Why I Reject Christianity Per Se - Sure Jesus was a well meaning individual who perceived the total degeneracy of the Jews and was brave enough to speak openly about it, for which as we know they had him nailed up hand and foot and left to die a friendless, homeless outcast .. then the bs started

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I also think the sexual difference is relevant. The lunar is always associated with the feminine, and after Christ, we find that the rabbinic tradition in Judaism begins to speak about the shekhinah.

Yeah, I was going to point out that Mary is often associated with the Moon, and God with the Sun, since Mary's glory and sublimity is entirely a result of reflected light. As Mary says in the Gospel, "My soul magnifies the Lord" (Luke 1:46 (biblegateway.com)).

It is the feminine aspect of God, and it essentially equates to the Holy Spirit.

I think it's more complex than that. Shekhinah is the tenth Sefirah, whereas Bina is the third. Properly speaking, as I understand it, the first three Sefirah correspond directly to the Three Persons of the Trinity, which leaves Bina corresponding to the Holy Spirit (directly). Smith writes,

It is clear, therefore, that the concordance to which Pico alludes associates Kether Elyon ("Supreme Crown") with the Father, Hokhmah ("Wisdom") with the Son, and Bina (generally rendered as "Intelligence") with the Holy Spirit. One might add that this is evidently the most natural among all conceivable Sefirothic interpretations of the Trinity, and the one most commonly encountered in the writings of Christian Kabbalists. The partition of the ten Sefiroth into a supreme triad followed by a septenary conforms, moreover, to the esoteric reading of Genesis 1:1, outlined in Chapter 3. The seven lower Sefiroth - commonly referred to as the Sefiroth of Construction, which correspond in fact to the Seven Days of Genesis - constitute thus the created and in turn "creative" order, that is to say, the Sefirothic world. (Christian Gnosis, pg. 97)

Smith notes previously that this "supreme triad" is known in Kabbalah as the arik anpin, whereas the remaining septenary constitute the zeir anpin (Christian Gnosis, pg. 82). And this is followed by an elaboration of the "esoteric interpretation of Genesis 1:1" referenced above, where, fascinatingly, the first verse of the Bible, when read in Hebrew, which isn't really translatable, is rendered "In (or by means of) Hokhmah (the Son), Kether Elyon (the Father) created Elohim...", and the rest of the chapter is spent trying to show that Elohim, a sum of the eleh and mi found in Isaiah 40:26, is representative of basically the remaining seven Sefirah, the seventh of which, Shekhinah, is indeed female and represents the Earth itself (which is why all the pagan faiths are not entirely wrong to call Earth a "Mother").

Isa 40:26 (biblegateway.com) begins: "Lift up your eyes on high, and see who (mi) hath created these (eleh)." So the "Great Face" of God (or the arik anpin) inverted, or turned toward the "Small Face" (which is eleh, or the zeir anpin) is what is "created" in Genesis 1:1. It turns out that the eleh, the septenary (corresponding to Seven Days of Creation), actually represent multiplicity itself, and so Elohim being created is none other than the "making many of what is one" - and that is Creation.

I didn't even intend to get into any of this, but it's impossible to discuss one part of Kabbalah without referencing another. You know more about this subject than I do, but these are some valuable insights that I don't think you've gotten to in Christian Gnosis yet (unless you did get around to finishing it?)

At any rate, my point is that the Shekhinah, as part of the zeir anpin, the septenary, is not most appropriately associated with the Holy Spirit - rather, Bina is. However, Smith does write later on (pg. 113):

We recall that the Shekhinah constitutes, formally speaking, the tenth and last Sefirah, also known as Malkhuth ("Kingdom"), envisaged as the feminine and indeed maternal aspect of God. The term itself traces back no further than to the first century AD [as you noted, "after Christ"], and derives apparently from the Hebrew root SKN, which means "to reside." It refers, then, to God conceived as "residing" in Creation [which corresponds with what we've noted about Elohim], and connotes the fullness and splendor of the manifested Deity. But whereas, in reality, the Shekhinah resides in the divine or Sefirothic world, in what the Zohar terms the alma de-yihuda or "world of union," Judaic tradition speaks of Her "exile," that is to say, as residing here below, in the world of fallen humanity. She is thus Emmanuel, "God with us." Now, it is to Her that Egidio devotes his magnum opus, a voluminous work entitled simply "Scechina," which is clearly a labor of love, completed two years before his death. The Cardinal beholds the Shekhinah in virtually all the divine manifestations recorded in Scripture, from the Burning Bush and Ark of the Covenant to the theophanies of the New Dispensation and the Celestial Jerusalem. These perceptions, moreover, affect him deeply, and inspire an abundance of literary allusions; as Jacques Fabry has expressed it: "The work of Eigidio di Viterbo is traversed by a stream of images and symbols drawn from the Kabbalistic literature as well as from the Greek and Latin poets and the Neo-Platonist philosophers [sounds amazing]."

