Would Mary appear in a water stain under freeway?

  • Thread starter Thread starter BJ_Colbert
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
B

BJ_Colbert

Guest
I just have a question, does the Catholic Church condone people seeing Mary in a water stain under a freeway overpass, as appeared on the evening news last night. Many Catholics were coming to leave flowers and candles and some were kissing the water stain. Does the Church counsel their members to be a little bit careful about seeing Mary in weird places? Why is it always Mary and never Jesus or John or Peter or any of the other Saints of the church? OK two questions, I have asked my Catholic husband and he doesn’t know, he thinks they may be over the edge a little bit. I think, well, I really don’t know what I think, so please if someone could explain this(to me) strange behavior.
BJ :confused:
 
BJ Colbert:
I just have a question, does the Catholic Church condone people seeing Mary in a water stain under a freeway overpass, as appeared on the evening news last night. Many Catholics were coming to leave flowers and candles and some were kissing the water stain. Does the Church counsel their members to be a little bit careful about seeing Mary in weird places? Why is it always Mary and never Jesus or John or Peter or any of the other Saints of the church? OK two questions, I have asked my Catholic husband and he doesn’t know, he thinks they may be over the edge a little bit. I think, well, I really don’t know what I think, so please if someone could explain this(to me) strange behavior.
BJ :confused:
Click to expand...
The Church does caution people against proclaiming that they have seen Mary in a water stain or what ever.

There have been people who have claimed to see Christ. Mary is a much greater saint than Peter, so it is understandable that she would be seen over him.
 
The Church only holds certain apparititions as “official”. In this case there is a long process of discernment and investigation. In regards to “non-official” apparitions, The Church allows people to believe them or not, but cautions people to be careful.

There is a lady at my church who has seen the face of Jesus. I am not sure the circumstances of her “vision”, but I have no doubt that she saw Him.

One thing The Church is very adamant about is that apparitions cannot contradict Divine Revelation (remember, we hold that revelation is comeplete). So if someone “sees” Mary and she tells them that the Catholic Church is wrong and that Jesus wasn’t God, then we know that the apparition is not a true Marian apparition.
 
Where was it that she was seen (city?). I remember watching the news in August of 2001- they had on the news how some people saw what looked like Mary’s face,crying on a tree. Is it coincidence that only a couple weeks later the tragedy happened there?I always was curious why after 9/11 they never brought this up again. It was on CBS. I suppose it’s a touchy subject, so people try to avoid it. I believe she was crying because she knew what was going to happen in that city. That’s why I was curious where this was seen.
 
Our Lady will go whereever God tells her to go! If she was indeed there, there is certainly a reason. But wheter she was or not is for ones own discernment.

Was she?.. My mind doubts but my heart hopes.

God Bless!
 
BJ Colbert:
I just have a question, does the Catholic Church condone people seeing Mary in a water stain under a freeway overpass, as appeared on the evening news last night. Many Catholics were coming to leave flowers and candles and some were kissing the water stain. Does the Church counsel their members to be a little bit careful about seeing Mary in weird places? Why is it always Mary and never Jesus or John or Peter or any of the other Saints of the church? OK two questions, I have asked my Catholic husband and he doesn’t know, he thinks they may be over the edge a little bit. I think, well, I really don’t know what I think, so please if someone could explain this(to me) strange behavior.
BJ :confused:
Click to expand...
BJ, I’ve noticed from this and other posts that you seem to have a particular interest in Marian apparitions. You must know that the Catholic Church is extremely cautious about endorsing such things, and to my knowledge has only ratified a handful throughout all of history among probably thousands of reported sightings.

I don’t think people see visions of Jesus because he’s not supposed to make an appearance until the second coming (which for a Mormon I guess you might call the “third coming” since they claim Jesus appeared to Joseph Smith). As far as the other saints go, I’m not sure, but Mary is the first saint so it’s not surprising to me that she has appeared at different times throughout history. Her mission has always been to bring people to her Son. She is the first Christian.

If you want to focus your Marian apparition studies somewhere more beneficial, you might want to research Our Lady of Guadalupe or the apparitons at Fatima. Those were both witnessed by multiple people over a course of time.

I read a really great book by Scott Hahn called “Hail Holy Queen” that in plain language describes all the Marian beliefs of the Catholic Church. It’s an easy read and I’m sure you would enjoy it. You can find it at most bookstores or online.
 
40.png
Chris-WA:
BJ, I’ve noticed from this and other posts that you seem to have a particular interest in Marian apparitions.
Click to expand...
(BJ, please correct me if I am wrong.) I think the problem, or difficulty, that BJ is having with the apparent images of Mary is not Marian apparitions, per se, but the fact that so many people claim to see an image of Mary embedded in some object, rather than Mary actually appearing to someone (e.g. the apparitions at Lourdes or Fatima) where she appeared as a fully recognizable woman.

