Mary was ONLY used as a vessel to bring into this World a body that the Son of God could use to walk on this World and nothing more!
Oh....I see, so then you think that the the ark of the covenant was JUST a box aswell? Unlike you and many others on this site, we Catholics can see that she is special. Like in Rev. 11-12 that names her as the Ark of the new Covenant!
You know KA, there will come a time when you are going to stand before Christ, and explain to Him why you disrespected His mother. How are you planning on doing that? If any of my friends come up to me and said my mother was nothing but a mere vessel, and she was nothing....there would be hell to pay. So, what makes you think Jesus will feel any differnt? There just may be literally "hell" to pay. Are you willing to take that chance?
Its interesting that Catholics do equate Mary as being equal to God in their Doctrine of Mary being a Co-redemptrix with Jesus Christ. The word "Co-" in the dictionary means being equal. Therefore you Catholics do teach that Mary is equal to God!
First off KA, Mary as co-redemptrix is a doctrine not a dogma. Secindly, the Catholic Church does not (never has/never will)that Mary as Co-redemptrix is equal to Christ. “Co” is from the Latin “cum,“
meaning“with”. “Trix” is a feminine suffix, so the word means “the woman with the redeemer”---the woman with the one doing the act of redemption. Looks like I am remaining Catholic.
Mary is in the grave and cannot hear nor answer any of your prayers to her.
So...where do you think this grave of her's may be? The reason I ask, is because from the first, Christians gave homage to saints, including many about whom we now know little or nothing. Cities vied for the title of the last resting place of the most famous saints. Rome, for example, houses the tombs of Peter and Paul, Peter’s tomb being under the high altar of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. In the early Christian centuries relics of saints were zealously guarded and highly prized. The bones of those martyred in the Coliseum, for instance, were quickly gathered up and preserved—there are many accounts of this in the biographies of those who gave their lives for the faith.
It is agreed upon that Mary ended her life in Jerusalem, or perhaps in Ephesus. However, neither those cities nor any other claimed her remains, though there are claims about possessing her (temporary) tomb. And why did no city claim the bones of Mary? Apparently because there weren’t any bones to claim, and people knew it. Here was Mary, certainly the most privileged of all the saints, certainly the most saintly, but we have no record of her bodily remains being venerated anywhere? How do you explain that?
As far as you saying the saints can't hear our prayers...There are a number of Scripture passages which directly or indirectly disagree with you, like: Hebrews 11:1-12:1 finishes "Seeing we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [in other words, the heroes and martyrs of the faith from ages past], let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us." Thus, the heroes and martyrs are a good example for us, and surround us like spectators at a running race — therefore, obviously, they know about us and can see our struggles from heaven.
James 5:16-18: 'The prayer of the good man has powerful effect." In other words, the most powerful intercessors in the Church are those most advanced in holiness. And who is more advanced in holiness than a soul who is already fully sanctified and in heaven?
Revelation 5:8; 8:3-4: "In heaven the elders and angels offer up the prayers of the saints [on earth] as incense before the throne of God." In this passage it is important to note that the New Testament uses the word "saint" of every baptized Christian, not because we are all perfectly holy, but because we have all at least received the gift of the Holy Spirit. So this passage implies that the angels and elders (holy Christian leaders now in heaven) hear the prayers of every Christian on earth, and join their prayer now with ours. In short KA, put these passages together, and they certainly imply that the saints in heaven know of our struggles on earth and of our prayers, and join their powerful intercessory prayers with ours.
Your lying lips may say you do not Worship Mary as your God, but your teachings and actions do prove you do Worship Mary.
If you believe this to be true, why don't you accept my challenge and bring me into your church?
I think your personal interpretation of these passages to be off base KA. What do you think is the purposeof God's law or commandments KA? The Pharisees prided themselves in the knowledge of the law and their ritual requirements. They made it a life-time practice to study the 616 precepts of the Old Testament along with the numerous rabbinic commentaries. They tested Jesus to see if he correctly understood the law as they did. Jesus startled them with his profound simplicity and mastery of the law of God and its purpose.
Which brings up another question What do you think God require of us? We catholics believe simply that we love as he loves! God is love and everything he does flows from his love for us. God loved us first and our love for him is a response to his exceeding grace and kindness towards us. The love of God comes first and the love of neighbor is firmly grounded in the love of God. The more we know of God's love and truth the more we love what he loves and reject what is hateful and contrary to his will.
Lastly KA, what do you think makes our love for God and his commands grow in us? O believe faith in God and hope in his promises strengthens us in the love of God. They are essential for a good relationship with God, for being united with him. The more we know of God the more we love him and the more we love him the greater we believe and hope in his promises. The Lord, through the gift of the Holy Spirit, gives us a new freedom to love as he loves. Do you allow anything to keep you from the love of God and the joy of serving others with a generous heart? Paul the Apostle says:
hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us (Romans 5:5).
Pax Christi
"From henceforth, all generation shall call me Blessed." ---Luke 1:48