It is of prime importance to note that the Cardinal perceives the Shekhinah as the plenary manifestation of Bina, the third Sefirah, whom Christian Kabbalists identify, in a way, with the Third Person of the Trinity [and a footnote notes that Kabbalah teaches that Bina gives birth, as it were, to the zeir anpin or Sefirothic septenary, and points out that this corresponds to the Church's teaching (Scripturally based: Isa 11:2-3 (biblegateway.com)) on the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit].

Smith then goes on to associate the three unique letters of the Tetragrammaton (Y V H) with the arik anpin, or supreme tri-unity, and the "second H" with the Shekhinah, given the Shekhinah's relation to Bina, on the one hand (as the "plenary manifestation" of Her), and to the Shekhinah's relation to the Messiah on account of Her "submission to the Mother" (Bina) which is written also of Christ (Luke 2:51 (biblegateway.com)). And in this way the Tetragrammaton, through the arik anpin and Shekhinah, contains both of the central mysteries of Christianity - the Trinity, and the Incarnation.

But this is not to associate the Shekhinah directly with Christ, but merely to show a kind of inseparable relation - like a Bride and Bridegroom:

But if Jesus is the Word of God, who then is the Shekhinah? The answer is clear: She is his Bride. And therefore, when theologians speak of the Church as "the Bride of Christ", they are actually speaking in Kabbalistic terms. Yet what, for the theologian, is a kind of sacred metaphor, is for the Kabbalist a fact on the Sefirothic plane: here "poetry" becomes "science," if you will. For the Kabbalist, the Church is the Bride of Christ, because the Church is the Shekhinah: all sacredness, here below, derives from Her presence, from Her "indwelling." It is She that founds every sacred rite and bestows every sacrament: the sacramental order rests in Her. It can indeed be said: where Christ is, there is the Shekhinah, and where She is, there is the Church.

The Church is referred to as feminine for a reason. And this line of thought makes perfect sense; given everything the Church teaches about the role the Holy Spirit plays through the Church, in terms of protecting the Magisterium or enabling a sacramental existence, and given the Kabbalistic understanding that "the Holy Spirit as manifest in the world = Shekhinah", then the association of Shekhinah with the Church and Bride of Christ would seem inescapable.

So yeah, Shekhinah is definitely related to the Holy Spirit, but I think that has to be qualified: the Holy Spirit as manifest or working in the world, rather than the Holy Spirit according to essence, which might better correspond with Bina.

I also wanted to point out, as a kind of aside, that the Catholic Church's numbering (en.wikipedia.org) of the Ten Commandments is such that the first three have to do with God, and the remaining seven have to do with our neighbour - which corresponds perfectly with the tri-unity / arik anpin and septenary / zeir anpin distinction found in Kabbalah. Protestants, on the other hand, commonly split the first commandment into two, so as to emphasize the "make no graven image" part of the First Commandment, because they falsely believe Catholics are guilty of this - but in so doing they make four Commandments correspond to God, and six to neighbour (they also combine the two commandments about coveting into one), therefore severing themselves from the wisdom of Kabbalah, which is, after all, Scripturally based.

The Jews equated this with the exiled aspect of God, and that is the material world or emanation.

If I'd read one line farther I wouldn't have had to emphasize that Shekhinah only corresponds to the Holy Spirit as manifest, since you affirm as much here. Still, I regret nothing!

Also, isn't it the protestant argument that there was a high and a low sabbath or something, and that's how they justify the Wednesday crucifixion?

