Catholics: Could I ask you a few questions about your denomination that I find confusing?

Question

Firstly, I would just like to say that I am not looking to ruffle any feathers... I've had these questions for some time now, especially since I've become a Christian a few years ago.

There are some things about your religion that I don't understand and I'm wondering if you can help me...

* Why do you pray to the Mother Mary and Saints? From my readings of the Bible, it doesn't say anywhere to do this. The only way to God is through His son, not his mother or saints.

* Why do you go to confession? Only God can forgive us for our sins, not a priest. So if you pray and ask God for forgiveness, what is the purpose of confession?

* Why are priests and nuns forbidden to marry? This is not mentioned in the Bible.

Again, I am not looking to upset anyone. I have had these questions since childhood and thought that I might get some honest answers here. If you could please refrain from being rude or telling me that I need to become a Catholic, I would appreciate it. Thank you.

Answer 1

These are good questions--often those which often confuse non-Catholics.

I'll do my best... but also try to not be "preachy".

1) Mary: Mary is our Mother, as well as the Virgin Mother of God.  She is our Mediator, the perfect mediator, between us and God.  She is the closest one to Jesus, his earthly mother, for she held him in her womb.  Therefore, she is also our Spiritual mother, though not our earthly mother.  It is so important that we pray to Mary because she can, in the most perfect way, plead our prayers to our Father.  She is the, as we call her, Mediatrix, or go-between, of all graces which are bestowed upon us from Our Father.   In conclusion, it is because she is the Mother of God and our Spiritual Mother and can, in the most perfect way, bring our prayers to God our Father.

2) Confession.  Confession is the Sacrament by which we receive cleansing from our sins.  We go to confession in order to actually ask for forgiveness.  Actually saying our sins out loud, to another human being, is very difficult!  You must get up your courage, admit your wrongdoing, and--this is important--commit yourself to not commit the wrongdoing again.  During Confession the priest acts, again, as the go-between for us and God.  He takes the place of our Father.  He mediates the grace and forgiveness which God wishes to impart upon us.  He is able to do this through what we call Apastolic Succession, which is a whole other story.  Through Jesus' salvific death on the cross we are able to receive the graces he won for us through death.  These graces are imparted by his Divine Mercy (another Catholic term for God's ultimate forgiveness) through the mediation of the priest, our father-figures here on earth (thusly, "Father").  The Priest grants absolution (forgiveness) to the penitent (us) if he recognizes a sincere committment to opposing sin in the future.

3) Priests and nuns are "Religious", as we call them.  They have made an utterly free and true decision to commit their lives to the work and life of Christ and his Church here on Earth.  When they make their vows and, in the case of priests, become Ordained (essentially, their "wedding day" to Christ) they vow Poverty, Chastity, and Obedience.  These are serious committments and must be upheld.  They vow Poverty--to live a life of sufficient means, not taking in too much, but just enough to support themself(ves).  In the case of nuns, they live with a community and the Mother Superior (essentially "Mother-Nun in charge") allocates the monies for essentials which the ladies require.  Chastity is what you are talking about.  They promise to live a chaste life, promising their perpetual virginity to God for the "sake of the Kingdom" (as we say, the people of God and the church here on earth--the Kingdom of God here on earth).  Obedience--this is a vow to all superiors, and essentially laws and ordinances as outlined by the Catholic Church (and therefore, the Pope).  

I hope this helps you understand a bit more about the Catholic Faith. God Bless.

Answer 2

I was born Roman Catholic and I'm in total agreement with you.  I've drifted from my original roots from the Catholic beliefs, and conformed more to the Holy Bible of God's Words.  I do know what and how these things were put into place in earlier times and they're actually not designed to take anything away from God, but to show reverence to others and were originally designed to keep its religious practices organized .  And remember too, that there are many good practices stemming from the Roman Catholic Church as in taking care of the needs of people and fellowships and the like.  But I do know where you're coming from here as some of it never did make good practical sense to me.  For the first 13 years of my life, I heard the Catholic Mass/sermons given in Latin.  Can you imagine if that were still being done today everywhere in America.  There wouldn't be much left to the younger community of the Catholic Church as we know it.

Answer 3

While you're at it you can ask why Catholic priests are refered to as "father' when Christ himself said not to call anyone on Earth "father", for our Father in is Heaven.

