St. Mathew Church at 103 Hospital Street, Ripley, MS 38663 US - Frequently Asked Questions
| Frequently Asked Questions |
Q: Do Catholics worship Mary?
Q: What is Confession? Do Catholics have to go to a priest to be forgiven?
Q: In Catholic Churches I have seen crosses with Jesus’ body still on them. Do Catholics believe that Jesus is still on the cross?
Q: Do Catholics worship Mary?
A: No, Catholics do not worship Mary. We only worship God in the three persons of the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Catholics do cherish Mary as the mother of Jesus, and we do honor her in many special ways. Just as people ask each other to support them in prayer, especially in times of crisis, so too do Catholics ask Mary to pray for us. We believe that she has a special place in Jesus’ heart and that her prayers are very powerful.
In John 19:26-27 Jesus gave his mother to his disciple John. The Church, from earliest times, has also seen Mary as the spiritual mother of all Christians and the model for all disciples.
Q: What is Confession? Do Catholics have to go to a priest to be forgiven?
A: In the same way that Catholics believe what Jesus and the Bible say about Communion, they believe what Jesus and the Bible say about Confession – now called the Sacrament of Penance or Reconciliation. Jesus forgave sins freely. He gave the power to forgive sins to the Apostles. “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” (John 20:23) When Jesus forgave sins he often told the person “go and sin no more”. When a Catholic goes to Confession he or she receives forgiveness from Jesus and is told to go and sin no more. Confession does not give Catholics the permission to sin in the future. Catholics in each Confession promise to avoid sins to the best of their ability. Certainly we all know and believe God and not men forgive sin. But when Jesus directs the Apostles (and through them our Bishops and Priests) to forgive or retain sin we act according to His commands.
Our sins hurt not only our relationship with God, but our relationship with the Church and with one another; sin is communal in nature. The confession of sins frees us and faciliitates our reconcilation with others. Surely, God is able to forgive our sins directly. Sharing the sacrament of Reconciliation with a priest, however, is a way to celebrate both God's forgiving us of sin and our re-union with the people of God. As confessor, the priest is not the master of God's forgiveness but a relational servant welcoming us home.
Q: In Catholic Churches I have seen crosses with Jesus’ body still on them. Do Catholics believe that Jesus is still on the cross?
A: A cross with the figure of the body of Jesus on it is called a crucifix. Catholics sometimes use it and sometimes use a bare cross. We do not think Jesus is still on the cross. The Bible tells us that Jesus is now in glory with the Father. But, Jesus really did hang on the cross and the crucifix helps us remember that he gave his life freely for us by hanging on a cross. At Christmas, we often picture Jesus lying in a manger flanked by Mary and Joseph. We do not think Jesus is still an infant, but the crib scene helps us remember that Jesus really did become one of us. In the same way, looking at a crucifix is a great way to learn to understand and appreciate how much our sins cost Jesus and how much he loves us.
For answers to other questions about the Catholic faith