Catholic Questions...

[SoccerChick589]

We were talking about differences between the Catholic religion vs. Protestant(mainly Baptist) I said how we(I'm Catholic) recieved communion basically every time we went to church, the person I was talking to commented how this was not special. I was in shock. Am I right saying one of the most important thing in being a Catholic is being able to recieve communion every time you go to church? What exactly do we believe communion is? Doesn't it become Jesus's bodt & blood.

 

 

Also many people have asked me about if Catholics worship Mary. I know we don't, but I'm not sure the right way to explain it to them.

 

 

Sorry for all the questions, I'm going to be going through confirmation this fall and I just want to have my answers right.

 

Thanks!

-Kerry

[Tony T]

You are far better off getting your questions answered by a priest than by people in a romance forum. If you can't talk to a priest in person, call the rectory of your church and pose these questions to a priest. I know there are good, short answers to your questions and a priest would be your best source for accuracy.

[dyermaker]

Originally posted by SoccerChick589

Am I right saying one of the most important thing in being a Catholic is being able to recieve communion every time you go to church?

Yes, it renews our connection with Christ's sacrifice and pledge to follow in his name, nourishes our grace, and reorients ourself to Christ's memory.

What exactly do we believe communion is? Doesn't it become Jesus's bodt & blood.

Precisely, and this is one of the main divergences between Catholic teaching and Protestant Doctrine. Luther, during the Reformation, believed that Christ was present only as a symbol, or only in spirit--and this belief was condemned during the Council of Trent soon after. The bread and wine become Jesus--it's difficult to explain or understand, but it's actually quite simple--it's transfigured into body and blood.

Also many people have asked me about if Catholics worship Mary. I know we don't, but I'm not sure the right way to explain it to them.

Most comments about Mary-worship are slurs, attempts to use religion to condemn one another instead of help yourself. As such, it's likely that you're not going to convince someone who already believes you're idolizing Mary otherwise--but your question does have an answer. The confusion over "worship" of Mary comes from many different understandings of the word--English is a bitch when it comes to Religion. In the sense of latria, Catholics ONLY worship God.

 

However, we also honor and venerate Mary, the mother of God, as well as the communion of saints--if you took the actions and translated them to English, some could see it as worship and immediately condemn us, but it's not the case--recent attempts to reconcile different translations have led Catholics to say that they "worship" God, but "venerate" or "honor" Mary and Saints.

 

Catholics know that Mary was a human, without divinity--and not "worshipped" the way one would worship God. Even in saying the Hail Mary, we're not praying TO Mary, but rather asking the Mother of God to intercede for us in Heaven on our behalf.

 

Sorry for all the questions, I'm going to be going through confirmation this fall and I just want to have my answers right.

Good luck on this important time in your life--and feel free to post any questions here, Catholic or otherwise.

[shamen]

I agree with Tony... see a priest for the real answers to your questions.

 

But, in the meantime, I grew up Catholic and was confirmed. If I remember correctly (I don't practice anymore, mind you), you aren't supposed to get communion unless you are free from sin, by the book. As in, you have to go to confession first if you've got anything on your mind sin wise. I think the theory was that if you took communion (the body of Christ, yes, that's what Catholics believe) in a sin free state after confession it could "release you to a higher plane" or something along those lines.

 

When it comes to Mary, she's important, but not worshipped. She is supposed to be the mother of one of the pieces of the trinity, not god; so therefore, unable to be worshipped. "Thou shalt not worship another god before me," or something along those lines.

 

Again, don't listen to me for the "real" answers. It's been 20 years since I've been to church on a regular basis. This is what I remember and the pope has changed the rules on several major rules since I left the church.

 

Dyermaker: how'd I do? I saw your post after I posted mine.

[dyermaker]

I'm no expert, I think religious questions are extremely subjective. As I was reminded of today, the gravity of sin and interpretation of tradition is largely personal, not canonical. There isn't a cookie-cutter flowchart of grace, or a litmus test for salvation.

 

As in, you have to go to confession first if you've got anything on your mind sin wise. I think the theory was that if you took communion (the body of Christ, yes, that's what Catholics believe) in a sin free state after confession it could "release you to a higher plane" or something along those lines.

