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Mary Queen of Heaven

July 16, 2024

Heaven is inhabited by the Holy Trinity, angels and the souls of men, women and children. Amongst this collection it would seem perfectly reasonable for there to be a special place for the mother of Jesus; the specially chosen daughter of the Father and the Spouse of the Holy Spirit.


Elsewhere in these pages is an explanation that the Blessed Virgin Mary is a New Testament ‘type’ of the Ark of the Covenant since the cloud of God’s Presence overshadowed her and she contained Jesus the Word of God for 9 months. She may be considered to have an ongoing special and intimate connection with the Spirit of God who is her Spouse.

While we are all called to be a Temple of the Holy Spirit how much more then will Mary be filled with Grace and the Holy Spirit?


1 Corinthians3:16,17 ' Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy that person. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.'


Ephesians 5:31 -32 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. This is a great mystery, and I am applying it to Christ and the church.


There are several ways that Mary is suggested as being a queen, both in the Old Testament and also in the New in Scripture:


It is recognised that the importance of the ‘queen mother’ is well established in the Davidic kingdom. At the time of King David when a new king took his place, his mother was routinely given the title of ‘gebirah’, which is Hebrew for ‘great lady’ or ‘queen’. It was not the wife of the king who was acclaimed as ‘queen’, but his mother. The sense behind this may be understood because they often had many wives (King Solomon had 700) and since the king had only one mother, there was much wisdom in this arrangement.


Edward Sri observes that in ancient Israel, “… the queen mother was no mere figurehead. Rather she held an actual office with real authority in the kingdom. In fact the prophet Jeremiah described how she shared in the king’s rule over the people and even possessed a throne and a crown of her own – a symbol of her royal power.


Jeremiah 13:18,20 'Say to the king and the queen mother: 'Take a lowly seat, for your beautiful crown has come down from your head.' … Lift up your eyes and see those who come from the north. Where is the flock that was given you, your beautiful flock?'


In this passage, Jeremiah forecasts the imminent fall of the kingdom of Judah. But in doing so, he reveals how the “flock” of Israelites will be taken away from the current Jewish monarchs and will be handed over to the invading Babylonians.


What is important to note is that this prophecy is addressed to both the king and the queen mother. Thus, when God says “your beautiful flock” will be taken away, He is referring to the fact that the king and his royal mother shepherded the people together. But because of their unfaithfulness, both will lose their flocks. Both will lose their thrones (“take a lowly seat”) and their thrones will be taken away.”

(Edward Sri: Catholic for a Reason II – Scripture and the Mystery of the Mother of God, also Edward Sri: Queen Mother – A Biblical Theology of Mary’s Queenship.)


Bathsheba, the wife of David and mother of Solomon is perhaps one of the best Scriptural demonstrations of the authority and importance of the queen mother in the Davidic kingdom.


1 King 2:19 -20 'So Bathsheba went to King Solomon, to speak to him on behalf of Adonijah. The king rose to meet her, and bowed down to her; then he sat on his throne, and had a throne brought for the king's mother, and she sat on his right. Then she said, 'I have one small request to make of you; do not refuse me.' And the king said to her, 'Make your request, my mother; for I will not refuse you.'


Throughout the Bible, anyone sitting on the right hand side is the ultimate place of honour. Jesus is referred to as sitting at the right hand of the Father (Hebrews1:13), so Solomon offers his mother the most powerful position he could in his whole kingdom – a throne at his right hand side. Sitting at the king’s right hand, the queen mother clearly has a powerful share in the king’s royal authority, allowed to her by the king.


Asking Mary to Pray for Us


An obvious dynamic mentioned in this Scripture also relates to how the Catholic Church regards Mary. Bathsheba was approached to speak to her son on behalf of another person, who was confident that the king would listen to her. To confirm this, her son himself assures her that he will not refuse her request. (In this example the king doesn’t heed her request, but obviously she is an influential advocate towards the king.


Similarly, many Catholics recognise that Mary is a powerful advocate to speak on behalf of individuals to her Son Jesus. Hence there are so many prayers asking for her intercession on our behalf. Certainly Protestants ‘can go straight to Jesus’, no problem, but Catholics may be aware of a powerful advocate that Protestants don’t!

