if you are catholic can you tell me why do you believe in saints, and the virgin mary?

Question

im catholic and ive never had a satisfying answer to that question and i have no idea and ive been wanting to ask someone who actually knows other than because god has no time to do everything himself so they are his help (the answer i usually get).

Answer 1

I am very pleased to help you out. First, I would like to call your attention to the Catechism of the Catholic Church which states the beliefs and practices of the Church. There you will find the official answers, though I know they aren't always the easiest to understand without research. But you may be surprised.

-Saints-
As Catholics we profess our belief in the communion of saints. This comes from Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition. We, as believers, are all a part of the Body of Christ. This is what Paul writes about in his epistles. We also believe that Christ is our mediator. Through Christ we are connected spiritually to all the faithful present and those that came before us. Those that came before us and received the reward of Salvation are in Heaven with God right now. And we call them Saints. In Heaven they are in full communion with God who is the source of life. Many will say that Catholics pray to dead people, but I think it is more accurate to say that those in Heaven are more alive than we are on Earth since they are in that perfect communion with God.

Now we also have to understand that God is love. God is all about relationship. Perhaps the opposite will make this clear in that Satan is all about isolation. Sin isolates us, while love builds relationships. Even the Trinity is all about a relationship; the Father and Son love each other so perfecty and it is so real that it is the Holy Spirit. The Trinity is love, is relationship. That's is our model for life. We are to build loving relationships. We are to love our neighbor. Some of our neighbors are Saints in Heaven, who we can love through the mediation of Christ. Christ enables us to pray with our brothers and sisters in heaven. Christ does not want us to ignore members of His Body and welcomes the bonds that brings His family closer together.

Catholics do not worship Saints, nor do we pray to them as if they are gods. As I can ask you to pray for me, I can also ask St. Augustine to pray for me. You are my brother in Christ and so is he. And St. Augustine is in perfect communion with Christ so I know his prayer is righteous and beneficial. It is one more thing that brings the family of Christ closer together. This concept is called intercessory prayer. Many who deny praying with Saints wouldn't deny intercessory prayer. The idea that we can pray for each other. They just deny that those in Heaven are alive and listening through the mediation of Christ. As Catholics, we believe the Saints in Heaven are very alive and love us with the love of Christ.

-Mary-
Mary is another Saint. She is a special one though. She is special because God made her special when He chose her as the Mother of Jesus Christ the Son of God. Therefore, it is reasonable to call Mary the Mother of God. We do not claim that Mary came before God and fully recognize she is the mother of the human part of God. But she is the mother of God nonetheless. As Catholics we do not believe this elevates her to the level of God. God alone receives our worship and adoration. Mary is honored just as she said she would be in Sacred Scripture. We call her blessed because Scripture says so. We do not worship her, we honor her because we are trying to be like Christ. Christ honored his mother because the ten commandents says honor your father and mother. We who are trying to be like Christ also honor her as mother.

Some will say that Catholics worship Mary, but this is just a misunderstanding. Many of these people have a very narrowed view of what worship can and cannot be. They do not believe we can pray with our brothers and sisters and Mother Mary in Heaven. So when they see us praying with Mary they say we are worshipping her, because that is how they worship God. But to a Catholic heart there is no comparison when we worship God and when we pray with Mary.

Some say that Catholic's honoring Mary takes away from what is due to Christ. But as Catholics we believe that in saying Mary is blessed, our hearts are raising up a thanks to God for being so good. As an example, if I congratulate you for some accomplishment, it is not necessarily detracting from Christ's good work in you, but it can very much be a piece of thanksgiving for how Christ is helping you.

This is a very big difference between Catholics and Protestants. While they see Christ as King sitting on a throne in a bare hall with no one else around and give all to Him, Catholics see the same glorious Christ as King sitting on a throne in a hall filled with splendor that is because of Him. We see all the good work and love He puts into others and by honoring that work we are giving thanks to Christ. This is exactly what we do with Mary when we call her Blessed and thank her for being such a good Mother to all of us with her intercessory prayer. It is wrong and not Catholic to do this without recognizing Christ as the creator of these blessings.

