- Chapter 10:1-12 - 70 are sent out to heal and announce the coming of the Kingdom of God has come. I don't know if this included the 12 apostles - I suspect they stayed with Christ - the 70 weren't gone long, for in verse 17 they returned to profess their joyful accomplishments.
- Chapter 10:38-42 - Mary and Martha - I remember reading a book that discussed the characteristics of a Mary or Martha church. I know I lean more toward being a Martha, but need to heed the warning about being busy and not being fed spiritually.
In Luke 11:27-28 - Jesus' response to praise of His mother - "Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!” But He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” This makes me wonder why the Catholic church so highly exalts Mary, the mother of Jesus. I'm assuming that the Catholic religion bases their praying to Mary for intercession based on Mary's song from Luke 1. Why do they need an otherworldly intercessor to Jesus to God? When Jesus is the ultimate interecessor, why do we need to get his attention through his mother? Especially when Jesus downplays the praise of His mother in these two verses.
I found the phrase "Mary co-redemptrix" doing websearches (with http://www.goodsearch.com/ with Cicero Christian Church as the charity, of course!). That phrase really scares me. Just like the Pharisees added layers of details to the law of Moses, the Popes of the Catholic church have applied layers of attributes to Mary over the years, such as Pope Boneventure in the twelveth century "[Mary is called] the gate of heaven, because no one can enter that blessed kingdom without passing through her." Okay, how is that Biblical? or Pope Pius XII, in his Munificentissimus Deus (1950-NOV-1), defined that Mary, "after the completion of her earthly life was assumed body and soul into the glory of Heaven." That is, she was "taken up body and soul into heaven," at the time of her death. She is there "exalted as Queen of the Universe." This, to me, is dangerous. I guess it is safe to say that I will never be a Catholic, and I will have a very difficult time if my daughter were to consider dating a "good Catholic boy". Yes, I said it, Popes of the Catholic church can be likened to Pharisees. Apparently, many people like to be told what to do by the Pope, as over 1/6th of the population of the world profess to be Catholic.
- 12:8 - I think this is why we profess our belief in Christ in front of witnesses - “Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God."
- 13:1 - "Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices" - wonder what this was. It appeared some had been martyrs at the hand of Pilate. I always thought of Pilate as a decent guy in a bad situation when he had to give Christ over to the Jewish authorities. But maybe Pilate wasn't that nice a guy.
- 14:2 - what is dropsy? Wikipedia says it is "edema" which is extra fluid in an organ causing inflamation.
- 14:7-11 - to me this is a good example of being humble / the first shall be last.
- 15:25-30 - the prodigal son. Having being raised in the church and educated in a religious college, I too would likely respond as the obedient son who didn't welcome back his prodigal brother.
5 comments:
I just wanted to make a quick comment on your blog. You asked
"Why do they need an otherworldly intercessor to Jesus to God? When Jesus is the ultimate interecessor, why do we need to get his attention through his mother?"
I will ask a question in response, Do you ever ask your friends or pastor to pray for you? When they do are they not interceeding for you? Does the bible not strongly encourage praying for one annother. Does it not say that all members of the body of Crist need each other? Is Mary not also a member of the Body of Christ? I would love to discuss with you if you care to. Please email me at taliesinrose@hotmail.com.
When Jesus said that “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” He was not downplaying his Mother. He was saying that she was not Blessed just because she bore him, but because she heard the word of God and kept it! It was Mary's ultimate example of faith and submission to God that exalts her.
These are, of course, my personal feelings.
I know I can appeal directly to Christ as my intercessor, I do not need another saint or other church-approved person to do it. Nor do I believe that anyone else does.
Of course I appeal to those in the body of Christ to also intercede through prayer on my behalf or on behalf of others. I host the church email prayer chain - which is a key way to appeal to others for their intercession (James 5:16, Proverbs 15:29, Psalm 66:16-20). If one of them chooses to use Mary, I don't think that is necessary, but I'd appreciate the prayer all the same.
She was an obedient servant and vessel of the Holy Spirit who provided the way for God to become man, but she is not divine. If I had been chosen to bear the Christ child, I don't think I would be elevated above my peers. It is a trinity - Father, Son, Holy Spirit.
