Article

An introduction to Mary

July 16, 2024

Kimberly Hahn – ‘Catholic for a Reason II – Scripture and the Mystery of the Mother of God’ 2nd ed

“Of all the obstacles littering my path toward the Catholic Church, none loomed larger than Mary. She represented diversion from true devotion to Our Lord to a plastic (or ceramic or marble) substitution. She was only the box that held the Present; did it honor the giver to play with the box and ignore the Gift? Depending which Catholic friend I spoke to, I heard qualities attributed to her that bordered on divinity, including titles such as Queen of Heaven and Mother of God. How could I reconcile the love for Jesus which I shared in common with Catholic brothers and sisters with the antagonism I felt towards Mary, his mother?

Catholics maintain that Mary was sinless even though Scripture teaches that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). In this teaching more than anywhere else, it seemed to me that the Catholic Church was obviously trying to make Mary out to be a goddess – not a sinner like us in need of salvation, but someone free from sin, like God. It seemed to me that from the Catholic perspective, Jesus wasn’t Mary’s saviour, but her partner. But Christ alone is the Saviour of the whole world; “there is salvation in no one else” (Acts 4:12)

Curtis Martin - ‘Catholic for a Reason II – Scripture and the Mystery of the Mother of God’ 2nd ed.

Mary’s holiness is the work of her Son, because Mary alone among all women has a Son who existed before her. ..Those who reject the Immaculate Conception [of Mary] because it seems to raise Mary up to the level of a goddess in no need of salvation have missed the point. Mary is saved by her Son in a manner that uniquely manifests His divine power.

There are often extreme reactions expressed in response to what the Catholic Church teaches – why is this? We have all heard that many people’s main reason for not believing in God is that religion seems to be at the centre of all wars! Well, that may not be wrong, or indeed such a coincidence if our world-view is that of the Bible-worldview – since there is a powerful and intelligent force of evil whose main purpose is to cause hatred and division, while also looking to destroy the Church of Jesus Christ.



The most recent blatant evidence of Satan provoking hatred in the name of Jesus Christ is the period of ‘the troubles’ in Northern Ireland, which went on for decades. On the face of it, this bitter armed civil war within the nation of Ireland was supposedly between Catholic Christians and Protestant Christians – what a scandal!! But only those who are real Christians, knowing about the major condition in the Lord’s Prayer about forgiving your enemy, and many Scriptures about turning the other cheek, realised that these were not real Christians at all and it was bizarre that the participants were allowed to use these Christian labels to murder each other, supposedly in the name of their Church. In reality this was a political and tribal war of bitterness and vengeance for repeated atrocities on either side – each seeking ascendency over the other in a civil war.


Victor Griffin – Enough Religion to Make Us Hate – Reflection on Religion and Politics (2002)

 “Here was politicised religion masquerading as Christianity, with unionism solidly wedded to Protestantism and nationalism to Roman Catholicism … Political and religious tribalism, condoned if not actively supported by the churches, in the end ‘called the tune’ and Jesus of Nazareth, with his message of love and inclusiveness, was so often left out in the cold. No room for him in the northern inn.” 

The disastrous perception of the rest of the world however, looking on at the frequent news headlines of murder and relatives being comforted, was that the Christian Church is a gathering of hypocrites and completely discredited. Yet the Churches failed to distance themselves from the political violence.


And so, here we are explaining the Catholic beliefs about Mary, and particularly we intend to undo the misunderstandings about Mary using Scripture – which is good for correcting error – let us remove the ‘half-truths’ and all obstacles to unity which evil has used for so long to justify brothers and sisters literally fighting each other.
The animosity against the Catholic Church from other Christians, especially discussion about our respective beliefs is often accusing and unlistening, indeed surely there is ‘a divisive force’ at work – And when we mention ‘Mary: the handmaid of the Lord’ …. Wow, what venom! What absolute contempt and hatred from some Protestants towards Mary! How can a Christian be so furious that he is spitting with loathing when he speaks of the mother of Jesus?

And we could ask Protestants: what is All-Mighty God doing anyway - allowing 1.4 billion Catholics (the largest Christian Church in the world) to honour Mary as they do – is He asleep perhaps?


