Some questions on Catholicism?

Question

Why are churches named after saints?
How do you pray with saints, and do Catholics have a certain saint they pray to? How do they choose their devoted saint?
What items do Catholics pray/worship with? I know they have a rosary, and Bible, but is there other things they use?
What is the Eucharist and Mysteries?
Why do Catholics put a lot of emphasis on Mary? why not most emphasis on God?
Why do people make the sign of the cross on their forehead and across their chest, what does this mean/stand for?

I have learned the basic things from research on the Internet, but I'm having trouble finding or understanding some of the other things about Catholicism.

These questions are for Catholics or others who have a knowledge of Catholicism, I am in search for answers, not opinions.

God Bless.

Answer 1

*Is Catholic*

It is a means of honoring the saint and taking them as your patron.

You pray with the saints chiefly by participating in the liturgical life of the Church. When one goes to Mass, they are praying with all the angels and all the saints.

All Catholics, in one form or another, pray to Mary for she is the greatest amongst the saints and the model of how we are to become closer to Christ.

The choice of a devotion to a particular saint is rather normal. It completly depends on their likes and dislikes and what they are attracted by. For example, I have a devotion to Joseph for I want to be able to protect and care for the Church as Joseph cared for Mary.

We use all sorts of items. Some items are used in the sacraments, some items are used as sacramentals. The list is very long as almost anything can be sanctified.

The Eucharist is the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar. It is Christ Himself. When the Priest consecrates the bread and wine, the Holy Spirit transubstantiates them into the Body and Blood of Christ (no bread or wine remains at all). Those that eat of the Eucharist are physicaly eating Christ. St. Paul says this and so does Jesus himself in John 6.

The Mysteries are chiefly another term for the sacraments. They are Mysteries because the human intellect is incapable of fully understanding them as they are designed and come from God and are intended to bring us into the supernatural life through the Mystical Body of Christ.

Mary is the most perfect human person. She is the mold of Christ. If one wishes to be conformed to Christ they should pay attention to who Mary is as a person. Additionaly she is the Mother of God (because she is the Mother of Christ) and thus we honor her because the Father so honored her as to make her the mother of the Son. So by honoring Mary we honor the workings of the Father.

The sign of the cross is to remind us of our baptismal promises. A priest will use this sign as a means of blessing and santifying.

If you want more, I will answer as long as you have questions. If you want resources, I have them, of all quality and reading level.

Answer 2

Many question. here are some answers

"Why are churches named after saints?"

To pay honor to a person who is a role model for being a follower of Christ.

"How do you pray with saints?"

You simply ask him or her to pray for you.

"Do Catholics have a certain saint they pray to?"

Some do, some do not. It is different for every person.

"How do they choose their devoted saint?"

Read about the different saints and you will find one that impresses you. I am impressed by the courage of Maximillian Kolbe, so when I need courage, I ask him to pray for me that i may be as courageous as him.

"What items do Catholics pray/worship with?"

Candles are popular because they remind us that Jesus is the light of the world and we are to spread his light among the nations. Also, the light of a candle will dispel darkness.

Water is also popular because it reminds us of our Baptism and it is a symbol of purification and life.

"What is the Eucharist ?"

The Eucharist is the sacrament that is celebrated at Mass. it is the Body and Blood of Christ that we receive.

"What is the Mysteries?"

The mysteries are the events in the life of Jesus and Mary that are reflected on when a person prays the rosary

"Why do Catholics put a lot of emphasis on Mary?"

Catholics hold Mary in high regard and we love her dearly because she brought jesus Christ into the world. We also consider her our mother.

"why not most emphasis on God?"

The primary emphasis of Catholicism is on God. The Nicene creed is all about God the father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Every catholic prayer is begun by making the sign of the cross and saying, "in the name of teh Father, Son, and Holy Spirit"

"Why do people make the sign of the cross on their forehead and across their chest, what does this mean/stand for?"

It is a gesture callled the sign of the cross, which reaffirms our belief in the trinitarian God. It is a gesture of blessing ones self.

I hope I have answered all of your questions. feel free to contact me if you have other questions.

