College students turning to Mary!

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Some encouraging words and pictures in this article HERE. By God’s Grace, may we all likewise reignite within the Church and the world greater love for Jesus through Mary – no matter where we are, or what age or gender - we are all her children --given to her by Her Son, God Incarnate, dying for us on the cross!

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your Faithful, kindle in us the Fire of Your Love!
Mary, Mother of the Church, pray for us and for all those in most need of His Mercy.

 

[ClearWater]

:thumbsup::yup::clapping::bounce:

 

[godisgood77]

I believe that proper Marian devotion (or any devotion for that matter) leads to Christ. As such, it is critical that we reference Christ as the last end. I’m concerned that the good folks at Steubenville do not quite understand the importance of making this clear. The Church teaches that we have a responsibility to make it clear at face value that all devotions are pointed to Christ as their last end. If we, quite simply, count the references to Mary and those to Christ in this article, I believe we have a severe indicator of the emphasis and where it is being placed.

Mary, handmaid of the Lord, please pray for us. Christ, the sole mediator between God and man, please lead all of your children to your sacred heart. Please come into our hearts and take control of our lives, so that we may know You, love You and serve You in all that we do in this world, so that we may be happy with you forever and ever in the next.

 

[MariaChristi]

I believe that proper Marian devotion (or any devotion for that matter) leads to Christ. As such, it is critical that we reference Christ as the last end. I’m concerned that the good folks at Steubenville do not quite understand the importance of making this clear. The Church teaches that we have a responsibility to make it clear at face value that all devotions are pointed to Christ as their last end. If we, quite simply, count the references to Mary and those to Christ in this article, I believe we have a severe indicator of the emphasis and where it is being placed.

Mary, handmaid of the Lord, please pray for us. Christ, the sole mediator between God and man, please lead all of your children to your sacred heart. Please come into our hearts and take control of our lives, so that we may know You, love You and serve You in all that we do in this world, so that we may be happy with you forever and ever in the next.

Dear ClearWater and godisgood,

Thank you both for your replies. Godisgood – in response to your concerns, I believe anyone who is truly devoted to Mary will eventually find in her motherly care a way to draw even closer to Christ, her Son. The contrary has proven to be true, as Pope St. John Paul II said in his address to the Legion of Mary in 1981:

Where the Mother is, there too is the Son. When one moves away from the Mother, sooner or later he ends up keeping distant from the Son as well. It is no wonder today, in various sectors of secularized society we note a widespread crisis of faith in God preceded by a drop in devotion to the Virgin Mother…

The Catechism of the Catholic Church makes it clear that Marian devotion in no way detracts from the sole Mediator Christ:

CCC 970 "Mary’s function as mother of men in no way obscures or diminishes this unique mediation of Christ, but rather shows its power. But the Blessed Virgin’s salutary influence on men . . . flows forth from the superabundance of the merits of Christ, rests on his mediation, depends entirely on it, and draws all its power from it."511 "No creature could ever be counted along with the Incarnate Word and Redeemer; but just as the priesthood of Christ is shared in various ways both by his ministers and the faithful, and as the one goodness of God is radiated in different ways among his creatures, so also the unique mediation of the Redeemer does not exclude but rather gives rise to a manifold cooperation which is but a sharing in this one source

My husband has a Masters in Theology and Ministry from Franciscan University in Steubenville. I sat in on many of his classes and I can assure you that the formation in faith the undergraduates as well as the Graduate students receive is excellent. Have you ever visited there or known anyone personally from any of the undergraduate households that inclines you to think they do not fully understand Mary’s role?