Do you have to be in a state of grace to be invested with the Brown Scapular?

Way of The Cross is a devotion followed by Catholic Church especially during Lent. It comprises of 14 Stations, the representative images of which are placed on the walls of the church. The pattern of positioning of the Stations from first to 14th is anti- clockwise , with Station 1 starting from the right of the altar following Versus Populum tradition. One seldom sees a clock-wise positioning. My question is: **Is there a rule concerning the positioning of Stations of the Cross in Catholic Churches?**

***Vignettes from Nature***, a book written by Grant Allen and published from London in 1881 has this interesting note: the piece of cloth with which Jesus' face is believed to have been wiped on his way to Calvary was originally known in Latin as 'Vera Icon' meaning 'True Image' which was adapted to name the woman saint who had done the act of compassion.Hence the name St. Veronica. There is no reference of the incident in the Gospels. But, it is mentioned in the 'Via Sacra' or Way of the Cross , a Catholic devotion commemorating the Passion of Christ. Can someone substantiate how St. Veronica got her Name? PS: There is a question on CSE involving the subject, but does not answer my question. https://christianity.stackexchange.com/questions/48014/where-did-the-account-of-veronica-originate

Our new pastor is spearheading a 40-hours devotion in our pastorate, we've never done one of these before. What does the ideal 40-hours devotion look like and how can the laity make it the most spiritually beneficial and explain it to people who may not be used to things adoration and meditative prayer.

It seems to me that most Catholic lay people do not focus on the 150 Psalms (found in the Bible) in their daily prayer life. It seems that many focus on pious devotions instead. I have always felt that the Psalms are way more interesting than pious devotions. The Rosary is said to have come from a tradition that did not allow the laity to focus on the 150 Psalms. It seems that many lay people find pius devotions way easier to focus on. It is like they are drawn to it rather than the Psalms. What are some of the reasons why Catholics would feel more drawn to focus on pious devotions than the Psalms?

Consider the following quote of St. Peter Julian Eymard: > An age prospers or dwindles in proportion to its devotion to the Holy Eucharist. This is the measure of its spiritual life and its faith, of its charity and its virtue. QUESTION: Are there other Catholic Saints who have expressed similar thoughts regarding the connection between the rise and fall of a people and the devotion (or respect) they pay to the Holy Eucharist? If so, who are they and what did they say regarding the aforesaid connection? All Saints, I am quite sure, have had a devotion to the Holy Eucharist; I am interested only in those who have verbalized a connection similar to the one given above by St. Peter Julian Eymard.

My question arises from a preacher's Facebook post condemning the practice of being a "prayer squirrel" (i.e., getting distracted while praying). He offers the following as an example of what prayers by such a person might look like: > Dear God, heal brother James of ... i need a coffee, I wonder who will win the hockey game tonite ... God heal brother James of his heart condition, and Lord... sister Jennifer really could use a blessing from you because she ... I forgot to take out the roast for dinner ... the kids are late coming home from school ... bless sister Jennifer because she needs encouragement. Amen. In support of this being sinful, the preacher translates Colossians 4:2 thusly (emphasis added): > Devote yourselves to prayer **without distraction** as you pray Is this an accurate translation of Colossians 4:2? Does the verse prohibit being a "prayer squirrel"? While it certainly makes sense that we should be focused when praying, are we specifically commanded such by Colossians 4:2 or other verses, meaning that distraction while praying is sinful, or do verses such as Colossians 4:2 have a different application in mind?

