On the Journey with Matt and Ken and Kenny, Episode 99: Mary and the Protestant Pulpit
Matt Swaim and former Baptist pastor Ken Hensley are joined by CHNetwork's Kenny Burchard, a former Foursquare Church pastor, to begin a series discussing what led each of them to embrace Catholic teaching on Mary.
Ken and Kenny share how they used to preach about Mary as Protestant pastors, why they used to think about her that way, and what it was that began to open their hearts to start thinking of Mary as more than just a background character in the Bible.
On the Journey with Matt and Ken and Kenny, Episode 100: Mary the Mother of Who?
Matt Swaim, Ken Hensley, and Kenny Burchard continue to share what they used to believe about Mary as Protestants, and how they eventually came to believe Catholic teaching about her.
The first Marian dogma they tackle is the question of Mary as Mother of God. But before a proper discussion can be had about that, Matt and Ken and Kenny explain why it's important to understand first what a dogma is, how it comes to be, and why the Church makes such strong statements about certain questions in the first place.
On the Journey with Matt and Ken and Kenny, Episode 101: The Perpetual Virginity of Mary
Matt Swaim, Ken Hensley, and Kenny Burchard continue to share what they used to believe about Mary as Protestants, and how they eventually came to believe Catholic teaching about her.
In this week's discussion about Mary's perpetual virginity, Matt and Ken and Kenny discuss the reasons why they used to reject this dogma, and what they discovered in Scripture and history that led them to eventually accept the idea of Mary as ever-virgin.
On the Journey with Matt and Ken and Kenny, Episode 102: Mary, the New Eve
Matt Swaim, Ken Hensley, and Kenny Burchard continue their multi-part series discussing what they used to believe about Mary as Protestants, and how they came to believe Catholic teaching about her.
Kenny, Ken, and Matt discuss the third Marian dogma, the Immaculate Conception of Mary. Rooted in the biblical story, Mary is presented in the New Testament as “Woman, par excellence” — the fulfillment of God’s original created intentions for woman.
The biblical mega-theme of Woman is traced through Genesis, seen in the biblical types of the Old Testament, and ultimately fulfilled in Mary, the New Eve.
On the Journey with Matt and Ken and Kenny, Episode 103: Mary, Ark of the New Covenant
Matt, Ken, and Kenny continue their series on the Marian dogmas, discussing what they used to believe about Mary as Protestants, and how they came to embrace the Catholic teaching about her.
In their last episode, they began to discuss the Immaculate Conception of Mary, looking at Mary as the New Eve, the fulfillment of God’s original created intentions for woman.
This week, they look at another theme in biblical typology: Mary as the Ark of the New Covenant. What is the evidence from Scripture that Catholics are correct in viewing Mary as the Ark of the New Covenant? What did the early Christians seem to make of this?
On the Journey with Matt and Ken and Kenny, Episode 104: The Immaculate Conception of Mary
Matt, Ken, and Kenny continue their series on the Marian dogmas, discussing what they used to believe about Mary as Protestants, and how they came to embrace the Catholic teaching about her.
In their last two episodes, they began to discuss the Immaculate Conception of Mary, looking at the biblical themes of Mary as the New Eve and Ark of the New Covenant.
This week, they address the question: If this teaching is true, why did the Catholic Church wait until 1854 to define it as true?
On the Journey with Matt and Ken and Kenny, Episode 105: Mary's Assumption and Queenship
Matt, Ken, and Kenny wrap up their series on the Marian dogmas, discussing what they used to believe about Mary as Protestants, and how they came to embrace the Catholic teaching about her.
What is the Biblical precedent for being assumed into heaven? How were queens treated in the Davidic Kingdom? And what does all that have to do with Mary?
