Questioning My Religion Lately

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MaryCatherine08

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I am posting this here instead of Catholic living because I think I am looking for advise from Christians in general- not just Catholics. I am a Catholic convert- I converted in 2007. Here lately, I have been having some doubts about my religion and I am not quite sure how to reconcile them.

The issues that I have are with the Hail Mary. I am hesitant to put that out there because I love Mary very, very much and I believe in her intercession. But the prayer seems like I am praying TO her as well as asking her to pray for me. I know the scripture that the prayer comes from, but it still feels like a form of worship to me. I don’t pray the whole thing- but will say “Holy Mary mother of God pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.”

I also have issues with calling priests Father and the pope Holy Father. Jesus instructed the apostles that they had only one spiritual father- the heavenly father. Why doesn’t this stand for all believers?

Reconcilliation is also kind of an issue for me. I say kind of an issue because I don’t mind going personally. What I don’t understand is why we need a conduit between us and God. Why can’t we pray directly to God ourselves- why do we need to have a priest absolve us?

I believe in the concept of mortal sin- but I don’t believe that a loving, just God would damn a person to hell because they missed a Sunday Mass. I am just not buying that. Didn’t Jesus fullfill the OT laws with his final sacrifice?

There are some things that I am still secure in- that the Catholic church is the church started by Jesus.
I believe in the communion of saints (just not praying TO saints to ask for anything other than intercession- like Mother Mary pray for me and my daughter.) Not asking for anything that would imply that Mary or the saints are divine.
I believe in the Eucharist.

I don’t know- I am not ready to leave the church or anything like that. But I really have no one to talk to about these things because it would devastate my husband and confuse my teen. Also- we are military and don’t have a regular priest since ours is deployed. It is a small congregation and we have only been going a few months. I don’t feel comfortable talking to the deacon about these things.

I am kind of at a loss and any prayers would be appreciated.
 
You sound like you need a good dose of old-school Lutheranism. 😃

EDIT: Not to make light of your situation. It’s just that your belief system sounds a wee bit… Lutheranish, if you get my drift.
 
Well, I’m not an apologist. But, I not sure what part of the Hail Mary makes you feel like your praying TO her and not asking for her intercession. Is it the first line? Clearly, IMHO, the second phrase states that we are asking her to pray for us which is intercession.
 
MaryCatherine08 said:
I am posting this here instead of Catholic living because I think I am looking for advise from Christians in general- not just Catholics. I am a Catholic convert- I converted in 2007. Here lately, I have been having some doubts about my religion and I am not quite sure how to reconcile them.

The issues that I have are with the Hail Mary. I am hesitant to put that out there because I love Mary very, very much and I believe in her intercession. But the prayer seems like I am praying TO her as well as asking her to pray for me. I know the scripture that the prayer comes from, but it still feels like a form of worship to me. I don’t pray the whole thing- but will say “Holy Mary mother of God pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.”

I also have issues with calling priests Father and the pope Holy Father. Jesus instructed the apostles that they had only one spiritual father- the heavenly father. Why doesn’t this stand for all believers?

Reconcilliation is also kind of an issue for me. I say kind of an issue because I don’t mind going personally. What I don’t understand is why we need a conduit between us and God. Why can’t we pray directly to God ourselves- why do we need to have a priest absolve us?

I believe in the concept of mortal sin- but I don’t believe that a loving, just God would damn a person to hell because they missed a Sunday Mass. I am just not buying that. Didn’t Jesus fullfill the OT laws with his final sacrifice?

There are some things that I am still secure in- that the Catholic church is the church started by Jesus.
I believe in the communion of saints (just not praying TO saints to ask for anything other than intercession- like Mother Mary pray for me and my daughter.) Not asking for anything that would imply that Mary or the saints are divine.
I believe in the Eucharist.

I don’t know- I am not ready to leave the church or anything like that. But I really have no one to talk to about these things because it would devastate my husband and confuse my teen. Also- we are military and don’t have a regular priest since ours is deployed. It is a small congregation and we have only been going a few months. I don’t feel comfortable talking to the deacon about these things.

