I Desperatly Need Help

[keri6789]

As you can tell from my previous posts I’m going threw RCIA classes and my parents aren’t to thrilled about it…I just got an e-mail from my Mom and I need some help about how to respond! This is the e-mail…

*The only way to salvation is through Jesus. Nobody else. It got me thinking about what you said last week. How the Catholic church has all the different Saints. Remember, you have direct access to Jesus and He is the only way. Know one else is the way. I know the Catholic church puts a lot of significance on Mary. Jesus is still the only way. Know where in the Bible does it hold Mary in such high regard. I am concerned that you are not verifying this in the Bible. And it seems they don’t recognize the Bible you have know all your life and the life style (of Jesus and the Bible) that was passed down from your parents and Grandparents. Do the Catholics believe they are the only ones going to Heaven since they will only let people of the Catholic Faith participate in communion? If that is the case, what about your family that I believe are already in Heaven? Are they not really there? Where does it say in the Bible that only select people can take communion? I hate to think that you will not be basing your faith on the Bible.

Have you ask for forgiveness for your past and in turn have you be able to move on? No church can do that for you.

I know you will do whatever you want, but I am concerned for your soul. You may want to turn away from us like you have done before, but you need to know how concerned I am. You are making a decision for you and possibly who you marry and the kids you will raise.

I love you and you know how important I hold your relationship with Jesus. Don’t forget what you know about Him, even if you don’t like the place you learned about HIM.*

I am at a complete lost. This sounds to me like she thinks I’m joining some sort of cult. I just can’t even figure out what I need to say. Anyone that can help please help.

 

[Pug]

Keri,

She says manys things in the letter, so it will take you awhile to figure out what you have to answer and what is better left to answer if another opportunity arises.

I was struck by her first sentence. I’d guess she believes/worries that you no longer think that the only way to salvation is through Jesus. I suggest you try to explain that the Catholic Church does believe that there is salvation in no other. Here are two quotes from the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC). Explain to her that this book is a sure norm for what the Church believes and teaches, so that she understands that it is reprepsentative of the Church teaching, and isn’t just some opinion of what the Church teaches.

**2664 **There is no other way of Christian prayer than Christ. Whether our prayer is communal or personal, vocal or interior, it has access to the Father only if we pray “in the name” of Jesus. The sacred humanity of Jesus is therefore the way by which the Holy Spirit teaches us to pray to God our Father.

430 Jesus means in Hebrew: “God saves.” At the annunciation, the angel Gabriel gave him the name Jesus as his proper name, which expresses both his identity and his mission. Since God alone can forgive sins, it is God who, in Jesus his eternal Son made man, “will save his people from their sins”…

432 The name “Jesus” signifies that the very name of God is present in the person of his Son, made man for the universal and definitive redemption from sins. It is the divine name that alone brings salvation, and henceforth all can invoke his name, for Jesus united himself to all men through his Incarnation, so that “there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Note that those quotes from the CCC themselves quote the bible. For example, that last sentence has a phrase quoted from the book of Acts, which your mother will surely recognize. The CCC is filled with such things. The teachings *are *referenced to the bible. A common quote from one of the saints is that “Ignorance of scriptures is ignorance of Christ.” Here is a link to where it says that in the CCC.

I think you need to reassure your mother as a mother. Mothers do worry. Keep open lines of communication. That usually helps with mothers. For me, I became Catholic to follow Christ. It was the following of Christ that got me here. Tell her you are following Christ with a true heart.

Okay…

Don’t overwhelm her with info, but here are a few other points from the letter. Personally, I would just start with reassuring her about Christ, since Christ is where it is all at!! But she did mention other stuff.

No, Catholics do not believe that Protestants are all going to hell. There is no issue with your deceased relatives.

In 1Cor11:27-30 (and the surrounding material), Paul is concerned about some people who are participating in the Lord’s Supper and are being harmed as a result, because they don’t perceive the body. In a similar way, the Catholic Church knows that coming up to communion while not prepared or in an unworthy state is harmful to the souls that come up, and is not helpful to them. So she is being mindful/loving of those people by asking them not to receive. There are other things going on with the communion topic, but this is a starting point.

