Questions from a convert

[CatholicMelody]

I am a semi-new convert to the church and therefore have a few questions that I need answered…

1. Is there any scriptural proof of Mary being immaculately concieved, or living a sinless life?
2. I have heard that the rosary started out as the praying of the 150 Psalms, when and why did it change to what it is currently? Did it have anything to do with Fatima?
3. “No man comes to the Father, but by me”, doesnt that verse dispell the belief in praying to the saints, i heard a priest last night on catholic radio talking about how Jesus is our go-between, if you will, or advocate, between ourselves and God the Father. So if we are supposed to give our prayer to Jesus to take to the Father, then where do the saints and Mary stand in all of that?!

I would appreciate some answers, if anyone has some! Thank you! I am sure i will have many more questions in the future.

 

[CapIV]

I am a semi-new convert to the church and therefore have a few questions that I need answered…

1. Is there any scriptural proof of Mary being immaculately concieved, or living a sinless life?

The Immaculate conception is proved scripturally in Luke when the angel comes and says “Hail, full of grace”. Now in English, it doesn’t mean much of anything. But the original text was in Greek. The specific Greek word used to mean grace in Luke means that the grace of which the angel speaks is inherent and unique to Mary alone. But as we already know, everyone is born with original sin, so a unique grace could only occur from an intervention by God. Without some intervention by God, the angel could not have said “Hail full of grace” because Mary would still have had the taint of original sin.

Try this link catholic.com/library/Immaculate_Conception_and_Assum.asp

 

[CapIV]

1. I have heard that the rosary started out as the praying of the 150 Psalms, when and why did it change to what it is currently? Did it have anything to do with Fatima?

Not sure about this one. But I think it is because not everyone could read way back when. So instead of praying the psalms, (which would obviously have required the ability to read) they prayed the Hail Mary. (Which everyone knows.)

 

[Joe_5859]

I am a semi-new convert to the church and therefore have a few questions that I need answered…

Welcome!

1. Is there any scriptural proof of Mary being immaculately concieved, or living a sinless life?

As there is not much in Scripture about Mary, the biblical evidence is more implicit than explicit. The two primary verses for the Immaculate Conception are Genesis 3:15 (“I will put enmity between you and the woman”) and Luke 1:28 (“Hail, Full of Grace”). The “enmity” in Gen 3:15 denotes a complete and total opposition between the woman (Mary, the New Eve) and the serpent (Satan). This is total opposition is only possible if Mary is not at all subject to sin. Luke 1:28 uses the Greek Chaire Kecharitomene. Now, Kecharitomene is the past perfect participle form of the word, which means, literally, that Mary “is now and has always been completely endowed with grace.” Again, this grace is full and complete, implying that she is without sin (because if she had sinned, there would be some type of privation of grace). There is much more that could be said by theologians far more intelligent than me, but hopefully this will help?

1. I have heard that the rosary started out as the praying of the 150 Psalms, when and why did it change to what it is currently? Did it have anything to do with Fatima?

Here’s everything you ever wanted to know about the history of the rosary:

newadvent.org/cathen/13184b.htm

Many attribute the devotion to St. Dominic (ca. 13th century), but it quite possibly predated that. It was certainly well in place long before Fatima, which only happened in the 20th century. Many saints have drawn the connection between the Psalms and the rosary as there are 150 Psalms and 150 Hail Mary’s in the Rosary (that is, before John Paul II added another set of mysteries). I don’t know that there’s any historical evidence that that is how the rosary originated, though.

I would appreciate some answers, if anyone has some! Thank you! I am sure i will have many more questions in the future.

Come back anytime! People here like to answer questions (at least, I know I do!)

 

[CatholicMelody]

so do you think it would be innapropriate to substitute praying the psalms in place of the currect rosary prayer?

 

[puzzleannie]

there is scriptural proof for the doctrine of the Incarnation, and all doctrine about Mary is defined to defend this doctrine about Christ, and flows logically from that doctrine. To deny Marian doctrine is to deny, in part or in whole, all that is stated and implied in the Incarnation.

