Confused Soul seeking guidance

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My story is long, but I’m seeking some guidance. I was born and raised Catholic. Went through CDC, was confirmed, served as an alter server…etc. my first marriage was to another catholic. Catholic wedding…children raised Catholic…I even explored becoming a deacon at one point. After ten years of marriage, the wheels fell off and my wife found another and wanted a divorce. I went through a very rough time and totally lost my Christian path. Started dating and made some poor choices. I eventually remarried a Christian that was raised a Baptist. She also drifted during her own divorce. A few years ago after we had children, we started attending a local non-denominational church. I enjoyed feeling connected to Christ again but something feels missing. I have met with our pastor on a few occasions to discuss my struggles. Inside my heart, I feel a pull back towards my Catholic faith. But I need a suggestions of some resources to help me mentally combat some of the anti-catholic teachings I have been hearing for the past several years. I feel like I’m struggling with what direction I should be going. I know my wife has no interest in the Catholic faith, but I need help with defending some of the topics I am struggling with. Any suggestions of where to start would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your time
 
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Speak to a Catholic priest, read the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and ask on CAF! Make sure to do separate threads for different questions/topics though.
 
It is not the journey but the distinction. Congratulations on your search for truth!
Go to a Catholic Church or call and ask about the RCIA program. They usually have weekly classes and can work with you to find the answers to the questions you and your wife have. Good luck and God bless.
 
Welcome home! I would watch the YouTube videos of Dr. David Anders, entitled “Called to Communion” You can call in or pose questions online. He is a former Calvinist.

Next, you might watch some of the conversion interviews on the Coming Home Network. I love to hear their reasoning.

You will be spared the arguing and inconsistent answers that you receive on a forum.
 
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I would recommend you start with Born Fundamentalist, Born Again Catholic by David B. Currie. For a good short summary of Catholic basic doctrines and the reasoning behind them, read A Map of Life by Frank Sheed, who has written similar books that are more in depth. I would highly recommend Scott Hahn’s books, especially Rome Sweet Home for anyone with your background. Scott once considered himself the king of anti Catholicism at his Protestant seminary. If you really need an in depth refutation of Protestant anti Catholicism, Catholicism and Fundamentalism by Karl Keating has no equal that I have read. It is a much more ambitious project though, and the other books I have mentioned do an excellent job. Of course, most priests should be quite capable in apologetics, and you are quite welcome to post any questions here on CAF. If you google Catholic Answers and search on their official website, you should be able to find plenty of resources. Their professional apologists should be happy to help if you can’t find answers anywhere else. Best of journeys!
 
This just arrived in my email. It is a life-long process and applies equally to new converts as well as “cradle Catholics.”
The Journey of Conversion

The Bible constantly warns against a merely mercenary relationship with God - a friendship of convenience or self-interest. We should not love God simply because doing so will produce many consolations in our life. We must enter a true relationship, where we fall in love not with His benefits, but with Him.

Bishop Robert Barron
Click to expand...
 
I recommend RCIA, the Coming Home Network, the Catechism and Steve Ray’s talks online.
 
Hello po18guy - your quote from Bp Barron interested me… Does he ever, to your knowledge, discuss exactly how mercenary love is effectively dealt with, reduced, eliminated from the soul? Does he ever refer to traditional Catholic teachers of spiritual growth, and the interior life, who discuss and teach seekers of authentic - holy - divine charity, concerning this problem?

Or does he only declare that we should - must - love God in a pure and not a self-seeking way?

I’ve never read much of his teaching.
 
I would recommend looking up Dave Armstrong, who is well versed in biblical arguments for Catholicism. Since you are married to a (former) Baptist and have been steeped in that sola scriptura kind of rhetoric this is probably a good approach for you to combat the misconceptions (anti-Catholicism) about the church.

These forums are a good resource as well for questions you can’t find through a simple Google search — although there is unfortunately no longer a priest or expert theologian available to answer questions, which used to be known as the Ask an Apologist feature.
[Caution though, not everyone here is Catholic and I have noticed some unscrupulous types interject their opinions without clarifying where they are coming from.]
 
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