Convince me I'm wrong please

[STVM]

I’ll start off by saying my name is Ryan, I’m 15 and I’ve been going to Catholic school my entire life. Suddenly I’ve hit this critical stage of my religion though and I just can’t get past some of my problems with it so I came here for some answers. Here are my questions:

-If God created everyone equal then why do we say gays shouldn’t marry…doesn’t that imply they’re not equal?
-Same question as above but this time for female priests.
-Howcome if I do something bad it’s my fault but if I do something good then “God helped me”?
-Why do we trust people with our faith when they can’t even seem to agree on something as simple as who was King when Jesus was born (Gospels)
-Why can’t God just show himself, wouldn’t that help us make good decisions if we actually saw him right before an immoral act?

I have more but would like these questions answered first. PLEASE don’t take these questions the wrong way and get angry, I’m right on the verge of leaving Catholocism even though I’ve lead a very moral (according to the church) life so far. Thanks a lot

 

[LilyM]

Hi Ryan - been in the same place you’re in now Hope I can help at least a little.

Firstly, God created all people equal, but he didn’t create all people exactly the same. That’s why, for example, only women are able to bear children whereas men can’t. That’s why some people are tone deaf or colour blind and therefore can’t be musicians or artists. Not everyone or every group can or should do every job.

Gays saying they should marry and women saying they should be priests is like a man complaining that he can’t bear children, a tone deaf person complaining that they can’t be a musician or a colour blind person complaining that they can’t be an artist. Sometimes things just are the way they are and God knows how best they should be run and set up.

In answer to your third question - do you believe that God who made you and loves you more than you can conceive of would want you to be anything other than truly deep-down happy (which isn’t the same thing as warm fuzzy feelings).

Would he truly want you to do anything other than what is good and right? Why then would you blame him for anything that you do wrong? Of course you’re not 100% responsible for all the bad that does happen to you, but at least sometimes we do bring bad on ourselves.

I’m sure though, that God doesn’t mind you taking at least some of the credit for the good things that you do - in fact we all co-operate with him in a limited way in bringing about good and bringing about his will. When we do good that is often a choice just as bad is.

But then there is also a lot of good that just happens to you and to others as well, without any effort on your part. I’m sure you can think of at least a few things like that.

Where do the Gospels disagree about when Jesus was born? They seem to agree that Herod the Great was King in Judea and Tiberius Caesar was Emperor in Rome. You may be confusing Herod the Great with one of his sons who succeeded him and was also called Herod (Herod Antipas).

This is the one who took his brother’s wife and killed John the Baptist and before whom Jesus was taken when he was on trial. There may, I believe, even have been other Kings of Judea who also bore the same name, but I don’t pretend to know that much about history.

As for why God doesn’t show himself all the time … firstly he DID show himself in the person of Jesus. Many people do wear or display crucifixes or pictures of him exactly to ‘show him’ in at least some way, and certainly to remind themselves of him. Perhaps you could do the same.

And, well, do you stop thinking about the people you truly care for (family, friends, girlfriend maybe) and stop doing things that will make them happy just because they’re not standing right in front of you?

And even if you do (being human it can happen) does that make it OK? Our relationship with God should be the same. He needs to be at the centre of our lives and thoughts, whether we can see him or not.

 

[Servulus]

I’ll start off by saying my name is Ryan, I’m 15 and I’ve been going to Catholic school my entire life. Suddenly I’ve hit this critical stage of my religion though and I just can’t get past some of my problems with it so I came here for some answers. Here are my questions:

Ryan, that’s quite a list you’ve put together. None of the answers are as short as the questions, but let’s see if we can get you pointed in the right direction.

-If God created everyone equal then why do we say gays shouldn’t marry…doesn’t that imply they’re not equal?

God did create everyone equal, but that doesn’t mean that every thing we want is equally good. You have to distinguish between the tendency or temptation to do something, and the actual doing of it. Some people have a tendency or temptation to alcoholism, others to drug abuse. Nobody should reject them for having those inclinations. But when they act on those tendencies and drink too much, or take drugs, or engage in homosexual activities, it’s the actions that are properly called wrong. The basic concept is to love the sinner, but to hate the sin.

