Catholic Beliefs

[HollyVB]

About two years ago, I was struggling in my faith. I grew up Baptist and in my early teen years adopted a non-denominational outlook. I was very close to converting to Catholicism, but a few things made little to no since.

I don't understand why it is Catholic doctrine to believe in the Assumption of Mary and a few other Marian doctrine. I understand that she was a fabulous woman, better than I could ever be, but I don't understand why people treat her like she was more than a woman.

 

[Ave Maria]

About two years ago, I was struggling in my faith. I grew up Baptist and in my early teen years adopted a non-denominational outlook. I was very close to converting to Catholicism, but a few things made little to no since.

I don't understand why it is Catholic doctrine to believe in the Assumption of Mary and a few other Marian doctrine. I understand that she was a fabulous woman, better than I could ever be, but I don't understand why people treat her like she was more than a woman.

Don't feel alone. A lot of potential converts to Catholicism have trouble with the Marian doctrines of the Church. That said, I am going to provide you with some links that will help you to understand the Marian doctrines of the Church:

Immaculate Conception and Assumption | Catholic Answers

Mary: Ever Virgin | Catholic Answers

Mary: "Full of Grace" | Catholic Answers

Mary: Mother of God | Catholic Answers

The Rosary | Catholic Answers

Saint Worship? | Catholic Answers

Do Catholics Worship Statues? | Catholic Answers

"Brethren of the Lord" | Catholic Answers

Common Catholic Prayers | Catholic Answers

Mary in the New Testament

The Blessed Virgin Mary

A Marian Synthesis

MARY'S IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

Mary

I hope this helps. Also, I realize that some of the articles may not be relevant to your particular situation but I thought I'd post them any way just in case.

 

[HollyVB]

Catholics don't believe in sola scriptura? I don't mean to sound ignorant, but I can't understand it.

 

[Davidnic]

Catholics Believe that there is Scripture and Sacred Tradition. Sacred Tradition was taught to the Apostles by Christ and passed on by them. Remember there was no New Testament in any form until about 60ad, there was more by about 97ad and none in collected and approved form until about 393AD. And Scripture itself says it does not contain all Christ taught. The Church survived all that time because of Sacred Tradition that is protected from error and corruption.

We know the Apostles were taught it (Sacred Tradition) because those they taught mention the existence of the Traditions. As does Paul. There is a whole set of Early Church Fathers, whose writings we have, and the earliest were taught by the Apostles and mention Sacred Tradition.

Normally something was not included in the Bible because it was not challenged. It was accepted. The four Gospels each have an intended audience in their time as well as the universal audience of all people in all times. But what they contain (or do not contain) is very much based on who the immediate audience was. Matthew writes to a Jewish audience to explain how Christ fulfilled the Messianic prophecies. The contents of his Gospel are geared to that fact. The Gospel of Mark was dictated by Peter to Mark. Mark was the secretary for Peter on his travels and eventually sent Egypt where he became a Bishop there. But his Gospel was written fro a Roman audience. It contains many things that would not need to be explained to a Jewish audience but are needed to make a Roman audience understand. John is written to prove the Divine nature of Christ so that we may believe, he focuses on miracles and signs and wonders. Luke writes for gentiles but unlike the short Gospel of Mark (Mark being the oldest Gospel) it is meant to be more than an introduction. It is written by a doctor and attempts to be specific historically. And the letters of Paul, as well as the non-Pauline letters are written to places to address crisis. So they mention issue relating to those crisis. Even John says that all of Christ's deeds are not recorded and he wrote his Gospel for a purpose that we may believe. It was never the intent of the inspired writers to record everything.

So Scripture, although without error, does not set out to have every answer and it does not claim to do so. And that is because Sacred Tradition is already present as shown in the writings of those taught by the Apostles and those they taught in return. Here is some information on Tradition: link

 

[Rhamiel]

Hello my dear sister in Christ
I hope I can help you with this

About two years ago, I was struggling in my faith. I grew up Baptist and in my early teen years adopted a non-denominational outlook. I was very close to converting to Catholicism, but a few things made little to no since.

