2.
2.
God Bless!
Steve and ana Shawl
The Medjugorje Web
http://www.medjugorje.org
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PRESS BULLETIN 98, August 26, 1998.
N E W
In the liturgical readings these days we heard about the young man who comes to Jesus and reveals his desire to Him that he wants something more out of life. To the word of Jesus: "Fulfill the commandments!" he is able to answer that he has fulfilled the commandments. Indeed, he is conscious of being in a state greater than fulfilling commandments and is seeking direction about what to do. Jesus does not lose the opportunity of indicating to him the way that is greater, but one that also makes greater demands. "If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give your money to the poor, and you will have treasure in Heaven! Then come and follow me!" The young man was taken by surprise. That was too much for him and he goes away sad. That which he possessed was the security that promised him more.
To have and to possess can be a real obstacle. And, there exist the same kind of other real obstacles which in the same way alienate from Christian life. They can be acquired habits, or a nature that is not ennobled. They can be ways of behaving that we claim cannot be changed and therefore do not have to be changed.
But, the Christian who yearns to be a serious believer must free himself from fear of what is new. That newness is not so much something new on the outside, as it is on the inside. What is new on the inside can also create something new on the outside. And what is really new in the Christian life are the new effort and momentum to be like Jesus Christ. If a doctor today were to reject new effective forms of healing, we would consider him unreasonable in regard to his vocation and his patients.
New efforts to be Christian are necessary and possible. For all who
believe in Christ that is an unavoidable task. Medjugorje is a great sign
that with
Our Lady it is possible to recognize what is really new and unavoidably
necessary.
Fr. Ivan Landeka
Subject:
Papal Definition: 4th Glorious
Mystery
Date:
Sat, 15 Aug 1998 12:53:46
-0400
From:
Catholic Dispatch <[email protected]>
To:
CDIA List Members <[email protected]>
Papal Definition: 4th Glorious Mystery
MUNIFICENTISSIMUS DEUS (The Most Bountiful God)
Encyclical of Pope Pius XII issued November 1, 1950
1. The most bountiful God, who is almighty, the plan of whose providence rests upon wisdom and love, tempers, in the secret purpose of his own mind, the sorrows of peoples and of individual men by means of joys that he interposes in their lives from time to time, in such a way that, under different conditions and in different ways, all things may work together unto good for those who love him.
2. Now, just like the present age, our pontificate is weighed down by ever so many cares, anxieties, and troubles, by reason of very severe calamities that have taken place and by reason of the fact that many have strayed awayfrom truth and virtue. Nevertheless, we are greatly consoled to see that, while the Catholic faith is being professed publicly and vigorously, piety toward the Virgin Mother of God is flourishing and daily growing more fervent, and that almost everywhere on earth it is showing indications of a better and holier life. Thus, while the Blessed Virgin is fulfilling in the most affectionate manner her maternal duties on behalf of those redeemed by the blood of Christ, the minds and the hearts of her children are being vigorously aroused to a more assiduous consideration of her prerogatives.
3. Actually God, who from all eternity regards Mary with a most favorable and unique affection, has "when the fullness of time came" put the plan of his providence into effect in such a way that all the privileges and prerogatives he had granted to her in his sovereign generosity were to shine forth in her in a kind of perfect harmony. And, although the Church has always recognized this supreme generosity and the perfect harmony of graces and has daily studied them more and more throughout the course of the centuries, still it is in our own age that the privilege of the bodily Assumption into heaven of Mary, the Virgin Mother of God, has certainly shone forth more clearly.
4. That privilege has shone forth in new radiance since our predecessor of immortal memory, Pius IX, solemnly proclaimed the dogma of the loving Mother of God's Immaculate Conception. These two privileges are most closely bound to one another. Christ overcame sin and death by his own death, and one who through Baptism has been born again in a supernatural way has conquered sin and death through the same Christ. Yet, according to the general rule, God does not will to grant to the just the full effect of the victory over death until the end of time has come. And so it is that the bodies of even the just are corrupted after death, and only on the last day will they be joined, each to its own glorious soul.
5. Now God has willed that the Blessed Virgin Mary should be exempted from this general rule. She, by an entirely unique privilege, completely overcame sin by her Immaculate Conception, and as a result she was not subject to the law of remaining in the corruption of the grave, and she did not have to wait until the end of time for the redemption of her body.
6. Thus, when it was solemnly proclaimed that Mary, the Virgin Mother of God, was from the very beginning free from the taint of original sin, the minds of the faithful were filled with a stronger hope that the day might soon come when the dogma of the Virgin Mary's bodily Assumption into heaven would also be defined by the Church's supreme teaching authority.
7. Actually it was seen that not only individual Catholics, but also those who could speak for nations or ecclesiastical provinces, and even a considerable number of the Fathers of the Vatican Council, urgently petitioned the Apostolic See to this effect.
8. During the course of time such postulations and petitions did not
decrease but rather grew continually in number and in urgency. In this
cause there were pious crusades of prayer. Many outstanding theologians
eagerly and zealously carried out investigations on this subject either
privately or in public ecclesiastical institutions and in other schools
where the sacred disciplines are taught. Marian Congresses, both national
and international in scope, have been held in many parts of the Catholic
world. These studies and investigations have brought out into even clearer
light the fact that the dogma of the Virgin Mary's Assumption into heaven
is contained in the deposit of Christian faith entrusted to the Church.
They have resulted in many more petitions, begging and urging the Apostolic
See that this truth be solemnly defined.
9. In this pious striving, the faithful have been associated in a wonderful way with their own holy bishops, who have sent petitions of this kind, truly remarkable in number, to this See of the Blessed Peter. Consequently, when we were elevated to the throne of the supreme pontificate, petitions of this sort had already been addressed by the thousands from every part of the world and from every class of people, from our beloved sons the Cardinals of the Sacred College, from our venerable brethren, archbishops and bishops, from dioceses and from parishes.
