Maria-Goretti:
can i ask you a question offline?

If you so desire.Send me a PM then.

Syncan:

Love is an amazing thing. The more two hearts are united in love, the closer the distance between them, the less they need speech to communicate. Even when they speak, more is said in silence. It reminds me of Abraham and God in Gen 18. God said he is going to see what's happening in sodom and gomorrah, but Abraham heard more than just that, so he started a negotiation against the destruction which was not even mentioned...so my dear brother, I blame it on love. Those two hearts, Jesus and mary, are united in love. More was said in silence than in speech.

Amen! Equally amazing is that the Mother made him reveal his glory even earlier than God had planned.

Something about Mary!

italo:

Amen! Equally amazing is that the Mother made him reveal his glory even earlier than God had planned.

Something about Mary!

she really really knows how to get to him.....and he cant say no to her. So so so amazing.

Ave Maria, gracias plenna, dominus tecum, benedictatu. I love you MOTHER MARY.

All i Have i give you, every dream and wish are yours, mother of Christ, Mother of love, Please take them to my Lord

Maria-Goretti:
she really really knows how to get to him.....and he cant say no to her. So so so amazing.

pls check your mail.

Syncan:


pls check your mail.

pls do bear with me.....am having problems retrieving my mail

syncan, are you still in Love with Jesus Christ? If yes, u're not alone o. I'm also in Love with him.

damerry: syncan, are you still in Love with Jesus Christ? If yes, u're not alone o. I'm also in Love with him.

New every morning is my love.

You are most welcome.

The first ever known portrait painting of the blessed Virgin Mary is attributed to St.Luke......Fact.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icon

Homily on the Solemnity of Immaculate Conception
BY Fr. Samson Ejiofor Asadu

THE IMPPLICATIONS OF THE DOGMA OF IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY FOR THE MARIAN DEVOTEES

Thesis: The Blessed Virgin Mary was Conceived without Stain of Original Sin: Pope Pius IX in the Bull, Ineffabilis Deus (Dec 8, 1854), Promulgated, “The Most Holy Virgin Mary was, in the first moment of her conception, by a unique gift of grace and privilege of the Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of humankind, preserved from all stain of Original Sin.”

A Thematic Summary of Ineffabilis Deus

In 1854, Pope Pius IX, in the Papal Bull Ineffabilis Dei, declared Mary's Immaculate Conception to be dogma. This means that God did not alowl any stain of Original Sin caused by the fall of Adam and Eve to touch the Blessed Virgin Mary, right from the moment of her conception. Pope Pius IX did not invent the Dogma of Immaculate Conception. Rather, he was affirming a belief which is revealed in the Sacred Scripture and held by many Christians that came before him, from East and West, that Mary was conceived free of the stain of original sin, on account of Christ's work. God caused this Immaculate Conception in order to render Mary a pure vessel to bear God-made-flesh. The Pope defined the Dogma of Immaculate Conception accordingly:

1. The Pope taught that the supreme reason for preserving the Blessed Virgin Mary from the stains of Original Sin was the choice of her to become the Mother of Jesus Christ, the Savour of Mankind. The Supreme reason of her Divine Maternity implies that Mary was conceived immaculately not because of any merit of hers, but the immunity from Original Sin was given to her by a singular exemption from a universal law through the same merits of Jesus Christ by which other men and women are cleansed from sin by Baptism and this was in view of the work for which God will use her.

2. The Catholic Church has consistently celebrated the original innocence of the august virgin in solemn acts. Thus, the feast of the Conception of Mary started as early as 5th century AD.

3. When it comes to matters of faith and moral, the Roman Church is taken to be the mother and teacher of all Churches and in this regard the Roman Church has always preserved this doctrine right from its institution.

4. It has been a universal profession of eminent theologians, bishops and lay faithful, “that Mary, the most holy Mother of God, by virtue of the foreseen merits of Christ, our Lord and Redeemer, was never subject to original sin, but was completely preserved from the original taint, and hence she was redeemed in a manner more sublime.”

