Owen Swain's Advent Prayer Card
How appropriate that Catholic convert, artist and writer offers this on the eve of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.
"I fly unto you O virgin of virgins."
Nope not worship, just asking her intercession for our needs. As early as 250 AD, there are recorded prayers asking the Blessed mother for her intercessions.
Mary merited the grace of Christ to escape the stain of original sin at the time of her conception.
But how could she merit the merits of Christ before he died on the Cross? Don't you believe that God can do anything He wants to? Even apply the merits of Christ's passion to Mary before she was conceived. In an age when space/time warp themes are coming out of Hollywood everyday and writers continuously challenge our imaginations regarding time and eternity, why do folks have such a hard time with this when the Church presents it as dogma?
posted by Russ Rentler, M.D. | 8:26 PM
4 Comments:
On the eve at the 'Vigil Mass' 6 years ago, Rich and I 'came Home' to Rome and participated in the Mass for the first time, for me, as a REAL participant. We didn't go to confession first, as Rich didn't even know for sure if we had to,(we should have) but God knew our hearts and the 'baptism of desire' to BE CATHOLIC was so great, when we did go to confession that first Saturday after going to Mass that week was really beautiful, and my first confessor, Fr. Wee, was great and so happy for us. I'm still JOYFUL as that first full day back IN HIS CHURCH. No, I guess I'd have to say even MORE JOYFUL! Great post about our Blessed Mother, TJ.
Still puzzled how Mary can be our intercessor, since that's Christ's role.
Mrk:
Do you mean mediator? "there is only one mediator between God and man" 1 tim 2:5. ?
The mediation that is spoken of in 1 Tim 2:5 refers specifically to salvation, not intercession. Note that vs 4 before it talks about being saved and verse 5 after it speaks of redemption. So the context of that scripture (vs 5)makes it clear that Timothy is speaking about Christ's role as mediator of our salvation. Which is different than an intercessor.
Mary can be our intercessor as you can be for me, or as anyone in your church can intercede for you before the throne of grace. When you pray for someone, you are asking for their intercession.
Catholics don't believe that the the intercession of people stops when they die and go to heaven. The early Church in 325 wrote a Creed that stated "we believe in the Communion of saints" This referred to the fact that those who have gone before us continue to pray for us and us for them,(if they are in purgatory,) and physical death doesn't separate the body of Christ. We are still interconnected by this communion as the early Christians believed and still believe. we don't communicate with the spirits of dead people. That is necromancyy which is outlawed in the OT. We ask for the prayers of those who are made alive in Christ whose effectual fervent prayers are now even more effectual sicne they have been made perfect by the blood of the Lamb.
If you are one of those Christians who say we should only pray to Jesus, than i would ask you to never again ask someone to pray for you. Why ask your pastor to pray for you when you can go straight to Jesus?
Mary and all the saints are available to intercede, meaning pray for our requests. Isn't it good to know we are surrounded by soi great a cloud of witnesses who "pour their prayers before the throne of God? Rev 5:8
Correction:
When you pray for someone, you are asking for their intercession.
What I meant, is when you pray for someone, you are an intercessor interceeding for them.
Post a Comment
Home