I am kind of at a loss and any prayers would be appreciated.
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MaryCatherine,
I hope you will trust your feelings and read the Bible. I think your feelings are leading you in a valid direction, and that the Bible will be a wonderful guide to you as you seek God’s will in your life. I hope you have a good support system within your military situation. That would be a challenging position to be in, but it sounds like you have steadiness and steadfastness. God bless you and your family. I am sure that Christ will continue to be a great support to you, and loves your family with deep compassion.
 
John the Theologian

The Lord said to his Mother, “Let your heart rejoice and be glad. For every favor and every gift has been given to you from my Father in heaven and from me and from the Holy Spirit. Every soul that calls upon your name shall not be ashamed, but shall find mercy and comfort and support and confidence, both in the world that now is and in that which is to come, in the presence of my Father in the heavens”. . . And from that time forth all knew that the spotless and precious body had been transferred to paradise (The Dormition of Mary [A.D. 400]).

Cyprian

Of how much greater faith and salutary fear are they who . . . confess their sins to the priests of God in a straightforward manner and in sorrow, making an open declaration of conscience. . . I beseech you, brethren; let everyone who has sinned confess his sin while he is still in this world, while his confession is still admissible, while the satisfaction and remission made through the priests are still pleasing before the Lord (ibid. 28).

Second Clement

If we do the will of Christ, we shall obtain rest; but if not, if we neglect his commandments, nothing will rescue us from eternal punishment (Second Clement 5:5 [A.D. 150]).

staycatholic.com/early_church_fathers.htm
 
Hi MaryCatherine08,

All prayers to Our Lady are intercessory prayers to Jesus. While we honor Mary as the mother of Jesus, only God is due worship.

I found this on-line:

The Hail Mary
by Victor Hoagland, C.P.
In heaven God said, "One day I will send my Son to help all people and show them how to live. And I choose Mary to be the mother of Jesus, my Son. So God sent his angel Gabriel to Mary and the angel said:

Hail Mary,
The angel Gabriel visited Mary in Nazareth, in Galilee. The angel said to Mary that God loved her. She was

full of grace,
The angel Gabriel told Mary that God, who was in heaven so far away, had come to be close to her. She was to be the mother of Jesus. The angel said,

the Lord is with you.
After the angel left her, Mary went to visit her cousin Elizabeth. her cousin knew how good God was to Mary. Elizabeth said,

Blessed are you among women
Mary’s cousin Elizabeth knew that Mary was going to be the Mother of Jesus Christ. Elizabeth said,

and blessed is
the fruit of your womb, Jesus.
We pray to Mary because she is so close to God, and because she is so close to her Son, Jesus Christ. And so we say,

Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners
Like a good mother, Mary always hears us when we call to her. She hears us now, at this very moment; and when we come to the last moment of our life. And so we pray,

Now and at the hour
of our death.
Amen.

see also: The Hail Mary and the Rosary - a commentary for adults
based on the New Catholic Catechism.

illustration: detail of a painting by Benvenuto Di Giuseppe (Cimabue), c. 1290
 
I understand the rosary- and have no problems with asking Mary to pray for me. I love her very much. I feel a special connection to her and I am thankful for it. I credit her intercession to saving my unborn child. The problem that I have (and I am acknowleding that this is my problem- I can’t speak for other Catholics) is that is FEELS in my heart like I am addressing Mary like she is a diety.
 
These are basic belief and teaching of the Catholic Church which should be settled by you before you decided to get baptized. If you attended RCIA you would have ample time to ask and discuss on them beside the fact they would be taught to you. There are many Protestants converted to Catholicism because they are convinced that the Catholic Church got it right on these. Converts to be and pre-baptism candidates should be well-versed on these and perhaps that is why the RCIA process takes so long – about a year.

So now your questions are:

(1) Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary
(2) The Sacrament of Confession
(3) The way we address priests and the Pope
(4) The Commandments of the Church as regards to the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.