Sabbath in Hebrew just means to cease, or rest, so in the general sense it refers to any day of rest, or what the Church today would call a feast day. Just as the Church has the Lord's Day every Sunday, and has other feast days occasionally (like Christmas) that don't necessarily fall on Sundays, likewise the Jews had the weekly Sabbath, which was always Saturday, and other feast days also (like Passover). And you know all this. But my point is that such feast days could also be called "Sabbath" days, yes. But we know from John 20:1, which I cited above, and other verses like Matthew 28:1 (biblegateway.com) that the Magdalene went to the tomb "on the dawn of the first day of the week", "after the Sabbath", so there is every reason to reject that the Passover Sabbath occurred on a Wednesday, for if that was the case, why would she wait until Sunday to visit the tomb? If there was a Sabbath on Wednesday, before which Christ was crucified, and the usual weekly Sabbath was on Saturday, why not visit Him on Thursday or Friday? Furthermore, John 19:31 (biblegateway.com) refers to the Sabbath as a "great Sabbath", and while this could be interpreted as an important feast day of rest like the Passover, I think would be unjustly diminish the importance of the Saturday Sabbath for the Jews. Rather, Tradition tends to affirm that this verse in John emphasizes the greatness of this particular Sabbath because it was both the Saturday Sabbath and the Passover Sabbath, at once.

The only reason for supposing a Wednesday Passover is a literal interpretation of the "three days and three nights" idiom in Matthew 12:40, which as I pointed out is incompatible with 1 Cor 15:4 anyway. And besides, the "day of preparation" is referred to in several verses, which is understood as always referring to Friday, the day before the weekly Sabbath, and not the day before a special Sabbath - at least this was so in the first century.

