Why do we ask for the intercession of Mary and the saints? Isn't praying to God directly enough? (Asked by Gels Velasco, SE-7)

The Gospel says to go to God through Jesus. Why then do we ask for the intercession of Mother Mary and the saints? Does this not detract our faith in God and end up attributing miracles to the saints instead of God? If God hears all prayers – and is all merciful and all powerful – then why do we have to go through the Saints?

Let me begin to answer your questions by explaining why we include the phrase “we believe in the communion of saints” in our Creed.

As Christians, we regard our relationship with God as both a personal AND communal. We are all connected to one another. As St. Paul says, “None of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself” (Romans 14:7). Also, “If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honoured, all rejoice together. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it” (1 Corinthians 12:26-27).

We believe that this “connection” exists not only among our family, relatives, friends and all other Christians who are now alive, but also with those who have passed away and have moved on to the next life. You and I have felt the lost of a loved one, and we know that we just do not dis-connect with him or her when he or she passes away. We continue to remember, pray for, and ask for prayers from those who have died.

It is in this context that we understand the phrase “communion of saints.” The Church has identified certain people who she believes are with God – the saints. “Communion of saints” mean that we continue to be connected with them spiritually. Those who have gone ahead do not simply forget about those who live in this life, but we believe that precisely because they are closer to God, then “they do not cease to intercede with the Father for us, as they offer the merits which they acquired on earth through Jesus.” (LG, 49 and 1 Timothy 2:5).

I hope you don’t look at this as a “heavenly bureaucracy” whereby our prayers first go to a saint who then passes it on to Jesus, and who then passes it on to the Father. Instead look at it as an expression that all of us – both living and those in the next life – continue to be united and related to one another because we have one God as our Father. We continue to care and pray for one another: we pray for those in purgatory, we pray to those in heaven to intercede for us, and those in heaven pray and intercede for us. We are one family, now and forever, with Jesus as our head.

In this communion of saints, Mother Mary holds a special place for being the mother of Jesus. She leads the faithful to a deeper faith in Christ and greater love for the Father through the Holy Spirit by her unique personal relationship with the Son exemplified in her life of faithfulness and perfect obedience.

Two Gospel stories can enlighten us on Mary’s faithfulness, her perfect obedience to God, and her unique relationship with Jesus.

Remember the Annunciation? No teenager dreams of becoming pregnant without a husband. But imagine the greatness and certainty of Mary’s faith in God when she bowed in humble respect to God’s will for her to bear a child while barely in her teens.

Also, in the miracle at Cana, the uniqueness of Mary’s special relationship with Jesus is shown in how he performed his very first miracle even if it was not yet time for him to start his public ministry. This, because of the request of his beloved mother.

Regarding the intercession of the saints in miracles, we should note that they do not bring us the miracles. Miracles are God’s work and not the saints’ doing. Seeking for intercession of the saints means that we ask the saints to pray for us and with us, as we seek for God’s favorable answer to our request. Again, please take this in the context of the “communion of saints” discussed earlier.

- Written by Chris Mallion, MA (Religious Education, Loyola School of Theology) and Manny Blas II, MA (Religious Studies, Maryhill School of Theology).

Source: CFC, 155-159; CFC, 1540; CFC, 1429 in addition to sources cited within the article.

Why do some people put their hand on their chest during certain parts of the Mass? (Asked by Cicis, SE-10)

Why do some people put their hand on their chest during the part of the Mass when we say of "Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world..." and also during "Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the Word and I shall be healed..."? What does it mean and are we supposed to do it?

This practice has its roots in tradition at a time when the Mass was still celebrated in Latin. At the beginning of the Mass, during the confession of our sins, and when we pray…

“I confess to almighty God and to you my brothers and sisters that I have sinned through my own faults in my thoughts and in my action, in what I have done and what I have failed to do…”

… the priest and the whole community would strike their breast three times while saying “mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.” In English, it means “through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault.” It is a gesture of their deep sorrow and sincere penitence for their sinfulness.

