Posted on 09/03/2014 6:36:07 AM PDT by NKP_Vet
A little six-year-old Protestant boy had often heard his Catholic companions reciting the prayer “Hail Mary.” He liked it so much that he copied it, memorized it and would recite it every day. “Look, Mommy, what a beautiful prayer,” he said to his mother one day.
“Never again say it,” answered the mother. “It is a superstitious prayer of Catholics who adore idols and think Mary a goddess. After all, she is a woman like any other. Come on, take this Bible and read it. It contains everything that we are bound to do and have to do.” From that day on the little boy discontinued his daily “Hail Mary” and gave himself more time to reading the Bible instead. One day, while reading the Gospel, he came across the passage about the Annunciation of the Angel to Our Lady. Full of joy, the little boy ran to his mother and said: “Mommy, I have found the ‘Hail Mary’ in the Bible which says: ‘Hail full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou amongst women.’ Why do you call it a superstitious prayer?”
On another occasion he found that beautiful Salutation of St. Elizabeth to the Virgin Mary and the wonderful canticle MAGNIFICAT in which Mary foretold that “the generations would call her blessed.” He said no more about it to his mother but started to recite the “Hail Mary” every day as before. He felt pleasure in addressing those charming words to the Mother of Jesus, our Savior.
When he was fourteen, he one day heard a discussion on Our Lady among the members of his family. Every one said that Mary was a common woman like any other woman. The boy, after listening to their erroneous reasoning could not bear it any longer, and full of indignation, he interrupted them, saying:
“Mary is not like any other children of Adam, stained with sin. No! The Angel called her FULL OF GRACE AND BLESSED AMONGST WOMEN. Mary is the Mother of Jesus Christ and consequently Mother of God. There is no higher dignity to which a creature can be raised. The Gospel says that the generations will proclaim her blessed and you are trying to despise her and look down on her. Your spirit is not the spirit of the Gospel or of the Bible which you proclaim to be the foundation of the Christian religion.”
So deep was the impression which the boy’s talk had made that his mother many times cried out sorrowfully: “Oh my God! I fear that this son of mine will one day join the Catholic religion, the religion of Popes!” And indeed, not very long afterwards, having made a serious study of both Protestantism and Catholicism, the boy found the latter to be the only true religion and embraced it and became one of its most ardent apostles.
Some time after his conversion, he met his married sister who rebuked him and said indignantly: “You little know how much I love my children. Should any one of them desire to become a Catholic, I would sooner pierce his heart with a dagger than allow him to embrace the religion of the Popes!”
Her anger and temper were as furious as those of St. Paul before his conversion. However, she would change her ways, just as St. Paul did on his way to Damascus. It so happened that one of her sons fell dangerously ill and the doctors gave up hope of recovery. Her brother then approached her and spoke to her affectionately, saying: “My dear sister, you naturally wish to have your child cured. Very well, then, do what I ask you to do. Follow me, let us pray one ‘Hail Mary’ and promise God that, if your son recovers his health, you would seriously study the Catholic doctrine, and should you come to the conclusion that Catholicism is the only true religion, you would embrace it no matter what the sacrifices may be.”
His sister was somewhat reluctant at the beginning, but as she wished for her son’s recovery, she accepted her brother’s proposal and recited the “Hail Mary” together with him. The next day her son was completely cured. The mother fulfilled her promise and she studied the Catholic doctrine. After long preparation she received Baptism together with her whole family, thanking her brother for being an apostle to her.
The story was related during a sermon given by the Rev. Fr. Tuckwell. “Brethren,” he went on and said, “the boy who became a Catholic and converted his sister to Catholicism dedicated his whole life to the service of God. He is the priest who is speaking to you now! What I am I owe to Our Lady. You, too, my dear brethren, be entirely dedicated also to Our Lady and never let a day pass without saying the beautiful prayer, ‘Hail Mary’, and your Rosary. Ask her to enlighten the minds of Protestants who are separated from the true Church of Christ founded on the Rock (Peter) and ‘against whom the gates of hell shall never prevail.’”
