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How Can Marriages Be Annulled? What Does the Bible Say about Catholic Divorce and Remarriage?

  

CAN MARRIAGES BE ANNULLED?
WHAT ABOUT REMARRIAGE?


The Catholic Blog - Helping people find answers to the most common questions about Catholicism with answers from the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Bible. (www.catholic.blog )


“Can marriages be annulled?” - Important Passages of The Catechism of the Catholic Church to Consider:

  • “The Church, after an examination of the situation by the competent ecclesiastical tribunal can declare the nullity of a marriage, i.e., that the marriage never existed.  In this case the contracting parties are free to marry, provided the natural obligations of a previous union are discharged.” (CCC 1629)
  • “A case of marriage with disparity of cult (between a Catholic and a non-baptized person) requires even greater circumspection” (1633)
  • “In the case of disparity of cult an express dispensation from this impediment is required for the validity of the marriage. (1635)
  • “the remarriage of persons divorced from a living, lawful spouse contravenes the plan and law of God as taught by Christ.  They are not separated from the Church, but they cannot receive Eucharistic communion.” (CCC 1665)
  • [Encouragement to divorce if your wife does not obey you] Sirach 25:35-36 “If she walk not at thy hand, she will confound thee in the sight of thy enemies. 36 Cut her off from thy flesh, lest she always abuse thee.”


“Can marriages be annulled?” - Important Scriptures to Consider:

  • Mark 10:7–9 ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, [8] and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. [9] What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” (ESV)
  • Romans 7:2–3 “For a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage. [3] Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress.” (ESV)
  • 1 Corinthians 7:39 “A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord.” (ESV)
  • SEE: “What Does the Bible Say about Divorce and Remarriage?” www.trustworthyword.com/what-does-the-bible-say-about-divorce-and-remarriage


“Can marriages be annulled?” - Important Questions to Consider:

  • Is the concept of “annulment” (that a “marriage never existed”) a biblical concept? If so, where?
  • How does that differ with Romans 7:2 and 1 Corinthians 7:39 saying that only death ends a marriage?
  • Does the Bible ever distinguish between marriages inside or outside the church?
  • Is it right to provide an avenue of allow marriage to a non-believer when the Bible prohibits it clearly (1 Corinthians 7:39)?
  • Is not withholding Eucharistic communion withholding forgiveness? 
  • Why would Sirach 25:35-36 encourage divorce in such a sweeping manner?  Does the Bible encourage it or permit it on rare occasions?


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Who Goes to Purgatory? Will I Go to Purgatory? Do Indulgences Help Us?

  



WILL I GO TO PURGATORY?


The Catholic Blog - Helping people find answers to the most common questions about Catholicism with answers from the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Bible. (www.catholic.blog )


“Will I go to purgatory?” - Important Passages of The Catechism of the Catholic Church to Consider:

  • “Woe on those who will die in mortal sin!” (CCC 1014)
  • “Grave sin deprives us of communion with God and therefore makes us incapable of eternal life” (CCC 1472)
  • “every sin, even venial, entails an unhealthy attachment to creatures, which must be purified here on earth, or after death in a state called Purgatory” (CCC 1472)
  • “this purification frees one from what is called the ‘temporal punishment’ of sin” (CCC 1472)
  • “A conversion which proceeds from a fervent charity can attain the complete purification of the sinner in such a way that no punishment would remain” (CCC 1472)
  • “Each man receives his eternal retribution in his immortal soul at the very moment of his death, in a particular judgment that refers his life to Christ: either entrance into the blessedness of heaven - through purification or immediately, or immediate and everlasting damnation. ‘At the evening of life we shall be judged on our love.” (CCC 1022)  
  • “the souls of all the saints…and other faithful who died after receiving Christ’s holy Baptism (provided they were not in need of purification when they died, … or, if they then did need or will need some purification, when they have been purified after death, …)…will be in heaven” (CCC 1023)
  • “All who died in God’s grace and friendship, but  are still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven” (CCC 1030)
  • “The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned” (CCC 1031)
  • The Church formulated their doctrine of faith on Purgatory especially at the Councils of Florence [1439] and Trent [1563].  The tradition of the Church, by reference to certain texts of Scripture, speaks of a cleansing fire.” (CCC 1031)
  • “for certain lesser faults, we must believe that, before the Final Judgment, there is a purifying fire” (CCC 1031)
  • “we understand that certain offenses can be forgiven in this age, but certain others in the age to come” (CCC 1031)
  • “From the beginning the Church has honored the memory of the dead and offered prayers in suffrage for them, above all the Eucharistic sacrifice, so that, thus purified, they may attain the beatific vision of God” (CCC 1032) 
  • “The Church also commends almsgiving, indulgences, and works of penance undertaken on behalf of the dead” (CCC 1032)
  • “Let us not hesitate to help those who have died and to offer our prayers for them” (CCC 1032)


DO INDULGENCES HELP US?


“Do indulgences help us?” - Important Passages of The Catechism of the Catholic Church to Consider:

  • “An indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain prescribed conditions throughout the action of the Church which, as the minister of redemption dispenses and applies with authority the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and the saints” (CCC 1471)
  • “relatives who must see to it that the sick receive at the proper time the sacraments that prepare them to meet the living God” (CCC 2299)
  • “An indulgence…removes either part or all of the temporal punishment due to sin.  The faithful can gain indulgences for themselves or apply them to the dead.” (CCC 1471)
  • “every sin, even venial, entails an unhealthy attachment to creates, which must be purified either here on earth, or after death, in the state called Purgatory” (CCC 1472)
  • “a perennial link of charity exists between the faithful who have already reached their heavenly home, those who are expiating their sins in purgatory, and those who are still pilgrims on earth.  Between theme there is, too, and abundant exchange of good things.’  In this wonderful exchange the holiness of one profits others, well beyond the harm that the sin of one could cause others.  Thus recourse to the communion of saints lets the contrite sinner be more promptly and efficaciously purified for the punishments for sin” (CCC 1475)
  • “This treasury includes as well the prayers and good works of the Blessed Virgin Mary” (CCC 1477)
  • “In this treasury too, are the prayers and good works of all the saints” (CCC 1477)
  • “In this way they attained their own salvation and at the same time cooperated in saving their brothers” (CCC 1477)
  • “Since the faithful departed now being purified are also members of the same communion of saints, one way we can help them is to obtain indulgences for them so that the temporal punishments for their sins may be remitted” (CCC 1479)
  • “Through indulgences the faithful can obtain the remission of temporal punishment resulting from sin for themselves and also for the souls in Purgatory” (CCC 1498)
  • 2 Maccabbees 12:43, "And making a gathering, he sent twelve thousand drachms of silver to Jerusalem for sacrifice to be offered for the sins of the dead, thinking well and religiously concerning the resurrection.”


“Will I go to purgatory? Do indulgences help us?” - Important Scriptures to Consider:

  • 1 John 2:2 “He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.” (ESV)
  • Romans 5:8 “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
  • 1 Corinthians 13:15 “If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.” (ESV)
  • 1 Peter 1:7 “so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (ESV)
  • Hebrews 7:27 “He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself.” (ESV)
  • 2 Corinthians 5:6-8 “So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.” (ESV)
  • Philippians 1:21 “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (ESV)
  • Philippians 1:23 “My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.”
  • Job 1:5 "And when the days of the feast had run their course, Job would send and consecrate them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, ‘It may be that my children have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts.” Thus Job did continually.’” (ESV)
  • Luke 23:43 “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (ESV)
  • Deuteronomy 4:2 “You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God that I command you.” (ESV)
  • Romans 8:1–2 "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. [2] For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.” (ESV)
  • 1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (ESV)
  • Colossians 2:13–14 "And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, [14] by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.” (ESV)


“Will I go to purgatory? Do indulgences help us?” - Important Questions to consider:

