In the ancient world, because the king had many brides, a woman did not receive the title of queen until her son took the throne. The queen was not married to the king, because there were far too many wives vying for such a title. And they couldn’t all be called queen. The position of queen was held by the king’s mother. She was known as the queen mother. If Mary’s Son has become the King of Kings (of both heaven and earth) then the Mother has become the Queen of heaven and earth
Pope Pius XII stated, “Mary is Queen by grace, by divine relationship, by right of conquest and by singular election. And her kingdom is as vast as that of her Son and God, since nothing is excluded from her dominion.”
Our Lord also gave to the Church and each individual soul His Mother, the Queen of Heaven. For many centuries Christians have been accustomed to meditate upon the ruling power of Mary which embraces heaven and earth, when they consider the fifth glorious mystery of the rosary which can be called the mystical crown of the heavenly Queen.
To love Jesus is to also love His mother.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Monday, June 1, 2009
Letter from an ex-Protestant
This was posted on the Catholic Answers Forum yesterday. Not sure who the author is, but it sums up everything I feel as well.
Letter from an ex-Protestant
This is a letter to all the pastors, evangelists, and other assorted leaders in Protestantism whom I listened to at one time:
Dear _________ :
I just want to write you to tell you that I think you should be ashamed of yourself for giving your people only half (or even less) of the truth of the Bible regarding the Christian Faith and how that Faith is lived out. As a professing follower of Christ, the TRUTH should be very important to you. But the things you have said and the way you have said them have not been truthful at all:
1. You talked about your denomination as if it went back all the way to the days that Jesus walked the earth. You act as if Jesus Himself was a Baptist/Fundamentalist/Evangelical (take yer pick). I didn't know any better and I trusted you!
2. You never told me about the writings of the Early Fathers. You never encouraged me to examine them for myself to see what the disciples of the apostles believed. You acted as if they were all Protestants back then. I didn't know any better, and I trusted you.
3. You taught me that the Church was taken over by a false gospel sometime in the fourth century and the Gospel all but disappeared from the earth until the Reformation. It never occurred to me to connect 2 + 2 and realize that this is exactly what the JW's and the Mormons teach, because I thought you were telling me the truth and I trusted you!!
4. You never taught me about a covenant, even though the Bible speaks of the New Covenant and Jesus said "This is the New Covenant in my Blood". Since we live in a covenant relationship now (like the Jews did in the Old Covenant) and since the word "covenant" appears over 280 times in the scriptures, I would think that concept would be very important for a Christian to learn about. But you never taught it at all and I trusted you!!
5. What you did tell me about was something called a "dispensation" which appears only 4 times in the scriptures and that only in the NT. But you acted like this is the way God deals with people and I trusted you!!
6. You never told me about the many and numerous translation errors in the Bible which have given rise to many of your Protestant false doctrines, such as the mistranslation of the word "aion" in Matthew 24: 3 and the mistranslation of "logizomai" in Romans 3 & 4. I though that since you went to Bible College you were profoundly smart and therefore understood these translations to be correct, so I trusted you.
7. You never once told me that the Catholic Church, which you despise, was the Body which gave us the Holy Scriptures. To hear you talk, the Bible just dropped out of thin air some day. Some of you act as if the Reformers invented the Bible after years of pagan ignorance and superstition. And I trusted you.
8. You never told me that anything orthodox I believe about the natures of Jesus, the Trinity, the divinity of Jesus the Christ, and all other understandings necessary to salvation, came from the councils of the Catholic Church. Why? Were you afraid that I would realize that perhaps the Church is not the demonic institution you have painted it to be? Or were you afraid that I would realize that any truth you Protestants have is only that which the Church defined in Her councils. But I trusted you.
9. You never once took the time to really talk about the teachings of the Catholic Church. You simply made your accusations from your pulpit and either told or inferred to everyone that ALL Catholics are going straight to hell, with the pope in the front row seat. Were you afraid or unable to defend what you Protties believe? Slander and ad hominum attacks are not a defense, but I thought so and I not only trusted you, I parroted your nonsense to all who would listen.