-Same question as above but this time for female priests.

This is a little bit different than the previous question. First of all, don’t get fooled by the idea that women are somhow being deined their rights by virtue of the fact that they are not candidates for ordination. No man has the right to be a priest, either. A vocation to the priesthood is a calling from God. From the earliest times, the Church has understood this calling to be God’s choice for some men. Does that mean that women are less important in the eyes of the Church? Certainly not. Saint Paul, in many of his writings, used the analogy of the body. Is the eye less important than the ear? Is the hand more important than the foot. Of course not. They simply have different functions to perform for the well-being of the body, but it’s foolish to think that the hand has been denied its rights because it cannot be a foot. Also, it’s important to remember that the tongue didn’t get to pick whether it would be a tongue or a tonsil.

-Howcome if I do something bad it’s my fault but if I do something good then “God helped me”?

As human beings, we have a couple of weaknesses that we always have to be on guard about. One is too much pride in our successes, and the other is ducking responsibility for our failures. The fact is that our Heavenly Father always loves us and is always making available to us the help we need to do good and to avoid evil. When we do good, it’s because we responded properly to His offer of help. For that reason, we shouldn’t get too cocky and presume we did it on our own. On the other hand, when we fail to do the right thing, it’s because we didn’t accept the help we were offered. In fairness to God, that’s not His fault. He offered the help, but we just didn’t take it.

-Why do we trust people with our faith when they can’t even seem to agree on something as simple as who was King when Jesus was born (Gospels)

I’m guessing here that you’re referring to Caesar Augustus and to Herod. Ceasar was the emperor of Rome. One of the territories in his empire was Judea. Herod was king of that part of the empire but owed allegiance to Rome. It’s good that you recognize this as a relatively simple thing. How important is it, really who was the boss of what piece of territory at a particular time? There will always be differences of opinion or perspective on the minor aspects of history. I don’t know what color our Blessed Mother’s hair was, or what Saint Peter’s favorite food was, but do I really need to? On the really important things that bear directly on our Faith, there has always been clarity. That’s the important thing.

-Why can’t God just show himself, wouldn’t that help us make good decisions if we actually saw him right before an immoral act?

Earlier, I talked about God giving us the help we need. If He gave us too much help, or made the decisions for us, how would we show Him that we love Him. It’s by working to keep ourselves mentally in His Presence that we improve ourselves. Nothing worth anything is ever achieved without effort.

I have more but would like these questions answered first. PLEASE don’t take these questions the wrong way and get angry, I’m right on the verge of leaving Catholocism even though I’ve lead a very moral (according to the church) life so far. Thanks a lot

I hope these responses have been of some help, and I’m sure you’ll get others. Feel free to ask whatever’s on your mind whenever you need to.

 

[prv]

I’ll start off by saying my name is Ryan, I’m 15 and I’ve been going to Catholic school my entire life. Suddenly I’ve hit this critical stage of my religion though and I just can’t get past some of my problems with it so I came here for some answers. Here are my questions:

-Howcome if I do something bad it’s my fault but if I do something good then “God helped me”?

Satan is also at work, you can say that Satan helped you sin—you’ll still be punished for what you did wrong in some way or another, but if you do good you may be rewarded with additional merits—in addition to, the reward of getting into heaven—for Jesus said that some at the resurrection will receive 60 fold, others 100 fold. This does not mean that your works themselves will get you into heaven, you still have to do the work of God, which is first, do not sin and repent if you do.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

I’ll start off by saying my name is Ryan, I’m 15 and I’ve been going to Catholic school my entire life. Suddenly I’ve hit this critical stage of my religion though and I just can’t get past some of my problems with it so I came here for some answers. Here are my questions:

-If God created everyone equal then why do we say gays shouldn’t marry…doesn’t that imply they’re not equal?
-Same question as above but this time for female priests.
-Howcome if I do something bad it’s my fault but if I do something good then “God helped me”?
-Why do we trust people with our faith when they can’t even seem to agree on something as simple as who was King when Jesus was born (Gospels)
-Why can’t God just show himself, wouldn’t that help us make good decisions if we actually saw him right before an immoral act?