I also don't buy the analogy that asking my preacher to pray for me is the same as asking Mary to pray for me. Mary is not in my "circle of friends." Why? Because she's not here.
Why would Mary or any other saint have more influence in prayer? I know many prayer warriors - in fact one of them passed away this past week - and I wouldn't consider praying to them to get Jesus' attention.
Hebrews 4:16...confidence
1 Timothy 2:5...one mediator - Jesus.
I had the privilege of visiting St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City this summer (2010). It was incredible. But the excess...the wealth that was taken for individuals in the name of God...and is still there...That visit certainly didn't change my opinion of the Catholic church.
I rejoice in the ability to have a personal relationship with my Lord and Savior.
As a former protestant who has come home to the Catholic faith, I think I have some insights into some of these questions on Mary:
As with any normal conception, Mary is a part of Jesus just like I'm apart of my children. Half came from me, half came from my spouse. With Jesus half came from Mary and half came from the Holy Spirit (Christ's two natures, human and divine). Without Mary's free consent, Jesus would not have been born, there would have been no incarnation of Christ. As members of THE BODY of Christ (think glorified incarnation through resurrection), his mystical body, we pass through Mary, in this sense she is the mother of the church, because she is the mother of Christ and we are his bodily members. Also, Jesus is Mary's son in the fullest sense and as such honors his mother as taught in the 10 commandments. As members of the body of Christ, we too are called to honor her as our mother, just as Jesus shows to his beloved disciple when he was on the cross. "Here is your mother."
Now, Christ defeated death through the death and resurrection of his body. If you are a member of the mystical body of Christ, even though you die, you live just as Christ lives. Also, we as past, present and future members of the body of Christ are connected, we don't exist in isolation, we exist in the communion that is a living eternal person, a mystical body, Jesus. We affect each other and we work together, just like eyes and hands work together. We do this for the edification of the entire body. This is why Catholics ask for help from saints who are dead, because they are alive in the body of Christ, but they affect us and we affect them. Mary is also a special member of the body of Christ.
Mary as mediatrix:
God made it so that human beings are born into family. Why? So that we would understand the Trinity. He did this because the trinity IS The True Family in which all families on this earth are "like". The Trinity is the truth and our human families are the metaphor given to us to direct us to God. And Mary is a member of this Holy Family. One question: Do you have a special relationship with your mother? Remember Jesus was fully a man, just like my spouse is fully a man. I can safely say that if ask my mother-in-law to help me get my husband to do something, I'm pretty much assured that it is going to happen, probably because he loves her more than me :) We are Christ's spouse, but Mary is his Mother. :D For an example of this see the wedding at Cana.
Other things to consider and to google:
Mary as the second Eve
Mary as the Spouse of the Holy Spirit
Mary as the Mother of Faith as Abraham is the Father of Faith
Mary, the first disciple of Christ.
As to the authority of the church and the pope vs scripture as the only authority:
When Paul couldn't be somewhere in person to teach, he would write a letter teaching people to know what is meant to be a disciple of Christ. These letters comprise a large of our new testament. However, Paul taught mainly by his presence, by his words, this is tradition, of which scripture is the written part. Now let's look to see what Paul says about the authority of the church in one of those letters where he, an apostle and leader of the church, could not be in person to teach.
"I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these instructions to you so that, if I am delayed, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth." 1 Tim 3:14-15
Did you catch it? He didn't say that his letter (scripture) was the pillar and bulwark of the truth, BUT that the church, the household of God, was the pillar and bulwark of the truth. And that church IS the Catholic Church. Have you seen the list of Popes that goes all the way back too the beginning? All the way to Peter? The Catholic church is that church, that pillar and bulwark. It is one, holy, catholic and apostolic. Yes, the members are wounded and sinful. However, the Church is holy not because of its members BUT because of it's Founder is Holy and His purpose is Holy. I used to be Methodist, and I thought John Wesley was a great founder, but why would I not be in the Church that Jesus founded? The one he promised could not be destroyed.
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