| I am a practising Catholic and have received all the sacraments of the church. I however do not fulfil the sacrament of reconciliation due to fear. I know this is a sin (not to go for confession). How do I overcome this fear and return to all sacraments? |
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| Why is the Eucharist so important to Catholics? |
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| What actually happens during the Eucharist? |
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| What are the main symbols used during the Eucharist? |
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| Can God still in today's world full of lawlessness and all human weakness intervene? Is this not the same God who spoke through the apostles ,the prophets and great saints in history,can he not understand our human existence? |
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| Why do Catholics celebrate the Eucharist? |
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| Is there a minimal age for one to become an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion? What other criteria is there? |
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| Why do Catholics have a Saturday night Mass? |
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| Is there a Christian community I can join to strenghten my Christian walk? |
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| Is it biblical to venerate Mother Mary and why does the Catholic church emphasise on this more than the Protestant churches. Are we worshiping Mary and why do we present our petitions through her when the Bible says that Jesus is our High priest..... |
| | I am glad to answer your question regarding the devotion to Mary in the Catholics. The devotion to Mary is not exclusive to Catholics. Orthodox churches have a very strong devotion to Mary and they celebrate the feasts of our Lady in a very solemn way. Plenty of icons of our Lady produced by the faith of the orthodox church reveal us that the devotion to Mary cannot be separated from love for Christ.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church (C.C.C) No. 971 says: “All generations will call me blessed:” “The church’s devotion to the Blessed Virgin is intrinsic to Christian worship”. The Church rightly honours “the Blessed Virgin with special devotion. From the most ancient times the Blessed Virgin has been honoured with the title of ‘Mother of God,’ to whose protection the faithful fly in all their dangers and needs. This very special devotion differs essentially from the adoration which is given to the incarnate Word and equal to the Father and the Holy Spirit, and greatly fosters this adoration.” The liturgical feasts dedicated to the Mother of God and Marian prayer, such as the rosary, an “epitome of the whole Gospel,” express this devotion to the Virgin Mary.
Well, as you see, we don’t and can’t adore the Blessed Virgin Mary being her a creature and not a god. She was conceived as any human being but preserved from any kind of sin, in view of the merits of her Son. She was conceived immaculate, that is without original sin. Without a true and filial devotion to Mary we cannot be Catholics and can’t understand the person of Jesus Christ. As an Italian poet wrote “Mary is the mother of her Son.” He meant that Jesus is God to Mary. But Mary is not only the mother of the man Jesus but of Jesus man and God. In the council of Ephesus was proclaimed Mary “Theotokos” that is mother of God.
All dogmata regarding Mary or our faith find their explanation in the Bible. They help us to understand better our faith and to love God more. We pray to Mary and the saints to intercede for us as Mary interceeded for the couple of Cana. “Do whatever he tells you.” Unluckily protestants have lost their devotion to Mary. Some don’t accept that Jesus was conceived by Mary through the power of the Holy Spirit. But they say that Jesus was conceived in a normal way. But the main protestant churches are re-thinking their theology and re-descovering the devotion to Mary.
Best wishes
Fr. Eugene Ferrari
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| Is it wrong to carry the Blessed Sacrament from the church? |
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| Do you need to be baptised to receive communion during Mass? |
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| What other things will I need to do – to be baptised? |
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| How does the learning process begin….and end? (Becoming a Catholic) |
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| How do I find out some basic information? (Becoming a Catholic) |
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| How do I get started? (Becoming a Catholic) |
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| What does the Catholic Church claim to be? |
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| What steps do I need to make to become a Catholic? |
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| Q. How did the first Christians live Unity? |
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| Q. Who Can Receive Communion? Receiving Communion or not? |
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| Q. Is there a structure or program followed during the Mass? |
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| Q. So it sounds as if the Church can't do without the Mass? |
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| Q. It does seem a wonderful gift. Is it given only for ourselves? |
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| Q. So at Mass we offer ourselves to God – don’t we receive anything back? |
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| Q. You said the Last Supper took place just before Jesus died – Why is that significant? |
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| Q. Who invented the Mass? |
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| Q. What makes the Mass so important? (What Happens at Mass?) |
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