CONVERTS, do you have a moment?

[CleverUserName]

I was raised in a devoutly Protestant household. My father is a Protestant missionary. But my parents were always extremely pro-life, and many of the magazines and what-not around our house were Catholic. Tolkien and Chesterton were staples of my childhood library.

I kept feeling this “pull” toward the Church, and, strangely, considering I had not yet converted, actually considered a religious vocation in college. When I married, my husband was a Protestant, too, of a slightly different “brand”.

The biggest stumbling-block for me was probably a misunderstanding of indulgences. (Typical Protestant, you know.) But when JPII died, I watched the funeral. And we were at Mass within the month. My husband at first said, “You convert if you like, and you may take the children, too. I will go with you to Mass, but I don’t want to convert.”

After the first Mass we attended, he wanted to convert, too.

That was in 2005. Since we became Catholic, we didn’t contracept anymore. So that was also three children ago.

Was JPIIs funeral what inspired you to go to Mass?

 

[CleverUserName]

I was in RCIA and undecided about converting. In fact they passed out a questionnaire asking about our thoughts about converting.

That same weekend I went to Sunday Mass. That was it. This was truly worship of God.

At the next meeting I signed up as a convert.

This is the same person who put off going to RCIA for a year because if I only knew one thing about being Catholic, it was that I would have to go to Mass every Sunday and I didn’t know if I wanted to give God a whole hour a week.

I thank God every single day that he led me to the Catholic Church.

Isn’t it funny how, looking from the outside, some things seem like a burden or a sacrifice, but once you’re on the inside, it’s a pleasure?

 

[CleverUserName]

Makes sense. I guess He knows what He is doing. Nowdays I am more capable of handling harsh truths and not running away, so on occasion I get a bit of a nudge that wakes me from sleepy self-righteousness. Back then when I read *Quo Vadis *for the first time I needed the love of my Father.

I love this!

 

[TexCatholic4JMJ]

Isn’t it funny how, looking from the outside, some things seem like a burden or a sacrifice, but once you’re on the inside, it’s a pleasure?

Have a friend who is on a journey and every now and then will say, I’m not saying I’m not
going to end up in the Catholic Church, but I have serious issues.
I asked her what some of them were and amidst the usual, Mary, saints, etc she said
“And going to Mass everyday (she knows a few Catholics who do this), I don’t want to
have to do that!”

Little does she realize that those of us who go to Mass daily, do so because of the
awesomeness of being with our Lord and because we WANT to, not because we HAVE
to.

 

[GraceSofia]

The title is “The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima.” It will probably be at your library if they have movies on tape or DVD.

It can also be watched here for free online:

THE MIRACLE OF OF LADY OF FATIMA

 

[Nabooru]

I don’t want to be cheeky, but you know about the history and foundations of anglicanism, right? Man-made religion again, with a pretty horrible story behind it. I hope you look into the CC and take a little swim to our side. I promise, it is the best place to be.

Your dream sounds truly horrifying. Most converts/reverts I know have had a wonderful experience of God calling us home, gently, lovingly, patiently. But a friend of mine was convinced because of something that happened when she went to adoration with a group of friends. She said her heart was pierced and she knew she would end up in hell unless she changed her ways. That was enough for her to get back to living her faith with zeal.

Well, tbh I do know the history of the Anglican church, and it does bother me. Not only Henry VIII’s selfish motivations, but the Elizabethan religious “settlement”. Not a conviction or a confession, but a settlement. An attempt to make everybody happy while still having the monarch run the church, which to me increasingly doesn’t make sense - what if the president made our bishops’ appointments and guided our religious thinking? He’s a politician, not a theologian or a priest. Not to say that Elizabeth was not religious, and I have a great deal of admiration for her, but does “sovereign” automatically imply “head (or governor) of the church”?

I would like to attend RCIA classes, preferably at a conservative parish, but the fact is I’ve made many friends at my current Anglican church, and they care about me a great deal, and have given me a lot. I don’t want them to feel as though I am tossing them aside. I know I can’t serve two masters. But I don’t know what to do, honestly.