5. The Fathers and experts in Sacred Scripture had in many ways shown “the Virgin’s supreme sanctity, dignity, and immunity from all stain of sin and her renowned victory over the most foul enemy of the human race.”

5.1 The Protoevangelium, “I will put enmity between you and the woman....” shows the cooperation of Mary as the new Eve.

5.2 Noah’s Ark is shown as a figure of Mary as that built by divine command and which escaped from the common shipwreck of the whole world (Gen.6:9).

5.3 Relying on some other portions of the Sacred Scripture: Jacob’s Ladder (Gen.28:12); the burning bush (Ex 3:2); the impregnable tower (Song of Songs 4:4); the inviolable garden (Song of Songs 4:12); the resplendent city of God (Ps. 87:1) and very many other biblical types, “the Father taught that the exalted dignity of the Mother of God, her spotless innocence and her sanctity unstained by any fault, had been prophesied in a wonderful manner.” They also used words of the prophets to celebrate the original innocence of the Virgin “as the spotless dove, as the holy Jerusalem, as the exalted throne of God, as the ark and house of holiness which Eternal Wisdom built, and as that Queen who, abounding in delights and leaning on her Beloved, came forth from the mouth of the Most High, entirely perfect, beautiful, most dear to God and never stained with the least blemish”.

5.4 In the New Testament, the angel Gabriel greeted Mary as “full of grace” and Elizabeth under the influence of the Holy Spirit saluted Mary as the most blessed (Lk. 1:28, 42). These NT testimonies show that she was full of sanctifying grace which others get at Baptism. Thus she became the first beneficiary of the salvation wrought by her Divine Son.

6. The Blessed Virgin Mary is often compared with Eve to show that she is the New Eve. Thus she is the opposite of the Old Eve, “Eve listened to the serpent with lamentable consequences; she fell from original innocence and became his slave. The most Blessed Virgin, on the contrary, ever increased her original gift, and not only ever lent an ear to the serpent, but by divinely given power she utterly destroyed the force and dominion of the evil one”. It is a contradiction in terms that such a figure should come from a corrupted and tainted root. According to St Augustine, it is not only that she is free from Original Sin but that “when one treats of sin, the holy virgin Mary is not even to be mentioned; for to her more grace was given than was necessary to conquer sin completely.”

7. Considering the many petitions from the bishops, priests, religious, lay faithful and even emperors and kings beseeching the Apostolic See to define as a dogma of the Catholic faith the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Pope Pius IX took some steps to that effect:

7.1 He established a congregation of the cardinals and experts in Sacred Scripture to examine the issue.

7.2 He sent out letters to all the bishops of the Catholic Church to find out what the piety of their faithful was in regard to the Immaculate Conception.

7.3 All agreed and asked the Pope to define the dogma of Immaculate Conception. The Pope himself, having prayed and fasted, made the following declaration:

By the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, for the honor of the Holy and undivided Trinity, for the glory and adornment of the Virgin Mother of God, for the exaltation of the Catholic Faith, and for the furtherance of the Catholic religion, by the authority of Jesus Christ our Lord, of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and by our own: "We declare, pronounce, and define that the doctrine which holds that the most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instance of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin, is a doctrine revealed by God and therefore to be believed firmly and constantly by all the faithful.

This is the Dogma of Immaculate Conception, 156 years now! QED! Recent documents of the Church merely reiterate the definition of Pius IX. (Cf. Vatican II, Lumen gentium, 56 and The Catechism of the Catholic Church nos. 491-492)



Some Important Conclusions/Implications:

