If Mary Is Not Mother of God, Bible Wrong
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WP m l i i M l l i i l M and Leam P. 0. Box 1620, Denver, Colorado On Murder Trial Q. If a person serving on a jury in a murder trial voted guilty, would he be eligible for Holy Orders? Yes. Under Canon 931, those who incur an impediment for Holy Orders for their part in capital punishment are only the judge who pronounced sen tence and the executioner and his assistants who assumed this office of their own volition. This irregularity is by no means to be construed as indicating the Church’s opposition to capital pun If Mary Is Not Mother ishment. It merely expresses a fact of decorum, namely, that one who takes the part of the meek Christ, who raised not a hand to protect Himself, should also not have shed blood, even innocently. This indecorum is akin to that which bars a man from the priesthood who has been validly married Of God, Bible Wrong twice, or who suffers a notable physical defect. IT IS STRANGE that so many IN THE NEW Testament the Divin Christians should allege the Bible as ity of Christ shines out clearly from No Such Inscription the reason why they do not honor the testimony of the Father, and from Q. The Seventh Day Adventists claim that there is an in Mary as Mother of God, when that Christ’s own declarations. His mode of scription on the Pope’s tiara, which represents the number 666 that adorns the Beast’s head mentioned in Scripture. very Bible would be proved false if acting, and the assertions of the Apos Please explain. she did not merit that title. ' tles, as when St. Thom5s addressed These people imagine that the Papal tiara bears If the Christian religion is unique the risen Christ as “my Lord and my God.” an inscription that does not appear there, namely, and transcendant, it is because of the Vicarius Filii Dei, Vicar of the Son of God. role it gives to Christ as true God and Mary’s divine motherhood is clear ly shown by St. Paul in Romans ix, 5, Giving numerical values to the letters of this true man. But the only , way of prov fictitious inscription, they arrive, with convenient ing both facts is to establish that God when, among the divine blessings of the Jewish people, he lists the origin twisting about of letters, at the number 666. had a mother according to His hu By exactly the same ingenuity it can be proved man nature. of the Messias from the Jews, “from whom is Christ according to the flesh, that the name of the founder of Seventh Day Ad All the first seven general Councils who is over all things, God blessed for ventism, Ellen Gould White, has a name that rep of the Church were called chiefly to ever.” resents 666 (The Adventists, Rumble & Carty Radio define the nature of Christ. But in or In this passage St. Paul says that Replies Press, St. Paul, pp. 27-28). der to affirm that Christ had but one divine Person, whereby He performed Christ belongs to human nature be cause of His descent from the Jewish both divine and human acts, the Coun Husband Returns Alive fathers. But He cannot be descended cil of Ephesus (431) had to define that Q. When I married (invalidly) outside the Church, my from the fathers except through Mary, the Holy Virgin “begot according to legal wife was unable to prove that her husband was dead or who conceived, carried, and bore Him. alive. Now he has turned up. What should we do? the flesh the Word of God made flesh.” Mary is, therefore, the Mother of the Papacy—Defend!^ of Western Civilixatien The fact that he has turned up proves once , One who is at the same time God and BEFORE IT could refute the Mon- The Papacy has supreme and complete Council of Trent and because of his holy zeal again the wisdom of the Church in demanding rig man, the mother of the God-man, the the reforms of the council began immediately. ophysites, who held that Christ’s hu power and jurisdiction over the entire univer orous proofs of freedom to marry whenever one Mother of Jesus Christ. sal Church to decide matters of faith and His great concern was the onslaught of the man nature was absorbed in the di spouse’s death is not legally documented. John i, 14 teaches that “the Word morals and to arrange discipline. The Pope Turks against Western Europe, and he called vine, it had to affirm that He was born If you had been allowed to marry in the Church, was made flesh.” The Word is the di is the chief teacher and ruler of the entire the kings of Christendom about the cross to your marriage would have been putative or in good of the Virgin Mother of God (tes the- fight the Turks. The Pope’s fleet scored an vine Person distinct from the Father Church. The vastness and greatness of this otokou) according to His manhood.” responsibility demands of the person who oc astounding victory over the big Turk fleet at faith and your children would be considered legiti but of the same divine nature as He. mate. Nevertheless, as soon as it was proved that So also the Second and Third Coun cupies the chair of Peter true holiness and Lepanto in 1571, a victory that saved the “The word was with God and the Word the marriage rested on a false assumption, you cils of Constantinople, which con great sanctity. Western civilization. The Pope attributed the was God.” The majority of Popes have lived up to victory to Mary’s intercession and established would be obliged to separate, for no true marriage demned the doctrine that Christ had But how could the word be made their office and among those Pope St. Pius V the Feast of Our Lady of Victory to com existe*! as long as the spouse lived, even though no only one will and one operation, had flesh except through a woman? is one of the most outstanding. Called the “an memorate it. one was to blame for the mistake. to reassert that Mary was truly and gelic pastor’’ he was elected right after the The return of the spouse would, in itself, de properly, and in no loose sense, called SIMILARLY St. Paul writes, Phil mand that the couple who were always validly mar the Mother of God, according to His ip ii, 6-7, that Jesus Christ, though He ried reunite. As long as he lives you cannot be val humanity. was by nature God, divested Himself idly married to the woman who is his true wife. So today those who hold that Christ of His divine privileges by assuming is both God and man, either must human nature. This human nature He Love Is Central Theme admit that they are wrong in saying took from a woman; God sent His son, Perfect Contrition that Mary is not the Mother of God or born of a woman” (Gal. iv, 4). Q. What are the requirements for an act of perfect con must confess that the Bible has erred About few things is the Bible so trition? I have always thought that this included a firm pur in saying that Jesus is true God. clear as the -Divine Maternity. Of Family Education pose of not committing any mortal sin in the future. Now someone tells me that I must also have a firm purpose not to commit any venial sins. 1 do not think I can sincerely have Rev. Joseph A. Hughes tion of children’s character, voluntarily from time to time such a purpose. especially in the younger to deny themselves comforts PARENTS GROW in grace Perfect contrition must not be confused with that and character by helping their years. And I, for one, am and conveniences, particularly disposition whereby one is completely free of all Heaven Begins on Earth children to grow in grace and not against moderate and just in order jto favor another character. The spiritual for physical punishment. But member of the family. affection for even venial sin, so that, if one were to mation of children in the fam these elements must cede as die in such a state after receiving a plenary indul IN THE GOSPEL for the third Sun goodness, faith, modesty, continency A FULL, rich, happy family gence, he would go straight to heaven. day after Easter Our Lord, looking — all have the mark of happiness ily is a primary apostolate for fathers and mothers. spirit will provide good en For an act of perfect contrition it is required forward to His Ascension, told His about them, for it is impossible to have As in every honest aposto vironment to children for and suffices that one have sorrow for and renuncia disciples: “After a little while, you will them without some approximation to late this one has great po The growing in fortitude, consider tion of all his mortal sins, and that this sorrow arise see Me no longer; and again after a that possession of all good things that tential as a means of deep from the pure love of God. Complete detachment little while you shall see Me, because constitute beatitude. A fruit by its na ening the interior life of the ation, helpfulness, discipline. It is most inspiring and help from venial sin would indicate that perfect contrition I go to the Father” (John xvi, 16).