You may want to tell her that you are glad that your childhood instilled a love of Christ in you. I am glad that I was raised Christian (Methodist actually, so we are somewhat close in our stories!). I grew up with a desire to follow Christ. That is how I was led to become Catholic, wanting to know and love him more and more and more…

I’d save talking about the communion of saints for another day. Try and stay focused and remember that she is your mom and to deal lovingly and respectfully at all times, even if things get tense. If things stay calm, you two can better communicate and each hear what is bothering the other. I think what your mom wants is reassurance, and you can give her that.

I’ll pray for you two!

There is no salvation in any other. There is only salvation in Jesus.

 

[wjp984]

As you can tell from my previous posts I’m going threw RCIA classes and my parents aren’t to thrilled about it…I just got an e-mail from my Mom and I need some help about how to respond! This is the e-mail…

The only way to salvation is through Jesus. Nobody else. It got me thinking about what you said last week. How the Catholic church has all the different Saints. Remember, you have direct access to Jesus and He is the only way. Know one else is the way. I know the Catholic church puts a lot of significance on Mary. Jesus is still the only way.

Tell her that she is correct in saying that thanks to Jesus dieing for our sins we are able to have eternal life in Heaven with him. That does not mean that we can’t have others to help us. The saints and most importantly Mary can intercede for us and offer prayers for us just like we can all pray for one another on earth. One argument that I don’t think I’ve seen used often is the fact that there must be great joy for Mary and the saints in helping souls get to Heaven. How much joy do we get in our lifetimes by doing good deeds for others seeing how happy they are. I would think that the happiness we experience in this way has got to be a preview of what one might experience in Heaven. How wonderful it must be for us to ask the saints and angerls in Heaven for their intercession as well as directly praying to Jesus and then the saints get to ask God to help us and take part in our journey to hopefully have eternal life in Heaven.

No where in the Bible does it hold Mary in such high regard. I am concerned that you are not verifying this in the Bible

In the Protestant Bibles they change what Luke wrote about the angel Gabriel’s messageto Peace be with you, the Lord is with you. In fact, what it says is either Hail or perhaps Rejoice depending on the translation, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. The Protestants had to change the wording in the Bible since that did not fit with their impression of Mary.

And it seems they don’t recognize the Bible you have know all your life and the life style (of Jesus and the Bible) that was passed down from your parents and Grandparents. Do the Catholics believe they are the only ones going to Heaven since they will only let people of the Catholic Faith participate in communion? If that is the case, what about your family that I believe are already in Heaven? Are they not really there? Where does it say in the Bible that only select people can take communion? I hate to think that you will not be basing your faith on the Bible.

Catholics certainly recognize the Bible. We believe that Jesus said to receicve his body and blood through the Eucharist in the Bible and we continue to do this every time we receive communion. It is the Protestants that do not beleive this to be so. When you receive communion you are saying you beleive as we Catholics do. Why would we want to force our beliefs on you? If you do not believe that you are actually receiving the actual body and blood of Jesus then you don’t have to receive communion. If you do beleive then you can go through the process of learning about the faith and becoming Catholic so you can fully believe and accept the fiath while receiving the Eucharist.

Nowhere do we make judgements of the destination of one’s soul after death. We believe in God’s mercy. Your family very well may be in Heaven but guess what? If they are, their Catholic now and part of the communion of saints. You are just joining the faith that they are now part of in Heaven while still in your lifetime.

Have you ask for forgiveness for your past and in turn have you be able to move on? No church can do that for you.

I know you will do whatever you want, but I am concerned for your soul. You may want to turn away from us like you have done before, but you need to know how concerned I am. You are making a decision for you and possibly who you marry and the kids you will raise.

I love you and you know how important I hold your relationship with Jesus. Don’t forget what you know about Him, even if you don’t like the place you learned about HIM.

On the contrary. The Catholic Church does offer absolution and forgivemess for your sins and you can move on from them. When you first receive this sacrament I am sure you will know how wonderful it is. (Of course it is never easy to go)Tell your mom you appreciate her concerns and you would appreciate any prayers she has to offer for you. Tell her you will never forget what you learned about Jesus and will only continue to grow in your faith and love for Jesus. Finally tell her that you want to be a part of the Catholic faith and if you do go on to get married and have children they will also be a part of the Catholic faith and you pray that in the future she will become accepting of this fact.

 

[Kristen]

First off, congratulations on undertaking the challenging and rewarding journey home to the Church! Please know that you are in my prayers and that I will offer my next Rosary for you! Our Lord (and His Mother and ours, too) longs to help us as only He can.

