To Catholics: What do you believe about Mary. What do you believe about Saints?

Question

Is it true that you believe you cannot speak directly to Jesus because you believe he is too busy? Is it true you think Mary is the Queen of the Angels (show where it says this in the bible)?

But in scripture jesus publicly distinguishes between his earthly mother and his spiritual family.

Here it is. Luke 8.19

19Now Jesus' mother and brothers came to see him, but they were not able to get near him because of the crowd. 20Someone told him, "Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you."
21He replied, "My mother and brothers are those who hear God's word and put it into practice."

Luke 11.27

27As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, "Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you."

28He replied, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it."

Its very nice that many posters are using examples of a family to explain their answers, but please stick to the scriptures. It is there after all were the priests get their answers from.

Mary was not a virgin for long. Mary had many sons and daughters and to say that they all were born of a virgin puts them at the same level of our GOD IN HUMAN FORM JESUS.

The trinity and other christian beliefs are sometimes implied in scripture. If you wish show where they are implied. But if it contradicts other things specifically mentioned things, then it is not correct.
And for the most part, if something is just implied it should not be a divisive issue. the apostles speak of a 'godhead' in scripture. Im not gonna have an argument because someone says godhead and i say trinity.

Big words Gengis. But its blatanly obvious that you dont read now/ havent read the bible. Keep studying up in that comparative religions course of yours. God knows we need more, naive, close minded, brain-washed, poser fools in the world.

Answer 1

The official stance of the RCC is that Jesus is the one sole Savior of the human race and of creation, one person of the Trinity, and God.

Mary is believed to have been born without original sin, but was still human -- it was only by extraordinary grace that she was saved, and only because it was necessary to have a perfect vessel for the Incarnation. It is Mary, *NOT* Jesus, who was the Immaculate Conception. Jesus's formation was the Incarnation. This extraordinary grace was given to her in recognition of her perfect trust and faith.

Mary and the Saints are not worshipped. Prayer is taken as 'communication with those in heaven', and interpretted as no different than a cell phone call to your still-living family members.

The Church prays to Jesus and worships him, and the Father, and the Paraclete.

Prayer to Saints and Mary is for two purposes -- to ask for their added prayers (like asking your mom to help pray for your healing when you're ill) and to let their lives of devotion inspire us to lives of devotion. It is NOT worship of the saints, nor are the saints the mediators. Jesus is the one way to the Father, and the Saints are unnecessary, but useful, signposts that help point humanity towards Jesus.

Answer 2

We speak to Jesus & profess He is the only way into heaven. We believe that Mary was "Assumed" (body, mind, & soul) BY Jesus into Heaven (in Revelation "There Appeared a great portant dressed with the Sun, standing on the Moon"). We believe Jesus Assumed the Saints. We ALL have HOPE that Jeusus will Assume us.

Pretend you're in a family, and your brother Jesus has a car. You want to borrow the car. You haven't been the best sister/brother. So, instead of just going to him, you goto Mom (Mary) and ask her to help you. Mary see's that your heart is good and borrowing the car is good. She and you goto Jesus and together ask for permission to borrow the car. She may be an advocate that gives you comfort in asking. Plus she might help you open your eyes to see what Jesus wants which will put you on a path to get Jesus favor. This doesn't mean she can force Jesus to lend the car, but she sure does give a Mom's love.

Answer 3

So wait, something that is not specifically mentioned in the Bible is not valid!?
Yeah, like how the apostles never talked about the Trinity, so that must not be true. Or the full nature of the hypostatic union (Christ is both human and divine). Also false, I guess.
Oh wait! Tradition!

JennJenn: Wait, what are you talking about!? What does this have to do with me being closed minded, etc? You acknowledge the authority of Scripture but not the authority of the Church that formed the council that decided what books of the Bible would be included?

Answer 4

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I can say this much - it's not what you have come to think Catholics believe!


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No, and I'd like to see where you think that appears in the Bible!


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No. Mary cannot be a Queen of Angels because she is not an angel. Mary is the Queen of the New Davidic Kingdom. here is some Scripture for your consideration:

Mary is our Mother and Queen of the New Davidic Kingdom
John 19:26 - Jesus makes Mary the Mother of us all as He dies on the Cross by saying "behold your mother." Jesus did not say "John, behold your mother" because he gave Mary to all of us, his beloved disciples. All the words that Jesus spoke on Cross had a divine purpose. Jesus was not just telling John to take care of his mother.

Rev. 12:17 - this verse proves the meaning of John 19:26. The "woman's" (Mary's) offspring are those who follow Jesus. She is our Mother and we are her offspring in Jesus Christ. The master plan of God's covenant love for us is family. But we cannot be a complete family with the Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of Christ without the Motherhood of Mary.

John 2:3 - this is a very signifcant verse in Scripture. As our mother, Mary tells all of us to do whatever Jesus tells us. Further, Mary's intercession at the marriage feast in Cana triggers Jesus' ministry and a foreshadowing of the Eucharistic celebration of the Lamb. This celebration unites all believers into one famiy through the marriage of divinity and humanity.

John 2:7 - Jesus allows His mother to intercede for the people on His behalf, and responds to His mother's request by ordering the servants to fill the jars with water.

Psalm 45:9 - the psalmist teaches that the Queen stands at the right hand of God. The role of the Queen is important in God's kingdom. Mary the Queen of heaven is at the right hand of the Son of God.

1 Kings 2:17, 20 - in the Old Testament Davidic kingdom, the King does not refuse his mother. Jesus is the new Davidic King, and He does not refuse the requests of his mother Mary, the Queen.

1 Kings 2:18 - in the Old Testament Davidic kingdom, the Queen intercedes on behalf of the King's followers. She is the Queen Mother (or "Gebirah"). Mary is our eternal Gebirah.

