The Insulting Behaviour towards Our Lady

Whereas the betrayal of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament was achieved by openly attacking the reverence towards him  by means of liturgical changes, while protesting these actions had authority the betrayal of the place of Mary was quite straight forward - devotion  to her were simply dismissed.     When the fathers of Vatican II gathers they were unprepared at the beginning for the attacks on devotion to Mary which the dissenters had prepared well in advance.   A schema on Mary was dismissed as something that would put the 'ecumenical movement' back ten years.   This came from the German bishops and if indeed the ecumenical movement was to be brought back ten  years  this could only mean the Our Lady had already been dismissed during that time by the German bishops.   So what need for an ecumenical council.    The bishops did fight back and eventually in the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church they inserted that Devotion to Mary should continue.   Very few people read this document, but I did, and it brought me into conflict with what the bishop at the time was spreading  in the diocese through 'experts'.   The ecumenical line was used to silence faithful Catholics and phrases such as "Do you think you are the only one going to heaven?"  "Those days are over".   "We have moved on"  were used to silence myself and anyone else who dared to oppose.

To be able to sit and pray with Protestants who believe their faith, requires above all respect for their right to believe.   It is  good for us to remember that they too are loved by God.   This is something I remember when Jehovah Witnesses call at my door, I may not find their way of following Jesus appealing, but God loves them and wants them to be saved as much as He wants me to be saved for he loves them as much as me.   Respect is the key word in all ecumenical endeavours.  I remember sitting in a Protestant Church at an ecumenical meeting listening to an audio tape which talked about the Protestant Martys and how they had died because of their belief  in scripture.   This is what they believed and I respected their right to believe this, although I may have had doubts as a Catholic I was there to share my love not my corrections.   That is I believe the true spirit of ecumenism.   Recently however in my town this 'respect' has gone.    It started three years ago when the 'walk of witness' on Good Friday was suddenly stopped.   It was said that this was triumphalist.  I do not know if this was a leadership decision or not, but certainly I and others who went to bear witness of Our Love of Jesus were not asked.    The claim that this was triumphalist is so judgemental that it is certainly not Christian.     Again I have a friend who at an ecumenical meeting recently mentioned that she when she was in difficulty prayed to Mary.   Three Protestant members told a Catholic later to tell the woman that she should not mention Mary at these meetings.   Far from being ecumenical it seems that movement is now deep into religious bigotry.   Ecumenism can never lead to unity but it should lead to understanding.    

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