I don't understand why it is Catholic doctrine to believe in the Assumption of Mary and a few other Marian doctrine. I understand that she was a fabulous woman, better than I could ever be, but I don't understand why people treat her like she was more than a woman.

why do we treat her like she is more than a woman
that is an interesting way of putting it
in a way she is more than a woman, she is a symbol
God used her as a symbol of the Church, I mean ofcourse Jesus is saved, He is the Son of God, but the assumption of Mary shows the world that we worship the God who saves
Just as He will protect His Church from error, He protects Mary from decay by taking her up to heaven, body and soul
that is just how I look at it anyways
like when some people talk about the President (or the Pope for that matter) they say stuff like "I do not like the man but I respect the office"
kind of along those lines, the assumption of Mary is a sign to people that God saves

Catholics don't believe in sola scriptura? I don't mean to sound ignorant, but I can't understand it.

the assumption of mary is not directly mentioned in the bible, but we still believe it is a valid doctrine

hope this helps a little
God bless you

 

[JacktheCatholic]

About two years ago, I was struggling in my faith. I grew up Baptist and in my early teen years adopted a non-denominational outlook. I was very close to converting to Catholicism, but a few things made little to no since.

I don't understand why it is Catholic doctrine to believe in the Assumption of Mary and a few other Marian doctrine. I understand that she was a fabulous woman, better than I could ever be, but I don't understand why people treat her like she was more than a woman.

What I don't is why any one would be part of a non Apostolic Church???

The Eucharist is the pinnacle of Christian worship of God and one must have a Bishop or priest that has That Charism from Jesus that has been passed on through the Church in Apostolic Succession.

 

[HollyVB]

What I don't is why any one would be part of a non Apostolic Church???

The Eucharist is the pinnacle of Christian worship of God and one must have a Bishop or priest that has That Charism from Jesus that has been passed on through the Church in Apostolic Succession.

We have communion, it is just different from Catholic Eucharist. I don't even understand the second portion of the comment.

 

[S.ilvio]

Nice posts David and Rhamiel...

 

[Davidnic]

We had a question once I answered and I think it sums up for me the Catholic view of Mary.


Question:

Ok so two different sections of Scripture:

Luke 11:27-28

As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out. She shouted, "Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you."
He replied, "Instead, blessed are those who hear God's word and obey it."

Luke 7:28

I tell you, among those born of women no one is greater than John, but the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he."
​

My answer:

I think you ask a great question. One we must reflect on to see the proper role of Mary as the Catholic Church teaches it. These verses are vital to understanding that and they reinforce our teaching. They are a caution against excess and an instruction to how and why Mary is important. A real Marian lesson that fits totally in line with Paul VI: Apostolic Exhortation for the Right Ordering and Development of Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary


In this Pope Paul VI said:

When the children of the Church unite their voices with the voice of the unknown woman in the Gospel and glorify the Mother of Jesus by saying to Him: "Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts that you sucked" (Lk. 11:27), they will be led to ponder the Divine Master's serious reply: "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!" (Lk. 11:28) While it is true that this reply is in itself lively praise of Mary, as various Fathers of the Church interpreted it and the Second Vatican Council has confirmed, it is also an admonition to us to live our lives in accordance with God's commandments. It is also an echo of other words of the Savior: "Not every one who says to me 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven" (Mt. 7:21); and again: "You are my friends if you do what I command you" (Jn. 15:14).​

In both of these Our blessed Lord is saying the same thing. He says, do not think that the claim of closeness to me, the claim of salvation, the claim of greatness is given by anything other than love and obedience to God. By acceptance of the Divine will.