10. You told me that the Church was some sort of "invisible Church" that no one could see because it is made up of all "true believers" from everywhere and every denomination (even though you also taught that only "we" really had everything "right"). I didn't know what I was missing. I thought I was in the Church and that I was getting every good thing God had for me because I trusted you.
You better think a long time about what you are doing and what you are teaching. It is bad enough that you make false accusations (which the Lord hates) against our Lord's Church, but you are out there aggressively stealing His sheep from His flock which He put on earth. You seem to think think that since you "accept Jesus", you won't have to answer for anything at all because you are "covered by the Blood of Jesus".
Well, I have news for you, it took me a while (too long, actually), but I finally had my eyes opened, and that is not what the Holy Scriptures teach. They teach that at the Resurrection, Jesus will judge ALL MEN (you get that? -- ALL!) BY THEIR DEEDS, and based on what they have done, they will either live or die eternally!! That is what Jesus taught in John 5: 28 - 29 and guess what, that is what the Catholic Faith teaches us also, because the Catholic Faith teaches what Jesus taught!!
I would gladly sit down with you and show you what I have learned from both my own studies and Catholics who really know the Faith, but sadly, you have a severe case of "presuppositional blindness" and Evangelical deafness and wouldn't listen anyway.
Sincerely yours,
Your former member
I have yet to identify who the author of this is, but it speaks to everything I felt when I re-crossed the Tiber. I have redescovered the joy of belonging to the Church Jesus founded.
Letter from an ex-Protestant
This is a letter to all the pastors, evangelists, and other assorted leaders in Protestantism whom I listened to at one time:
Dear _________ :
I just want to write you to tell you that I think you should be ashamed of yourself for giving your people only half (or even less) of the truth of the Bible regarding the Christian Faith and how that Faith is lived out. As a professing follower of Christ, the TRUTH should be very important to you. But the things you have said and the way you have said them have not been truthful at all:
1. You talked about your denomination as if it went back all the way to the days that Jesus walked the earth. You act as if Jesus Himself was a Baptist/Fundamentalist/Evangelical (take yer pick). I didn't know any better and I trusted you!
2. You never told me about the writings of the Early Fathers. You never encouraged me to examine them for myself to see what the disciples of the apostles believed. You acted as if they were all Protestants back then. I didn't know any better, and I trusted you.
3. You taught me that the Church was taken over by a false gospel sometime in the fourth century and the Gospel all but disappeared from the earth until the Reformation. It never occurred to me to connect 2 + 2 and realize that this is exactly what the JW's and the Mormons teach, because I thought you were telling me the truth and I trusted you!!
4. You never taught me about a covenant, even though the Bible speaks of the New Covenant and Jesus said "This is the New Covenant in my Blood". Since we live in a covenant relationship now (like the Jews did in the Old Covenant) and since the word "covenant" appears over 280 times in the scriptures, I would think that concept would be very important for a Christian to learn about. But you never taught it at all and I trusted you!!
5. What you did tell me about was something called a "dispensation" which appears only 4 times in the scriptures and that only in the NT. But you acted like this is the way God deals with people and I trusted you!!
6. You never told me about the many and numerous translation errors in the Bible which have given rise to many of your Protestant false doctrines, such as the mistranslation of the word "aion" in Matthew 24: 3 and the mistranslation of "logizomai" in Romans 3 & 4. I though that since you went to Bible College you were profoundly smart and therefore understood these translations to be correct, so I trusted you.
7. You never once told me that the Catholic Church, which you despise, was the Body which gave us the Holy Scriptures. To hear you talk, the Bible just dropped out of thin air some day. Some of you act as if the Reformers invented the Bible after years of pagan ignorance and superstition. And I trusted you.
8. You never told me that anything orthodox I believe about the natures of Jesus, the Trinity, the divinity of Jesus the Christ, and all other understandings necessary to salvation, came from the councils of the Catholic Church. Why? Were you afraid that I would realize that perhaps the Church is not the demonic institution you have painted it to be? Or were you afraid that I would realize that any truth you Protestants have is only that which the Church defined in Her councils. But I trusted you.