Since you are a Catholic I can only say that you try to find out the reasons and also the indepth teaching of the Church regarding those questions. The CCC is most helpful in this respect. Some of the most reasonable source for you to get this information is from your local priest but since he is only visiting I suggest you still need to talk to the deacon. There is nothing to be shy about it and he is more likely to meet many people in your situation more than you know. 🙂

I will keep you in prayer and may God bless you and strengthen your faith everyday and all the days of your life.
 
I didn’t question these things from the beginning- only in the past few months. I appreciate the prayers- I don’t know- maybe God is growing me spiritually or something. Through everything I trust in Him.
 
Have you thought about returning to RCIA? The classes are open to anyone, and these are the kinds of things that are brought up for discussion.
 
||I know the scripture that the prayer comes from, but it still feels like a form of worship to me. I don’t pray the whole thing- but will say “Holy Mary mother of God pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.”

I also have issues with calling priests Father and the pope Holy Father. Jesus instructed the apostles that they had only one spiritual father- the heavenly father. Why doesn’t this stand for all believers?||

**Just a couple of points.
  1. There are several words for “worship” in Greek, the language of the New Testament. “Latreia” is the worshi due to God alone. “Douleia” is the relative “honor to whom honor is due” as St. Paul put it. “Proskyneo” is a generic word that can mean either.
The “worship” given to Mary is that of DOULEIA.

And what problem would you have with the first part of the Ave? It’s right out of the Bible!
  1. So many people quote the verse “Call no man Father,” but can never say what the next verse says. Can you? *
To put it in its context: One of the sorrows of Jesus was always hearing the Jews say, “We have Abraham for our father,” claiming spiritual superiority because of their biological descent.

Yet, as recorded in the Book of Acts, both St. Stephen AND St. Paul addressed gatherings in the Synagogues with the words, “Men, brethren, and FATHERS.”

In his first Epistle, St John says, “I write this to you, FATHERS…” showing that for some people in the Church, “Father” was already an accepted title.

It’s “Call no man master”–which would mean we can’t use the forms Mr. and Mrs, which are just forms of “master.”*
 
Hi MaryCatherine08,

I am a cradle Catholic and went to parochial schools where I was taught by priests and nuns. I was taught that by praying the Hail Mary that I was actually asking her to join her prayers with mine to Jesus.

I have heard other converts to Catholicism say that they also have trouble saying the Hail Mary. Although Catholics are encouraged to pray the Hail Mary and Rosary, there is no requirement that says that you have to do this to be Catholic. If saying the Hail Mary makes you uncomfortable, then do not say it.

I would encourage you to study what the Catholic Church truly teaches about Mary and her role in God’s plan of salvation. In no way does the Church teach that Mary shoud be worshipped. Pray to the Holy Spirit for guidance.

God bless,

Jean
 
I cant answers your specific doubts but I can tell you how I deal with my doubts and concerns.

I take 'em straight to God. Tell Him of my concerns and doubts.

Then I keep going on forward in faith, with doubts in hand.

My experience has been over the past few years (I came in full communion in '07) is that God pours out His grace and my concerns and doubts are reconciled.

Not thru MY efforts, but thru the Spirit and by moving forward in faith, and being honest with Him about my doubts.

I dont trust what other humans tell me. Don’t trust what their views may or may not be.

I have come to trust the Spirit however.

Good luck. 🙂
 
MaryCatherine08 said:
I am posting this here instead of Catholic living because I think I am looking for advise from Christians in general- not just Catholics. I am a Catholic convert- I converted in 2007. Here lately, I have been having some doubts about my religion and I am not quite sure how to reconcile them.

The issues that I have are with the Hail Mary. I am hesitant to put that out there because I love Mary very, very much and I believe in her intercession. But the prayer seems like I am praying TO her as well as asking her to pray for me. I know the scripture that the prayer comes from, but it still feels like a form of worship to me. I don’t pray the whole thing- but will say “Holy Mary mother of God pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.”

I also have issues with calling priests Father and the pope Holy Father. Jesus instructed the apostles that they had only one spiritual father- the heavenly father. Why doesn’t this stand for all believers?

