2024 17:16:48 GMT

Welcome to our all -new media gallery. Here you will find inspirational media to support community members on their journey of faith. Content will include, testimonials, talks and event information relevant to the Mary's Heel mission

Mary's Heel Online Community

Tue, 16 Jul 2024 16:47:54 GMT

We are thrilled to introduce the debut of our new online Mary's Heel Community Network. This platform is dedicated to network members from all corners of the globe, offering a space to exchange insights, prayers, testimonials, events, and discussions related to the Catholic Faith. The community network is proudly facilitated on the Everyday Catholic Communities UK platform. Every member who becomes a part of the Mary's Heel network will gain entry to this outstanding resource.

Respect not conversion

Tue, 16 Jul 2024 15:51:33 GMT

We shall begin our consideration of Mary on this page with both a caution and an encouragement …!

Any evaluation of Catholic Church teaching presupposes some knowledge of the subject, but apparently such knowledge is not always there. The eminent Protestant scholar, Adolf von Harnack deplored the ignorance of the majority of Protestant theology graduates about Catholicism:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/93104880/Gerald-O-Collins-Catholicism-The-Story-of-Catholic-Christianity

“I am convinced from constant experience of the fact that the students who leave our schools have the most disconnected and absurd ideas about ecclesiastical history. Some of them know something about Gnosticism, or about other curious and for them worthless details. But of the Catholic Church, the greatest religious and political creation known to history, they know absolutely nothing, and they indulge in its regard in wholly trivial, vague, and often directly nonsensical notions. How her greatest institutions originated, what they mean in the life of the Church, how easily they may be misconceived, and why they function so surely and impressively: all this, according to my experience, is for them, apart from a few exceptions, a terra incognita [an unknown land].”

So please allow us to encourage everyone reading this to be curious about what the Catholic Church teaches about Mary, and also to recognise that those beliefs are made with reference to the Holy Scriptures – the inspired Word of God. It was Cardinal Ratzinger – later Pope Benedict XVI – who wrote that “dogma is by definition nothing other than an interpretation of Scripture”

A Loving Caution

There may also, be those who are more closed minded in their opinion of the Catholic Church and will not hear anything that justifies it or undoes confusion about their teachings for whatever reason. To such people we must consider the Scripture:

“Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” Proverbs.9:10

And to facilitate such healthy ‘fear of the Lord’, there are two very serious points to be made to all Christians who resist Church Unity:-

1. A False Balance – A Caution

Reformed Protestants hold as one of their distinguishing measures, the right of every Christian believer to read and interpret the Bible, trusting that the Holy Spirit will guide the individual. There are tens of thousands of Christian denominations in the world and the typical Protestant will hold in an attitude of respect and recognition as brothers and sisters, virtually all those diverse “Bible-believing” denominations. The reason for this, is that Protestants respect the fact that the Holy Spirit may well have led ‘x’ and ‘y’ as individuals and Churches in a particular emphasis or interpretation of respective Scripture verses, according to His Sovereign purposes – even if those different interpretations differ from each other. Well, the Catholic Church is a ‘Bible–believing Church’ too; in fact strictly speaking the Bible is a Catholic book.

While the Catholic Church does not formally recognise the right of private interpretation of Scripture, it does when many individual views of Catholics are considered collectively as the Sensus Fidelium (Sense of the Faithful).
However, an observation may be levelled against the Protestant Churches and most Protestants, of using ‘unfair weights’ or a ‘false scales’ to apply one measure of judgement to a Protestant Church (or individual) who may disagree with them …. And a very different measure is applied when considering the Catholic Church, which seems judged to be not allowed to have its own interpretation of Scripture under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
This despite the Roman Catholic Church being the original historical Church dating back 2000 years to Jesus and the parent Church of the Reformed Churches, who are, (with the Orthodox Churches, who also separated over Scripture interpretation), virtually its children.

By such double standards – being applied in such a way as to divide the Christian Church - well intentioned Christians are doing the work of the Accuser - and God abhors this (See the Judgement of the Stumbling Blocks below):

Proverbs 11:1 'A false balance is an abomination to the LORD, but an accurate weight is his delight.'

Proverbs 20:23 'Diverse and deceitful weights are shamefully vile and abhorrent to the Lord, and false scales are not good'. (AMP)

Matthew 7:1-3 'Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For with the judgement you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. Why do you see the speck in your neighbour's eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye?

A Loving Caution for Catholics Too

Whereas Protestants may have applied the measuring scales of Scripture Interpretation unfairly to compare themselves and the Catholic Church, so also many Catholics appear overly confident in the fact that their Church dates back to the time of Jesus and that our Protestant brothers and sisters do not have the fullness of the revelation in their practice of faith. However, since Catholics realise that they have more opportunity to receive Grace in the Sacraments and other aspects, there is also a price to pay and God will hold us more to account for our actions than others:

Luke 12:47,48 'That slave who knew what his master wanted, but did not prepare himself or do what was wanted, will receive a severe beating. But one who did not know and did what deserved a beating will receive a light beating. From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required'

The Catholic Church’s desire for a single and unifying interpretation of the Bible is surely commendable to observers and rather than allowing hurried personal interpretations, their learned and rigorous interpretation of the Bible is strengthened by the meticulous study of such interpretations demonstrated by witnesses and teachers of the Early Church – the ‘Fathers’ of the Church; and also the (not casual but rigorously tested and discerned) guidance of the Holy Spirit in history called Sacred Tradition (capital ‘T’ – different from human tradition). Such historical prudence and academic rigour clearly demonstrates Catholic intellectual integrity for Biblical interpretation.

It was Cardinal Ratzinger – later Pope Benedict XVI – who wrote that “dogma is by definition nothing other than an interpretation of Scripture”

For a Time Such As This - God is Uniting His Church

Evidently the whole Christian Church is weak and under concerted attack at present, and the biggest scandal in World history still remains this division of the Christian Church. Yet Jesus prophesied that all Christians would be united – in such a way that all the world would believe in Him.

