How do Catholics keep from putting Mary above Christ?

[Tommy999]

Thank you very much for the research, Telstar and to everyone else for your comments and insights. That seals the deal for me. It is a shrine to Mary. I can now put it in proper perspective . It is no longer as troublesome for me as it once was when I realize it is a shrine that was made for a special occasion. Knowing the history was important for me.

From this, I hope Catholics better understand why a well-meaning protestant who isn’t a Catholic-basher and is not familiar with the history of Marian shrines can be confused and perceive such a shrine to be Mary taking precedence over Christ. Thanks to those who were patient and understanding in your replies to me on this thread. You could’ve done like some who dismissed my statement right off the bat as protestant prejudice but you didn’t and I really appreciate you for it because you helped me work through it.

At the same time, even though I was troubled by what I saw earlier in life at that park ( I was about 20 at the time), I’ve learned over the years to objectively pursue the truth in faith and you will eventually get an answer. I’m glad I mentioned this issue on this forum because it had been bothering me for decades and I now I feel the burden has finally been lifted.

Thanks again to everyone on this thread who helped put things in perspective for me on the person of Mary and her role and place in the Catholic faith.

 

[Telstar]

Thank you very much for the research, Telstar and to everyone else for your comments and insights. That seals the deal for me. It is a shrine to Mary. I can now put it in proper perspective . It is no longer as troublesome for me as it once was when I realize it is a shrine that was made for a special occasion. Knowing the history was important for me.

From this, I hope Catholics better understand why a well-meaning protestant who isn’t a Catholic-basher and is not familiar with the history of Marian shrines can be confused and perceive such a shrine to be Mary taking precedence over Christ. Thanks to those who were patient and understanding in your replies to me on this thread. You could’ve done like some who dismissed my statement right off the bat as protestant prejudice but you didn’t and I really appreciate you for it because you helped me work through it.

At the same time, even though I was troubled by what I saw earlier in life at that park ( I was about 20 at the time), I’ve learned over the years to objectively pursue the truth in faith and you will eventually get an answer. I’m glad I mentioned this issue on this forum because it had been bothering me for decades and I now I feel the burden has finally been lifted.

Thanks again to everyone on this thread who helped put things in perspective for me on the person of Mary and her role and place in the Catholic faith.

Hi, Tommy

You are so very welcome! If I can help someone better understand something about the Catholic Faith, I’ll always do my best to try and explain what we really believe to clear up any confusion. Your questions have all been very good ones, because they reflect many of the misunderstandings that a lot of non-Catholics have. Your attitude in response has been very refreshing, too.

Your followup questions make it much easier for us to see where your concerns are, so we know what things need to be explained further. This is the kind of dialogue that leads us all to reflect, not only on what we believe, but why we believe it. So, it’s a good exercise from a Catholic standpoint as well. Thank you, for being so tolerant and patient with us.

 

[EvangelCatholic]

I prefer the perspective on the Blessed Virgin Mary and saints as articulated in the Lutheran-Catholic Dialogue.

Allowing latitude, the ecumenical consensus is that Marian devotion is acceptable especially within the context of the Incarnation. Lutherans don’t attribute/ or deny any miracles or visions of Mary but the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe is celebrated in my parish. sancta.org/intro.html

It is after this more general treatment of saints that specific agreements
on Mary are listed in the Lutheran-Catholic Dialogue
St Mary is described as the one “who bore
Jesus Christ” and is in “particular to be honoured, as ‘God-bearer’
(theotokos) and as the pure, holy, and ‘most blessed Virgin’ (laudatissima
virgo)”. The task of intercession is a part of “prayer to God”.
While “saints on Earth ask one another to pray to God for each other
through Jesus Christ, …] they are neither commanded nor forbidden
to ask departed saints to pray for them”. The cautionary suggestion
is made that “devotion to the saints and Mary should not be
practiced in ways that detract from the ultimate trust that is to be
placed in Jesus Christ alone as Mediator”.
koed.hu/vocation/johngeorge.pdf

 

[KathleenGee]

Thanks, Tommy, for your response.

I was wondering all along if that was the only suitable site for the shrine…my very first impression when you relayed the experience. So the location did project Mary as greatest intercessor because she was conceived without sin, she the greatest link between God and His creation.

 

[Tommy999]

I prefer the perspective on the Blessed Virgin Mary and saints as articulated in the Lutheran-Catholic Dialogue.

