Questions about Catholicism from a Non-Catholic

[Zeno11]

Can you please explain how sins are forgiven? (is confession to a priest necessary?)

This is the only part I have time to answer!

There are a number of conditions before sins can be forgiven.

The first thing is to understand that you have sinned, and why it is a sin (many people are blind to their sins). Once you have realised your sins, there has to be proper sorrow and remorse for the sins committed and a firm resolve not to fall into those sins again. We pray for the grace to be truly penitent and ask God for the strength to avoid our particular weaknesses.
The person needs to feel truly penitent and to understand that their sin separates them from God, and that to die in a state of mortal sin is to be lost forever. A firm resolve to sin no more is also necessary, which a lot of non-Catholics seem to think is not required, ie we can do as we like and then confess - it’s just not like that!
We then confess our sins to a priest in the sacrament of Confession, and yes, it is necessary to receive the grace of the sacrament which not only forgives our sins but gives us spiritual strength to amend our ways. The priest gives absolution (remission of sins) and a penance to be performed afterwards. It is our duty to reflect on our way forward and make our resolutions practical - how can we avoid the occasions where we fall into sin, what behaviours do we need to change?
See John 20;23, James 5:16, 1 John 1:9, Luke 7:47 and many more.
God bless you in your search.

 

[YoungTradCath]

Nice post.

Just want to point out that regarding “Limbo”, I was told that was never a teaching of the Catholic Church and instead something assumed by people who didn’t understand the Church’s teaching on what happens to babies if they die before they are baptized.

Here are some interesting links that should be able to answer your questions more fully:

catholic.com/tracts/infant-baptism

ewtn.com/library/BISHOPS/GUIDEPEN.HTM

columbia.edu/cu/augustine/a/faq-cc.html

ewtn.com/library/answers/popeapol.htm#5

catholicscomehome.org/

Good luck and Peace.

Well, the Church even now doesn’t teach what happens to the souls of unbaptized babies, at least as far as the Last Things are concerned. The Church frankly doesn’t know. Limbo was/is a hypothesis; “all babies go to heaven” is also a hypothesis. All we can do is as the Church tells us, to entrust their souls to God, which we do. So limbo isn’t any more or less “real” than it was in the past, as it remains a hypothesis and so do all other guesses on where the souls of unbaptized babies go upon death.

Limbo seems to be a sufficiently complicated hypothesis, in my opinion, to negate its being proposed by people who don’t understand the Church’s teaching on “what happens to babies if they die before they are baptized.”

 

[loko]

Hello!
I am doing some research just for deepening/developing my own faith, and have a few questions about Catholic practices. There are a lot of people that I know that are very against Catholicism, but I wanted to research it for myself, and maybe get some answers from an actual Catholic rather than someone who doesn’t really know first hand.

A) If I were a Catholic, would I have to pray to Saints and Mary? If so, why?

B) Do Catholics believe Protestants and Evangelical Christians aren’t saved, or do they have any big issues with their theology?

C) What is prayer?

D) Does baptism really count for little babies who aren’t aware of their own baptism?

E) It seems like tradition is very important to Catholics. Why is that?

F) Can someone who isn’t Catholic go to mass?

G) What is the pope exactly, and why is his word infallible (or is it)?

It’d be so great to get any answers or maybe a referral to someone who can give me answers to these questions! I don’t really need super long answers, but if you’ve got any biblical references for me to review, I’d really love them.
Thanks VERY much!

First of all, welcome and it sure is smart of you too ask Catholics what we actually believe. Below are answers to some of your questions above.

**A) **You don’t have to pray to Mary and the Saints but why wouldn’t you. When we pray to Saints we are not worshipping them, we are asking them to pray for us just as we ask our friends and family on earth to pray for us.

The Saints prayers are more effective because they are in the presence of God and have run the race. They are holier as they are not affected by daily distractions and unconfessed sins the same way our living friends and family are.

**B) **Catholics believe anyone who has been baptised in the trinitarian formula has a chance of Salvation. Even those who have not been baptised may be saved, that is all due to God’s mercy which is infinite.

Non-Catholics however may be exposed to false doctrines and false prophets. That is where the danger lies for them. We don’t believe the CC has ever taught false doctrine.

