I’m unable to let Mark’s article go unanswered, because in it he makes some dangerous assertions that are disturbing to any Christian who believes in God’s word. You see, he throws around a lot of praises of an apparition purporting to be a “Blessed Mother” whose claims are nothing but Satanic in nature. Catholics who fall prey to these apparitions need only to consult the Bible to see that they’re being deceived. While my tone in this post seems pretty harsh, I’m only being serious because this is very serious stuff, folks. This post is written out of concern for God’s truth, and I ask your forgiveness that I can’t always convey my care in a very loving tone. It’s out of love that I sound the alarm here…please bear with me.
Ask any catholic whether they worship Mary, and they’ll try to avoid the issue, claiming instead that she’s merely revered, esteemed, or something similar. Yet they claim that she takes the place of Jesus and exalt her to a role which she never claimed and which was never bestowed upon her. Nowhere in the Bible is she ever given the position to which they try to promote her. When told about his mother wanting to see him, Jesus said, “My mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it” (Luke 8:21). In Luke 11:27 a woman exclaims how the mother of Jesus must be blessed, to which Jesus replies, “Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it” (Luke 11:28). Mary herself knew she was a sinner in need of the Messiah to come, which it turns out she would bear: “And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.” (Luke 1:45-48) So neither Jesus nor Mary claim that she’s special aside from being chosen to bear the Messiah, yet millions of people today try to turn her into a false God. They claim they don’t, but they pray to her for things that only God can provide. That’s blasphemy and idolatry.
Most importantly, let’s look at Mark’s claim that Mary will “intervene for us today and overwhelm the darkness with the brightness of her presence once again.” Let me point out that the Bible says “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (I Timothy 2:5). Romans 8:24 tells us that “It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.” The Hebrews were told about Jesus: “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.” (Hebrews 7:25) We don’t need Mary to interceed, intervene, or do any other sort of thing that Jesus Christ himself does for us. Anyone or anything that tries to replace Jesus Christ is of the devil, plain and simple. If you run across something, no matter how miraculous, who tries to usurp the authority given to the Son of God, you’re face to face with the devil or one of his angels. According to the Bible, “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” (John 8:12) We need no purported brightness of the presence of Mary or any other. Check your Bible…it’s in there.
The blasphemous idolatry toward Mary is blatant. Take, for instance, the “Hail Mary” prayer. It starts out innocent enough: “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.” Nothing wrong there, the wording closely resembles that of Luke chapter 1. But then things take a turn for the worse: “Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners…” That’s just plain blasphemous. As I’ve stated above, only Jesus stands ready to intercede for us with God the Father. Nobody in the entire Bible attempts to exalt themselves to the level of God except the devil himself. Mary never did it either. It takes something very sinister to start presenting that in churches which claim to follow Jesus.
This also brings up the larger issue of Catholicism vs. Christianity. The Bible tells us throughout its text that we are saved by faith. For example, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). The Catholic Church, on the other hand, claims that the sacraments are necessary for salvation. A quick read of the current Catechism shows that “the sacraments of the New Covenant are necessary for salvation” and “Celebrated worthily in faith, the sacraments confer the grace that they signify.” They mix the word “grace” with the underhanded tactic of saying that you must work for that grace. These are the same folks that are confirming these apparitions and deeming them worthy of worship. Let’s not forget that Peter said we are “kept by the power of God through grace until salvation” (I Peter 1:5) or that Paul wrote “…But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.” (Romans 5:15) Jesus died once to save us, just like Adam sinned once to condemn us. We don’t need to try to perform sacraments to do what Jesus has already done on our behalf. If you don’t accept his sacrifice on the cross, where he declared, “It is finished” (John 19:30) as payment enough for your sin, then you do not believe in the Jesus of the Bible.
It all comes down to your final authority. If you get your answers and your doctrine only from a church of men (catholic or otherwise) without a clear basis in the Bible, you’re liable to fall for anything. If you go to the Bible, the inerrant word of God, you have something which stands proven and doesn’t change, despite the best efforts of men. God doesn’t change, and neither does his gospel. Check out Galatians 1:8, where Paul warns: “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.” Trying to substitute Mary for Jesus in any capacity is in direct contradiction with the gospel as preached by the apostles and recorded in the Bible. Piling conditions, works, and sacraments on top of the grace that is freely given is the same sin. If the scripture is not good enough for you, and you choose some other final authority, then that’s your decision. But you cannot claim to be Christian while seeking a substitute for Christ. You cannot be a Christian while trying to substitute works for his grace. It just doesn’t work.
Here’s an analogy: I’ve got a nice entertainment center at home. I’d really like to program my VCR using the remote for my satellite receiver, because it would be much easier for me. I don’t like the VCR remote, or having to do it the way the VCR was manufactured. But the fact of the matter is, the VCR will only work one way: if I read the manual and follow it to the letter. Your soul has an owner’s manual: the Bible. If your soul is sitting on the shelf, blinking “12:00” all the time, then you’ve got serious trouble. Dig out that owner’s manual and get the truth. Quit trying to do things your own way, because the next thing you know, you’ll be worshiping a piece of cloth from Mexico with someone’s face print in it.
As for these apparitions themselves, I’ll just let the Bible speak for itself: “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.” You can find these words in I John chapter 4. That’s not me talking, that’s God’s word. In accounts of these apparitions of “Mary” where this test is applied, “Mary” changes the subject and vanishes.
I’ve known and/or worked with Mark for over fifteen years and don’t doubt his good intentions, but that article last month was nothing short of blasphemy. If you want more truth about the apparitions claiming to be Mary, and even Jesus, check out the book “Quite Contrary” at BibleSoft.com. But even more importantly, read your Bible…all of it, not just the parts that might prove your point if taken out of context. I was raised and confirmed a devout Catholic…private schools, altar boy, the whole works…but I’d never been told to do anything with a Bible except carry it in front of the priest. Once I read my Bible, my eyes were opened. I encourage you to do the same. Read it cover to cover, and you’ll be surprised what’s in there…and what’s not.