It must be so hard joining the Church without family support and with such discouraging letters from home. In a moment, I will post some of my responses, but before I do, I want to urge you, if you have access to EWTN TV/radio, to tune in to the “Journey Home” program hosted by Marcus Grodi. He has folks on who have converted and may have gone through some of what you are going through. Also, there is a series of books by Patrick Madrid, called “Surprised By Truth,” that may hold some encouragement for you.

It might be good to start-off by emphasizing to your mom that you appreciate her love for you and concern for your soul, but that you have found the *fullness *of the faith she taught you in the Church. That is, you may want to explain to her that your conversion is not a rejection of Christian faith, but a *fulfillment *of it.

The only way to salvation is through Jesus. Nobody else. It got me thinking about what you said last week. How the Catholic church has all the different Saints. Remember, you have direct access to Jesus and He is the only way. Know one else is the way.

Jesus is indeed the only way to salvation, but He chose to establish *His *Church as the means to receive grace (in the Sacraments) and get to Heaven. Why else would He have told Peter that He would build His Church on him? And why else would He have given us priests to consecrate His Body and Blood at the Last Supper (“Do this in memory of me.”)?

I know the Catholic church puts a lot of significance on Mary. Jesus is still the only way. Know where in the Bible does it hold Mary in such high regard. I am concerned that you are not verifying this in the Bible.

The Blessed Mother is held in high regard. As He is dying on the Cross, Our Lord gives care of Our Lady to St. John (and, in turn, to us as followers of Him). He also works His first miracle at Cana in response to Her request and faith in Him (“Do whatever He tells you.”). She is the best model of faith in Christ that we have, and she always points us to Him.

And it seems they don’t recognize the Bible you have know all your life and the life style (of Jesus and the Bible) that was passed down from your parents and Grandparents. Do the Catholics believe they are the only ones going to Heaven since they will only let people of the Catholic Faith participate in communion? If that is the case, what about your family that I believe are already in Heaven? Are they not really there? Where does it say in the Bible that only select people can take communion? I hate to think that you will not be basing your faith on the Bible.

The Catholic faith is based on the equally strong pillars of Scripture and Tradition. The authority of the Church’s interpretation of Scripture is our safeguard against error and its eternal consequences. Christ gave His Apostles the power “to bind and to loose” – authority to teach and to forgive sins.

We don’t know who is in Heaven and who isn’t; that’s God’s to decide. We may, however, pray for God’s mercy on our loved ones who have died.

As for receiving the Eucharist, it is true that only Catholics in good standing may receive Him, but that is out of respect for the sacredness of His Body and Blood. If one does not believe that Communion is more than a wafer and wine, one is not able to receive Him reverently as God. As Catholics, if we believe and once our serious sins are forgiven in Confession, we are free to receive the wonders of Eucharist.

Have you ask for forgiveness for your past and in turn have you be able to move on? No church can do that for you.

I know you will do whatever you want, but I am concerned for your soul. You may want to turn away from us like you have done before, but you need to know how concerned I am. You are making a decision for you and possibly who you marry and the kids you will raise.

Assuming that you will be making your first Confession this Easter (and obviously not knowing to what she is referring), you can tell her that all of your sins will be forgiven then and you will receive grace to start anew. Perhaps she can be glad for that even if she doesn’t understand it fully.

I love you and you know how important I hold your relationship with Jesus. Don’t forget what you know about Him, even if you don’t like the place you learned about HIM.

Perhaps you can tell her that the reason you are becoming Catholic is to have Jesus in the best way you can – and that anyone can visit Him in the tabernacle at any time and ask Him to be present within (that’s called spiritual communion).

Hopefully, these points have given you somewhere to start. Please be sure to reply or PM me if you need some more pointers. God bless you!

 

[darc]

I think the answers you’ve recvd above are a good start for some dialogue. I wish I could offer more but I’ll definitely keep you in my prayers for the strength to withstand this & for your mother to be given the gift of understanding. I’m also to be baptized this Easter Vigil and have also gone thru some similar questioning by my family.

 

[Erich]

*Know where in the Bible does it hold Mary in such high regard. I am concerned that you are not verifying this in the Bible. *

Luke 1:46-55 tells us,

46 And Mary said: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
47 my spirit rejoices in God my savior.
48 For he has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness; **behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed. **
49 The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.
50 His mercy is from age to age to those who fear him.
51 He has shown might with his arm, dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart.
52 He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly.
53 The hungry he has filled with good things; the rich he has sent away empty.
54 He has helped Israel his servant, remembering his mercy,
55 according to his promise to our fathers, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”

 

[InLight247]

All the above responses are very good.

