A Few thoughts on Mary and the Great Cloud of Witnesses.

1.
Is God the God of the dead or the living? Are those in Heaven living or dead?
Becoming Catholic again created a strange situation for me.
What about Mary and the Saints?
Even as a flaming fundamentalist I knew better than to say Catholics worshipped Mary, mainly because I grew up Catholic and knew that wasn‘t true. But wasn’t PRAYING to Mary and the Saints ‘worship’? For almost twenty years I heard about ‘Marian idolatry’.
In my younger years I bought into the ’Two Babylons’ lie that ‘Mary and saint worship’ came from Babylon. I would often hear that “Catholics pray to dead people.” Even after I dismissed the anti-Catholic lies, I was still uncomfortable with praying to Mary or any other saint. Are saints mere “dead people”? Was Jesus was practicing witchcraft at the transfiguration?
How did God break through that wall?
It began with understanding how the early Church, and the Hebrews in particular dealt with the subject of death and the afterlife.
In the modern world, when somebody dies, its as if they cease to exist. They are spoken of in the past tense, they were alive once, but now they are dead, gone, they cease to exist. We print their obituaries in the newspaper, show old pictures or film of them and talk about OUR memories.
In the ancient world, and in many parts of the world today, this is unknown. To the Hebrews, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were just not some names in history, they were part of a Covenant that transcended time itself.
God called Himself the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He is the God of the Living, not of the dead. Hebrew ancestors were NEVER spoken of as some forgotten point of history, but as a LIVING part of the Covenant.
In the early church, this thinking never changed.
When a Christian died in the Early Church, they ‘fell asleep’. They were never spoken of as just ‘dead’. Hebrews 12:1 says “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,”
Those who have gone on before us are more alive than ever! We have the hope of the resurrection, so our EXPECTATION is that we will see them again. The Church is more than we can physically see.
Since we are all one Body of Christ, we are connected to each other by the Holy Spirit. Our deceased loved ones do not cease being part of the church just because they have gone on before us. They are STILL part of the Church and remain ‘on the church membership rolls’. We join hands with them spiritually as part of the mystical Body of Christ.
If the Saints are those who share in eternal life in Christ and full communion with God, then the Saints are living in a much more real way than those left on the earth. Catholics believe in a SPIRITUAL church, not just a physical one.
The saints are still alive in Christ and part of our worship.
Revelation shows the saints in heaven bring before the Lamb the prayers of the saints on earth. They are concerned over what is happening on this planet.God told us to ask others to intercede for us. Consider, only the righteous are in heaven. And Scripture says that prayers of the righteous are efficacious.
Revelation tells us of those who have overcome are ruling and reigning with Christ. He shares His power and glory with His Saints, and they reign as kings and priests, offering up prayers and petitions on our behalf.

2.
God’s Word commands us to pray for one another:
1 Timothy 2:1-4 "First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all men, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life, godly and respectful in every way. This is good, and it is acceptable in the sight of our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth"
There is nothing in Scripture that would indicate that not even death can separate us from Christ:
Rom. 8:38-39 “Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord"
Is not the Church the Body of Christ?

Rev 6:9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne; 10 they cried out with a loud voice, "O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before thou wilt judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell upon the earth?" 11 Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.

Mt 18:10 "See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you that in heaven their angels always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven.

Lu 15:7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents (how did they know the sinner repented?) than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

Tobit 12:14 So now God sent me to heal you and your daughter-in-law Sarah. 15 I am Raphael, one of the seven holy angels who present the prayers of the saints and enter into the presence of the glory of the Holy One."

2Maccabees 15: 11 He (Judas Maccabee) armed each of them not so much with confidence in shields and spears as with the inspiration of brave words, and he cheered them all by relating a dream, a sort of vision, which was worthy of belief. 12 What he saw was this: Onias, who had been high priest, a noble and good man, of modest bearing and gentle manner, one who spoke fittingly and had been trained from childhood in all that belongs to excellence, was praying with outstretched hands for the whole body of the Jews. 13 Then likewise a man appeared, distinguished by his gray hair and dignity, and of marvelous majesty and authority. 14 And Onias spoke, saying, "This is a man who loves the brethren and prays much for the people and the holy city, Jeremiah, the prophet of God." 15 Jeremiah stretched out his right hand and gave to Judas a golden sword, and as he gave it he addressed him thus: 16 "Take this holy sword, a gift from God, with which you will strike down your adversaries."

Rev 5:8 And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and with golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints;

Rev 8:3 And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer; and he was given much incense to mingle with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar before the throne; 4 and the smoke of the incense rose with the prayers of the saints from the hand of the angel before God.

3.
Part of understanding the Communion of Saints, is that we ask for those living and dead to intercede or carry our prayers to Jesus.
Mary is a part of this Communion of Saints.
She is in a very real sense, our mystical connection to the spiritual Church.
How do we understand this?
In Gen. 3:15 we see from the very beginning that God gives Mary a unique role in salvation history. God says "I will put enmity between you and the woman, between your seed and her seed." The phrase "her seed" is not seen elsewhere in Scripture. The Scriptures begin and end with the woman battling Satan. This teaches us that Jesus and Mary are the new Adam and the new Eve. In John 2:4 and 19:26 Jesus calls Mary "woman" as she is called in Gen. 3:15. Just as Eve was the mother of the old creation, Mary is the mother of the new creation. This woman's seed will crush the serpent's skull.Isaiah 7:14 and Matt. 1:23 tell us a virgin will bear a Son named Emmanuel, which means "God is with us." Luke 1:35 tells us the child will be called holy, the Son of God. Mary is the Mother of the Son of God, or the Mother of God (the "Theotokos"). In Luke 1:43 Elizabeth says Mary is the "Mother of my Lord" which is the equivalent of "Holy Mary, Mother of God". Jesus is a divine person, and this person is God. Mary is Jesus' Mother, so Mary is the mother of God.
Luke 1:28 states "Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you." These are the words spoken by God and delivered to us by the angel Gabriel. When Catholics recite this verse while praying the Rosary, they are uttering the very words of God. The phrase "full of grace". This is a unique title given to Mary, and suggests a perfection of grace from a past event. Mary is not just "highly favored." She has been perfected in grace by God. A few verses down, Luke 1:42 says "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus." The phrase "blessed are you among women" really means "you are most blessed of all women." Luke 1:48 says Mary prophesies that all generations shall call her blessed, as Catholics do in the "Hail Mary". Gal. 4:4 - God sent His Son, born of a woman, to redeem us. By calling Mary co-redemptrix, Catholics are simply calling Mary "the woman with the redeemer." Mary had a unique but subordinate role to Jesus in salvation.

4.
Nowhere in Catholic teaching is there anything that directs Catholics to worship Mary. Catholics do not ‘worship’ Mary, we do however venerate her.Venerate means To regard with respect, reverence, and heartfelt deference.One of the 10 Commandments is "Honor your Father and your Mother." One honors their father and mother and respects them. Catholics do so for their parents, and for the Blessed Virgin Mary.Worship means the reverent love and devotion accorded a deity, an idol, or sacred object, which we do not accord to our parents.We pray "to" Mary in the old sense of the word. In Elizabethan English they would say "I pray thee….. It is a pleading to a person of dignity.
The Hail Mary says "Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you! Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus! Holy Mary Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death." We are first "praying the scriptures", and second, we are asking Mary to pray for us to the Lord even as I might ask a living Christian to do. For "the prayer of a righteous man availeth much."
Family members and friends pray with and for one another, because we are the family of God.
When God touched my heart and the wall of anti-Catholicism was demolished, praying the Hail Mary was the first act I performed.
I remember it vividly. My whole world was shaken. In a moment of time God ‘mugged me from behind’ and the truth of the Catholic Church shown like a light in darkness. When I got home that night, I went into my bedroom alone and closed the door. That night I did something that I hadn’t done in two decades. I prayed the Lord’s Prayer and the Hail Mary.
The Lord’s Prayer was easy, that I had done many times before. I was scared to death to pray the Hail Mary. It was like kissing my wife for the first time. It was something I wanted to do and years of bigotry were overcome. After I was done, the Holy Spirit filled me with a joy I cannot describe.
A weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I felt at peace for the first time in many years.

