Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article

To: NYer

Ditto's with the problem of people accusing Catholics of "praying to saints" and equating it with idolatry. As if the saints were mini-god's with god-like powers who could answer our prayers on their own!! Educated Catholics know what "praying to saints" really means, ie. we are asking for an intercessory prayer to God, not asking the saint themself to anwser our prayer.

However, many non-Catholics like to play semantic word games with "praying to saints" too, and then one needs to stop and try to explain reality to them.

This is why I cringe whenever I hear a Catholic say something like "I prayed to Mary for my child to be healed of their illness, and my child got better soon after", or something along those lines. I am always careful to say that I am asking a Saint for intercessory prayers for this reason - I say something like "Mary, pray for us", rather than saying that I am praying TO Mary. Catholics know the difference (at least the one's who have been properly educated in the Faith), but modern NON-Catholics do not (or pretend they do not!!).

I take adult "Catholic Classes" twice a month from a Traditional Priest from the Institute of Christ the King, Soverign Priest. When he made a comment in a recent class about how we should "pray to Saint Francis de Sales", I immediately interjected "you mean we should 'ask Saint Francis de Sales to pray for us', right?". And he gave me a quick "yes, of course" type of answer, as if to say "well, yeah, we should THAT already". My dealings with non-Catholics who accuse us of "praying to saints" even causes me to prompt a priest from one of the most Orthodox Catholic orders around to clarify himself on the point!!


18 posted on 10/06/2006 12:08:50 PM PDT by Zetman (I believe the children are the next generation.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]


To: Zetman
"well, yeah, we should THAT already".

Ooops!! Proof-read twice, and still missed that one. That sentence should read:

"well, yeah, we should know THAT already".
19 posted on 10/06/2006 12:14:29 PM PDT by Zetman (I believe the children are the next generation.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies ]

To: Zetman

"To love the good God with our whole heart is to prefer Him to everything...to love nothing that is incompatible with the love or God. To love the good God with our whole mind is to think of Him often, and to make it our principle study to know Him well...To love the good God with all our strength. is to employ our possessions, our health, and our talents, in serving Him and glorifying Him. It is to refer all our actions to Him, as our last end.."- St. Jean Vianney


20 posted on 10/06/2006 12:52:16 PM PDT by Knitting A Conundrum (Act Justly, Love Mercy, and Walk Humbly With God Micah 6:8)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies ]

To: Zetman
My dealings with non-Catholics who accuse us of "praying to saints" even causes me to prompt a priest from one of the most Orthodox Catholic orders around to clarify himself on the point!!

:-) We understand though, amongst ourselves.

23 posted on 10/06/2006 1:27:25 PM PDT by NYer ("It is easier for the earth to exist without sun than without the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.” PPio)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson