My whole purpose in joining this was to find out about conversion. I am Jewish. I believe Yeshua is Lord. I can’t stop being who I am. I am Jewish as much as I am female. I’m just don’t get the Sunday; Easter, Christmas, and praying to Miriam.
Thank you for posting. I’ll do my best to clarify some of your points above.
First, Catholics don’t pray to Mary (Miriam) as if Mary were a goddess or a deity, which would violate our belief in the Creator. We pray to her as an intercessor, an advocate. And we are to pray in a spirit of great humility.
We use the Lord’s own words, stated through the Archangel Gabriel, “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee…” She is our most powerful intercessor.
If I ask a saint, or Mary or Joseph, to pray for me, that action is not idolatry, but a simple request for help no different from asking my brother or sister to pray for a friend in need.
In regards to the holidays, I think that there needs to be a real delineation between a secular holiday versus the liturgical season. The focus of Christmas should be on the Nativity of our Lord, not on the commercialism associated with the secular holiday of Christmas. Easter is about reparation of our sins throughout the season of Lent, the time leading up to crucifixion of our Lord, and the Resurrection (on “Sunday”).
If you focus on the liturgical cycle, and not all of the extraneous trappings of the secular holiday, these parts of the year are much easier to understand. (I would even go so far as to venture to say that there are many devout Christians who don’t understand the secular commercialism of these holidays either.)
Lastly, Catholicism is experiential. I really believe that it is difficult for outsiders to understand the Church without direct, committed involvement. That means attending Mass (preferably daily), devotion to the Rosary, regular confession, and daily prayer. The Hebrew Catholic movement which is primarily based in Israel, would probably be the best starting point.
As far as “stopping someone from being who they are”, Catholics are a diverse group, and come in all sizes, shapes and colors, and from every corner of the world. We have Irish, Polish, Latin American Catholics, among others, and yes, we also have Hebrew Catholics. Some of us say our Masses in the old Tridentine Latin format, other communities celebrate their Masses in Spanish, or even Hebrew.
We don’t ask our fellow brothers and sisters to give up their ethnic identity. In the Hebrew Catholic movement, many still continue to follow many Jewish traditions, all while still being in communion with the Church.
