Mary, the Mother of God

In the Catholic faith, we honor Mary as the Mother of God. We do not worship her, but we pray that through her intercession we may become closer to her Son, Our Lord, Jesus Christ. This goes back to the Communion of the Saints. Above all, we know that Mary is not just the Mother of God but also our mother as well because Jesus gave her to us:

"When Jesus, therefore, saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, "Woman, behold, your son!" Then He said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother!" And from that hour the disciple took her into his own household" (John 19:26-27)

St. Albert the Great wrote: "Immediately next to being God is being the Mother of God." She held a unique role in salvation's history. Jesus Christ redeemed us, but Mary remains the Mother of Jesus and our spiritual mother. She is not equal to God but rather the most glorious person created by God because of her humility, trust in God, and above all, her Immaculate Conception.

Canon Francis Ripley writes in This is the Faith: "Because of the inexpressible dignity that is hers, the Catholic Church has from the beginning given Mary the highest form of honor below that reserved for God alone. The Church's practice has always reflected her belief that, provided Mary is not adored (which is the unique honor given to God alone), she cannot be honored to excess."

Various articles of mine on Mary:

• Mother of God (Examination of Doctrine)
• Co-Redemptrix
• The Ark of the New Covenant
• May - The month of Mary
• Presentation of Mary
• The Immaculate Conception
• The Queenship of Mary
• The Assumption of Mary
• Our Lady of Fatima
• Our Lady of Perpetual Help
• Our Lady of Lourdes
• Our Lady of Mount Carmel
• Our Lady of Sorrows
• Our Lady of Guadalupe
• Our Lady of La Salette

There are five traditional Catholic beliefs about Mary:

1. That she is the Mother of God;
2. That she was Ever-Virgin;
3. That she was immaculately conceived (remained sinless too);
4. That she was assumed into Heaven and crowned Queen of Heaven and Earth;
5. That she is Mediatrix of all Graces, Co-Redemptrix and Advocate for the People of God.

Numbers 1-4 inclusive have all been defined as infallible and must be believed. Number 5 has not been made a dogma of the faith. It is not a required belief of the Church.

Marian Prayers:

1. Prayer for Mary's Intercession by St. Francis
2. A Prayer to Jesus and Mary for the Holy Souls in purgatory
3. An Eternal Alliance with Mary
4. Dedication of oneself to the Blessed Virgin Mary
5. Prayer of Devotion to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal

"The Virgin Mother has no greater wish than to see her divine Son obeyed, loved, glorified, and exalted" (Blessed Columba Marmion)

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Some Apologetic Posts

Apologetics is the defense of the Catholic faith. Here is a list of some of my posts. If you are non-Catholic and would like more information than posted on this website, much more information on the basics of Catholicism can be found at Fish Eaters.

And for great Catholic book recommendations - including a list of sites with free Traditional Catholic Books - please visit my page: Catholic Book Recommendations

Various:

• Holy Trinity
• The Holy Mass
• Eucharistic Adoration
• Purgatory
• Indulgences
• Papal Infallibility
• Rites of the Catholic Church
• Excommunication
• Brown Scapular
• Rosary
• Example of the Martyrs
• Faith-Alone (Sola Fide)
• Scripture-Alone (Sola-Scriptura)
• Can God co-exist with evil?
• Can women be ordained to the priesthood?
• The Primacy of Saint Peter
• The evil of artificial Contraception
• A Crucifix as opposed to an empty cross
• Why use the title "Holy Father"?
• Are saints alive?
• Errors of Martin Luther?
• The Errors of Protestantism
• Are Catholics "born again"?
• Call no man "Father"?
• How the Church Leads us to God
• Will all Catholics be saved?
• Persecuting the Church is persecuting Jesus
• Can non-Catholics be saved?
• Why Organized Religion?
• Is inappropriate language sinful?
• Why do Catholics light prayer candles?
• How do Catholics view the theory of evolution?
• Fasting and Abstinence Rules
• Statues and Graven Images
• The Errors of So-Called Protestant "Reformers"

Liturgical Issues:

• When should a person bow or genuflect?
• Communion in the Hand, Extraordinary Ministers, Altar Rails
• Avoid the Neocatechumenal Way
• Should holy water be removed during Lent?
• What reverence is shown to the Gospel?
• What are the minor orders?
• Can priests still wear cassocks?
• Should applause take place during Mass?

