Questions about the Catholic church [Archive]

SecretOfFatima

9th October 2006, 04:18 PM

:thumbsup:

...I've been thinking a little about going to a Catholic church, just to try it out. I've been before, but it's been a long time. I just have a few reservations about it though...like, I really don't feel comfortable praying to saints and to Mary. Not that there is anything wrong with it...saints are good. I just prefer to pray to Jesus/God. Do all Catholics pray to saints and to Mary?

We pray through the Saints(not to the saints), we ask the saints and holy angels who stand in the presence of God to pray for us, to intercede before the Holy and Mighty One and to plead for our souls, because we know that they are not dead, but truly living! They have done it before us, and because they are already there, their petitions on our behalf do us great good.

Let me post from another post (http://www.christianforums.com/showpost.php?p=27593729&postcount=8) a great response to this same question, see quote in blue below

I know you guys are tired of all the anti-catholic/Mary threads, but I must ask this one question. Afterwards, I won't ask again.

First off, if someone would be willing to briefly explain to me exactly why you pray through (HA, notice I didn't say TO) Mary, that'd be great.

These are my thougts: God sent Jesus to die on the cross for our sins so we can be free and have eternal life. THe blood of Jesus Christ is what cleanses us every time we sin.

## Of course, so let's start here.

Lots of things are done for us, or given to us, which are not Christ Himself - such as the Bible. Christ is our great & All-sufficient High Priest - His offering is all-sufficient & ever-perfect. Our prayers are not; we are sinners; we fall constantly - yet He commands us to pray, even teaching us how to. Yet how needless that is - for surely He, Who is God, & is the Father's Beloved Son in Whom He delights, knows the Will of His Father perfectly. So it would make sense if only He, but never we, prayed to His Father. We are utterly unqualified to do so - yet it is our privilege, even our duty, to do so.

Again, why are sinful, unholy, unclean, frail, ignorant, blind men made the ministers of the Gospel ? How foolish this seems - for the Holy Spirit could in an instant convert all nations to Himself by His Almighty & All-gracious convincing Power, without perverting or distorting or weakening the Gospel as we so easily & so readily do. Yet that is what God does - He takes a roundabout route (or what looks like one) to do His works.

And so on - the same applies to the Bible, to the Church, to the sacraments, etc. And it is in this context, I think, that the BVM & the Church on earth's attitude & practice regarding her can be seen. Devotion to her is not something isolated - it is part of a much larger pattern, perhaps of several patterns. In the present pattern she is an example of a created means & being which God does not in principle need at all (God needs no creatures at all - none of us), but through which He is pleased to work none the less

Why does God work through creatures ? ISTM, that He does so in order to honour His Son. Everything created - & the NT says this - everything created, exists through & for Jesus Christ. To this there are no exceptions of any kind whatever. If ever there was a rock-solid certain fact, it is this - every thing that has existed, does exist, will, or could or can or may or might exist, does so to the Glory & Honour of Jesus Christ. There is no other reason for anything to exist at all; that includes every other.

And this includes all in the Church - all the saints on earth, & in heaven; so it includes Mary. Mary exists for no other purpose than to bring glory to Jesus Christ. And the NT shows us how she did so.

And she is not suffered to be idle - the saints do not loll at ease, doing nothing, like Sybarites. They love in Heaven far more perfectly than they did on earth, for they see God face to face, as He is. And love is not idle, nor selfish, nor self-absorbed, but it is fruitful in good works, & pours itself out for the benefit of others, & is readier to seek the good of others than they are to ask for good things.

This is at least a part of the love of the Saints in heaven for those who are not yet "made perfect" - & it comes from no source but God. Nothing in any creature, not Mary, not the holiest of angels or the least molecule, could exist or remain in being without God: the Providence of God in universal, & ever-active. And His activity is exercised through His saints in Heaven, every bit as truly as through those on earth.

BTW - there is no implication that the work of Christ in His saints in any way makes Him remote from us - Mary is not an obstacle we must negotiate in order to come to Him, any more than the Bible is; no Saint is - we are united with the Saints in Heaven by the Spirit of Christ, Who gives Christ's Life to His Body. And no one ever thought the Holy Spirit was an obstacle to Christ. And as the Bible is not, why must Mary or any other Saint be ? Those whom He has renewed are not obstacles to Christ, because they are "in" Christ - & so are we on earth. That's one reason of several that death does not divide us - quite apart from the fact that He has abolished it, His Love is stronger than death.

