Topic: Multiple questions about scripture and faith.

Source of this posting: moderator response

Date originally posted: September 20, 2003

Moderator who originally posted this source:  Kathy Martyn

Question:  I am struggling with a lot of people challenging my faith now that i have entered college. please give me insight and scrpitural evidence!!! (i am lacking in this area) for the following questions. 1.)Scriptural evidence on our relationships with Mary and Saints. (Also the answer to this i get it all the time, If i am going to pray to them (Mary and Saints) why dont i just pray to my dead uncle Larry? i get that all the time!2.)Scriptural evidence for why we go to confession and absolve our sins. many ask me why we cant just ask Jesus to forgive our sins. 3.)How are Catholics (Saved) in the Baptist sense? i feel for me it has been a long process not just one oh i am saved now thing. how do i respond to the question are you (Saved). please give scriptural references for why believe what we do. i need info!!4.)I also get the (What do you have to do to get to heaven, how do you know if you are going?)question alot. I know it is not up to us to set these guidlines but i really need a better understanding of what Catholics believe. Scripural evidence.5.)how do i respond ot the question are you Christian (being Catholic)? i have an answer but i just want to know what you would say to that! Scripture evidence too, thanks6.)Eucharist is the most beautiful thing about being Catholic to me. please give scripural evidence for it and reasons why we do it. Also some people say well Jesus is present in everything in my life so why do i need to eat him?7.)why are you catholic? scriptural evidence too. thank you guys so much for having this wonderful website! i am activly trying to grow in my faith because i really do feel challenged! GodBless you all! Sorry this was so lengthy! answer as much as you can!

Answer:

Well, you asked many good questions that so many Catholic college students encounter! For some of the answers I will copy information that we have on file in our FAQ library. I would encourage you to visit previously asked questions on a number of other topics as well.

1)From Fr. Phillip Leach - "To be a Christian means, among other things, accepting Jesus into your life. Mary literally accepted Jesus into her life for when she said "Yes!" to the archangel's invitation and the Holy Spirit overshadowed her, Jesus made His home in her womb. So, for Catholics Mary is the First Christian, the first human being to accept Jesus Christ into her life.

As the First Christian, she is, so the speak, the Prototype of what being a Christian means. In that role, we Catholics feel that Mary has something like a "first among equals" role as exemplar for us.

So, we Catholics feel very comfortable going to her in prayer for guidance and help since she walked this road of living the Christian life before anybody else. When we pray to her, we are, in a sense, asking for her wisdom and insight about how to live our Christian lives more perfectly; since she's already done it, we look to her for example, direction and guidance.

Another way that we Catholics think of our practice of praying to Mary is the following. We are perfectly comfortable as Christians asking other Christians for prayer support when we are confronted by special needs, crises, or stressful circumstances. Calling up a Christian friend and saying, "Please pray for me, I'm going through a really tough time" makes complete sense to us.

Christians also believe that death is not the end of life. Death is a 'door' through which we pass, as we move from one room in our Father's Mansion, the room of this life, to another room in the Lord's House, which is the room of eternal life. The dead in Christ are surely alive!

Mary, as the First Christian, is, then, alive in Christ -- sharing the glory of heaven with her Son and all those to whom God has given eternal life.

So, when we Catholics pray to Mary, we are simply saying that since she is alive in Christ in the glory of heaven, we can go to her, asking for her prayerful support -- in much the same way that we would ask a Christian in our Church community to support us with his or her prayers.

The fact that Mary is alive in life-beyond-death in no way minimizes her ability to pray. In fact, we Catholics would say that since Mary is with her Son, her prayers have a special kind of efficacy and power.

Another way that Catholics talk about praying to Mary builds on the idea of a special bond between a parent and a child, and particularly on the bond between a Mother and her Son. In many human relationships, a mother has a special role in the life of her children. Mary, being such a magnificent mother, and Jesus, being the Perfect Son, surely had a marvelous and ultimately close relationship. When we Catholics pray to Mary, we are simply assuming that the closeness between this Mother and her divine Son continues in life-beyond-death, and we are asking this special and wonderful Mother to speak to her beloved and divine Son on our behalf.

