How did the Church Fathers explain the perpetual virginity of Mary?

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Jimmy Akin

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Jimmy Akin was born in Texas and grew up nominally Protestant. At age 20 he experienced a profound conversion to Christ. Planning on becoming a Protestant pastor or seminary professor, Jimmy started an intensive study of the Bible, but the more he immersed himself in Scripture, the more he found it to support the Catholic faith. Eventually, he was compelled in conscience to enter the Catholic Church, which he did in 1992. His conversion story, “A Triumph and a Tragedy,” is published in the book Surprised By Truth.
Akin is a Senior Apologist at Catholic Answers, a member on the Catholic Answers Speakers Bureau, a weekly guest on the global radio program, Catholic Answers LIVE, a contributing editor for Catholic Answers Magazine, and the author of numerous publications, including the books Mass Confusion, The Salvation Controversy, The Fathers Know Best, and Mass Revision.
His personal blog is www.jimmyakin.org.

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Interesting Oration

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Passion of St. Lucy

          Saint Lucy was descended of a noble family of Syracuse, which was then regarded as the principal city of Sicily. She lost her father in her infancy; but Eutychia, her mother, took care to educate her properly, and to instruct her well in the doctrines of our holy faith. When our saint arrived at a proper age, her mother began to think of giving her in marriage, but Lucy, who had consecrated her virginity to Jesus Christ, awaited only a favorable opportunity to reveal her resolution to her mother.

The opportunity soon presented itself. Eutychia was afflicted for many years with a flux of blood, without being able to find any effectual remedy. Saint Lucy therefore, persuaded her to repair to the tomb of Saint Agatha, martyred a half century before in Catania, where the Lord was pleased to work many miracles, and there to implore her cure. When they arrived at Catania, they prostrated themselves in prayer before the sepulcher of Saint Agatha, where Lucy, perhaps from fatigue of the journey, was overpowered with sleep.

The blessed martyr appeared to her, and as we read in the Roman Breviary, said: “Lucy! Why dost thou demand through my intercession that which, by thy faith, thou canst thyself obtain for thy mother?”

She then assured Lucy that God would work the desired cure, and that, for having preserved her virginity inviolate, God would reward her in Syracuse with the same glory she herself had received in Catania.

Saint Lucy, animated by this vision, was the more confirmed in her resolution of remaining always consecrated to Jesus Christ, and told her mother to speak to her no more of marriage, but to distribute her fortune among the poor. Eutychia answered, that at her death she would bequeath all to her, and that she might do with it as she pleased; but Saint Lucy replied, that gratitude for her miraculous cure ought to induce her willingly to deprive herself during life of that which, at her death, she should necessarily leave behind.

The mother consented, and when they returned to Syracuse, they commenced to sell their property, and to distribute the proceeds among the poor. Saint Lucy’s suitor perceiving this, complained to Eutychia; but he found that his representations were totally ineffectual, and, in his rage, accused her before the governor, Paschasius, as being a Christian, contrary to the edicts of Diocletian and Maximian.

The saint was accordingly arrested and brought before the governor, who endeavored to persuade her to sacrifice to the idols; but Saint Lucy replied, that the sacrifice most agreeable to God was the relief of the poor, in which she was actually engaged and that she was prepared to sacrifice even her life.

Paschasius replied that she ought to obey the emperor, as he did; but the saint answered: “Day and night I meditate upon the divine law; and if thou art anxious to please the emperor, I am anxious to please my God; therefore it is that I have consecrated to him my virginity.”

Paschasius in his rage told her that she was impurity itself.

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The saint replied: “No, thou art impurity, since thou dost endeavor to corrupt Christian souls, alienating them from God, to serve the devil, - wrongly preferring, as thou dost, the goods of this world to those of heaven.”

Paschasius; “Torments shall stop thy mouth.”

Lucy: “Words shall never be wanting to the servants of God, since the Lord hath promised that the Holy Ghost shall speak through them.”

Paschaius: “Then the Holy Ghost is within thee?”

Lucy: “St Paul hath said, that those who live chastely and piously are the temples of the Holy Ghost.”

“Since this is the case,” said the tyrant, “I will cause thee to be brought to an infamous place, in order that the Holy Ghost may leave thee.”

The saint replied: “The body receiveth no stain when the will is averse to sin; on the contrary, the violence you meditate would double my crown.”

The governor then threatened the most horrid tortures, in case she continued obstinate.