Here are my brief answer of facts:

1. Catholics do believe Jesus is the only way. There is no other.
2. We don’t pary to Mary and Saints. We simply ask them to pray for us. Just like we ask for the prayer of intercession from our family and friends.
3. Catholics firmly believe in the Bible, but it is the Catholic Church who gave us the Bible. Our most popular prayer of the Rosary is completely coming from the Bible.

God bless!

 

[Rolltide]

There have been some great suggestions on here so far. Let’s see if we can put it together into a coherent response. (I’ll be cutting and pasting some of the above suggestions, so I’ll give credit where credit is due.)

The only way to salvation is through Jesus. Nobody else.

Mom, you are absolutely correct. On this point you and the Catholic Church completely agree. There is a book called the Catechism that spells out what the Catholic Church officially teaches. Here is what is has to say about the way to salvation, from the Catholic point of view. (The numbers are citations.)

2664 There is no other way of Christian prayer than Christ. Whether our prayer is communal or personal, vocal or interior, it has access to the Father only if we pray “in the name” of Jesus. The sacred humanity of Jesus is therefore the way by which the Holy Spirit teaches us to pray to God our Father.

430 Jesus means in Hebrew: “God saves.” At the annunciation, the angel Gabriel gave him the name Jesus as his proper name, which expresses both his identity and his mission. Since God alone can forgive sins, it is God who, in Jesus his eternal Son made man, “will save his people from their sins”…(Mt 1:21; cf 2:7)

432 The name “Jesus” signifies that the very name of God is present in the person of his Son, made man for the universal and definitive redemption from sins. It is the divine name that alone brings salvation, and henceforth all can invoke his name, for Jesus united himself to all men through his Incarnation, (Cf Jn 3:18; Acts 2:21; 5:41; 3 Jn 7; Rom 10:6-13) so that “there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12; cf. 9:14; James 2:7)

It got me thinking about what you said last week. How the Catholic church has all the different Saints. Remember, you have direct access to Jesus and He is the only way. Know one else is the way. I know the Catholic church puts a lot of significance on Mary. Jesus is still the only way.

Again, everything in your statement is absolutely correct. Now, the Catholic Church does have special respect for the saints, but a saint is simply any human who has made it to heaven. Respect for the saints is no different than the Hall of Fame is to the NFL. Special respect, yes, but worship, no.

Catholics do have what is known as “intercessionary” prayer, where we ask saints to pray with us and for us (and “intercede”) on our behalf. It would be a sacrilege to pray TO them though. Let me explain it this way. Do you ever remember going to church and asking the congregation to pray together for someone in our family that was sick (or if not our family, then someone that was ill in the congregation)? We were asking other people to pray WITH us, but we most certainly weren’t praying TO them. Now, the next question is whether you believe that we are capable of eternal life in heaven with God? The answer is of course, since this is the foundation of our faith. Thanks to the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus, we are all capable of eternal life. That means, of course, that when we die, we don’t cease to exist. We continue in our existence forever safe in the arms of God.

So, if we continue to exist forever, and it’s ok for people to pray together for a cause, and we know that a saint is simply any person in heaven, why would it be wrong to ask saints to pray FOR causes WITH us? That is the Catholic belief. The person must never pray TO the actual saint itself.

continued…

 

[Randy_Carson]

edited for space

Keri-

Been there. Done that. Thanks be to God! This is for your mom - straight from the Word of God:

Praying to Saints and the Communion of Saints Proved from Scripture

1. Every Christian is a member of the Body of Christ

“Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” (Romans 12:4-5)

“The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.” (1 Corinthians 12:12-13)

And we are joined with Christ through baptism

“having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.” (Colossians 2:12)

“We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” (Romans 6:4)

“for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.” (Galatians 3:27)

2. All Christians are connected through the Body of Christ

“If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.”(1 Corinthians 12:26)

“If anyone has caused grief, he has not so much grieved me as he has grieved all of you” (2 Corinthians 2:5)

3. Physical death does not separate us from the Body of Christ

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)

4. There is only one Body of Christ in Heaven and on Earth

“by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.” (Ephesians 2:15-16)

“There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called—one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” (Ephesians 4:4-5)

5. The Church is the Body of Christ

“And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.” (Ephesians 1:22-23)

“And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy” (Colossians 1:18)

6. Just as we can pray for one another, we can suffer for one another because we are all connected in Christ

“Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. (Colossians 1:24)

7. If you can ask a member of the Body of Christ on earth to pray for you, then you can also ask someone who is a member of that same Body of Christ in heaven to do the same for they are not “dead” at all.