The Divine Election and Elevation of the Blessed Virgin Mary: God sent the Angel Gabriel to a young woman called Mary to announce to her that she has been favoured by the Most High. She gave her fiat and the Word took flesh in her womb. This is equally a turning point in the history of humanity, namely, that The Son of God through whom all was made (even the Blessed Virgin Mary was made through Him) became the Son of a mortal! This marks a great moment for the Blessed Virgin Mary: that her name has become inseparable from the history of man’s salvation. Some say that she is just an instrument, a kind of envelop, used by God to send His message to the world of mortals, after all, God could have chosen any other woman for the same work. Why then make noise about the Blessed Virgin Mary?! There is nothing impossible for God. Yes, God could have used any person. Yet she prepared the Blessed Virgin for her co-operation in the Christ's work of salvation. Supposing she said no, that would not have thwarted the plan of God. God could have carried out His plan by preparing another person for the same work. But as we have it now, we are not in a hypothetical situation; the fact is that she did not say no! If the Blessed Virgin Mary were not the mother of Jesus, probably the history of salvation would have been silent about her. Supposing God chose another virgin by the name Ngozi, then we should have been talking about the Blessed Virgin Ngozi! But at this point of fact, not hypothesis, we have no other option since God has chosen Mary. A look at the natural biological birth of all of us convinces us to say that there is no need really for the hair-splitting question in the first place. Basic logic of natural births should inform any questioner that the fact that another person could still have been his/her mother, does not in any way impinge on the fact that his/her mother remains his/her mother. Then, why would the Virgin Mary be silenced? In discussing the fact that Christ was born of a woman, would it be wrong to say who the woman is or how the birth came about? What is wrong in honouring the mother of the God-man, when many people ''worship'' the mothers of governors, presidents, president's wives, governor's wives, legislooters etc; for mere ephemeral favours? Is it not time, less time is wasted on explaining what is so clear; except to those really ignorant of the faith, and not the many misanthropists? One day, “a man of God” visited a home and met a small girl and her parents were not at home. While he was waiting for her parents to come back, the “man of God” asked the little child to say some prayers and she started, “Hail Mary, full of grace…..” The “man of God” interrupted her and said, “STOP! I do not want to hear about her, please recite any other prayer!” The girl obeyed and started the Creed, “I believe in God the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the power the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary….” At the mention of her name, the “man of God” interrupted again, “STOP! There she comes again! Now stop all these catholic prayers, can you tell me any story about Jesus Christ.” “Yes, I can”, the little girl replied with enthusiasm, “When Jesus was twelve, He got lost in the Temple, the parents searched for him for three days; thinking He has been kidnapped. At last they found Him in the Temple where He was listening to the great teachers of the Law and answering their questions. His mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary treasured all these…” The “man of God” shouted, “Why? She always comes into your prayers or story. Can you go to the Old Testament?” The little girl rather than tell any biblical story from the Old Testament asked the man of God, “In our last Bible Knowledge class, we were taught that Isaiah Prophesised that a virgin will conceive and born the Messiah. Please, tell me, who was that Virgin, what is her name?” The “man of God” became impatient with the little girl and went away angrily! Two days later, the man of God came back to see the girl’s parents. The little girl saw him and said, “Man of God” let me say some prayers for you.” The man simply looked at her and went in to see her parents. The first thing he said to the girl’s parents was, “From my conversation with your little daughter, I have come to the conclusion that since God chose the Blessed Virgin Mary and she consented, any sincere profession of faith in the humanity of Jesus cannot sincerely neglect Mary. At least, every Christian, Catholic or non-Catholic, and in fact, even atheist who studies the Christian religion merely as a science, whether he/she honours Mary or not, confesses that the Word of God made man was born of the Blessed Virgin Mary. She must always come in as long as we believe or discuss the humanity of the Son of God, Jesus Christ. I declare with joy that your little daughter has made me a Catholic.” YOU TOO CAN CONVERT ONE PERSON!

2. The Pope did not end with the dogmatic definition. He stated his hope that by this definition, the fire of the devotion to the Blessed and Immaculate Virgin Mary shall be enkindled: “Let all the children of the Catholic Church, who are so very dear to us, hear these words of ours. With a still more ardent zeal for piety, religion and love, let them continue to venerate, invoke and pray to the most Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, conceived without original sin. Let them fly with utter confidence to this most sweet Mother of mercy and grace in all dangers, difficulties, needs, doubts and fears. Under her guidance, under her patronage, under her kindness and protection, nothing is to be feared; nothing is hopeless. Because, while bearing toward us a truly motherly affection and having in her care the work of our salvation, she is solicitous about the whole human race. And since she has been appointed by God to be the Queen of heaven and earth, and is exalted above all the choirs of angels and saints, and even stands at the right hand of her only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, she presents our petitions in a most efficacious manner. What she asks, she obtains. Her pleas can never be unheard.”

