Family isn't supportive of conversion- help!

[LifeInSunshine]

Hi all,

So I am currently taking confirmation classes with the Catholic Church, and in every way I am so excited about it, but my family and most of my friends are either against my conversion or are lukewarm about it because they are unaware of what the Church actually teaches, so they don’t know a lot about the faith to begin with. My family is mostly very much against my conversion, saying things like “They have so many false beliefs” and “Their teachings are such a mess, I wish you wouldn’t do this.” The discouragement from those around me is not going to change my decision to convert, but I was just wondering if anyone here went through the same thing and would like to tell their story or offer some advice on how to deal and react.

Thanks

 

[Malleus_01]

You have to be Baptised before you can be Confirmed. So assuming you meant that - you have to do GOD’s Will. Remember the Commandments mentioned by Our Lord?

Matthew

22:36. Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

22:37. Jesus said to him: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart and with thy whole soul and with thy whole mind.

22:38. This is the greatest and the first commandment.

22:39. And the second is like to this: Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

22:40. On these two commandments dependeth the whole law and the prophets.

Notice the Order. Yes it is important to respect your relatives and friends but it is more important to respect the life GOD calls you to. On that you will reconcile with GOD Himself who has made know to you his will for your life.

Even in the Ten Commandments - the First Three relate to Man’s Obligation to GOD even before your Father and Mother - which is the Fourth.

So as you grow in your Faith - you will be able to answer their concerns regarding your new Faith. Right now today - they mean well. But they dont know anything about Catholicism they only know what people have told them. . They just care about you and want to give you what they feel is good advise. But look at it this way - after you become Catholic and begin to recieve the Sacraments and begin to grow Spiritually - you can then best benefit them. The meaning of the Scriptures will be opened to you by the Church your sins will be washed clean - Grace will flow to you and the better we live our faith the better people we become. You can pray for their conversion offer Masses for them… And if you have a vocation to be married you can bring your children into the faith as well and they can recieve a quality Catholic Education with moral teachings along with their ABC’s. You will never be alone in the Catholic Faith. Because even if your family and friends will not convert for whatever rreason - you will still be a part of a larger family that is united in the Faith. So pray about these things and mention it to the Priest who is giving you instruction. They too can give you advise if it gets troublesome for you. And above all Pray. God has plans for you or he wouldnt have called you. You might just be his instrument for others in your future.

Pax

 

[wisdomseeker]

Hi all,

So I am currently taking confirmation classes with the Catholic Church, and in every way I am so excited about it, but my family and most of my friends are either against my conversion or are lukewarm about it because they are unaware of what the Church actually teaches, so they don’t know a lot about the faith to begin with. My family is mostly very much against my conversion, saying things like “They have so many false beliefs” and “Their teachings are such a mess, I wish you wouldn’t do this.” The discouragement from those around me is not going to change my decision to convert, but I was just wondering if anyone here went through the same thing and would like to tell their story or offer some advice on how to deal and react.

Thanks

First, blessed be God for your conversion.

the only thing you can do is be patient. many times you have to suffer in silence. just listen without given an answer. pray that you may know what to say when the time comes. do not try to defend the Faith without total assurance that you can see the whole picture. asking them the right questions is the key to put them on the defense instead of them putting you on the defense side. protestants are expert in putting Catholics on the defense, dont let that happen to you.
i have family members who does not know the CC yet they are quickly in condemning her. they dont even want to hear anything about the CC. they are very anti Catholi, to the extreme. but they very ignorant. perhaps they can be classified as invencible ignorants. God bless you on your journey. be a student of the CC.

scripturecatholic.com/

 

[KateD]

We’ll keep you in our prayers! Even those of us who come from Catholic families often have to defend the Church when uninformed family members attack her teachings. I also have inlaws who are quite hostile to the Church, and over the years have tried to patiently correct their erroneous ideas of what the Church teaches. Best wishes to you!