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Kayla
Member
| Joined: | Mon Jul 30th, 2007 |
| Location: | Emmitsburg, Maryland USA |
| Posts: | 369 |
| First Name: | Kayla | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Atheist, kind-of Mormon, Catholic |
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Posted: Tue Aug 14th, 2007 09:39 pm |
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I remember two years ago reading something that said Mary never sinned and I became aghast at the thought! How could that be? So, I called up my best friend to ask her about it. I could hear in the background the voice of her youth minister, giving her hints on how to explain it to me. I eventually just shrugged my shoulders and moved on.
At the beginning of my conversion, everything Marian kind of... weirded me out, in a sense. Which is kind of odd, because Marian theology is usually a bigger problem for Protestants. But, I would accept all of the teachings only because I believed in the Holy Eucharist. I figured if this is the True Church of Christ and if Christ truly dwells here, then I gotta believe.
Yet, even with my... awckwardness, I suppose you could say, I would still feel drawn to our Holy Mother every once in a while. I remember particularly times when I was having troubles with my own mother understanding my desire to convert, I would feel drawn to Mary and would ask for her intercession.
As time has gone on, I have been drawn closer and closer to Our Lady, espeically in the holy Rosary. What once used to be awckward for me is now making perfect sense. Two of my favorite hymns, even, are Marian: Ave Maria and Immaculate Mary.
I don't know- it's kind of cool, our Lady has really been working with me. Just as she knew beforehand that there would be need for more wine and she supplied, so also she seems to know what I need before I do, and implores Jesus to provide.
Just curious, has anyone else found their way to Mary in such a way?
____________________
I believe, Lord, help my unbelief.
Jesus, I trust in You!
There's not a lot of job security for us after death. I suppose that's one advantage of being a philosopher. - Peter Kreeft
http://kayla23mount.blogspot.com/
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brian
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| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Chicago South Burbs, Illinois USA |
| Posts: | 854 |
| First Name: | brian | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | methodist, evangelical, anglican, catholic |
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Posted: Wed Aug 15th, 2007 01:57 am |
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| I think that she is possibly the greatest evangelist that there is. I was so reluctant in accepting certain teachings about her, yet she patiently drew me to herself in order to draw me more close to her Son. I remember how scary it was to consider some of these things, and how the more I asked God and eventually Mary for help, the more I saw that this devotion to her was going to become a very important element on my path to the church. I still struggle a little with a few concepts, but I can not deny that I believe I have experienced her gentle encouragment and intercession more than a few times, which also made it easier to become Catholic because no matter how much I intellectually understood (which was important) I could not imagine going anywhere else the more I saw and experienced that Mary's role was not to compete with Jesus for worship, but to draw us closer to Him and see us through on the path toward Him. She also seems to have helped with friends and family that I have. As Catholics we must never worship her, yet I do think that there is a very special affection that we have for her that is just special to be a part of.
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Grace2U
Member
| Joined: | Thu Jul 26th, 2007 |
| Location: | Oslo, Norway |
| Posts: | 21 |
| First Name: | Inga | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Calvinist, briefly ICOC (the Boston movement), Pentecostal, Catholic |
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Posted: Thu Aug 16th, 2007 05:35 pm |
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I was very cautious with regard to any kind of devotion to Mary, judging it to be, at its best, unnecessary. But she slowly won my heart as well (even though I had some kind of devotion to her as a child and in my early teens).
There were many answers to prayers where I asked for her intercession, and it felt that somehow it was not just about the prayers being answered, but it was about Mary wanting me to get to know her better. Of course, my Protestant friends would not understand, but this is beside the point, thankfully:-)
What I found encouraging for me personally was the understanding that Mary is an example of how much trust God puts into man, of how much love He has for us, and how much He is willing to tranform us. For if the presence of the incarnate Word in her transformed her - then indeed in her we celebrate the Word living in us, just as He promised...
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