 

[Della]

Well, tbh I do know the history of the Anglican church, and it does bother me. Not only Henry VIII’s selfish motivations, but the Elizabethan religious “settlement”. Not a conviction or a confession, but a settlement. An attempt to make everybody happy while still having the monarch run the church, which to me increasingly doesn’t make sense - what if the president made our bishops’ appointments and guided our religious thinking? He’s a politician, not a theologian or a priest. Not to say that Elizabeth was not religious, and I have a great deal of admiration for her, but does “sovereign” automatically imply “head (or governor) of the church”?

Yes, these were some of the things that helped me move from the Episcopal Church to Catholicism. I had returned to the ECA after a 20+ year stint in the Assemblies of God, but found it a very different entity from the one I left. It shocked me that a church could change its stance on major issues and bow to the norms of society rather than upholding the teachings it had stood upon for centuries.

I would like to attend RCIA classes, preferably at a conservative parish, but the fact is I’ve made many friends at my current Anglican church, and they care about me a great deal, and have given me a lot. I don’t want them to feel as though I am tossing them aside. I know I can’t serve two masters. But I don’t know what to do, honestly.

That is a hard thing to deal with. I would say, though that any friends who are true friends will understand and be happy for you. And you will make a lot of new ones in whatever Catholic parish you become involved in. You would be a great asset, if you don’t mind my saying so.

 

[GraceSofia]

I would like to attend RCIA classes, preferably at a conservative parish, but the fact is I’ve made many friends at my current Anglican church, and they care about me a great deal, and have given me a lot. I don’t want them to feel as though I am tossing them aside. I know I can’t serve two masters. But I don’t know what to do, honestly.

Nabooru,

Well, you could start RCIA without actually making a commitment. Most parishes start only in September, so you wouldn’t want to miss out this coming September.

And then see where the Lord leads you. I left a Protestant group that had good fellowship and I had attended a ladies’ Bible study with them for years. But I was utterly convinced that Jesus wanted me in the Catholic Church, and I had to be loyal to Him first .

You will find that some people will be very nice about it and some will NOT be, and for some odd reason, it is usually the opposite of who you expect.

 

[Nabooru]

Well, that and the fear of hell that seems so prevalent in Catholicism. I’m a sinner and I can’t possibly remember all my sins as one. I know with God’s grace I am forgiven, and I do repent and regret. But why is confession to a priest absolutely neccessary, a list down all of sins of that week, when I could just go to God myself and ask for forgiveness?

I do believe that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life, and no one goes to the Father but by Him. If I am contrite, fumbling through life as best I can like anyone else, struggling with some issues and forgetting others, but loving, accepting Him, and begging His grace, why wouldn’t He forgive me? I am not superhuman. I err and stumble. There are some things the Church teaches that I simply don’t agree with, even after hours, probably amounting to days, of prayer and meditation and requesting the Light of wisdom. Why would God deny me that, and then condemn me? It is not that my search is insincere and misguided. My heart seeks that which is love and purity and faith, not rules and laws and a constant feeling of God wanting to punish me and never forgive me. I don’t believe in OSAS, but I do believe that we are sinners, and that we cannot possibly add up all our sins we commit from day to day. I ask God’s forgiveness every night for what I may have done and forgotten. I don’t seek something that demands my perfection, because I will fail at offering it.

 

[Della]

Well, that and the fear of hell that seems so prevalent in Catholicism. I’m a sinner and I can’t possibly remember all my sins as one. I know with God’s grace I am forgiven, and I do repent and regret. But why is confession to a priest absolutely neccessary, a list down all of sins of that week, when I could just go to God myself and ask for forgiveness?

I do believe that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life, and no one goes to the Father but by Him. If I am contrite, fumbling through life as best I can like anyone else, struggling with some issues and forgetting others, but loving, accepting Him, and begging His grace, why wouldn’t He forgive me? I am not superhuman. I err and stumble. There are some things the Church teaches that I simply don’t agree with, even after hours, probably amounting to days, of prayer and meditation and requesting the Light of wisdom. Why would God deny me that, and then condemn me? It is not that my search is insincere and misguided. My heart seeks that which is love and purity and faith, not rules and laws and a constant feeling of God wanting to punish me and never forgive me. I don’t believe in OSAS, but I do believe that we are sinners, and that we cannot possibly add up all our sins we commit from day to day. I ask God’s forgiveness every night for what I may have done and forgotten. I don’t seek something that demands my perfection, because I will fail at offering it.