“He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive." (Luke 20:38)

 

[Rolltide]

Know where in the Bible does it hold Mary in such high regard. I am concerned that you are not verifying this in the Bible. And it seems they don’t recognize the Bible you have know all your life and the life style (of Jesus and the Bible) that was passed down from your parents and Grandparents.

Here is a link to a site called scripturecatholic.com. It gives many of the Biblical references that Catholicism derives its beliefs from. Here is the page that backs up their belief on Mary.

scripturecatholic.com/blessed_virgin_mary.html

And here are some links explaining some of the common misconceptions about Catholic belief in Mary. They use not only Biblical quotes, but the teaching of the Early Church Fathers. They were those influential Christians that led Christianity in the very first years following Christ. As you can see, these “Catholic” beliefs date all the way back to the very beginning of Christianity and the generation of the apostles.

“Mary, Full of Grace” catholic.com/library/Mary_Full_of_Grace.asp

“Mary, Mother of God” catholic.com/library/Mary_Mother_of_God.asp

“Mary, Ever Virgin” catholic.com/library/Mary_Ever_Virgin.asp

“The Immaculate Conception and Assumption” catholic.com/library/Immaculate_Conception_and_Assum.asp

Do the Catholics believe they are the only ones going to Heaven since they will only let people of the Catholic Faith participate in communion?

No. Communion is not what gets one into heaven, of course. Once again, you are correct. Catholics (along with several other denominations, including the Oriental Orthodox, Eastern Orthodox, and the Assyrian Church of the East) hold Communion as uniquely important, however. Only those denomination believe that the bread and wine are transformed into the ACTUAL Body and Blood of Christ. Through this miracle, we are able to fully partake in the sacrifice of Jesus. In order to do so, however, one must actually BELIEVE in the miracle that is occurring. Further, even members of the church itself cannot participate in the sacrament if they have committed a unforgiven mortal sin. So even Catholics are selective among their own about who can receive Communion. It is that special and important.

If that is the case, what about your family that I believe are already in Heaven? Are they not really there?

Catholics believe that they have the “fullness of the truth”, and that “outside the Catholic Church there is no salvation”. BUT… what that means is that if you get to heaven, it will be because you followed the teachings of the Catholic Church, knowingly or unknowingly. You would not have to be an official member, or even necessarily a Christian. However, the further your beliefs were from Catholicism, the less chance there would be of getting to heaven, since you wouldn’t fully know what was necessary to get there. As good Christians, it is entirely possible that the rest of our family is in heaven, even from the Catholic point of view.

continued…

 

[Randy_Carson]

Okay…one more.

On Honoring Mary as Imitators of Christ

Jesus was a good Jew who obeyed the Law of Moses perfectly, and a key component of the Law is known as the Ten Commandments. The first commandment that deals with our relationships with others states, “Honor your Father and Mother.”

As a dutiful Jewish son who obeyed the law perfectly, Jesus fulfilled this commandment by honoring His Mother. The Hebrew word for “honor” actually means “glorify”. So, Jesus bestows glory on his mother, Mary.

We as believers are called to be imitators of God (Ephesians 5:1). At the annunciation, the angel of the Lord called Mary “full of grace”. Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the Word of God declares that “from now on all generations will call [Mary] blessed”. Consequently, we honor Jesus’ mother in our own generation.

The Catholic Church was not the first to honor and glorify Mary; Jesus glorified her first, and we simply imitate Jesus by recognizing the glory He gives to her.

 

[rwoehmke]

Catholics do have what is known as “intercessionary” prayer, where we ask saints to pray with us and for us (and “intercede”) on our behalf. It would be a sacrilege to pray TO them though. Let me explain it this way. Do you ever remember going to church and asking the congregation to pray together for someone in our family that was sick (or if not our family, then someone that was ill in the congregation)? We were asking other people to pray WITH us, but we most certainly weren’t praying TO them. Now, the next question is whether you believe that we are capable of eternal life in heaven with God? The answer is of course, since this is the foundation of our faith. Thanks to the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus, we are all capable of eternal life. That means, of course, that when we die, we don’t cease to exist. We continue in our existence forever safe in the arms of God.

