Thoughts on Marian Apparitions

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kylemccloughan said:
I just can’t bring myself to subscribe to these. There’s just too many claims from the apparitions that do not line up with Scripture.
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I’m glad we are not obligated to believe in these. I’m not spiritually ready to deal with Marian apparitions yet. One baby step at a time.
 
Keverlast said:
theres a statue that travelsthe world called the pilgrim statue, or something, of Mary, its from Portugal i think, i got to see it when it came to RI on tour (lol) it said on a big sign, do not touch her or she will touch you. …I believe that…so i didnt touch it. ive felt Mary’s power before, on my knees learning to pray the rosary.
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It is a statue correct? So please clarify what that means. If you touch it, you will receive bad luck? Please explain the magical power of this statue? It is very hard for Catholics to let that whole statue thing go. I had a debate with one Catholic lady who wondered into my bible study class. And some of the things she said were just plain distorted from biblical truth. The whole concept of “you can go direct to Jesus in Prayer” didn’t quite sink in. Then we started talking about baptism. Is it needed for salvation? She said yes. I asked Why?? She couldn’t answer. Genuine Repentance of your sins and acceptance of God’s grace thru the sacrifice of Jesus Christ= SALVATION. That is what the Holy Bible teaches. Also, the other clincher was when we started talking about sins. One in particular, lying about the truth to lessen the reality of a situation. She said she new it was a sin, but God knew she was a nice person. My answer, "You are deserving of death at the hands of God every single day for your wretched sinful state, yet by his grace (nothing you have done to earn it or can do to earn it) he has given you a chance thru the repentance of your sins and the acceptance of the reality of Jesus’ sacrifice for your sins. Your debt has been paid in full by the blood of Christ. Her jaw hit the ground. Then I challenged her to please pick up her Holy Bible and read it. Get some of the basic premise for what you profess to believe in. I really hope she took me up on God’s offer of truth in his Holy Inspired Word. I have not seen her since. May God bless her and her family.

Ed
 
I believe in the church proven apparitions, especially the one in Fatima.
 
Hmmm…I wonder if that was his stage name (if so is there a story behind it 😉 ) Or his real name. Either way, his son had great taste in women. 👍

OK…duh I just saw the text below the picture :doh2: I just got off a 24 hour shift. That’s my story and I’m sticking with it. 😊

OK…sorry for going off topic. :o
 
TrueLight said:
I’m glad we are not obligated to believe in these. I’m not spiritually ready to deal with Marian apparitions yet. One baby step at a time.
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You are not under any obligation to ‘make yourself ready’, although pressure from your peers may make it seem so.

There is an underlying struggle within the Catholic church which many newcomers may not be aware of: Marian devotions have been declining in popularity among Roman Catholics for generations (I’d say sixty years at least, probably more) and some Roman Catholics are hoping that new converts will take them up and reverse the trends.

But everyone knows that you don’t have to do that.

You don’t have to attend any May Crownings, make any Consecrations, join any Sodalities, wear any scapulars, recite any Rosaries nor do any Novenas. You can do these if you want, or you can stay home and bake brownies, go to night school to brush up on your French or do some good around town 🙂

The church does not require these of you, although some individual churchmen and laypersons will strongly encourage it.

What you must do is attend Mass, examine your conscience, confess your sins and above all love the Lord your God and follow Him.
 
TrueLight said:
I’m glad we are not obligated to believe in these. I’m not spiritually ready to deal with Marian apparitions yet. One baby step at a time.
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I’m not obligated to believe in these period; at any time.
 
FabiusMaximus said:
I’ve seen no devotions to Gabriel on the scale of Mary. Certainly no one talks about “the power of Gabriel” and being “overwhelmed by his presence to kneel and pray” as some here have described with Mary. Exaggerations those, maybe?

I’ve been to a few Divine Liturgies (beautiful, just like the Tridentine Mass), and I’ve never heard devotion to Mary on the scale of some Catholics. Not that the Mass does anything like that, I would clarify, but I’m just uncomfortable with the excessive nature of Catholic devotion to Mary. If the Church would come out and say to tone it down, then I wouldn’t be as uncomfortable because I’d understand it wasn’t approved. But it often seems like that it is.

Please explain it for my young, foolish ears then (not sarcasm, just to clarify).
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I think you misunderstood what Keverlast said. I don’t believe he said that he was somehow compelled to get on his knees to pray to Mary, but that while he was already on his knees, learning to pray the rosary, he had a spiritual experience that was strong enough for him to recognize it as being a result of his prayer. That is actually a very common occurrence for some people while praying the rosary. Those kinds of ‘feelings’ come from God as an affirmation that He is pleased with our prayers. They’re called ‘signal graces’.

