To understand the principle of the Virgin Mary is to understand the Christian religion. In part, this is because an understanding of the principle of the Virgin Mary depends upon some understanding of other aspects of Christian practice.

What the Catholic Christian faith believes about Virgin Mary is based on what it believes about Christ Jesus, and what it teaches about Virgin Mary illuminates in turn its faith in Christ Jesus. - CCC 487 -

Saint Cyril of Alexandria understanding of the significance of the title Theotokos ( Mother of God ) is given succinctly in his Third Letter to Nestorius which is included in the documents of the ecumenical Council of Ephesus. In the passage quoted below, Saint Cyril's explains that the title indicates Virgin Mary's status as the one who conceived and bore the Word of God incarnate, in consequence of which all human life has the possibility of being sanctified from the moment of conception.

Therefore, because the holy virgin bore in the flesh God who has united hypostatically with the flesh, for that reason we call her Mother of God ( Theotokos ) not as though the nature of the Word had the beginning of its existence from the flesh:

                                           In the beginning was the Word:
                                           the Word was with God
                                           and the Word was God. - John 1:1 -

He made the ages and is co-eternal with the Father and craftsman of all things, but because, as we have said, He united to Himself hypostatically the human and underwent a birth according to the flesh from her womb. This was not as though He needed necessarily or for his own nature a birth in time and in the last times of this age, but in order that He might bless the beginning of our existence, in order that seeing that it was a woman that had given birth to Him, united to the flesh, the curse against the whole race should therefore cease, which was consigning all our earthly bodies to death, and in order that the removal through Him of the curse, - Gen. 3:16 - should demonstrate the truth of the words of the prophets, - 1 Cor. 15:54; Is. 25:8; Rev. 7:17, 21:4 - and again, it is for this cause that we say that in His economy He blessed marriage and, when invited, went down to Cana in Galilee with His holy apostles. - John 2:1-11 -

To the woman God said;

                                            'I will multiply your pains in child bearing,
                                            you shall give birth to your children in pain,
                                            Your yearning shall be for your husband,
                                             yet he will lord it over you.' - Gen. 3:16 -

                                             He will destroy Death for ever,
                                             The Lord Yahweh will wipe away
                                             the tears from every cheek;
                                             he will take away his people's shame
                                             everywhere on earth,
                                             for Yahweh has said so. - Is. 25:8 -

When this perishable nature has put on imperishability, and when this mortal nature has put on immortality, then, the words of scripture will come true: Death is swallowed up in victory. Death, where is your victory? Death, where is your sting? - 1 Cor. 15:54 -

They will never hunger or thirst again; neither the sun nor scorching wind will ever plague them, because the Lamb who is at the throne will be their shepherd and will lead them to springs of living water; and God will wipe away all tears from their eyes. - Rev. 7:17 -

He will wipe away all tears from their eyes; their will be no more death, and no more mourning or sadness. The world of the past has gone. - Rev. 21:4 -

Three days later there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee. The mother of Jesus was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited. When they ran out of wine, since the wine provided for the wedding was all finished, the mother of Jesus said to him, 'They have no wine.' Jesus said, 'Woman, why turn to me? My hour has not come yet.' His mother said to the servants,'Do whatever he tells you.' There were six stone water jars standing there, meant for the ablution that are customary among the Jews: each could hold twenty or thirty gallons.

Jesus said to the servants, 'Fill the jars with water' and they filled them to the brim. 'Draw some out now' he told them 'and take it to the steward.' They did this; the steward tasted the water, and it had turned into wine. Having no idea where it came from - only the servants who had drawn the water knew - the steward called the bridegroom and said, 'People generally serve the best wine first, and keep the cheaper sort till the guests have had plenty to drink; but you have kept the best wine till now.'

This was the first of the signs given by Jesus: it was given at Cana in Galilee. He let his glory be seen, and his disciples believed in him. After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and the brothers, but they stayed there only a few days. - John 2:1-12 -

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Faith . Hope . Love - Welcome donation. Thank You. God bless. 

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Name: Alex Chan Kok Wah
Bank: Public Bank Berhad account no: 4076577113
Country: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!

I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.

HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -