Blasphemy against the Most Holy Virgin

[MagisterMusicae]

A Catholic knows when he has arrived at the fullness of his faith. He doesn't doubt anymore.

Au contraire, mon frere.

That's what a Protestant believes- that he is saved simply by believing.  

Every Catholic is a sinner, and every Catholic is imperfect.  Good Catholics also may be people who struggle with the temptation to doubt the Faith.  Good Catholics may be wrong about many things, especially when it comes to subjective ideas about culture.  

As Fr. Alphonsus Maria said at a recent Lenten Mission, "The only people not afraid of death are great Saints and great fools."

There is a great line from the Dies Iræ:

Quid sum miser tunc dicturus? / Quem patronum rogaturus, / cum vix justus sit securus?

What am I, a wretched man, to say? / What protector shall I implore, when even the just man is not secure?

It's one thing to be in a state of grace, and by that confident (virtue of Hope) of your own salvation. It is quite another to say that at some point we know that we have arrived at the "fullness of faith".

Doubt is never completely gone, and if it is one should worry. Just as a Spiritual Director worries about a Seminarian who has no trouble in the Seminary. The Devil attacks with doubt and temptation those who are making progress in the Interior Life. If he has stopped attacking, you have not defeated him, he likely has you, hence there is no need to attack.

Do not think yourself finished. Even the greatest Saint among us can easily commit the worst of sins.

[MagisterMusicae]

I think the collection is offensive to Our Lady just like rosary beads worn as cheap jewelery. The fact that it is quite beautifully and artistically presented could indicate something about the designer's attraction to the Blessed Virgin.  
Poor man could be craving the Faith.  Let's all say one Hail Mary just for him.
Our Lady would like that.

Those are a great points!

Why are we offended at this, yet not up in arms that the Rosary has become a piece of jewelry.

The collection is simply taking existing images, existing art, and replicating that art that Our Lady gave us in the first place. Let's remove the immodest clothing. If one of these were done, with modest clothing, as a part of a play about Our Lady, would we object? Methinks not.

If we wish to be Iconoclasts, then we must be like the Muslims and object to any depiction of holy things. But since few would do that, we don't object to the images, but to the context in which those images are displayed.

There are also a few pokes at modesty, but hardly the gouges what even traditional Catholics make into modesty on a daily basis.

The poor man is probably craving the Faith in some way.

Were it not for the us worrying about the news and highly problematic reactionaries like TiA, we wouldn't even be discussing this small even thousands of miles from most of us. Perhaps we should concentrate more on our own Faith and our own local issues, rather than seek out potentially objectionable things and air our thoughts.

[Dilexisti]

A Catholic knows when he has arrived at the fullness of his faith. He doesn't doubt anymore.

You apparently didn't read any further than that.  What I said (further):

You're misreading that a Catholic who keeps himself in the state of grace as a presumption of salvation, that he sure to be saved. No. No one is sure of salvation until the last moment, that infinitesimal space of time between life and death. That is why there is the constant awareness of right and wrong, but above all, Hope. I didn't say faith alone, believing alone gets us there. We pray for the grace of final perseverance, which is a gift from God for our faithfulness.

The fight is against the flesh, the world and the devil.  We all have to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, as St. Paul exhorted.  Fight the good fight and it's not over until it's over.  But to be aware of the wiles of the devil, to know the triggers that bring and cause one's downfall into sin, the fight is half over.  The devil doesn't quit even if he thinks he's got you because of your complacency.  He isn't going to be satisfied until he's got you in the frying pan.  If we don't know about this we are not truly Catholic; we are not steeped in our faith; it is still weak.   If are still wallowing in doubts, we're still scared that the devil will win out.

[Johanna]

On another note, though not in this case, I do think that Our Lady can be honored in this medium.  Case in point,  this  Irish dance dress designed by Rachel Murphy.   As a seamstress, I  believe that clothing and it's design can be an art.  As an Irish dancer, Rachel Murphy's dresses are the most beautiful and tastefully designed that I have seen; she has done dresses inspired by everything from books and stained glass windows to famous paintings.  

[remnant]

On another note, though not in this case, I do think that Our Lady can be honored in this medium.  Case in point,  this  Irish dance dress designed by Rachel Murphy.   As a seamstress, I  believe that clothing and it's design can be an art.  As an Irish dancer, Rachel Murphy's dresses are the most beautiful and tastefully designed that I have seen; she has done dresses inspired by everything from books and stained glass windows to famous paintings.  

Wow, that dress is awesome.  I am a quilter, and now that I am done with school, maybe I can start a project I have had in mind for a few years now. I want to reproduce an icon as a quilted wall hanging. I haven't decided which icon to do yet, I am still perusing pics of them.  But I would love to do a queen size quilt of one.

[NewTradCatholicGal]

Whether this collection is offensive or not should depend on the intent of the artist. If the artist wanted to honor Our Lady (judging by the picture of the artist: i think not) he did a very poor job to say the least. If he wanted to depict Our Lady in fashion-art, judging by the lack of modesty in the clothing and material, again, he did a poor job. He should have made them of linen or velvet or something -at least the bodice and skirt. If, as one suggested, it was a caricature of Mary then it is poor again since a caricature exaggerates points or traits of a character - I don't think the Blessed Virgin had any immodesty traits to be exaggerated.  But if his intent was to mock the Blessed Virgin, then we should be outraged on behalf of Our Mother.  

[Johanna]

On another note, though not in this case, I do think that Our Lady can be honored in this medium.  Case in point,  this  Irish dance dress designed by Rachel Murphy.   As a seamstress, I  believe that clothing and it's design can be an art.  As an Irish dancer, Rachel Murphy's dresses are the most beautiful and tastefully designed that I have seen; she has done dresses inspired by everything from books and stained glass windows to famous paintings.  

Wow, that dress is awesome.  I am a quilter, and now that I am done with school, maybe I can start a project I have had in mind for a few years now. I want to reproduce an icon as a quilted wall hanging. I haven't decided which icon to do yet, I am still perusing pics of them.  But I would love to do a queen size quilt of one.

That sounds like a fascinating project.  I am not a quilter, but embellishment and coping art are the sort of sewing I enjoy most.  Once I  hand embroidered  a Irish dance dress for myself with designs copied from the shrine of St. Patrick's bell along with a Celtic cross.

[NathanSoc]

Let us not forget that May is the month of Mary.

Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum. Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Iesus. Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc, et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen.