Just a quick response. You have mischaracterized what I have written.
That may well be. The conversation got a bit confused, especially since my initial “rant” was over something posted by Laudate Dominum and not by you,
I am not saying Mary is the only path to Christ. I am saying that she is the quickest, easiest and surest way to Christ. Mary was created and remained in sinless perfection. She was and remains completely at one with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Her will and God’s Will are one and the same. I think it is safe to say that there aren’t very many here on earth who can say that, and I know that I certainly can’t.
Yes I understand this imagery of Mary being a good path to Christ, but I have a problem with in in this sense. In the Gospels Jesus speaks of two roads. The Road to Salvation, the Beatific vision, and the road to perdition. But here you say that Mary is not the "only path to Christ (salvation??). So I ask, which is it, one road or multiple roads…
Don’t get me wrong, I do understand what you say here, the benefits available, the protection and so forth, and I do not deny it. But I use a different imagery. We are all on the one road to Christ. To our benefit we have those who have walked the road before us - first among them is Our Blessed Mother. She, along with the other Saints in heaven can and do act as guides. The do this by the example that they set in their earthly lives. Again, Mary is first among these and one would be wise to seek her council. Likewise one can and should feel Bold to seek the council of Christ and to pray directly to the heavenly father.
So - here we have two different views, different imagery different “spiritualities”, if you will, for the same thing. Yours expressed by “more than one path” and mine expressed by a single path but with multiple potential guides and helpers.
As I have posted, Christ, in one of his last acts while dying on the Cross, gave his greatest, most perfect creation - His Holy Mother - to us as our Mother. You say you have a relationship with her, but you say that you don’t need her to go to Christ, that you can do it on your own.
Indeed. in the Gospel, Mary’s last recorded words are at Cana. “Do whatever He tells you.” Later, when the disciples ask Him to teach them to pray He says, “Pray like this.
Our Father, who art in heaven…”
Should I not do as Christ commands and make bold to go directly to the Father? Why should I feel constrained, especially when Jesus tells us that we should ask with confidence because the Father already knows what we need before we ask for it?
I say, why not accept this most beautiful, most perfect Creation that our Lord himself has given to us?
No reason in the world that I can think of.
One of Mary’s very greatest virtues is humility. When we accept her as our Mother and Advocate to Jesus Christ, when we say that we are too sinful to approach Christ without the Queen of Heaven and Earth, we too are showing our humility.
This perhaps surely true for some. But just as most children have differing relationships with their parents on earth, there may be differing relationships between Our heavenly parents and us. Some, like yourself, feel more comfortable going to mom instead of dad. I feel more comfortable going to dad and to big brother. Since, as you say earlier, All of their wills are one, in perfect union, this works fine because none of them will be hurt or offended by this.
I, for one, would never put myself on the same level as Mary.
Me neither.
She was created sinless and remained that way her entire life. I sure can’t say that. I can’t remain sinless from one confession to the next. You are absolutely right - I would definitely stand behind her when approaching my Saviour. And I am most grateful that she is there to clean up and make presentable the tainted offerings that I present to Christ. That is one reason why Christ gave her to us, and I intend to make full use of that.
Yes I can see how this imagery works for you and Appreciate too that this is a popular way of looking at Marion devotion and intercession. But as I said before, God already knows how imperfect I am. He is working on me daily, though I remain a poor and inconstant servant. The Father will not turn away anyone any more than Mary would - their wills being one, as you have already stated. He looks at my sad and pitiful offerings, pats me on the head and then turns those offerings into something beautiful and also educational for my spiritual growth.
(Cont)
