Question from Semi-Returning Catholic

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Is it not, “once Catholic, always Catholic?”

Whether or not I am a practicing Catholic doesn’t matter. I am still Catholic.
 
lonegreywolf20 said:
Is it not, “once Catholic, always Catholic?”

Whether or not I am a practicing Catholic doesn’t matter. I am still Catholic.
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Worthless semantic point. If you are not a practicing Catholic, then your prayer life is utterly irrelevant to a thread asking about how a Catholic’s prayer life should look.
 
Your opinion is noted.

My advice has been inline with what the Catholic church teaches, if you have an issue with it, take it up with Rome.
 
You’ll have to ask the priests who told me, one was on here, but I don’t think he posts anymore. The other is in the Orlando dioceses. They never gave me the catechism citation.

The did however tell me and others themselves have said it within this thread that it is not a requirement to pray to Mary or the saints.

I’ll see what I can do about CCC citations however.
 
lonegreywolf20 said:
The did however tell me and others themselves have said it within this thread that it is not a requirement to pray to Mary or the saints.
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I’ve made no claim that it is a requirement and have stated repeatedly that it is not.

I am saying that your discussion of your totally atomized prayer life is off-topic.
 
I gave my prayer life as an example, not advice, on how my prayer life is conducted. In a thread about praying, it certainly is within the topic.
 
lonegreywolf20 said:
I gave my prayer life as an example, not advice, on how my prayer life is conducted. In a thread about praying, it certainly is within the topic.
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In a thread about praying in the Catholic Living forum specifically about how a Catholic should pray, the example of how someone who is not a practicing Catholic prays is off-topic. Really not sure how this is complicated, but it’s the last I’m going to say on it. If you want to have a thread to discuss your prayer life, start one.
 
By your command!

I have said all I can say anyway.
 
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lonegreywolf20
… that I can remain silent through the part of the above corporate prayer when it speaks of Mary, the angels and the saints.

PetraG
… Maybe, if you hear the prayers to the saints made by others in that light, the emotional association you have with an incorrect and fear-based “bureaucrat” model of prayer to the saints will eventually fade…

That’s everything the people in the Catholic class I go to said as well…

also PetraG , the confession prayer, yes, I’m asking Mary to pray for me… but like I said, I don’t consider a prayer directly to Mary, but to God, where as the Hail Mary prayer is one directly to her, as well as any other prayer to a saint… that’s what I’m asking if I have to say them, especially when Jesus tells us to be wary of them.

Prayer is more then just asking a question or advice… its a solemn request for help or expression of thanks addressed to God or an object of worship. yea I know, pesky dictionary.

Now I have another questions… still in line with my original one. In all the words that Mary has spoken did she once say, “Come pray to me and I will talk to my Son on you’re behalf”… and you can NOT use the words that say to pray for one another cause that’s not the same thing.

and before you answer, please remember I NEVER said praying to Mary or any saint is bad or that you shouldn’t do it… I’m just asking if I have too, in order to be a practicing Catholic.

By the way not one person told me the 5 basic principles of being a Practicing Catholic, learned that in a video, by Father Mike Schmitz, from Ascension Presents (ever heard of him), he’s got a lot of interesting videos… so again, thank you I do have the answer to my original question.

also if this thread is still open after I spoken to a priest, I’ll tell you what he said if I can.

Thank lonegreywolf20 for being honest.
 
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Sometimes I have heard prayer petitions in a group which ask “let us pray for those who have no one to pray for them.” Now I understand even more why we should indeed take those petitions quite seriously and offer our prayers for others.
 
Katie1 said:
Prayer is powerful! Why not pray to saints? Saints have different purposes and it is always powerful! I am consecrating myself to Mary now and in the middle of a 33 day “retreat”. God is good all the time and all the time God is good! Saints and some not so saints have been known as great divine messengers. Don’t close yourself off to any possibility! Epiphanies and miracles are abounding - we just have to open our heart to receive them!
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@Katie1

Welcome to you, Katie!
 
You don’t have a Catholic dictionary with a Catholic understanding of prayer.
annad347 said:
In all the words that Mary has spoken did she once say, “Come pray to me and I will talk to my Son on you’re behalf”
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Look at her intercession at the Wedding Feast at Cana.
Then there is the utterance of Our Lord (John 19:26–27): Woman, behold your son. Son, behold your mother. There she was with them, on Pentecost.