I hold Mary in esteem just as I do Moses, Isaiah, David, John, Paul, Peter, etc.—based on Scripture. God did use these people. Yet none of them could “once for all enter into the holy of holies” and secure redemption. You have invented a substitute, an add-on to the FINISHED work of Christ Jesus and as such are in danger of apostle Paul’s anathema (never mind toothless Trent’s).
Repent, change your mind and do the only work God demands: BELIEVE in the one he has sent.
They have eyes but don’t see.
It is the Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Nothing about Mary. She ain’t in there. End of subject.
PS. Christ is the CREATOR GOD. He did the creating. As I have heard several very well known Bible teachers put it, the Holy Trinity had a meeting and chose God the Son as the Creator. They are three in one. Not three different Gods.
Absurd. Where in the Bible do you get this stuff? I'd love to see chapter and verse on that, because I've read the New Testament through and through, and I've never heard of any such thing mentioned, or even claimed, by any Pretestant teacher I've ever heard preach. You'd think that after 50 years I woiuld have heard that radical notion at least once!
Has some man just made these things up as he went along?
John the Baptist said he was unworthy of loosening Christ's shoe-latchet. Kind of an odd thing to say for someone who "never committed the least personal sin in his entire life, not even a single, semi-deliberate venial sin", wouldn't you say?
I mean, the Baptist may not have been guilty of the sin of Pride, but it sounds like he had something more than just "original" sin on his mind when he made that statement.
No, sir. John the Baptist, like Mary, you, me, and every Saint whoever lived, was aught but a sinner who committed sin. His righteousness, just like mine, is as filthy rags compared to Christ. Mary and others may have been blessed, but none but Christ have been sinless.
Romans 3:23 - For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Yes, I've definitely read that one.
I truly do not understand the impulse to extrapolate extraneous doctrine and add it to what is actually there in the New Testament.
As a Protestant, I find it wholly unnecessary, and I'm not trying to antagonize Catholics, but to embrace such doctrines, and, furthermore, be stridently dogmatic about them, in the utter absence of any logical scriptural basis, is just misguided, IMHO.
Even if such doctrine doesn't provide a stumblingblock to one's Brother or oneself, to stridently insist that such questionable conclusions are immutable Truth is just not reasonable.
Regardless, Peace be with you.
No, but the faith of a child is exemplary and should not thrown out with the bath water, so to speak. That’s all. Not saying it was true. It was not enlightening at all and I believe there are 7 churches, but not all members of those churches are included in “The Church.” If you know what I mean. We are human and each have major faults.
I believe you misunderstood that when Jesus was 12 he astounded the Rabbis with his knowledge.
All things should be scrutinized against the Word. I don’t understand converting from Protestantism to Catholicism since all are saved by Grace alone and faith itself is a gift.
I’m not 100% sure that you know what “straw man argument” means.
The claim, by Protestants, that Catholics worship Mary (and other saints)—i.e., that Catholics are taught to commit idolatry—is quite common. It is a claim made frquently right here on FR.
I think that's a bizarre assertion. I have seen countless posts (and whole threads) right here on FR, where Protestants have spilled buckets of ink (so to speak) asserting that Catholics worship statues, paintings, and dead humans--Mary above all.
Luke 11:27 And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!”
28 But He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”
The very beginning of Mary worship was swatted down by the Lord but the RCC quickly picked it back up.
I learned in school that Jesus’ brothers did not accept Him as Messhiah until after the resurrection.
There is a fundamental difference between public and private revelation. EWTN has an excellent explanation. I suggest you read it. http://www.catholic.com/tracts/private-revelation
Mary was equally in need of forgiveness as any other woman....she was not sinless. To elevate her to the extent catholics do.. and it’s teachings concerning her... is an offense to Jesus Christ for He alone is to be worshipped, bowed down to and adored...and prayed to.
Your reasoning is like liberals ....you invent some off handed idea of who Mary is in your minds, contrary to the truth God has declared, because to accept the truth would mean you’d have to face your errors and examine everything else about the catholic church they indoctrinated you with.
It’s much, much easier to carry the banner of the “we catholics” rather than the banner of the Cross of Christ and His gospel message front and center... that there is salvation and forgiveness found ONLY in Him....not in a church denomination that makes false claims about itself and misleads the masses it needs to keep it’s coffers filled and it’s power in Rome alive.
