Cannot join the Church

  • Thread starter Thread starter Crafty_Fraggle
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
C

Crafty_Fraggle

Guest
I asked this to the Ask the Apologetics portion but being as they are busy and I do not believe I formed my question well (because there will be much more detail here than I put for that submission) I don’t believe it’s going to be answered. I’m fine with that as there are many more important questions to answer.

I stumbled across this thread in my reading one day:
forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=713127

And noticed that it stated she should not even enter the church. I think I understand why this is stated.

I am now wondering though, are there any other reasons that one should not/cannot enter the church?
 
“Should not” and “can not” are a bit too strong - rather, such people should talk to their local priests about overcoming any obstacles.

Marriage issues are the obstacles that come up most often, because in our age most non-Catholics don’t hold to the Catholic understanding of marriage and so many can end up in unfortunate situations. But the short version is that any ongoing perpetual participation in objectively grave matter is a problem.

Past sins that are over and done with are not a barrier because baptism or confession can take care of those - and having been in an invalid marriage can also be handled in the same way. It’s only the being - the continuation in a state that is objectively gravely wrong - that presents a barrier so long as it continues.

I am not personally aware of anything that presents a similarly complex problem.
 
I agree with Iron Donkey. The problem is not that someone “cannot” enter the Church. The problem is that there is a marriage issue to deal with first. It may take time to work with the Tribunal to get a determination as to whether a marriage was valid or not.

In our society we tend to want everything to happen on our timetable. The thinking is something like “I decided I want to become Catholic and that should happen within six months [a year, some other time period].” Being told that something else – a decision from the Tribunal – has to come first and may take some time is discouraging to many people. I’ve had people drop out of RCIA because they didn’t want to deal with the Tribunal at all or didn’t want to wait. I had one person tell me that it was taking too long and my window of opportunity had closed. MY window of opportunity? I thought it was HIS window of opportunity…and it’s still open if he wants it.
 
Thank you both for your replies.

I ask because in truth I’m a fallen Catholic and this Lenten season I have been reading the scriptural readings each day. During this I have been praying that God will bring me in line with the teachings of the church but there are still some teachings that I am fallen from.

I want to go to Palm Sunday Mass (my first Mass attendance in a long time) but wonder if I am in such a state that I can, now knowing more about my faith than I once did, if due to the teachings I am struggling with, if I can. I know I am not in a state to receive the Eucharist so I will refrain from that. But now I wonder about even entering.
 
I would say to draw as close as you can to the Church. If the desire for being Catholic is true and strong in your heart, and you pray and participate in everything you can - you can go to Mass, just abstain from receiving the Eucharist. You can even go to Eucharistic Adoration and talk to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. You can buy a Rosary and learn how to pray it.

You can confer with a priest about your situation. You can read the Bible and study the Catholic Faith, and make friends with good Catholic people who will be sympathetic to your situation (just don’t pick the casual, rebellious type who would say “just go ahead and take Communion, you have a ‘right’ to” etc.). Be humble, teachable, and obedient in accord with your current position in life, and confide your hopes in God. :gopray:

Somehow, I think God will help you if you take this approach. Look up “Baptism of Desire” and “Spiritual Communion” while you’re at it. Bless you! :getholy:
 
Absolutely go to Mass. You are always welcome. And make an appointment with a priest. He’ll be able to help you figure out next steps as you move forward. You’re responding to the movement of the Holy Spirit and that’s a wonderful thing.
 
I will certainly keep you posted. I am seriously hoping to go to Palm Sunday Mass. I had thought I would make it to Mass over the weekend, but I was traveling and the schedule of those I had to see I allowed to keep me away from it.
 
Crafty_Fraggle said:
I will certainly keep you posted. I am seriously hoping to go to Palm Sunday Mass. I had thought I would make it to Mass over the weekend, but I was traveling and the schedule of those I had to see I allowed to keep me away from it.
Click to expand...
Go if you can, go Easter as well if you can. You may not, however, receive communion if you do attend. Neither may any non-Catholic, or anyone who is in a state of sin, nor for that matter anyone who has not fasted for an hour prior to Communion (and yes, some
Masses are brief enough that this can be an issue.)
 