John 17:21 ' that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.'

God desires to unite His Church, both according to Scriptures and also several recent prophecies given through credible mouthpieces to this generation.

Prophecy – God speaks

Whether individuals are comfortable with prophecy in these times or not – God is very comfortable with it, and if He can even speak through a donkey (Numbers 22:28), would He remain silent with billions of souls headed for damnation in these times? Really - would He?

Luke 19:39,40 'Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, 'Teacher, order your disciples to stop.' He answered, 'I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.'

Also for those who despise prophecy we must recall the reference in Malachi to the spirit of prophecy, which Elijah represents, returning in the Last Days to convert men’s hearts.

Malachi 4:5,6 'Lo, I will send you the prophet Elijah before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of parents to their children and the hearts of children to their parents, so that I will not come and strike the land with a curse.'

Let us consider some prophecies referring to these times, which especially refer to Unity amongst Christians:

The Great Revival - Smith Wigglesworth 1947

The following is an end time “rare” prophecy given by Smith Wigglesworth in 1947, two weeks before his death. Wigglesworth had a profound ministry of signs and wonders.

Smith Wigglesworth

“Two Distinct Moves
During the next few decades there will be two distinct moves of the Holy Spirit, across the church in Great Britain. The first move will affect every church that is open to receive it and will be characterized by a restoration of the baptism and gifs of the Holy Spirit. [This happened]
The second move of the Holy Spirit will result in people leaving historic churches and planting new churches. [This happened]
In the duration of each of these moves, the people who are involved will say ‘This is the great revival’. But the Lord says ‘No’, neither is this the great revival but both are steps towards it.

Word and Spirit
When the new church phase is on the wane, there will be evidenced in the churches something that has not been seen before: a coming together of those with an emphasis on the Word and those with an emphasis on the Spirit.
When the Word and the Spirit come together, there will be the biggest movement of the Holy Spirit that the nation, and indeed the world, has ever seen. It will mark the beginning of a revival that will eclipse anything that has been witnessed within these shores, even the Wesleyan and the Welsh revivals of former years. The outpouring of God’s Spirit will flow over from the UK to the mainland of Europe, and from there will begin a missionary move to the ends of the earth.”

[This Great Revival of Church Unity is widely anticipated …! ]

A Prophecy for Great Britain - given to the recognised Prophet Wendy Alec, who has borne much fruit (Deuteronomy 17: 18-22, Matthew.7:17) – the co-founder of God TV, which broadcasts Christian teaching to over 200 nations across the World, and which started in Britain.

(Excerpt from: Vision for Great Britain 2005 – Wendy Alec http://www.elijahlist.com/words/display_word/3247 )

“And then I saw that some kind of NET was being loosed from the heavenlies down to earth. And I heard the Lord say, "THIS IS THE SNARE OF HEAVEN." And I saw a great angelic host . . . the warring host of Heaven being dispatched across Great Britain and Europe and other Northern-most and Middle-Eastern parts of the earth, with swords that glistened like flaming fires. And the Lord said, "As in the ancient of times, so as My people humble themselves and pray, a great and mighty roar of battle shall be unleashed from the heavenlies, and My mighty warring angels shall go forth, for I shall send them from the North and from the South."

“And the Lord said, "Because of the heartfelt prayers of My saints, I shall send my Angelic Host and the sound of their battle cry shall resound through the four corners of the earth as they prepare to meet the Princes of Darkness.

The Great Joining and New Power for Evangelism – prophecy

(Wendy Alec – ‘Journal of the Unknown Prophet – A visitation of Jesus Christ’ 2005)

And so it is that there will come in this end season a great joining of My shepherds. For in this day and in this hour there shall occur a great joining of My pastors across the cities of the Earth – a great joining across the denominations of the earth – a great joining across the nations of the Earth.For it is in this day and it is in this hour that the spirit of disunity, the spirit of territorialism, the spirit of competition, the spirit of selfish ambition shall be exposed in the hearts of My Church and so shall rise My true shepherds. They shall come forth with a rod of wisdom and the rod of grace; they shall do all things for my sake and for the sake of My Kingdom. And so shall the witches and the warlocks tremble with the region of the damned. For surely it is the Great Joining they fear – it is the deathblow to the prince of Division himself.”

John 13:34,35 I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.'

Those who claim to be Christian but in practice, resist God’s moves towards uniting His Mystical Body at this time - firstly by removing the barriers between His people and then uniting our hearts despite our diversity (See the page ‘ A Call for Unity’ on this website) - are placing themselves in a very dangerous place as you will read below about Stumbling Blocks.

John 13:34,35 'I give you a new Commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.'

The Judgement of the Stumbling Blocks.

Let none of us be found to be Stumbling Blocks for other Christians who also love Jesus, since the penalty is severe:

Mark 9:38-43 “John said to Him, Teacher, we saw a man who does not follow along with us driving out demons in Your name, and we forbade him to do it, because he is not one of our band [of Your disciples]. But Jesus said, Do not restrain or hinder or forbid him; for no one who does a mighty work in My name will soon afterward be able to speak evil of Me. For he who is not against us is for us. [Num. 11:27-29.] For I tell you truly, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to and bear the name of Christ will by no means fail to get his reward. And whoever causes one of these little ones (these believers) who acknowledge and cleave to Me to stumble and sin, it would be better (more profitable and wholesome) for him if a [huge] millstone were hung about his neck, and he were thrown into the sea. And if your hand puts a stumbling block before you and causes you to sin, cut it off! It is more profitable and wholesome for you to go into life [that is really worthwhile] maimed than with two hands to go to hell (Gehenna), into the fire that cannot be put out.” (AMP)

Attacking God’s Children – Judgement of the Stumbling Blocks

Rick Joyner is an evangelical pastor, with a highly respected prophetic ministry in the Body of Christ and he experienced a profound vision during which he observed a recently deceased contemporary who was in the lowest rank of Heaven:

Rick Joyner – ‘The Final Quest’

p.108-9

[Contemporary] “I became the worst thing a man can become on the earth – a stumbling block who produced other stumbling blocks. We sowed fear and division throughout the church, all in the name of protecting the truth. In my self-righteousness I was headed for perdition. In his great mercy the Lord allowed me to be struck by a disease that would bring about a slow and humiliating death. Just before my death I came to my senses and repented. I am just thankful to be here at all.”

