Catholics, what exactly do you believe about Mary?

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PeaceB

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The forgiveness of our sins is for after death.
Actually, your sins are forgiven in this life, when you confess them, repent, and ask for forgiveness.

When we sin, we choose to suffer, in this life.
Agreed.

However, the forgiveness from our sins, that Christ gives, is eternal life.
Agreed

There is no punishment after forgiveness as our sins are washed away.
No, sorry. The Bible does not state this.

All of them are remembered not.

Hebrews 8:12King James Version (KJV)
12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.
Absolutely, but this does not rule out purgatory.
 
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kepha31

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Purgatory is not about paying the penalty of sin. Jesus on the Cross pays the penalty of our sin -- which is death. Those in purgatory are not in spiritual death; they are all headed to heaven.

Purgatory pays for the "consequences" of our sin, not for the sin itself.

For example, if I throw a rock through your window I have committed a sin. I can become sorry for my sin and go to Confession and be absolved of that sin. Jesus paid the price for my sin. But......... the window is STILL broken. The broken window is the "consequence" of my sin and it still needs to be repaired. The Cross does not repair the window, that is my responsibility.

Thus, one of the aspects of purgatory is to pay for all the broken windows in our life that we did not get around to paying for during our life on earth.

As to why Purgatory? The answer is love. We cannot enter heaven unless we are perfected and totally holy, but God still wants us to be with Him. While we may die in a state of grace most of us are probably not perfect. Purgatory is a place of perfection. It purges the imperfections from us 'til what is left is pure gold.

1 Corinthians 3:12-15 is a great definition of Purgatory:

12 Now if any one builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw-- 13 each man's work will become manifest; for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. 14 If the work which any man has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If any man's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.

In other words, how well we lived our lives as Christians will be judged, the good works and not-so-good works will be judged. The not-so-good works are the wood, hay, and straw that will burn up in the purging. The good works are the gold, silver, and precious stone that will survive the purging.

We cannot enter heaven with works that can be consumed. We must enter heaven only with works to our credit that can survive the fire. Thus God, who loves us so, provides a way for us to rid ourselves of the wood, hay, and straw in our lives so that we can enter heaven perfect and holy.

Again, this is NOT about purging sin, it is about purging the consequences of sin (paying for the broken windows) and about purging our imperfections in living the Christ-life.

Some Protestants call this the "Judgment Seat of Christ". Our salvation is not being judged here, rather how well we lived our life for Christ is being judged. While some Evangelicals refer to this as Judgment Seat of Christ and Catholics call it Purgatory, it is the same thing.
by Br. Ignatius Mary
 
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MrMoe

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It's not a place but a state of being. Nobody knows, we can only speculate on what it's like. There is hope there; there is no hope in hell.

Purgatory4.png
25 Bible Passages Indicating or Suggesting Purgatory


Do you believe heaven and hell are places?
 
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MrMoe

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I have a few questions for the Catholic members about Mary.

1. Does the immaculate conception mean that Mary never sinned in her whole life or just that she was born without the stain of original sin?

2. What does it mean for Mary if she was sinless? Does it mean she was not carnal minded but only spiritually minded? Does it mean she had perfect spiritual awareness?
 
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kepha31

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Do you believe heaven and hell are places?
Jesus has a physical body so heaven must be a place. Hell is the state of definitive self-exclusion from communion with God and the blessed. Perhaps it is a place too. We can only think in terms of time and space and in eternity time and space does not exist. Your question is a metaphysical one and deserves a thread of it's own.
I have a few questions for the Catholic members about Mary.

1. Does the immaculate conception mean that Mary never sinned in her whole life or just that she was born without the stain of original sin?
Both. She was conceived without original sin by God's special intervention; not by any power of her own, and not by her parents.

2. What does it mean for Mary if she was sinless? Does it mean she was not carnal minded but only spiritually minded? Does it mean she had perfect spiritual awareness?
I don't know what you mean by "perfect spiritual awareness". She nursed Him, changed His dirty diapers, taught Him how to walk, probably taught Him how to read, pulled slivers from His hands, and took Him to Jerusalem for Passovers. She did all the ordinary things that mothers do.

Natural Concupiscence is a desire to be warm when one is cold, or to drink when one is thirsty. Corrupted Concupiscence is what inclines us to sin.
Mary would have experienced pure, natural concupiscence in a way that God originally intended for all of us.