Remember, O gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help or sought thy intercession was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, I fly to thee, O Virgin of Virgins and my Mother; to thee I come, before thee I kneel, sinful and sorrowful; O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy, hear and answer me. Amen.

Easter and Confirmation

If you had told me two years ago that my wife and daughter would be confirmed as Catholics at Easter time 2008, I would have said you were insane. Today is the happiest day I have had in memory. To watch my wife and daughter pray vows that remind me of a marriage ceremony, to watch them become Catholics is the answer to prayer.
It is indeed much like a marriage ceremony. They, like me, fell in love with the Catholic Church, the beauty of her liturgy, the wonder of her history, the spiritual food of the Eucharist. The Holy Spirit has filled me with a joy unspeakable and full of glory. Our Lady has heard my prayers, and God has heard her prayers, and it has been answered.
Easter is a time of new beginnings. Christ arose and gives the promise of the resurrection to us. Through the suffering of the Cross, shedding His blood for us, is the climax of the resurrection. He shared fully our pain suffering and death experiencing it as us and for us. One with us in resurrection He has conquered death and in His ascension carried us into the heart of God.
“I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth. And though worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God.” (Job 19:25-26)
CHRIST IS RISEN FROM THE DEAD!BY DEATH HE CONQUERED DEATH! AND TO THOSE IN THE GRAVES HE GRANTED LIFE!
The heart of the Christian life is to stand in wonder before His love and say, "Thank You!"

HOLY WEEK

This week marks my first Holy Week since I have returned to the Catholic Church.
It starts with Palm Sunday, when we commemorate Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Jesus, the Lamb of God who would die for the sins of the world. This week Catholics focus on the sufferings of Jesus at the Cross and His glorious resurrection.
It is paramount to place the hope of the Resurrection against the background of His suffering and death. As we walk through the darkness of Holy Week we realize the horror and magnitude of sin and its consequences through the suffering of Christ on the cross. Only then can we can understand the joy and hope of Easter morning.
When I focus on the passion of Christ, gives me greater understanding of the Sacrifice. The cross is the sign of our salvation. Jesus Christ offered Himself the perfect sacrifice for our redemption from sin on the cross.
When I come to the Cross of Jesus I see there are two sides to it. The side we emphasize a great deal is that the blood of Jesus was shed in order to redeem us from our sins. The other side is that Jesus also died in order that the Church, the Bride, may have life.
John records that as he stood at the cross, a Roman soldier came and pierced His side, and out of His side flowed blood and water. Blood speaks of the wiping out of sin. But water, throughout the Bible speaks of Life. That life for the Christian starts in the waters of baptism. He was the One who effected your Baptism into the Body of Christ: "For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body whether Jews of Greeks, whether slaves or free and have all been made to drink into one Spirit." (1 Cor 12.13). We are incorporated into His death and resurrection in baptism. Jesus died on the one hand to redeem from sin, but on the other hand to give life. St. Bonaventure said the Church was born from the wounded side of the Lord with the blood and water representing the Sacraments of the Holy Eucharist and Baptism.This week is especially important in that my wife and daughter are being confirmed into the Catholic Church. What a glorious way to start their life as Catholics on Easter Sunday. Jesus said “I am the resurrection and the life, he who believes on me shall never die”.
What a glorious promise and beginning.

My wife's turn: Mission Week.

Preparing this year for Holy Week and Easter has been very different us. This is the first time we have approached this important week in the Catholic tradition. Our priest planned a church mission which we celebrated last week in order to prepare us for Holy Week.