[Joyner] I recalled how I had allowed disgruntled former members of a church to spread their poison about that church without stopping them. I knew that by allowing them to do this without correcting them I had encouraged them to continue. I remember thinking that this was justified because of the errors of that church. I then began to remember how I had even repeated many of their stories, justifying it under the guise of enlisting prayers for them. Soon a great flood of other such incidents began to arise in my heart. Again, I was starting to be overwhelmed by the evil and darkness of my own soul.

[Contemporary] “And we always comforted ourselves by actually thinking that we were doing God a favour when we attacked His own children….It is good for you to see this here, because you can go back. Please warn my disciples of their impending doom if they do not repent. Many of them are called to be kings here, but if they do not repent they will face the worse judgement of all – the judgement of the stumbling blocks. My humbling disease was grace from God. When I stood before the throne I asked the Lord to send such grace to my disciples. I cannot cross back over to them, but He has allowed me this time with you. Please forgive and release those who have attacked you. They really do not understand that they are doing the work of the Accuser.”

A Word for Catholics

It is an unquestioned historical fact, that at the time of the Reformation (1517 >) there was widespread call for reform across the Laity, abuse of popular devotions and worldliness in the Catholic Church, indeed surely many of today’s Catholics would also have ‘protested’ and become ‘Protestants’ at that time. Those who actually ‘protested’ and eventually found themselves outside of the Catholic Church were left with few historical foundations to rely upon to find the ‘truth’ of the gospel, except ironically, the Catholic doctrine of the Divine inspiration of Scripture. This doctrine from 2 Timothy 3:16 stated that every word of ‘the Bible’ (which had been composed by the Catholic Church) is deliberate and inspired by God.

Without a central interpreting authority that they felt they could trust, Protestants were obliged to rely on ‘private interpretation’ of the Scriptures, even allowing themselves the liberty to leave out some books from the long established Bible canon. Obviously, this caused subsequent division amongst the Protestant Christians as one person disagreed with the interpretation of another and set up a yet another Church.

Recognising the 500 year faithful journey of integrity and division that the Protestant Christians have experienced in their pursuit of ‘truth’, Catholics must be loving and respectful of the different viewpoints of our separated brothers and sisters. God seems to have been working in the different fruit and development of different talents in the Christian Church in subtle ways as a result.

(Lumen Gentium – Second Vatican Council 1964)

“15. The Church recognizes that in many ways she is linked with those who, being baptized, are honored with the name of Christian…. Likewise we can say that in some real way they are joined with us in the Holy Spirit, for to them too He gives His gifts and graces whereby He is operative among them…. In all of Christ's disciples the Spirit arouses the desire to be peacefully united, in the manner determined by Christ … Mother Church never ceases to pray, hope and work that this may come about.”

Timothy (2 Timothy 3:16) says that Scripture is good for correcting error and therefore the Protestant Churches through history have applied a critical protection of sorts to the Catholic Church from further corruption or excesses, at considerable cost to themselves.

An introduction to Mary

Tue, 16 Jul 2024 15:31:58 GMT

Kimberly Hahn – ‘Catholic for a Reason II – Scripture and the Mystery of the Mother of God’ 2nd ed

“Of all the obstacles littering my path toward the Catholic Church, none loomed larger than Mary. She represented diversion from true devotion to Our Lord to a plastic (or ceramic or marble) substitution. She was only the box that held the Present; did it honor the giver to play with the box and ignore the Gift? Depending which Catholic friend I spoke to, I heard qualities attributed to her that bordered on divinity, including titles such as Queen of Heaven and Mother of God. How could I reconcile the love for Jesus which I shared in common with Catholic brothers and sisters with the antagonism I felt towards Mary, his mother?

Catholics maintain that Mary was sinless even though Scripture teaches that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). In this teaching more than anywhere else, it seemed to me that the Catholic Church was obviously trying to make Mary out to be a goddess – not a sinner like us in need of salvation, but someone free from sin, like God. It seemed to me that from the Catholic perspective, Jesus wasn’t Mary’s saviour, but her partner. But Christ alone is the Saviour of the whole world; “there is salvation in no one else” (Acts 4:12)

Curtis Martin - ‘Catholic for a Reason II – Scripture and the Mystery of the Mother of God’ 2nd ed.

Mary’s holiness is the work of her Son, because Mary alone among all women has a Son who existed before her. ..Those who reject the Immaculate Conception [of Mary] because it seems to raise Mary up to the level of a goddess in no need of salvation have missed the point. Mary is saved by her Son in a manner that uniquely manifests His divine power.

There are often extreme reactions expressed in response to what the Catholic Church teaches – why is this? We have all heard that many people’s main reason for not believing in God is that religion seems to be at the centre of all wars! Well, that may not be wrong, or indeed such a coincidence if our world-view is that of the Bible-worldview – since there is a powerful and intelligent force of evil whose main purpose is to cause hatred and division, while also looking to destroy the Church of Jesus Christ.

The most recent blatant evidence of Satan provoking hatred in the name of Jesus Christ is the period of ‘the troubles’ in Northern Ireland, which went on for decades. On the face of it, this bitter armed civil war within the nation of Ireland was supposedly between Catholic Christians and Protestant Christians – what a scandal!! But only those who are real Christians, knowing about the major condition in the Lord’s Prayer about forgiving your enemy, and many Scriptures about turning the other cheek, realised that these were not real Christians at all and it was bizarre that the participants were allowed to use these Christian labels to murder each other, supposedly in the name of their Church. In reality this was a political and tribal war of bitterness and vengeance for repeated atrocities on either side – each seeking ascendency over the other in a civil war.

