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xxxBiAxxx
Guest
Revelation 15:4 says,"…For you alone are holy," so why do we say in the Hail Mary,“Holy* Mary, mother of God” ?
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TimothyH
Guest
God alone is Holy in and of himself. Holiness, perfection, love, etc are part of God by nature.
But no human is holy in and of themselves. Holiness is not part of human nature. We can become holy, but only insofar as we conform our will to God’s will, and that is exactly what Jesus Christ came to enable us to do.
Jesus looked at them and said, "For human beings this is impossible, but for God all things are possible." (Matthew 19:26)
Any holiness Mary, any of the saints, or anyone else has, is because of who they are in relation to God. Mary’s will is perfectly conformed to Gods’ will and Mary is without sin, so Mary is perfectly holy. Many saints were holy. Sometimes, at rare moments, you or I might even be holy. But we are not holy because of anything we oourselves possess, but rather because of God’s holiness in us.
I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. (John 15:5)
God alone is holy - the source of holiness. Mary was holy, but only because she was perfectly conformed to God’s holiness. Without God, even Mary can do nothing. Eucharistic Prayer No. 3 says it perfectly:
Father, you are holy indeed, and all creation rightly gives you praise.
All life, all holiness comes from you through your Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord, by the working of the Holy Spirit.
We call the Pope the “Holy Father” while still recognizing that he is just an ordinary man. He is holy only because of who he is in relation to God.
-Tim-
But no human is holy in and of themselves. Holiness is not part of human nature. We can become holy, but only insofar as we conform our will to God’s will, and that is exactly what Jesus Christ came to enable us to do.
Jesus looked at them and said, "For human beings this is impossible, but for God all things are possible." (Matthew 19:26)
Any holiness Mary, any of the saints, or anyone else has, is because of who they are in relation to God. Mary’s will is perfectly conformed to Gods’ will and Mary is without sin, so Mary is perfectly holy. Many saints were holy. Sometimes, at rare moments, you or I might even be holy. But we are not holy because of anything we oourselves possess, but rather because of God’s holiness in us.
I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. (John 15:5)
God alone is holy - the source of holiness. Mary was holy, but only because she was perfectly conformed to God’s holiness. Without God, even Mary can do nothing. Eucharistic Prayer No. 3 says it perfectly:
Father, you are holy indeed, and all creation rightly gives you praise.
All life, all holiness comes from you through your Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord, by the working of the Holy Spirit.
We call the Pope the “Holy Father” while still recognizing that he is just an ordinary man. He is holy only because of who he is in relation to God.
-Tim-
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Todd_Easton
Guest
The Virgin Mary is called “holy” in the same way Sacred Scripture speaks of “holy angels,” “holy apostles and prophets,” and “holy women,” and in the same way Christians in general are called “saints” or “holy ones,” and as John the Baptist is called “a holy man.”
Sacred Scripture says that God alone is holy because holiness is an essential characteristic of God. Holiness is not an essential characteristic of human beings and of angels but in them it is an accidental characteristic, as there are wicked angels and wicked human beings, who are no less angels and no less human beings because of their lack of holiness.
Sacred Scripture says that God alone is holy because holiness is an essential characteristic of God. Holiness is not an essential characteristic of human beings and of angels but in them it is an accidental characteristic, as there are wicked angels and wicked human beings, who are no less angels and no less human beings because of their lack of holiness.
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xxxBiAxxx
Guest
Thank you!
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DianaCC
Guest
Just a footnote. God is holy because he is the cause of holiness in other things, like heat is hot because it causes hotness in other things. God alone is holy in the sense that he is its one and ultimate cause; Mary is holy because she has holiness, but she didn’t cause it, God did. That’s the short explanation.
Keep in mind, though, that scripture itself calls lots of other things holy, such as the ground around the burning bush, meetings, Saturdays, buildings, the nation of Israel, clothes, burned animal parts, oil, and so on. But the holiest of holy places is the space just above the lid of the ark of the covenant, where the holy Spirit of God overshadowed the tokens of the covenant stored inside. Sort of like in the annunciation, where Gabriel tells Mary the holy Spirit will overshadow her, and she became a sort of container for the fulfillment of the covenant. So if Mary is holy, she’s the holiest of anything that isn’t the cause of its own holiness.
Keep in mind, though, that scripture itself calls lots of other things holy, such as the ground around the burning bush, meetings, Saturdays, buildings, the nation of Israel, clothes, burned animal parts, oil, and so on. But the holiest of holy places is the space just above the lid of the ark of the covenant, where the holy Spirit of God overshadowed the tokens of the covenant stored inside. Sort of like in the annunciation, where Gabriel tells Mary the holy Spirit will overshadow her, and she became a sort of container for the fulfillment of the covenant. So if Mary is holy, she’s the holiest of anything that isn’t the cause of its own holiness.
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Jmd96
Guest
People are called holy in many places in scripture:
“You are to be my holy people"
-Exodus 22:31
“Say to the Israelites, ‘You must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so you may know that I am the LORD, who makes you holy."
-Exodus 31:13
“She said to her husband, “I know that this man who often comes our way is a holy man of God.”
-2 Kings 4:9
“Those who are left in Zion, who remain in Jerusalem, will be called holy, all who are recorded among the living in Jerusalem.”
-Isaiah 4:3
If I had time I’d give many more, but as you can see referring to people as “holy” is 100% biblical
“You are to be my holy people"
-Exodus 22:31
“Say to the Israelites, ‘You must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so you may know that I am the LORD, who makes you holy."
-Exodus 31:13
“She said to her husband, “I know that this man who often comes our way is a holy man of God.”
-2 Kings 4:9
“Those who are left in Zion, who remain in Jerusalem, will be called holy, all who are recorded among the living in Jerusalem.”
-Isaiah 4:3
If I had time I’d give many more, but as you can see referring to people as “holy” is 100% biblical
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