  • Were Job’s sons alive or dead when made offerings for them (Job 1:5)?
  • Does 1 Corinthians 13:14-15 speak about people being burned up or their works being burned up to evidence their quality/genuineness?  Does it talk about the person being burned or escaping from the fire or being cleansed by the fire?
  • If the Bible speaks so much about Heaven and Hell, why did it take the Catholic Church 1400+ years to approve a statement on Purgatory?
    • “The Church formulated their doctrine of faith on Purgatory especially at the Councils of Florence [1439 A.D.] and Trent [1563 A.D.].” (CCC 1031)
  • What were the motives of the Catholic doctrine of Purgatory?  How were they connected with indulgences and money/fundraising?  Why were Martin Luther and other reformers so much against this abuse of power and manipulative tactics?
  • Why does the Bible have so many warnings about adding to it?  What is the danger? What is the offense?  How has the Catholic Church offended God in the invention of purgatory?
  • Where is the concept of indulgences in the Bible?
  • What does Romans 8:1-2 mean?  What does 1 John 1:9 mean?
  • If our debt has been fully paid (Colossians 2:13–14), why is there a need for Purgatory or Indulgences?
  • SEE: “What Does the Bible Say About Heaven?” www.trustworthyword.com/what-does-the-bible-say-about-heaven 
  • SEE: “What Does the Bible Say About Hell?” www.trustworthyword.com/what-does-the-bible-say-about-hell


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Why Do Catholics Talk to the Dead? Is it OK to Pray to Mary, the Saints, & Angels?

  

SHOULD WE PRAY 
TO MARY AND SAINTS?


The Catholic Blog - Helping people find answers to the most common questions about Catholicism with answers from the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Bible. (www.catholic.blog )


Merriam-Webster’s Definitions:

Necromancy - the practice of talking to the spirits of dead people

Medium - a person through whom other persons try to communicate with the spirits of the dead


“Should we pray to Mary and Saints?” - Important Passages of The Catechism of the Catholic Church to Consider:

  • We can pray with and to her.  The prayer of the Church is sustained by the prayer of Mary” (CCC 2679)
  • “prayer unites us in the Church with the Mother of Jesus” (CCC 2673)
  • “the Churches developed their prayers to the holy Mother of God” (CCC 2675)
  • “in countless hymns and antiphons expressing this prayer…entrusts the supplications and praises of the children of God to the Mother of Jesus” (CCC 2675)
  • “we can entrust all our cares and petitions to her: she prays for us” (CCCC 2677)
  • “by entrusting ourselves to her prayer we abandon ourselves to the will of God together with her” (CCC 2677)
  • “Medieval piety in the West developed the prayer of the rosary” (CCC 2678)
  • “Mary is the perfect Orans (pray-er)” (CCC 2679)
  • “The witnesses…especially those whom the Church recognizes as saints…constantly care for those whom have left on the earth.  Their intercession is their most exalted service to God’s plan.  We can and should ask them to intercede for us and for the whole world.” (CCC 2683)
  • “it is a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead that they may be loosed from their sins’ she offers suffrages for them” (CCC 958)
  • “prayer is the raising of one’s mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God” (CCC 2559)
  • Where is confessing to God?
  • “In prayer, the pilgrim Church is associated with that of the saints, whose intercession she asks” (CCC 2692)
  • “it is a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead that they may be loosed from their sins’ she offers suffrages for them” (CCC 958)
  • “The Church encourages us to prepare ourselves for the house of death. … to ask the Mother of God to intercede for us ‘at the hour of our death’ in the Hail Mary; and to entrust ourselves to St. Joseph, the patron of a happy death” (CCC 1014)
  • “This teaching is also based on the practice of prayer for the dead, already mentioned in Sacred Scripture: ‘Therefore [Judas Maccabeus] made atonement for the dead, that they might be delivered from sin.” (CCC 1032)
  • “The Christian funeral…aims at expressing efficacious communion with the deceased” (CCC 1684)
  • “The Church…asks [to the Father] to purify his child of his sins and their consequences and to admit him to the Paschal fullness of the table of the Kingdom. … by communicating the Body of Christ…by praying for him and with him.” (CCC)
  • “saints…constantly care for those whom they have left on earth…their intercession is their most exalted service to God’s plan.  We can and should ask them to intercede for us and for the whole world.” (CCC 2683)
  • “the Church…sustains the hope of believers by proposing the saints to them as models and intercessors” (CCC 828)


“Should we pray to Mary and Saints?” - Important Scriptures to Consider:

  • Deuteronomy 18:10–12 “There shall not be found among you…a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD. And because of these abominations the LORD your God is driving them out before you." (ESV)
  • Leviticus 19:31 “Do not turn to mediums or necromancers; do not seek them out, and so make yourselves unclean by them: I am the LORD your God.” (ESV)
  • Isaiah 8:19 "And when they say to you, ‘Inquire of the mediums and the necromancers who chirp and mutter,” should not a people inquire of their God? Should they inquire of the dead on behalf of the living?’” (ESV)
  • 1 Samuel 28:15 “Then Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” Saul answered, “I am in great distress, for the Philistines are warring against me, and God has turned away from me and answers me no more, either by prophets or by dreams. Therefore I have summoned you to tell me what I shall do.” (ESV)
  • 1 Chronicles 10:13–14 "So Saul died for his breach of faith. He broke faith with the LORD in that he did not keep the command of the LORD, and also [14] He did not seek guidance from the LORD. Therefore the LORD put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse." (ESV)
  • Isaiah 45:20 “Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, you survivors of the nations! They have no knowledge who carry about their wooden idols, and keep on praying to a god that cannot save.” (ESV)
  • Hebrews 7:27 "He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself.” (ESV)
  • James 1:5 “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” (ESV)
  • Romans 8:26–27 “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. [27] And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” (ESV)
  • Romans 8:34 “Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.” (ESV)


IS IT OK TO PRAY TO ANGELS?


“Is it ok to pray to angels?” - Important Passages of The Catechism of the Catholic Church to Consider:

  • “the Church…invokes their [the angels] assistance in the funeral…’May the angels lead you into Paradise…she celebrates the memory of certain angels more particularly ? (St. Michael, St. Gabriel, St. Raphael, and the guardian angels’” (CCC 335)
  • “Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life” (CCC 336)
  • The Church venerates the angels who help her on her earthly pilgrimage and protect every human being.” (CCC 352)


“Is it ok to pray to angels?” - Important Scriptures to Consider:

  • NOTE: The Bible does not mention Raphael or particular “guardian” angels assigned to each believe nor does it support praying to them for assistance as prayer is an act of worship and angels refuse worship.
  • Why does the book of Tobit give so much attention to angels compared with every other book of the Bible?  Does that concern you about its trustworthiness?  Should it?
  • Revelation 22:8–9 “I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me, [9] but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.” (ESV)
  • Colossians 2:16–19 “Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. [17] These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. [18] Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, [19] and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.” (ESV)
  • Hebrews 13:5 "he has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.’” (ESV)
  • Romans 1:22–25 “Claiming to be wise, they became fools, [23] and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. [24] Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, [25] because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.” (ESV)


“Should we pray to Mary, Saints, or Angels?” - Important Questions to Consider:

  • Where does the Bible describe or prescribe praying to Mary, Saints, or Angels?
  • Why would we talk to angels when we have the Spirit of God within us, to whom we can speak at anytime?  Is not the God the Holy Spirit more powerful than angels?  
  • Is it not insulting to ignore the Holy Spirit (whose job is to intercede for us) and instead speak to created beings rather than the Creator?
  • Where does the Bible say that every believer have an individual angel assigned to them?
  • How is praying to unseen spiritual beings not a form of worship?
  • Where does the Bible describe the dead as praying for the living?
  • Is talking to the dead (Mary and Saints) in prayer any different than necromancy?  Why or why not?
  • Why does God give so many warnings about necromancy and mediums like in Isaiah 8:19?
  • Why was Saul’s sin “that he did not seek guidance from the Lord” directly so serious? (1 Chronicles 10:13–14)
  • When was prayer to Mary, the saints, and angels invented by the Catholic Church?  Why?


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