C) Prayer is a form of communication between us and God and the those in Heaven. We do not believe those who are dead are separated from us, which is why we pray for the their souls. There is an invisible bridge connecting us.

**D) **Protestant believe Baptisms are symbolic. Catholics believe that Baptism is not merely symbolic. Something mysterious happens to the human soul by the Holy Spirit when we are baptised. We do not connect Baptism to personally accepting Christ as our Lord and Saviour. Godparents play that role via their own faith.

When a Catholic child reaches the age of reason usually 7-9yo they go through Confirmation which is when they have their first Confession and personally accept Christ as their Lord and Saviour.

E) Sacred Tradition is what the Disciples taught in the years following Christ’s ascension into Heaven. It is what was used to teach the masses in the day, weeks, months and years after the Ascension. The Apostles did not have access to the New Testament because the first Bible was not compiled until at least 400years after Christs death. The Apostles orally taught what they learned during their time with him, that is Sacred Tradition e.g. breaking bread and wine (Eucharist), baptism, confessing their sins (Confession) etc.

When Catholics talk about Sacred Tradition we are not talking about man-made tradition (lower t), we are talking about divine Tradition (capital T). Divine Tradition came from Christ himself not man.

F) You can attend Mass but you cannot receive the Eucharist. We believe in the Doctrine of Substantiation and people who are not Catholic and not in a state of grace should not receive the Eucharist. Substantiation is the miraculous transformation of the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ.

**G) **The Pope is the Bishop of Rome and the successor of Peter. He is the head of the Church on Earth, Christ is the heavenly head of the church. He is Christs vicar on Earth.

There is an unbroken line of Popes from Peter to Benedict XVI.

When the Pope says ‘the NY Nicks will win the NBA Championship this year’, that is not an infallible statement.

When he says ‘no-one on earth has the authority to ordain women as Priests’ that is an infallible statement.

His statements are only infallible when all three conditions below are met.:

i) he is speaking from the seat of Peter and;
ii) he is speaking on ‘faith and morals’ only; and
iii) the teachings are for the universal Church to adhere to.

Our Doctrines are formulated by the Magisterium which is made up of several Bishops including the Pope.

Hopefully these answer your questions.

Blessings

 

[paperwight66]

F)

You can attend Mass but you cannot receive the Eucharist. We believe in the Doctrine of Substantiation and people who are not Catholic and not in a state of grace should not receive the Eucharist. Substantiation is the miraculous transformation of the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ.

Make that ‘transubstantiation’ to aid in looking it up in documents etc.

 

[CatherineOH]

beautiful questions and many I also had. My best source for answers were in talking to two priests at two different churches in my area.
I also talked to the lead minister at my own church at the time. (Lutheran) She was very knowledgeable of the Catholic and actually guided me in a few more questions I needed to ask.

God Bless them ALL

 

[JustaServant]

Hello!

Thanks VERY much!

I hope our fine people here on CAF are answering you satisfactorly.
I only have one for you.
Why in the world would you need MORE cats???

 

[SaintPatrick333]

Hello!
I am doing some research just for deepening/developing my own faith, and have a few questions about Catholic practices. There are a lot of people that I know that are very against Catholicism, but I wanted to research it for myself, and maybe get some answers from an actual Catholic rather than someone who doesn’t really know first hand.

Can you please explain how sins are forgiven? (is confession to a priest necessary?)

Can one have a personal relationship with God?

How does one get salvation?

If I were a Catholic, would I have to pray to Saints and Mary? If so, why?

Is there evidence in the bible that saints are higher beings somehow than someone like you or me, and therefore can hear prayers in heaven, or do Catholics pray to any fellow Catholics that have passed?

Do Catholics believe Protestants and Evangelical Christians aren’t saved, or do they have any big issues with their theology?

What is prayer?

Does baptism really count for little babies who aren’t aware of their own baptism?

It seems like tradition is very important to Catholics. Why is that?

Can someone who isn’t Catholic go to mass?

How does someone convert to Catholicism?

What is limbo? Do Catholics believe in different levels in heaven?

What is the pope exactly, and why is his word infallible (or is it)?

