Jump to content
IGNORED

Abigail: Being Catholic is Practical


GeoBQn

Recommended Posts

No requirement. An intercessor is just that, an intercessor. Exactly like asking someone who is living to pray for you. People should be aware that both the living and the dead make up the church, but hell no it's not a requirement you have an intercessor.

Between you and Cran, I feel so much better now! :)

Do you mean the "mommy Mary" reference isn't solely the product of Abigail's fanatical brain? :shock: Good grief. I grew up in a neighborhood where Catholic mothers and grandmothers had portraits of John XXIII, and most of my Catholic friends grew up heavily in the social justice tradition. Someone like Abigail would freak them out.

Edit-cross posted with Cran

Sad to say Abigail is not the only one to refer to Mary that way. It's everywhere among younger Catholics, especially the ones who have been to some of the Catholic youth conferences around the country in the past few years. It's kind of ironic--a lot of them want to see the Church go back to pre-Vatican II days, complete with required headcoverings for women at Mass and the Latin Rite, yet they go around saying "Mama Mary" this and "Mama Mary" that every chance they get. I don't know, it just seems the opposite of respect and veneration to me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorry if I wasn't clear, but I know that there's no requirement to pray for intercession. When my parents were kids under Vatican I there was immense pressure to pray for intercession. They attended chapel weekly to pray for intersession on behalf of dead relatives so that they could be released from purgatory.

Luther taught that saints pray for the church in general, and that Christ is the sole mediator between man and God. As I mentioned, Lutherans believe that all Christians, living and dead, are saints so the definition of sainthood differs. We are encouraged that thank God for the examples of his mercy as seen in the lives of saints and to use saints as role models to strengthen our faith.

As for the reconciliation between the RCC and the Lutheran church over the doctrine of justification, that's sort of a sore subject. Despite the official stance being that it's resolved some people on both sides don't see it that way. Some see it as a political ploy, especially since the Vatican has been courting conservative Lutherans as of late. There's also some upset that Lutherans plan to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/2 ... 27164.html

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't understand the point of creating a special section for Lutherans in the Catholic church. If there are Lutherans that object so much to female or gay clergy, they can just convert. It's shady.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not only is it shady, but there are more conservative Lutheran churches they could join. In the United States there are multiple branches of Lutheranism. The ELCA is the largest and most mainstream, but the Missouri Synod has a decent following and is much more conservative.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This has been my experience too. The Catholic and mainline Protestant clergy I know (Lutheran, Episcopalian, Methodist, Presbyterian) have extensive formal education. Typically they have bachelors degrees as well as masters degrees, if not doctorates in theology, social work, psychology, education, etc.

I know some Baptist pastors that have master degrees and phds as well. (from real universitys, not fundy u)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The "Mama Mary" stuff sounds a bit odd to me, but hey, I once met a Wiccan who told me, "The cry of the soul is `Mama`" and that has stuck with me for years. He had a damn good point, I think. Perhaps they're onto something similar.

I have gotten solid advice on a family issue or two from my Episcopalian priest, who was at one point a full-fledged therapist. With real degrees and all. This is not something unique to Catholic priests by, oh, lightyears.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No one said it was unique to Catholic priests. People just explained to the OP that when Catholic priests and nuns do street outreach, it is not of the "pray the devil and your anxiety away" variety. When someone as screwy as Abigail talks about Catholic clerical street outreach, people who don't know are going to think the worst.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

She's so weird! I want to put her on a boat & send her to Craggy Island.

Sometimes I think I could convert to Catholicism because i've got that Anglo-Catholic idea that its the one true church. But I don't know.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Going back to the OP, AreteJo, it sure reads to me like Abigail has this idea that Catholic priests (and presumably not others) can give useful advice. Which is of course silly. We can possibly blame the adult beverages I have consumed as it is my Friday night if I misread that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Going back to the OP, AreteJo, it sure reads to me like Abigail has this idea that Catholic priests (and presumably not others) can give useful advice. Which is of course silly. We can possibly blame the adult beverages I have consumed as it is my Friday night if I misread that.

