Becoming a christian

  • Thread starter Thread starter EasterRabbit
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
E

EasterRabbit

Guest
Well, I am a Jew, 16.5 in age. I live is Isreal. I wish to convert to the catholic religon.
1-Where should I go?
2-How will I “take” me mother with me?
3-How will I know I am saved?
I have nothing to lose from asking this. I have seed that the hunger of a soul proves the existence of spiritual “food”, just like a hunger strike proves the existence of food.
 
EasterRabbit said:
Well, I am a Jew, 16.5 in age. I live is Isreal. I wish to convert to the catholic religon.
1-Where should I go?
2-How will I “take” me mother with me?
3-How will I know I am saved?
I have nothing to lose from asking this. I have seed that the hunger of a soul proves the existence of spiritual “food”, just like a hunger strike proves the existence of food.
Click to expand...
I would start by going to www.Ariel.org. This is a messianic Jewish/Christian web site under the ministry of a Jewish believer in the Jewish Messiah Jesus. This site shows how your Jewish roots dovetail with Christianity!

Link to many Jewish/Christian congregations in Israel.
blessisrael.com/Kehilot.html
 
First talk to your parents, do not proceed until you are an independent adult or have their consent. Second visit the local Catholic Church office, to enroll in the RCIA* class. The rest will be learned and performed in the RCIA class. The class will usually meet once or twice per week for 35 weeks or so. Their is no charges of any kind

*RCIA Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults
 
EasterRabbit said:
Well, I am a Jew, 16.5 in age. I live is Isreal. I wish to convert to the catholic religon.
1-Where should I go?
2-How will I “take” me mother with me?
3-How will I know I am saved?
I have nothing to lose from asking this. I have seed that the hunger of a soul proves the existence of spiritual “food”, just like a hunger strike proves the existence of food.
Click to expand...
First, if you wish to become** Catholic** do not go to the organizations posted by others on here as “Messianic Jewish” organizations. Those are NOT Catholic. They are fundamentalist Protestants.

The way to become Catholic is to look up your local Catholic church in the phone book, call them, and make an appointment with the priets to talk to him. There are programs just for converts to help teach them about Catholicism and prepare them for Baptism.

Call your local Catholic Church.
 
EasterRabbit said:
Well, I am a Jew, 16.5 in age. I live is Isreal. I wish to convert to the catholic religon.
1-Where should I go?
2-How will I “take” me mother with me?
3-How will I know I am saved?
I have nothing to lose from asking this. I have seed that the hunger of a soul proves the existence of spiritual “food”, just like a hunger strike proves the existence of food.
Click to expand...
Why would you want to become Catholic?

(Edited by Moderator)
 
kaycee said:
Why would you want to become Catholic?
Click to expand...
Thanks for asking! :tiphat:

He would want to be Catholic because:

A. It is the Church that Christ himself established 2000 years ago. All others are off-shoots and do-it-yourself creations of men.

B. As such, it contains the fulness of truth as revealed by God – not the vain opinions of men based on their own non-authoritive interpretations of the Bible – in their case, a Bible that was borrowed from the Church, after removing 7 books and parts of others.

C. It is the only place he can revieve the Eucharist, the very Body and Blood of Christ which he promised at the Last Supper and John 6.
Catholic’s can never know for sure if they are saved. The bible tells how to know we are saved.
Click to expand...
A *misreading *of the Bible would seem to tell some people how they are saved. But the Catholic Church, based on the Bible and teachings passed on by Jesus himself through his Church through the ages has always had the real answer:
  1. Repent and be baptised (John 3:5; Acts 2:37-39).
  2. Believe in the Lord Lord Jesus and follow his teachings as found in the Church (including the Bible) – (John 3:16, 36; Acts 2:42)
    3: Recieve the Eucharist and the other Sacraments found only in the Catholic Church (John 6:48-56; John 20:21-22)
Watch this great video…It is entitled :what happends to you when you die?"…
Click to expand...
Why would you want to watch an advertisement for a bicycle when you can have a Cadillac? 😃
 
Fidelis said:
  1. Repent and be baptised (John 3:5; Acts 2:37-39).
  2. Believe in the Lord Lord Jesus and follow his teachings as found in the Church (including the Bible) – (John 3:16, 36; Acts 2:42)
    3: Recieve the Eucharist and the other Sacraments found only in the Catholic Church (John 6:48-56; John 20:21-22)
Why would you want to watch an advertisement for a bicycle when you can have a Cadillac? 😃
Click to expand...
Why would you insert and confuse the requirements of salvation by adding a new set of rules that include beliefs not found within the church for the first Thousand years?