10. Consequently, while we sent up earnest prayers to God that he might grant to our mind the light of the Holy Spirit, to enable us to make a decision on this most serious subject, we issued special orders in which we commanded that, by corporate effort, more advanced inquiries into this matter should be begun and that, in the meantime, all the petitions about the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into heaven which had been sent to this Apostolic See from the time of Pius IX, our predecessor of happy memory, down to our own days should be gathered together and carefully evaluated.
11. And, since we were dealing with a matter of such great moment and of such importance, we considered it opportune to ask all our venerable brethren in the episcopate directly and authoritatively that each of them should make known to us his mind in a formal statement. Hence, on May 1, 1946, we gave them our letter "Deiparae Virginis Mariae," a letter in which these words are contained: "Do you, venerable brethren, in your outstanding wisdom and prudence, judge that the bodily Assumption of the Blessed Virgin can be proposed and defined as a dogma of faith? Do you, with your clergy and people, desire it?"
12. But those whom "the Holy Spirit has placed as bishops to rule the Church of God" gave an almost unanimous affirmative response to both these questions. This "outstanding agreement of the Catholic prelates and the faithful," affirming that the bodily Assumption of God's Mother into heaven can be defined as a dogma of faith, since it shows us the concordant teaching of the Church's ordinary doctrinal authority and the concordant faith of the Christian people which the same doctrinal authority sustains and directs, thus by itself and in an entirely certain and infallible way, manifests this privilege as a truth revealed by God and contained in that divine deposit which Christ has delivered to his Spouse to be guarded faithfully and to be taught infallibly. Certainly this teaching authority of the Church, not by any merely human effort but under the protection of the Spirit of Truth, and therefore absolutely without error, carries out the commission entrusted to it, that of preserving the revealed truths pure and entire throughout every age, in such a way that it presents them undefiled, adding nothing to them and taking nothing away from them. For, as the Vatican Council teaches, "the Holy Spirit was not promised to the successors of Peter in such a way that, by his revelation, they might manifest new doctrine, but so that, by his assistance, they might guard as sacred and might faithfully propose the revelation delivered through the apostles, or the deposit of faith." Thus, from the universal agreement of the Church's ordinary teaching authority we have a certain and firm proof, demonstrating that the Blessed Virgin Mary's bodily Assumption into heaven-which surely no faculty of the human mind could know by its own natural powers, as far as the heavenly glorification of the virginal body of the loving Mother of God is concerned-is a truth that has been revealed by God and consequently something that must be firmly and faithfully believed by all children of the Church. For, as the Vatican Council asserts, "all those things are to be believed by divine and Catholic faith which are contained in the written Word of God or in Tradition, and which are proposed by the Church, either in solemn judgment or in its ordinary and universal teaching office, as divinely revealed truths which must be believed."
13. Various testimonies, indications and signs of this common belief of the Church are evident from remote times down through the course of the centuries; and this same belief becomes more clearly manifest from day to day.
14. Christ's faithful, through the teaching and the leadership of their pastors, have learned from the sacred books that the Virgin Mary, throughout the course of her earthly pilgrimage, led a life troubled by cares, hardships, and sorrows, and that, moreover, what the holy old man Simeon had foretold actually came to pass, that is, that a terribly sharp sword pierced her heart as she stood under the cross of her divine Son, our Redeemer. In the same way, it was not difficult for them to admit that the great Mother of God, like her only begotten Son, had actually passed from this life. But this in no way prevented them from believing and from professing openly that her sacred body had never been subject to the corruption of the tomb, and that the august tabernacle of the Divine Word had never been reduced to dust and ashes. Actually, enlightened by divine grace and moved by affection for her, God's Mother and our own dearest Mother, they have contemplated in an ever clearer light the wonderful harmony and order of those privileges which the most provident God has lavished upon this loving associate of our Redeemer, privileges which reach such an exalted plane that, except for her, nothing created by God other than the human nature of Jesus Christ has ever reached this level.
15. The innumerable temples which have been dedicated to the Virgin Mary assumed into heaven clearly attest this faith. So do those sacred images, exposed therein for the veneration of the faithful, which bring this unique triumph of the Blessed Virgin before the eyes of all men. Moreover, cities, dioceses, and individual regions have been placed under the special patronage and guardianship of the Virgin Mother of God assumed int o heaven. In the same way, religious institutes, with the approval of the Church, have been founded and have taken their name from this privilege. Nor can we pass over in silence the fact that in the Rosary of Mary, the recitation of which this Apostolic See so urgently recommends, there is one mystery proposed for pious meditation which, as all know, deals with the Blessed Virgin's Assumption into heaven.
16. This belief of the sacred pastors and of Christ's faithful is universally manifested still more splendidly by the fact that, since ancient times, there have been both in the East and in the West solemn liturgical offices commemorating this privilege. The holy Fathers and Doctors of the Church have never failed to draw enlightenment from this fact since, as everyone knows, the sacred liturgy, "because it is the profession, subject to the supreme teaching authority within the Church, of heavenly truths, can supply proofs and testimonies of no small value for deciding a particular point of Christian doctrine."
17. In the liturgical books which deal with the feast either of the dormition or of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin there are expressions that agree in testifying that, when the Virgin Mother of God passed from this earthly exile to heaven, what happened to her sacred body was, by the decree of divine Providence, in keeping with the dignity of the Mother of the Word Incarnate, and with the other privileges she had been accorded. Thus, to cite an illustrious example, this is set forth in that sacramentary which Adrian I, our predecessor of immortal memory, sent to the Emperor Charlemagne. These words are found in this volume: "Venerable to us, O Lord, is the festivity of this day on which the holy Mother of God suffered temporal death, but still could not be kept down by the bonds of death, who has begotten your Son our Lord incarnate from herself."
18. What is here indicated in that sobriety characteristic of the Roman liturgy is presented more clearly and completely in other ancient liturgical books. To take one as an example, the Gallican sacramentary designates this privilege of Mary's as "an ineffable mystery all the more worthy of praise as the Virgin's Assumption is something unique among men." And, in the Byzantine liturgy, not only is the Virgin Mary's bodily Assumption connected time and time again with the dignity of the Mother of God, but also with the other privileges, and in particular with the virginal motherhood granted her by a singular decree of God's Providence. "God, the King of the universe, has granted you favors that surpass nature. As he kept you a virgin in childbirth, thus he has kept your body incorrupt in the tomb and has glorified it by his divine act of transferring it from the tomb."