I have more but would like these questions answered first. PLEASE don’t take these questions the wrong way and get angry, I’m right on the verge of leaving Catholocism even though I’ve lead a very moral (according to the church) life so far. Thanks a lot

-If God created everyone equal then why do we say gays shouldn’t marry…doesn’t that imply they’re not equal?

Everyone is of equal dignity before God. That does not say everyone is identical.
Not everyone has brown eyes, or blond hair, not everyone is tall, etc. But everyone deserves to be treated with equal dignity as human beings.

-Same question as above but this time for female priests.

Not every person is capable of fulfilling every human function. Christ could have chosen females for the priesthood along with males but He didn’t. He chose only males.

-How come if I do something bad it’s my fault but if I do something good then “God helped me”?

Because God is only good. God cannot do or cause evil. He only allows satan to function within limits. God will never interfere in your free will to choose good or evil.

-Why do we trust people with our faith when they can’t even seem to agree on something as simple as who was King when Jesus was born (Gospels)

There can be many reasons why the dates and places in the Scriptures seem to be out of sync with each other. Different people writing from different views, possibly writing about different events, and we are thinking it was the same event.

-Why can’t God just show himself, wouldn’t that help us make good decisions if we actually saw him right before an immoral act?

God’s grace is sufficient for you to fight off temptation. If you truly follow the Gospel. To love God with all you soul, all your mind and all your heart, and your neighbor as yourself, you can’t go wrong.

 

[Detroit_Sue]

I must say, I wish I’d have had you guys helping me when I was 15.

Ryan, you are a very thoughtful, intelligent young person. You got some really great answers to your really great questions. I hope you pop in more.

 

[STVM]

These are some great answers, thanks. In response to the Herod/Ceaser answer that may be what I’m thinking of but I’m not sure…maybe I should pay a little more attention in Religion class. So you have changed my opinion on the 3rd/4th questions but the others still remain.

When God created people blind, deaf, etc. he gave them something that we as humans cannot fix…but we still do our best to give them the advantages of everyday life. This is not the case for Female priests and gays IMO. WE can decide if gays can marry and WE can decide if women can become priests. This issue is in our control. How come whites, blacks, the handicapped etc. are all aloud to marry? Sure women can go into the sisterhood but I’ve heard many tell me that they would only consider a vocation if they could be a priest…it’s a lot different.

About the last question: If my g/f is standing right next to me then I am much less likely to do something I would regret if she found out obviously. But say I’m about to cheat on my g/f (which I would never do but for the sake of argument…) and right before I commit the act God steps in front of me in some kind of a shocking supernatural way and asks me if I really want to do it…what are the chances I would still commit the act? If I do then clearly I still took advantage of my free will and need a lot of help as a Christian, if I don’t then God saves the day once again. So why can’t he say something?

I’ll probably post some more q’s tomorrow but the one we were just talking about is calling (my girlfriend not god, sorry). Thanks again for all of these great answers.

 

[Rolltide]

-Why can’t God just show himself, wouldn’t that help us make good decisions if we actually saw him right before an immoral act?

Well, let’s start with the last one first, since it’s the easiest. The answer is that he DID try that, and it failed (and he knew that it would). He did this to prove to us that it wouldn’t work, because God has granted us free will. Here are some examples of what I mean:

1. Noah’s Ark. The world had grown increasingly unjust. Soon, the only good people left alive were Noah and his family. God destroys the world and saves only the good people. So, there should be no evil in the world anymore, right? If every unjust person died, what happened? Free will, that’s what. Even with the most just parents and people surrounding us, we can turn from God. God uses this story to show that we have a personal choice in our salvation, and that sin will always be with us.
2. Miracles. Why not just step in and actively participate in the everyday world? When Jesus came, he performed miracles everywhere, in front of all kinds of people, and yet many, many people STILL didn’t believe in him. They used logic or disbelief to dismiss his claims. Even THOMAS doubted Jesus, and he was a disciple who had seen many miracles in the past. BUT… the story of Thomas actually gives everyone hope! I find him one of the most comforting figures in the Bible. It showed that he had some doubts, just like you did, but he continued to stick to the faith and he believed. God forgives the occasional doubts, as long as we continue to follow him.

