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Sideshow
Guest
Its easy to be catholic
There are 3 rules
There are 3 rules
- Go to church on Sunday
- And go to confession .
- Be nice
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Sword_of_Fire
Guest
Be “nice” is a vague description at best and is usually tied in with the social justice warrior agenda. Nowhere does the Cathechism or infallible councils use the term “nice”. It’s usually a way to silence people about defending the Catholic Church against religious indifferentism.
No to number 3.
We are called to practice charity, not niceness.
Often, charity requires us to be firm, or even harsh. It might even require you to dump friends and even family in extreme situations.
Tis_Bearself
Patron
All of these things can be very challenging, and #3 is open to a very wide field of interpretation.
If you find these things easy then you are blessed and you should be praying to God thanking Him for making these things easier for you and also praying that He preserves you from difficulties as much as possible and gives you strength and confidence to cope when difficulties do arise.
Your post reminds me of a Protestant who told me many years ago he thought Catholicism was really cool because if you committed a sin you could just go to Confession and get rid of it so you had “no guilt”. I told him he clearly did not have a clue about Catholic guilt.
If you find these things easy then you are blessed and you should be praying to God thanking Him for making these things easier for you and also praying that He preserves you from difficulties as much as possible and gives you strength and confidence to cope when difficulties do arise.
Your post reminds me of a Protestant who told me many years ago he thought Catholicism was really cool because if you committed a sin you could just go to Confession and get rid of it so you had “no guilt”. I told him he clearly did not have a clue about Catholic guilt.
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Whalljim
Guest
I was just thinking of three things I could tell my college age niece that would help her as she moves on with live. I boiled it down to this:
Adoration
Confession
Eucharist
If you approach all of those honestly, and with the respect and humility they deserve, I think they will constantly draw you back to a healthy relationship with Christ; you’ll find yourself praying more, maybe fasting, and doing what you need to stay orthodox.
Just a thought.
Jumping off this:
I actually would reapply #1 and #2 to Catholics in Iraq and other Islamic nations, struggling just to survive.
Then let’s see how “easy” #1 and #2 are.
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godisgood77
Guest
This a fine thought, but it is only focused on things that happen inside the four walls of the Church… If we do not give direction to our young ones that includes the Catholic requirements for the things that need to happen outside of the 4 walls, we miss 50% of our duty… you can not get to Heaven by focusing on only 50% of our obligations. Without the Corporal Works of Mercy, our work as Catholics is tragically flawed and we fail.
Tis_Bearself
Patron
I wonder if the instructor grew up Catholic or came to it from some other tradition with even more guilt.
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Whalljim
Guest
Fair point.
My only thought in response is my devotion to those things has awakened my life outside of the four walls of the Church. But I think I understand what you are saying.
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otjm
Guest
Tis_Bearself
Patron
I’d say she has got a funny way of teaching RCIA, but then again I read so many diverse viewpoints even here on CAF that nothing surprises me.
I don’t think guilt is terribly productive, but the danger I see in such an approach is that it may suggest that you can just go do whatever you want as long as you confess it later, sort of like you can throw trash on your floor any old time as long as you wipe it up with spray cleaner eventually.
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Crusaderbear
Guest
- Follow the rules!
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jaimeleglise
Guest
It is a very serious matter to deliberately sin with the idea that one can confess later. That is called “presumption”. There will still be repercussions for the sin both on the earthly level and the spiritual level. Also, there is also the chance a person could die before confessing, leaving the soul in a state of mortal sin.
Catholic morality holds us to a very high standard. We must until marriage to have sex, we cannot entertain impure thoughts, we can’t divorce and remarry, etc.
Indeed we are called to travel the narrow path. It can be a very difficult road. We are however given Jesus, His Mother, the Saints, and the Sacraments to help us on our way.
It can be very difficult, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
Catholic morality holds us to a very high standard. We must until marriage to have sex, we cannot entertain impure thoughts, we can’t divorce and remarry, etc.
Indeed we are called to travel the narrow path. It can be a very difficult road. We are however given Jesus, His Mother, the Saints, and the Sacraments to help us on our way.
It can be very difficult, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
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neweggs
Guest
It should be Go to Confession,receive Jesus ,and be nice to all that come before you,for God see all.AMEN my freind in Christ
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Homerun14
Guest
A very important precept about Catholicism which few leaders emphasize is the commandment from Jesus for us to help the poor, and to do so personally. Many promote helping the poor as simply a nice thing to do. That it’s a neat thing for those who are into such a thing. However, careful reading of Scripture shows that helping the poor is necessary to obtaining Heaven - which makes it a Commandment. Just read Matthew 25, the parable of the Good Samaritan, and the Washing of the Feet. While making a donation to our favorite charity is a good thing to do, the readings are clear that we are required to also serve those in need personally and not just pay to have others do the dirty work for us.
This what I call putting our faith into action. Many average Catholics in the pew would like to somehow put their faith in action, but do not know how to. Well, here it is.
This what I call putting our faith into action. Many average Catholics in the pew would like to somehow put their faith in action, but do not know how to. Well, here it is.
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friardchips
Guest
- Got to Church and attend the Sacraments, pray the Rosary (and other prayers), and read Scripture.
- Opportunities to be charitable will follow.
Tis_Bearself
Patron
While helping the poor personally is a wonderful thing, many people choose to do so, and I am not knocking it in the least, this is your personal interpretation of Scripture and not a “commandment” or an official requirement of being a Catholic.
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ComplineSanFran
Guest
And this is where you have a number of us looking at you in a very puzzling way. Where is God in all of this? Follow the rules?? Is God in the rules? I can’t imagine finding Him there. Perhaps rules help us order our lives so that we might be free to love God, but no where in this thread have I read anything about the passion we experience as followers of Christ.
To not quite quote Hillel with Shamai, ‘Love God; the rest is commentary.’
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Bruised_Reed
Guest
I’m curious how you came up with your list. It’s a good start but but it’s incomplete and lacks nuance. The 10 Commandments sum up the Law and the Prophets, and while your list appears to try to simplify the Commandments, it falls short.
Your list Your list is close to the 5 precepts of the church:
1.You shall attend Mass on Sundays and on holy days of obligation.
2.You shall confess your sins at least once a year.
3.You shall receive the sacrament of the Eucharist at least once during the Easter season.
4.You shall observe the days of fasting and abstinence established by the Church. 5.You shall help to provide for the needs of the Church.
Then the are the Spiritual Works of Mercy and the Corporal Works of Mercy.
There’s more but i will end with this: Your list of 3 (if it was accurate), the Commandments, the Precepts, etc. are simple but not necessarily easy.
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Tarpeian_Rock
Guest
Completely agree. The most important part of Catholic life is living it - outside the walls of the church. I believe the command “Feed the poor” occurs 17 times in the New Testament. We’re called to much more than " being nice."
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