Church as healer

[pabloSD]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

My wife doesn’t want to be a Catholic anymore. She’s leaning more towards Evangelical or Baptist or non-denominational churches. Her main argument: Those churches tend to focus a lot on “healing” the soul, on giving you “practical” advice and help to improve your daily life.

She’s seeing this in her sister, whose husband ended up in prison, and for the past year, both my SIL and her husband have become devout Bible-readers. My SIL is very anti-Catholic, because she said she was brought up Catholic, and her family ended up the way it is right now: Husband in prison.

I’m confused. I want to remain Catholic, but my wife is trying to convince me that the Mass is boring, that priests tend to be evil, and that the Catholic Church is not relevant.

She says that general Christian churches are healers, that they help you overcome daily problems, such as depression, anxiety, through the Word of God, and prayer. The Catholic Church, she argues, is very distant, very cold.

We both grew up cultural Catholics, but we were never trully practicing Catholics. For us, being Catholic was not going to Mass, etc. I think she remembers all of that growing up, and that’s the whole definition of Catholic. I have to admit, I also have some of the same feelings, but I do want to remain in the Church.

Thank you for your advice.
En Cristo,
Pablo

 

[BeMyLove]

Regarding everything your SIL says that is wonderful about her new found faith, it’s been my experience that many pastors of these types of churches also tell you what you want to hear.
I think it’s unfair that your SIL blames the bad decision making by some of her family members on the Church. The impression you left me with re: your SIL tends to leave with me an opinion that she is looking for something to make her “feel good”. Our faith in the Catholic Church is nothing like that and I’m very thankful for that. I also don’t understand where she got the impression that mass is for her “entertainment”.
I hope that my comments aren’t coming off as sarcastic, it’s truly not my intent. I would just urge you to pray about this and can only comment on my own experience that I can’t imagine myself anywhere else.
My suggestion would be to really consider what your faith is all about and maybe speak with a priest as well?
Good luck and God bless you.

 

[faith909]

Dear Pablo,

I am sorry to hear of your crisis of faith. Please seek someone in the church you can talk to about this who can properly support you and answer all your questions.

I would encourage you to remember that the Catholic church is the origin of the evangelical churches. As Catholics we believe that our brothers and sisters in Christ have some of the truth, but not the truth in its entirety as revealed by God in his true church.

I am a convert from the evangelical church and have found that to be true in my experience. Catholic theology and dogma is seamless. Although these churches may encourage Bible reading, which is good, they do not have an authority for its interpretation, leaving it to the individual and open to misuse and abuse.

For example, my sister has a painful congenital disease. She was told in the evangelical church she is not yet healed of her own fault and that she must be hiding some grave unconfessed sin. This is not how we understand sin, nor is it how we treat each other in Christ.

So I worry for you and your family. What will happen if their “advice” and practical help does not pan out? Where do you turn then? I suggest begin by turning to your own faith now.

Many cradle Catholics feel they understand their religion because they were raised in the church. But do we not understand everything different as adults then we did as children? I would advise you to dig into your faith. Go to mass. Read and learn again. You and your wife may find a very different church than the one you knew in youth if you have an open heart.

The meaning of the mass as we understand it is very different than protestant worship. The meaning of the Eucharist is enormously different than what is often merely play acting to commemorate the Last Supper. The truth of the Eucharist and the mass as instituted by Christ himself, is and always will be relevant.

It sounds as though your family has experienced hurt but it does not mean the church is in err. I pray you will press into the church and seek out the answers.

Peace and blessings.

 

[jesuspsr]

Hello Pablo, and welcome to CAF.
I really don’t have much to offer, but I well be praying to the Holy Spirit to guide you.

Why don’t you try practicing being a Catholic, and come back to Catholic Church, maybe your wife might see the changes in you and reconcider.

But then again, what do I know.

May God Bless you

jesus g