Wise Words on Wednesday: The Greatest Glory
“The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”
Nelson Mandela
Tag: Glory
Does God share His glory?
There are some posts to which I regularly refer/hyperlink during apologetic discussions. Many of these kinds of posts are now found in this blog’s sidebar.
I link to such posts because it saves me from repeatedly writing the same explanation, and it also helps limit the highjacking of the discussion thread with side issues. If someone wants to dispute the particular assertion then they have an entire blog post in which to do it where I make my case.
Today’s post is one of those posts which I think I’ll be linking to regularly…
Last week I was dialoguing with a commenter by the name “Sola Fide” and he made the assertion which I’ve heard many times before:
Sharing the glory of Christ with a human is idolatry… You are sharing the glory of Christ with Mary…
– User “Sola Fide”
Although it comes from admirable intentions, statements like this are rather mind-boggling when one considers the Biblical data available. Does the Bible ever speak about God sharing His glory with mere creatures? The short answer is, yes…
Mary, the glory thief? (1)
As I mentioned in my previous post, over the next few days I’m going to be responding to some comments left on my Biblical Mary: The Ark of the New Covenant post by a lady named Monica.
In today’s post I’m going to begin examining some of the assertions she made about the Blessed Virgin.
New Ark of the Covenant Response (Introduction)
Last week a comment appeared on my post Biblical Mary: The Ark of the New Covenant by a lady named Monica. Here’s what she had to say:
People praying the rosary, singing Mary songs, etc is a form a worship no matter how much catholics want to deny it. These things only belong to God. I have seen pictures of Mary sitting next to God in His throne as she was was co-equal with God when she was only a human like any of us. Of course she was blessed by God and deserves to be honored but it does not imply a godly position. God chose her by His grace, grace is God giving us something we dont deserve.
Why do we need Mary as mediator when Jesus Christ already paid the price for our sins so that we could approach God directly? Saying that we need Mary as mediator is like saying that what Christ did in the cross is worthless or meaningless. Read Luke 23:45 which says that the curtain in the temple was broken apart in two, this symbolizing that the use of mediators (like in the old testament where only the priests could enter the most holy of the holy places and approach God to intercede for people) was terminated.
Fear, inadequacy and power
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us… You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others”
– Marianne Williamson
The Glory Of God
“The glory of God is man fully alive” – Saint Irenaeus
Sunday Lectionary: King of kings
Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time: October 16th, 2011
This week’s Readings focus on the distinction between the kings of this world and the LORD. The Gospel asks us the question: what do we owe to our rulers and what do we owe to our God?
In the First Reading we learn that it is the Lord, and not the King of Persia, who is subduing the nations. In the Psalm we are told repeatedly to give the Lord the praise which He is owed. In the Second Reading we hear the response of the Thessalonians to God’s great grace. Finally, in the Gospel we are told in no uncertain terms – give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, but give to God what belongs to God…
