Constructive advice please

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EdwardJP

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My religious background is quite complicated so I’m not going to get too wrapped in it. Bottom line is, I was baptized a Baptist and converted to Catholicism years later. I went to confession and have since participated in the Eucharist countless times. Up until recently I have basically been a Sunday Catholic. After the better part of the last 40 years as either a Protestant or Catholic I do know and understand completely the sacraments and many many other things without a formal Catholic education or confirmation. I feel like I have fallen short and I have bypassed something, but given the place I am at in my life I feel that I am doing Gods work regardless. Several months ago I began studying contemplative prayer and meditation. This has only solidified what I have already felt, and furthermore I have found myself in the company of a Benedictine Order of Monks recently. I say this only because this is not something I looked for but was brought to by God. There are many circumstances to that part of my story, but I won’t go into that. I am not eligible to join the Monastery due to being married, but it is clear to me that my calling is that of an Oblate. Over the past year there has been no peace in my life, but the deeper my prayer and understanding became and the closer I got to today, the more peace I feel. During the time I spent at the Monastery I knew that this was my calling and as I write this today, I know that this is the path that God has chosen for me. I am not asking for anyone to rationalize or discount anything that I have said, I am merely asking for simple advice or instruction to help quiet that small voice that is reminding me that I was not born a Catholic nor did I become one in a traditional RCIA indoctrination. I want to silence that voice.
 
EdwardJP said:
I am merely asking for simple advice or instruction to help quiet that small voice that is reminding me that I was not born a Catholic nor did I become one in a traditional RCIA indoctrination. I want to silence that voice.
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None of us were actually born Catholic. RCIA is not the only way to convert. I am not really sure what your concern is. You sound like a person of faith.
 
The parable of the laborers applies to this pretty well IMO… Read Matthew 20… Christ gives us all the same reward, regardless of how late in life we repent…
 
Thank you. I realize that “born Catholic” was probably not the best choice of words.
 
Thank you. This parable is a great reminder of how each of us has come know Jesus through the true faith in our own times.
 
Well, Jesus accepts you, just as you are,no doubt your are a predestined soul ,before the foundations of the world God has choose you,so Jesus was guiding you at each and every step in your live ,remember all circumstances are the will of God which he permitted for your purification according to his will,the voice is noting but satan accusing you Rev 12:10,to disturbing you,be at peace with your self. Don’t think of the past or keep worrying about the time lost,we are all learning about the Catholic Faith each day, your not alone in this, here at CAF we do the same, even now you can learn about the Catholic Faith read the Catechism of the Catholic Church,as your are close to the Benedictine Order of Monks, am sure they will guide you well spiritually,and regarding the sacraments,if you didn"t receive the confirmation you can ask for their advice.i guess your happy to be an Oblate, God Bless you on your journey to know Jesus and his Church.

Romans 8:28 We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.

John 17:3 And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

Jude 20 But you, beloved, build yourselves up on your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; 21 keep yourselves in the love of God; look forward to the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. 22 And have mercy on some who are wavering; 23 save others by snatching them out of the fire; and have mercy on still others with fear, hating even the tunic defiled by their bodies.

John 2:5 His mother( Mary) said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.

Luke 1:37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.

Final Exhortations, Greetings, and Benediction
1 Thessalonians 5:12 But we appeal to you, brothers and sisters,[c] to respect those who labor among you, and have charge of you in the Lord and admonish you; 13 esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. 14 And we urge you, beloved, to admonish the idlers, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with all of them. 15 See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all. 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise the words of prophets, 21 but test everything; hold fast to what is good; 22 abstain from every form of evil.

23 May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this.
 
Thank you Francis. Your words are very uplifting and the scriptures you quoted are reassuring and inspiring. God bless you.
 
Reading your post I thought, the only thing that is missing is you haven’t yet been Confirmed in the faith. I thought kinda cool too. Baptised into the faith seperated, Confirmed in the faith home. The Sacrament of Confirmation is a source of Grace as well. Maybe the Grace that can silence that voice?

