Being a catholic in these troubled times

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martyfrancis

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I am a cradle catholic. Although I have been a catholic all my life, I was blessed to have a spiritual encounter with God just before I graduated from college thus propelling me to develop and cultivate a deeper and more meaningful relationship with Him and explore and enrich my faith further. I used to think all denominations in Christianity thought the same thing and I wasn’t too bothered that I didn’t have a catholic bible with me. In my early 20s, I joined a catholic young adults group that allowed me to understand the faith even more and I was amazed at the richness and soundness of our church teachings and the “richness” of the deposit of faith. Thanks to the teachings of TOBs, Scott Hahn, Tim Staples and all the amazing guys at CA, I was convinced Catholicism was the one true faith. My zeal for the faith lead me to lead the youth ministry in my parish for a number of years and oversaw the faith formation of young adults and college students who joined our parish youth ministry.

Then the time came for me to get married and I married a beautiful catholic woman who was also passionate about the faith. I stepped down from active ministry and took on a new ministry - putting into practice everything I had learned about my faith in the actual living experience through my marriage. We were blessed with a baby boy soon after.

As a married man, husband and father now, I am finding far more challenging than ever before to live my faith. Not that I don’t know the tenets and teachings of my faith, but the noise is growing ever more loud than 10 years ago I feel. On one hand yes I do know my faith, everything I have learned, on the other hand, the recent church’s scandals and weak leadership has made it harder to discern what’s right or wrong, it has made it harder to reinforce my faith “upon the rock” which we all know has gone wayward.

It also doesn’t help that there’s this visible rise of traditionalist catholicism which is pretty much anti-Vatican in everything which makes me wonder whether they are practicing elitism to some degree - it makes me question their brand of faith (I am referring to folks like Taylor Marshall, Tim Gordon, Pat Coffin, etc.). I feel by mixing sound theology with a subtle haughtiness, it’s tainting the Catholicism that I know and love.

I guess I am just holding on to those beliefs that I have always held dear and was formed with and watching on the sides as this mess unfolds in our church. Ultimately my faith rests in Jesus, and not Pope Francis or Taylor Marshall. That doesn’t mean I don’t pray the pope’s monthly intention or question the legitimacy of the Holy Eucharist and the healing power of reconciliation just because of a bad few priests (I have had priests dispensing rubbish advice during my confession on the issue of chastity) because ultimately its still Jesus in the eucharist, its still God who forgives, despite how shitty the priest can be.

Anyway just thought I share this with all of you. God bless and keep the faith 🙂
 
Not always been great at practicing, but, for 10 years as a Catholic, I have missed three Sunday Masses and none of them were for spurious purposes. ,(Two were because I was sick, another was because I was in a mental hospital). I go to Mass every week because I do something I think many people don’t: I believe
 
Despite what the media wants you to think, you’re not the lone crackpot who believes in Jesus and follows the Catholic Church.
 
Your faith story, and mine, sound quite similar, except I am now retired.

My Diocese is currently being ripped to shreds by the scandal. Also, I have had some priests who were rigid, going through the motions, or distant, and others who were friendly heretics.

But keep separate the Catholic Faith, which is as perfect as humanly possible, from the Catholic Church, which is a mix (to put it mildly). Because of the Catholic Faith, I always trust the teaching of the current Magisterium. Because of the Faith, I support the current, visible Church, rather than some virtual, theoretical model, whether it be Sola Traditio, Call to Action, or some Pentecostal group my cousin joined, or whatever.

Catholic term: The Church (means or channel of Grace, and guidance) is always equally holy.

Protestant term: The Church (individuals) varies in holiness from time to time and from place to place.

Keep in mind the distinction.
 
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First and foremost, MartyFrancis, welcome to the CAF!
At times, we all go through what you speak of.
But it is important to remember that we are here on this earth for two reasons:
  1. To give praise and glory to God in all that we say and do.
  2. To love and serve one another as brothers and sisters.
    I try not to get caught up in the politics of the Church. It disturbs me that some people in the Church seem to have their own agenda, not necessarily what is best for the Church.
    All I can say is that we should pray for the Church and pray for each other. 🙏🙏🙏
    Hang in there. We shall endure, overcome, and rise above. Thanks be to God. ✌️💪👏✝️
 
I’m in the Church because Jesus is here in the Real Presence and because this is God’s One True Holy and Apostolic Church. I’m not concerned with what clergy, Taylor Marshall, or traditionalists are doing.

