The Life of the Virgin Mary

I love this

 

There is a most beautiful legend of the time at Ephesus when they declared mary, Mother of God. It speaks of the joy of all the people of the city who flocked into the streets like some big city party and of many miracles happening to mark the Declaration of Theotokos. One of them was that candles all over the city lit themselves. I must see if I can find a description of this.

“The holy Fathers do not hesitate to call the holy Virgin Theotokos, not in the sense that the divine nature of the Word took its origin from the holy Virgin, but in the sense that he took his holy body, gifted with a rational soul, from her. Yet, because the Word is hypostatically united to this body, one can say that he was truly born according to the flesh.”

St Cyril of Alexandria

 

https://tomperna.org/2013/12/31/the-declaration-of-the-theotokos-at-the-council-of-ephesus/

The Declaration of the Theotokos at the Council of Ephesus
By Tom Perna on December 31, 2013 • ( 1 Comment )
Since tomorrow is the Solemnity of Mary, The Holy Mother of God, and a Holy Day of Obligation for Catholics (in the Western lung of the Church), todays post is dedicated to this important dogma in the life of the Church. If you can’t make it to Holy Mass on January 1, I would suggest attending a Vigil Mass (Mass of Anticipation) tonight.



Out of all of the titles for our Blessed Mother, Theotokos – the God-Bearer, has to be my all time favorite. The title became my favorite after taking the course, Mary in the Modern World at Franciscan during graduate school. The summer after this class, I wrote a paper on the Council of Ephesus in my Historical Foundations course to help me understand the importance of the Theotokos in light of the actions at the council. Below are excerpts from my paper titled – The Council of Ephesus: A Dogma Defined.

In 431, the Council of Ephesus was called just 50 years after the Council of Constantinople. The great Church Fathers who were alive and explaining truth to the Church had passed on to the heavenly kingdom. By this time, St. Jerome had completed his translation of the Sacred Scriptures from Hebrew and Greek into Latin. St. Augustine was invited, but word had not reached the east that he had died the previous August. The Cappodocian Gregory’s were both deceased and St. John Chrysostom died a saint in exile.

St. Cyril of Alexandria was the ‘man of the hour ‘ at Ephesus. Before the Council of Ephesus was called, he wrote a series of letters back-and-forth with Nestorius regarding the claims he had made against the Blessed Virgin Mary, and essentially Jesus Christ. When one speaks false teachings about Mary, the Mother of God it often leads to false teachings about Jesus as well.

From the Antioch school and standing against St. Cyril was Bishop Theodoret of Cyrrhus. He was a student with Nestorius and his close personal friend. He traveled to the council with John of Antioch, but his greatest work was before and after the council where he wrote against Cyril. He was considered the best theologian in the Antiochian camp and the strongest to stand against Cyril. In 433 when the bishops of Antioch and Alexandria contracted peace, Theodoret was a holdout because of his loyalty to Nestorius.

Nestorius, the reason behind the calling of the council chose not to reject the council. By 431, he was 50 years old. He was educated in Antioch and was a monk well known for his great preaching ability. Because of his great skills as an orator, he was chosen to be bishop of Constantinople by Emperor Theodosius II in 428. Because the people of Cyzisus wanted a less educated and simple bishop, Nestorius was “entering shark-infested waters.”

Another major figure was John Cassian. He was a great author who lived as a monk in Egypt, he was ordained by St. John Chrysostom, and he is often considered the father of monasticism in France. John Cassian wrote several important works against Nestorius right before the council began from works he received from the Pope.

Pope St. Celestine I did not attend the council in person, but sent three papal delegates who presented him personally. His thoughts were influential in the final outcomes of the council. The Pope asked Cyril to hold to moderation and to try and bring conversion to the heart of Nestorius.

After being raised to the office of Bishop, Nestorius wrote a series of letters to the Pope. In one of these letters, he speaks how the people don’t properly understand the great mystery that Christ is equally God and man. He says that the people think the humanity of Christ was divine. He continues to say that the people think that God was born, God was buried, and profess that the Mary, the ever virgin, as bringing God forth – she is the Mother of God, the Greek term- Theotokos. Nestorius argued that the Blessed Virgin should really be called – Christotokos – the one who brought forth Christ, the mother of Christ. He adamantly declared that she is not Theotokos.

To say it mildly, his teachings arose major conflicts between his clergy and the people. In his sermons, he spoke of how the word, Theotokos, was not to be used and that anyone who refused to be obedient to his authority would suffer the consequences. Nestorius’ biggest mistake was that he chose to publicly declare his doctrines among the people. In his book, The Church in Crisis: A History of the General Councils 325-1870, Philip Hughes says, “Nestorius chose to do it in sermons to the multitudes that filled his cathedral, and not in terms of learned, anxious speculation, but in blood-and-thunder denunciation of universally practiced piety.” The people whom he spoke to may not have clearly understood all the doctrinal errors he was preaching, but once he declared that Mary was not the Theotokos – the people knew he was heretical.

