Why Mary?
gabrielle October 2nd, 2007
To begin exploring some of the points raised in the combox of my recent post, Two Paths, I would like to start with the question of, “Why Mary?” What does it really mean for us that Mary is Mediatrix? Why is it necessary?
Father Steven Scheier, in conversation with Mother Angelica, can tell us why. Forty-two very sobering minutes of conversation, in which Father Scheier describes how he lived for many years as a priest in a less-than-edifying manner, until he had an accident, a near-death experience, and an intervention by Our Blessed Mother.
I know forty-two minutes is a long time, but Father Scheier was facing eternity. We know, as did he, that Divine Mercy is very real, but he found out that Divine Justice is also. I hope you will be able to find time to Watch the Video. If it doesn’t open here for any reason, you can find it on the website of Father Tommy Lane, S.S.L., S.T.D., Assistant Professor of Sacred Scripture at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland.
I may be away from the computer for a couple of days, but I hope some of you will be able to watch the video and hear Father Scheier’s very moving account of how the Blessed Virgin intervened for him.
I saw this on tv that night.. astounding. Astounding. I look forward to seeing this again. We thank you, girl.
Thanks for the video link. I’ll probably refrain from the comments box beyond this but I did want to say thank you.
O | onionboy.ca (art & faith) | luminousmiseries.ca {faith & art}
I’ll set aside the time tomorrow, Gabrielle. I’m intrigued by what you’ve said about Fr. Scheier facing eternity.
“Jesus said from the Cross…’I give you the whole world, Mother’ and she takes it seriously … Neither the Father, nor the Son, nor the Holy Spirit can say ‘no’ to her. They can’t. It’s impossible. Now, isn’t she someone you want on your side?”
I’d forgotten these words of the interview. Totally. Today, I see her, defer to her, and will run to her as Mother. If I fall by the wayside again, pick me up, and carry me to her, ‘k?
Thanks, all. I was pleased to have found it, because it’s not the kind of testimony you hear every day, that’s for certain.
Those words really struck me as well, Carol. Also, Mary’s request to Jesus: “But if we give him special graces, Son…”
If we turn to Mary, she will give us the graces required to love her and imitate her, so the “natural” struggle we may have felt is removed. She will do the carrying herself, like every Mom who carries wounded or tired children.
It’s all about humility, isn’t it? I’ve wondered about that, have feared that pride is my Mary hang-up. I am an American woman sent through the stultifying 50s then thru the equally unsatisfying 60s & 70s, which, confusedly, made me strong.
So, I have to choose who will break me, and why. Or not. But only a fool of a disciple would cling to invulnerability.
Hard to admit that one is as spiritually helpless as a child — even harder for the private to let anyone see that.
But that’s the admission that Jesus, through Mary, needs to hear, that He and I know I’m no longer tying His hands.
I’ve no wish to spoil things for others but I’d just like to say the bit when Mother Angelica describes a Minister’s idea of one minute of eternity has been food for thought for me both yesterday and today. The whole clip has left me more convinced of the power of intercession and the powerful intercessor.
When Fr. Steve says that there is no one to point to and blame — that one stands absolutely alone before Him at judgment time — I have some idea of how true that is, tho’ I found out in a much more pleasant way. It would be absolutely ludicrous to say to Him that my action was due to so-and-so’s having done, or not having done, this or that. He already knows exactly what happened on the inside of me –as do I; He knows what I knew, what I could’ve done, what I didn’t do, what I could’ve asked help with, etc.
Indeed, Ann, that analogy in the first few minutes by Mother Angelica is HUGE food for thought. Still, I couldn’t help thinking just then of the Poor Souls. Oh, God help them, as well as us all.
I watched Father Steve’s witness last night. I also found it very moving but also provocative. Why provocative?
I recognize the seriousness of Father’s self-centerdness and his shortcomings as a priest according to his own witness. But I fail to see the evidence of his having committed a sin which would be considered “mortal” and deserving an eternity in hell.
This is a real sore point with me. I just have a very, very difficult time reconciling a scenario that has the monsters responsible for the deaths of millions, those who openly despise God and a priest that wasn’t quite living up to the full standards of his chosen ministry and vocation all occupying the same horrific state of the eternal absence of God and unspeakable suffering.
I read of scenarios where Jesus has stayed the hand of the Father and prevented the “wrath of God” from being loosed on the world. I have read the same about the Blessed Mother interceding so that Jesus does not unleash his holy fury on a perverted world. “wrath,” “fury” and “vengeance” are such emotional designations and seem to me wholly inconsistent with the merciful and loving God that I have come to know and long for.
Perhaps these descriptions of the inclinations of the Deity are meant to place the offenses of man in terms with which we humans can identify. But sometimes these descriptions of the Father and the Son conjure images of hot heads like Bobby Knight and Sonny Corleone, characters that have a boiling point and can’t control themselves and have to be restrained from doing something rash.
I love Mother Angelica, appreciate Father Steve, honor Mary and adore our Lord and Savior. But I know that the Divine Mercy of Jesus is infinite and the BVM intercedes constantly on our behalf. I truly trust that the mercy and justice of God infinitely surpasses that of mere men and that he “considers not what we truly deserve.”
Terry, I do understand what you’re talking about, because I have certainly read plenty along those lines myself. And we do know, from the Divine Mercy message of St. Faustina and many, many saints before her, that the mercy of God is greater than any possible sin that could ever be conceived of or committed. No sin could outweigh the Lord’s mercy, and He wants all sinners to understand that.