Also interesting in our reflection about Mary (as queen mother sitting at the right hand of the King - Jesus), to recall the words of Jesus in the gospel:


Matthew 20:21-23 …She said to him, 'Declare that these two sons of mine will sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.' But Jesus answered, 'You do not know what you are asking.… to sit at my right hand and at my left, this is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.'


In the gospel of Luke, amongst several important things that Gabriel says to Mary he also prophecies that her royal Son will have an eternal kingdom and God the Father will restore the Davidic Kingdom to Him.


Luke 1:31-33 'And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.'


And as we have just seen clearly from scripture, David’s kingdom held a very high position of authority and honour for the queen mother – the mother of the King, within his kingdom. In Jesus’ Kingdom, that powerful queen mother at His right hand is Mary, to whom He has given power and authority.


New Testament and Mary as Queen of Heaven


Finally, let us consider the Book of Revelation chapter 12:1,2,5 and particularly let us examine “the Woman clothed with the sun”.


Revelation 12:1-2 'A great portent appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pangs, in the agony of giving birth.'


Revelation 12:5 'And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron. But her child was snatched away and taken to God and to his throne;'


Her Son is Jesus


Because the Woman gives birth to a son who will ‘rule with a rod of iron’, and this imagery is also used in Psalm 2:8,9 which clearly speaks of the coming Messiah:


Revelation 12:5 'And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron. But her child was snatched away and taken to God and to his throne;


Psalm 2:7-9 'I will tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to me, 'You are my son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron, and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.'


So, we know the mother of Jesus is Mary and considering our previous discussion about the place of the queen mother, in the vision of the Woman clothed with the sun, we see Mary alongside her Son Jesus, reigning in Heaven.


On Her Head a Crown of Twelve Stars


Like other queen mothers from the time of David’s Kingdom, we see Mary wearing a crown, which symbolises her status and authority.


The fact that her crown is made of twelve stars has several significant implications. Firstly it represents the twelve tribes of Israel, because she will bear the Davidic king, so she has an exalted place in relation to Israel and can be identified as the ‘Daughter of Zion’.


Zechariah 9:9 'Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Sion, shout for joy, O daughter of Jerusalem: Behold thy king will come to thee, the just and saviour: he is poor, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt, the foal of an ass.'


The daughter of Zion is a virgin who belongs to the Lord who will marry her:


'For as a young man marries a virgin, so shall your sons marry you, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you' (Isaiah. 62: 5).


Also the twelve stars represent the twelve apostles, who were the very foundation of the Christian Church. Jesus identifies Himself with His Church as demonstrated when He protested to Saul (later Paul) for persecuting Christians:


Act 9:4,5 'He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, 'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?' He asked, 'Who are you, Lord?' The reply came, 'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.'


So the Christian Church is often recognised as the Mystical Body of Christ, but because of the intimacy and spiritual union which God calls us to as His sons and daughters, the Church of Christ is also referred to as the Bride of Christ, especially from Ephesians 5:22-32 “Husbands love your wives as Christ loved the Church”.


Mary then, represents the Church as the Bride of Christ, ‘without spot or wrinkle’, since she is already the Bride or Spouse of the Holy Spirit who fathered her Child. Her crown of twelve stars, when applied to the 12 Apostles and the Church, suggests that she has authority over the Church – indeed she is also considered to be the Mother of the Church (the Mystical Body of Christ her Son).


Ephesians 5:25-27 ' …. just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, in order to make her holy by cleansing her with the washing of water by the word, so as to present the church to himself in splendour, without a spot or wrinkle or anything of the kind--yes, so that she may be holy and without blemish.'


Ephesians 5:31,32 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.' This is a great mystery, and I am applying it to Christ and the church.


Certainly such a union is a mystery when it takes place between two humans, but when such union takes place between God and a person, this has been long recognised within the Church as ‘mystical union’ of the soul with God, according to the writings of Saint John of the Cross and Saint Teresa of Avila. Such a spiritual union is considered to be the height of spiritual perfection and maturity, accompanied by great peace and joy - of God abiding in us and us in him.


Galatians 2:19, 20 '…. I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.'

1 John 3:24 'All who obey his commandments abide in him, and he abides in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit that he has given us.'


