Catholic Question - Wondering I I Would Change?

Question

I am a Prodestent I think. I believe in GOD, Jesus and Mary as Jesus' mother. I have a conflict believing any woman could conceive a child without another man, but that is NOT my question.

I like some things I have seen of the Catholic faith. They are full of pageantry strict order of doing things and I have a few questions.

1) Do Catholics worship GOD?
2) What is the point of "Confession" when one can confess to GOD in prayer?
3) What is a "Hail Mary" and what does one do when confessing to a priest when he tells you that you have to do something, and what is that?
4) Am I allowed into a Catholic church as a non-Catholic?
5) Can I go into the Confessional booth as a non-Catholic and if so, be absolved of my sins as if I were Catholic?
6) What do you see as an advantage of being either Catholic or not and why?

Answer 1

Daver gave a great explanation.

I’m a new Catholic so I know how confusing it can be to learn something for the first time. My advice would be for you to take your time and do honest research. Check out websites from Catholic sources and study what the Church teaches and why. Please be careful that you don’t get your information from anti-Catholics touting misconceptions are Catholic doctrine; it will only cause more confusion and distrust. Here are some good places to start: www.catholic.com, www.scripturecatholic.com. There’s even an online bible - http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/ - and an online catholic encyclopedia -http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/index.html - plus a catechism - http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm.

Catholic.com and Scripturecatholic.com are probably the best places to start. The websites are simple, the information is easy to read and get to, plus very informative.

As far as your questions, yes, we worship God. The anti-catholics will say we worship Mary but that is totally incorrect.

Confession is for absolvement of sin, especially mortal sin. Priests have the authority to absolve sin because Jesus gave it to them (John 20: 19-23). I don’t understand all the details about it so I’ll stop right here.

The Hail Mary is a prayer to Mary, asking for her intercession. It is not a prayer of worship or anything of the sort.

The prayers a priest gives us in confession are for penance for our sins. The prayers serve bring us healing of heart by turning to God for forgiveness, thankfulness, and greater communion with Him.

Yes, anyone, Catholic or not, can go to the Church. The word “Catholic” means “universal”. It is the Church for everyone.

I think Daver has the right answer. You would probably need to tell the priest you’re not Catholic and see where it goes from there, but in any case, you should be fine.

I used to be protestant, and went through all the questions and searches trying to learn my faith. I read the bible, trying to understand it as best I could; I spent time with friends who I thought could help me; I visited numerous churches with my family. It was the sort of thing that always left me with more questions and more confusion and a lot of frustration. I knew I needed to be closer to God but I didn’t know how. It was the Church that finally showed me the truth. Advantages? I don’t think there’s a way to list them all. When you have the truth of Jesus, you have everything. When you have His Church, you have everything.

Answer 2

Hi, Elton. There are many good answers from many knowledgeable Catholics here, and so I will only answer #6.

Catholics belong to the one and only Church that Jesus started, in roughly 30 AD. This gives Catholics an apostolic connection--Catholic leaders were appointed by other Catholic leaders, going all the way back to Peter, who was appointed by Jesus. While there are many other worthwhile Christian organizations, some of which call themselves churches, the Catholic Church (and perhaps the Orthodox) is the modern-day embodiment of the original and only Church.

The original and only Church wrote and selected the scriptures in the New Testament Bible. Accordingly, the Church that did the writing and the selection of scriptures has the best memory for what they mean. Many Protestants don't understand ideas like Holy Communion (John 6) or being born again in baptism (John 3) because they don't have the authoritative interpretation from the people who studied with Jesus. They are just taking a guess from the ambiguous words preserved in scripture.

Finally, only the Catholic Church, by apostolic authority, can administer the sacraments Jesus designed for nourishing life in Christians. Those not ordained have no authority to utter the "telling prayers" to which God responds by changing bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ. Too, only those with the authority given through the apostles can absolve you of your sins.