Although we no longer have this tradition, its significance endured over time. Today however, instead of striking their breast, people just put their hands on their chests.

Should we do this gesture?

The Church does not bind all Catholics to a strict compliance to this tradition. Now that you know its significance, it may be gesture that you may personally wish to continue to express repentance and sorrow.

- Written by Chris Mallion, M. A. and edited by Manny Blas II, M. A.

Why are there chain mails on Jesus and Mama Mary? Are their promises and warnings to be taken seriously? (Asked by Cicis, SE-10)

Why are there chain mails on Jesus and Mama Mary? Are the promises and warnings in these emails to be taken seriously?

Close to the hearts of Filipino Catholics are the devotions to the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mama Mary because of our Filipino value of family- centeredness. Most feel the need to continue this devotion not only in traditional ways as done in churches but also through an adaptation of the culture of the times, as in texts or emails.

Sending of prayers and novenas through text or email can be authentic expressions of devotion. But what is NOT authentic is the superstition at the end that either warns people that something terrible will happen to them if they do not forward it, or that their wishes and prayers will come true within a day of doing so.

Those are no longer acts of devotion to Jesus and Mary. There is no guaranteed technique of praying that ensures that God would grant exactly what we pray for. Doing so is to limit God to act in certain ways, and in the ways that we have determined that God should act. We do not have a God-in-a bottle. We have a loving and creative God that answers all prayers in any of the following ways:

- “Yes, you can have what you prayed for.”
- “Yes, you can, but later.”
- “No, I have something better for you.”

- Written by Chris Mallion, M. A. and edited by Manny Blas II, M. A.

When the Gospel say that some people thought that Jesus is Elijah, does that mean the Jews believe in reincarnation? (Asked by Charlie, SE-1)

In the gospels, our LORD ask the disciples who people think HE is. Their answer was, “some say you're Elijah.” Many people regard this as proof of reincarnation and that our LORD believed in reincarnation. Is this true? How come other religions believe in reincarnation? And what is our basis for not believing in it?

The passage referred to is Mark 8:27-29:

Now Jesus and his disciples set out for the villages of Caesarea Philippi. Along the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” They said in reply, “John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others one of the prophets.” And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter said to him in reply, “You are the Messiah.”

Some scholars consider this as the MOST IMPORTANT passage in the Gospel of Mark. It is the passage the introduces Jesus as the Son of God. After Jesus started healing and preaching to the people, everyone wanted to know more about his identity, and where he got his power and authority. This passage is the FIRST public revelation of who Jesus is.

Most people mistakenly think that Jesus was asking for opinions on who people thought he is. Jesus did not ask Peter “Who do you think I am?” or “Who am I for you?” but he asked, “Who do you SAY that I AM?”

Note that “I am” is the phrase used by God in identifying himself to Moses during the “burning bush” event. Moses asked God his name so that he can tell the Israelites who he is , and God answered “I AM who am” (Exodus 3:14).

So when Peter declared “you are the Messiah!” it was a confirmation that Jesus and the “I AM” (or Yahweh) are one and the same.

What about Elijah? Why was he mentioned as one of the possible identities of Jesus? Doesn't that imply that the Jews believed in reincarnation?

In the book of Kings, Elijah is the first of the great prophets. It was believed that he did not die but was taken up into heaven by a chariot. It was also believed that Elijah would come back at the end of days. His coming back would be a definitive sign that God is about to complete his work and that the end of the world was near. So during Jesus’ time people believed Elijah would come back, but that he would return as who he was and not as a reincarnated person. So to answer your question, no, Jesus and the Jews did not believe in reincarnation.

Why don’t Christians believe in reincarnation?

Reincarnation denies the value of our present life. Belief of reincarnation could only serve to justify a person’s errant behavior because he can always, “well, I’ll be a better person in my next life.”