Mary as a person in whom the Holy Spirit abides perfectly, is Mother of the Church and represents the perfection of all her children (who keep the commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus), and in whom the Holy Spirit abides as in a temple:


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.'


Clothed with the Sun


As for the sun, with which the Woman is clothed, this symbolises the presence of God, the Light of the world, who had overshadowed her and dwelt within her, just as with the Old Testament Ark, so His presence would always accompany her. By this we may presume that Mary the New Ark of the Covenant would be both empowered with the Holy Spirit and also protected by God’s presence, just as He jealously guarded access to the old Ark of the Covenant.


Standing on the Moon


The moon is beneath her feet as a representation of night and the darkness of sin, always being beneath her feet. Similarly the weakness of sin in Mankind, was also to remain beneath her feet without having any hold upon her.
In this image, is also represented, the connection with Genesis 3:15, where the Woman (Mary), is prophesied to crush the head of Satan – and her we see her standing upon the moon symbolising the darkness of sin and the Fall of mankind.


1 Thessalonians 5:5 'for you are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness.'

Revelation 21:23,25 ' And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb.   Its gates will never be shut by day--and there will be no night there.'


She was Pregnant


To show Mary in her pregnant state, emphasises that she is ‘her in whom God dwells’ the New Ark of the Covenant. As an important observation, the chapter delineations were allocated well after the Scriptures were written, and it is apparent that the end of Chapter 11 and beginning of Chapter 12 of Revelation should not have been separated by the Chapter end:


Revelation 11:18-19 'The nations raged, but your wrath has come, and the time for judging the dead, for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints and all who fear your name, both small and great, and for destroying those who destroy the earth. Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple; and there were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail.'

Revelation 12:1-2 'A great portent appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pangs, in the agony of giving birth.'


Just as the Ark of the Covenant is seen in Heaven, so the pregnant Woman is also seen, separated only by the description of a spectacular ‘symphony’ of some of the loudest powers from Nature.


Compare this display of nature with Jesus’ comment on his final entry into Jerusalem and His Passion:
Luke 19:38-41 … saying, 'Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!'  Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, 'Teacher, order your disciples to stop.' He answered, 'I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.'  As he came near and saw the city, he wept over it,'


This was a loud acclaim from Creation which announced the appearance of the Woman clothed with the sun – Mary, the New Ark of the Covenant.


Travailing in birth and pained to be delivered


Because Mary had no original sin, it cannot be the case that she experienced the pain of childbirth, since this was a punishment from the Fall which would affect all (other) women.


While some scholars including Feuillet and McHugh consider that this reference to pain in childbirth must relate not to the infant birth of Jesus, but to his death and resurrection – giving new life for the Church, which of course was preceded by the sorrow of the crucifixion and Mary bravely accompanied Jesus to Calvary. Although plausible from Scripture exegesis, there may be another explanation.


Since Mary knew that she would be the mother of the Messiah, from Scripture she also knew how He would be treated and sacrificed unfairly as the Redeemer of Mankind, so it is very likely that Mary was saddened and tormented about bringing her Child into the world to face His fate, which She knew about so clearly.


Revelation 12:2 'AndG2532 she being with childG2192 G1722 G1064 cried,G2896 travailing in birth,G5605 andG2532 painedG928 to be delivered.G5088 '


The Greek word translated in most Bible translations of the verse as ‘pain’ is ‘βασανίζω’ basanizō (bas-an-id'-zo)
From” G931; to torture: - pain, toil, torment, toss, vex.” (Strong’s Bible Dictionary = KJV+)


If we look then at the other instances where this Greek word ‘βασανίζω’ basanizō also occurs, we see that the only time, in the whole Bible that this word is translated as ‘pain’ is in Revelation 12:2, the verse we are looking at – the rest of the time it is usually translated as ‘tormented’ ( 8 out of 12 times) or ‘toiling’, ‘tossed and ‘vexed’. This is quite a different emotional meaning than the extreme physical pain of childbirth.on
So it would appear that Mary was not in physical pain, but in emotional pain about the birth .