Allowing latitude, the ecumenical consensus is that Marian devotion is acceptable especially within the context of the Incarnation. Lutherans don’t attribute/ or deny any miracles or visions of Mary but the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe is celebrated in my parish. sancta.org/intro.html

Well stated, EvangelCatholic. Thanks for that. I’ve already thanked Telstar but I also wanted to thank SAVINGRACE, MarcoPG, and Bob Crowley for their contributions. And last but not least – one of my favorite posters – KathleenGee – thanks for your insights and observations as usual. All of you have helped me a lot.

To Tantum ergo,
I’m glad you picked up on the Billy Joel line I used earlier. However, keep in mind that even though I started this thread – I didn’t start the fire

 

[Telstar]

Well stated, EvangelCatholic. Thanks for that. I’ve already thanked Telstar but I also wanted to thank SAVINGRACE, MarcoPG, and Bob Crowley for their contributions. And last but not least – one of my favorite posters – KathleenGee – thanks for your insights and observations as usual. All of you have helped me a lot.

To Tantum ergo,
I’m glad you picked up on the Billy Joel line I used earlier. However, keep in mind that even though I started this thread – I didn’t start the fire

 

[Tantum_ergo]

Well stated, EvangelCatholic. Thanks for that. I’ve already thanked Telstar but I also wanted to thank SAVINGRACE, MarcoPG, and Bob Crowley for their contributions. And last but not least – one of my favorite posters – KathleenGee – thanks for your insights and observations as usual. All of you have helped me a lot.

To Tantum ergo,
I’m glad you picked up on the Billy Joel line I used earlier. However, keep in mind that even though I started this thread – I didn’t start the fire

Another great song . . .although as a Trek fan I absolutely cannot listen to this without hearing, “Data’s head, Tasha’s dead, Riker’s hanging by a thread . . .we didn’t start the series. . .”

 

[KathleenGee]

Thank you, Tommy, for everything. We have greatly enjoyed sharing our faith with you.

I really see now the placement of the Immaculate Conception most proper against the sky because she as sinless is the great transmitter of all our prayers here on earth…her soul magnifying all our needs to the Lord, she radiant before the sky, she the highest of all God’s creation!

 

[Bernard_Lyons]

Hi,Pablope ,
As John is doing the ‘speaking’ ( in 1John 4:6) then it is the scripture ,as also testified by the Holy Spirit( recording his words) that he is directing and instructing the listening and obedient
ear to.
Why do you yourself source this verse and use it in an authoritative manner?

It is true the apostle was still alive and present vocally, but all of his teachings,echoed this same sound; and were accordingly ,harmonious with every word ( of God)

You believe ,of course ,in a continuation of that authority, seen here both with John ( with a succession of Popes) and also within the pages of scripture.

I do not believe in ‘Sola scriptura’ as such ,but I believe in that authority seen in the word of God ,but which has been maintained ,or if so needed ,been re-established and asserted by a sent ministry from above,though not continuous or apostolic ; but never the less this authority has been ( and still is) manifested in the person of one in the likeness of John who the same is also faithful and obedient to all of his words.

Over and somehow with equanimity John in 1John 2:27,declares :

“But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you,and ye need not that any man teach you:but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things,and is truth,and is no lie,and even as it hath taught you,ye shall abide in him”

 

[Bernard_Lyons]

Thanks, Tommy for showing the picture.

They were proclaiming her immaculate conception and this statue was put there in her honor.

And it also makes me think that all the devotions to the Lord, to her, to recogntion of JPII, she is the transmitter of grace of all the prayer intentions below to the Lord in heaven.

I see her placement more as the bridge between heaven and earth, she the closest creature to God in heaven, she interceeding for us, beseeching the Lord to hear our prayers. I don’t see her competing at all with the Lord or the veneration implying to me she is greater than the Lord. We don’t look at Mary as God. So I am sharing here from the inside.

Revelation 8:3 & 4
“And another angel came and stood by the altar,having a golden censor,and there was given unto him much incense ,that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne”

“And the smoke of the incense ,which came with the prayers of the saints,ascended up before God out of the angels hand”

KathleenGee,
As 'the prayers of all saints" must include all ‘the prayers’ of 'all saints,'then these prayers here, seen to be ascending ( so from earth) upwards,which prayers are directly found to be before God,even ‘before the throne’ ,then where do we see Mary ,according to JP2 assertion that,as you state:

“she is the transmitter of grace of all the prayer intention below to the Lord in heaven”?

