Catholics, just curious..?

Question

i saw on tv sometimes that catholics pray to Mary's and also angel's statues.Are they necessary?or there are a lot of things I dont know about Catholics?also I heard in some Catholic Churches only the Pastor reads the bible, is that true?

one more thing, 'about the saints praying for us' thing, is it written in the bible to do so?or not?thanks

Answer 1

"Reformers" decided to ignore the canon determined by the Christian Councils .


Luther removed those books from the canon.

Prayers for the dead (Tobit 12:12; 2 Maccabees 12:39-45)

Intercession of dead saints (2 Maccabees 15:14)

Intercession of angels as intermediaries (Tobit 12:12-15)


James 5:16 tells us that "the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much" -- and who is more righteous than Mary, the woman chosen by God to bring forth His very Son?

They object and say, 'Our Lord is enough for me. I have no need of her.'
But He needed her, whether we do or not. God, Who made the sun, also made the moon. The moon does not take away from the brilliance of the sun. All its light is reflected from the sun. The Blessed Mother reflects her Divine Son; without Him, she is nothing. With Him, she is the Mother of Men."


She is more that some really cool, spiritual woman who acted as a surrogate mother for the Holy Spirit; she gave to Jesus His humanity in the same way that all mothers give to their children their humanity. He took from her His very Flesh and Blood! It was through her that our Lord "was made of the seed of David according to the flesh" (Romans 1:3)

God allowed Mary to act as the New Eve, playing a role in man's redemption as the First Eve played a role in Man's fall. He "needed" Mary in order for there to be a New Eve and in order to fulfill the words of the Prophets.

It was through Mary's obedience to God and by the blood of her Son that she was redeemed.

There is no one in all of History whose relationship with God is as complex, fulfilled, and achingly beautiful as Mary's. She is not only the greatest of Saints, she is our Mother, as Jesus is our Brother and Savior. In honoring her, we honor Him -- and imitate Him, as we are admonished to both honor our parents and imitate Christ, Who loved His Mother. Our relationship with Mary is that of a child to a blessed Mother who was given to us as Jesus gave her to John at the Cross.

Catholics take great care in pointing out that "worship" in the sense of latria 3 is GOD'S alone -- even to the point of having separate terms for the honor and adoration due to God as opposed to the honor and veneration of the Saints -- including His greatest Saint, Mary.


Love, is infinite! We can love and adore Jesus, love and venerate Mary, love the other Saints, and love each other without depriving anyone (or Anyone) of anything. How many children can you have without running out of love? How many friends? What we "spend" in love is replaced many times over; love for Christ can only bring the fruits of more love to give.

To love Mary takes nothing at all from Christ, but honors our Blessed Lord by Whose grace she is who she is: His greatest creation, the greatest of Saints, the Queen of Heaven, the Immaculate Conception, the spotless Virgin, the Ark of the Covenant, the New Eve, the mother of God, and the mother of Israel .


Her soul magnifies the Lord (Luke 1:46-55)!



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Answer 2

About Saints
http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt1sect2chpt3art9p5.htm#946
Catholics see Saints as brothers in faith and Virgin Mary as a mother in faith, so not as idols but as in the heaven as one with God, is simple communication called devotion not worship.

The Catholic faith have Bible before Gutemberg's press, in that era making a book is more expensive that buying a castle, so images and paints are made in order to teach people our faith.

About Bible
http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt1sect1chpt2.htm#131
Well honestly for a time before Vatican Council II, the reading of the Bible are prohibited except for priests and similar people. Today everybody can read freely the Catholic Bible although is recomended to know the true historical context of the text.

Catholics do not read literally the Bible, they must take in account the historical context, that means understanding the meaning of the expressions in the era they are wrote or said.

Answer 3

We don't pray "to" Mary, but we do ask her to pray for us. Just like I can ask you to pray for me. And as for the statues and stuff, no one seriously believes Mary's hanging out inside the plaster -- it's just a focal point to help us keep our minds from wandering. It's like having pictures of your kids at home. You look at your kid's picture, and it makes you smile.

Of course we read the bible. And the bible is read to us in church -- first reading usually from the old testament, then a psalm, then a second reading from the new testament letters, and finally a reading from the gospel. Traditionally, the priest reads the gospel at church, and he's the one who's going to deliver a sermon on it. After all, he has a college degree in theology or something. But that doesn't mean no one else can read the bible. The church encourages us to read it.

Answer 4

I am not Catholic but I can answer some of your questions. All Catholics now are encouraged to read their Bibles and to study scripture. They do pray to Mary.... or may pray to Mary and other saints.

Answer 5

+ Saints +

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.

For more information, see the Catechism of the Catholic Church, section 946 and following: http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt1sect2chpt3art9p5.htm#946

+ The Bible +

All Catholics are encouraged to read the Bible.

The Catholic Church teaches: The Church forcefully and specifically exhorts all the Christian faithful to learn ‘the surpassing knowledge of Jesus Christ,' by frequent reading of the divine Scriptures. ‘Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ.'

Although some Catholics that do not read the Bible on a regular basis, we all listen to the Word being proclaimed and explained in every Mass.

In every Sunday Mass there are at least four Bible readings
+ First Reading - usually from the Old Testament
. + This is read by a lay person
+ A Psalm is prayed by all
. + This is led by a lay person
+ Second Reading - usually from a New Testament Epistle
. + This is read by a lay person
+ Gospel Reading
. + This is read by a Priest or Deacon
+ Then the priest bring them all together and helps us apply them to our lives in the homily

For more information, see the Catechism of the Catholic Church, sections 131-133: http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt1sect1chpt2.htm#131

+ With love in Christ.

Answer 6

Not true at all. One of my bibles is so worn that the cover is falling off. There are a lot of misconceptions about the Catholic church. Catholics do not pray to statues. The statues that you see in a Catholic church are not to be worshipped--they are there to honor and remember that person. Just like statues of Abraham Lincoln. When we see it, it helps us remember him.

Answer 7

bible was written b-4 saints came along. we pray to Mary, and the saints. we ask for their intersecion to God, since they are closer to Him. the preist reads the bible. they are the readings. now we have a stupid new mass where regular people, even women, read the bible, but b4 1970, it was just the preist, and all in latin.