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aemcpa
Guest
I am interested to hear more of your discernment process. I of course cannot accept that God would lead anyone out of the Catholic Church, but whenever I hear people claim that to be the case, I am intrigued.
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PRmerger
Guest
You’re right. How about this: My reaction upon reading your newly coined term about how some people are “in between testaments”
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Fairwinds
Guest
why is that? I think God puts us where we need to be.
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aemcpa
Guest
The Catholic Church is the only religion willed by God for all men.
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Fairwinds
Guest
I’m sure He put me where He wanted me to be, with the Anglicans, for a couple of years. anyway, my spiritual director agreed, and all is forgiven.
sad to say, because of the huge size of RC parishes in my community, the opportunity for catechesis is poor. the reasons for my temporary departure aren’t important, but I think it was for a purpose. the Anglican church was small (and smaller now), and the rector taught me more about my own faith in three years than I had learned in the past 20, and I’m the product of a Jesuit high school. I have a much deeper faith now than I would if I’d continued in an almost drone-like attendance.
YMMV.
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aemcpa
Guest
None of that changes the fact that it is not God’s will that the Anglican churches exist.
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Fairwinds
Guest
I’ll let you speak for God.
you said you were curious about other people’s stories.
ProTip: if you want to know how others discern, don’t argue with them. my walk of faith is not yours.
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aemcpa
Guest
I didn’t argue with you. You argued with my statement.
In the interest of accuracy, I said I was interested in Constantine’s process of discernment, not “other people’s”.
I will let God speak for Himself on this matter, which He already has.
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ConstantineTG
Guest
Well, I was Roman Catholic all my life. I finally am happy with a parish and a great pastor. I wanted to grow my faith so I got more involved in the parish life. But soon after the priest was reassigned, and my knowledge grew that I started being intrigued about the Eastern Catholic Churches. So I went on a mini-tour of sorts. There was really only 2 kinds of Eastern Catholics in my area, a Chaldean mission and the Ukrainians. There is also a Melkite mission, but like the Ukrainians they are part of the Byzantine Rite but they do not have an English Liturgy here. So I went to visit the Chaldeans first, then the Ukrainians. I was captivated by the Liturgy at the Ukrainian Church. And at this time I was also discerning of Traditional Roman Catholicism was for me. I went to Mass a few times at the local FSSP parish. It was a great experience, but nothing was calling me to be there. The Byzantine Rite begged my entire being to be there.
So I stayed in the UGCC for over 2 years. I met a person who was instrumental in me staying and feeling at home. Same person mentioned the current Orthodox parish I belong to. So a seed of some sorts was planted in my mind 2 years before I actually even considered becoming Orthodox. Eventually as my thirst for Eastern Spirituality grew, I felt that where I was wasn’t the place where I could find I was looking for. I started visiting the Orthodox parish that was mentioned to me 2 years back. After which I started a long process of discernment, speaking with the Orthodox priest, speaking with a number of Eastern Catholic priests, and praying non-stop about what to do on the matter. I felt a bit being pulled into Orthodoxy, but also wanted to stay being Eastern Catholic. At some point I was listening to a commentary on Acts when Matthias was selected to replace Judas. I said I wish I could do that, because my mind was really confused. But how do I do that without making what I do into something like a superstition? Then I said I should let the person who hasn’t gone through the process I did, the person who wouldn’t overthink this situation the way I did. My wife. So I left the entire decision to convert up to her, and I didn’t pressure her to decide one way or another. After a couple of visits to the Orthodox parish, she decided we would go there starting this year. Even to this day she amazes me, I never thought she’d be as interested about the faith as she is today. But that is God’s answer to my prayers.
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Fairwinds
Guest
one of the reasons I stayed away from the church for so long was because of the people in it.
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PRmerger
Guest
It’s not necessary for anyone to leave the Church in order to be a “better Catholic”.
That it happened to you is a curiosity, but I’m 100% certain that it wasn’t a requirement in your life to become Anglican so you could be “a much better Catholic.”
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ConstantineTG
Guest
Fr. Thomas Hopko, an Orthodox priest, has this to say about a similar matter. He was doing a commentary on Darwinism and he said:
The engine for atheism is not Darwinism. The engine for atheism is the stupidity of Christians.
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PRmerger
Guest
That’s too bad. The maid who saw Peter deny Jesus may have been disgusted by his betrayal, but it would have been a grievous and perhaps eternally fatal error if she refused to follow Jesus because of the sinner Peter, don’t you think?
It’s poor decision-making to leave because of people who don’t take the medicine.
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Fairwinds
Guest
so you think, but I disagree. nevertheless, whether I’m right or wrong is between me, my SD and God. I can’t argue with the results.
people leaving and returning are probably more common than you’d think. after all, here on CAF we’re a self-selecting group of the most devout RCs you could find, so we (excluding me) are different than the run of the mill RC.
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Fairwinds
Guest
I think its the way too common unrelenting holier than thou hostility towards our separated brethren. the most intense reaction towards Anglicans, Lutherans, et al. should be sadness over the separation, not criticism.
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PRmerger
Guest
True dat. :sad_yes:
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aemcpa
Guest
No need to be passive-aggressive. I stated what I understand to be a universal truth, which your anecdote doesn’t contradict. If you can show that my statement does not conform to Catholic teaching, then we can discuss it. Otherwise, quod gratis asseritur, gratis negatur.
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Fairwinds
Guest
its true. I’d look at Catholic sites (not this, of course) and find only hard cases.
I hate latin. its used in my profession to mask an inability/reluctance to say what one should say in plain english, or to pretend to a sophistication that one doesn’t have. I’m not interested in what you think of the Anglican Church, so this is a no-debate.
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aemcpa
Guest
I can’t speak for your profession, but I have no qualms with saying in plain English that your personal narrative doesn’t in any way contradict my claim. It is a divinely revealed truth that God wills that every human person be subject to the Roman Pontiff.
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PRmerger
Guest
Just as a segue: I really, really, really hate, despise and abhor passive aggression.
And did I mention I loathe it, as well?
Just say what you want to say, and be done with it!
I had a friend one time, whose toddler I was watching, tell me, “Umm…that door to your basement that’s wide open should be ok since Tommy is in the high chair right now.”
Sheesh! We’d been friends for 20 years and she couldn’t tell me, “Hey, PR! Shut the door to your basement, 'kay?”
Love it!
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