Bear in mind that it is a male angel, ‘was given unto him’ ,here scripture witnesses to,who has the charge of transmitting ,all prayers of all saints , which of course must include even those prayers said of Mary throughout her ‘blessed’ and earthly pilgrimage:in her life time.

As a former RC myself ,I am not troubled as to how God ,who can cause a virgin to be found with child,can also miraculously separate sin from the seed of the same virgin before thus causing her to conceive : there is therefore still no one,as yet,who has pointed to the scripture as authority for their belief in Mary’s own ‘immaculate conception’.

 

[KathleenGee]

Hi There,

I love the language of Mother Theresa of Calcutta who spoke so beautifully of the Blessed Virgin. If you are not grounded in Christ in the communion of the Church through the Mass and sacraments, it will be very difficult for you to see Mary as transmitter-- of God’s graces.

Only through Mary did our Savior become True Man. She is the highest of God’s creation and she magnifies the Lord with her soul. She prays constantly on our behalf. She magnifies our prayers to the Lord and she intercedes constantly for us. So the image of the picture given us is demonstrative of Mary’s role in our salvation, and the reality that she brings us closer to Christ, she leads us into communion of the Holy Trinity, our first vocation in the Church.

Catholicism is essentially mystological, not textual bible based.

Revelations 12 points to the Great Sign, to the Woman with 12 stars…representing all 12 disciples in the foundation of the Church with Christ as the cornerstone. The Angel Gabriel points to signs that signify truths to be revealed.

The Angel Gabriel and all other angels cannot manifest to us God in the particular and intimate way of the Virign.

 

[KathleenGee]

Mary likewise intercedes for us, not just an angel.

The angel is spirit, but has the face of a male but is not man. At Mass the angels take our prayers to God in heaven, but in the wholeness of the Church, consider Rev 12, the woman with 12 stars around her head, the Church seeing that image as both Mary and the Church. Here the context is the angels, as you stated, bring our prayers before the Lord, this in context of worship. Rev 22 points to the action of the Mass.

Mary brings the dimension of the feminine in God. The saints have said Mary is greater than all the angels and saints combined, her intercessory prayers on our behalf greater than any other because she is the Mother of God. Mary encompasses all of us, and she is model par excellence of all Christians. So Mary symbolizing the entire Church is the transmitter of grace, because she literally brought Jesus to us when angels do not.

 

[KathleenGee]

My case last night ended, the 8 hour day now going out to 10 hours…

If you refer to an angel carrying our prayers to heaven, and the use of incense likewise works in this function, you are addressing parts or elements of the Mass in how we worship.

If former Catholics could only take one class, just one class on Catholic worship of the liturgy it would explain alot. There are DVD’s out there, EWTN, Tom Nash’s ‘Biblical Roots of the Mass’…but it explains the parts.

You have to go back and study what Catholic worship is…completely different than non-denominational bible services. Main line denominational Protestants much closer to us in worship.

 

[pablope]

Well Bernard…where does John even mention Scripture in 1Jn4:6?

6 We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit[a] of truth and the spirit of falsehood.

He does not even say read the Scripture…he says listen to “us”…if you apply it today…who is the “us” we should listen to in order to know the truth?

Again, you are making a declaration to yourself that is not even in Scripture…

Why do you yourself source this verse and use it in an authoritative manner?

What do you mean by authoritative manner?

Let me cite St. Paul’s example…Gal 2: 2 I went in response to a revelation and, meeting privately with those esteemed as leaders, I presented to them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. I wanted to be sure I was not running and had not been running my race in vain.

If you go by St. Paul’s example, even he was led, by revelation, to go submit his gospel, not to go out on his own, and interpret and teach by his own.

It is true the apostle was still alive and present vocally, but all of his teachings,echoed this same sound; and were accordingly ,harmonious with every word ( of God)

Bernard, is the word of God limited to the written word?

You believe ,of course ,in a continuation of that authority, seen here both with John ( with a succession of Popes) and also within the pages of scripture.

As it has been for 2000 years.

I do not believe in ‘Sola scriptura’ as such ,but I believe in that authority seen in the word of God ,but which has been maintained ,or if so needed ,been re-established and asserted by a sent ministry from above,though not continuous or apostolic ; but never the less this authority has been ( and still is) manifested in the person of one in the likeness of John who the same is also faithful and obedient to all of his words.