The saint intrepidly exclaimed: “Behold my body ready to suffer every torture! Why dost thou delay? Begin the execution of that which the devil, thy father, prompts thee.”

Paschasius, maddened with rage, ordered that she should instantly be brought to the place of infamy, in order that she might first lose the honor of virginity, and then be deprived of life.

The guards endeavored to execute this command, but found that God had rendered her so immovable that all their exertions were insufficient to drag her from the spot.

Paschasius in astonishment exclaimed: “What incantation is this?”

The saint replied: “This is not an incantation, but the power of God. Why dost thou fatigue thyself? Dost thou not manifestly perceive that I am the temple of the Lord?”

Paschasius, more confused and infuriated than ever, ordered a great fire to be kindled round the saint that she might be burned.

Saint Lucy, nothing daunted, said to the tyrant: “I will pray to the Lord Jesus Christ that the fire may not injure me, in order that the faithful may witness the divine power, and that the infidels may be confused.”

The friends of Paschasius, unwilling that the people should witness any further miracle, advised him to have her beheaded; but after having been tortured in many other ways, her throat was pierced with the point of a sword.

The saint did not expire immediately; she threw herself on her knees, offered her death to God; and having foretold that peace would soon be restored to the Church, consummated her martyrdom in the year 303 or 304. Her name is inserted in the Canon of the Mass.

*from Saint Alphonsus

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So small a God

                A God, who became so small in order to reveal himself to his people, is our God, three persons in one. Logically the creator must be greater than the created things. The inventor must be more intelligent than invented things. Likewise our God must be so great that he created the universes and many planets that contain extremely sophisticated living beings. Not only them, but also they are well developed creatures as well as the plants and animals. I heard there was a scientist speaking to plants and they say the plants listen to him well as they give him nice flowers and slowly giving him response as if they understand human language. How wonderful this world is. No one has ever discovered everything, the mysteries of this world.

                When we think of this earth planet, it is one of the small planets in this solar system but full of undiscovered mysteries. Imagine we live in this small world and we are trying to think of God who is the author or the creator of this universe. In order to perceive him he made himself so small so that people can think of him in our little brains/intellectual capacity. In a similar way, St. Augustine (345-430 AD) had an experience of this in his life time after conversion to Catholicism. When he was pondering(trying to understand) the mystery of Holy Trinity while walking on the seashore he saw a boy pouring sea water into a little hole which he made in the sand. St. Augustine was amused to see and asked the boy what he is doing, the boy answered I want to empty the sea that’s why I am pouring the sea water into this hole.

                St. Augustine heartily laughed and said to the boy, “Boy, Is it possible that you can empty the sea water by pouring it into the hole you made?” The boy stood up and said, “Well, you are doing the same like me, because you are trying to think what your little brain cannot understand the Holy Trinity.” He was surprised by the words of the boy and while looking at the boy, he saw and angel who changed himself from the figure of a boy to his original figure.

 How difficult it is to grasp your thoughts, O God! Their number cannot be counted. If I tried to do so, they would outnumber the sands; I am never finished with you. (Ps 139:17-18)

                Oh God, our brains are too small to put you inside and think of you! But help us to understand your ways so that we walk in truth to reach your house. Well I guess we can’t even perceive at least 1% of the mysteries of God, it’s just too deep. So small are our brains and intellectual capacity. And there are people who have smaller brains than ours (or they just don’t have brains at all), who say there is no God, or to see is to believe (taught by philosophers). It’s so pitiable.

Note: How absurd it is when people claim that he has seen God or he has conversed with God. There is a man who is claiming to be the son of God and he said he always talks to God the father and Jesus (his brother) was always there in their conversation. He’s living in this Philippines.

               

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Special Report 07-21

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We Are The Reason

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Humor

A schoolteacher asked her primary six class to construct sentences with the words: defeat, detail, defense.

There was a pause before a pupil raised his hand and said he could make a sentence with them; "The cow jumped over defense and detail went over defeat."

Note: Defense= The Fence

        Detail= The tail

        Defeat=The feet:

Well, i guess, this is because of the TexTMsgs in Mobile Phones..