3. Mary prayed and waited for the will of God and not her own will. So we not only pray through Mary but we pray like her. Many of us pray as if prayer is a magical formula. Consider, for instance, the present administration of prayer like drugs. This is nothing short of false worship. False worship is most directly opposed to the nature of worship because it is that worship which falsifies the worship due to God. It is of three types: false worship of the true God, superstition and idolatry. Idolatry is the worship and adoration of fictitious deities, demons and the devil; superstition is the beliefs and practices objectively groundless and therefore, futile and absurd; false worship of the true God has God as the object of worship but the external acts of cult do not really render due honour to God, but instead attempt to place Him at the service of humans. A major aspect of this category of misguided worship which concerns us here is Quasi-Magic Practices of Piety. Of this nature are certain rites and prayers to which special effects are attributed, if performed in rigid adherence to the prescribed rituals and if recited the required number of times. It is false worship because the effects of prayer are no longer considered a gift of God’s free, kind generosity, but are attributed as the result of a secret force inherent in the rites and the prayers themselves.

4. Even though God Himself prepared a human sanctuary for His Son Jesus Christ in the person of Mary, yet He also willed that the Incarnation should be preceded by the assent of the predestined mother. So Mary was not just passively engaged by God. She freely participated in the work of salvation through faith and obedience. Thus, the Lord has given us an incomparable teacher and model of holiness in Mary. We have also received sanctifying grace at Baptism. So we must strive to live without sin in these times of persecution, keeping ourselves "unspotted from this world" (James 1:27).



I conclude with the Collect of the Solemnity of Immaculate Conception:

Father we rejoice in the privilege of our Lady’s Immaculate Conception, which preserved her from the stain of sin by the power of Christ’s redeeming death, and prepared her to be the Mother of God. Grant that through her prayers we ourselves may come to you cleansed from all sin, through Christ our Lord. Amen...



Note: Do not argue with anybody after reading, thanks

splendid......
Goodmorning, children of mary...

you know Fr. Asadu?

daontop: Homily on the Solemnity of Immaculate Conception
BY Fr. Samson Ejiofor Asadu

THE IMPPLICATIONS OF THE DOGMA OF IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY FOR THE MARIAN DEVOTEES

Thesis: The Blessed Virgin Mary was Conceived without Stain of Original Sin: Pope Pius IX in the Bull, Ineffabilis Deus (Dec 8, 1854), Promulgated, “The Most Holy Virgin Mary was, in the first moment of her conception, by a unique gift of grace and privilege of the Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of humankind, preserved from all stain of Original Sin.”

A Thematic Summary of Ineffabilis Deus

In 1854, Pope Pius IX, in the Papal Bull Ineffabilis Dei, declared Mary's Immaculate Conception to be dogma. This means that God did not alowl any stain of Original Sin caused by the fall of Adam and Eve to touch the Blessed Virgin Mary, right from the moment of her conception. Pope Pius IX did not invent the Dogma of Immaculate Conception. Rather, he was affirming a belief which is revealed in the Sacred Scripture and held by many Christians that came before him, from East and West, that Mary was conceived free of the stain of original sin, on account of Christ's work. God caused this Immaculate Conception in order to render Mary a pure vessel to bear God-made-flesh. The Pope defined the Dogma of Immaculate Conception accordingly:

1. The Pope taught that the supreme reason for preserving the Blessed Virgin Mary from the stains of Original Sin was the choice of her to become the Mother of Jesus Christ, the Savour of Mankind. The Supreme reason of her Divine Maternity implies that Mary was conceived immaculately not because of any merit of hers, but the immunity from Original Sin was given to her by a singular exemption from a universal law through the same merits of Jesus Christ by which other men and women are cleansed from sin by Baptism and this was in view of the work for which God will use her.

2. The Catholic Church has consistently celebrated the original innocence of the august virgin in solemn acts. Thus, the feast of the Conception of Mary started as early as 5th century AD.

