“…Because I am the Immaculate Conception”
In her message directed to theologians, the Lady of All Nations not only exhorts all theologians to battle for the papal definition of Mary as Co-redemptrix, Mediatrix, and Advocate, but also refers to the foundation of her co-redeeming role with Jesus as steeming from her Immaculate Conception. The Marian apparitions of the Lady of All Nations were declared to be of “supernatural origin” by the Bishop of Amsterdam-Harlem on May 31, 2002. – Ed.Old thoughts
I see the Lady standing there with a very serious look on her face. She says to me,
“Here I am again. Listen carefully! From the beginning, the Handmaid of the Lord was chosen to be the Coredemptrix. Tell your theologians that they can find everything in their books.”
Now I see an old library with lots of books. The Lady points this out to me. She pauses for a moment and smiles to herself as if…
Read more...
Mary: Immaculate New Ark of the Covenant
This article gives a brief overview of the necessary relation between Mary’s Immaculate Conception and her role as the New Ark—Bearer of the Bread of Life, the True High Priest, and the Word of God. Jason Evert, a Catholic Apologist with Catholic Answers, holds a Graduate degree in theology from Franciscan University of Steubenville. He specializes in the Catholic Church’s teaching on chastity, giving seminars and talks to thousands of young people each year. – Assistant EditorFrom the foundation of the world, St. Paul tells us, we have been chosen to become children of God (Eph. 1:4-5). By the same measure, the Virgin Mary had been chosen from all eternity to become the mother of God. As Psalm 132:14 says, “The Lord hath chosen Zion; He hath chosen her for his dwelling.”
Read more...
The Immaculate Conception and the Co-redemptrix
On February 17, 1941, the “Property” of the Immaculata, Fr.
Maximilian Kolbe, was arrested by the Nazi Gestapo, eventually leading
to his martyrdom in Auschwitz. During the few hours before his arrest,
Fr. Maximilian was inspired to write the heart of his unparalleled
mariological ponderings regarding the “Immaculate Conception.”The following are excerpts from this last written testimony:
IMMACULATE CONCEPTION: These words fell from the lips of the Immaculata herself. Hence, they must tell us in the most precise and essential manner who she really is.
Read more...
Ineffabilis Deus
Here we present the Apostolic Constitution of Pope Pius IX,
Ineffabilis Deus, given to the Church on December 8th, 1854, which
solemnly defined the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception.God ineffable—whose ways are mercy and truth, whose will is omnipotence itself, and whose wisdom “reaches from end to end mightily, and orders all things sweetly”—having foreseen from all eternity the lamentable wretchedness of the entire human race which would result from the sin of Adam, decreed, by a plan hidden from the centuries, to complete the first work of his goodness by a mystery yet more wondrously sublime through the Incarnation of the Word. This he decreed in order that man who, contrary to the plan of Divine Mercy had been led into sin by the cunning malice of Satan, should not perish; and in order…
Read more...
The Immaculate Conception and the Doctrine of Mary as Coredemptrix in Eastern Orthodoxy
Writing in 1986 Prof. George S. Bebis, professor of patristics at the
Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, Massachusetts, expressed
the basic doctrine of the Eastern Orthodox communion concerning the
place of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Christian economy of salvation:"There is no doubt that the Orthodox Church holds the Virgin Mary in a position of the highest honor. But this is done always in association with Christology. In other words, the Theotókos cannot exist and cannot be venerated out of context from the doctrine of the Incarnation. Also, it should be added that the Orthodox Church accepts the personal holiness of the Virgin Mary and places her in the highest place after the All-Holy Trinity. The Virgin Mary has an eschatological message for us because she already lives in the eschaton; she enjoys the delightful fruits of the heavenly church of which we should become members…
Read more...
The Rosa Mystica Hour of Grace
In the north of Italy, near the city of Brescia in Lombardy, is the
small town of Montichiari. In the Spring of 1947, while praying in the
chapel of the local hospital in Montichiari, nurse Pierina Gilli had an
unforgettable experience. Mary, the Mother of God, appeared to her in a
wonderful vision and magnificent light, as the exalted Lady, dressed in
mauve, very sad and with tears in Her eyes. Pierina noticed that Her
heart was pierced by three swords. The first sword means: the unworthy
celebration of Holy Mass and Communion unworthily received; the meaning
of the second sword is: being unfaithful to, and giving up, the vocation
as a priest or a religious; and the third sword means: betrayal of the
Faith. Our Lady asked for Prayer, Sacrifice, and Penance.Our Lady…
Read more...
