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Grace_Angel
Guest
You sounded like a sledgehammer comming down. thats all I meant. take it easy.
GraceAngel.
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GraceAngel.
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LeahInancsi
Guest
I have to agree with GraceAngel. What El_camino says is true to the seasoned Catholic, but it takes time for a new convert to sort through all that is Catholic to determine what is most important for salvation.
The statement about the “grannies” sounds a bit harsh, but is true. At my parish, over 75% of the people who attend morning mass are over 65 years of age. An 84 year old friend of mine will waltz directly into heaven when her time comes, eventhough she tries to read the Bible but doesn’t always understand the message or know the history of the Church or know the Catechism word for word. She spends a tremendous amount of time in prayer and serving God. At her age, she is volunteering 30+ hours a week at the local free clinic as a nurse. I wish I had her energy.
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believers
Guest
Did you notice that Jesus NEVER said that? This person found faith in Jesus outside the RCC and now has uncertainty inside the RCC. This person was a “whosoever” just like John 3:16 says and that’s why Faith in Jesus is not a religious institution. It doesn’t matter how many pieces of Eucharist you’ve consumed, how many prayers you’ve said, or how many masses you’ve attended, or how many times you’ve prayed the rosary, or how often you done good works. What really matters is if you’ve turned to Jesus in faith and have repented from sin. And, that you’ve become a more loving and forgiving person toward God and man. Faith in Jesus results in a true conversion (circumcision) of the heart.
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El_camino
Guest
I happen to agree with Believers. If anyone, comes to Christ inspired by the Holy Spirit and asks Him to Save him/her, do you think Christ will save him/her? of course Christ will save him/her. Ask and thou shalt receive…
Now the question though is then… You are in Christ, now what? You tell him… “Thank you for saving me… bye bye… see you in Heaven”… Obviously NOT!.. You have to continue to grow in knowledge, in sanctity, in unity. This is true of any Christian denomination.
Christ himself said it:
“Not all that says to me Lord Lord will be saved, but only those who do the will of my Father in Heaven”
How can you do the will of the Father, if you don’t know what it is? or you might have a FALSE idea of what it is?
You must try to search and pursue God’s revealed truth to the best of your abilities, as the Holy Spirit inspires you to it. If you find the truth, follow it. (Many have turned their back on what they know fully to be the truth just out of bigotry, pride of some other reason, and that is when they become what is known as heretics. They are fully aware where the truth is, yet they reject it embracing what they are fully aware is a lie)
Also, remember that one can reject his salvation by returning to the world, so the CLOSER you are to the TRUTH, the more often you are sanctified by the Sacraments, and the more often you share with the community that is going through the same situation as you, the least vulnerable you are.
In other words, NO DOUBT, believer, Toshia was saved by Christ when he was Protestant, if he asked sincerely to be saved. But it does not end there, because, the Bible is clear that one can REJECT that salvation; thus you need to be as close as possible to the fullness of God’s revealed truth, live it, breath it, yearn for it, hunger for it (inspired by the Holy Spirit). THis is where you are least vulnerable to give in and reject your salvation. And because the fullness of the revealed truth can only be found in the Catholic Church, this is why Mannyfit said what he said.
To give you a clear example, some Protestant denominations believe many dangerous doctrines such as OSAS (once saved always saved). This was the FIRST lie of the Devil (Gen 3:4) and it gives a tremendous sense of false security that increases vulnerability, as they might think they are saved when they are NOT. So, although this person might have been saved when he first believed, he might not be anymore and yet he is told, by this dangerous doctrine, that he is… Just like the DEVIL told Adam and Eve that they would not die (Gen 3:4), when in fact they did.
It is amazing how the devil has managed to use this very same OLD lie (The oldest of all his lies) and yet millions still believe it.
Any way,
Many blessings,
E.C.
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El_camino
Guest
Christ said: “The truth shalt set you free”. Being the the fullness of the revealed truth can only be found in the Catholic Church, then that follows.
Many blessings,
E.C.