3. When it comes to matters of faith and moral, the Roman Church is taken to be the mother and teacher of all Churches and in this regard the Roman Church has always preserved this doctrine right from its institution.

4. It has been a universal profession of eminent theologians, bishops and lay faithful, “that Mary, the most holy Mother of God, by virtue of the foreseen merits of Christ, our Lord and Redeemer, was never subject to original sin, but was completely preserved from the original taint, and hence she was redeemed in a manner more sublime.”

5. The Fathers and experts in Sacred Scripture had in many ways shown “the Virgin’s supreme sanctity, dignity, and immunity from all stain of sin and her renowned victory over the most foul enemy of the human race.”

5.1 The Protoevangelium, “I will put enmity between you and the woman....” shows the cooperation of Mary as the new Eve.

5.2 Noah’s Ark is shown as a figure of Mary as that built by divine command and which escaped from the common shipwreck of the whole world (Gen.6:9).

5.3 Relying on some other portions of the Sacred Scripture: Jacob’s Ladder (Gen.28:12); the burning bush (Ex 3:2); the impregnable tower (Song of Songs 4:4); the inviolable garden (Song of Songs 4:12); the resplendent city of God (Ps. 87:1) and very many other biblical types, “the Father taught that the exalted dignity of the Mother of God, her spotless innocence and her sanctity unstained by any fault, had been prophesied in a wonderful manner.” They also used words of the prophets to celebrate the original innocence of the Virgin “as the spotless dove, as the holy Jerusalem, as the exalted throne of God, as the ark and house of holiness which Eternal Wisdom built, and as that Queen who, abounding in delights and leaning on her Beloved, came forth from the mouth of the Most High, entirely perfect, beautiful, most dear to God and never stained with the least blemish”.

5.4 In the New Testament, the angel Gabriel greeted Mary as “full of grace” and Elizabeth under the influence of the Holy Spirit saluted Mary as the most blessed (Lk. 1:28, 42). These NT testimonies show that she was full of sanctifying grace which others get at Baptism. Thus she became the first beneficiary of the salvation wrought by her Divine Son.

6. The Blessed Virgin Mary is often compared with Eve to show that she is the New Eve. Thus she is the opposite of the Old Eve, “Eve listened to the serpent with lamentable consequences; she fell from original innocence and became his slave. The most Blessed Virgin, on the contrary, ever increased her original gift, and not only ever lent an ear to the serpent, but by divinely given power she utterly destroyed the force and dominion of the evil one”. It is a contradiction in terms that such a figure should come from a corrupted and tainted root. According to St Augustine, it is not only that she is free from Original Sin but that “when one treats of sin, the holy virgin Mary is not even to be mentioned; for to her more grace was given than was necessary to conquer sin completely.”

7. Considering the many petitions from the bishops, priests, religious, lay faithful and even emperors and kings beseeching the Apostolic See to define as a dogma of the Catholic faith the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Pope Pius IX took some steps to that effect:

7.1 He established a congregation of the cardinals and experts in Sacred Scripture to examine the issue.

7.2 He sent out letters to all the bishops of the Catholic Church to find out what the piety of their faithful was in regard to the Immaculate Conception.

7.3 All agreed and asked the Pope to define the dogma of Immaculate Conception. The Pope himself, having prayed and fasted, made the following declaration:

By the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, for the honor of the Holy and undivided Trinity, for the glory and adornment of the Virgin Mother of God, for the exaltation of the Catholic Faith, and for the furtherance of the Catholic religion, by the authority of Jesus Christ our Lord, of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and by our own: "We declare, pronounce, and define that the doctrine which holds that the most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instance of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin, is a doctrine revealed by God and therefore to be believed firmly and constantly by all the faithful.

