Posted on 12/17/2021 7:31:59 AM PST by The Ignorant Fisherman
Mary was FULL of Grace, and that enabled her to live a sinless life. If a blind man falls into a pit that he could not see, one could save him after the fact with a rope or ladder; but he could have been saved before the fact by being told of the pit in front of him. That is what the total INFUSION OF GRACE did for Mary; the Angel of the Annunciation even addressed her thus.
That is why Mary had, and WAS, the Immaculate Conception.
Might be nice to remember who Jesus is. Mary worship gets no one any closer to God. She’s not the mediator/advocate for God, Jesus is. Merely the vessel of Jesus birth.
Worship He who is, not the mother.
Thankful God had a plan at releasing us from our worldly sinfulness by once and for all ending the atoning blood sacrifices once and for all.
I’d like to think Mary knew and heeded the words of John the Baptist when he said,”He must increase, I must decrease. Mary pointed to Yshua, not herself.
It is believed that Joseph died sometime between that point and the time of Jesus' first recorded miracle in His 30's, which was turning water into wine. If you recall from that story, Mary was present and asked Jesus to help the wedding host with running out of wine, but no mention of Joseph.
Another clue of Joseph's absence, particularly a situation where if Joseph would have been expected to be present if he was still alive, is in Luke 4's story of Jesus reading of the scroll of Isaiah 61. Some people refer to this as Jesus' first sermon, and it may have been just that. But some people say, and take this with a grain of salt because it's full of supposition regarding tradition, that it was a custom at the time for a different family each Sabbath to read a portion of the Scriptures aloud there and it just so happened (obviously directed by God) to be Jesus' family's turn to read it on the day when the Scripture portion to be read was one of Isaiah's prophecies about the coming Messiah. The theory is that if Joseph had still been alive then the duty to read it would have fallen to him because he was the elder male of the family. That Jesus was the One to read it suggests that He was the elder living male of the family, thus Joseph would have passed by then.
Not ever virgin in scripture
Not sinless in scripture - simply the women God chose and gave His Grace in that choice.
Not blessed *above* women, but *among* women.
It is Christ who was born sinless as God.
The solemn pronouncement of the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception only affirmed what had been contained in Catholic Tradition. The Magnificat is Mary’s prayer of worship and gratitude. My point was that she recognized in it that she was to give birth to her Savior.
I think you mean to address your post 21 to lasereye.
With me, you’re preaching to the choir.
FWIW—credit where credit is due—Bl. Duns Scotus is the first one to explain the thing coherently. You are following in his footsteps.
The last mention of Joseph, husband of Mary the mother of Jesus, was during the temple visit in Jerusalem when Jesus was twelve years old. Towards the end of their visit, Joseph and Mary got separated from Jesus and were greatly troubled and in anguish. Three days later they finally found Him dialoguing with the religious leaders at the temple. Relieved yet regretful of the worry they suffered, Mary “said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?” (Luke 2:48, 49).
After being in the temple and understanding the nature of His life on earth, Jesus apparently became more aware of His relationship to His heavenly Father and His mission. It was appropriate then that His earthly “father” Joseph should fade from the gospel picture. The silence of the Scriptures concerning Joseph from this time forth suggests that he did not live to see the opening of Christ’s public ministry.
https://bibleask.org/happened-joseph-marys-husband
Indeed, she is! There is much in scripture that we may not understand this side of heaven. E.g., if we insist on applying all scripture equally to all men and women, then all the scriptures describing and condemning MAN as a sinner apply to Jesus. Why? Because Jesus is a man.
Scripture says that Jesus was slain before the foundation of the world. Jesus said on the the cross, "It is finished". Why are these references to scripture a challenge. Because they do not depend on time and space as we understand those realities.
The point is that God's ways are higher than our ways and the Lord is not limited by our limitations or the laws of physicis and nature. He is supernatural and can operate supernaturally, i.e., outside of nature.
Mary is the mother of God! How that worked and works frankly is a mystery for me. She is unique and she is deserving of our veneration. Mary is the Theotokos !
Nope. He was born sinless.
Then why did Mary declare she needed a savior?
Allow me to add some more fuel to the fire.
Mary was not born sinless and she did not die a virgin.
Also. Quit praying to her. What a waste of time.
The Virgin Birth was a carrying on of the Davidic line thru one of David’s other sons, Nathan. The Salomonic line was cursed by God following the reign of Jeconiah (Coniah). Joseph was of this Royal line and could therefore NOT pass on the curse. Mary was still heir to David, as was Jesus, “son of David”. The passing on of the Davidic line whilst avoiding the curse of the Royal line could only be solved one way - VIRGIN BIRTH. You’re welcome.
Joseph and Mary were travelling to Bethlehem for the census. That’s not really homelessness, it’s having trouble finding a place to stay while local accommodations are booked up.
Jesus Himself was homeless for a short while.
Matthew 8:20
And Jesus says to him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the heaven roosting-places; but the Son of man has not where he may lay his head.
Mary was a woman born in sin just as every person has been since the Garden. God can elect those He chooses and grace is His to give. Scripture says God blessed Mary. Could He not bless my wife or daughter if He chose to? Worship of a human is blasphemy to God. Mary worship will be judged in the end as idol worship.
Another thing to look at is "did Peter sin?" John? Paul? Yet many people bow down and pray to these dead men every day.There is only One that is worthy of worship---Jesus. Notice in Scripture that even angels won't allow themselves to be worshiped. Scripture says we are made lower than the angels. Mary worship is a sin. That includes worshiping a statue or a painting, or jewelry.
This one baffled me as a Catholic. If the Theotokos was not a human being like the rest of us, then Jesus became human from someone not like us (not fully human) - he did not assume all of our humanity, and therefore didn’t save all of us.
The last mention of Joseph is during Jesus Temple visit when Jesus was 12
But Joseph and Mary begat several children after Jesus was born, James being one
I feel like we have lost sight of the fact that humanity was created to live without sin. Sinlessness is the normal, intended state of our race, per God’s creation in Adam and Eve. Someone who is sinless sounds so far-fetched to our human minds because our human wills have been separated from the Divine Will for so long. In heaven in eternity, we will all live in a state of sinlessness, thanks be to God!
Incorrect. God is omniscient. He KNEW exactly what was going to happen at every step of the way. That includes creation, the Garden, the Tree, and the Fall. This is all "Plan A." There is no Plan B.
He created us to Fall, and rely on faith to follow Him.
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