Questions tagged [communion-of-saints]

Questions regarding The communion of saints. This is the belief that there is a spiritual union amongst the members of the Christian Church, living and the dead, those on earth, in heaven, and, for those who believe in purgatory, those also who are in that state of purification.

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Catholic Lay Saints Who were Economically Well Off When They Died

So says Matt. 19:24--- It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven. QUESTION: I would like to know who (if any) among the ...
DDS's user avatar
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How does not the communion of the Saints invalidate the need for the bodily ressurection?

Since the saints are said to be in the grave, if someone has answered that their spirits are in communion with Christ and interceding, then there would be no importance of the resurrection of bodies. ...
Abiel Hailu's user avatar
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3 answers
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How do Lutherans pray for the dead?

Defense of the Augsburg Confession XXIV recognizes and does not prohibit mentioning the dead. In my church, we have a local service to commemorate the departed that were deported during second world ...
Dan's user avatar
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The Catholic Church seems to teach that we cannot ask the saints/angels for anything else other than to pray for us, but I don't understand why?

Angels have powers inherent to their nature. So why can't we just ask an angel to use his power to help us, instead of asking the angel to pray for us while we wait for God to grant the request? If it'...
Guilherme de Souza's user avatar
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2 answers
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Do Venerables and Blesseds Have Liturgical Feast Days in the Catholic Church?

I am presently engaged in a writing project, a component of which pertains to Pauline Jaricot. She was recently declared Blessed in the Catholic Church (May, 2022). I am inclined to call January 9 her ...
DDS's user avatar
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In Catholicism, is "offering it up" more aligned to the concept of merit or penance/satisfaction?

What is "offering it up" As a Protestant, the Catholic practice of "offering it up" is new to me, although once I am acquainted with it, it seems very Biblical; see this article ...
GratefulDisciple's user avatar
3 votes
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Earliest quote by a Church Father on how saints can add their merit to the treasury which can then be applied to others

About Treasury of Merit The teaching of the treasury of merit (GotQuestions article here) in connection to the communion of saints and indulgences is explained in CCC 1476-1477 and is based on the ...
GratefulDisciple's user avatar
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Does the Catholic Church teach a specific way to pray to the saints?

When I pray to the saints, does the Church have a specific teaching on how I should do it? Word choice, syntax, ect? Do I pray to Patron saints for specific things related to their patronage?
Luke Hill's user avatar
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According to 'Intercession of Saints' adherents, is two-way communication between the dead and the living possible?

Simple question: according to adherents of the doctrine of Intercession of Saints, just like the living can communicate with the dead, is it also possible for the dead to communicate with the living? ...
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How common are apparitions of Mary and/or other Saints amongst non-Catholics?

How common are apparitions of Mary and/or other Saints amongst non-Catholics? There are many testimonies about these sorts of apparitions published on the web, but people who report these experiences ...
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What is the basis of the teaching that souls in purgatory can intercede for the living?

Point 6 in the Our Sunday Visitor Article "9 truths about purgatory" is that souls in purgatory can intercede for us: The souls in purgatory can’t do anything for themselves, but the Church ...
GratefulDisciple's user avatar
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731 views

Were ALL 1st century Christians called “saints” by saints Paul, Jude, John etc, as they addressed all believers reading their NT writings as ‘saints’

My Q is concerned purely with how the NT seems to address all 1st century Christians as “saints” even while they were living. Of course, it also addresses martyred saints e.g. in Revelation 6:9-11: “...
Anne's user avatar
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Why Catholic Saints are said to be in heaven but not yet given their resurrected bodies?

In my understanding, the Saints are part of the Church Triumphant and in the Catholic Church's understanding of the Communion of Saints they help the Faithful on earth (Church Militant) to intercede ...
GratefulDisciple's user avatar
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Is fencing the Lord's Table (in reformed traditions) to include only believers who are members of a church biblical? [closed]

For the last decade or so, I have attended churches that fenced the communion table in a guarded way, opening it only to members of Gospel-believing churches in good standing. This did not bother me ...
DancingDino's user avatar
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1 answer
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As a Catholic, am I obliged to believe in visions and saints?

I am a Catholic. There are many visions and ecstasy and saints. As a Catholic, am I obliged to believe in visions and saints?
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Can non-Catholic Christian souls participate in Intercession?