Oh, I totally agree with your assessment of that Abigail will take common sense advice from a priest, and ignore it if a regular ol'member of the laity or even (God forbid!) a non Catholic told her the same thing. :roll: That combo of clerical idolatry and religious fanaticism she mixes has pickled her brain.

Sometimes the only way to be able to read through some of this fundie tripe is with the help of adult beverages.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm a Catholic......even went to school....and I've never met anyone who referred to Mary as "Mommy Mary" or a priest as "Daddy". And I grew up with a grandmother and great- aunt who said rosaries and novenas all the time!

Abigail is sooooooooooo full of shit.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm a Catholic......even went to school....and I've never met anyone who referred to Mary as "Mommy Mary" or a priest as "Daddy". And I grew up with a grandmother and great- aunt who said rosaries and novenas all the time!

Abigail is sooooooooooo full of shit.

I grew up in a very Catholic town, and now live in another very Catholic town and I've never heard those references in my life.

Abigail has some serious issues with her parents.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I grew up in a very Catholic town, and now live in another very Catholic town and I've never heard those references in my life.

Abigail has some serious issues with her parents.

I last said a Novena to get a boy I liked to ask me out. Over 20 yrs ago. It worked!!! Hail Mary indeed :lol:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I last said a Novena to get a boy I liked to ask me out. Over 20 yrs ago. It worked!!! Hail Mary indeed :lol:

My family sucked at being Catholic. I never recalled my family praying to have a saint/Mary/Jesus etc intercede on our behalf. After one of my siblings died years ago my mom went through a semi religious phase, but over the years it has become less of an influence. My parents quit this year, after a donation of $35,000 was requested of them to build a new parish church (well, as the specially prepared package said, the church figured my parents could AFFORD to give them $35,000). They started laughing, and then decided they were never into it that much anyways and have not been to a mass since.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My grandmothers were both super Catholic. They were also both Irish immigrants. I remember praying to St. Anthony to help me find my grandmother's glasses or car keys or anything else she lost. My maternal grandmother once told me that she prayed for St. Jude to intercede on my behalf. Despite not being Catholic, I know St. Jude is the patron saint of lost causes.

I've never heard of the Mama Mary crap despite living in a heavily Catholic area and having Catholic family. My Catholic friends and family can best be described as cafeteria Catholics, though. If Abigail showed up at the local parish I'm not sure that anyone would know what to make of her.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've heard the talk of "Mother Mary", and, being the mother of Jesus, also being, metaphorically, the mother of all believers, consequently I've also heard people talk about "our mother Mary", but Mama/Mom? Never. The people I know who are into Marian devotion would most likely consider this disrespectful.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have never heard "mama" or "mom" in reference to Mary and have never heard priests referred to as our "adoptive fathers". Never. My guess is that most priests would be very uncomfortable with that idea. And I went to Catholic school in the most conservative diocese in the U.S. no less.

I have seen and heard about many women who have odd obsessions with priests, though. And it is always women. I know one socially awkward single woman in her 40s who all but stalks all the priests she knows. It seems to be a weird combination of daddy issues and substituting for a romantic partner. I taught in a Catholic school and have heard priests talk about the difficulty of dealing with some of these women.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

louisa, talking of being obsessive with priests, reminds met, so I need to post again (obsessively?).

While studying theology, I met several women who were also obsessed with priests, often fallen in love with them, albeit the knew (or because they knew?) it was a hopeless endeavour. All of them were considered socially awkward, even thought to be lesbian, and had no other deeper relationships with men. Perhaps developing a serious crush on a priest was/is their way to live out emotional needs, in an unhealthy way, without risking emotional injury from a real relationship, and for a Catholic, being friends with a priest has often also something of being close with authorities and "special".

One of these women also joined the same order the priest she was obsessed with belongs to :o

(In her case, I really KNOW she was in love with him/obsessed because we used to be close friends at a point, so I am not speculating. The other cases I remember, about a handful, are admittedly only based on observing their interactions at university/social settings.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.



×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.