I am confident that the Church in USA is taking appropriate steps to protect children and deal with bad acts and crimes committed by clergy (including financial misappropriation, illegal drugs and other non-sexual bad acts). Unfortunately, people including clergy sin, and people including clergy sometimes make mistakes in handling it. We should all just keep doing the best we can.
 
Psalms 136 vs 1
“Praise the Lord for He is good; For His mercy endures forever;”

The Catholic Church has always had its struggles, but the Lord has been steadfast in His love and teachings. Keep focused on our Lord Jesus Christ.
 
@martyfrancis

Welcome to CAF! Just stick to the basics and keep your eyes upon the prize, everlasting life in heaven. With your varied experience with parishes, you know the drill. We need the teachings of the Church and frequent reception of absolution and the Eucharist, but devotions to Our Lady and Adoration can bring you untold strength, helping you to keep your life on track.

Your greatest joy in life will be your children. You can only guide, not control, and you need the depth and fullness of the Church to help you do that. Impart as much as you can before they reach the age when they want to be with friends or go to sleepovers. Doubts begin to seep in around that age and free will allows them to take a path that breaks your heart. Your examples of how you live your faith don’t go unnoticed; kids pick up on everything, so your work is cut out for you! Enjoy!

I’ll offer a Hail Mary for you on our Perpetual Rosary thread. Peace be to you!
 
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Tune out the noise. Turn off media and the news. Focus on loving and raising your family, on prayer, on thanksgiving, on charitable works. Stay close to the Eucharist, the Rosary, Confession, Adoration. If you do these things consistently, day in and day out, you will stay close to Jesus. What we’ve forgotten is that Catholicism is a battle and that we must put on the armor of God to withstand all that is trying to pull us away from Him.
 
martyfrancis said:
faith (I am referring to folks like Taylor Marshall, Tim Gordon, Pat Coffin, etc.). I feel by mixing sound theology with a subtle haughtiness, it’s tainting the Catholicism that I know and love.
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Such people do more harm than good, spreading what they seem to think is an apostolate to somehow “ save the Church” but in fact is an industry of gossip which turns into mistrust and slander.
in truth, the pope is simply echoing the gospel, but after being filtered through the talking heads in the Catholic blogosphere, the Holy Father ends up sounding like a heretic. Examples of this are when pope Francis said “who am I to judge” regarding men with homosexual inclinations, or when he condemned proselytizing as opposed to evangelizing. The pope is right, though the spin doctors paint a different picture…
 
You are not alone. Be grateful you have support. Many Catholics do not.
 
If possible time wise for you, I would recommend picking through recent and historical catechisms. They will provide insights into the teachings of the church, now and then, that need to be remembered. I particularly like the Catechism of the Council of Trent as it is much smaller and easier to get through than the more recent catechisms.
 
We really don’t need “support” and should not rely on “support” from others to stay strong in our faith. There may come a time when we are all alone and we’ll still be expected to be strong in our faith. We must learn to rely on Jesus, and we can also ask Mary and the saints for help and support. That is truly all we need.
 
Listen not to the politicians. Those folks can depress just about anyone, even each other.
 
martyfrancis said:
Ultimately my faith rests in Jesus, and not Pope Francis or Taylor Marshall.
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Thats what matters most. This is Gods Church - He will look after it. Our Church has come through much worse times and “the gates of hell will not prevail”. He only gave us 2 commands - Love God and Love neighbour. I just leave the rest to Him who is all powerful. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and rest assured many of us also watch the machinations of this world - but we belong to a Church triumphant.
 
Try and take a breath, step back and gain some perspective…

We think it is rough now, but at least were not being set on fire to illuminate the colosseum while being thrown to the lions for entertainment…

And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Just remember, we were never promised a rose garden…we are aliens and strangers…

But oh man, what Christ has in store for us should set your soul afire!!! 😃😃
 
Find a way to spend time with God every day, even if it just admiring the beauty of His creation for a few moments. And pray. Pray together, if possible, but pray every day. It is the midst of the noise that we need to be near God.

God bless.

Deacon David
 
Wow. How in the world did you decide from my post that I was “burying my head in the sand” and thus unaware of the priest abuse scandals when I suggested tuning out media? Being a bit obtuse and judgmental, huh?
 
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