Was Mary the Mother of God?
Question:
Instead of saying that Jesus “was born of the Virgin Mary”, the New Roman Missal has us saying he “was incarnate of the Virgin Mary.” Why?
Answer:
To say, “Jesus was born of Mary” sounds like she gave birth to God. The original creed in Latin emphasized her participation in providing flesh (a human body) for Jesus, i.e., the “incarnation” of Jesus. BUT — Among the most controversial and misunderstood arguments over the years goes back to a very early Council of the Church, in which Mary is defined as the “theotokos” or Mother of God. Irenaeus wrote: “The Virgin Mary, being obedient to his word, received from an angel the glad tidings that she would bear God” ( Against Heresies , 5:19:1 [A.D. 189]).
The incarnation means that Jesus was born of Mary, doesn’t it? No. And this is a good example of why many people are having a hard time accepting changes in the Missal. They want to know: Why is it even necessary to change the words? We all need to become more aware of words, paying attention to semantics and the true meaning of words, rather than remain on automatic pilot, so to speak, making assumptions about meanings based on how one has used the words in the past. That’s one of the main reasons why Church authorities decided to change the Missal. An example would be how we so readily say “I love pizza” when in fact what is meant is “I enjoy eating pizza”; one cannot “love” an inanimate object, because love is an act of doing good for and caring about someone.
To “bear” God and to “give birth” to God have two different meanings or intentions. We all bear God within us, since our baptisms. To “bear” means to “carry”. For example, “I am bearing a heavy load.” To “give birth” to God means that God did not exist until conceived in and produced from Mary’s womb.
Mary is the “Mother of God” only by the fact that she carried or “bore” Jesus the Son in her womb and mothered him throughout his childhood years. She did not carry God the Father or God the Holy Spirit in her womb, although her womb did hold Christ’s unity with the Father and the Spirit. And she certainly did not precede God, not even God the Son Jesus.
Semantically-speaking, for Jesus to be “born” of the Virgin Mary means he did not exist until conceived in her womb.
Because we’ve not been careful with our semantics, we the Church have caused some confusion about our beliefs. It has led Protestants to think that Catholics believe that Mary preceded God. And even within our own Church, it’s hard for those who have not been well formed in the Faith to think of Jesus as existing before he was conceived in Mary’s womb. Did you know that the Old Testament has stories of the pre-incarnated Jesus?
Quote
Those who die in Christ are alive in Christ, and by virtue of their union with Christ, they can hear our prayers when we pray to them. They remember us, and they can pray for us.”-James L. Papandrea, What Really Happens After We Die
Why is there an ugly Christmas sweater day
Why Is There an Ugly Christmas Sweater Day?
December 20, 2018 | John Horvat II
Why Is There an Ugly Christmas Sweater Day? So much that passes for culture is just entertainment. What people consider “culture” is an excuse to have fun. Everything must be full of novelty and excitement. It must be Facebookable and Instagram-friendly. While these fun activities may be popular, they do not constitute culture. They have no depth. For many, even Christmas need not be meaningful anymore. There are those who think it is an occasion for fun. So much of the commercialization of the Christmas season implicitly has this underlying theme of turning the feast into a big party. As a result, Christmas is no longer what it once was. Sometimes extreme examples show just how far things have gone. They can illustrate the tragedy of turning Christmas into fun. One such example is called the National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day. Like all things ridiculous, this practice indicates something is wrong with society. It is a symptom of something much more troubling. Making Holidays Fun According to the holiday website, the idea behind the day is to recapture “the magic and mystique of Christmas” that may have “faded with maturity and age.” Participants are asked to buy and wear the ugliest possible sweaters for the entire day on the third Friday of December as part of their Christmas celebration.
