My normal wake-up-time is whenever the first kid wakes up… usually around 6:45. When my husband left to work at 5am I was still utterly exhausted from getting up to nurse our baby throughout the night. Yet, I knew that getting up at that time would give me some time to enjoy the peace and quiet before our busy day gets started.

So here I am. Ready to write a blog post and I’m at a loss of words.

C’mon brain! You only have 30 minutes left before the footsteps of tiny feet come announcing the start of another day.

Ok here I go…

I never thought I’d be a stay-at-home-mom.

I always envisioned that I’d have children (and lots of them) but never thought much past that. I went to college, got a Bachelor’s degree, and figured I would start a career before I started having babies. God had a different plan in mind. Elizabeth was born 10 months after we got married. John-Paul came 1 year 1 month after Elizabeth. Anna Marie came 2 years 5 months after John-Paul.

Something I have struggled with (on and off) – since staying at home – is the question that every stay-at-home mom asks at some point which is

What could I have accomplished if I hadn’t chosen to be a stay-at-home mom?

My husband is incredibly ambitious. At 27 years old he has a Bachelor’s, and Master’s, degree. He served in the Air Force National Guard and is currently an active duty commissioned officer in the US Coast Guard. He founded the ministry we run (Thirsting for Truth) and is a talented writer and speaker. He knows just about everything there is to know about technology, he’s a self-taught theologian, and he plays the guitar. Oh, and he can dance! I know – is there anything he can’t do?! I’m super proud of him. His wild dreams and ambitions have led us on some pretty awesome adventures in the 5 years we’ve been married.

And then there’s me.

I’m 28 years old (yes I am the older one!) and my resume is about 1/3 the length of my husband’s. So for the past 5 years I have often questioned my choice to stay at home. I wondered how much I could be doing if I were working. I would think about the kind of achievements I could have by now if I had put our kids in daycare. I have even wondered if it was a mistake to go to college if I couldn’t put all that knowledge into practice (in a career setting).

Don’t misunderstand me. I know how valuable it is to be the primary caretaker of our children. I’ve never regretted being at home but there have been times when I wondered where I would be if I had pursued a career in the working world.

And then it finally dawned on me.

My Children Are My Resume.

I am their leader. I am their teacher. I am their body guard. I am their cook. I am their assistant. I manage their finances. I am also their athletic trainer (I manage their exercise and injuries). I am in charge of all cleaning operations. I train them in dinner etiquette. I teach religion class, history, math, writing, reading, social studies, human relationships and peer-interaction. I am an expert in multi-tasking, planning, resolving conflict, discipline and the art of joy and happiness. I have taught two people how to speak two different languages – from scratch (they had no prior experience). I have taught three people to crawl, two people to walk and run (one is still in the crawling program).

If I were to highlight the greatest of my accomplishments it would have to be teaching them how to get along and share, when to say “I love you” or “I’m sorry”, how to pray and ask God to make them little saints, how to use the bathroom and wash their hands, how to ask questions and explore the world around them, how to be grateful for what they have, how actions have consequences, and most importantly how to love life and be happy.

So, who says a Stay-At-Home-Mom isn’t accomplished?

An insurance business? A legal firm? Of course they won’t value my resume but unless I had dreams of being a lawyer – why should that bother me? Resumes are just a list of accomplishments that we believe are of value to someone else (usually a potential employer). If I run a business and need to hire an accountant I am going to value someone who has accounting experience. A rocket scientist may have an impressive resume but it would be of little value to me. That doesn’t make rocket science any less valuable. Why do stay-at-home mom’s believe they have to build a resume that would impress business owners and corporate managers? Someone willing to offer you more money doesn’t make your job more value. A business, or manager, can never make you feel more wanted or valuable then your children. And to be honest, my job has the best benefits in town! I have the privilege of teaching my children the most basic of skills. I get to be the one to see them grow and learn a little more each day. If I do my job well, my children will grow up to be witnesses of God’s love.

I’ve spent far too long criticizing, and questioning, myself.

I’m done with that. It’s time to own up to the awesome job I have and recognize my invaluable service!

I am making a HUGE contribution to society in raising children who are confident, generous, compassionate and hard working. One day they may provide amazing resumes to organizations that change the world and my loving sacrifice will be hidden in between the lines.

My job can be very demanding and I may never get credit for what I do. But I don’t do my job for the payment or the reward. I do it because it is a privilege. They are my babies and I am their only mother. I love them from the depths of my heart and with every fiber of my being. No one else can do my job as well as I can.

So I’d like to clear the record and let it be known that I am an accomplished woman. I am successfully raising 3 amazing kids. They are happy, they know they are loved and they love God. If that’s not an awesome achievement I don’t know what is.

I’m a stay-at-home-mom and I’m proud of it.

P.S. Shout out to my hubby for making this possible. He is the reason I get to stay at home.

7 Powerful Reasons To Save Your Kiss for Marriage

March 21, 2014 by Marcus 10 Comments

by Dianne Guevara

I know that saving your first, or next, kiss for marriage may sound crazy but here are seven powerful reasons to consider taking on that promise.

7 – It Combats Our Current Culture’s Terrible Example Of Love And Sex

A friend of mine shared that she recently attended a Miley Cyrus concert. At one point during the concert Miley told the crowd to kiss whomever they were with… especially if it was someone they “liked.” A mass amount of people begin kissing, some possibly kissing strangers, simply because they were told to. Once upon a time, if a boy had feelings for a girl he would get to know her, court for awhile, and nervously anticipate the day when he could muster up enough courage to lean in for that special first kiss. Now it is very common for people to share a kiss as if it had no real significance. Your lips are a part of your body and your body is beautifully created by God for a purpose. Your lips are precious! Don’t be swayed by our culture into giving up your kiss to someone who is not willing to work for it. It’s time that we elevated the value of our kiss back to something extremely special to be saved for someone equally as special.

