Intercession of the Saints
Why should I pray to the saints when I can go directly to God?
Of course we should pray directly to God, but we are also called to love our neighbor. Intercessory prayer is love in action. The Bible repeatedly encourages us to pray for one another. Asking for intercessory prayer from our fellow Christians here on earth is no different than asking the saints in Heaven to pray for us. We are all united in one body in Christ. Death has not separated the saints in Heaven from the Christians here on earth. Besides, St. James tells us that the prayer of a righteous person is very powerful. If we seek the prayers of righteous people here on earth because they are powerful, how much more powerful are the prayers of those who have already been perfected in righteousness, the saints in Heaven. They are closest to God.
Catholics bow down and worship statues, yet the Bible consistently condemns idolatry.
Bowing down is not always worship. Throughout history and in different cultures, people have bowed down to other people such as political leaders or monarchs as a sign of respect. To this day, many men kneel before women to make a marriage proposal. Bowing down to a statue is no different, because statues and images are merely representations of an actual person. Any affection demonstrated to them passes on to the person they represent. Much the same as kissing the Bible or a picture of a loved one. The affection is meant for God or for the loved one. The object itself is not the actual recipient of the affection.
With its incense and candles, holy water and prayers, etc. Catholicism looks a lot like magic.
Prayers, rosaries, scapulars, holy medals, oil and water, incense, candles, crucifixes and statues, among many other things, are all holy objects that the Church has approved and set apart for worship. They are called sacramentals. The Church blesses them and prays that by their use, the faithful will grow in holiness. Although they do not directly provide grace the way the sacraments do, they are meant to encourage religious devotion and more frequent reception of the sacraments. Thus, when used properly they lead to God’s grace. Properly meaning they are approached with reverence, devotion, faith, and a sincere desire to receive their spiritual benefits.
Dogmas are made up by the Church. The Immaculate Conception and the Assumption were just recently invented in 1854 and in 1950.
Anyone claiming that dogmas are invented at the time they are declared does not understand their nature. They are not sudden beliefs or lies that the Church wants to spread. Instead, they are truths revealed by the Holy Spirit, proclaimed by the Church’s infallible teaching authority, and deeply rooted in both scripture and tradition. The fact that they are not explicitly found in the Bible is not a problem. The Bible itself tells us that it does not contain everything. For example, the Trinity is a central belief of Christianity, and yet the word itself cannot be found in the Bible.
Dogmas are typically declared for one of two reasons. Either the Church is responding to a prominent error or heresy and trying to eliminate it with the truth, or it is providing the faithful with information that is intended to help them grow in their faith. In the case of the Immaculate Conception, for example, Pope Pius IX hoped that the dogma would inspire greater devotion to our Blessed Mother. Mary’s Assumption was declared by Pope Pius XII. He hoped to strengthen people’s belief in their own Resurrection and “render it more effective.” Mother of God, on the other hand, was declared in response to the Nestorian heresy. Nestorius taught that Jesus was two separate persons, one divine and one human, rather than one person with two separate natures. He said Mary was not the mother of Jesus’s divine personhood, and therefore that she was not the Mother of God. In order to stamp out this heresy the Church officially declared Mary as the Mother of God in AD 431. Lastly, Mary’s Perpetual Virginity was declared in AD 553 to protect belief in the Virgin conception and birth of Jesus, as well as in the sanctity of marriage. Mary’s virginity had been completely consecrated to the Holy Spirit, her spouse.
Why do Catholics believe that Mary remained a virgin throughout her entire life?
The dogma of Mary’s Perpetual Virginity states that Mary remained a virgin before, during and after the birth of Jesus. Isaiah not only prophesized that Jesus would be born of a virgin, he also prophesized that Mary would remain a virgin throughout the birth. Which means Jesus passed from his mother’s womb into the light of day without labor pains, and without opening his mother’s womb. Therefore, the physical integrity of Mary’s virginity remained intact during the birth of Jesus. It was a miraculous birth, and it was fitting. Mary’s sinlessness did not merit her to have labor pains, as these are a consequence for sin.
The virginal conception and miraculous birth were both required miracles. They fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecies. Mary’s perpetual virginity after Jesus’s birth, however, was not a miracle. It simply means that she remained abstinent until the end of her life.