 

As for sin, you're not supposed to receive communion with a mortal sin--which is different than venial sin. The reason is that communion renews your sanctifying grace, and mortal sin seperates you from that grace--you should confess it first. As for the "higher plane" stuff, I've never heard of that--ever. I think that if you took peyote after confession, you could be released to a higher plane, but I've never heard that of the sacrament of reconciliation. An important thing about Reconciliation is that it's not just asking God for forgiveness--but also about connecting with the community as well--It was started by Irish Monks who weren't just interested in personal salvation, but the salvation and works of their brothers in Christ as well.

 

Communion is called so for a reason--it's not just a personal sacrament. It's something done at Church in communion with the faithful. The thing about sin is that it severs relationships, not just with God, but with the Community, and it is best to clear yourself of the gravity of those sins in order to reconnect with both.

[shamen]

The higher plane thing was always sort of my take on it. I always looked at it as a purity issue. That I felt that I needed to be pure to receive it because it was such a beautiful and perplexing thing in my head. So, when I stopped going to confession, I stopped taking communion.

 

Thanks for the reminder on the mortal vs. venial sins. Totally forgot about that.

 

Peyote? God, I never thought of peyote in connection with church before! lol

 

I like your ideas about communion and community. I never connected the two.

[dyermaker]

Originally posted by shamen

So, when I stopped going to confession, I stopped taking communion.

It's largely personal, you shouldn't receive communion if you feel seperate from God, but if only the pure were granted communion, a lot less bread would be broken. Think of the Eucharist as a way to help you avoid sin, by strengthening your connection to God and to the community. If it were a reward for purity, trust me, it would taste better.

Peyote? God, I never thought of peyote in connection with church before! lol

I was being facetious--but Native Americans use peyote, whose active ingredient is mescaline, in religious ceremonies all of the time. In Nueva Espana (or mexico for the historically apathetic) Catholic missionaries were very much against peyote--condemning it as satanic, and they forbade it to no avail. When they realized that they couldn't take the cactus away from the natives, they created a Saint for Peyote (Anthony of something? I can't find it now) and attributed the hallucinogenic effects to the Christian God, thereby making it okay

[SoccerSweet589]

Thank you very much for all your help. I pretty much knew the answers I just didn't have the wording right to say it to my friends & others that asked and it make sense to them, but again thank you very much!

 

-Kerry

[quankanne]

a patron saint for peyote? now there's a thought! If Tony's the guy to ask for help in finding lost articles and Jude's the patron of hopeless causes, then my vote is for Francis as the *ahem* patron of alternate medicine. remember -- he's the nature lover!

 

 

soccer chick: find a priest who is easy to talk to and who makes sense (no pious windbags who just make you regret even asking), and ask him about these things. Or bring it up with the religious ed teacher who is grounded in catechism.

 

in the meantime, you can think of the Church as being centered in the Eucharist, because as we believe in Christ, we believe that that little white host and that glass of wine becomes the Body and Blood during the consecration at Mass. Other Christian religions do have Communion, but only receive with the belief that it represents Christ. And that's what sets us apart from them -- our belief and firm conviction in the Eucharist.

 

as for worshiping Mary: we don't. We don't worship saints or dead people or Mary any more than "they" do. Yes, we've got holy cards, we've got statues and all kinds of mementos of these holy men and women who believed in God -- Father, Son and Holy Spirit -- but no pictures. Now, ask any proud aunt, mama, grandpa or friend to pull out his or her wallet to show you the latest photos of their "babies." We know how much they love the individuals in the photo, but we also understand that they don't "worship" those people. So how is it any different carrying around a photo or displaying a portrait of a loved one whose only claim to greatness is that they are beloved of the beholder and displaying an artist's rendering of a saint (even Mary's considered a saint) because we admire that person?

 

do an online search on the topic of Catholic apologetics, or better yet, on Scott Hahn. He's a former Presbyterian (I think) minister who converted, and he's got some really good material on apologetics, or how to defend your faith to people who have the wrong idea about Catholicism.