Catholic vs Protestant Spirituality: Lets compare faith walks

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I think the centrality of the Word is one positive good I see in faithful Protestant communities.
 
Michael16 said:
Sorry, Hodos. It’s been a busy day with my sons. I appreciate your persistence.
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No worries. I hope your sons are doing okay and will keep them in my prayers. With regard to the things I like to do, it comes down to daily disciplines I engage in, as well as seasonal disciplines within the Church year, probably very similar to you.

In my daily life, I try to pray each morning whether when I get up or on my ride into work. A couple things I love is Luther’s morning and evening prayers, which I think are great simple prayers; I also have a Lutheran Prayer book which is a little compact book with a number of great prayers for both daily and yearly occasions, and also for personal requests. They have some really great prayers, and I frequently use these to guide my own prayer.

I try to spend time each day studying the Bible. I have different methods I do for this depending on my time or what my interest is. Usually, I am just doing daily readings through the Bible. Other times I might focus on a specific topic that I am maybe struggling with or want encouragement on, etc. I also like to listen to sermons or lectures on my way to and from work.

Each day my family and I pray together at meals, and pray the Lord’s prayer together, along with any specific petitions we might have.

I lead a weekly Bible study with my wife and kids. We also have a lot of just conversations about values, life, and God in my home as well.

Then of course we attend Church weekly. We also try to serve through outreach ministries although that has been more difficult since I have a two year old and a five year old at the moment. It makes it a little difficult to do these things till they get just a bit older.
 
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I agree. Humility is a hard virtue to attain. I like your suggestion about how to better love out our faith walks.

For me, I think what I need to do is focus on love. I’m often intellectual, arrogant, angry and prideful.
 
For the things we do in the Church year, I tend to use the lectionary to help guide my thoughts though the year. And I like to write. So I frequently write blog articles throughout the year thinking about different things in the Church year.

I love the Church seasons, Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, Pentecost, and All Saints Day. These are common themes in my thoughts and writing.

For Lent, I attend Church on Wednesdays as well as Sunday. Lent is big to me. While I normally don’t fast (my wife usually does, but fasting has never appealed to me as a useful discipline - to each their own though), I do try to focus on areas of my life where I might be struggling and really focus on changing those aspects of my thoughts or behavior. This has made Lent very significant for me.

During Passion Week I usually go to Church on Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday (I don’t think I have ever been to Easter vigil on Saturday, maybe I will try this year).

I also read a lot of the Church fathers, or other religious books that are interesting to me at the time. I usually have three to four books I am working on at a time.

I also attend a weekly men’s group, teach catechism, and have been working on completing my coursework to become a deacon in my synod.
 
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Michael16 said:
I agree. Humility is a hard virtue to attain. I like your suggestion about how to better love out our faith walks.

For me, I think what I need to do is focus on love. I’m often intellectual, arrogant, angry and prideful.
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I think we are all subject to this temptation. I know I am working on it.
 
Gab123 said:
You missed the explanation above. The predominance of Protestant groups do not use a crucifix, in fact there are some who even teach that it is wrong to use one.
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You’ll have a hard time convincing sola scriptura Protestants they have to make a crucifix in order to make it to Heaven
 
If a crucifix isn’t a prerequisite of salvation then why have you made it an issue?
 
HopkinsReb said:
I’m converting because of Catholicism, not because of Catholics, because this thread would definitely keep me Anglican.
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Michael16 said:
I agree. Humility is a hard virtue to attain. I like your suggestion about how to better love out our faith walks.

For me, I think what I need to do is focus on love. I’m often intellectual, arrogant, angry and prideful.
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Obviously, true conversion must involve love for both God and neighbor, as mere knowledge of facts saves no one. One can be Catholic and know the Catechism inside out and believe everything the Church teaches and have emotional experiences, but that is all worthless if it doesn’t lead to transformation of heart. One can have an amazing spirituality yet if one has unforgiveness in their heart, then the spirituality goes nowhere beyond emotionalism. Thus religion without transformation of heart becomes hypocrisy.

At the heart of every spirituality there has to be the daily examination of conscience and the sincere prayer to ask God to unmask, uproot, and remove from our heart everything that separates us from God and neighbor. The transformation is only possible through God’s sanctifying grace.
 