19. The fact that the Apostolic See, which has inherited the function entrusted to the Prince of the Apostles, the function of confirming the brethren in the faith, has by its own authority, made the celebration of this feast ever more solemn, has certainly and effectively moved the attentive minds of the faithful to appreciate always more completely the magnitude of the mystery it commemorates. So it was that the Feast of the Assumption was elevated from the rank which it had occupied from the beginning among the other Marian feasts to be classed among the more solemn celebrations of the entire liturgical cycle. And, when our predecessor St. Sergius I prescribed what is known as the litany, or the stational procession, to be held on four Marian feasts, he specified together the Feasts of the Nativity, the Annunciation, the Purification, and the Dormition of the Virgin Mary. Again, St. Leo IV saw to it that the feast, which was already being celebrated under the title of the Assumption of the Blessed Mother of God, should be observed in even a more solemn way when he ordered a vigil to be held on the day before it and prescribed prayers to be recited after it until the octave day. When this had been done, he decided to take part himself in the celebration, in the midst of a great multitude of the faithful. Moreover, the fact that a holy fast had been ordered from ancient times for the day prior to the feast is made very evident by what our predecessor St. Nicholas I testifies in treating of the principal fasts which "the Holy Roman Church has observed for a long time, and still observes."
20. However, since the liturgy of the Church does not engender the Catholic faith, but rather springs from it, in such a way that the practices of the sacred worship proceed from the faith as the fruit comes from the tree, it follows that the holy Fathers and the great Doctors, in the homilies and sermons they gave the people on this feast day, did not draw their teaching from the feast itself as from a primary source, but rather they spoke of this doctrine as something already known and accepted by Christ's faithful. They presented it more clearly. They offered more profound explanations of its meaning and nature, bringing out into sharper light the fact that this feast shows, not only that the dead body of the Blessed Virgin Mary remained incorrupt, but that she gained a triumph out of death, her heavenly glorification after the example of her only begotten Son, Jesus Christ-truths that the liturgical books had frequently touched upon concisely and briefly.
21. Thus St. John Damascene, an outstanding herald of this traditional truth, spoke out with powerful eloquence when he compared the bodily Assumption of the loving Mother of God with her other prerogatives and privileges. "It was fitting that she, who had kept her virginity intact in childbirth, should keep her own body free from all corruption even after death. It was fitting that she, who had carried the Creator as a child at her breast, should dwell in the divine tabernacles. It was fitting that the spouse, whom the Father had taken to himself, should live in the divine mansions. It was fitting that she, who had seen her Son upon the cross and who had thereby received into her heart the sword of sorrow which she had escaped in the act of giving birth to him, should look upon him as he sits with the Father. It was fitting that God's Mother should possess what belongs to her Son, and that she should be honored by every creature as the Mother and as the handmaid of God."
22. These words of St. John Damascene agree perfectly with what others have taught on this same subject. Statements no less clear and accurate are to be found in sermons delivered by Fathers of an earlier time or of the same period, particularly on the occasion of this feast. And so, to cite some other examples, St. Germanus of Constantinople considered the fact that the body of Mary, the virgin Mother of God, was incorrupt and had been taken up into heaven to be in keeping, not only with her divine motherhood, but also with the special holiness of her virginal body. "You are she who, as it is written, appears in beauty, and your virginal body is all holy, all chaste, entirely the dwelling place of God, so that it is henceforth completely exempt from dissolution into dust. Though still human, it is changed into the heavenly life of incorruptibility, truly living and glorious, undamaged and sharing in perfect life." And another very ancient writer asserts: "As the most glorious Mother of Christ, our Savior and God and the giver of life and immortality, has been endowed with life by him, she has received an eternal incorruptibility of the body together with him who has raised her up from the tomb and has taken her up to himself in a way known only to him."
23. When this liturgical feast was being celebrated ever more widely and with ever increasing devotion and piety, the bishops of the Church and its preachers in continually greater numbers considered it their duty openly and clearly to explain the mystery that the feast commemorates, and to explain how it is intimately connected with the other revealed truths.
24. Among the scholastic theologians there have not been lacking those who, wishing to inquire more profoundly into divinely revealed truths and desirous of showing the harmony that exists between what is termed the theological demonstration and the Catholic faith, have always considered it worthy of note that this privilege of the Virgin Mary's Assumption is in wonderful accord with those divine truths given us in Holy Scripture.
25. When they go on to explain this point, they adduce various proofs to throw light on this privilege of Mary. As the first element of these demonstrations, they insist upon the fact that, out of filial love for his mother, Jesus Christ has willed that she be assumed into heaven. They base the strength of their proofs on the incomparable dignity of her divine motherhood and of all those prerogatives which follow from it. These include her exalted holiness, entirely surpassing the sanctity of all men and of the angels, the intimate union of Mary with her Son, and the affection of preeminent love which the Son has for his most worthy Mother.
26. Often there are theologians and preachers who, following in the footsteps of the holy Fathers, have been rather free in their use of events and expressions taken from Sacred Scripture to explain their belief in the Assumption. Thus, to mention only a few of the texts rather frequently cited in this fashion, some have employed the words of the psalmist: "Arise, O Lord, into your resting place: you and the ark, which you have sanctified"; and have looked upon the Ark of the Covenant, built of incorruptible wood and placed in the Lord's temple, as a type of the most pure body of the Virgin Mary, preserved and exempt from all the corruption of the tomb and raised up to such glory in heaven. Treating of this subject, they also describe her as the Queen entering triumphantly into the royal halls of heaven and sitting at the right hand of the divine Redeemer. Likewise they mention the Spouse of the Canticles "that goes up by the desert, as a pillar of smoke of aromatical spices, of myrrh and frankincense" to be crowned. These are proposed as depicting that heavenly Queen and heavenly Spouse who has been lifted up to the courts of heaven with the divine Bridegroom.