 

[jmcrae]

1. “No man comes to the Father, but by me”, doesnt that verse dispell the belief in praying to the saints, i heard a priest last night on catholic radio talking about how Jesus is our go-between, if you will, or advocate, between ourselves and God the Father. So if we are supposed to give our prayer to Jesus to take to the Father, then where do the saints and Mary stand in all of that?!

Jesus alone died on the Cross for our sins; no Saint ever did that, or ever will. But we are required to pray for each other, and of course since the Saints are in Heaven, and do God’s will perfectly, they are praying for us all of the time.

Praying for someone is not at all the same thing as dying on the Cross for their sins; we should not confuse these two things.

 

[CatholicMelody]

I am sorry, but could you “dumb that down” for me a bit? I like where you are going with this and i really appreciate you answering my questions.

 

[puzzleannie]

so do you think it would be innapropriate to substitute praying the psalms in place of the currect rosary prayer?

the official daily liturgy of the Church prays the psalms over a 4 week cycle, along with OT and NT readings and canticles. this is called the Divine Office or Liturgy of the Hours and is prayed by clergy, religious and lay persons.

one can certainly pray the rosary in this way, or a scriptural rosary, to which there are many published guides, which either introduces the traditional prayers of each decade with the appropriate scripture verses to aid in meditation on those mysteries, or by simply reading a verse with each bead. As a private devotion you can use any prayer form that works for you. When recited in public, the traditional prayers and forms should be used for conformity and ease of praying communally.

 

[puzzleannie]

I3. “No man comes to the Father, but by me”, doesnt that verse dispell the belief in praying to the saints, i heard a priest last night on catholic radio talking about how Jesus is our go-between, if you will, or advocate, between ourselves and God the Father. So if we are supposed to give our prayer to Jesus to take to the Father, then where do the saints and Mary stand in all of that?!

I

do you really think Jesus is jealous of His own Mother, who was sanctified by His grace and saving action, or his saints, who are sanctified through his grace and in heaven because they modelled their lives on his? do you really think if I ask your earthly mother to speak to you, give you a message for me, or even ask a favor of you through her, or even leave a phone message for you with her, that this is somehow an insult to our own friendship?

 

[CatholicMelody]

okay, thank you!

 

[Joe_5859]

so do you think it would be innapropriate to substitute praying the psalms in place of the currect rosary prayer?

Of course, the answer is, why not pray both?

No one is required to say the rosary (although it is highly recommended by most saints and popes). You certainly could try to substitute the Psalms, but it would take a lot longer!

Have you ever heard of the Liturgy of the Hours? If you want to pray using the Psalms, this is the way to go! Every priest is supposed to pray this, so, when you pray it, you know you are saying the same prayers and meditating on the same Scriptures as the Pope himself!

This is the official prayer of the Church. See what the Catechism has to say about it (CCC 1174-1178). It is intended to be the prayer of the whole Church and is an extension of the celebration of the Eucharist. If you pray this every day for 4 weeks, you will have prayed with all the Psalms (and then some!)

You can see some samples of the Liturgy of the Hours (AKA the Divine Office, AKA the Breviary) at ebreviary.com. If you prayed the full Liturgy of the Hours, you would be praying seven times a day. Many lay people just pray 2 of the 7: Morning Prayer (Lauds) and evening prayer (Vespers), but of course, the more the better!

 

[Joe_5859]

1. “No man comes to the Father, but by me”, doesnt that verse dispell the belief in praying to the saints, i heard a priest last night on catholic radio talking about how Jesus is our go-between, if you will, or advocate, between ourselves and God the Father. So if we are supposed to give our prayer to Jesus to take to the Father, then where do the saints and Mary stand in all of that?!

Catholic Answers has many tracts that address your questions. Here are their tracts on Mary and the saints:

catholic.com/library/mary_saints.asp

If you read through any of these and come to something that’s confusing or raises a question, feel free to ask!

 

[CatholicMelody]

thank you for your help! i really appreciate it, as well as the warm welcome!

 

[bilop]

1. I have heard that the rosary started out as the praying of the 150 Psalms, when and why did it change to what it is currently? Did it have anything to do with Fatima?

