"A Catholic Spring"

[auhsoj88]

I once heard an apologist qoute the late Pope JP II by saying (to paraphrase) the “Church is longing for a spring time where the youth will flourish and revive the Church”!

I believe this 1000%! Why? Becuase 2 years ago I would have to admit I was a poorly catechized catholic (no one’s fault but mine). I could not defend the church on doctrine if my life depended on it!

Now, I have learned so much through this forum, and buying books like its going out of style, listening to CA almost everyday. I mean I am really revived in my faith! Now I can defend my faith much much better then before and also ask some questions of my own!

I look around and see a lot of Catholics of all ages learning apologetics of the faith. For example I saw a young guy at my parish he had a t-shirt, and on the front, it read “Call no man father, but” ( a big “BUT”) and on the reverse side it had “Pual said he became our father in Christ” followed by many verses supporting calling our spiritual fathers “fathers”. I thought was so great!

I mean, look at these boards they are full of Catholics responding to the Pope and to the faith. I think its great. I always say the worst thing for our Protestant brethren is an informed Catholic! No pun intended!

What have you guys noticed! Thoughts please…

God bless!

 

[new_man]

I was - am - also a person with little real knowledge of the Faith and I feel that there will be a Springtime. I hope and believe that when the hysteria about the death of our late holy Father fades there will still be a grace remaining whereby a great life inspires a response to the Truth. I think that will happen for a lot of people.

 

[slinky1882]

I also must agree as I followed a progressions and grew as a family in the Catholic Faith. Many more of my peers know about the Church, but we have a long way to go. I thought at the time Cardinal Ratzinger’s reponse in his interview with Raymond Arroyo was insightful on his thoughts on the “Springtime of Evangelization” :

Raymond: … in such a powerful way, when they interact. Talk for a moment about the New Springtime. The Pope has talked a great deal about the New Springtime and you, yourself have laid out your own ideas. Your vision is a little different from some. Some see the numbers growing and everybody believing and dancing hand-in-hand (the Cardinal chuckles) into the millennium. You see a different picture. Tell us what that picture involves. How do you see this Springtime evolving?

Cardinal: As I do not exclude even this dancing hand-in-hand, but this is only one moment. And my idea is that really the springtime of the Church will not say that we will have in a near time buses of conversions, that all peoples of the world will be converted to Catholicism. This is not the way of God. The essential things in history begin always with the small, more convinced communities. So, the Church begins with the 12 Apostles. And even the Church of St. Paul diffused in the Mediterranean are little communities, but this community in itself is the future of the world, because we have the truth and the force of conviction. So, I think also today it should be an error to think now or in 10 years with the new springtime, all people will be Catholic. This is not our future, nor our expectation. But we will have really convinced communities with élan of the faith, no? This is springtime — a new life in very convinced persons with joy of the faith.

Raymond: But, smaller numbers? In the macro?

Cardinal: Smaller numbers, I think. But from these small numbers we will have a radiation of joy in the world. And so, it’s an attraction, as it was in the old Church. Even when Constantine made Christianity the public religion, there were a small number of percentage at this time; but it was clear, this is the future. So we can live in the future, just give us a way in a different future. And so, I would say, if we have young people really with the joy of the faith and this radiation of this joy of the faith, this will show to the world, “Even if I cannot share it, even if I cannot convert it at this moment, here is the way to live for tomorrow.”

For more on this excellent interview and Pope Benedict’s thoughts on the Springtime see ewtn.com/library/ISSUES/RATZINTV.HTM

Thanks and God Bless.

 

[stargazer257]

auhsoj88:

…Becuase 2 years ago I would have to admit I was a poorly catechized catholic (no one’s fault but mine). I could not defend the church on doctrine if my life depended on it!

Now, I have learned so much through this forum, and buying books like its going out of style, listening to CA almost everyday. I mean I am really revived in my faith! Now I can defend my faith much much better then before and also ask some questions of my own!

auhsoj88,

This is so similar to my story as well. Two years ago I couldn’t have recited the entire “Hail Mary,” much less even know that the “Glory Be” was a prayer at all.

God Bless and we’ll keep learning the faith, defending the faith, and living the faith together!

SG257

 

[David_Paul]

auhsoj88:

I think its great. I always say the worst thing for our Protestant brethren is an informed Catholic! No pun intended! What have you guys noticed! Thoughts please…God bless!

Informed Catholics are good for everyone! Some of us Prots (not enough) have watched in stunned disbelief for decades as states with the highest percentage of Catholics (RI, MA, CT, NY, NJ) have been in the vanguard of states embracing the culture of death.

A lot of that was simply Catholics following the WASP elites. Great to see so many now standing up and saying “No!”. The northeastern Protestant churches are incapable, apparently, of addressing the problem in a substantial way. If the social pathologies there are reduced in virulence, Catholics will be the ones who do it.

And won’t that be ironic? Yankee puritan reformers reformed by papists.