A last word about the way Catholics see our prayer to Mary: When we pray to Mary, we Catholics are, essentially, saying, "Blessed Mary, you are living in the very Presence of God, would you please take my request, my prayer, and put it before God Who chose you to be the Mother of His Son?" We are acknowledging that, as the Bible says, all generations call her "blessed" precisely because God offered her a unique role as the Mother of Jesus and because she accepted God's invitation. That intimacy which Mary had with God continues in the glory of heaven. When we Catholics pray to her, we are simply saying, "Please ask God to hear our prayers now...and at the hour of our death!"

Does a Catholic HAVE to pray to Mary? No, we don't HAVE to pray to Mary. But, praying to Mary is one of the greatest gifts the Catholic Church has to offer us -- so why in the world wouldn't we accept this magnificent gift?!? While we don't have to pray to Mary, most Catholics WANT to pray to her because she is special to God, special to God's Son, and she, therefore, very special to us! We never 'worship' Mary -- "worship" is what we give to God alone. But we do have a very deep love and a very high regard for this blessed woman!

2)Why do we as Catholics confess our sins to a priest? Again, from Fr. Leach in the FAQ library - "(By the way, for our purposes here, we are going to use the words, “Confession,” “Penance,” and “Reconciliation” pretty much interchangeably though, technically, they each have specific and different-though-related meanings.)

We believe that God ‘desperately’ wants us to experience the gift of divine forgiveness. God wanted to give us that gift so ‘desperately’ that Jesus, the Second Person of the Most Blessed Trinity, gave up the glory of heaven (see Philippians 2:6—11) to bring us that gift of God’s forgiveness. In other words, God was willing to go to the ultimate length in order that humankind might receive this gift of divine forgiveness and reconciliation.

So, as Catholic Christians one of our most fundamental beliefs about God is that God wants us to be forgiven and reconciled to God, to ourselves, and to other human beings, especially to the community of believers.

Another of our beliefs which is deeply imbedded in our faith is that in order to accomplish this reconciliation between God and the human race, God chose to become “one like us in all things but sin.” (see Hebrews 4:15)

Jesus Christ is, on the one hand, the incarnation, that is, the ‘en-flesh-ment’ of the Second Person of the Trinity, that is to say: Jesus Christ IS God. (see Hebrews 1:3a)

And yet, on the other hand, we believe that Jesus Christ has a completely human nature. He has a “full share” in our blood and flesh. (see Hebrews 2:14a) The Scripture tells us that Jesus Christ “had to become like his brothers in every way” (Hebrews 2:17a) though without sin.

While this belief, which is called the doctrine of the Incarnation, is profound and requires a lot of prayerful study, for our purposes, we can make the following simple assertion based on it: God willingly chose to use a man, Jesus Christ, to bring reconciliation and forgiveness to the world.

Now, to be sure, the man Jesus Christ is unique in all of history; no other man, no other human being can be put on a par with Him.

That being said, we can still say that God is perfectly willing to use a man, a human being to bring the gifts of divine forgiveness and reconciliation. God did this supremely in and through Jesus Christ. So, when Catholics say that God continues to offer forgiveness through the life and work of a particular man who has been ordained to the priesthood, we are not asserting something that is fundamentally ‘contrary’ to the way we have seen God work in the past. While the ultimate example of God using a man to bring reconciliation to the world is, of course, Jesus Christ, the Scriptures are filled with examples of God using individual human beings to be the agents of God’s reconciling power in the world.

We also believe that God entrusted to the community of the Church this privilege and power to offer forgiveness through the ministry of particular men.

Again, we look to the Scripture for example and insight. The locus classicus is Jesus breathing on the Apostles in the Upper Room after the Resurrection. Here, in John 20:22—23 Jesus tells the disciples that if they forgive people’s sins, those sins are, in fact, forgiven them.

And we know, again on the testimony of Scripture in Acts 1:15—26, that the office of Apostle was able to be handed-on. With that office came the power Jesus had given the Apostles in the Upper Room, specifically the power to forgive sins.

Catholics have believed from the beginning that through “Apostolic Succession” the authority of the Apostles is present in the Church in every age in the ministry of Bishops. The Bishops, in turn, share with priests this power to forgive sins.

In short, we might say that the Sacrament of Reconciliation is one of the most important ‘evidences’ we have of just how much God loves us, of how much God wants us to know beyond-a-shadow-of-a-doubt that we are forgiven.

One last comment about why we Catholics confess our sins to a priest: as I said at the beginning – it’s good for us!

I mean that, in addition to the sacramental grace which comes to us and which is always good for us, Confession is good for us psychologically.

