Not judging THEM, but their TEACHINGS. There's a "patron saint" for just about everything. Even for the internet! My mother used to own an encyclopedia on saints. Did you know that Saint Nicholas, yep, THAT one, is the patron saint for sailors?
Could leave them alone with that, but then their leader says that only their denomination has the "exclusive" on salvation and that every other denomination does not.
http://wcbstv.com/national/Pope.Roman.Catholic.2.286211.html
Just because people do not follow the leader of the roman catholic church, you do not have salvation and no hope.
THEN, their followers actually believe such blasphemy, come in here, and indirectly tell us that we're not bound for Heaven just for the simple fact that we do not concider their pope as ours.
I am so happy, brother, that you have an interest in becoming an Apostolic Christian! Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your kind words regarding the Catholic Christian faith. You already seem so knowlegeable! Must have done a lot of reading from impartial sources. Yes? Let me give you just a little bit more information so you can get started on your conversion.
In Catholic theology, the term 'Saint' is reserved for those individuals who have led a holy and exemplary life and have now entered Heaven. The process of becoming a Saint is termed
canonization and the first known canonization was of Ulric of Augsburg in 973. Within the Catholic Church there exists a special department (The Congregation for the Causes of Saints), which oversees the whole process. They would thoroughly investigate the life of the individual, checking for orthodox belief and any miracles claimed as a result of their intercession. The appearance of miracles is taken that the person is now in heaven and can intercede for us as part of the 'Communion of Saints' (see below).
Once the Congregation has completed their work, the Pope may issue a decree declaring the person to be 'Blessed', that is, beatified. Once beatified, another miracle is then required to allow the Pope to declare the individual a saint. A feast day may then be allocated and veneration of the saint encouraged. Examples include:
- 28 August -St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430)
- 4 October - St. Francis of Assissi (1182-1226)
Veneration of the saints is the way in which the Catholic church honours and respects those who it regards as deserving of such action. Catholic theology draws a clear distinction between veneration and worship. Three Greek terms illustrate this point:
- Latria ('Worship') - The adoration that is due to God alone.
- Dulia ('Servitude') - The respect given to the saints. Honouring the saints is seen is honouring God, because of his presence and holiness in their lives.
- Hyperdulia ('Higher Servitude') - The special veneration given to the Virgin Mary, on account of her role as Mother of Christ. Mary is also called the 'Mother of God' in the sense that the Son she bore was truly God and part of the Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Note: The term
'Our Lady' is widely used within the Church for Mary, paralleled by
'Our Lord' for Christ. For example: 'Our Lady of Lourdes'.
Paragraph 50 of the Dogmatic constitution on the church, proclaimed by Pope Paul VI in 1964 at the Vatican II council, explains the Catholic thinking behind veneration:
"...The Church has always believed that the apostles and Christ's martyrs who had given the supreme witness of faith and charity by the shedding of their blood, are closely joined with us in Christ, and she has always venerated them with special devotion, together with the Blessed Virgin Mary and the holy angels. The Church has piously implored the aid of their intercession. To these were soon added also those who had more closely imitated Christ's virginity and poverty, and finally others whom the outstanding practice of the Christian virtues and the divine charisms recommended to the pious devotion and imitation of the faithful."
The 'Communion of Saints'
This term refers to the union of believers on Earth, in Heaven and also (in Catholic theology) those in Purgatory. All form part of the body of Christ.
Each group is identified by the following terms:
- Church Triumphant - The Saints in Heaven
- Church Militant - Those on earth
- Church Suffering (sometimes called Church Expectant) - Those in purgatory
Catholic belief indicates that those saints now in Heaven are able to intercede, not only for those on Earth, but also those in Purgatory. Their intercession is considered to be effective on account of their closeness to God. Also, those on Earth can intercede for those in Purgatory. This can all be summarised in the form of a diagram:
The Communion of Saints.
"We believe in the communion of all the faithful of Christ, those who are pilgrims on earth, the dead who are being purified, and the blessed in heaven, all together forming one Church; and we believe that in this communion, the merciful love of God and his saints is always attentive to our prayers."
Allied to the idea of saintly intercession is the concept of a
Patron saint, i.e. a special kind of intercessor for a country, special situation or job. Examples include:
- St. Antony of Padua (c.1191-1231) - for lost articles.
- St. Francis of Assisi (1182-1226) - for Animals.
- St. Patrick (c.390-461) - for Ireland.
St. Isidore of Seville has been proposed as the patron saint of the Internet.
Mary, The Blessed Virgin
We noted above that Mary commands a special role in Catholic theology. From her position as the
Theotokos (Greek: 'God-Bearer'), she is seen as having special intercessory gifts and influence with her son. Marian devotion has increased in recent times, taking such forms as the Rosary and pilgrimages to Marian shrines (see articles below).
Apart from the belief that Mary retained her virginity throughout her whole life, the Catholic church has proclaimed two Marian dogmas:
- The Immaculate Conception - In a papal encyclical Ineffabilis Deus (The Ineffable God) issued in 1854, Pope Pius IX proclaimed that:
"The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Saviour of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin."
The word 'Immaculate' derives from the Latin Macula, i.e. a mark or stain. To support this dogma, attention is drawn to Luke 1:28, in which the Angel Gabriel greets Mary with the words "Hail Mary, Full of Grace." (Latin: Ave Maria, Gratia Plena.)
- The Assumption - First proclaimed in 1950 by Pope Pius XII in the encyclical Munificentissimus Deus (The generosity of God). This states that:
"...the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul to heavenly glory."
A distinction is drawn between the
Ascension i.e. Christ rising to Heaven by his own divine power and
Assumption, which happens through divine intervention. For example, the Old Testament includes the assumptions of Elijah (2 Kings 2:11) and Enoch (Genesis 5:24). The question of whether Mary actually died remains an open one within the church.
The Rosary
Outside of the Mass, this is perhaps the commonest set of Catholic devotional prayers. The word 'Rosary' derives from the Latin
Rosarium , that is a Rose. This links to Mary, as she is sometimes known as the 'Mystical Rose'. The Rosary is seen as a meditation on the life of Christ, using portions of scripture for meditation.
To begin the Rosary, it is common to use the
Apostles Creed:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord: Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary; suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.
The Lord's prayer is also used in the Rosary, and the main prayer is called the
'Hail Mary':
Hail Mary, full of Grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among 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.
The Hail Mary is repeated 10 times, forming a
'Decade' and there are 15 Decades in total. These 15 are then subdivided into
'Mysteries':
- Joyful - The Annunciation and birth of Jesus.
- Sorrowful - Jesus' suffering and death.
- Glorious - Including Jesus' Resurrection and Ascension and Mary's Assumption.
Once again, I am so excited you decided to become a Christian!. Wish you all the success in your walk with God.
Amen.