Or maybe the Catholic Church has retained an insight that has not been grasped by the other Churches, like a ‘baby thrown out with the bathwater’ of the Reformation? When the Reformers were throwing out all veneration of saints in any form in a wholesale way, they threw out Mary too.


(Eamon Duffy – The Stripping of the Altars – Traditional Religion in England 1400-1580)

“Henry was happy to see images venerated so long as they were not “honoured as God”. Cranmer, in contrast thought images should have ‘no manner of honour’ neither that due to God nor ‘such as is due to his reasonable creatures’.”



Please! … Let us recognise the work of the Accuser of the Brethren by its fruit of division and hatred, especially when the result of such an un-listening contempt is to further divide the church of Jesus Christ, the unity of which will be such that the world will believe in Jesus …!


Ephesians 6 says: "For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places."



So let us please be suspicious of anything which causes good Christians to rise up in furious accusation against other Christians, and recognise the smoke of Satan at work. In his book ‘The Great Heresies’ the Catholic historian Hilaire Belloc writes that the worse of the characters triggered by any reform of any institutions is:


(Hilaire Belloc – The Great Heresies)

“…there appear among the revolutionaries an increasing number who are not so much concerned to set right the evils which have grown up in the thing to be reformed, as filled with passionate hatred of the thing itself – its essential, its good, that by which it has a right to survive.” 

In future no doubt, surely we will not be deceived a second time into hating and killing our brothers and sisters in Jesus.



Christian?


Some Christians use the Nicene or Apostle’s Creed to discern who are Christians when considering a different grouping to their own, but Satan uses a different measure – those who keep God’s commandments and keep the testimony of Jesus, are those who he hates .


Revelation 12:17 'Then the dragon was angry with the woman, and went off to make war on the rest of her children, those who keep the commandments of God and hold the testimony of Jesus.'


(As an aside, it could be asked: “Why is it that Satanists blaspheme the Catholic Mass in their Black mass ceremonies and seek to profane a Consecrated Eucharistic Host in filthy ways?”)


The Catholic Church recites the Nicene Creed at every celebration of Mass; and teaches that the deliberately breaking any of the Ten Commandments is such a serious (mortal) sin, that the penalty is eternal damnation if you should die without repenting of that sin. Another biblical test of whether a Church is Christian is described in 1 Corinthians 12:3 'Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says 'Let Jesus be cursed!' and no one can say 'Jesus is Lord' except by the Holy Spirit.' (cf. Nicene Creed, said during every Mass)

These biblical proofs of what is Christian are being emphasised, because some Bible Christians actually try to justify their hatred and contempt for the Catholic Church by saying that they don’t consider the Catholic Church to be even Christian. This is a blatant lie used to justify tribalism, since we followers of Christ are even called to love our enemies, be they Christian or not:


Matthew 5:44 'But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,'



Parent Church


Historically speaking, the Catholic Church is the 2000 year old parent Church of all the other Christian churches, Orthodox and Protestant - including those Reformed Churches that seem to look upon it with such un-listening contempt – almost like children who have bitterly disagreed with their parent.


So as a basic starting point, let us recognise that the Catholic Church and Reformed Protestant Churches are all Christian Churches, with diverse histories, who are in fact brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ and in His Mystical Body the Church. When Saul (later Paul) was persecuting and stoning the early Christians in the name of ‘truth’, Jesus asked him ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’ (Acts 22:7). Jesus explained that in persecuting the Christians, Saul was persecuting Jesus Himself – in His Mystical Body the Church.


Returning to Mary, it is a bizarre and surprising realisation that Mary this quiet mother of Jesus, has somehow become, one of the biggest sources of division amongst the followers of her Son. Surprising that is, until we recall the prophetic Scripture from the book of Revelation referring to the dragon’s (Satan) action towards the woman who is the mother of Jesus:


Revelation 12:15 'Then from his mouth the serpent poured water like a river after the woman, to sweep her away with the flood.' (AMP)


We shall see below that Catholics recognise Mary as ‘The Woman’ of Genesis and Revelation, which would explain why Satan, the instigator of division in the Church, has caused so much furious accusation and division about her. 