It’d be so great to get any answers or maybe a referral to someone who can give me answers to these questions! I don’t really need super long answers, but if you’ve got any biblical references for me to review, I’d really love them.
Thanks VERY much!

My friend I would very much invite you to go to your nearest Catholic Parish and take part in RCIA. While it is the process that ultimately culminates in conversion the first step is known as the period of inquiry. It doesn’t have a set date and goes as slow or as quickly as you need it too. There are zero obligations, you are not expected to up and convert and shouldn’t come under any pressure (I can only speak from my personal experience of very recently completing RCIA and coming fully into the Catholic Church this last Easter Vigil). It is truly your best bet to help grow your spirituality. Then you can truly understand the answers to all these questions, And what I mean by that is understand it on a spiritual level and not just “know” the answer so to speak. Sorry if I’m not making much sense. Honestly though, RCIA is perfect for you right now. It’s specifically designed to share the faith and answer every question you might have. And like I said, there’s no obligations whatsoever so you can walk away at any time. But take my word for it. Once you discover Christ’s Truth found in Catholicism, you won’t be walking away God Bless!

 

[johndoe100]

Hello loko,

Maybe I can give you a short answer that will save you hours of research? According to Opus Dei, the mission of the Catholic Church is to Sanctify the Laity. *That means that Catholics can only receive communion when they are in a state of grace. *So, when a Catholic breaks one of the 10 Commandments he must confess that sin to a Priest, who absolved the sin and assigns penance. *Then the Catholic is back in a state of grace and eligible to have Communion again. Think of grace in Catholic terms as a renewable contract. *

The Protestant route is very risky, because they are as free, as the secular world is free.

 

[needmorecats]

Thanks so much for all of your replies! I haven’t been able to visit for some time, and I was able to read all of them! I really do appreciate your individualized responses. I could have researched these subjects online and such, but hearing them from online forum folk just helps me so much more. You’ve really helped.

I think more than anything, I’m starting to understand the theological differences between denominations of Christianity are significant, but not as significant as I thought. It’s very comforting actually.

I was raised Protestant. Like I’m sure some Catholics misunderstand and generalize Protestants, there are some Protestants that seem to have misunderstood and generalized Catholics. Someone close to me converted from Catholicism and told me that Catholics aren’t truly saved and it’s just all about the ritual (like the Pharisees sort of thing). I suppose that would be like a Catholic saying that Protestants aren’t saved because they just ask for Jesus to come into their life and live like nothing changed. Both of those things happen for sure, but that isn’t an accurate representation of Catholicism or Protestantism.

It’s sad that these theological issues have caused such huge problems. I won’t tell you all that I will be joining the Catholic church, but I will tell you that I am examining my faith very deeply. My goal is to try to be honest with myself and with God and really figure out what it is He wants from me. I’ve been doing a pretty lame job.

If I could ask one question - how do you pray to God when you are alone?

 

[pablope]

Hello!

I am doing some research just for deepening/developing my own faith, and have a few questions about Catholic practices. There are a lot of people that I know that are very against Catholicism, but I wanted to research it for myself, and maybe get some answers from an actual Catholic rather than someone who doesn’t really know first hand.

 

[pablope]

Thanks so much for all of your replies! I

I think more than anything, I’m starting to understand the theological differences between denominations of Christianity are significant, but not as significant as I thought. It’s very comforting actually.

 

[smiddle]

If I could ask one question - how do you pray to God when you are alone?

Go into your room, close the door and pray to your father.

Yes, a little biblical humor, but seriously, just pray in private. I pray in my head and then do the sign of the cross.

If I’m praying at night, I still say the “Now I lay me down to sleep…” bedtime prayer that I learned as a child. After that I say the Glory Be, ask God to bless certain people that I feel need it at the end of the day (I be careful not to be repetitive, though). Then maybe if I need to talk to God about something I will, or if I need to confess a venial sin, or something that I feel very badly about and do not wish to wait until Saturday, I will do it then, but then repeat it to a priest on Saturday.

I’m usually alone or praying alone when I say the Hail Mary, so I just say that and do the sign of the cross and say who I’m praying for. And yes, I know Mary is not God, but non-Catholics do not pray to her, so I figured I would tell you about my act of praying to her.