Oops I didn’t read what francis wrote. So, I say, yah what Francis wrote!
 
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No reason to fear. Confirmation isn’t a necessary sacrament, neither is RCIA necessary.
That said, getting confirmed should maybe be something you plan on doing.
 
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Lots of saints converted from other religions.
The twelve apostles for instance.
:pray:t2::pray:t2::pray:t2: for you!
 
Hi.

Consider this…Catholics believe in constant conversion, never ending conversion of our whole integrated being (will, intellect, body, appetites/passions) into an image of Christ for the good of the world.

It’s huge…we become “configured” bit by bit, slowly, up an inclined plane.

I was a cradle Catholic. My wife a Quaker. I owe my reversion to Catholicism to my wife, who started asking questions! She essentially reverted me (the Holy Spirit of course did the lifting), as she converted.

Isn’t God marvelous? He is so creative.

You’re Catholic down to the bone.

The goal isn’t to become a Catholic…the goal is holiness within the Church. Sainthood. We are very lucky in the Catholic Church because the Church has all sorts of “helps” for us (graces)…the Sacraments, integrated constant teaching, priests, forms of prayer, history, music, cultural traditions, the saints, writings, etc etc.

Talk to God about the little voice…tell God that you’re offering it to Him so He can deal with it. And then move on and pray and work for others, building slowly that interior life with God, converting with God’s grace more and more of the world around you. This work, this effort, that illness, this conversation, this setback.

With God, we’re like “Midas” we convert/sanctify the entire world to God’s originally intended purpose.
 
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I agree with Edward that conversion is an on-going process. I too am a Benedictine oblate, in my 15th year of this particular calling. As an oblate you will promise three things: stability, obedience, and on-going conversion. The same three promises as monks except for them it is a vow, not a promise. So even monks must undergo constant conversion. Nobody enters the monastery perfect, but all strive for Christian perfection in the monastery. We call those who achieve it in this lifetime “saints”! The rest of us, including monks, struggle along.

I am a revert. I came back to the Church in 1997 after a 22 year absence, in an irregular marriage. The death of my beloved father-in-law brought me to Christianity. An inability to figure out how to pray, and the events of 9/11, brought me to the monastery, and also a love for Gregorian chant.

Let’s just say that “ongoing conversion” is a very rocky road filled with bumps, potholes, sometimes so much so that you end up going backwards. One big moment for me in the forward direction, was when my Protestant wife agreed to have our marriage convalidated some years ago.

The only advice I can give is to not worry, be at peace, and two, establish perseverance in a regular prayer life. You will probably called to pray some part of the Divine Office as part of your oblate statutes if you choose that route. Start out with baby steps and make it a regular habit even if you don’t always feel like it.

God bless.
 
Thank you all for taking the time to give such high quality responses. I realize that my concern was for my mechanical way of thinking about my spirituality. I need to let go of the last rung and leave it in God’s hands from here on out. God bless you all.
 
How to Become a Catholic

Becoming Catholic is one of life’s most profound and joyous experiences. Some are blessed enough to receive this great gift while they are infants, and, over time, they recognize the enormous grace that has been bestowed on them. Others enter the Catholic fold when they are older children or adults. This tract examines the joyful process by which one becomes a Catholic.

A person is brought into full communion with the Catholic Church through reception of the three sacraments of Christian initiation—baptism, confirmation, and the holy Eucharist—but the process by which one becomes a Catholic can take different forms.

A person who is baptized in the Catholic Church becomes a Catholic at that moment. One’s initiation is deepened by confirmation and the Eucharist, but one becomes a Catholic at baptism. This is true for children who are baptized Catholic (and receive the other two sacraments later) and for adults who are baptized, confirmed, and receive the Eucharist at the same time.

Those who have been validly baptized outside the Church become Catholics by making a profession of the Catholic faith and being formally received into the Church. This is normally followed immediately by confirmation and the Eucharist.