Her Child was snatched way and taken to God and to His Throne


Some scholars have struggled with this verse, suggesting that when Jesus was born, he remained with Mary and Joseph and on Earth until his Resurrection and he wasn’t immediately taken up to Heaven. However, this may be taking the verse rather too literally, since it is referring to the shifting and spiteful dynamics happening in the Throne Room of Heaven around the time of the birth of Jesus – particularly in relation to the dragon planning to destroy the Child.
Revelation 12:4,5 '… Then the dragon stood before the woman who was about to bear a child, so that he might devour her child as soon as it was born. And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron. But her child was snatched away and taken to God and to his throne;'


Clearly Satan the fallen Archangel believed that he could destroy Jesus, who was about to be born a Man and for Satan to be reminded that even if Jesus is a man, he cannot destroy God Incarnate - because He enjoys the authority of God’s throne, seems a reasonable boundary for him to be given in the circumstances. The Woman seems to be relatively untouchable by the dragon also, because of God’s protection – so Satan is left with making war on Mary’s children – the Church.


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.'


Summary


To conclude then, the Catholic Church believes, with significant Scriptural evidence and interpretation, that the Woman referred to Revelation 12 in Heaven wearing a crown is the mother of the Child that sits with God at His throne – Mary the mother of Jesus. The Catholic Church regards her as being honoured by God with the title of ‘Queen’ in Heaven as represented by the crown of stars. This does not place her on any throne of equality with God, or suggest that she is at all divine, but only that she has authority in Heaven over angels and souls, given to her by God.



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.

New Paragraph

“From Bath Abbey in August Richard Layton wrote “I send you vincula S. Petri, which women put about them at the time of their delivery … I send you also a great comb called St Mary Magdalen’s comb, and St Dorothy’s and St Margaret’s combs.”

From Bury St. Edmonunds John ap Rice reported:

(Eamon Duffy The Stripping of the Altars)

 “Amongst the reliques we found moche vanitie and superstition, as the coles that Sant Laurence was toasted with, the paring of S. Edmundes naylles, S. Thomas of Canterbury penneknyff and his bootes, peces of the olie crosse able to make a hole crosse of … with such others"


.“…At Westminster was Our Lady’s girdle “which women with cheild were wont to girde with”, at Bruton in Somerset St Mary Magdalene’s girdle “sent to women travailing”.“…In attacking monastic “superstition”, then, Cromwell’s men were striking at institutions with a central place in popular religious practice, perhaps most unexpectantly in the domestic intimacies of pregnancy and childbirth. In such widespread evidence of the integration of the monastic shrines into the fabric of popular religion however, the visitors aw, or chose to see, nothing more than evidence of large-scale exploitation of simple believers. Yet they could hardly be unaware of the large numbers of devotees affected, and potentially alienated, by their actions.”



“Henry [King Henry VIII] 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”.


We have shown above that Cranmer is contradicting Scripture in his zeal to eliminate superstitious practices. There is no suggestion in the historical references or in today’s Church, that any object or image is not considered to be the actual saint or actually Jesus on the crucifix hung on a wall.



These were always ‘aids to devotion and prayer’, especially in the 1500’s when most people could not read the Latin or eventually English Bibles – the images and statues helped the simple faithful in their faith.


(Eamon Duffy The Stripping of the Altars)


“On the feast of the Assumption 1537 Thomas Emans, a Worcester serving-man, entered the despoiled shrine of Our Lady of Worcester, recited a Paternoster and an Ave, kissed the feet of the image, from which jewels, coat, and shoes had been taken away, and declared bitterly for all to hear, “Lady, art thou stripped now? I have seen the day that as clean men hath been stripped at a pair of gallows as were they that stripped thee.”


He told the people that, though her ornaments were gone, “the similitude of this is no worse to pray unto, having a recourse to her above, then it was before”.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states:


CCC 2132 The Christian veneration of images is not contrary to the first commandment which proscribes idols. Indeed, "the honor rendered to an image passes to its prototype," and "whoever venerates an image venerates the person portrayed in it." The honor paid to sacred images is a "respectful veneration," not the adoration due to God alone:


Religious worship is not directed to images in themselves, considered as mere things, but under their distinctive aspect as images leading us on to God incarnate. The movement toward the image does not terminate in it as image, but tends toward that whose image it is.