Michael16 said:
I really liked reading that you listen to Al Kresta and Fr John Ricardo. Father Ricardo is one of my three favorite priests on EWTN. The other two are Frs Larry Richards and Mitch Pacwa.
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I like those guys, too. Fr Richards has mentioned his respect and connection to Billy Graham as well, which I admire. Yes, I think he is an excellent speaker and I can tell he is inspired of the Holy Spirit. He is also charitable to Protestants for the most part, too. I like him.

Steve Ray (I think) is a Catholic apologist and former Baptist who also speaks highly of Billy Graham’s influence in his life, just like I and many others (Protestant and Catholic) do.

In fact, I found an interesting article by a Catholic organization that was written soon after Billy Graham’s death that describes the time when Billy Graham and Bishop Fulton Sheen first met on a train. Their meeting led to an enduring friendship built on mutual respect and admiration. I think we all could learn a lesson from those two. Here is that article:

 
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Michael16 said:
One thing I thought about was: What was it that Billy Graham said that fired you up for God?
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A lot of things coincided. I was searching for meaning in my life and felt empty inside, I knew God existed but He seemed very distant from me. I asked Him to reveal Himself to me if I was supposed to be closer to Him, which I felt in my heart should be the case. Shortly thereafter, I turned on the TV and was flipping the channels and stumbled onto a Billy Graham crusade similar to this one and felt a tug in my spirit from the Holy Spirit as I listened to a message similar to the one below and dedicated my life to Christ and let Him become Lord and Savior in my life. I’ve had bumps and bruises, triumphs, and setbacks along the way since then but I have always believed and felt closer to Him ever since. When I didn’t feel close, I soon realized it was because I had moved away from Him, not the other way around.

 
Gab123 said:
The main difference can be seen when you walk into a Protestant church, where nowhere will you find a crucifix, and the focus is on a resurrected Christ.
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This perception of Protestantism misses the mark in my opinion. There is tons of emphasis on the crucifixion of Christ, on his substitutionary atonement, on the blood of the lamb, etc. Just because Protestants don’t decorate their churches with crucifixes does not mean we ignore Christ’s death.
 
True but it’s just a different feel.

In many protestant Churches you feel as though you are walking into a converted racquetball court. Just place a pulpit there and you’ve got a church. Certainly lacking any appeal to our God given senses.
 
You are correct to a degree. What I do know of Protestantism; there’s a huge emphasis on Christ. Especially it seems the crucified Christ as seen in Lutheran Cross theology.

One thing I don’t understand: With the great emphasis on Christ, why do many Protestants and their churches eschew crucifixes for plain crosses? Is it a focus on the Crucifixion itself as opposed to Christ Himself?

I’m shaking my head as I write this: That cant be right.
 
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I certainly understand you, Lenten. When I go into my parents’ ELCA church; I often feel that something’s happening, but it’s empty sort of feel. Does that make any sense?

An interesting story from my RCIA journey:

I went to a Christmas program the kids put on in their ELCA church and my sons were in it.

Well, time came for their Eucharist. I took communion, I know I know… I confessed it; and guess what? I felt not one thing in their bread and grape juice.

Compare this to when, in my interior vision; I could see the grace come out of the priest’s hands as he confected the Host: Each Mass, I can feel the Presence of Christ. Each time I go into a Catholic church, I feel the Presence of Christ in the Adoration chapel.

A Protestant church just feels weird and empty to me.

No offense to you Protestants. I mean no disrespect or harm. Just stating my experience.
 
Michael16 said:
why do many Protestants and their churches eschew crucifixes for plain crosses?
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One reason I’ve heard in my years in American Evangelical churches is that Christ is no longer on the cross. An empty Cross represents His victory over death and the fact that He is now at the right hand of the Father interceding for us.
 
🤔 I see your point, Ianman87.

When I look at a crucifix; I see the depth to which God loves me and to what extent He will go to save me. I also see in a crucifix Jesus Himself and it all should be about Jesus; everything about Jesus. Not just one aspect of Our Lord.

Am I making any sense?
 
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