27. Moreover, the scholastic Doctors have recognized the Assumption of the Virgin Mother of God as something signified, not only in various figures of the Old Testament, but also in that woman clothed with the sun whom John the Apostle contemplated on the Island of Patmos. Similarly they have given special attention to these words of the New Testament: "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you, blessed are you among women," since they saw, in the mystery of the Assumption, the fulfillment of that most perfect grace granted to the Blessed Virgin and the special blessing that countered the curse of Eve.
28. Thus, during the earliest period of scholastic theology, that most pious man, Amadeus, Bishop of Lausarme, held that the Virgin Mary's flesh had remained incorrupt-for it is wrong to believe that her body has seen corruption-because it was really united again to her soul and, together with it, crowned with great glory in the heavenly courts. "For she was full of grace and blessed among women. She alone merited to conceive the true God of true God, whom as a virgin, she brought forth, to whom as a virgin she gave milk, fondling him in her lap, and in all things she waited upon him with loving care."
29. Among the holy writers who at that time employed statements and various images and analogies of Sacred Scripture to Illustrate and to confirm the doctrine of the Assumption, which was piously believed, the Evangelical Doctor, St. Anthony of Padua, holds a special place. On the feast day of the Assumption, while explaining the prophet's words: "I will glorify the place of my feet," he stated it as certain that the divine Redeemer had bedecked with supreme glory his most beloved Mother from whom he had received human flesh. He asserts that "you have here a clear statement that the Blessed Virgin has been assumed in her body, where was the place of the Lord's feet. Hence it is that the holy Psalmist writes: 'Arise, O Lord, into your resting place: you and the ark which you have sanctified."' And he asserts that, just as Jesus Christ has risen from the death over which he triumphed and has ascended to the right hand of the Father, so likewise the ark of his sanctification "has risen up, since on this day the Virgin Mother has been taken up to her heavenly dwelling."
30. When, during the Middle Ages, scholastic theology was especially flourishing, St. Albert the Great who, to establish this teaching, had gathered together many proofs from Sacred Scripture, from the statements of older writers, and finally from the liturgy and from what is known as theological reasoning, concluded in this way: "From these proofs and authorities and from many others, it is manifest that the most blessed Mother of God has been assumed above the choirs of angels. And this we believe in every way to be true." And, in a sermon which he delivered on the sacred day of the Blessed Virgin Mary's annunciation, explained the words "Hail, full of grace"-words used by the angel who addressed her-the Universal Doctor, comparing the Blessed Virgin with Eve, stated clearly and incisively that she was exempted from the fourfold curse that had been laid upon Eve.
31. Following the footsteps of his distinguished teacher, the Angelic Doctor, despite the fact that he never dealt directly with this question, nevertheless, whenever he touched upon it, always held together with the Catholic Church, that Mary's body had been assumed into heaven along with her soul.
32. Along with many others, the Seraphic Doctor held the same views. He considered it as entirely certain that, as God had preserved the most holy Virgin Mary from the violation of her virginal purity and integrity in conceiving and in childbirth, he would never have permitted her body to have been resolved into dust and ashes. Explaining these words of Sacred Scripture: "Who is this that comes up from the desert, flowing with delights, leaning upon her beloved?" and applying them in a kind of accommodated sense to the Blessed Virgin, he reasons thus: "From this we can see that she is there bodily...her blessedness would not have been complete unless she were there as a person. The soul is not a person, but the soul, joined to the body, is a person. It is manifest that she is there in soul and in body. Otherwise she would not possess her complete beatitude.
33. In the fifteenth century, during a later period of scholastic theology, St. Bernardine of Siena collected and diligently evaluated all that the medieval theologians had said and taught on this question. He was not content with setting down the principal considerations which these writers of an earlier day had already expressed, but he added others of his own. The likeness between God's Mother and her divine Son, in the way of the nobility and dignity of body and of soul-a likeness that forbids us to think of the heavenly Queen as being separated from the heavenly Kingmakes it entirely imperative that Mary "should be only where Christ is." Moreover, it is reasonable and fitting that not only the soul and body of a man, but also the soul and body of a woman should have obtained heavenly glory. Finally, since the Church has never looked for the bodily relics of the Blessed Virgin nor proposed them for the veneration of the people, we have a proof on the order of a sensible experience.
34. The above-mentioned teachings of the holy Fathers and of the Doctors have been in common use during more recent times. Gathering together the testimonies of the Christians of earlier days, St. Robert Bellarmine exclaimed: "And who, I ask, could believe that the ark of holiness, the dwelling place of the Word of God, the temple of the Holy Spirit, could be reduced to ruin? My soul is filled with horror at the thought that this virginal flesh which had begotten God, had brought him into the world, had nourished and carried him, could have been turned into ashes or given over to be food for worms."
35. In like manner St. Francis of Sales, after asserting that it is wrong to doubt that Jesus Christ has himself observed, in the most perfect way, the divine commandment by which children are ordered to honor their parents, asks this question: "What son would not bring his mother back to life and would not bring her into paradise after her death if he could?" And St. Alphonsus writes that "Jesus did not wish to have the body of Mary corrupted after death, since it would have redounded to his own dishonor to have her virginal flesh, from which he himself had assumed flesh, reduced to dust."
36. Once the mystery which is commemorated in this feast had been placed in its proper light, there were not lacking teachers who, instead of dealing with the theological reasonings that show why it is fitting and right to believe the bodily Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into heaven, chose to focus their mind and attention on the faith of the Church itself, which is the Mystical Body of Christ without stain or wrinkle and is called by the Apostle "the pillar and ground of truth." Relying on this common faith, they considered the teaching opposed to the doctrine of our Lady's Assumption as temerarious, if not heretical. Thus, like not a few others, St. Peter Canisius, after he had declared that the very word "assumption" signifies the glorification, not only of the soul but also of the body, and that the Church has venerated and has solemnly celebrated this mystery of Mary's Assumption for many centuries, adds these words of warning: "This teaching has already been accepted for some centuries, it has been held as certain in the minds of the pious people, and it has been taught to the entire Church in such a way that those who deny that Mary's body has been assumed into heaven are not to be listened to patiently but are everywhere to be denounced as over-contentious or rash men, and as imbued with a spirit that is heretical rather than Catholic."
