Post by Daniel on Jan 9, 2019 10:44:08 GMT -5
‘Pope Francis’ Asserts During New Year’s ‘Mary, Mother of God’ Mass: She Is ‘Our Life, Our Sweetness and Our Hope’
By Heather Clark on January 1, 2019
ROME — Jorge Bergoglio, also known as “Pope Francis,” led Roman Catholics on Tuesday in the observance of the feast day called “The Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God,” during which he expressed the hope that Mary would “protect” the people for the new year, and claimed that in times of trouble, men should not only “lift [their] eyes to our lady” but to also let Mary gaze upon them, for she is “our life, our sweetness and our hope.” His words have since been refuted by a former Roman Catholic as being unbiblical.
“May Mary, Mother of God, protect and accompany us during this new year and bring the peace of her Son into our hearts and the world,” Bergoglio tweeted this morning, generating over 62K likes as of press time.
Bergoglio delivered further remarks during mass at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, where he provided a message for the feast day, which is observed every Jan. 1 as the octave of Christmas on the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar.
“Especially in times of need, when we are entangled in life’s knots, we rightly lift our eyes to our lady,” he stated, according to the Catholic News Agency and a video posted to YouTube by Vatican News. “Yet first, we should let ourselves be gazed upon by our lady.”
“The eyes of our lady know how to bring light to every dark corner; everywhere they rekindle hope,” Bergoglio continued. “As she gazes upon us, she says, ‘Take heart, dear children; here I am, your mother!’”
He stated that the maternal gaze of Mary helps men to “grow in faith,” and keeps them “rooted in the Church, where unity counts more than diversity.”
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IS IT BIBLICAL?
“May Mary, Mother of God, protect and accompany us during this new year and bring the peace of her Son into our hearts and the world,” Bergoglio tweeted this morning, generating over 62K likes as of press time.
Bergoglio delivered further remarks during mass at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, where he provided a message for the feast day, which is observed every Jan. 1 as the octave of Christmas on the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar.
“Especially in times of need, when we are entangled in life’s knots, we rightly lift our eyes to our lady,” he stated, according to the Catholic News Agency and a video posted to YouTube by Vatican News. “Yet first, we should let ourselves be gazed upon by our lady.”
“The eyes of our lady know how to bring light to every dark corner; everywhere they rekindle hope,” Bergoglio continued. “As she gazes upon us, she says, ‘Take heart, dear children; here I am, your mother!’”
He stated that the maternal gaze of Mary helps men to “grow in faith,” and keeps them “rooted in the Church, where unity counts more than diversity.”
...
IS IT BIBLICAL?
Mike Gendron of Proclaiming the Gospel Ministries in Southlake, Texas told Christian News Network that Bergoglio’s remarks, including at today’s mass, wrongly instructed Roman Catholics to place their gaze upon Mary as their hope, when it should rather be upon Christ alone.
“Instead of encouraging Catholics to be amazed at Mary, the pope should encourage them to be utterly amazed at our holy, omnipresent, omnipotent, omniscient, eternal, and merciful God who sovereignly controls everything that takes place in the universe that He created,” he stated.
Gendron outlined that while Bergoglio said that “when we are entangled in life’s knots, we rightly lift our eyes to our lady,” the Scriptures rather instruct in Hebrews 12 that men are to “fix[] [their] eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
He said that contrary to Bergoglio’s assertions surrounding Mary’s continual gaze upon mankind—and his desire for Mary to bless and protect the new year—Mary is incapable of doing so as the deceased can do nothing.
“Mary cannot bless or gaze upon men and women. This is a distortion of the true Mary of the Bible,” Gendron remarked. “She died like the rest of humanity. She sleeps in death, awaiting the resurrection at Christ’s return (1 Cor. 15:51-52; 1 Thess. 4:16).”
Further, while Bergoglio declared that Mary is “the queen of peace who triumphs over evil,” Gendron explained that the Scriptures teach that it is rather “God [who] gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 15:57) and “victory belongs to the Lord” (Prov. 21:31).
“Jesus is our prince of peace (Isaiah 9:6),” he noted.
The former Roman Catholic of over 30 years encouraged those who wish to honor Mary to study the words of Christ, highlighting that when “someone said to Him, ‘Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside seeking to speak to You,’ Jesus answered and said, ‘Behold, My mother and My brothers … are those who do the will of My Father who is in Heaven’ (Matt. 12:47-49).”
“Instead of encouraging Catholics to be amazed at Mary, the pope should encourage them to be utterly amazed at our holy, omnipresent, omnipotent, omniscient, eternal, and merciful God who sovereignly controls everything that takes place in the universe that He created,” he stated.
Gendron outlined that while Bergoglio said that “when we are entangled in life’s knots, we rightly lift our eyes to our lady,” the Scriptures rather instruct in Hebrews 12 that men are to “fix[] [their] eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
He said that contrary to Bergoglio’s assertions surrounding Mary’s continual gaze upon mankind—and his desire for Mary to bless and protect the new year—Mary is incapable of doing so as the deceased can do nothing.
“Mary cannot bless or gaze upon men and women. This is a distortion of the true Mary of the Bible,” Gendron remarked. “She died like the rest of humanity. She sleeps in death, awaiting the resurrection at Christ’s return (1 Cor. 15:51-52; 1 Thess. 4:16).”
Further, while Bergoglio declared that Mary is “the queen of peace who triumphs over evil,” Gendron explained that the Scriptures teach that it is rather “God [who] gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 15:57) and “victory belongs to the Lord” (Prov. 21:31).
“Jesus is our prince of peace (Isaiah 9:6),” he noted.
The former Roman Catholic of over 30 years encouraged those who wish to honor Mary to study the words of Christ, highlighting that when “someone said to Him, ‘Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside seeking to speak to You,’ Jesus answered and said, ‘Behold, My mother and My brothers … are those who do the will of My Father who is in Heaven’ (Matt. 12:47-49).”
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