Answer 3

that's a tall order. I'm only 5 foot 4
1) yes Catholics worship the one True God. We have to say a creed daily about it.
2) We go for absolution from the priest. (Matt 9:6-8)
3) The "Hail Mary" is the angelic salutation that Gabriel says when he greets her when she is about to become the mother to Jesus.
4) Yes, you may enter the Catholic church
5) I suppose that if you went in, you have to tell the priest who you are, but you cannot be absolved until the priest knows that you understand the rules
6) Advantage of being Catholic.

People will probably be really hard on you and you will have all kinds of tests. It is how to become humble. It can be difficult.

The true advantage is when you experience the Holy Spirit in certain people. It is an awesome gift to feel that Presence. Not that it isn't everywhere else, but...well. I don't know. It is very powerful. That's all I can say about it.

Answer 4

I was once a Protestant, now a Catholic. I can answer your questions, but an internet forum is not appropriate because it would require a real conversation. Asking God's help, I will try.

(1) Yes, Catholics worship God and only God as the divinity.

(2) Confession ought to be seen as an encounter with God's mercy. Thus, the point is not to list one's sins. There are good confessors and bad confessors, but even the worst ones I've had try to give some advice on how to strive harder for holiness.

I will split (3) into two parts.

(3a) A "Hail Mary" is a prayer based on two passages in the Gospel of Luke. The angel greets Mary with the phrase, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you." Afterwards, Mary visits Elizabeth, who exclaims, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb." This is the first part of the prayer; the remainder constitutes, "Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death."

(3b) The priest can counsel all sorts of things. I have been counseled to give money to charity, to give food to charity, to say the "Our Father" slowly, to fast from anger, to pray the Rosary & meditate on the descent of the Holy Spirit, to read a certain passage from the Scriptures, and a number of other things I can't remember. Some priests are quite good at coming up with things that open your eyes to God's love.

(4) Non-Catholics are welcome in Catholic Churches. My wife, son, and father are not Catholic, and they have attended with me from time to time.

(5) You cannot receive the sacrament of confession if you are not a Catholic, unless perhaps it is an emergency. Even then, I'm not sure.

(6) Since Catholicism possesses the fulness of Christian faith, one enjoys the possibility of the most intimate encounter with Christ, and one can find great wisdom on how to love God and know God's love. God's love is a fire that burns like the bush through which God first spoke to Moses.

Alas, many Catholics have no interest in this, just as many non-Catholics have no interest in really knowing God's love. Thus, rather than burning as a lamp on a hill, the way that saints are called to draw all souls to Christ, they smolder as a coal in a pit, and drive people away. However, once the beauty of holiness is found, it is impossible to let it go.

Answer 5

1) Of course, Catholics worship God.

2) Yes, we need to confess our sins to God, and ask His forgiveness, which is exactly what we do in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Christ gave the authority to forgive sins to the Apostles (and thus their successors). Catholics believe that the Authority of the Church to forgive sins is explicitly exercised through Confession. We also believe that Jesus is truly present in a Confession, and we are not confessing to a priest, but to Jesus Himself, and it is not the priest who is forgiving the sins, but again it is Jesus Himself. Catholic confession has the added benefit of receiving spritual counseling and healing from a trained minister of God, as well as being able to acknowledge sins before God which we may not have recongized on our own without the help of the priest.

3. The Hail Mary is based on Scripture: It is how the Archangel greeted Mary; Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist, filled with the Holy Spirit proclaimed Mary as the "mother of my Lord." The prayer concludes by asking Mary to pray for us, much as many Christians ask their friends to pray for them.

4) Of course you would be welcome to enter a Catholic Church. We do not have guards at the doors asking to see your Baptismal certificate.

5. You should probably understand what the Sacrament of Reconciliation is before receiving it. This would necessitate attending RCIA or CCD classes. Of course, you can always ask a Catholic priest to hear your confession. I would be curious to know what the priest would say or do.

6) The biggest advantage is to be able to receive the Body of Blood of our Lord, as He instructed us to do. It is also a blessing to be able to go to ANY Catholic Church in the world, and fully participate in the Mass, and feel at home.