1 Kings 2:19 - in the Old Testament Davidic kingdom the King bows down to his mother and she sits at his right hand. We, as children of the New Covenant, should imitate our King and pay the same homage to Mary our Mother. By honoring Mary, we honor our King, Jesus Christ.

1 Kings 15:13 - the Queen Mother is a powerful position in Israel's royal monarchy. Here the Queen is removed from office. But now, the Davidic kingdom is perfected by Jesus, and our Mother Mary is forever at His right hand.

2 Chron. 22:10 - here Queen Mother Athalia destroys the royal family of Judah after she sees her son, King Ahaziah, dead. The Queen mother plays a significant role in the kingdom.

Neh. 2:6 - the Queen Mother sits beside the King. She is the primary intercessor before the King.

Answer 5

LOL!! oh my goodness. That's a new one on me. I've never heard anyone say we don't talk to Jesus.

I spend plenty of time talking to Jesus.

Who ever has told you these things has filled your head with rubbish.

With one exception...

Do you believe that Jesus is the King of Kings? King of the angels?

If you read the bible, both 1 Kings and 2 Kings, you see that it is always the king's mother who is queen. Not the king's wife.

If Mary is the mother of Jesus (Luke 1:43) and he is king (Matthew 27:11), then she is queen.

1 Kings 15:13 (New International Version)
13 He even deposed his grandmother Maacah from her position as queen mother, because she had made a repulsive Asherah pole. Asa cut the pole down and burned it in the Kidron Valley.

2 Kings 10:13 (New International Version)
he met some relatives of Ahaziah king of Judah and asked, "Who are you?"
They said, "We are relatives of Ahaziah, and we have come down to greet the families of the king and of the queen mother."

Jeremiah 13:18 (New International Version)
Say to the king and to the queen mother,
"Come down from your thrones,
for your glorious crowns
will fall from your heads."

Jeremiah 29:2 (New International Version)
(This was after King Jehoiachin [a] and the queen mother, the court officials and the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen and the artisans had gone into exile from Jerusalem.)

Answer 6

Most people who post questions like this are not really interested in the answers given. (Unless of course it is the answer they believe it to be.) They just want to quote scripture and force..yes jam there interpretation down the throats of others. They are usually rude dogmatic, close minded and generally unpleasant people with answers for everything. But maybe this is not you..?
Christianity is just that..to love, to heal, to follow a guideline.
Not to cause Internet arguments and denigrate others religion.
Mary is Jesus mother.
We prayer to Jesus for he is never busy.

Hail Mary, full of grace.
The Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou amongst women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.

catholic - holy rosary
Thank you.

Answer 7

As a Catholic I was just raised to believe that Mary is the mother of Jesus.
We speak directly to Jesus he is never too busy.
Other Christians like to attack and criticise Catholics and use those as excuses to do so.

Answer 8

i believe that mary was a virgin and saints are people who suffered and were martyrs. As a catholic i do not "adore" mary or saints i just ask for their intercession for Jesus.. But it is very clear to me that god and Jesus are the most important.

Answer 9

We can and do talk frequently directly to Jesus. Only occasionally do we ask people like family, friends, and the saints in heaven to pray for us.

+ Saints +

Before Jesus Christ died for our sins and opened the gates of heaven there were no saints in heaven. Therefore there are no Old Testament writings that would mention them.

Very few of the new Christians died before most of the New Testament was written. Therefore there is little in the Bible about asking saints to pray for us.

However the last book of the Bible does talk about the saints in heaven praying.

Revelation 5:8: Each of the elders held a harp and gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of the holy ones.

Revelation 8:3-4: He was given a great quantity of incense to offer, along with the prayers of all the holy ones, on the gold altar that was before the throne. The smoke of the incense along with the prayers of the holy ones went up before God from the hand of the angel.

The Holy Spirit guided the early Church in many things not explained in the Bible including how does the Body of Christ (believers) living on Earth relate to the Body of Christ (saints) living in heaven. We are still one Body.

Catholics share the belief in the Communion of Saints with many other Christians, including the Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, Episcopal, and Methodist Churches.

The Communion of Saints is the belief 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, Mother Teresa and Pope John Paul II.

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

Prayer to saints in heaven is simple communication, not worship.

And prayer to the saints is optional not required.

http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt1sect2chpt3art9p5.htm#946

+ The Blessed Virgin Mary +

"Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you" (Luke 1:28)

"Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb" (Luke 1:42).

In Luke 1:48, Mary prophesied: "From henceforth all generations shall call me blessed."

A question for Christians who take the Bible literally: Do you call Mary "blessed"? If no, why?

The Hail Mary prayer simply recites Bible passages (the Word of God) and asks Mary to pray for us:

Hail Mary Full of grace, the Lord is with you. (These are the words the angel Gabriel said to Mary, a Bible quote.)

Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. (This is Mary's cousin Elizabeth's greeting, another bible quote.)

Holy Mary, (The angel Gabriel said she was full of grace and Elizabeth said she was blessed.)

Mother of God, (the Bible says Mary is the mother of Jesus Christ, God the Son)

Pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. (A simple request to pray for us.)

Amen.

http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt4sect1chpt2art2.htm

+ Mother of God, Queen of Heaven, Angels +

Mary is the mother of Jesus Christ, who is God the Son, and therefore can be addressed as the Mother of God.

This is similar to a commoner who marries a king and becomes the mother of the next king. She is entitled to the title Queen and Mother of the King even though she is not royalty.

Nobody two hundred, five hundred or a thousand years ago would have been confused about these terms.

But this is hard for people to understand in these times where royalty and kings and queens are few and far between.

+ With love in Christ.

Answer 10

what are you talking about?

no catholics believe Jesus is too busy

and the virgin mary is the mother of jesus.