6 – It Serves As A Great Deterrent

Several years ago I got myself into a bad relationship. I had not set standards or expressed my expectations at the start of the relationship. I allowed this guy to pull me from my friends, family and church involvement. On the day I thought I would be meeting his family, I was instead led to his bedroom where he showed me his true intentions. Later on I realized that a person never ends up at the end of a bridge without taking the first steps onto that bridge. Although kissing can certainly be something good, innocent and beautiful, it can also be the “first step” of a very dangerous bridge. Is your kiss a simple sign of your affection for the one you love or does your kiss always lead you to want to do more? A passionate kiss should lead you to want more. That is part of the design of our bodies. Why invite temptation into your relationship if you are trying to get rid of it? Saving your first kiss is a great way to avoid unnecessary temptation.

5 – Sacrifice Leads To Holiness

I am not saying that you should save your kiss out of fear. I am also not telling you that you are incapable of kissing without allowing it to lead to anything else. Don’t save your kiss out of fear of sin. Save your kiss out of a desire to be like Christ and enter into holy sacrifice. Everyone knows that losing weight or getting in shape requires sacrifice. Sometimes it involves a lot of sacrifice. One must sacrifice delicious and unhealthy foods as well as comfort to achieve their goal. However, we know, and believe, that the pain of exercise will strengthen our body so we are willing to take it on. It is no different with our spiritual lives. Sacrificing your kiss, especially when in a committed relationship, is like working out instead of eating a triple chocolate Oreo cheesecake. Train yourself through discipline and sacrifice and you will exercise control over your desires. Then if you are ever placed in temptation you will have the strength and perseverance to choose what is right.

4 – It Is A Great Gift To Your Future Spouse

Imagine the joy of one day meeting your future spouse. There is no greater gift that you can give that person than your self. Saving your kiss for your future spouse is the ultimate gift of sacrificial love and it just might change his, or her, life. Don’t worry if you’ve already made mistakes. Through Christ we can always be raised and become new again. I had already had several relationships and sadly given away many kisses before I made the conviction to save my “next” first kiss until marriage. When I made that promise it was because I recognized what a beautiful sign my kiss was meant to be and I wanted to save it for my spouse because of how precious it was. If you have “lost” your virginity, or innocence, it can be regained by offering your future spouse your next kiss. When Marcus and I kissed on the altar for the first time it had been years since I had kissed someone. I had completely forgotten what it felt like so it felt like my very first kiss all over again. It felt innocent.

3 – It Can Reveal a Persons True Intentions

I was in college when I made my promise to save my kiss until marriage. After doing so, there were several guys who expressed interest in pursuing a relationship with me. Time and time again I hoped that one of these men would be my Knight in Shining Armor. However, when I would tell them that I had promised to save my next kiss for marriage they would either try to convince me to break my promise or I would never hear from them again. As much as it hurt initially my promise was a true blessing. It allowed me to see, from the very beginning, their true intentions and saved me from much worse pain. None of these men were willing to take on the challenge and prove that they were worthy my kiss. However, I did finally find the one person worthy of my kiss. It was the one person was willing to wait for it.

2 – It Makes Your Fairy Tale Love Story A Reality

What do you desire in a spouse? I desired a holy, virtuous, and hard-working man who would love me sacrificially. I always wanted this even since I was a little girl. Every little girl dreams of their romantic happily-ever-after with their Knight who will fight to the death to protect her and win her heart. So how do we find such men (because they do still exist)? Well for starters, we need to give men a challenge. We need to challenge, and encourage, them to be the Knight’s they are capable of becoming. When we set low standards for ourselves we set ourselves up for disaster. If someone wants to pursue you and you set your price at five dollars then they will stop pursuing you after they have met that payment. If you choose to save your kiss for marriage that’s like setting your price tag at one million dollars.

1 – Because You Are #WorthTheWait

Let’s get straight to the point. Kissing is good. It is not bad or sinful. God attached pleasure to kissing on purpose so He obviously meant for us to enjoy it. However, He also gave us hearts to know when we are being authentically loved and when we are being used for momentary pleasure. So which would you prefer? Do you want to share your precious kiss with someone you may be with for a few weeks, months or years, or do you want to find the one person willing to sacrifice anything for you because they believe that you are worth the wait? It’s quite simple. We all want that fairy tale love story that God promised us but real love stories require real sacrifice. Don’t settle. You are worth the wait.

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7 Things Every Protestant Should Know About Catholicism

December 12, 2013 by Marcus 430 Comments

I compiled this short list based on questions I normally receive and some common misconceptions of the Catholic Church. This article is not meant to be all encompassing and I don’t go into great detail on any subject. This isn’t meant to be an antagonistic or hostile article. It’s simply something to get people thinking and I really feel that Protestants will appreciate the Catholic perspective on some of these issues. If you have feedback or questions post them in the comment box below the article.

So without further delay….