That shouldn’t have mattered according to the rules of caring for ones’ mother. The Jews had traditions that the surviving women were cared for by family members first. So, I still wonder why Jesus didn’t give her care to one of His brothers. It stumps me.
Oh hogwash...God can and does anything he wants with whomever he wants, he is not bound by any thing of man....either he's sovereign or he's not.
There is nowhere where Mary attributes her sinless "vessel" to her Son except in catholic teachings and how they distort the scriptures to justify their doctrines.
Jesus isn't on the cross anymore...He arose...Catholics would do well to amplify this by showing the cross without him 'still' struggling there....
He said...It's finished". .....Mary is NOT Co-Redemptrix with Jesus. She was not on the cross nor did she arise... Mary does Not sanctify souls, nor is she anyone's 'spiritual mother', and further.... she does not dispense grace.
We do NOT consecrate ourselves to a sinner named Mary whom God used as a biological vessel. We give ourselves wholly and totally to Jesus, the 'only' worthy one in the universe.
Not without overriding her free will.
But it's irrelevant because if Mary can be born sinless of a sinful mother, then Jesus could be born sinless of a sinful mother.
And using an attempt at human *logic* to try to justify church doctrine, doesn't mean He DID.
Not to mention there's no Scriptural support for Mary being immaculately conceived.
SHE recognized her sinfulness, even if Catholics don't, as she called God her *savior*.
Only sinners need a savior.
Any human who doesn't sin doesn't need a savior.
If you or any other Catholic bows before a likeness of Mary, they are breaking the second commandment.
Exodus 20:1-6 And God spoke all these words, saying, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. “You shall have no other gods before me.
“You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
Bowing is bowing and that is forbidden.
Who is our brother and sister and mother? Are they not our fellow brothers and sisters in faith in Christ? Who did Jesus love above all his brothers in faith? John the Beloved. He probably knew who would be best, no? They were together at His crucifixion, brother and mother.
When Mary and her other sons, Jesus’ brothers, came to visit Jesus He explicitly pointed to His disciples and said they were His mother and brothers. Matthew 12. Notice He does not say they are His father.
The same word for grace that was used to greet Mary by Gabriel, is the same word that Paul uses inspired by the Holy Spirit, in regard to all believers.
Mary and Grace
The word grace used in this passage in Luke is used in one other place in the Bible and that is Ephesians 1 where Paul is us that with this same grace, God has blessed us (believers) in the Beloved. IOW, we all have access to that grace and it has been bestowed on us all.
http://biblehub.com/greek/5487.htm
Luke 1:28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!”
Ephesians 1:4-6 In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.
Greek word “grace”
charitoó: to make graceful, endow with grace
Original Word: χαριτόω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: charitoó
Phonetic Spelling: (khar-ee-to'-o)
Short Definition: I favor, bestow freely on
Definition: I favor, bestow freely on.
HELPS Word-studies
Cognate: 5487 xaritóō (from 5486 /xárisma, "grace," see there) – properly, highly-favored because receptive to God's grace. 5487 (xaritóō) is used twice in the NT (Lk 1:28 and Eph 1:6), both times of God extending Himself to freely bestow grace (favor).
Word Origin: from charis
Definition: to make graceful, endow with grace
NASB Translation: favored (1), freely bestowed (1).
.....”They portray people asking Mary to pray for them”.....
Sadly they are praying into the wind...she cannot hear them nor does she have the authority to respond. That is Jesus Christ’s alone and the work of His Spirit in the life’s of mankind.
Mary is dead, and God said do NOT commune with the dead. Spiritism is strictly banned by God. ...The mary of the catholic church is not the Mary of the Bible.
“I truly do not understand the impulse to extrapolate extraneous doctrine and add it to what is actually there in the New Testament.”
It’s the impulse of Satan, who blinds the minds of the unbelieving. Jesus plainly rebuked Satan with Scripture, asked his challengers “what does the Scripture say?” and declared “...the Scripture cannot be broken...” Anyone who pooh-poohs Scripture or arrogantly invents his own add-ons is in grave danger.
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