God has given us free will so that we can voluntarily choose to follow him. If we had no free will, we would be slaves to God, forced to do his bidding. God does not want that for us because he loves us.

 

[homewardbound]

Homosexuals are sinning in their acts, no one is born homosexual and the Bible clearly disapproves of it in Romans 1:22-27. They should not marry simply because there’s no way a marriage between two people of the same sex can be valid in the eyes of God. Thats why the Chuch does not support it.

Women also, as it states in Genesis, were made to be helpmates of man. Yes, they are equally loved by God BUT we women(yes I am one) have been called to do specifically diffferent duties than men. We’re all unique not only individually but gender-wise too in the gifts God has given us. Women should never be in a position of authority and be preaching to men. They can teach children and classes, but God will not call them to be priests because women are not meant to be that type of leader. The women who want to be priests aren’t called by God to be priests, they simply are followers of society and want what they want just because they can’t have it. Its like a 12 year old wanting to get their license and smoke legally. Sure they might be capable, but is it practical and will it lead to anything good? Probably not.

Thats just what I’ve come to understand in my Christian upbringing(wasn’t raised Catholic)

God gives us free will to make our own decisions about what makes sense. I hope others can give you better and more supported answers then I have. I know there are much better answers then what I’ve given but I thought I’d throw in my two cents, since thats what message boards are for.

God Bless and I pray God will guide you in the direction He has planned for you.

 

[Servulus]

When God created people blind, deaf, etc. he gave them something that we as humans cannot fix…but we still do our best to give them the advantages of everyday life. This is not the case for Female priests and gays IMO. WE can decide if gays can marry and WE can decide if women can become priests. This issue is in our control.

We may not be as “in control” as you think on these two questions, Ryan. Since they’re separate issues, though, let’s look at them individually.

How come whites, blacks, the handicapped etc. are all aloud to marry?

The answer to this part is found in our understanding of marriage. The Catechism says it very well:

“By its very nature the institution of marriage and married love is ordered to the procreation and education of the offspring and it is in them that it finds its crowning glory.”

Children are the supreme gift of marriage and contribute greatly to the good of the parents themselves. God himself said: “It is not good that man should be alone,” and “from the beginning [he] made them male and female”; wishing to associate them in a special way in his own creative work, God blessed man and woman with the words: “Be fruitful and multiply.” Hence, true married love and the whole structure of family life which results from it, without diminishment of the other ends of marriage, are directed to disposing the spouses to cooperate valiantly with the love of the Creator and Savior, who through them will increase and enrich his family from day to day."

White people, black people, and handicapped people are all capable of entering into a marriage that fulfills this purpose. Two people of the same gender are physically unable to do that.

Part of the confusion on this matter comes from the erroneous trend to consider homosexual behavior as simply another demographic characteristic.

Sure women can go into the sisterhood but I’ve heard many tell me that they would only consider a vocation if they could be a priest…it’s a lot different.

It’s really hard to address this question without questioning people’s motives, so I’ll have to use myself as an example. If I’m trying to understand what God is calling me to do in life (my vocation) am I right to put conditions on Him? Because we are all called to one state in life or another. If I begin to understand that God is calling me to be a husband and father, shall I say to Him, “Okay, but only if all my children are healthy, or if I can have a great job and make a lot of money to support them.”? Or what if I said, “No, I want to be a priest because it think that’s a more important and holier way of life.”? I think I’d have to wonder if pride were getting in my way. Wouldn’t I be better to say, “If this is what You want for me, then Your will be done. Help me to do the best job I can at being a husband and father.”

