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CandaceC
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| Posted: Oct 16 2007 at 7:23pm | IP Logged
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Hi ladies! I do know the sensitivity level on these boards, and many of you don't "know" me yet like I know a lot of the ladies on the FIAR board. That said, if this post seems inappropriate or you feel it might not be what you would want on the boards, please feel free to remove it!!
And THAT said, I pray these questions will come across with the intent of my heart - truly as trying to learn more of what a lot of you believe!
In all honesty, after 1-2 years of reading Elizabeth's blog, her book, Dawn's blog and a few others I have come to admire these ladies from afar. I have gained so much insight, educational ideas, craft ideas, tea-and-craft time (thanks to Dawn!) and many many other things! So, those are the thoughts in my head...that is why I am wanting to learn more!
I was born and raised as a Southern Baptist preacher's daughter. I have been in church all my life. But, not until I was 14 did I become a believer. I had a difficult relationship with my father and due to that as well as many other secrets that I learned about his life later, did not (as a young child and early teen) want anything to do with his "religion." It was until after I began attending another church (actually away from my parents) that I learned what living your faith actually meant, by seeing fellow believers who lived what they spoke about.
As an adult, I love the Lord...I do Bible study and pray, I love the Beth Moore Bible studies and am in one of them now. I love music and worship. I am learning to be thankful for my struggles because I know He is conforming me into His likeness through the valleys. I believe Jesus is the Son of God, the Messiah and that He is coming back for me someday...if I don't die and go to heaven first. I need the Lord desperately...and find myself often throughout the day praying for wisdom as a parent.
So...I just wanted to give a little background so you might better know how to answer my questions. Again, I hope they don't come across as accusing or disagreeing, I'm truly just asking to learn. :)
Who do you pray to?
What are the rosary beads?
What can you tell me that you think might differ from what I believe?
I love reading all the blog entries and crafts surrounding the saints - but I don't really know what and why and where this came from. I understand they were real people, but do you worship the saints? Do you pray to them? Can you explain more of that to me?
What do you believe about Mary?
What do you believe about Jesus?
Anything else unique to your faith that I should know about?
I think that is all for now...if you do feel led to answer my questions, thank you so much for sharing your hearts with me!!
Candace
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Maryan
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Candace - great questions! At this moment, I have family duties awaiting me - but I just wanted to jump in and share two points (and I'm sure some more eloquent than I will explain more):
1. As a Catholic, I worship God the Holy Trinty alone: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
2. I believe in the power of INTERCESSORY PRAYER of the Jesus's Beloved Mother and His closest friends the saints. So much like, Mary told Jesus' of the wedding couple's plight at Cana... and He performed His first public miracle due to her request -- I believe that Mary (and the saints) can beg Jesus for graces on my behalf. IYKWIM
3. The rosary is way powerful... but it would take more time than I have right now to explain! So I'll hope for someone else to jump in!
HTH!
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Maryan
Mom to 6 boys & 1 girl: JP('01), B ('03), M('05), L('06), Ph ('08), M ('10), James born 5/1/12
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jdostalik
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Hi Candace!
Welcome to the board! 
It's time for me to go pray the Family Rosary (dh just sent the 7 year old in to get me off this computer)>.. 
I remember two threads that are chock full of good information...I could only find one right now but I will look for the other one later...Here's the one I found:
Catholic devotionals
I'm so glad you are interested in learning more about our Catholic faith...you have come to the right place...we are all in love with the Catholic Church, Our Lord and Our Blessed Mother and all the Saints!! 
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God Bless,
Jennifer in TX
wife to Bill, mom to six here on earth and eight in heaven.
Let the Little Ones Come
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chicken lady
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I pray to God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. I pray to the Mary the Virgin Mother and Co Redeemer(that may seem a bit daunting to tackle at first) and the all the church has assured me are in heaven (the saints)
I pray the Rosary, as it is the life of Christ given to us in Scripture. The Rosary is comprised of prayers from scripture.
I (what may be different from you??) believe in One Holy, Catholic, Apostlic Church that Christ founded on Peter, promising him the Keys of the Kingdom. (Matthew 16:17) Therefore, in an unbroken chain of successors from Peter. I believe in the protection of the Chair of Peter (the pope) and the authority of the Chair of Peter (Pope).