37. At the same time the great Suarez was professing in the field of mariology the norm that "keeping in mind the standards of propriety, and when there is no contradiction or repugnance on the part of Scripture, the mysteries of grace which God has wrought in the Virgin must be measured, not by the ordinary laws, but by the divine omnipotence." Supported by the common faith of the entire Church on the subject of the mystery of the Assumption, he could conclude that this mystery was to be believed with the same firmness of assent as that given to the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin. Thus he already held that such truths could be defined.
38. All these proofs and considerations of the holy Fathers and the theologians are based upon the Sacred Writings as their ultimate foundation. These set the loving Mother of God as it were before our very eyes as most intimately joined to her divine Son and as always sharing his lot. Consequently it seems impossible to think of her, the one who conceived Christ, brought him forth, nursed him with her milk, held him in her arms, and clasped him to her breast, as being apart from him in body, even though not in soul, after this earthly life. Since our Redeemer is the Son of Mary, he could not do otherwise, as the perfect observer of God's law, than to honor, not only his eternal Father, but also his most beloved Mother. And, since it was within his power to grant her this great honor, to preserve her from the corruption of the tomb, we must believe that he really acted in this way.
39. We must remember especially that, since the second century, the Virgin Mary has been designated by the holy Fathers as the new Eve, who, although subject to the new Adam, is most intimately associated with him in that struggle against the infernal foe which, as foretold in the protoevangelium, would finally result in that most complete victory over the sin and death which are always mentioned together in the writings of the Apostle of the Gentiles. Consequently, just as the glorious resurrection of Christ was an essential part and the final sign of this victory, so that struggle which was common to the Blessed Virgin and her divine Son should be brought to a close by the glorification of her virginal body, for the same Apostle says: "When this mortal thing hath put on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: Death is swallowed up in victory."
40. Hence the revered Mother of God, from all eternity joined in a hidden way with Jesus Christ in one and the same decree of predestination, immaculate in her conception, a most perfect virgin in her divine motherhood, the noble associate of the divine Redeemer who has won a complete triumph over sin and its consequences, finally obtained, as the supreme culmination of her privileges, that she should be preserved free from the corruption of the tomb and that, like her own Son, having overcome death, she might be taken up body and soul to the glory of heaven where, as Queen, she sits in splendor at the right hand of her Son, the immortal King of the Ages.
41. Since the universal Church, within which dwells the Spirit of Truth who infallibly directs it toward an ever more perfect knowledge of the revealed truths, has expressed its own belief many times over the course of the centuries, and since the bishops of the entire world are almost unanimously petitioning that the truth of the bodily Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into heaven should be defined as a dogma of divine and Catholic faith-this truth which is based on the Sacred Writings, which is thoroughly rooted in the minds of the faithful, which has been approved in ecclesiastical worship from the most remote times, which is completely in harmony with the other revealed truths, and which has been expounded and explained magnificently in the work, the science, and the wisdom of the theologians-we believe that the moment appointed in the plan of divine providence for the solemn proclamation of this outstanding privilege of the Virgin Mary has already arrived.
42. We, who have placed our pontificate under the special patronage of the most holy Virgin, to whom we have had recourse so often in times of grave trouble, we who have consecrated the entire human race to her Immaculate Heart in public ceremonies, and who have time and time again experienced her powerful protection, are confident that this solemn proclamation and definition of the Assumption will contribute in no small way to the advantage of human society, since it redounds to the glory of the Most Blessed Trinity, to which the Blessed Mother of God is bound by such singular bonds. It is to be hoped that all the faithful will be stirred upto a stronger piety toward their heavenly Mother, and that the souls of all those who glory in the Christian name may be moved by the desire of sharing in the unity of Jesus Christ's Mystical Body and of increasing their love for her who shows her motherly heart to all the members of this august body. And so we may hope that those who meditate upon the glorious example Mary offers us may be more and more convinced of the value of a human life entirely devoted to carrying out the heavenly Father's will and to bringing good to others. Thus, while the illusory teachings of materialism and the corruption of morals that follows from these teachings threaten to extinguish the light of virtue and to ruin the lives of men by exciting discord among them, in this magnificent way all may see clearly to what a lofty goal our bodies and souls are destined. Finally it is our hope that belief in Mary's bodily Assumption into heaven will make our belief in our own resurrection stronger and render it more effective.
43. We rejoice greatly that this solemn event falls, according to the design of God's providence, during this Holy Year, so that we are able, while the great Jubilee is being observed, to adorn the brow of God's Virgin Mother with this brilliant gem, and to leave a monument more enduring than bronze of our own most fervent love for the Mother of God.
44. For which reason, after we have poured forth prayers of supplication again and again to God, and have invoked the light of the Spirit of Truth, for the glory of Almighty God who has lavished his special affection upon the Virgin Mary, for the honor of her Son, the immortal King of the Ages and the Victor over sin and death, for the increase of the glory of that same august Mother, and for the joy and exultation of the entire Church; by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and by our own authority, we pronounce, declare, and define it to be a divinely revealed dogma: that the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.
45. Hence if anyone, which God forbid, should dare willfully to deny or to call into doubt that which we have defined, let him know that he has fallen away completely from the divine and Catholic Faith.
46. In order that this, our definition of the bodily Assumption of the Virgin Mary into heaven may be brought to the attention of the universal Church, we desire that this, our Apostolic Letter, should stand for perpetual remembrance, commanding that written copies of it, or even printed copies, signed by the hand of any public notary and bearing the seal of a person constituted in ecclesiastical dignity, should be accorded by all men the same reception they would give to this present letter, were it tendered or shown.
47. It is forbidden to any man to change this, our declaration, pronouncement, and definition or, by rash attempt, to oppose and counter it. If any man should presume to make such an attempt, let him know that he will incur the wrath of Almighty God and of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul.
48. Given at Rome, at St. Peter's, in the year of the great Jubilee, 1950, on the first day of the month of November, on the Feast of All Saints, in the twelfth year of our pontificate.
