Bridge of Reason

As we continue on Tuesdays to look at the claims of Catholicism, we consider the fact the Catholic Church, according to Scripture, makes too much of Mary. We should, I believe, all make more of Mary. Mary is the mother of our Saviour, called by the angel, ‘favoured one,’ and told she had, ‘found favour with God.’ Her relative Elizabeth called her, ‘blessed among women.’ Her humility and obedience are a model for us all. Who can fail to be impressed by this young woman’s reply to the angel, ‘Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.’ (Lk.1:26-45) Would that we, when considering the purposes of God, should be so abandoned to praise as was Mary in the Magnificat (Lk.1:46-55 ) We should make more of Mary, but the Catholic Church makes too much of Mary. They Testify of Me Mary is mentioned by name twelve times in the New Testament, most of them in the birth narrative. Looking at those occasions when she is mentioned it is hard to understand how Cath...

The Big Questions , BBC1, Sunday 28 June 2009, hosted by Nicky Campbell. Apparently, the hardest people to book for the programme are Catholic priests, because they have to find another priest to cover their parishes so they can appear on TV. Kind of commendable that they're at their posts. The Big Questions is one of those strange anomalies: a religious programme that is on air when anyone who is a truly committed Christian will probably be attending a church service. Well, watch it on iplayer, like I do: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007zpll . Father John Flynn, chaplain of Salford University, said that he "wouldn't be a priest if there was no celibacy". He held up Christ as his model for celibacy, argued winsomely for the superiority of the kingdom of God and pointed out Christ's comment that there is no marriage in heaven. As a counterpoint, a former Catholic priest Joe Fitzpatrick stated his opposition to compulsory celibacy. He maintained that 75% of Fr...