Victor Griffin – Enough Religion to Make Us Hate – Reflection on Religion and Politics (2002)

“Here was politicised religion masquerading as Christianity, with unionism solidly wedded to Protestantism and nationalism to Roman Catholicism … Political and religious tribalism, condoned if not actively supported by the churches, in the end ‘called the tune’ and Jesus of Nazareth, with his message of love and inclusiveness, was so often left out in the cold. No room for him in the northern inn.”

The disastrous perception of the rest of the world however, looking on at the frequent news headlines of murder and relatives being comforted, was that the Christian Church is a gathering of hypocrites and completely discredited. Yet the Churches failed to distance themselves from the political violence.

And so, here we are explaining the Catholic beliefs about Mary, and particularly we intend to undo the misunderstandings about Mary using Scripture – which is good for correcting error – let us remove the ‘half-truths’ and all obstacles to unity which evil has used for so long to justify brothers and sisters literally fighting each other.
The animosity against the Catholic Church from other Christians, especially discussion about our respective beliefs is often accusing and unlistening, indeed surely there is ‘a divisive force’ at work – And when we mention ‘Mary: the handmaid of the Lord’ …. Wow, what venom! What absolute contempt and hatred from some Protestants towards Mary! How can a Christian be so furious that he is spitting with loathing when he speaks of the mother of Jesus?

And we could ask Protestants: what is All-Mighty God doing anyway - allowing 1.4 billion Catholics (the largest Christian Church in the world) to honour Mary as they do – is He asleep perhaps?

Or maybe the Catholic Church has retained an insight that has not been grasped by the other Churches, like a ‘baby thrown out with the bathwater’ of the Reformation? When the Reformers were throwing out all veneration of saints in any form in a wholesale way, they threw out Mary too.

(Eamon Duffy – The Stripping of the Altars – Traditional Religion in England 1400-1580)

“Henry was happy to see images venerated so long as they were not “honoured as God”. Cranmer, in contrast thought images should have ‘no manner of honour’ neither that due to God nor ‘such as is due to his reasonable creatures’.”

Please! … Let us recognise the work of the Accuser of the Brethren by its fruit of division and hatred, especially when the result of such an un-listening contempt is to further divide the church of Jesus Christ, the unity of which will be such that the world will believe in Jesus …!

Ephesians 6 says: "For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places."

So let us please be suspicious of anything which causes good Christians to rise up in furious accusation against other Christians, and recognise the smoke of Satan at work. In his book ‘The Great Heresies’ the Catholic historian Hilaire Belloc writes that the worse of the characters triggered by any reform of any institutions is:

(Hilaire Belloc – The Great Heresies)

“…there appear among the revolutionaries an increasing number who are not so much concerned to set right the evils which have grown up in the thing to be reformed, as filled with passionate hatred of the thing itself – its essential, its good, that by which it has a right to survive.”

In future no doubt, surely we will not be deceived a second time into hating and killing our brothers and sisters in Jesus.

Christian?

Some Christians use the Nicene or Apostle’s Creed to discern who are Christians when considering a different grouping to their own, but Satan uses a different measure – those who keep God’s commandments and keep the testimony of Jesus, are those who he hates .

Revelation 12:17 'Then the dragon was angry with the woman, and went off to make war on the rest of her children, those who keep the commandments of God and hold the testimony of Jesus.'

(As an aside, it could be asked: “Why is it that Satanists blaspheme the Catholic Mass in their Black mass ceremonies and seek to profane a Consecrated Eucharistic Host in filthy ways?”)

The Catholic Church recites the Nicene Creed at every celebration of Mass; and teaches that the deliberately breaking any of the Ten Commandments is such a serious (mortal) sin, that the penalty is eternal damnation if you should die without repenting of that sin. Another biblical test of whether a Church is Christian is described in 1 Corinthians 12:3 'Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says 'Let Jesus be cursed!' and no one can say 'Jesus is Lord' except by the Holy Spirit.' (cf. Nicene Creed, said during every Mass)

These biblical proofs of what is Christian are being emphasised, because some Bible Christians actually try to justify their hatred and contempt for the Catholic Church by saying that they don’t consider the Catholic Church to be even Christian. This is a blatant lie used to justify tribalism, since we followers of Christ are even called to love our enemies, be they Christian or not:

Matthew 5:44 'But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,'

Parent Church

Historically speaking, the Catholic Church is the 2000 year old parent Church of all the other Christian churches, Orthodox and Protestant - including those Reformed Churches that seem to look upon it with such un-listening contempt – almost like children who have bitterly disagreed with their parent.

So as a basic starting point, let us recognise that the Catholic Church and Reformed Protestant Churches are all Christian Churches, with diverse histories, who are in fact brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ and in His Mystical Body the Church. When Saul (later Paul) was persecuting and stoning the early Christians in the name of ‘truth’, Jesus asked him ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’ (Acts 22:7). Jesus explained that in persecuting the Christians, Saul was persecuting Jesus Himself – in His Mystical Body the Church.

Returning to Mary, it is a bizarre and surprising realisation that Mary this quiet mother of Jesus, has somehow become, one of the biggest sources of division amongst the followers of her Son. Surprising that is, until we recall the prophetic Scripture from the book of Revelation referring to the dragon’s (Satan) action towards the woman who is the mother of Jesus:

Revelation 12:15 'Then from his mouth the serpent poured water like a river after the woman, to sweep her away with the flood.' (AMP)

We shall see below that Catholics recognise Mary as ‘The Woman’ of Genesis and Revelation, which would explain why Satan, the instigator of division in the Church, has caused so much furious accusation and division about her.

