Why We NEED Mary

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Doug_C

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Hello. This is my first post here. I’ve read a few threads and noticed some discussion on our Blessed Mother. Below is similar something I recently posted on another board, when the question arose as to if we need Mary.

Why did they need the ark in the OT? What happened when the ark was present during battles? Mary is fulfillment of what the OT ark pointed to. It was a prefigurement of our Blessed Mother. As great as a shadow is in the OT, what it points to in fulfillment is even greater. The ark was honored and couldn’t even be touched. The ark swayed battles against evil. How much more the fulfillment of this shadow?

Luke shows very clearly how the ark is a shadow of Mary as its fulfillment.

The ark goes to the hill country.
Mary goes to the hill country.

David asks, “who am I that the ark of the Lord should come to me?”
Elizabeth asks “who am I that the mother of my Lord should come to me?”

The ark stays in the house for three months.
Mary stays in Elizabeth’s house for three months.

David lept for joy at the presnece of the ark.
John the Baptists leaps for joy at the sound of Mary’s voice.

The ark was housed in a tabernacle overshadowed by the glory cloud.
The angel tells Mary that the power of the Most High will overshadow her.

The ark contained the written Word of God.
Mary contained the Word made flesh.

The ark contained bread from Heaven.
Mary contained true bread from Heaven.

The ark contained the rod of the true priesthood.
Mary contained the true Priest.

Add to that, the ark was built with an emphasis on purity because of what it would hold. What it held - SYMBOLS of Jesus.

Mary held the fulfillment of these symbols - Jesus - so why would there be less emphasis on her purity being that she had the fulfillment of the symbols the ark carried?

Hence, the Immaculate Conception. The Purity of the Ark which contained not a symbol of Jesus but Jesus himself in fulfillment.

Also, the ark could not be touched by man, which points to the perpetual virginity of Mary.

Now, whether or not Mary should be honored, and whether her fulfillment of these shadows is worthy of recognition. If God deemed the ark of the OT worthy of honor and deemed the shadows it represented worthy of recogonition, what kind of reasoning concludes that this should not be the case for the fulfillment and perfection of the ark?

We must also remeber the intercession of the ark was necessary for the battle and victory against evil, AND disaster when the ark wasn’t present. What is the fulfillment of that?

Mary fights evil for us. God put enmity between the serpent and the woman in Genesis and this is exactly what takes place in Revelation 12.

Furthermore, as St. Louis DeMonfort related in “The Secret Of The Rosary”, the demons fear Mary because she defeats them. Unblblical? Hardly. The OT has several shadows that point to this.

The Bible shows instances of a woman destroying evil rulers in the OT:

Judges 4:21: Then Jael Heber’s wife took a nail of the tent, and took an hammer in her hand, and went softly unto him, and smote the nail into his temples, and fastened it into the ground: for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died.

So, we indeed have a woman delivering a fatal blow to the head of an evil rulere. Look what happens after that:

Judges 5:24: Blessed above women shall Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite be, blessed shall she be above women in the tent.

The woman who delivers the fatal blow to the evil head is called blessed above women.

More:

Judges 9:53: And a certain woman cast a piece of a millstone upon Abimelech?s head, and all to brake his skull.

Here we have a woman literally crushing the head of evil.

This is an OT foreshadowing - the verse in Genesis begining to be played out - not final because the devil isn’t crushed, but a foreshadowing as prefigures of evil receive fatal blows to the head. This is God’s Word being fulfilled.

If this sounds strange, consider that in Genesis, the enmity is personal between the woman who gives birth to Jesus and the devil. Jesus, her offspring is at war with the devil’s offspring.

THIS TAKES NOTHING FROM JESUS, but just offers consideration of what the verse in Genesis actually says, and how its played out in scripture. Scripture clearly shows women as prefigures delivering fatal blows to the head of prefigured evil, and scripture clearly shows direct enmity between the woman and the devil and the devil at war with her.

If the shadows of Mary were needed, interceded, destroyed evil, and were honored, what does this point to? We NEED Mary.

If they needed the ark, then we need Mary. The Bible shows us this very clearly. Never forget that not only did good things happen when the ark was present, but also disaster when there was no ark present. Don’t leave Mary out of your life.

God Bless,
Doug
 
Hi Doug!