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Mannyfit75
Guest
Jesus built a Church. We see throughout Scripture, and the Church is the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ. John in John 3:15 whoever so believe in Him shall have eternal life. We** must believe everything thing he taught**. The includes that we believe we must eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of Man, yet you think it is only symbolic, you can’t just believe in parts. You have to believe that Jesus established a Church (Matthew 16:18) and he gave authority to his Apostles, and the Apostles handed their authority to the Apostles. How else do you think Christianity spread when the Apostles died! There was Apostolic Succession, a succession which you Protestants lack.
My friend. Jesus founded a Church and that Christ is Catholic. Protestants like you did not exist until 1517 AD.
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MariaG
Guest
Sometimes this happens so we can push forward, walk on faith, and God will eventually draw us closer to Him. We actually have a name for this, the Dark night of the Soul. I always have found it comforting that we actually have a name for this, something that many great saints have gone through, instead of worrying that I was not “right with God”, I know that God is just “seasoning” me and helping me to walk on faith.
No. While I do believe we should strive to learn more about Christ, our FAITH should be simple. The hard part is to sometimes balance our simple faith with our call to learn more about Christ. And this is what you are going through right now. Hang onto your simplistic faith in Christ AS you learn more about Him.
And it is. See? The first thing you learned still stands true! It is such a simple and pure gift, even infants can receive it, (See John the Baptist jumping for Joy in Elizabeth’s womb Luke 2:thumbsup: )
I would be more blunt. He died for our Sins. Sorry, this is my fundamentalist background and call it was it is, Sin.
Well, here is where God is asking you to learn more about Him. Simple as that
Remember, you have a good foundation, a simple faith on Christ.Christ, while fully man, is also fully God. He IS there to approach with out problems, to stand as High priest and mediator with God for us, but He is also fully God and deserving of our Adoration.
This is a common thing among non-sacramental protestants. Jesus is understood in terms of man and friend. And He is. But now God is asking you to add the fully divine aspect. Rejoice! God is trying to teach you about His majesty and Glory!
You have taken your eyes off Christ. The rules are there to draw us closer to Him. But if we start focusing on the rules, our eyes are no longer on Him. You need to keep your eyes firmly on Christ while learning more.
For example: Why do we need to fast on Fridays during lent? Because it was on Friday that our Lord died. We should remember His sacrifice for us, His death and His suffering. OR you can just think about how hungry you are. When we get hungry, and think about how little we do compared to what Christ did for us, this can draw us closer. If we just focus on our hunger, we then start to wonder what good this stupid rule is and why do I have to do it.
See? Focus on Christ, and the Rule will help you draw closer to Him. Focus on the rule, and we get lost.
As for this, I have to say, I agree with Hesychios.
While I do not place the sacraments in the same boat as the Rosary, (and neither did he
), sometimes the things done by cradle Catholics which seem so natural and uplifting are just confusing and not uplifting at all to non-Catholics.You might want to read about the sacraments in the Catechism. They are not just rituals, but God’s miracles made visable to us
You may understand this in your head, about the Sacraments not just being rituals, but this has not reached your heart yet.1116 Sacraments are “powers that comes forth” from the Body of Christ,33 which is ever-living and life-giving. They are actions of the Holy Spirit at work in his Body, the Church. They are “the masterworks of God” in the new and everlasting covenant.
But I do also agree with Michael about coming here. If your faith is shaky right now, you may wish to stay away from the open boards at least. You may wish to talk to (private message) Carol Marie. She had troubles and found that her faith was shaken by coming here, not uplifted and just had to stop coming for awhile until more grounded. (She was recieved into the Catholic Church a short time after
)God Bless,
Maria
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carol_marie
Guest
You rang?**You may wish to talk to (private message) **Carol Marie. She had troubles and found that her faith was shaken by coming here, not uplifted and just had to stop coming for awhile until more grounded. (She was recieved into the Catholic Church a short time after
God Bless,
Maria
Hi Toshia!!