Eternal and Natural Law: The Foundation of Morals and Law
The merrymakers wear their sweaters to the office, school, or shopping—everywhere. The more outlandish the sweater, the better it is. Revelers are told to throw off formality and embrace the absurd. The ordeal should spark enough funny reactions that can later be shared on social media and garner likes and comments aplenty. Participants are encouraged to “share this special day with friends and help us spread the word.” They can thus join the “hundreds of thousands of people” who take part in the fun. By celebrating National Ugly Christmas Sweater day, the person can find a way “to make the holidays fun … the way they were intended to be!” Bad Options But is it all fun and games? There is another more disturbing aspect about National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day. The holiday promoters are quick to indicate a list of preferred vendors where people can buy ugly Christmas sweaters for men or women. Options include “cute, naughty and funny” designs. Indeed, a look at some selections reveals more than just garish winter scenes. These sweaters can be crude with primitive depictions of a sexual nature that border on the obscene. These sweaters can also be irreverent depicting Our Lord and the manger scene in ways that touch on the sacrilegious.10 Razones Por las Cuales el “Matrimonio” Homosexual es Dañino y tiene que Ser Desaprobado
This “fun” celebration exists in a climate of absurdity in which all is allowed, and nothing is sacred. It is not surprising that the sacred would not be spared from abuse. What is disturbing is that offensive messages that sully the innocent nature of the feast would still be considered fun. Just Entertainment For many people, however, National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day, even with its offensive messages, is only harmless fun. They think fun things have no consequences. Thus, while the practice may be tasteless and crass, they claim it should be tolerated. No one should criticize it. They see it as a right, which, for them, is absolute and supreme. Nothing should restraint it, ever, not even the divine. When life is considered one big party, the person who talks about danger is a killjoy. However, these things do present a danger because the purpose of life—for everyone—is not fun but sanctification. When so many things become judged by their ability to produce fun, they start losing their meaning. They become empty and shallow.Learn All About the Prophecies of Our Lady of Good Success About Our Times
This is happening now. People are losing their ability to take things seriously and talk about what Russell Kirk called those transcendent “permanent things” that matter. All society suffers and falls apart as a result. “We have entertainment that tries to exalt itself into culture,” says Rice University’s Prof. Ewa Thompson, “but [it is]hardly any culture, because culture without the transcendent core becomes entertainment.” An Anti-Christmas Like it or not, holiday practices like these represent an anti-Christmas in an anti-culture. They detach the august feast of Christ’s birth from the transcendental core of truth, goodness, and beauty that is infused into the Christmas season. Instead, the Ugly Christmas Sweater Day replaces the core with its opposite in the form of all that is avowedly ugly, crude, and false. Christmas invites children to use their innocence to ascend toward an accessible Christ Child who is God-made-man. An anti-Christmas invites adults to engage in childish behavior to descent into hilarity, vulgarity, and obscenity. Christmas should turn people toward God; an anti-Christmas turns them toward themselves. This is why anti-Christmas celebrations are so sterile and empty. They are reduced to sparkle trees, inane songs and raucous winter parties. It is a feel-good time of the year that may look good on Facebook but feels increasingly joyless. It becomes a period when few are merry, and some dare not pronounce the word “Christ” in Christmas, lest it remind them of the serious matter of the Redemption.Science Confirms: Angels Took the House of Our Lady of Nazareth to Loreto
For many, it is better not to think of these things and rather let the holidays become an occasion of fun “the way they were intended to be!” Christmas was never intended to be fun. It is supposed to be meaningful and joyful for a reason that cannot be ignored. “For unto us a child is born, and a son is given, and the government is upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, God the Mighty, the Father of the world to come, the Prince of Peace” (Is. 9:6). That is why the feast must be surrounded by a real and marvelous culture that celebrates all that is wonderful, honorable, and glorious. Christmas was made for all good Christians to come and adore the Savior of the world.Why is there an ugly Christmas sweater day
Why Is There an Ugly Christmas Sweater Day?
