Gen. 5:24, Heb. 11:5 - Enoch was bodily assumed into heaven without dying. Would God do any less for Mary the Ark of the New Covenant?
2 Kings 2:11-12; 1 Mac 2:58 - Elijah was assumed into heaven in fiery chariot. Jesus would not do any less for His Blessed Mother.
Psalm 132:8 - Arise, O Lord, and go to thy resting place, thou and the Ark (Mary) of thy might. Both Jesus and Mary were taken up to their eternal resting place in heaven.
2 Cor. 12:2 - Paul speaks of a man in Christ who was caught up to the third heaven. Mary was also brought up into heaven by God.
Matt. 27:52-53 - when Jesus died and rose, the bodies of the saints were raised. Nothing in Scripture precludes Mary's assumption into heaven.
1 Thess. 4:17 - we shall be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and so we shall always be with the Lord.
Rev. 12:1 - we see Mary, the "woman," clothed with the sun. While in Rev. 6:9 we only see the souls of the martyrs in heaven, in Rev. 12:1 we see Mary, both body and soul.
2 Thess. 2:15 - Paul instructs us to hold fast to oral (not just written) tradition. Apostolic tradition says Mary was assumed into heaven. While claiming the bones of the saints was a common practice during these times (and would have been especially important to obtain Mary's bones as she was the Mother of God), Mary's bones were never claimed. This is because they were not available. Mary was taken up body and soul into heaven.
Shaila Touchton's Despite of Differences, Come Unity in Jesus Christ!
Showing posts with label Honour mary. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Honour mary. Show all posts
Catholics worship Mary!
I am going to visit my boss at home, to ask a favour. If I knock on the door of his house, and his mother answers, what should I do?
a) Brush past her and ignore her completely?
b) Say a curt greeting and then walk right on in?
c) Politely ask her to go see if he will come speak with me?
I imagine any sensible person picked c). Even if my boss is known to be a hard man, I might even score a couple points by being very kind and respectful to his mother. If I do this, does it mean that I am now working for my boss's mother? If she sends me on an errand for her and promises to butter up my boss for me, does THAT mean I am now working for my boss's mother, or that I am no longer working for my boss?
I am going to visit the king of the land, to plead my case. He is known for bestowing his abundant favour on his friends and for treating very harshly his enemies, and as of yet, I do not know for sure which way he will look at me; am I his friend or his foe? Crossing the courtyard, I see his mother in the way. How can I enhance my chance of being well received by the king?
a) Take my chances on my own, and rely on my own merit and charming personality?
b) Tell the king's mother that she has no authority and no power and that her son the king doesn't need her, so she should just buzz off?
c) Take this rare and fortunate opportunity to show her respect and reverence, and ask her to put in a good word with me for the king?
If I pick a) I am being prideful and should not be surprised if the king turns me away, or worse yet, chastises me for wasting his time.
If I pick b) I should rightly EXPECT chastisement from the king, who loves his mother dearly.
If I am smart, and pick c) does this mean that I am now pledging allegiance to the king's mother, and withdrawing it from the king? What if the king's mother asks me to do something in return for putting in a good word, does this mean that I have committed treason against the king?
I am seeking to win favour with God, the Creator of the world, who has condescended in His great mercy to be born of a virgin in time. I also know that I am infinitely less than He, being made of nothing, and that I have already offended Him more times than I can count. When I think on this my heart is broken within me, all my bones tremble, at the presence of the LORD, and at the presence of his holy words.
My courage falters even more as I remember the intended fate of the unfaithful people Israel that is related by Moses.
"The LORD said to me: I see that this people is stiffnecked: Let me alone that I may destroy them, and abolish their name from under heaven, and set thee over a nation, that is greater and stronger than this."
But Moses, who already had favour with God pleaded with Him.
"And when I came down from the burning mount, and held the two tables of the covenant with both hands, and saw that you had sinned against the LORD your God, and had made to yourselves a molten calf, and had quickly forsaken his way, which He had shewn you: I cast the tables out of my hands, and broke them in your sight. And I fell down before the LORD as before, forty days and nights neither eating bread, nor drinking water, for all your sins, which you had committed against the LORD, and had provoked Him to wrath: For I feared His indignation and anger, wherewith being moved against you, He would have destroyed you. And the LORD heard me this time also. And He was exceeding angry against Aaron also, and would have destroyed him, and I prayed in like manner for him."
An entire nation saved by the prayer of Moses! Oh if I could only ask Moses to pray for me! If only he were not dead!
At this thought, my conscience rebukes me sharply, bringing to mind the words of the Saviour, Christ Himself.
"And concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read that which was spoken by God, saying to you: I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living."
Then... Moses lives! I may certainly ask for him to pray for me to the LORD our God! He interceded so willingly for an entire nation, which had offended God so grievously, and on account of his prayers they were spared from destruction!
By now my conscience tells me: "Fear not: your God, and the God of your father hath given you treasure."