I am was in your shoes not too long ago. I was a very happy born again Christian who loved Jesus so much - thought I understood all there was to know about being a Christian and didn’t pay any attention to Catholics except to occasionally worry about their salvation.
Then WHAM! Out of nowhere God started to call me home to the Catholic Church. He kept dropping these wonderful Catholics into my life - Catholics who lived out their faith in ways I had never seen. I started reading Catholic Apologetic books that explained the Catholic teachings - all of which lined up perfectly with the Bible. I started to pray - Oh dear God - PLEASE don’t ask me to become Catholic - but His answer was always the same - The Catholic Church is the ONE TRUE CHURCH founded by Jesus Christ. And the biggie for me: Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist. (John 6) - Yikes. I was in deep weeds. I was shaken to the core - now what?
So I sign up for RCIA - I decide that I’ll devote a year to really investigating the Catholic Church, and every single day rather than praying Please don’t make me be Catholic - I will pray, “Lead me and I will follow.”
All was going well … and them I started reading the posts here - and while some were very helpful - some were downright discouraging. I began to feel that even if I became Catholic - I would never be good enough. And it seemed that Catholics spent alot of time fighting among themselves. And all these RULES - uggg. Where’s the Grace? As Maria said, I took my eyes off Christ.
So I backed away from the forums - for a good 6 months until I was much more grounded in my new faith.
It’s all been good since then. It was a difficult road, that’s for sure - but I am grateful every single day that God brought me here to this wonderful, beautiful place. I LOVE His Church like I can’t even tell you - although sometimes His people drive me crazy!
Anyhow, what a long post this is. I just wanted to tell you to hang in there. God will lead you to His Church - pray pray pray.
I will pray for you also - and if I can help at all… please call on me.
God bless you!!!
CM
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Ani_Ibi
Guest
Yep. No one said being Catholic would be easy. Did you want it to be? Were you looking for the easy way?
believers? Has anyone said that faith in Jesus is a religious institution? Anyone besides yourself, that is?
Said like a true Catholic! Well done, believers!
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Mickey
Guest
**When we strive with diligent sobriety to keep watch over our rational faculties, to control and correct them, how else can we succeed in this task except by collecting our mind, which is dispersed abroad through the senses, and bringing it back into the world within, into the heart itself, which is the storehouse of all our thoughts? **
St. Gregory Palamas
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believers
Guest
Being a Catholic is hard. It is a heavy burden and grievous to be born into that religious institution.Yep. No one said being Catholic would be easy. Did you want it to be? Were you looking for the easy way?
believers? Has anyone said that faith in Jesus is a religious institution? Anyone besides yourself, that is?
Said like a true Catholic! Well done, believers!
Maybe I should have said it this way… religion is like cancer. It eats away your faith and replaces it with man-made traditions and doctrine. Do I still sound Catholic? If so, then I’ll make this as clear as possible.
I believe in the sufficiency of Jesus’ payment for my sins on the cross with His blood. By God’s Grace He provided a door and through faith I’ve entered in. Nothing more than faith alone. With this true faith, I’ve produced good works of righteousness towards my fellow man. I love God with all my heart and I love my fellow brothers and sisters. With the power of His Word and Holy Spirit, I’m renewing my mind and becoming more sanctified. I know that as long as I stay in my love walk and keep focused on Jesus, I am saved.
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believers
Guest
No doubt about it…being a Catholic is hard. It is a heavy burden and grievous to be born into that religious institution.Yep. No one said being Catholic would be easy. Did you want it to be? Were you looking for the easy way?
believers? Has anyone said that faith in Jesus is a religious institution? Anyone besides yourself, that is?
Said like a true Catholic! Well done, believers!
Maybe I should have said it this way… religion eats away your faith and replaces it with man-made traditions and doctrine. Do I still sound Catholic? If so, then I’ll make this as clear as possible.