Let us say a Catholic person has a good Protestant Christian friend who has died a year ago. The Catholic person believes in the intercession of saints and prays to them to intercede for him on many ...
Monica Labbao's user avatar
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2 answers
405 views

Is the type of love shared between all heavenly members an affectionate brotherly love mentioned in the Bible? (Catholic perspective)

Does the Catholic Church teach that the type of love shared between all heavenly members is an affectionate brotherly love mentioned in the Bible, for example, in Romans 12:10 and 2 Peter 1:5-7? ...
dweins's user avatar
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In heaven will we love God more than everyone else, or will we love everyone as much as we love God? (Catholic)

Catholic Church teaches that God will be the principal object of our love in heaven. My interpretation of this is that by saying "God will be the principal object of our love in heaven", Church is ...
Jin-Dominique's user avatar
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2 answers
547 views

In heaven, will we desire to receive more intimacy, affection, and care from all others compared to our earthy life (catholic)?

In heaven, will we desire to receive more intimacy, affection, and care from all others than what we experience in this life on earth (please answer according to Catholic teaching)? There are two ...
Sabrina1987's user avatar
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Do the Roman catacombs confirm the early Church believed in the doctrine of the communion of saints?

Do the Roman catacombs confirm the early church believed in the doctrine of the communion of saints, which includes prayer for the dead, intercession of the saints, invocation of the saints, and the ...
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4 votes
2 answers
176 views

Communion of saints - Is there a Greek equivalent of "ecclesia penitens"?

The doctrine of the communion of saints states that the body of Christ consists of three churches: The Church militant, or Latin ecclesia militans, or Greek ἡ ἐκκλησία ἡ στρατευομένη The Church ...
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3 answers
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What is the Biblical argument used by Evangelical Christians against the Catholic doctrine of the invocation of the saints?

The Catholic Church holds to the doctrine of Intercession of the Saints. As I understand it, this refers to the saints in heaven praying for us saints on earth.However, Catholicism teaches that we ...
R. Brown's user avatar
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What is the biblical basis for the concept of "partial" or "imperfect" communion?

According to Wikipedia, The Catholic Church makes a distinction between full and partial communion. Where full communion exists, there is but one Church. Partial communion, on the other hand, ...
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5 answers
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Does the incorrupted body of St. Cecilia still exist?

I have searched many sites to find evidence of the incorrupted body of St. Cecilia. But I have failed to find any evidence of the real body, only statues of the saint. Can anyone help to find out real ...
user14198's user avatar
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2 answers
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Do Roman Catholics believe Saints are omnipresent?

I understand that officially speaking when Catholics pray to saints, they are not supposed to really pray TO that saint, but rather are asking that saint to pray for them as you would ask any living ...
2tim424's user avatar
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Do some Christian churches worship the saints and/or angels?

When the disciple John falls down on his knees to worship an angel, the angel immediately urges him to stop because he is just like John, a servant of God, who worships God alone. 8 It is I, John, ...
Fofole's user avatar
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What is the nature of the "Communion of the Saints"?

In the Episcopalian Prayers of the People, Rite I, we pray as follows: In the communion of [__ and of all the] saints, let us commend ourselves, and one another, and all our life, to Christ ...
Affable Geek's user avatar
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Sponge in water vs water in sponge how to understand St. Teresa properly? [closed]

I've been reading on St. Teresa recently. She says: as water penetrates and is drunk in by the sponge, so, it seemed to me, did the Divinity fill my soul Does that mean that God is present in the ...
Alexander's user avatar
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Do those who pray to saints ascribe to them the quality of being able to hear many people at once?

I mean, there could be thousands of Orthodox Christians at this moment praying to, say, Saint Blessed Xenia of St. Petersburg, and there could probably be even more of Catholic Christians praying ...
brilliant's user avatar
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10 votes
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Who is the oldest Blessed?

Just a question that ought to have a concrete answer and be a good example for how the process of canonization works for my Religious Ed. class: Who has been declared blessed for the longest period ...
Peter Turner's user avatar
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5 answers
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Should the words to prayers said in private be changed to fit the company?

Why do we pray "Our Father who art in Heaven" and "Pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death". Should we instead pray My Father and "Pray for me, a sinner now and at the hour of my death"...
Peter Turner's user avatar
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