I believe Mary was a Virgin before, during and after the Birth of Our Lord. I believe she is the mediator between us and Christ. I believe Christ gave his Mother to us, while he hung dying on the cross. I believe he could have said many important things to us at that moment and her choose to give us his Mother. John 19:26-27
I believe that Jesus is true God and true man. The Savior of the world. He suffered and died for my sins. I believe there is no Salvation outside of Christ.
I believe (and this may be a biggie) that Christ is fully present body, blood, soul and divinity in the Eucharist. I believe that the Last Supper was not just symbolic, but rather that Christ literally gave us a commandment. Matthew 14
Hmmm hope that helps, feel free to have me explain. I can always link you to clearer sources.
Thanks for asking, I think you asked very nicely. You are being very sensitive, I welcome the chance to explain our Faith. Welocme to the boards.
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CandaceC
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| Posted: Oct 16 2007 at 9:14pm | IP Logged
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Oh ladies, thank you so far for your answers! I was so afraid to push the "send" button for my message...but these questions have been in my mind for some time now! I appreciate your opening your hearts and faith to me!
Ok - so the saints - are you praying to the saints so that they will ask the Lord these things? Are they things you cannot ask the Lord yourself? Or by praying to the saints do you believe it is more likely to "happen" because more are praying for your request? I'm trying to understand that part...
Also, I think the parts about Mary are the most hard for me to understand. You mention Co-Redeemer...but then you say there is no way to salvation except Christ? Can you explain that a little more? (I hate to call you chicken lady, as it sounds so odd in a post like this, but I don't know your name yet!) 
I'm not sure I even know what a Eucharist is? 
The Rosary - is it a book of prayers based on scriptures or what about holding the beads? I also believe in praying scriptures - in fact that is one of my favorite ways to pray!
Intercessory prayer - I guess this goes back to the saint things. And Mary? Do you pray to the saints and to Mary for them to petition to Christ for you? I'm wanting to understand the reasoning for this...is it because they have more "position" with Him and their prayers get farther? Or to have more than 1 person praying for a request...
What about the Lord's Prayer, this is where Jesus taught us how to pray in Matthew?
That is interesting about Peter, I actually did not know any of that! Thank you for sharing that! It is all so very intriguing to me!
Thanks again ladies for sharing with me!
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LisaR
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| Posted: Oct 16 2007 at 9:27pm | IP Logged
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www.chnetwork.org[/URL]
Hi! This Coming Home Network is chock full of resources and links about the Catholic Faith- while originally designed to be a help and support for Protestant Pastors becoming Catholic, their aim is to aid any layperson on the Journey. Check out the conversion stories, the resource links on the left hand side, etc.
I believe everything in the Nicean and Apostle's Creed. That just about sums it up!
Mary is our Mother, just as Jesus is our Brother. "Mom" can be a great help in leading us to a deeper and more rich relationship with Jesus. She was not just some random woman chosen at the last moment to carry Jesus in her womb.
The scriptural Rosary is awesome! google it or search for "scripture and Rosary" you will find that the meditations of the Rosary are from Scripture.
The Saints are our family!! They have gone before us and serve as Holy witnesses and intercessors as we strive to live Holy and Faithfilled lives as Christ taught.
The Liturgical Calendar that celebrates the seasons of the Christian life and commemorates the lives of the Saints remind us daily that this earth is not our home- and keep us centered in our home and family life on what is really important in the rhythm of our day...
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Lisa
dh Tim '92
Joseph 17
Paul 14
Thomas 11
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Isaac Vincent 9/21/10! and...
many little saints in heaven!
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LisaR
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| Posted: Oct 16 2007 at 9:33pm | IP Logged
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CandaceC wrote:
!
Ok - so the saints - are you praying to the saints so that they will ask the Lord these things? Are they things you cannot ask the Lord yourself? Or by praying to the saints do you believe it is more likely to "happen" because more are praying for your request? I'm trying to understand that part...
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Candace- you know when you are really needing spiritual guidance, are really struggling with something in your life, or maybe you are very ill, or a family member is? Do you have a close friend or family member that you can call upon during that time of trial, to ask them to pray for you/with you, to ask them for advice, and to listen? to just "be there" with you during your suffering? Well, that is what all the Saints in Heaven are there for. They are there for us and can pray for us and intercede for us to Our Lord. Their lives and everything about their very being just point us directly to Christ. By reading about their lives here on earth (kind of their "hero stories") we can be strengthened and inspired. Yes, they were human and made mistakes and or suffered just as we do. yet we know they are in Heaven and are cheering us on!
