The Papists

Got Questions About the Virgin Mary?

badwolfcomplex:

The Catholic Church has answers! Now in one convenient post, here are some quotes and articles that talk about what the Church believes about Mary and why.

Fulton Sheen’s sun and moon analogy

Various saints’ quotations about Mary

Knowing Mary Through the Bible

St. Maximilian Kolbe on Mary

Mary, Mother of Salvation

Jesus Loves His Mother (And we should, too)

Catholic Answers on Mariology

Devotion to the Blessed Virgin

How to Defend the Immaculate Conception

Any Friend of God’s Is a Friend of Mine

Praying to the Saints

Why pray to saints?

Luther, Calvin, and Scripture Honor Mary

Bishop Farrell on Mary’s Role

Conceived without sin?

Why did God chose Mary?

Pope Paul VI on Mary

Feast of the Immaculate Conception - Fulton Sheen

Queen Mother: A Biblical Theology of Mary’s Queenship (book)

Scripture Catholic on Mary

Recorded by Olivier and Phillip

Apologetics-a-thon #2: If the Bible is a Catholic book why does it teach against the adoration of Mary? (Luke 11:27-28)

TL;DW: Adoration is reserved for God alone, though Mary deserves a special veneration for having a unique role in the history of salvation.

Catechism of the Catholic Church 971: “All generations will call me blessed”: “The Church’s devotion to the Blessed Virgin is intrinsic to Christian worship.” The Church rightly honors “the Blessed Virgin with special devotion. From the most ancient times the Blessed Virgin has been honored with the title of ‘Mother of God,’ to whose protection the faithful fly in all their dangers and needs…. This very special devotion … differs essentially from the adoration which is given to the incarnate Word and equally to the Father and the Holy Spirit, and greatly fosters this adoration.” The liturgical feasts dedicated to the Mother of God and Marian prayer, such as the rosary, an “epitome of the whole Gospel,” express this devotion to the Virgin Mary.

Read more about Latria, Dulia, and Hyperdulia at Catholic Answers.

Canon 1186: To foster the sanctification of the people of God, the Church commends to the special and filial reverence of the Christian faithful the Blessed Mary ever Virgin, Mother of God, whom Christ established as the mother of all people, and promotes the true and authentic veneration of the other saints whose example instructs the Christian faithful and whose intercession sustains them.

Luke 11:27-28 (RSV-CE): As he said this, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, ‘Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts that you sucked!’ But he said, ‘Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!

St. Josemaría Escrivá’s commentary: These words proclaim and praise the Blessed Virgin’s basic attitude of soul. As the Second Vatican Council explains: “In the course of her Son’s preaching Mary received the words whereby, in extolling the Kingdom beyond the concerns and ties of flesh and blood, he declared blessed those who heard and kept the word of God (cf. Mk 3:35, Lk 11:27-28) as she was faithfully doing (cf. Lk 2:19, 51)” (Lumen Gentium, 58). Therefore, by replying in this way Jesus is not rejecting the warm praise this good lady renders his Mother; he accepts it and goes further, explaining that Mary is blessed particularly because she has been good and faithful in putting the word of God into practice. “It was a compliment to his Mother on her fiat, her ‘be it done’ (Lk 1:38). She lived in sincerely, unstintingly, fulfilling its every consequence, but never amid fanfare, rather in the hidden and silence sacrifice of each day.

Read the full Magnificat (or Canticle of Mary) from the New American Bible

Archbishop Fulton Sheen: God who made the sun also made the moon. The moon does not take away from the brilliance of the sun. The moon would be only a burned out cinder floating in the immensity of space, were it not for the sun. All its light is reflected from that glowing surface. In like manner, Mary reflects her Divine Son, without whom she is nothing. On dark nights we are grateful for the moon; when we see it shining we know there must be a sun. So, in this dark night of the world, when men turned their backs on Him Who is the Light of the World, we look to Mary to guide our feet while we await the sunrise.’