#7 Not Every Catholic Practices or Understands Their Faith

Surprise. Some Catholic’s aren’t really Catholic. Some don’t even really know what it means to be Catholic. It’s easy to find a Catholic who doesn’t go to Church on Sundays or who doesn’t really treat others with love and respect. I often encounter people who claim to be Catholic but don’t feel the need to go to Church or pray. One can be Catholic by name and not really Catholic by action. I’ve encountered Protestants on many occasions who are surprised to find that I am so devout and dedicated to God and living Christ’s message… because I’m Catholic. They become even more perplexed when they find out that I read the Bible, know a good deal about Church history, and can adequately defend the Catholic Church’s teachings that many consider to be controversial or difficult to understand. Many Catholics, however, don’t know how to express or explain their beliefs even if they understand them. Getting someone else to understand something is not always an easy thing to do. After years of studying of the faith, engaging in dialogue and debates, writing articles and contemplating the Catholic faith I still have trouble putting some things into the right words. That’s because the Catholic Church has been around for 2000 years so there is 2000 years worth of history to understand and explain. A person can devote his entire life and career to understanding the Catholic Church’s history and have enough material to last the span of their career. However, every Catholic should at least have a basic understanding of all the tenets of the faith.

The Church is continuously trying to improve the current catechetical programs to help people develop a better understanding of the faith through Sunday school and private Catholic schools. Parents, however, have the primary responsibility of ensuring they teach their children about the faith and give them the opportunities they need to grow their understanding by involving them in the Church. Children learn best from the example of their parents. This isn’t always the case. So often people will grow up never really learning anything about the faith until someone asks them why they call themselves Catholic. I was that person. I didn’t know anything about the Catholic faith until I started to have people challenge me and ridicule my faith. I didn’t like losing arguments and looking silly. I also wanted to know the truth so I started investigating and that started my journey toward the faith. Throughout the years I have often given incorrect answers that were based on my improper understanding, guessing, or opinion. I’ve been corrected many times and I know I still don’t understand everything. However, just because a Catholic gives a wrong answer, can’t give an answer, doesn’t know Scripture or doesn’t practice their faith doesn’t mean the Catholic Church’s teachings are wrong. The Catholic Church should be evaluated based on official documents and by speaking to those who have a solid and in-depth understanding of Church teaching that is based on reliable research and not opinion.

#6 Bad Catholics Does Not Equal a Bad Church

The Catholic Church seems to be in the spotlight a lot. It seems like every so often the Catholic Church is in the news over some scandal, tabloid, controversy or misunderstanding. It’s true that there are media outlets and reporters that unfairly misconstrue the Catholic Church and its representatives at times (it should be stated that there are also fair and honest reporters and media outlets out there). However, it is also true that some members of the Church (even important ones) make big mistakes and we can’t blame that on the media. Probably the most common thing I hear about is the cases where Priests have molested children. There have been priests that have made terrible mistakes but the question is not “do people in the Church make mistakes?” I’m well aware that there have been cases of priest molestation, bad handling of those cases by bishops, corrupt leaders and Popes with illegitimate children. The question is – since there are some bad Catholics does that mean that the Catholic Church itself is bad? I pulled up a news site today (September 12, 2013) and found two articles concerning recent incidents. One article was about a child psychiatrist in Utah who was found to have child pornography on his computer (see http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/09/10/utah-child-psychiatrist-held-on-child-porn-charges/). The other article was about a police chief who raped a child (see http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/09/10/louisiana-police-chief-indicted-on-child-rape-charges/). Does this mean that the field of child psychiatry is corrupt or that the Louisiana law enforcement is a corrupt system? Not necessarily. It depends. The point is that sin is a human problem. You can find similar cases of rape, child molestation, financial fraud and murder committed by teachers, school officials, CEO’s, military members and every other institution and organization on the planet. Whether an institution is corrupt depends on what the institution teaches.

The Catholic Church has never taught or condoned the behavior that others condemn it for. In fact, the Catholic Church condemns those sins whether they are committed by its own members or those outside the Church. However, even though the Church condemns the sin (or the behavior) it does not condemn people. The Catholic Church invites sinners into the Church because it is like a hospital for sick people and sin is a disease that infects all human people. If we expected the Catholic Church to “clean house” and get rid of all the sinners then all its members would be kicked out – including the Pope. This does not excuse the terrible things done by some of the leaders but bad people don’t equal a bad institution.

#5 Protestants are viewed as Separated Brothers and Sisters

I once heard Scott Hahn, a convert to Catholicism and a popular Catholic scholar, state that Catholics and Protestants have about 90% of Theology in common. That 10% that separates us is important and should not be ignored. However, it is even more important that we not forget that 90% which bonds us together as brothers and sisters of the same mission. We can learn a lot from each other. I also admire many of my Protestant friends’ love for the Bible and zeal for the faith. I never hesitate to have a good dialogue about the differences between Catholics and Protestants but I always make it a point to acknowledge and give recognition to a person who is working hard toward a deeper relationship with Christ.

#4 The Catholic Church Does Not Teach or Advocate Worship of Mary or the Saints

Contrary to what you have always heard the Catholic Church has never taught or condoned the worship of Mary or the Saints. I have been a part of, or visited, various Catholic groups, ministries, organizations, churches, and conferences over the years. I’ve met a ton of Catholics and I’ve never once met a person who believed in worshiping Mary or the Saints. I’ve also never seen an official Church document that teaches or condones the practice. If anyone can produce one please send it to Marcus@ThirstingforTruth.com or paste a link in the comments below. I have, however, heard many Protestants accuse me of this practice without much evidence. I plan on posting an article dedicated to this topic soon but for now I’ll just give a short rebuttal. Most people think Catholic’s worship Mary and the Saints because we pray to Mary and the Saints. This would be true if prayer and worship was the same thing. But they’re not.

Prayer is spiritual communication and while you can worship God through prayer you are not always worshiping when you are praying. For example, “God, why did you let this happen to me?” is a prayer. You are communicating your feelings to God, but you are not worshiping God. “God please don’t let me get in trouble for stealing. I’ll never do it again” is also a prayer and it is certainly not worship. Just because people pray to a Saint doesn’t mean they are worshiping the Saint. Praying to a Saint, or the Saints, is a practice where we ask them to pray for us and offer our prayers to God.

