Small sister, if you were raised Catholic, basically all you have to do to return to full communion with the Catholic Church is to go to confession. If I were in your shoes, I’d call the nearest parish and make an appointment with a priest to hear your confession and probably get some spiritual direction about this. Clearly, your foray into the Watchtower Society is bothering you on some level, some of which might be the loss of fellowship, and some of which might be the time you spent listening to their version of doctrine.
I have to admit that years ago, I found various Jehovah’s Witness literature left under my apartment door when I lived in New York. I read it. Thank heaven I had some background in Catholic Bible study prior to reading it, as it was, to say the least, confusing and disconcerting. I tossed out the literature, and confessed having read it, even though I wasn’t even sure it was a sin to do so. I mentioned how confused and disturbed I was by some of the points raised, and, far from scolding me, the priest explained that this is what happens when people get derailed from the teachings of the Catholic Church, which relies both on Scripture and sacred Tradition. You can find justification for the latter by noting that, at the end of the Gospels of John and (I believe, it’s early and I’m still working on my first cup of coffee,) Mark. At the end of those Gospels each writer stresses the point that Jesus did much more than had been written down.
Like I said, if I were in your shoes, I would go to confession and discuss your experience with the priest, and then stick as close as possible to the Sacraments as you can possibly manage. You can even ask the priest if he could recommend a solidly Catholic Bible study class for adults, and what edition of the Bible he would recommend. Mass readings are taken from the New American Bible, Revised Edition, and my own preference for daily Bible reading at home is the Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition. In any case, you need a Bible that is accurate and contains all the canonical books, which only the Catholic editions would (Luther expunged several books, leading to a Protestant Bible of 66 books, and I have heard that Watchtower came up with their own translation, which is very distorted.)
A parish-based Catholic Bible study will put you in contact with other parishioners and you will start to establish friends and fellowship there. Plus, most parishes have all sorts of activities, some educational, some purely social, which will help with fellowship as well. All you have to do is go, and be consistent about going to some of these things. Sooner or later you’ll become a familiar face, and one of the group.
Priests generally, contrary to popular opinion, do not scold or “yell at” people in confession, especially people who are returning to the Catholic Church. And they have pretty much heard it all if they’ve been ordained for more than a couple of years. They have heard so much that they quite literally can’t remember who said what, according to a couple of priest friends of mine when I asked them that question. And they are under the seal of the confessional: They cannot reveal anything that a penitent says to any one, including law enforcement, the government, etc., under pain of excommunication. They can’t even discuss it with another priest. Not even the Pope himself! No priest is going to risk his eternal soul by breaking the seal of the confessional. While you’re there, ask for advice on getting yourself back up to speed. The Church has changed somewhat, and what you may remember as foreboding is now welcoming.
While you’re at it, get your hands on a copy of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Catechism of the Catholic Church. It’s online at the USCCB website.
Go, and experience the love of God in His great mercy through this wonderful sacrament. And welcome back home!