I’m happy that you typed all of that out. My favorite Marian image is that of the Ark of the Covenant. I think the parallels are amazing and truly point to Mary. I heard a lecture given by Scott Hahn on the typology of Mary as the Ark of the Covenant and was really ‘wow-ed’. Dr. Hahn also pointed out that the Early Church Fathers knew this from early on…that it wasn’t something new (he thought he had discovered the ‘typology’ himself). Anyhow, thanks again!
 
Great post! I’m going to print it out and put it on the fridge.
 
Very interesting. This is something I plan to show to my Baptist family members. 😃

By the way, Doug, welcome! 👋
 
Hi Doug,

This is a fantastic post.

I too am going to print it out.

Does anyone else know of other comparisons like this between Old and New Testaments, on any topic?
 
Doug,

I read much of what you posted in a book called Catholic For a Reason, and was very impressed by it.

I’m curious about your posting this on another board. Was this a non-catholic board, and if so what kind of response did you get?

When I have brought these things up to my evangelical and fundamentalist friends they become very quiet, but seemingly unchanged. They wind up having less animosity toward the Church’s teaching, but they haven’t displayed any additional curiosity. What’s your experience?
 
Thanks, Doug, for the post! I’m going to print it, too. Make copies. Have them ready when I get those questions from my Protestant friends and family. 👍
 
Doug,
That was very nicely arranged. A main course, if you will.

For an appetizer, might I recommend:
Exekiel 44: 1: Then he brought me back to the outer gate of the sanctuary, which faces east; and it was shut.
2: And he said to me, "This gate shall remain shut; it shall not be opened, and no one shall enter by it; for the LORD, the God of Israel, has entered by it; therefore it shall remain shut.

Question: By what gate did God enter the world in the New Testament?

or: 1 Kings 2:12: So Solomon sat upon the throne of David his father; and his kingdom was firmly established.
13: Then Adoni’jah the son of Haggith came to Bathshe’ba the mother of Solomon. And she said, “Do you come peaceably?” He said, “Peaceably.”
14: Then he said, “I have something to say to you.” She said, “Say on.”
15: He said, “You know that the kingdom was mine, and that all Israel fully expected me to reign; however the kingdom has turned about and become my brother’s, for it was his from the LORD.
16: And now I have one request to make of you; do not refuse me.” She said to him, “Say on.”
17: And he said, “Pray ask King Solomon – he will not refuse you – to give me Ab’ishag the Shu’nammite as my wife.”
18: Bathshe’ba said, “Very well; I will speak for you to the king.”
19: So Bathshe’ba went to King Solomon, to speak to him on behalf of Adoni’jah. And the king rose to meet her, and bowed down to her; then he sat on his throne, and had a seat brought for the king’s mother; and she sat on his right.
20: Then she said, “I have one small request to make of you; do not refuse me.” And the king said to her, “Make your request, my mother; for I will not refuse you.”

Question: What does the relationship between the all-powerful King Solomon (a “type” of Christ in the OT) and his totally dependent mother tell us about the NT?

Question: What do we know about the dwelling places of God in the OT and what does that tell us about God’s dwelling place (Mary’s womb) in the NT? For example, Moses had to remove his sandals on Mt. Sinai, and the Jewish people at the base of the mountain were warned against even touching the mountain itself.

If you want to be a brother of Christ, you must have Mary as your mother.

Peace in Christ…Salmon
 
Excellent post. Thoroughly biblical and enjoyable. Martin Luther, who continued to venerate the Blessed Virgin, and I think continued to believe the Immaculate Conception, said “You can’t honor the Son by dishonoring His Mother.” He also said “Anyone who can’t call Mary ‘the Mother of God’ doesn’t know anything about theology.” I point this out all the time. Mary is the fulfilment of the prophecies of the Old Testament as you say * and in the Gospels she always points believers to Jesus, saying, as she did at Cana, “Do whatever He tells you.”*
 
Thanks for your post. It is awesome. I have a question, the answer to which I should probably already know so I’m a little embarrassed but there’s no such thing as a stupid question and I am among friends, right???:o

OK here goes…is the phrase “the Word was made flesh” in the bible and if so, where?
 