“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” (James 5:16)

To Catholics, the Saints are not dead but alive. They are more alive than we are now. Therefore, they are a help to us. Prayer allows us to communicate with those members of the body of Christ who enjoy the beatific vision.

#3 The Catholic Church Compiled the Canon of the Bible Centuries After Jesus’ Death

Most people are completely unaware that there was no official canon of inspired Scripture (what we call the Bible) for about 300 years after Christ died. The Bible is not one book. It is a collection of many books from many different authors. Today you can go to a book store and say “I need a Bible” (nowadays you probably need to specify that you need a Christian Bible). They will bring one out to you and within a few short minutes you can walk out of the store confident that you have all the 27 inspired books of the New Testament in your hand. Ever wondered why that is? Have you ever questioned why the book of Hebrews, James or Revelations belongs in the Bible? Have you ever wondered if maybe the Gospel of Judas or the Gospel of Mary Magdalene was supposed to be a part of the New Testament but somehow they got lost? Have you heard of the Gospel of Judas or the Gospel of Mary Magdalene? Why not? They were written and floating around in existence since before the canon of the New Testament was established.

The problem is that there is no book in the Bible that says “The following books are inspired by God”. Most people, Protestants and Catholics, just take for granted that all these books are combined together with a cover that says BIBLE and don’t ask any questions about where it came from or why those certain books belong in there. The only reason that we have a Bible today is because the Catholic Church recognized that there was a need to establish an official list of books that the people of God could trust as inspired works. God then guided the Catholic Church who was able to recognize the inspiration of God to establish an official canon. Here is a Protestant website I found that gives a short summary of how the Bible came to be (see http://www.gotquestions.org/canon-Bible.html).

I find it funny that the author attributes the credibility of the established Bible canon to these obscure “Councils” without any mention that they were official Catholic Councils. At the beginning and his article he stresses the fact that “Ultimately, it was God who decided what books belonged in the biblical canon… It was simply a matter of God’s convincing His human followers which books should be included in the Bible.” Then at the end he reiterates his point “Again, it is crucial to remember that the church did not determine the canon. No early church council decided on the canon. It was God, and God alone, who determined which books belonged in the Bible.” Catholic’s have no argument that it was not God who determined the inspired canon. God inspired the authors who wrote the books in Scripture. However, the entire article is pointless if only to say “Here are the councils in which the canon of Scripture was debated and established… but remember no early church council decided on the canon”. Yes they did! With God’s guidance they did decide on the canon of the Bible and it was not “simply a matter of God’s convincing His human followers which books should be included in the Bible”. That is not at all a simple task. Look at the tens of thousands of Protestant denominations who all have differing beliefs. There was great debate at the time about certain books that Church leaders believed should not have been in the Bible – like the book of Revelation. God didn’t compile the books and send a copy down to earth in a little parachute basket. He spoke to his Church and the Church recognized His voice. The interesting thing is that if the Church was prevented from error on the canon of the Bible, how could it then later become corrupt? If it’s possible that the Church who established the canon becomes corrupt, then is it possible that the canon of the Bible that was authoritatively defined by the Church is not the correct canon? That’s what Martin Luther thought. In fact, it was his influence that changed the canon of the Old Testament that Christians accepted for 1500 years (removing what he called “the Apocrypha”). Luckily, Martin Luther didn’t get his way with the New Testament books he wanted removed from the Bible. Otherwise, Protestants would have a different New Testament today and this would be a very different article.

#2 Catholicism is the Original Non-Denominational Church

Most people have no idea what the word Catholicism means. It comes from the Greek Catholicos which is sometimes spelt as Katholicos, or Katholikos, (καθολικός in the ancient Greek). It means “concerning the whole, general, or universal”. Universality means it is a fit for everyone. No one is excluded. So the Catholic Church can be translated as the universal Church, the Church for everyone, or even loosely as the original non-denominational Church (if you consider that non-denominational churches are themselves denominations since they don’t literally accept belief in anything or everything).

#1 Catholics are Christians

Every time I get the “Oh, you’re not a Christian. You’re a Catholic, right?” from a well-meaning Protestant I do a face palm. When I hear a Catholic say “I’m not a Christian. I’m Catholic” I do a double face palm. A Christian is a follower of Christ. There was no such thing as a non-Catholic Christian for the first one thousand years. Even after that Protestant Christianity didn’t come around until the 1500’s. Protestant Christianity normally can be thought of as non-Catholic Christians (Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran, Non-denomination… etc). Although there are non-Catholic Christians that are not protestant like the Greek Orthodox. Simply put – Catholics are Christians because we are followers of Christ.

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7 Reasons Catholics Are Devoted to Mary

November 20, 2013 by Marcus 5 Comments

by Marcus Guevara

Protestants often accuse Catholics of worshiping Mary.

This isn’t always the case. I know a great deal of Protestants who understand the devotion to Mary but for the most part there is still a lot of confusion in the non-Catholic world on this issue. I know Protestants who agree with most of the teachings of the Catholic faith but still have a hard time with Marian devotion.
I can understand the confusion about Mary’s role in the Catholic Church.

I mean, if Catholic’s say they don’t worship Mary then why are they always talking about her? Why do they pray the rosary so much? There’s nothing wrong with asking these questions. Even a Catholic who doesn’t understand the practice should seek the answers to these questions. There are very good reasons Catholics are so devoted to Mary. Here are seven.

