Roman Catholic devotions are "external practices of piety" which are not part of the official liturgy of the Catholic Church but are part of the popular spiritual practices of Catholics.[1] Catholic devotions do not become part of liturgical worship, even if they are performed within a Catholic church, in a group, in the presence of a priest.[2] The Congregation for Divine Worship at the Vatican publishes a Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy.[3]
Devotion to saints, with the Virgin Mary as the most prominent example, is a key characteristic of Roman Catholicism.[4] Catholic devotions have various forms, ranging from formalized, multi-day prayers such as novenas[5] to activities which do not involve any prayers, such as Eucharistic adoration outside Mass,[6] the wearing of scapulars,[7] the veneration of the saints, and even horticultural practices such as maintaining a Mary garden.[5]
Common examples of Catholic devotions include the Rosary, the Stations of the Cross, the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Holy Face of Jesus, the various scapulars, the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Seven Sorrows of Mary, novenas to various saints, pilgrimages and devotions to the Blessed Sacrament, and the veneration of saintly images such as among Santeros, etc.
Taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_devotions
Centrality of Christ
One should keep in mind that no matter what specific devotion you are talking about, or practicing, the person of Jesus Christ is central to everything! A devotion to a particular saint, for example, does not take the place of or even equal our love of and devotion to Jesus Christ and the Holy Tirinity. Rather, it is more like having a mentor in the faith who can help you to know and understand things, pray for you, and help you when appropriate. We should keep in mind that all things should point us to Jesus, and the saints and angels, especially Mary the Mother of Jesus, want only to help us grow closer to Him. Why then, you may ask, do we need to pray to the saints? Why not simply go directly to Jesus?
Jesus is sufficient in and of Himself for all things we need. He does not need the help of the saints, even Mary. For that matter, he does not need your help either, strictly speaking. His sacrifice was perfect in all respects and lacks for nothing. Yet, St. Paul tells us that there is something lacking! In Colossians 1:24 St. Paul tells us "Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body, which is the church, in filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions. (emphasis added)" (NAB; see here for other translations). So what could possbily be lacking from the sufferings of Christ who is God incaranate and perfection itself? Very simply, our participation is lacking. Though Christ does not need us he does invite us to participate in the salvation of others. In fact, He chose to include us as an integral part in the plan of salvation. This is why St. Paul can say "Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake...." Notice he is not rejoicing because his sufferings are helping his own walk (though they are) but for the sake of those he is writing to: he is suffering "...on behalf of His Body, which is the church...." His sufferings are helping other Christians just as the sufferings of Christ helped all those who believe in and follow Him. Christ invites us to work for, suffer for, and pray for our brothers in Christ and all humanity.
How does this relate to the saints in heaven? Are they not dead and out of the picture? Well, in fact, they are not dead. Yes, bodily they have died but their spirits are very much alive in heaven and their desire to know and love God gives them a lively desire to love and help us as well. This is because they want what God wants and God wants all of us to go to heaven; he wants all of us to know Him; He wants all of us to love Him; and He wants all of us to strive to do His will. Hence the saints desire this for us as well and are more than willing to help us in prayer and in action if God sees fit for them to do so. Most of all, they want to do God's will. In the Catholic Church we call this ability to help each other the Communion of the Saints; and this applys to the saints in heaven (the Church Triumphant), the saints in purgatory (the Church Suffering), and the "saints" on Earth (the Church Militant).
More Information:
Catholic Devotions: 1 2 3 4 The Rosary
Communion of the Saints: 1 2 3 4 5 6
Suffering: 1 2 3 4 5 6 Scripture Saint Quotes: 1 2 3
Devotion to saints, with the Virgin Mary as the most prominent example, is a key characteristic of Roman Catholicism.[4] Catholic devotions have various forms, ranging from formalized, multi-day prayers such as novenas[5] to activities which do not involve any prayers, such as Eucharistic adoration outside Mass,[6] the wearing of scapulars,[7] the veneration of the saints, and even horticultural practices such as maintaining a Mary garden.[5]
Common examples of Catholic devotions include the Rosary, the Stations of the Cross, the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Holy Face of Jesus, the various scapulars, the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Seven Sorrows of Mary, novenas to various saints, pilgrimages and devotions to the Blessed Sacrament, and the veneration of saintly images such as among Santeros, etc.
Taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_devotions
Centrality of Christ
One should keep in mind that no matter what specific devotion you are talking about, or practicing, the person of Jesus Christ is central to everything! A devotion to a particular saint, for example, does not take the place of or even equal our love of and devotion to Jesus Christ and the Holy Tirinity. Rather, it is more like having a mentor in the faith who can help you to know and understand things, pray for you, and help you when appropriate. We should keep in mind that all things should point us to Jesus, and the saints and angels, especially Mary the Mother of Jesus, want only to help us grow closer to Him. Why then, you may ask, do we need to pray to the saints? Why not simply go directly to Jesus?
Jesus is sufficient in and of Himself for all things we need. He does not need the help of the saints, even Mary. For that matter, he does not need your help either, strictly speaking. His sacrifice was perfect in all respects and lacks for nothing. Yet, St. Paul tells us that there is something lacking! In Colossians 1:24 St. Paul tells us "Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body, which is the church, in filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions. (emphasis added)" (NAB; see here for other translations). So what could possbily be lacking from the sufferings of Christ who is God incaranate and perfection itself? Very simply, our participation is lacking. Though Christ does not need us he does invite us to participate in the salvation of others. In fact, He chose to include us as an integral part in the plan of salvation. This is why St. Paul can say "Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake...." Notice he is not rejoicing because his sufferings are helping his own walk (though they are) but for the sake of those he is writing to: he is suffering "...on behalf of His Body, which is the church...." His sufferings are helping other Christians just as the sufferings of Christ helped all those who believe in and follow Him. Christ invites us to work for, suffer for, and pray for our brothers in Christ and all humanity.
How does this relate to the saints in heaven? Are they not dead and out of the picture? Well, in fact, they are not dead. Yes, bodily they have died but their spirits are very much alive in heaven and their desire to know and love God gives them a lively desire to love and help us as well. This is because they want what God wants and God wants all of us to go to heaven; he wants all of us to know Him; He wants all of us to love Him; and He wants all of us to strive to do His will. Hence the saints desire this for us as well and are more than willing to help us in prayer and in action if God sees fit for them to do so. Most of all, they want to do God's will. In the Catholic Church we call this ability to help each other the Communion of the Saints; and this applys to the saints in heaven (the Church Triumphant), the saints in purgatory (the Church Suffering), and the "saints" on Earth (the Church Militant).
More Information:
Catholic Devotions: 1 2 3 4 The Rosary
Communion of the Saints: 1 2 3 4 5 6
Suffering: 1 2 3 4 5 6 Scripture Saint Quotes: 1 2 3