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Lisa
dh Tim '92
Joseph 17
Paul 14
Thomas 11
Dominic 8
Maria Gianna 5
Isaac Vincent 9/21/10! and...
many little saints in heaven!
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LisaR
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no, it is never something we cannot ask the Lord for Himself. I just look at it as "hey- I need all the help I can get.!"
No, I think that would be superstitious to imagine that the more Saints we prayed to the more God would therefore correspondingly "answer" a prayer.
however, I DO know that the more Saints we pray to/with the more likely we are to be able to "hear" God and His Will for us, does this make sense? Mary and the Saints are there to point us and keep us focused on Jesus. So for someone like me, they aid me in keeping my focus where it should be, which can only be to my benefit!
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Lisa
dh Tim '92
Joseph 17
Paul 14
Thomas 11
Dominic 8
Maria Gianna 5
Isaac Vincent 9/21/10! and...
many little saints in heaven!
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Erin
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Hi Candace, Welcome to the boards.
CandaceC wrote:
| Ok - so the saints - are you praying to the saints so that they will ask the Lord these things? Are they things you cannot ask the Lord yourself? Or by praying to the saints do you believe it is more likely to "happen" because more are praying for your request? I'm trying to understand that part... |
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I'll try to answer although others here are far more skilled. We believe that we are all part of God's family, in this family there are different members and they include: the Church militant, (which is us here on earth)the Church suffering (those souls who have died and are in Purgatory-a whole 'nother post I know) and the Church Triumphant (those in Heaven with our Lord).
Now with any family we are there for one another, asking the saints to intercede for us is natural as asking our friends to intercede. You would think nothing of asking your friends to pray for you, you could ask Our Lord directly yourself and you do but you also ask your friends to pray/intercede for you. And for us the saints are our friends and family and so we also approach them to pray/intercede for us.
BTW there is nothing that we can't ask the Lord for directly and we do.
You asked so many more great questions but I must dash for now. 
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Erin
Faith Filled Days
Seven Little Australians
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chicken lady
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I am sorry Candace, I should have introduced myself. My name is Molly.
I must tell you, you are asking wonderful and thought provoking questions. I am embarrassed to admit my years of Theology study and your questions are leaving me a little nervous. Mainly because I don't want to assume knowledge or use a phrase you may find difficult. I do not want to say soemthing wrong and lead you astray. So if you are uncomfortable with my explanations keep asking, I am FAR from an expert.
OK I will attempt a few......
We believe in the Communion of saints. That is to say, the reunion of those who have lived exceptional lives of holiness and we are certain of their admission into heaven. We believe that because they are before the beautific vision (God) they are more disposed to plead our causes. They are now without any stain of sin on their souls. They can be certain of the will of God for our lives and pray for us. Much the same that we ask our living friends to pray for us. But by asking hte saints we are asking souls who are pure to address God for us. Sorry I am fumbling here.
The Eucharist is our Communion bread and wine. Do you have a communion service at your church? Well we do at every mass, only we believe the mass is the reliving of Christs passion and death on Calvary. Are you with me?
The Lord's prayer is VERY important to us. We say it at every mass, it is also integral to the Rosary. The rosary is a set of Our Fathers, Hail MArys, and Glory Be's. We recite these prayers, holding beads, while meditating on the life of Christ and MAry. For example we say the Third Joyful mystery is the birth of Christ. So we pray and meditate on the birth while rythmically repeating Hail MArys. The Hail MAry is taken from scripture as well. When the Angel Gabriel came to Mary announcing her pregnancy, and again when MAry went to visit her cousin Elizabeth.
Actually Mary being Co Redeemer is a bit harder to understand. Many Catholics falter over this, perhaps I should not have mentioned it. I know many protestants have a hard time with MAry. Let me think how I can better explain this, I will get back to this tomorrow. I am getting tired. In the mean time maybe others can help???
Keep asking, you are very good to keep me on my toes
Also check out
Air Maria they have wonderful sermons that may help you understand Mary. Look for Dr Mark Miravalli, he has some talks on there that may seem understandable to you. I think he is very gifted in expalining MAry to people. If that is to much let me know.
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CandaceC
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Hi Molly!! I so appreciate your time! I'm getting close to bedtime too, but wanted to say thank you again to each of you!