There are many that came before us that help us to understand Jesus. St. Paul is a wonderful model of Evangelism. St. Peter is a great model of Authority. St. John who laid his head on the chest of Jesus and listened to His heart is a model for us of Contemplation. Mary is our model of Discipleship. Everything that we believe about Mary points us to Christ. Because that is what Mary always did. She pointed to Christ and said follow Him. She is the one who humbly said, "I am a handmaid of the Lord." This is Discipleship in essence. And we thank the Lord for giving us a wondrous model of how to follow Him.

We believe in Saints and the Blessed Virgin Mary because we are as believers are sons and daughters of God and they are our brothers and sisters and mother who support and love us.

Personally, I find it loving and honoring to our Lord to honor His works in those who have run the race well and are in Heaven. I think He wants us to love them. I do not think He wants us to ignore them. They all point to Him.

I hope this helps. I would recommend a couple of easy to read books that will help you on the subject. Scott Hahn's books are all good. You may especially be interested in his book, "Hail, Holy Queen."

I also recommend George Weigel's "Letters to a young Catholic." I borrowed some of his comments in what I wrote to you.

Also www.catholic.com is an apologetics site that defends the doctrines of our faith with helpful explanations.

Peace be with you,
Amen.

Answer 2

The Blessed Virgin Mary is given a place by GOD in heaven as the QUEEN of HEAVEN and EARTH.

The fulfillment of the promise for the SON of GOD to become MAN wouldn't have happened if there is no mother hence the IMMACULATE CONCEPCION. The four gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John mentioned this. Through MARY, the first miracle of Christ happened in the wedding.

Anyway, the BLESSED VIRGIN MARY has played a very important role in the fulfillement of the promise so it is only right for us to honor her.

The SAINTS, are ordinary people like you and me who has done extraordinary things. They set an example for us on how to live a life of Godliness.

SAINTS do not become SAINTS by accident. It is a lot of hard work and before they become SAINTS, they actually have to perform at least 3 DOCUMENTED MIRACLES after death.

So, again they are special therefore it is only right to honor them.

Answer 3

I believe in the Virgin Mary because she gave birth to Jesus the Son of God. As far as the Saints, I believe that they led 'holy' lives. Quite often the saints are patrons of certain areas/subjects/etc.

If you're still not satisfied......go ask a priest or nun, they should know.

Answer 4

MT 27:52 ...tombs were opened, and the bodies of many saints who had fallen asleep were raised. The term "saint" is in Sacred Scripture as you can see. It refers to those who led an exceptionally holy life. The Blessed Virgin Mary has always been held in high regard. Elizabeth's greeting to Mary: LK 1:42 ...cried out in a loud voice and said, "Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb." And again in the Magnificat: LK 1:48 For he has looked upon his handmaid's lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed. Jesus Christ is both God and man - God among us - and Mary as his mother is the mother of God. The Church simply recognizes the special grace God gave her.

Answer 5

well, I read a lot about them, and came to know a few surprising things about God and the way some people so totally believed in him, and about some of the wonderful things that happened because of that faith. It was astonishing. If you could find some works on St Bernadette, or the children at La Salette, the children at Fatima, or St Catherine of Sienna, you would be well started off into the wonderful world of what a person can accomplish when they give their heart and soul, their entire being to the Lord. They are like guideposts on the Path of Life, and a living example of our Lord. Within him they placed their souls and he has preserved them for us, and shares them with us as his most precious friends, which he chose before they were born to do the things they did.

Answer 6

i really don't know why i believe in saints, but it is in the prayer, 'i believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Cathloic Church, the Communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, and life everlasting, Amen'. As for the virgin mary, everybody is told that she was the mother of Jesus, and that she didn't sleep with anybody to get pregnent. It probably depends on what you were told when you were little.

Answer 7

Catholics and many other Christians believe in the Communion of Saints where all saints are intimately related in the Body of Christ, a family. When you die and go to heaven, you do not leave this family.

Everyone in heaven or on their way to heaven are saints. You, me, my deceased grandmother, Mary the mother of Jesus, and Mother Teresa.

As part of this family, you may ask your family and friends here on earth to pray for you. Or you may also ask the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint Andrew, or your deceased grandmother in heaven to pray for you.

With love in Christ.

Answer 8

it's a tradition since the begining of the church. Around 700 century the roman catholics began to expand their traditions believes. one of the reason is that some people lived their lives helping and practicing the believes of the church and in some point of their lives they did something spectacular that makes them a littlebit special than a regular or ordinary person. their lives were only serve jesus christ and to practice what the church mandate an command. Remember one thing that this people who became saints after couple centuries, they were good people doing good to their brother and sisters

Answer 9

Well, "believe in saints" or "believe in Mary" are sort of vague.

Are you talking about worshipping Mary or the saints? If so, then rest assured that worshipping Mary or worshipping saints has nothing to do with Catholicism.

Some people falsely accuse us of worshipping them, but we do not.

But if by "believe in Mary/the saints" you mean that we honor and revere them, or that we ask them to pray for us, then yes -- we do those things.

But there's nothing un-Biblical or un-Christian about that. There's nothing un-Scriptural about asking Mary or the saints to pray for us.

After all, those of us here on earth pray for each other all the time. We ask, and are asked, for other prayers' constantly.

As such, if we ask for people's prayers here on earth, there's nothing wrong for asking Mary and the saints in Heaven to pray for us -- after all, they are a lot closer to God than anybody else is!

Answer 10

I believe the sun rises, flowers grow, and the saints lived. Mary was indeed once a virgin.

I believe IN, the resurection. Nothing else...not even my wife, who I know is very real.

She says, "A saint, is someone who can live with a martyr..."

Answer 11

12Period time Age
Era century
Attribute to kingdom to nation to nature condition social condition
Historical:
Old
Oldfangled
Middle
Middle ages in Europe from A.D 600 to 1450
New Recent
Nature:
Starting point
Beginning
Icy 1650 to 1715
Stony
Ferric iron
Steam electricity
Aztecs /Rubbery
Atom
Informatics
Imagination Fictitious

-
1 – the story of Adam ram
2 – Uobab taurus
3 – Solomon twin
4- Yahotha - Mohamed cancer
5- Shalih – the king lion
6- Zachary –or– mother Christ(marry= made)virgo
7- Abraham libara
8- Noh scorpion
9- Christ –father arch
10 Jacopo – israil – grandfather got
11 Josef – the brother aquarium
12 mozas - the magic whale

-
family House
son
daughter
Kinsman relative
mother
Chieftain sheik senator
wait on duty service
Fellow comarde
sister
father
Grand father
brother
maternal uncle maternal aunt
-
from birth to death is12

childbirth delivery
agriculture warlike
contact call
worry about relative assist warlike
first signs good omens
voluntary
amity marry friend
antiseps disinfect
trip journey
bank creation innovation
testament will jail imprison
obsequies funeral ceremony decease death
-

study all holy books,in one language(e.g)
you well Larne 12mane stories in the holy books
prophet in the holly books,each one of the holy Prophet has 12 messenger or 12 brother or12 son.see prophets Philosophy

see No,4
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http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Arab-College

01 Newborn,one&only,son,child, Word of God,Amish,Saudi,AUSTRALIA (mars)
02 Agriculture,Nasser,Redneck, Tailor,custom,moremen valentine fire love,hindus,(Venus)
03 holy Ghost,Ghost busters,Ethnic ,Turkey,RandomPatchwork, Macadam= LuckyStones,Match Maker,homosexual, Antichrist,captain,agent,gambl

04 mothers,Most mercy,Gladiators, military,catholic,ShalomIslam =peace, politic,Qu'ran mobilhomes tent,Bedouin's,Qatar(moon)

05 Royal,Senator,Italians, Bahrain(sun)
06 scientist,teachers, virgin,Servent,Kuwait
07 Easter,Romani ,Babylon,egg,Mussels,Healing, Judge, Iraq,Iran,Buddha,Japan=sunshin
08 Sisters,scotch,North ,falls,Shower,Baha'i,Russians =morning
09 Fathers,North,Travel,Modern, Christian, Doctor,noon=midday,Europe (Jupiter
10 Grandfather,creator,Future, Judaism,old testament, Jehovah,Saturday, Planet,Star,astrology,Astral, Asterism,promise,Land,Bank, Taxation great,UK,USA(Saturn)afternoons =Orange
11 Wester,Chancellor,brothers, Irish,Ascetics,dreams,Wild, Jurassic, Apple,Morocco =sunset
12 cemetery,crying on dead,Pyramids Moses,Maya, metaphysical,exit,slave, making money from charity,Undertaker,SouthPark culture,,six back side,Vampire,Voodoo, SmokeWeed,Hippie,Afro,night =dark