What treasure is this? What treasure can give me, such a wretched sinner, greater courage to approach the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the army of heaven standing by Him, than to ask for the prayers of Moses?
"When Jesus therefore had seen his mother and the disciple standing whom he loved, he saith to his mother: Woman, behold thy son. After that, he saith to the disciple: Behold thy mother. And from that hour, the disciple took her to his own."
The Apostle St. John took Jesus' mother for his own! Of course! Who better to help us go to God, than she, by whom He chose to come to us! And should we not imitate St. John and take her for our own mother? The Apostle St. Paul says we should.
"That we might give ourselves a pattern unto you, to imitate us."
It is clear. The mother of the living God, the Blessed Virgin Mary was chosen out of all the creatures of God for the greatest honour of all, that of raising and caring for God Himself, made flesh. There is therefore, no creature who merits higher favour than Mary, who is indeed living in heaven, with her Divine Son.
a) Brush past her and ignore her completely?
b) Say a curt greeting and then walk right on in?
c) Politely ask her to go see if he will come speak with me?
I imagine any sensible person picked c). Even if my boss is known to be a hard man, I might even score a couple points by being very kind and respectful to his mother. If I do this, does it mean that I am now working for my boss's mother? If she sends me on an errand for her and promises to butter up my boss for me, does THAT mean I am now working for my boss's mother, or that I am no longer working for my boss?
I am going to visit the king of the land, to plead my case. He is known for bestowing his abundant favour on his friends and for treating very harshly his enemies, and as of yet, I do not know for sure which way he will look at me; am I his friend or his foe? Crossing the courtyard, I see his mother in the way. How can I enhance my chance of being well received by the king?
a) Take my chances on my own, and rely on my own merit and charming personality?
b) Tell the king's mother that she has no authority and no power and that her son the king doesn't need her, so she should just buzz off?
c) Take this rare and fortunate opportunity to show her respect and reverence, and ask her to put in a good word with me for the king?
If I pick a) I am being prideful and should not be surprised if the king turns me away, or worse yet, chastises me for wasting his time.
If I pick b) I should rightly EXPECT chastisement from the king, who loves his mother dearly.
If I am smart, and pick c) does this mean that I am now pledging allegiance to the king's mother, and withdrawing it from the king? What if the king's mother asks me to do something in return for putting in a good word, does this mean that I have committed treason against the king?
I am seeking to win favour with God, the Creator of the world, who has condescended in His great mercy to be born of a virgin in time. I also know that I am infinitely less than He, being made of nothing, and that I have already offended Him more times than I can count. When I think on this my heart is broken within me, all my bones tremble, at the presence of the LORD, and at the presence of his holy words.
My courage falters even more as I remember the intended fate of the unfaithful people Israel that is related by Moses.
"The LORD said to me: I see that this people is stiffnecked: Let me alone that I may destroy them, and abolish their name from under heaven, and set thee over a nation, that is greater and stronger than this."
But Moses, who already had favour with God pleaded with Him.
"And when I came down from the burning mount, and held the two tables of the covenant with both hands, and saw that you had sinned against the LORD your God, and had made to yourselves a molten calf, and had quickly forsaken his way, which He had shewn you: I cast the tables out of my hands, and broke them in your sight. And I fell down before the LORD as before, forty days and nights neither eating bread, nor drinking water, for all your sins, which you had committed against the LORD, and had provoked Him to wrath: For I feared His indignation and anger, wherewith being moved against you, He would have destroyed you. And the LORD heard me this time also. And He was exceeding angry against Aaron also, and would have destroyed him, and I prayed in like manner for him."
An entire nation saved by the prayer of Moses! Oh if I could only ask Moses to pray for me! If only he were not dead!
At this thought, my conscience rebukes me sharply, bringing to mind the words of the Saviour, Christ Himself.
"And concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read that which was spoken by God, saying to you: I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living."
Then... Moses lives! I may certainly ask for him to pray for me to the LORD our God! He interceded so willingly for an entire nation, which had offended God so grievously, and on account of his prayers they were spared from destruction!
By now my conscience tells me: "Fear not: your God, and the God of your father hath given you treasure."
What treasure is this? What treasure can give me, such a wretched sinner, greater courage to approach the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the army of heaven standing by Him, than to ask for the prayers of Moses?
"When Jesus therefore had seen his mother and the disciple standing whom he loved, he saith to his mother: Woman, behold thy son. After that, he saith to the disciple: Behold thy mother. And from that hour, the disciple took her to his own."
The Apostle St. John took Jesus' mother for his own! Of course! Who better to help us go to God, than she, by whom He chose to come to us! And should we not imitate St. John and take her for our own mother? The Apostle St. Paul says we should.
"That we might give ourselves a pattern unto you, to imitate us."
It is clear. The mother of the living God, the Blessed Virgin Mary was chosen out of all the creatures of God for the greatest honour of all, that of raising and caring for God Himself, made flesh. There is therefore, no creature who merits higher favour than Mary, who is indeed living in heaven, with her Divine Son.
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