Although not very common, in Biblical times, there was such a thing as consecrated virgins. Upon reaching the age of puberty Mary made a vow to consecrate her virginity to God. A bit like religious sisters and nuns do today. However, she needed to marry a man who could take care of her, and be the foster father of Jesus, with the understanding that their marriage would never be consummated. Joseph was that man. Joseph and Mary’s marriage was made valid by their religious ceremony, not by consummation. Her virginity remained perpetually consecrated to the Holy Spirit, her heavenly spouse. Which is why Jesus entrusted Mary to St. John at the foot of the cross, because she had no other biological children to care for her.
The rosary is repetitive prayer. The Bible warns against this.
The Bible does not warn against repetitive prayer, it warns against “babbling like the pagans”. The pagans would babble when they prayed because their gods were not real. They believed that they had to go on and on babbling in prayer so that they might be heard. Such as the priests of Baal who called upon him for hours without a response.
In the Jewish faith of the Old Testament repetitious prayer was customary. Many of the Psalms are poetic prayers and songs with repeating stanzas. Good Jews, including Jesus, would commit the Psalms to memory and then repeat them over and over again throughout their lives. While spontaneous prayer can be beautiful and is certainly effective, written prayers can be even more beautiful as they have been well thought out and are carefully worded. There is no reason to choose one type of prayer over the other. We can have both. Even Protestants have to admit that they are repeating themselves in prayer when they sing worship songs.
Jesus himself prayed repetitiously. In the garden of Gethsemane, before his arrest, he prayed a third time using the same words. Celestial beings do this as well. Day and night they exclaim, “Holy, holy, holy…” Whether or not in prayer, when we have a specific request, it’s only natural to use the same words over and over again. Children do this all of the time. In the parable of the persistent widow, the judge rendered a just decision for the widow because she persisted in asking. In the parable of the persistent friend, a man gets up in the middle of the night to give his friend three loaves of bread for guests in his home, because he persisted in asking. Jesus wants us to know that our Father in heaven will also hear us if we persist in asking, and that most likely means we will be using the same words over and over again in repetitious prayer.
Catholics are worshipping Mary when they pray the Rosary.
The Rosary is primarily prayed using the Apostles Creed, Our Father, and Hail Mary prayers. The Creed lists the central beliefs of our Christian faith. It is recited among Catholics and many Protestants alike. The Our Father is cited in the Bible. It was given to us by Jesus. The Hail Mary prayer has three basic components. The first part of the prayer comes from the archangel Gabriel’s words at the Anunciation. He greeted Mary by saying “Hail, Full of Grace, the Lord is with thee.” The second part of the prayer comes from St. Elizabeth’s words at the Visitation. St. Elizabeth exclaimed, “Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.” The last part of the prayer is a simple request asking our Mother to pray for us. It says, “Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, Amen.”
Asking our Mother in heaven to pray for us is no different than asking our mother here on earth to pray for us. Both are requests for intercessory prayer. Remember that prayer is only worship when it is directed towards God in adoration. The word itself is an old-English word for “begging or supplication,” and when it is used with the saints, it is simply a form of communication.
Remember that worship for Protestants consists of songs, prayer, and a sermon. Catholics, on the other hand, define worship as offering the Eucharistic sacrifice of the Mass to God the Father. Catholics would never offer the Eucharistic sacrifice to Mary, nor would they offer Mary’s body to God the Father.
Why is Mary called the New Eve?
At creation, God made Adam and Eve. They were sinless. Together they brought sin into the world. In Romans, Paul writes that Jesus is the new Adam. Jesus and Mary are sinless. Together they redeemed the world. Remember that Mary first cooperated with God’s plan for salvation at the Annunciation when she responded, “Let it be done to me according to your word.”
The concept of Mary as the New Eve was taught by early Church Fathers. Expanding upon St. Paul’s doctrine of Jesus as the New Adam, they drew similar parallels between Mary and Eve. Like the old Eve, Mary was created sinless. Unlike the old Eve, however, Mary chose obedience over disobedience. Therefore, while evil entered the world through Eve, salvation entered the world through Mary. Mary is also like Eve in that she is our mother. While Eve is the biological mother of all human beings, Mary is the spiritual mother of all Christians, and, by extension, of all mankind.