Answer 6

1. YES, Catholics worship God (in three Persons: Father, Son, Holy Spirit).

2. The Bible tells us to confess our sins to somebody in James 5:16. Our priests are specially trained to hear confession. We go to confess our sin and receive Absolution (Christ died on the Cross to bring us Absolution). We also get advice on avoiding the sin in the future and a penance to help us develop our minds and hearts to be more like Christ. This is usually prayers, but sometimes also retribution (like telling somebody we're sorry, paying somebody back, reading a book on a spiritual topic, etc.) The process involves preparing in prayer ahead of time, going to confession, speaking your sins to the priest, saying an Act of Contrition (your formal apology to God), being absolved, receiving a penance and performing a penance.

3. Hail Mary is mostly from the Bible. It's a direct quote from two verses in Luke 1, plus a request for Mary's prayers for our souls. It goes like this: "Hail Mary, full of Grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the Fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen." Sometimes for a penance at confession, a priest will assign a number of prayers. I've had "two Our Fathers" or "one Our Father and three Hail Marys" and things like that -- mostly, it's to keep our eyes on the Lord and off ourselves.

4. Yes, you may go to a Catholic Church even though you are not Catholic. Please be respectful. You can just go pray or you can go observe a Mass or participate in Mass as much as you feel comfortable with, except you cannot receive the Holy Eucharist until you are Catholic because Catholics and Protestants have very different understandings of Communion.

5. Call the church ahead of time and ask if it's okay for you to confess as a protestant. Some priests are okay with it, others are too busy and barely have enough time for confessions with their own parishoners. But they'd probably prefer that you take RCIA classes (adult catechism) and decide if you want to be Catholic for sure, so you understand the sacrament fully.

6. Confession, the Eucharist and the other sacraments are the biggest advantages I have as Catholic now (4 years; protestant before that, atheist as a kid). The other thing is the Communion of Saints, where I'm not in this alone but have bunches of people to help me along by their examples and by their prayers.

Answer 7

1...yes....Catholics believe in the 10 Commandments

2...they believe the priest is like a "earthly link" between them and God.....so when confessing their sins it's really God they are talking to

3...it's a prayer honoring the Mother of Jesus to be said when asking forgiveness....if this is the penance the Priest gives them

4...yes, allowed & welcomed

5...yes....but because you've not been given instructions you won't understand the meaning behind it

6....There is no advantage....it's a religion like all the others....you practice the one that works for you.

***Catholicism has a lot of symbolism.....I would suggest you get a book from the library explaining the symbolism....it's a very interesting religion.

Answer 8

You can learn the legislation and doctrines of the church within the Bible. Anything greater than the ones used to be created by means of this or that devout institution, be they Roman Catholic, Jew, Gentile or different. If they made the principles or the doctrine .... why must they now not have the correct to difference them while wanted? In the NT Jesus confirmed what he inspiration of the doctrine of that day while he spoke approximately the Pharisees and the opposite enthusiast businesses. We nonetheless have the ones varieties at present. They simply have extraordinary names. Each church institution or sect makes it is possess rituals, laws and doctrines. Even the Roman Catholic Church. Kev

Answer 9

1) Yes, of course, Catholics worship God.

2) Jesus Christ Granted the Apostles His Authority to Forgive Sins
John 20:21 - before He grants them the authority to forgive sins, Jesus says to the apostles, "as the Father sent me, so I send you." As Christ was sent by the Father to forgive sins, so Christ sends the apostles and their successors forgive sins.

John 20:22 - the Lord "breathes" on the apostles, and then gives them the power to forgive and retain sins. The only other moment in Scripture where God breathes on man is in Gen. 2:7, when the Lord "breathes" divine life into man. When this happens, a significant transformation takes place.

John 20:23 - Jesus says, "If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven. If you retain the sins of any, they are retained." In order for the apostles to exercise this gift of forgiving sins, the penitents must orally confess their sins to them because the apostles are not mind readers. The text makes this very clear.

