Advice for a new Catholic?

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Shelby18Cho

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Hello,
I’m joining the Church soon. Does anyone have any advice they would like to share? Any good books? I am open to making new friends also.
 
Shelby18Cho said:
Hello,
I’m joining the Church soon. Does anyone have any advice they would like to share? Any good books? I am open to making new friends also.
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Welcome to the Church! 🙂
I would advise start praying the rosary and st. Michael prayer and have a devotion to The Virgin Mary and St. Joseph. I would recommend for you to read The Imitation of Christ and The Practice of the Presence of God
 
Pray every day.

Never turn down an opportunity to receive communion. If you must turn down Our Lord because of sin, be certain that all of the components of mortal sin are there. Don’t let scruples keep you away from that Food that heals and strengthens you, Our Lord longs to be with you in the Blessed Sacrament.

Divine Mercy is infinite but not unconditional. Avail yourself of His mercy once a month or more.

For your first year, choose one good and holy priest and confess to him only. I see problems with scruples in neophytes more than any other population.

Welcome home!
 
Shelby18Cho said:
Hello,
I’m joining the Church soon. Does anyone have any advice they would like to share? Any good books? I am open to making new friends also.
Click to expand...
Welcome home!

Although the title sounds a bit hoaky, I recommend “Catholicism for Dummies”. It’s written by 2 Catholic priests (I believe) and is quite extensive without being too heavy Theologically. I have a copy myself and have marked it up several times over to remind myself of key Catholic concepts I sometimes take for granted or even mis-state because I’ve forgotten.

On the topic of making new friends, just be open and flexible. The Catholic church is made up of members from all over the world and at different stages of their faith journey. Take your time and savor the experiences and friendships you’ll make.

God Bless you! 👍
 
Welcome!!! Are you joining RCIA or going through some kind of program over the summer? I wasn’t sure how soon?

Catholicism for Dummies is a good recommendation. Also Imitation of Christ. Can you watch EWTN by any chance?

A book about saints might also be good. It is always good to start learning about the saints and doctors of the Church.

Scott Hahn is a good author. I just read The Lamb’s Supper.
 
I joined as well several years ago books that helped me were " why do Catholics do that" and Catholicism for dummies some good sites are fish eaters.com our lady of the rosary library, also I suggest getting invested in the scapular and try to set aside 10 minutes a day for the rosary. Also try to get acquainted with the saints st Therese is quite fascinating welcome home!
 
Welcome Home. 😃

My advice as a 3yo Catholic. Take it easy. There is a LOT of history to learn, 2000 years is a long time. One bite at a time. I went overboard reading theology books I had no business reading.

Pope Benedict’s Jesus of Nazareth books were surprisingly easy for me to digest and understand considering the intellectual giant he is.
 
Develop the interior life of prayer and penance.
Have a devoted relationship with God, his Mother, and the things of heaven.
Conquer your self and rely on God.
Become an active apostle in parish life, prayer groups, and Catholic organizations.
Promote Marian consecration, generous giving to Catholic apostolates, and work with youth ministry.
Visit the sick and homebound.
Work with the homeless.
Pro-life activity.
Offer up your suffering for the good of others.
By example and good works express the love of Christ to the world.
 
cena said:
Stay away from fish eaters,com and our lady of the rosary.com in terms of things like the Novus Ordo mass.
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Definitely stay far, far away from NO/TLM debates and debates about Vatican 2!!! Don’t even think about all that, it is a trap leading to a bad situation.

When you encounter people who are doing bad things, be nice to them *and pray for them. *

Whenever you start to worry, take it as a sign to pray.

Sometimes thoughts and states of mind can be temptations. Keep your imagination filled only with good things, and pray for help when your mind seems to keep turning to any thoughts or attitudes which seem to you to be unhealthy or discomforting.

And do not neglect God in your prayer–meditate on Him: His qualities, His life here, as well.
 
Googler said:
Develop the interior life of prayer and penance.
Have a devoted relationship with God, his Mother, and the things of heaven.
Conquer your self and rely on God.
Become an active apostle in parish life, prayer groups, and Catholic organizations.
Promote Marian consecration, generous giving to Catholic apostolates, and work with youth ministry.
Visit the sick and homebound.
Work with the homeless.
Pro-life activity.
Offer up your suffering for the good of others.
By example and good works express the love of Christ to the world.
Click to expand...
👍 and remember not to neglect the saints that have come before you, read about them.
 
Shelby18Cho said:
Hello,
I’m joining the Church soon. Does anyone have any advice they would like to share? Any good books? I am open to making new friends also.
Click to expand...
The Ordinary Path to Holiness by R.Thomas Richard, PhD

A book containing the solid fundamental principles of the spiritual life in an easy to read form. If I had only one book to keep the rest of my life…this is it.

For a new catholic, I would say enjoy the consolations of love and joy that God sends you now. Later he will withdraw them and just be ready so it doesn’t take you by surprise and then you might think something is wrong.

Set up some form of prayer life and stay with it faithfully every day. Do not let feelings get in the way of your prayers. So many times prayers are dropped because the results don’t seem apparent to us. The real result is that we will be faithful to God and prayers accomplish this, for we must ask for what we need. If prayers are stopped, then this is the same as saying we don’t need God’s help…big mistake. Always pray, every day.

May God bless and keep you. May God’s face shine on you. May God be kind to you and give you peace.
 
Admonition on Prayer - Fr. Evagrius - he encouraged the monks of his community to start from where they are, stretch themselves gently rather than race ahead.
 
cena said:
Does the third link contain material that has been approved?
I am not sure if this is the same book but the “pieta book” was condemned
ewtn.com/vexperts/showmessage.asp?number=438199
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Clear as mud. It seems the EWTN link is condemning a different booklet, not the Pieta.

The link you provide says:

Here is the text condemning the booklet: A Monitum from the Holy Office: In certain places a booklet has appeared with the title “The Secret of Happiness: Fifteen Prayers Revealed by Our Lord to Saint Brigid in the Church of Saint Paul in Rome,” published in various languages at Nice (and elsewhere).

Since it is asserted in this booklet that certain promises were made by God to Saint Brigid, and it is by no means certain that these promises were of supernatural origin, Ordinaries of places [bishops of dioceses] must avoid giving permission to publish or to reprint works or writings which contain the aforesaid promises.

Given at Rome, from the Holy Office, 28 January, 1954

(Acta Apostolicae Sedis 46-64, as contained in Canon Law Digest, Vol. IV, p. 389, Milwaukee: Bruce Publishing Company, 1958)

Anything published in the Acta Apostolicae Sedis is official and binding.

Here is what the online pieta booklet says:

These prayers were revealed by Our Lord to Saint Bridget in the Church of St. Paul at Rome, and are published under sanction of the Decree of November 18, 1966, published in the Acta of Apostolicae Sedis, Vol. 58, No. 16 of December 29, 1966.

The prayers have been approved by Pope Pius IX, and Pope Benedict XV expressed himself as follows on the Revelations of St. Bridget:

“The approbation of such revelations implies nothing more than, after mature examination, it is permissible to publish them for the unit of the faithful. Though they don’t merit the same credence as the truths of religion, one can, however, believe them out of human faith, conforming to the rules of prudence by which they are probable, and supported by sufficient motives that one might believe in them piously.”
(Les Petits Bollandistes, tome XII)
 
Casilda said:
Clear as mud. It seems the EWTN link is condemning a different booklet, not the Pieta.

The link you provide says:

Here is the text condemning the booklet: A Monitum from the Holy Office: In certain places a booklet has appeared with the title “The Secret of Happiness: Fifteen Prayers Revealed by Our Lord to Saint Brigid in the Church of Saint Paul in Rome,” published in various languages at Nice (and elsewhere).

Since it is asserted in this booklet that certain promises were made by God to Saint Brigid, and it is by no means certain that these promises were of supernatural origin, Ordinaries of places [bishops of dioceses] must avoid giving permission to publish or to reprint works or writings which contain the aforesaid promises.

Given at Rome, from the Holy Office, 28 January, 1954

(Acta Apostolicae Sedis 46-64, as contained in Canon Law Digest, Vol. IV, p. 389, Milwaukee: Bruce Publishing Company, 1958)

Anything published in the Acta Apostolicae Sedis is official and binding.

Here is what the online pieta booklet says:

These prayers were revealed by Our Lord to Saint Bridget in the Church of St. Paul at Rome, and are published under sanction of the Decree of November 18, 1966, published in the Acta of Apostolicae Sedis, Vol. 58, No. 16 of December 29, 1966.

The prayers have been approved by Pope Pius IX, and Pope Benedict XV expressed himself as follows on the Revelations of St. Bridget:

“The approbation of such revelations implies nothing more than, after mature examination, it is permissible to publish them for the unit of the faithful. Though they don’t merit the same credence as the truths of religion, one can, however, believe them out of human faith, conforming to the rules of prudence by which they are probable, and supported by sufficient motives that one might believe in them piously.”
(Les Petits Bollandistes, tome XII)
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I was not sure if it was the same booklet since the person asking the question said “pieta booklet” and the person said “this booklet”
 
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