One of the Anglican theologian N.T. Wright’s arguments against the Assumption of Mary is that “the Orthodox say Mary died, and that her body is resting and will eventually be rejoined with her soul; the Romans say she didn’t die, and that both her body and soul are already in heaven.” Is any of that true?
Tag: Mary
Why the Seemingly Anti-Marian Passages in the Bible?
There are a couple of passages which, every time they come up in the Readings at Mass, admittedly make me cringe a little. The first is from Luke 8:19-21 (we just heard the parallel version from Matt. 12:46-50 at Mass on Tuesday): Then his mother and his brethren came to him, but they could not… Continue reading Why the Seemingly Anti-Marian Passages in the Bible?
What are the “7 Sorrows of Mary”?
Today is the Feast Day of Our Lady of Sorrows, one of the strangest titles for the Virgin Mary. Why do we call her that? Because of her “Seven Sorrows.” And what are those? Seven moments in which she was invited to share in her Son’s suffering. Even Protestants who don’t normally have any sort of devotion to Mary should be able to appreciate the Scriptural foundation of this devotion. The Seven Sorrows are…
Why is Christ the “Last Adam”?
St. Paul refers to Jesus as “the last Adam” (1 Cor. 15:45). What are the two ways in which we can we speak of Jesus as the new (or last) Adam? And who is His Eve?
Is it Blasphemy to Speak Against the Saints or the Church?
The Catholic Church claims that it is blasphemous to use the name of the Virgin Mary or the Saints in vain, and Protestants are understandably uneasy about this. So is the Catholic Church right? Or is this claim itself blasphemy?
Did the Virgin Mary Die?
In Jerusalem, there’s a Tomb in which Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox, and many Muslims believe that the Virgin Mary was buried before her Assumption into Heaven. But don’t Catholics believe that Mary never died?
The Immaculate Conception: A Gift for You
One of the tragedies of the Protestant Reformation is that it resulted in a lot of Protestants squeamish about talking about the Virgin Mary, and a lot of Catholics squeamish about talking about grace and predestination (in both cases, out of a fear of the other side’s perceived excesses). In reality, if you want to know what God’s predestination looks like, look to the Virgin Mary. And you can’t understand Mary without understanding predestination.
In Defense of Exaggerated Marian Devotion
Protestants aren’t the only ones who find Catholic devotion to Mary a bit over-the-top sometimes. A lot of Catholics find other Catholics, including great Saints like Alphonsus Liguori and Louis de Montfort, to be a little “much” when talking about the Virgin Mary. I get it. Take the Salve Regina, for example: it calls Mary “Our Life, Our Sweetness, and Our Hope.” How is that kind of effusive flattery theologically defensible? After all, Our Life and our Hope is Jesus Christ.
The Virgin Mary’s Unique Role in the Salvation of the World
Whether you’re Catholic or Orthodox or Protestant, you owe a great debt of gratitude to the Virgin Mary, because there’s a special way in which you owe your salvation to her. This claim often sounds heretical, particularly to Protestant ears, so here’s the basic reason Catholics say this…
Five Reasons to Believe in the Assumption of Mary
Today is the Feast of the Assumption, in which we Catholics celebrate that the Virgin Mary, at the conclusion of her earthly life, was taken up into Heaven, body and soul. For Protestants and even many Catholics, it’s a hard doctrine to swallow. Here are five reasons that I believe in it (besides the fact that the Church infallibly teaches it).