Christian, I Presume? (Salvation) [Ecumenical]

Hilarious article, thanks.

“I ask people who are alive and breathing. And still standing here on earth.”

You don’t have the Full Scripture Mary. The Sacred Scripture isn’t explicit when one reads it in the explicit or literal sense. One needs to use the Sacred Oral Tradition in conjunction with Sscred Scripture to get the Full picture. Well, except for when Jesus talked with Moses and Elijah or like Rev. 20, which says that during the millennium, the souls of the saints would receive life and would reign over the earth with great authority and Daniel 7 talks about saints in spirit form wielding authority on earth in the time of Christ’s kingdom.

And the Epistles say that when one member of the Body suffers, all of the Body suffers, and therefore when one member of the Body of Christ suffers, all suffer. Therefore people in heaven will feel pain and distress on behalf of people on Earth, and will care about what is going on down there. And if they have that much intimacy of experience with what is happening on earth, why wouldn’t they at least pray? The idea of some kind of disconnecting barrier between heaven and earth makes no sense.

So there are at least a few proto-canonical scriptures that imply communion/communicating with saints after death. The deuterocanonicals are much clearer. But talking with angels is very present in both. One needs to keep in mind that prayer is just communication and not always worship though one can worship while one prays. Prayer doesn’t automatically involve worship any more than talking with an angel means you’re worshiping him.

This is why we must use Scripture and Tradition as our sources of our faith in the Word of God (1 Cor. 11:2). In hearing both, we experience the Word living in our souls by the power of the Spirit. “We proclaim to you the eternal life which was with the Father and was made manifest to us that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you may have fellowship with us; and our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:23).

Holy Scripture in fact was Oral Tradition in the decades (centuries in the case of some of the OT) before it was written down, so it must be interpreted in light of the Tradition from which it originated - remember Sacred Scripture itself speaks of Jesus telling the Apostles that they had absolute power to bind and loose heaven. It doesn’t say ‘what you bind on EARTH ALONE will be bound in heaven ...

So, yes we’re commanded not only to pray for each other, but also to ask each other for prayers. The central issue is that we are sons and daughters of God. This makes up the entire Body of Christ - a family. The saints in heaven are also sons & daughters of God – and members of the same family.

Since the Father is “not the God of the dead, but of the living”, we can ask not only our brothers & sisters on earth to pray for us, but our brothers & sisters in heaven as well. Holy Mary & the saints currently live in heaven, in the presence of the Father, they have been completely sanctified & made perfect – they are far more righteous than we on earth are, so it is reasonable to believe that their prayers are more “powerful & effective” (James 5:16) than simply our own.

We don’t have to look at the universe as “Just me & Jesus” since we are members of God’s family. As such, we can both help & rely on one another, the living and the dead, just as the Holy Bible says we should.

“Hilarious article, thanks.”

:)

“Is there a difference between believing in and believing on? I am unfamiliar with the term “believe on.” Where does that come from?”

“I am very surprised that is a term that was “heard” and not actually scriptural.”

Oral Tradition. :) I wonder how many Oral Traditions Protestants actually use without even thinking.

Perhaps Abortion? Euthanasia? The Holy Trinity?

I had to come back and add CONTRACEPTION due to a discussion on the latest Anglican issue. I hadn’t realized it was the approval of contraception in the 30’s which eventually led to the dicussions and eventual approval of abortion, then pastors, gay marriage etc. Why they were even up for discussion in the first place is beyond me.

Anyway take care Mary. You’re confortable with your belief system as is which isn’t a bad thing but there’s lots more. Say the Rosary and meditate on the life of her Son.

You won’t be sorry.

Blessings