Images and statues are aids to prayer


CCC 1192 Sacred images in our churches and homes are intended to awaken and nourish our faith in the mystery of Christ.


Through the icon of Christ and his works of salvation, it is he whom we adore. Through sacred images of the holy Mother of God, of the angels and of the saints, we venerate the persons represented.


The public procession of a statue of Mary or a saint – usually on an occasional day of celebration - is in no way different to using a statue as an aid to prayer to that saint.


Similarly, while easily misunderstood, to kiss a statue is an extension of such a private devotion – not to the statue but to the figure it represents – like kissing a photograph of loved ones, is obviously not kissing them in practice.

When groups of people elevate something that they value greatly, it is an expression of emotion and not a gesture of divine worship. Whether a Crucifix, a statue of a saint or a hard-won trophy, they represent something, but they are not considered to be a God to worship.


CCC1162 "The beauty of the images moves me to contemplation, as a meadow delights the eyes and subtly infuses the soul with the glory of God." Similarly, the contemplation of sacred icons, united with meditation on the Word of God and the singing of liturgical hymns, enters into the harmony of the signs of celebration so that the mystery celebrated is imprinted in the heart's memory and is then expressed in the new life of the faithful.


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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Dynamic relationship with God and a theology of indwelling (sanctifying) Grace which departs from us when we sin gravely (until we repent of that sin), should be encouraged and taught more from the pulpit. For an individual to live increasingly filled with Grace is a wonderful state of peace and joy, which should be so normal for us Christians that other people witness it and want what we have. Especially in a world so filled with fear and stress, we Christians have what everyone needs. Matthew 10:13 'If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.' John 14:27 'Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.' It is enlightened self-interest for any individual to repent of their sins, so they can be filled with the Holy Spirit and grace anew. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy and peace – who doesn’t want that in a world full of stress and panic attacks? Don’t wait, just repent!! Galatians 5:22,23 ' By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.' Insecurity and Inferiority - Another Secret Strategy of Satan In his book ‘Satan’s Dirty Little Secret’, Pastor Steve Foss shares a profound and very interesting prophetic vision given to him, in which he was shown the deep, deep roots, which allow the many and varied demons which torment people with persistent sin, to resist spiritual warfare and direct prayer against them. These roots are two-fold – Insecurity and Inferiority. Insecurity and Inferiority are the doorways through which every other spirit gets it entrance and manitains it hold. Insecurity is experienced when the foundations which we base our lives and beliefs on, seem to be discredited; and inferiority comes when we measure ourselves against others and to see our relative inadequacy in relation to them. These two attitudes of mind, also caused the original fall of Adam and Eve and are still widespread and extremely effective today. http://www.stevefoss.com Pastor Steve Foss elaborates the implications of this insight in considerable detail, including highlighting the advertising and entertainment media deliberately provoking inferiority to cause us to buy products; and expensive lifestyles, cars, houses with big mortgage payments, keeping us insecure from debt and money-centeredness. Another application of this insight given to Steve Foss may be relevant in the context of this message for Christian unity: The highly respected prophetic pastor Rick Joyner, shares an anointed vision (book ‘The Vision’ – Rick Joyner), in which he was shown large groups of people huddled together in a prison camp, according to their specific age group or ethnicity amongst prison guards and authority figures who are insisting that ‘we are all the same’. In the vision however, Rick points out and argues that we are evidently not all the same, but those indoctrinating that whole generation cannot hear him and are threatened by his question. Across our societies presently, much is being made of ‘political correctness’, whereby whole populations are being manipulated and are not permitted to comment upon such things as ethnic traits, or even many observations about gender diferences. It is not unusual in the United Kingdom for the test question to be put: “Would you have said that if the person was not a woman? – or man - as appropriate?”. Why this political correctness is such a damaging lie for everyone, is that if we are insisting that everyone IS the same, and so by definition - denying the positivity of the differences and diversity between us – the effect is that when we then look at other people who are more gifted in this or that area of talent and diversity, we inevitably feel inferior and insecure in the comparison. The opposite would be to be very aware of our diversity, to celebrate it, and even if another person has strengths I do not have, I am confident that I have strengths that they don’t have too – and we can all respect and appreciate each other in diversity. 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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