Mary: The Blessed Virgin (Index Page)
 
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MrMoe

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Jesus has a physical body so heaven must be a place. Hell is the state of definitive self-exclusion from communion with God and the blessed. Perhaps it is a place too. We can only think in terms of time and space and in eternity time and space does not exist. Your question is a metaphysical one and deserves a thread of it's own.


I'm not sure how you know time and space won't exist in eternity (I've heard some person say people will always exist in time) but if you say that heaven is a real place, then hell and purgatory must then be real places too.

For example, Catholics like to use Revelation 21:27 "Nothing impure will ever enter it" to say impure souls cannot enter heaven.
That means there is somewhere where the soul isn't and somewhere where it is. The soul has to exist somewhere. This "somewhere" can be considered a place. Even your picture demonstrates this.

And if purgatory isn't a place then I guess we can dismiss the visions of Catholic saints that describe purgatory as a place.


Both. She was conceived without original sin by God's special intervention; not by any power of her own, and not by her parents
I don't know what you mean by "perfect spiritual awareness". She nursed Him, changed His dirty diapers, taught Him how to walk, probably taught Him how to read, pulled slivers from His hands, and took Him to Jerusalem for Passovers. She did all the ordinary things that mothers do.

For example in Mark 6 and Mark 8 the disciples did not understand the meaning of the bread. Would Mary have understood the meaning (without being told) if she had been there? Would Mary have understood the parables that others didn't? That's what I mean by perfect spiritual awareness.


Natural Concupiscence is a desire to be warm when one is cold, or to drink when one is thirsty. Corrupted Concupiscence is what inclines us to sin.
Mary would have experienced pure, natural concupiscence in a way that God originally intended for all of us.

Mary: The Blessed Virgin (Index Page)

So I assume Corrupted Concupiscence falls under carnal minded, since "the carnal mind is enmity against God" Romans 8:7 (kjv) and Natural Concupiscence doesn't, since we need it to survive.

This is a quote from this page: What Does It Mean To Be A Carnal Christian?

"(1 Corinthians 3:1-5) In this passage, Paul had just spoken about how unsaved people could not understand the Bible, nor make sound decisions because they did not have the wisdom of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 2). Paul called the unsaved man the natural man. Paul continued in 1 Corinthians 3 by saying that he could not speak spiritual things to these Christians because they were carnal in their thinking."

This quote seems to be saying to be carnal minded isn't just to have sinful carnal desires but to also not understand spiritual things. So is Matthew 16:22-23 an example of Peter being carnal minded?
 
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paul becke

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Well, of course. What good is a religion if you're going to be limited by the Word of God. :doh:

Don't you believe the Holy Spirit befriends every sincere individual Christian ? Indeed, we all need the aid of the Holy Spirit to rightly interpret scripture.
 
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paul becke

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Isn't evangelizing about leading people to Christ?

Anyway, you probably will have to have something ready when the person you're "evangelizing" asks why he should believe all those stories about Marian apparitions, her bodily assumption, and so on. And it can't just be a recitation of the stories themselves or that old standby, "the church says so." ;)

Says you... LOL
'Isn't evangelizing about leading people to Christ?'
It's not even necessary for Catholics to believe in the egregious status of the Virgin Mary, though you must all be a few bricks short of a load, if you don't see her status as the Mother of God as necessarily being awesome. Indeed, in normal evangelisation you would be unlikely to address the matter of Our Lady's status. It's self-explanatory for those with eyes to see and ears to hear.


You don't really venerate Jesus' Incarnation, or understand its significance for us as 'other Christs', at least in embryo. Read Christ in his Mysteries by Abbot Marmion.

She will make herself known to a sincere Catholic via the Holy Spirit. So you needn't fret about that. Unless you don't believe in the friendship of the Holy Spirit with every sincere Christian - even for interpreting parts of scripture. You must be a very Low Church Anglican, as their High Church has a similar veneration of Our Lady as we, Catholics, if I'm not mistaken.
 
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kepha31

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I'm not sure how you know time and space won't exist in eternity (I've heard some person say people will always exist in time) but if you say that heaven is a real place, then hell and purgatory must then be real places too.