The simplicity of the Gospel is
Repent (turn away from sin)
Believe (in the substitutionary attonement provided by the spotless Lamb of God, Jesus who paid the price for Sin).

Why would mandatory belief in Mary’s assumption be required for salvation along with the countless late teachings of the Roman church?
 
The area you live in is a very blessed area with a lot of unique qualities and traditions. There are several major Catholic traditions in Israel. As I understand it many of the Catholic parishes in the area are arabic in culture with a growing number of parishes that are mostly Jewish converts. From what seperates these is mostly the language. On top of that I have heard there are many Fransicans in the area who are ususally faithful holy men who give their lives to God. I have heard some of the pastors of the recent Hebrew culture churches arn’t the most orthodox, so I would look for a good Fransiscan to ask for advice.

However Israel, in particular Jeruselem is where Christ defeated Satan, and as the enemy is in his last throws, his last stand so to speak he tries extra hard to sew division and strife there.
  1. Where should I go?
    Open up a phone book and look for a Catholic church. Go in, look around, pray. (In the US churches are ususally unlocked, there I don’t know about violence and vandalism though.) Pray if that is where God wants you to be. He will answer you. Contact the pastor and tell him you would like to convert.
  2. How can I “take” my mother with me?
    Only God can call her. Pray for her and love her, that is all you can do.
  3. How will I know I am saved?
    What do you mean by saved? By baptism God cleanses man of all sin, not just by a surface level ignoring something, but by radically changing, washing, configuring man’s soul to him.
I’m sorry for the long post. I’ll pray for you.
 
EasterRabbit said:
Well, I am a Jew, 16.5 in age. I live is Isreal. I wish to convert to the catholic religon.
1-Where should I go?
2-How will I “take” me mother with me?
3-How will I know I am saved?
I have nothing to lose from asking this. I have seed that the hunger of a soul proves the existence of spiritual “food”, just like a hunger strike proves the existence of food.
Click to expand...
  1. I am ignorant of the situation in Israel and do not know if there is a Catholic Church you could visit in person with relative safety? If there is, I would go and talk to a priest in person. (EDIT: Ah, I see someone more knowledgable about your specific area posted while I wrote this and conducted my search. Good:) )
If not, there are some online resources. I have to agree with the person who cautioned against the Jews for Jesus and such sites. They may be good Christian organizations, but they are Protestant and if you seek to be a Catholic Christian, this is not where you wish to go.

I did find this article on CA Home site.

Salvation is from the Jews by By Rosalind Moss with Roy Schoeman. Roy Schoeman has written a book on his walk to Christ, which he doesn’t call a conversion because,
From above link
If Jesus is who he said he was—the only-begotten Son of God, God himself come as man to bring salvation to all mankind, the long-awaited and long-prayed for Jewish Messiah—then it is not a matter of conversion at all. If I was a Jew before, hoping and praying for the coming of the Messiah, then aren’t I even more a Jew now that I’m worshiping and adoring that very same Messiah? I simply went from being a Jew who was “in the dark” to a Jew who knows the truth! How could a Jew become any less Jewish by recognizing and falling in love with the Jewish Messiah, the very purpose and heart of Judaism?
Click to expand...
One can see the beautiful roots of the Catholic Church in Jewish ceremony. The last supper, was a passover meal. You probably will be able to see more clearly than many Christians the beautiful symetry of the last supper. Scott Hahn, a former Protestant minister, wrote a great book called The Lamb’s Supper. In it he talks about the “fourth cup” of the passover meal. Good book if you have a chance to read it, although if you have to do this online or through books, you may wish to start with people like Roy Schoeman since he may speak more directly to your heart.
  1. I am sorry, I am not sure what you mean by this?
  2. How will you know you are saved?
There is a good article here. It does use New Testament so I do not know how helpful you will find it or how open your heart is to hearing it. I know it appears as if you are ready, but God works on our hearts in His timing, not ours:)
From CA Library Assurance of Salvation?

“Are you saved?” asks the Fundamentalist. The Catholic should reply: “As the Bible says, I am already saved (Rom. 8:24, Eph. 2:5–8), but I’m also being saved (1 Cor. 1:8, 2 Cor. 2:15, Phil. 2:12), and I have the hope that I *will be *saved (Rom. 5:9–10, 1 Cor. 3:12–15). Like the apostle Paul I am working out my salvation in fear and trembling (Phil. 2:12), with hopeful confidence in the promises of Christ (Rom. 5:2, 2 Tim. 2:11–13).”
Click to expand...
I also did a quick search and found this website by Roy Schoeman, Salvation is from the Jews. It has some audio testimonies from Jewish Catholics. It also had a link to Jewish Catholic sites.

Jewish-Catholic Sites and Organizations This link will take you to a page with other links.

like:

Association of Hebrew Catholics

Remanent of Israel
 
Hello and Welcome.

Here’s a great resource for you. It is from a site called Salvation is from the Jews. On this site, you will find testimonial from other Jewish converts on their journey of Faith towards Christ and His Church.

Go to:
salvationisfromthejews.com/audioconverts.html

Perhaps you have already observed this in your time here at Catholic Answers, but we are an open forum which is hospitable to those of all faiths and denominations. You have and will, no doubt, receive advice and information which may seem conflicting. You need not be confused, however, the Catholic Church teachings are quite transparent and you can easily access reliable information on the Catholic Answers website.

Having said that, your questions seem honest and seeking. Your journey to find the answers will prove fruitful if you continue in a spirit of openness and purpose.

Christ loves you. He wants you to come to know Him and love Him.

Your questions:
  1. Where to go? Find a Catholic priest. He can serve you in giving you additional direction as you seek to fill your hunger. If you do not have one nearby or accessbile where you are, you may contact Fr. Vincent Serpa here at Catholic Answers.
  2. “Taking” your mother with you? Like the Jewish faith, the Church is very much a covenantal family. This is our loving Father’s Divine plan for His children–to make us one Body, one family. Your desire to bring your mother into this fold is loving and natural. However, our Lord desires that we would desire Him. As your mother’s child, your best mode of bringing your mother into the Church with you is to become the best child of God you can be. Your openness to God’s movement in your life will become the best invitation for your mother.
  3. You will know you are saved as you continually respond to God’s grace and experience conversion towards Jesus Christ, who lived, died, and rose again that you might follow Him into eternal life. Please disregard the advice of non-Catholics who tell you what Catholics believe. It would be like you asking a Palestinian what the motives of the nation of Israel are. Your answers will vary and will be biased. To find out more about the Catholic Church, read the Catechism, read Church documents, continue to ask questions, do not ignore the hunger, seek the Lord whereever He is.
God Bless you and here is some Scripture for you on this day:
For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.
Click to expand...
Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him. And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us. 1 John 3:20-24
Click to expand...
 
The beautiful simplicity of the Christian Gospel can be likened to fundamentals of the Jewish faith. As Christians, we are meant to know God, to love him, to serve him and look forward to life eternal with Him. As Catholics, we look to the whole message of Jesus Christ as we hope in His mercy and promise of salvation.

Our Messiah, Jesus Christ, is quite clear that we must not only repent and believe, but also we must take up our cross and follow him.
Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. Luke 9:23
Click to expand...
Anyone who seeks him must not only believe in Him, but also believe Him. We must believe his words of eternal life when he instructs us to obey him in love and charity.

Faithful obedience is the mark of the Christian, as St. Paul instructs:
Through him we have been favored with apostleship, that we may spread his name and bring to obedient faith all the Gentiles, among whom are you who have been called to beong to Jesus Christ. Romans 1:5
Click to expand...
God Bless!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top