I, Pius, Bishop of the Catholic Church, have signed, so defining.
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THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION
IS SUBJECT TO SPECULATION!!
Looking directly at the back side of the one dollar bill you now hold, you can plainly see that it has two distinct seals between the four number 1's and the four 'one' words spelled out.
The words "THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" can be found at the top of the dollar and the words "ONE DOLLAR" can be found at the bottom. In the center, the word "ONE" is spelled out in large letters and "IN GOD WE TRUST" appears atop the word "ONE". Let's address the two distinct seals.
How did these two 'great' seals originate? Well, I know three stories dealing with its origins. The first one tells of how Thomas Jefferson, a Mason; Benjamin Franklin, a Rosicrucian; and John Adams, also a Mason, were commissioned, on July 4, 1776, to design these seals.
This is the historical aspect. The second story relates that these three patriots were given the design by "illuminated" Masons. The third story holds that, while trying to design this seal in his home, on June 17, 1782, Thomas Jefferson was suddenly approached by a "being", cloaked in black. The "being" allegedly presented Jefferson with a red velvet bag which contained two plaques. Turning around, the "being" walked into Jefferson's garden and mysteriously vanished.
The two plaques that were in the red velvet bag were the two Great Seals of the United States. I, personally, agree with the latter story. As you continue in this chapter, you will realize that these seals are too brilliantly put together that it had to be demonically-inspired by Satan. Whichever story 'you' believe, one outstanding fact remains unchanged; these seals were not to inaugurate the Declaration of Freedom, but were designed as a tribute to a 'new world order' that would take over the Thirteen Colonies of the United States.
It was on May 1, 1776, when Dr. Adam Weishaupt founded the Bavarian Order of the Illuminati. Weishaupt was a Professor of Canon Law at the University of Ingolstadt in Bavaria, Germany. He was born a Jew and later converted to Roman Catholicism. A former Jesuit Priest, he left the order to form his own organization. It was Weishaupt's belief that only a chosen few had enough "illumination" to guide and rule the world.
The problem was simply this: where would he find these few intellectual "lightbearers?" Subsequently, he found them in various lodges and orders of the day. He infiltrated the Jesuit Order, the Masonic lodges, Jacobinism (a European school of 'Enlightenment; during the eighteenth century), the Rosicrucian Order and other orders of antiquity. But, all this didn't happen without reprisal. Many lodges and orders that had been infiltrated virtually warned Weishaupt to discontinue his activities. Fortunately for Weishaupt, Thomas Jefferson, in 1784, had recently been named the United States Ambassador to France. Jefferson, a Mason, favored Weishaupt's 'new order' and came to his aid. The 'new order' was now guaranteed to continue and it eventually became known as the "Order of the Illuminati."
As their founder continued to expand the ranks and membership, two major
events transpired; five years after he was named Ambassador to France,
Thomas Jefferson returned home to become Secretary of State. Shortly after
his arrival, on September 15, 1789, the United States Congress officially
adopted the Great Seals of the United States which were, originally, and
in fact, the Two Great Seals of the Illuminati.
Take the one dollar bill you have ready for the following exercise and look at its back side, focusing your attention on the great seal to your left. Compare your bill to Figure 1 on the next page.
Directly above the capstone of the pyramid, is a Latin expression, "ANNUIT COEPTIS", AND DIRECTLY BENEATH THE BASE OF THE PYRAMID IS ANOTHER EXPRESSION, in Latin, "NOVUS ORDO SECLORUM." These Latin expressions, when translated to English, mean respectively, "Announcing the Birth" (or arrival), and "New World (secular) Order." So here we have a clear-cut warning: "Announcing the Birth of a New World Order."
Next, we see the capstone separated from the pyramid, with an eye in the center. This is NOT the all-seeing eye of God. If it was, the point of the capstone would be pointing down, indicating God looking into the affairs of Man. I might add that the three sides of the capstone would normally represent God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, but since the capstone is facing upward, it therefore means that Man is "invading the heavenlies." In occult mysticism, the three sides mean Satan, The Antichrist, and the False Prophet.
As for the rest of the pyramid, it is made up of exactly 13 steps. These steps represent the organizational chart of the Illuminati, and an additional direct commentary relating to this corporate breakdown can be found further within this book.
The first block in the first level represents the "Council of Thirteen"; this council is comprised of the thirteen most powerful witches alive today. For those witches, or anyone else connected with the Illuminati, the "Council of Thirteen" takes its orders only from the House of Rothschild in Scotland. Phillipe and Edmond, who were the heads of this house, were considered literal 'gods' upon this planet and their word was law. In the last five years both Phillipe and Edmond have died; complete control of the House of Rothschild, and the Order of the Illuminati, is now in the hands of Lord James Rothschild.
The second block in the pyramid represents the "Council of 33." This council consists of the 33 highest Masons in the entire world.
The third block in the pyramid is known as the "Council of 500." This council consists of the 500 richest people and various companies in the world. The "Council of 500" is headed by Queen Juliana of the Netherlands. Her personal estate is valued at over three billion dollars, making her one of the richest ladies in the world. It is also interesting to note, that her husband, the Prince Consort, Prince Bernhard heads the Bilderbergs; the notorious and infamous group who first met in 1954 at the Bilderberg Hotel in Oosterbeek, Holland. Most political and economic plans of the world are created through the members of this group. One last thing to take note of, the 1976 meeting of the Bilderberg Society had to be canceled due to the "Lockheed bribery scandal" in which Prince Bernhard himself was involved.
The remainder of the blocks within the pyramid, are those of various orders and lodges as discussed in the aforementioned book "Secrets of the Illuminati."
At the base of the pyramid, in roman numerals, is MDCCLXXVI, which equals the year "1776." Most people are led to believe that this represents July 4, 1776 in which America declared her independence. This is not true! The MDCCLXXVI represents May 1, 1776 the founding date in which the Illuminati was officiated. As Jesus Christ is to be the foundation for a good Christian life (I Corinthians 3:11), the Illuminati based their foundation on the evil ways of their god, Lucifer (Satan).
