Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Categories
- All Categories 13.8K
- General Category 10.9K
- General Announcements 184
- Faith Issues 3.4K
- Coptic Orthodox Church 2.5K
- Personal Issues 1.4K
- Prayer Requests 423
- Random Issues 1.8K
- Introductions 294
- Non-Orthodox Inquiries 232
- Youth Corner 606
- Hymns 2.5K
- Hymns Discussion 2.5K
- Technicial Difficulties 368
- Technical Topics 368
Ivory Coast
Any 1 knew about this apparition of St Mary?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bI-ZVAltnv4
There were recently horrible persecutions in the Ivory Coast where Christians were burned alive.
GBU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bI-ZVAltnv4
There were recently horrible persecutions in the Ivory Coast where Christians were burned alive.
GBU
Comments
It is possible that they are right but it is also possible that Saint Mary really did appear there.
What do you believe?
This is really not the Orthodox way at all. All our Fathers tell us to be very careful and discerning and to hesitate to accept anything like this.
We should not accept things on the basis of a You-Tube video. Are these Orthodox Christians? Then what are we saying? That it doesn't matter whether you are Orthodox or not? This is the same message as Vasulla promotes.
We must be very careful and very cautious.
I do not think chasing after miracles in every corner is healthy.
[quote author=copticuser20 link=topic=11334.msg136843#msg136843 date=1304045151]
Even if the devil is trying to play a trick on us....isn't he only increasing our faith and belief and hope in God?
This is a joke, right?
+ Irini nem ehmot,
[quote author=copticuser20 link=topic=11334.msg136843#msg136843 date=1304045151]
Even if the devil is trying to play a trick on us....isn't he only increasing our faith and belief and hope in God?
This is a joke, right?
I certainly hope it was! The devil's aim is to decrease our faith, belief, and hope in God! Period.
[quote author=Κηφᾶς link=topic=11334.msg136857#msg136857 date=1304058610]
+ Irini nem ehmot,
[quote author=copticuser20 link=topic=11334.msg136843#msg136843 date=1304045151]
Even if the devil is trying to play a trick on us....isn't he only increasing our faith and belief and hope in God?
This is a joke, right?
I certainly hope it was! The devil's aim is to decrease our faith, belief, and hope in God! Period.
yeah that came out wrong. I meant that by making fake apparitions, can't that make more people faithful. for example, let's say the devil sent that saint mary apparition and it wasn't from God. can't that apparition make someone more faithful and believe in God more?
No. A fake apparition will not lead people closer to God. On the contrary, it shows how shallow a person's faith is, that they rely on miracles instead of focusing on Christ Himself.
Here are some stories from the Desert Fathers to contemplate on:
The devil appeared to a monk disguised as an angel of light, and said to him, 'I am the angel Gabriel, and I have been sent to you.' But the monk said, 'Are you sure you weren't sent to someone else? I am not worthy to have an angel sent to me.' At that the devil vanished.
The hermits said, 'If an angel really appears to you, do not accept it as a matter of course, but humble yourself, and say, "I live in my sins and am not worthy to see an angel."'
They said of another hermit, that while he was undergoing temptation in his cell, he saw the demons fact to face, and despised them. The devil, seeing himself overcome, came and showed himself, saying, 'I am Christ.' The hermit looked at him, and then shut his eyes. The devil said, 'I am Christ, why have you shut your eyes?' The hermit answered, 'I do not want to see Christ in this life, but in the next.' The devil vanished at these words.
+ Irini nem ehmot,
No. A fake apparition will not lead people closer to God. On the contrary, it shows how shallow a person's faith is, that they rely on miracles instead of focusing on Christ Himself.
Here are some stories from the Desert Fathers to contemplate on:
The devil appeared to a monk disguised as an angel of light, and said to him, 'I am the angel Gabriel, and I have been sent to you.' But the monk said, 'Are you sure you weren't sent to someone else? I am not worthy to have an angel sent to me.' At that the devil vanished.
The hermits said, 'If an angel really appears to you, do not accept it as a matter of course, but humble yourself, and say, "I live in my sins and am not worthy to see an angel."'
They said of another hermit, that while he was undergoing temptation in his cell, he saw the demons fact to face, and despised them. The devil, seeing himself overcome, came and showed himself, saying, 'I am Christ.' The hermit looked at him, and then shut his eyes. The devil said, 'I am Christ, why have you shut your eyes?' The hermit answered, 'I do not want to see Christ in this life, but in the next.' The devil vanished at these words.
Well I guess I take back my comment ;D ;D ;D. So how do we know the difference? For example, a few months ago, an icon in a Russian Orthodox church in our area was dripping oil. It was a Saint Mary Icon. Everyone in the area, including priests, went to take the blessings. Why couldn't that have been from the devil?
If the Church makes an official statement of the legitimacy of a miracle, then you can choose to believe in it. However, if you choose not to, it does not matter. Our faith and salvation is not dependent on miracles. As I said in another thread, the only miracle that truly matters to us, is the one offered to us (at least once) weekly during the Divine Liturgy: the Holy Gifts of Christ's Body and Blood.