This is the Dogma of Immaculate Conception, 156 years now! QED! Recent documents of the Church merely reiterate the definition of Pius IX. (Cf. Vatican II, Lumen gentium, 56 and The Catechism of the Catholic Church nos. 491-492)



Some Important Conclusions/Implications:

The Divine Election and Elevation of the Blessed Virgin Mary: God sent the Angel Gabriel to a young woman called Mary to announce to her that she has been favoured by the Most High. She gave her fiat and the Word took flesh in her womb. This is equally a turning point in the history of humanity, namely, that The Son of God through whom all was made (even the Blessed Virgin Mary was made through Him) became the Son of a mortal! This marks a great moment for the Blessed Virgin Mary: that her name has become inseparable from the history of man’s salvation. Some say that she is just an instrument, a kind of envelop, used by God to send His message to the world of mortals, after all, God could have chosen any other woman for the same work. Why then make noise about the Blessed Virgin Mary?! There is nothing impossible for God. Yes, God could have used any person. Yet she prepared the Blessed Virgin for her co-operation in the Christ's work of salvation. Supposing she said no, that would not have thwarted the plan of God. God could have carried out His plan by preparing another person for the same work. But as we have it now, we are not in a hypothetical situation; the fact is that she did not say no! If the Blessed Virgin Mary were not the mother of Jesus, probably the history of salvation would have been silent about her. Supposing God chose another virgin by the name Ngozi, then we should have been talking about the Blessed Virgin Ngozi! But at this point of fact, not hypothesis, we have no other option since God has chosen Mary. A look at the natural biological birth of all of us convinces us to say that there is no need really for the hair-splitting question in the first place. Basic logic of natural births should inform any questioner that the fact that another person could still have been his/her mother, does not in any way impinge on the fact that his/her mother remains his/her mother. Then, why would the Virgin Mary be silenced? In discussing the fact that Christ was born of a woman, would it be wrong to say who the woman is or how the birth came about? What is wrong in honouring the mother of the God-man, when many people ''worship'' the mothers of governors, presidents, president's wives, governor's wives, legislooters etc; for mere ephemeral favours? Is it not time, less time is wasted on explaining what is so clear; except to those really ignorant of the faith, and not the many misanthropists? One day, “a man of God” visited a home and met a small girl and her parents were not at home. While he was waiting for her parents to come back, the “man of God” asked the little child to say some prayers and she started, “Hail Mary, full of grace…..” The “man of God” interrupted her and said, “STOP! I do not want to hear about her, please recite any other prayer!” The girl obeyed and started the Creed, “I believe in God the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the power the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary….” At the mention of her name, the “man of God” interrupted again, “STOP! There she comes again! Now stop all these catholic prayers, can you tell me any story about Jesus Christ.” “Yes, I can”, the little girl replied with enthusiasm, “When Jesus was twelve, He got lost in the Temple, the parents searched for him for three days; thinking He has been kidnapped. At last they found Him in the Temple where He was listening to the great teachers of the Law and answering their questions. His mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary treasured all these…” The “man of God” shouted, “Why? She always comes into your prayers or story. Can you go to the Old Testament?” The little girl rather than tell any biblical story from the Old Testament asked the man of God, “In our last Bible Knowledge class, we were taught that Isaiah Prophesised that a virgin will conceive and born the Messiah. Please, tell me, who was that Virgin, what is her name?” The “man of God” became impatient with the little girl and went away angrily! Two days later, the man of God came back to see the girl’s parents. The little girl saw him and said, “Man of God” let me say some prayers for you.” The man simply looked at her and went in to see her parents. The first thing he said to the girl’s parents was, “From my conversation with your little daughter, I have come to the conclusion that since God chose the Blessed Virgin Mary and she consented, any sincere profession of faith in the humanity of Jesus cannot sincerely neglect Mary. At least, every Christian, Catholic or non-Catholic, and in fact, even atheist who studies the Christian religion merely as a science, whether he/she honours Mary or not, confesses that the Word of God made man was born of the Blessed Virgin Mary. She must always come in as long as we believe or discuss the humanity of the Son of God, Jesus Christ. I declare with joy that your little daughter has made me a Catholic.” YOU TOO CAN CONVERT ONE PERSON!