> I also think the sexual difference is relevant. The lunar is always associated with the feminine, and after Christ, we find that the rabbinic tradition in Judaism begins to speak about the shekhinah. Yeah, I was going to point out that Mary is often associated with the Moon, and God with the Sun, since Mary's glory and sublimity is entirely a result of *reflected light*. As Mary says in the Gospel, "My soul magnifies the Lord" ([Luke 1:46](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=luke+1%3A46&version=DRA)). >It is the feminine aspect of God, and it essentially equates to the Holy Spirit. I think it's more complex than that. *Shekhinah* is the tenth Sefirah, whereas *Bina* is the third. Properly speaking, as I understand it, the first three Sefirah correspond directly to the Three Persons of the Trinity, which leaves *Bina* corresponding to the Holy Spirit (directly). Smith writes, >It is clear, therefore, that the concordance to which Pico alludes associates *Kether Elyon* ("Supreme Crown") with the Father, *Hokhmah* ("Wisdom") with the Son, and *Bina* (generally rendered as "Intelligence") with the Holy Spirit. One might add that this is evidently the most natural among all conceivable Sefirothic interpretations of the Trinity, and the one most commonly encountered in the writings of Christian Kabbalists. The partition of the ten *Sefiroth* into a supreme triad followed by a septenary conforms, moreover, to the esoteric reading of Genesis 1:1, outlined in Chapter 3. The seven lower *Sefiroth* - commonly referred to as the *Sefiroth* of Construction, which correspond in fact to the Seven Days of Genesis - constitute thus the created and in turn "creative" order, that is to say, the Sefirothic world. (*Christian Gnosis*, pg. 97) Smith notes previously that this "supreme triad" is known in Kabbalah as the *arik anpin*, whereas the remaining septenary constitute the *zeir anpin* (*Christian Gnosis*, pg. 82). And this is followed by an elaboration of the "esoteric interpretation of Genesis 1:1" referenced above, where, fascinatingly, the first verse of the Bible, when read in Hebrew, which isn't really translatable, is rendered "In (or by means of) *Hokhmah* (the Son), *Kether Elyon* (the Father) created *Elohim*...", and the rest of the chapter is spent trying to show that *Elohim*, a sum of the *eleh* and *mi* found in Isaiah 40:26, is representative of basically the remaining seven Sefirah, the seventh of which, *Shekhinah*, is indeed female and represents the Earth itself (which is why all the pagan faiths are not entirely wrong to call Earth a "Mother"). [Isa 40:26](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=isa+40%3A26&version=DRA) begins: "Lift up your eyes on high, and see who (*mi*) hath created these (*eleh*)." So the "Great Face" of God (or the *arik anpin*) inverted, or *turned toward the "Small Face"* (which is *eleh*, or the *zeir anpin*) is what is "created" in Genesis 1:1. It turns out that the *eleh*, the septenary (corresponding to Seven Days of Creation), actually represent *multiplicity itself*, and so *Elohim* being created is none other than the "making many of what is one" - and that is Creation. I didn't even intend to get into any of this, but it's impossible to discuss one part of Kabbalah without referencing another. You know more about this subject than I do, but these are some valuable insights that I don't think you've gotten to in *Christian Gnosis* yet (unless you did get around to finishing it?) At any rate, my point is that the *Shekhinah*, as part of the *zeir anpin*, the septenary, is not most appropriately associated with the Holy Spirit - rather, *Bina* is. **However**, Smith does write later on (pg. 113): >We recall that the *Shekhinah* constitutes, formally speaking, the tenth and last *Sefirah*, also known as *Malkhuth* ("Kingdom"), envisaged as the feminine and indeed maternal aspect of God. The term itself traces back no further than to the first century AD [as you noted, "after Christ"], and derives apparently from the Hebrew root SKN, which means "to reside." It refers, then, to God conceived as "residing" in Creation [which corresponds with what we've noted about *Elohim*], and connotes the fullness and splendor of the *manifested* Deity. But whereas, in reality, the *Shekhinah* resides in the divine or Sefirothic world, in what the *Zohar* terms the *alma de-yihuda* or "world of union," Judaic tradition speaks of Her "exile," that is to say, as residing here below, in the world of fallen humanity. She is thus Emmanuel, "God with us." Now, it is to Her that Egidio devotes his *magnum opus*, a voluminous work entitled simply "*Scechina*," which is clearly a labor of love, completed two years before his death. The Cardinal beholds the *Shekhinah* in virtually all the divine manifestations recorded in Scripture, from the Burning Bush and Ark of the Covenant to the theophanies of the New Dispensation and the Celestial Jerusalem. These perceptions, moreover, affect him deeply, and inspire an abundance of literary allusions; as Jacques Fabry has expressed it: "The work of Eigidio di Viterbo is traversed by a stream of images and symbols drawn from the Kabbalistic literature as well as from the Greek and Latin poets and the Neo-Platonist philosophers [sounds amazing]." >It is of prime importance to note that the Cardinal perceives the *Shekhinah* **as the plenary manifestation** of *Bina*, the third *Sefirah*, whom Christian Kabbalists identify, in a way, with the Third Person of the Trinity [and a footnote notes that Kabbalah teaches that *Bina* gives birth, as it were, to the *zeir anpin* or Sefirothic septenary, and points out that this corresponds to the Church's teaching (Scripturally based: [Isa 11:2-3](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=isa+11%3A2-3&version=DRA)) on the *seven gifts* of the Holy Spirit]. Smith then goes on to associate the three unique letters of the Tetragrammaton (Y V H) with the *arik anpin*, or supreme tri-unity, and the "second H" with the *Shekhinah*, given the *Shekhinah's* relation to *Bina*, on the one hand (as the "plenary manifestation" of Her), and to the *Shekhinah's* relation to the Messiah on account of Her "submission to the Mother" (*Bina*) which is written also of Christ ([Luke 2:51](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=luke+2%3A51&version=DRA)). And in this way the Tetragrammaton, through the *arik anpin* and *Shekhinah*, contains both of the central mysteries of Christianity - the Trinity, and the Incarnation. But this is not to associate the *Shekhinah* directly with Christ, but merely to show a kind of *inseparable relation* - like a Bride and Bridegroom: >But if Jesus *is* the Word of God, who then is the *Shekhinah*? The answer is clear: She is his Bride. And therefore, when theologians speak of the Church as "the Bride of Christ", they are actually speaking in Kabbalistic terms. Yet what, for the theologian, is a kind of sacred metaphor, is for the Kabbalist a fact on the Sefirothic plane: here "poetry" becomes "science," if you will. For the Kabbalist, the Church *is* the Bride of Christ, because the Church *is* the *Shekhinah*: all sacredness, here below, derives from Her presence, from Her "indwelling." It is She that founds every sacred rite and bestows every sacrament: the sacramental order rests in Her. It can indeed be said: where Christ is, there is the *Shekhinah*, and where She is, there is the Church. The Church is referred to as feminine for a reason. And this line of thought makes perfect sense; given everything the Church teaches about the *role* the Holy Spirit plays through the Church, in terms of protecting the Magisterium or enabling a sacramental existence, and given the Kabbalistic understanding that "the Holy Spirit as manifest in the world = Shekhinah", then the association of Shekhinah with the Church and Bride of Christ would seem inescapable. So yeah, *Shekhinah* is definitely related to the Holy Spirit, but I think that has to be qualified: the *Holy Spirit* as manifest or working in the world, rather than the Holy Spirit according to essence, which might better correspond with *Bina*. I also wanted to point out, as a kind of aside, that the Catholic Church's [numbering](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Commandments#Numbering) of the Ten Commandments is such that the first three have to do with God, and the remaining seven have to do with our neighbour - which corresponds perfectly with the tri-unity / *arik anpin* and septenary / *zeir anpin* distinction found in Kabbalah. Protestants, on the other hand, commonly split the first commandment into two, so as to emphasize the "make no graven image" part of the First Commandment, because they falsely believe Catholics are guilty of this - but in so doing they make four Commandments correspond to God, and six to neighbour (they also combine the two commandments about coveting into one), therefore severing themselves from the wisdom of Kabbalah, which is, after all, Scripturally based. >The Jews equated this with the exiled aspect of God, and that is the material world or emanation. If I'd read one line farther I wouldn't have had to emphasize that *Shekhinah* only corresponds to the Holy Spirit *as manifest*, since you affirm as much here. Still, I regret nothing! >Also, isn't it the protestant argument that there was a high and a low sabbath or something, and that's how they justify the Wednesday crucifixion? Sabbath in Hebrew just means to cease, or rest, so in the general sense it refers to any day of rest, or what the Church today would call a feast day. Just as the Church has the Lord's Day every Sunday, and has other feast days occasionally (like Christmas) that don't necessarily fall on Sundays, likewise the Jews had the weekly Sabbath, which was always Saturday, and other feast days also (like Passover). And you know all this. But my point is that such feast days could also be called "Sabbath" days, yes. But we know from John 20:1, which I cited above, and other verses like [Matthew 28:1](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=mat+28%3A1&version=DRA) that the Magdalene went to the tomb "on the dawn of the first day of the week", "after the Sabbath", so there is every reason to reject that the Passover Sabbath occurred on a Wednesday, for if that was the case, why would she wait until Sunday to visit the tomb? If there was a Sabbath on Wednesday, before which Christ was crucified, and the usual weekly Sabbath was on Saturday, why not visit Him on Thursday or Friday? Furthermore, [John 19:31](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john+19%3A31&version=DRA) refers to the Sabbath as a "great Sabbath", and while this could be interpreted as an important feast day of rest like the Passover, I think would be unjustly diminish the importance of the Saturday Sabbath for the Jews. Rather, Tradition tends to affirm that this verse in John emphasizes the greatness of this particular Sabbath *because* it was *both* the Saturday Sabbath and the Passover Sabbath, at once. The only reason for supposing a Wednesday Passover is a literal interpretation of the "three days and three nights" idiom in Matthew 12:40, which as I pointed out is incompatible with 1 Cor 15:4 anyway. And besides, the "day of preparation" is referred to in several verses, which is understood as always referring to Friday, the day before the weekly Sabbath, and not the day before a special Sabbath - at least this was so in the first century.