What most non-Catholics don’t fully understand is the real purpose and formula for praying the rosary. That’s why they believe that it’s a prayer that just focuses on Mary. It does not. It’s really a contemplative tool that is used to help us to concentrate while we meditate on the life of Jesus. That’s the true purpose and what Mary wants us to do whenever we say it. The repetition of the Hail Mary is almost done in a monotone that is meant to focus our attention on the subject (the ‘mystery’) of each ‘decade’ (1-Our Father, 10-Hail Marys, 1-Glory Be). Some people complain about so many Hail Marys in comparison to the Our Father or the Glory Be to God, but the truth is, the OF & GB are more powerful prayers, because they are directed to God, Himself. 😉
The Mysteries of the Rosary
The Joyful Mysteries
The Annunciation of the Angel to Mary
The Visitation of Mary to Saint Elizabeth
The Nativity of Jesus in Bethlehem
The Presentation of Jesus to the Temple
The Finding of Jesus in the Temple
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The Sorrowful Mysteries
The Agony of Jesus in the Garden
The Scourging of Jesus at the Pillar
The Crowning with Thorns
The Carrying the Cross
The Crucifixion and Death of Jesus
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The Glorious Mysteries
The Resurrection of Jesus from the Dead
The Ascension of Jesus into Heaven
The Descent of the Holy Spirit Upon the Apostles
The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven (The Assumption by God’s Power, not her own)
The Coronation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Heaven
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The Mysteries of Light
The Baptism of Jesus
The Wedding at Cana
The Proclamation of the Kingdom of God
The Transfiguration of Jesus
The Institution of the Holy Eucharist by Jesus
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All of these things are to be meditated on while saying the Rosary. Each decade is dedicated to one aspect of the life of Jesus. So, the Rosary, is just a tool to be used in order to concentrate our minds on the life of Christ. There is no focus on Mary except as a magnifying glass to concentrate our prayers to God. :cool:

Here’s a link to describe what the Rosary is, it’s real purpose and how to say it. It also gives more detail on what each of those meditations signify in our lives as Catholics/Christians.

The Holy Rosary is almost always a big part of any claims of ’ Marian apparitions’.
 
Hesychios said:
You don’t have to attend any May Crownings, make any Consecrations, join any Sodalities, wear any scapulars, recite any Rosaries nor do any Novenas. You can do these if you want, or you can stay home and bake brownies, go to night school to brush up on your French or do some good around town 🙂
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Oh my gosh. If I woud have known that, I may have not ever left the Catholic church! Well, wait a sec. There’s that papal supremacy and infallibility thing yet.:blackeye:
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The Rosary is most powerful in its leading a soul to the truth of Christ, and eliminating heresies and confusions about concepts of God within a soul.

When you see a person touching a statue of Mary, to think that the person is looking for good luck is by definition of the act, judging by appearances. The person is simply reaffirming their belief in Mary and her work in the church, and making an act of love towards Mary through veneration.

Having read the past remarks here by others who do not believe in Mary and her active participation in the Catholic Church makes me think of her special requests for First Saturdays, to go to confession and Mass in reparation for the offenses against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Mary is our all powerful Mother, and she has great grace to give a sinner confidence to look to God in faith He will forgive them. I have done some hospice cases where people were trying to run away off their bed with IV’s, or thrashing about while prior to that were practically immobile, having bad dreams, and so afraid…I spoke to them of Mary…she gave them peace…and then they were able to come to the Lord and go to Him in confidence.

When people put our devotion down regarding Mary, one should consider John Paul II, and his prolific work he did – all with the help of Mary. It will take the Church some time to go through and implement all his insights and vision.

So what I am seeing is prejudging Mary by some individuals’ way of devotions, and closed to all the countless works and helps of Mary since the 2nd century of Christianity.

I find it interesting that rejecting the papacy and Mary go hand in hand.
 
Thanks for this affirmation. 😃
Hesychios said:
You are not under any obligation to ‘make yourself ready’, although pressure from your peers may make it seem so.

There is an underlying struggle within the Catholic church which many newcomers may not be aware of: Marian devotions have been declining in popularity among Roman Catholics for generations (I’d say sixty years at least, probably more) and some Roman Catholics are hoping that new converts will take them up and reverse the trends.
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At the parish I attend, apparitions seem to be part and parcel of conversation. I often hear, “That’s why our Lady of So said this or that.”

I try to keep in mind that I am not obligated to believe any of them…
What you must do is attend Mass, examine your conscience, confess your sins and above all love the Lord your God and follow Him.
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👍
 
True Light,

If you are noticing such comments by parishioners, it is best you go to your own pastor for direction. We have many documents on Mary that are not apparition based at all. I think it would be of great help rather than here in light of some of the contrary comments here regarding our Blessed Mother.
 
KathleenGee said:
When you see a person touching a statue of Mary, to think that the person is looking for good luck is by definition of the act, judging by appearances. The person is simply reaffirming their belief in Mary and her work in the church, and making an act of love towards Mary through veneration.
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Nobody rejects St. Mary. I reject worshipping St. Mary. St. Mary I am quite sure objects to worshipping St. Mary. As far as the papacy goes, yes I reject it.
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Kyle,

You are judging from outside appearances…we do not worship Mary…that is idolatry against the first commandment…

And this is a free world…and you are free to believe as you wish.

But for those new in the Church…there are parishes where you can find such Marian devotees as represented here…and you can find other parishes with members who are close to Kyle’s convictions.

So if anything should ever bring up questions or concerns to a new Catholic, always go to your pastor…that is one of the reasons he is a pastor and can help explain or direct or give perspective… I would not come to CAF if you have parish concerns.
 
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