Note: If 2000- years of unwavering Catholic teaching about Mary’s role is correct, and we will try to show on this website that the evidence is strong and Scriptural insights valid, then all Christians should realise that her role is extremely important to them and their families – So let’s please be open-minded and take a good look, then decide either way.

Hostility encouraged by half-truths and peer-pressure, often passed down the generations as ‘hearsay’ oral tradition, mean that many Christians honestly do not understand what Catholics believe about Mary - and especially ‘Why?’

Amidst steady progress towards unity amongst Catholic Christians and Protestant Christians in recent decades (see ‘ A Call to Unity’ on this website) the role of Mary in God’s plan for the Church, seems to be one of the remaining obstacles to the Church unity, which Jesus asked His Father for:

John 17:11 'Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.'

Interestingly, when we consider the beliefs of the Protestant Reformers, who actually led the separation away from the Catholic Church, towards Mary, we realise that they had no such extreme antagonism to her as appears to be widespread amongst Protestants today. Presently, even the mention of Mary’s name by a Catholic will frequently provoke a hostile reaction from some Protestants.

See this excerpt from an article by Catholic Apologetics:

The Protestant reformers on Mary

When Fundamentalists study the writings of the "Reformers" (or founders of their particular group) on Mary, the Mother of Jesus, they will find that the "Reformers" accepted almost every major Marian doctrine and considered these doctrines to be both scriptural and fundamental to the historic Christian Faith.

Martin Luther

Mary the Mother of God -
Throughout his life Luther maintained without change the historic Christian affirmation that Mary was the Mother of God:

Martin Luther

"She is rightly called not only the mother of the man, but also the Mother of God ... It is certain that Mary is the Mother of the real and true God."1

Perpetual Virginity
Again throughout his life Luther held that Mary's perpetual virginity was an article of faith for all Christians - and interpreted Galatians 4:4 to mean that Christ was "born of a woman" alone."

Martin Luther

It is an article of faith that Mary is Mother of the Lord and still a Virgin."2

The Immaculate Conception
Yet again the Immaculate Conception was a doctrine Luther defended to his death (as confirmed by Lutheran scholars like Arthur Piepkorn). Like Augustine, Luther saw an unbreakable link between Mary's divine maternity, perpetual virginity and Immaculate Conception. Although his formulation of the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception was not clear-cut, he held that her soul was devoid of sin from the beginning:

Martin Luther

"But the other conception, namely the infusion of the soul, it is piously and suitably believed, was without any sin, so that while the soul was being infused, she would at the same time be cleansed from original sin and adorned with the gifts of God to receive the holy soul thus infused. And thus, in the very moment in which she began to live, she was without all sin..."3

The Assumption
Although he did not make it an article of faith, Luther said of the doctrine of the Assumption:

Martin Luther

"There can be no doubt that the Virgin Mary is in heaven. How it happened we do not know."4

Honor to Mary
Despite his unremitting criticism of the traditional doctrines of Marian mediation and intercession, to the end Luther continued to proclaim that Mary should be honored. He made it a point to preach on her feast days.

Martin Luther

"The veneration of Mary is inscribed in the very depths of the human heart."5"Is Christ only to be adored? Or is the holy Mother of God rather not to be honoured? This is the woman who crushed the Serpent's head. Hear us. For your Son denies you nothing."6

Luther made this statement in his last sermon at Wittenberg in January 1546.

John Calvin

It has been said that John Calvin belonged to the second generation of the Reformers and certainly his theology of double predestination governed his views on Marian and all other Christian doctrine. Although Calvin was not as profuse in his praise of Mary as Martin Luther he did not deny her perpetual virginity. The term he used most commonly in referring to Mary was "Holy Virgin".

John Calvin

"Elizabeth called Mary Mother of the Lord, because the unity of the person in the two natures of Christ was such that she could have said that the mortal man engendered in the womb of Mary was at the same time the eternal God."7

"Helvidius has shown himself too ignorant, in saying that Mary had several sons, because mention is made in some passages of the brothers of Christ."8

Calvin translated "brothers" in this context to mean cousins or relatives.

John Calvin

"It cannot be denied that God in choosing and destining Mary to be the Mother of his Son, granted her the highest honor."9

"To this day we cannot enjoy the blessing brought to us in Christ without thinking at the same time of that which God gave as adornment and honour to Mary, in willing her to be the mother of his only-begotten Son."10

Ulrich Zwingli

"It was given to her what belongs to no creature, that in the flesh she should bring forth the Son of God."11 "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."12

Zwingli used Exodus 4:22 to defend the doctrine of Mary's perpetual virginity.

Ulrich Zwingli

"I esteem immensely the Mother of God, the ever chaste, immaculate Virgin Mary."13"Christ ... was born of a most undefiled Virgin."14"It was fitting that such a holy Son should have a holy Mother."15"The more the honor and love of Christ increases among men, so much the esteem and honor given to Mary should grow."16

We might wonder why the Marian affirmations of the Reformers did not survive in the teaching of their heirs - particularly the Fundamentalists. This break with the past did not come through any new discovery or revelation. The Reformers themselves (see above) took a benign even positive view of Marian doctrine - although they did reject Marian mediation because of their rejection of all human mediation. Moreover, while there were some excesses in popular Marian piety, Marian doctrine as taught in the pre-Reformation era drew its inspiration from the witness of Scripture and was rooted in Christology.

The real reason for the break with the past must be attributed to the iconoclastic passion of the followers of the Reformation and the consequences of some Reformation principles. Even more influential in the break with Mary was the influence of the Enlightenment Era which essentially questioned or denied the mysteries of faith.

Unfortunately the Marian teachings and preachings of the Reformers have been "covered up" by their most zealous followers - with damaging theological and practical consequences. This "cover-up" can be detected even in the book: ‘Chosen by God: Mary in Evangelical Perspective’, an Evangelical critique of Mariology. One of the contributors admits that:

‘Chosen by God: Mary in Evangelical Perspective’

"Most remarkable to modern Protestants is the Reformers' almost universal acceptance of Mary's continuing virginity, and their widespread reluctance to declare Mary a sinner".

