O QUEEN OF HEAVEN AND EARTH,
Most Holy Virgin, we venerate thee.
Thou art the beloved Daughter of the Most High God,
the chosen Mother of the Incarnate Word,
the Immaculate Spouse of the Holy Spirit,
the Sacred Vessel of the Most Holy Trinity.
O Mother of the Divine Redeemer, who under the title of Our Lady of Good Remedy comes to the aid of all who call upon thee, extend thy maternal protection to us. We depend on thee, Dear Mother, as helpless and needy children depend on a tender and caring mother.
Prayer card from Holy Cards for Your InspirationMost Holy Virgin, we venerate thee.
Thou art the beloved Daughter of the Most High God,
the chosen Mother of the Incarnate Word,
the Immaculate Spouse of the Holy Spirit,
the Sacred Vessel of the Most Holy Trinity.
O Mother of the Divine Redeemer, who under the title of Our Lady of Good Remedy comes to the aid of all who call upon thee, extend thy maternal protection to us. We depend on thee, Dear Mother, as helpless and needy children depend on a tender and caring mother.
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This is really nice Barbara...thanks for posting it.
ReplyDeleteHi Barbara, I wondered if you could explain how Mary is the "Immaculate spouse of the Holy Spirit?" This seems like blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Has the the Roman Church decided she is somehow God's spouse? Thank you for answering my questions.
ReplyDeleteSusan, Christian mother of 13.
Dear Shoshanna,
ReplyDeleteI can not gauge, from your question, whether you are truly interested in an answer, or interested in a debate. I will tell you up front, I am not up for debate at this time. I will, however, give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you are simply curious and want an honest answer. I will give you my best answer, however it is an uneducated answer, as I am not an educated apologist, nor do I pretend to be one.
Immaculate Spouse of the Holy Spirit is one of many titles which the Church gives to Mary (I am assuming you are not a Catholic, but I apologize if my assumption is wrong). I think that the reason you feel this is a blaspheme against the Holy Spirit is because of the use of the word "spouse" in our language. We say spouse when we mean our husband or our wife -- our partner in married life. The word "spouse" comes from the Latin root, sponsus, meaning "to pledge." The use of the word spouse here is not intended to mean that the Holy Spirit married Mary in a wedding ceremony. The use of the word "spouse" in the Church means a person pledged or joined in an "extraordinary union." Many saints, St. Catherine of Siena and St. Teresa of Avila were described as spouse, or bride, to Christ. Not because they were married to Him, but because they were united to Him, and pledged a vow to Him. They are said to be "espoused" to Him.
In this same way, Mary is espoused to the Holy Spirit. If you are interested in a more complete answer, I think you would benefit from reading this article. I pray you will take this all with an open mind.
I think you did a splendid job explaining that.
ReplyDeleteDear Barbara,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind and honest answer. I see now where the Roman Church's religious language comes into play. I was raised in a Roman Catholic family and attended a Catholic school for twelve years. I became a a saved follower of Christ after simply reading the bible. It was so different from what I was being taught and from the many proclamations of the Catholic Church which was so changeable. I don't know that I am up for debate, either. I just urge you to read a Bible, especially the Gospels, and take it at face value. There are versions of the Bible that the Catholic Church allows its members to read that are not strictly Roman Catholic. Please just read God's Word and He will be faithful, as He was with me to make the truth come to light.
I would be happy to answer any of your questions and continue an easygoing discussion with you, if you would like.
God bless you with His truth,
Shosannah
Shosannah,
ReplyDeleteI read the Bible everyday. We have readings from the the Bible in our Mass, every day. The Catholic Church is not "tricking" us with proclamations. My bible verses are the same as yours. I fear you may believe stories which you have been told which are not truths. I would recommend that you read any book written by Scott Hahn, a former Protestant minister who became Catholic. His conversion story is true and remarkable.This book is worthy, as is this CD (which is free with postage).
Dear Barbara,
ReplyDeleteI have completely read Scott Hahn's book, as well as many others trying to convince Christian's that the Roman Church is the only true church. I have no desire to cause heated discussion or hurt feelings. I honestly have questions. My Catholic mother cannot seem to answer most of my questions, though she is devout. My father is what I would call a "traditional" Catholic.
Having 13 home schooled children, 5 of whom are adopted and young, like most of my biological children means I don't have time for inflammatory discussions and do not wish to cause problems. I also feel uncomfortable going to a priest. This brings up the obvious, what are my motivations for asking questions since I claim to be a Christian who has left the Catholic Church? Since my family is Roman Catholic, especially my precious mother, it is difficult to understand how Catholics can read God's Word and still follow the ever changing proclamations of the Catholic Church. God's Word differs completely from what the Catholic Church teaches in many areas. Because of my dear family, the whole Catholic/Saved Christian controversy will ALWAYS be important to me.
Anyway, I hope you will continue to read your Bible, but to listen to what God says in it apart from Catholic proclamations. You might be surprised at the difference.
If I have offended you, I am truly sorry. Obviously, we both value our faiths as much as our lives. I pray the best for you and we can end this now. God bless you and your family.
Shoshannah
Susan,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that you visited my blog. I hope that by visiting you find the answers to your questions.
+JMJ+
Barbara