Converts, what was it about the way that Catholics lived their life that attracted you to the faith?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Contra_Mundum_1
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
C

Contra_Mundum_1

Guest
I often see converts make this comment, that they were attracted by the way that Catholics behaved and lived, and that helped them seek God. Many suggest that the best form of evangelising if to be an example of Christian living.

I’d love to hear some examples of particular behaviour, and how that differed from what you saw in your own life and the lives of non-Catholics around you.

I think this can be an inspiration to all of us. 👍
 
Absolutely nothing. I came to God, not people. My fellow Christians are just what I am, and there is little attractive about that. It is only the light of Christ which calls.
 
Great question.

I have returned to Protestantism, but I was a Catholic for a while.

I was bullied in public school before the days of charter schools and school choice, and my parents and I decided that I should transfer to a Catholic school even though we were Methodists.

So I entered in 8th grade.

There was a volunteer, Mrs. P. She seemed to be very devout in her Catholic faith. I saw her praying in the chapel alone. She had this serenity about her and this kindness which attracted me.

I also experienced the kindness of Catholic classmates.

I had to take theology classes at the school, and I found myself becoming very interested in becoming a Catholic myself., So I started RCIA in my freshman year of college, and became a Catholic in 1986.
 
Lisa1967 said:
She had this serenity about her and this kindness which attracted me.

I also experienced the kindness of Catholic classmates.
.
Click to expand...
That sounds like a lovely experience. Glad you transfered to such a nice environment.
 
They were kind, they didn’t argue, and they didn’t talk down to me 🙂

It took me quite a few years as a Catholic myself to absorb these values… :o
 
Edmundus1581 said:
They were kind, they didn’t argue, and they didn’t talk down to me 🙂

It took me quite a few years as a Catholic myself to absorb these values… :o
Click to expand...
Haha, I’m still working on it :o I guess some of us need more time.
 
Lisa1967 said:
Great question.

I have returned to Protestantism, but I was a Catholic for a while.

I was bullied in public school before the days of charter schools and school choice, and my parents and I decided that I should transfer to a Catholic school even though we were Methodists.

So I entered in 8th grade.

There was a volunteer, Mrs. P. She seemed to be very devout in her Catholic faith. I saw her praying in the chapel alone. She had this serenity about her and this kindness which attracted me.

I also experienced the kindness of Catholic classmates.

I had to take theology classes at the school, and I found myself becoming very interested in becoming a Catholic myself., So I started RCIA in my freshman year of college, and became a Catholic in 1986.
Click to expand...
I don’t know if this is the time to say it, but Lisa, your baptism left an indelible mark upon your soul. It is a sacrament, and you can’t leave it behind. You’re still a Catholic and will always remain a Catholic. I hope you come home soon.
 
I am afraid my conversion was in spite of, not because of, the way I saw Catholics acting, both those I knew personally and at a wider level (this was in the midst of the sex abuse scandal). I suppose there were some good examples that influenced me as seen through Catholic media such as EWTN.
 
Contra_Mundum said:
I often see converts make this comment, that they were attracted by the way that Catholics behaved and lived, and that helped them seek God. Many suggest that the best form of evangelising if to be an example of Christian living.

I’d love to hear some examples of particular behaviour, and how that differed from what you saw in your own life and the lives of non-Catholics around you.

I think this can be an inspiration to all of us. 👍
Click to expand...
I think an overall acceptance of others where ever they were at spiritually or who they were as a person. A total lack of superiority towards others and a total absence of “i’m better than you because I’m Catholic”
 
Because I first encountered believing Catholics through the Catholic Charismatic Renewal in the early '70s, I knew there were real Christians in the RCC. Whenever I heard a protestant preacher ranting about “those antichrist popes” I remembered those I had known in the seventies.
I live across the street from an RC church, and if I could only go on the visual evidence of clothing worn to Mass, I would not have converted. But I also had the visual testimony of watching an habit clothed SND sister coming and going. It seemed there was a remnant of the historical church for me to investigate. So I began to attend 6:30 AM Mass and just watched from the last pew for almost a year. At the same time I read, and purchased CD’s from Catholic Answers. I purchased so many CDs they asked me if I were reselling them.
Finally I called the parish office to inquire about RCIA. That 6 months of RCIA was one of the most spiritually exciting periods of my (then) 60 years. I am a lector, and that SND sister became my sponsor, and the sponsor of 2 of my daughters into the Church and a close family friend.
 