Prayer is worship. When Catholics pray to saints they are worshiping them.
While worship of God always includes prayer, this does not mean that all prayer is worship. Prayer can simply be a form of communication. It is how we can talk to God, his angels and his saints. In old English the word prayer was commonly used to make a request, such as “pray, tell me.” The reason why many Protestant Christians today believe that prayer is worship is because they have rejected the highest form of worship, which we Catholics know to be the Mass, specifically when we receive Jesus in Holy Communion.
Catholics delete the second commandment which prohibits the making of graven images depicting anything in Heaven, on earth or under the earth.
God did not prohibit the making of all graven images. Nobody considers the Lincoln memorial or the Statue of Liberty sinful. Instead, God prohibited the making of images that would be intentionally worshipped as idols or gods. He did this because the Israelites were surrounded by pagan nations that practiced idolatry, and he did not want the Israelites to do the same.
Catholics do not omit this commandment; we simply number the commandments differently. The prohibition to graven images is actually embedded in our first commandment to worship God alone. In fact, God actually prescribed the use of images in worship. He commanded that two gold Cherubim be made on top of the Ark of the Covenant, and he told Moses to make a bronze serpent on a pole so that the Israelites might be healed when they looked upon it.
Catholics are superstitious.
Superstition can be attributing a supernatural effect to an inanimate object or a simple action, such as wearing a good luck charm. Catholics are not superstitious. We understand that objects themselves have no power. Any supernatural effect resulting from the wear or use of an object comes directly from God who chooses to use that object for his purposes. Jesus could have spoken a single word to heal the blind man in the gospel of John, but instead he chose to spit in the dirt and rub the mud over his eyes to heal him. In the Old Testament, Elisha could have said a simple prayer to cure Naaman’s leprosy, but instead he instructed him to wash in the Jordan river seven times. God does not shy away from using his creation to demonstrate his power, be it a human being or a thing. Besides, not all objects are equal. Some objects, such as rosaries and holy water, have been approved by the Church to be blessed and set apart for devotional purposes.
Why do Catholics believe Mary was Immaculately Conceived?
The dogma of the Immaculate Conception states that Mary was conceived in her mother’s womb without original sin. This was a unique grace given to her by God who wished to make her a worthy vessel for the Incarnation and to prepare her to be the Mother of God. By her own free will, Mary chose to be obedient to God in all things. Thus, she remained completely sinless her entire life.
The archangel Gabriel greeted Mary at the Annunciation by saying “Hail, Full of Grace.” It was an implicit reference to her Immaculate Conception, sort of like saying, “Hello, sinless one.” St. Gabriel used her unique characteristic quality as her name. Mary did this herself when she appeared in Lourdes, France. When St. Bernadette asked her her name, Mary simply replied “I am the Immaculate Conception.”
In the Old Testament, the Ark of the Covenant was treated with great reverence and care. Only the Levites were allowed to handle it, they had to purify themselves before doing so, and they were not allowed to touch it. They had to use poles to carry it. Uzzah was struck dead for touching the ark to steady it while he was carrying it. If even this box deserved such great honor, how much more Mary. As the New Ark of the Covenant, her womb was purified to make her worthy of carrying Jesus.
What about evidence in the Bible that contradicts Mary’s Perpetual Virginity?
While Matthew 13:55-56 does mention that Jesus had brothers and sisters, the verses are not clear evidence that Mary had more children. Although the Greek word used in scripture “adelphoi” literally means brothers and sisters, it is important to note that the New Testament was written in a dialect of Greek that was heavily influenced by the Jewish culture. Since Jewish people used the Hebrew word for brother in a broader sense to refer to any male kinsman, they also used the Greek word for brother to do the same. So that in both Hebrew and Greek, Jewish people used the words for brother to describe their male relatives, such as a blood brother, half-brother, cousin, nephew or uncle. Therefore, any mention of Jesus’s brethren in scripture is actually referring to his relatives, not any actual blood brothers and sisters.