Absolutely! 

Everyone who is in heaven is a saint! Not all of them are canonized Saints (with a capital S), but they are all saints. It is well and good for you to talk to your grandmother and to ask for her intercession.

It is also good to pray for the dead to assist them in their journey through purgatory. (I’ve always wondered, ‘Well, what if they went straight to heaven??’ but I don’t think it would be a wasted prayer. If anything, I think you would just help another soul through purgatory.)

As a side note, how would new Saints ever be canonized if no one asked for their intercession before they were canonized?  :)  

Good question! God bless you!

No, it wouldn’t. Despite the prejudice of many Eastern Christians against solid statues, they are just as valid for helping us reverence the saints or worship Christ as icons are (and traditional reverence toward icons often involves a kiss.) There’s a solid discussion of the issue here. It’s long, so you might want to skip straight to the final section, though the rest is fascinating, too.

Hey! So I’ll point you over to my post from a few months ago:

http://thepapists.tumblr.com/post/16675151068/could-you-explain-just-who-qualifies-as-protestant

Combining that post and some other thoughts (and it’s sort of tough to group ALL Protestants together, because there are so many different teachings!):

• Catholics believe and uphold apostolic succession (ordination of priests by other priests all the way back to Jesus ordaining Peter and the 12 apostles), while Protestant churches do not, as they have fallen away from the “Fullness of the Faith”
• Catholics believe in transubstantiation, which is when the bread and wine, by the power of the Holy Spirit, transform into the Body and Blood of Christ during the consecration at Mass. We follow His command to “do this in memory of me.” Protestants generally believe in consubstatiation or “sacramental union” (mostly Lutheran and Anglicans, but apparently Anglicans believe in the Real Presence and transubstaniation), or they believe that Jesus saying “this is my Body … this is my Blood” was merely symbolic. I would say that most Protestant churches that aren’t Anglican or Lutheran fall under this category of “symbolism,” also known as “memorialism.”
• Catholics have seven sacraments (Baptism, Reconciliation, Eucharist, Confirmation, Holy Orders, Matrimony, and Last Rites). Anglicans also have the same seven sacraments. Lutherans only believe that Baptism and the Eucharist are sacraments, but they do believe in Confirmation, too. As far as I know, other Protestant Churches don’t have specific “sacraments,” but all Christian Churches do Baptisms!
• Catholics venerate Mary and honour Saints (but do not worship them), and Anglicans honour Saints (but do not worship them). I don’t think any other Protestant Church puts as much importance on Mary or the intercession of Saints as the Catholic (or Anglican) Churches do.
• The Catholic Bible is unchanged from when it was put together. We have 46 Old Testament books and 27 New Testament Books, while most Protestant Churches have 29 OT books and the same 27 NT books. However, Lutherans don’t have the letter of James because of the whole “faith and works” clause.

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So in summary:

• Catholics have apostolic succession
• Catholics believe in transubstantiation
• Catholics believe in seven sacraments
• Catholics honour Mary and the Saints
• Catholics have 73 books in their Bible

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But essentially, the denominations are all under the “Christian” umbrella. We all believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and came to redeem mankind to Himself. 

If anyone is Protestant and would like to correct me, go right ahead!!

-Olivier

Sure! There are a couple that come to mind right away:

1. “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful.” (James 5:16)

2. “I urge you, [brothers,] by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in the struggle by your prayers to God on my behalf”
(Romans 15:30)

3. “Pray for us, for we are confident that we have a clear conscience, wishing to act rightly in every respect. I especially ask for your prayers that I may be restored to you very soon.”
(Hebrews 13:18-19) 

These passages tell us that holy men and women (saints) who have a deep connection with the Lord are able to petition God on behalf of another person. This is exactly what the Catholic Church teaches on the subject of intercession! It’s just a holy person praying for another person!