Personally, I have a great deal of skepticism when I hear of the “cheese sandwich Mary” or the “water stain Mary”. I have no problem accepting that Mary can appear to someone (or lots of people) as was the case in the Church approved apparitions. I have a great deal of trouble accepting that an image carved or imprinted on a sandwich, a tree, an oil slick, or water stain is an actual apparition.
 
Thank you all for your answers, they all sound pretty logical and I will get the book you suggested Chris. That would be interesting for both me and my husband. Also I have seen the place and heard the story of the Virgin of Guadelupe, if it is the same one in Mexico City. My daughter and I went about 15 years ago. I learned a lot today. I never knew the status that Mary holds above Peter. That is very interesting, and that She is the first Christian. I am really surprised that I learned so much from such a simple question.
I am not sure where the water stain was, it was on last evening’s news in Sacramento, CA so could be nearby. I will see if they have it on the news again tonight, but you have answered all my questions, so I guess it doesn’t really matter except for a prequel to something bad, or maybe it was for the election of your new Pope. Congratulations to all on entering a new and exciting time with a new man in charge.

👍 BJ
 
I think it’s great that the Church doesn’t endorse these things, but I don’t think they should be condemned either. I am not going to make rules about how God can reveal Himself (or His saints) to us. Christian revelation does of course have such rules, but none of them rule out water stains as far as I know. A reverent agnosticism is the best approach, I think.

Edwin
 
BJ Colbert:
Thank you all for your answers, they all sound pretty logical and I will get the book you suggested Chris. That would be interesting for both me and my husband. Also I have seen the place and heard the story of the Virgin of Guadelupe, if it is the same one in Mexico City. My daughter and I went about 15 years ago. I learned a lot today. I never knew the status that Mary holds above Peter. That is very interesting, and that She is the first Christian. I am really surprised that I learned so much from such a simple question.
I am not sure where the water stain was, it was on last evening’s news in Sacramento, CA so could be nearby. I will see if they have it on the news again tonight, but you have answered all my questions, so I guess it doesn’t really matter except for a prequel to something bad, or maybe it was for the election of your new Pope. Congratulations to all on entering a new and exciting time with a new man in charge.

👍 BJ
Click to expand...
Mary wasn’t really a Christian, because she came before the Christian era. But she is placed above all the saints.
 
The supposed apparition is in Chicago. It is a salt stain common to underpasses in the area. Water seeps through a small drain hole in the concrete and salts leached out of the soil accumulate down the wall.

I’m sorry to say that the whole thing is another case of peasant hysteria.

It should all die down after a few more rains. Or after the grafitti artists so active in these parts get at the thing and make some less-than respectful additions to it.

+T+
Michael
 
I can tell you one thing: I’ve never known any woman who would be pleased if you said to her, “Hey, that water stain under the freeway looks JUST LIKE YOU!”
 
BJ Colbert:
Why is it always Mary and never Jesus or John or Peter or any of the other Saints of the church?
Click to expand...
Come on, don’t you remember a couple of years ago when Mother Theresa was seen floating in a bucket of oil in the North American midwest? :rolleyes:

Anyway, I once saw a rabbit in my shampoo. An apparition? Or, rather, do things sometimes just look like other things?
 
Jesus on a tortilla is a very holy sight!

(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)
 
40.png
jimmy:
Mary wasn’t really a Christian, because she came before the Christian era. But she is placed above all the saints.
Click to expand...
That is incorrect. Mary was the first Christian because she was the first follower of Christ. The “Christian era” has nothing to do with it.
 
BJ Colbert:
Why is it always Mary and never Jesus or John or Peter or any of the other Saints of the church?
Click to expand...
Jesus, St John and some other saints have appeaered before. I don’t know why Mary Most Holy appears more often. If you go to heaven, you can ask her.
 
Last Christmas we had a lot of local publicity concerning the appearance of an angel at a rural church. It was a combination of the shape of a tree and the shadows made by the floodlights. I did not attribute anything supernatural to this “apparition”. Some things are purely happenstance. Remember looking at clouds when you were a kid and trying to see objects in them? Same thing for faces in cheese and oil stains.
 
Doubting is natural, and a part of our wonderful gift given by God -our freedom of choice.

A couple things I’d like to say are… first you don’t hear the names of the people who saw these things. They weren’t doing/saying these things in hopes of someone acknowledging them. What was the purpose behind them talking about them. Perhaps to share something they found to be extroardinary with others to hopefully strengthen their faith. Know of course the things soled on E-bay are an exception to that. I personally think , any one who tryed to make money off of something like this did not have their heart in the right place.

There is a very good book that talks about the very important roll Mary plays in our lives. It explains her roll in heaven. It opened my eyes to many things. “The amazing Secret of the Souls in Purgatory An Interview With Maria Simma” by Sister Emmanuel. If you might wonder why it is Mary that so often appears to people you should read this book.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top