Do Catholics worship Mary and other questions about the Faith

Karen LaTourette was surprised. While attending the First Communion of her boyfriend's niece, she had certain ideas about what this Catholic experience would be like. She expected everybody to be praying to Mary in Latin and chanting while facing a portrait of the Pope.

"Maybe that's a slight exaggeration," she laughs. "I did expect some archaic, superstitious behavior, though."

To her surprise, she discovered a church service with four readings from the Bible, prayers that were beautiful and theologically sound, intonations and responses based on Scripture, and people receiving Communion with the deeply held belief it truly was the Body and Blood of Christ - something she found herself thinking might actually be true.

"When we got engaged, I went through instructions to join the Church. We were married at his parish, and I have never regretted it."

People who open themselves up to hearing and understanding the truth of the Catholic Church are often surprised by what they discover. It is a faith deeply rooted in Scripture, prayer and Christ-like actions. As the first Church, with an unbroken succession of Popes starting with St. Peter, Catholic ideas and traditions date back 2000 years. Catholics compiled the Bible, using the authority of the Pope that Jesus gave to Peter. Since there are as many different ways to interpret Scripture as there are people in the world, people need an authority here on Earth to make those calls. Otherwise, everyone would believe something different - as evidenced by the hundreds of denominations of Christianity.

Still, many have suspicions about it. They perceive the Catholic faith as not being based on Bible teachings, using imagery and objects that wreak of the middle ages, being sexist and homophobic, controlling people's wombs and don't forget, stocked from tip to toe with pedophiles. The facts, however, are a little different.

Catholics worship Mary and the Saints

Let's start with what is true. Catholics do give Mary a place of honor. After all, women make up half the population, and Mary was called "blessed among all women". So she is a special person, unique as the mother of Christ. However, honoring a person does not mean worshiping a person. What Catholics do is beseech Mary to pray for them. She is in Heaven with her Son, and we ask her to remember us to him. It is not mandatory to do this - at any time, approaching God in prayer is appropriate, and Catholics do that, too. Yet just as one would ask a friend to pray for them, so Catholics ask Mary, as well as other Saints, to pray, or "intercede" for them.

Catholics don't follow the Bible

The Bible was compiled by Catholics, on the authority of the Pope. They generally follow Papal interpretation of Scripture. Each Sunday, at Mass, a reading from the Old Testament, a reading form The New Testament, a Psalm and a Gospel is read. Prayers recited by Catholics, most notably the Lord's Prayer and the Hail Mary, take their wording straight from Scripture. No element of the Faith, from the Sacraments to the teachings on marriage and divorce, can be contradicted by the Bible.

Catholics have strange notions like Purgatory and praying for the dead

Purgatory is the place where a soul goes if he or she is not evil, but is not quite ready for Heaven. It is a purification stop, and it is biblical. In 1 Cor. 15:29-30 Paul mentions people being baptized on behalf of the dead, in the context of atoning for their sins (people are baptized on the dead’s behalf so the dead can be raised). These people cannot be in heaven because they are still with sin, but they also cannot be in hell because their sins can no longer be atoned for. They are in purgatory. These verses directly correspond to 2 Macc. 12:44-45 which also shows specific prayers for the dead, so that they may be forgiven of their sin. Plus, Jewish tradition is to pray for the dead, as in the Kiddish. Since Jesus was a Jew, as were most of His early followers, Catholic tradition often stems from Jewish tradition. If one believes in purgatory, then it only follows that one would want to pray for the souls in purgatory.

Catholics are sexist because they will not let women be priests

Some people find it offensive that women cannot be priests. It seems sexist, and definitely old-fashioned. The idea is that the Church needs to "modernize". The problem with that, though, is that the Church does not have the authority to change the teachings of Christ or change the way He founded His Church. He only ordained men, even though His relationships with women were clearly chronicled in the Gospels. To declare this as outdated and something that needs to be changed would be accusing Him of sexism.

Catholics allow their womb to be controlled by the Pope and other old men in Rome

Catholic couples believe in the sanctity of marriage and saving sex for then (as do most other religions). In this ideal state a couple can come together and express their love totally without any barriers. The body is "controlled" by God, not the Pope, bishops, a priest or anyone else. Using artificial birth control violates the very design of bodies. Until 1930, all protestant denominations also condemned birth control as evil. In the Bible the few mentions of contraception condemn it, as do the very earliest Church fathers, dating to the first century. Check out this link for more detailed information. http://www.catholic.com/library/Birth_Control.asp

Catholics are burdened with "Catholic guilt"

Actual, the opposite is true. Catholics who receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation almost always report feeling elated, free, loved and completely unburdened. They know they are totally forgiven by the power of the Cross. Naturally, if one does something they know to be wrong, they should feel a little guilty - it's called a conscience, and we come equipped with it for a reason! Catholics believe that they known and loved by God, who will ready to take us back into His embrace anytime we want to return.

Catholics are wrong to have the crucified on the Cross, since Jesus is risen.

The Catholic tradition of using Crucifixes instead of a plain wooden cross is merely that: tradition. Many Catholics prefer to see Jesus on the cross because it is a reminder of His Passion and death for us. Without Him represented there it just seems like an empty torture device. However, a plain cross is completely acceptable and some people prefer them because they are less gory.

Catholics think they can "work" their way into Heaven

Well, yes and no. Catholics believe that they are redeemed by Christ's death on the cross. That means there is no sin so great that it isn't covered by His death. Furthermore, there is nothing one can do to earn a spot in Heaven; nobody could never be perfect, and in Heaven, all is perfect. However, it is by our actions that we demonstrate our faith. St. Paul says in James 2:24 "Man is justified by works and NOT faith alone." Many modern Christian churches teach exactly the opposite: Once you have faith, you are saved, no matter what. Catholics follow the teachings of St. Paul that believers must do "works" as well as have faith.

Very few non-Catholics fully understand what the Church teaches. Sadly, many who are Catholic are the same way. They either have a fuzzy idea of what they were taught in school, instead of a true comprehension of what their faith is and why. It is worth taking a second look. One might be surprised, like Karen was, at just how much "Catholic stuff" they already believe.