2. The Pope did not end with the dogmatic definition. He stated his hope that by this definition, the fire of the devotion to the Blessed and Immaculate Virgin Mary shall be enkindled: “Let all the children of the Catholic Church, who are so very dear to us, hear these words of ours. With a still more ardent zeal for piety, religion and love, let them continue to venerate, invoke and pray to the most Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, conceived without original sin. Let them fly with utter confidence to this most sweet Mother of mercy and grace in all dangers, difficulties, needs, doubts and fears. Under her guidance, under her patronage, under her kindness and protection, nothing is to be feared; nothing is hopeless. Because, while bearing toward us a truly motherly affection and having in her care the work of our salvation, she is solicitous about the whole human race. And since she has been appointed by God to be the Queen of heaven and earth, and is exalted above all the choirs of angels and saints, and even stands at the right hand of her only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, she presents our petitions in a most efficacious manner. What she asks, she obtains. Her pleas can never be unheard.”

3. Mary prayed and waited for the will of God and not her own will. So we not only pray through Mary but we pray like her. Many of us pray as if prayer is a magical formula. Consider, for instance, the present administration of prayer like drugs. This is nothing short of false worship. False worship is most directly opposed to the nature of worship because it is that worship which falsifies the worship due to God. It is of three types: false worship of the true God, superstition and idolatry. Idolatry is the worship and adoration of fictitious deities, demons and the devil; superstition is the beliefs and practices objectively groundless and therefore, futile and absurd; false worship of the true God has God as the object of worship but the external acts of cult do not really render due honour to God, but instead attempt to place Him at the service of humans. A major aspect of this category of misguided worship which concerns us here is Quasi-Magic Practices of Piety. Of this nature are certain rites and prayers to which special effects are attributed, if performed in rigid adherence to the prescribed rituals and if recited the required number of times. It is false worship because the effects of prayer are no longer considered a gift of God’s free, kind generosity, but are attributed as the result of a secret force inherent in the rites and the prayers themselves.

4. Even though God Himself prepared a human sanctuary for His Son Jesus Christ in the person of Mary, yet He also willed that the Incarnation should be preceded by the assent of the predestined mother. So Mary was not just passively engaged by God. She freely participated in the work of salvation through faith and obedience. Thus, the Lord has given us an incomparable teacher and model of holiness in Mary. We have also received sanctifying grace at Baptism. So we must strive to live without sin in these times of persecution, keeping ourselves "unspotted from this world" (James 1:27).



I conclude with the Collect of the Solemnity of Immaculate Conception:

Father we rejoice in the privilege of our Lady’s Immaculate Conception, which preserved her from the stain of sin by the power of Christ’s redeeming death, and prepared her to be the Mother of God. Grant that through her prayers we ourselves may come to you cleansed from all sin, through Christ our Lord. Amen...



Note: Do not argue with anybody after reading, thanks

Pope Pius IX:

By the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, for the honor of the Holy and undivided Trinity, for the glory and adornment of the Virgin Mother of God, for the exaltation of the Catholic Faith, and for the furtherance of the Catholic religion, by the authority of Jesus Christ our Lord, of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and by our own: "We declare, pronounce, and define that the doctrine which holds that the most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instance of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin, is a doctrine revealed by God and therefore to be believed firmly and constantly by all the faithful.

Acts 15:28 "It has pleased us and the Holy Spirit...."


Authority!

Double27: you know Fr. Asadu?

Yes i do... One of my very good friend..

Syncan:


Acts 15:28 "It has pleased us and the Holy Spirit...."


Authority!

dats it is bro.... Authority

@Double27 i love your immaculate conception post up there. May God bless you and all contributors who had dedicated time to teach, and enlighten soulS on our August MOST BLESSED VIRGIN MARY. It is well with all of us in Jesus name. (AMEN * infinity) But our effort is NOT ENOUGH, we should never relent in teaching souls how to love and honor our DEAR MOTHER to whom this August thread is dedicated to.. Ave Maria

I have a loving mother just over in Gloryland
And I don't expect to stop until I shake her
hand
She's waiting now for me in heaven's open
door...

Jim Reeves "This world is not my home"

*activating assumption mode*

Totus Tuus.

Feast of Assumption of Blessed Virgin Mary...

