One of my favorite prayers
I should be writing about original sin … and I’ve started a number of times … but it just isn’t flowing the right way at the moment … so I’m putting it on hold … I think I may be trying to force it, and I don’t want to do that.
So, for tonight’s edutainment, I want to share one of my favorite penitential prayers, the Confiteor:
I confess to almighty God,
and to you, my brothers and sisters,
that I have sinned through my own fault,
in my thoughts and in my words,
in what I have done and what I have failed to do;
and I ask blessed Mary, ever virgin,
all the angels and saints,
and you, my brothers and sisters,
to pray for me to the Lord our God.
Amen.
… I love saying this in Mass … talk about participating in the full communion of saints …
I haven’t participated much when you explain Catholicism. You actually ask Mary to pray for you, and think of her as a virgin though she had children other than Jesus?
Confused,
Roger
PS: ABSCHICKEN!
Yup. We ask Mary and all the saints to pray for us, but Mary is especially important and a powerful intercessor as she is the Mother of our Savior and by extention our salvation.
By the second century, the Book/Protoevangelium of James had begun circulating. It’s not considered canonical because – if I understand things right – it cannot accurately be considered James’ work but rather appears to be a work of more than 1 author … in other words, it looks like people added to the story here and there. the thing of it is though is that the whole thing exists to talk about Mary’s perpetual virginity.
By the third century, Origen writes defending this view. In the fourth century, Jerome and Athanasius are defending this view. In the fifth century, it was Augustine, Popes, and others. So, there seems to be in Christianity a teaching that is passed on foremost in verbal instruction but also is mentioned in letters in order to maintain orthodoxy.
(I don’t think I could ever make myself do away with the abschicken button)
So all her children were of virgin origin?
She only ever had one child: Jesus
There’s a number of threads that explain why Catholics (and Christians up until the past few hundred years) believed Mary never “knew” Joseph and why the Greek word for “brother” is in Scripture. Instead of trying to explain it all here, I’ll point you to this: Brethren of the Lord
Let me know what you think!