Reconcilliation is also kind of an issue for me. I say kind of an issue because I don’t mind going personally. What I don’t understand is why we need a conduit between us and God. Why can’t we pray directly to God ourselves- why do we need to have a priest absolve us?

I believe in the concept of mortal sin- but I don’t believe that a loving, just God would damn a person to hell because they missed a Sunday Mass. I am just not buying that. Didn’t Jesus fullfill the OT laws with his final sacrifice?

There are some things that I am still secure in- that the Catholic church is the church started by Jesus.
I believe in the communion of saints (just not praying TO saints to ask for anything other than intercession- like Mother Mary pray for me and my daughter.) Not asking for anything that would imply that Mary or the saints are divine.
I believe in the Eucharist.

I don’t know- I am not ready to leave the church or anything like that. But I really have no one to talk to about these things because it would devastate my husband and confuse my teen. Also- we are military and don’t have a regular priest since ours is deployed. It is a small congregation and we have only been going a few months. I don’t feel comfortable talking to the deacon about these things.

I am kind of at a loss and any prayers would be appreciated.
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MaryCatherine,

Everything you are experiencing is not new. Scot Hahn has expressed many of the same thoughts. His web site is www.salvationhistory.com He is a former evangelical “catholic hating” pastor who converted because his study of scripture led him through and past all the issue you have raised. Find his tapes, CD’s and books. Go to his web site and you can have access to many good media. But above all take hope, for you are seeking, and Jesus said those who seek find.
 
MaryCatherine08 said:
I am posting this here instead of Catholic living because I think I am looking for advise from Christians in general- not just Catholics. I am a Catholic convert- I converted in 2007. Here lately, I have been having some doubts about my religion and I am not quite sure how to reconcile them.

Where did these doubts come from Mary? Sometimes friends or other people put thoughts of doubts into our minds and since you are a new Catholic you are prone to doubts being planted by others.

The issues that I have are with the Hail Mary. I am hesitant to put that out there because I love Mary very, very much and I believe in her intercession. But the prayer seems like I am praying TO her as well as asking her to pray for me. I know the scripture that the prayer comes from, but it still feels like a form of worship to me. I don’t pray the whole thing- but will say “Holy Mary mother of God pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.”

You’re right Mary. The Hail Mary is right out of scripture so why should you have a problem reading scripture? Of course you should know that you do not have to ask Mary to pray for us or you. It’s optional.

I also have issues with calling priests Father and the pope Holy Father. Jesus instructed the apostles that they had only one spiritual father- the heavenly father. Why doesn’t this stand for all believers?

Mary, if you would study the history of the usage of the word “Father” you will find that many Protestants once called their ministers “Father” Catholics did not use that title until the Irish Catholics came over. They used the title and it caught on with the rest of the Church until about a hundred years ago the Protestants stopped using it because they did not want to be identified with the Catholic Church. If the title “Father” wasn’t a problem before the Catholics started using it then why should it be a problem NOW? And, read your bible, Father is used many times in the bible.

Reconcilliation is also kind of an issue for me. I say kind of an issue because I don’t mind going personally. What I don’t understand is why we need a conduit between us and God. Why can’t we pray directly to God ourselves- why do we need to have a priest absolve us?

Because Mary, that is the way Jesus wanted it. He gave the Apostles the authority to forgive sins. That was for all time and not just for the people back then.

I believe in the concept of mortal sin- but I don’t believe that a loving, just God would damn a person to hell because they missed a Sunday Mass. I am just not buying that. Didn’t Jesus fullfill the OT laws with his final sacrifice?

So really what you’re saying is that the loving God that created you and made the earth for you is not deserving of one hour per week of public devotion? Maybe you did not think of it that way but that’s the results of your statement.

There are some things that I am still secure in- that the Catholic church is the church started by Jesus.
I believe in the communion of saints (just not praying TO saints to ask for anything other than intercession- like Mother Mary pray for me and my daughter.) Not asking for anything that would imply that Mary or the saints are divine.