The acts of Christ are the acts of God - & the acts of God are acts of mighty power, wholly good, excellent in every way, acts which never fail to have their effects. This being so, the saving work of God on the Cross is is a work which has effects. It is a mighty work, a work of omnipotent power, and it it has effects on behalf of those whom He redeems. And the Blessed in Heaven are among those redeemed, they are among the "redeemed of the LORD" indicated in the OT. And what is true of them as a group, is true of them as individuals - of whom Mary is one. They are some of the trophies won by Christ, the proofs of His victory.

It is in the knowledge of these things, & other ones, that the Church recommends love & veneration of the Blessed in Heaven, & especially of Mary, the Mother of God. All these arguments come from the NT - none of them in any way subtracts anything from the Unique & Infinite Dignity of Jesus Christ: it would be appalling if anything were to do that.

Hope that helps ##

i do also believe in other type of prayers such as for example the following prayer
"Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your Dearly Beloved Son, Our Lord, Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world." (http://www.catholic.org/prayers/chaplet.php)

In case you interested here is a full list of prayers that i believe (http://www.catholic.org/prayers/)

Also, do Catholics believe Mary remained a virgin her whole life?
Mary is Ever Virgin
Exodus 13:2,12 - Jesus is sometimes referred to as the "first-born" son of Mary. But "first-born" is a common Jewish expression meaning the first child to open the womb. It has nothing to do the mother having future children.

Exodus 34:20 - under the Mosaic law, the "first-born" son had to be sanctified. "First-born" status does not require a "second" born.

Ezek. 44:2 - Ezekiel prophesies that no man shall pass through the gate by which the Lord entered the world. This is a prophecy of Mary's perpetual virginity. Mary remained a virgin before, during and after the birth of Jesus.

Mark 6:3 - Jesus was always referred to as "the" son of Mary, not "a" son of Mary. Also "brothers" could have theoretically been Joseph's children from a former marriage that was dissolved by death. However, it is most likely, perhaps most certainly, that Joseph was a virgin, just as were Jesus and Mary. As such, they embodied the true Holy Family, fully consecrated to God.

Luke 1:31,34 - the angel tells Mary that you "will" conceive (using the future tense). Mary responds by saying, "How shall this be?" Mary's response demonstrates that she had taken a vow of lifelong virginity by having no intention to have relations with a man. If Mary did not take such a vow of lifelong virginity, her question would make no sense at all (for we can assume she knew how a child is conceived). She was a consecrated Temple virgin as was an acceptable custom of the times.

Luke 2:41-51 - in searching for Jesus and finding Him in the temple, there is never any mention of other siblings.

John 7:3-4; Mark 3:21 - we see that younger "brothers" were advising Jesus. But this would have been extremely disrespectful for devout Jews if these were Jesus' biological brothers.

John 19:26-27 - it would have been unthinkable for Jesus to commit the care of his mother to a friend if he had brothers.

John 19:25 - the following verses prove that James and Joseph are Jesus' cousins and not his brothers: Mary the wife of Clopas is the sister of the Virgin Mary.

Matt. 27:61, 28:1 - Matthew even refers to Mary the wife of Clopas as "the other Mary."

Matt. 27:56; Mark 15:47 - Mary the wife of Clopas is the mother of James and Joseph.

Mark 6:3 - James and Joseph are called the "brothers" of Jesus. So James and Joseph are Jesus' cousins.

Matt. 10:3 - James is also called the son of "Alpheus." This does not disprove that James is the son of Clopas. The name Alpheus may be Aramaic for Clopas, or James took a Greek name like Saul (Paul), or Mary remarried a man named Alpheus.

Even though in the bible references are made about Jesus' brothers and sisters?
Jesus' "Brothers" (adelphoi)) = Cousins or Kinsmen
Luke 1:36 - Elizabeth is Mary's kinswoman. Some Bibles translate kinswoman as "cousin," but this is an improper translation because in Hebrew and Aramaic, there is no word for "cousin."

