#perpetual virgin

[schoolgirl739]

i want a bf so bad but i don’t think i’ll ever actually get one

[spythebandana]

Ohhhh, I oddly love that this was brought up b/c I’m sure I’ll see it again. Simplest explanation:

A) the tabernacle held the manna, the commandments, and Aaron’s staff. Mary is the NEW tabernacle that holds the bread of life which came down from heaven for the new exodus (Jesus), the Word and law of God (Jesus), and the ultimate priest and healer (Jesus). No one could touch the old tabernacle without dying b/c it was holy - set aside for God.

B) Mary was espoused to the Holy Spirit. He came upon her & Jesus was conceived. This was the natural order of things - two spouses whose union is fruitful (see: Adam & Eve). Mary was married to the Holy Spirit. She’s made a vow & isn’t about to go breaking it b/c Joseph is handsome & strong. Joseph is a just man. He’s not going to go try and sleep with God’s spouse.

C) Mary was not a surrogate - she chose to agree to conceive Jesus with the Holy Spirit. She agreed to marry God & was specially set aside for this role. No sex for Mary.

Fun fact: this is the oldest vocation for women outside of traditional marriage. Women today, consecrate themselves to the Lord, and live without having sex. They’re Consecrated Virgins, and wear a wedding dress on the day of their vows because THEY’RE MARRYING GOD. They live normal lives, work normal jobs, and have all sorts of spiritual children - just like Mary.

Surrogacy - this is a woman selling her body to a couple that can’t conceive. Even if she does it for free, she isn’t the one who will be raising the child (like Mary did with Jesus). She’s not married to either of the couple (unlike Mary). She didn’t conceive the child in her womb & make the incredible sacrifice of either raising it or giving the baby up for adoption. A couple scientifically engineered a child & is implanting it into the surrogate who will then bond with the child & have to give it up once born. Because of a contract. It’s not genetically her baby, but emotionally it’s her baby. It’s genetically the couple’s baby, but the baby doesn’t know it. The baby thinks the surrogate is its mother.

Adoption can be painful. Very painful. But it doesnt turn women and children into commodities. It doesn’t sow this much disaster for all the people involved. It honors the fact that all babies are gifts - not purchases.

An Onion article riffing on Pope Francis’s recently-stated opposition to surrogacy (by the way, breaking news: pope opposed to surrogacy) described Mary as a surrogate used to produce the son of God, and I can’t even bring myself to be too mad about it, given that they accidentally perfectly explained why I can’t get behind a theology in which Mary is a) a variable in the equation that leads to Christ, rather than a hard factor, b) on a temporary term of intimacy with the divine Father of her child that would not preclude her, for instance, having a few kids with Joseph once the Messiah was properly delivered into the world and the necessary obligation fulfilled.

[apenitentialprayer]

Have been thinking about the virgin birth since yesterday, and to just reiterate: This is what I'm willing to stake my salvation on.

That Mary conceived Jesus without the aid of a man.

That Jesus, conceived with the help of the Holy Spirit, is Mary's true biological Son, His sacred Humanity taken from and formed by her own humanity.

That Mary was never in danger of dying during childbirth.

That Jesus is Mary's only biological offspring.

This is what I feel certain of. I am unsure of anything else, but submit to the judgement of the Church.

[portraitsofsaints]

Our Lady of Perpetual Help

Feast day: June 27

Patroness of the Republic of Haiti and Almoradi, Spain

Our Lady of Perpetual Help, also known as Our Lady of Perpetual Succour and Our Mother of Perpetual Help is the title given to a 15th-century icon that originated in the Keras Kardiotissas Monastery and has been in Rome since 1499. Due to the promotion of the image by the Redemptorist Priests since 1865 many reproductions have been made and venerated.

Here is a list of the meaning of some of the elements of the icon:

• Mary’s eyes, filled with compassion and love, are directed toward us.

• Our Lady is clothed in the colors of virgins (red) and of mothers (blue). These are also royal colors.

• The star on Mary’s veil reminds us that she is the dawn announcing the coming of Christ.

• The Christ Child grasps his mother’s hand as though he is frightened by what he sees.

• In His hurry to reach his mother, Jesus has almost lost one of his sandals. He became human, like us, in all things but sin.

• On Our Lady’s left and right, we see the reasons for the child’s fear. On the right is the Archangel Gabriel, holding a cross and four nails. On the left is the Archangel Michael, holding a lance and a gall-sop of Christ’s Passion. This vision of the instruments of the crucifixion has driven the young Jesus to his mother’s protective embrace.

Prints, plaques & holy cards available for purchase here: (website)

[rubyneo]

.

[ahopefulbromantic]

She looked at him, curiously. After a moment of silence she asked: "Do you mean to tell me you fell in love with my Son?" He raised his head and looked her in the eyes. "Yes", he said firmly. "Yes, I did."

"Not in any inappropriate way, no," he explained seeing the look in her eyes. She wasn't offended, she wasn't judging, she wasn't shocked. Instead, she was deep in thought and attentive at the same time, encouraging him to say more.

"And, well the thing is... How could I ever become a husband to a woman now? I am His." There was a faint glisten of tears in his eyes. "Only His. I don't want anyone else. I couldn't love anyone else the way I love Him, and any other way of loving someone would be but a cheap, forever unsatisfying imitation of His love. Of Him."

"He was saying something about it, in one of His sermons, wasn't He? There be eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. And He IS the kingdom of heaven. So I will make myself a eunuch if only by remaining a virgin my whole life. For Him."

Mary smiled, fondness in her eyes. "I think I know what you mean, my son."

(Inspired by this post)

[pa-pa-plasma]

cannot believe this is controversial to say but you guys HAVE to be okay with others being uncomfortable/uninterested with sex/sexualization. if they aren't hurting anyone & are minding their own business then you have to not be an asshole about it.

[ivan-fyodorovich-k]

there’s a part of me that has wanted to get an Icon ever since reading Brothers Karamazov the first time back in 2012

I won’t do it, not in the least because I am not Orthodox, and I think I respect my sibling faiths enough not to cop things from them with insufficient reason, but there is something about it

[myremnantarmy]

𝑶𝒖𝒓 𝑳𝒂𝒅𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝑷𝒆𝒓𝒑𝒆𝒕𝒖𝒂𝒍 𝑯𝒆𝒍𝒑 𝑷𝒓𝒂𝒚 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒖𝒔.

[nero-neptune]

it's so lame that catholics insist that jesus' siblings weren't Actually his biological siblings, they were his "cousins". just. put aside the religious/divine/"son of god" side of it entirely and view it as any other historical record (bc plenty of it Is a historical record w/ archeological evidence to back it up). like, the new testament was written in greek and they had (and used) words for "cousin" and various other blood relatives. but his siblings were only ever referred to using the relevant words for siblings (brothers and sisters), so there's no argument for an inaccurate translation.

idk it's just Funny to me bc near-contemporary sources mention his siblings, like his brother james (who reportedly looked and acted a lot like him). and a lot of academics who study and analyze this shit for a living lean towards jesus being the eldest boy, so it's probably a reach to say "they were just joseph's kids from a previous relationship". documented family resemblance + younger in age = something about mary lol.

i don't give a damn about the faith and belief elements. what i'm stuck on is– how're you gonna retcon someone's real brothers and sisters lmao? you cousin-zoned his siblings?? so what if mary fucked!

[traumacatholic]

Your Heavenly Mother is always there for you with her Immaculate Heart. Don't be afraid to run to her aid and comfort.

Lord, enlighten us, with your precepts that can guide our lives, and with your arm most powerful grant to us Your peace, O You Who are the Friend of all.

Most holy Theotokos save us

Pure one, fill my heart with a merriment, a happiness; bestow upon me your spotless joy, for you have given birth to Him Who is the Cause of joy.

Most holy Theotokos save us.

Deliver all of us from the dangers, Theotokos, most pure, for you bore the timeless Deliverer, and you bore the Peace, the Peace which has surpassed all thought.

Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. (making the sign of the Cross)

Dissipate the cloud of my sinfulness, O bride of God, with the brightness of your eminence; for you brought forth the Light, divine Light, Which was before all time.

Now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Heal me from the ills which the passions bring, most pure one; make me worthy of your guiding care, and unto me grant health, through your intercessions and your prayers.