Matthew 1:25 does not provide evidence that Mary and Joseph consummated their marriage after the birth of Jesus. The word “until” does not indicate that anything changed. The fact that Mary remained a virgin until her last day on earth, does not mean that she lost her virginity afterward. Matthew emphasized that Joseph had no relations with Mary until Jesus’s birth, in order to protect the truth about the virginal conception and birth of Jesus. He wanted to make it clear that Jesus was the Son of God, not the son of Joseph. He did not mean to say that Mary lost her virginity to Joseph after Jesus’s birth.
Protestant reformers such as John Calvin, Martin Luther and Ulrich Zwingli all believed in Mary’s Perpetual Virginity.
Mary cannot be the Mother of God. God is eternal, and Mary is not divine.
From all eternity, Jesus has always been God. He is the second person of the Holy Trinity; the Godman who is both fully God and fully human. Mary conceived him at the Incarnation and gave birth to him. She is his mother. That makes her the Mother of God. Although Jesus is eternal and Mary is not a goddess, by the Incarnation in Mary’s womb, Mary became Jesus’s mother and therefore the Mother of God. The Incarnation is a Christian mystery. God who is eternal, stepped into his creation at a moment in time to redeem it. To deny that Mary is the Mother of God, is either to deny Jesus’s divinity, or to split Jesus in half, making him half-man and half-god, and Mary only the mother of his human nature but not his divine. Both of these views are heresies that have been condemned by the Church. The council of Ephesus definitively declared Mary as “Theotokos” which is Greek for Mother of God in AD 431. There is no logical reason to doubt this title; it is clearly found even in scripture. St. Elizabeth recognized Mary as the Mother of God at the Visitation when she said, “and how does this happen to me, that the Mother of my Lord should come to me?”
Mary was Jesus’s mother. Why do Catholics call her their mother as well?
As baptized Christians we belong to the family of God. Jesus is our brother, and his Father in Heaven is also our father. As our brother, it makes sense that we would have the same father as Jesus. However, a family is not complete without a mother. If we share the same father, it follows that we would share the same mother as well.
At the Crucifixion, Jesus spoke to Mary and to the beloved disciple saying, “woman behold your son,” and to John, “behold your mother.” From that moment on the disciple John took Mary into his home. As followers of Jesus, we do the same. We take Mary as our mother and bring her into our homes, our hearts, and our faith. Mary was given to all of Christ’s disciples at the cross. Likewise, Jesus entrusted all of humanity to Mary as her spiritual children when he said, “Woman, behold your son.” Mary continues to exercise this maternal role by interceding for us in heaven.
Revelation 12 begins with a vision of Mary in heaven. She is clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of 12 stars on her head. The chapter goes on to describe a spiritual battle. “The dragon (Satan) became angry with the woman (Mary) and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring.” Immediately, we are told who the rest of her offspring are. They are “those who keep God’s commandments and bear witness to Jesus.” They are Christians. We are Christians, therefore we are the rest of Mary’s offspring.
Mary cannot be a Co-Redeemer. Christ’s sacrifice was sufficient for the redemption of all mankind.
First of all, although Mary’s role as a Co-Redeemer is acknowledged in paragraph 964 of the Catechism, it is only proposed Marian dogma, it has not been officially declared. Secondly, Catholics agree that Christ’s sacrifice was not only sufficient, but “superabundant” atonement for our sins.
However, from the very beginning, God spoke of Mary’s role in our redemption when he prophesized that the woman (Mary) and her seed (Jesus) would crush the head of the serpent (the devil). God willed that his work of salvation be accomplished with Mary’s cooperation. Our redemption was made possible through the collaboration of two people, both Jesus and Mary. Mary’s participation was not equal to Christ’s work, but it was nonetheless necessary to fulfill God’s will. At the Anunciation, Mary freely chose to cooperate with God’s plan of redemption, when she said “yes” to the Incarnation of the Messiah in her womb.
Also, as Catholics we know that we can offer our own sufferings for the work of salvation, since St. Paul himself offered his sufferings for the sake of the Church. The prophet Simeon foretold Mary’s own participation at the Crucifixion when he told her a sword would pierce her heart as well. Upon witnessing the death of her son, Mary united her suffering to her son’s on the cross, thereby fully participating in his work of redemption, from beginning to end.
