Catholic Vocabulary

Catholics have a short-cut way of referring to Catholic devotional subjects.  Not only do we not realize the understanding of what our words mean, but we defend them without trying to think how they are perceived.

Huh?

Take a phrase like, "Pray to St. Anthony."

A non-Catholic would say, "No, pray only to God."  We Catholics do pray to God but we ask St. Anthony to intercede for us by continuing our prayers.   It's quick to say, "Pray to Saint Anthony."  It would take too much time to say, "Since I believe in the communion of saints, which is ...... hence I'm appealing to saint ....... to intercede for me to God, since I can't always dedicate a lot of time constantly praying."

This short-cut Catholic terminology caused a stir on FaceBook, the other day.  Some non-Catholic said that Catholics don't use the Bible.  In the backlash, a Catholic quipped, "Catholics wrote the Bible."  Well!  Now the discussion picked up!

Now Catholics know God inspired the Bible, but the Catholic Church was responsible for the formulation, preservation, and integrity of the Sacred Scriptures.  The Catholic church saved the Bible from destruction and extinction from marauders.  The Catholic Church translated the Bible into many languages.  Until the invention of the printing press, the Catholic Church painstakingly copied the Sacred scriptures.  With the printing press, the average person now had access to the Bible.  Some people have tried to manipulate and corrupt the Sacred Scriptures, but the Catholic Church has preserved the version that everyone accepts today.  Christians of all denominations around the world owe a debt to the Catholic Church for "writing the Bible."

Isn't it just quicker to say "Catholics wrote the Bible?"

Praying to Saints

Hubby and I were touring Newport, RI, yesterday.  We visited museums, a synagogue, and Trinity Church.  Trinity Church's steeple is a landmark.  You can see it from the ocean, and it's a famous, well-known site of recognition.  Of course, we had to go there.  

The guide gave us a wonderful tour of the church.  Hubby just had to have a picture taken of him sitting in the same box that George Washington and Queen Elizabeth II prayed in.  Many famous people worshiped there.  We met their new priest, The Rev. Canon Anne Marie Richards.

Our tour guide happened to say that it was so nice to have a lady priest.  She went on to say that she never felt part of the church until the Canon Anne Marie came.

I bit my tongue.

The church had some beautiful stained glass windows.  I learned the difference between painted glass and the stained glass pieces that Tiffany made.  Big difference!

The stained glass windows depicted Mary, and some saints, and some famous parishioners.  Our guide said, "Of course, being High Church Episcopalian, we do not worship saints like Catholics do..."

I just had to speak up, no many how many kicks in the ankle hubby was giving me.

I asked her to pray for me.  She looked askance, but she said, "OK."   Then I said, "Why do you not think it odd, or wrong, to pray for others, yet you think it odd, or wrong, that Catholics pray to saints?"  Then I pointed to the Apostle Creed that was on a plaque.  I quoted, "I believe in the Holy Ghost, the holy catholic church, THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS..."  What do you think the communion of saints means?

It means the spiritual solidarity among those living and those that are dead.  Thomas Aquinas* tells us that we participate in this mystical body exchange of  the same faith, prayers, merits, veneration, etc.
Hence, it's praying to the dead, not worshiping, but asking intercession, as we join together in prayer, just as I ask a living person to pray for me.  I'm not worshiping that person. I'm asking for intercession to God.

The tour came to an abrupt close.

I did better on the tour to the synagogue.

*Summa Theologica III: 8:4.