Answer 3

in honor of them
they pray to certain saints because there is a patron saint for almost everything
it's who they most admire when i was catholic i would pray with some ashes of martyred kids
the actual flesh of Christ
(don't know)
because she was the mother of God and according to them, she was perfect (without sin)
it is as the title says, the sign of the cross to remind you of how Jesus died

toodles

Answer 4

I recommend you read the 'Vicars of Christ' by Peter da Rosa. It is one of the most informative books I have ever read on the Catholic Church. I'm sure you will find all the answers to your questions on Catholicism in this book.

Answer 5

Try this web site

Answer 6

The further one gets away from the truth, the more distractions one needs to keep from thinking about it.

Answer 7

1Ti 2:5 For [there is] one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;


1Ti 2:6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.


Mat 23:9 And call no [man] your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.

Answer 8

Why not ask one question at a time. The answers to some of these questions are very involved and cannot be answered in just a few words.

Eucharist

The Eucharist as the Scriptures teach make the past present where we as the Church are present at the once for all sacrifice of our Lord. Christ is present in that the elements are fully Christ in a present reality offered to believers as a present gift shared by the whole Church Militant, Suffering and Triumphant.
The Eucharist is the greatest of all the Sacraments as “the perfection of the spiritual life and the end to which all the sacraments tend”. In the Eucharist the body and blood including the soul and divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ, the whole Christ, is truly, really and substantially contained in the fullest sense.

Saints

We are instructed in Scripture to have a prayer life for others as it is part of God’s commandment to love one another. Catholics believe as the biblical teaching of Communion of Saints.

(2Co 5:8 DRB) But we are confident and have a good will to be absent rather from the body and to be present with the Lord.

The Catholic Church does not teach that it is absolutely necessary for one to ask for the intercession of saints for salvation. The Church does teach that prayer to God is necessary for salvation for all believers. For a Catholic it would be wrong to ignore the liturgical worship offered to God at feast days for the saints and the prayers asking for their intercession.

The Communion of Saints is a dogma of the ancient Church and is recorded in the apostles Creed. It simply states that the faithful because of their relationship with Christ are alive even after the death of their flesh and worship with us. To us the Church is made up of the Church militant who represents all those believers living out their hope in the flesh.

(Phi 2:12 DRB) Wherefore, my dearly beloved, (as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only but much more now in my absence) with fear and trembling work out your salvation.

(Phi 2:13 DRB) For it is God who worketh in you, both to will and to accomplish, according to his good will.

It consists of the Church Suffering who are those who are temporarily in need of further purgation from sin so that they may enjoy the presence of God.

(2Ma 12:46 DRB) It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins.

Lastly, the Communion of the Saints consists of those who have won the race:

(Phi 3:14 DRB) I press towards the mark, to the prize of the supernal vocation of God in Christ Jesus.

Their immortal souls are in heaven in God’s presence:

(Rev 5:8 DRB) And when he had opened the book, the four living creatures and the four and twenty ancients fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.

The universal stream connecting all of God’s creation is His love, which we take on in our baptism into our journey towards sanctification. This is not an emotional but a desire placed in us by the Spirit of God that endures as a desire for those other than ourselves and this love extends even to our enemies. This is truly a love that comes only from God and is a foreign concept and nonsense to those who have not received God’s salvific grace. This desire within our souls does not end with the death of our flesh but continues into eternity where the saints through their intercession in prayer encourage us in our race and assist us to endure unto our union with God.

I think that some people of faith, who do not understand the Communion of Saints, somehow believe that asking saints to pray for us is detracting from our love or our trust in God. In truth it is impossible, if we truly love as God commands and has given us the grace to understand, not to pray to those whom we love and in turn we expect them to return that same love to us by praying for us and presenting our prayers to God.

St. Mary

Catholics recognize St. Mary as always pointing to her Son, Jesus for all things and we revere her for her devotion to Jesus as a devotion that we should all strive to emulate. St. Mary’s life was one of submission to God unrivaled in all of Scripture with her submission to the Word of God. In saying yes to God she made his incarnation and the salvation of mankind possible. She is revered because she is mankind’s example of humility, submission and dependence on Him. When Catholics venerate her it is because of her example that we should strive to worship her Son as her example with unwavering devotion. As Catholics we direct our worship according to her example, to her Son and not at all to her as our critics contend. “Blessed art thou among women”.



In Christ
Fr. Joseph