#7 – Devotion Is Not Worship

A simple Google search for the word devotion produced the following definition – “love, loyalty, or enthusiasm for a person”. The synonyms provided include faithfulness, fidelity and commitment. I am married and I am devoted to my bride. I have often said that I am in love, faithful, or devoted to my wife. Never have I been accused of blasphemy or worshiping my wife for saying such a thing. Why is it the case that we are afraid to say we are devoted to Mary? If being devoted to her just means that we really, really, love her then how does that get confused with worship? I spend a great deal of time with my bride. When I am at work I often catch myself thinking about her and wondering how her day is going. I will often send her a text message to remind her that I love her. God is not jealous that I am devoted to my wife, that I spend time with her, or that I love her. When I love her I am honoring God.

Mary is family to me. I listen to her, speak to her and spend time with her as a way to express my devotion, or love, to her and as a way to honor God. We give to God what belongs only to God – worship. However, we can be radically in love with another human and totally devoted to them without fear of worship. That’s because real love has no fear of abandoning God for another since true love must first be grounded in Love himself. Our love for Mary leads us closer to God.
How? Well, that leads to reason number six.

#6 – Mary Is the Ark of the New Covenant

This sounds like an odd reason, I know, but the Ark of the Covenant was an extremely important part of the faith of God’s people in the Old Testament. Therefore, if we can demonstrate that the Ark of the Old Covenant was a foreshadowing of Mary then it might be easier to understand her role in the faith.
God gave specific instructions on how to build the Ark starting in Exodus chapter 25, verse 10. The Ark held three things of great importance: the manna (miracle bread) from heaven, the staff of Aaron who was the high priest, and God’s word on stone tablets (Heb 9:4).

Likewise, Mary held in her womb three things: the true manna, the true high priest, and the Word of God. Jesus says, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” (John 6:51). He is the high priest (Hebrews 4:14) and he is the Word, not of stone, but the Word become flesh (John 1:14).

With this knowledge in mind take a look at Revelation chapters 11 and 12. The Ark, which was so important to the people of the Old Testament, had been lost for a very long time and here it was being revealed to John by God, “Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant” (Rev 11:19). Pay close attention to the verses that follow, “A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and on her head a crown of twelve stars; and she was with child; and she cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth” (Rev 12:1). “And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne” (Rev 12:5).

If you read this in your Bible at home you might be tempted to say “Hey, the ark appears at the end of chapter 11 and the verses concerning Mary are in the next chapter. The division of Scripture by chapter and verse was developed in the 13th century. Before that there was no division between Revelation 11:19 and 12:1. John was speaking of Mary when he referred to seeing the ark of the covenant.

Further study into the ark of the old covenant will give a greater view into the way Catholic’s view Mary’s role in the Church. I recommend reading a book titled “Hail, Holy Queen” by former Protestant minister, and now Catholic scholar, Scott Hahn. The book can be found on Amazon and local Catholic book stores.

There are other interesting parallels between the Ark of the Old Covenant and Mary (read more here). The point, though, is that the ark of the old covenant was treated with great reverence and respect. It was considered holy because of what it contained. It wasn’t worshiped and it didn’t hinder the faith of God’s people. In fact, it enhanced their faith and was a means by which God blessed his people. In the same way, Mary is considered holy by God’s grace. She is not worshiped and devotion to her doesn’t hinder our faith. In fact, it can enhance our faith and be a means by which God blesses us.

#5 – Mary is the New Eve

“And Adam called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living” (Gen 3:20). Mary is often called the New Eve except she succeeds where the Old Eve failed. Bishop Irenaeus in AD 202, just over a century after Jesus’ death, wrote, “The knot of Eve’s disobedience was loosed by the obedience of Mary. The knot of which the virgin Eve tied by her unbelief, the Virgin Mary opened by her belief”. He also says “If the former [referring to Eve] disobeyed God, the latter [referring to Mary] was persuaded to obey God, so that the Virgin Mary became the advocate of the virgin Eve. And thus, as the human race fell into bondage to death by means of a virgin, so it is rescued by a virgin”.

I did not set out to provide a complete explanation of why Catholic’s believe Mary was born without sin. However, I would like to say that the first Eve was born without sin. Therefore, it’s not a stretch to believe that the Mother of Jesus, the one who was to usher in the Savior of the world, enjoyed the same gift as the person who ushered sin and death into the world.

If Mary was born without sin does that mean she didn’t need a savior? No. We believe she was saved in a different manner – before she was tainted by sin. Imagine Mary is walking through the woods when she steps on a bear trap. Jesus comes along and helps her get her foot out of the bear trap. He saved her. In another scenario Mary is walking through the woods but right before she is about to step on the bear trap Jesus swoops in and stops her. Even though she wasn’t harmed by the bear trap she was still saved by Jesus. She still need a Savior because she would have stepped on it had he not prevented her. Why would God save her in a different manner than the rest of humanity? I don’t know. Why did God choose Mary to be the mother of Jesus? He could have chosen anyone else in any time period but he chose Mary. My guess is that he chose her not because she was the most powerful, or vocal, but because she was the most humble and open to God’s will. That brings us to reason number four.

#4 – Mary Is the Prime Example of What It Means to be Human and to be a Saint

Pope John Paul II taught, in his lectures on the Theology of the Body, that woman, in the image of her body, shows all humanity the example of what it means to be human. More specifically, Mary is the example of what it means to be a follower of Christ. In this age we have so many powerful speakers, and leaders, and we can easily forget that the central message of the Gospel is to accept God’s proposal to marriage. Throughout the Bible we are constantly reminded that God is a husband and that Jesus is the bridegroom. Sometimes our biggest obstacle is to let God love us. Being open to the will of God for us can be difficult because it requires an active passivity. In some cases when a man tries to open the door for a woman she might say “thanks, but I can do it myself”. We can sometimes feel that we need to prove our self sufficiency and show that we are not dependent on anyone. However, true humility requires that we recognize our complete dependence on God. We can do nothing on our own. God’s grace is at work to keep us alive and in existence. Mary was the prime example because when the Angel Gabriel came to her and said “you will bear conceive and bear a son … and He will be called the Son of the Most High” (Luke 1:31-32) her response was one of being open to the will of God “I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38).