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Very good post. I am going to read it again!

I am glad you elaborated on the Shekhinah. It was great. This is embarrassing, but I really hadn't ever made the connection to Mary. That's opening some doors for me at the moment and validating what had been one of the last real things I need to work out about Catholicism - Marion doctrine. It is not that I find it idolatrous. I am beyond that by far. It was really about trying to get the theological underpinnings. I am glad you went to the trouble.

No, I have not finished Christian Gnosis yet. I have really got to rein in this awful habit of mine of book jumping. It's garbage.

Also, straight up gotta find this work by Eigido. Sounds stellar.

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Very good post. I am going to read it again!

Good timing, I just corrected some typos and added minor, non-essential clarifications.

No, I have not finished Christian Gnosis yet. I have really got to rein in this awful habit of mine of book jumping. It's garbage.

I used to do that too, but it got to the point where I was reading seven books at a time, only a few pages from each a day, and I felt completely overwhelmed, as if I would never finish any of them. One book at a time is much better. But with that said, I don't only read from one book a day - nor do I think one should do so. I think it is good to have one primary book to work through at a time, but there should always be a kind of liturgical reading to accompany this - daily Bible reading, daily litanies or frequent novenas, or daily reading from the Summa (if one is interested in that sort of thing), etc. Maybe something like daily Bible reading goes without saying, but I just want to be careful to stress that, by favouring reading one book, start to finish, at a time, I don't mean to exclude other works that are in a way perpetual.

Also, straight up gotta find this work by Eigido. Sounds stellar.

Yeah let me know if you find it, definitely sounds interesting.

I really hadn't ever made the connection to Mary. That's opening some doors for me at the moment and validating what had been one of the last real things I need to work out about Catholicism - Marion doctrine. It is not that I find it idolatrous. I am beyond that by far. It was really about trying to get the theological underpinnings. I am glad you went to the trouble.

This is exciting. Those who grow up in American / Protestant culture typically have three almost intuitive misgivings about Catholicism - the papacy, the Eucharist, and Mary. We've already discussed the first two extensively. Mary is a gem all on her own, and I would gladly speak of her at any time! For now I'll just say that the significance of Mary has a depth easily rivalling the depths of the most esoteric doctrines. Dante describes how souls "on the ascent", when first entering or preparing to enter heaven, have to meet Mary first - for to go from death straight to God would be far too overwhelming. The reflected light of Mary serves as a means of adjusting, of readying oneself, for the Divine. There are just so many points of profound significance with her. That she was Immaculately Conceived, meaning spared from ever being stained with original sin; it was still Christ's Blood that spared her from this, but it did so in a unique and most beautiful way. That she was chosen to be the veritable Mother of God - not the Mother of Jesus, but of God, for Jesus Christ is a Divine Person who took on a human nature, and mothers are not mothers of natures, but of Persons, and so Mary is inextricably tied to the mystery of the Incarnation, and as such, is truly a Mother of the Divine, the Theotokos, God-bearer. She has a completely unique relationship to God, and furthermore to all Three Divine Persons individually: she is the daughter of the Father (which is not unique to her), but she is also the Mother of the Son, and the Spouse of the Holy Spirit. To be related to all Three Persons in such a way is an honour beyond description. Per Revelation 12:1 (biblegateway.com) she has been coronated as Queen of Heaven and Earth, placing her above all the angels as well as above all men. Then there is the immense love God has for Mary, unrivalled by any other creature. Of course, as Aquinas teaches, there can be two kinds of love in this context: per se, and with respect to the goods willed to different creatures. Per se, God loves all souls equally, insofar as He wills them at all to begin with, and wills the same ultimate end, namely, union with Him. But in terms of temporal distinctions, who has been honoured by gifts more than Mary? Blessed to be the Mother and "handmaid of the Lord" (Luke 1:38 (biblegateway.com)), blessed to be Queen of Heaven and Earth, blessed to be one to whom Jesus Christ Himself was subject, per the verse quoted in my last reply, blessed to be truly "full of grace" (Luke 1:28 (biblegateway.com)) and to be addressed as such by an angel - is there any doubt that God would will to work His greatest works through her, as He wills to accomplish so much of His will through creatures? And then there is the unique role that Mary's suffering at seeing Jesus suffer actually contributed to His suffering during His Passion (known as Mary's Compassion) and how this therefore figured into the salvation of the world itself.

Oh I could go on...those who approach Mary for help cannot help but find her Son.