It's common sense knowledge that millions of Catholics pray the Rosary and make devotion to Mary an integral part of their everyday spirituality. See for example this [answer](https://christianity.stackexchange.com/a/86690/50422) to the question https://christianity.stackexchange.com/q/86688/50422 Many books have been written on the reasons for and the benefits of praying the Rosary and having a genuine devotion to Mary, such as: - [True Devotion to Mary: With Preparation for Total Consecration](https://www.amazon.com/True-Devotion-Mary-Preparation-Consecration-ebook/dp/B0083Q18B8) - [Total Consecration Through the Mysteries of the Rosary](https://www.amazon.com/Total-Consecration-Through-Mysteries-Rosary/dp/1622824504/) - [The Rosary Prayer by Prayer](https://www.amazon.com/Rosary-Prayer-Mary-K-Doyle/dp/0967744946) - [The Secret Of The Rosary](https://www.amazon.com/Secret-Rosary-St-Louis-Monfort/dp/0895550563/) - [The Hinge of the Hail Mary: The Art of Praying the Rosary](https://www.amazon.com/Hinge-Hail-Mary-Praying-Rosary/dp/B08PJ1LGNH/) - [Beneath Thy Protection: Finding Jesus in the Arms of Mary: Mary's Mysteries of the Rosary](https://www.amazon.com/Beneath-Thy-Protection-Finding-Mysteries/dp/B09HFSN634/) - [The Miraculous Medal: Stories, Prayers, and Devotions](https://www.amazon.com/Miraculous-Medal-Stories-Prayers-Devotions-ebook/dp/B00EO5X860) - [Devotion to the Sorrowful Mother](https://www.amazon.com/Devotion-Sorrowful-Mother/dp/0895557266/) - Etc. **Question**: How do Protestants explain / make sense of the fact that so many Catholics report spiritual benefits from praying the Rosary and having a deep devotion to Mary? If God disapproves of Marian devotion, then how come so many Catholics experience spiritual benefits? Doesn't this contradict / disprove the Protestant position regarding Mary? __________ #### Brainstorming of possible Protestant explanations: **Hypothesis 1**: *"Catholics are simply experiencing psychological benefits, just like a Buddhist experiences psychological benefits from meditation, etc."*. The issue with this hypothesis is that it can easily backfire on the Protestant: how does a Protestant who defends this hypothesis know that his/her own spirituality is not also nothing but mere psychology? How does this Protestant know that his/her spirituality is genuine but everyone else's spirituality is just brain tricks and psychology? **Hypothesis 2**: *"Catholics are being deceived by a demonic counterfeit"*. This is a pretty strong claim, so we should naturally expect a pretty heavy burden of proof on the Protestant who claims this to be the case. What kind of evidence could be offered to defend a hypothesis like this? If Catholics are being deceived by evil spirits, then the first thing I would look for is evidence of demonization / demon possession among former Marian devotees. To make a parallel, there are plenty of testimonies from former New Agers, former witches/warlocks, former Hinduists, etc., who can attest to the demonic nature of their former pagan practices. Is this also the case among Marian devotees, and if so, where is the evidence? **Hypothesis 3**: *"Catholics are wrong, but God in His mercy still allows them to grow spirituality through their practices, because He values their sincerity, their motivations and their heart"*. Honestly, this hypothesis sounds very loving and compassionate -- it takes a sort of inclusivist stance --, yet it is a claim nonetheless, so whoever defends this hypothesis has the burden of proof upon them to show that God does indeed act in this way. ___________________ Possibly related or relevant questions: - https://christianity.stackexchange.com/q/86124/50422 - https://christianity.stackexchange.com/q/83832/50422 - https://christianity.stackexchange.com/q/86467/50422 - https://christianity.stackexchange.com/q/84362/50422

According to Catholicism, if a Christian lacks devotion to Mary and the Saints, is he or she spiritually "handicapped" or "missing out" spiritually? For example, let's suppose that a Christian has devotion to the Father, the Son and and the Holy Spirit (or possibly subsets of them in the case of non-Trinitarians). Let's say also that this Christian only prays to God in the name of Jesus, his mindset is constantly set on becoming a better disciple of Christ and he constantly seeks the guidance of the Holy Spirit. However, he has no devotion to Mary or the Saints, to the point that he doesn't even think of them at all, they are just not part of his daily thoughts. His only devotion is God, and God alone. **According to Catholicism, would such a Christian be able to live a spiritually fulfilled life and achieve full spiritual maturity?** Or on the contrary, due to his lack of devotion to Mary and the Saints, would such a Christian inevitably encounter a road block to his spiritual growth, which will become evident to him as a feeling of *"I feel like I'm missing something but I'm not sure what it is"*? ***Note:** For those interested in the Protestant perspective on this issue, please see https://christianity.stackexchange.com/q/87520/50422*