The saints are dead. Talking to the dead is necromancy. It is prohibited in the Bible.
Concerning the resurrection of the dead, Jesus said that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is “not the God of the dead but of the living.” The righteous who have passed away from this earth have gone on to live with Christ in Heaven. Jesus himself spoke to men such as these when he conversed with Moses and Elijah at the Transfiguration. Jesus would not have done this if it were prohibited. The prohibition to necromancy is against seeking communication by occult means such as using a psychic or medium in a trance or séance to gain information. Often these occult practices are just an invitation to converse with evil spirits.
Since the Old Testament, God strictly prohibited the making of any image that would represent him.
God explained that the reason for the prohibition was because he had taken “no form” among the Israelites. He did not want them to make an idol that would represent him since they did not know what he looked like. In the New Testament, however, God did take a form. He became visible in the Incarnation. The Bible tells us that Jesus is the icon of God. This is why Catholics have crucifixes and not just a cross. Even Protestants use images of God. They us doves to represent the Holy Spirit, wearing these as lapel pins or placing them as emblems or vinyl stickers on their cars.
Catholics think that objects like holy medals can actually protect them
Holy metals on their own are just metals. However, when used with the “proper disposition” they can become effective sources of God’s grace. (Proper disposition means with the right mindset and intention.) Metals such as the St. Christopher medal, guardian angel medal, and the Miraculous medal all have special blessings attached to them. They invoke the intercession and special patronage of the saint or angel they depict. Thus, Catholics may choose to carry a St. Christopher medal with them when they are traveling, since St. Christopher is the patron saint of travelers. The medal is not a good luck charm, it is a sign that the person traveling is asking St. Christopher for his intercession and protection.
The miraculous medal is probably the most popular. It has its name for the many miracles attributed to its use. The Virgin Mary appeared to St. Catherine Laboure and gave her specific instructions to have the medal struck. She promised to obtain many graces for the faithful who use it.
The Bible says that all have sinned. How can Catholics believe that Mary was sinless? She is not God.
The fact that a created being is sinless does not make them equal to God. The saints in heaven are sinless. Most of the angels remain sinless (those who chose to serve God.) Adam and Eve were created sinless and remained so until the day they committed the original sin. After their Baptism, people with severe cognitive disabilities remain sinless. Baptized babies, and young children who have not yet reached the age of reason are sinless as well.
It is important to remember that although Mary was conceived sinless, it was not by her own power. God gifted her with this special grace. He redeemed her from the very first moment of her conception. Consider the following analogy. There are two women. The first woman is walking along and falls into a pit. A man comes to her rescue and pulls her out. The second woman is also walking along. The man comes to her rescue as well. However, he anticipates what will happen and prevents her from falling into the pit in the first place. Both women have been rescued. Mankind is the first woman, Mary is the second. She was rescued from sin in a greater way, by anticipation, from the first moment of her conception.
Why do Catholics believe Mary was assumed into heaven?
All Christians have hope in the Resurrection and eternal life in Heaven. By her Assumption, Mary is already enjoying eternity in Heaven. She has received early the blessings we will all one day be given. This dogma declares that at the end of her earthly life, God took Mary body and soul into heaven.
The possibility of an early assumption or resurrection is nothing new. There are two assumptions mentioned in the Bible. The first is Enoch’s in the book of Genesis, and the second is the prophet Elijah’s. He is described as being taken to Heaven in a chariot of fire. Early resurrections are also mentioned in the Bible. At the moment of Jesus’s death, the bodies of many righteous people were raised from their tombs. The Evangelical belief in the rapture is much the same idea. God can, has and will take people body and soul into heaven, according to his will.
It is not hard to believe that Mary was assumed into heaven. Death and decay are consequences for sin, yet Mary remained sinless until the end of her life. On top of that, her remains are nowhere to be found on earth. Despite the reverence given to the bodies of dead saints, nobody, anywhere, claims to have her body. As the Mother of God and wife of the Holy Spirit, it is not difficult to believe that God would want to preserve her from decay and bring her to heaven at his side. In fact, Revelation 12 reveals a vision of Mary already in heaven. Mary’s bodily assumption was foreshadowed in Psalm 132:8 which says, “Arise, O Lord, and go to thy resting place, thou and the ark of thy might.”