Crafty_Fraggle said:
I asked this to the Ask the Apologetics portion but being as they are busy and I do not believe I formed my question well (because there will be much more detail here than I put for that submission) I don’t believe it’s going to be answered. I’m fine with that as there are many more important questions to answer.

I stumbled across this thread in my reading one day:
forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=713127

And noticed that it stated she should not even enter the church. I think I understand why this is stated.

I am now wondering though, are there any other reasons that one should not/cannot enter the church?
Click to expand...
Since you were asking about her becoming Catholic, When Fr. Serpa wrote “enter the Church” his meaning was become Catholic. He did not mean that one cannot enter a church building. Any sincere person can come before The Lord in Gods’ Hours.
 
Some years back I had a woman in RCIA who could not enter the church. Yes, it was a marriage issue, and I could offer her no answer.

Both this woman and her current husband, whom she loved and relied upon, had been previously married and divorced. She was looking for a better relationship with the Lord, and the more she learned about the Catholic Church the more she liked. She did start the annulment process for her own previous marriage. But her effort stalled when she experienced a lot of emotional turmoil about resurrecting an unhappy past she had long since put behind her. Still, it was not completely unsurmountable.

The unsurmountable obstacle was her husband. We never saw him because, she said, whatever church she joined was a matter of complete indifference to him. To hear her tell it, current hubby was perfectly happy to let her get all excited about religion, so long as she left him alone about it. He didn’t belong to any church; he was a stay-at-home-with-my-bible kind of Christian, and well within his comfort zone.

The one thing hubby was absolutely NOT going to do for her was get his own previous marriage(s) annulled so that they could be legitimately married in the Catholic Church. He must have persuaded her to let the dead past stay dead, because she started skipping weeks, then dodging phone calls, and eventually slipped away forever.
 
Crafty_Fraggle said:
Thank you both for your replies.

I ask because in truth I’m a fallen Catholic and this Lenten season I have been reading the scriptural readings each day. During this I have been praying that God will bring me in line with the teachings of the church but there are still some teachings that I am fallen from.

I want to go to Palm Sunday Mass (my first Mass attendance in a long time) but wonder if I am in such a state that I can, now knowing more about my faith than I once did, if due to the teachings I am struggling with, if I can. I know I am not in a state to receive the Eucharist so I will refrain from that. But now I wonder about even entering.
Click to expand...
No one is ever barred from going to mass. There is no reason you should not go. If you aren’t in a state of grace, then don’t approach the eucharist. You can always call the local parish and see if you can meet with a priest next week and get some guidance on your situation.
 
Ignatius said:
Since you were asking about her becoming Catholic, When Fr. Serpa wrote “enter the Church” his meaning was become Catholic. He did not mean that one cannot enter a church building. Any sincere person can come before The Lord in Gods’ Hours.
Click to expand...
Ignatius, thank you for pointing out the part to me that I had overlooked in reading and re-reading the thread multiple times. Now it makes sense to me where it had not before.

For those of you wondering, I ended up attending Mass tonight. However, it was not the experience that I was hoping/searching for. The reasons for this would take this thread off topic so they will not be put down here. Once I find which board is appropriate for my questions I will share my experience there.
 
Crafty_Fraggle said:
For those of you wondering, I ended up attending Mass tonight. However, it was not the experience that I was hoping/searching for. The reasons for this would take this thread off topic so they will not be put down here. Once I find which board is appropriate for my questions I will share my experience there.
Click to expand...
I hope things go well for you and you keep yourself open to God’s call.

One thing to be cautious about, don’t rely too much on feelings and emotions. They can be great gifts, but they can also lead us far astray. What matters is truth. You can “feel” all day long that the sky is polka-dot purple, but the truth is the sky is blue. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t get the emotional experience you were expecting.

I hope you keep coming back, and please do speak with a priest about your situation to see what steps you need to take. And you couldn’t pick a better time, with Holy Week this week. You can attend 3 great liturgies in the Church year, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil!!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top