Being able to sit across from another human being, to admit the places where I have really messed-up my life, to ask for God’s forgiveness, to hear words that assure me of God’s love, and to know that another, living human person shares this sacred moment of grace with me – wow! That can’t help but make a positive impression on me. My psyche must experience a renewal just knowing that another human being, flawed and sinful like I am, has heard my worst secrets and has told me unequivocally that I am forgiven, accepted, reconciled, and loved by God! It’s good for us!

3)Why Baptism - "Probably the best place for us to begin is with the Sacred Scripture. In the Hebrew Bible, which is our Old Testament, we see a number of places where water is used to bring cleansing and new life. And the New Testament is filled with examples, instructions, and commands about Baptism.

As you probably remember Jesus Himself was Baptized and in that experience gives us the perfect example. Since He submitted to Baptism, we must follow His example and be Baptized.

At the end of Matthew's Gospel, the Resurrected Jesus commands His Apostles to go into the whole world to make disciples and to baptize "in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and the Holy Spirit." (Mt. 28:16-20)

Especially pertinent to your question is the passage in Ephesians 4:1-6. Here the Apostle, speaking about the unity which Christians have in the Body of Christ, reminds his readers that there is "one body and one Spirit...one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all...."

On the basis of that Word, the Catholic Church has long believed that there is only ONE BAPTISM -- that is to say, in the most fundamental sense, there is no such thing as "protestant baptism" (in the words of your question).

The one Baptism of which Saint Paul speaks is CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. When a person is baptized, she or he is baptized into Christ and into Christ's Body.

Let me hasten to add, that we, as Catholics, believe that the fullness of what God intends for the Church subsists in the Catholic Church. We make no apologies for our belief. And so, we would certainly want all people to experience that fullness by being part of our community.

But the Catholic Church recognizes that any person baptized with water and in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is a Christian. Even if that Baptism occurred outside the Catholic Church, God's regenerating grace is conferred on the person receiving Baptism if the conditions of water and the enunciation of the Triune Name are met.

Having said that, I would also comment on some other aspects of the Catholic Church's view of Baptism. We believe that the community of faith into which a person is baptized has a special and high responsibility for nurturing and giving example to the person baptized. That is one of the main reasons that we generally prefer to celebrate Baptism during a weekend Liturgy -- so that the person being baptized (especially if she or he is an adult), the newly baptized's family, and the people in the community can be reminded of the reciprocal responsibilities which Baptism imposes on the person who is baptized, on the family, and on the community.

The Catholic Church also teaches that Baptism washes away the stain of original sin. Baptism plants, as it were, the seed of faith in the life of the person baptized. Baptism puts an indelible mark on the soul of the person receiving the Sacrament. Baptism -- particularly important in the case of an adult who is baptized -- washes away all actual sin which has been committed by the person being baptized up to the moment of the Baptism. Baptism incorporates, as I already suggested, the person being baptized into the Body of Christ, the Church. Baptism makes the person receiving the Sacrament a "new creation" in Christ.

All of these amazing and remarkable things happen as the result of the simple action of pouring, sprinkling, or being immersed and the Word spoken; God is so good!

Another helpful resource on the question of Baptism is, of course, "The Catechism of the Catholic Church." In the printed version of the book, look at pages 312-324, paragraphs 1213-1277. An online version of the Catechism can be found at

http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm

and I'm sure it will be helpful to you.

Most Catholic parishes require some kind of preparation before Baptism. In the case of adults who are preparing for Baptism, a year of preparation before and another year of 'mystagogy' after Baptism is the norm in the United States. In the case of infants, the parents and often the God-parents are required to attend some kind of class or classes. These requirements vary from parish to parish, diocese to diocese.

Some, though not all, Protestant Churches practice what is called "believer's Baptism." In this context an 'adult' person must make a statement of his or her faith in Christ and then Baptism is conferred.

Our Catholic understanding of Baptism differs from this "believer's Baptism." Certainly, we focus on the faith of adults who are baptized. But we also baptize infants who cannot make such a profession of faith. Our emphasis is on what God does in the Sacrament. Baptism is God's cleansing, renewing, sanctifying, adopting action. Before the infinite and all-powerful God Who stoops to embrace us in Baptism, we are all like infants. So, Baptism for us as Catholics is a celebration of God's action while our faith is a gift from God.