So, if we continue to exist forever, and it’s ok for people to pray together for a cause, and we know that a saint is simply any person in heaven, why would it be wrong to ask saints to pray FOR causes WITH us? That is the Catholic belief. The person must never pray TO the actual saint itself.

continued…

What do you mean by “pray TO”? To pray is to make a request as well as recognize good qualities in a Saint. To pray to in the sense of giving the type of praise and worship due to God is a different matter. We do ask Saints for intercession as well as for the gift of emulating their goodness. The gift of that nature can only come to us through the grace of God so I suppose strictly speaking that is still asking for intercession. On earth we recognize and praise others all the time for their good qualities and actions. We don’t see that as worship so why should we not praise the Saints for their goodness and deeds in their life here on earth? I think it is an oversimplification as well as misleading to say we only “pray to” the Saints for their intercession. Otherwise Rolltide is doing an excellent job.

 

[Randy_Carson]

Okay…one more since it’s for your mom.

---

On Honoring Mary as Imitators of Christ

Jesus was a good Jew who obeyed the Law of Moses perfectly, and a key component of the Law is known as the Ten Commandments. The first commandment that deals with our relationships with others states, “Honor your Father and Mother.”

As a dutiful Jewish son who obeyed the law perfectly, Jesus fulfilled this commandment by honoring His Mother. The Hebrew word for “honor” actually means “glorify”. So, Jesus bestows glory on his mother, Mary.

We as believers are called to be imitators of God (Ephesians 5:1). At the annunciation, the angel of the Lord called Mary “full of grace”. Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the Word of God declares that “from now on all generations will call [Mary] blessed”. Consequently, we honor Jesus’ mother in our own generation.

The Catholic Church was not the first to honor and glorify Mary; Jesus glorified her first, and we simply imitate Jesus by recognizing the glory He gives to her.

 

[Rolltide]

Where does it say in the Bible that only select people can take communion? I hate to think that you will not be basing your faith on the Bible.

Me too! Catholicism places a huge emphasis on the Bible. In fact, not only is almost the whole Mass based directly on the Bible and Biblical quotes, but if you were to go to a Catholic Mass every day for three years, the Bible readings operate on a cycle that would enable you to hear virtually the entirety of scripture read aloud (and discussed at length by the priest in his homily, which differs from a sermon in that it MUST address the specific readings for the day). Also realize that communion is one of the Catholic sacraments of initiation. You wouldn’t want to be initiated into a faith tradition that you didn’t believe, would you?!

Have you ask for forgiveness for your past and in turn have you be able to move on? No church can do that for you.

Once again correct. The Catholic Church has no power to offer salvation. Only God can do that. The Catholic Church does, however, have the Sacrament of Confession, where we ask God to forgive our sins. The priest cannot convey forgiveness himself, but offers to listen as you confess to God, and imparts an appropriate penance.

Let me put it another way. Lets say a boy bullies another boy at school. Now lets say that later, he’s sorry for doing this. Now, he could simply confess directly to God, and in fact mean it. BUT… maybe he isn’t really sorry, and in any case, there’s still no consequence. A better thing to do would be to confess to God, AND offer an apology to the boy in person. That would be a penance. It in no way makes up for the original sin, but one would likely have to be truly sorry to actually go through the effort of the apology. Sometimes, we can say we’re sorry and trick ourselves into meaning it. The penance simply ensures that we keep ourselves honest.

I know you will do whatever you want, but I am concerned for your soul. You may want to turn away from us like you have done before, but you need to know how concerned I am. You are making a decision for you and possibly who you marry and the kids you will raise.

I love you and you know how important I hold your relationship with Jesus. Don’t forget what you know about Him, even if you don’t like the place you learned about HIM.

I am so happy that you are so concerned about my relationship with Jesus. So am I. I love you, and I love that you raised me as a Christian. Your beliefs have led me to follow the path of Jesus, and I have come to know that there is even more to learn. As you can see from above, we actually agree on many of the core issues that you are concerned about. Many misconceptions about the Catholic Church simply come from long-held misunderstandings beliefs that protestants have about Catholicism.

