FollowingJesusUS.com

The Assumption of Mary

The Assumption of Mary is celebrated by many Christian churches through out the world, especially Catholic Churches. It is a national holiday in many countries such as Italy, Spain, Belgium, Guatemala, Lebanon, Poland, and many more…

It’s a major celebration in countries such as Russia, Ireland, Mexico…

The Assumption of Mary is defined differently by different groups. The Catholic Church teaches that:

“having completed the course of her earthly life”, leaves open the question of whether the Virgin Mary died before her assumption or not. Mary’s assumption is said to have been a divine gift to her as the ‘Mother of God’.

I could see our Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit giving Mary a “divine gift” 🙂

Catholics and Protestants have long differed on the question of the Assumption of Mary, but we are all Followers of Christ. And with so many attacking Christians through out the world, division is one thing we can not afford!

Mary has been called the “Queen of Heaven”, and She is. She always will be ?. And Jesus loved her in a special way. How could He not? After all, Mary was His Mother, chosen by God Himself, and Jesus was both human and divine. It is entirely believable that when Mary’s work here on earth was done, Jesus gave her a special gift. Just as we know that the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit were so happy when She came Home to Heaven. Just as we know that all of Heaven Heaven rejoiced upon her arrival.

Mary is Jesus’ Mother. And without Jesus, there would be no reconciliation with God and we would not be going to Heaven. That She willingly suffered so much on Jesus’ behalf and ours is without dispute. I personally can’t even imagine having Mary’s faith and strength and I will always be extraordinarily grateful to Her. Her example is a shining light for all of us and Her love for us is without question.

Catholic and Protestant churches may differ on the Assumption of Mary, but one thing we can all agree on is that Mary sacrificed greatly both for Jesus and for us. She loved Jesus and she loved us. And She is deserving of both our gratitude and love-always!

There’s a saying “in things we agree, unity” and in” things we disagree, charity”, for the ultimate source of truth on this earth will always be God’s Word.

Mary was a Great Gift both to Jesus and to all of us! She loves us all! And that we can agree upon 🙂

Being Grateful :)

One of the reasons that sinners are the so very grateful is because they know they need a Savior and they are incredibly grateful. Sometimes we go to church and actively Follow Christ, but we forget just how Blessed we are 🙂

Personally, I am so grateful for God’s CONSTANT presence in my life. He is with me in good times to share in my joy and in hard times to help me through.

I read somewhere that it helps people with stress tremendously to write down 5 things that they are grateful for each day.

So we need to write down our list and Thank God for Blessing us with each of them!

The Miracle of Mary :)

There have been many miracles surrounding Mary, but perhaps one of the best known is “The Miracle of The Sun” at Fatima. Mary had promised the three children that she appeared to that a miracle that would prove she had truly appeared to them. And she kept that promise.

Mary had told them that WWI would end, but warned them that WWII would begin. She also warned them of the damage that Russia would do to the world if they abandoned their Christian faith in favor of communism

I can’t help wonder exactly what she would tell America right now.

She also warned them that Hell is very real. She not only warned them; she showed them.

Perhaps both are something we need to remember.

The Miracle of the Sun

On October 13, 1917, after three days of rain, Mary appeared to the children once more. Nearly 70,000 people gathered to see the “Miracle”.

“Suddenly the “clouds separated…and the sun appeared between them in the clear blue, like a disk of white fire.” The people could look at the sun without blinking and while they gazed upward, the huge ball began to “dance”. The huge fireball whirled rapidly with dizzy and sickening speed, flinging out all sorts of brilliant colors that reflected on the faces of the crowds. The fiery ball continued to gyrate in this manner three times, then seemed to tremble and shudder, and plunge in a mighty zigzag course toward the earth. The crowd was terrified, fearing this was the end of the world.

However, the sun reversed course and, retracing its zigzagging course, returned to its normal place in the heavens. All of this transpired in approximately ten minutes. After realizing they were not doomed, the crowd began ecstatically laughing, crying, shouting and weeping. Many discovered their previously drenched clothing to be perfectly dry.

After what has become to be known as “The Miracle of the Sun,” the children were grilled many, many times, about what they had seen and been told. Their story never changed.”-The Fatima Church

It’s easy to be the Light when we have good news to share, but harder when the news is not liked by some. But Being the Light means sharing the Truth. Be the Light!