That’s what makes Mary so important?

Yes. What makes Mary most important is that when someone comes to her she tells them “Do whatever he tells you” (John 2:5). That is our example – to point others to Jesus. That’s also why the apostles are so important to the Church. Their role was simply to bring others to Christ. Mary brought others to Christ by bringing Christ to the world. And she did it through obedience to God’s will.

#3 – Our Prayers to Mary Are Spoken in the Language of Love

If you’re simply wondering why Catholic’s pray to Mary, or to the Saints, read my article “Why Do Catholic’s Pray to Saints?”. Here I am going to address Marian devotionals and, more specifically, the rosary. Protestants often wonder why Catholic’s put such a heavy emphasis on the rosary. Let me first say that the rosary is a meditation on the life of Jesus. It begins with the Apostles creed which many Protestants profess in their own churches, except the part that states “I believe … in the holy Catholic Church” (some Protestants do recite this part as referring to the ‘universal’ church). Then it proceeds with the Our Father which is a prayer that Protestants often recite as well. The next prayer is the Hail Mary which is something many people have trouble with. However, the first part “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you” comes straight from Luke 1:28. The next part is taken from Luke 1:42 “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus”. The last part of the Hail Mary prayer is simply asking Mary for to pray for us – “Holy Mary, Mother of God, Pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen”.

The completion of ten Hail Mary’s is called a decade. On each decade the person praying is meditating on a particular passage of the New Testament. Each decade is meant to help us think about the events of Jesus’ life for at least as long as it takes to pray ten Hail Mary’s. Catholic Answers has an article that goes into more detail on the rosary and can be found here.

If you can get past the Hail Mary you are still confronted with the last prayer of the rosary – the Hail Holy Queen.

“Hail holy Queen, Mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness, and our hope! To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears. Turn, then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us, and after this our exile show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.”

For those who have an aversion to any kind of Marian devotion these words can be like nails on a chalkboard. However, this is nothing but the language of love being spoken by one who is devoted to their loving mother. When we feel in love with another person we often start speaking like this. This is actually God’s design. The beauty of his creation and our communion with each other is meant to be a sign and symbol of God who is love and who is family.

For example, when I proposed to my wife I told her that she was the most important person in my life. I told her that she had changed my life and I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. I told her she was my everything. Even now, I give her my sighs. I mourn to her and I offer her my tears because she comforts me (though rarely since I’m not really an emotional person). I don’t treat her as my God and she doesn’t try to take Christ’s place as comforter. She imitates Christ and shares in his ministry as comforter, healer and lover of my soul. When I am feeling strongly in love with her my words are elevated and reach toward the Heavens. I have looked at my wife and told her “Oh my God, you are so beautiful”. I have looked at my children and told them “God, you all are so amazing”. I remember one day I realized that every time I praise my wife and children for their beauty I somehow end up bringing God into the praise. Authentic and powerful love for our family orients us toward God even without us realizing. Likewise, I can look at Mary and say “My God, you are beautiful and amazing”. When I praise Mary I praise God. God is the designer so when we marvel in his work we are marveling in Him. When we learn how much Mary loves us, how she is the perfect mother to us, we start speaking words of great affection to her.

Consider the following quotes about Mary:

“[She is the] highest woman and the noblest gem in Christianity after Christ. ..She is nobility, wisdom, and holiness personified. We can never honor her enough. Still, honor and praise must be given to her in such a way as to injure neither Christ nor the Scriptures.”

“No woman is like you. You are more than Eve or Sarah, blessed above all nobility, wisdom, and sanctity.”

“One should honor Mary as she herself wished and as she expressed it in the Magnificat. She praised God for his deeds. How then can we praise her? The true honor of Mary is the honor of God, the praise of God’s grace.. .Mary is nothing for the sake of herself, but for the sake of Christ…Mary does not wish that we come to her, but through her to God.”

“Whoever possesses a good (firm) faith, says the Hail Mary without danger! Whoever is weak in faith can utter no Hail Mary without danger to his salvation.”

Would you like to know who is responsible for all those praises of Mary?

Martin Luther.

Yes. The same Martin Luther credited for starting the Protestant reformation.

#2 – She Is Jesus’ Mother

Mary is Jesus’ mommy. She breast fed him, she cleaned his poop, she laughed and played with him, she tickled him and she kissed his tummy when it ached.

I’m not Jesus but I can tell you that if you respect and love my mother – I will go into battle alongside you. Conversely, if you disrespect or harm my mother – I will be going to battle against you.

Jesus is a better son than me. Imagine what he will do when you honor his mother with love and affection.

#1 – Jesus Gave Us Mary to be Our Mother

The simplest answer we can give for our devotion to Mary is that she is our mom too.
The last act of love Jesus performed before his death on the cross was to share his mother with us. “When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, ‘Woman, here is your son.’ Then he said to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother.’ And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home” (John 19:25-27). Throughout the Gospel of John, John refers to himself as the beloved disciple or the one whom Jesus loves (examples: John 13:23, 21:7). This could be taken as a little odd and possibly arrogant of John but John, and God, is trying to tell us something. We are the ones whom Jesus loves. We are the beloved disciples. John is representative of all the beloved believers and that’s why in John 19:25 – “When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved” – John didn’t refer to himself by name. He wanted us to know that Jesus was giving his mother to the beloved disciple. He chooses his words carefully to show us that Jesus was giving the gift of his mother to all of us.