For example, Catholics like to use Revelation 21:27 "Nothing impure will ever enter it" to say impure souls cannot enter heaven.
That means there is somewhere where the soul isn't and somewhere where it is. The soul has to exist somewhere. This "somewhere" can be considered a place. Even your picture demonstrates this.

And if purgatory isn't a place then I guess we can dismiss the visions of Catholic saints that describe purgatory as a place.
I didn't say it wasn't a place. I said it was a state of being. There is nothing in scripture that calls it a place.
Every trace of attachment to evil must be eliminated, every imperfection of the soul corrected. Purification must be complete, and indeed this is precisely what is meant by the Church's teaching on purgatory. The term does not indicate a place, but a condition of existence. St. Pope John Paul II
God doesn't expect us to understand everything, but He does expect us to believe certain things.
For example in Mark 6 and Mark 8 the disciples did not understand the meaning of the bread. Would Mary have understood the meaning (without being told) if she had been there? Would Mary have understood the parables that others didn't? That's what I mean by perfect spiritual awareness.
Mark 6 has nothing to do with bread, and Mark 8 is about the Feeding of the Multitude, I believe it is a foreshadow of Jesus' power to multiply His Body and Blood throughout time.
So I assume Corrupted Concupiscence falls under carnal minded, since "the carnal mind is enmity against God" Romans 8:7 (kjv) and Natural Concupiscence doesn't, since we need it to survive.
This is a quote from this page: What Does It Mean To Be A Carnal Christian?
"(1 Corinthians 3:1-5) In this passage, Paul had just spoken about how unsaved people could not understand the Bible, nor make sound decisions because they did not have the wisdom of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 2). Paul called the unsaved man the natural man. Paul continued in 1 Corinthians 3 by saying that he could not speak spiritual things to these Christians because they were carnal in their thinking."
It requires supernatural faith to accept the Real and Substantial Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, not logic.
This quote seems to be saying to be carnal minded isn't just to have sinful carnal desires but to also not understand spiritual things. So is Matthew 16:22-23 an example of Peter being carnal minded?
It could be. Jesus scolded Peter for his lack of understanding, not his teaching, for Peter wasn't teaching anything. Peter knew the political climate in Jerusalem and was afraid for Jesus' life. That's why he didn't want Him to go. Then Jesus said what?
24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25 For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.
This is what Peter didn't understand until Jesus explained it. Many Christians don't understand it either when they don't accept the various crosses that befall them.
Manna was placed inside the Ark of the Old Covenant, which foreshadowed the Bread of Life in Mary's womb, the Ark of the New Covenant. She knew Who was inside her so in that sense she had "spiritual awareness".
 
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JacksBratt

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Actually, your sins are forgiven in this life, when you confess them, repent, and ask for forgiveness.

Agreed, however, punishment for those who are unforgiven, unrepentant and non believing is, obviously, not in this time on earth. It comes in the life or existence after this one.

This is why I said what I did.

No, sorry. The Bible does not state this.

On sins being washed away, including the one I quoted earlier, there are these verses. They may not always use the word "washed" but the term or concept of being washed or cleansed is very apparent.

1 John 1:7

but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.

Titus 3:5

He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,

John 15:3

"You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.

1 Corinthians 6:11

Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.

Absolutely, but this does not rule out purgatory.

Well, I have not read one thing in the bible or even, specifically, in what Jesus taught, that would indicate that:

1/ I ever have to pay or suffer for my sins as He "paid the full price"

2/ Anyone gets a second chance or earns their way into paradise.

3/ That there is a third road along with the wide road to destruction and the narrow road that few find, that leads to eternal life.

4/That there is anything that I, myself, can do in order to earn salvation. If there was, Christ's suffering, death and resurrection, would have been in vane.
 
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kepha31

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Agreed, however, punishment for those who are unforgiven, unrepentant and non believing is, obviously, not in this time on earth. It comes in the life or existence after this one.

This is why I said what I did.



On sins being washed away, including the one I quoted earlier, there are these verses. They may not always use the word "washed" but the term or concept of being washed or cleansed is very apparent.

1 John 1:7
but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.

Out of context.

5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; 7 but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; 7 but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
Titus 3:5

He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,
Washing of regeneration is BAPTISM, the removal of original sin, what we inherited from Adam. The doctrine of original sin was taught by the reformers but rejected by many Protestant today because it is fashionable.