Do not be nervous...my dad has a PhD in theology, so I am somewhat used to the discussions. (only with him they are not quite so pleasant!) It is amazing how much I do not know about all this! Wow! And I say that in a good way, I love the idea that saints point us to Jesus. I had never thought of that before. I guess somehow in my lack of knowledge, all the talk about saints had me wondering if they had some level of importance equal to Jesus. That is why I was so confused...but pointing me to Jesus, now that I can understand and appreciate. I do need all the help I can get in that area, LOL!
I guess my questions on the prayer thing are why we would pray to anyone other than the Lord...God, Jesus...I guess I thought of prayer as a sacred conversation that could only take place between me and my Savior. But maybe with the saints it is something different? I'm having a hard time understanding how we could pray to anyone else, like that would be wrong to pray to anyone else. Are there biblical references suggesting we should pray to the saints?
Thanks again ladies...I'll have to pull myself away and get some sleep for tonight.
__________________
Candace - wife to David since 2000...mommy to Hannah (Feb. 2002), Emily (April 2003) and Caleb (March 2005)
His Mercy Is New
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aussieannie
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So many good questions to comment on..but I thought I'd give my thoughts on this one:
CandaceC wrote:
| Ok - so the saints - are you praying to the saints so that they will ask the Lord these things? Are they things you cannot ask the Lord yourself? Or by praying to the saints do you believe it is more likely to "happen" because more are praying for your request? I'm trying to understand that part... |
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The Bible says the prayers of a righteous man are powerful.
I am awestruck at present at the amount of women from this forum who are praying for my friend who is trying to stave off a premature birth - the results so far are miraculous, no other word for it - it is obvious that asking others to pray for you and with you are very powerful.
People gather together to pray to God for the end to abortion, for righteous governments and the list goes on, but the more people who join in prayer, always the better. Remember how Abraham said to the Lord, "will you spare Sodom for only 10 righteous men?" The Lord did not spare it for 5 but he would for 10.
When we call upon the saints we are acknowledging that are the now made completely righteous in the Lord and now pray and interceed just as my friends on this forum are doing at present for my fellow Australian mum.
We are not praying to the dead but the those alive in Christ, Jesus Himself corrected the people of His time:
Mark 26 "And as concerning the dead that they rise again, have you not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spoke to him, saying: I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?
27 He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You therefore do greatly err."
Jesus is making it clear that He is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and they are very much alive in Him.
The dead we are not to communicate with are through occultic means, where it is not the dead we are dealing with but demons disguised as departed people.
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Blessed with 3 boys & 3 girls!
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chicken lady
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CandaceC wrote:
. Are there biblical references suggesting we should pray to the saints?
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Yes (I need to ask a friend for the references), I will show you them tomorrow.
But one other difference we have, we believe in Tradition. Now that is a whole can of worms. Since we have an unbroken chain of successors to the Chair of Peter, and we believe that his authority is directly from Christ, we believe in the teachings (traditions) handed down over the centuries. We know historically that there were literally hundreds of books written about the life of Christ. We also know historically that the Magestirium (Pope and Cardinals) decided what books would go into the Bible. These are historical facts not just Catholic belief. This is one example of where we get our Traditions. Therefore (many times people claim if it is not in the Bible they cannot believe it) we do not neccesarily need a belief to be "scriptural" as we HEAVILY rely and trust sacred tradition.
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ShawnaB
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Candace, thank you for starting the discussion. I am not a Catholic. I am also a Christian with a "Baptisty" kind of background. What strikes me a bit funny is how little so many of us Protestants understand about the Catholic Church from which we all came. The vocabulary and practices can seem entirely foreign and strange to us, even though we know the Bible very well and have a deep relationship with Christ.
A few years ago, I too didn't even know what the "Eucharist" was, although I had celebrated communion many times. And honestly, I really didn't know whether to call Catholics my Brothers and Sisters in Christ or not, as I understood so little about their faith. I never really knew any Catholics personally or observed the way they lived their lives.
Today, I have a better understanding, thanks to some dear Catholic friends, IRL, and also on this board. More and more, I find much more in common than different. There are still things I don't understand about the Church, and I am enjoying this discussion. Thank you all for taking the time to explain the faith.