Matt. 9:8 - this verse shows that God has given the authority to forgive sins to "men." Hence, those Protestants who acknowledge that the apostles had the authority to forgive sins (which this verse demonstrates) must prove that this gift ended with the apostles. Otherwise, the apostles' successors still possess this gift. Where in Scripture is the gift of authority to forgive sins taken away from the apostles or their successors?

Matt. 9:6; Mark 2:10 - Christ forgave sins as a man (not God) to convince us that the "Son of man" has authority to forgive sins on earth.

Luke 5:24 - Luke also points out that Jesus' authority to forgive sins is as a man, not God. The Gospel writers record this to convince us that God has given this authority to men. This authority has been transferred from Christ to the apostles and their successors.

Matt. 18:18 - the apostles are given authority to bind and loose. The authority to bind and loose includes administering and removing the temporal penalties due to sin. The Jews understood this since the birth of the Church.

John 20:22-23; Matt. 18:18 - the power to remit/retain sin is also the power to remit/retain punishment due to sin. If Christ's ministers can forgive the eternal penalty of sin, they can certainly remit the temporal penalty of sin (which is called an "indulgence").

2 Cor. 2:10 - Paul forgives in the presence of Christ (some translations refer to the presences of Christ as "in persona Christi"). Some say that this may also be a reference to sins.

2 Cor. 5:18 - the ministry of reconciliation was given to the ambassadors of the Church. This ministry of reconciliation refers to the sacrament of reconciliation, also called the sacrament of confession or penance.

James 5:15-16 - in verse 15 we see that sins are forgiven by the priests in the sacrament of the sick. This is another example of man's authority to forgive sins on earth. Then in verse 16, James says “Therefore, confess our sins to one another,” in reference to the men referred to in verse 15, the priests of the Church.

1 Tim. 2:5 - Christ is the only mediator, but He was free to decide how His mediation would be applied to us. The Lord chose to use priests of God to carry out His work of forgiveness.

Lev. 5:4-6; 19:21-22 - even under the Old Covenant, God used priests to forgive and atone for the sins of others.

The Necessity and Practice of Orally Confessing Sins
James 5:16 - James clearly teaches us that we must “confess our sins to one another,” not just privately to God. James 5:16 must be read in the context of James 5:14-15, which is referring to the healing power (both physical and spiritual) of the priests of the Church. Hence, when James says “therefore” in verse 16, he must be referring to the men he was writing about in verses 14 and 15 – these men are the ordained priests of the Church, to whom we must confess our sins.

Acts 19:18 - many came to orally confess sins and divulge their sinful practices. Oral confession was the practice of the early Church just as it is today.

Matt. 3:6; Mark 1:5 - again, this shows people confessing their sins before others as an historical practice (here to John the Baptist).

1 Tim. 6:12 - this verse also refers to the historical practice of confessing both faith and sins in the presence of many witnesses.

1 John 1:9 - if we confess are sins, God is faithful to us and forgives us and cleanse us. But we must confess our sins to one another.

Num. 5:7 - this shows the historical practice of publicly confessing sins, and making public restitution.

2 Sam. 12:14 - even though the sin is forgiven, there is punishment due for the forgiven sin. David is forgiven but his child was still taken (the consequence of his sin).

Neh. 9:2-3 - the Israelites stood before the assembly and confessed sins publicly and interceded for each other.

Sir. 4:26 - God tells us not to be ashamed to confess our sins, and not to try to stop the current of a river. Anyone who has experienced the sacrament of reconciliation understands the import of this verse.

Baruch 1:14 - again, this shows that the people made confession in the house of the Lord, before the assembly.

1 John 5:16-17; Luke 12:47-48 - there is a distinction between mortal and venial sins. This has been the teaching of the Catholic Church for 2,000 years, but, today, most Protestants no longer agree that there is such a distinction. Mortal sins lead to death and must be absolved in the sacrament of reconciliation. Venial sins do not have to be confessed to a priest, but the pious Catholic practice is to do so in order to advance in our journey to holiness.