wednman said:
Because I first encountered believing Catholics through the Catholic Charismatic Renewal in the early '70s, I knew there were real Christians in the RCC. Whenever I heard a protestant preacher ranting about “those antichrist popes” I remembered those I had known in the seventies.
I live across the street from an RC church, and if I could only go on the visual evidence of clothing worn to Mass, I would not have converted. But I also had the visual testimony of watching an habit clothed SND sister coming and going. It seemed there was a remnant of the historical church for me to investigate. So I began to attend 6:30 AM Mass and just watched from the last pew for almost a year. At the same time I read, and purchased CD’s from Catholic Answers. I purchased so many CDs they asked me if I were reselling them.
Finally I called the parish office to inquire about RCIA. That 6 months of RCIA was one of the most spiritually exciting periods of my (then) 60 years. I am a lector, and that SND sister became my sponsor, and the sponsor of 2 of my daughters into the Church and a close family friend.
Click to expand...
ALL Catholics are Christians, the original Christians in fact. I hope you know that now. The way you stated this, made me wonder. It does not matter what we wear to Mass and there is not a “remnant” of the Church, there is the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church that has survived since Jesus established it.
 
wednman said:
Finally I called the parish office to inquire about RCIA. That 6 months of RCIA was one of the most spiritually exciting periods of my (then) 60 years. I am a lector, and that SND sister became my sponsor, and the sponsor of 2 of my daughters into the Church and a close family friend.
Click to expand...
That is truly amazing. Congrats to you and your family and that friend who converted 👍
 
robwar said:
I think an overall acceptance of others where ever they were at spiritually or who they were as a person. A total lack of superiority towards others and a total absence of “i’m better than you because I’m Catholic”
Click to expand...
That’s wonderful.

I remember (back in my cafeteria days when I had it all figured out) when I was saying something rather stupid about my beliefs to some faithful Catholics. They just smiled and nodded and gently pointed out some things to me. I never felt ridiculed or looked down on. But they held on to the Truth and knew how to share it in a gentle way.
 
Aelred_Minor said:
I am afraid my conversion was in spite of, not because of, the way I saw Catholics acting, both those I knew personally and at a wider level (this was in the midst of the sex abuse scandal). I suppose there were some good examples that influenced me as seen through Catholic media such as EWTN.
Click to expand...
I can imagine that being quite difficult. But the Holy Spirit is stronger than our bad behaviour, as your example shows. Praise be to God.
 
Great Question.

For me, it was not how other Catholics lived their faith because I am unable to pick out who is Catholic with the exception of a visual que.

Father Corapi was the very first Priest I watched on EWTN…with the exception of my 'draw" to watch Christmas from Rome. He Father Corapi made sense to me. He brought futher awareness to the Catholic Faith. Little did I know before listening to him that I was walking the walk our Catholic Faith Teach’s us before I offically starting in the church.

I could NOT make sense of other faiths who teach the only way to Heaven was to be “Saved” I knew there was much more too it. So I kept walking,not looking for anything, but walking in my life the way my inner voice kept sofly speaking to me. For me, all those years of putting the square block into a round hole…which I could never do. UNTIL…Father Corapi was on TV…then Mother Angelica was on …I starting to learn he Rosary…word for word,mess up by mess up, then I knew it. I didnt know WHY I wanted to learn it, but I did.
Everything and anything Catholic felt like home to me, before I came to the church.

It came to me in a whisper…
 
robwar said:
I think an overall acceptance of others where ever they were at spiritually or who they were as a person. A total lack of superiority towards others and a total absence of “i’m better than you because I’m Catholic”
Click to expand...
Agreed. I have appreciated Catholics that simultaneously understood why I had doubts and were confident in their own faith. They were not really insisting that I make myself believe but they demonstrated confidence in their own beliefs and in the fact that, if one looks, truth reveals itself.
 
Real Juliane,
I made the mistake of posting from my heart with very limited time. Was your response intended to be helpful,…or hurtful?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top