Note: If 2000- years of unwavering Catholic teaching about Mary’s role is correct, and we will try to show on this website that the evidence is strong and Scriptural insights valid, then all Christians should realise that her role is extremely important to them and their families – So let’s please be open-minded and take a good look, then decide either way.


Hostility encouraged by half-truths and peer-pressure, often passed down the generations as ‘hearsay’ oral tradition, mean that many Christians honestly do not understand what Catholics believe about Mary - and especially ‘Why?’


Amidst steady progress towards unity amongst Catholic Christians and Protestant Christians in recent decades (see ‘A Call to Unity’ on this website) the role of Mary in God’s plan for the Church, seems to be one of the remaining obstacles to the Church unity, which Jesus asked His Father for:


John 17:11 'Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.'

Interestingly, when we consider the beliefs of the Protestant Reformers, who actually led the separation away from the Catholic Church, towards Mary, we realise that they had no such extreme antagonism to her as appears to be widespread amongst Protestants today. Presently, even the mention of Mary’s name by a Catholic will frequently provoke a hostile reaction from some Protestants.


See this excerpt from an article by Catholic Apologetics:


The Protestant reformers on Mary


When Fundamentalists study the writings of the "Reformers" (or founders of their particular group) on Mary, the Mother of Jesus, they will find that the "Reformers" accepted almost every major Marian doctrine and considered these doctrines to be both scriptural and fundamental to the historic Christian Faith.




Martin Luther 

  • Mary the Mother of God -
    Throughout his life Luther maintained without change the historic Christian affirmation that Mary was the Mother of God:

Martin Luther

"She is rightly called not only the mother of the man, but also the Mother of God ... It is certain that Mary is the Mother of the real and true God."1

  • Perpetual Virginity
    Again throughout his life Luther held that Mary's perpetual virginity was an article of faith for all Christians - and interpreted Galatians 4:4 to mean that Christ was "born of a woman" alone."

Martin Luther

It is an article of faith that Mary is Mother of the Lord and still a Virgin."2



  • The Immaculate Conception
    Yet again the Immaculate Conception was a doctrine Luther defended to his death (as confirmed by Lutheran scholars like Arthur Piepkorn). Like Augustine, Luther saw an unbreakable link between Mary's divine maternity, perpetual virginity and Immaculate Conception. Although his formulation of the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception was not clear-cut, he held that her soul was devoid of sin from the beginning:

Martin Luther

"But the other conception, namely the infusion of the soul, it is piously and suitably believed, was without any sin, so that while the soul was being infused, she would at the same time be cleansed from original sin and adorned with the gifts of God to receive the holy soul thus infused. And thus, in the very moment in which she began to live, she was without all sin..."3

  • The Assumption
    Although he did not make it an article of faith, Luther said of the doctrine of the Assumption:

Martin Luther

"There can be no doubt that the Virgin Mary is in heaven. How it happened we do not know."4

  • Honor to Mary
    Despite his unremitting criticism of the traditional doctrines of Marian mediation and intercession, to the end Luther continued to proclaim that Mary should be honored. He made it a point to preach on her feast days.

Martin Luther

"The veneration of Mary is inscribed in the very depths of the human heart."5"Is Christ only to be adored? Or is the holy Mother of God rather not to be honoured? This is the woman who crushed the Serpent's head. Hear us. For your Son denies you nothing."6

Luther made this statement in his last sermon at Wittenberg in January 1546.




John Calvin 


It has been said that John Calvin belonged to the second generation of the Reformers and certainly his theology of double predestination governed his views on Marian and all other Christian doctrine. Although Calvin was not as profuse in his praise of Mary as Martin Luther he did not deny her perpetual virginity. The term he used most commonly in referring to Mary was "Holy Virgin".

John Calvin

"Elizabeth called Mary Mother of the Lord, because the unity of the person in the two natures of Christ was such that she could have said that the mortal man engendered in the womb of Mary was at the same time the eternal God."7


"Helvidius has shown himself too ignorant, in saying that Mary had several sons, because mention is made in some passages of the brothers of Christ."8


Calvin translated "brothers" in this context to mean cousins or relatives.

John Calvin

"It cannot be denied that God in choosing and destining Mary to be the Mother of his Son, granted her the highest honor."9


"To this day we cannot enjoy the blessing brought to us in Christ without thinking at the same time of that which God gave as adornment and honour to Mary, in willing her to be the mother of his only-begotten Son."10


Ulrich Zwingli


Ulrich Zwingli

"It was given to her what belongs to no creature, that in the flesh she should bring forth the Son of God."11 "I firmly believe that Mary, according to the words of the gospel as a pure Virgin brought forth for us the Son of God and in childbirth and after childbirth forever remained a pure, intact Virgin."12

Zwingli used Exodus 4:22 to defend the doctrine of Mary's perpetual virginity.

Ulrich Zwingli

"I esteem immensely the Mother of God, the ever chaste, immaculate Virgin Mary."13"Christ ... was born of a most undefiled Virgin."14"It was fitting that such a holy Son should have a holy Mother."15"The more the honor and love of Christ increases among men, so much the esteem and honor given to Mary should grow."16

We might wonder why the Marian affirmations of the Reformers did not survive in the teaching of their heirs - particularly the Fundamentalists. This break with the past did not come through any new discovery or revelation. The Reformers themselves (see above) took a benign even positive view of Marian doctrine - although they did reject Marian mediation because of their rejection of all human mediation. Moreover, while there were some excesses in popular Marian piety, Marian doctrine as taught in the pre-Reformation era drew its inspiration from the witness of Scripture and was rooted in Christology.


The real reason for the break with the past must be attributed to the iconoclastic passion of the followers of the Reformation and the consequences of some Reformation principles. Even more influential in the break with Mary was the influence of the Enlightenment Era which essentially questioned or denied the mysteries of faith.

Unfortunately the Marian teachings and preachings of the Reformers have been "covered up" by their most zealous followers - with damaging theological and practical consequences. This "cover-up" can be detected even in the book: ‘Chosen by God: Mary in Evangelical Perspective’, an Evangelical critique of Mariology. One of the contributors admits that:


 ‘Chosen by God: Mary in Evangelical Perspective’

"Most remarkable to modern Protestants is the Reformers' almost universal acceptance of Mary's continuing virginity, and their widespread reluctance to declare Mary a sinner".

He then asks if it is "a favourable providence" that kept these Marian teachings of the Reformers from being "transmitted to the Protestant churches"!17


What is interpreted as "Providence" by a Marian critic may legitimately be interpreted as a force of a very different kind by a Christian who has recognized the role of Mary in God’s plan.”


http://www.catholicapologetics.info/apologetics/general/mary.htm


The subsequent articles in this ‘Explaining Mary’ section will address the justification of Catholic beliefs about Mary, with particular regard to Sacred Scripture, which is the inspired Word of God.


Catechism of the Catholic Church (paras. 135, 136)

“The Sacred Scriptures contain the Word of God and, because they are inspired, they are truly the Word of God". God is the author of Sacred Scripture because he inspired its human authors; he acts in them and by means of them. He thus gives assurance that their writings teach without error his saving truth.”

Respect not Conversion


It is not our intention to convert Protestants to believe or agree with Catholic teaching, but to demonstrate and reassure any Protestant reader of the intellectual integrity of the Catholic Church’s interpretation of Holy Scripture, and particularly on these pages, the Catholic understanding of the role of the Virgin Mary – “the handmaid of the Lord “ in God’s plans for mankind.

We hope that to demonstrate that each of the respective Catholic beliefs about the Virgin Mary is rooted in the Bible and Christ-centred is a valid biblical interpretation for the Catholic Church to make, which our Protestant brothers and sisters should be able to respect.