[apenitentialprayer]

Speaking of the birth of Christ, I have seen people argue online that the physical signs of virginity were preserved for Mary. I doubt this portion of the birth is dogmatic, but I find it odd to hold that belief in modern day? Especially when some of them were saying Christ was teleported out of the womb. (I don't think they actually said teleported but im not sure the exact wording, they were explaining the logistics of this non-vaginal birth. And that the Holy Spirit entered through her ear?) What are your thoughts?

Going to address the ear canal thing first, because that's simpler; but from what I understand, Christians didn't actually believe that. It's an artistic and poetic motif, to be sure; it appears in a lot of Annunciation iconography up until the fifteenth century, and the imagery is used in an antiphon in the Carolingian liturgy as well. But we have to remember that Mary was not physically impregnated by God; she was made pregnant.

But this imagery does highlight two things; first, that Jesus is the Word of God. In this motif, Mary is receiving Christ the way that people normally receive words; she listens. The Christian, to quote Erik Erikson, is someone who has "aures perfectas et perfossas: good and open ears." Second, it says something about Mary; following this image, Christ enters Mary through her ear and travels down to the womb; all of Mary is thus suffused by Christ as He travels from her head downwards.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

But, anyway, moving on to the first question. There was a controversy in the early Church about whether the perpetual virginity of Mary encompassed the period where she was giving birth to Christ; virginity here seems to be conflated with "physical intactness" of Mary's body, i.e. whether she still has a hymen.

We can see this understanding, for example, in the Protoevangelium of James. This text (circulating by the last half of the Second Century) features a midwife by the name of Salome who is not physically present for the birth of Christ, but who hears the story of the virgin birth and says she will not believe it unless she is allowed to "insert" her finger and "investigate her." (Notice the parallels to the Saint Thomas story in John 20?).

But what's the point of this emphasizing her physical intactness during childbirth? I think that the decree by the Lateran Synod of 649 probably helps us here. That Synod decreed that Mary gave birth to Jesus "without loss of integrity." In other words, Mary's body was not compromised by the process of childbirth; which, you know, has historically been (and still is!) a very dangerous process.

And the "teleportation" act that you mentioned is found in Second Century sources, too. It actually may be found in the work I already mentioned? The Protoevangelium (19:9-16) describes Jesus's birth; first, a cloud covers the cave that Mary is giving birth in but as that cloud evaporates "a great light shone in the cave, so that the eyes could not bear it. And in a little that light gradually decreased, until the Infant appeared[.]" So, did Mary physically bring forth Jesus, or was the infant made manifest from the Light itself?

Another text redacted at about the same time as the Protoevangelium is The Ascension of Isaiah, which describes Jesus's birth in its eleventh chapter. Mary is already pregnant, and she and Joseph are living together, when one day "Mary then looked with her eyes and saw a small infant, and she was astounded. And after her astonishment had worn off, her was was found as it was at first, before she had conceived."

It seems that the early Christian community believed that there was something miraculous about Jesus's birth as well as His conception, but weren't sure how the logistics of that birth would have worked. So we have ambiguous birth narratives (did He teleport out of Mary's womb? Was the birth so easy Mary simply didn't notice she gave birth? Did He literally manifest out of light?) that nonetheless highlight the strangeness of that birth.

I, and I imagine most modern Christians, think that Mary physically gave birth to Jesus.

[sussven]

[ Since his summoning, save for a few photos, Phantom had never seen hide nor tail of the prolific guitarist he was to mirror.

They say he hides often. That his demeanour once the stage lights dim was the same as the approach of shadows.

And when it came to shadows? Phantom’s an expert. He is part of it, afterall.

Dewdrop however, was anything but. He is a diamond refined, a dazzling gem. His visage is a burning bright light that sears his skin. And Phantom, a man of shadows, could only simply tremble.

If he were to be returned to the ashes, he would tell the others that it was under the might of an angel; and that he was a willing participant. ]

I imagine that Phantom was probably gobsmacked by Dewdrop. He thought he could show himself off and be like “Love me!! :D” and Dewy would have no choice but to do so, cause Phantom is so darling.

But he’s a stuttering sweaty mess, because; WOW. Dewdrop is stunning.

And Dewdrop is like “Why’re you acting like we’ve never met? I literally wiped the sweat off your back after your summoning??? Bruh are you okay????”

[emvidal]

[jameslmartello]

Desert Nuns

[misespinas]

finding myself tip toeing back to Catholicism and I have mixed feelings