But answer this: What place do you think the Annunciation had in the economy of salvation? Why was that interchange necessary? What difference did it make to you how Mary took that news?

In other words, do you think Mary has ever done anything for you? Do you have anything to be grateful to her about? Does it make any difference that by the grace of God and through her “fiat” that she is the Theotokos?
 
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PetraG said:
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
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That’s probably the biggest reason I’m thankful for the plethora of Saints praying on our behalf. I don’t know many righteous people.

I mean there are a few I think are righteous, but I can only see what I see. Have no idea what’s going on in their hearts.

But Saints. The Church says they’re righteous. They have the power to loose & bind. So if the Church says a man is righteous, then he is righteous & his prayers are powerful.

My prayers are tainted with self love & pride, among other things.
 
First of all, thanks and God bless you, Anna. You have asked questions that I have also been struggling with about Catholicism. I’ve learned a lot from tagging along. I wish you all the best in your spiritual journey. 👍

Not sure if it helps, but from a Protestant point of view, I wonder if it’s ok to consider Virgin Mary and the saints as our “heavenly prayer partners”. They don’t have power by themselves to answer our prayers, but they can be powerful advocates on our behalf before God. Perhaps Catholics can verify if that is an acceptable way to look at it.

The only question I have is, do the saints in heaven pray for us and know our status on Earth without us invoking them or do they only pray for us when we ask them to?
 
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Tommy999 said:
Not sure if it helps, but from a Protestant point of view, I wonder if it’s ok to consider Virgin Mary and the saints as our “heavenly prayer partners”. They don’t have power by themselves to answer our prayers, but they can be powerful advocates on our behalf before God. Perhaps Catholics can verify if that is an acceptable way to look at it.
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Yes. That is a good way of looking at it.

We bless God when we appreciate his creation & use creation the way he intended. Our Lord did not come to be served, but to serve. & so he taught his disciples.

The Angels & Saints support all of creation by ministering to God by serving all of creation. We bless God, we adore God, we praise God when we pray to the Saints.
Tommy999 said:
The only question I have is, do the saints in heaven pray for us and know our status on Earth without us invoking them or do they only pray for us when we ask them to?
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We don’t have to ask. They’re always praying for us
 
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PetraG said:
Look at her intercession at the Wedding Feast at Cana.
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This tells me that Mary was telling Jesus, its time you show these people what you can do… as a mother who knows her Son.
PetraG said:
Then there is the utterance of Our Lord (John 19:26–27): Woman, behold your son. Son, behold your mother . There she was with them, on Pentecost.
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I thought that was at the cross, Jesus wanting to make sure John knew He wanted him to take care His mother as he would his own… and visa versa.

and I looked up prayer in the Catholic Dictionary (didn’t know there was one) and all it say is what I’ve already been saying. Its okay to pray to saints, I never denied that… I’m just asking if I have too, in order to be a practicing Catholic.
PetraG said:
But answer this: What place do you think the Annunciation had in the economy of salvation? Why was that interchange necessary? What difference did it make to you how Mary took that news?
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This is a good question… and to be honest I had to look up what you were asking…lol. If what you’re talking about when the angel Gabriel or Michael (can’t remember) came to Mary to tell her what happened… was very important. Think it should have been given to her whole family, but that’s me. Yes was important for us to know, for us to understand how pure, precious, holy Mary was when God chose her.
PetraG said:
In other words, do you think Mary has ever done anything for you? Do you have anything to be grateful to her about? Does it make any difference that by the grace of God and through her “fiat” that she is the Theotokos?
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Has she done anything for me… no idea. Look all I know about Mary is that she is the mother of Jesus Christ, she was a person full of the Holy Spirit chosen by God. I can’t even begin to explain how important she is.

I’m grateful that God chose her. I’m grateful she did God’s will… but do I have to pray to her in order to be a practicing Catholic? Not if I should, not if I can, but do I have too? Where does Mary or Jesus say that do in order to attend a Catholic church?
 
Tommy999 said:
First of all, thanks and God bless you, Anna. You have asked questions that I have also been struggling with about Catholicism. I’ve learned a lot from tagging along. I wish you all the best in your spiritual journey.
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Thank you for your blessings…God bless you too.

and I must admit I’m glad I started this as well… it has given me a lot to think about
Justin_Mary said:
We don’t have to ask. They’re always praying for us
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That’s good to know.
 
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