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A modern parable, would be like the sibling who realises that his sister is much better at science than he is, who may then feel low self esteem as a result - but the wise parent will point out the fact that he is better than his sister at art and languages, so everyone’s self esteem and mutual appreciation is encouraged. Women and men are equal but certainly not the same – what a joke! Who is it that is sweeping us all into this insistence on ‘sameness’, when our diversity is so obvious that it should be appreciated and embraced? Ephesians 4:14 'We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people's trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming.' Even if the average person in the world doesn’t know who or what they are, this should not be so for us Christians. We do know that we were all uniquely created by a loving Father God, in His image and likeness – and we can undo our inferiority and insecurity by embracing our uniqueness and trusting our dear loving Daddy (Abba) God more and more strongly. Indeed, in Rick Joyner’s vision, it is when Christians come to know the unconditional love of the Father, that they are strongest and most resistant to the arrows and tricks of Satan. http://www.morningstarministries.org The accusation of heresy As something of a Post-script, it may be constructive to make a comment about the word ‘heresy’. In history, the word ‘heresy’ has been used as if it were the most terrible of all sins, and indeed many people were burned at the stake for committing this offence, by all sides. The Catholic Church, particularly, has been rigid in determining and guarding historical truths and interpretations that it feels have been handed down to it, and why heresy is such an important word in that context. In the history of the Catholic Church, much has been made of the word ‘heresy’ or the labelling of someone as a ‘heretic’. Perhaps the single biggest reason is the Eucharist or Holy Communion in the Catholic Mass. When Jesus taught a large crowd of disciples that if they did not eat His body and drink his blood, they would have no life in them, most Protestants believe that Jesus was speaking figuratively and not literally; that taking communion in ‘The Lord’s Supper’ is a ‘remembering’ of the last supper, and not a spiritual event, consuming the real food and drink of Jesus’ Body. Again, this is not intended to convert Protestants to Catholic beliefs, but only for them to respect that the Catholic position is not unscriptural, but a different interpretation. Let us look again at the Scripture: John 6:51 - 67 'I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live for ever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.' The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, 'How can this man give us his flesh to eat?' So Jesus said to them, 'Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live for ever.' He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum. When many of his disciples heard it, they said, 'This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?' But Jesus, being aware that his disciples were complaining about it, said to them, 'Does this offend you? Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But among you there are some who do not believe.' For Jesus knew from the first who were the ones that did not believe, and who was the one that would betray him. And he said, 'For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted by the Father.' Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him. So Jesus asked the twelve, 'Do you also wish to go away?' Please note that when many of Jesus’ disciples found this teaching intolerable and left him, Jesus did not say “Wait, stop, you have misunderstood me – I was only speaking metaphorically, using symbolism!”. No – Jesus allowed them to leave, he had spoken literally. Similarly today, many non-Catholic Christians have found this teaching unbelievable, although the Lutherans and many Anglicans do believe that the Communion is the real presence of Jesus, and the Catholic Church for 2000 years has certainly held to this belief. This understanding however, comes with a caution: 1 Corinthians 11:27-30 'Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be answerable for the body and blood of the Lord. Examine yourselves, and only then eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For all who eat and drink without discerning the body, eat and drink judgement against themselves. For this reason many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.' 1 Corinthians 11:29 For whoever eats and drinks from it being unworthy, eats and drinks a guilty verdict into his soul for not distinguishing the body of THE LORD JEHOVAH. Aramaic Bible in Plain English So the Catholic Church holds strongly to this interpretation, (borne out by several well documented miracles – where a consecrated bread host has turned into real cardiac muscle) that the bread and wine of the Lord’s Supper actually becomes the Real Body and Blood of Jesus. (This Biblical caution is also the loving and protective reason why Catholics resist Protestants from receiving the Eucharist in Catholic services – so that their action will not bring condemnation upon themselves.) As a consideration: if a Protestant minister had a sliver of bread on his kitchen table which was the real Body of Jesus – what would he do; how would he conduct himself; would there be a certain way that he should proceed? After all, we recall what happened to Uzzah: 2 Samuel 6:7 'The anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah; and God struck him there because he reached out his hand to the ark; and he died there beside the ark of God.' Well this is the situation within the Catholic Church, and after the historical model of the Levitical priests, who were specially selected, trained and performed a definite ritual to enter the Holy of Holies in the Old Testament; similarly to show due reverence to the presence of Jesus in their Communion Service, Catholics have specially prepared priests, who undergo set rituals in preparing and approaching the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. Though Protestants may not believe this, Catholics do. Now placed in such a position: of on one hand believing the Real Presence of Jesus to be present in the elements of the Lord’s Supper, and also being aware of the strict caution not to approach these elements unworthily or they will bring condemnation on themselves – the Catholic Church has been obliged to remain very close to it’s original and historical traditions. Therefore, the Catholic Church feels it has had valid reason to be robust in its defence of the truths that it has received through history. It has at times been severe with those who hold to different views – the definition of ‘heresy’ is ‘a belief or opinion contrary to orthodox religious doctrine’. (Concise Oxford Dictionary) On the other hand, Protestants have been free to ‘do Church’ in diverse styles and ways since they left the Catholic Church, even if they may also be missing something that the Catholic Church holds very dear in the Eucharist. Brothers and Sisters, let us pray not to be deceived again into hating each other just because of diversity and differences, which are allowed by God for His purposes. Indeed, when the thousands of different Christian denominations recognise with love and respect, the beauty of the diversity which God has arranged and allowed in His Mystical Body the Church, united in love and mutual respect – then we will be able to also bring the Nations of the World to also recognise their respective strengths and talents and be united in Love. 1 John 4:7,8 'Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love.'

