You know where I first heard this story about the woman and her money - on the Howard Stern show on Thursday - and they had nothing but nice things to say about the BVM. Too funny!

When we have a tradition with Mary in a church and no one in the church even knows how it got started, it makes people feel less guilty about straying from God's word if they can see a rainbow or something they can interpret as being from God or Mary that approves of it. I wonder if people ask Mary for the lottery numbers? I remember hearing once about a man who dressed up in a white outfit and went out to a South American gold mine after praying and reached in the ground to pull out a million dollar chunk of gold. However, are these revelations coming from God?

Clay - Once again you make comments out of ignorance.

"A number of important doctrines concerning Mary are held by Christian churches. Primary among these are that Mary lived a sinless life, and that as mother of Jesus, she became Theotokos, literally the "God-bearer", or "Mother of God". This doctrine was confirmed by the Ecumenical Council of Ephesus in the year 431. Christians of the major ancient traditions including the Catholic and the Orthodox offer prayers to God through Mary and venerate her as intercessor and mother of the church. Many Protestants, however, do not follow these devotions. Mary is also honored in Islam as the virgin mother of Jesus. In Jewish Toledot Yeshu Jesus was recorded as the son of Mary and Joseph ben Pantera."

Here are some Bible verses for you as well to consider on the subject of making judgements.

Matt.7:1-2
Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
Luke.6:37
Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:
Rom.14:10,13
But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brother's way.
1Cor.4:5
Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.
Jas.4:11
1[11] Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law

You may mean well, but you are making judgements and doing it without even understanding what it is you are judging.

If God wanted us to do it, we would know, believe me. One of the biggest passages for this is Mark 3: 31-35 "Then His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him. And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, "Look. Your mother and your brothers are outside seeking You." But He answered them saying, "Who is My mother, or my brothers?" And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, "Here are My mother and brothers! For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother."" If I were you and the guy next to you getting judged by Christ mentions how he put his faith in Mary more than Christ, you may want to duck. This church isnt helping parishoners put their faith in Christ as much as it should. How it started is irrelevant. Thanks.

Clay – No one in the Catholic Church puts faith in anyone except God through Christ. If someone is telling you otherwise then they are mistaken. My reason for pointing how the got started was to show that you really do not fully understand what you are saying. “we have a tradition with Mary in a church and no one in the church even knows how it got started” You made that statement. All I did to do was show where you are flaw in your statement. I’m well aware of that verse, and it doesn’t really support your position my friend. In the end you have a false impression of the Church’s position. You have no idea what the Church does and are speaking from ignorance not to mention judging. Did you even think about the meaning of those verses I left? For your own sake take some time and thing about what they are saying in relation to what you are doing.

No matter what Christ says, I suppose you are telling Him that He doesnt understand the Catholic Church. I disagree with your statement. There are plenty of Catholics who put faith in God through Mary and the saints whom they pray to, in addition to their prayers directly to Christ. You can deny it all you want. All I am trying to do is help. God bless.

Clay – I’m saying you don’t understand the Catholic Church nothing else. You have absolutely no basis to support what you claim. I’m sure there are Catholics who misunderstand the teachings make mistakes just as there are Baptists who burn Christ word in NC or rewrite the Bible. There are also Baptist who who’ve made the bible more important than God. That doesn’t make Baptist teaching wrong. It just means some have misunderstood and wrongly apply Baptist teaching. The same is true for some Catholics that doesn’t make Catholic teaching wrong. I go to Church every week and have been to many different Churches throughout my life so with all due respect I’m quite sure I have more experience than you on the subject. I know you are trying to help. You just have a biased and flawed view of the Catholic Church. What you can’t or won’t except is you do not know Catholic doctrine. At best you know or have met a few people who are Catholic and based on that, or some flawed dogma from another denomination you make judgments on the Church. All I’m trying to do is help you see that in making such posts you are not following Christ’s own teaching. I do believe you are sincerely trying to help unlike others whose only purpose is to ridicule and scorn.

You may want to read what St. John Vianney pray for us wrote in the gay priests blog. Thanks.

Clay - I did and all it does is prove my point. One person who I'm assuming is Catholic is misguided on Catholic teaching said something wrong. That’s support for you views on the Church? We don’t even know with certainty the poster is Catholic do we? Did you go to the website? I did see your post on that blog as well endorsing someone else's and attack on homosexual priests. Anyone not just homosexuals who can't keep the celibacy vows needs to leave the priesthood. Funny how both of you seemed to feel it was ok for a heterosexual priest to violate his vows.

Why in the world would anyone feel it is ok for any priest to violate his vows? Thanks.

Clay - I can only base my comments on what is written and I don't see any taking issue with any violation of vows except for when the priest is homosexual.

I think that the church should allow priests to marry but as long as it is a violation of vows then no, even heterosexual priests should not be having relations. Thanks.