Idolatry is about the worship of anything other than Yahweh. Any item we place in God's place. Even our ideas of what it means to be a "Christian" can become a form of idolatry. We become more concerned with "living right" and "following the law" that we are blinded to what is truly the truth.
Do not allow my persuasive writing style to overcome your skepticism: weigh my words, check my facts, and accept only what passes muster. Don't agree with me without first putting me to the test, which is your duty according to 1 John 4:1-3.
God ordered His children to construct these statues and images, but He did not intend for His children to worship them. God was using the images to help them to recall situations, to see places as holy and set apart, and to help them to open their minds and hearts and turn them back to God.
You see, an image is not an idol. There is a difference.
“An image is simply a spiritual ‘visual aid’ that is used by the faithful to increase their spirit of prayerfulness and devotion to God. An idol, on the other hand, is an image that is worshipped by the unfaithful in place of the one true God (i.e., the ‘golden calf’ described in Ex. 32:7-8).”
In the Old Testament, images of God were forbidden because folks had not yet seen God in human form. In the New Testament, God HAS taken on human form…an image that we can see.
“He (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God…” – Colossians 1:15
“For in Jesus dwells the whole fullness of the Deity, bodily…” – Colossians 2:9
“What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we looked upon and touched with our hands concerns the Word of life – for the life was made visible…” – 1 John 1:1-2
When we profess that Jesus Christ is Lord, we must remember that we are professing the Incarnation…that is, that God became flesh…flesh in human form, Who we could see, smell, hear, touch and (through the Eucharist) taste!
When we look upon a statue as we meditate in prayer to God, our senses are illuminated. We are not worshipping the wood, plaster, plastic or paint. The image, though, appeals to our sense of sight, aiding in our visualization and helping us to focus on the pure, consistent and holy life lived by that saint…like the Blessed Virgin Mary, for instance.
Is a Children’s picture Bible that includes animations and drawings throughout it, the worshipping of images? Those are images, too, just not 3-D.
Catholics may pray in front of a statue, but never to a statue…that would be idolatry.
You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. (Exodus 20:4,5).
If this passage prohibits pictures of the incarnate Christ, or of angels or our heroes in the Faith, then at the same time we're tearing down all the Bible flannelgraphs in our Sunday School rooms, we really ought to destroy our photos of our families, picture of a nature, political leaders, Americans worship the American flag, film stars , sports players snapshots of pets or the Grand Canyon, and the Statue of Liberty... Those are all images of things in the heaven or earth or water.
Furthermore, if this applies to all images—then even the picture on a driver's license violates it, and is an idol. So either every Protestant with a driver's license is an idolater, or Icons are not idols. Leaving aside, for the moment, the meaning of "graven images" lets simply look at what this text actually says about them. You shall not make x, you shall not bow to x, you shall not worship x. If x = image, then the Temple itself violates this Commandment. If x = idol and not all images, then this verse contradicts neither the Icons in the Temple, nor catholic Icons.
The Scriptures do command the Israelites to bow before the Ark, which had two prominent images of cherubim on it. In Psalms 99:5, it commands: "bow before the footstool of His feet...." We should note first of all that the word for "bow" here, is the same word used in Exodus 20:5, when we are told to not bow to idols.And what is the "footstool of His feet"? In 1st Chronicles 28:2, David uses this phrase in reference to the Ark of the Covenant. In Psalm 99 [98 in the Septuagint], it begins by speaking of the Lord who "dwells between the Cherubim" (99:1), and it ends with a call to "bow to His holy hill"—which makes it even clearer that in context, this is speaking of the Ark of the Covenant. This phrase occurs again in Psalm 132:7, where it is preceded by the statement "We will go into His tabernacles..." and is followed by the statement "Arise, O Lord, into Thy rest; Thou and the Ark of Thy strength."Interestingly, this phrase is applied to the Cross in the services of the Church, and the connection is not accidental—because on the Ark, between the Cherubim was the Mercy Seat, upon which the sacrificial blood was sprinkled for the sins of the people (Exodus 25:22, Leviticus 16:15).
We ought to distinguish between worship, which is for God alone, and honor, which we owe to kings (1 Peter 2:7), presbyters (1 Tim 5:17), wives (1 Peter 3:7), and indeed to all people (1 Peter 2:17), since all are in the image [icon] of Christ. We bow to honor one another and to honor our heroes in the Faith who are depicted in icons. We greet all the saints (Hebrews 13:24) with a holy kiss ...including the saints who are represented in the Bible and in icons. After all, there isn't a great chasm fixed between the living and the dead. That gulf lies between the righteous and the wicked (Luke 16:26), not between us and the living Christians who are "absent from the body and present with the Lord." Christ doesn't have two Bodies, one on earth and one in heaven; His Body the Church is one, and includes both us who are in the body and the "great cloud of witnesses" (Heb 12:1).
Anyone who's read much of the Old Testament will probably recognize the phrase "golden calf". Aaron set up a golden calf and told Israel "This is your God who brought you out of Egypt!" In later generations, Israel's default design for an idol was a bull or calf. This was an image that had strong resonance for them - this is what a god "looked like" to their religious sensibilities. (For comparison, see all the Assyrian and Babylonian images of "cherubim" i.e. human-headed, winged bulls.) Prophets cried out against the worship of the golden calves; God pronounced judgments on those who set up these images for worship.
So what would you say if I told you these images were set up in the Temple - with God's approval?
It may be startling (to say the least) to read in 1 Kings 7:25 that the brazen sea - the huge 15-foot diameter basin in the courts of the Temple - was made with graven images of twelve bulls prominently displayed. This should tell us, if nothing else, that God is not displeased by the presence of pictorial representations in holy places. Even when, as in this case, they are graven images identical to those the Israelites periodically worshipped!
Of course those weren't the only graven images in the Temple. You'll also find:
Two fifteen-foot-tall cherubim in the Holy of Holies (1 Kings 6:23-28)
All the Temple's inside walls were covered with carved figures of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers. (1 Kings 6:29)
The doors of the sanctuary and of the inner sanctuary were carved gold-overlaid images of cherubim, palm trees, and flowers (1 Kings 6:32,34)
On the Temple carts, images of bulls and lions. (1 Kings 7:29,36)
and of course the two cherubs on top of the Ark itself!
God sees the difference between graven images in general, and graven image to which one gives worship.
God has commissioned a number of icons. He commanded Moses to display an icon in Numbers 21:8,9 - God healed the Israelites from snakebite when they looked to the icon of the snake. It was not until a later generation, when the people had named this icon Nehushtan and worshipped it as a god, that it was necessary to destroy it (2 Kings 18:4). At another time, God specifically commanded Ezekiel to paint an icon of the city of Jerusalem and to treat the icon as a symbol of Jerusalem (Ezekiel 4:1).
In many cultures outside the Western world, there is nothing strange about bowing to greet someone; in Mediterranean and Slavic cultures it's common to greet friends and honored guests with a hug and kisses on both cheeks, as Scripture repeatedly says, "Greet one another with a holy kiss" (Romans 16:16; 1 Corinthians 16:20; 2 Corinthians 13:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:26). It's worth speculating as to whether that greeting with a kiss came to Christianity from the hearty Mediterranean cultures, or whether those cultures learned it from the Christians.
It is clear from the Old Testament that the answer to both questions is, Yes. While Protestants, however, object to the veneration of Icons, they typically do not object to the making or possession of images. If they did, they would not have illustrated Gospel tracts, TV's, or pictures... but aside from the Amish, one would be hard pressed to find another group of Protestants that consistently eschews images. Protestants do typically object to the veneration of images, but interestingly the arguments and evidence that they use almost always argues against any images of any kind, if the logic of their line of argumentation were consistently followed.
Illiterate people could look at the stained glass pictures on the windows of the Churches and understand the story. So not only were the statues and paintings beautiful and reverent, but they were also very functional. They told the Bible story and the Priest could point to them during his homilies. Statues and stained glass were, for them, teaching tools and reminders. If we walk around any classic sanctuary and we'll see the statues, each saint holding his symbol. A well trained Christian could learn the stories of all those saints, and pass them along to his children, even if he couldn't read. This also explains the classic format of the windows: a large central picture surrounded by a host of smaller vignettes. With proper explanation, one could learn the whole story of, say, John the Baptist, along with all important tie-ins to the life of Christ. These were not false images to be worshiped, but reminders of the story of Salvation.
Anything can be an idol if it takes the place of God. Most of the quotes in the Old Testament which forbid graven images are talking about images of false foreign gods. In those days the pagans were big on making golden calves and things like that. They would worship the statue itself as a god. (Ex 20:35) These Scripture passages are stressing that there is one God, the true god. It prohibits idolatry, which is the worship of idols and false gods.
However, in the early parts of the Old Testament, it is also forbidden to make images of the true God. In Deuteronomy 4:15-18 we read, "Since you saw no form on the day that the Lord spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire, beware lest you act corruptly by making a graven image for yourselves, in any form of any figure ..."
The important word here is "Since," which is a provisional word. God had not yet visually revealed himself to mankind. However, Catholics believe that God did finally reveal himself visually to mankind in the person of Jesus.
"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation"
(Col 1:15)
In John 14:9 we read: "He who has seen me has seen the Father"
In the Old Testament it is forbidden to eat pork, but in the New Testament the Lord says that all foods are clean, and he lifts this ban. Likewise, Catholics believe that when God revealed himself to mankind he lifted the ban on making visual representations of him. I think deep down most Evangelicals understand this, otherwise they would not be able to go to any movies that have images of Jesus in them. They would consider movies like "The Nativity" blasphemous. Nor would they be able to have children's illustrated Bibles with pictures of Jesus. The Greek word "icon", means image. Jesus is the visible image of the unseen God.
Note: This article is collected from various internet source.. Thanks to all the authors of this content!
Shaila Touchton's Despite of Differences, Come Unity in Jesus Christ!
Showing posts with label Idol Worship. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Idol Worship. Show all posts
The Bibe teaches us to pray and venerate saints!
Protestants, who claim to be obedient to Scripture, are the first ones to level these accusations against Catholics, not without a Bible quote or two, which seem to back them up, but little do they realize that the Bible actually teaches that we should pray to and venerate saints.
God uses His angels as messengers
1 Chronicles 21:18: “And the angel of the Lord commanded Gad to tell David…”
4 Kings 1:3: “And an angel of the Lord spoke to Elias the Thesbite, saying…”
Acts 8:26: “Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying…”
Throughout the Bible God uses His angels to deliver messages, to give instructions, to deliver justice and to answer prayers.
Numbers 20:16: “And how we cried to the Lord, and he heard us, and sent an angel, who hath brought us out of Egypt…”
Isaias 37:36: “And the angel of the Lord went out, and slew in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and eighty-five thousand…”
God answers prayers by sending angels, and this is so frequent and natural that not only are they sent by God, but they are also besought and entreated by men.
Judges 6:12-13: “The angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said: The Lord is with thee, O most valiant of men. And Gedeon said to him: I beseech thee, my lord, if the Lord be with us, why have these evils fallen upon us?”
Angles can be prayed to
Osee 12:3-4: “In the womb he supplanted his brother: and by his strength he had success with an angel. And he prevailed over the angel, and was strengthened: he wept, and made supplication to him: he found him in Bethel, and there he spoke with us.”
Not because they are God, of course, but because they are powerful supernatural servants of God.
St. Luke 1:10-13: “And all the multitude of the people was praying without, at the hour of incense. And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord, standing on the right side of the alter of incense. And Zachary seeing him, was troubled, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said to him: Fear not, Zachary, for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elizabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.”
The angel heard the prayer and responded.
How does this relate to saints?
Matthew 22:29-32: "And Jesus answering, said to them: You err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they shall neither marry nor be married; but shall be as the angels of God in heaven. And concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read that which was spoken by God, saying to you: I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living."
St. Luke 20:34-36: “And Jesus said to them: The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage: But they that shall be accounted worthy of that world, and of the resurrection from the dead, shall neither be married, nor take wives. Neither can they die any more: for they are equal to the angels, and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.”
Saints in heaven are as the angels. Do angels mete out God’s justice? Yes. Answer prayers on behalf of God? Yes. Receive supplication and prayer? Yes. Therefore the saints of Jesus do all of those things. Now that we have made the link between angels and saints, we need to consider a few more things in this regard. The intercession angels, on behalf of God, is extraordinarily powerful and effective. They transmit the message of the Almighty so frequently that in many passages it is not clear if the angel is speaking or if God is speaking.
Zacharias 12:8: “In that day shall the Lord protect the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and he that hath offended among them in that day shall be as David: and the house of David, as that of God, as an angel of the Lord in their sight.”
St. Luke 2:9: “And behold an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the brightness of God shone round about them; and they feared with a great fear.”
The Bible shows us the importance of the witness of angels and saints.
St. Luke 12:8-9: “And I say to you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God. But he that shall deny me before men, shall be denied before the angels of God.”
Jesus considers His confession before angels to be very significant, much like His confession to His Father (Matthew 10:32).
St. Luke 15:10: “So I say to you, there shall be joy before the angels of God upon one sinner doing penance.”
Angles have a connection with and influence over the salvation of men. They rejoice when a man converts because their intercession assits his conversion. They cheer him, they help him and intercede for him. That’s why Catholics understand the intercession of saints to be so important. Saints in heaven are as the angels of God, they are intimately involved in man’s salvation under Jesus Christ. When one prays to them, they in turn pray to God who commonly grants His graces on their behalf and because of their close relationship with Him. The Bible also teaches that angels are present in the assemblies of the faithful.
1 Corinthians 11:10: Therefore ought the woman to have a power (head covering) over her head, because of the angels.
This verse tells us that because of the angels, not God, the woman should cover her head. Veneration is also due to angels, since they are the worthy servants of God almighty.
Jesus described St. John the Baptist as an angel.
St Matthew 11:9-10: “But what went you out to see? a prophet? yea I tell you, and more than a prophet. For this is he of whom it is written: Behold I send my angel before thy face, who shall prepare thy way before thee.”
In Hebrews we find a description of the Church of Jesus Christ and its heavenly majesty. Notice that the Christian coming before the heavenly description of the Church, comes before the spirits of the just men made perfect, the saints in heaven. The Christian is warned before about coming before all of the following:
Hebrews 12:22-23: "But you are come to mount Sion, and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to the company of many thousands of angels, And to the church of the firstborn, who are written in the heavens, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of the just made perfect"
Prayers to them are Biblical and of tremendous value, since God is glorified and not detracted by His saints.
2 Thessalonians 1:10: “When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be made wonderful in all them who have believed; because our testimony was believed upon you in that day.”
As we see, Saints do not diminish God’s glory, they augment it. Those who are closest to the king can gain favours that are not always given to those who are further away from him. Just like in any other hierarchy, family, company team, etc.
The communion of saints
This is the true and Catholic view of heaven. To use an analogy, it’s like the magnificent palace of the king where there are dozens of levels of servants, assistants and attendants. Each level is full of them, they wait on the king and they have dedicated everything to him. They are his true friends in addition to being his servants. Their lives of service, their extraordinary examples strike each visitor with awe. All of the king’s servants possess their own splendor, which is given to them as a result of their place of honour in the palace.