Answer 4

Mary is our most powerful intercessor. Do not people ask their living friends and relatives to pray for them? How much more powerful, then, is the intercession of God's own Mother, who loved Him perfectly during her life on earth, and to whom He remains obedient in heaven. Mary can pray to God more effectively than you or I ever could.

The Holy Rosary is an extremely powerful prayer when prayed from the heart, when each Hail Mary is prayed with love and childlike simplicity. (Many will testify to this--St. John Vianney, St. Padre Pio, Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta, etc.)

If a king invites you to have dinner with him, this is a great honor. However, if he calls a gathering of the entire kingdom, and proclaims your greatness in front of them so that they may praise and honor you too, this is an even higher honor. In the same way, Jesus, our King, wishes to honor His mother by making her loved and venerated by all. Jesus was so grateful to the woman who poured an expensive ointment over His Head that He proclaimed "In truth I tell you, wherever in all the world this gospel is proclaimed, what she has done will be told as well, in remembrance of her." (Matthew 26:13) If such is His gratitude for this woman's one act of kindness, imagine then, His gratitude for His mother's entire lifetime of love (Mary's "yes" to God ("Be it done to me according to thy word") despite what it would cost her, her pregnancy at a time when she was not yet married and thus her humiliation before St. Joseph and her acquaintances, her nursing of the Son of God, the way she lovingly held and caressed the Divine Child, the clothes she knitted for Him, the meals she prepared for Him, all that she suffered upon seeing her innocent Son so brutally tortured and murdered, etc.)

God is infinitely happy. He has no need of human praise, so He lets Mary be our Vessel of Devotion.

The fifteen promises of Mary to Christians who recite the rosary:

1. Whoever shall faithfully serve me by the recitation of the Rosary shall receive signal graces.

2. I promise my special protection and the greatest graces to all those who shall recite the Rosary.

3. The Rosary shall be a powerful armor against h**l, it will destroy vice, decrease sin, and defeat heresies.

4. It will cause virtue and good works to flourish; it will obtain for souls the abundant mercy of God; it will withdraw the hearts of men from the love of the world and its vanities and will lift them to the desire of eternal things. Oh, that souls would sanctify themselves by this means.

5. The soul which recommends itself to me by the recitation of the Rosary, shall not perish.

6. Whoever shall recite the Rosary devoutly, applying himself to the consideration of its sacred mysteries, shall never be conquered by misfortune. God will not chastise him in His justice, he shall not perish by an unprovided death; if he be just, he shall remain in the grace of God and become worthy of eternal life.

7. Whoever shall have a true devotion for the Rosary shall not die without the Sacraments of the Church.

8. Those who are faithful to recite the Rosary shall have during their life and at their death the light of God and the plenitude of His graces; at the moment of death, they shall participate in the merits of the saints in Paradise.

9. I shall deliver from Purgatory those who have been devoted to the Rosary.

10. The faithful children of the Rosary shall merit high degree of glory in Heaven.

11. You shall obtain all you ask of me by the recitation of the Rosary.

12. All those who propagate the Holy Rosary shall be aided by me in their necessities.

13. I have obtained from my Divine Son that all the advocates of the Rosary shall have for intercessors the entire Celestial Court during their life and at the hour of death.

14. All who recite the Rosary are my sons, and brothers of my only Son, Jesus Christ.

15. Devotion to my Rosary is a great sign of predestination.

Our Lady has 117 titles. She selected this title at Fatima: "I am the Lady of the Rosary."

St. Francis de Sales said the greatest method of praying IS- Pray the Rosary.

St. Thomas Aquinas preached 40 straight days in Rome, Italy on just the Hail Mary.

St. John Vianney, patron of priests, was seldom seen without a rosary in his hand.

"The rosary is the scourge of the devil" -- Pope Adrian VI

"The rosary is a treasure of graces" -- Pope Paul V

Padre Pio, the stigmatic priest, said: "The Rosary is THE WEAPON"

Pope Leo XIII wrote 9 encyclicals on the rosary.

Pope John XXIII spoke 38 times about Our Lady and the Rosary. He prayed 15 decades daily.

St. Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort wrote: "The rosary is the most powerful weapon to touch the Heart of Jesus, Our Redeemer, who so loves His Mother."

God bless!