Happy Feast day.....children of Mary....!

Maria-Goretti:
Feast of Assumption of Blessed Virgin Mary...

Happy Feast day.....children of Mary....!

You mean mary went to heaven like Jesus did?

superior1:

You mean mary went to heaven like Jesus did?

This thread should clear your doubts
www.nairaland.com/1397768/what-assumption

Maria-Goretti:
Feast of Assumption of Blessed Virgin Mary...

Happy Feast day.....children of Mary....!

Same to you! It's also important that we attend mass today to celebrate this great feast. morning or evening mass, (or both,) ave Maria

Sister Linda Ngaujah said it. Indeed, scripturally, all catholics will go to hell once they are following their way of worship! You are heading to hell if you are worshipping that moulden JESUS and mary!

holypower: Sister Linda Ngaujah said it. Indeed, scripturally, all catholics will go to hell once they are following their way of worship! You are heading to hell if you are worshipping that moulden JESUS and mary!

lol,
'do not judge so that............'
You can complete that.
If that will take me to hell, I dont mind...but make sure that your way of worship takes you to heaven cus if you still join me in hell at the end, that one na fvck-up o....!

holypower: Sister Linda Ngaujah said it. Indeed, scripturally, all catholics will go to hell once they are following their way of worship! You are heading to hell if you are worshipping that moulden JESUS and mary!

smh. Permit me to call you simplet*n for taking d whole thrash hook line and sinker. Sister Linda indeed which church do u attend? Because according to your sister linda, it's only kumiyi's church that rates 98% on the righteousness scale.

damerry: i love dis image, our lady of the most precious blood

a white women with a white child and blond hairs

holypower: Sister Linda Ngaujah said it. Indeed, scripturally, all catholics will go to hell once they are following their way of worship! You are heading to hell if you are worshipping that moulden JESUS and mary!

Thats Linda's opinion and your brainwashed head opinion. Let me ask you a question, why did she (Linda) not talked about praying to saints (as we catholic pray in communion of the saints) why always Mary? All critics are against Mary! Is she the only intercessor in heaven? Did Linda forget to preach against praying to the saints? This little bits of information should not skip her memory if she really went to heaven. Well, here is a testimony, I've benefited alot from Mary's intercession and I'm still benefiting . Haters face your own church and recognise your own flaws. Sister Linda indeed. Smh.

holypower: Sister Linda Ngaujah said it. Indeed, scripturally, all catholics will go to hell once they are following their way of worship! You are heading to hell if you are worshipping that moulden JESUS and mary

This people, this people, this people, na una de believe, na una de condemn. No be this linda?

At Last, Linda Ngaujah Exposed! She Is An
Agent Of Satan From The Pit Of Hell by
peteregwu ( m ):


http://jesusiscominginthisgeneration..com/2013/08/at-last-linda-ngaujah-exposed-she-is.html?m=1

biafranqueen: a white women with a white child and blond hairs

exactly

Mary is not always white.

There are many black virgin mary also.

Most of the realy old paintings and some of the old statue from virgin mary are also black.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Madonna

nora544: Mary is not always white.

There are many black virgin mary also.

Most of the realy old paintings and some of the old statue from virgin mary are also black.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Madonna

hmm, whether black o or white o....


Virgin Mary, still remains My Mother.

Se ti gbo?

damerry: dats it my sister, its our duties as catholics to educate the ignorant, those people who cast aspersions on catholicism have little or no knowledge about the catholic doctrine dats why they act the way they do, besides most of we catholics don't create time to educate ourselves on these precious doctrine of ours, as a result we don't give spot-on answers to critics, this paves way for more critics an backslide in catholic faith, i would love to use this August thread dedicated to the sorrowful and imaculate heart of mary to urge we catholics to be well versed in our doctrines, so as to teach the ignorant and stand firm in what we believe. This month august is specially dedicated for devotion to the sorrowful and imaculate heart of mary. We should not relent in seeking her powerful intercession. Ave maria.

thanks my brother, some of us catholics even doubt.
then we run off to other churches and say we have seen the 'light', claiming to be deceived for a long while