As Nestorius was prophesying his false doctrine, Cyril of Alexandria caught wind of it and engaged him in a series of correspondence. The letters that went back and forth did nothing to change the mind of Nestorius and actually led to some serious malcontent between the two men. After minor gatherings in the both the West and the East did nothing to remedy the false doctrine that clearly attacked Jesus Christ and his Blessed Mother, it was decided upon to have a council in the city of Ephesus.

On Pentecost Sunday 431, the Council of Ephesus began. Without the papal delegates (the Pope sent three who were in route) and with some of the bishops not in attendance, Cyril opened the Council of Ephesus in the Church of St. Mary, where he assumed the executive position. It’s not known if he took this authority on his own. Also in Ephesus, Nestorius and his cohorts protested the council, left the gathering, and met in a “anticouncil.”

Since Nestorius was not in the chamber, he was sent for three times – as the law requires. Not adhering to the council’s request, they began to hear the case against him. Following this, the reading of the Nicaea Creed was read and then the letter from Cyril to Nestorius. After his letter was the read, the bishops gathered in the assembly, concurred, and then cheered that Cyril’s letter and the Nicaea Creed were of the same theology. The letter that was read to the bishops declares that the patriarch of Constantinople erred in his teachings. Cyril’s letter declares,

“The holy Fathers do not hesitate to call the holy Virgin Theotokos, not in the sense that the divine nature of the Word took its origin from the holy Virgin, but in the sense that he took his holy body, gifted with a rational soul, from her. Yet, because the Word is hypostatically united to this body, one can say that he was truly born according to the flesh.”

There was a request that Nestorius’ letter be read among the assembly of bishops as well. After his letter was read, it was condemned unanimously. Nestorius was excommunicated and he was unseated from his position as Patriarch of Constantinople. Nestorius was branded as “the new Judas.”

As the bishops returned to their lodging for the night on June 22, the faithful of Ephesus gathered and passionately supported the bishop’s decision to excommunicate Nestorius and to show their love for the Blessed Mother by shouting, “Hagia Maria Theotokos” and “Praised be the Theotokos.”



Even though this council had rather irregular procedures and would not be fully complete until the summer months, after the papal delegates arrived and the Emperor placed both Cyril and Nestorius in jail, the Church allowed the statements and doctrinal declarations to stand. The “anticouncil” where Nestorius and his supporters met also excommunicated Cyril and the other bishops who showed allegiance to him.

In the long run, this council was out of sorts, however it concluded with three positive actions –

1. The council succeeded to define the Dogma of the Theotokos

2. The two natures of Christ cannot be separated but united in one Divine Person.

3. The council not only clearly defined Christology, but also defined an important step in Mariology.

In the year 433, the Alexandrian and Antiochian schools reunited under the Edict of Union – also, Symbol of Ephesus. John of Antioch accepted the term – Theotokos– and dropped the terms used by Nestorius. St. Cyril of Alexandria embraced their return with great enthusiasm since they now professed the one true faith declared in the Niceae-Constantinople Creed.

 

Mary rose what a gift from Our Lady to you. What a privilege. Thank you for telling us.

 

yes I am still blown away when I think about it. We found the Basicilica of St John by accident . We got a local bus to Selchuk and we were drinking coffee when I noticed a sign with an emblem of a church. We investigated the huge site which was a ruin and right in the centre was a canopy and a marbel tomb . It was built over the burial site of St Jojn. I was amazed. I spent hours here also. It was sad that such an important Christian site was destroyed and ignored. A mosque was built on part of the site using the stone from the Basicilica.

 

How strange with all that is happening in the Church at the moment to feel such joy and peace. But I think that the Life of the Virgin AMry herself gives a clue on how to have peace and joy and Faith through Great Storms..and in so many ways her own Life was a contual series of storms, great stroms one right after another. Mary teaches us that the heart of the Faith is not in the externals but in the ineternal Spiritual Life. On our relationship with God. All esle changes but God never changes.

We are reaching a point where those who worship the externals, the physical body of the CHurch, the Black Limousins , the scarlet cassocks, the great crowds, the wealth and power will leave the Church in droves. Only the Remnant those who have a living spiritual relatioonship with God will remain. In other words a great cleansing.

This is certianly no new thing in the Church. Inf act as soon as Christ died on the Cross the children of Satan leapt on the New Church and tore it limb from limb. All of the Apostles suffered martyrdom for instance (St John a living martyrdom). We should expect no less.

But in the Life of Mary we see the way laid right out before us. A Life of Hidden prayer and Peace.

But what went wrong in the Church? Well what went wrong was that those in charge took exactly the opposite was of Mary. They did not pray, they did not fast. They did not do penance. They worshipped the external and did not build a living relationship with Jesus Christ and so they spiritually corrupted and died and entered into a real relationship with Satan.

But as for us let us join Mary , Help of Christians , Mother of the Church in prayer and slience away from the hustle bustle of this false Satanic Church.

