Pope: Mary is always in a hurry to help us (first pastoral visit to a diocese in Rome)

Vatican Radio ^ | May 26, 2013

[narses]

Partial excerpts are, at best, misleading. When done to distort, they are dishonest.

2675 Beginning with Mary's unique cooperation with the working of the Holy Spirit, the Churches developed their prayer to the holy Mother of God, centering it on the person of Christ manifested in his mysteries. In countless hymns and antiphons expressing this prayer, two movements usually alternate with one another: the first "magnifies" the Lord for the "great things" he did for his lowly servant and through her for all human beings the second entrusts the supplications and praises of the children of God to the Mother of Jesus, because she now knows the humanity which, in her, the Son of God espoused.

But you knew that, right?

[narses]

My soul magnifies the Lord,
And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.
For He has regarded the low estate of His handmaiden,
For behold, henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
For He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name. And His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with His arm:
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
and exalted those of low degree.
He has filled the hungry with good things;
and the rich He has sent empty away.
He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy;
As He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to His posterity forever.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen

Magníficat ánima mea Dóminum,
et exsultávit spíritus meus
in Deo salvatóre meo,
quia respéxit humilitátem
ancíllæ suæ.

Ecce enim ex hoc beátam
me dicent omnes generatiónes,
quia fecit mihi magna,
qui potens est,
et sanctum nomen eius,
et misericórdia eius in progénies
et progénies timéntibus eum.
Fecit poténtiam in bráchio suo,
dispérsit supérbos mente cordis sui;
depósuit poténtes de sede
et exaltávit húmiles.
Esuriéntes implévit bonis
et dívites dimísit inánes.
Suscépit Ísrael púerum suum,
recordátus misericórdiæ,
sicut locútus est ad patres nostros,
Ábraham et sémini eius in sæcula.

Glória Patri et Fílio
et Spirítui Sancto.
Sicut erat in princípio,
et nunc et semper,
et in sæcula sæculórum.

Amen.

She became the Mother of God, in which work so many and such great good things are bestowed on her as pass man’s understanding. For on this there follows all honor, all blessedness, and her unique place in the whole of mankind, among which she has no equal, namely, that she had a child by the Father in heaven, and such a Child . . . Hence men have crowded all her glory into a single word, calling her the Mother of God . . . None can say of her nor announce to her greater things, even though he had as many tongues as the earth possesses flowers and blades of grass: the sky, stars; and the sea, grains of sand. It needs to be pondered in the heart what it means to be the Mother of God.

(Commentary on the Magnificat, 1521; in Luther’s Works, Pelikan et al, vol. 21, 326)

[Greetings_Puny_Humans]

“Partial excerpts are, at best, misleading. “

---

I’ll copy and paste my post again, and you can tell me what is so “partial” about it:

2675 Beginning with Mary’s unique cooperation with the working of the Holy Spirit, the Churches developed their PRAYER TO the holy Mother of God, centering it on the person of Christ manifested in his mysteries. In countless hymns and antiphons expressing this prayer, two movements usually alternate with one another: the first “magnifies” the Lord for the “great things” he did for his lowly servant and through her for all human beings the second entrusts the supplications and praises of the children of God to the Mother of Jesus, because she now knows the humanity which, in her, the Son of God espoused.

—

2679 Mary is the perfect Orans (pray-er), a figure of the Church. When we PRAY TO HER, we are adhering with her to the plan of the Father, who sends his Son to save all men. Like the beloved disciple we welcome Jesus’ mother into our homes,39 for she has become the mother of all the living. We can pray with and to her. The prayer of the Church is sustained by the prayer of Mary and united with it in hope.40

Just because you say it is “centered” on Christ, or claim that it is part of God’s plan, doesn’t change the fact that the RCC teaches prayer to Mary. The “centering” on Christ is only on the assumption that Christ has given Mary the job of the Holy Spirit, and therefore it is said to “center” on His wishes.

The scripture, of course, does not suffer anyone to be prayed at at all, save God directly.

[Revolting cat!]

A poet explained once why fools always win over the wise, and why they rule the rest of us. He explained that a fool knows everything from the getgo, while a wise man has to think things over, and since he has to think things over, he sometimes errs, while the fool is never mistaken. Wise men argue among themselves, weigh doubts, and because of that are weak. Fools free of doubts and disagreements, are always sure of themselves, and therefore stronger.

You can bet that the Pope himself has doubts sometimes, while our snake handling theologians, followers of the Harold Campings or whoever out in the land of 30,000 “christian” sects, are always so certain of their own theologies, as you can observe on these threads.

[Greetings_Puny_Humans]

I’ll take Snake Handling preachers over these blasphemers any day:

From CatholicTradition.org http://www.catholictradition.org/Mary/mary18a.htm :

Open to us, O Mary, the gate of Paradise, since you have its keys!

St. Ambrose

God has entrusted the keys and treasures of Heaven to Mary.

St. Thomas Aquinas

No one can enter into Heaven except through Mary, as entering through a gate.

St. Bonaventure

Mary is called “The Gate of Heaven” because no one can enter Heaven but through her means.

St. Alphonsus Maria Liguori

Holy Scripture was written for Mary, about Mary, and on account of Mary.

St. Bernard

Who is this Gate if not Mary? Mary is the Gate through which Christ entered this world!

St. Ambrose

We had closed Paradise; you, O Mary, opened the entryway to the tree of life again . . . You are the bridge to life, the staircase to Heaven!

St. John Damascene

She is the stairway to Heaven, and the gate of Paradise!

St. Lawrence Justinian

All the Saints have a great devotion to Our Lady: no grace comes from Heaven without passing through her hands. We cannot go into a house without speaking to the doorkeeper. Well, the Holy Virgin is the doorkeeper of Heaven.

St. John Mary Vianney

All gifts, virtues, and graces of the Holy Ghost are administered by the hands of Mary to whomsoever she desires, when she desires, and in the manner she desires, and to whatever degree she desires.

St. Bernardine of Siena

She opens the abyss of God’s mercy to whomsoever she wills, when she wills, and as she wills, so that there is no sinner however great who is lost if Mary protects him . . . All men: past, present, and to come, should look upon Mary as the means and negotiator of the salvation of all ages.

St. Bernard

If our life were not under the protection of Mary, we might tremble for our perseverance and salvation . . . In her hands Jesus has placed His almighty power in the order of salvation. He has confided to her all the means of salvation. All the graces of salvation, both natural and spiritual, will be given to us by Mary. She is rich with the riches of God Himself.

St. Peter Julian Eymard

O Mary, we poor sinners know no other refuge but thee, for thou art our only hope, and on thee do we rely for our salvation.

St. Thomas of Villanova

Unless the prayers of Mary interposed, there could be no hope of mercy.

St. Bridget of Sweden
Mary is the whole hope of our salvation.

St. Thomas Aquinas

The foundation of all our confidence is found in the Blessed Virgin Mary. God has committed to her the treasury of all good things, in order that everyone may know that through her are obtained every hope, every grace, and all salvation. For this is His will: that we obtain everything through Mary.

Ven. Pope Pius IX

O, my Lady, next to thy Son Jesus Christ, thou hast always been the chief instrument of our salvation.

St. Dominic

We are debtors to the Blessed Virgin, after Christ, for the redemption of the human race.

St. Peter Damian

Sinners receive pardon by the intercession of Mary alone.

St. John Chrysostom

Only at the intercession of Mary do sinners obtain forgiveness . . . They receive pardon only by the intercession of Mary.

St. Peter Chrysologus

There is no one in the world who, if he asks for it, does not partake of the Divine mercy through the tenderness of Mary.

St. Agnes

[narses]

“I’ll copy and paste my post again, and you can tell me what is so “partial” about it:”

I already did. You ignored that. Typical.

[haffast]

Letter #60: “We are brothers”… in humility (Francis gives Benedict Russian icon)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/3000084/posts

Mary Untier of Knots - Pope Francis' Favorite Marian Image [Catholic Caucus]
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2998237/posts

The Pope's chalice: silver-made, austere and featuring Our Lady of Luján
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2997599/posts

Mariology of the popes
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mariology_of_the_popes

Is Christ divided? Was _________ then crucified for you? or were you baptized in the name of _________? (1Corinthians 1:13)

[Revolting cat!]

Thank you for demonstrating the poet’s observation once again.

[Greetings_Puny_Humans]

“I already did.”

---

The only thing you did was accuse me of being dishonest and not quoting everything in full, when I quoted the same exact text you did, and even more than that.

[narses]

You must be blind. Look again.

[ravenwolf]

I think most of the confusion here comes from the misunderstanding of the word “pray

---

You make a good point, praying is asking but we can see what Jesus says about that.

Mat 6
5
And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

6
But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

So if we want a cup of coffee a waitress is the one to ask, but God is the only one who can give us eternal life.

1 Tim ch 2
5
For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

[Mrs. Don-o]

No, no, no, my dear. Fundamental error. Mary is not the Spirit. Mary is the Bride. As in "The Spirit and the Bride say, Come."

You are equating two things that are not synonymous: necromancy, and intercessory prayer to the saints. The word "necromancy" derives from the Greek “nekrós, ("dead body"), and “manteía”, (“prophesying or divination”) and refers to a type of sorcery involving the conjuring of spirits of the dead for the purpose of fortune-telling: predicting the future.