>Very good post. I am going to read it again! Good timing, I just corrected some typos and added minor, non-essential clarifications. >No, I have not finished Christian Gnosis yet. I have really got to rein in this awful habit of mine of book jumping. It's garbage. I used to do that too, but it got to the point where I was reading seven books at a time, only a few pages from each a day, and I felt completely overwhelmed, as if I would never finish any of them. One book at a time is much better. But with that said, I don't only read from one book a day - nor do I think one should do so. I think it is good to have one primary book to work through at a time, but there should always be a kind of *liturgical* reading to accompany this - daily Bible reading, daily litanies or frequent novenas, or daily reading from the *Summa* (if one is interested in that sort of thing), etc. Maybe something like daily Bible reading goes without saying, but I just want to be careful to stress that, by favouring reading one book, start to finish, at a time, I don't mean to exclude other works that are in a way *perpetual*. >Also, straight up gotta find this work by Eigido. Sounds stellar. Yeah let me know if you find it, definitely sounds interesting. >I really hadn't ever made the connection to Mary. That's opening some doors for me at the moment and validating what had been one of the last real things I need to work out about Catholicism - Marion doctrine. It is not that I find it idolatrous. I am beyond that by far. It was really about trying to get the theological underpinnings. I am glad you went to the trouble. This is exciting. Those who grow up in American / Protestant culture typically have three almost intuitive misgivings about Catholicism - the papacy, the Eucharist, and Mary. We've already discussed the first two extensively. Mary is a gem all on her own, and I would gladly speak of her at any time! For now I'll just say that the significance of Mary has a depth easily rivalling the depths of the most esoteric doctrines. Dante describes how souls "on the ascent", when first entering or preparing to enter heaven, have to meet Mary first - for to go from death straight to God would be far too overwhelming. The reflected light of Mary serves as a means of adjusting, of readying oneself, for the Divine. There are just so many points of profound significance with her. That she was Immaculately Conceived, meaning spared from ever being stained with original sin; it was still Christ's Blood that spared her from this, but it did so in a unique and most beautiful way. That she was chosen to be the veritable *Mother of God* - not the Mother of Jesus, but of God, for Jesus Christ is a Divine Person who took on a human nature, and mothers are not mothers of natures, but of Persons, and so Mary is inextricably tied to the mystery of the Incarnation, and as such, is truly a Mother of the Divine, the *Theotokos*, God-bearer. She has a completely unique relationship to God, and furthermore to *all Three Divine Persons individually*: she is the daughter of the Father (which is not unique to her), but she is also the Mother of the Son, *and* the Spouse of the Holy Spirit. To be related to all Three Persons in such a way is an honour beyond description. Per [Revelation 12:1](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=rev+12%3A1&version=DRA) she has been coronated as Queen of Heaven and Earth, placing her *above all the angels* as well as above all men. Then there is the immense love God has for Mary, unrivalled by any other creature. Of course, as Aquinas teaches, there can be two kinds of love in this context: *per se*, and with respect to the goods willed to different creatures. *Per se*, God loves all souls equally, insofar as He wills them at all to begin with, and wills the same ultimate end, namely, union with Him. But in terms of temporal distinctions, who has been honoured by gifts more than Mary? Blessed to be the Mother and "handmaid of the Lord" ([Luke 1:38](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+1%3A38&version=DRA)), blessed to be Queen of Heaven and Earth, blessed to be one to whom Jesus Christ Himself was subject, per the verse quoted in my last reply, blessed to be truly "full of grace" ([Luke 1:28](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+1%3A28&version=DRA)) and to be addressed *as such* by an angel - is there any doubt that God would will to work His greatest works through her, as He wills to accomplish so much of His will through creatures? And then there is the unique role that Mary's suffering at seeing Jesus suffer actually contributed to His suffering during His Passion (known as Mary's Compassion) and how this therefore figured into the salvation of the world itself. Oh I could go on...those who approach Mary for help cannot help but find her Son.

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I think that the instantaneous hang-up, which is not so much intellectual as it is merely reactive, is the notion of praying through her. As you mentioned, I was raised with a protestant background, and you only pray to Christ. I mean, there is a kind of nondescript reference to The Father, where people often pray the word 'God', but without clear designation of the Father. It always felt as if (and as if it became imprinted on me this way) you prayed to the Father when you said God, and to Jesus at any other point. There wasn't really any theological discussion on the trinity at any point. What I was exposed to in the Church of God was a lot of psychology, really - a lot to do with the struggles of life, whether these were emotional, financial, marital, etc., with a reference to some scripture to back up the 'therapy session'. Needless to say, it felt barren for myself and a few others. Of course, you know that some people just aren't inclined to the intellectual aspects of things anyway, so such a complaint would never occur to them. If the so-called sermon was enough to get their 'feels' engaged, they were good for the week.

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