In short, this first seal is telling us that on May 1, 1776, a 'New World Order' had been created. The head of this order is Lucifer and it would be based upon depravity and rebellion. This group, of course, is unlike any other on Earth, for it is 'hell-spawned' with the intent of taking over planet Earth for Satan.
Now, let's examine the second part of the seal, located on the right hand side of the back of the dollar bill, then follow along with Figure 2.
Starting from the top, we see a cluster of 13 stars surrounded by 28 glowing guide lines. Thirteen is the number for "depravity and rebellion," and twenty-eight is the number for "eternal life."
Much more will be said concerning this cluster of stars, but, for now, let's continue examining this seal. Continuing downward, we see another Latin expression on a banner, consisting of 13 letters, held in an eagle's beak. The Latin expression, "E PLURIBUS UNUM," in translation, means "One out of many." But, the question that should be asked is "One out of many WHAT?" If you will recall the Illuminati was formed out of many groups, and out of them the finest members with the best potential were kept ("One group out of many groups).
We next consider the eagle. When the first seals were presented to Thomas Jefferson at his home in Monticello on June 17, 1782, the familiar eagle hardly looked like one. In fact, if you compare Figure 3 to Figure 4, the first bird looks exactly like a mythical bird known as the Phoenix. In Egyptian mythology, the Phoenix was a legendary bird that lived between five and six centuries and was, in the end, consumed in fire by its own act. Later, it resurrected itself from it's own ashes, giving itself a new and fresh life.
Why a Phoenix of all available birds to represent? An interesting event which has been erased from the annals of time and history took place during the formation of the United States. An insidious plan to take over the new American society was developed by the Illuminati. Many plans and papers had been drawn up in painstaking detail, and these plotted and sought to overthrow the federal government through certain infiltrations, along with other countries such as Germany, France, and England. The plans were handed over to a courier named Lanze in Frankfurt, Germany one rainy night in February of 1785. The information held within the satchels would be circulated to various Masonic Lodges and Illuminati members.
As this courier was riding through Ratisbon, Germany, on that cold and rainy night, Divine intervention came into play. A bolt of lightning came streaming down from Heaven, striking the rider and killing him instantly. Later, when the body was discovered by the police, the pouches were opened and plans were found that would end our 'just-born' nation and for the overthrow of Europe. The papers also revealed eventual global conquest. The police subsequently raided all the Masonic lodges and other group meeting places and found still other plans that coincided with the ones in their possession.
These lodges, along with the Illuminati, were forced to go underground only to emerge later. But this was slowly accomplished and with the air of Christianity so as to fool everyone into thinking that these were Christian groups.
But, as anyone who knows the true inner dealings and workings of those lodges will tell you, they are based entirely upon the ancient Egyptian and Babylonian mystery schools of Satan worship. Just as the Phoenix bird reportedly resurrected itself from the ashes, so did the Illuminati resurrect itself from hiding.
Also, take note that the so-called eagle is looking toward the right-hand side of the currency, which is our (your) left. Since this bird is looking toward the right, it looks on in favor of this 'New World Order.' Comparatively, the Nazi war bird of World War II was looking toward the left (our right). Since the bird was looking toward the left, it symbolically means that it looked away from what 'we' considered a good governmental system based upon democracy. It looked away in rebellion or "in favor of change."
On the breast of the eagle is a very unusual shield of protection. If you look at the top of it, you will notice 12 horizontal lines above 18 vertical lines. Twelve is the number for a perfect government and eighteen is the number for bondage. So this new government was going to be held in bondage. Bondage by who or whom? Those 18 lines are also set up in a very interesting pattern. There are six sets of lines, and each set contains three lines, or three sixes (666). These six sets are placed upon a white field and when this is done, the white field is broken into seven sections. We now have six sets of dark lines upon a field of white. Six is the number of Man and seven is the number of God. Thus, the system was going to place Man above God.
At the end of the eagle's two legs are eight talons, clutching an olive branch, consisting of 13 berries with 13 leaves plus a cluster of 13 arrows.
The olive branch is symbolic of peace and the berries are the fruit of that peace. The 13 arrows are symbolic of war and military strength. The talons or claws of this bird number eight. Eight is the number of new creations. The talons of this bird are clenched, symbolizing that this new government will take over the old one by force. The new government, of course, will be run by the Illuminati.
Underneath the shield are nine tail feathers, used for guidance and control. Nine is the number of finality, and coupled with the meaning of the tail feathers, this signifies that with guidance and control, this new government has finally arrived. It is now complete!
So, in short, what this second seal is saying, in light of the first seal, is that an old system is going to rise up and take over this new government by force, through the use of demonic control and influence.
Before we continue with these seals, I must interject a little background information. Witches MUST obey certain laws of witchcraft in order for the force to work for them. This is not to say that witches have a force of their own, for, the only force of a witch comes through demonic contacts and obedience.
A witch, by himself or herself, cannot cause anything to happen. It is strictly by the follow-up actions of a demon. If every procedure is properly done, a demon must obey any order or spell given by a witch.
This brings me to my next point. The casting of a spell can be done in several ways. Small ones require few things to be done by the witch, while the larger, more powerful spells require much more.
When casting a spell, certain symbols must be used or the spell won't work. Take a look at Figure 5. This five-pointed star is called a pentalpha. Now look at Figure 6. This interlaced, five-pointed star is called a pentacle; with a circle around it, it would properly called a pentagram (which is only worn by initiated witches). I can remember in the 1960's and early 1970's that the only place an initiated witch could get an interlaced pentacle was in a 'head shop'. On the outside, this shop would appear to sell only records, posters and incense, but those on the 'inside' knew that they could buy occult paraphernalia and even drugs if desired. Today, one can buy the majority of these symbols at any gift shop. Even Avon and a number of major mail-order and catalog sales companies sell jewelry that look exactly like the ones in these diagrams.
Unless a witch has a pentacle on his or her person while casting a spell, nothing will happen. This is a basic law in witchcraft. A true witch is never without this symbol; it's as sacred to a witch as the Cross of Calvary is to a born-again believer.
It must be noted that all the symbols mentioned in this book were given to witches by demons who were under their control.