Rob

Answer 5

First of all, Catholicism is not a denomination. Catholicism is the one, true Church, that was founded, authorized, empowered, and eternally guaranteed by Jesus Christ, for the purpose of our salvation.

Catholicism is not based on the Bible. It is based on the revelations of Jesus Christ and the Holy spirit, on the teachings of the apostles, and on the continuing guidance of the Holy Spirit, who is the constant advocate of the Church and the arbiter of all divine truth, along with Jesus Christ, who is the head of the Catholic Church, and who remains at the very center of all Catholic worship.

The Bible was the Catholic Church's idea ... an idea that was inspired and guided by the Holy Spirit. The Bible was not absolutely essential to the Church, since the Church did just fine without a Bible, for some 400 years.

Based on this, it is clear that the Bible follows the teachings and practices of the Catholic Church. Anyone who doesn't understand this has things bass-ackwards.

Prayer is the ordinary means of communication with our loved ones who are in Heaven, as facilitated by the Holy Spirit. Prayer is certainly related to, but distinctly different than worship, which is given to God alone.

Jesus promised that all who are invited into Heaven will share in his glory, and will receive, among other things, power and authority.

Catholics believe that it is acceptable to God, and quite appropriate for those in Heaven to assist their "kin folk" still alive here on earth, in obtaining salvation ... since the right of kinsman to intercede for their own extended family is clearly stated in the Bible, and that same right is closely intertwined with the way our redemption in Jesus Christ was actually obtained.

Heaven does not pose a barrier to the ongoing work of our salvation in Christ.

The first thing the risen Jesus did was give his apostles the power to forgive sins in his name. It was the greatest head on attack against Satan, sin, and death that the world has ever seen, or ever will see ... empowered by the grace of Jesus Christ's atoning sacrifice ... and the Church continues to fight that battle, in the world today.

As a result, through the sacrament of reconciliation, Catholics enjoy absolute forgiveness for all their sins, right here and right now, virtually without exception, while everyone else will have to wait until Judgment Day to find out for sure if God has truly forgiven them.

Catholics also appreciate the sacrament of reconciliation as a primary source of God's superabundant grace ... grace that is typically lost through sin.

Non-Catholics ... even if they are forgiven of their sins ... have no particularly effective, specific way of replenishing the grace that was lost through sin ... something which could leave them at a serious spiritual disadvantage.

It was Jesus who authorized those who could do it to remain celebate. Jesus was celibate, as well ... something which certainly was not the "norm" when he walked the earth.

Many of the apostles were celibate, and others even gave up their marriages in order to better accomplish God's work of evangelizing the world.

For much more on authentic Catholic theology, go to my website and poke around:

http://douglawrence.wordpress.com/

http://douglawrence.wordpress.com/a-shor...

Answer 6

I've been wondering the same things also about the Catholics.

The first answer you have lists scriptures for why they pray to Mary, but that is just what the angel said to her when he was about to tell her she would be the mother of Jesus. He wasn't praying to her, he was addressing her.

I'm going to stay posted on this question, because I would like to see what the answers are, in a good way, not a bashing haha way.  

Answer 7

The enemies of the Holy mother Church, often attack the one true church on the practice praying to Mary and the Saints. They shout the claim that this ancient practice is "Unbiblical and was not held by the early Christians ". A quick reference through scripture and the historical writings of the early Christians more than vindicates Catholics of these false charges. First is important for us to define the term PRAYER: the act of asking for a favor with earnestness. A petition (Webster's living encyclopedic dictionary of the English language).

Even in the old Testament we read biblical proof for this practice. Thus in Psalm 103, we pray, "Bless the Lord, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, hearkening to the voice of his word! Bless the Lord, all his hosts, his ministers that do his will!" (Ps. 103:20- 21). And in Psalm 148 we pray, "Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise him in the heights! Praise him, all his angels, praise him, all his host!" (Ps. 148:1-2)

The new Testament also bears the truth on the subject we know that those in heaven (angels, and saints) have the power to intercede with God on our behalf "See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven." (Matt. 18:10). Not only do those in heaven pray with us, they also pray for us. In Revelation, John sees that "the twenty-four elders [the leaders of the people of God in heaven] fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and with golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints" (Rev. 5:8). Thus the saints in heaven offer to God the prayers of the saints on earth. Angels do the same thing: "[An] angel came and stood at the altar [in heaven] 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; and the smoke of the incense rose with the prayers of the saints from the hand of the angel before God" (Rev. 8:3-4).

