Benz Posted February 12, 2003 Share Posted February 12, 2003 Okay, so I had an idea. Some members seem to have an interest (Pro or Against) in questions about the Catholic Church, but in past posts they seemed to be limited by whatever topic it fell under. Here's a thread where any of you can post any questions or comments about the Catholic Church, so long as they are respectful (this doesn't mean that you have to post only pro-Catholic questions, otherwise this would probably be an empty thread...) So any questions ANY at all that come to mind, post away, and I will try to answer them as soon as I can. (Midterms and papers coming up, so I'll do my best). So ask away! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spongebob Posted February 12, 2003 Share Posted February 12, 2003 What is the deal with not getting married? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted February 12, 2003 Share Posted February 12, 2003 I'm assumin you mean priests...? Benny - Why is the church not publicly apologizing for all the recent priest molestation troubles? I know the vatican doesnt like to lose face but dont you think this is making it worse...is it the current Pope's call or what? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benz Posted February 12, 2003 Author Share Posted February 12, 2003 "I'm assumin you mean priests...?" Any questions at all. I gotta go right now, so I'll answer the questions tomorrow sometime after 6:30. (If not right now) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spongebob Posted February 12, 2003 Share Posted February 12, 2003 Yea, what is deal? Why can't priests get married? Do they want to get hormones to build until they do a kid? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benz Posted February 12, 2003 Author Share Posted February 12, 2003 What is the deal with not getting married? Since I'm heading for the Seminary (hopefully) I had to think about that. Basically, according to logic, the Gospel of Matthew, and The first letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians, Celibacy is a gift from God (though many, many people do not see it this way, Priests and celibate religious do) Celibacy may not be always easy, but it is good, becuase instead of a life-long relationship with a woman, you have a life-long relationship with God's Church, His people, and God Himself. You have more time for religious activities, spiritual growth, and growth in holiness, and growth in proximity to God. (Hopefully this is how a priest would use a majority of time) Also, Diocesan Priests have time and the ability to go out to the movies, hang out with friends, and do other activities that anyone else would have time for. I hope this answers your question, if not, ask more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benz Posted February 12, 2003 Author Share Posted February 12, 2003 Also, Spongebob, there is always Grace, and something not commonly found in today's society: self-control. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
defgoddess Posted February 12, 2003 Share Posted February 12, 2003 what're the current church teachings on heaven/hell, purgatory/limbo, etc? and also, if let's say a polish catholic or someone of a different orthodox church comes to my church, what do they observe differently? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benz Posted February 12, 2003 Author Share Posted February 12, 2003 Nick, As for the no public apology thing, that's not totally true. The media just doesn't pay attention to the apology of the Church because it might actually help give the Church a better image. Plus that wouldn't sell as much as reporting another scandal. Here are some examples: "In my agreement with the Attorney General, who ensures the public safety of our State, I, as the Bishop of our Church in New Hampshire, acknowledge the Church's failings to protect children. We ask forgiveness from victims and all those in our State who have been hurt or scandalized by the terrible acts of abuse. We stand before the people of New Hampshire today with a firm purpose never to let this happen again." - Bishop John McCormack, Bishop of Manchester, New Hampshire "Let us pray for those of our confreres who did not abide by the commitments they assumed with priestly ordination, or who are passing through a period of difficulty or crisis. In choosing us for so sublime a mission, Christ will not let us lack the grace and joy of following him, on Tabor and on the Way of the Cross." - Pope John Paul II (I might be able to find a better example for John Paul II, but I don't have time right now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spongebob Posted February 12, 2003 Share Posted February 12, 2003 Oh. Yea I heard of sel-controll before. i think ??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benz Posted February 12, 2003 Author Share Posted February 12, 2003 First question is easy. I can just quote straight from the Catechism. (There's one on line, or you can buy your own paperback copy for a few measley dollars. I would encourage every Catholic to have a copy.) The Link: Catechism of the Catholic Church II. HEAVEN 1023 Those who die in God's grace and friendship and are perfectly purified live for ever with Christ. They are like God for ever, for they "see him as he is," face to face: 598 By virtue of our apostolic authority, we define the following: According to the general disposition of God, the souls of all the saints . . . and other faithful who died after receiving Christ's holy Baptism (provided they were not in need of purification when they died, . . . or, if they then did need or will need some purification, when they have been purified after death, . . .) already before they take up their bodies again and before the general judgment - and this since the Ascension of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ into heaven - have been, are and will be in heaven, in the heavenly Kingdom and celestial paradise with Christ, joined to the company of the holy angels. Since the Passion and death of our Lord Jesus Christ, these souls have seen and do see the divine essence with an intuitive vision, and even face to face, without the mediation of any creature. 599 1024 This perfect life with the Most Holy Trinity - this communion of life and love with the Trinity, with the Virgin Mary, the angels and all the blessed - is called "heaven." Heaven is the ultimate end and fulfillment of the deepest human longings, the state of supreme, definitive happiness. 1025 To live in heaven is "to be with Christ." The elect live "in Christ," 600 but they retain, or rather find, their true identity, their own name. 601 For life is to be with Christ; where Christ is, there is life, there is the kingdom. 602 1026 By his death and Resurrection, Jesus Christ has "opened" heaven to us. The life of the blessed consists in the full and perfect possession of the fruits of the redemption accomplished by Christ. He makes partners in his heavenly glorification those who have believed in him and remained faithful to his will. Heaven is the blessed community of all who are perfectly incorporated into Christ. 1027 This mystery of blessed communion with God and all who are in Christ is beyond all understanding and description. Scripture speaks of it in images: life, light, peace, wedding feast, wine of the kingdom, the Father's house, the heavenly Jerusalem, paradise: "no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him." 603 1028 Because of his transcendence, God cannot be seen as he is, unless he himself opens up his mystery to man's immediate contemplation and gives him the capacity for it. The Church calls this contemplation of God in his heavenly glory "the beatific vision": How great will your glory and happiness be, to be allowed to see God, to be honored with sharing the joy of salvation and eternal light with Christ your Lord and God, . . . to delight in the joy of immortality in the Kingdom of heaven with the righteous and God's friends. 604 1029 In the glory of heaven the blessed continue joyfully to fulfill God's will in relation to other men and to all creation. Already they reign with Christ; with him "they shall reign for ever and ever." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benz Posted February 12, 2003 Author Share Posted February 12, 2003 III. THE FINAL PURIFICATION, OR PURGATORY 1030 All who die in God's grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven. 1031 The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned. 606 The Church formulated her doctrine of faith on Purgatory especially at the Councils of Florence and Trent. The tradition of the Church, by reference to certain texts of Scripture, speaks of a cleansing fire: 607 As for certain lesser faults, we must believe that, before the Final Judgment, there is a purifying fire. He who is truth says that whoever utters blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will be pardoned neither in this age nor in the age to come. From this sentence we understand that certain offenses can be forgiven in this age, but certain others in the age to come. 608 1032 This teaching is also based on the practice of prayer for the dead, already mentioned in Sacred Scripture: "Therefore Judas Maccabeus] made atonement for the dead, that they might be delivered from their sin." 609 From the beginning the Church has honored the memory of the dead and offered prayers in suffrage for them, above all the Eucharistic sacrifice, so that, thus purified, they may attain the beatific vision of God. 610 The Church also commends almsgiving, indulgences, and works of penance undertaken on behalf of the dead: Let us help and commemorate them. If Job's sons were purified by their father's sacrifice, why would we doubt that our offerings for the dead bring them some consolation? Let us not hesitate to help those who have died and to offer our prayers for them. 611 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benz Posted February 12, 2003 Author Share Posted February 12, 2003 IV. HELL 1033 We cannot be united with God unless we freely choose to love him. But we cannot love God if we sin gravely against him, against our neighbor or against ourselves: "He who does not love remains in death. Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him." 612 Our Lord warns us that we shall be separated from him if we fail to meet the serious needs of the poor and the little ones who are his brethren. 613 To die in mortal sin without repenting and accepting God's merciful love means remaining separated from him for ever by our own free choice. This state of definitive self- exclusion from communion with God and the blessed is called "hell." 1034 Jesus often speaks of "Gehenna" of "the unquenchable fire" reserved for those who to the end of their lives refuse to believe and be converted, where both soul and body can be lost. 614 Jesus solemnly proclaims that he "will send his angels, and they will gather . . . all evil doers, and throw them into the furnace of fire," 615 and that he will pronounce the condemnation: "Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire!" 616 1035 The teaching of the Church affirms the existence of hell and its eternity. Immediately after death the souls of those who die in a state of mortal sin descend into hell, where they suffer the punishments of hell, "eternal fire." 617 The chief punishment of hell is eternal separation from God, in whom alone man can possess the life and happiness for which he was created and for which he longs. 1036 The affirmations of Sacred Scripture and the teachings of the Church on the subject of hell are a call to the responsibility incumbent upon man to make use of his freedom in view of his eternal destiny. They are at the same time an urgent call to conversion: "Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few." 618 Since we know neither the day nor the hour, we should follow the advice of the Lord and watch constantly so that, when the single course of our earthly life is completed, we may merit to enter with him into the marriage feast and be numbered among the blessed, and not, like the wicked and slothful servants, be ordered to depart into the eternal fire, into the outer darkness where "men will weep and gnash their teeth." 619 1037 God predestines no one to go to hell; 620 for this, a willful turning away from God (a mortal sin) is necessary, and persistence in it until the end. In the Eucharistic liturgy and in the daily prayers of her faithful, the Church implores the mercy of God, who does not want "any to perish, but all to come to repentance": 621 Father, accept this offering from your whole family. Grant us your peace in this life, save us from final damnation, and count us among those you have chosen. 622 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benz Posted February 12, 2003 Author Share Posted February 12, 2003 And finally... Um, Limbo is for whatever reason not taught as doctrine anymore. (It never was Dogma, though I would like to look into this further) Basically, my understanding is that it used to be where unborn children, or also unborn chuldren and un-baptized little children (that could not be held accountable for lack of faculties of reason and wisdom) would go there and experience the maximum pleasure possible, but not as much as those who have been baptized. I believe this was done away with the understanding that these children were given the baptism of desire, meaning that the parents desired to have their children baptized, but for whatever reason could not, and so through God's mercy, it was as if they actually had been baptized. The second part would take me a long time to answer, but the basics: If they are a Catholic rite, then they are in the fullness of communion with the Roman Catholic Church, and thusly the Pope. They are able to recieve communion at our Masses, and we can at theirs. Some of the Eastern (AKA Melkite) Rites use leavened bread instead of unleavened, and there are other Liturgical (Order of the Mass and certain prayers) differences. If they are "Orthodox" then they are not in full communion with the Pope, and so can not recieve communion without a dispensation from the local (Arch)Bishop. Roman Catholics also could be guilty of sacraledge if they were to recieve communion from an "Orthodox" priest. I could go into further detail, but I'm not sure I've got time right now. Sorry. Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
defgoddess Posted February 12, 2003 Share Posted February 12, 2003 mmm... interessant, oui, merci :D : ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benz Posted February 12, 2003 Author Share Posted February 12, 2003 Huh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
defgoddess Posted February 12, 2003 Share Posted February 12, 2003 interesting, yes, thank you. that little 'no' at the devil was for you. i thought it might amuse you. sadly, i was mistaken. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spongebob Posted February 12, 2003 Share Posted February 12, 2003 Dont think anyone got it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spongebob Posted February 12, 2003 Share Posted February 12, 2003 Is it thought that only preists can personaly talk to God? If so why? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benz Posted February 12, 2003 Author Share Posted February 12, 2003 You weren't mistaken. Ladies and Gentlemen, def just simplified what we must do to get to Heaven (or at least a big part of it) <--------- because + :approve: = Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benz Posted February 12, 2003 Author Share Posted February 12, 2003 Is it thought that only preists can personaly talk to God?If so why? This is wrong. Anyone who tells you this is wrong. All of us can communicate with God in the same capacity! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spongebob Posted February 12, 2003 Share Posted February 12, 2003 Oh ok. Thx for enlighting me tonight. night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted February 12, 2003 Share Posted February 12, 2003 Isnt the whole "lake of fire" thing a metaphor to explain the spiritual pain of being eternally seperated from the divine? That's always how i took it as, anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
defgoddess Posted February 12, 2003 Share Posted February 12, 2003 You weren't mistaken. Ladies and Gentlemen, def just simplified what we must do to get to Heaven (or at least a big part of it) woohoo allright! go me! wasn't catholic my whole life for nothin' lol ;) what about the book of revelations? and all the other things mentioned, do we have metaphors here or actual occurrences? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freebird Posted February 12, 2003 Share Posted February 12, 2003 why do catholics put so much emphasis on the virgin mary... to me she was just the vessel for bringing jesus into the world and all that great stuff, yet the catholics seem to have this fixation with her, with the whole hail mary and stuff... just wonderin'... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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