Matt. 5:19 - Jesus teaches that breaking the least of commandments is venial sin (the person is still saved but is least in the kingdom), versus mortal sin (the person is not saved).

3) The Hail Mary: The first part of the Hail Mary is taken directly from the Gospel of Luke; the words of the angel Gabriel with which he greets Mary at the Annunciation. The second part of the Hail Mary is a petition, asking Mary to pray for the salvation of all sinners.

When one receives the Sacrament of Confession, the priest will assign a "penance". It could be a set of prayers, or a set of instructions to do something Christ-like for someone.

4) You can attend a Catholic Mass even as a non-Catholic - but you cannot receive Communion at Catholic Mass unless you are a Catholic.

5) Perhaps the priest would be willing to listen to the confession of a non-Catholic. However, the priest cannot absolve the sins of a non-Catholic.

6) Catholicism promotes the Fullness of the Truth.

Answer 10

1) Do Catholics worship GOD?

Yes. We only worship God. We proclaim this at every Mass in the Nicene Creed (from the year 325):

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, one in being with the Father. Through Him all things were made. For us and our salvation He came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit, He was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake He was crucified under Pontius Pilate; He suffered, died, and was buried. On the third day He rose again in fulfillment of the scriptures: He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son, He is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

2) What is the point of "Confession" when one can confess to GOD in prayer?

The Catholic Church believes that "Only God forgives sin."

When a penitent person asks God for forgiveness, his (or her) sins are immediately forgiven.

Catholics also believe that when someone sins they not only hurt their relationship with God, they also injure the entire church, the body of Christ.

Jesus said, "I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." (Matthew 16:19)

And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,"Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained." (Luke 20:22-23)

Oral confessing of sins is recommended over and over in both the Old and New Testaments:
+ James 5:16
+ Acts 19:18
+ Matthew 3:5-6
+ Mark 1:5
+ 1 Timothy 6:12
+ 1 John 1:9
+ Numbers 5:6-7
+ Nehemiah 9:2
+ Sirach 4:26

The Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation with a priest ordained in the name of Jesus Christ not only reconciles the sinner to God but with the entire church, including you and me.

Remember all sacraments are encounters with God. This sacrament is a healing encounter between God and the penitent.

http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt2sect2chpt2.htm

3a) What is a "Hail Mary"?

+ 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, 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.

Prayer to saints is communication, not worship.

+ 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).

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.

3b) What does one do when confessing to a priest when he tells you that you have to do something, and what is that?

The Priest gives the believer a penance. Forgiveness does not depend on penance.

When you ask God for forgiveness, with or without a priest, your sins are forgiven.

However, raised up from sin, the sinner must still recover his (or her) own full spiritual health. One way to help restore your spiritual health is to do penance.

Penance can consist of prayer, an offering, works of mercy, service of neighbor, voluntary self-denial, sacrifices, and above all the patient acceptance of the cross we must bear.

4) Am I allowed into a Catholic church as a non-Catholic?

Yes, come anytime and welcome.

5) Can I go into the Confessional booth as a non-Catholic and if so, be absolved of my sins as if I were Catholic?

Unfortunately non-Catholics may not receive legitimately receive any Catholic Sacraments except under extreme circumstances like danger of death.

Prior to receiving Confirmation and Eucharist in the process of coming into full communion with the Catholic Church, baptized persons do receive the sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession).

Non-baptized persons joining the Catholic Church usually receive Reconciliation for the first time one or two months after Baptism.

However a non-Catholic may talk to a priest about any issue in their life without receiving absolution.

6) What do you see as an advantage of being either Catholic or not and why?

I, of course, think that Catholicism is the best and fullest way of being a Christian.

7) More questions?

If you are interested in joining or just learning more about the Catholic Church, contact your local parish and ask about information about their RCIA Inquiry group.

You can go and ask any questions you want.

This is the first step in RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) but you can stop at any time.

There is no obligation to become a Catholic.

With love and prayers in Christ.