Purification of Memory – The 'Reformation Divorce'

By Webmaster • July 17, 2024
John Wayne and Lee Marvin play characters in the film Donovan’s Reef, who relapse into fighting whenever they see each other – predictably every year for decades. And the daughter of one of them points out that they have been fighting so long, they have forgotten what they were fighting about in the first place, so they can never make up and be friends. There seems something of that dynamic between the Catholic Christians and Protestant Christians – we’ve forgotten what we originally disagreed about .... Corruption in the Catholic Church Regrettably, the breakdown of relations between the Catholic Church and the Reformers (who had understandably protested about the unquestioned corruption within the Catholic Church at that time) was very unpleasant and destructive – with scars remaining until this day - like a very unpleasant and bitter divorce. (But we know that bitterness has unforgiveness at its root .... and the Lord's Prayer mentions forgiveness as a condition for receiving God's Grace!!). It is a well-documented and unquestioned historical fact, that at the time of the Reformation there was widespread corruption, abuse of power and ‘worldliness’ in the Catholic Church, and no doubt many of today’s Catholics would also have ‘protested’ and become ‘Protestants’ at that time. When the Pope at that time, responded defiantly to the protesters, those conscientious reformers eventually found themselves outside the Catholic Church and subsequently formed the Protestant Churches, where they have continued to test and ironically 'protect'; their parent organisation - the Roman Catholic Church ever since: As Timothy (2Timothy.3:16) states, Scripture is good for correcting error and as such the so called 'Bible-based' Churches have been rather a protection for the Catholic Church in their challenges and debate. Scripture scholarship amongst Protestants is highly respected by Catholic theologians who of course, also have their own Scripture scholars. (The Bible, as a large collection of separate books by different authors, was of course discerned and composed by the Catholic Church in the first place.) Indulgences Leading up to the Reformation it is not difficult to see God’s purposes in the Protestants ‘protesting’ about what the newly available printed Bible told them was wrong in the conduct of the Catholic Church at that time - having become corrupted by land ownership; involvement in politics; untrained clergy who were doing a "job" and not following a "calling"; and also many superstitious practices had developed, which were a distraction from true faith. The last straw was when the Pope Leo X, who was perhaps one of the most extravagant and worldly Popes in history, decided to renovate St Peter’s basilica in Rome, and to acquire the enormous sums of money for renovation, he encouraged the sale of "Indulgences," which was a promise of relief from eternal penalties. As a result, over-zealous clergy wandered the Continent encouraging and pressuring the poor to give money they couldn’t afford, for fear of their loved ones suffering longer in Purgatory than they otherwise might. In Germany this over-zealous practice aroused the frustration of Martin Luther, a Catholic monk, who, in 1517 issued ninety-five arguments (theses) suggesting reform of the Catholic Church – many of them aimed at attacking the doctrine of indulgences which was being abused and he also resented the related doctrine of Purgatory – a place of final cleansing of lesser sins (purging) before entering Heaven. Luther wrote in his 95 Theses criticising the Church, - "Why doesn't the Pope build the basilica of St Peter's out of his own money?" What Luther did was very timely, since there were numerous other factors, like a "perfect storm" which ignited at the spark which he provided – the Church was ripe for reform. German nobles saw an opportunity to cut off currency flowing to Rome which was very much needed at home, so they backed Luther's cause and Europe started to unravel into regional wars due to the combination of political interests and religious zeal.. In 1520, Leo issued the papal bull "Exsurge Domine" demanding Luther retract 41 of his 95 theses, and after Luther's refusal, excommunicated him. (Interesting that out of 95 theses, the Pope only asked him to retract 41 of them – leaving 54 that were presumably valid concerns.) Anyway, the papacy at that time was defiant and unrepentant, and eventually, after decades of ‘Protesting’, the initial reformers, whose intention had not been to leave the Catholic Church originally, but only to reform it from within, (and whose authority in doing so was