Responding to Modern Concerns:

• The Catholic Church & Galileo
• The Catholic Church & Slavery
• The Church & the Holocaust
• The Church & the Nazis
• Membership in the Masons
• Nuns should wear the habit
• Women and veils
• Centering Prayer
• Religious Unity/Ecumenism
• Mormons: Sheep Not of this Fold
• Annulments & Divorce

Recommended Catholic Books:

• See the list of recommended books on Apologetics

The Sacraments:

• Baptism
• Confession
• Eucharist
• Extreme Unction

The Blessed Virgin Mary:

• Main Topic: Blessed Virgin Mary

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My Catholic.com

I just found a new and, I'd say, brilliant website called My Catholic.com, which is a customizable Catholic homepage. You can upload blogs to it and read not only news but Mass readings, some saintly writings, see the weather, and many other great features. Please check it out and tell me what you think of it.

And, if you'd like to upload my blog's content by clicking on the "content" tab then just enter my site's feed url into the space that asks for it. Here's my blog's url feed:

http://acatholiclife.blogspot.com/atom.xml

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A List of the Popes of the Holy Catholic Church

"The Lord made Simon alone, whom he named Peter, the 'rock' of his Church. He gave him the keys of his Church and instituted him shepherd of the whole flock. 'The office of binding and loosing which was given to Peter was also assigned to the college of apostles united to its head.' This pastoral office of Peter and the other apostles belongs to the Church's very foundation and is continued by the bishops under the primacy of the Pope." (CCC 881)

The following is the list of Popes:

• St. Peter
• St. Linus (c. 68 - c. 79)
• St. Anacletus (c. 80 - c. 92)
• St. Clement I ( c. 92 - c. 99)
• St. Evaristus (c. 99 - c. 108)
• St. Alexander I (c. 108 - c. 119)
• St. Sixtus I (c. 119 - c. 127)
• St. Telesphorus (c. 127 - c. 137)
• St. Hyginus (c. 138 - 140)
• St. Pius I (c. 140 - c. 154)
• St. Anicetus (c. 154 - c. 167)

(More Updates coming in the future)

Image Source: Believed to be in the Public Domain

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The Christian Faith in Two Words

"Jesus and love"

Pope Benedict XVI recently announced this, but there should be no debate or arguing among Christians on this one. Jesus Christ, Our God and Savior, is truly the aspiration of our souls - He is the brightest perfection of all good (mercy, truth, love, hope, etc). And through love of Our Lord we reach a different level of love. A level that embraces people of all colors, nationalities, faiths, and the like. We reach a form of love that cries to Heaven, "Let your will not mine be done." And, most importantly through this love of Jesus Christ and the Cross we grow closer to God by not only loving Him but loving our fellow man as well; "Amen I say to you, as long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me" (Matthew 25:40).

So, today let's try to put Jesus Christ first in our lives, who is with us constantly in the Blessed Sacrament and looking down to guide us. He is with us; let us be with Him in praise and love. Without love we are nothing but with God, the God of Love, we are everything.

Let us live our lives in Christ's memory and for His glory keeping His Words to mind, "This is my commandment, that you love one another, as I have loved you" (John 15:12). Above all, The Cross is the great summary of both words - the Love of Christ is infinite. Our love can never be infinite for one another, but we must aspire to reach it as close as possible.

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Patron Saint of Internet Users

If you are looking for a prayer to say when you log on the Internet through the intercession of the patron saint of Internet users then I'm happy to say I found one. The patron saint of Internet users is Saint Isidore (c.560 - 636), and I especially like this prayer since I hope all of my online writings do help others in spirituality and faith.