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Israeli MP tears up New Testament in parliament

Says the Gospels are responsible for the killing of millions of Jews and should be consigned to the 'garbage can of history'

Giorgio Bernardelli, Rome
Israel
July 20, 2012

Yesterday a photographer captured the shocking scene of Israeli MP Michael Ben-Ari tearing up a copy of the New Testament and throwing it in the bin. He did not commit this act in just any old place; he did it in the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament.
Mr. Ben-Ari is a member of HaIhud HaLeumim (National Union), a religious Jewish right wing party close to the Occupy Movement.
The gesture, which brings to mind the action of U.S. pastor Terry Jones who set fire to a copy of the Koran, was in response to an “unacceptable provocation” by the Israeli Bible Society, an Evangelical entity which in recent days sent a copy of the New Testament in Jewish to all 120 Israeli MPs.
“We are pleased to send you this book which we hope will help you and illuminate your way,” the accompanying letter written by Victor Kalisher read. “We hope and pray that this book may help you in your important position in service of the people.”
A very unwise move in a country like Israel where Christian proselytism is a topic that has always caused tension. Arutz Sheva, the news agency that is most sympathetic to the religious conservatives, promptly reported the news the other day, with the headline: “Christians Flood Knesset with ‘New Judaism’”.
The article said many MPs were furious about this gesture and that Tzipi Hotolevy, a member of the Likud party, has specifically asked Knesset’s president, Reuven Rivlin, “to put a stop to the dissemination of what she said is outright missionary material in the Knesset.”
But yesterday, Michael Ben-Ari decided to go even further and got a photographer to capture the moment when he publicly ripped the pages out of the book in question and then threw them in the bin. As he did so he said: “This abominable book [the New Testament] brought about the murder of millions of Jews in the Inquisition and autos da fé.” “This is a provocation by church missionaries and there is no doubt that this book and those who sent it belong in the garbage can of history.”
Full story: Israel: MP tears up Gospel after calling it an “abominable book”
Source: Vatican Insider

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LORD, HERE I AM.: NO TIME FOR GOD!

LORD, HERE I AM.: NO TIME FOR GOD!: Once a man died and went to the gate of heaven and was waiting for the long time. He got impatient and stopped the angel who was passin...

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Dear friends in Christ,

Here is an interesting story related by a priest…

One day afternoon while he was preparing homily for the next day, suddenly the cell phone rang. He picked and answered it was a request for ‘mass for the dead’ in one of the memorial chapels downtown. He accepted and went at the time requested. He celebrated the holy sacrifice of the Lord for the departed soul.

                When at the time of Holy Communion, it happened that an elderly lady after receiving Holy Communion she held the right hand of the priest who was distributing Holy Communion. She held it for a few minutes and other people had to wait for her until she has released it. The priest was somewhat astonished then he continued the Holy Mass.

At the end of the Mass the priest approached the elderly lady and asked “Mom, what happened to you?” “Son, nothing” softly answered the lady. Then she related that when she sees a priest she feels that she sees God. That’s the reason why she held the hand of the priest as if she held the Hand of God. She could feel the warmth of the Hand of God manifest in the person of priest.

                Yes, priests represent the person of Jesus Christ who came into this world, the history of humankind. This was the teaching of the Catholic Church for her children; both the clergy and lay faithful might be sanctified through Jesus Christ. We can see there are many priests and prophet in the old testaments. And Jesus is the eternal High Priest who was also a sacrificial lamb. He offered himself for our sins, teaches Saint Paul.

I heard from a discussion of friends, they say that there is a certain sect claims to be Christians and the leader is teaching that the Catholic Church is full of sinners and worst of the sinners are priests. I have a question, it is “Which is right?” the Catholic Church or the certain sect? As far as I know, the founder of that mentioned sect is still alive and teaching distorted or mutilated Gospels, particularly New Testament and Old Testament. The Catholic Church has existed more than 20 centuries. It has suffered the bitterness and rejection of the people. It had suffered the never-ending persecution throughout centuries, in and out. From the beginning to the present day it has reached the furthest corners of the world. When I reflected on him, the leader of that sect, hatred and ignorance have covered him, unable to see the truth.

Not only him, there are also sects fabricated in america, claiming Salvation belongs only to them! One of them said, only 144,000 will be saved! Aha… what an exact number? Jesus said to his disciples “Go to the whole world and proclaim the Good News.” is it the number of the people living on earth exactly 144,000. It is sure, that is the misinterpretation (or poor knowledge in Biblical understanding) of book of Revelation of St. John. That number is only for Israel (twelve tribes) (12*12000=144,000)! Awful! Jesus said, “I am coming soon! I will bring my rewards with me, to give to each one according to what he has done.” True shepherd never climbs the fence and scatter the sheepfolds.”

May the Good Lord give us true shepherd who really care and protect the sheep.

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