The Church teaches that Mary and the Saints are not divine. But there is nothing wrong with asking someone to pray to God FOR you. It was done many times in the bible.

I believe in the Eucharist.

I don’t know- I am not ready to leave the church or anything like that. But I really have no one to talk to about these things because it would devastate my husband and confuse my teen. Also- we are military and don’t have a regular priest since ours is deployed. It is a small congregation and we have only been going a few months. I don’t feel comfortable talking to the deacon about these things.

I am kind of at a loss and any prayers would be appreciated.
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Finally Mary, you do have our prayers but you have to do something also, you must pray with us. So you have asked us to pray for you just like we ask Mary in heaven to pray for us. God hears the prayers of the Saints Mary because they are close to him but you don’t have to ask the Saints to pray for you and we will do our best even so. You need to do one more thing, study up on Catholic teachings.
 
I invite you to read some of the tracts that are right here on Catholic Answers. I’ve linked the specific ones that address your questions:

http://www.catholic.com/library/Call_No_Man_Father.asp

[*]The Rosary](http://www.catholic.com/library/Rosary.asp)-this goes further into the Hail Mary, and about the Theotoko’s intercessions

[
](Forgivness of Sins)
http://www.catholic.com/library/Confession.asp

http://www.catholic.com/library/Mortal_Sin.asp

[*]The Authority of St. Peter and the Rock](http://www.catholic.com/library/Peter_and_the_Papacy.asp)
This is related to why it is a mortal sin to miss Mass on Sundays… Jesus gave his body on earth, the Catholic Church, the power to loose and bind laws on all faithful members. There are several verses (including “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s…etc” and some in the epistles) about obey proper civil authority… how much more important is it, then, to obey that authority that has been given directly to the Church by Jesus?

I do hope you start getting some of this confusion cleared up, and I’m glad that you are asking the questions… For further study, I would recommend reading the other Faith Tracts posted here at the Catholic Answers library… Also, check out scripturecatholic.com and biblescripturesociety.com for further information and answers that you are looking for. What’s great about the last two sites I’ve refered you to is that 99% of the proofs they lay out comes directly from Sacred Scripture. Again, keep asking the questions, and we here at CAF will do our best to answer them… And remember, in all things, seek to do God’s will!

Dominus vobiscum!
 
These are really good questions you’ve got here. Let me do my best to respond to them.
MaryCatherine08 said:
The issues that I have are with the Hail Mary. I am hesitant to put that out there because I love Mary very, very much and I believe in her intercession. But the prayer seems like I am praying TO her as well as asking her to pray for me. I know the scripture that the prayer comes from, but it still feels like a form of worship to me. I don’t pray the whole thing- but will say “Holy Mary mother of God pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.”
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It’s funny you say this. My girlfriend is a convert from Protestantism, and said that the hardest part for her was always the second half, since the first half is Scriptural. If you think it sounds weird for us to say this first part to Mary, consider that at least half of that first part was said to her by an angel, the same angel who told a priest, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God” in the same chapter. My point is that from a Biblical standpoint, Mary’s given a lot of honor.