Bernard…in composing the Nicene Creed, the bishops settled on the 4 marks of the Church…one, holy, catholic and apostolic.

Apostolic…what do you mean is meant by being “apostolic”?

Would Clemet of Rome give you an idea. from AD 90:

earlychristianwritings.com/text/1clement-lightfoot.html
1Clem 42:4 So preaching everywhere in country and town, they appointed their firstfruits, when they had proved them by the Spirit, to be bishops and deacons unto them that should believe.
1Clem 44:2 For this cause therefore, having received complete foreknowledge, they appointed the aforesaid persons, and afterwards they provided a continuance, that if these should fall asleep, other approved men should succeed to their ministration.

And would you follow this advise below?

57:1 Do ye, therefore, that have laid the foundation of the sedition submit yourselves to the presbyters, and be chastised to repentance, bending the knees of your hearts.

57:2 Learn to submit yourselves, laying aside the vain and haughty self-will of your tongues; for it is better that you should be small and approved in the flock of Christ, rather than that, seeming to be superior to others, ye should be cast out of his hope

59:1 But if some should be disobedient to the things spoken by him through us, let them know that they will entangle themselves in no small transgression and danger,

 

[Bernard_Lyons]

Hi There,

Catholicism is essentially mystological, not textual bible based.

Revelations 12 points to the Great Sign, to the Woman with 12 stars…representing all 12 disciples in the foundation of the Church with Christ as the cornerstone. The Angel Gabriel points to signs that signify truths to be revealed.

Hi ,as a former Roman Catholic ,I am convinced ,that what you say ,and according to my experience thus far,on CAF ,it is indeed very true that ‘Catholicism’ is ‘not textual bible based’ but is rather somehow separate and mystical in regards to its claims.

In regards to this thread for instance,for me it is not enough for one not to put Mary above Christ ,but by teachings that bring Mary the mother of Jesus,Parallel to the unique(eternal) person of Son of God,is to suggest that she herself is separate from the rest of mankind in similar ways to that of Christ.
Christ is born and ascended completely without any blemish of sin throughout.
Mary likewise.
Christ ‘s body was never suffered to see any corruption.
Mary likewise.
Christ as mediator ,’ who ever liveth to make intercession’
Mary likewise.
Christ as the heavenly King.
Mary as ,‘queen of heaven’.
Christ the Son of God.
Mary the mother of God.
The Lord Jesus Christ ,able to hear the cries of saints heavenward: simultaneously everywhere upon the earth ,at any given time.
Mary likewise.

I am sure others could add to this list ,but enough has been highlighted for me anyway,to show that ,in the absence of any scripture or textual basis ,that this thread might equally be
entitled:
How do Catholics keep from making Mary equal to Christ?
Would Catholics agree that if their mystical acceptance( and trust) was somehow a distraction and ,that these characteristics are only true and unique to an heavenly (God) man,that the only true God would see such a parallel claim as an undermining of his own uniqueness?

 

[Telstar]

Hi ,as a former Roman Catholic ,I am convinced ,that what you say ,and according to my experience thus far,on CAF ,it is indeed very true that ‘Catholicism’ is ‘not textual bible based’ but is rather somehow separate and mystical in regards to its claims.

I believe what Kathleen means, is that Catholics are more inclined toward the inner spiritual forms of worship (aka ‘mystical’), as opposed to the outward, more ‘emotional’ (for lack of a better term) forms that many modern Christian churches seem to prefer. This is most likely due to the extraordinary graces that Catholics receive in the Holy Eucharist.

That certainly doesn’t mean that we ignore the Bible. I’m sure as a former Catholic, you are well aware that every Mass has several OT & NT Bible readings, as well as one Gospel reading, with a central theme that ties them all together. But, some of us tend to focus on the deeper meanings of what we find in the Bible, beyond just the way it applies to our temporal life. It moves the deep inner core of our hearts, as opposed to our emotions. The main focus of our Christian life, is to get as close to God as possible, through the use of spiritual exercise and prayer.

I’m not saying that any other form of worship is wrong. It’s just very different. Not all Catholics lean toward the mystical side, either. Some still prefer hovering ‘near the surface’. It’s like the difference between Mary and Martha. Some still prefer to follow Martha’s way, while others follow Mary’s. The two ways work together and complement each other.