He then asks if it is "a favourable providence" that kept these Marian teachings of the Reformers from being "transmitted to the Protestant churches"!17

What is interpreted as "Providence" by a Marian critic may legitimately be interpreted as a force of a very different kind by a Christian who has recognized the role of Mary in God’s plan.”

http://www.catholicapologetics.info/apologetics/general/mary.htm

The subsequent articles in this ‘Explaining Mary’ section will address the justification of Catholic beliefs about Mary, with particular regard to Sacred Scripture, which is the inspired Word of God.

Catechism of the Catholic Church (paras. 135, 136)

“The Sacred Scriptures contain the Word of God and, because they are inspired, they are truly the Word of God". God is the author of Sacred Scripture because he inspired its human authors; he acts in them and by means of them. He thus gives assurance that their writings teach without error his saving truth.”

Respect not Conversion

It is not our intention to convert Protestants to believe or agree with Catholic teaching, but to demonstrate and reassure any Protestant reader of the intellectual integrity of the Catholic Church’s interpretation of Holy Scripture, and particularly on these pages, the Catholic understanding of the role of the Virgin Mary – “the handmaid of the Lord “ in God’s plans for mankind.

We hope that to demonstrate that each of the respective Catholic beliefs about the Virgin Mary is rooted in the Bible and Christ-centred is a valid biblical interpretation for the Catholic Church to make, which our Protestant brothers and sisters should be able to respect.

Mary the mother of God

Tue, 16 Jul 2024 13:56:07 GMT

Jesus is God - and His mother was Mary – so she is the Mother of God.

Elizabeth calls her the mother of her Lord (meaning God):

Luke 1:42,43

'Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me?'

Also, an angel of the Lord spoke to Joseph in a dream:

Matthew 1:20-23

'But just when he had resolved to do 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 as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.' All this took place to fulfil what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 'Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel', which means, 'God is with us.''

While confirming that God will be the Father of Jesus, the angel also insists that the child Mary will bear will be called ‘God with us’.

While it is recognised that the ‘divine nature’ of Jesus came from God and the ‘human nature’ came from Mary, Mary didn’t give birth to a ‘human nature’, but to a person – and that person was Jesus, the third person of the Holy Trinity. There is no suggestion or claim that Mary somehow is the origin of God, but only a created woman who was specially blessed.

Mary is not God, nor is she the origin of God, but a woman who herself needed a saviour. Mary’s sinlessness did not mean that she did not need Christ as her Saviour (as she herself proclaimed):

Luke 1:46

'And Mary said, 'My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour , for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant.'

Ecumenical discussions have also clarified this description of Mary as the Mother of God:

“The Final report from the dialogue between the Pentecostal Church and the Catholic Church at the World Council of Churches exchanges between 1977-1982 (p.729)
This report concluded that:

Growth in Agreement II – World Council of Churches (p.729)

“Both Roman Catholics and Pentecostals agree that Mary is the Mother of Jesus Christ, who is the Son of God, and as such she occupies a unique place. Both Roman Catholics and classical Pentecostals recognise the historical origins of the title “Mother of God” (theotokos) arising from the christological disputes at the council of Ephesus (AD 431). In order to preserve the unity of the one person having two natures to which the Virgin gave birth, the council approved the title “theotokos”(“God-bearer” or “Mother of God”). This was not a Marian definition, concerned to give Mary a new title, but a Christological definition concerned with the identity of Jesus Christ. It is only at the moment of the incarnation that she becomes the mother of God. She is not the Mother of God in his eternal triune existence, but the Mother of God in his incarnation.”

Respect not Conversion

Mary and the Hirearchy of Truth

Tue, 16 Jul 2024 13:26:53 GMT

Catholics believe that God reveals the fullness of truth to Christians through the Bible and through the ongoing guidance of the Holy Spirit. They believe that a range of truths are revealed by God, some of these are accepted by nearly all Christians, and other truths, such as the importance of Mary in God’s plan for the world, are not.

Catholics believe that the teachings of the Catholic Church represent the fullness of divine truth which God has revealed through the Bible and the ongoing revelation of the Holy Spirit. However, having said that, an important observation needs to be that not all the revealed truths are equally central to the basic gospel message or equally important for salvation. This is what is meant by a ‘hierarchy of truths’.

In practice, this means that such truths as the divinity of Jesus, his dying on the cross for our salvation, the power of the Holy Spirit and so on are most important. While other truths, such as those concerning Mary, purgatory and so on are not the central points of the gospel message.

It is important for Catholics and Protestants to recognise this distinction!

Sometimes Catholics talk about Mary, purgatory and saints as if they were the most important Christian truths – which causes an unnecessary obstacle to Christian unity. Similarly Protestants may place exaggerated emphasis on Catholic beliefs about Mary etc. often rejecting them out of hand, even when they have some justification in the Bible. These extreme positions are unfortunate and divisive and should be corrected where they exist.

If during the centuries, the Holy Spirit has guided the Christian Church with the Bible and the experience of Christians, then Catholics want to acknowledge and embrace these truths, even if they are less central within the ‘hierarchy of truths’ than some others.

Catholic teaching has never considered truths about Mary as being equal in importance to truths about God. Teachings about Mary have always been related to the basic gospel message, though they are not the primary focus.
The Catholic Church has never stopped teaching about Mary and in the past 150 years has made some major pronouncements about her role in God’s plan. The Church’s understanding about Mary, as about all Christian truth, has deepened and become clearer through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. When the Catholic Church appears to teach ‘new things’ about Mary, it is usually an official clarification of things that have long been taught and believed by Christians. Such statements present truths that have been held in the church during the first centuries of Christianity.

The principle of the ‘hierarchy of truths’ points out two extremes that must be avoided in consideration about Mary: On the one hand, Marian doctrines must not be presented as equal in importance to the fundamental Christian truths about the nature of God and redemption. Mary must never be exalted, virtually to the status of a ‘goddess’ deserving the worship and adoration due only to God.

