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Catholics Worship Saints, Icons and Statues |
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If there is one area
that a Catholic might be unwittingly guilty
of is this. In fact ask a practicing
Catholic about their beloved statues of
saints, if they pray TO the statue of the
saint. Most likely, you’ll get an answer
saying, they pray TO the saint. However, if
you look at the actual prayers, they’re
requests for intercession between God and
us, and definitely NOT worshiping the
statue. That would be pagan idolatry.
So why do we keep
statues and pictures of saints, and for that
matter the |
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Virgin Mary? If you
happen to visit any park or memorial, you’ll
most likely find a statue or a depiction of
a hero or a political figure. Those are
there because we honor and cherish their
memory. In the same token, then we honor
saints and righteous men and women. There
are several passages in the Bible that
actually require us do just that, such as
1 Pet 2:17 :
"Give honor to all,
love the community, fear God, honor the
king."
and
Rom 12:10
"love one another
with mutual affection; anticipate one
another in showing honor.
Do not grow slack in zeal, be fervent in
spirit, serve the Lord.
Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction,
persevere in prayer.
Contribute to the needs of the holy ones,
exercise hospitality."
And in
Heb 12:22-23:
"No, you have
approached Mount Zion and the city of the
living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and
countless angels in festal gathering,
and the assembly of the firstborn enrolled
in heaven, and God the judge of all, and
the spirits of the just made perfect,"
"the assembly of the
firstborn enrolled in heaven" is an
expression that may refer to the angels, or
to the heroes of the Old Testament, or to
the entire assembly of the new covenant.
Statues and pictures are visual reminders of
our great saints and heroes of the faith
(Heb 11) whose life and faith God
intended for us to imitate, as in
Heb 13:7. 7 Remember your leaders who
spoke the word of God to you. Consider the
outcome of their way of life and imitate
their faith.
God never intended for
the saints in heaven to be completely
separated from the body of Christ on earth.
They are involved in intercession, just as
the saints on earth are, and they are
described as "so great a cloud of witnesses"
(Heb 12:1).
"Therefore, since we
are surrounded by so great a cloud of
witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every
burden and sin that clings to us and
persevere in running the race that lies
before us"
Christian life is to be
inspired not only by the men and women of
faith in the Old Testament but above all by
Jesus, whose suffering at the cross gave His
followers the courage to continue the
struggle, if necessary even to the shedding
of blood. |
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Continued below... |
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My Prayer Box
Newsletter |
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My Prayer Box newsletter is published weekly and contains the
readings for that Sunday. It has reflections, stories and
reader contributions, prayers and news relevant to living a
proud Catholic life.
The reader contributions include announcements, interesting
articles, pictures and greetings. We also solicit news
regarding activities and events your parishes that you might
useful for others.
The newsletter has over 1000 subscribers.
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Prayers
of Intercession
As far as intercessions are concerned,
Fundamentalists will argue that that is not
necessary, as in
John 14:6:
Jesus said to him, "I am the way and the
truth and the life. No one comes to the
Father except through me.
And in
John 1:2-3
He was in the beginning with God.
All things came to be through him, and
without him nothing came to be. What came
to be
through him was life, and this life was
the light of the human race;
However, there are several other passages
that prove intercessions are good and often
necessary, as in
Romans 10:1
:
Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to
God on their behalf is for salvation.
In
2 Timothy 1:3 :
I am grateful to God, whom I worship with
a clear conscience as my ancestors did, as
I remember you constantly in my prayers,
night and day.
And in
Genesis 20:17
Abraham then interceded with God, and God
restored health to Abimelech, that is, to
his wife and his maidservants, so that
they could bear children;
And in
Job 42:8 Job’s intercession was indeed
required:
Now, therefore, take seven bullocks and
seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and
offer up a holocaust for yourselves; and
let my servant Job pray for you; for his
prayer I will accept, not to punish you
severely. For you have not spoken rightly
concerning me, as has my servant Job."
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Note:
This series of articles on Catholic
Apologetics are based on research from
several books. I really encourage you to
read at least the following:
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1What
Catholics Really Believe-Setting the Record Straight: 52
Answers to Common Misconceptions About the Catholic
Faith
 ,
Ignatius Press, San Francisco, 1992, by Karl Keating,
director Catholic Answers, a lay-run apologetics
and evangelization organization, and editor of the
magazine, This Rock. He is also the author of the
best-seller, Catholicism and Fundamentalism.
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2 Nuts
& Bolts: A Practical Guide for Explaining and Defending
the Catholic Faith ,
Basilica Press, San Diego, 1999, by Tim Staples, a
former Assemblies of God youth pastor who converted to
the Catholic Church.
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3Catholic
Source Book
 ,
Harcourt Religion Publishers, 2000, by Rev. Peter Klein.
Rev Peter Klein is a priest of the Diocese of Winona in
Minnesota.
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4Our
Sunday Visitor's Catholic Encyclopedia
 ,
Our Sunday Visitor Publishing Division, Huntington,
Indiana, 1998, by Rev. Peter M.J. Stravinskas, editor.
Rev. Peter M.J. Stravinskas is the author of eleven
books and more than 500 articles. He is the founding
editor of Catholic Answer and the administrator
of St. John the Baptist Church of Bayonne, New Jersey.
He likewise serves as adjunct professor of education at
Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey.
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To read the rest of the series on Catholic Apologetics,
please select one of the links below.
Apologetics Part 1:
Catholic Practices and Traditions - Be Proud of Them
Apologetics Part 2: Catholic
Devotion To the Virgin Mary
Apologetics Part 3: Bible Catholics?
Apologetics Part 4: The Catholic
Beliefs Are Not Found in the Bible
Apologetics Part 5: Everything the
Pope Says is Infallible
Apologetics Part 6: Catholics Are
Not Born-Again - So They Are Not Saved
Apologetics Part 7: Catholics
Worship Saints, Icons and Statues
Apologetics Part 8: Anointing the
Sick with Holy Oil
Did
You Know?
Priestly Celibacy Is A Disciplinary
Rule and not a Doctrine
Did
You Know?
That criticism of the Catholic
Church comes from both the right and the left
Non-Catholic Criticism:
Indulgences: A Catholic Can Buy Salvation
Non-Catholic Criticism:
Communion of Saints
- Why Catholics believe in Saints
Non-Catholic Criticism:
Call No One on Earth Your Father
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Apologetics |
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Mary
and the Saints |
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Mass
and the Eucharist |
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Prayers |
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Novenas |
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The Rosary |
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Traditional Prayers:
Discover the origin of your favorite prayer. We might
even have the original Latin version, too. |
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Novenas:
Learn how
to say a novena in honor of your favorite
Saint.
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Archived Articles |
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Tours and Pilgrimages |
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