Was Marian devotion commonplace among early Christians during the first centuries of Christianity? What about **the first century AD**? What about **the second century AD**? There are a few related questions, such as https://christianity.stackexchange.com/q/18099/50422 and https://christianity.stackexchange.com/q/18182/50422 , but none of the current answers cites sources from the first two centuries indicating widespread devotion. ____ Related: - https://christianity.stackexchange.com/q/47932/50422 - https://christianity.stackexchange.com/q/86705/50422 - https://christianity.stackexchange.com/q/80680/50422 - https://christianity.stackexchange.com/q/83791/50422

I've seen both terms (*veneration* and *devotion*) used when referring to the Catholic attitude toward Mary and the Saints. According to Catholicism, what is the difference between these two terms?

When and where did St. Joseph's title "Guardian of Virgins" originate?

I would like to know the differences, if any, seen in homilies offered at Mass during different liturgical seasons. For instance are both Marian and Rosary-based prayers included customarily or are they more secluded, for private piety?

Mary, the Mother of Jesus was present at the foot of the Cross as her Son was dying in order to ransom mankind from sin. This got me thinking that Mary must hold a special place in Catholic devotion. As Catholic priests offer the sacrifice of Our Lord on the altar, could not Mary have offered her Son on the altar of the Cross for our salvation? I have been able to find a few pieces of religious art that shows the Virgin Mary dressed in priestly attire and I have included one here: My question is quite simple: Does the Catholic Church allow us to honor Mary under the title of the Virgin Priest and if so what are the directives on it from Rome?

Was there any saint (or blessed, or venerable) that prayed '15 Prayers of Saint Bridget of Sweden'? Does any saint (or blessed, or venerable) recommend that prayer? Did the St. Bridget pray them?

Is there any archeological evidence in the catacombs of Rome that the Early Church had any (particular) devotion to the Virgin Mary? If so, what are the sources that support such a devotion?

I was critiqued [on this answer](https://christianity.stackexchange.com/questions/11675/christian-view-of-why-there-are-so-many-similarities-between-quran-and-bible) concerning it taking less time out of the day for someone to be a Muslim than a Christian, and that may be untrue for a majority of Christians today. But how much time did an Christians between the 600's and the 1200's spend in prayer each day? Were there novenas, rosaries, the divine office, the angelus, chaplets etc... back then and if so how did they come to be fairly ubiquitous? How would anyone even begin to research what kinds of devotions one's own ancestors may have practiced?

Catholics make this gesture during or after prayer, by using their right hand to touch the forehead, then the middle of the breast, then the left shoulder, and finally the right shoulder. Is this the sign of the cross? Does it symbolize Trinity? What is the role of this gesture?

In [this answer](https://christianity.stackexchange.com/questions/17890/why-cant-catholicism-just-drop-its-marian-devotion/17977#17977) it was stated that the Bible does support Marian devotion, which the Catholics practice. In Luke, Mary says "all generations will call me blessed." I can see how this lends credence to Marian devotion, however, I think it is taking more than is given when you start saying things like "She is the Mediatrix of All Graces! She is the Cause of our Joy! She is the Singular Vessel of Devotion!" So is there more to the Marian devotion as given by the Bible? For such devotion that the Catholics give her I would think there should be. Of course, since I am asking Catholics, I would permit using the other Catholic books, if there is something to be found in them. Perhaps this should be another question, but if answers to the first are not enough in content I would permit how early Church fathers spoke of Mary as support for the Marian devotion. I would like to see if they said anything similar "cause of our Joy" or mediatrix of all graces." I would prefer writings from as early as possible. I would say later than AD 500 is too late.

I wonder why Roman Catholics show devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary if their devotion can be shown to Jesus Christ and Mary instead? What's the difference?