The king has bestowed some of his own glory on everyone with him, even though theirs is infinitely less than his own. Their personal glory contributes to the glory of the entire place. The thought of the profound glory of the kings servants and friends strikes one with awe at the thought of the unique glory of the king himself whom all of these magnificent creatures serve. As you see more of the palace and move closer to the king, the glory of his friends and servants increases. In creation itself, the brilliant diversity of God’s masterpiece, with differences in snow capped mountains, flowing rivers, serene lakes, green jungles, beautiful woods and rolling hills, strike one with wonder. In heaven there is a countless variety of people, each with a different story, a different trial, a different sacrifice, a different gift, all of which were dedicated and used for God to the fullest and which culminated in perfect happiness in heaven. This stunning variety stirs one to even greater love and awe of the Almighty.
This is the true and Catholic view of heaven and the heavenly hierarchy. It is easy to see in this description how the glory of the saints does not detract from the glory of God, but magnifies it.
St. Luke 1:46: “And Mary said: My soul doth magnify the Lord.”
The Protestant view on the other hand is much different. It’s comparable to a palace that is filled only with the king. In this palace there is nothing and no one that can move your attention away from him. Which king is the more glorious? Which image of the heavenly kingdom is the true one? Which is the Biblical one? The answer is that the Bible teaches the Catholic view, the communion of the saints.
Daniel 7:10: “A swift stream of fire issued forth from before him: thousands of thousands ministered to him, and ten thousand times a hundred thousand stood before him: the judgment sat, and the books were opened.”
The mind-boggling number of servants who minister to God only enhances the majesty of the appearance of God.
St. Matthew 25:31: “And when the Son of man shall come in his majesty, and all the angels with him, then shall he sit upon the seat of his majesty.”
God comes with and is glorified by his ministers and his angels and his saints. The Catholic view is the correct and Biblical view of heaven and the heavenly hierarchy. Next we will talk about how the Bible teaches that men can intercede with God.
Jeremias 15:1: “And the Lord said to me: If Moses and Samuel shall stand before me, my soul is not towards this people: cast them out from my sight, and let them go forth.”
Intercession of saintly men helps influence what God does for people and what God does to them, as this last verse shows, even if it wouldn’t have helped in this particular case.0
Exodus 32:9-15: “And again the Lord said to Moses: See that this people is stiffnecked: Let me alone, that my wrath may be kindled against them, and that I may destroy them, and I will make of thee a great nation. But Moses besought the Lord his God, saying: Why, O Lord, is thy indignation kindled against thy people, whom thou hast brought out of the land of Egypt, with great power, and with a mighty hand? Let not the Egyptians say, I beseech thee: He craftily brought them out, that he might kill them in the mountains, and destroy them from the earth: let thy anger cease, and be appeased upon the wickedness of thy people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou sworest by thy own self, saying: I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven: and this whole land that I have spoken of, I will give to you seed, and you shall possess it for ever. And the Lord was appeased from doing the evil which he had spoken against his people. And Moses returned from the mount, carrying the two tables of the testimony in his hand, written on both sides.”
Moses influence with God was so great that God even asked Moses to let Him alone that he might destroy them, but ultimately He relented because of Moses. Not all men are equal before God or have the same intercessory power before with Him. Moses is an exceptional case as is Abraham.
Genesis 18:26-33: “And the Lord said to him: If I find in Sodom fifty just within the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake. And Abraham answered, and said: Seeing I have once begun, I will speak to my Lord, whereas I am dust and ashes. What if there be five less than fifty just persons? wilt thou for five and forty destroy the whole city? And he said: I will not destroy it, if I find five and forty. And again he said to him: But if forty be found there, what wilt thou do? He said: I will not destroy it for the sake of forty. Lord, saith he, be not angry, I beseech thee, if I speak: What if thirty shall be found there? He answered: I will not do it, if I find thirty there. Seeing, saith he, I have once begun, I will speak to my Lord. What if twenty be found there? He said: I will not destroy it for the sake of twenty. I beseech thee, saith he, be not angry, Lord, if I speak yet once more: What if ten should be found there? And he said: I will not destroy it for the sake of ten. And the Lord departed, after he had left speaking to Abraham: and Abraham returned to his place.”
God at times accepts the sacrifices and prayers of saintly men on behalf of sinners, as in the case of Job.
Job 42:7-10: “And after the Lord had spoken these words to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Themanite: My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends, because you have not spoken the thing that is right before my, as my servant Job hath. Take unto you therefore seven oxen, and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer for yourselves a holocaust: and my servant Job shall pray for you: his face I will accept, that folly be not imputed to you: for you have not spoken right things before me, as my servant Job hath. So Eliphaz the Themanite, and Baldad the Suhite, and Sophar the Naamathite went, and did as the Lord had spoken to them, and the Lord accepted the face of Job. The Lord also was turned at the penance of Job, when he prayed for his friends. And the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.”
Another example involving Moses, where his intercession played a key role in obtaining the help of God:
Exodus 17:11-13: “And when Moses lifted up his hands, Israel overcame: but if he let them down a little, Amalec overcame. And Moses' hands were heavy: so they took a stone, and put under him, and he sat on it: and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands on both sides. And it came to pass that his hands were not weary until sunset. And Josue put Amalec and his people to flight, by the edge of the sword.”
It is clear that God grants certain things through the intercession of holy men.
Protestants like to argue that praying to saints is against Scripture, and one of the few passages they use to try and prove this is as follows:
1 Timothy 2:5: “For there is one God, and one mediator of God and men, the man Christ Jesus”
As we will see, this objection is false for many reasons.
In John 10:16: “And other sheep I have, that are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice, and there shall be one fold and one shepherd.”
Jesus calls Himself the one shepherd but, in John 21:15-17, he appoints St. Peter over his flock. “Feed my lambs… feed my lambs… feed my sheep”.
Another example is that Jesus says that He is the supreme judge, in John 9:39 and many other passages. Certain Christians will also act on His behalf as judges in heaven, even of angels.
1 Corinthians 6:2: "Know you not that the saints shall judge this world? And if the world shall be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Know you not that we shall judge angels? how much more things of this world?”
St. Matthew 19:28: “And Jesus said to them: Amen, I say to you, that you, who have followed me, in the regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit on the seat of his majesty, you also shall sit on twelve seats judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”
Jesus is the unique mediator, since He united man to God. Jesus alone did this by His passion and death for those who cooperate with it. That does not mean that in the one mediation of Christ there are not others who participate in His mediation. In fact the Bible clearly teaches that there are.
If Jesus’ unique mediation excluded praying to saints then it would also exclude asking a fellow man to pray for you. There is no way around this. When you ask a fellow man to pray for you, you are asking another person to act as a mediator with Jesus for you. Therefore if prayers to saints are excluded by the unique mediation of Jesus, then asking another to pray for you is excluded as well.
St. Paul himself repeatedly asks others for prayers.
Romans 15:30: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, through our Lord Jesus Christ, and by the charity of the Holy Ghost, that you help me in your prayers for me to God.”
He also tells others that he is praying for them.
Colossians 1:3: “Grace be to you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. We give thanks to God, and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you…”
The Bible also says this about the suffering of St. Paul:
Colossians 1:24: “Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up those things that are wanting of the sufferings of Christ, in my flesh, for his body, which is the church.”
This verse might be a shock to some non-Catholics that are not familiar with it. St. Paul says that he fills up for the Church those things that are wanting or lacking in the sufferings of Christ. Christ’s suffering was perfect and of infinite value, so what does this mean? What St. Paul means is that many sufferings are still wanting and needed for the members of the Church to work out their salvation, which was made possible by Christ’s sacrifice. This verse is teaching that in addition to his prayers, his sacrifices and sufferings can intercede with God so that God gives others graces to convert or to remain faithful. Those people must still cooperate with the grace, but the efforts, sacrifices and prayers of members of the Church can help grant the graces. All of this proves the Catholic teaching on the communion of saints. It refutes Protestant objections in this area. The fact that man can go to other men for prayers and that the saints in heaven can answer prayers and intercede, is all rooted in the Biblical teaching on the unity of the body f Christ. There is a union among the true members of the Church of Jesus. This union does not cease when members die.
Romans 8:38-39: “For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor might, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
And while true members of the Church can assist each other by prayers, the prayers and intercession of saintly men is particularly powerful. That is exactly what we saw in the cases of Moses, Abraham and Job. These saintly men, even after death, are interested in earthy affairs.
St. Matthew 17:2-3: “And he was transfigured before them. And his face did shine as the sun: and his garments became white as snow. And behold there appeared to them Moses and Elias talking with him.”
Hebrew 1:14: “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent to minister for them, who shall receive the inheritance of salvation? ”
Psalms 90:11: “For he hath given his angels charge over thee; to keep thee in all thy ways.”
Samuel, some time after he had died (1 Kings 25:1), appeared to Saul to rebuke him.
1 Kings 28:18: “Because thou didst not obey the voice of the Lord, neither didst thou execute the wrath of his indignation upon Amalec. Therefore hath the Lord done to thee what thou sufferest this day.”
Apocalypse (Revelation) 8:2-4: “And I saw seven angels standing in the presence of God; and there were given to them seven trumpets. And another angel came, and stood before the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given to him much incense, that he should offer of the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar, which is before the throne of God. And the smoke of the incense of the prayers of the saints ascended up before God from the hand of the angel.”
In truth, a real Christian does not follow any man, rather this verse means that he venerates the saints and tries to imitate them in their tremendous spiritual lives and fidelity to the Gospel. This is because saints, like the great Saint Paul, literally can help save lives and souls, as seen in the following example. During a voyage by sea of St. Paul, there came a terrible storm that threatened to destroy the ship.
Acts of the Apostles 27:21-25: “And after they had fasted a long time, Paul standing forth in the midst of them, said: You should indeed, O ye men, have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and have gained this harm and loss. And now I exhort you to be of good cheer. For there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but only of the ship. For an angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, stood by me this night. Saying: Fear not, Paul, thou must be brought before Caesar; and behold, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee. Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer; for I believe God that it shall so be, as it hath been told me.”
Undeniably, angels and saints are very active and interested in the affairs and events taking place on earth.
Canonizing Saints
Saints, because of their fidelity to Jesus Christ, are models worthy of imitation, as taught by the Bible.
1 Corinthians 4:16: “Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me, as I also am of Christ.”
1 Corinthians 11:1: “Be ye followers of me, as I also am of Christ.”
Philippians 3:17: “Be ye followers of me, brethren, and observe them who walk so as you have our model.”
That’s why the Catholic Church canonizes saints for us to imitate. The Bible also teaches exactly the same thing:
James 5:10: “Take, my brethren, for an example of suffering evil, of labour and patience, the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord.”
Hebrews 11 even goes through a whole list of heroes of faith, the Old Testament saints, including Abel, Noe, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sara, Esau, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, Gedeon, Barac, Samson, Jephthe, David and Samuel. The first verse of the next chapter exhorts us to have confidence, knowing that all these saints are in heaven praying for us.
Hebrew 12:1: “And therefore we also having so great a cloud of witnesses over our head, laying aside every weight and sin which surrounds us, let us run by patience to the fight proposed to us.”
Relics of Saints
The Bible teaches that even relics of the saints are to be used and venerated and can be miraculous.
St. Matthew 9:20-22: “And behold a woman who was troubled with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment. For she said within herself: If I shall touch only his garment, I shall be healed. But Jesus turning and seeing her, said: Be of good heart, daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.”
The garment of Jesus is one thing, since Jesus is God. But does God allow miracles to be worked through the relics of his saints, or is this superstition and idolatry? Those who believe it is superstitious or idolatrous are unaware that the Bible teaches otherwise.
Acts 19:11-12: “And God wrought by the hand of Paul more than common miracles. So that even there were brought from his body to the sick, handkerchiefs and aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the wicked spirits went out of them.”
In this verse we see that St. Paul was not only given miraculous powers, but the handkerchiefs and aprons he touched were given miraculous power. Similar miracles are worked through the shadow of St. Peter:
Acts 5:15: “Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that when Peter came, his shadow at the least, might overshadow any of them, and they might be delivered from their infirmities.”
The same is seen regarding relics of saints in the Old Testament.
4 Kings 2:14: “And he struck the waters with the mantle of Elias, that had fallen from him, and they were not divided. And he said: Where is now the God of Elias? And he struck the waters, and they were divided, hither and thither, and Eliseus passed over.”
4 Kings 13:21: “And some that were burying a man, saw the rovers, and cast the body into the sepulchre of Eliseus. And when it had touched the bones of Eliseus, the man came to life, and stood upon his feet.”
This is particularly interesting, because the bones of saints are a common relic used by Catholics, far from being idolatrous or superstitious.
Statues and images
Protestants like to use the following verse as an objection to the Catholic practice of venerating images and statues of saints.
Deuteronomy 5:8: “Thou shalt not make to thyself a graven thing, nor the likeness of any things, that are in heaven above, or that are in the earth beneath, or that abide in the waters under the earth.”
This argument fails for many reasons. If we take this verse on its own and literally, then that means we can make no likeness of anything at all, such as a picture of an animal or another person. Protestants reject that understanding and even carry pictures of family, coins upon which are the images of men, etc.
To get the full context of the passage all we need to do is read the verse that comes right after it.
Deuteronomy 5:8-9: “Thou shalt not make to thyself a graven thing, nor the likeness of any things, that are in heaven above, or that are in the earth beneath, or that abide in the waters under the earth. Thou shalt not adore them, and thou shalt not serve them. For I am the Lord thy God, a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon their children unto the third and fourth generation, to them that hate me.”
Thou shalt not adore them and serve them. The idolatrous worship of creatures, that is what God forbids. Catholics do not worship statues or images and to say otherwise is a lie. In fact, God commands the use of statues and images for religious purposes.
Exodus 25:18-19: “Thou shalt make also two cherubims of beaten gold, on the two sides of the oracle.”
Other passages where we see references to images and statues being sanctioned, even commanded by God for use in religion.
Exodus 26:1: “And thou shalt make the tabernacle in this manner: Thou shalt make ten curtains of fine twisted linen, and violet and purple, and scarlet twice dyed, diversified with embroidery.”
There are many more examples of this, for example in 3 Kings 6 and 3 Kings 7:25-36.
Numbers 21:8: “And the Lord said to him: Make brazen serpent, and set it up for a sign: whosoever being struck shall look on it, shall live.”
God commanded Moses to make an image of a serpent for the people to look upon and be healed. It should also be noted that non-Catholics who consider use of religious statues or images to be idolatrous not only condemn the Bible passages we just covered, but they also share their belief with Muslims.
Another false idea that must be addressed is the idea that Catholics worship statues because they sometimes kneel or bow before them in prayer. This objection is false and is clearly refuted by the Bible. The posture of kneeling and even of lying prostrate on the ground does not necessarily mean worship or adoration. It does signify that in certain religious contexts and in some false religions. But bowing, kneeling or even going completely prostrate can be merely a sign of respect, a humble posture. Anyone who has taken the time to read the Old Testament knows this is true. Throughout the Old Testament we see holy figures bowing down prostrate before other men, not as a sign of worship, but of respect and humility.
Genesis 33:3: “And he [Jacob] went forward and bowed down with his face to the ground seven times until his brother came near.”
This is the same Jacob who Jesus says in Luke 13:28 will be in the kingdom of heaven. He was not an idolater of course.
We read a similar thing of Abraham in Genesis 23:12. There are many other examples like this in the books of Kings. Other passages which show that men bow before other men, not idolatrously, but merely out of respect are Genesis 19:1 Ruth 8:10.
