but what do you mean by “estranged children” then ? I don’t consider myself a child of the Pope but a child of God yes since I have put my trust in Him for my salvation …Well, I didn’t want to say “lost” or “run-a-way”
I mean it with my understanding that the Catholic Church is the Church founded by Christ on earth. Anyone not in full communion with her, while they may be Christian (and usually are, though some like JWs are not), are no longer inside the house, as it were. We are all children of God, no doubt about that.
Thanks for your explanations …
People (not just Catholics) may pray an Our Father [you know that’s the Lord’s Prayer, right?] for any intention. Since the words are those of Our Lord Himself, and since the petitions apply to the entire human condition: Thy Kingdom come; thy will be done; give us this day . . .; forgive; lead us not into temptation; deliver us from evil kind of apply for any circumstance and you can pray this prayer in perfect confidence that you are praying IN HIS WILL.
It’s the CONCEPT of “intention” I don’t understand …
I hear you. But it’s a different thing to pray to the saints. They are his very close friends. We don’t say: “Blessed Mary (Anthony, Athanasius) help me pass my French test!” We just ask them to pray for us. In Revelation, the elders around the throne in Heaven are holding "golden bowls full of incense “which are the prayers of the saints.” So, we ask the saints: "Blessed so-and-so, please place my need bofore the Heavenly throne . . . " We also pray directly to God at the same time. He seeks our humility in coming to Him “directly”, as you observe.
Oh. Intention. That’s just a way of saying that you are praying – offering a Mass, a rosary, a prayer, for a cause: Mary’s operation. Joe’s and Susie’s marriage. The safety of the Pope.
"If so, they will certainly try to blow him " This not what I was trying to write, They have made it difficult to edit mistakes out of a post, lets try again.
I’ll tell you something to make your prayers more precise, but as you say God knows what my greatest need is at the moment : I’m the only believer in my family, the rest are atheists, so you can pray that God would reveal Himself to them and save them …Oh. Intention. That’s just a way of saying that you are praying – offering a Mass, a rosary, a prayer, for a cause: Mary’s operation. Joe’s and Susie’s marriage. The safety of the Pope.
So, Huguenot, I’ll offer night prayer for YOUR intention this evening. I may not know exactly what you most need in the heart of Christ right now, but I can pray for you anyway with the intention of petitioning our Lord that your greatest need be met according to his will.
Well , the important thing is what you say “We also pray directly to God at the same time”…
I think the whole Protestant tradition is more individualistic – me and Jesus – while the ancient Apostolic Churches have a more lively sense of Communion. We tend not to be soloists in our spirituality.Well , the important thing is what you say “We also pray directly to God at the same time”…
let’s say that the difference is that it is what we do all the time …
I don’t think we are “soloists” either : we have prayer meetings ; for us the prayers of the community are important too, the only difference is that we address them only to God ; and even in our personal relationship with each other, for example if we’ve invited someone in our home for any reason, we often pray together at one moment or another …
Yes: you are right on all counts. And you might be surprised at how similar spontaneous prayer iamong Catholics is to what you are used to.
I don’t think we are “soloists” either : we have prayer meetings ; for us the prayers of the community are important too, the only difference is that we address them only to God ; and even in our personal relationship with each other, for example if we’ve invited someone in our home for any reason, we often pray together at one moment or another …
but I don’t want to derail the thread and, most, I wouldn’t like it to become a polemical discussion about how Catholics and Protestants pray since it was not my purpose ( discussing our different ways of praying ) when I posted my first message…
but rather to show that even if you’re a Protestant you can care for the safety of the Pope …
There is a measure of truth in this. If it cannot be said the the Church would have it in their “favour,” it can be said that it would be greatly to the detrament of Islam for it to happen. Could you imagine the backlash?A Pope being martyred by a Muslim assassin would work very much in the favour of the Catholic Church. Come what may. Leave everything to fate. Pray for something else instead.
I don’t think I would be so surprised by the way Catholics practise “spontaneous prayers” because in fact … I’ve already prayed with Catholics in this way, in interconfessional groups …
I would say that your respect for the Sacrament and for the discipline of our Church puts you “more” in communion than are those who saunter up to receive but reject the teaching and discipline of the Church.
I know that some differences won’t be easy to overcome, I mean, it looks like they will always exist … but they shouldn’t prevent us from seeing what is common …
Since 90% of what mainstream Protestants understand about the faith is identical, I have given a copy of the Catechism to Protestant friends because the exposition of the main doctrines of the faith is so lucid. They LOVE it.