Observe very carefully the symbol in Figure 7. It is commonly known as the Seal of David, the Jewish Star, the Mogen David, or the Seal of Solomon. This symbol is composed of two interlaced, equilateral triangle that symbolize the union of two realities; God with Man. Compare this to the symbol found in Figure 8.
The symbol in Figure 8 is a Satanic counterfeit of Figure 7 and is called a hexagon. You will note that it also has two equilateral triangles, but they are not interlaced. They are placed one on top of another. Satan, the master counterfeiter, devised this symbol to be used in worship of him. In order for a witch to conjure a demon, and I mean a literal demon being summoned into our plane of existence, a witch must first draw, on the ground, a circle with a nine-foot radius. The outside of this circle is called a "demon's trap," because that is the literal function of this circle. If the circle remains unbroken, and if the witch is using the correct incantations, the demon must remain outside this circle and do the will of the spellcaster.
This six pointed star with a nine-foot radius circle, is called a hexagram. It is the foulest, most evil of all symbols in the occult world. Observe very carefully Figure 9, for the hexagram.
Now take a careful look at Figure 10 and you will see how that seemingly harmless cluster of five pointed stars now becomes a hexagram with a "demon trap" around it just like Figure 9. The eagle, representing this newly-founded government, is being crowned with demonic control. To continue with this virtual horror story, observe, very carefully, what happens when you connect and align all the 13's on the seal in Figure 11.
You'll find the result is still another hexagram, and surrounding this seal is a circle or a "demon trap," just as the 28 guide lines around the stars form a circle.
So far, we have discovered two hexagrams, each one containing a "6" because of its six points. Could it be possible, then, that another hexagram lies somewhere on these seals to form a 6, 6, 6? You should better believe it! Figure 12 will show us and prove this. Notice that when you connect the pyramid with the thirteen's, you will have another hexagram. It has a "demon trap" around it making this three complete hexagrams, each having six sides, or, if you will a "6, 6, 6," THE MARK OF THE BEAST.
Even if I were the severest of critics, and the sincerest of believers in coincidences, I still could not disprove or have any doubts that these two seals were just accidents. I consider it impossible! Every single connecting point fits in place, geometrically. The line under the capstone goes under itself to connect, perfectly, at the ends. The same thing happens with the fourth row of stars in the cluster of 13 stars. The lines run over the top of each other. As in the case of King Belshazzar in Daniel 5:27, this great seal is weighed in the balances and is found wanting.
When these two seals were originally designed, did Thomas Jefferson, John Adams or Benjamin Franklin have any idea of the mystic symbol or symbolism behind them? I believe that Thomas Jefferson did and that Benjamin Franklin also had an idea of the truth. In all probability, John Adams remained in doubt. Years later when Adams discovered the truth about the Illuminati he left the order to fight against them and their conspiracy.
The Illuminati's two greatest weapons are secrecy and money. Mayer Amschel Rothschild, head of the House of Rothschild, and who was also head of the Illuminati, said in 1838, "Allow me to issue and control the money of a nation and I care not who writes its laws." How very true! Even in today's society, if a federally-sponsored charity does not listen to what these groups want, it will be cut off from all governmental funding. This is "monetarial dictatorship."
Down the corridor of time, a political figure emerged in the 1920's who would become President of the United States. During the 1932 presidential campaign, Franklin D. Roosevelt's political platform was based on what he termed "The New Deal," though many rumors were spreading that this platform did not represent his true plans. Fearing a deeper depression, the public began a run on the banks. Many closed their doors by the time Roosevelt was inaugurated.
When "FDR", as he was called, finally stepped into presidential office, it was with an air of great tension and anxiety, planned by the higher powers in control of Roosevelt.
Even the Great Depression, beginning in late 1929, was part of this overall plan. Congressman Louis T. McFadden, Chairman of the House Banking Committee, said"It was no accident. It was a carefully contrived occurrence. The international bankers sought to bring about a condition of despair here so they might emerge as rulers of us all."
So the Roosevelt administration asked the United States Congress to pass legislation which would force the American people to give up their gold in exchange for paper money.
When the passing of the appropriate legislation was accomplished, the American people were forced to give up their gold for this new paper money called "greenbacks." They had received $20.67 in paper money for an ounce of gold. This sounded fair in the very beginning, but, shortly thereafter, the government raised the price of gold to $35.00 an ounce. In short, the government (during the great depression) had robbed the American populace of over three billion dollars. Senator Carter Glass was asked his opinion on this new development. He replied, "President Roosevelt, I think that this is worse than anything that Ali Baba's forty thieves could ever have perpetrated."
As Roosevelt's "New Deal" was put into motion, every new dollar bill coming off the presses carried with it two new seals that had never been there before; the Two Seals of the Illuminati. They could now openly declare that their conspiracy had finally born fruit, their "NOVUS ORDO SECLORUM" or "New Deal."
What does all this point to?
It points to the overthrow of our government and places in jeopardy
the benefits that accompany it, including the right to life, liberty, and
the pursuit of happiness.
The name Maitreya is found in Jeremiah 50:30-33 at an Equidistant Letter
Sequence of 27. On the graph the name Maitreya runs from top to bottom.
The letters in red at an interval of 5 (from right to left) are the
phrase ha behemeh which means the beast. On the seventh line down to the
left is the word chiah which means beast.
Note that 27 = 9 + 9 + 9
999 x 2 = 1998 (?)
999 turned upside down is 666
Let us redeem the time for the days are evil and the man of sin, the son of perdition, may be among us.
Maranatha,
Bill
I have downloaded Hebrew fonts and also managed to find the hebrew old
testament. Then I opened Jeremiah verse 30 onwards and found the letters
that were in
the table. Every single letter matched and I coloured the letters signifying
Maitryah and also "The Beast". I consulted with a book on biblical hebrew
and the word "Beast" matches. I also checked the number six and it is the
hebrew letter W (looks like a number 1). I looked all over the tablethat
I created and found that 666 was repeated 3 times!!!
666 x 3 = 1998 .... same as in the message to
father gobbi?!
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WHO IS LIKE UNTO
GOD?