Mary had a unique role in human history, the mother of God. That is what makes her the new ark of the convenant. She was born with special graces for that role. This is not to say that others have not achieved high levels of holiness - they have. But not even the most devout Saint was born without original sin like Mary
Although you might not fully appreciate this, baptism is very significant. By being baptized, you were freed of original sin, given the necessary graces to go to heaven and made a part of the one, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. We believe you can only be baptized once for the forgiveness of sins. Baptism, at its most basic level, is a covenant agreement. God agrees to make you a member of his church, provides his grace and forgives your sins but to gain all that you need to follow his will for you or you will fall from grace. Perhaps the next stage in his will for you is what brought you to this website in the first place
This is exactly what you should be doing. God knows what is best for you Grandfather so put your faith in his hands.
Life is a journey toward or away from God. We all ultimately have the choice of heaven or hell. If we serve God and our neighbors in life, we will go to heaven, where we will be with people who do the same. If we serve only ourselves, we will be condemned to live in Hell with all the others self-centered souls.
my mother is not a self centered soul, she labors for others and she may not understand things she was taught as a child or remember them but even after she doesnt attend catholic church she is the one who asked me to accept Jesus Christ as person Lord and Savior at five years old, even though i am not joined a church, my mother is not going to hell, i seen her before the book of life rejoicing by my side, that she [prayed for my soul before i was born, that she prayed my sister to accept Jesus and while she was pregnant was prophesized to by a catholic priest apponn attending a mass after praying for her, that my sister would be ok, see back then my dad used to beat my mother. my mother judged her marrriage and whether or not it was right to get a divorce based still by what she was taught, and was a victem of my dad before he got saved and it wasnt til i was tewnty two or twenty one that she divorced him, and did not leave him til she knew and had evidence on his extra marrital affairs that after she confronted him that she had hired a priv. investigater and knew he had been cheating that he confessed to her he had been cheating all the whole marriage and before. so if it werent for my mother i nor my sisbling would know salvation. and if you know that Mary suffered for this church you would not assume my mother would be going to hell or is a selfish person. because i am way more selfish than my mother ever was and i have at times been hospitalized over five times a year, and my mother always brought Jesus to me where ever i have been. and i have been closer to the gates of hell than anyone in my whole family and prevailed in Jesus though i am not abusive or evil, though in Jesus’s baptism mine was made valid once and for all, I have been more in danger of judgement than any my family and my whole family is getting salvation, including me. so preach more about Jesus and his redeeming Grace, more about Mary and her service to god and the church, but if you want to preach about hell, tell it someone else. because as close as i have been to it. i dont know as much about it and niether does my blood as much as this world who so many times tried to crucify my mother for her selfishness, tried to call her names you dont call the church, and she through it all, though she doesnt know as much as you kept me from hell fires and kept me protected like Mary does when we are ignorant. so tell somebody else about hell, im interested in faith. and my mother planted the seed and took care of it and if anybody has something bad to say about my family they better take it up with my heavenly father because i am not listening!
Let’s be clear here. While many Catholics are devoted to Mary, we don’t see her as equal to God. When we pray to Mary, we ask for her intercession with God, just like we do the other Saints. And yes, Mary has brought millions to her Son. Have you read about her work at Gaudalupe, Lourdes and Fatima? They are hugely inspirational.