Tiny Tim and King Herod
Advent has arrived, the time of waiting when we turn toward
the coming dawn with renewed expectancy. Each year in the liturgical
cycle we are invited to pray with the entire Church for the rebirth of
Christ within the stable of our hearts, and for the graces we will need
as we await his final coming. The scripture readings are about hope
arising in the midst of darkness, of beginnings and endings and the
eternal joy when there will be no more endings. Until that ultimate
homecoming, we live in a world that is still in the process of being
restored in Christ. The Christ Child is among us, and so is Herod.Every year or so I read aloud to my children Charles Dickens’ great classic, A Christmas Carol. Most of our six have also reread it quietly to themselves and watched the three better known film versions…
Read more...
Mary, A Bridge Between Christianity and Islam
Non-Muslims generally harbor a pejorative view of Islam. This
presentation offers a different perspective, a Marian outlook espoused
by the late Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen in his book, The World’s First
Love, and shared by other devotees of the Blessed Virgin Mary.Islam’s creed
Islam is the only great post-Christian religion of the world. Since it originated in the seventh century under the leadership of Muhammad, it was possible to include some elements of Christianity and Judaism along with some customs of Arabia.
Islam seems to use the doctrine of the unity of God, his majesty and his creative power, to reject Christ as the Son of God. Not understanding the notion of the Trinity, Muhammad recognizes Christ as a prophet announcing himself, that is, Muhammad.
Christian Europe, the West, barely…
Read more...
November 25, 2014 Message of Medjugorje
“Dear children! In a special way, today I am calling you to prayer. Pray, little children, so that you may comprehend who you are and where you need to go. Be carriers of the good news and be people of hope. Be love for all those who are without love. Little children, you will be everything and will achieve everything only if you pray and are open to God’s will – to God who desires to lead you towards eternal life. I am with you and intercede for you from day to day before my Son Jesus. Thank you for having responded to my call.”The Predestination and Coredemption of Our Lady
Father Juniper B. Carol, O.F.M., born in Cardenas, Cuba, on February 19, 1911, was the youngest of eight children. He eventually made his way over to the United States, where he would fulfill his vocation. “On February 20, 1935, he was ordained priest at the Immaculate Conception Shrine in Washington, D.C.” (1)
Father Carol spent his consecrated life advancing the primacy of Christ, which brought about a greater Marian devotion. (2) Through lectures, books, and numerous articles, Father Carol challenged minimalist approaches in Mariology, in the hopes that our witness as followers of Christ would become that which imitates our Lord’s fullest expression in honoring Mary. Mariology for Carol started with the Christological or Trinitarian perspective, and from this foundation a proper ecclesial understanding was established. How God considered and honored Our Lady, in as much as we can deduce this, should impact our own Marian expression. Having spearheaded and…
Read more...
The Immaculate Conception: Basic Foundations of the Dogma
The Dogma of the Immaculate Conception, solemnly defined in 1854, attests to the indescribable and unfathomable mercy and power of the Triune God, manifested in the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Standing firmly on both Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition, the Apostolic Constitution of Pius IX urges all believers to ponder more deeply this great mystery. This article was excerpted from Introduction to Mary, The Heart of Marian Doctrine and Devotion, Queenship, third edition, June 2006. – Assistant EditorThe dogma of the Immaculate Conception, which was solemnly defined by an infallible pronouncement of Bl. Pius IX in 1854, proclaims that Mary was conceived without the stain of original sin. Mary’s preservation from all stain of sin or its effects was a singular grace and privilege of God the Father in view of the merits…
Read more...
St. Maximilian Kolbe and the Immaculata’s Universal Mediation
If the Virgin Mary was created by God and “fashioned as a new creature” by the Holy Spirit, it was… so that she might become the mother of God. Henceforth she lives with the very life of the Holy Spirit, and together with him is sent on a mission: to complete within us the efficacious Redemption brought about by our sole Mediator, Jesus. In a certain sense the definitive glory that Mary enjoys, “carried up to Heaven in body and soul,” manifests how perfect was the Redemption Jesus effected in her. When Christ presents Mary to the Father he hands over to him for eternity the masterpiece of creation, of human redemption. In Mary who is glorified the Church is made perfect. When Christ returns at the end of ages there will not be a more perfect Church. But, joined to their…Read more...
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please no anonymous comments. I require at least some way for people to address each other personally and courteously. Having some name or handle helps.
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.