Intercessory prayer to the saints does neither of these things: it does not conjure up spirits, and it does not attempt or pretend prophecy/divination. It's not necromancy,and if anyone were to try to use Christian prayer as a form of necromancy, that would be a sin.

Are you a member of a church that teaches that the faithful departed are dead branches, cut off and thrown into the fire? Are they cut off from the Body of Christ and have no more interest in us or are in no position to pray for us? I would like to understand more of where this view comes from, since I can't seem to find a source. Can you suggest a website that links to your church's teachings?

Do you believe in the Communion of Saints? Do you believe we are members of the Body of Christ? Do you believe that the saints who have gone on before us, are dead-body-parts, dead cells, tissues, organs and systems, dead clumps in the Body of Christ?

It is a carnal-minded thing to suppose that they hear only with ears and understand with brains, inasmuch as their bodily hearing and thinking organs are now rotting in the ground. They are no longer in the carnal body. They are in Christ.

I'm not a gambling person, but I'll bet $5 that you know that! You do!

So why in heaven would they be limited to what their decomposing ears could hear?

[Mrs. Don-o]

But you and I both ask for help from people other than God.

[Greetings_Puny_Humans]

“No, no, no, my dear. Fundamental error. Mary is not the Spirit.”

---

If she is not the Spirit, then why is it proposed that she is the intercessor between Christ and man when this very same role is applied to God?

“Intercessory prayer to the saints does neither of these things:”

---

Prayers to departed Christians presupposes that they can hear and answer them. Necromancy is to call up the dead. The Catholic prays to those passed away, suggesting that those who are in heaven have the attributes of God in being omnipresent and omniscient in this world, capable not only of hearing every prayer addressed to them, but also being able to instantaneously judge the heart of the one who is praying, so that they can judge whether to answer the prayer or not.

“Are you a member of a church that teaches that the faithful departed are dead branches,”

---

Whether you describe them as alive in heaven, or dead in heaven, makes no difference whatsoever, since they are still in heaven, and not on Earth.

“Do you believe we are members of the Body of Christ?”

---

Being a member of the body of Christ does not imbue someone with the attributes of God. Sorry.

[Greetings_Puny_Humans]

“But you and I both ask for help from people other than God.”

---

Yes, and, surprisingly, my prayers are always answered when my sister in Christ prays with me. We both pray to God directly, and not to Mary or Dick, Tom or Harry.

[Iscool]

We only ask her to pray for us.

Why do you continue to say that??? It's been proven time and again that what you say is not accurate...

Even your pope in this article tells you to pray to Mary for things that she can not give you...

Mary doesn't not give anyone understanding as your pope claims...That is the job of the Holy Spirit...And Christians certainly do not need a mediator between us and the Holy Spirit...He lives inside each of us Christians...

[Iscool]

I think most of the confusion here comes from the misunderstanding of the word "pray." Its earlier, legitimate meaning, still used by the Church, is to "implore" or ask." Shakespeare uses it this way all the time ("I pray you, do not fall in love with me") and the U.S. judges and lawyers still use it this way ("Therefore the petitioner now prays this honorable Court...")

In this sense, you "pray" to another person every time you ask the waitress for a cup of coffee. Though where in the Bible does it say you can pray to waitresses?

Naw, that's misleading...The only time in the scriptures when pray means to implore or ask is when it is combined with the word you, or thee...The single word pray in the bible means to worship...

[Greetings_Puny_Humans]

“And Christians certainly do not need a mediator between us and the Holy Spirit...He lives inside each of us Christians...”

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Oh yeah? B-b-but, I bet it was Mary who gave you the Holy Spirit! /s

“Mary is the intermediary through whom is distributed unto us this immense treasure of mercies gathered by God, for mercy and truth were created by Jesus Christ. Thus as no man goeth to the Father but by the Son, so no man goeth to Christ but by His Mother.” (Vatican Website: Encyclical of Pope Leo 13th on the Rosary, Octobri Mense, Pope Leo 13th, 1903-1914)

“The foundation of all our confidence is found in the Blessed Virgin Mary. God has committed to her the treasury of all good things, in order that everyone may know that through her are obtained every hope, every grace, and all salvation. For this is His will: that we obtain everything through Mary.” (Ven. Pope Pius IX)

[Iscool]

I am looking for an English translation of this homily for a Church bible study. I have found the Italian text on the Vatican Website but the Google translation is very poor.

For a bible study, you'd be far, far better off getting your information straight from the bible...

In fact, this homily does not qualify for a 'bible' study...It is no more than a Catholic Church study...

[Mrs. Don-o]