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Shawna, wife of Jacob, mom to Abraham 8 Amelia 5 and Jillian & Jonathan age 3 years http://www.psalm121family.com
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teachingmom
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Hi Candace,
Welcome! I spent a few years in college heavily involved in Evangelical Protestant campus groups. I never left my practice of the Catholic faith, but sort of had one foot in the Catholic Church and one foot in non-denominational Protestantism, if you know what I mean. So I have had to search out answers for many of the questions you have asked here.
Everyone has done a great job trying to explain things so far here. I thought I'd just add a bit more to what Molly says above regarding how Catholics view revelation from God. One early Protestant belief was Martin Luther's idea of "Sola Scriptora", or Scripture alone. You, as a Bible believing Christian would likely say that you rely on the Bible alone for revelation from God. (Please correct me if I'm wrong.)
As Catholics, we believe that God reveals all that we need to know for salvation through two paths that work together, that of Scripture and Tradition. (Molly and I purposefully use a capital "T" here.) Catholicism is a very historically based faith. Tradition is the sum of all the teachings of the magisterium of the Catholic Church from the time of Christ up to now. The magisterium (comes from the Latin word for teacher) is the teaching authority of the Catholic Church and is made up of the Pope in union with all the bishops of the world. We look to the magisterium to help us interpret the truths of the faith and the word of God in Scripture.
I find such comfort and peace in knowing that the Catholic Church has a teaching authority to fall back on. It brings us a unity of belief that is not found anywhere else in Christianity. Even if I may not always understand a particular tenet of our faith, I can trust that Christ instituted this Church and chooses to reveal His truth through scripture and the teachings of the magisterium.
I guess one other key belief that at least one other person addressed, is our belief in the Eucharist. At Mass each week, the priest prays the words that Jesus said at the last supper. This is not simply a communion service in which we remember what Jesus did close to 2000 years ago, while eating symbolic bread and drinking symbolic wine. In the Sacrament of the Eucharist, the bread and wine actually _become_ the body and blood of Christ. I realize this sounds crazy. It's not something any of us can wrap our minds around easily, or at all really. But it is biblically based. See John 6:25-66. Catholics believe that Jesus is speaking completely literally here. It was such a hard teaching that many of Jesus's disciples no longer followed him after hearing it.
But the Eucharist is such a gift to us. At every Mass, Jesus is not just present with us in a general spiritual way, but in a REAL physical way as well. He chooses to come to us - really and truly. What an amazing thing to ponder.
I had better send this and get to bed soon. Hope all this helps a bit. Thanks for asking your questions. It's fun to think about what we believe and why we believe it and have to formulate it in words.
__________________
~Irene (Mom to 6 girls, ages 7-19)
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MaryM
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It's also helpful to clarify the meaning of pray as it can be used different ways. Pray means worship by one definition. Worship and adoration are actions that we as Catholics reserve only for God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). But when we say we pray to Mary or to the saints it is using the word pray as it is defined to ask fervently and in the case of prayers to Mary and the saints that is asking - asking for their prayers of intercession.
A prayer like the Hail Mary is a praise to God for the wonderful things he has done in and through one of his creatures ("Hail Mary, Full of Grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.") and intercession (second half of the Hail Mary - "Holy Mary Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.").
I think all the responders are doing a great job of offering answers to these questions. Often I feel I can't articulate my thoughts as well as I would like. I find the tracts from Catholic Answers and Catholics United for the Faith to be excellent sources for very understandable and thorough explanations of the Catholic faith. These tracts contain many scriptural references as well which you had asked for. I hope these help.
Praying to Saints
All in the Family - The Communion of Saints
Honor Thy Mother: Praising Mary and the Saints
Mary's Role in Our Salvation
Rosary
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Mary M. in Denver
Our Domestic Church
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guitarnan
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Catholics don't believe that Mary is equal to Jesus, but we do believe that without her profound "Yes" to God's plan (as detailed in the Gospels), redemption could not have happened. God prepared Mary in a special way to carry our Savior. Still, because she had free will, she could have said "No" to the archangel Gabriel.
I, too, feel comforted and supported by Catholic Tradition. I know we've had some Popes who were far less than stellar, and yet the Holy Spirit has ensured that the Catholic faith has been handed down from Christ to us, regardless of human failing. (It's something like having a written Constitution, so we all know our rights as U. S. citizens...some countries don't have that. Being able to look back on centuries of Tradition AND turn to the Bible means I know what my faith teaches, and one minister or one group of bishops can't change it aroud.)