I believe in the sufficiency of Jesus’ payment for my sins on the cross with His blood. By God’s Grace He provided a door and through faith I’ve entered in. Nothing more than faith alone. With this true faith, I’ve produced good works of righteousness towards my fellow man. I love God with all my heart and I love my fellow brothers and sisters. With the power of His Word and Holy Spirit, I’m renewing my mind and becoming more sanctified. I know that as long as I stay in my love walk and keep focused on Jesus, I am saved.
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jmcrae
Guest
Being a good Christian isn’t easy. St. Paul didn’t think it was easy - he said things like “persevere until the end,” and “run the race so as to win.” It doesn’t sound like he thought people should just sit back in a comfortable chair and wait for Jesus to come - there’s a lot of effort (like, work) involved in being a good Christian.
The interesting thing, though, is that life is a whole lot easier for me, now that I’m Catholic, than it was before, when I was an easy-believin’ Protestant.
For example, certain decisions are not mine to make, so I don’t waste any time agonizing over them.
There are only five absolute precepts of the Church, and all five of them are relatively easy to keep (the hardest part is remembering to do them). We each also have the duties of our state in life, which, again, are easy enough to keep. I refer to these things in my first post in this thread.
God the Father makes a whole lot more sense to me, now, too. I always used to wonder about this bloodthirsty God who couldn’t be satisfied with anything less than the murder of an innocent man. How could such a God be a God of love? It was a real conundrum.
But now that I understand the sacrificial economy, it makes a whole lot more sense. God the Father was not murdering Jesus; Jesus was offering Himself as a sacrifice (something loved above all other things) to God the Father - He was not being punished in my place so that we can all pretend that justice has been served - rather He was making Himself an offering on my behalf, to wash away my sins in His blood. I still have to partake of the sacrifice, though - not only by consuming Christ at Mass, but also by living the Way of the Cross in my own life, and becoming more and more like Christ each day, until in the end, God the Father really won’t be able to tell the difference between me and Jesus - rather than merely deceiving Himself into thinking I look like Jesus.
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Ani_Ibi
Guest
How would you know this?
Evidently you do know this, You speak so persuasively of it.
No, Catholicism is reasonable.
Now you sound Catholic!
Still sounds Catholic!
Ah, believers, you were doing so well. Faith without works will get you right back where you started. On the wrong side of the door.
Which is it, believers? Faith alone? Or faith and works of faith?
Whew! Sounds Catholic again!
And His Word is what exactly? Can you clarify?
What happened to “If you love Me, keep my Commandments”?
Sounds Catholic to me. You’re doing so well!
There is just one thing: do you never sin?
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believers
Guest
Sure I do but not as often. And, I’m always forgiven when I confess directly to God the Father.How would you know this?
Evidently you do know this, You speak so persuasively of it.
No, Catholicism is reasonable.
Now you sound Catholic!
Still sounds Catholic!
Ah, believers, you were doing so well. Faith without works will get you right back where you started. On the wrong side of the door.
Whew! Sounds Catholic again!
And His Word is what exactly? Can you clarify?
What happened to “If you love Me, keep my Commandments”?
Sounds Catholic to me. You’re doing so well!
There is just one thing: do you never sin?
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Ani_Ibi
Guest
Do you confess your disobedience to the Commandments which Jesus gave us?
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carol_marie
Guest
Do you make communion for yourself also?
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Pixie_Dust
Guest
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El_camino
Guest
You sound exactly like an atheist who says it is “hard”, “heavy and grievous” to be a Christian in general, because being a Christian means having to “follow rules”, which an atheist is not really fond of “following”.
Anyway,
Many blessings,
E.C.
P.S. the quotation marks for the word “following” is because, once you truly believe, realize and accept that you are in the truth, you really don’t follow “rules” out your own effort or strength (whether it be a Christian in general or a Catholic Christian specifically), but you feel a hunger, a yearning for those “rules” because it is the Holy Spirit who inspires you to follow them.
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believers
Guest
Do you confess your sins to God?
And, my disobedience to which Commandments… the 10? or the new commandment given by Jesus where He said to hang all the law and prophets?
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