Yes, it was originally the Psalms, then it became 150 Our Fathers, then St. Domenic invented the current rosary, circa 1200s.

The Fatima prayer, “oh my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell…” was added due to Fatima, but the basic layout precedes that.

The rosary is a private devotion, so you can say it any way you want. You could say the Psalms, or one Hail Mary, 10 Our Fathers, or never say it at all. It’s totally up to the individual how they want to pray.

God Bless

 

[CatholicMelody]

I know I should be always focusing on Godly things and not getting wrapped up in everyday life, but i get side tracked so easily throughout the day! It always seems like something is getting in the way of prayer time or something. any ideas on how to stay focused?!?!?!?!

also, i work with 2 fairly unGodly characters(stating from the actions and words they use all day) and I am really convicted by some of the things they say ( profanity usually, or Gods name being thrown about like trash) or by what they do. they are my superiors at work and are the only other people in the office. Anyways, my question here is, that sometimes i feel like in order to preserve my spirituality or umm, grow at all spiritually, or keep any kind of focus on things above, i should find another place to work. but i really enjoy the work i do and i have had this job for like 4 years almost! stability and everything. what should i do?!

 

[kfp4]

I am a semi-new convert to the church and therefore have a few questions that I need answered…

1. Is there any scriptural proof of Mary being immaculately concieved, or living a sinless life?
2. I have heard that the rosary started out as the praying of the 150 Psalms, when and why did it change to what it is currently? Did it have anything to do with Fatima?
3. “No man comes to the Father, but by me”, doesnt that verse dispell the belief in praying to the saints, i heard a priest last night on catholic radio talking about how Jesus is our go-between, if you will, or advocate, between ourselves and God the Father. So if we are supposed to give our prayer to Jesus to take to the Father, then where do the saints and Mary stand in all of that?!

I would appreciate some answers, if anyone has some! Thank you! I am sure i will have many more questions in the future.

Hi and welcome home. I just wanted to try to answer the last question since this one had perplexed me for awhile. I think some of the confusion comes with the word “prayer.” To most protestant faiths, this is akin to worship and talking directly to God. Catholic faith uses the word prayer to mean different things. A Catholic can pray to Mary or other saints as a means of communicating-much like intercessory prayer. The Catholic understanding of Christian death allows this type of communication. The Catholic church never has allowed worship of anyone other than the Trinity alone. Hope this helps.
Kathy

 

[rocketrob]

CatholicMelody,
I am also a convert of about 9 years now, and I understand where you are coming from on these topics…they are some of the more difficult beliefs for former protestants to come to grips with. Hopefully you sufficiently answered these questions for yourself before joining the Catholic Church.

I’m sure you can find much information on these topics in other posts, or better yet, the Catechism of the Catholic Church. But I’ll give a couple of brief responses…

1. Is there any scriptural proof of Mary being immaculately concieved, or living a sinless life?

Many of the Marian beliefs are grounded in Sacred Tradition, and they also flow logically from knowledge of Sacred Scripture. It is known from Scripture that God destroys sin, and that because of his sinful nature, man cannot be in the full presence of God’s glory and survive. “…for man shall not see me and live.” (Exodus 33:20)

Therefore, to be able to house the Son of God as the Ark of the New Covenant, Mary would have had to be free from the stain of sin, otherwise she could not have been so intimately in contact with the divine nature of Jesus in her womb.

Thus, Mary was free from the consequences of original sin…a state known as concupiscence in which “the control of the soul’s spiritual faculties over the body is shattered.” (Catechism article 400). So, with God’s applied grace both before and after she gave birth to Christ, she was able to live a life free from sin.

1. “No man comes to the Father, but by me”, doesnt that verse dispell the belief in praying to the saints, i heard a priest last night on catholic radio talking about how Jesus is our go-between, if you will, or advocate, between ourselves and God the Father. So if we are supposed to give our prayer to Jesus to take to the Father, then where do the saints and Mary stand in all of that?!