Why Is There an Ugly Christmas Sweater Day? So much that passes for culture is just entertainment. What people consider “culture” is an excuse to have fun. Everything must be full of novelty and excitement. It must be Facebookable and Instagram-friendly. While these fun activities may be popular, they do not constitute culture. They have no depth. For many, even Christmas need not be meaningful anymore. There are those who think it is an occasion for fun. So much of the commercialization of the Christmas season implicitly has this underlying theme of turning the feast into a big party. As a result, Christmas is no longer what it once was. Sometimes extreme examples show just how far things have gone. They can illustrate the tragedy of turning Christmas into fun. One such example is called the National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day. Like all things ridiculous, this practice indicates something is wrong with society. It is a symptom of something much more troubling. Making Holidays Fun According to the holiday website, the idea behind the day is to recapture “the magic and mystique of Christmas” that may have “faded with maturity and age.” Participants are asked to buy and wear the ugliest possible sweaters for the entire day on the third Friday of December as part of their Christmas celebration.
Eternal and Natural Law: The Foundation of Morals and Law
The merrymakers wear their sweaters to the office, school, or shopping—everywhere. The more outlandish the sweater, the better it is. Revelers are told to throw off formality and embrace the absurd. The ordeal should spark enough funny reactions that can later be shared on social media and garner likes and comments aplenty. Participants are encouraged to “share this special day with friends and help us spread the word.” They can thus join the “hundreds of thousands of people” who take part in the fun. By celebrating National Ugly Christmas Sweater day, the person can find a way “to make the holidays fun … the way they were intended to be!” Bad Options But is it all fun and games? There is another more disturbing aspect about National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day. The holiday promoters are quick to indicate a list of preferred vendors where people can buy ugly Christmas sweaters for men or women. Options include “cute, naughty and funny” designs. Indeed, a look at some selections reveals more than just garish winter scenes. These sweaters can be crude with primitive depictions of a sexual nature that border on the obscene. These sweaters can also be irreverent depicting Our Lord and the manger scene in ways that touch on the sacrilegious.10 Razones Por las Cuales el “Matrimonio” Homosexual es Dañino y tiene que Ser Desaprobado
This “fun” celebration exists in a climate of absurdity in which all is allowed, and nothing is sacred. It is not surprising that the sacred would not be spared from abuse. What is disturbing is that offensive messages that sully the innocent nature of the feast would still be considered fun. Just Entertainment For many people, however, National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day, even with its offensive messages, is only harmless fun. They think fun things have no consequences. Thus, while the practice may be tasteless and crass, they claim it should be tolerated. No one should criticize it. They see it as a right, which, for them, is absolute and supreme. Nothing should restraint it, ever, not even the divine. When life is considered one big party, the person who talks about danger is a killjoy. However, these things do present a danger because the purpose of life—for everyone—is not fun but sanctification. When so many things become judged by their ability to produce fun, they start losing their meaning. They become empty and shallow.Learn All About the Prophecies of Our Lady of Good Success About Our Times
This is happening now. People are losing their ability to take things seriously and talk about what Russell Kirk called those transcendent “permanent things” that matter. All society suffers and falls apart as a result. “We have entertainment that tries to exalt itself into culture,” says Rice University’s Prof. Ewa Thompson, “but [it is]hardly any culture, because culture without the transcendent core becomes entertainment.” An Anti-Christmas Like it or not, holiday practices like these represent an anti-Christmas in an anti-culture. They detach the august feast of Christ’s birth from the transcendental core of truth, goodness, and beauty that is infused into the Christmas season. Instead, the Ugly Christmas Sweater Day replaces the core with its opposite in the form of all that is avowedly ugly, crude, and false. Christmas invites children to use their innocence to ascend toward an accessible Christ Child who is God-made-man. An anti-Christmas invites adults to engage in childish behavior to descent into hilarity, vulgarity, and obscenity. Christmas should turn people toward God; an anti-Christmas turns them toward themselves. This is why anti-Christmas celebrations are so sterile and empty. They are reduced to sparkle trees, inane songs and raucous winter parties. It is a feel-good time of the year that may look good on Facebook but feels increasingly joyless. It becomes a period when few are merry, and some dare not pronounce the word “Christ” in Christmas, lest it remind them of the serious matter of the Redemption.Science Confirms: Angels Took the House of Our Lady of Nazareth to Loreto
For many, it is better not to think of these things and rather let the holidays become an occasion of fun “the way they were intended to be!” Christmas was never intended to be fun. It is supposed to be meaningful and joyful for a reason that cannot be ignored. “For unto us a child is born, and a son is given, and the government is upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, God the Mighty, the Father of the world to come, the Prince of Peace” (Is. 9:6). That is why the feast must be surrounded by a real and marvelous culture that celebrates all that is wonderful, honorable, and glorious. Christmas was made for all good Christians to come and adore the Savior of the world.Padre Pio and the Christmas graces of the Infant of Prague
Padre Pio and the Christmas Graces of the Infant of Prague
MAURA ROAN MCKEEGAN
ll be honest: Until recently, I’d never felt drawn to the Infant of Prague. Probably because I never took the time to learn more about the devotion, and it didn’t occur to me to try harder to figure it out.
But a few weeks ago, I read something about the Infant of Prague that caught my attention. It was in a book called
Stories of Padre Pio, written by one of Padre Pio’s spiritual children, Madame Katharina Tangari.
In the book, Madame Tangari writes that, in December of 1951, she was invited to San Giovanni Rotondo. Her neighbor, who had a crippled daughter, found out that Madame Tangari was going to see Padre Pio, and immediately asked her to beg his prayers for the complete healing of this child. The little girl, Claretta, had been diagnosed with a congenital dislocation of the thigh bone and almost a total lack of joint on the left thigh bone. Wearing casts from toe to torso, Claretta spent her days sitting on the balcony in her little wheelchair, sadly watching the children running and playing on the street below.
Madame Tangari agreed to deliver the message to Padre Pio. Starting at midnight on Christmas, she attended Padre Pio’s first Mass; then, at 2 a.m., his second Mass; and finally, at 4 a.m., his third Christmas Mass. By 5 a.m., the crowds had dispersed and Madame Tangari had a chance to approach Padre Pio on his way to the sacristy.
When he spoke to her, she was so overcome by his humble gentleness, his wisdom and simplicity, and his smile, that she nearly forgot to make the request; but an expectant look from him reminded her of her purpose.
“Padre Pio, Claretta’s thigh bone!” was all she could manage to say.
“On St. Joseph’s day!” Padre Pio answered, smiling kindly. “On St. Joseph’s day!”
When Claretta’s mother heard this news from Madame Tangari, she was crestfallen. How could they wait nearly three months for their daughter to be healed? St. Joseph’s day seemed an eternity away. Her hopes dwindled.
But on the morning of March 18, Claretta awoke to find that her casts had split apart and fallen off. Her parents rushed her to the doctors for new casts. The next day, March 19, the feast of St. Joseph, test results showed that the thigh bone was healing. The doctors said that Claretta did not need new casts, and that she could begin walking again.
It was the miracle she had begged for—but Claretta’s mother had trouble trusting it. She feared what might happen if she let her little daughter try to walk. She thought Claretta’s legs would be too weak, her muscles too frail. So the mother carried her everywhere. Months passed, and still, burdened by the weight of her fears, the anxious mother carried the little girl everywhere.
The following Advent, Madame Tangari visited Padre Pio again and strongly recommended Claretta’s mother to his prayers.
That’s when Padre Pio brought up the Infant of Prague.
He gave Madame Tangari a beautiful little picture of the Infant Jesus of Prague, and told her that Christmas time was “particularly suitable for asking for graces.” He blessed the picture, and advised her to “entrust everything to the Child Jesus.”
Claretta’s mother joyfully accepted the picture and faithfully heeded his advice. That Christmas, at midnight Mass, when a procession with the Child Jesus went through the church, the mother asked him for help “with all her heart.”
Indeed, that very Christmas morning, Claretta walked happily from her bed to greet her mother. The child spent the day running around the house, never tiring, “happy as a little bird,” to her mother’s great joy.
Hope and Trust in the Infant Jesus
This story hit home for me, especially this Christmas. I’ve been struggling with deep interior pain from a harrowing family situation, and I recognized myself in this mother’s hesitancy to trust in God’s timing.
