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Holy Order of St. Raphael Interfaith
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“Love the Lord, thy God, with thy whole heart, thy whole mind and thy whole strength; and love thy neighbor as thyself. This is the whole of the Law and the prophets.”
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Our Lady, Great Mother & Queen, who has withstood through all time and who will be in the end. Guide me closer to God through your selfless acts of humanity. Heal me as I pray to you in all your names as one. Nourish my Spirit to allow me to see and feel your everlasting epiphany. Forgive me though I had forsaken you. Wash away my past in your cleansing tears of love. Blessed shall always be your names. Amen.
Throughout history there is one thing in religious connections that hasn't changed, the worship of a mother. The first known reference was to Venus of Hohle Fels around 40,000 BCE. From Germany it went to what is now part of the Czech Republic as Venus of Dolní Vestonice in 29,000 BCE. We find her again around 25,000 BCE as the Venus of Willendorf in Lower Austria. Moving forward, we find another transformation and this time she becomes known as Mother Goddess and worshipped throughout the world in different cultures. Some of her names were Gaia, Isis, Ninhursag, Tiamat, 'Ashtart, Durga, Sophia, Great Goddess, and several others. The names continued forward as new female deities were born. It wasn't until one was born around possible 17 BCE that would change the world practice behind female deity worship, and that was Mary.
The Virgin Mary who gave birth to a new world religion and is viewed more over as a modern day Spiritual Mother. She has many names throughout the world from Mary, Queen of Heaven, Lady of Lourdes, Lady of Guadalupe, Theotokos, Madonna, Mother of God, Our Lady, Notre-Dame, Star of the Sea, Nur, and many others. Her image varies depending on where you are and how she is worshipped. The main spiritual purpose is still the same though, Mother of God, bringer of life, and bearer of wisdom.
We have chosen March as our Feast of Our Lady of All Time because it is Spring and represents a time of renewal. All of life that has been in hibernation is beginning to awaken and creating new life, just as we see Our Lady through history. In regards to Mary, Mother of God, March is the time of her Annunciation when she was informed that she will give birth. In some countries today it is called "Lady Day" and marks the New Year for them.
Let us together say the Prayer of Our Lady Through All Time. Allow it's powerful message to live in your heart this month as we celebrate the feast that truly shows our religious unity for over 42,000 years. It is through her that we are guided closer to God. It is through her that we are forgiven and healed with her wisdom. It is through her that our past is truly our past making way for a better tomorrow.
Yours in Faith,
Most Rev. Dr. Isaac L. Kramer, Ph.D. Meta.
Presiding Archbishop
Please allow me to be the first to formally welcome you into The Holy Order of St. Raphael Interfaith. We are considered an Interdenominational network, meaning that we welcome all different religious backgrounds and beliefs as one. We believe the strict adage of there is only one God who is called by many names. When you stop and remove all the different names for God, and remove the religious structures of each church and denomination you will find that we all have the same message…Love.
At The Holy Order of St. Raphael Interfaith we ask all of you to follow two commandments that unite us all. The first one is “Honor your God”. It should be noted that we say your God and not our God. We want you to have a personal connection with your maker. This goes back to only one God with many names.
The second of two commandments that unites us all is, “love thy neighbor”. This sounds a lot easier then what it really is. At The Holy Order of St. Raphael Interfaith we have open communion to all. We believe that by loving your neighbor we are promoting a world that everyone would want to live in, not just the privileged. Several of our own are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, African American, Irish, German, Muslim, Christian, Pagan, Jewish, handicap, young, and old. This list could go on forever. If you stop and look at the second commandment you learn that when you discriminate against your neighbor, it will only come back to hurt you later.
With that said, we invite you and your family and friends with open arms. We are here to assist you in your spiritual needs. Our services are friendly to all people. Don't get dressed up on our account, just be you. Jeans, t-shirts, sneakers, hats, piercings, tattoos, sweaters, dresses, we don't care what you are wearing as long as you are dressed. No one said that going to worship had to be difficult. Also, for all of our prayers you have a personal choice to either kneel, stand, or sit. We don't ask that you do anything else besides pray & worship. We look forward to seeing you soon!
Yours In Faith,
Most Rev. Dr. Isaac L. Kramer, Ph.D. Meta.
Presiding Archbishop
Copyright © 2009, The Holy Order of St. Raphael Interfaith