Father Dennis from Charleston spoke all three nights of the mission. He was an amazingly engaging and articulate man. The second night, he spoke on the Importance of the Word. However, his focus was very different than what I thought it would be. He devoted a good deal of time to the importance of listening. Initially I thought, "What can a professional social worker with 22 years experience as a therapist learn about listening?". The answer is, "More than I could have imagined.".

The truth is, we do not listen. While others are talking, we generally are planning our response or our argument. We are thinking about a host of other things: what to make for dinner, did we pay the electric bill, will it rain tomorrow, what should I get my husband for his birthday, who is picking up our daughter from work, or why hasn't my boss answered my e-mail? We do not take the time and the patience to listen to others like we should because our lives are so busy and we cannot take the time to truly focus on the words, their meaning, the emotional tone or the facial expressions of the person who may be pouring out their hearts to us. In fact, we might be quite irritated at the person for bothering us or taking our time.

That is how Father Dennis was responding internally to the person in his very candid personal story. He, like most of us, forget that most folks don't want us to fix their problems, they just need to be heard. They just need to know that someone heard their words.

The next day, I truly listened to every patient and every one of my staff when they talked to me. I focused on their words. I focused on their facial expressions, their body language and their tone. I did not let my mind wander. I did not give answers or opinions. Instead, I would say things like "tell me more" or "what happened next?" to encourage them to talk more.

I went home that day feeling more tired than usual, but, also feeling like I had really listened to them.

This is the way that Jesus listened to people when he walked the earth and now as he hears our prayers. He is totally focused on us and on nothing else. He listens totally and without distraction. He encourages to keep talking and to tell him more. And, we are done, we feel heard and also feel our burden is lifted.

I plan to work at listening the way our Lord listens; not just to my patients or my staff, but to everyone that crossed my path. My this Lenten season be a time of listening for each of you as well.
Helen McGrail

Anti-Catholic Falsehoods

It’s never an easy thing admitting one has believed a lie. The anger comes not so much from the lie, but that one has been gullible enough to buy into it. I suppose it is anger directed more toward oneself. But being lied to creates a vigilance that determines that I will not be fooled a second time. Many times the people passing on the lie do not know or mean to do so, they are just too lazy to check out the truth of it. So, I suppose some of it is anger at one’s self for lazy research.
The first lie I discovered concerned infant baptism. ’Infant baptism’, I was told, ‘was a creation that was absent in the early centuries of the Church.’ In fact, the Church had been baptizing infants from the beginning. A simple reading of Early Church history reveals this. Nobody questioned it until the sixteenth century.
The second lie that angered me was discovering many of the ‘heroic’ tales of Protestants of the past were ‘embellished‘, if not outright fabricated. I used to treasure “Foxes Martyrs of the World”. Many Christians would never dare question its authenticity any more than they would question the Bible itself. Discovering that John Foxe was safely abroad, writing his propaganda in Strasbourg, Frankfurt and Basle, during Mary Tudor's reign was an eye-opener for me. He falsified and twisted the course of events. It disturbed me to learn that the Great Awakening was invented, not by historians but by eighteenth-century evangelicals who were skillful and enthusiastic religious promoters. The Great Awakening was a planned, not a spontaneous event. The embellishment of events by ‘trusted’ historians was devastating.
The third lie that angered me was the accusation that Catholics believe they can attain our own salvation without Christ, through works. I have never met a Catholic in their right mind who believes they are ‘working their way to Heaven.’ The Catholic Church teaches that one must have Faith to be saved. Without that, no one is saved. Grace alone (not faith alone) lets us recognize Christ and we are made capable through grace to respond to Him, that is, meet Him through faith, and then to cooperate with Him: bring forth fruit and glorify Him. Faith without works is dead, being alone.Works without faith are of no value. Faith without works is dead. Faith, joined with works, demonstrates that Grace is present. Faith precedes works, but faith without works is not the kind that saves. So, faith saves, but faith without works is not faith at all. It's a neglected gift that gets us nowhere.
There are many other falsehoods too numerous to mention. But for me, these three angered me the most.