Why do Catholics honor Mary as queen of heaven and earth?
In the Davidic Kingdom of the Old Testament, kings were polygamous. They had many wives. Therefore, the queenship was not awarded to any of their wives, but to their mother. Today, Jesus is King of heaven and earth, and as his mother Mary rightfully holds the title of Queen Mother.
In the Old Testament the Queen was listed among the members of the royal court, possessing a crown and a seat at the right hand of her son. She held the second most important position in the kingdom. In 1 Kings, Adonijah asked Queen Bathsheba to take his petition to King Solomon because he recognized her position of influence over him. Upon entering the room, King Solomon bowed down to his mother, seated her at his right hand and spoke to her saying, “Make your request, my mother; for I will not refuse you.” As Queen Mother, Mary is our most powerful intercessor. In Chrit’s kingdom she is able to take our needs to the throne of her son.
Jesus honors his mother as well. In Revelation, St. John is taken to heaven. He sees a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She gives birth to a child who is to rule all nations. That child was Jesus, that woman was Mary, and the crown on her head signifies that she has been crowned Queen of Heaven and Earth.
Why do Catholics believe that Mary is the New Ark of the Covenant?
In the Old Testament God’s presence rested in the Ark of the Covenant. It contained the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments, manna from heaven, and the staff of Aaron, who was the first high priest. In the New Testament, God chose to dwell in Mary. As the new Ark of the Covenant, she contained in her womb the Living Word of God, the real bread from Heaven, and our eternal high priest, Jesus.
There are several parallels between the Ark of the Covenant entering Jerusalem in 2nd Samuel chapter 6 and the Visitation in Luke chapter 1. Both the Ark and Mary entered Judah. David exclaimed “how can the Ark of the Lord come to me?” while Elizabeth exclaimed, “how can the Mother of my Lord come to me?” Both the Ark and Mary entered a home and remained there for three months. Both David and Mary rejoiced. There were shouts of joy and crying out in loud voices. Both David and John the Baptist leapt for joy.
Revelation 11 ends with a vision of the Ark of the Covenant in heaven. Revelation 12 begins with a description of the Ark. It is a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of 12 stars on her head. Mary is the new Ark of the Covenant. It is interesting to note that the old Ark of the Covenant has been lost since the destruction of the first Jewish temple in 586 BC, perhaps because there is no more use for it. As the new Ark of the Covenant, Mary fulfills Psalm 132:8 which says, “Arise, O Lord, and go to thy resting place, thou and the ark of thy might.”
Mary cannot be a Mediatrix. The Bible tells us there is one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus.
A simple definition of a mediator is a go-between. Someone who acts between two parties to bring reconciliation. Jesus reconciled us to God the Father by his death on the cross. He is our one mediator. However, we too are all called to participate in the ministry of reconciliation. St. Paul tells us that we are co-workers with Christ. As Christ’s hands and feet, we are called to take his message of love and salvation to the ends of the earth, in order that we might reconcile the entire world to him.
Even though all graces originate from God, we can mediate his graces to other people. In other words, we can act as channels of his grace for others. Priests do this for us in a very special way when they celebrate the sacraments. Lay people can do this through their actions, prayers and witness to the faith.
Keep in mind, the title of “Mediatrix” is only proposed Marian dogma; although it is addressed in paragraphs 969-970 of the Catechism, it has not been officially declared. It simply recognizes the fact that it was through Mary’s womb that we received Jesus, who is the author of all graces. It also acknowledges that as a daughter of the Father, wife of the Holy Spirit, and Mother of Jesus, Mary’s role as a mediator is an especially unique one. Being the closest person to God and the most blessed, she uses her privileged position and influence to intercede for us and to reconcile us to God. Just as she did at the wedding feast at Cana.
The saints are not omniscient (all-knowing) or omnipresent (present in all places at all times). How can they possibly hear so many prayers all at once?
Saints don’t need to be omniscient or omnipresent. No matter how many prayers they receive, the number is still only finite and nothing compared to God’s infinite knowledge.