Then, in your letter, I would offer to buy her a copy of “Catholicism for Dummies”. It is $14.95 on Amazon.com. It offers an excellent and in-depth summary of what the Church teaches in an easy format. I’ve heard almost nothing bad about the book, and it may answer MANY of her concerns.

Hope that helps!

 

[Rolltide]

What do you mean by “pray TO”? To pray is to make a request as well as recognize good qualities in a Saint. To pray to in the sense of giving the type of praise and worship due to God is a different matter. We do ask Saints for intercession as well as for the gift of emulating their goodness. The gift of that nature can only come to us through the grace of God so I suppose strictly speaking that is still asking for intercession. On earth we recognize and praise others all the time for their good qualities and actions. We don’t see that as worship so why should we not praise the Saints for their goodness and deeds in their life here on earth? I think it is an oversimplification as well as misleading to say we only “pray to” the Saints for their intercession. Otherwise Rolltide is doing an excellent job.

Well, you are of course correct. I didn’t want to turn the letter into a massive theology debate. I was trying to keep it short and simple. You could get into the whole argument about how the word “pray” has changed over time. In Shakespearian times, you could say “pray tell” in the sense that you were asking rather than talking to God, and so on. Nevertheless, you’re right, I acknowledge that.

 

[Church_Militant]

The Bible Christian Society has some FREE CDs that you can get and copy (or download the FREE MP3s) and they will be amazingly effective at debunking her stuff.

One thing that she won’t understand or be able to answer is the fact that we Catholics do read and believe the Word of God. Just not like she does.

Apologetics 101-07 (LINK)

Q: A friend of mine said that his church takes the Bible literally, but that the Catholic Church doesn’t…is that true?

A: Actually, there is no truth to that, whatsoever. Catholics interpret the Bible in a “literal” sense, while many fundamentalists, Evangelicals, and others interpret the Bible in a literalist sense.

The “literal” meaning of a passage of Scripture is the meaning that the author of that passage of Scripture intended to convey. The “literalist” interpretation of a passage of Scripture is: “that’s what it says, that’s what it means.”

Let me give you an example to illustrate the difference. If you were to read a passage in a book that said it was “raining cats and dogs outside”, how would you interpret that? As Americans, in the 21st Century, you would know that the author was intending to convey the idea that it was raining pretty doggone hard outside. That would be the “literal” interpretation…the interpretation the author intended to convey. On the other hand, what if you made a “literalist” interpretation of the phrase, “it’s raining cats and dogs”?

The “literalist” interpretation would be that, were you to walk outside, you would actually see cats and dogs falling from the sky like rain. No taking into account the popularly accepted meaning of this phrase. No taking into account the author’s intentions. The words say it was raining cats and dogs, so, by golly, it was raining cats and dogs! That is the literalist, or fundamentalist, way of interpretation.

If someone 2000 years in the future picked up that same book and read, “It was raining cats and dogs outside,” in order to properly understand that passage in the book, they would need a “literal” interpretation, not a “literalist” interpretation. Now, think about that in the context of interpreting the Bible 2000-3000 years after it was written.

Literal, or Catholic, interpretation vs. literalist, or fundamentalist, interpretation.

 

[Gamera]

Looks like your Mom received some bad information about Catholicism, that’s all. I’ll be happy to give my replies to her concerns.

*The only way to salvation is through Jesus. Nobody else. *

Amen! Catholics agree.
keri6789;1917796:

It got me thinking about what you said last week. How the Catholic church has all the different Saints. Remember, you have direct access to Jesus and He is the only way. Know one else is the way.

Hopefully every church contains saints! Most churches just don’t canonize them. Yes, absolutely, you SHOULD pray directly to Jesus! But there’s no reason you cannot also ask saints to pray for you. It isn’t an either/or proposition — you can do both.

I know the Catholic church puts a lot of significance on Mary. Jesus is still the only way.

Yes, Jesus is the only way. The fact that we consider Mary “significant” doesn’t mean that Mary is some “other” or “separate” way. Jesus is the only way.

Know where in the Bible does it hold Mary in such high regard.

The Bible says that Mary was full of grace (Luke 1:28) and that all generations will call Mary blessed (Luke 1:48) and depicts her as Queen of Heaven (Revelation 12:1).

I am concerned that you are not verifying this in the Bible. And it seems they don’t recognize the Bible you have know all your life and the life style (of Jesus and the Bible) that was passed down from your parents and Grandparents.