Again and again, I have cried out to the Lord in anguish. I have begged the prayers of all my favorite saints, of the souls in purgatory (may they rest in peace), of family and friends. Still, my hopes have waned as months have come and gone without the miracle I’ve asked for. I have struggled to keep hoping, when so many times my hopes have been dashed and my heart broken.
Yet I know I must “wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; yea, wait for the Lord!” (Psalm 27:14) And as Christmas approaches, I believe there is a reason that He led me to Madame Tangari’s story about Padre Pio. Since reading this story, I’ve learned more about the statue’s history—how a princess gave the statue to the Carmelites in Prague, how they venerated it for centuries, how saints such as St. Therese and St. Teresa Benedicta venerated it, and how it has been associated with obtaining many favors and graces.
Even more than factual knowledge, I’ve gained a spiritual understanding that those who turn to the Infant Jesus of Prague are in fact turning to Baby Jesus. It seems obvious now, but that connection had long eluded me. The Infant of Prague had always felt unfamiliar, while the child in the manger in our Nativity set was Baby Jesus. It’s clear to me now that they are one in the same. And when we turn to the Infant of Prague, then Jesus, who told us to “turn and become like one of these little children,” (Mt 18:3) will help us to turn and become like Him.
Like Claretta’s mother, I need the graces of greater hope and trust. And I believe God led me to this story so that I would know whom to ask. Since Padre Pio said that Christmas time is particularly suitable for obtaining graces from the Infant of Prague, I intend to beg the Child Jesus for the miracle I’ve been longing for—and also for the graces that will bring me closer to Him as I wait for the answers to the deepest prayers of my heart.
Urgent Novena to the Infant of Prague
For those in urgent need, here is a nine-hour novena to the Infant of Prague. It can be done in one day by praying at the same time every hour for nine consecutive hours. (It can also be done over nine days.)
Jesus, You said, “Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened to you.”
Through the intercession of Mary, Your holy Mother, I knock, I seek. I ask that my prayer be granted.
(Make your request.)
Jesus, You said, “All that you ask of the Father in My name, He will grant you.”
Through the intercession of Mary, Your holy Mother, I humbly and urgently ask Your Father in Your Name that my prayer be granted.
(Make your request.)
Jesus, You said, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My word shall not pass.”
Through the intercession of Mary, Your holy Mother, I feel confident that my prayer will be granted.
(Make your request.)
MAURA ROAN MCKEEGAN
ll be honest: Until recently, I’d never felt drawn to the Infant of Prague. Probably because I never took the time to learn more about the devotion, and it didn’t occur to me to try harder to figure it out.
But a few weeks ago, I read something about the Infant of Prague that caught my attention. It was in a book called
Stories of Padre Pio, written by one of Padre Pio’s spiritual children, Madame Katharina Tangari.
In the book, Madame Tangari writes that, in December of 1951, she was invited to San Giovanni Rotondo. Her neighbor, who had a crippled daughter, found out that Madame Tangari was going to see Padre Pio, and immediately asked her to beg his prayers for the complete healing of this child. The little girl, Claretta, had been diagnosed with a congenital dislocation of the thigh bone and almost a total lack of joint on the left thigh bone. Wearing casts from toe to torso, Claretta spent her days sitting on the balcony in her little wheelchair, sadly watching the children running and playing on the street below.
Madame Tangari agreed to deliver the message to Padre Pio. Starting at midnight on Christmas, she attended Padre Pio’s first Mass; then, at 2 a.m., his second Mass; and finally, at 4 a.m., his third Christmas Mass. By 5 a.m., the crowds had dispersed and Madame Tangari had a chance to approach Padre Pio on his way to the sacristy.
When he spoke to her, she was so overcome by his humble gentleness, his wisdom and simplicity, and his smile, that she nearly forgot to make the request; but an expectant look from him reminded her of her purpose.
“Padre Pio, Claretta’s thigh bone!” was all she could manage to say.
“On St. Joseph’s day!” Padre Pio answered, smiling kindly. “On St. Joseph’s day!”
When Claretta’s mother heard this news from Madame Tangari, she was crestfallen. How could they wait nearly three months for their daughter to be healed? St. Joseph’s day seemed an eternity away. Her hopes dwindled.