The book of Hebrews chapter 11 lists holy men and women of the Old Testament. Chapter 12 tells us that because we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, we should persevere in running the race that lies before us. The saints in Heaven are our great cloud of witnesses. They are cheering us on like fans in a stadium as we run our race on earth towards Jesus at the finish line.
The book of Revelation describes elders (human beings) and angels in Heaven. They are aware of what is happening and are begging God to act on earth. They are also described as offering the prayers of Christians on earth to God in bowls of incense. The saints and angels in Heaven pray for us, they hear our prayers, and they offer our prayers to God.
Since the Protestant Reformation most Christians have rejected images and returned to pure worship. Catholics should do the same.
The Church convened in the 7th Ecumenical Council at Nicaea in AD 787 to consider the matter and determined that the use and veneration of icons is justified. The council condemned the iconoclast heresy which attempted to destroy all statues and images in the Church and to forbid their use. The matter had already been settled long before the Protestant Reformation. Keep in mind, the Protestant Reformation began just decades after the printing press was invented. The iconoclast heresy regained popularity during this time because printed copies of the Bible became more common and therefore more people were beginning to interpret Bible verses in isolation, apart from the whole of scripture, and without referring to the teaching authority of the Catholic Church.
Catholics put their faith in mere things. They believe that wearing a brown scapular can save them.
The Virgin Mary appeared to St. Simon Stock and gave him the message of the scapular. She offered special intercession to anyone wearing it and promised that “whosoever dies wearing the scapular shall not suffer eternal fire.” This does not literally mean that just anyone who dies wearing the scapular will go to Heaven. The scapular is not magical. Neither does it give anyone the right to ignore God’s commandments and live in mortal sin. Instead, it assumes that the person wearing it is striving to live a life of virtue, has a special devotion to our Lady and trusts in her promise of intercession. Her promise is to intercede for those wearing the scapular to receive the grace of final perseverance and/or contrition at the hour of their death. This does not, however, supersede each person’s free will.
In addition, through the communion of saints, lay people who wear the scapular are joined together with the Carmelite orders around the world, directly benefiting from their prayers and works of penance.
The saints are not omnipotent (all powerful). They can’t perform miracles in response to people’s prayers.
Although we don’t know exactly what Heaven will be like, the Bible does tell us that when we get there we will be like “him” (God) and like the angels, meaning our very nature will change. We will have “glorified bodies,” which may not be subject to the limitations of matter, time and space that we experience here on Earth.
Besides, the saints don’t need to be omnipotent to perform miracles, their power comes from God. God performed many miracles through the intercession of holy men such as his prophets in the Old Testament and his apostles in the New Testament. If God can choose to work miracles through his holy people here on Earth, he can certainly do the same with his saints in Heaven. Afterall, they are the good and faithful servants whom the master has put in charge of greater things.
The Israelites began worshipping the bronze serpent. Catholics do the same with statues.
The righteous King Hezekiah smashed the bronze serpent because the Israelites had turned it into an idol and were burning incense to it in worship. This incident in scripture actually provides evidence that a statue or image can be used for different purposes, one proper and the other improper. The distinction is made between looking at a statue as a mere representation, which God commanded the Israelites to do, versus actually worshipping the statue itself as a god, which God condemns. The serpent on the pole prefigured Jesus on the cross offering us our own healing and salvation. This is another reason why Catholics have crucifixes and not just crosses.
Catholics keep the bones of dead people and believe they have magical powers.
The bodies of dead saints, their bones and blood, and even their possessions or things they have touched are called relics. Relics can be easily understood from scripture. In the Old Testament, Moses showed great reverence for the remains of Joseph by taking his bones with him when the Israelites fled from Egypt. In the New Testament, Jesus’s own body was taken down from the cross, laid to rest in a sepulcher and anointed with spices. The remains of holy people were treated with great reverence.
In the Old Testament we read about the body of a dead man who was thrown into a common grave. Upon touching the bones of the prophet Elisha, he revived and stood up on his feet. In the New Testament, we read that people were healed of their infirmities by simply touching face cloths and aprons that had first been touched by St. Paul. God used these relics to work miracles.