A Question for Catholics

[Zenas]

Not long ago I heard a Protestant preacher make the following humerous statement to emphasize how Jesus was perfect, and I am relating this as well as I can remember:

How would would you like to have been one of Jesus’ brothers or sisters? Mary would be saying, “James, why can’t you be more like Jesus?” James would probably answer, “Why can’t you be more like Jesus?”

My question: Would you or would you not be affected by this anecdote?

 

[Tim_Kirchoff]

Not long ago I heard a Protestant preacher make the following humerous statement to emphasize how Jesus was perfect, and I am relating this as well as I can remember:

How would would you like to have been one of Jesus’ brothers or sisters? Mary would be saying, “James, why can’t you be more like Jesus?” James would probably answer, “Why can’t you be more like Jesus?”

My question: Would you or would you not be affected by this anecdote?

I would and :sigh: (hear me, moderators? Add a :sigh: smilie!) Mary, being sinless, is closer to being perfect as any of us could ever hope to be.

 

[Tim_Kirchoff]

I would and :sigh: (hear me, moderators? Add a :sigh: smilie!) Mary, being sinless, is closer to being perfect as any of us could ever hope to be.

(please?)

 

[BrewMax]

Not long ago I heard a Protestant preacher make the following humerous statement to emphasize how Jesus was perfect, and I am relating this as well as I can remember:

How would would you like to have been one of Jesus’ brothers or sisters? Mary would be saying, “James, why can’t you be more like Jesus?” James would probably answer, “Why can’t you be more like Jesus?”

My question: Would you or would you not be affected by this anecdote?

I would have laughed I’m sure. What’s to say that something like this didn’t happen for real? Just a thought.

 

[Tim_Kirchoff]

I would have laughed I’m sure. What’s to say that something like this didn’t happen for real? Just a thought.

No, I think the pastor was referncing the tomb with the inscription “James, brothe of Jesus” or something like that. That pastor is seriously misinformed

 

[Good_Daughter]

Not long ago I heard a Protestant preacher make the following humerous statement to emphasize how Jesus was perfect, and I am relating this as well as I can remember:

How would would you like to have been one of Jesus’ brothers or sisters? Mary would be saying, “James, why can’t you be more like Jesus?” James would probably answer, “Why can’t you be more like Jesus?”

My question: Would you or would you not be affected by this anecdote?

I would do a quick Catholic translation in my head: How would you like to have been one of Jesus’ brethren? Your mother would be saying, “James, why can’t you be more like cousin Jesus?” James would probably answer, “Why can’t you be more like aunt Mary?”

I love a mix of deep theology and comedy (plus the Catholic version is clever).

 

[Didi]

I always think about St. Joseph – he had to live with two sinless people – can you imagine the frustration!!!

 

[fellowChristian]

Look how Lot is Abram’s brother’s son then changed into Abram’s brother.

Genesis 14
12And they took Lot, Abram’s brother’s son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.

13And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew; for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner: and these were confederate with Abram.

14And when Abram heard that **his brother **was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan.

There was no word for cousin or nephew in Hebrew. All men are brothers.

 

[JFonseka]

Not long ago I heard a Protestant preacher make the following humerous statement to emphasize how Jesus was perfect, and I am relating this as well as I can remember:

How would would you like to have been one of Jesus’ brothers or sisters? Mary would be saying, “James, why can’t you be more like Jesus?” James would probably answer, “Why can’t you be more like Jesus?”

My question: Would you or would you not be affected by this anecdote?

The protestant preacher should go back and do a basic theology course then, because Mary was “FULL OF GRACE” she never sinned, Jesus is greater than her because he was divine.

It is a flawed question or a flawed statement to ask, because it assumes that Mary was a sinner, but she wasn’t. And to ask a human being with no divinity to aspire to be divine is stupid.

 

[Montalban]

Look how Lot is Abram’s brother’s son then changed into Abram’s brother.

Genesis 14
12And they took Lot, Abram’s brother’s son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.

13And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew; for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner: and these were confederate with Abram.

14And when Abram heard that **his brother **was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan.

There was no word for cousin or nephew in Hebrew. All men are brothers.

Right on, bro’!

 

[BrewMax]

No, I think the pastor was referncing the tomb with the inscription “James, brothe of Jesus” or something like that. That pastor is seriously misinformed

Oh, I just was thinking it would have been fitting being that the only one out of the three that was perfect would have been Jesus. Just my take on it.

 

[BrewMax]

I would do a quick Catholic translation in my head: How would you like to have been one of Jesus’ brethren? Your mother would be saying, “James, why can’t you be more like cousin Jesus?” James would probably answer, “Why can’t you be more like aunt Mary?”

I love a mix of deep theology and comedy (plus the Catholic version is clever).

I guess I’m lost on this one. Sorry.

 

[Good_Daughter]

I guess I’m lost on this one. Sorry.

It was just a commentary on how Catholics might view James as Jesus’ cousin, not his brother. Also, Catholics may model their behaviour on other holy men and women, like Mary (similar to St. Paul- “be imitators of me as I am an imitator of Christ”). Mary is always a good choice as a role model for Catholics as the Church teaches she is without sin.

Maybe I’m not as clever as I think.

 

[John_Hiner]

Not long ago I heard a Protestant preacher make the following humerous statement to emphasize how Jesus was perfect, and I am relating this as well as I can remember:

How would would you like to have been one of Jesus’ brothers or sisters? Mary would be saying, “James, why can’t you be more like Jesus?” James would probably answer, “Why can’t you be more like Jesus?”

