About to accept Catholicism - realizing a big stumbling block

[Goya]

After realizing my beloved Baptist church is not “The Church”, I have been working on things a lot. (BTW - I still Love the people at that church - the Catholic Church could use a lot of what they have!)

While listening to Peter Kreeft’s conversion story, and a lot of my own study, I am starting to see my biggest objection - many that attend and administrate in our local Catholic Church are not very Catholic!

The funny thing is - on some issues I think I can find more protestants that agree with Catholic teaching than Catholics that I know. I have to study the doctrine, not the local practice.

I’ll probably be back to pester you all more, just wanting to share an AH-HA moment.

Have a wonderful day all and God Bless!

Marc

My ultimate, perpetual paradox/conundrum!

I married a Protestant, and I have always had many friends who are Protestant.

How can there be so many wonderful ppl. who are Protestant–i.e.–Christians who seem to reject the Church that Christ founded? (Not to say there aren’t wonderful Catholics, or even that I prefer pros to cat’s, mind you…).

Meeting and marrying my wife prompted me to question, look under the hood, etc.–which served only to confirm me that much more strongly in my faith, and in the Catholic Church as being the proper heir of the Faith, and being the actual Church that Christ founded–but it has also served to exaggerate the paradox.

…still so many wonderful Protestants out there…

Don’t ever lose that love and charity for your fellow man, no matter what your differences of Faith.

I simply yield to the Lord above, to ‘solve’ or reconcile the paradox.

…just another grand mystery of the Faith, I guess…

In the meantime, I just go on doing the best I can to honor the Lord (and His Church), and to rear my [Catholic] children to do the same.

fwiw.

 

[Goya]

This got me thinking. Catholic worship has traditionally been about silent, peaceful reverence during the mass/divine liturgy. This tradition creates a more reserved, “colder” assembly (I say colder, but in some respects that might be looking at it through the wrong lens). Catholics have been taught as a norm from the time they were children to be quiet and attentive at mass for 1,500 to 2,000 years. That said, I’ve seen people warm up a lot at functions outside of mass.

Perhaps.

…but I went to a Protestant (Baptist) worship service on Christmas Eve.

Great music.

Not the warmest of receptions for me and my family.

Next day, at Christmas MASS (<–note: Christ’s Mass)–the ppl. were naturally warm and welcoming.

Anecdotal no doubt, and it works both ways–but the bottom line is that ‘warmth’ is a function of the ppl. who attend the Mass/service, more than the structure of the Mass/service itself, or what is done at such, to honor the Lord.

So let us never forget–WE are THE CHURCH.

That is, us, individually and collectively (not the abstract thing we think of when we think ‘the Catholic Church’; not the buildings, not the hierarchy, not the teachings… not the Pope, not the Bishops–that is, not by themselves, alone, apart from us. That’s just a cop out, to put the responsibility on them–the clergy).

It’s on US. Always has been, always will be.

Which is not at all to say that Tradition, hierarchy, doctrine, order, decorum, clergy, etc., aren’t properly integral parts of the Faith, or the Church–just that ultimately, WE–the ppl. who comprise the Body of Christ–are THE Church; we comprise it, we keep it alive–we nurture Her, as much as She nurtures us…

A great deal of responsibility indeed…but it also represents a great honor, and blessing–a call to glorify Him.

 

[Casilda]

…still so many wonderful Protestants out there…

fwiw.

Yes! I pray for my Protestant friends, they would make great Catholics! My Protestant husband converted to Eastern Catholicism.

 

[Markie_Boy]

What is the difference between Easter Catholicism and Roman Catholicism?

 

[Church_Militant]

What is the difference between Easter Catholicism and Roman Catholicism?

Very little though their Mass is sometimes in a different language. Their liturgical calendar is a little different too I think. You can always have a look in Eastern Catholicism but I would also point out that there aren’t a lot of them around in the US.

 

[Lenten_ashes]

What is the difference between Easter Catholicism and Roman Catholicism?

Someone told me it is basically Eastern Orthodoxy with a Pope.

Ever been to a Greek Orthodox church? A lot of icons, lots of standing and chanting. I think they even have a few more books in their canon as well.

I do have to say that in my interaction with the Greek Orthodox, they were very warm and friendly.