The veneration of the saints is not only in full accord with the demands of reason, but we are, moreover, enjoined explicitly by Holy Scripture to venerate the memory of the holy patriarchs and prophets: "Let us now praise men of renown, and our fathers in their generation" (Ecclus. xliv. 1). "And their names continue for ever, the glory of the holy men remaining unto their children" (Ecclus xlvi. 15).

About Confession:

In John 20, 22, 23, we read: "Jesus breathed on the apostles and said: Receive ye the Holy Ghost; whose sins ye shall forgive, they are forgiven them, and whose sins ye shall retain, they are retained."

And again Jesus said to his apostles : "To me is given all power in heaven and on earth, as my Father hath sent me, so I also send you." John 20, 21.

Jesus was sent to forgive sins, and he sent the apostles to forgive sins.

The words of Christ: Whose sins you shall forgive, and whose sins you shall retain, imply that we should confess our sins. How could a priest forgive or retain sins, if people did not confess them?

The fact that early Christians and Catholics during the last 1900 years confessed their sins, is proof that Christ instructed the apostles that sins should be confessed.

For your Priest Marriage question:

Clerical celibacy has a biblical basis in the evangelical counsel of Our Lord as relayed in St. Matthew's Gospel (19:12), also taken up by St. Paul in his First Epistle to the Corinthians (7:8-9, 25-26, and especially 32-35), and confirmed by St. John in the Apocalypse (14:4-5).  It is clear that once the Apostles received the call, they did not lead a married life.

The tradition of clerical celibacy was solemnly proclaimed by the Council of Nicaea, the First Ecumenical Council, in 325.  Canon No. 3, unanimously approved by the Fathers, admitted of no exceptions whatsoever.  The Council considered that the prohibition imposed thereby on all bishops, priests, and deacons against having a wife absolute.  All subsequent councils that have addressed the subject have renewed this interdiction.

Not only would it be a violation of Sacred Tradition to blot out a custom decreed for 2,000 years to be absolutely obligatory, but also one must recognize that clerical celibacy is to be seen not merely as of ecclesiastical institution, but part of what is more broadly known in Catholic moral theology as "divine positive law," initiated by Christ and His Apostles.  That is, it is not merely disciplinary in nature.

The Council of Carthage in 390 stated that celibacy of is Apostolic origin.

St. Epiphanius of Salamis (ca. 315-403):  "It is the Apostles themselves who decreed this law."

St. Jerome (ca. 342-420):  "Priests and deacons must be either virgins or widowers before being ordained, or at least observe perpetual continence after their ordination....  If married men find this difficult to endure, they should not turn against me, but rather against Holy Writ and the entire ecclesiastical order."

        Pope St. Innocent I (401-417):  "This is not a matter of imposing upon the clergy new and arbitrary obligations, but rather of reminding them of those which the tradition of the Apostles and the Fathers has transmitted to us."

        St. Peter Damian (1007-1072) wrote:  "No one can be ignorant of the fact that all the Fathers of the Catholic Church unanimously imposed the inviolable rule of continence on clerics in major orders."

        There is a reason for this Tradition.  The cleric in major orders, by virtue of his ordination, contracts a marriage with the Church, and he cannot be a bigamist.  St. Jerome in his treatise "Adversus Jovinianum," bases clerical celibacy on the virginity of Christ.

        The universal law of clerical celibacy confirmed by the Council of Nicaea applied, and still applies, to the Eastern Church as well as the Western.  It is noteworthy that at that Council, the Easterns (Greeks) made up the overwhelming majority.  Previously, the Council of Neo- Caesarea (314) had reminded all Eastern clerics in major orders of the inviolability of this law under pain of deposition.

        The Eastern Church began at a late date to violate its own law of celibacy.  The Quinisext Council of 692, which St. Bede the Venerable (673-735) called "a reprobate synod," breached the Apostolic Tradition concerning the celibacy of clerics by declaring that "all clerics except bishops may continue in wedlock."  The popes refused to endorse the conclusions of the Council in the mater of celibacy, and the Eastern Church planted the seeds of its schism.

        The German scholar, Stefan Heid, in his book, Celibacy in the Early Church, demonstrates that continence-celibacy after ordination to the priesthood was the absolute norm from the start -- even for the separated married ordinand -- a triumph of grace over nature, so to speak.  The Eastern practice we now see was a mitigation of the rule, not, as the Modernists like to claim, the original practice from which the Roman Catholic Church diverged.