About the last question: If my g/f is standing right next to me then I am much less likely to do something I would regret if she found out obviously. But say I’m about to cheat on my g/f (which I would never do but for the sake of argument…) and right before I commit the act God steps in front of me in some kind of a shocking supernatural way and asks me if I really want to do it…what are the chances I would still commit the act? If I do then clearly I still took advantage of my free will and need a lot of help as a Christian, if I don’t then God saves the day once again. So why can’t he say something?

As I mentioned before, God is always with us, reminding us through the conscience He gave us that we should do good and avoid evil. The real proof of character, as someone once told me, is what we do when we think no one is watching.

Keep thinking and praying, Ryan. You’ll make it.

 

[LilyM]

Getting back to the marriage and ordination issues. It’s a matter of God choosing certain ways to do things.

After all, Jesus could have chosen to take eggs and orange juice at the Last Supper and say 'this is my body ’ ‘this is my blood’ with those things instead of with bread and wine. All the wishing and hoping and thinking that we can do won’t change the fact that bread and wine is the one thing that Jesus DID choose, and bread and wine is what we are asked to use when we do as he did.

So he had women around him - who would have been more deserving to be a priest than his own mother Mary, the most perfect of all his followers? Or Mary Magdalene, to whom he chose to reveal himself first after the resurrection? Most cultures of the time had priestesses, and even the Jews had prophetesses. The fact is that he DIDN’T so choose them - no record of either of the Marys preaching, teaching or baptising.

Not everyone is meant to be a priest - married men aren’t either. Not everyone is meant to be married either - that’s why there are rules about polygamy, rules about how to go about getting divorce and laws against bigamy. There’s nothing intrinsically necessary about any of this - plenty of societies have and have had open relationships or polygamy with no obvious problems. But the fact is we believe God created marriage and ordained it to be a certain way - one man and one woman, meant to be a permanent arrangement.

 

[STVM]

More good points, thanks. I’m still a little skepticle though.

It’s been 2000 years since Jesus and a whole lot more since Noah’s ark. It’s been proven that Noah’s ark is only a symbolic story as well so I’m going to stick to the Jesus point. What Jesus did, while it may not have swayed everyone, was a whole lot more than what anyone is doing now. So why does God have to keep doing things (prophets, Jesus, Noah) through people? Why can’t he come in some amazing form and try and change us? That may be an ignorant question but I’m just kind of spilling everything out here.

Most importantly though, how do you guys get all of this faith? How do you stay strong when you have questions, which I’m sure are often better than mine? This is sounding kind of corny but prayer isn’t going to do it for me…whe else do you guys (and girls) do?

 

[homewardbound]

More good points, thanks. I’m still a little skepticle though.

It’s been 2000 years since Jesus and a whole lot more since Noah’s ark. It’s been proven that Noah’s ark is only a symbolic story as well so I’m going to stick to the Jesus point. What Jesus did, while it may not have swayed everyone, was a whole lot more than what anyone is doing now. So why does God have to keep doing things (prophets, Jesus, Noah) through people? Why can’t he come in some amazing form and try and change us? That may be an ignorant question but I’m just kind of spilling everything out here.
QUOTE]

I think God doesn’t just show himself because that would make it too easy. This is Earth, we’re here to live as we see most fit. If God were to show himself to everyone then of course no one would sin(as much if at all). Thats Heaven. This is kind of our test time. The true faithful will follow God no matter what. We don’t need him to show himself, because we believe in Him. Thats what God wants from us. Faith and belief without having 100% concrete proof. He doesn’t expect us to never have doubts and questions. All He asks is we do the best we can.

Also, where’s your proof that Noah is all a myth? Where’s the evidence that it never happened? No one has proven it anymore then anyone has disproved it.

Anyway, God will not just show himself because that would be an insult to Him and to those who are faithful to Him. I understand you are struggling, it is very hard. But just continue searching. Continuing studying what it is the Church teaches and most importantly, WHY it teaches what it does. The answers are there.