If you mean “praying to her” in the sense of asking her for something, then we are. Anytime we ask someone something we are (quite literally) praying for something. In courts, a party may “pray for relief” from the court. Praying to the dead, in the sense of asking them to do things for us, is absolutely no problem as long as we don’t try and circumvent God in the process. It’s the difference between miracles and magic. The Saints, even while on Earth, did miracles. But they did them only because God gave them the power to. If we try and circumvent God, then we’re doing necromancy or magic, etc.
MaryCatherine08 said:
I also have issues with calling priests Father and the pope Holy Father. Jesus instructed the apostles that they had only one spiritual father- the heavenly father. Why doesn’t this stand for all believers?
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Short Answer: “Even though you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel.” 1 Corinthians 4:15. The ban on calling men father or teacher is another one of going *through *God or going *around *Him. Paul is is their Father *through *the Gospel. If he wanted to be Father in place of the Gospel, he’d be sinning.
**Long Answer: **fisheaters.com/callingmenfather.html
Also, bringyou.to/JHTimStaples.mp3 - this is Tim Staples addressing both a lot about Mary and about calling men (both dads and priests) “Father.”
MaryCatherine08 said:
Reconcilliation is also kind of an issue for me. I say kind of an issue because I don’t mind going personally. What I don’t understand is why we need a conduit between us and God. Why can’t we pray directly to God ourselves- why do we need to have a priest absolve us?
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See James 5:16, which tells us, “confess your sins to one another.” God could have done without humans. But even a cursory reading of the Bible shows He gets us involved all the time. Couldn’t Jesus have done everything Himself without His disciples during His earthly ministry? Do they really seem that helpful in the Gospels? Yet He gets them involved. Same thing here. He could have done it the way Protestants wish - the more efficient way. Instead, He did things His way.
MaryCatherine08 said:
I believe in the concept of mortal sin- but I don’t believe that a loving, just God would damn a person to hell because they missed a Sunday Mass. I am just not buying that. Didn’t Jesus fullfill the OT laws with his final sacrifice?
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I think sin always looks less bad from our eyes than God’s. You acknowledge that there’s such a thing as mortal sin. Great! Now just recognize that you don’t get to determine what is mortal and what is venial. I don’t mean that to be rude at all. It’s just a dangerous path to start second-guessing the classification of sins as mortal. Besides that, I don’t think many people miss a single Sunday Mass. They miss one, then another a few weeks later, then another, etc., and they progressively grow away from God. If the rule said “come when you feel like it,” or even “come as often as you can on Sundays,” a lot of people would drift away and grow apart from God without even attempting to. The strict rule is there to save souls. The hypothetical about a single Mass missed (and presumably, not confessed) tries to put us in God’s shoes and guessing how He judges, which is really beyond our ability or authority.
MaryCatherine08 said:
There are some things that I am still secure in- that the Catholic church is the church started by Jesus.
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If this is true, and the gates of hell will not prevail, why not just trust Her as the Spotless Bride of Christ when She speaks infallibly?
MaryCatherine08 said:
I believe in the Eucharist.
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The Eucharist is the other “glue,” so to speak. No matter how many confusing doctrines there are in the Church, it’s just too much to walk away from Jesus in the Flesh. That knowledge has gotten me through some doubts about the Church before - hope He does the same for you.
 
MaryCatherine08 said:
I understand the rosary- and have no problems with asking Mary to pray for me. I love her very much. I feel a special connection to her and I am thankful for it. I credit her intercession to saving my unborn child. The problem that I have (and I am acknowleding that this is my problem- I can’t speak for other Catholics) is that is FEELS in my heart like I am addressing Mary like she is a diety.
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Hiyas:)

I think, some get the “to” meaning mixed-up.

Holy Mary and the Saints are with God.
We are here.

If I was to ask you to pray with / for me. I send a message ‘to’ you. 'Cause you live there / can be reached there.

I’m not praying "to’ you.

I’m asking you to join with ] me in intercessory prayer.

If you are say, a Judge…would I not say "Your Honor, will you pray with me?

If you are a General…would I not say, “Sir or Ma’am ], will you pray with me?”

I am honoring your position… deserving of respect ]

Not equating you to God Our Father.

I hope this helps
 
Hi MaryCatherine08,

In the passage “Call no man father” (Matt 23:9), the proper Catholic understanding is that Jesus was rebuking the Pharisees for their spiritual pride. It is not taken to mean that the title of “father” can never be used. In the same passage later on, Jesus also says to not use the titles rabbi and teacher, but we still use these words. If we can not use the title father, then we should not say church fathers, founding fathers or even use it for our biological fathers.

Since the priest is Christ’s representative here on earth, we use the title “Father” out of respect. Since the pope is the church’s spiritual leader here on earth, we use the title “Holy Father”.

I hope this helps.

Jean
 
Thank everyone so much for the guidance, advice, and prayers. I am off to bed right now- and in the morning I will read over them all thoroughly and continue to pray and trust in the Lord.

God Bless- MC.
 
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