John 15:3

"You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.
That''s very true. The Greek root word for clean is prune/cleanse. But it doesn't mean we can't choose to be unclean, or we would have no free will. Permanent justification was invented by John Calvin, and it's not in the Bible.

1 Corinthians 6:11

Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.
Again, this is about baptism.

Well, I have not read one thing in the bible or even, specifically, in what Jesus taught, that would indicate that:
1/ I ever have to pay or suffer for my sins as He "paid the full price"
That's not how it works, you are inserting a straw man fallacy.

2/ Anyone gets a second chance or earns their way into paradise.
You are completely missing the point. Purgatory is not a second chance and nobody said anything about earning their way into paradise. And BTW, paradise is not heaven.

3/ That there is a third road along with the wide road to destruction and the narrow road that few find, that leads to eternal life.

4/That there is anything that I, myself, can do in order to earn salvation. If there was, Christ's suffering, death and resurrection, would have been in vane.
Earning salvation is a heresy called Pelagianism, condemned by the Church 1000 years before the first Protestant was born, yet this myth won't go away.
 
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Halbhh

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but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.

Out of context.

5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; 7 but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; 7 but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
Washing of regeneration is BAPTISM, the removal of original sin, what we inherited from Adam. The doctrine of original sin was taught by the reformers but rejected by many Protestant today because it is fashionable.

That''s very true. The Greek root word for clean is prune/cleanse. But it doesn't mean we can't choose to be unclean, or we would have no free will. Permanent justification was invented by John Calvin, and it's not in the Bible.

Again, this is about baptism.

That's not how it works, you are inserting a straw man fallacy.

You are completely missing the point. Purgatory is not a second chance and nobody said anything about earning their way into paradise. And BTW, paradise is not heaven.


Earning salvation is a heresy called Pelagianism, condemned by the Church 1000 years before the first Protestant was born, yet this myth won't go away.

Just want you to know your informative posts are interesting and I read many of them, and very often there is nothing to comment on as it's just like my own view, and sometimes there is something, but it's not important. Internet discussions tend to bring out what we disagree on, but I think most everyone if were to list the 40 most important beliefs and understandings they have we would have much more overlap than we all expect, most all of us no matter our backgrounds, if we are willing to recognize different wordings that essentially say the same thing (a skill I've been working on for a few years). Of course there are important topics that do come up, but we may forget at times all the agreement. How many would find even one bit in the creeds they do not totally accept? But past the creeds, there is still yet a majority of agreement in my estimation for most.
 
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bbbbbbb

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Don't you believe the Holy Spirit befriends every sincere individual Christian ? Indeed, we all need the aid of the Holy Spirit to rightly interpret scripture.

Actually, Catholics do not need the direct presence of the Holy Spirit to interpret scripture. The Catholic Church has interpreted scripture such that any individual interpretation is either superfluous or condemned if it contradicts the interpretation of the Catholic Church.
 
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JacksBratt

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but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.

Out of context.

5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; 7 but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; 7 but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
Washing of regeneration is BAPTISM, the removal of original sin, what we inherited from Adam. The doctrine of original sin was taught by the reformers but rejected by many Protestant today because it is fashionable.

I never said that anyone is "without sin".

Are you saying that I must wait for my baptism before I am cleansed of my sins?

If so, what if I died after I was saved yet before I was baptized.

Further still, what of the sins I commit after my baptism in the years before I die?

That''s very true. The Greek root word for clean is prune/cleanse. But it doesn't mean we can't choose to be unclean, or we would have no free will. Permanent justification was invented by John Calvin, and it's not in the Bible.

Again, this is about baptism.

Again, baptism does not cleanse me of my sin. Christ did that on the cross and I was washed clean by His blood, when I accepted His gift of salvation.

Baptism is a public profession of Faith in Christ. It is a symbol of our dying as an old creature and rebirth as a child of God.

That's not how it works, you are inserting a straw man fallacy.

Actually, that's exactly how it works. I can not do one thing, during this life, or after, that would bring me one step closer to the righteousness necessary for my salvation.

I am not saved by my works here on earth.
I am not saved by hardship or pain or punishment
I am only saved by Christs death on the cross and resurrection. Which He did for me to save me from my sins.