When we see that we also see that Mary exceeds all others. First, is there something special about her as our Lord's mother? Absolutely. Because she accepted the will of God and with it that motherhood. Her motherhood was not accidental. It was not by her motherhood that she followed the will of the Lord...but by her total donation of self to the will of God that she was chosen from all people of all times to be the Mother of our Lord.

So Christ is showing that in the love and obedience to Him and The Father...that is where great gifts are given. And one of the greatest is the gift of motherhood to Mary.

The second verse mirrors the first. If Mary gave her will to God and stayed by Christ to the end and beyond...would not her place in the kingdom be great. The verses give the resounding cry...look not to the things of this world. Look to Me. Look to the Light of the world.

And Mary is an example of how to do this.

The verses can not be taken in the total literal way or else Christ is saying that John is even greater than our Lord...because Christ was born of woman. The Lord is using strong poetic language to get a point across. The meaning of His words are clear. It is not their (Mary and John) relationship to Me in the worlds eyes that brings greatness...but their lives...their love of Me. And He calls us to love Him in that same way.

This brings about a necessary mention of Mary's role in Catholic life. It is to bring us closer to Christ.

I have always thought of the Rosary as Mary taking us by the hand and saying: "Come with me, let me show you the life of my Son. See Him and love Him as I do."

When I was young I saw my relationship with Mary in this light. We often see a mother with a baby and we are young. The baby is offered to us to hold, to know....to love. But we are young...like children and afraid. We do not know how to hold the child. The mother often, as Mary does, says: "Here, let me show you how to hold Him."

As I grew up and life gets complex. I have a personal relationship with Christ. And as the world throws us it's curve balls and trials...we falter. Sometimes, even with a wonderful personal relationship with Our blessed Lord...we lose our way. He seems so great and we so small. And in trial and darkness...we need help. He comes to help us...but so does Mary. Because she wants us to love Him so deeply.

When there is trial I think of the young girl of Nazareth. How an angel came and gave her such news. How she gave her total will to the plan of the Lord. And the Joy at the Birth of Christ. The joy of watching Him grow in wisdom as He aged. And then I think of the mother at the foot of the cross. The woman given news by an angel is watching her Son die. If anyone in all of human history could have cursed God and said: "I was lied to...is this Your promise?" It was her at that moment and the moment later when she held Her Son who gave His life for the world. The first to hold Him to her heart in this world and also the last. A mother and child. One saved and the savior. And at that moment she did not abandon Him as her child or her Savior. Can I, in my life...do any less with that example? With that guidance?

How to hold the Lord at Christmas is easy.
The wonderful Child foretold.

How to hold Him at Easter is easy.
Savior and Victor over death.

But to hold Him on Good Friday is hard.
The seemingly dead promise, but in reality the victory of God Himself over Sin and Death. But the eyes to see that in our own daily suffering are dim. Does Easter ever seem as distant as on Good Friday. Surely it is closer in the Joy of Christmas. It would have been so easy for Mary to have left the cross as a broken promise.


But she did not. We know she stayed strong and stayed with the Apostles, just as she stood with Him to the foot of the Cross. From His birth, though His ministry, To the Cross, to Pentecost and beyond. And that is the example we follow...devotion to our Blessed Lord until the end and beyond.

That is how I view the verses as well as how they reinforce the proper Catholic relationship with Mary and why she is so important to us. Yes, we have the Lord. And He helps us know Him better. But we also have Mary and the Saints to show us how to grow and build that relationship with Him. Because our blessed Lord knows...we often need more help than is necessary because we are human and capable of such love...but also such a fall. So He shares with us His own mother and her example. The verses are not a condemnation of her but an exultation of how she lives with Him in her heart. A life that Scripture shows to the foot of the Cross and beyond.


Christ does what she asks because she does not ask Him for things outside of His mercy and love...but what is in perfect accord with it. In that she is the model of all our prayer and relationship with God. It is not that Mary is a shortcut or has Christ do things against His nature...but she helps us model our hearts and actions on hers