reference to the newly printed Bible), ended up being excommunicated by the Vatican and left to fend for themselves. Indeed non-Catholic Christians were denounced and ‘going to Hell’, as far as the Catholic Church believed,for the next 450 years -Though there had been a longstanding debate within the Catholic Church about the salvation of non-Catholic Christians; also unbaptised babies and adults who had not heard the Gospel so had an excuse not to become Catholics, were not viewed so harshly. Finding themselves outside the Catholic Church, and therefore without the particular interpretation of the Bible that had been handed down to the Catholic Church by the early Christians, the Protestants ‘started from scratch’ - looking at the Bible and interpreting it themselves, which caused inevitable divergence from the original teaching of the Catholic Church and subsequent diversity even within their own numbers. For the Catholic Church’s part, although reforms were actually carried out following the Reformation and corruption undone, the Catholic Church fiercely defended their key truths, that had been handed down through history as Sacred Tradition (solemnly discerned God-inspired Sacred Tradition – note the capital ‘T’ in the word 'Tradition'). Looking around the Christian denominations at present, it is easy to recognise different talents, styles and emphases in the different denominations and ministries; some are more evangelising; some more contemplative; some are more attractive to young people; some are more attractive to older people; some are more involved in Social Action than others, etc. God is surely active in this diversity, which God clearly enjoys in Nature too, and which the Protestants particularly have been rather free to develop since they were not bound to the emphasis and solemn liturgy which must accompany the celebration of the Eucharist in the Catholic celebration of Holy Mass. Separated Brothers In the years since the Reformation the Catholic Church continued to teach for centuries, that anyone outside the Catholic Church could not obtain salvation and were therefore going to Hell. Considering that this stance was completely reversed at the Second Vatican Council in the 1960's, this historical condemnation had been a hurtful and divisive decree to declare against the Protesters, who had after all only opposed the corruption in the Catholic Church, in the first place. On the other hand, holding their measuring rod of the 'Bible-alone' against the Catholic Church, Protestants have also spent centuries denouncing Catholic teachings which vary from theirs in similar harsh and angry terms, insisting that anything not in the Bible cannot be true faith. Both positions have made unity more difficult. During the Council several documents were produced concerned ecumenism and a "unity" with non-Catholic Christians. As a result of those pronouncements, the Catholic Church recognized Christians in the Orthodox and Protestant Churches as "separated brethren" i.e. siblings of the same family who are not together! This was a drastic change from the previous centuries of denunciation that existed between the Catholic Church and other Christian Churches. Catholic and Orthodox Churches have long been very close in their respect for their respective diversity and formal relationships. In his famous ‘Maxims of Christian Perfection for All Christians’, Blessed Antonio Rosmini, who is being made a saint by the Catholic Church because of his exemplary life, wrote (emphases added for clarity): Jesus Christ has power over all things in heaven and on earth, and has merited to be absolute Lord of all people; and He alone, with unspeakable wisdom, power and goodness, rules all events according to His Divine pleasure, and for the greater good of the elect who form His beloved Spouse the Church. Christians therefore should feel perfectly at peace and full of joy, resting entirely upon their Lord, however contrary even to the good of the Church events may seem. But they must not cease from praying earnestly that the will of God may be done on earth as it is in heaven, that is, that people may fulfil the holy law of charity on earth as the saints fulfil it in heaven.” Christians should banish from their hearts all uneasiness, and every kind of anxiety and apprehension, even that which seems at times to have no other object than the good of the Church of Jesus Christ. Moreover, they must not rashly imagine that they can remedy the evils, which assail the Church, before they see clearly that such is the will of the Lord.