Your Mom is right to promote Bible reading. Read the Bible daily! I do. It’s a great way to strengthen your Catholic faith. Maybe she thinks Catholics don’t read the Bible? My wife and I are Catholic and we read one chapter together every night.

Do the Catholics believe they are the only ones going to Heaven since they will only let people of the Catholic Faith participate in communion?

No, Catholics don’t believe they are the only ones going to heaven.

If that is the case, what about your family that I believe are already in Heaven? Are they not really there?

Again, Catholics don’t believe that only Catholics can enter heaven. Your Mom might be confusing us with Mormons.

Where does it say in the Bible that only select people can take communion? I hate to think that you will not be basing your faith on the Bible.

1 Corinthians 11:23-32

Have you ask for forgiveness for your past and in turn have you be able to move on? No church can do that for you.

Well, no church can replace your own responsibility to repent for a sin, that’s true. But Jesus authorized the Church to forgive sins on His behalf. Priests are not the source of forgiveness, though — Jesus is. Priests are merely the ministers of Jesus’ forgiveness.

I know you will do whatever you want, but I am concerned for your soul. You may want to turn away from us like you have done before, but you need to know how concerned I am. You are making a decision for you and possibly who you marry and the kids you will raise.

I love you and you know how important I hold your relationship with Jesus. Don’t forget what you know about Him, even if you don’t like the place you learned about HIM.

I don’t know the first thing about you or your family life. All I can say here is that only a cult would tell people to break contact with their family. Catholicism teaches that we must honor our Father and Mother and love our brothers and sisters, regardless of their religious affiliation.

 

[Rolltide]

Keri,
As I read over your personal story on the other threads, it struck me that you ought to reference this in your letter. Discuss how your values and decisions have changed for the better as a result of the Catholic religion. Your life has turned around greatly, and you can ask them if they agree. Part of the truth lies in your own actions, and it’ll be hard for them to argue with the fact that you’ve straightened your life out.

 

[Ceil-1]

Be sure to show your parents respect. Reassure them that you have not abandoned faith in Jesus. Assure them that Jesus is the end all of everything to the Catholics. They are misinformed about the beliefs of the Catholic Church.

They are concerned for your soul. You may want ask them to explain just how being Catholic would put you in jeopardy. They will need to think more about it at that point. It seems to me much safer to have Jesus and the rest of His family behind you than to be snubbing Jesus’ friends and family as it seems that they do. Ask them if they know what it is that makes a saint a Saint. It is their friendship with God that serves as a role model that is their main purpose. That would be a good starting point.

Shower them with love and respect. You will wear them down eventually if you don’t make this a point of contention–that is, fight over it. They need to be assured that you love Jesus just as much, in fact, better. Let them see it in what you say and do.

 

[Anuarite]

May the peace of our Lord be with you.
I think you have more than enough good answers to your concern from our brothers and sisters in Christ.
All I would add is that Mary is the mother of our Jesus. How can one seriously love Jesus and have so little regard for his mother? Aren’t we all the body of Christ with Christ himself as our head?
As the body of Christ Mary is surely our spiritual mother and we shall Honor and Glorify her as the bible ask us to Honor and Glorify our parents!
I come from a different culture background, and I see that a lot of misconceptions of Bible passages come from the lack of understanding that the Bible has been translated in different languages and sometimes we read it as if it was originally written in English and for this generation only! Just as an example, I know some of our brethrens use the fact that Jesus called Mary “Woman" as proof that she was not that important!
Yet in my dialect which is close to Swahili, the word “Bibi” has three meanings one for woman, one for wife and one for Lady. So I can use the word Bibi in talking about a woman, a husband can talk about his wife using Bibi; but I can also address my mom as “Bibi” which is a reverence to her as “my Lady" nobility title. And each time a child uses that word in regard to his mother it is never understood as meaning woman or wife but rather as lady. I remember as a child calling may mom “mama” all the time but when I wanted something special I would call her “Bibi” and she knew that me calling her Bibi meant I wanted to flatter her in order to get something out of her! So when I read the Bible; that very same passage that is used to refute Mary’s significance, actually tells me that Jesus did call his mother Lady! And the following statement from Jesus goes to prove that even though it was not his time, because she was his “lady” and she had asked him, he would oblige! I believe the Catholic Church teaching goes beyond language and cultural limitations. The Church is truly universal and has been here for almost 2000 years. I think she knows way much better that we do in our little 20th and 21st century life!

Lovingly In Christ