Are you struggling in even believing there is a God? Because if not, then I don’t see why you can’t just pray some simple prayer asking Him to help and guide you through this hard time. Nothing has to be fancy. He will listen. He will not leave you in the dark. As long as you seek answers you will find them.

How do I get my faith? Through years of asking many questions, much like you’re doing now. At 15 I was a completely different person and was struggling very much with God. Don’t despair. As you grow and search for these answers you will find the answers.

I’m sorry I’m not able to answer your questions very well. I just want you to know you’re in my thoughts and prayers. Luckily, many others in this forum are much better with words and explaining things than I am.

 

[Servulus]

So why does God have to keep doing things (prophets, Jesus, Noah) through people?

He doesn’t have to do things through people, but He chooses to.

Why can’t he come in some amazing form and try and change us?

This gets back to what I wrote about earlier - about our cooperating with His help. Suppose you were floundering around in the middle of an ocean and a rescue helicopter came to your aid. If the pilot drops you a life preserver, but you don’t grab it, is it his fault you weren’t rescued? On the other hand, if he scoops you up with a net like a big fish he’s doing your part and his. God wants us to use the free will He gave us to accept His love and help.
God brings good to others through us. When I’m prompted to do a work of charity (like taking the bathroom tissue “decorations” out of an elderly neighbor’s tree the day after homecoming) I may be the means by which God is answering the prayers of that elderly lady who had no idea how she’d ever clean that mess up.

Most importantly though, how do you guys get all of this faith? How do you stay strong when you have questions, which I’m sure are often better than mine? This is sounding kind of corny but prayer isn’t going to do it for me…whe else do you guys (and girls) do?

Faith is a great gift, Ryan. We get the beginnings of it at Baptism, but the second question in your last paragraph is very well phrased “How do you stay strong?” Compare it with physical strength. We get the beginnings of it with the physiology that comes through our parents. When we’re young, parents and others make sure we’re nourished and grow. When we’re old enough, the responsibility to nourish and exercise our muscles becomes ours. Prayer and the Sacraments are our nourishment. Doing good, avoiding evil, trusting in God, these are the exercises that help us keep strong. You said praying isn’t going to do it for you, and you’re right - not by itself, anyway. But praying and working is a great combination!

Write any time.

 

[Rolltide]

More good points, thanks. I’m still a little skepticle though.

It’s been 2000 years since Jesus and a whole lot more since Noah’s ark. It’s been proven that Noah’s ark is only a symbolic story as well so I’m going to stick to the Jesus point. What Jesus did, while it may not have swayed everyone, was a whole lot more than what anyone is doing now. So why does God have to keep doing things (prophets, Jesus, Noah) through people? Why can’t he come in some amazing form and try and change us? That may be an ignorant question but I’m just kind of spilling everything out here.

Most importantly though, how do you guys get all of this faith? How do you stay strong when you have questions, which I’m sure are often better than mine? This is sounding kind of corny but prayer isn’t going to do it for me…whe else do you guys (and girls) do?