* They must bear in mind that Jesus Christ alone is the Ruler of His Church, and that most displeasing to Him, and most unworthy of His disciples, is the rashness of those who, not called and moved by Him, but, led blindly by a secret pride, presume of their own accord to do any good in the Church, however little it may be, as if the Divine Redeemer stood in need of their poor help, or of that of any person whatever. (Maxim 3)- http://www.rosminicentre.co.uk/images/witness/MAXIMSPRINTEDBOOKLET.pdf (* The call to unity on this page, has come from a specific prophetic instruction to bring down the barriers between God’s people) God has certainly therefore, allowed the diversity of the Orthodox and the Reformation churches as a major factor in His Mystical Body, the Christian Church “according to His Divine pleasure” – and it would be pride and presumption for any of us to resist and be scornful of this God-given diversity without clear guidance from the Lord. The Catholic Church for its part, has held onto longstanding truths, and has not felt so free to explore different ways of ‘doing Church’ during the centuries. Each denomination has different talents and strengths – we just need, like different members of a corporate team, to respect our differences and not despise them, since the Almighty hand of God is certainly at work in this diversity within His Body. Having quoted from a Catholic saint, for our Protestant brethren let us also consider this positive view of diversity in the Scriptures, where we may also see that God enjoys diversity and expects it in His Church: At the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry in Luke 4:18, it is evident from the text He chooses (Isaiah 61) and his explanation (Luke 4:21-27) that he came to save the poor, the captive, the blind, the oppressed, Jews, and the gentiles. Jesus’ love for all people is clearly evident as the Gospels record numerous examples of his ministry: to a Roman officer (Matthew 8:5-13); a Canaanite woman (Matthew 15:22-28); a Samaritan woman (John 4:7-29), and to the “lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 10:6). His inclusivity for His Church is demonstrated by reference to the kingdom of heaven being populated by those “from east and west” (Matthew 8:10-12), no doubt a reference to his “other sheep, which are not of this fold” (John 10:16). Yet, Jesus’ desire and plan for these 'last days', is for His diverse followers to “become one flock with one shepherd” (John 10:16), “perfected in unity” as proof to the world that He was sent by God (John 17:10-26). The answer to divisions in the Church is the cross by which Jesus reconciled all things who were once hostile to himself (Colossians 1:19-21) and brought peace out of the hostility that once existed between us: Colossians 1:19 -22: For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross. And you who were once estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his fleshly body through death. Of course we also have Jesus in the Book of Revelation describing several diverse attributes of the seven Churches which he refers to positively, as well as the areas of criticism that were also mentioned. adly within 30 years of the Reformation starting, the Anabaptists insisted that the other reformers (Lutherans and Calvinists etc.) were not even Christian because they were baptised as infants (cf. infant circumcision and entry into covenant on the eighth day after birth), and Protestants began executing other Protestants over doctrinal differences according to the particular creed held to by the judiciary in respective towns and regions. The Catholics of the time were equally hostile against Protestants. In hindsight, all sides were unloving and unchristian to other Christians in the name of 'truth', which must have saddened God greatly.. So in terms of ‘purifying our memories’, as referred to by Pope John Paul II, neither the Catholics: who were in a pitiful mess and subsequently excommunicated and damned to Hell their Christian critics for 450 years; nor the Protestants: who have been equally fierce and unforgiving, not just against Catholics but even against each other, should be quick to ‘cast the first stone’ and we must remind ourselves that when we do accuse, we have one finger pointing forward and three fingers pointing back at ourselves. The Orthodox and Catholic Churches have made great progress in reconciling their differences but unfortunately, from the Protestant Churches, there is no single voice who could accept his apology and make courageous and loving steps towards forgiveness and reconciliation as Pope John Paul II did. But let us all now work and prayer to ensure that there are no more obstacles of misunderstanding and unforgiveness between us Christians brothers and sisters.
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