I am not afraid to take her into my home. I am not embarrassed to say I love her. She is my mother.

To find out more about Luther’s teachings on Mary visit this website.

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Why Do Catholics Pray To Saints?

November 13, 2013 by Marcus 13 Comments

by Marcus Guevara

Many people find it hard to understand why Catholics pray to Saints. Some even find it blasphemous. So what’s the truth?

The first thing I usually point out is that prayer and worship is not always the same thing. The prayer “God, please let me win the lottery” is not worship and “God, I’m so angry with you. Why would you let this happen to me?” is certainly not worship. Prayer is spiritual communication and we can use prayer to worship but we don’t always worship when we pray.

“Is not Jesus the only mediator between God and man? Doesn’t this make it blasphemy to pray to someone else for help? How can we expect anyone else, especially someone we never knew, to intervene for us before God?”

To answer this question I’ll point out that many people act as mediators for others all the time. When people feel they need assistance they usually ask someone to pray for them. Without even being asked people will pray for their loved ones and for people who they feel may be in need of prayer. Most people, when asked for prayers, don’t tell the person asking “Go pray straight to Jesus. He’s the only one who can intervene for you”. We know instinctively that praying for others is a good and holy thing. We also know that the prayers of others can somehow assist us – otherwise, we wouldn’t ask for them. Offering prayer for each other is pleasing to God. He wants us to work together and help each other. His desire is for us to be united – to become one body. We are not taking anything away from Jesus’ job. Jesus is not going to be jealous that we ask someone else to pray for us in addition to praying for ourselves. That’s double the prayer for us. Do you think a little girl who visits her mother’s grave and with tears rolling down her face says “Mommy, please help me, I’m sad… I need you” is somehow praying outside of God’s will? Assuming the mother lived a holy life and is now in Heaven – would she be refused the gift of hearing her daughter’s prayer? Would she be denied the opportunity to offer her own prayers and intercessions for this child whom she loves dearly and whom God loves dearly? How can we pray for others here on earth and ask them to pray for us – we who are so tainted and sinful – while we refuse to ask for prayers from those who have been made perfect in Christ?

“The prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects” (James 5:16). Lets talk about 1 Tim 2:5 which states “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ-Jesus” (1 Tim 2:5). Now there’s a certain danger when one takes a single-line quote from the Bible in order to prove some doctrine. It’s important to keep quotes from scripture in their original context to truly understand what they mean. Let’s go back to 1 Timothy and look a few lines above verse five. The beginning of 1 Tim 2 says, “First of all, I urge that supplications, prayers, and intercessions be made for all men … this is good, and acceptable in the sight of God, our Savior”. It almost sounds like St. Paul is contradicting himself. Why say ‘I urge all of you to offer prayers and intercessions (to be mediators) for each other” and then immediately say “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ-Jesus”? It makes a world of a difference to include the quote in its original context. St Paul actually is encouraging others to be more like Christ. We are called to share in Christ’s mission.

But aren’t the Saints dead? How do we know they can even hear our prayers much less assume their activities consist of listening to them and offering them to God?

The Saints live eternally sanctified and perfected in Christ. They are resurrected by God and are more alive than we are here on Earth. Matthew 22:23-32 states, “But about the resurrection of the dead—have you not read what God said to you, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.

Can’t I Just Go Directly to Jesus?

It is in God’s plan that the Saints in Heaven, and the righteous on earth, offer prayers for those struggling and living in sin. I’ve been asked many times, “Why can’t you just go directly to Jesus? What reason is there to take a side-road?” Well, you can and should go directly to Jesus. In fact, that is the very encouragement of the Church. The issue is not whether or not we can go directly to Jesus in prayer. The issue is – can and should we also pray for others and ask them to pray us? Look back to 1 Timothy 2 where supplications and intercessions are urged for all to do. I’ll grant that he is at the moment talking to people who are alive on Earth. However, notice St. Paul’s choice of words here, “I urge that supplications, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all men”. This is a very interesting choice of words. Why does St. Paul urge these things? Why didn’t he just say ‘there’s no need to ask others for prayer – just go directly to Jesus’?

Supplication is humble prayer or petition. Intercession is a pleading on behalf of another to God. Thanksgiving is also urged and in light of the fact that the original Greek word for thanksgiving was Eucharistia (Eucharist) Catholics see this as reference to the Mass. Masses are offered for people alive and dead. When someone dies a Mass is offered for them and the present congregation offers humble prayers and petitions (supplications), pleas for their soul (intercessions), and then we join in the Eucharist (thanksgiving).

We sometimes fear that Jesus will act like us and in human weakness be jealous and stingy when it comes to prayer. Jesus is not selfish. He is generous. He is the King of Kings and the true Shepard. He is the only one worth to sit on the throne and yet he shares it with His people.

“To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne.” (Rev 3:21)

“Truly, I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Matthew 19:28)”

He also shares his ministry with others.

“And with that he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven’” (John 20:22-23).

“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” (Matt 16:19)

Though God is the only one that can heal he gives that gift to his disciples so that they may share in the ministry of healing. “The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people … As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed” (ACTS 5:12,15-16).

Jesus Himself commands people on various occasions to offer prayers for others and regularly supplied for a person based on the faith of another.

“But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44).