These passages are sufficient to refute the false assertion that Catholics worship statues when they kneel or bow to assume a humble and respectful posture while invoking the heavenly figure whom the statue represents.
Conclusion
We have seen in much detail that the Bible teaches the communion of saints, that praying to saints is Biblical and efficacious. We’ve seen that Jesus teaches that the saints in heaven are as the angels. We’ve seen that saints who have died and gone to heaven pray and intercede for men. We’ve seen that relics and statues are not idolatrous, but Biblically based. None of this is to suggest that one cannot pray directly to Jesus. True Catholics pray directly to Jesus every day, but praying to saints and invoking their intercession is extremely effective and powerful and often obtains from Jesus graces that He is otherwise not inclined to give. It is particularly important and necessary in the case of the greatest of all the saints, the Mother of Jesus, the Blessed Virgin Mary, the vessel He chose to come to earth.
The example, the devotion, the miracles and the lives of Catholic saints have been among the most important things in the spread of the Gospel throughout the earth. And the necessity to venerate and invoke the saints was recognized from the very beginning of the Christian Church by the Fathers of the Church. All of what the Catholic saints are and have done is by the grace of Jesus Christ. By cooperating with it they spiritually conquered the world for Christ, a world which is sadly falling into apostasy from that Catholic heritage that defined it.
John 14:12: “Otherwise believe for the very works' sake. Amen, amen I say to you, he that believeth in me, the works that I do, he also shall do; and greater than these shall he do.”
The Bible teaches the communion of saints. Praying to and venerating saints does not detract from God’s glory, on the contrary, it inspires us to center our whole lives more zealously around Christ and doing His will, as they did. Throughout her history, the Catholic Church has remained faithful to the teachings of Jesus and the Bible on angels and saints. This is because the Catholic Church is the one true Church of Jesus Christ. You need to learn the true Catholic Faith, and convert to it, or you cannot attain salvation.
God uses His angels as messengers
1 Chronicles 21:18: “And the angel of the Lord commanded Gad to tell David…”
4 Kings 1:3: “And an angel of the Lord spoke to Elias the Thesbite, saying…”
Acts 8:26: “Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying…”
Throughout the Bible God uses His angels to deliver messages, to give instructions, to deliver justice and to answer prayers.
Numbers 20:16: “And how we cried to the Lord, and he heard us, and sent an angel, who hath brought us out of Egypt…”
Isaias 37:36: “And the angel of the Lord went out, and slew in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and eighty-five thousand…”
God answers prayers by sending angels, and this is so frequent and natural that not only are they sent by God, but they are also besought and entreated by men.
Judges 6:12-13: “The angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said: The Lord is with thee, O most valiant of men. And Gedeon said to him: I beseech thee, my lord, if the Lord be with us, why have these evils fallen upon us?”
Angles can be prayed to
Osee 12:3-4: “In the womb he supplanted his brother: and by his strength he had success with an angel. And he prevailed over the angel, and was strengthened: he wept, and made supplication to him: he found him in Bethel, and there he spoke with us.”
Not because they are God, of course, but because they are powerful supernatural servants of God.
St. Luke 1:10-13: “And all the multitude of the people was praying without, at the hour of incense. And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord, standing on the right side of the alter of incense. And Zachary seeing him, was troubled, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said to him: Fear not, Zachary, for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elizabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.”
The angel heard the prayer and responded.
How does this relate to saints?
Matthew 22:29-32: "And Jesus answering, said to them: You err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they shall neither marry nor be married; but shall be as the angels of God in heaven. And concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read that which was spoken by God, saying to you: I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living."
St. Luke 20:34-36: “And Jesus said to them: The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage: But they that shall be accounted worthy of that world, and of the resurrection from the dead, shall neither be married, nor take wives. Neither can they die any more: for they are equal to the angels, and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.”
Saints in heaven are as the angels. Do angels mete out God’s justice? Yes. Answer prayers on behalf of God? Yes. Receive supplication and prayer? Yes. Therefore the saints of Jesus do all of those things. Now that we have made the link between angels and saints, we need to consider a few more things in this regard. The intercession angels, on behalf of God, is extraordinarily powerful and effective. They transmit the message of the Almighty so frequently that in many passages it is not clear if the angel is speaking or if God is speaking.
Zacharias 12:8: “In that day shall the Lord protect the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and he that hath offended among them in that day shall be as David: and the house of David, as that of God, as an angel of the Lord in their sight.”
St. Luke 2:9: “And behold an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the brightness of God shone round about them; and they feared with a great fear.”
The Bible shows us the importance of the witness of angels and saints.
St. Luke 12:8-9: “And I say to you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God. But he that shall deny me before men, shall be denied before the angels of God.”
Jesus considers His confession before angels to be very significant, much like His confession to His Father (Matthew 10:32).
St. Luke 15:10: “So I say to you, there shall be joy before the angels of God upon one sinner doing penance.”
Angles have a connection with and influence over the salvation of men. They rejoice when a man converts because their intercession assits his conversion. They cheer him, they help him and intercede for him. That’s why Catholics understand the intercession of saints to be so important. Saints in heaven are as the angels of God, they are intimately involved in man’s salvation under Jesus Christ. When one prays to them, they in turn pray to God who commonly grants His graces on their behalf and because of their close relationship with Him. The Bible also teaches that angels are present in the assemblies of the faithful.
1 Corinthians 11:10: Therefore ought the woman to have a power (head covering) over her head, because of the angels.
This verse tells us that because of the angels, not God, the woman should cover her head. Veneration is also due to angels, since they are the worthy servants of God almighty.
Jesus described St. John the Baptist as an angel.
St Matthew 11:9-10: “But what went you out to see? a prophet? yea I tell you, and more than a prophet. For this is he of whom it is written: Behold I send my angel before thy face, who shall prepare thy way before thee.”
In Hebrews we find a description of the Church of Jesus Christ and its heavenly majesty. Notice that the Christian coming before the heavenly description of the Church, comes before the spirits of the just men made perfect, the saints in heaven. The Christian is warned before about coming before all of the following:
Hebrews 12:22-23: "But you are come to mount Sion, and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to the company of many thousands of angels, And to the church of the firstborn, who are written in the heavens, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of the just made perfect"
Prayers to them are Biblical and of tremendous value, since God is glorified and not detracted by His saints.
2 Thessalonians 1:10: “When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be made wonderful in all them who have believed; because our testimony was believed upon you in that day.”
As we see, Saints do not diminish God’s glory, they augment it. Those who are closest to the king can gain favours that are not always given to those who are further away from him. Just like in any other hierarchy, family, company team, etc.
The communion of saints
This is the true and Catholic view of heaven. To use an analogy, it’s like the magnificent palace of the king where there are dozens of levels of servants, assistants and attendants. Each level is full of them, they wait on the king and they have dedicated everything to him. They are his true friends in addition to being his servants. Their lives of service, their extraordinary examples strike each visitor with awe. All of the king’s servants possess their own splendor, which is given to them as a result of their place of honour in the palace.
The king has bestowed some of his own glory on everyone with him, even though theirs is infinitely less than his own. Their personal glory contributes to the glory of the entire place. The thought of the profound glory of the kings servants and friends strikes one with awe at the thought of the unique glory of the king himself whom all of these magnificent creatures serve. As you see more of the palace and move closer to the king, the glory of his friends and servants increases. In creation itself, the brilliant diversity of God’s masterpiece, with differences in snow capped mountains, flowing rivers, serene lakes, green jungles, beautiful woods and rolling hills, strike one with wonder. In heaven there is a countless variety of people, each with a different story, a different trial, a different sacrifice, a different gift, all of which were dedicated and used for God to the fullest and which culminated in perfect happiness in heaven. This stunning variety stirs one to even greater love and awe of the Almighty.
This is the true and Catholic view of heaven and the heavenly hierarchy. It is easy to see in this description how the glory of the saints does not detract from the glory of God, but magnifies it.
St. Luke 1:46: “And Mary said: My soul doth magnify the Lord.”
The Protestant view on the other hand is much different. It’s comparable to a palace that is filled only with the king. In this palace there is nothing and no one that can move your attention away from him. Which king is the more glorious? Which image of the heavenly kingdom is the true one? Which is the Biblical one? The answer is that the Bible teaches the Catholic view, the communion of the saints.
Daniel 7:10: “A swift stream of fire issued forth from before him: thousands of thousands ministered to him, and ten thousand times a hundred thousand stood before him: the judgment sat, and the books were opened.”
The mind-boggling number of servants who minister to God only enhances the majesty of the appearance of God.
St. Matthew 25:31: “And when the Son of man shall come in his majesty, and all the angels with him, then shall he sit upon the seat of his majesty.”
God comes with and is glorified by his ministers and his angels and his saints. The Catholic view is the correct and Biblical view of heaven and the heavenly hierarchy. Next we will talk about how the Bible teaches that men can intercede with God.
Jeremias 15:1: “And the Lord said to me: If Moses and Samuel shall stand before me, my soul is not towards this people: cast them out from my sight, and let them go forth.”
Intercession of saintly men helps influence what God does for people and what God does to them, as this last verse shows, even if it wouldn’t have helped in this particular case.0
Exodus 32:9-15: “And again the Lord said to Moses: See that this people is stiffnecked: Let me alone, that my wrath may be kindled against them, and that I may destroy them, and I will make of thee a great nation. But Moses besought the Lord his God, saying: Why, O Lord, is thy indignation kindled against thy people, whom thou hast brought out of the land of Egypt, with great power, and with a mighty hand? Let not the Egyptians say, I beseech thee: He craftily brought them out, that he might kill them in the mountains, and destroy them from the earth: let thy anger cease, and be appeased upon the wickedness of thy people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou sworest by thy own self, saying: I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven: and this whole land that I have spoken of, I will give to you seed, and you shall possess it for ever. And the Lord was appeased from doing the evil which he had spoken against his people. And Moses returned from the mount, carrying the two tables of the testimony in his hand, written on both sides.”
Moses influence with God was so great that God even asked Moses to let Him alone that he might destroy them, but ultimately He relented because of Moses. Not all men are equal before God or have the same intercessory power before with Him. Moses is an exceptional case as is Abraham.
Genesis 18:26-33: “And the Lord said to him: If I find in Sodom fifty just within the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake. And Abraham answered, and said: Seeing I have once begun, I will speak to my Lord, whereas I am dust and ashes. What if there be five less than fifty just persons? wilt thou for five and forty destroy the whole city? And he said: I will not destroy it, if I find five and forty. And again he said to him: But if forty be found there, what wilt thou do? He said: I will not destroy it for the sake of forty. Lord, saith he, be not angry, I beseech thee, if I speak: What if thirty shall be found there? He answered: I will not do it, if I find thirty there. Seeing, saith he, I have once begun, I will speak to my Lord. What if twenty be found there? He said: I will not destroy it for the sake of twenty. I beseech thee, saith he, be not angry, Lord, if I speak yet once more: What if ten should be found there? And he said: I will not destroy it for the sake of ten. And the Lord departed, after he had left speaking to Abraham: and Abraham returned to his place.”
God at times accepts the sacrifices and prayers of saintly men on behalf of sinners, as in the case of Job.
Job 42:7-10: “And after the Lord had spoken these words to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Themanite: My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends, because you have not spoken the thing that is right before my, as my servant Job hath. Take unto you therefore seven oxen, and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer for yourselves a holocaust: and my servant Job shall pray for you: his face I will accept, that folly be not imputed to you: for you have not spoken right things before me, as my servant Job hath. So Eliphaz the Themanite, and Baldad the Suhite, and Sophar the Naamathite went, and did as the Lord had spoken to them, and the Lord accepted the face of Job. The Lord also was turned at the penance of Job, when he prayed for his friends. And the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.”
Another example involving Moses, where his intercession played a key role in obtaining the help of God:
Exodus 17:11-13: “And when Moses lifted up his hands, Israel overcame: but if he let them down a little, Amalec overcame. And Moses' hands were heavy: so they took a stone, and put under him, and he sat on it: and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands on both sides. And it came to pass that his hands were not weary until sunset. And Josue put Amalec and his people to flight, by the edge of the sword.”
It is clear that God grants certain things through the intercession of holy men.
Protestants like to argue that praying to saints is against Scripture, and one of the few passages they use to try and prove this is as follows:
1 Timothy 2:5: “For there is one God, and one mediator of God and men, the man Christ Jesus”
As we will see, this objection is false for many reasons.
In John 10:16: “And other sheep I have, that are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice, and there shall be one fold and one shepherd.”
Jesus calls Himself the one shepherd but, in John 21:15-17, he appoints St. Peter over his flock. “Feed my lambs… feed my lambs… feed my sheep”.
Another example is that Jesus says that He is the supreme judge, in John 9:39 and many other passages. Certain Christians will also act on His behalf as judges in heaven, even of angels.
1 Corinthians 6:2: "Know you not that the saints shall judge this world? And if the world shall be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Know you not that we shall judge angels? how much more things of this world?”
St. Matthew 19:28: “And Jesus said to them: Amen, I say to you, that you, who have followed me, in the regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit on the seat of his majesty, you also shall sit on twelve seats judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”
Jesus is the unique mediator, since He united man to God. Jesus alone did this by His passion and death for those who cooperate with it. That does not mean that in the one mediation of Christ there are not others who participate in His mediation. In fact the Bible clearly teaches that there are.
If Jesus’ unique mediation excluded praying to saints then it would also exclude asking a fellow man to pray for you. There is no way around this. When you ask a fellow man to pray for you, you are asking another person to act as a mediator with Jesus for you. Therefore if prayers to saints are excluded by the unique mediation of Jesus, then asking another to pray for you is excluded as well.
St. Paul himself repeatedly asks others for prayers.
Romans 15:30: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, through our Lord Jesus Christ, and by the charity of the Holy Ghost, that you help me in your prayers for me to God.”
He also tells others that he is praying for them.
Colossians 1:3: “Grace be to you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. We give thanks to God, and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you…”
The Bible also says this about the suffering of St. Paul:
Colossians 1:24: “Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up those things that are wanting of the sufferings of Christ, in my flesh, for his body, which is the church.”
This verse might be a shock to some non-Catholics that are not familiar with it. St. Paul says that he fills up for the Church those things that are wanting or lacking in the sufferings of Christ. Christ’s suffering was perfect and of infinite value, so what does this mean? What St. Paul means is that many sufferings are still wanting and needed for the members of the Church to work out their salvation, which was made possible by Christ’s sacrifice. This verse is teaching that in addition to his prayers, his sacrifices and sufferings can intercede with God so that God gives others graces to convert or to remain faithful. Those people must still cooperate with the grace, but the efforts, sacrifices and prayers of members of the Church can help grant the graces. All of this proves the Catholic teaching on the communion of saints. It refutes Protestant objections in this area. The fact that man can go to other men for prayers and that the saints in heaven can answer prayers and intercede, is all rooted in the Biblical teaching on the unity of the body f Christ. There is a union among the true members of the Church of Jesus. This union does not cease when members die.
Romans 8:38-39: “For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor might, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
And while true members of the Church can assist each other by prayers, the prayers and intercession of saintly men is particularly powerful. That is exactly what we saw in the cases of Moses, Abraham and Job. These saintly men, even after death, are interested in earthy affairs.
St. Matthew 17:2-3: “And he was transfigured before them. And his face did shine as the sun: and his garments became white as snow. And behold there appeared to them Moses and Elias talking with him.”
Hebrew 1:14: “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent to minister for them, who shall receive the inheritance of salvation? ”
Psalms 90:11: “For he hath given his angels charge over thee; to keep thee in all thy ways.”
Samuel, some time after he had died (1 Kings 25:1), appeared to Saul to rebuke him.
1 Kings 28:18: “Because thou didst not obey the voice of the Lord, neither didst thou execute the wrath of his indignation upon Amalec. Therefore hath the Lord done to thee what thou sufferest this day.”
Apocalypse (Revelation) 8:2-4: “And I saw seven angels standing in the presence of God; and there were given to them seven trumpets. And another angel came, and stood before the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given to him much incense, that he should offer of the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar, which is before the throne of God. And the smoke of the incense of the prayers of the saints ascended up before God from the hand of the angel.”
In truth, a real Christian does not follow any man, rather this verse means that he venerates the saints and tries to imitate them in their tremendous spiritual lives and fidelity to the Gospel. This is because saints, like the great Saint Paul, literally can help save lives and souls, as seen in the following example. During a voyage by sea of St. Paul, there came a terrible storm that threatened to destroy the ship.
Acts of the Apostles 27:21-25: “And after they had fasted a long time, Paul standing forth in the midst of them, said: You should indeed, O ye men, have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and have gained this harm and loss. And now I exhort you to be of good cheer. For there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but only of the ship. For an angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, stood by me this night. Saying: Fear not, Paul, thou must be brought before Caesar; and behold, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee. Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer; for I believe God that it shall so be, as it hath been told me.”
Undeniably, angels and saints are very active and interested in the affairs and events taking place on earth.
Canonizing Saints
Saints, because of their fidelity to Jesus Christ, are models worthy of imitation, as taught by the Bible.
1 Corinthians 4:16: “Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me, as I also am of Christ.”
1 Corinthians 11:1: “Be ye followers of me, as I also am of Christ.”
Philippians 3:17: “Be ye followers of me, brethren, and observe them who walk so as you have our model.”
That’s why the Catholic Church canonizes saints for us to imitate. The Bible also teaches exactly the same thing:
James 5:10: “Take, my brethren, for an example of suffering evil, of labour and patience, the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord.”
Hebrews 11 even goes through a whole list of heroes of faith, the Old Testament saints, including Abel, Noe, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sara, Esau, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, Gedeon, Barac, Samson, Jephthe, David and Samuel. The first verse of the next chapter exhorts us to have confidence, knowing that all these saints are in heaven praying for us.
Hebrew 12:1: “And therefore we also having so great a cloud of witnesses over our head, laying aside every weight and sin which surrounds us, let us run by patience to the fight proposed to us.”
Relics of Saints
The Bible teaches that even relics of the saints are to be used and venerated and can be miraculous.
St. Matthew 9:20-22: “And behold a woman who was troubled with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment. For she said within herself: If I shall touch only his garment, I shall be healed. But Jesus turning and seeing her, said: Be of good heart, daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.”
The garment of Jesus is one thing, since Jesus is God. But does God allow miracles to be worked through the relics of his saints, or is this superstition and idolatry? Those who believe it is superstitious or idolatrous are unaware that the Bible teaches otherwise.
Acts 19:11-12: “And God wrought by the hand of Paul more than common miracles. So that even there were brought from his body to the sick, handkerchiefs and aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the wicked spirits went out of them.”
In this verse we see that St. Paul was not only given miraculous powers, but the handkerchiefs and aprons he touched were given miraculous power. Similar miracles are worked through the shadow of St. Peter:
Acts 5:15: “Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that when Peter came, his shadow at the least, might overshadow any of them, and they might be delivered from their infirmities.”
The same is seen regarding relics of saints in the Old Testament.
4 Kings 2:14: “And he struck the waters with the mantle of Elias, that had fallen from him, and they were not divided. And he said: Where is now the God of Elias? And he struck the waters, and they were divided, hither and thither, and Eliseus passed over.”
4 Kings 13:21: “And some that were burying a man, saw the rovers, and cast the body into the sepulchre of Eliseus. And when it had touched the bones of Eliseus, the man came to life, and stood upon his feet.”
This is particularly interesting, because the bones of saints are a common relic used by Catholics, far from being idolatrous or superstitious.
Statues and images
Protestants like to use the following verse as an objection to the Catholic practice of venerating images and statues of saints.
Deuteronomy 5:8: “Thou shalt not make to thyself a graven thing, nor the likeness of any things, that are in heaven above, or that are in the earth beneath, or that abide in the waters under the earth.”
This argument fails for many reasons. If we take this verse on its own and literally, then that means we can make no likeness of anything at all, such as a picture of an animal or another person. Protestants reject that understanding and even carry pictures of family, coins upon which are the images of men, etc.
To get the full context of the passage all we need to do is read the verse that comes right after it.
Deuteronomy 5:8-9: “Thou shalt not make to thyself a graven thing, nor the likeness of any things, that are in heaven above, or that are in the earth beneath, or that abide in the waters under the earth. Thou shalt not adore them, and thou shalt not serve them. For I am the Lord thy God, a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon their children unto the third and fourth generation, to them that hate me.”
Thou shalt not adore them and serve them. The idolatrous worship of creatures, that is what God forbids. Catholics do not worship statues or images and to say otherwise is a lie. In fact, God commands the use of statues and images for religious purposes.
Exodus 25:18-19: “Thou shalt make also two cherubims of beaten gold, on the two sides of the oracle.”
Other passages where we see references to images and statues being sanctioned, even commanded by God for use in religion.
Exodus 26:1: “And thou shalt make the tabernacle in this manner: Thou shalt make ten curtains of fine twisted linen, and violet and purple, and scarlet twice dyed, diversified with embroidery.”
There are many more examples of this, for example in 3 Kings 6 and 3 Kings 7:25-36.
Numbers 21:8: “And the Lord said to him: Make brazen serpent, and set it up for a sign: whosoever being struck shall look on it, shall live.”
God commanded Moses to make an image of a serpent for the people to look upon and be healed. It should also be noted that non-Catholics who consider use of religious statues or images to be idolatrous not only condemn the Bible passages we just covered, but they also share their belief with Muslims.
Another false idea that must be addressed is the idea that Catholics worship statues because they sometimes kneel or bow before them in prayer. This objection is false and is clearly refuted by the Bible. The posture of kneeling and even of lying prostrate on the ground does not necessarily mean worship or adoration. It does signify that in certain religious contexts and in some false religions. But bowing, kneeling or even going completely prostrate can be merely a sign of respect, a humble posture. Anyone who has taken the time to read the Old Testament knows this is true. Throughout the Old Testament we see holy figures bowing down prostrate before other men, not as a sign of worship, but of respect and humility.
Genesis 33:3: “And he [Jacob] went forward and bowed down with his face to the ground seven times until his brother came near.”
This is the same Jacob who Jesus says in Luke 13:28 will be in the kingdom of heaven. He was not an idolater of course.
We read a similar thing of Abraham in Genesis 23:12. There are many other examples like this in the books of Kings. Other passages which show that men bow before other men, not idolatrously, but merely out of respect are Genesis 19:1 Ruth 8:10.
These passages are sufficient to refute the false assertion that Catholics worship statues when they kneel or bow to assume a humble and respectful posture while invoking the heavenly figure whom the statue represents.
Conclusion
We have seen in much detail that the Bible teaches the communion of saints, that praying to saints is Biblical and efficacious. We’ve seen that Jesus teaches that the saints in heaven are as the angels. We’ve seen that saints who have died and gone to heaven pray and intercede for men. We’ve seen that relics and statues are not idolatrous, but Biblically based. None of this is to suggest that one cannot pray directly to Jesus. True Catholics pray directly to Jesus every day, but praying to saints and invoking their intercession is extremely effective and powerful and often obtains from Jesus graces that He is otherwise not inclined to give. It is particularly important and necessary in the case of the greatest of all the saints, the Mother of Jesus, the Blessed Virgin Mary, the vessel He chose to come to earth.
The example, the devotion, the miracles and the lives of Catholic saints have been among the most important things in the spread of the Gospel throughout the earth. And the necessity to venerate and invoke the saints was recognized from the very beginning of the Christian Church by the Fathers of the Church. All of what the Catholic saints are and have done is by the grace of Jesus Christ. By cooperating with it they spiritually conquered the world for Christ, a world which is sadly falling into apostasy from that Catholic heritage that defined it.
John 14:12: “Otherwise believe for the very works' sake. Amen, amen I say to you, he that believeth in me, the works that I do, he also shall do; and greater than these shall he do.”
The Bible teaches the communion of saints. Praying to and venerating saints does not detract from God’s glory, on the contrary, it inspires us to center our whole lives more zealously around Christ and doing His will, as they did. Throughout her history, the Catholic Church has remained faithful to the teachings of Jesus and the Bible on angels and saints. This is because the Catholic Church is the one true Church of Jesus Christ. You need to learn the true Catholic Faith, and convert to it, or you cannot attain salvation.
Catholics worship Mary!
I am going to visit my boss at home, to ask a favour. If I knock on the door of his house, and his mother answers, what should I do?
a) Brush past her and ignore her completely?
b) Say a curt greeting and then walk right on in?
c) Politely ask her to go see if he will come speak with me?
I imagine any sensible person picked c). Even if my boss is known to be a hard man, I might even score a couple points by being very kind and respectful to his mother. If I do this, does it mean that I am now working for my boss's mother? If she sends me on an errand for her and promises to butter up my boss for me, does THAT mean I am now working for my boss's mother, or that I am no longer working for my boss?
I am going to visit the king of the land, to plead my case. He is known for bestowing his abundant favour on his friends and for treating very harshly his enemies, and as of yet, I do not know for sure which way he will look at me; am I his friend or his foe? Crossing the courtyard, I see his mother in the way. How can I enhance my chance of being well received by the king?
a) Take my chances on my own, and rely on my own merit and charming personality?
b) Tell the king's mother that she has no authority and no power and that her son the king doesn't need her, so she should just buzz off?
c) Take this rare and fortunate opportunity to show her respect and reverence, and ask her to put in a good word with me for the king?
If I pick a) I am being prideful and should not be surprised if the king turns me away, or worse yet, chastises me for wasting his time.
If I pick b) I should rightly EXPECT chastisement from the king, who loves his mother dearly.
If I am smart, and pick c) does this mean that I am now pledging allegiance to the king's mother, and withdrawing it from the king? What if the king's mother asks me to do something in return for putting in a good word, does this mean that I have committed treason against the king?
I am seeking to win favour with God, the Creator of the world, who has condescended in His great mercy to be born of a virgin in time. I also know that I am infinitely less than He, being made of nothing, and that I have already offended Him more times than I can count. When I think on this my heart is broken within me, all my bones tremble, at the presence of the LORD, and at the presence of his holy words.
My courage falters even more as I remember the intended fate of the unfaithful people Israel that is related by Moses.
"The LORD said to me: I see that this people is stiffnecked: Let me alone that I may destroy them, and abolish their name from under heaven, and set thee over a nation, that is greater and stronger than this."
But Moses, who already had favour with God pleaded with Him.
"And when I came down from the burning mount, and held the two tables of the covenant with both hands, and saw that you had sinned against the LORD your God, and had made to yourselves a molten calf, and had quickly forsaken his way, which He had shewn you: I cast the tables out of my hands, and broke them in your sight. And I fell down before the LORD as before, forty days and nights neither eating bread, nor drinking water, for all your sins, which you had committed against the LORD, and had provoked Him to wrath: For I feared His indignation and anger, wherewith being moved against you, He would have destroyed you. And the LORD heard me this time also. And He was exceeding angry against Aaron also, and would have destroyed him, and I prayed in like manner for him."
An entire nation saved by the prayer of Moses! Oh if I could only ask Moses to pray for me! If only he were not dead!
At this thought, my conscience rebukes me sharply, bringing to mind the words of the Saviour, Christ Himself.
"And concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read that which was spoken by God, saying to you: I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living."
Then... Moses lives! I may certainly ask for him to pray for me to the LORD our God! He interceded so willingly for an entire nation, which had offended God so grievously, and on account of his prayers they were spared from destruction!
By now my conscience tells me: "Fear not: your God, and the God of your father hath given you treasure."
What treasure is this? What treasure can give me, such a wretched sinner, greater courage to approach the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the army of heaven standing by Him, than to ask for the prayers of Moses?
"When Jesus therefore had seen his mother and the disciple standing whom he loved, he saith to his mother: Woman, behold thy son. After that, he saith to the disciple: Behold thy mother. And from that hour, the disciple took her to his own."
The Apostle St. John took Jesus' mother for his own! Of course! Who better to help us go to God, than she, by whom He chose to come to us! And should we not imitate St. John and take her for our own mother? The Apostle St. Paul says we should.
"That we might give ourselves a pattern unto you, to imitate us."
It is clear. The mother of the living God, the Blessed Virgin Mary was chosen out of all the creatures of God for the greatest honour of all, that of raising and caring for God Himself, made flesh. There is therefore, no creature who merits higher favour than Mary, who is indeed living in heaven, with her Divine Son.
a) Brush past her and ignore her completely?
b) Say a curt greeting and then walk right on in?
c) Politely ask her to go see if he will come speak with me?
I imagine any sensible person picked c). Even if my boss is known to be a hard man, I might even score a couple points by being very kind and respectful to his mother. If I do this, does it mean that I am now working for my boss's mother? If she sends me on an errand for her and promises to butter up my boss for me, does THAT mean I am now working for my boss's mother, or that I am no longer working for my boss?
I am going to visit the king of the land, to plead my case. He is known for bestowing his abundant favour on his friends and for treating very harshly his enemies, and as of yet, I do not know for sure which way he will look at me; am I his friend or his foe? Crossing the courtyard, I see his mother in the way. How can I enhance my chance of being well received by the king?
a) Take my chances on my own, and rely on my own merit and charming personality?
b) Tell the king's mother that she has no authority and no power and that her son the king doesn't need her, so she should just buzz off?
c) Take this rare and fortunate opportunity to show her respect and reverence, and ask her to put in a good word with me for the king?
If I pick a) I am being prideful and should not be surprised if the king turns me away, or worse yet, chastises me for wasting his time.
If I pick b) I should rightly EXPECT chastisement from the king, who loves his mother dearly.
If I am smart, and pick c) does this mean that I am now pledging allegiance to the king's mother, and withdrawing it from the king? What if the king's mother asks me to do something in return for putting in a good word, does this mean that I have committed treason against the king?
I am seeking to win favour with God, the Creator of the world, who has condescended in His great mercy to be born of a virgin in time. I also know that I am infinitely less than He, being made of nothing, and that I have already offended Him more times than I can count. When I think on this my heart is broken within me, all my bones tremble, at the presence of the LORD, and at the presence of his holy words.
My courage falters even more as I remember the intended fate of the unfaithful people Israel that is related by Moses.
"The LORD said to me: I see that this people is stiffnecked: Let me alone that I may destroy them, and abolish their name from under heaven, and set thee over a nation, that is greater and stronger than this."
But Moses, who already had favour with God pleaded with Him.
"And when I came down from the burning mount, and held the two tables of the covenant with both hands, and saw that you had sinned against the LORD your God, and had made to yourselves a molten calf, and had quickly forsaken his way, which He had shewn you: I cast the tables out of my hands, and broke them in your sight. And I fell down before the LORD as before, forty days and nights neither eating bread, nor drinking water, for all your sins, which you had committed against the LORD, and had provoked Him to wrath: For I feared His indignation and anger, wherewith being moved against you, He would have destroyed you. And the LORD heard me this time also. And He was exceeding angry against Aaron also, and would have destroyed him, and I prayed in like manner for him."
An entire nation saved by the prayer of Moses! Oh if I could only ask Moses to pray for me! If only he were not dead!
At this thought, my conscience rebukes me sharply, bringing to mind the words of the Saviour, Christ Himself.
"And concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read that which was spoken by God, saying to you: I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living."
Then... Moses lives! I may certainly ask for him to pray for me to the LORD our God! He interceded so willingly for an entire nation, which had offended God so grievously, and on account of his prayers they were spared from destruction!
By now my conscience tells me: "Fear not: your God, and the God of your father hath given you treasure."
What treasure is this? What treasure can give me, such a wretched sinner, greater courage to approach the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the army of heaven standing by Him, than to ask for the prayers of Moses?
"When Jesus therefore had seen his mother and the disciple standing whom he loved, he saith to his mother: Woman, behold thy son. After that, he saith to the disciple: Behold thy mother. And from that hour, the disciple took her to his own."
The Apostle St. John took Jesus' mother for his own! Of course! Who better to help us go to God, than she, by whom He chose to come to us! And should we not imitate St. John and take her for our own mother? The Apostle St. Paul says we should.
"That we might give ourselves a pattern unto you, to imitate us."
It is clear. The mother of the living God, the Blessed Virgin Mary was chosen out of all the creatures of God for the greatest honour of all, that of raising and caring for God Himself, made flesh. There is therefore, no creature who merits higher favour than Mary, who is indeed living in heaven, with her Divine Son.
Mother Mary was a sinner and fallen short Glory of God?
These are the common questions from protestants:Sin is a universal human problem..Bible identifies Jesus as the sinless One, not Mary:
"For he hath made him (Jesus) to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." 2 Corinthians 5:21
(Romans 3:9-10) - "What then? Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin; 10as it is written, "There is none righteous, not even one."
(Romans 3:23) - "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
(Psalm 14:3) - "They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one."
But the scripture hath concluded all under sin..." Galatians 3:22 .Mary knew she needed a Savior ."And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour." Luke 1:46-47
For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not." Ecclesiastes 7:20 "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:" Romans 5:12
When we are baptized, sin goes out and GOD comes in. Baptism to remove sin and allow GOD to come in was not instituted until after Jesus had started His ministry (John 3:22-23, 4:2).
So The Blessed Virgin had to have a stainless sin-free body and soul in order for GOD incarnate to dwell within her "Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in Him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God. This verse is often cited as teaching that "genuine" believers will not practice sin. They will not sin habitually, 1 John 3:9 is said to teach.
(Job 1:1) - "There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job, and that man was blameless, upright, fearing God, and turning away from evil."
(Genesis 7:1) - "Then the Lord said to Noah, "Enter the ark, you and all your household; for you alone I have seen to be righteous before Me in this time."
(Luke 1:5-6) - "In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah; and he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6And they were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord."
The Bible clearly teaches that all people have sinned -- except Jesus (1 Peter 2:22).
Romans 3:23 clearly condemns all under sin. But when it mentions people like Job, Noah, Zacharias, and Elizabeth as people who were "blameless" and "righteous" it is not saying that they are not sinners. It is saying that they were godly people, who kept the commandments of God and in that sense, they were righteous. But of course, we realize that no one can keep the commandments of God perfectly which is why all people are deserving of damnation (Eph. 2:3) and why we need a savior. If righteousness can come through the Law, then Christ died needlessly (Gal. 2:21).
The Immaculate Conception means the Blessed Virgin Mary was conceived and born without original sin. However this verse does not even address 'Original Sin', which is imputed to almost all of mankind by the sin of Adam and Eve. I said almost all, simply because a few did not have original sin imputed to them, namely Adam, Eve, Jesus Christ, and the New Eve, Blessed Mary.
Romans 3:23 addresses only the sins that we commit of our own free will.
Are there any exceptions to the word 'All'?
What about Jesus Christ? Did He in His humanity ever sin?
What about babies and those with a mental retardation who have no reasoning power? Have they sinned? Have children below the age of reason sinned? Have comatose and senile people sinned? As you can see, there are exceptions.
Luke 1:6, regarding Zachary and Elizabeth, the parents of John the Baptist, "Both were just before GOD, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord".
Luke 1:15, regarding John the Baptist, "For he shall be great before the Lord; he shall drink no wine or strong drink, and shall be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mothers womb".
Do these verses sound as if Zachary, Elizabeth, and John the Baptist have sinned?
You can readily see that there are many exceptions to the term 'All have sinned'. Since I have shown there are many exceptions to the word 'ALL', why then should anyone not allow one more exception, the Mother of GOD?
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The Greek word, 'PAS', meaning 'ALL', can have different meanings as shown in other verses of Holy Scripture.
John 12:19, "The entire world has gone after him!" Did everyone in the entire world really go after Christ?
Mt 3:5-6, "Then went out to Him Jerusalem, and ALL Judea, and ALL the region about the Jordan; and they were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins."
Were all of the people of Judea, and the region about the Jordan baptized?
The phrase 'the whole world', does not really mean everybody in the world. The words 'whole world' and 'all' are used in several different senses of Scripture, and seldom do they literally mean all persons.
Rom 11:26, "ALL Israel shall be saved." We know for certain that 'ALL' in Israel will not be saved.
Rom 15:14, "...you yourselves are full of love, filled with 'ALL' knowledge..." Here we know for sure that the only person filled with 'ALL' knowledge is GOD Himself.
The Greek word 'pas' in many verses in Scripture simply means a 'great number', or 'a lot'. Since there are exceptions for Jesus Christ, and for others as shown above, the meaning could be seen as, 'ALL are subject to sin'. In the case of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a prevention of sin was brought about by a special grace from GOD.
“.... the whole world has gone after him” [John 12:19 ] Did all the world go after Christ?
“then went all Judea, and were baptized of him in Jordan.” [Matt. 3: 5-6] Was all Judea, or all Jerusalem, baptized in Jordan?
“Ye are of God, little children”, and the whole world lieth in the wicked one”. [1 John 5:19] Does the whole world there mean everybody?
The words are generally used to signify that Christ has redeemed some of all sorts -- some Jews, some Gentiles, some rich, some poor, and has not restricted His redemption to either Jew or Gentile ...
Grace saves us. Grace gives us the power to be holy and righteous and without sin.
Therefore, for a person to be full of grace is to both be saved and to be exceptionally, completely holy. Thus we might re-apply the above two propositions as follows:
1. To be full of the grace which saves is to surely be saved.
2. To be full of the grace which gives us the power to be holy and righteous and without sin, is to be fully without sin, by that same grace.
Or, we could make the following deductive argument, with premises (#1 and #2) derived directly from Scripture:
1. The Bible teaches that we are saved by God's grace.
2. The Bible teaches that we need God's grace to live a holy life, above sin.
3. To be "full of" God's grace, then, is to be saved.
4. Therefore, Mary is saved.
5. To be "full of" God's grace is also to be so holy that one is sinless.
6. Therefore, Mary is holy and sinless.
7. The essence of the Immaculate Conception is sinlessness.
How could Mary be sinless when she sinned at Cana (John 2:3-4)? Jesus granted Mary's compassionate request that He help the young couple (John 2:5-11). The Bible says that God does not grant sinful requests (John 9:31; James 4:3), so her request could not have been sinful.
But she did sin in asking Jesus to reveal Himself publically before His time. That is not a sin, otherwise anyone throughout history who longed for the Second Coming would have been guilty of a sinful desire! Besides, Mary is not omniscient; she did not know it was not yet time. She was essentially asking Jesus "Perhaps this is a good opportunity for you to reveal yourself publically?". When He indicated it was not she did push for it, but arranged for the miracle to be performed in secret. Had she disobeyed his wish to keep it quiet, she would have been sinning! The fact that she did not further shows that she is submissive to the will of God.
Didn't Mary lose her faith in Jesus during His ministry (Mk 3:21, 31)? The text does not say that, and the very notion is absurd. Here is why:
Mary had seen an angel from heaven, who told her that she would bear a Son without having relations with a man. She knew such a thing was naturally impossible (Luke 1:34), yet she believed and it happened to her! This was clearly a miracle of God, which she experienced in her own body!
Based solely on the angel's message, she went to visit her cousin Elizabeth. There she found that Elizabeth was pregnant, as the angel had said - a confirmation of his words. Then Elizabeth suddenly prophesied, displaying knowledge of Mary's pregnancy and the identity of her Child which she could not have known except by divine revelation. Another clear miracle! Mary praised God for this wonder (Luke 1:46-53), in words which are full of faith in Him.
Mary's betrothed, Joseph, then had this miraculous dream revealing to him the divine nature of her pregnancy - yet another confirmation from God for Mary! She heard the shepherds tell of how they saw myrads of angels singing praises at Jesus' birth. She marvelled at Simeon's prophecy of Jesus' future. She never forgot any of these wonders; the Bible clearly states that she "treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart" (Lk 2:17; 51).
She saw the Wise Men come from a distant land to adore her Son, drawn by a mysterious star. She witnessed firsthand the fulfillment of every Messianic prophecy in her Son. She lived with God Incarnate for thirty years; prayed with Him daily and talked with Him of heavenly things for three whole decades!!!
She even instigated His first miracle at Cana, and witnessed Him change common water into the finest wine.
After all that, how could she possibly lose faith in Him?
Mark 3:31 may refer to His other relatives (but see Objection #6 below) who did not believe in Him during His ministry (Jn 7:5). They had not witnessed all these miracles or received the divine revelations, as Mary did. In contrast to them, Our Lady is the exemplar of discipleship. She did not always completely understand the ways of God (Lk 1:34; 2:33, 50), but she pondered them in her heart and clung to her faith, even at the foot of the Cross. She followed her Son till the very end, and is numbered among His followers in the Upper Room at Pentecost (Acts 1:14).
Mary was Jesus' Mother; she knew Him better than anyone other human being. She did not - could not - lose faith in Him after all that God had done in her life. Though others doubted, Mary never stopped believing in her Son; she knew Him too well!
I still believe Mark 3:21 clearly shows that Mary did lose faith in her Son, along with the rest of His family. Here is what Mark 3:21 actually says:
"And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him: for they said, He is beside himself". (KJV) -OR-
'And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for people were saying, "He is beside himself."' (RSV)
This verse does not say "His Mother said he was beside himself", nor that she lost her faith. In fact there is no explicit reference to Jesus' Mother in Mark 3:21 at all. She was not the only member of His family! Scripture does not "clearly" show any alleged sin on her part at all. This argument appears to be as follows: Jesus' family said He was crazy, His Mother is a member of His family, ergo His Mother must have said He is crazy. But this is a logical fallacy.
The Bible elsewhere tells us that, when Jesus was arrested in Gethsemane, "All the disciples forsook him and fled" (Matthew 26:56, Mark 14:50).
So if we apply your logic here, we could say "All of Jesus' disciples forsook Him, St. John was one of those disciples, therefore St. John forsook Him as well". But the Bible tells us that John, the beloved disciple, was at the foot of the Cross (John 19:26-27). He evidently did not go into hiding with the other Apostles.
So such reasoning just does not work. A general statement about a group of people does not always apply to every member of the group. There can be exceptions, such as St. John among the Apostles, and, I would submit, the Blessed Virgin among Jesus' relatives. Unlike the rest of His relatives, she knew Who He was, and so could never have thought He had lost His mind.
His mother and brothers were only human; they did not believe in Him because they did not understand at the time what God was doing in their son or brother's life. Why, if one apostle betrayed him, the others deserted him and his own hometown rejected him, should his family be any different? But of course he did have one faithful Apostle, St. John, and even though His cousins didn't believe in Him at first (John 7:5), He had one family member who remained faithful all along: His Mother. She had a better understanding of God's plan than the rest of His family because of the Annunciation, Visitation, etc.
But if his own family thought him insane; then we can assume that perhaps his parents, the heads of the family, had lost faith in Him at some point. No, we cannot assume that. Other family members could well have acted without Mary's support.
Also, if you go back to the original Greek text of Mark 3:21, you will find that St. Mark did not use the Greek word for "kinsman" (suggenes), or "family" (patria) or even "household" ("oikeios" or "oikianos") to refer to those who went to seize Jesus. Instead, he uses the phrase "hoi par autou", which literally means "those with him". This term refers to ones companions, not specifically to relatives.
This is why, if you look up Mark 3:21 in different Bible translations, you'll see that many call them Jesus' "friends" or "his own people" rather than "relatives" or "family". This is because the original Greek does not specify relatives.
So those who came to get Jesus may not have even been His family! I think the translators who render "hoi par' autou" as "family" or "relatives" are assuming that vs 21 is related to the events in vvs 31-35. That need not be the case.
But what if that were the case? Well, even if "those with Him" were His relatives, and were the same group mentioned in verse 31-35, it still does not prove that Mary did not believe in Jesus. She may have gone along, not because she approved of their actions, but to try to keep the situation calm, to reconcile this family squabble by offering guidance and restraint, lest it got out of hand.
Nowhere does the Bible say that Mary ever lost her faith in her Son. You could search the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and you would never find a verse saying "even His mother did not believe in Him". Considering all she knew about His identity and mission, to think that she could lose faith in Him is absurd. His other relatives, however, had not been present at the Annunciation, Visitation, Nativity, etc., so they did not have as full knowledge as she had. This explains their unbelief.
You are reading too much into these verses by insisting that Mary thought her Son, Whom she knew beyond doubt was the Messiah, had lost His mind. They say nothing of the sort!
But didn't she lose her faith at Calvary (John 19:25-27)? There is no evidence whatsoever of that in Scripture. In fact her courage to stand at the foot of the Cross seems to indicate the opposite. You are again reading too much into this passage.
The Bible does not say that Jesus appeared first to His relatives after His Resurrection. But He did eventually appear to his brother James, and on the Day of Pentecost His mother and brothers were among His followers in the Upper Room. This seems to indicate that His whole family came to believe in Jesus only after His Death and Resurrection. Yet Mary was present at the foot of the Cross with those who believed in Him. This shows that she had faith in Him even in that dark hour.
Jesus didn't only appear to people who believed in Him; He appeared to St. Thomas the Apostle, though he didn't believe that Christ had risen (John 20:24-29). St. Matthew, recounting one of His post-resurrection appearances, writes: "And when they saw him they worshiped him; but some doubted." (Mt 28:17). So Jesus did not make faith in Him a prerequisite for post-resurrection appearances.
So why did the Church Fathers say that she sinned at Cana and/or the Cross? Not all of them taught that; many of the Fathers taught that she was sinless, such as Sts. Augustine, Ambrose and Ephraim the Syrian. As for the few who did, that was their personal opinion; it was never the official teaching of the Church.
It's not fair that everyone else has to struggle against the flesh but Mary is spared! I am sure that every Christian wishes she or he did not have to deal with sin, so it is understandable that some might be tempted to jealousy over Mary's prerogative or think it "unfair". Yet we should resist that temptation, for jealousy over the spiritual state of another is itself a sin-perhaps the worst infraction of the Tenth Commandment!
Is God "unfair" in preserving Mary and not us? "O man, who art thou that repliest against God?...Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor?" (Romans 9:20-21). This passage refers to God's dealings with Israel and the Church, yet it applies in this case as well. God can do as He wills with us and we have no right to question Him. If He chooses to exempt one human being from all sin - original and actual - by the merits of Jesus, He has every right to do so.
Was Mary free from temptation as well? That is highly doubtful. If Jesus Christ, the God-Man, had to endure temptation, surely Mary, a mere creature, was not spared. Surely the Devil, who tempted the first Eve, tried the New Eve as well. Yet unlike her foremother, Mary always relied on God's grace to resist, so she never gave in. This is not impossible (I Co 10:13). Adam and Eve did not have to disobey God; they could have resisted, but did not. Mary, by her reliance on God, triumphed where her forebears had failed.
As mentioned above, Mary most likely did not know that she was sinless. She may have experienced periods of spiritual dryness as we all do, and feared that she had somehow offended God (when in reality God was simply testing her faithfulness). She loved God with all her heart, soul, mind and strength, so she greatly feared offending Him. Therefore her sinlessness does not necessarily rule out temptation and spiritual struggle.
When God spoke to the serpent in Eden He said "I will make you enemies of each other: you and the woman, your offspring and her offspring. It will crush your head and you will strike its heel" (Gen. 3:15). The one referred to who will crush Satan (the serpent) and be attacked by him, must surely be Christ. He is also the child of the woman referred to by God, and in this respect Mary is called the New Eve. The enmity between Christ and Satan is complete and absolute, and the passage suggests that the enmity God put between the woman and Satan would be similar. The vision of the woman clothed with the sun (Rev. 12), who bore a son who was to rule all nations with an iron sceptre, can also be applied to Mary. This chapter relates her epic struggle with the devil, and how she was taken to a place of safety which God had prepared for her. She is protected from being swept away by the devil. This implies sinlessness. "We know that anyone who has been begotten by God does not sin., because the begotten Son of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him" (l Jn. 5:18). Mary and the devil were complete opposites, and the enmity that existed between them could not be, unless she was preserved from sin. "To lead a sinful life is to belong to the devil, since the devil was a sinner from the beginning" (1 Jn. 3:8).
To save Mary from ever sinning was an even greater mercy, which only God could bestow. It is true that Mary too required a Saviour. She was still a member of a fallen race and, like all descendants of Adam, she was by her nature subject to the necessity of contracting original sin. But by a special intervention of God, at her conception, she was preserved from the stain of original sin, possessed of grace at every instant She was therefore redeemed by the Saviour, but in a special way, by anticipation: by prevention rather than cure. In rejoicing in the God who had saved her, Mary herself anticipates the Redemption of the Cross. In the earlier verses (1 :39-45), Luke describes the visitation of Mary to her relative Elizabeth, and the sanctification of John the Baptist. At the approach of Mary, the child John leapt in his mother's womb and she was filled with the Holy Spirit, (cf. Lk. 1: 15), a sign that he had been freed from the burden of sin by her pure presence. Elizabeth then exclaims: "of all women you are the most blessed, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Why should I be honoured with a visit from the Mother of my Lord?" If the Baptist's mother had been granted such a privilege from the visit of the mother of her Lord, then the Virgin Mary must surely have been granted a greater one.
But "all have sinned " only means that all are subject to original sin. Mary was spared from original sin by God, not herself. The popular analogy is God let us fall in the mud puddle, and cleaned us up afterward through baptism. In Mary's case, God did not let her enter the mud puddle.
Rom. 3:23 - "all have sinned" also refers only to those able to commit sin. This is not everyone. For example, infants, the retarded, and the senile cannot sin.
Rom. 3:23 - finally, "all have sinned," but Jesus must be an exception to this rule. This means that Mary can be an exception as well. Note that the Greek word for all is "pantes."
1 Cor. 15:22 - in Adam all ("pantes") have died, and in Christ all ("pantes") shall live. This proves that "all" does not mean "every single one." This is because not all have died (such as Enoch and Elijah who were taken up to heaven), and not all will go to heaven (because Jesus said so).
Rom. 5:12 - Paul says that death spread to all ("pantes") men. Again, this proves that "all" does not mean "every single one" because death did not spread to all men (as we have seen with Enoch and Elijah).
Rom. 5:19 - here Paul says "many (not all) were made sinners." Paul uses "polloi," not "pantes." Is Paul contradicting what he said in Rom. 3:23? Of course not. Paul means that all are subject to original sin, but not all reject God.
Rom. 3:10-11 - Protestants also use this verse to prove that all human beings are sinful and thus Mary must be sinful. But see Psalm 14 which is the basis of the verse.
Psalm 14 - this psalm does not teach that all humans are sinful. It only teaches that, among the wicked, all are sinful. The righteous continue to seek God.
Psalm 53:1-3 - "there is none that does good" expressly refers to those who have fallen away. Those who remain faithful do good, and Jesus calls such faithful people "good."
Luke 18:19 - Jesus says, "No one is good but God alone." But then in Matt. 12:35, Jesus also says "The good man out of his good treasure..." So Jesus says no one is good but God, and then calls another person good.
Rom. 9:11 - God distinguished between Jacob and Esau in the womb, before they sinned. Mary was also distinguished from the rest of humanity in the womb by being spared by God from original sin.
Luke 1:47 - Mary calls God her Savior. Some Protestants use this to denigrate Mary. Why? Of course God is Mary's Savior! She was freed from original sin in the womb (unlike us who are freed from sin outside of the womb), but needed a Savior as much as the rest of humanity.
Luke 1:48 - Mary calls herself lowly. But any creature is lowly compared to God. For example, in Matt. 11:29, even Jesus says He is lowly in heart. Lowliness is a sign of humility, which is the greatest virtue of holiness, because it allows us to empty ourselves and receive the grace of God to change our sinful lives.
"For he hath made him (Jesus) to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." 2 Corinthians 5:21
(Romans 3:9-10) - "What then? Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin; 10as it is written, "There is none righteous, not even one."
(Romans 3:23) - "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
(Psalm 14:3) - "They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one."
But the scripture hath concluded all under sin..." Galatians 3:22 .Mary knew she needed a Savior ."And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour." Luke 1:46-47
For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not." Ecclesiastes 7:20 "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:" Romans 5:12
When we are baptized, sin goes out and GOD comes in. Baptism to remove sin and allow GOD to come in was not instituted until after Jesus had started His ministry (John 3:22-23, 4:2).
So The Blessed Virgin had to have a stainless sin-free body and soul in order for GOD incarnate to dwell within her "Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in Him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God. This verse is often cited as teaching that "genuine" believers will not practice sin. They will not sin habitually, 1 John 3:9 is said to teach.
(Job 1:1) - "There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job, and that man was blameless, upright, fearing God, and turning away from evil."
(Genesis 7:1) - "Then the Lord said to Noah, "Enter the ark, you and all your household; for you alone I have seen to be righteous before Me in this time."
(Luke 1:5-6) - "In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah; and he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6And they were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord."
The Bible clearly teaches that all people have sinned -- except Jesus (1 Peter 2:22).
Romans 3:23 clearly condemns all under sin. But when it mentions people like Job, Noah, Zacharias, and Elizabeth as people who were "blameless" and "righteous" it is not saying that they are not sinners. It is saying that they were godly people, who kept the commandments of God and in that sense, they were righteous. But of course, we realize that no one can keep the commandments of God perfectly which is why all people are deserving of damnation (Eph. 2:3) and why we need a savior. If righteousness can come through the Law, then Christ died needlessly (Gal. 2:21).
The Immaculate Conception means the Blessed Virgin Mary was conceived and born without original sin. However this verse does not even address 'Original Sin', which is imputed to almost all of mankind by the sin of Adam and Eve. I said almost all, simply because a few did not have original sin imputed to them, namely Adam, Eve, Jesus Christ, and the New Eve, Blessed Mary.
Romans 3:23 addresses only the sins that we commit of our own free will.
Are there any exceptions to the word 'All'?
What about Jesus Christ? Did He in His humanity ever sin?
What about babies and those with a mental retardation who have no reasoning power? Have they sinned? Have children below the age of reason sinned? Have comatose and senile people sinned? As you can see, there are exceptions.
Luke 1:6, regarding Zachary and Elizabeth, the parents of John the Baptist, "Both were just before GOD, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord".
Luke 1:15, regarding John the Baptist, "For he shall be great before the Lord; he shall drink no wine or strong drink, and shall be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mothers womb".
Do these verses sound as if Zachary, Elizabeth, and John the Baptist have sinned?
You can readily see that there are many exceptions to the term 'All have sinned'. Since I have shown there are many exceptions to the word 'ALL', why then should anyone not allow one more exception, the Mother of GOD?
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The Greek word, 'PAS', meaning 'ALL', can have different meanings as shown in other verses of Holy Scripture.
John 12:19, "The entire world has gone after him!" Did everyone in the entire world really go after Christ?
Mt 3:5-6, "Then went out to Him Jerusalem, and ALL Judea, and ALL the region about the Jordan; and they were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins."
Were all of the people of Judea, and the region about the Jordan baptized?
The phrase 'the whole world', does not really mean everybody in the world. The words 'whole world' and 'all' are used in several different senses of Scripture, and seldom do they literally mean all persons.
Rom 11:26, "ALL Israel shall be saved." We know for certain that 'ALL' in Israel will not be saved.
Rom 15:14, "...you yourselves are full of love, filled with 'ALL' knowledge..." Here we know for sure that the only person filled with 'ALL' knowledge is GOD Himself.
The Greek word 'pas' in many verses in Scripture simply means a 'great number', or 'a lot'. Since there are exceptions for Jesus Christ, and for others as shown above, the meaning could be seen as, 'ALL are subject to sin'. In the case of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a prevention of sin was brought about by a special grace from GOD.
“.... the whole world has gone after him” [John 12:19 ] Did all the world go after Christ?
“then went all Judea, and were baptized of him in Jordan.” [Matt. 3: 5-6] Was all Judea, or all Jerusalem, baptized in Jordan?
“Ye are of God, little children”, and the whole world lieth in the wicked one”. [1 John 5:19] Does the whole world there mean everybody?
The words are generally used to signify that Christ has redeemed some of all sorts -- some Jews, some Gentiles, some rich, some poor, and has not restricted His redemption to either Jew or Gentile ...
Grace saves us. Grace gives us the power to be holy and righteous and without sin.
Therefore, for a person to be full of grace is to both be saved and to be exceptionally, completely holy. Thus we might re-apply the above two propositions as follows:
1. To be full of the grace which saves is to surely be saved.
2. To be full of the grace which gives us the power to be holy and righteous and without sin, is to be fully without sin, by that same grace.
Or, we could make the following deductive argument, with premises (#1 and #2) derived directly from Scripture:
1. The Bible teaches that we are saved by God's grace.
2. The Bible teaches that we need God's grace to live a holy life, above sin.
3. To be "full of" God's grace, then, is to be saved.
4. Therefore, Mary is saved.
5. To be "full of" God's grace is also to be so holy that one is sinless.
6. Therefore, Mary is holy and sinless.
7. The essence of the Immaculate Conception is sinlessness.
How could Mary be sinless when she sinned at Cana (John 2:3-4)? Jesus granted Mary's compassionate request that He help the young couple (John 2:5-11). The Bible says that God does not grant sinful requests (John 9:31; James 4:3), so her request could not have been sinful.
But she did sin in asking Jesus to reveal Himself publically before His time. That is not a sin, otherwise anyone throughout history who longed for the Second Coming would have been guilty of a sinful desire! Besides, Mary is not omniscient; she did not know it was not yet time. She was essentially asking Jesus "Perhaps this is a good opportunity for you to reveal yourself publically?". When He indicated it was not she did push for it, but arranged for the miracle to be performed in secret. Had she disobeyed his wish to keep it quiet, she would have been sinning! The fact that she did not further shows that she is submissive to the will of God.
Didn't Mary lose her faith in Jesus during His ministry (Mk 3:21, 31)? The text does not say that, and the very notion is absurd. Here is why:
Mary had seen an angel from heaven, who told her that she would bear a Son without having relations with a man. She knew such a thing was naturally impossible (Luke 1:34), yet she believed and it happened to her! This was clearly a miracle of God, which she experienced in her own body!
Based solely on the angel's message, she went to visit her cousin Elizabeth. There she found that Elizabeth was pregnant, as the angel had said - a confirmation of his words. Then Elizabeth suddenly prophesied, displaying knowledge of Mary's pregnancy and the identity of her Child which she could not have known except by divine revelation. Another clear miracle! Mary praised God for this wonder (Luke 1:46-53), in words which are full of faith in Him.
Mary's betrothed, Joseph, then had this miraculous dream revealing to him the divine nature of her pregnancy - yet another confirmation from God for Mary! She heard the shepherds tell of how they saw myrads of angels singing praises at Jesus' birth. She marvelled at Simeon's prophecy of Jesus' future. She never forgot any of these wonders; the Bible clearly states that she "treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart" (Lk 2:17; 51).
She saw the Wise Men come from a distant land to adore her Son, drawn by a mysterious star. She witnessed firsthand the fulfillment of every Messianic prophecy in her Son. She lived with God Incarnate for thirty years; prayed with Him daily and talked with Him of heavenly things for three whole decades!!!
She even instigated His first miracle at Cana, and witnessed Him change common water into the finest wine.
After all that, how could she possibly lose faith in Him?
Mark 3:31 may refer to His other relatives (but see Objection #6 below) who did not believe in Him during His ministry (Jn 7:5). They had not witnessed all these miracles or received the divine revelations, as Mary did. In contrast to them, Our Lady is the exemplar of discipleship. She did not always completely understand the ways of God (Lk 1:34; 2:33, 50), but she pondered them in her heart and clung to her faith, even at the foot of the Cross. She followed her Son till the very end, and is numbered among His followers in the Upper Room at Pentecost (Acts 1:14).
Mary was Jesus' Mother; she knew Him better than anyone other human being. She did not - could not - lose faith in Him after all that God had done in her life. Though others doubted, Mary never stopped believing in her Son; she knew Him too well!
I still believe Mark 3:21 clearly shows that Mary did lose faith in her Son, along with the rest of His family. Here is what Mark 3:21 actually says:
"And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him: for they said, He is beside himself". (KJV) -OR-
'And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for people were saying, "He is beside himself."' (RSV)
This verse does not say "His Mother said he was beside himself", nor that she lost her faith. In fact there is no explicit reference to Jesus' Mother in Mark 3:21 at all. She was not the only member of His family! Scripture does not "clearly" show any alleged sin on her part at all. This argument appears to be as follows: Jesus' family said He was crazy, His Mother is a member of His family, ergo His Mother must have said He is crazy. But this is a logical fallacy.
The Bible elsewhere tells us that, when Jesus was arrested in Gethsemane, "All the disciples forsook him and fled" (Matthew 26:56, Mark 14:50).
So if we apply your logic here, we could say "All of Jesus' disciples forsook Him, St. John was one of those disciples, therefore St. John forsook Him as well". But the Bible tells us that John, the beloved disciple, was at the foot of the Cross (John 19:26-27). He evidently did not go into hiding with the other Apostles.
So such reasoning just does not work. A general statement about a group of people does not always apply to every member of the group. There can be exceptions, such as St. John among the Apostles, and, I would submit, the Blessed Virgin among Jesus' relatives. Unlike the rest of His relatives, she knew Who He was, and so could never have thought He had lost His mind.
His mother and brothers were only human; they did not believe in Him because they did not understand at the time what God was doing in their son or brother's life. Why, if one apostle betrayed him, the others deserted him and his own hometown rejected him, should his family be any different? But of course he did have one faithful Apostle, St. John, and even though His cousins didn't believe in Him at first (John 7:5), He had one family member who remained faithful all along: His Mother. She had a better understanding of God's plan than the rest of His family because of the Annunciation, Visitation, etc.
But if his own family thought him insane; then we can assume that perhaps his parents, the heads of the family, had lost faith in Him at some point. No, we cannot assume that. Other family members could well have acted without Mary's support.
Also, if you go back to the original Greek text of Mark 3:21, you will find that St. Mark did not use the Greek word for "kinsman" (suggenes), or "family" (patria) or even "household" ("oikeios" or "oikianos") to refer to those who went to seize Jesus. Instead, he uses the phrase "hoi par autou", which literally means "those with him". This term refers to ones companions, not specifically to relatives.
This is why, if you look up Mark 3:21 in different Bible translations, you'll see that many call them Jesus' "friends" or "his own people" rather than "relatives" or "family". This is because the original Greek does not specify relatives.
So those who came to get Jesus may not have even been His family! I think the translators who render "hoi par' autou" as "family" or "relatives" are assuming that vs 21 is related to the events in vvs 31-35. That need not be the case.
But what if that were the case? Well, even if "those with Him" were His relatives, and were the same group mentioned in verse 31-35, it still does not prove that Mary did not believe in Jesus. She may have gone along, not because she approved of their actions, but to try to keep the situation calm, to reconcile this family squabble by offering guidance and restraint, lest it got out of hand.
Nowhere does the Bible say that Mary ever lost her faith in her Son. You could search the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and you would never find a verse saying "even His mother did not believe in Him". Considering all she knew about His identity and mission, to think that she could lose faith in Him is absurd. His other relatives, however, had not been present at the Annunciation, Visitation, Nativity, etc., so they did not have as full knowledge as she had. This explains their unbelief.
You are reading too much into these verses by insisting that Mary thought her Son, Whom she knew beyond doubt was the Messiah, had lost His mind. They say nothing of the sort!
But didn't she lose her faith at Calvary (John 19:25-27)? There is no evidence whatsoever of that in Scripture. In fact her courage to stand at the foot of the Cross seems to indicate the opposite. You are again reading too much into this passage.
The Bible does not say that Jesus appeared first to His relatives after His Resurrection. But He did eventually appear to his brother James, and on the Day of Pentecost His mother and brothers were among His followers in the Upper Room. This seems to indicate that His whole family came to believe in Jesus only after His Death and Resurrection. Yet Mary was present at the foot of the Cross with those who believed in Him. This shows that she had faith in Him even in that dark hour.
Jesus didn't only appear to people who believed in Him; He appeared to St. Thomas the Apostle, though he didn't believe that Christ had risen (John 20:24-29). St. Matthew, recounting one of His post-resurrection appearances, writes: "And when they saw him they worshiped him; but some doubted." (Mt 28:17). So Jesus did not make faith in Him a prerequisite for post-resurrection appearances.
So why did the Church Fathers say that she sinned at Cana and/or the Cross? Not all of them taught that; many of the Fathers taught that she was sinless, such as Sts. Augustine, Ambrose and Ephraim the Syrian. As for the few who did, that was their personal opinion; it was never the official teaching of the Church.
It's not fair that everyone else has to struggle against the flesh but Mary is spared! I am sure that every Christian wishes she or he did not have to deal with sin, so it is understandable that some might be tempted to jealousy over Mary's prerogative or think it "unfair". Yet we should resist that temptation, for jealousy over the spiritual state of another is itself a sin-perhaps the worst infraction of the Tenth Commandment!
Is God "unfair" in preserving Mary and not us? "O man, who art thou that repliest against God?...Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor?" (Romans 9:20-21). This passage refers to God's dealings with Israel and the Church, yet it applies in this case as well. God can do as He wills with us and we have no right to question Him. If He chooses to exempt one human being from all sin - original and actual - by the merits of Jesus, He has every right to do so.
Was Mary free from temptation as well? That is highly doubtful. If Jesus Christ, the God-Man, had to endure temptation, surely Mary, a mere creature, was not spared. Surely the Devil, who tempted the first Eve, tried the New Eve as well. Yet unlike her foremother, Mary always relied on God's grace to resist, so she never gave in. This is not impossible (I Co 10:13). Adam and Eve did not have to disobey God; they could have resisted, but did not. Mary, by her reliance on God, triumphed where her forebears had failed.
As mentioned above, Mary most likely did not know that she was sinless. She may have experienced periods of spiritual dryness as we all do, and feared that she had somehow offended God (when in reality God was simply testing her faithfulness). She loved God with all her heart, soul, mind and strength, so she greatly feared offending Him. Therefore her sinlessness does not necessarily rule out temptation and spiritual struggle.
When God spoke to the serpent in Eden He said "I will make you enemies of each other: you and the woman, your offspring and her offspring. It will crush your head and you will strike its heel" (Gen. 3:15). The one referred to who will crush Satan (the serpent) and be attacked by him, must surely be Christ. He is also the child of the woman referred to by God, and in this respect Mary is called the New Eve. The enmity between Christ and Satan is complete and absolute, and the passage suggests that the enmity God put between the woman and Satan would be similar. The vision of the woman clothed with the sun (Rev. 12), who bore a son who was to rule all nations with an iron sceptre, can also be applied to Mary. This chapter relates her epic struggle with the devil, and how she was taken to a place of safety which God had prepared for her. She is protected from being swept away by the devil. This implies sinlessness. "We know that anyone who has been begotten by God does not sin., because the begotten Son of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him" (l Jn. 5:18). Mary and the devil were complete opposites, and the enmity that existed between them could not be, unless she was preserved from sin. "To lead a sinful life is to belong to the devil, since the devil was a sinner from the beginning" (1 Jn. 3:8).
To save Mary from ever sinning was an even greater mercy, which only God could bestow. It is true that Mary too required a Saviour. She was still a member of a fallen race and, like all descendants of Adam, she was by her nature subject to the necessity of contracting original sin. But by a special intervention of God, at her conception, she was preserved from the stain of original sin, possessed of grace at every instant She was therefore redeemed by the Saviour, but in a special way, by anticipation: by prevention rather than cure. In rejoicing in the God who had saved her, Mary herself anticipates the Redemption of the Cross. In the earlier verses (1 :39-45), Luke describes the visitation of Mary to her relative Elizabeth, and the sanctification of John the Baptist. At the approach of Mary, the child John leapt in his mother's womb and she was filled with the Holy Spirit, (cf. Lk. 1: 15), a sign that he had been freed from the burden of sin by her pure presence. Elizabeth then exclaims: "of all women you are the most blessed, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Why should I be honoured with a visit from the Mother of my Lord?" If the Baptist's mother had been granted such a privilege from the visit of the mother of her Lord, then the Virgin Mary must surely have been granted a greater one.
But "all have sinned " only means that all are subject to original sin. Mary was spared from original sin by God, not herself. The popular analogy is God let us fall in the mud puddle, and cleaned us up afterward through baptism. In Mary's case, God did not let her enter the mud puddle.
Rom. 3:23 - "all have sinned" also refers only to those able to commit sin. This is not everyone. For example, infants, the retarded, and the senile cannot sin.
Rom. 3:23 - finally, "all have sinned," but Jesus must be an exception to this rule. This means that Mary can be an exception as well. Note that the Greek word for all is "pantes."
1 Cor. 15:22 - in Adam all ("pantes") have died, and in Christ all ("pantes") shall live. This proves that "all" does not mean "every single one." This is because not all have died (such as Enoch and Elijah who were taken up to heaven), and not all will go to heaven (because Jesus said so).
Rom. 5:12 - Paul says that death spread to all ("pantes") men. Again, this proves that "all" does not mean "every single one" because death did not spread to all men (as we have seen with Enoch and Elijah).
Rom. 5:19 - here Paul says "many (not all) were made sinners." Paul uses "polloi," not "pantes." Is Paul contradicting what he said in Rom. 3:23? Of course not. Paul means that all are subject to original sin, but not all reject God.
Rom. 3:10-11 - Protestants also use this verse to prove that all human beings are sinful and thus Mary must be sinful. But see Psalm 14 which is the basis of the verse.
Psalm 14 - this psalm does not teach that all humans are sinful. It only teaches that, among the wicked, all are sinful. The righteous continue to seek God.
Psalm 53:1-3 - "there is none that does good" expressly refers to those who have fallen away. Those who remain faithful do good, and Jesus calls such faithful people "good."
Luke 18:19 - Jesus says, "No one is good but God alone." But then in Matt. 12:35, Jesus also says "The good man out of his good treasure..." So Jesus says no one is good but God, and then calls another person good.
Rom. 9:11 - God distinguished between Jacob and Esau in the womb, before they sinned. Mary was also distinguished from the rest of humanity in the womb by being spared by God from original sin.
Luke 1:47 - Mary calls God her Savior. Some Protestants use this to denigrate Mary. Why? Of course God is Mary's Savior! She was freed from original sin in the womb (unlike us who are freed from sin outside of the womb), but needed a Savior as much as the rest of humanity.
Luke 1:48 - Mary calls herself lowly. But any creature is lowly compared to God. For example, in Matt. 11:29, even Jesus says He is lowly in heart. Lowliness is a sign of humility, which is the greatest virtue of holiness, because it allows us to empty ourselves and receive the grace of God to change our sinful lives.
Cross/crucifix is not idol!
Catholics worship both the Jesus who died for their sins and also the Jesus who rose from His sacrificial death for their sins. At Mass Catholics profess, "Jesus has died, JESUS IS RISEN, Jesus will come again." A cross is not a graven image unless we allow it to be then football,if we put it higher than God in our priorities may not be a graven image but is still an idol!Anything that we put before God is wrong I find the cross helps when I am low it reminds me of what Jesus suffered and How much HE Loves me,I paint and have done several crosses they arenever worshipped but are visual reminders of the great love of God to us. A cross or an icon or a statue can all direct your attention to God and help your worship, but if you regard the image as the god you worship, offering your prayers and treasures to it the it would be. there are idolitars that use no images and devout christians that do. If a cross or crucifix is an idol, then so is the American flag, and the Pledge is a prayer to a piece of cloth.
God commanded people to make statues and images for religious purposes and healing.
Cherubim in Exodus 25:18-19.
Saraph Serpent in Numbers 21:8-9.
We are told not to *worship* statues or images. These things are reminders of the God we love. They can bring us deeper into prayer.
Brothers, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished. Galatians 5:11
Galatians 6:14 "But may I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world."
Titus 1:15 Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.
Luke 23:26
[ The Crucifixion ] As they led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus.
Although Jesus is risen and no longer on the Cross, what Jesus gave us on the Cross 2000 years ago He continues to give us this day. Jesus gives us His passionate and unconditional endless love, His infinite mercy, His shed blood and salvation, His friendship, and new life in God. We cannot rise in Christ to new life without first dying with Christ on the Cross. Everything Jesus gives to us is through the Cross. In our Christian journey on the way Home to the Lord, we, like Jesus, our Merciful Savior and Role Model to faith in God, carry our cross. Catholics not only preach Christ Risen, but also Christ Crucified. The heart of the Gospel message is Jesus, our promised Messiah, died for our sins for the salvation of our soul.
St. Paul preached Jesus' Crucified and tells us, "WE PREACH CHRIST CRUCIFIED, a stumbling block to Jews, and folly to Gentiles, but those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. (1Corinthians 1:23-24) He again says, "When I came to you, brethren, I did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God in lofty words or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified." (1Corinthians 2:1-2) True, our Christian faith is in vain without the Resurrection of Jesus, (1Corinthians 15:17) but it was the CRUCIFIXION of Jesus that paid for our sins. We cannot preach Jesus' Resurrection without also preaching Jesus' Crucifixion.
Jesus also does not want us to look at His Crucifixion as only a past event. When He appeared to the apostles after His Resurrection and in His glorified risen Body He showed them His wounds from His Crucifixion. (Luke 24:39-40 & John 20:20) Why would Jesus keep those wounds from His Crucifixion if He didn't want us to remember His Crucifixion and everything He gives to us through His Cross such as His passionate and unconditional endless love and infinite mercy? What would some of these non-Catholic Christians say to Jesus if Jesus appeared to them in His glorified risen body and showed them His wounds? Would they say, "Your Crucifixion is of the past, so why should we look at your wounds?"
Another false allegation that is made is the Crucifix is an "idolatrous image for Catholics to worship." This is another allegation that is totally false and absurd. It's not the image itself that is worshipped, but the PERSON the image represents. When Catholics genuflect before the Crucifix at church, they are genuflecting before the Person Jesus who died for their sins.
I've also been asked why I need a Crucifix to be reminded of Jesus' passionate love and self-giving sacrifice for me. Personally I wear a Crucifix to publicly preach Jesus' Crucified. The heart of the Gospel message is Jesus DIED for our sins and conquered death. St. Paul also says, "the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." (1Corinthians 1:18) I'm proud to wear my Crucifix. The Crucifix displays God's passionate and unconditional endless love and His infinite mercy He has for all of us.
Here is another verse to remember: "And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with pretentious speech or wisdom, announcing unto you the witness to Christ. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified" (1 Cor 2:1–2). You also might see a representation of the titulus crucis -- the plaque marked with "I.N.R.I." which stands for "Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudeorum," the Latin initials for "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews. Catholics kneel before God, not "to" statues, regardless of what you may perceive. God Himself commands that graven images be made. Now either God and the Bible contradict themselves, or your interpretation of the Commandment against the making of images is wrong. God approves of the use of statuary, stained glass, ikons, and other graven images when they are used for their intended purpose: the glorification and adoration of God. God forbade the adoration of the statues themselves, and of the Canaanite "gods" the statues represented, not the making of graven images per se.
The first major objection of the Protestant regarding the crucifix (an image of Christ on the cross) is that Christ is no longer on the cross--He is risen. I was raised with this observation and my friend would ridicule the Catholic traditions. My friend also challenged us when we first became Catholics, commenting, “We serve a risen Christ, not one that is still on the cross.” Unfortunately for them, since childhood my mother had valued her beautiful Christmas crèche scene. I asked the obvious: “Do you serve the risen Christ or one still in the manger?” (I also had to comment on the cute little statue of Our Lady standing over the plastic baby Jesus, along with the animals.)
Second, Protestants see the image of Christ on the cross as a violation of the command to make no graven image. The Reformers were big on this. Protestants now utilize plain crosses in their “churches,” on their walls, and around their necks, just as they have pictures of Jesus (always with soft skin and melodrama) on their walls. (I was raised with this feminine Jesus presiding, ever so romantically, over our dinner table. After spending time in the Holy Land, driving through the Judean wilderness, and ascending Mount Tabor, which he and his disciples frequented, I doubt he was so dainty and delicate; he probably had calves like a bear and smelled a bit like one as well.) However, at the turn of the this century the Protestant churches (excluding Lutheran) were still pretty much opposed to display of the cross, even the bare cross. The bare cross was not in wide use until recently, though current Protestants don’t know their own history on the matter and that their predecessors opposed it as much as they did the Crucifix.
Third, they object to the Crucifix because it is Catholic and to condone or display the Crucifix is to make a statement in favor of Catholicism. No one of “Reformed” persuasion would want to be identified as a Catholic. A bare cross seems to be generic, which is what most Protestants like--generic Christianity--with no history to criticize or Church to obey.
Images and Gods in the Old Testament
Since the people in olden ages worshiped idols made of earthly materials [Endnote 1], God forbade the children of Israel to possess such “gods”. “Then God spoke all these words, saying, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God’” (Ex 20:1-3).
Even while God was inscribing these Words on the tablets of stone, the Israelites were violating His command. “Then all the people tore off the gold rings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron. And he took this from their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, and made it into a molten calf; and they said, ‘This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt’” (Ex. 32:34).
We know that it was not the image itself, which was the problem. It was the making of an image that was considered to be a god and the subsequent worship of the image as a god. This is clear from the Scriptures, for if the making of an image was evil, then God commanded His people to violate His own laws. We will look at three examples in which God commanded the children of Israel to make images that were the likeness of “what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth.”
First, the Mercy Seat which was situated in the Holy of Holies was to have golden cherubim above it with wings outspread. We read, “And you shall make two cherubim of gold, make them of hammered work at the two ends of the mercy seat” (Ex 25:18). Cherubim are images of things in heaven, angelic beings who stand before the throne of God. These images were to be placed at the center of Israel’s worship. However, there was no thought of worshiping the golden images, they were there for illustrative reasons, to replicate a spiritual reality, and they were three-dimensional, formed out of gold, at the command of God Himself. The very goldsmiths who were condemned for making a golden image (the calf) are now commanded to make a golden image (the cherubim).
Second, Moses was given detailed directions for the vestments worn by Aaron and the priests. Embroidered into the hem of Aaron’s gorgeous robe were artistic representations of bells and pomegranates. “And you shall make on its hem pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet material, all around on its hem, and bells of gold between them all around: a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, all around on the hem of the robe. And it shall be on Aaron when he ministers; and its tinkling may be heard when he enters and leaves the holy place before the Lord, that he may not die” (Ex 28:33-B35). An image or likeness of a fruit, something obviously copied from an earthly model.
The third example is found during the Israelites’ forty years of wandering in the wilderness. The people became impatient and spoke against God and Moses. In response God sent poisonous serpents into their camp and many died. When they begged Moses to intercede for them the Lord responded with the command to make an image of a serpent. “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a standard; and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, he shall live’. And Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the standard; and it came about, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived” (Num 21:8-9). A “graven image” of a serpent was raised upon a pole to be gazed upon by the children of Israel, and the image was used by God to heal the people from the fiery bites of the serpents.
The bronze serpent, even raised on a pole, was not a violation of God’s earlier command against graven images. The earlier command was against having or worshiping a god besides the Lord. Image was synonymous with the practice of ancient peoples who made and called images “god” and actually worshiped them. This was sin, not the simple act of making or having a representation of a physical or heavenly object. It is the intent, and the purpose for which the image is made that becomes the sin, not the image itself. An image is simply an image, a representation. On the other hand an image intended to be a god is a god and is thus idolatry. Making a dish or cup is not a sin, worshiping the dish or cup as a god is idolatry and therefore sin.
That the intent and reaction to an image is the real issue is born out by the fact that the bronze serpent was good, commanded by God, and served a sacramental purpose, yet when it was later treated as an idol, by the act of worship, it became idolatry and fit the category of an image that was a “god” that was a substitute for the God of Israel, the living God. “Ahaz king of Judah . . . removed the high places and broke down the sacred pillars and cut down the Asherah. He also broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the sons of Israel burned incense to it [as to a god]; and it was called Nehushtan [the piece of bronze]” (2 Ki 18:1, 4).
Images, representations of real things, and pictures or statues were not forbidden. There was always a tendency in ancient cultures to convert such images into gods to be worshiped. It was this idolatry that was evil, proscribed by God. Any object, whether it is representative of earthly or heavenly things or not, can become an idol [a god] and it is this idolatry that is wicked, not the making of objects.
Images and Images of Christ in the New Testament
something changed when Jesus entered the world. The incarnation split space and time as the divine Being became a man. God had always been invisible, but now he was made visible for the first time. What was not visible and therefore unreproduceable was now visible and made able to be reproduced. Thomas said, “Show us the Father” and Jesus responded, “Have I been with you so long and you still don’t know me” (Jn 14:9). Paul tells us that Jesus is the image of the invisible God (Col 1:15; 2:9). Therefore, that which earlier had had no image now had a visible appearance. Jesus could now be reproduced in art because He Himself had taken on flesh and was a visible image of the Father.
So wearing the cross or symbols of faith I love to surround myself with, so that I am reminded all the time to keep my focus on the Lord.
It is a good tool to use, symbols of Christ the Lord. It reminds me to pray more! , don't know your denomination, but one that produces the fruit of hate is certainly not the Fruit Of the Holy Spirit which is Christ/God.
Galatians 6:14 May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
1 Corinthians 1:17For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospelnot with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
Galatians 5:11Brothers, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished.
Galatians 6:12Those who want to make a good impression outwardly are trying to compel you to be circumcised. The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ.
Ephesians 2:16 and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.
Philippians 3:18For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.
Colossians 1:20and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
Hebrews 12:2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Philippians 2:8And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!
God commanded people to make statues and images for religious purposes and healing.
Cherubim in Exodus 25:18-19.
Saraph Serpent in Numbers 21:8-9.
We are told not to *worship* statues or images. These things are reminders of the God we love. They can bring us deeper into prayer.
Brothers, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished. Galatians 5:11
Galatians 6:14 "But may I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world."
Titus 1:15 Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.
Luke 23:26
[ The Crucifixion ] As they led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus.
Although Jesus is risen and no longer on the Cross, what Jesus gave us on the Cross 2000 years ago He continues to give us this day. Jesus gives us His passionate and unconditional endless love, His infinite mercy, His shed blood and salvation, His friendship, and new life in God. We cannot rise in Christ to new life without first dying with Christ on the Cross. Everything Jesus gives to us is through the Cross. In our Christian journey on the way Home to the Lord, we, like Jesus, our Merciful Savior and Role Model to faith in God, carry our cross. Catholics not only preach Christ Risen, but also Christ Crucified. The heart of the Gospel message is Jesus, our promised Messiah, died for our sins for the salvation of our soul.
St. Paul preached Jesus' Crucified and tells us, "WE PREACH CHRIST CRUCIFIED, a stumbling block to Jews, and folly to Gentiles, but those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. (1Corinthians 1:23-24) He again says, "When I came to you, brethren, I did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God in lofty words or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified." (1Corinthians 2:1-2) True, our Christian faith is in vain without the Resurrection of Jesus, (1Corinthians 15:17) but it was the CRUCIFIXION of Jesus that paid for our sins. We cannot preach Jesus' Resurrection without also preaching Jesus' Crucifixion.
Jesus also does not want us to look at His Crucifixion as only a past event. When He appeared to the apostles after His Resurrection and in His glorified risen Body He showed them His wounds from His Crucifixion. (Luke 24:39-40 & John 20:20) Why would Jesus keep those wounds from His Crucifixion if He didn't want us to remember His Crucifixion and everything He gives to us through His Cross such as His passionate and unconditional endless love and infinite mercy? What would some of these non-Catholic Christians say to Jesus if Jesus appeared to them in His glorified risen body and showed them His wounds? Would they say, "Your Crucifixion is of the past, so why should we look at your wounds?"
Another false allegation that is made is the Crucifix is an "idolatrous image for Catholics to worship." This is another allegation that is totally false and absurd. It's not the image itself that is worshipped, but the PERSON the image represents. When Catholics genuflect before the Crucifix at church, they are genuflecting before the Person Jesus who died for their sins.
I've also been asked why I need a Crucifix to be reminded of Jesus' passionate love and self-giving sacrifice for me. Personally I wear a Crucifix to publicly preach Jesus' Crucified. The heart of the Gospel message is Jesus DIED for our sins and conquered death. St. Paul also says, "the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." (1Corinthians 1:18) I'm proud to wear my Crucifix. The Crucifix displays God's passionate and unconditional endless love and His infinite mercy He has for all of us.
Here is another verse to remember: "And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with pretentious speech or wisdom, announcing unto you the witness to Christ. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified" (1 Cor 2:1–2). You also might see a representation of the titulus crucis -- the plaque marked with "I.N.R.I." which stands for "Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudeorum," the Latin initials for "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews. Catholics kneel before God, not "to" statues, regardless of what you may perceive. God Himself commands that graven images be made. Now either God and the Bible contradict themselves, or your interpretation of the Commandment against the making of images is wrong. God approves of the use of statuary, stained glass, ikons, and other graven images when they are used for their intended purpose: the glorification and adoration of God. God forbade the adoration of the statues themselves, and of the Canaanite "gods" the statues represented, not the making of graven images per se.
The first major objection of the Protestant regarding the crucifix (an image of Christ on the cross) is that Christ is no longer on the cross--He is risen. I was raised with this observation and my friend would ridicule the Catholic traditions. My friend also challenged us when we first became Catholics, commenting, “We serve a risen Christ, not one that is still on the cross.” Unfortunately for them, since childhood my mother had valued her beautiful Christmas crèche scene. I asked the obvious: “Do you serve the risen Christ or one still in the manger?” (I also had to comment on the cute little statue of Our Lady standing over the plastic baby Jesus, along with the animals.)
Second, Protestants see the image of Christ on the cross as a violation of the command to make no graven image. The Reformers were big on this. Protestants now utilize plain crosses in their “churches,” on their walls, and around their necks, just as they have pictures of Jesus (always with soft skin and melodrama) on their walls. (I was raised with this feminine Jesus presiding, ever so romantically, over our dinner table. After spending time in the Holy Land, driving through the Judean wilderness, and ascending Mount Tabor, which he and his disciples frequented, I doubt he was so dainty and delicate; he probably had calves like a bear and smelled a bit like one as well.) However, at the turn of the this century the Protestant churches (excluding Lutheran) were still pretty much opposed to display of the cross, even the bare cross. The bare cross was not in wide use until recently, though current Protestants don’t know their own history on the matter and that their predecessors opposed it as much as they did the Crucifix.
Third, they object to the Crucifix because it is Catholic and to condone or display the Crucifix is to make a statement in favor of Catholicism. No one of “Reformed” persuasion would want to be identified as a Catholic. A bare cross seems to be generic, which is what most Protestants like--generic Christianity--with no history to criticize or Church to obey.
Images and Gods in the Old Testament
Since the people in olden ages worshiped idols made of earthly materials [Endnote 1], God forbade the children of Israel to possess such “gods”. “Then God spoke all these words, saying, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God’” (Ex 20:1-3).
Even while God was inscribing these Words on the tablets of stone, the Israelites were violating His command. “Then all the people tore off the gold rings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron. And he took this from their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, and made it into a molten calf; and they said, ‘This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt’” (Ex. 32:34).
We know that it was not the image itself, which was the problem. It was the making of an image that was considered to be a god and the subsequent worship of the image as a god. This is clear from the Scriptures, for if the making of an image was evil, then God commanded His people to violate His own laws. We will look at three examples in which God commanded the children of Israel to make images that were the likeness of “what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth.”
First, the Mercy Seat which was situated in the Holy of Holies was to have golden cherubim above it with wings outspread. We read, “And you shall make two cherubim of gold, make them of hammered work at the two ends of the mercy seat” (Ex 25:18). Cherubim are images of things in heaven, angelic beings who stand before the throne of God. These images were to be placed at the center of Israel’s worship. However, there was no thought of worshiping the golden images, they were there for illustrative reasons, to replicate a spiritual reality, and they were three-dimensional, formed out of gold, at the command of God Himself. The very goldsmiths who were condemned for making a golden image (the calf) are now commanded to make a golden image (the cherubim).
Second, Moses was given detailed directions for the vestments worn by Aaron and the priests. Embroidered into the hem of Aaron’s gorgeous robe were artistic representations of bells and pomegranates. “And you shall make on its hem pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet material, all around on its hem, and bells of gold between them all around: a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, all around on the hem of the robe. And it shall be on Aaron when he ministers; and its tinkling may be heard when he enters and leaves the holy place before the Lord, that he may not die” (Ex 28:33-B35). An image or likeness of a fruit, something obviously copied from an earthly model.
The third example is found during the Israelites’ forty years of wandering in the wilderness. The people became impatient and spoke against God and Moses. In response God sent poisonous serpents into their camp and many died. When they begged Moses to intercede for them the Lord responded with the command to make an image of a serpent. “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a standard; and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, he shall live’. And Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the standard; and it came about, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived” (Num 21:8-9). A “graven image” of a serpent was raised upon a pole to be gazed upon by the children of Israel, and the image was used by God to heal the people from the fiery bites of the serpents.
The bronze serpent, even raised on a pole, was not a violation of God’s earlier command against graven images. The earlier command was against having or worshiping a god besides the Lord. Image was synonymous with the practice of ancient peoples who made and called images “god” and actually worshiped them. This was sin, not the simple act of making or having a representation of a physical or heavenly object. It is the intent, and the purpose for which the image is made that becomes the sin, not the image itself. An image is simply an image, a representation. On the other hand an image intended to be a god is a god and is thus idolatry. Making a dish or cup is not a sin, worshiping the dish or cup as a god is idolatry and therefore sin.
That the intent and reaction to an image is the real issue is born out by the fact that the bronze serpent was good, commanded by God, and served a sacramental purpose, yet when it was later treated as an idol, by the act of worship, it became idolatry and fit the category of an image that was a “god” that was a substitute for the God of Israel, the living God. “Ahaz king of Judah . . . removed the high places and broke down the sacred pillars and cut down the Asherah. He also broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the sons of Israel burned incense to it [as to a god]; and it was called Nehushtan [the piece of bronze]” (2 Ki 18:1, 4).
Images, representations of real things, and pictures or statues were not forbidden. There was always a tendency in ancient cultures to convert such images into gods to be worshiped. It was this idolatry that was evil, proscribed by God. Any object, whether it is representative of earthly or heavenly things or not, can become an idol [a god] and it is this idolatry that is wicked, not the making of objects.
Images and Images of Christ in the New Testament
something changed when Jesus entered the world. The incarnation split space and time as the divine Being became a man. God had always been invisible, but now he was made visible for the first time. What was not visible and therefore unreproduceable was now visible and made able to be reproduced. Thomas said, “Show us the Father” and Jesus responded, “Have I been with you so long and you still don’t know me” (Jn 14:9). Paul tells us that Jesus is the image of the invisible God (Col 1:15; 2:9). Therefore, that which earlier had had no image now had a visible appearance. Jesus could now be reproduced in art because He Himself had taken on flesh and was a visible image of the Father.
So wearing the cross or symbols of faith I love to surround myself with, so that I am reminded all the time to keep my focus on the Lord.
It is a good tool to use, symbols of Christ the Lord. It reminds me to pray more! , don't know your denomination, but one that produces the fruit of hate is certainly not the Fruit Of the Holy Spirit which is Christ/God.
Galatians 6:14 May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
1 Corinthians 1:17For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospelnot with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
Galatians 5:11Brothers, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished.
Galatians 6:12Those who want to make a good impression outwardly are trying to compel you to be circumcised. The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ.
Ephesians 2:16 and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.
Philippians 3:18For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.
Colossians 1:20and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
Hebrews 12:2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Philippians 2:8And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!
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