On the other hand, Mary’s role in God’s plan of salvation must not be ignored or neglected. The Catholic Church believes that God intends Mary to have a definite place and role in the life of every Christian.

The Second Vatican Council wrote:

Council Quotation

“This Synod earnestly exhorts theologians and preachers of the divine word that in treating of the unique dignity of the Mother of God, they carefully and equally avoid the falsity of exaggeration on the one hand, and the excess of narrow-mindedness on the other … Pursuing the study of the sacred scripture, the holy Fathers, the doctors and and liturgies of the Church, and under the guidance of the church’s teaching authority, let them rightly explain the offices (roles) and privileges of the Blessed Virgin which are always related to Christ, the source of all truth, sanctity and piety”

The Dogmatic Constitution of the Church No. 67

Please Note - The Council mentions here the key principle for understanding any doctrines about Mary: they must always be related to Jesus Christ, who is the ‘source of all truth, sanctity and piety’. Catholic and Christian – An Explanation of Commonly Misunderstood Catholic Beliefs – Alan Shreck

There follows some excerpts from a report on the Hierarchy of Truths by the World Council of Churches:

“The Notion of “Hierarchy of Truths” – An Ecumenical Interpretation by the World Council of Churches 1990 :
The Catholic Church leadership in 1964 introduced the phrase ‘Hierarchy of Truths’ in its ‘Decree on Ecumenism’:

World Council of Churches 1964

“In ecumenical dialogue, when Catholic theologians join with separated brethren in common study of the divine mysteries, they should, while standing fast to the teachings of the church, pursue the work with love for the truth, with charity and with humility. When comparing doctrines, they should remember that there exists an order or ‘hierarchy’ of truths in Catholic doctrine, since they vary in their relation to the foundation of the Christian faith."

1. During Pope John Paul II’s visit to the World Council of Churches in Geneva (12 June 1984), a former WCC general secretary suggested a study on the “hierarchy of truths”. The expression is in the Second Vatican Council’s decree on Ecumenism (1964). The concept has aroused ecumenical hopes, but the expression still needs clarification of its use in the decree and of its implications for the ecumenical dialogue. The Pope immediately favoured the suggestion.

10. “Hierarchy of truths” was a new concept at the Second Vatican council. But the phrase expresses an insight into a reality which has had different forms in the history of the church. The following serve as examples:

11. Even though the scriptures are divinely inspired as a whole and in all its parts, many have seen an order or “hierarchy” in so far as some biblical sections or passages bear witness more directly to the fulfilment of God’s promise and revelation in Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit in the Church.

12. One sees several kinds of “hierarchies” in relation to the authority of the church councils and to their contents. Most Christian traditions give special priority to the seven ecumenical councils of the early church. Some see also a “hierarchy” among these seven councils, inasmuch as those which formulated the doctrine of the mystery of Christ and of the Spirit within the communion of the Holy Trinity should as such hold a pre-eminent position in comparison with the other councils.

15. The churches of the reformation observe also a kind of “hierarchy” in dealing with the truths of the Christian faith. These churches hold that the gospel of God’s saving action in Jesus Christ, witnessed to normatively by Holy Scripture, is the supreme authority to which all Christian truths should refer. It is in relation to the gospel as the centre of the faith that these churches have summarised the truths of the faith in catechisms meant for the edification of the people of God in their faith, in new liturgical formularies and books, and in confessions of faith which are to guide the pastors in their preaching and the synods in their decisions. All this implies a “hierarchy of truths”.

Implication for the search for full communion

29. The notion of “hierarchy of truths” acknowledges that all revealed truths are related to and can be articulated around the “foundation” – the mystery of Christ – through which the love of God is manifested in the Holy Spirit. All those who accept and confess this mystery and are baptised are brought into union with each other and with the church of every time and place. This fellowship is based upon the communion of the Holy Spirit, who distributes various kinds of spiritual gifts and ministries and binds the members together in one body which is the church. Thus “the mystery of Christ”, “the centre”, “the foundation”, is not only that which Christians believe but also a life which they share and experience.

36. By better understanding the ways in which other Christians hold, express and live the faith, each confessional tradition is often led to a better understanding also of itself, and can begin to see its own formulations of doctrine in a broader perspective. This experience and discernment of each other is mutually enriching

40. In responding to the challenges of the present with an awareness of a “hierarchy of truths”, Christians are encouraged both to draw gratefully on the wisdom of their traditions and to be creative by seeking fresh responses in the light of God’s coming kingdom.”

Growth in Agreement II – World Council of Churches

Mother Mary

anthony@everydaychristianmarketing.co.uk (Anthony Evans) — Fri, 12 May 2023 09:11:52 GMT

People are often fascinated by the journey of discovering individual identity. At some point in your life, you’ve probably taken a personality test, figured out your astrological sign, or taken an online quiz to figure out what flavor of Doritos you are. All of these try to tell us who we are and where we belong in the world.

We might also try to find our identity in our work, our marital status, or our income. The only problem is that these things aren't guaranteed to stay the same. When we base the core of who we are on something that can change at a moment’s notice, we set ourselves up to feel lost and confused when they do.
Before you start to panic, there’s good news – we can discover our identity in Christ, who is always consistent and never-changing (Hebrews 13:8). But what does that even mean, and how can we do that?

What does “identity in Christ” mean?

Let’s answer this question with another question: what are some ways you can tell how someone else defines their identity? Perhaps they’ve told you about their ethnic heritage and their strong family ties. Maybe they’ve shared about a personal value or belief and how it impacts the way they live their life.
Identity in Christ works the same way. It starts with thinking of yourself as part of his family; sharing in his values and incorporating them into your life. It becomes part of who you are and informs the decisions you make each day. When people ask you about yourself, you share about the influence Jesus has in your life. Not only that, others will be able to tell where your identity is by what they observe of you (Galatians 5:22-23).