My question: Would you or would you not be affected by this anecdote?

Laudatur Iesus Christus.

This points to one reason why Jesus did not have natural brothers and sisters. Jesus would not have wanted them to suffer such “sibling rivalry.”

As the perfect mother, the Virgin Mary would not and did not consent to it either.

Spiritus Sapientiae nobiscum.

John Hiner

 

[BrewMax]

It was just a commentary on how Catholics might view James as Jesus’ cousin, not his brother. Also, Catholics may model their behaviour on other holy men and women, like Mary (similar to St. Paul- “be imitators of me as I am an imitator of Christ”). Mary is always a good choice as a role model for Catholics as the Church teaches she is without sin.

Maybe I’m not as clever as I think.

How can Mary be without sin? That doesn’t make sense. The Bible says ALL have fallen short of God’s grace. And didi you say that James was Jesus’ cousin? I’m lost there too. The Bible says that he was Jesus’ brother. I never realized that the Catholic church teaches things which are contrary to the Bible. I never knew this.

 

[Tim_Kirchoff]

How can Mary be without sin? That doesn’t make sense. The Bible says ALL have fallen short of God’s grace. And didi you say that James was Jesus’ cousin? I’m lost there too. The Bible says that he was Jesus’ brother. I never realized that the Catholic church teaches things which are contrary to the Bible. I never knew this.

, , and another for good measure.

Recall the angel Gabriel’s greeting to Mary- “Hail, Mary, full of Grace.” Evidently, she did not fall short of God’s Grace.

Jesus had no siblings. There was no Hebrew word for cousin, so in the Bible, “brother” is used instead.

Also, the Bible was originally compiled by the Church, so don’t try to tell me that what’s in the Bible is contrary to Church teaching.

 

[BrewMax]

, , and another for good measure.

Recall the angel Gabriel’s greeting to Mary- “Hail, Mary, full of Grace.” Evidently, she did not fall short of God’s Grace.

Jesus had no siblings. There was no Hebrew word for cousin, so in the Bible, “brother” is used instead.

Also, the Bible was originally compiled by the Church, so don’t try to tell me that what’s in the Bible is contrary to Church teaching.

Again, I didn’t mean to offend anyone, it just looks very obvious to me that the church kind of stretches or just ignores much of what the Bible says, thats all. My Bible doesn’t say Hail Mary full of Grace, it says, whom God has found favour with. I also thought that the early Christians in Christ’s day formed the Bible. Just some thoughts there.

 

[Tim_Kirchoff]

Again, I didn’t mean to offend anyone, it just looks very obvious to me that the church kind of stretches or just ignores much of what the Bible says, thats all. My Bible doesn’t say Hail Mary full of Grace, it says, whom God has found favour with. I also thought that the early Christians in Christ’s day formed the Bible. Just some thoughts there.

In Christ’s day, there were no “Christians” only Jewish followers of Jesus

The New Testament, or, rather, all the writings now considered part of the New Testament, were not completed until about 100 A.D. and even then it was not until some time later that these individual writings were brought together into one book, the Bible as we know it today.

 

[Jordan_Francis]

Again, I didn’t mean to offend anyone, it just looks very obvious to me that the church kind of stretches or just ignores much of what the Bible says, thats all. My Bible doesn’t say Hail Mary full of Grace, it says, whom God has found favour with. I also thought that the early Christians in Christ’s day formed the Bible. Just some thoughts there.

BrewMax,

It has been a longstanding of the Christian Church, going back to ancient times, that Mary was ever-virgin. Because this is how the early Church interpreted scripture and because this interpretation makes sense when we keep in mind that the word for brother also means cousin, there is no need to change that interpretation because certain Protestants are looking for ways to prove the “heresy” of Marian devotion.

It’s simply historically consistent for Christians to hold to Mary’s ever-virginity.

As for her sinlessness, this too is an ancient belief. Though not explicitly stated in scripture, the saying that Mary is “full of grace” is scriptural and found in Luke.

Catholics do not believe that Mary was sinless by her own power, but rather by the merits of Christ mystically applied to her from birth.

As the Gospel of John writes “the Word became flesh”.

Mary is the gateway through which that Word became flesh. Her sanctification occured in a unqiue way, as it prepared her for bearing God in her own body.

 

[BrewMax]

BrewMax,

It has been a longstanding of the Christian Church, going back to ancient times, that Mary was ever-virgin. Because this is how the early Church interpreted scripture and because this interpretation makes sense when we keep in mind that the word for brother also means cousin, there is no need to change that interpretation because certain Protestants are looking for ways to prove the “heresy” of Marian devotion.

It’s simply historically consistent for Christians to hold to Mary’s ever-virginity.

As for her sinlessness, this too is an ancient belief. Though not explicitly stated in scripture, the saying that Mary is “full of grace” is scriptural and found in Luke.

Catholics do not believe that Mary was sinless by her own power, but rather by the merits of Christ mystically applied to her from birth.

As the Gospel of John writes “the Word became flesh”.

Mary is the gateway through which that Word became flesh. Her sanctification occured in a unqiue way, as it prepared her for bearing God in her own body.

I couldn’t find a single one of these thoughts in the Bible. Sorry. Mary was a woman chosen for a special purpose. Why all of this other stuff?