On the Journey with Matt and Ken and Kenny, Episode 106: The Intercession of Mary and the Saints
Beyond the dogmas, there is the question of Marian devotion, and especially the idea of asking her intercession. To answer that, Matt and Ken and Kenny drill down on the concept of the Communion of Saints, and how Mary's unique role among the saints makes her a treasured advocate in heaven.
On the Journey with Matt and Ken and Kenny, Episode 107: Frequently Asked Questions About Mary
In this episode, they address some of the common objections non-Catholics have about Mary: the Rosary as "vain repetition," Mary as Mediatrix, apparitions of Our Lady, Marian consecration, and more. Matt, Ken and Kenny share their own experience of wrestling with these questions on their way into the Catholic Church.
“Christian iconography expresses in images the same Gospel message that Scripture communicates by words. Image and word illuminate each other.” (CCC 1160)
The Immaculate Conception - Guido Reni (c. 1627)
The Immaculate Conception is one of four Marian Dogma’s of
the Catholic Church. A dogma is a
principle that is considered by the Church to be an infallible divine
revelation, a truth of the Church.
The Immaculate Conception means that Mary was conceived without original sin or its stain – “immaculate” means without stain. Original sin is the deprivation of sanctifying grace. Mary was preserved from original sin by God’s grace from the first instant of her existence, at the moment of her conception.
Luke 1:26 - 28
In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary.
And coming to her, he said, "Hail favored one! The Lord is with you."
The other three Marian dogma’s are: Mary’s divine motherhood, Mary’s perpetual virginity, and Mary’s assumption into heaven.
Madonna and Child - William Bouguereau (1888)
"It is also the faith of the Church that Mary is to be called the "Mother of God," "The One whom she conceived as man by the power of the Holy Spirit, who truly became her Son according to the flesh, was none other than the Father's eternal Son, the second person of the Holy Trinity. Hence, the Church confesses that Mary is truly the Mother of God.'"
Theotokos Mother of God of Kazan
In the Eastern Churches Mary is honored by use of the Greek expression Theotokos or "Birth-giver of God" sometimes translated as "God-Bearer." United States Catholic Catechism for Adults, page 144.
L' innocence - Bouguereau (1893)
"The Holy Spirit's power made possible the conception of Jesus in Mary's womb. There was no human father. The Gospels clearly present the virginal conception of Jesus as a divine work.
Mary was always a virgin, both in conceiving Jesus, giving birth to him, and remaining virgin every after. God granted her this privilege to emphasize that this was a unique moment in history - the birth of Jesus who is the Son of God and the Son of Mary. The liturgy of the Church speaks of Mary as ever virgin. In the early Church some denied this, arguing that the Gospels speak of the brothers and sisters of Jesus, and thus maintained that Mary did not remain a virgin after the birth of Jesus. But already in the fourth century, theologians pointed out that the Greek word for brother used in the New Testament can refer also to cousin. A second explanation was that these brothers and sisters were children of Joseph by a previous marriage. However, it is the constant teaching of the Church that Mary remained a virgin even after the birth of Jesus. In her virginity, Mary lived a life dedicated exclusively to her Son and his mission. Her example has been followed by some of Christ's disciples who have lived lives of consecrated virginity and celibacy from apostolic times to the present." United States Catholic Catechism for Adults, page 144.
Luke 1:29 - 31
But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid Mary, for you have found favor with God.
Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end." But Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?" And the angel said to her in reply, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the child to be born will be called Holy, the Son of God."
Assumption - Titian (1516)
"In the mystery of Mary's Assumption, Mary experiences immediately what we all will experience eventually, a bodily resurrection like Christ's own. "The Immaculate Virgin...when the course of her earthy life was finished, was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory, and exalted by the Lord as Queen over all things, so that she might be more fully confirmed to her Son, the Lord of lords and conqueror of death." Catechism of the Catholic Church 966.
----------- Picture Source - Public Domain The Role of Religious Art in Faith Formation - Month of December
For church supplies and gift items related to the Catholic Church please visit Lynn's Timeless Treasures