I hope that helps you understand better.

Update:

As for "CALL NONE YOUR FATHER"

St. Matthew's Gospel (23:9/DR) contains the words:  "And call none your father upon earth:  for one is your Father, who is in heaven."  For some reason some Protestants seem to miss entirely the meaning of the passage, taking the words out of context.  "Why do Catholics call their priests "father"?  This is not scriptural, they say.

Like so many things in the Sacred Scriptures, the context makes it clear that Our Lord's words are not to be taken literally in the way those Protestants do.  And how do we know that such passages in Scripture are not to be taken literally?  Because Scripture itself tells us so!  "And he spoke

to them many things in parables...." (Matthew 13:3).

Now, what is a parable?  It is an extended simile, figurative language to make a spiritual point, not to be taken in a literal, non-spiritual way, any more than we take literally the animals talking in Aesop's fables.  The figurative language is for effect, to stir our imagination and to lead us to the moral of the story.

Moreover, St. Paul in his Epistle to the Galatians (4:24) says explicitly that he is speaking "by an allegory."  Now, what is an allegory?  

It is an extended metaphor, figurative language to make a spiritual point, not to be taken in a literal, non-spiritual way.

When saying "call none your father upon earth," Our Lord cannot mean literally that you cannot call anyone by the name "father."  That would be nonsensical and in error, as St. Augustine said, "lest Holy Scripture be exposed to ridicule."  What do those Protestants call their own father:  "Joe" or "Sid"?  Of course not; that is ridiculous.  They call their father "father" and think nothing of it.

If one reads the context of the passage, Our Lord is making the spiritual point that our heavenly Father is incomparably more to be regarded than any natural or spiritual father on earth.  But, by the Fourth Commandment, Our Lord's words cannot mean that we are not to have due respect in addressing our parents and our spiritual fathers.  In fact, St. Paul in his First Epistle to the Corinthians (4:15), claims for himself, and others, the respect of being called a father spiritually.  Thus, the title is quite scriptural, a reasonable title of respect for a priest, just as the term "brethren" in the Scriptures applies to spiritual, not natural, brothers.

Answer 8

If you really don't want to ruffle any feathers, NEVER tell a Catholic some element of Church Doctrine is "not in the Bible", because that's just flat-out false. Just because you haven't found it doesn't constitute proof it isn't there.

<<* Why do you pray to the Mother Mary and Saints? From my readings of the Bible, it doesn't say anywhere to do this. The only way to God is through His son, not his mother or saints.>>

Intercessory Prayer to Mary and the Saints IS Biblical:

http://www.scripturecatholic.com/saints....

<<* Why do you go to confession? Only God can forgive us for our sins, not a priest. So if you pray and ask God for forgiveness, what is the purpose of confession?>>

The Holy Sacrament of Reconciliation IS Biblical:

http://www.scripturecatholic.com/confess...

<<* Why are priests and nuns forbidden to marry? This is not mentioned in the Bible.>>

Celibacy IS Biblical:

http://www.scripturecatholic.com/the_pri...

<<Again, I am not looking to upset anyone. I have had these questions since childhood and thought that I might get some honest answers here. If you could please refrain from being rude or telling me that I need to become a Catholic, I would appreciate it. Thank you.>>

For future reference, any requests for Catholics to provide Biblical evidnece for something should not contain the phrase "isn't in the Bible".  

Answer 9

Oh, it's never good to tell R&S to refrain from anything. I can tell you one reason they need priests: it's to further tie the people to the church. They must confess their sins to a priest before they can be absolved. By having a priest as a mediator, the church acts like a middle man to God. People begin to think they HAVE to go to church or they'll never get to heaven. More people at church = more money.

Quantum nobis prodest haec fabula Christi

Answer 10

To answer these questions in an effective manner one must step away from what they know and committed to to discover understanding of her teachings are by scripture and tradition.The bible does not contain the complete word of God and instructions for the salvation of souls for that matter.

What do you take literally as what do you take figuratively is why private interpretation breeds a pendulum effect that will ultimately result in fanaticism due to taking one aspect of religion without it's other prime components that illuminates the full reveal.An extremity at best will result from vertical learning as opposed to horizontal that lies in the middle a balance if you will that the human mind can relate to reconcile natural and supernatural.