In regards to this thread for instance,for me it is not enough for one not to put Mary above Christ ,but by teachings that bring Mary the mother of Jesus,Parallel to the unique(eternal) person of Son of God,is to suggest that she herself is separate from the rest of mankind in similar ways to that of Christ.

She is separate and above the rest of us, because God created her that way. She is the Mother of God in the Person of Jesus Christ. That makes her completely unique from the rest of mankind. Doesn’t God have the right to treat her in a special way, and to expect us to do the same?

Christ is born and ascended completely without any blemish of sin throughout.
Mary likewise.

Wrong. Mary did not ‘ascend’ into Heaven. Jesus ascended by His own power. Mary was ‘assumed’ into Heaven by the power of God (like Elias). That’s why we celebrate the “Assumption of Mary”. Mary did not enter Heaven by her own power.

Christ 's body was never suffered to see any corruption.
Mary likewise.

True.

Christ as mediator ,’ who ever liveth to make intercession’
Mary likewise.

Mary is the mediator that leads the Saints, and the rest of us, to Jesus. Jesus is the Mediator that leads us to the Father. So, there is a slight difference.

Christ as the heavenly King.
Mary as ,‘queen of heaven’.

Exactly, because the Mother of the King is always the Queen, even throughout the Old Testament. Since, Jesus has inherited the Throne of David, to rule over the Kingdom of God, so His Mother has also been proclaimed His Queen.

Christ the Son of God.
Mary the mother of God.

Very true, because Mary is the Mother of Jesus, Who is God. But, she is not equal to God. Jesus is the Only Son of God from the Beginning. Mary is the Mother of His Humanity.

The Lord Jesus Christ ,able to hear the cries of saints heavenward: simultaneously everywhere upon the earth ,at any given time.
Mary likewise.

Absolutely, along with all of the Saints and Angels in Heaven. This is called the Church Triumphant that reigns in Heaven.

I am sure others could add to this list ,but enough has been highlighted for me anyway,to show that ,in the absence of any scripture or textual basis ,that this thread might equally be entitled:
How do Catholics keep from making Mary equal to Christ?

The answer to that is very simple. Mary is not God, has never been God, and never will be God. Period.

Would Catholics agree that if their mystical acceptance (and trust) was somehow a distraction and ,that these characteristics are only true and unique to an heavenly (God) man,that the only true God would see such a parallel claim as an undermining of his own uniqueness?

Just reading and understanding that entire sentence, was an exercise in convoluted mental gymnastics! :hypno:
But, in a word: No.

There is no “parallel” between Mary and God. Mary is a creation of God, just like we all are. She just happens to be the most perfect human being that ever lived, who remained within God’s grace for her entire earthly life. (Jesus is the only perfect man, but He is not a “creation” of God. He is, and always was, God.)

Mary does nothing to distract anyone away from the glory of God. In fact, she is the shining example of every possible human perfection that we could ever hope to obtain. She is the beacon that lights our way to Heaven. She takes us by the hand and draws us all ever closer to God, until we finally enter into His most loving Sacred Heart. How could that ever be seen as a bad thing?

 

[Tommy999]

Hi ,as a former Roman Catholic ,I am convinced ,that what you say ,and according to my experience thus far,on CAF ,it is indeed very true that ‘Catholicism’ is ‘not textual bible based’ but is rather somehow separate and mystical in regards to its claims.

In regards to this thread for instance,for me it is not enough for one not to put Mary above Christ ,but by teachings that bring Mary the mother of Jesus,Parallel to the unique(eternal) person of Son of God,is to suggest that she herself is separate from the rest of mankind in similar ways to that of Christ.

Christ as mediator ,’ who ever liveth to make intercession’
Mary likewise.

The Lord Jesus Christ ,able to hear the cries of saints heavenward: simultaneously everywhere upon the earth ,at any given time.
Mary likewise.

Actually, I had considered this thread ended because my question was answered to my satisfaction, but you touched on an area where I still struggle that I wanted to pursue a little further, if ok with everyone.

First of all, let me say that I am comforted to know that Mary and the saints are in heaven praying for us down on earth and I am grateful for it. In fact, I appreciate it.

However, I believe the Apostle Paul when he writes in **I Timothy 2:5, “For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus”. **

Since Catholics also seem to believe that Mary is a mediator between us and Christ because of her special relationship as Jesus’ mother, doesn’t that imply that Christ’s role as sole mediator is somehow insufficient?