In Matthew 8 there came to Jesus a centurion beseeching him “And saying, Lord, my servant lays at home sick of the palsy, and is grievously tormented. And Jesus said to him: I will come and heal him. And the centurion, making answer, said: Lord, I am not worthy that thou should enter under my roof; but only say the word, and my servant shall be healed. For I also am a man subject to authority, having under me soldiers; and I say to this, Go, and he goes, and to another Come, and he comes, and to my servant, Do this, and he does it. And Jesus hearing this, marveled; and said to them that followed him. Amen I say to you, I have not found so great faith in Israel. And Jesus said to the centurion: Go, and as thou hast believed, so be it done to thee. And the servant was healed at the same hour.”

In this passage Jesus explicitly performs a miracle and heals a man who is very ill based on the merit of his masters faith. We don’t see Jesus cast the man out saying “let him pray to me for healing”. Jesus cures the man because of the centurions’ intercession, because of his prayer of plea for his servant. In this way we can see the beauty of intercession. A plea to God on someone else’s account is a beautiful thing. It shows great love. This is why it’s pleasing to God. Jesus’ heart is moved when our love is so great for another that we plea to Him on their account. He’s full of mercy and compassion and is moved by our mercy and compassion for each other. This is how we imitate Christ and this is why he commands it of us.

When We Can’t Go Straight To God

There are times when we cannot go straight to God because we have broken our relationship with Him. Imagine an example of three close friends: Mike, Joe and Luke. Mike kisses Joe’s girlfriend. Joe may be so hurt or upset that he refuses to talk to Mike. The relationship is broken between them. Now, if Mike feels truly sorry and wishes to apologize he may go to Luke and say “Talk to Joe for me. Tell him I’m really sorry and I want to be friends again”. Sometimes it’s better for those on good terms with the person we are trying to reach to speak on our behalf and help mend the relationship. A biblical example of this can be found in Job 42:7. God is talking to Job’s friends. They spoke ill of God during Job’s suffering. Therefore, God told them He would not accept their prayers directly.

“I am angry with you and with your two friends; for you have not spoken rightly concerning me, as has my servant Job. Now, therefore, take seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up a holocaust for yourselves; and let my servant Job pray for you; for his prayer I will accept, not to punish you severely. For you have not spoken rightly concerning me, as has my servant Job. Then Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite, went and did as the Lord had commanded them. And the Lord accepted the intercession of Job (Job 42:7-9, emphasis added)”.

In light of this passage it looks like there may be times when we may actually have to rely on others’ intercessions. In the case of Job’s friends intercession of a Saint was not only beneficial but absolutely necessary.

Where does Scripture Say That Saints Are Alive Or That Can Hear Our Prayers?

Hebrews 12:1 states, “And therefore we also having so great a cloud of witnesses over our head, laying aside every weight and sin which surrounds us, let us run by patience to the fight proposed to us”. What cloud of witnesses is St. Paul talking about here? Let’s jump down a few verses to Hebrews 12:22-23 where it says “But you are come to mount Sion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem and to the company of many thousands of angels. And to the church of the firstborn who are written in the heavens, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of the just made perfect”.

Revelation 5:8 says, “And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people”. So indeed the Saints are in Heaven where they sing and worship, and… offer our prayers to God. Remember “The prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects” (James 5:16).

You may still be wondering, “How can the Saints hear our prayers – especially if multiple people are praying to them at once?” The answer is… I don’t know. If you jumped in a time machine and went back a thousand years you’d have trouble explaining radio and television broadcast to the people of that time. They might ask you “How could you possibly make someones voice travel to people all over the world in an instant?” If we have technology to record audio and video of a person for playback whenever we want – how much more can God do? I can scour the Internet reading posts and watching videos of people in need of prayer. I recently saw, in the news, information about the typhoon that hit the Philippines. When I saw the news about the death and suffering of God’s people I bowed my head and offered prayers for those affected. There were probably thousands, or millions, of people offering prayers after seeing the news. We can use Internet technology to make each other aware of the suffering and needs of the body of Christ on Earth. Why do we believe that the perfected members of the body of Christ in Heaven do not enjoy an even greater awareness?

We have some pretty amazing technology these days. We seem be pushing the limits of what is possible and everyday I read about some new technology that blows me away. Still, we have to recognize that God is infinitely smarter than we are. If we can continue to find ways to advance our means of communication then God has the capability to endow the Saints in Heaven with perfected communication. How do we know they are not bound by language (English, Spanish… etc) anymore? Why do we assume they are bound by time and space like we are? I don’t know how God makes our prayers known to the Saints but I do know that for God “all things are possible” (Matt 19:26).

In ACTS chapter 5, Ananias and his wife sell some property and conspire to keep some money for their self. Peter is somehow revealed the lie in their hearts and tells Ananias, “how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.”

I’m a computer scientist so I can understand very well the desire to always know “how” something works. However, more important than understanding how God may make our prayers known to Saints is understanding why he does so. When we join our sufferings together we become closer and more united. Such is also the case when we join our efforts together. We are not meant to do it on our own. We are designed to rely on each other, to support each other, and to sacrifice for each other. Saying “I will just go directly to Jesus by myself” ignores the community around you. More pleasing to God is to say “I will walk with my brothers and sisters to Jesus so that if one of us stumbles along the way we may carry each other in our weak moments”. Praying for others and asking for others to pray for us is working together as a team. No one likes to be a part of a team where one of the players says “I don’t need you guys I can win this game on my own”. The Saints are the best players in the game. They are winners. They are the ones who are “victorious” and “given the right to sit with Jesus on his throne” (Rev 3:21). It is God’s will that the Body of Christ work together and be united. Don’t exclude the Saints from your team. They can help you be victorious.

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