 Doesn’t this almost fall under the category of idolatry

As long as we remember that we’re praying to God through someone else (ex, Ad Iseum Per Mariam with the Rosary), it’s not idolatry! Remember, God works miracles through His saints, but we don’t say that those people are God! We seem them as St Francis of Assisi does, as “channels of [His] Love.” 

I heard a statistic that Jesus Christ is the fourth “saint” European Catholics pray to most often. Why is anybody coming before Christ Himself?

Good Question! I would have to say that this is mostly based on tradition. I mean, I pray the Rosary, but I don’t believe that Mary is the source of my Salvation. I believe that through Mary, I can get closer to my Salvation (which comes from God alone), and this is why I pray to her. Also, it’s important to note that saints used to be sinners, too. And we’re all sinners. So it would make sense to ask someone who’s “been there, done that” to help us out! 

God Bless and thanks for the question!

-Olivier

Sin, suffering, and how we’re never alone.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and encouragement, who encourages us in our every affliction, so that we may be able to encourage those who are in any affliction with the encouragement with which we ourselves are encouraged by God.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4

I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. Instead of asking God why all these horrible things happen when I’m struggling, I try to remember that if I’m afflicted it’s because:

1. God is providing an opportunity for me to turn to Him.
2. God intends to use me as the subject for which someone to minister to.
3. He intends for me to use that affliction to encourage and comfort someone else some day.

This is why the past is never a curse.

No matter who you were or what you did, God is using you, and will continue to do so, to tell people that He can still love them even after you’ve sinned in the seemingly worst way.

We are afflicted in every way, but not constrained; perplexed, byt not driven to despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our body.

2 Corinthians 4:8-11

In suffering, we enter into the passion with Jesus, as He simultaneously helps us through it. In His suffering, He reminds us, “wherever you are, wherever you’ve been, I’ve been there.” Not only is Jesus with us to be our Simon and help us to carry our cross, but the ones we love and the ones who are close to us bear our pain as well. We are not abandoned in suffering; if anything, it is in suffering that we are in the greatest company. 

The last sentence of that verse is to remind us that while it was our sins that brought down Christ and condemned Him, and that repentance is necessary, we must never forget that it is in His death that we are brought to eternal life. 

They conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony …”

Revelation 12:11

Through God all things are possible. With the blood Christ shed for us on the cross and by giving God the glory in all things, we can crush Satan; if you live your life in away that gives God the glory and brings others to Him, evil will be conquered.

St. Therese of Liseux writes in “A Story of a Soul” a story about how when she was a child, she saw two demons playing about in her yard. When she looked upon them, they became terrified and fled from her. She said that God made use of this situation to show her that a soul in a state of grace never has any reason to fear the devil.

To be in a state of grace, we must realize the importance of the sacraments, especially reconciliation. God’s forgiveness and mercy is unending, and if we witness to that mercy by showing how we’ve been forgiven, multiple times, for our wrongs, we will be unstoppable.

I don’t know about you, but after I go to confession sometimes I just feel like I want to run around to everyone and tell them how glorious the Lord is. While there is nothing wrong with actually putting that idea into action, we have to remember what St. Francis of Assisi said: “Preach the Gospel at all times; use words if necessary.” Actions speak louder than words; if we go about loving and forgiving instead of just giving lip service to God and His works, it is then that we will give all for the greater glory of God.

I think the most important word of that verse, though, is the word “they.” It does not say “I conquered him,” referring to John. It does not say “he” or “she conquered him,” referring to one singular person. It says “they,” referring to multiple people banded together in a battle against Satan, and winning, with the blood shed for them on the cross and the word of their witness as weapons.

This is the biggest reminder that we are not alone. We have each other. Instead of just saying, “I’ll pray for you!” when a friend is suffering (which has become kind of our “Catholic calling card,” has it not?) and then abandoning them to endure the struggle alone, why not say, “Let me pray with you. Your cross is twice as heavy as my own. Let me be your Simon.”?