9. You never once took the time to really talk about the teachings of the Catholic Church. You simply made your accusations from your pulpit and either told or inferred to everyone that ALL Catholics are going straight to hell, with the pope in the front row seat. Were you afraid or unable to defend what you Protties believe? Slander and ad hominum attacks are not a defense, but I thought so and I not only trusted you, I parroted your nonsense to all who would listen.
10. You told me that the Church was some sort of "invisible Church" that no one could see because it is made up of all "true believers" from everywhere and every denomination (even though you also taught that only "we" really had everything "right"). I didn't know what I was missing. I thought I was in the Church and that I was getting every good thing God had for me because I trusted you.
You better think a long time about what you are doing and what you are teaching. It is bad enough that you make false accusations (which the Lord hates) against our Lord's Church, but you are out there aggressively stealing His sheep from His flock which He put on earth. You seem to think think that since you "accept Jesus", you won't have to answer for anything at all because you are "covered by the Blood of Jesus".
Well, I have news for you, it took me a while (too long, actually), but I finally had my eyes opened, and that is not what the Holy Scriptures teach. They teach that at the Resurrection, Jesus will judge ALL MEN (you get that? -- ALL!) BY THEIR DEEDS, and based on what they have done, they will either live or die eternally!! That is what Jesus taught in John 5: 28 - 29 and guess what, that is what the Catholic Faith teaches us also, because the Catholic Faith teaches what Jesus taught!!
I would gladly sit down with you and show you what I have learned from both my own studies and Catholics who really know the Faith, but sadly, you have a severe case of "presuppositional blindness" and Evangelical deafness and wouldn't listen anyway.
Sincerely yours,
Your former member
I have yet to identify who the author of this is, but it speaks to everything I felt when I re-crossed the Tiber. I have redescovered the joy of belonging to the Church Jesus founded.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
As the month of Mary draws to a close:
http://www.catholictradition.org/Mary/hail-holyqueen.htm
HAIL, White Lily, of the ever-peaceful and glorious Trinity!
Hail, Vermilion Rose, the delight of Heaven, of whom the King of Heaven was born and by whose milk He was nourished! Do thou feed our souls with the effusions of thy Divine influences.
Prayer of St. Gertrude the Great
HAIL, White Lily, of the ever-peaceful and glorious Trinity!
Hail, Vermilion Rose, the delight of Heaven, of whom the King of Heaven was born and by whose milk He was nourished! Do thou feed our souls with the effusions of thy Divine influences.
Prayer of St. Gertrude the Great
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
The Seven Sorrows Devotion
The Blessed Virgin Mary grants seven graces to the souls who honor her daily by meditating on her tears and dolors (sorrows). The Hail Mary is prayed seven times, once after each meditation. This devotion was passed on by St. Bridget.
HERE ARE THE SEVEN GRACES:
I will grant peace to their families.
They will be enlightened about the divine mysteries.
I will console them in their pains and I will accompanythem in their work.
I will give them as much as they ask for as long as it does not oppose the adorable will of my divine Son or the sanctification of their souls.
I will defend them in their spiritual battles with the infernal enemy and I will protect them at every instant of their lives.
I will visibly help them at the moment of their death, they will see the face of their Mother.
I have obtained (This Grace) from my divine Son, that those who propagate this devotion to my tears and dolors, will be taken directly from this earthly life to eternal happiness since all their sins will be forgiven and my Son and I will be their eternal consolation and joy.
Seven Sorrows
The prophecy of Simeon. (St. Luke 2: 34, 35)
The flight into Egypt. (St. Matthew 2:13,14)
The loss of the Child Jesus in the temple. (St. Luke 2: 43-45)
The meeting of Jesus and Mary on the Way of the Cross.
The Crucifixion.
The taking down of the Body of Jesus from the Cross.
The burial of Jesus.
The Hail Mary: Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen
I love the Blessed Mother.
HERE ARE THE SEVEN GRACES:
I will grant peace to their families.
They will be enlightened about the divine mysteries.
I will console them in their pains and I will accompanythem in their work.
I will give them as much as they ask for as long as it does not oppose the adorable will of my divine Son or the sanctification of their souls.
I will defend them in their spiritual battles with the infernal enemy and I will protect them at every instant of their lives.