As for your question about baptism of children, Acts 2:39? says the promise of baptism is to children as well. It’s been awhile, so I’m not sure if it’s v39 exactly, but I know around there it’s about baptism.

 

[Aggies08]

If I could ask one question - how do you pray to God when you are alone?

Well, there are lots of options.

Sometimes, I will want to say a rosary, chaplet, or other prayer. I like the way that it expresses my sentiments in a beautiful way for how I am feeling, or I’m exhausted, and need the help of having a pre-written prayer to think about.

When I’m “using my own words” I always do sign of the cross, then “Dear Father” LOL. I suppose I’m “composing” it as if I’m writing a letter. I tend to prayer to God the Father when I’m more formally prayer, and Jesus when it’s bits here and there throughout the day. “Jesus, let me not lose my temper!” while at work, vs. “Dear God, thank you…blah blah blah.”

 

[peace2u2]

If I could ask one question - how do you pray to God when you are alone?

Sometimes its spontaneous prayer like if I’m in the car driving or in a store and God’s Spirit draws me to someone who looks like they need prayer, “Dear Lord, please protect and provide for this homeless man today” or “Lord, I pray for this woman’s broken leg to be restored to good health” or “Precious Blood of Jesus cover my children today” .

When I am home and if I know that someone is sick and needs specific physical, emotional or inner healing, I will pray specifcally for that type of healing in the name of Jesus and The Rosary is a beautiful prayer that I’m devoted to as well. I dedicate each decade after announcing The Mystery to either someone I know who needs prayers or I’ll offer up the prayer for the conversion of sinners or the release of souls from purgatory that have no one praying for them to be released and brought into the light of His wonderful, beautiful face. Amen!

Always start a prayer and end a prayer with the Sign of the Cross, “In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit”.

 

[SonCatcher]

Thanks so much for all of your replies! I haven’t been able to visit for some time, and I was able to read all of them! I really do appreciate your individualized responses. I could have researched these subjects online and such, but hearing them from online forum folk just helps me so much more. You’ve really helped.

You’re welcome

I think more than anything, I’m starting to understand the theological differences between denominations of Christianity are significant, but not as significant as I thought. It’s very comforting actually.

I was raised Protestant. Like I’m sure some Catholics misunderstand and generalize Protestants, there are some Protestants that seem to have misunderstood and generalized Catholics. Someone close to me converted from Catholicism and told me that Catholics aren’t truly saved and it’s just all about the ritual (like the Pharisees sort of thing). I suppose that would be like a Catholic saying that Protestants aren’t saved because they just ask for Jesus to come into their life and live like nothing changed. Both of those things happen for sure, but that isn’t an accurate representation of Catholicism or Protestantism.

Overcoming ignorance is perhaps most important in this stage of restoring unity to the Body of Christ (that is, the Church).

It’s sad that these theological issues have caused such huge problems. I won’t tell you all that I will be joining the Catholic church, but I will tell you that I am examining my faith very deeply. My goal is to try to be honest with myself and with God and really figure out what it is He wants from me. I’ve been doing a pretty lame job.

Wonderful! I hope He truly draws you near to Himself through these examinations.

If I could ask one question - how do you pray to God when you are alone?

However you feel comfortable. There are many devotions (rosaries, chaplets, etc). There is also the Liturgy of the Hours (the official prayer of the Church) which basically recites the psalms in a 4 week sequence. Many people do pray spontaneously or even in silence. Personally, I use all these forms of prayer when I am alone, depending on how I feel called at the time.

 

[loko]

Thanks so much for all of your replies! I haven’t been able to visit for some time, and I was able to read all of them! I really do appreciate your individualized responses. I could have researched these subjects online and such, but hearing them from online forum folk just helps me so much more. You’ve really helped.

I think more than anything, I’m starting to understand the theological differences between denominations of Christianity are significant, but not as significant as I thought. It’s very comforting actually.
.

If I could ask one question - how do you pray to God when you are alone?

I usually pray the Our Father with intentions.

 

[Journey322]

There are some good answers to your questions posted here, but my best advice is: 1. Make an appointment with a priest at a local parish; 2. Purchase a catechism and search through it for the answers you seek; 3. Begin attending (if you aren’t already) a local parish; 4. Ask your parish about faith formation classes.