Candace and Shawna, it's a privilege to answer your questions...you never know who else might need this information. I think it's wonderful that you want to know what Catholics really believe, and are asking real Catholics about it rather than looking to newspapers or network TV to find out.
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Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
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CrunchyMom
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I haven't read all the replies, but as a convert and former Southern Baptist (VERY active, my dad is still a deacon), I would HIGHLY recommend writings by Scott Hahn.
My favorite during my conversion was Catholic for a Reason: Scripture and the Mystery of the Family of God. It is a collection of essays that address all of these "trouble issues"--and address them specifically through scriptural references. Its not too heavy a read, but it is a great introduction to the Catholic faith as a Protestant.
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Barbara C.
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Hey Candace,
I want to really recommend the book "Rome Sweet Home" by Scott and Kimberly Hahn. It discusses their tumultuous, funny, and heartbreaking journey to Catholicism from Calvinism. It addresses a lot of the questions that you have asked, and Scott and Kimberly Hahn continue to exhort the importance of Bible study for Catholics through their ministries. It's not a very heavy read, either.
And just a little note, while discussing the saints in an Intro. to Religious Studies class at the state university I attended, a Protestant professor I had explained that praying to the saints is like calling on a Protestant prayer chain. The difference is that the saints are already up in heaven with God.
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CandaceC
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| Posted: Oct 17 2007 at 8:16am | IP Logged
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Ladies,
Thank you for the links! I am in the middle of Mary's links she posted, one which described the rosary. It listed the different prayers. A lot of them I would be able to pray with no qualms! Here are some of my questions...
Do you consider prayer to Mary a NEED or a source of comfort/encouragement to you?
When you say "hail" Mary, I was at first thinking this was a form of worship. But, I looked up the word "hail" and it actually is a salutation or greeting? A welcome? Is this your interpretation?
Do you believe that all believers are considered saints? For example, the verse in Rev. 5:8 that says the incense is the prayers of the saints. I have always considered this to mean MY prayers...but maybe you do not agree here?
I think that interpretation of that verse may be where I get lost. Here is what I read on the site Mary listed:
"One charge made against it is that the saints in heaven cannot even hear our prayers, making it useless to ask for their intercession. However, this is not true. As Scripture indicates, those in heaven are aware of the prayers of those on earth. This can be seen, for example, in Revelation 5:8, where John depicts the saints in heaven offering our prayers to God under the form of "golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints." But if the saints in heaven are offering our prayers to God, then they must be aware of our prayers. They are aware of our petitions and present them to God by interceding for us."
From my perspective, or what I have believed in the past, is that we cannot know for sure what is taking place in heaven. We know the verse says that the bowls full of incense are the prayers of the saints. Does this mean saints in heaven or saints as in all believers? Does this mean that they are prayers of saints already in heaven or all prayers?
I'm kind of rambling...I don't really want to go back and forth like an argument. I do want to understand, but maybe at some point I must say that in my heart I just don't feel it is right to pray to anyone other than God/Jesus/Holy Spirit. I don't believe that saints on earth can hear our prayers, so I guess I would wonder if saints in heaven can hear our prayers.
I am certainly open to the Lord changing my heart in this, but mostly I guess I want to understand what your beliefs are. And sometimes I confuse "understanding" with agreement. I completely understand teaching our children and studying the lives of the saints who have gone before us...as we are given the Body of Christ to learn from one another, to encourage, to support one another. I think the prayer is the part that I get hung up on. God is omniscent, He can hear all of our prayers...saints would not be omniscent, all powerful, sovereign...correct?
And here is another thought I had, now that I"m saying it I'm not sure if it comes from a specific verse or not, but my thoughts on heaven were that when we got there we weren't concerned so much about the things of this world anymore. We fell down on our faces in worship, we will cry Holy, Holy, Holy and be in constant worship of our Lord and Savior who we have been eagerly waiting to see. We won't be torn in our thinking anymore - our sole focus will be Jesus. If the saints are up in heaven praying and listening to prayers and bogged down by the weights of this world - that doesn't seem much like heaven to me? Maybe you can help me see this in a different light?
Ok, enough for now...my kids are done with breakfast, must get up!
__________________
Candace - wife to David since 2000...mommy to Hannah (Feb. 2002), Emily (April 2003) and Caleb (March 2005)
His Mercy Is New
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4Real Forums : Domestic Church
Topic: Teach me about Catholicism??