One can not depend on the bible as a guide as a lot of it's texts are dense and ambiguous and at length unreasonable to your average man,if then scripture was so forwarding without incident why would Christ bother to explain them?

These texts were only sorted in categories by very learnt men over the centuries to determine what was literal and what wasn't by applying logic,reason,natural theology and philosophy amongst other methods to bring light and consideration to the point that faith is not a requirement of argument...

Please read 'Introduction To The Bible'(Fr.John Laux),The Catechism Of The Council Of Trent and A History Of Philosophy vol ii part i Frederick Copplestone the latter is not for the faint hearted as some of the chapters you may have to read twice to gain any sort of contemplation.

God bless,

Answer 11

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. (Luke 2:14; cf. Rev 4:11; 5:11-14)

O my Jesus, forgive us of our sins. Save us from the fires of h**l. Lead all souls into heaven, especially those in most need of thy mercy.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. (Luke 1:28)

Blessed art thou among women (Luke 1:41-42a,Luke 1:48),

Blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus (Luke 1:42b)

Holy Mary, Mother of God (Luke 1:43)

Pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen (Luke 2:35, John 2:3-5)

The Joyful Mysteries

(Mondays and Saturdays)

1. The Annunciation (Luke 1:26-38) [Spiritual fruit - Humility]

2. The Visitation (Luke 1: 39-56) [Spiritual fruit - Love of Neighbor]

3. The Nativity (Luke 2:1-20) [Spiritual fruit - Poverty of Spirit]

4. The Presentation (Luke 2:21-38) [Spiritual fruit - Purity of mind & body]

5. The Finding of Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2:41-52) [Spiritual fruit - Obedience ]

The Luminous Mysteries or Mysteries of Light

(Thursdays) see Rosarium Virginis Mariae

1. Jesus' Baptism in the Jordan (II Corinthians 5:21, Matthew 3:17 and parallels) [Spiritual fruit - Gratitude for the gift of Faith]

2. Jesus' self-manifestation at the wedding of Cana (John 2:1- 12) [Spiritual fruit - Fidelity]

3. Jesus' proclamation of the Kingdom of God, with His call to conversion (Mark 1:15, Mark 2:3-13; Luke 7:47- 48, John 20:22-23) [Spiritual fruit - Desire for Holiness]

4. Jesus' Transfiguration (Luke 9:35 and parallels) [Spiritual fruit - Spiritual Courage]

5. Jesus' institution of the Eucharist, as the sacramental expression of the Paschal Mystery. (Luke 24:13-35 and parallels, 1 Corinthians 11:24-25) [Spiritual fruit - Love of our Eucharistic Lord]

The Sorrowful Mysteries

(Tuesdays and Fridays)

1. The Agony in the Garden (Matthew 26:36-46, Luke 22:39-46) [Spiritual fruit - God's will be done]

2. The Scourging at the Pillar (Matthew 27:26, Mark 15:15, John 19:1) [Spiritual fruit - Mortification of the senses]

3. The Crowning with Thorns (Matthew 27:27-30, Mark 15:16-20, John 19:2) [Spiritual fruit - Reign of Christ in our heart]

4. The Carrying of the Cross (Matthew 27:31-32, Mark 15:21, Luke 23:26-32, John 19:17) [Spiritual fruit - Patient bearing of trials]

5. The Crucifixion (Matthew 27:33-56, Mark 15:22-39, Luke 23:33-49, John 19:17-37) [Spiritual fruit - Pardoning of Injuries]

The Glorious Mysteries

(Wednesdays and Sundays)

1.The Resurrection (Matthew 28:1-8, Mark 16:1-18, Luke 24:1-12, John 20:1-29) [Spiritual fruit - Faith]

2. The Ascension (Mark 16:19-20, Luke 24:50-53, Acts 1:6-11) [Spiritual fruit - Christian Hope]

3. The Descent of the Holy Ghost (Acts 2:1-13) [Spiritual fruit - Gifts of the Holy Spirit]

4. The Assumption [Spiritual fruit - To Jesus through Mary]

5. The Coronation [Spiritual fruit - Grace of Final Perseverance

Answer 12

If you would like more answers, consider asking around this site as well...

http://christianforums.com/forumdisplay....