Attention Catholics

[WingZero0]

Its all fine and dandy if people want to fast and etc.

However, one does NOT have to. It is by faith that we are saved, not by works. If one feels moved to fast then by all means to so. However, to some people fasting just isn't a very pious act.

To me, fasting just doesn't bring me closer to Christ or anything like that. I become closer to Christ and show my faith my studying, teaching, and defending the Gospel.

That is my humble opinion. However it is fact that fasting during Lent is not doctrine.

I'm not fasting, but I do respect the Lenten season. It is a time of remembrance, repentance, and recieving forgiveness and reassurance that you are saved in Christ.

[ryo dokomi]

okay cool. , thanks for the clearance.

[Dploof]

[Dploof]

God bless you all for your inquiries! That is wonderful! In the spirit of sharing Christ's love for all of us brothers and sisters, I encourage you to browse two great sites...

http://www.newadvent.org - this is the Catholic encyclopedia. It goes alphabetically by topic. GREAT STUFF! Try the information on LENT!!

http://www.catholic.com - This is one of the best Catholic websites. It has so much stuf I don't even know where to begin!!!

God bless you all on your journey to know Christ and His teachings! Pray for me to always know and do His Will!

May our Blessed Mother Mary bring you ever closer to her Son Jesus, through the intercession of her prayers!

[kateliz]

our Blessed Mother Mary

Luke 11:27,28
While Jesus was saying these things, one of the women in the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, "Blessed is the womb that bore You and the breasts at which You nursed." But He said, "On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it."

Luke 1:42,43
And she cried out with a loud voice and said, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! "And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to me?"

Yes, Mary was blessed, but so have been many others who have been called to serve God in their various ways. Jesus lumps them all together in a rebuke when his earthly mother was glorified especially. Being an obedient servant mattered to Jesus more then the special circumstances of his birth and earthly life afterwards. And note how Elizabeth didn't say her womb was blessed, but the fruit of it. The bodily functions were of naught- what mattered was Mary's obedience, again.

Also, though there is nothing wrong with acknowledging the fact of her earthly motherhood to the Saviour, but, with how these verses were handled, plus Matthew 23:9, ("And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven"), you can see that there's no Scriptural basis to exalt Mary to position of "Queen of Heaven" and "Mother of God", (with a capital "M"), and she is certainly not to be considered our own "Mother"!


I'm sorry to sort of jump on this all-of-a-sudden, but there it is.

Oh, and who can forget, (though I almost did!):

Matthew 12:46-50
While He was still speaking to the crowds, behold, His mother and brothers were standing outside, seeking to speak to Him. Someone said to Him, "Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside seeking to speak to You." But Jesus answered the one who was telling Him and said, "Who is My mother and who are My brothers? And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, "Behold My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother."

[bonbonvagabon]

The Orthodox jews have it way harder then the Catholics in terms of the things they deprive themselves of. I think its all B.S. Only God knows your heart and your mind and waLking backwards 3 times througha doorway while trying to balance a egg on yur head OR ANY OF THE OTHER NUMBER OF SILLY SUPERSTITIONS THESE CRAZIES BELIEVE is not gonna get you into heaven any faster then the next guy as far as im concerned.

MY TWO CENTS

[Forge]

I can't wait until Easter.

Besides Jesus Resurrecting, I can get back to Counter-Strike!