But re Fr. Scheier, I think he didn’t go into complete detail about what his own sins entailed, but rather just made us aware of some of the ways he wasn’t living the spiritual life as he should have been. And there is no mention of fury or wrath in his case; he simply heard Jesus speaking Truth, and there was no arguing when faced with Truth. We know from Scripture that “to whom much is given, much will be demanded”; Father Scheier was given much, but never responded. We also know from Scripture that Jesus wants us either hot or cold, and what does He say He will do with the lukewarm? Vomit them out. We can’t possibly comprehend the full extent of His Divine Mercy, but many of us reflect on it a great deal. I have a feeling not so many of us reflect on Divine Justice though, in terms of ourselves, in terms of what we’ve been given and what fruit has been born of it. It’s very easy to compare ourselves to mass-murderers and feel better about ourselves, but I think it may be just this kind of thinking that could lead us into a false sense of relaxation and into an acceptance of a lukewarm spiritual life.
I hear you Gabrielle. Really don’t have all of the details about Father Steve’s sins so making judgments is difficult. And the fact that he agreed with Jesus’ indictments says a lot.
As usual, I’m doing my stream-of-consciousness thing which means that one statement leads to another concept which leads to another question which leads to another opinion which results in “wrath” and “fury” entering the discussion uninvited. I get hung up on the criteria for damnation which Father Scheier brought into the picture with his witness.
I understand and agree with everything that you remind us of above. Lukewarmness is something that I’m all too familiar with. Perhaps that’s why I am counting on the Lord to skew more towards mercy than justice.
Terry, statements leading to concepts leading to questions leading to opinions leading to statements leading to concepts leadings to questions leading to opinions…nature of the beast for a mystic. Did you watch the video on my mystics page by Rabbi David Solomon?
I’m away until Monday evening now - but just to say, I’m counting on the same thing as you…
I did watch that video but just watched it again. Nice to know that I could be “mystically led.”
Whatever happened to Fr Steven Scheier, the priest with the near death experience? Didn’t he belong to the Intercessors of the Lamb? Is he still a priest in Kansas?
Pat, when he was interviewed by Mother Angelica, under his name on the video I notice that they do mention he was an Intercessor of the Lamb. When his accident took place (1985, I think) he was serving at a parish in a small community in Kansas. I did some googling after I saw your comment, and I found that he was later at Holy Name of Jesus in Bushton, Kansas and also Holy Trinity in Little River, Kansas. But I’m not sure where he is now; I looked at the Archdiocese of Wichita, but I didn’t see his name.
I found this recently (since 2005 anyway)
http://www.cdowk.org/parishes/parish_page.jsp?id=12
He wasn’t listed with the Intercessor of the Lamb on their websites…they had names/pictures of the hermits and he wasn’t there. I bookmarked his visit on EWTN and tried to followup on his whereabouts years ago.I know these things can’t be given approval by the church, but I found it inspiring at the time. Something though bothered me and I wondered why he wasn’t seen anywhere else or given more press. I don’t think they ever had the show on reruns either or heard Mother mention him again later on. I had to call to ask about a link to the old show and got Tommy Lanes.
Any news from anyone else?
This church is very small, only one 9am Sunday mass. Must be a small town or not many Catholics.
Deb, thank you. I haven’t heard from anyone else with any more info; I do hope all is well with Fr. Scheier.
*sigh.. when I see these little mysteries, it drives me bonkers– I MUST find the answer! From what is gleanable online, I gather that he took himself out of the limelight, and perhaps out of the Intercessors as well. It seems he has ended up as a pastor of a certain midwest parish. I’d guess he’s pretty darned well.
I suppose you could write him a letter if you wanted too…tell him that you were moved by his talk, etc.
I worried that he fell ill, or left or was having other problems. That is what happens when all the news you read is bad (especially for the church)
Deb, there are 22 new entrants for the Priesthood at Maynooth (Ireland) and there might even be that many at our local seminary (northeast US). The news we’d like to read and need to read is usually well-hidden. We should subscribe to Catholic News Agency and Zenit dot org if we’d like to see the rest of the story. Very heartening! As for Fr. Scheier’s well-being, we know that he went from his old parish to the Intercessors of the Lamb. I could only gather that from there, he went back to parish work and very quietly so. I think he just wanted to pass along to us all that Mary is indeed Mediatrix. Online, I viewed so many arguments about that –was Jesus swayed by Her, is it true God listens to Mary, etc. Father just wanted to say we have a Mother in our heavenly Queen. It is not at all likely that he would ever return to unseemly behaviour, but a prayer for him for whatever he needs could never go amiss. One day he’ll know each and every soul who prayed for him, right?
I sure hope so! I was thinking when Fr. Groechel on EWTN said, he was a little miffed at a pries friends stubborness in having the doctor’s do CPR on him after he was hit by a car. It had gone 20 minutes, way longer than it should have, most people are brain dead. He recovered and preaches to many on TV and the streets. I told him that he might have been tired, (helps over 78 I think)been anxious to see heaven, but wait until he see the number of souls he saved or help sway when he does finally get there by staying around a bit longer. : )
Who knows the truth in what happened to Fr. Shreier, but I think he needed whatever he received. I don’t think it’s a heirarchy in heaven, “Im boss, you’re nothing” when it comes to Jesus and his family….I think whatever is to happen to us, happens, but what we need to have that happen differs each person. (on a personal note, I hope she’ll put in a word for me too!!)
I agree too about the news, I try to find uplifiting things and send them to friends…we need a little balance.
Well, if Fr. Scheier is leading a quiet, parish life as C says then I’m all for respecting his privacy and yes, C, remembering him in prayer. When you think of the fact that his accident was over twenty years ago and here we are still talking about it on the Internet, I can’t help but think that he has fulfilled some wonderful part of Jesus’ plan - to make Mary’s desire to intercede for all of her children more widely known.
Deb, that was lovely, what you told Fr. Groechel, and so true. I had a parish priest once who I often thought the same thing about; I can just imagine the joy and surprise when he sees everyone he had a hand in saving.