I will visibly help them at the moment of their death, they will see the face of their Mother.
I have obtained (This Grace) from my divine Son, that those who propagate this devotion to my tears and dolors, will be taken directly from this earthly life to eternal happiness since all their sins will be forgiven and my Son and I will be their eternal consolation and joy.
Seven Sorrows
The prophecy of Simeon. (St. Luke 2: 34, 35)
The flight into Egypt. (St. Matthew 2:13,14)
The loss of the Child Jesus in the temple. (St. Luke 2: 43-45)
The meeting of Jesus and Mary on the Way of the Cross.
The Crucifixion.
The taking down of the Body of Jesus from the Cross.
The burial of Jesus.
The Hail Mary: Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen
I love the Blessed Mother.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Why Does Our Lady Cry?
Wonderful article from the TFP website:
http://www.tfp.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1195
http://www.tfp.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1195
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Our Lady of Fatima
We celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Fatima on May 13th. On this day in 1917, Our Lady made her first appearance to three shepherd children, Jacinta (age 7), Francisco (age 9) and Lucia (age 10), at Fatima in Portugal. She appeared to them once a month from May through October. The lives of the three children of Fatima were entirely transformed by the heavenly apparitions. While fulfilling the duties of their state with the greatest fidelity, those children seemed now to live only for prayer and sacrifice, which they offered in a spirit of reparation to obtain peace and the conversion of sinners.
Fatima is a visit by Our Heavenly Mother Mary in our time for our time. It is a Message of concern, a practical plan for world peace, a promise of Heaven.
It is Heaven's interventions to save us from persecution, martyrdom, war, enslavement or annihilation. Above all it's a way to save our souls from hell.
She came with a message from God to every man, woman and child of our century. Our Lady of Fatima promised that the whole world would be in peace, and that many souls would go to Heaven if Her requests were listened to and obeyed.
She told us that war is a punishment for sin; that God would punish the world for its sins in our time by means of war, hunger, persecution of the Church and persecution of the Holy Father, the Pope, unless we listened to and obeyed the commands of God.
In order to prevent these chastisements from befalling us She told us that special Reparation for sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary was necessary, particularly the Communions of Reparation on the First Saturday of five consecutive months and the public and solemn Consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary by all the Catholic Bishops of the world, together with the Pope on the same day at the same hour.
Her message is a promise of the eventual triumph of Her Immaculate Heart over evil. She promised that no matter how black it might get in the future, that in the end She will triumph, Her requests would finally be granted by mankind and there will be world peace.
Pray the Rosary.
Fatima is a visit by Our Heavenly Mother Mary in our time for our time. It is a Message of concern, a practical plan for world peace, a promise of Heaven.
It is Heaven's interventions to save us from persecution, martyrdom, war, enslavement or annihilation. Above all it's a way to save our souls from hell.
She came with a message from God to every man, woman and child of our century. Our Lady of Fatima promised that the whole world would be in peace, and that many souls would go to Heaven if Her requests were listened to and obeyed.
She told us that war is a punishment for sin; that God would punish the world for its sins in our time by means of war, hunger, persecution of the Church and persecution of the Holy Father, the Pope, unless we listened to and obeyed the commands of God.
In order to prevent these chastisements from befalling us She told us that special Reparation for sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary was necessary, particularly the Communions of Reparation on the First Saturday of five consecutive months and the public and solemn Consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary by all the Catholic Bishops of the world, together with the Pope on the same day at the same hour.
Her message is a promise of the eventual triumph of Her Immaculate Heart over evil. She promised that no matter how black it might get in the future, that in the end She will triumph, Her requests would finally be granted by mankind and there will be world peace.
Pray the Rosary.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
THE THREE HAIL MARYS DEVOTION
One of the greatest means of salvation and one of the surest signs of predestination, is unquestionably, the devotion to the Most Blessed Virgin. All the holy doctors of the Church are unanimous in saying with St. Alphonsus of Liguori: "A devout servant of Mary shall never perish." The chief thing is to persevere faithfully till death in this devotion.