1. It is by no mean proven that Noah’s Ark is a myth. Perhaps it is. If so, it still doesn’t matter because it then becomes a parable that teaches the same thing. Jesus spoke in parables, so this wouldn’t be surprising. Parables teach us much about the faith in an easy to understand manner. Evidence to prove that it is real includes similar stories being interwoven throughout the Middle East (esp. The Epic of Gilgamesh). In an age where the “entire world” referred to little more than a few early cities like Ur, Uruk, and Lagash in Sumeria (southern Iraq), and given that the region is smack dab between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers (and the cities lay on their banks), and that it is highly prone to severe seasonal floods, it is entirely possible that the story has some basis in fact, even if it doesn’t refer to a truly global flood. (And for that matter, it’s still perfectly acceptable to take the story at face value.)
2. You speak of no one doing that much since Jesus (or at least, now). Remeber that there were huge spans of history between many of the major prophets. You say why does God have to do things through people, and yet you included Jesus, who is God himself. That right there is the amazing form that you’re wanting to see. He performed all kinds of miracles and many people didn’t believe him. The moral of the story is that the same thing would happen today. If an actual miracle occurred, would you believe it outright? Science would try to debunk it, or prove how it happened, or dismiss it as a natural phenomenon. Even if it was someone raised from the dead, there would be doubts about his status. Maybe he was only in a coma and not really dead. There’s always a way to doubt. And… what if God obeyed all of the scientific laws he created? Does that make the miracle any less valid? Do you think God would rather we come to the faith because we some indisputable miracle and are forced to the decision, or that we use our own free will to conclude through our own reasoning that the morality and faith we believe is just and correct?
3. I get my faith from the fact that Catholicism is one of the few religions that offers a lot to both the poor and uneducated, AND the highly intellectual. It can be appreciated on a very simple level (love your neighbor as yourself) but also through the minutia of doctrine and the depths of philosophy. It simply all comes together. That journey has always led me to the truth. I believe that the teachings of the Church are just and moral. When I have doubts about theology, it doesn’t change my opinions on the morality, so I continue to follow it. I’ve even asked myself, “What if I die and there is no God at all?” In that eventuality, I’ve still led the most honest and moral life that I was capable of. How is that bad? But the fact is that I do believe. Think about the origin of the universe, for example. All the possibilities are impossible by logic, so I have no problem believing in God. Why would he not exist? (For example, if the universe began at the Big Bang, how could it have been created out of nothing?! Yet, if the universe was always around, how is that possible? How could something always exist? Both are logically impossible, and so prove that there are things beyond the comprehension of human intelligence. To me, that reinforces the notion of God.)

 

[RCCDefender]

Ryan,
I can do little to add to the great responses you’ve already gotten, but I can pray for you and I will. Prayer doesn’t need to be a great epic poem to God, in fact a simple prayer that you could pray in your times of doubt is, “Lord I believe. Help my unbelief.” (Someone please tell me where this one is from…)

Miracles happen everyday, Ryan. They don’t always make the national news or even the local papers, but they do happen. I’ve had miracles happen to me, and you probably have too. Let me tell you about the birth of my daughter.

I gave birth to my baby girl at a maternity center. She was born at 2:30, so according to the center’s policy for a normal delivery (which I had) I expected to be going home at 8:30 with my beautiful baby. After all my family got to hold her and a few token pictures were taken the midwife ran some tests. My baby was not taking in oxygen like she was suppose to.
By 6:30 an ambulance from the Children’s Hospital had taken her away to their Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). I know it’s probably hard for you to understand, but I was heartbroken. I had thought I’d be getting her ready to go home and instead she was inside a plastic machine being taken away from me. They said she had inhaled some meconuim (a sticky tar-like substance) while she was being born (she had this tar stuff in her lungs). (I’m trying not to be too graphic here.)
What none of us realized then was that it was a miracle that she had inhaled this. Why? After all, if she hadn’t we’d have taken her home and been a happy little family, right? Wrong. If we had taken her home at that point, she would have likely died by the next morning. She would probably have had an aneurism, a stroke, or a severe brain bleed.
When she was in the NICU the nurses ran some routine blood tests and found that she had a really low platelet count (platelets are what makes your blood clot). The normal count for a newborn is 150,000 or higher. She had only 16,000. Anytime a baby has platelets below 50,000 it is considered a critical case. The doctors gave her a transfusion of 100,000 platelets that night at 11 PM. The next morning they checked her platelets again. The count: 19,000. In eight hours she had lost 97,000 platelets. The doctors couldn’t figure out why.
What noone realized, not even us, was that the whole time she was in the womb my body was trying to kill her.
We had to have bloodwork done and it was 2 days later that we found out that I have a rare antigen on my platelets that rejects all other platelets. My body had sent antibodies into her body to attack her platelets. Even after she was born some of my antibodies were still living in her body, still attacking her. She had to fight to live to entire time she was inside me, in the womb where she was supposed to be protected. And now she still had to fight to live. And fight she did.
It was a miracle that she had trouble breathing. Otherwise we might have been spending her birthday at the graveyard instead of eating birthday cake.