The only sins you are obligated to confess are mortal sins. And the criteria for committing a mortal sin is three-fold: You must know it is a grave sin, you must do it with full knowledge, and you must do it of your own free will. The mortal sins are based on the Ten Commandments and the Seven Deadly Sins: 1. lechery/lust, 2. gluttony, 3. avarice/greed, 4. sloth, 5. wrath, 6. envy, 7. pride. The Church clearly defines what they are in the CCC. They require a priest because committing them disconnects us from Christ and the Church. Most Christians don’t commit these on a regular basis and the closer to God you grow the less likely it is you’ll have any inclination to commit them, although no one should fall into sloth on that account.

 

[pablope]

Well, that and the fear of hell that seems so prevalent in Catholicism. I’m a sinner and I can’t possibly remember all my sins as one. I know with God’s grace I am forgiven, and I do repent and regret. But why is confession to a priest absolutely neccessary, a list down all of sins of that week, when I could just go to God myself and ask for forgiveness?

.

Because it is the way God commanded it…look at the passage from 1sam15, v 22-23 below.

I will recommend a book to you…Scott Hahn’s Lord Have Mercy-the healing power of confession.

It is more than just forgiveness…it is to heal and receive grace also…and requires humbling and convicting oneself.

We will probably go off topic…so I suggest a thread on its own…I do not want to derail this thread with so many wonderful stories.

I will just leave you with this Bible tidbits…and think what sins were committed, and how they were forgiven:

Job 42…7 After the Lord had said these things to Job , he said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has. 8 So now take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and sacrifice a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly. You have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has.” 9 So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite did what the Lord told them; and the Lord accepted Job’s prayer.

2Sam12…13 Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.”

Nathan replied, “The Lord has taken away your sin. You are not going to die. 14 But because by doing this you have shown utter contempt for[a] the Lord, the son born to you will die.”

1sam15…
“Tell me,” Saul replied.

17 Samuel said, “Although you were once small in your own eyes, did you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel. 18 And he sent you on a mission, saying, ‘Go and completely destroy those wicked people, the Amalekites; wage war against them until you have wiped them out.’ 19 Why did you not obey the Lord? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the Lord?”…

22 But Samuel replied:

“Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
as much as in obeying the Lord?
**To obey is better than sacrifice,
and to heed is better than the fat of rams.**23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination,
and arrogance like the evil of idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,
he has rejected you as king.”

24 Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned. I violated the Lord’s command and your instructions. I was afraid of the men and so I gave in to them. 25 Now I beg you, forgive my sin and come back with me, so that I may worship the Lord.”

 

[jlhargus]

It can also be watched here for free online:

THE MIRACLE OF OF LADY OF FATIMA

Thanks Grace Sofia.

 

[GaryTaylor]

Well, that and the fear of hell that seems so prevalent in Catholicism. I’m a sinner and I can’t possibly remember all my sins as one. I know with God’s grace I am forgiven, and I do repent and regret. But why is confession to a priest absolutely neccessary, a list down all of sins of that week, when I could just go to God myself and ask for forgiveness?

I do believe that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life, and no one goes to the Father but by Him. If I am contrite, fumbling through life as best I can like anyone else, struggling with some issues and forgetting others, but loving, accepting Him, and begging His grace, why wouldn’t He forgive me? I am not superhuman. I err and stumble. There are some things the Church teaches that I simply don’t agree with, even after hours, probably amounting to days, of prayer and meditation and requesting the Light of wisdom. Why would God deny me that, and then condemn me? It is not that my search is insincere and misguided. My heart seeks that which is love and purity and faith, not rules and laws and a constant feeling of God wanting to punish me and never forgive me. I don’t believe in OSAS, but I do believe that we are sinners, and that we cannot possibly add up all our sins we commit from day to day. I ask God’s forgiveness every night for what I may have done and forgotten. I don’t seek something that demands my perfection, because I will fail at offering it.

