Saturday evening ping and quiz :-)
I have a problem with the praying to Mary and the saints thing. I only pray to Jesus, or The Lord, or The Holy Spirit (in essence, to the one true God, The Holy Trinity). Praying to different Catholic saints for different reasons strikes me as odd. No offense please, just saying that is odd speaking as a conservative Lutheran. I so admire and commend the Catholic church for never faltering in their pro-life fight. That makes the Catholic church very inviting for conservatives who find it more and more difficult to find a pro-life church.
It’s “close” communion, not “closed” communion, although many people say “closed” when they mean “close” when speaking of the union in communion.
People who don’t receive Communion can come forward for a blessing with their arms crossed across their chest. Many do it. Why doesn’t this individual want to come forward for a special blessing by the priest?