Miracles happen everyday, Ryan. You just have to look for them.

You are in my prayers…

 

[MattB]

More good points, thanks. I’m still a little skepticle though.

It’s been 2000 years since Jesus and a whole lot more since Noah’s ark. It’s been proven that Noah’s ark is only a symbolic story as well so I’m going to stick to the Jesus point. What Jesus did, while it may not have swayed everyone, was a whole lot more than what anyone is doing now. So why does God have to keep doing things (prophets, Jesus, Noah) through people? Why can’t he come in some amazing form and try and change us? That may be an ignorant question but I’m just kind of spilling everything out here.

Most importantly though, how do you guys get all of this faith? How do you stay strong when you have questions, which I’m sure are often better than mine? This is sounding kind of corny but prayer isn’t going to do it for me…whe else do you guys (and girls) do?

What an awesome thread! There have been so many great questions (from Ryan) and great answers, I am hesitant to weigh in, lest I should cloud the issue. I would just say a couple of things: (1) Ryan, your mind is engaged and your spirit is working – questioning is good and maybe you are being called to great things. The intellect and reason are essential to our faith, and, like muscles, need to be challenged and worked out. Keep plugging away and don’t become disheartened. (2) You’ve come back to the issue of “why doesn’t God just appear in front of me and tell me what to do?” Its probably already been said, but God created us with** free will**, so that we could choose to follow Him. Imagine that your girlfriend was forced to go out with you, because her parents made her. The result would be the same for you – a date with your girlfriend – but wouldn’t it be vastly different from what you want? Don’t you feel your heart melt when you realize that on her own, given all the possiblities in the world, she chooses to be with you? That kind of love – originating from free choice – is what God wants of us.

God bless you,

Matt

 

[preweather]

Go to daily mass when possible. Go to confession and receive communion as much as possible. Sit with Jesus in your adoration chapel and talk to him if you say prayer isn’t helping. However, be quite once in awhile so you can hear him. Above all pray the rosary it is are best defense against all the evil that tries constantly to distract us and take us from our Lord. This is where faith comes from.

 

[Wendy-Kay]

Dear Ryan,
I am so proud of you for asking these questions and seeking the truth! I converted at 15 from a fundamentalist background. Internet was pretty new at the time, and the library didn’t have much on the subject of Catholicism, but what really put my mind at ease, aside from believeing I was following God’s Will, was my knowledge of the bible and what my priest told me.
Clearly, Jesus Christ established the Catholic Church. He built it on His rock, Peter. He said the gates of Hell would not prevail against it. He prayed that Peter and the Apostles faith would not fail. Christ is triumphant, and His church can not fail. He said He would never leave us orphans. He gave us the Magisterium. For me, to believe that the Holy Catholic Church isn’t guided by the Holy Spirit when it comes to her teachings (and other things, but in keeping with the subject) would be to say that Jesus failed in His mission. No way!
Because at the time my oppurtunity to learn the things you are asking weren’t within my immediate reach, I knew I could trust and submit to whatever the Church taught.
Also, please check out JimmyAkin.org and Catholic Answers radio archives to enrich your faith in addition to the forums. Pray often and invoke the communion of saints.
Your Sister in Christ,
Wendy-Kay

 

[scylla]

How do you have so much faith?

Some of us would love to have as much faith as you do to even bother to look into this sort of thing at your age. When I was a teen I believed but knew very little.

By the time I was about 24 I knew more and believed less. Now that I am 32 I think I know a great deal and believe as I should have believed when I was a teen. I try and share my faith at the very least once a day with someone else. I spend time with my buddies and it is fun debating with them and just sharing my faith because now it means something to me.

All it really takes is you asking God to let you know what to do. Belief comes then as He answers you in your life.

Most people are too scared to ask God for any answers as that might mean He does exist and they might have to change their lives. They are like the people covering their ears going lalalalalala so they do not have to hear God.

Jesus gives us a reason to live and be free in this life, of worry. We just have to be brave enough to seek Him.

God Bless
Scylla