But on the morning of March 18, Claretta awoke to find that her casts had split apart and fallen off. Her parents rushed her to the doctors for new casts. The next day, March 19, the feast of St. Joseph, test results showed that the thigh bone was healing. The doctors said that Claretta did not need new casts, and that she could begin walking again.
It was the miracle she had begged for—but Claretta’s mother had trouble trusting it. She feared what might happen if she let her little daughter try to walk. She thought Claretta’s legs would be too weak, her muscles too frail. So the mother carried her everywhere. Months passed, and still, burdened by the weight of her fears, the anxious mother carried the little girl everywhere.
The following Advent, Madame Tangari visited Padre Pio again and strongly recommended Claretta’s mother to his prayers.
That’s when Padre Pio brought up the Infant of Prague.
He gave Madame Tangari a beautiful little picture of the Infant Jesus of Prague, and told her that Christmas time was “particularly suitable for asking for graces.” He blessed the picture, and advised her to “entrust everything to the Child Jesus.”
Claretta’s mother joyfully accepted the picture and faithfully heeded his advice. That Christmas, at midnight Mass, when a procession with the Child Jesus went through the church, the mother asked him for help “with all her heart.”
Indeed, that very Christmas morning, Claretta walked happily from her bed to greet her mother. The child spent the day running around the house, never tiring, “happy as a little bird,” to her mother’s great joy.
Hope and Trust in the Infant Jesus
This story hit home for me, especially this Christmas. I’ve been struggling with deep interior pain from a harrowing family situation, and I recognized myself in this mother’s hesitancy to trust in God’s timing.
Again and again, I have cried out to the Lord in anguish. I have begged the prayers of all my favorite saints, of the souls in purgatory (may they rest in peace), of family and friends. Still, my hopes have waned as months have come and gone without the miracle I’ve asked for. I have struggled to keep hoping, when so many times my hopes have been dashed and my heart broken.
Yet I know I must “wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; yea, wait for the Lord!” (Psalm 27:14) And as Christmas approaches, I believe there is a reason that He led me to Madame Tangari’s story about Padre Pio. Since reading this story, I’ve learned more about the statue’s history—how a princess gave the statue to the Carmelites in Prague, how they venerated it for centuries, how saints such as St. Therese and St. Teresa Benedicta venerated it, and how it has been associated with obtaining many favors and graces.
Even more than factual knowledge, I’ve gained a spiritual understanding that those who turn to the Infant Jesus of Prague are in fact turning to Baby Jesus. It seems obvious now, but that connection had long eluded me. The Infant of Prague had always felt unfamiliar, while the child in the manger in our Nativity set was Baby Jesus. It’s clear to me now that they are one in the same. And when we turn to the Infant of Prague, then Jesus, who told us to “turn and become like one of these little children,” (Mt 18:3) will help us to turn and become like Him.
Like Claretta’s mother, I need the graces of greater hope and trust. And I believe God led me to this story so that I would know whom to ask. Since Padre Pio said that Christmas time is particularly suitable for obtaining graces from the Infant of Prague, I intend to beg the Child Jesus for the miracle I’ve been longing for—and also for the graces that will bring me closer to Him as I wait for the answers to the deepest prayers of my heart.
Urgent Novena to the Infant of Prague
For those in urgent need, here is a nine-hour novena to the Infant of Prague. It can be done in one day by praying at the same time every hour for nine consecutive hours. (It can also be done over nine days.)
Jesus, You said, “Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened to you.”
Through the intercession of Mary, Your holy Mother, I knock, I seek. I ask that my prayer be granted.
(Make your request.)
Jesus, You said, “All that you ask of the Father in My name, He will grant you.”
Through the intercession of Mary, Your holy Mother, I humbly and urgently ask Your Father in Your Name that my prayer be granted.
(Make your request.)
Jesus, You said, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My word shall not pass.”
Through the intercession of Mary, Your holy Mother, I feel confident that my prayer will be granted.
(Make your request.)