You are completely missing the point. Purgatory is not a second chance and nobody said anything about earning their way into paradise. And BTW, paradise is not heaven.

Sure it is. You die but you have some unforgiven sins or unrighteousness that needs to be punished. So, you spend some time in torment until God thinks you have learned your lesson or suffered enough....Totally unbiblical and totally insults what Christ did on the cross.

I'll ignore the whole argument of Paradise, heaven etc.... Where did Christ say that the thief on the cross would be with Him "that day"... Totally useless argument.

Earning salvation is a heresy called Pelagianism, condemned by the Church 1000 years before the first Protestant was born, yet this myth won't go away.

Well, it might go away if you would stop telling people that there is a place you may go until you have suffered enough to get into heaven.
 
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kepha31

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Actually, Catholics do not need the direct presence of the Holy Spirit to interpret scripture. The Catholic Church has interpreted scripture such that any individual interpretation is either superfluous or condemned if it contradicts the interpretation of the Catholic Church.
first of all, the Catholic needs to learn good basic skills of Bible interpretation. I would recommend a book such as Making Senses Out of Scripture: Reading the Bible As the First Christians Did, by Mark Shea.

Once that is understood, so elementary errors in exegesis and hermeneutics are not committed, a reader so informed is able to learn on his own, pretty much, from Scripture. But the Catholic always has a boundary, beyond which he cannot go: Catholic dogma. The Catholic exegete should always seek to conform his opinion with that of the Church. So it isn’t so much that the Church is saying:

A) “You can’t interpret Scripture on your own”

(as Protestant critics often caricature our approach). Rather, it is saying:

B) “don’t become so independent that you interpret in a way that is contrary to Church dogma.”

Some Protestant critics think this stricture implies that Catholic exegetes aren’t “free.” But that is silly, since all Protestant traditions have doctrines, too, which are non-negotiable. A professor at a [traditional] Calvinist seminary, for example, couldn’t interpret Scripture in an Arminian, non-Calvinist fashion, or he would be out of a job. Every conscious Christian interpreter comes to the text with prior biases or beliefs, and believes that Scripture teaches those things. Why should Catholics be singled out? It’s a double-standard argument.
 
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Again, baptism does not cleanse me of my sin.
Acts 22:16
Now, don’t wait any longer. Get up, be baptized and wash away your sins, trusting in Jesus to save you.’

Christ did that on the cross and I was washed clean by His blood
Titus 3
But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

when I accepted His gift of salvation.
Were you saved before or after you were able to accept his gift?

(Hint: 1 Corinthians 2:14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.)
 
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Tangible

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A) “You can’t interpret Scripture on your own”

(as Protestant critics often caricature our approach). Rather, it is saying:

B) “don’t become so independent that you interpret in a way that is contrary to Church dogma.”
But what if your church's dogma stands in opposition to the clear word of scripture, in context in the passage and in agreement with the entire witness of scripture?
 
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If so, what if I died after I was saved yet before I was baptized.
1258 The Church has always held the firm conviction that those who suffer death for the sake of the faith without having received Baptism are baptized by their death for and with Christ. This Baptism of blood, like the desire for Baptism, brings about the fruits of Baptism without being a sacrament.

1259 For catechumens who die before their Baptism, their explicit desire to receive it, together with repentance for their sins, and charity, assures them the salvation that they were not able to receive through the sacrament.

1260 "Since Christ died for all, and since all men are in fact called to one and the same destiny, which is divine, we must hold that the Holy Spirit offers to all the possibility of being made partakers, in a way known to God, of the Paschal mystery."63 Every man who is ignorant of the Gospel of Christ and of his Church, but seeks the truth and does the will of God in accordance with his understanding of it, can be saved. It may be supposed that such persons would have desired Baptism explicitly if they had known its necessity.

1261 As regards children who have died without Baptism, the Church can only entrust them to the mercy of God, as she does in her funeral rites for them. Indeed, the great mercy of God who desires that all men should be saved, and Jesus' tenderness toward children which caused him to say: "Let the children come to me, do not hinder them,"64 allow us to hope that there is a way of salvation for children who have died without Baptism. All the more urgent is the Church's call not to prevent little children coming to Christ through the gift of holy Baptism.