No one can know with a certainty of faith, which cannot be subject to error, that he has obtained the grace of God. And certainly not Eternal Salvation. Being that man lives in this state of an inclination to sin, The Church through Jesus Christ established the Sacraments as a gift to help mankind knowing that we are subjected to this state. That is why you hear the term practicing Catholic. As with anything else the more you practice the more proficent you become.

Small steps which can be achieved and sometimes its two foward and one back. This is the struggle.

God condemns no-one, you are responsible for the position you find yourself in. And its mercy all the way to judgement, yet there is no guarentee of tommorrow. You have this moment and your life is in your hands.

 

[GoldenSunflower]

Nabooru,

One thing I learned in RCIA, is that we will always manage to sin, no matter how hard we try to avoid it. We’re human, and it happens despite our good intentions at times. As for whatever you have done in the past, don’t let the fear of hell being so predominant these days. I expected the same thing, and what I found was that RCIA was more about 'we all sin - we all have sinned, we will all sin again… and that there is nothing on earth you could have done that Jesus would deny you his mercy if you asked him for it - absolutely nothing. I even had to ask the priest on that one … ‘what kind of sin is unforgivable… his answer was very forthright - there is no sin that cannot be forgiven if you sincerely ask with heartfelt repentance and are sorry for it.’. This made a huge difference to me. Then I found the ‘Divine Mercy’ pages on the Internet.

Remember, Jesus loves you more than you could even stand to realize… talk to him as you would a friend and see what happens. According to my RCIA class, the only people we know for sure might be in hell are those who are so afraid that they won’t ask for his mercy, or don’t think they deserve to be forgiven. None of us will ever do enough to deserve heaven… it is a grace given to us by God that forgives us and makes us worthy.

 

[Contra_Mundum_1]

I know I can’t serve two masters. But I don’t know what to do, honestly.

May I suggest you go to adoration and pray there? It is a very powerful thing. Even if you are just sitting there and nothing is ‘happening’, it still reaches you on a deep level. Whenever I have a dilemma or am in a difficult situation I go to adoration as often as I can. Somehow things work out.

 

[Miriam1947]

Isn’t it funny how, looking from the outside, some things seem like a burden or a sacrifice, but once you’re on the inside, it’s a pleasure?

Yeah, especially since now I go to daily Mass as often as I can. And trust me on this, as often as I can, is necessary.

 

[Contra_Mundum_1]

None of us will ever do enough to deserve heaven… it is a grace given to us by God that forgives us and makes us worthy.

I think this is really important. We can’t deserve Heaven. Many people feel that being a ‘good person’ and following the rules somehow entitles them to heaven. If I do X, Y and Z then I should get the reward. That is how secular logic works. I don’t know the anglican theology behind sin, righteousness and forgivness but my suspicion is that it is quite different from what the church teaches. Heaven is a gift and we can’t get there by our own merit, only through Christ. We will sin this way or the other, whether we like it or not. That is becase of the Fall. And all sin will be forgiven if we repent. So we mustn’t despair about inevitability of sin but look to God, thank Him for His mercy and love, and start becoming Christ-like.

The Divine Mercy chaplet is amazing. I’ve started praying it regularly for those who are dying in mortal sin and who have nobody to pray for them.

 

[Nabooru]

There have been times though, when I don’t feel bad. I know I should, but I don’t. And I feel bad for not feeling bad. And if I don’t feel bad about that… I don’t know.