In other words, our communication line to God through Christ our sole mediator is somehow infected by static to the point where we need an additional mediator (Mary) to help fix it. Some folks add that we also need to pray to the saints because or their special relationship to God.

To me, that seems like a more convaluted approach than to pray directly to God through Christ as our sole mediator. It begs the question, “Where does the need for additional mediators end?”

If we need Mary and the saints to help intercede for us to Christ, why wouldn’t it also be logical that we should pray to our recently passed away parents and/or our devout and departed Uncle Joe and Aunt Carolyn for their intercession? In otther words, where does all the mediatorship end?

Please help correct my misconceptions.

 

[Dorothy]

Tommy 999,

We too are mediators when we pray for others. It is good for us to be mediators for others, as then we are thinking of others and not ourselves.

Saints already in heaven, and our Blessed Mother, are mediators also. They are one with Jesus!
Our Blessed Mother is an excellent mediator, her will is one with the Divine Will of her Son. She is the
perfect disciple.

Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour, is the ONE Mediator!

Peace!

Dorothy

 

[KathleenGee]

Bernard,

I am not good at computers and so I cannot take one phrase and answer it.

But there is Tradition that is on same level as Scripture. That is the understanding and practice of faith going back to ancient times.

Tradition through the Church is the interpreter of Sacred Scripture that leads us to the full deposit of faith in Jesus Christ.

Pope Francis is saying that Christians need to be in the Church to be authentic Christians, and by that he means to be in full benefit as a Christian to receive the fullness of faith in Jesus.

The very first work of a Christian is into enter into the life of the Holy Trinity. I see no other Christian belief stating this. And to enter into the life of the Holy Trinity is to experience Sunday Mass where we receive the Lord in Word and Eucharist in the context of the communion of saints as well as recalling our origins. So our first encounter with the Lord is mystical.

Butler’s ‘Lives of the Saints’ provides us the lives of many saints and reading their extraordinary witness, one can see that they were very close to God in ways we cannot imagine encountering Him and living out the graces He would give.

Just think of how much more the Blessed Mother experienced of God.

It is the Church, through Peter, whom Christ gave the keys to heaven…keys meaning that which opens.

The Church opens heaven and binds. It is the Church that named Mary Queen of Heaven and Earth, this reality not experienced by the apostles or the early church until the concept came to the mind of the Church to honor Christ mother’s. It is as simple as that.

The Acts was the very beginning of the Church and to limit the Church to what happened immediately after the Resurrection and Ascension, and no witness by Christians after Revelations, deprives believers of their history, their roots, the practice of faith by Christians generation after generation.

So I don’t see any witness in Protestant concepts after Christ. Where are the Christians??? What happened after Acts? I am taught to believe Christ’s death and resurrection was the turning point for humanity, but in addressing the Protestants, where did all the Christians go after the book of Revelations was completed??

Where is the testimony of Christianity after Acts???

Is the testimony then of Christ only found in the text of the Bible?? But most people could not read, bibles were extremely costly to make, and people only in these times are able to read. Isn’t that depending on text and not on witness and Christ’s Church He instituted?

The Church is not the end in herself. The Church is as mother to nurture and guide us to Christ, but nothing more. Mary is the same and does the same work. It is said that Original Sin warped even the universe. Mary is the highest of all God’s creation, she wants all people to be restored to Christ. She is all pure, all beautiful. Yes, she deserves title Queen of heaven and earth.

 

[KathleenGee]

Tommy,

Our beliefs are that Jesus Christ saved us from sin and restored us to the Father, but it is a daily faith walk because one must deny one’s self, pick up the cross, and endure to the end, and only those who do God’s will and endure in Him to the end of their lives will be saved.

Subsequently, the Crucified Lord is the bridge to the Heavenly Father. We experience the Crucified Lord and the Risen Lord at the Mass.

Mary is closest to Our Lord in that she did not sin. She works with the Lord for our salvation and redemption and has great power of the devils. She is our greatest advocate at death and I personally witnessed 3 deaths where people turned to the Lord after undergoing demonic affliction or despair.

Mary is transmitter of grace that comes only from God. She has grace to help us live God’s will. She manifests to some the presence of heaven, and to others with heavy crosses, she protects their hearts from breaking. In the Lord she makes suffering light so it is bearable, a constant testimony at Lourdes. At Lourdes many go there for healing and most don’t get it, but they find new strength and acceptance in carrying their cross.