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Catholic Prayers
| "Prayer cannot be reduced to the spontaneous outpouring
of interior impulse: in order to pray, one must have the
will to pray. Nor is it enough to know what the Scriptures
reveal about prayer: one must also learn how to pray.
Through a living transmission (Sacred Tradition) within 'the
believing and praying Church,' the Holy Spirit teaches the
children how to pray." Pg. 637, #2650 |
This Catechism quote makes two remarkably controversial statements.
Let's look at each. First:
| "Prayer cannot be reduced to the spontaneous outpouring
of interior impulse:" |
According to the Bible, it can! God's Word
contains thousands of examples of spontaneous outpourings... and God
heard every one of them:
| "I cried unto the LORD with my voice, and he
heard me..." Psalm 3:4 "O LORD my God, I
cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me."
Psalm 30:2
"In my distress I cried unto the LORD, and he
heard me." Psalm 120:1
"Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour
out your heart before him: God is a refuge for
us. Selah." Psalm 62:8 |
Rather than spontaneous outpourings, Catholic prayers are an endless
repetition of written words. Interestingly, Jesus forbids this method of
praying, claiming it is a practice the "heathen" perform:
| "But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions,
as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard
for their much speaking." Matthew 6:7 |
Secondly, the Catechism contends:
| "Nor is it enough to know what the Scriptures reveal
about prayer: one must also learn how to pray. Through a
living transmission (Sacred Tradition) within 'the believing
and praying Church,' the Holy Spirit teaches the children
how to pray.' " |
Here, the Catechism proclaims that the Scriptures can't teach you how
to pray. For that you must have the Catholic church. However, long
before there was a Catholic church, people prayed and received answers
to their prayers:
| "Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed
Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants..."
Genesis 20:17
"...when Moses prayed unto the LORD, the fire
was quenched." Numbers 11:2
"Elisha prayed unto the LORD, and said, Smite this
people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he
smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha."
2 Kings 6:18 |
These people spontaneously poured out their hearts to God, without
help from the Catholic church. God offers His children this invitation:
| "And call upon me in the day
of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shall glorify me."
Psalm 50:15 "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by
prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let
your requests be made known unto God."
Philippians 4:6-7 |
God's Word teaches that God not only accepts spontaneous outpourings,
He encourages them.
Bondage?
Is it a coincidence that this Catholic doctrine further wraps members
in bondage to the Catholic church? That is for you to decide.
Conclusion
We have a standoff. The Bible condemns Catholicism's form of prayer,
and the Catholic church condemns the Biblical form of prayer. Obviously,
you must choose sides.
Will you side with God and His Holy Word, or with the traditions of
men?
| "They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted
in thee, and were not confounded." Psalm 22:5 |
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