Holy Images and Prayers To Mary And The Saints Freak Me Out

  • Thread starter Thread starter yahwehsdaughter
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yahwehsdaughter said:
I feel that I caused a lot of offense by my post 😟. I don’t want to be disrespectful. I want to get over my fears, so I can be a good Catholic. I was just hoping that if I talked about it someone could help me not be afraid anymore. I will try not to freak out about anything and be respectful of the approved apparitions and mentions of them. Maybe God will help me.
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No offense taken. I’m sure that you aren’t the first person raised Protestant that found it difficult to transition to the Catholic view of prayer and use of imagery. It might take a bit of getting used to. Take your time and don’t stress too much about it. It’ll come.
 
I am to be confirmed this Easter Vigil. I also have some pretty intense anxiety. I was having a really hard time with the real presence. I couldn’t wrap my head and heart around the idea that I was in the presence of Christ. I kept going around and around with it. After a long litany of my fears and anxieties, a dear (Catholic) friend said to me, “I can’t explain it all to you, but I know that this (in His presence) is where you are supposed to be.” This is where YOU are supposed to be too. Keep going to mass. You will get more comfortable. If you have access to formed.com, they have some great content that will give you a jump on RCIA. Your parish may have a subscription you can use or you can get one for $10 A month. It’s like Catholic Netflix. CAF has great articles too. There are lots of programs about Mary and The Saints. The more you get to know them, the more they seem like family. I see the statues and art like family photos now. 🙂 I also watched lots of masses on YouTube until I wasn’t so worried about the order of the Mass. Remember to breathe. God’s got you. It’s going to be better than you can even imagine.
 
Thank you, sister. Congratulations on your upcoming confirmation 🎊:clinking_glasses:👏.
 
I don’t have a problem with use of icons and I understand why people pray to saints. It’s just a mental stronghold right now. I’ll get over it.
 
Just one thought about Mary: Jesus obtained his humanity from her. For that alone, we can never honor her enough. All generations shall call her blessed.
 
Our prayers to saints and to Mary naturally flow from our understanding of what exactly a saint is. To Catholics, a saint is simply the soul of a dead person living in eternity in heaven with God. We don’t pray to them as if they can give us answers like God does. When we pray to them it is to ask them to pray to God for us. It is the same with Marian prayer, with the added dimension of the idea that when Jesus’ mother requests something from him, he will not refuse her.
 
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