Little Mary:
Thanks for your post. It is awesome. I have a question, the answer to which I should probably already know so I’m a little embarrassed but there’s no such thing as a stupid question and I am among friends, right???:o

OK here goes…is the phrase “the Word was made flesh” in the bible and if so, where?
Click to expand...
John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us…
 
because we need all the help we can get… these forums are proof of that… simple, I admit… but clear… 👍
 
Mary, our mother, is always advocating for us with her son. She loves us more than any other non-divine being can. Her prayers for us are very powerful.

At the Cross, Jesus gave us Mary as our mother and made us all her spiritual children. This was not for Mary’s sake but for our sake. We can all use her help, whether we even acknowledge her help or not.

:gopray2: O Mary, our mother, watch over us all and intercede for each one of us with your son, Jesus, that we may all grow in love and charity. Ask your beloved son to bless us with a better understanding of the truth and a deeper love of God and neighbor. Protect us from the influence of Satan and all of his works. Thank you for all of your prayers for us. :gopray2:
 
Very true, Brother, very true. Over the door of the Vincentian Seminary where I did my Patristics and Latin—not necessarily in that order-- there was a Holy Rood–Our Lord on the Cross with the Blessed Virgin on one side and St. John on the other–and over the Cross were the wiords “Woman, behold thy son” I found it very moving each time I saw it.
 
no you dont need mary, Jesus was before Mary

Read the gospel of John as it reads:

**John 1
**1IN THE beginning [before all time] was the Word (1] Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God 2] Himself.(1)
2He was present originally with God.
3All things were made and came into existence through Him; and without Him was not even one thing made that has come into being.
4In Him was Life, and the Life was the Light of men.
5And the Light shines on in the darkness, for the darkness has never overpowered it [put it out or absorbed it or appropriated it, and is unreceptive to it].
6There came a man sent from God, whose name was John.(2)
7This man came to witness, that he might testify of the Light, that all men might believe in it [adhere to it, trust it, and rely upon it] through him.
8He was not the Light himself, but came that he might bear witness regarding the Light.
9There it was–the true Light [was then] coming into the world [the genuine, perfect, steadfast Light] that illumines every person.(3)
10He came into the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him [did not know Him].
11He came to that which belonged to Him [to His own–His domain, creation, things, world], and they who were His own did not receive Him and did not welcome Him.
12But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the authority (power, privilege, right) to become the children of God, that is, to those who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) His name–(4)
13Who owe their birth neither to 3] bloods nor to the will of the flesh [that of physical impulse] nor to the will of man [that of a natural father], but to God. [They are born of God!]
14And the Word (Christ) became flesh (human, incarnate) and tabernacled (fixed His tent of flesh, lived awhile) among us; and we [actually] saw His glory (His honor, His majesty), such glory as an only begotten son receives from his father, full of grace (favor, loving-kindness) and truth.(5)

this is from the amplified version

Mary cannot save you , only Jesus can when was hanging on the cross and he took a sip of the hissop - he said it was finished and then on the 3rd day he rose again . it was completed on the cross. Read the bible it is all in there.
 
Joehardee,

you need not to tell us thet Jesus saved us, we know! We have the Bible read to us from cover to cover every Mass, for heavens’ sake!

Please do not misunderstand that we believe Mary saves us per se, just because someone says we need her intercession. Excersice some logic in this: we know that the ultimate saviour is Jesus – stop rebuking us as if we don’t! Seriously, (at least to me) that makes you look silly and ignorant.

Let me use an analogy you will be familiar with:
Depending on how you see it, you might think someone who does not know Jesus and lives in a sin would be damned into hell. Now, you approach him, evangelise him and ultimately he is converted. According to your doctrine, he is “saved”. Now he is saved through Jesus, I know… But you as God’s intermediary hand that administer his conversion, in a sense, saved him too… This is what we mean by Mary saves – she brings souls to Christ. Seriously, why would Mary keeps souls to herself. Mary is there in heaven, united with God so intimately that her will can nevevr contradict God’s – no beatified soul wills anything contradicting God!

In Christ through Mary,
S4ntA.
 
I have posted a similar thread in the Apologetics forum entitled “Why Christians must honor Mary.”
 
I have posted a similar thread in the Apologetics forum entitled “Why Christians must honor Mary”, if anyone is interested.
 
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