Image Source: In the Public Domain (Wikipedia)

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A Daily Prayer

This website has a new prayer to say everyday, and these can even be emailed to you. I think this is a great way to continue in devotional prayer, and through these simple emails we can start our day off with something so simple and marvelous - a prayer to the God of Life.

http://www.familyrosary.org/main/prayer-day.php

Image Source: Photo believed to be in the Public Domain

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How Can I Improve This Blog?

I made this blog to be helpful to others, and I certainly hope it has. I have been working on setting up my other blog, and it looks really good; however, I was wondering how best to make this blog as user-friendly as possible.

What are your ideas? Should I remove some links from the sidebar? Which ones? Should I not have so many posts on the main page?

I'm really looking for advice. Please let me know what you think.

Thanks

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St. Pio of Pietrelcina

Memorial (1969 Calendar): September 23

Biography

Today is the Church remembers the life of one of my favorite saints, St. Pio of Pietrelcina - also called St. Padre Pio - (1887-1968), who was canonized recently in 2002. St. Padre Pio is the only priest to ever have the visible wounds of Christ, the Stigmata, and he lived a life dedicated to prayer and God.

On May 25, 1887, St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina was born to a southern Italian farm family, the son of Grazio, a shepherd. At the young age of 15, St. Pio entered the novitiate of the Capuchin friars in Morcone and joined the order at age 19. Suffered several health problems, and at one point his family thought he had tuberculosis. However, through God's will, he was ordained at the age 22 on August 10, 1910.

On September 20, 1918, while praying before a crucifix, St. Pio received the stigmata. Following World War II, he became a point of pilgrimage. St. Pio would hear confessions by the hour and have the ability to read the consciences of those who held back sins. He could bilocate, levitate, and heal by touch. In 1956, St. Pio founded the House for the Relief of Suffering, a hospital that serves 60,000 a year. In the 1920's he started a series of prayer groups that continue today with over 400,000 members worldwide. He died on September 23, 1968. Throughout his life, even after Vatican II, he was given permission to continue to exclusively celebrate the Tridentine Latin Mass.

His canonization miracle of the healing of a sick child, Matteo Pio Colella, age 7, the son of a doctor of the House for the Relief of Suffering. Matteo was admitted with meningitis on June 20, 2000, and by morning doctors feared that he was gone - his organs were shutting down. That night, following a prayer vigil attended by friars of St. Padre Pio's monastery and Matteo's mother, his condition suddenly improved. Matteo said that he had seen an elderly man with a white beard and a long, brown habit, who said to him: "Don´t worry, you will soon be cured." However, St. Padre Pio has worked countless miracles not only after his death but during his life. Read my post entitled: The Miracles of St. Padre Pio.

Prayers

For prayers to St. Padre Pio and ones he loved to say, please visit this site. I especially love the first prayer on that site.

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US Catholic Population

Here are some statistics I found from a local diocese paper:

From 1978 to 2004 the US Catholic population increased from 49,836,176 to 67,259,768. Overall the entire Catholic population during that time saw a 44% increase. Parishes also increased from 18,625 to 19,431.

However, the number of priests actually dropped from 58,485 to 44,212. There was a total 2.6% drop during this time span, and I certainly hope the their will be more priests. It seems that society doesn't view the priesthood much anymore, and many people don't think it requires any intelligence or work.

But, once again, Christ tell us, "You have not chosen me: but I have chosen you; and have appointed you, that you should go, and should bring forth fruit; and your fruit should remain: that whatsoever you shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you" (John 15:16, Douay Rheims). The priesthood is a calling and the most important one a person can get. My advice is to ask yourself, if you're single, if God is calling you that way and if He is, then talk with another priest on possibly going into the priesthood. I'm considering this possibility and just wanted to share these statistics.

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