[Tarnum]

Speaking of movies...this film about the life of Our Lady is due to come out this December, i was a bit worried about it not capturing the 'spirit' of beauty as films such as The Passion and the Song of Bernadette have, but looking at their website the music is so beautiful and the images are very picturesque

www.thenativitystory.com/

[Guest]

I was readin about that one, Tar...it would be a movie to enjoy as we get to see the intertwining lives of Joseph and Mary. Pips

[Luka]

Nice! Can't wait for it to come out in december. But one thing came across my mind... visionaries from medjugorje, and exspecially Vicka, because they are waiting for Our Ladys approval and they will releas her biography. Bible is poor resource for Mary's life.

[Tarnum]

yeh the Koran has more about Our Lady than the Bible. There are the 4 gospels of Our Ladys life and i never understood why they werent accepted for the Bible, they really would lessen the protestant confusion of Our Mothers role on the church.

[Pippy]

I don't know anything about that...but all is under God's watchful Eyes! He knows what He is doing! He tests us...sees how well we get along with one another! Pips

[starbright]

I agree that there isn't much in the Bible about Mary. I always wondered where the assumption and the coronation of Our Lady in Heaven came from. I'm reading the Bible from beginning to end, I have been for a few years now. I've got to Job in the OT and I've only read Matthew's gospel in the NT. What I'm saying is that maybe these things are in there but I just haven't got to them yet!

[cjmg]

Star:

I looked up in the back of my bible for anythign relating to Assumption or Coronation and guess what? It's not in there!

That truly disappointed me and got me to thinking. I am Catholic, yes, and don't see myself ever leaving the Church, but it started to bother me that this church doctrine was never even in the bible.

I remember doing a Google search on Coronation of Mary and Assumption of Mary. Do that and you'll see several references...I believe most said it was an idea that evolved in later centuries... i can't remember it much so I'll have to do that again.

I'm not s aying I don't believe in the Assumption or Coronation (the Coronation I find completely believable...Mary IS the Queen of Heaven!) but there have been differing views on what happened to Mary after the Crucifiction.

I believe one story is that Mary and John went to Ephesus, I think, and stayed there. One time I even found a web site of an ancient house believed to be where Mary lived her final days! It even has a live web cam! I'll definitely have to look that up again, but not tonight!

Some said Mary was assumed body and soul before her earthly death, and some believe Mary died and then her body was missing from the grave the next day.

So those are my sketchy details...............!
Carla

[Luka]

Pope Pius XII wrote "DEFINING THE DOGMA OF THE ASSUMPTION" on November 1, 1950. Follow this link and read the entire dogma. It's big, but if you're interested...

And if you want a quick explanation follow this link...

Our Lord and Our Lady also mentioned it as a true fact in some of the private revelations of our time.

Here's something from sr.Lucias book:

Preserved from original sin from the first moment of her conception by a singular privilege of God, Mary was exempt also, by His grace, from the punishment, which condemned the human race to the corruption of the grave. “You are dust, and to dust you shall return” (Gn 3, 19). This was the sentence imposed by God in consequence of, and as a punishment for, the sin of Adam and Eve. Mary did not inherit this sin and so she did not incur its punishment.

[starbright]

I hate, absolutely hate, to go against the Church in my beliefs, but at the moment I find these two ideas quite difficult to understand. I don't understand why Mary should be crowned as there is only God who is divine, and I do find it difficult to believe that Mary was exempt from original sin and that she was so special compared to the rest of us that she was assumed into Heaven.

I am not arguing against these teachings, just expressing my personal doubts that I have at the moment. I've come back to the Church from a long way away and the whole process has taken now a few years and all of it came back in bits, slowly. These doctrines are simply the remaining few doubts in my mind.

[Aud]

Our Lady's Coronation & Assumption follow the Church's traditions. A lot of the Catholic Church's history came via tradition. The Bible didn't come until a few centuries later. Below is a response from EWTN on a question I had that was similar. It may shed some light on everything.

Aud


Dear Audrey, You seem to have fallen into the Protestant diaogic trap that all truth is found in the Bible. We Catholics have never, never held that. How could we since the Church is roughly 300 years older than the Bible which the Catholic Church put together. Why not let our dear separated brothers and sisters continue with their differences even among themselves? Recall that there are at least 29,000 different groups of Protestants, all with the seeming gift of biblical interpretation directly from the Holy Spirit. The bible itself refers to tradition, to the unwritten truths taught by the Spirit. So there is one bible but endless discussion of its meaning. Audrey, we hold that all revealed truth is found in Scripture and Tradition. So many of the points in your post come out of ancient Tradition, a thousand years before the first Protestant existed. For your own satisfaction, why not get a new copy of the condensed Catechsim of the Catholic Church and read a few pages daily? God bless you. Fr. Bob Levis

[starbright]

I didn't know that, Aud, and its very interesting. So it is from the tradition of the Church that the doctrine of the assumption and the coronation come? It is sounding more plausible now.

By the way, in my post above I said "and I do find it difficult to believe that Mary was exempt from original sin and that she was so special compared to the rest of us that she was assumed into Heaven. "

When I read that back it comes across so wrong. I didn't mean it like that. Mary is SOOO special, of course she is, I just meant that she is a human being and these two doctrines make it seem like she is divine. That's all I meant.[/quote]

[Pippy]

To put up with us( as in mankind and our ways)she would almost have to be divine!!!! I know she is not divinity...but she is divinely beautiful! Pippy

[starbright]

I came back to the church in 2002 and it took until Feb 2006 to become interested in Our Lady and her appearances at Medj. That's because it is taking me time to understand the church's teachings on things and the role of Mary is one of the last to 'come back' to me.

Since I've been on this forum I've really seen the error of my beliefs. She is so special and so loving, so she must be a special person in the eyes of God. This would argue FOR Mary's freedom from original sin and her grace, and FOR the doctrine of the assumption and coronation.

I may have my doubts but they are being assailed from all sides all the time, and this forum is certainly helping

[Guest]

Hi everyone.

Luka: thanks so much for those links. They were very informative and helpful. I tend to believe Mary did die in the body but was resurrected to Heaven as Jesus was. I can't describe why I accept this more than the Assumption of the living body...I can't make myself feel/believe differently than I do about this. But I don't believe it is a matter about which I (or you) should worry. I'd like to have the actual facts about this dogma but, alas, they are not available!

I have a feeling that just comes to my heart that Mary IS the queen of Heaven and has a special place...not God, not a mere spirit or angel...but the Queen of Heaven (and earth!)

Just my thoughts..................