No matter what sin you have committed, you are loved and forgiven beyond measure. No matter how you struggle with that sin or with situations in your life, you are never abandoned.

Grace be with you, brothers and sisters.

- Jordan

The Church has never changed its doctrine. Some popes have apologized on behalf of the Church for misunderstandings and whatever unintended hurt has developed out of certain historical situations. As far as geocrentrism goes, here’s what really happened with Galileo. Further, evolution in itself is not a problem—evolution used in exclusive support of atheism is.

It is, in fact, impossible for the Magisterium to change it’s position on any defined teachings of the Church, because the Church cannot change what God has decreed. So I’m afraid your question as to our personal reactions is moot.

For an excellent primer on the due honor and reverence accorded the living souls in full union with God in heaven, who have been Biblically shown to intercede for those of us here on earth, please click here. You might also be interested in these articles or these.

God bless you!

A Valentine’s Day interpretation

In the midst of all the flowers, chocolates, stuffed animals and commercialism, I’ve done some serious thinking.

I’ve hated Valentine’s Day for as long as I can remember - half out of bitterness of being alone, and half out of the superficiality of it all. Even last year, the first Valentine’s Day where I was in a relationship, I found myself resenting the “holiday” - in part, I realize now, because I didn’t fully acknowledge the meaning behind it.

Whether you want to believe it or not, Valentine’s Day is a religious holiday. No, I’m not trying to throw religion in your face. It’s the feast say of St. Valentine, a Roman priest who was martyred for his faith.

And that’s why I think Valentine’s Day is about love.

Yes, it could be in part due to the fact that Saint Valentine was martyred for performing the sacrament of marriage for Christian couples and aiding other Christians. But ultimately, I think that the real reason we celebrate love on Valentine’s Day is because Saint Valentine was just one example of the greatest form of love - laying down one’s life in sacrifice for someone you love.

No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends

 John 15:13

Saint Valentine exemplifies the same sacrifice of love that Jesus gave us on the cross. Where Jesus lay down His innocent life out of pure, selfless love for us, Saint Valentine, like all the other martyrs, lay down his innocent life out of pure, selfless love for others and for God.

It is this same love that should be the center of every single one of our own relationships, whether with a boyfriend or a girlfriend or with a friend or relative.

Love only consumes us in the measure of our own self-surrender.

Saint Therese of Liseux

If you are Christian you already know that Christ, God Himself is Love Personified, and that He gave us the example of what the true love we all deserve is. As Saint Therese said, you can only love fully when you completely surrender yourself to the other person; you can only love God if you fully surrender yourself to Him. You can only love someone else if you are completely willing to put aside all your selfish wants and desires for their personal betterment, if you are willing to be crucified for them. You need to learn how to love as Jesus loves.

This seems to be a pretty hefty task, but it is not impossible to accomplish. If it were impossible to accomplish, there would be no saints, no martyrs, no examples for us to live by other than Jesus Himself.

God gave us the saints to show us that ordinary people can accomplish extraordinary acts of love, through Him and with His help. 

No matter how commercialized Valentine’s Day gets, we can never ignore the fact that it is rooted in the supreme sacrifice of Jesus’ death on the cross; history speaks for itself.

So if you were like me and despised Valentine’s Day, try thinking about it in this light. It might just make you fall in love in a new way that you didn’t expect.

Grace be with you always,

Jordan

(Source for information on Saint Valentine: [x] )

Does this blog advocate praying for other people? I can think of no Christian denomination that considers praying for fellow men to be sinful, but asking for prayers from friends and loved ones is essentially the same thing as asking for the saints’ intercession. The only real difference is that the saints are people we know were are holy enough to get into Heaven, so their prayers are sure to be quite powerful! 

So, to answer your question, it is true that Catholics pray to saints, asking them in turn to pray for us. However, it is a common misconception to say that this amounts to idolatry or sin. 

-Troy