Fellowship

Protestants restrict fellowship to the interaction of living Christians.  Therefore, they go to their assemblies to fellowship with other Christians and to pray for them.  But Scripture tells us that when we become Christians, when we are baptized, we fellowship with the saints and angels which are in heaven.  Let's go over the Scripture in detail.  Turn to Hebrews 12:18-24.  I'm using the King James Version (KJV).  We begin where St. Paul describes the Old Testament.  He says:

18 For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest,

He is distinguishing the Old Testament from the New.  And the Old seems a very impersonal and scary relationship with God compared to the New.  What St. Paul is describing here is described originally explained in the book of Exodus:

Exodus 19:11-13 

King James Version (KJV)

11 And be ready against the third day: for the third day the Lord will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai.  12 And thou shalt set bounds unto the people round about, saying, Take heed to yourselves, that ye go not up into the mount, or touch the border of it: whosoever toucheth the mount shall be surely put to death:  13 There shall not an hand touch it, but he shall surely be stoned, or shot through; whether it be beast or man, it shall not live: when the trumpet soundeth long, they shall come up to the mount.

So, it is a clear distinction.  The Hebrew people literally "feared" the Lord.

19 And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more:

The Hebrew people feared the Lord so much that they begged Him no longer to speak directly to them but to speak to them through Moses:

Exodus 20:19 And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.

20 (For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart:

Even if an animal should touch God's abode, he should die.

21 And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:)

Most astounding of all, Moses, whom God called His friend, also confessed great fear.

22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,

But it is totally different in the New Testament.  When we are baptized, we enter the City of God, which is the Church.  And in it we mingle with the angels.

23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,

The general assembly is the Mass and those who participate in the Mass are the Church.  But the Church of the first born is the company of Saints whose names are written in heaven.  That means we are in the company of St. Mary the Mother of God, St. Joseph her spouse, Sts. Peter, James the greater, John, Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Jude the brother of James, Simon, James the less, Matthew, Mark, Luke, the early church fathers, the canonized saints etc. etc.

We are in company with them! 

24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.

And we are in the company of our Lord!

This is the fellowship to which you have come when you become a Catholic.  This is why we are permitted to pray to and with the Saints who have come before us. Because we already commune with the Saints.  Just as your neighbor will pray for you, so will your brother in Christ who is already on Mount Sion with Christ.

Sincerely,

De Maria