Further still, what of the sins I commit after my baptism in the years before I die?
1861 Mortal sin is a radical possibility of human freedom, as is love itself. It results in the loss of charity and the privation of sanctifying grace, that is, of the state of grace. If it is not redeemed by repentance and God's forgiveness, it causes exclusion from Christ's kingdom and the eternal death of hell, for our freedom has the power to make choices for ever, with no turning back. However, although we can judge that an act is in itself a grave offense, we must entrust judgment of persons to the justice and mercy of God.

1862 One commits venial sin when, in a less serious matter, he does not observe the standard prescribed by the moral law, or when he disobeys the moral law in a grave matter, but without full knowledge or without complete consent.

1863 Venial sin weakens charity; it manifests a disordered affection for created goods; it impedes the soul's progress in the exercise of the virtues and the practice of the moral good; it merits temporal punishment. Deliberate and unrepented venial sin disposes us little by little to commit mortal sin. However venial sin does not break the covenant with God. With God's grace it is humanly reparable. "Venial sin does not deprive the sinner of sanctifying grace, friendship with God, charity, and consequently eternal happiness."134
While he is in the flesh, man cannot help but have at least some light sins. But do not despise these sins which we call "light": if you take them for light when you weigh them, tremble when you count them. A number of light objects makes a great mass; a number of drops fills a river; a number of grains makes a heap. What then is our hope? Above all, confession.135

1864 "Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven."136 There are no limits to the mercy of God, but anyone who deliberately refuses to accept his mercy by repenting, rejects the forgiveness of his sins and the salvation offered by the Holy Spirit.137 Such hardness of heart can lead to final impenitence and eternal loss.

26 For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. 28 Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. 29 How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy,d]">[d] drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who doe]">[e] such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

Baptism is a public profession of Faith in Christ. It is a symbol of our dying as an old creature and rebirth as a child of God.
The Bible does not state this. This is a tradition of men.

Actually, that's exactly how it works. I can not do one thing, during this life, or after, that would bring me one step closer to the righteousness necessary for my salvation.

I am not saved by my works here on earth.
I am not saved by hardship or pain or punishment
I am only saved by Christs death on the cross and resurrection. Which He did for me to save me from my sins.
Ah, but you contradict yourself. Above you stated that you must accept His gift of salvation. If you reject His gift of salvation, are you saved?

Sure it is. You die but you have some unforgiven sins or unrighteousness that needs to be punished. So, you spend some time in torment until God thinks you have learned your lesson or suffered enough....Totally unbiblical and totally insults what Christ did on the cross.

I'll ignore the whole argument of Paradise, heaven etc.... Where did Christ say that the thief on the cross would be with Him "that day"... Totally useless argument.

Well, it might go away if you would stop telling people that there is a place you may go until you have suffered enough to get into heaven.
Here is a tip. If you desire to convince someone that he is wrong, or to otherwise have a productive discussion, it would benefit you to learn what the other person actually believes, and have a discussion concerning that.

As an example, you may begin by learning what the Church actually teaches concerning purgatory.

For your reading pleasure:

III. THE FINAL PURIFICATION, OR PURGATORY

1030 All who die in God's grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.

1031 The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned.606 The Church formulated her doctrine of faith on Purgatory especially at the Councils of Florence and Trent. The tradition of the Church, by reference to certain texts of Scripture, speaks of a cleansing fire:607
As for certain lesser faults, we must believe that, before the Final Judgment, there is a purifying fire. He who is truth says that whoever utters blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will be pardoned neither in this age nor in the age to come. From this sentence we understand that certain offenses can be forgiven in this age, but certain others in the age to come.608
1032 This teaching is also based on the practice of prayer for the dead, already mentioned in Sacred Scripture: "Therefore [Judas Maccabeus] made atonement for the dead, that they might be delivered from their sin."609 From the beginning the Church has honored the memory of the dead and offered prayers in suffrage for them, above all the Eucharistic sacrifice, so that, thus purified, they may attain the beatific vision of God.610 The Church also commends almsgiving, indulgences, and works of penance undertaken on behalf of the dead:
Let us help and commemorate them. If Job's sons were purified by their father's sacrifice, why would we doubt that our offerings for the dead bring them some consolation? Let us not hesitate to help those who have died and to offer our prayers for them.611
 
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