Catholics are not taught to pray “to” Mary and the Saints. Rather, they ask for their intercessory prayers much as we ask human beings to pray for us here on earth. Since we, as Christians, do not believe that death ends life, then it makes sense to ask for intercessory prayer from those that are right now in heaven. And the Church has affirmed that Mary and the Saints are in heaven, as we all hope to be one day.

A passage from scripture that affirms the benefits of intercessory prayer by the Saints can be found in Revelation 8:4, “and the smoke of the incense rose with the prayers of the saints from the hand of the angel before God.”

I hope these answers help. There is a plethora of information and historical teaching supporting these beliefs.

Sincerely,
rocketrob

 

[jcrichton]

I am a semi-new convert to the church and therefore have a few questions that I need answered…

1. Is there any scriptural proof of Mary being immaculately concieved, or living a sinless life?

***Hi, CatholicMelody!

Welcome home! :extrahappy:

…there are several Scriptures that speak on Mary–much is refuted by non-Catholics because they tend to ignore that Jesus, God, could not simply come into any human womb. Consider the salutation of the angel Gabriel, he clearly addresses Mary as someone who has been in God’s Grace not someone who will be in God’s Grace when the Holy Spirit decends upon her and Jesus is made incarnate. Consider too the greeting of Elizabeth, she recognizes Mary as the Mother of her Lord and she is in disbelief that instead of her paying “tribute” (human) to Mary, it is Mary who comes to her–surely, Elizabeth had no way of knowing that Yahweh God’s Salvific Plan was being set in motion… but she was blessed by the Holy Spirit who, through the child in her own womb, infused His Wisdom on her.

1. “No man comes to the Father, but by me”, doesnt that verse dispell the belief in praying to the saints, i heard a priest last night on catholic radio talking about how Jesus is our go-between, if you will, or advocate, between ourselves and God the Father. So if we are supposed to give our prayer to Jesus to take to the Father, then where do the saints and Mary stand in all of that?!

---

…it would seem so… but, do you recall Jesus telling His disciples to pray for laborers 'cause the workers were few?.. Jesus is God, so would that not simply be redundant? …I mean, was Jesus not able to reach more than just twelve people? Could He not simply extend His Ministry (both in extra time and a larger region)? Why would Jesus need His disciples to pray for something He Himself could better accomplish?

…then there are the many instances when the Apostles would be praying for both the Church and for the individual Apostle/disciple–why would God listen to those brought into the Faith in order to assist Peter or Paul or John?.. didn’t the Twelve have a deeper relationship with Jesus and the Holy Spirit than all of those to whom they brought the Gospels?

…finally, why would the four living creatures and the elders prostrated themselves in front of the Lamb and offered “… a golden bowl full of incense which are the prayers of the saints.” (Apocalypse 5:6-10); true, this may have only been a vision, and this particular scene could well be symbolic… but it demonstrates that there is a relationship between Heaven and earth and that God has established a system or a communion between them and us!

I would appreciate some answers, if anyone has some! Thank you! I am sure i will have many more questions in the future.

There’s an old saying from Mom which roughly translated means, “He who is in the lead does not have much advantage over the one behind him, if the latter moves briskly!”

Maran atha!

Angel

 

[fellowChristian]

The Church believes that it is necessary for a Christian to meditate (prayerfully think about) the will of God, the life and teachings of Jesus, the price He paid for our salvation, and so on.

Unless we do this we will begin to take these great gifts for granted and ultimately fall away from the Lord.

Every Christian must meditate in some way in order to preserve the gift of salvation (James 1:22-25).

Many Catholic and non-Catholic Christians prayerfully read and apply Scripture to their lives, that is, meditate on them.

With the rosary this can be done virtually anywhere and anytime.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you.

Luke 1:28 "And coming to her, he said, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you.”

Blessed art thou among women

Luke 1:41-42 "When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, “Most blessed are you among women…”

Luke 1:48 “For he has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed.”

Blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus

Luke 1:42 “and blessed is the fruit of your womb.”

Holy Mary, Mother of God

Luke 1:43 "And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

Pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Luke 2:35 “…and you yourself a sword will pierce so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

John 2:5 "His mother said to the servers, “Do whatever he tells you.”