WHILE the world reels under overwhelming changes in its weather patterns, economic stability, and growing revolutions, the temptation for some will be to despair. To feel as though the world is out of control. In some ways it is, but only to the degree that God has permitted, to the degree, often, of reaping precisely what we’ve sown. God has a plan. And as John Paul II pointed out when he said that we are "facing the final confrontation between the Church and the anti-Church…" he added: This confrontation lies within the plans of divine Providence —Cardinal Karol Wojtyla (JOHN PAUL II ), at the Eucharistic Congress, Philadelphia, PA; August 13, 1976 When he became Pope, he also pointed out the means by which the Church would triumph over the "anti-Church": On this universal level, if victory comes it will be brought by Mary. Christ will conquer through her because He wants the Church’s victories now and in the future to be linked to her… —POPE JOHN PAUL II, Crossing the Threshold of Hope, p. 221 This statement, and several I have made here, have sent many of my Protestant readers into a tailspin, not to mention fellow Catholics who have been raised in Evangelical influences or without proper instruction. I too was raised among many Pentecostals and the "charismatic renewal." However, my parents also held fast to the teachings of our Faith. By God’s grace, I have been fortunate to experience the living dynamic of a personal relationship with Jesus, the power of God’s Word, the charisms of the Holy Spirit, and at the same time, the sure and unchanging foundations of faith and morals as handed on through the Church’s living Tradition (see A Personal Testimony). I have also experienced what it means to have a mother—God’s Mother—as my own, and how this has brought me closer to Jesus faster and more effectively than any other devotion I know outside of the Sacraments. But that’s not how some Catholics see it. From a reader: Why Mary…?
Mother Mary said at Fatima: "My Immaculate Heart will be your refuge and the sure way which will lead you to God." St. Thomas Aquinas said: "The things we love tell us who we are!" With that in mind, I will try to post each day something about Our Blessed Lady, items about the Holy Roman Catholic Church, and public domain Catholic books too! I pray you enjoy my ministry! Below are two albums of pictures that I created: 1. Our grand daughter Adrianna. 2. Tears of Mary!
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