Before a person is ready to be received into the Church, whether by baptism or by profession of faith, preparation is necessary. The amount and form of this preparation depends on the individual’s circumstance. The most basic division in the kind of preparation needed is between those who are unbaptized and those who have already become Christian through baptism in another church.

For adults and children who have reached the age of reason (age seven), entrance into the Church is governed by the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA), sometimes called the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (OCIA).

 
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Preparation for Christians

The means by which those who have already been validly baptized become part of the Church differs considerably from that of the unbaptized.

Because they have already been baptized, they are already Christians; they are, therefore, not catechumens. Because of their status as Christians, the Church is concerned that they not be confused with those who are in the process of becoming Christians.

“Those who have already been baptized in another church or ecclesial community should not be treated as catechumens or so designated. Their doctrinal and spiritual preparation for reception into full Catholic communion should be determined according to the individual case, that is, it should depend on the extent to which the baptized person has led a Christian life within a community of faith and been appropriately catechized to deepen his or her inner adherence to the Church” (NSC 30).

For those who were baptized but who have never been instructed in the Christian faith or lived as Christians, it is appropriate for them to receive much of the same instruction in the faith as catechumens, but they are still not catechumens and are not to be referred to as such (NSC 3). As a result, they are not to participate in the rites intended for catechumens, such as the scrutinies. Even “[t]he rites of presentation of the creed, the Lord’s Prayer, and the book of the Gospels are not proper except for those who have received no Christian instruction and formation” (NSC 31).

For those who have been instructed in the Christian faith and have lived as Christians, the situation is different. The U.S. Conference of Bishops states, “Those baptized persons who have lived as Christians and need only instruction in the Catholic tradition and a degree of probation within the Catholic community should not be asked to undergo a full program parallel to the catechumenate” (NSC 31). For this reason, they should not share in the same, full RCIA programs that catechumens do.

The timing of their reception into the Church also is different. The U.S. Conference of Bishops states, "It is preferable that reception into full communion not take place at the Easter Vigil lest there be any confusion of such baptized Christians with the candidates for baptism, possible misunderstanding of or even reflection upon the sacrament of baptism celebrated in another church or ecclesial community . . . " (NSC 33).

Rather than being received on Easter Vigil, “[t]he reception of candidates into the communion of the Catholic Church should ordinarily take place at the Sunday Eucharist of the parish community, in such a way that it is understood that they are indeed Christian believers who have already shared in the sacramental life of the Church and are now welcomed into the Catholic Eucharistic community . . .” (NSC 32).

Christians coming into the Catholic Church must discuss with their pastor and/or bishop the amount of instruction needed and the time of their reception.
 
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I was going to tell the OP to pm you, but you beat me to it! Great post.

And to the OP: the Benedictines are awesome! I attended my first two years of college at the seminary they run. I can assure you that if you were to approach them, they will not drag you kicking and screaming into the fold. Being an oblate might fit; it might not; but simply meeting with them is highly recommended.

They are most definitely people, just like anyone else; I am reminded of one (now gone on to his reward) who had a cross between irony and bad jokes (we often had to bear his cross…😜. He was hilarious. Some were scary smart. Others just awesome people, foibles and all.
 
I’m heading back to the Monastery on the 30th to meet with the Oblate instructor. I’m looking forward to this.
 
I don’t think there is much I can add, but to say welcome, and every path is different as you have seen. It gets better. The fact that you have become involved in this monastery, that is just great! I don’t think you have anything to worry about.

Oh and just a footnote, our RCIA, adult and children education classes likes to have a mix of converts and cradle Catholics to help. Both contribute in very valuable and indispensable ways. One group would suffer without the other.
 
EdwardJP said:
I am merely asking for simple advice or instruction to help quiet that small voice that is reminding me that I was not born a Catholic nor did I become one in a traditional RCIA indoctrination. I want to silence that voice.
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Well maybe silencing it is not the best approach. Maybe answering it is better. Why not participate in RCIA? Have you been confirmed?
 
Excellent! And remember - you can always volunteer to be a sponsor for someone joining the Church.
 
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