What would you have said?

 

Today, in the Catholic Church, is the feast of The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The day when the Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and announced that she will have a child and she will call Him Jesus. Luke 1:26-38

Let us consider for a moment the momentous gravity of this event.  

Imagine the Angel Gabriel had appeared to you ladies with such news. How would you have reacted? Honestly now. Would you have believed it, let alone agreed to God's request?

I know if an Angel appeared to me right now I'd fall off my chair, let alone entertain a discussion with him.

Mary agreed to God's request and as time went by she knew in advance what was to happen to her precious Son. 

Can you imagine yourself knowing what is to happen in your life day by day?

Many people don't understand the Catholics' devotion to Mary, the Mother of God, and often believe that our love for her is wrong and somewhat sacrilegious. They quote bits of the Bible like:  

Christ said ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one goes to the Father except by me.’

Or Paul message in his letter to Timothy when he says, "there is one God, and there is one mediator who brings God and mankind together, Christ Jesus."

I'll admit that many Catholics don't understand their devotion to Mary (or the Saints) either. Over the years many confuse devotion for adoration. To be clear, we should worship God alone and there is only one way to God; and that is through His only Son Jesus Christ.

The devotion to the Saints is a sign of respect and love for their role in the life of Christ; and in establishing His Church here on earth. It is not and should not be an act of worship.   

The way I see it is this: God chose Mary to be the Mother of His only Son. He obviously had, and still has, high regard for her. Do you think He is upset for the love and respect I have for her?

Or for Joseph? Or any of the other Saints?

Infallible Pope?

So ... is the Pope infallible or not? Does he really not make any mistakes? When I was young at school and we were taught about the Pope's infallibility in Catechism class, we assumed that it meant he was good at Maths and he knew all the capitals of the world. He was also good at science, languages and everything; and never made mistakes. Because he is infallible.

The Pope's infallibility is a subject sometimes raised by non-Catholics when discussing our Faith and beliefs.

What we have perhaps not made clear is what we mean by the Pope's infallibility.

In effect it means that he is totally dependable and fail-safe when pronouncing Catholic dogma which we are to accept and believe. This is known as speaking "ex cathedra" - that is, when in the exercise of his office as pastor and teacher of all Christians he defines, by virtue of his supreme Apostolic authority, a doctrine of faith or morals to be held by the whole Church.

In all of our Church's history this speaking ex cathedra has only happened twice.

In the Constitution Ineffabilis Deus of 8 December 1854, Pope Pius IX pronounced and defined that the Blessed Virgin Mary "in the first instance of her conception, by a singular privilege and grace granted by God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the human race, was preserved exempt from all stain of original sin."

That is to say, the Virgin Mary was born without original sin.

This is not in the Bible, but a dogma of the Catholic Church.

About 100 years later, by promulgating the Bull Munificentissimus Deus, on 1 November 1950, Pope Pius XII declared infallibly that the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary was a dogma of the Catholic Faith.

That is to say that she was raised to Heaven both body and soul. Her body did not decay in the ground as would happen if buried.

Again, this is not in the Bible, but Catholic dogma.

At no other time did a Pope speak ex cathedra.