the church has bestowed on Mary: Mother of God, Our Lady of Victory,** Mother of the Church** and Mother of the Eucharist. With great sensitivity, the author draws the reader not only into a more intimate relationship with Mary but also into a deeper appreciation of her role in human history.
Once you get to know Mary you will come to understand that when you look at Her, she brings your focus on to Her Son. As others have said Christ will lead you to Her. Pray to the Holy Spirit Her spouse. Keep praying the Holy Rosary. It keeps your mind centered on the life of Christ.
Mary has a special place in the Church, because she was ‘highly favored’ by God by making her graceful, by choosing her to give birth to the Savior of the world, not out of anything particularly special about her, other than that she was a virgin, from the tribe of Judah, & a descendant of King David. However, as Christians, our focus should be on Jesus, not Mary. Mary is to be respected to the point that God chose her to be Jesus’ mother, but nothing more than that. Mary cannot hear our prayers, & when God gave us the Lord’s Prayer, He told us when we pray to say “Our Father.” All prayers go to God through Jesus Christ, & Him ALONE, because He is our ONLY Mediator between God & man. All this is supported through the pages of God’s Holy, God breathed (Inspired) Scriptures. Trust in Christ ALONE.
Last April, I participated in the filming of a new series on the CCC-Pillars of Faith for Ascension Press. The lecturer, Dr Sean Innerst is a convert.
***Do as I ans MANY others have [following Blessed Jihn Paul II’s example] and dedicate your life; every day to God THROUGH Mary.
Mary is the New Ark of the Covenant and if you remember, the Old Ark was highly reverenced by the Israelites. In Revelations, when John is describing seeing the Ark of the Covenant (something Jews at the time would be overjoyed to hear) a “great sign” appears, the woman (Mary) crowned with 12 stars. If the Bible calls for us to pray for one another, why is it hard to believe that we have Mary for an intercessor as well? Christ is the Way, Truth and Life, but Mary was the conduit for our salvation. I believe Mary holds a very high position in the heavenly court.
Mary is not the ‘new ark.’ The ark of the covenant had supernatural powers, Mary didn’t. & the ark was ‘called by the very name of the Lord.’ The ark was a visual symbol of the ‘covenant’ between God & Israel, which is why it’s called the ‘ark of the COVENANT.’ I’ve heard the ‘ark’/‘Mary’ analogies before, & when you dig deep into Scripture they really are poor comparisons at best. Also, the ‘woman’ in Revelation is NOT Mary, but Israel that Jesus was ‘born’ out of. Compare the description of the ‘woman’ in Revelation 12:1 to Genesis 37:5-10 & you’ll see that the ‘woman’ is indeed Israel, not Mary.
Actually, after digging deep into scripture I found the references to be quite strong. That’s why I reverted back to Catholicism.
Pray to her all day and read good books about her. Make a consecration to her and live it fully. Include her in everything and consult her before doing things, and know that she is mediating for you as a loving Mother. Have confidence in her and repeat: “My Mother, my hope!” of “My Mother, my confidence!” The closer you get to her, the more pleasing you will be to her Son. Make a shrine to her or at least have a statue or a picture in a cental location for you to honor with reverence. Know how much she loves you and wants you to invoke her for assistance. She can do a lot more for souls who invoke her for assistance than for others. Read the City of God, a book with the approbation of many holy Popes. (It used to be required reading for all priests before Vatican II. It brought me so close to the Blessed Virgin! It is truly a remarkable work!) Tell the Blessed Virgin you love her (and often), and tell her you want to be like her and Jesus. Learn about her attributes and imitate them, and ask her to help you become more like her and her Son. How I love the Blessed Virgin Mary!!! Peace!
its probably the best way to be drawn to Mary Immaculate besides the Rosary. Mary told us to wear it at Fatima. i wear it always and have felt its many graces. i feel our Mother’s special protection too. here’s some info on it :
Hope our Mother brings her graces upon you Furthermore, if Jesus is the Messiah, and He is, that makes Him also the king of Israel, which also establishes the Blessed Virgin as His Queen Mother. A position of intercession to the king on behalf of His subjects and known in Hebrew as the Giberah. Do your own research and you’ll soon discover that the Queens of Israel were never the wives of the kings, but always the Queen Mother.
We’ll just agree to disagree. And regarding Mary not having supernatural powers, I think all the people who have been aided by her intercession would disagree with you.