What does “identity in Christ” mean?

You are forgiven (1 John 1:9)
You are accepted (Romans 15:7)
You were made with a purpose (Jeremiah 1:5)
You are God’s masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10)
You are made in God’s image (Genesis 1:27)

Look at these powerful truths! How would your life be different today if you saw yourself the way God sees you? How would your identity change if it was based on these things that God says about you?

Where you find your identity matters. You can base it on your career, but you could lose your job. You can form it around what people think of you, but their opinions can waver. You can place your identity in health, relationships, or accomplishments, but they can change at a moment’s notice.

In contrast, God’s word never will (Hebrews 13:8). Your zodiac sign, your personality type, or your Doritos flavor might say something about who you are, but none of that can override what God says about you. When you root your identity in him, you can rest assured that what he says about you is absolute, unshakeable truth. If you’re ready to dive deeper and learn more about your identity in Christ, here are some resources you might find helpful:

Read: What is Your Identity in Christ?
Watch: Identity & Action
TAGS: Black Lives Matter | Martin Luther King Jr. | Race and Ethnicity

LCBC stands for Lives Changed By Christ. We are one church in multiple locations across Pennsylvania. Find the location closest to you or join us for Church Online. We can’t wait to connect with you!

The Truth About How to Earn God’s Love

anthony@everydaychristianmarketing.co.uk (Anthony Evans) — Fri, 12 May 2023 08:59:21 GMT

What does “identity in Christ” mean?

You are forgiven (1 John 1:9)
You are accepted (Romans 15:7)
You were made with a purpose (Jeremiah 1:5)
You are God’s masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10)
You are made in God’s image (Genesis 1:27)

Read: What is Your Identity in Christ?
Watch: Identity & Action
TAGS: Black Lives Matter | Martin Luther King Jr. | Race and Ethnicity

The ABCs of Christ-Centered Relationships

anthony@everydaychristianmarketing.co.uk (Anthony Evans) — Tue, 09 May 2023 09:15:56 GMT

What does “identity in Christ” mean?

You are forgiven (1 John 1:9)
You are accepted (Romans 15:7)
You were made with a purpose (Jeremiah 1:5)
You are God’s masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10)
You are made in God’s image (Genesis 1:27)

Read: What is Your Identity in Christ?
Watch: Identity & Action
TAGS: Black Lives Matter | Martin Luther King Jr. | Race and Ethnicity

Heaven Sent

anthony@everydaychristianmarketing.co.uk (Anthony Evans) — Sun, 07 May 2023 09:17:06 GMT

What does “identity in Christ” mean?

You are forgiven (1 John 1:9)
You are accepted (Romans 15:7)
You were made with a purpose (Jeremiah 1:5)
You are God’s masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10)
You are made in God’s image (Genesis 1:27)

Read: What is Your Identity in Christ?
Watch: Identity & Action
TAGS: Black Lives Matter | Martin Luther King Jr. | Race and Ethnicity

How Do I Find My Identity in Christ?

anthony@everydaychristianmarketing.co.uk (Anthony Evans) — Sat, 29 Apr 2023 13:30:10 GMT

What does “identity in Christ” mean?

You are forgiven (1 John 1:9)
You are accepted (Romans 15:7)
You were made with a purpose (Jeremiah 1:5)
You are God’s masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10)
You are made in God’s image (Genesis 1:27)

Read: What is Your Identity in Christ?
Watch: Identity & Action
TAGS: Black Lives Matter | Martin Luther King Jr. | Race and Ethnicity

How Should Christians Handle Cancel Culture?

anthony@everydaychristianmarketing.co.uk (Anthony Evans) — Wed, 26 Apr 2023 08:55:32 GMT

What does “identity in Christ” mean?

You are forgiven (1 John 1:9)
You are accepted (Romans 15:7)
You were made with a purpose (Jeremiah 1:5)
You are God’s masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10)
You are made in God’s image (Genesis 1:27)

Read: What is Your Identity in Christ?
Watch: Identity & Action
TAGS: Black Lives Matter | Martin Luther King Jr. | Race and Ethnicity

marysheel

Introduction to the Flame of Love

The Real Enemy

Purification of Memory – The 'Reformation Divorce'

Corruption in the Catholic Church

Indulgences

Separated Brothers

Catholic apology and unquestioned respect for Protestants

May they be One

The Lord's Prayer

The August Queen Prayer

Mary's Immaculate Conception, and her role in salvation history

Biblical References to Mary’s Immaculate Conception

Heaven gave a Sign

The Role of Mary in God’s Plan:

Appendix to the Immaculate Conception

She Will Crush Your Head – Genesis 3:15

Mary's perpetual virginity

Mary Queen of Heaven

Asking Mary to Pray for Us

New Testament and Mary as Queen of Heaven

Her Son is Jesus

On Her Head a Crown of Twelve Stars

Clothed with the Sun

Standing on the Moon

She was Pregnant

Travailing in birth and pained to be delivered

Her Child was snatched way and taken to God and to His Throne

Summary

Worship of Mary

Statues and images generally

Media Gallery - New to the Network

Mary's Heel Online Community

Respect not conversion

A Loving Caution

1. A False Balance – A Caution

A Loving Caution for Catholics Too

For a Time Such As This - God is Uniting His Church

Prophecy – God speaks

The Judgement of the Stumbling Blocks.

Attacking God’s Children – Judgement of the Stumbling Blocks

﻿

A Word for Catholics

An introduction to Mary

Christian?

Parent Church

The Protestant reformers on Mary

Martin Luther

Ulrich Zwingli

Mary the mother of God

Mary and the Hirearchy of Truth

Mother Mary

The Truth About How to Earn God’s Love

The ABCs of Christ-Centered Relationships

Heaven Sent

How Do I Find My Identity in Christ?

How Should Christians Handle Cancel Culture?