 

I'm so stoked about reading this thread, just discovered it. Thanks for opening it!

It is beautiful, just beautiful. Stunning how the house was discovered based on Emmerich's visions

 

Wonderful words Padraig! So so true. I began to realize quite awhile ago that Our Mother is the safe port in the storm. The anchor. The bulwark against deceit and false teaching. She says in one of her approved appearances “Only I can help you.” And this is God’s merciful grace. She has been given power over Satan of such magnitude we cannot imagine. I have a serenity in all this turmoil as well. As long as we cling to her and stay close to the Sacraments she will get us safely home to Jesus. She will get the Church safely back to Jesus as well. She is the utter antithesis of worldly NewChurch. Devotion to her was one of the first things the VII renegades tried to scrap. O Mary conceived without sin pray for us who have recourse to thee.

 

Yes this is true. I think were many will loose their footing in this storm is if they are idolatrous in the form of religion. In other words if their religion is about say , getting tehir kids to a good school and ticking boxes like Church Groups and knowing the Bishop and whatever.

The ture from of religion as Jesus said to Nicodemus was to be born again of water and the Holy Spirit. To have a living relationship with Jesus Christ. Or in otherwords to have a truly deep spiritual/prayer life. All else is only outward forms often.

Mary shows us this so well. She had Jesus in her womb yes, but she had Jesus in the Tabernacle of her heart as well. People who do not have Jesus, as Mary did, in the inner tabernacle of their hearts will be lost at this time I believe.

Things liek Carinials, Popes, the Vatican or whatever are just so much stuff blowing in the winds of time. But what is in our hearts is Eternal. We must be careful it is God we worship, not some heirarchical nonense.

 

There was a wonderful book I read many years ago by a sixteenth century English Monk called Albert Baker. Fr Baker had a theory that rather like crap bad people tend to drift to the top in the Church as crap does in water. He wrote that this is so because bad people look for promotion and worldly sucess and power and money. The good people are not interested in such stuff therefore make no effort at all to sieze it. So in a monastery , for instance, the worst guy will often be the Abbot whereas the local saint will be found cleaning the monastery toilets.

If oyu look at the history of the saints in the Church this is exactly the case. The saints are found in the lowest paygrade and the bad dudes are kicking them as hard as they can from on high.

This explains much of the Filth in the Vatican at the moment.

It also explains why our politicians are often such a horror picture, for often what decent person would ever want to be a politician?

 

Interesting points, I'm grateful for this thread. What comes to my mind when I read it is Pope Benedict's quote "the Church will become very small and very holy".

 

Yes Pope Benedict was prophetic in this poor man. I hope he is well; it looks like he went through hell with these vile wretches.

All this reminds me of the wonderful old film, 'Mr Smith goes to Washington'.

 

I had read Emmerich's book and another on the nun who was integral in sending off people to look for it based on Emmerich's visions. I heard two women speak at a Medjugorje retreat in Long Island about the cause for beatification for this nun. Also there is a replica of the house in the US...I believe Vermont? Anyway, the next spring teachers were booking a very cheap tour of the Greek Islands during spring break. On the itinerary were Ephesus, house of the Virgin Mary and Patmos, cave of St John's exile. I HAD to go. and did. Our Lady worked out all the seamless details for me. I feel so blessed to have been called to visit this her house of Assumption.

 

https://www.tanbooks.com/index.php/...e-mandat-grancey-mary-s-house-in-ephesus.html

this is the book I read, excellent about the find.....

 

Thanks Donna. I think I read a little about her before a little I will see if I can find this book on Kindle after I finish this. She must have been a truly wonderful nun. A woman of huge, huge Faith.

 

yes Padraig, these are the ladies I saw speak in Long Island and set the flame. I bought their book there and the rest is history. Our Lady saw to it I re read Life of the Blessed Virgin Mary by Anne Catherine Emmerich and then this book and by spring the cruise was arranged and I went there!!!!!

 

They really seemed lovely Catholic ladies, very holy. I see they have Spiritual Directors. I had no idea about the American and Islamic connection; how interesting!! We can see these things were meant to come right out in the open in our own time. I certainly see a 9/11 connection in all this. So like Our Lady being a reconciler, like any good mother.

 

In preparing for the Birth of MAry and the Christ Child God was like a Great Lord who prepared for a Great Feast. Nothing that could be done was undone. He knew for instance the very Cave where the Christ Child was to be Born; right ebside the Cave were Abraham himself was suckled.

But the vessel, the chalice, He Prepared best was Mary , The Immaculate Conception.

So she, the Immaculate Conception appeared in a little cave at Lourdes as a typeof the Baby Jesus appearing in a cave in Bethlehem

 

I slept a full twelve hours last night. I haven;t done this in years! So happy! Found a lampstand in a Cancer Charity shop and have adorned it with the Sign of the Cross, I must post a picture. Today I am going over to Botanic Gardens to see their newly restored Tropical Ravine and maybe steal a few cuttings.