This ties in with the previous post. There’s an interesting post at Joe Missionary, with equally interesting comments, about the fate of infants that die prior to baptism. Since, when I just point to interesting stuff, most people don’t seem to bother to click through, I’ll post some excerpts to whet your appetites. I encourage you to head on over and join the conversation. This kind of dialogue is part of the New Evangelization John Paull II has called for.
[A small addition has been made to this post to clarify a point. – Funky]
I have a question for my fellow Catholics on this the Feast of the Immaculate Conception
Why did the Church find it necessary to define the Marian dogmas as such? Shouldn’t dogma be limited to those articles of faith which are absolutely required for salvation? As far as I know, no authentic orthodox Christian church requires belief in the Marian dogmas for salvation. Though Tradition can supplement and even interpret Scripture, it cannot contradict Scripture. Scripture states quite clearly that faith in Jesus Christ is what’s needed for salvation. One could also argue that participation in the sacraments is needed, too, but that’s another post. Put succinctly, if it’s not in the accepted creeds, it’s not, strictly speaking, necessary, though it may be appropriate or even laudable.
My faith is not affected, for good or ill, by whether or not Mary was conceived without sin. Nor is it affected by her bodily assumption into Heaven. I accept these dogmas as a faithful and obedient Catholic, but I do not understand why they are important.
Could someone please explain why they were defined? In particular, why couldn’t they remain at the level of doctrine rather than be promoted to dogma? I’ve heard that the Orthodox agree that Mary was conceived without sin, but were uncomfortable about declaring as dogma. Since the Orthodox Church is the only other Church we recognize as maintaining the Deposit of Faith, their discomfort gives me pause.
On a related note, where does the tradition of Mary’s perpetual virginity come from? I know the words for "brother" and "sister" in Scripture can mean "cousin" or other relatives, but what evidential support do we have for this interpretation?
I can’t stand the popular depictions of angels in art, classy or kitchy. Whenever angels appear in Scripture, unless they’re in the form of a man, they’re terribly frightening. They nearly always had to introduce themselves with, "Be not afraid" or something similar. They are not beautiful women or hunky men with wings. Nor are they Cupid look-alikes. Got that?!?
Here endeth the lesson.
Christmas has always been my favorite holiday. I get so excited that I start listening
to my Christmas music at the beginning of November, much to the surprise and chagrin
of some of my loved ones. This year, I’ve been asking myself what I’ve been getting
excited about. Is it the celebration of Christ’s birth? I wish I could say so, but
the truth is that I’ve been enamored with the secular trappings of the season. Decorating
the Christmas tree, baking cookies, singing catchy tunes, visiting relatives, watching
classic movies, giving and receiving gifts (sadly, mostly the latter), playing in
the snow (in those few lucky winters), and other generally faith-free activities
have been Christmas’ raison d’etre for me.
I just received a letter in the mail from from the St.
Paul Center for Biblical Theology, which was founded by the Evangelical convert
to Catholicism, Scott Hahn, and his wife Kimberly. Dr. Hahn has been dreaming of
helping Catholics know the Bible better for sometime, and reminded us in the letter
that St. Jerome wrote “Ignorance of Scripture is Ignorance of God”.
This center has a free online Bible Studies Course, an introduction to the Bible
geared towards HS students, and a periodical called Breaking
the Bread–a year-long subscription for the latter may be had by making an online
donation to the Center. He has several other interesting projects in the works,
and commend this website to all as something to use and watch over time as the services
develop.
The letter I received was also a request for funds–I hope to send him some money,
but at the very least we should pray for this new work and spread the word.