Numerous examples show how agreeable the three Hail Marys Devotion is to the Divine Mother and what special graces it draws, during life and at the hour of death, on those who never omit it for a single day.
This practice was revealed to St. Melchtilde (13th century) while she was beseeching Our Blessed Mother to assist her in her hour of death. Our Lady appeared to her and said: "I will, certainly. But I also want you to say three special Hail Marys to me every day.
"The first will be in honor of God the Father, Whose omnipotence raised my soul so high above every other creature that after God I have the greatest power in heaven and on earth. In the hour of your death I will use that power of God the Father to keep any hostile power far from you.
"The second Hail Mary will be said in honor of the Son of God Who communicated His inscrutable wisdom to me. In the hour of your death I will fill your soul with the light of that wisdom so that all the darkness of ignorance and error will be dispelled.
"The third Hail Mary will be in honor of God the Holy Ghost Who filled my soul with the sweetness of His love and tenderness and mercy. In your last hour I will then change the bitterness of death into divine sweetness and delight."
Our Blessed Mother also revealed to St. Gertrude the Great: "To any soul who faithfully prays the Three Hail Marys, I will appear at the hour of death in a splendor so extraordinary that it will fill the soul with heavenly consolation."
St. Leonard of Port Maurice, the celebrated missionary, had the Three Hail Marys recited morning and evening in honor of Mary Immaculate, to obtain the grace of avoiding all mortal sins during the day or night; moreover he promised in a special manner eternal salvation to all those who proved constantly faithful to this practice. He gave this devotion of Three Hail Marys as a penance in the confessional, especially for those who were struggling with sins of impurity.
Practice: Recite morning and evening, three Hail Marys in honor of the three great privileges bestowed upon Our Blessed Mother by the most Blessed Trinity with this invocation at the end: for the morning: "O my Mother preserve me from mortal sin during this day." For the evening: "O my Mother preserve me from mortal sin during this night."
(Pope St. Pius X gave his Apostolic Blessing to this practice and the devotion was raised to an Archconfraternity by Pope Benedict XV.)
The Hail Mary: Hail Mary, full of grace; the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Numerous examples show how agreeable the three Hail Marys Devotion is to the Divine Mother and what special graces it draws, during life and at the hour of death, on those who never omit it for a single day.
This practice was revealed to St. Melchtilde (13th century) while she was beseeching Our Blessed Mother to assist her in her hour of death. Our Lady appeared to her and said: "I will, certainly. But I also want you to say three special Hail Marys to me every day.
"The first will be in honor of God the Father, Whose omnipotence raised my soul so high above every other creature that after God I have the greatest power in heaven and on earth. In the hour of your death I will use that power of God the Father to keep any hostile power far from you.
"The second Hail Mary will be said in honor of the Son of God Who communicated His inscrutable wisdom to me. In the hour of your death I will fill your soul with the light of that wisdom so that all the darkness of ignorance and error will be dispelled.
"The third Hail Mary will be in honor of God the Holy Ghost Who filled my soul with the sweetness of His love and tenderness and mercy. In your last hour I will then change the bitterness of death into divine sweetness and delight."
Our Blessed Mother also revealed to St. Gertrude the Great: "To any soul who faithfully prays the Three Hail Marys, I will appear at the hour of death in a splendor so extraordinary that it will fill the soul with heavenly consolation."
St. Leonard of Port Maurice, the celebrated missionary, had the Three Hail Marys recited morning and evening in honor of Mary Immaculate, to obtain the grace of avoiding all mortal sins during the day or night; moreover he promised in a special manner eternal salvation to all those who proved constantly faithful to this practice. He gave this devotion of Three Hail Marys as a penance in the confessional, especially for those who were struggling with sins of impurity.
Practice: Recite morning and evening, three Hail Marys in honor of the three great privileges bestowed upon Our Blessed Mother by the most Blessed Trinity with this invocation at the end: for the morning: "O my Mother preserve me from mortal sin during this day." For the evening: "O my Mother preserve me from mortal sin during this night."
(Pope St. Pius X gave his Apostolic Blessing to this practice and the devotion was raised to an Archconfraternity by Pope Benedict XV.)
The Hail Mary: Hail Mary, full of grace; the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
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