The Not Listening Excuse...

[&Abel]

too close for comfort in my book

did you get coaching on the reply? just outta curiosity

 

[benedictaoo]

Why dress a statue and parade it around? What about this is shows me that because you say you don't means you don't when the actions do not reflect what you say?

Why do you bring flowers to a grave?

 

[benedictaoo]

too close for comfort in my book

did you get coaching on the reply? just outta curiosity

are you taking to me?

 

[&Abel]

a gesture towards the person it represents

but you are not giving the flowers to the tombstone

your giving them in honor of the person buried

 

[&Abel]

are you taking to me?

yes

 

[benedictaoo]

So hurting another physically is an act of Love? We are to love as God loves.. I do not believe my Father would slug me in the Eye because He loved me.. Do you? I know that if my earthly mother were to slug me in the eye a case of abuse would open up.. LOL

and that is who we view it when you say praying and honoring the memory of a person who lived that we love, is an act of worship.

It's an act of love.

 

[benedictaoo]

a gesture towards the person it represents

but you are not giving the flowers to the tombstone

your giving them in honor of the person buried

BINGO!!!!!!!!!!!! oh praise Jesus... you finally get it.

 

[LittleLambofJesus]

a gesture towards the person it represents

but you are not giving the flowers to the tombstone

your giving them in honor of the person buried

I would like an eternal flame glowing myself

 

[&Abel]

is it more important or significant to offer flowers to a statue of Mary apposed to your family members?

like do you believe that the offering can help you apposed to being a gesture of honor like with a family member

 

[&Abel]

is the statue considered holy?

 

[benedictaoo]

yes

Okay... no I did not get coaching-- lol. I ahve been a catholic for a long time, I know what I am talking about and I had a thousand debates/arguments about this.

I know what you are going to say before you even say it.

I know all your canned scriptures and all the usual objections.

but if you want to know why I took so long it's becuase my 6 year old and my husband kept talking to me while I was trying to respond.

I did make an effort to give a thoughtful response.

Now do you want something official from the Church to back up what I said?

 

[LittleLambofJesus]

I know what you are going to say before you even say it.

So do I

 

[&Abel]

sure

 

[benedictaoo]

is the statue considered holy?

Not the statue itself... the fact that it is consecrated. It's not holy, it's set apart for a holy use. Healing, conversion, protection, ect.

 

[Hentenza]

Please move to this thread to continue the discussion on the Virgin Mary and Images. Thanks.

 

[&Abel]

do you believe that praying in the presence of the statue increases your chances of god answering?

 

[&Abel]

Please move to this thread to continue the discussion on the Virgin Mary and Images. Thanks.

ok

 

[&Abel]

will you post there bene?

 

[benedictaoo]

sure

... here is a statment on what is a sacramental.

Q. Why does the Church use sacramentals?

A sacramental is a sacred sign by which spiritual effects especially are signified and are obtained by the intercession of the Church (Canon 1166). These sacred signs bear a resemblance to the sacraments (discussed in a later chapter) in that they signify effects, particularly of a spiritual kind. Sacramentals take various forms from blessings to blessed objects. Sacramentals with which we are all familiar are making the sign of the cross (blessing ourselves), holy water (water which has been blessed by a priest and is used, among other uses, for baptism), blessed medals and exorcisms (the blessing out of evil spirits).

Sacramentals, as a rule, were not instituted by Christ (exorcism would be an obvious exception), but by the Church. As such, sacramentals do not confer the grace of the Holy Spirit in the way that the sacraments do, but by the Church's intercessory prayer they do prepare us to receive God's grace and dispose us to cooperate with it. The efficacy of a sacramental depends upon the devotion, faith and love of those who use them. Sacramentals serve to remind the faithful of the Glory of God and thereby to draw us closer to Him. The prayer over a meal (blessing the meal) for example, reminds us that all that we have comes from God's love for us and this reminder helps us to be open to receiving even more of God's bounty.

Recommended reading:
Catechism of the Catholic Church, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1994, paragraphs 1667-1679
Ott, Dr. Ludwig, Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma, TAN Books and Publishers, Rockford, IL 61105, 1974, pages 348-349

 

[LittleLambofJesus]

Not the statue itself... the fact that it is consecrated. It's not holy, it's set apart for a holy use. Healing, conversion, protection, ect.

You do realize there are cases of healing not involving statues correct? And you admitted it was the "luck of the draw" if one does get healed.
Anothers words, who is to know that a person was not destined by God to be healed at that moment if he simply had gone up to a water fountain and prayed to be healed. See what I mean??