Luke 22:32 - Jesus tells Peter to strengthen his "brethren." In this case, we clearly see Jesus using "brethren" to refer to the other apostles, not his biological brothers.

Acts 1:12-15 - the gathering of Jesus' "brothers" amounts to about 120. That is a lot of "brothers." Brother means kinsmen in Hebrew.

Acts 7:26; 11:1; 13:15,38; 15:3,23,32; 28:17,21 - these are some of many other examples where "brethren" does not mean blood relations.

Rom. 9:3 - Paul uses "brethren" and "kinsmen" interchangeably. "Brothers" of Jesus does not prove Mary had other children.

Gen. 11:26-28 - Lot is Abraham's nephew ("anepsios") / Gen. 13:8; 14:14,16 - Lot is still called Abraham's brother (adelphos") . This proves that, although a Greek word for cousin is "anepsios," Scripture also uses "adelphos" to describe a cousin.

Gen. 29:15 - Laban calls Jacob is "brother" even though Jacob is his nephew. Again, this proves that brother means kinsmen or cousin.

Deut. 23:7; 1 Chron. 15:5-18; Jer. 34:9; Neh. 5:7 -"brethren" means kinsmen. Hebrew and Aramaic have no word for "cousin."

2 Sam. 1:26; 1 Kings 9:13, 20:32 - here we see that "brethren" can even be one who is unrelated (no bloodline), such as a friend.

2 Kings 10:13-14 - King Ahaziah's 42 "brethren" were really his kinsmen.

1 Chron. 23:21-22 - Eleazar's daughters married their "brethren" who were really their cousins.

Neh. 4:14; 5:1,5,8,10,14 - these are more examples of "brothers" meaning "cousins" or "kinsmen."

Tobit 5:11 - Tobit asks Azarias to identify himself and his people, but still calls him "brother."

Amos 1: 9 - brotherhood can also mean an ally (where there is no bloodline).

Is it true Catholics have their own version of the bible, different than my own?
http://www.scripturecatholic.com/scripture_alone.html
http://www.scripturecatholic.com/oral_tradition.html
http://www.ourcatholicfaith.org/thechurch.html
http://www.davidmacd.com/catholic/timeline_of_catholic_church.htm
http://www.davidmacd.com/catholic/timeline_of_how_the_bible_where.htm
http://www.davidmacd.com/catholic/pope.htm#The%20List%20of%20Popes%20and%20Years%20Served

Also...do they believe if one takes birth control, they will go to Hell?

My understanding is that the catholic church believes in natural birth control (http://www.catholicmom.com/nfp.htm).

For anyone who is not familiar with these methods may even think this is impossible, my understanding is that is more secure then the use of a condom (i will find out more information about it).

What is NFP?
Every fertile woman experiences recurring signs of her fertility. Natural Family Planning (NFP) teaches a woman to recognize and record these signs so that spouses can identify the days in each cycle when conception can occur and plan the timing of their marital relations according to their desire either to avoid or achieve pregnancy.

Using artificial birth control in the other hand is considered a mortal sin.
Since its use may also involve an abortion, it has a doubly heinous character. The Second Vatican Council called abortion "an abominable crime." Many forms of artificial birth prevention are abortifacient. The evil Planned Parenthood organization is deeply involved in promoting the wicked practice and artificial birth prevention and the killing of unborn children by abortion.

I for one did not realize what went on around myself until i came to see what an aborted baby looked like, and for me this has completly opened my eyes.
If you wish to know more what an abortion looks like then have a look here (to call it an horror, is an under-statement, be prepared to be shocked, if you decide to open the link, unfortunately this is part of the cultural of death (also known as pro-choice) that we live in today).
http://www.priestsforlife.org/images/index.htm

Sorry this is so long. I would love your help with this. I was thinking about making a list of questions and seeing if I can talk to the priest at the Catholic church near my home. I wonder if they would be willing to sit with me and answer allllll my questions!! Thanks to those who reply!:)

I would like to recommend 3 sites to help you in your journey
http://www.salvationhistory.com/bookstore/audioRsrcs.cfm
http://www.ewtn.com
http://www.usccb.org/nab/index.shtml

Check out the OBOB section (http://www.christianforums.com/f26) in this website
Please let me know if you need me to answer any other questions.

I hope this helps.