More importantly, reincarnation denies that God’s Kingdom is offered as a gift by Jesus Christ. It implies that we can work to earn our place in God’s Kingdom, rather than receiving it as God’s gift. In short, we Christians do not believe in reincarnation because we believe that we do not work for our salvation but rely on God’s love. God’s love is sufficient, and all we need is to accept and say “yes” to this love. (Of course, once we say “yes,” then it implies that we live God-centered lives).

Now that I know this, what does it imply?

Christ asks us the same question now, “Who do you say that I am?” Asked another way, “are our lives living testimonies that Jesus is the Messiah?”

- Written by Chris Mallion, M.A. and edited by Manny Blas II, M. A.


Sources: From One Jesus to Four Gospels by Herman Hendrickx, and relevant pages of Catechism for Filipino Catholics, and New American Bible.

What's the difference between the Apostle's Creed and Nicene Creed (Asked by Anna M., SE-7)

The Nicene Creed is essentially the Apostles Creed further articulated. See below:

Apostle's Creed:

I believe in God, the Father almighty,creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate,was crucified, died, and wasburied. Hee descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven,and is seated at the right hand of the Father.He will come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church,the communion of saints,the forgiveness of sins,the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen

Nicene Creed

We believe in one God,the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried.

On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Legend has it that the Apostles wrote the "Apostles Creed." Well, this is simply a legend. There is some research that indicates that St. Ambrose of 4th century coined the term "Apostle's Creed" to refer to the 12 articles of the Christian faith upon which the Apostles (who originally numbered 12) preached and baptized.

However, we do not know who exactly wrote the Apostle's Creed. We also do not know when exactly it was written, but we know that chunks of the Creed were being quoted as early as the 2nd century.

We also know that the early Christians required some form of declaration of faith prior to baptism. Some of these declarations, or creeds, consisted of one sentence, e.g. "I acknowledge Jesus" or "I choose to follow Jesus." Later on, the creeds developed to contain more and more doctrines as these became clearer to the early Church theologians.

During the early Christians, we could not avoid controversies regarding many aspects of our faith. You and I are clear now about many of our Catholic doctrines, e.g. that "Jesus is both human and divine." But early theologians struggled with this concept and developed different theories about the nature of Jesus.

One such person is Arius, who postulated that God is Father and at a certain moment, He begot the Son, and therefore the Son was created and is subordinate to the Father. Jesus is not divine or "less divine" than the Father. This heresy was known as Arianism.

To combat this heresy, the Council of Nicea was convened in 325 and the Nicene Creed was developed. You will understand therefore why the Nicene Creed contains the words: We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father.

Why do some churches say one or the other or both?

We can only attribute the profession of either the Apostle's Creed or Nicene Creed by the different churches according to tradition. Apostle's Creed still remains as the most common profession of the Christian faith in the world, especially in the Roman Catholic Churches. On the other hand, the Nicene Creed is used by the Eastern Orthodox Churches, as well as some Catholic churches in the United States. (Eastern Orthodox Churches follow many of the basic doctrines of a Roman Catholic, e.g. seven sacraments, but have their own authorities which do not recognize the Roman Pope).

How important is the creed in my life today?

Whether we profess the Apostle's Creed or Nicene Creed, we are essentially professing the Catholic Christian Creed. However, the Creed must eventually be engraved in our hearts. The Creed becomes the expression of our relationship with God and others. What we believe, we should live. If you believe in God, then we should live God-centered lives. If we believe in love and forgiveness as preached by Jesus, then we should receive, give and live love and forgiveness.

- Written by Chris Mallion, edited by Manny Blas II


Sources:
The Bible (NAB) 1969.
Hardon, S.J., John A. Pocket Catholic Catechism: a concise contemporary guide to the essentials of the faith. New York: Image Books. 1989, pp. 11-12.
Neuner, S.J. J. and J. Dupuis, S.J. The Christian Faith. Bangalore: Theological Publications in India. pp.3-9Barclay, William. The ApostlesÂ’ Creed. Great Britain: Guernsey Press Ltd., pp. 2, 6-7,14.