I suppose I could take a ledger and write down a list of evey sin I do, but it would be impossible to keep up. I don’t believe in total depravity or anything, but think about it: we can sin in thought, word and deed. Today, I’ve hated people for making my job harder, felt resentful at how hard my work was, complained about people and circumstances, was lazy, compelled someone else to do my work for me… That’s all I can remember, I’m sure there were many more. And sometimes I don’t feel guilt. Maybe I’m too tired, too proud, too busy, too forgetful, or too convinced that I was in the right. In this way I am absolutely, positively not perfect. And Jesus recognizes that. I do a general confession of sins every Sunday, admitting that I’m guilty and feeling a genuine contrition. And I ask Jesus and the Father to forgive me, and I feel that I am. I feel the love of God, “Yes, I know you screwed up, but I still love you. I forgive you.”

I’m not sure if that’s the Catholic way, but I do feel unburdened on Sunday. Even if I can’t remember all my sins, or am stubborn in feeling guilt sometimes (and feeling guilty about that), I am forgiven. It’s not so much a list of sins I name - “God, forgive me for this, this, this, this, this…” but more like, “God, I am a simple sinner. Forgive me.”

 

[Della]

There have been times though, when I don’t feel bad. I know I should, but I don’t. And I feel bad for not feeling bad. And if I don’t feel bad about that… I don’t know.

I suppose I could take a ledger and write down a list of evey sin I do, but it would be impossible to keep up. I don’t believe in total depravity or anything, but think about it: we can sin in thought, word and deed. Today, I’ve hated people for making my job harder, felt resentful at how hard my work was, complained about people and circumstances, was lazy, compelled someone else to do my work for me… That’s all I can remember, I’m sure there were many more. And sometimes I don’t feel guilt. Maybe I’m too tired, too proud, too busy, too forgetful, or too convinced that I was in the right. In this way I am absolutely, positively not perfect. And Jesus recognizes that. I do a general confession of sins every Sunday, admitting that I’m guilty and feeling a genuine contrition. And I ask Jesus and the Father to forgive me, and I feel that I am. I feel the love of God, “Yes, I know you screwed up, but I still love you. I forgive you.”

I’m not sure if that’s the Catholic way, but I do feel unburdened on Sunday. Even if I can’t remember all my sins, or am stubborn in feeling guilt sometimes (and feeling guilty about that), I am forgiven. It’s not so much a list of sins I name - “God, forgive me for this, this, this, this, this…” but more like, “God, I am a simple sinner. Forgive me.”

The Catholic Church teaches that receiving the Eucharist absolves venial sins, such as you described. It’s only mortal sins that we need to confess. And if you aren’t sure a sin is mortal, you can always ask the priest and he’ll give you solid direction in that area. It’s fine to do a daily search of our conscience but we can’t let it overwhelm us. We take these minor offenses to God and give them to him.

Mortal sins disconnect us from Christ because they are not mere faults or weakness, but deliberate, conscious decisions to go against what we know to be God’s law, thus defying God and hurting ourselves and others by that defiance. Unless you have done that, you shouldn’t worry, but going to confession is good no matter if the sin is mortal or venial because we know we are absolved–we don’t have to “guess,” we mend the harm we’ve done by means of our penance, and we make sure we are on the right track through the direction given us by the priest.

Confession is a sacrament that we can’t do for ourselves any more than we can consecrate the host or baptize ourselves or even marry without the Church. We are part of Christ’s body, so why would we want to deny ourselves all the benefits of being part of it or want to harm it through not partaking of it? Once you go through RCIA and actually go to confession you will find it’s not as hard as you fear and it is a wonderful sacrament that clears our conscience and gives us grace to forge ahead in our spiritual lives. If you want to defeat your faults and minor sins confession is the way to go.

 

[Nabooru]

Who sins without some idea of knowing that what they are doing is wrong? Now admittedly, I may have a very strong obsessive disorder, but I weigh a lot of what do every day. If I say this in jest, am I a sinner? Should I repent specifically for that? What about when I sigh with tiredness or boredom, or really wish someone would leave me alone? There’s a voice in my head saying that I shouldn’t be doing that, and yet I can’t help it. I can’t help being imperfect. And because of that, I can’t beg forgiveness every time I know I’ve done something wrong - I’d be begging all day, and skipping sleep to beg some more.

To me, the question isn’t, “Jesus, in Your mercy, would You forgive my sins?”, but, “Jesus, in Your mercy, would You forgive me?”