If an adult comes to the Catholic Church asking to be received into full Communion with our Church and that person has been baptized in another Church or ecclesial community with water in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, our usual practice is not to "re-baptize" that person since the Scripture teaches that there is but ONE Baptism.

Catholics practice Baptism in any one of three ways. Immersion is when the entire body of the person to be baptized is plunged under water. Pouring is when the minister of Baptism (in most cases the Bishop, Priest, or Deacon) pours water over the head of the person to be baptized; sometimes the minister will use a sea shell or his own hands. Sprinkling is when the minister of Baptism sprinkles the person to be baptized with water using his hands or in some cases a leafy branch." Fr. Leach from the FAQ library

4) Who goes to heaven -"Who goes to heaven and who doesn’t is really known only to God and to God alone. As Catholics, we believe that the fullness of what God intends and wants for the Church subsists in the Roman Catholic Church. Yet, the Church has taught that the mystery of salvation is broader than any simplistic formula could try to make.

The following quotation is from an infallible teaching of the Catholic Church. Read it over carefully and prayerfully, and see if you can discern a faithful, true answer to the question posed above that is in keeping with the mind of the Church.

From The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen gentium, nn. 2. 16, Second Vatican Council:

In his wisdom and goodness the eternal Father created the whole world according to his supremely free and mysterious purpose and decreed that men [and women] should be raised up to share in the divine life. When they fell in Adam, he did not abandon them but always kept providing them with aids to salvation, in consideration of Christ, who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. Before the ages the Father already knew all the elect and predestined them to be made into the likeness of his Son, so that he should be the firstborn among many brothers.

God resolved to gather into holy Church all who believe in Christ. The Church, foreshadowed even from the beginning of the world, so marvelously prepared in the history of the people of Israel, established in these last times and revealed by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, will be made perfect in glory at the end of time. Then, as we read in the Fathers of the Church, all the righteous from Adam onward – from Abel, the righteous, to the last of the elect – will be gathered in the universal Church in the presence of the Father.

Finally, those who have not yet received the Gospel are in their different ways related to the God’s people.

In the first place, there is that people which was given the covenants and the promises and from which Christ was born by human descent: the people which is by God’s choice most dear on account of the patriarchs. God never repents of his gifts or his call.

God’s plan of salvation embraces those also who acknowledge the Creator. Among these are especially the Mohammedans; they profess their faith as the faith of Abraham, and with us they worship the one, merciful God who will judge men [and women] on the last day.

God himself is not far from those others who seek the unknown God in darkness and shadows, for it is he who gives to all men [and women] life and inspiration and all things, and who as Savior desires all men [and women] to be saved.

Eternal salvation is open to those who, through no fault of their own, do not know Christ and his Church but seek God with a sincere heart, and under the inspiration of grace try in their lives to do his will, made known to them by the dictates of their conscience. Nor does Divine Providence deny the aids necessary for salvation to those who, without blame on their part, have not yet reached an explicit belief in God, but strive to lead a good life, under the influence of God’s grace.

Whatever goodness and truth is found among them is seen by the Church as a preparation for the Gospel, and as given by him who shines on all men [and women], so that they may at last have life.

The following quotation is from another document from the Second Vatican Council although it does not carry the infallible teaching authority which the one quoted above, namely Lumen gentium, does. Nevertheless, the following quotation gives us further insight, from a profoundly important source of the Catholic Church’s teaching authority, about a faithful and true answer to the question that has been raised.

From Gaudium et spes, “The Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World,” n. 22

Certainly, the Christian is faced with the necessity, and the duty, of fighting against evil through many trials, and of undergoing death. But by entering into the paschal mystery and being made like Christ in death, he will look forward, strong in hope, to the resurrection.

This is true not only of Christians but also of all men of good will in whose heart grace is invisibly at work. Since Christ died for all men, and the ultimate vocation of man is in fact one, that is, a divine vocation, we must hold that the Holy Spirit offers to all the possibility of being united with this paschal mystery in a way known only to God." Fr. PHillip Leach, FAQ library

5) OF COURSE WE CATHOLICS ARE CHRISTIAN! We believe that Jesus died on the cross for our sins.

6)Please read Chapter 6 of John's Gospel

7)I was baptized Catholic as an infant, one of those "cradle Catholics." Like many young people I took a vacation from Church when I went to college. I will be forever grateful to God and my dearest friend who gave me the opportunity to really examine what Catholicism is all about. The center of my Catholic faith is the Eucharist.

Hope all this helps! Whew!