Give me one good reason why I shouldn't leave the Church!

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Paris Blues:
I don’t know…I think it’s because I’m not very spiritual anymore…I don’t pray the Rosary like I should, don’t read Scripture like I used to, can’t get to Daily Mass, keep going to Confession every single dang week, can’t give true reverance to our Lord in the Adoration (just going through the motions), taking the Mass for granted, can’t get involved in the Church, try to pray but it’s not authentic, etc. etc.
Me neither. I certanly don’t have the same graces that God gave me even a few months ago. But that does not mean I toss the baby out with the bath water and abandon all.

Give your roots time to grow. You just got confirmed. Give it time , relax and trust this is where you need to be.
 
Oh gee, thanks, now I committed a sacrilege by taking the Eucharist yesterday thinking I was back with the Church but now I have to go back to Confession tomorrow! :banghead:

I’m in deep yogurt now…I went to Confession Sat. and forgot about what I did and now look…I committed a sacrilege.http://images.bravenet.com/common/images/smilies/20_grumpy.gif Not to mention, I just commited a mortal sin in thought last night…great, just great…I’m really in deep yogurt.

But thanks for letting me be aware of it. Now the guilt is growing and growing and growing…
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puzzleannie:
because you made a solemn profession of faith, asked for and received Confirmation, just weeks ago, and to abandon this faith is apostasy, a terrible sin. Please stay in touch with your priest and RCIA team, as many here have often urged you to do, especially during the first months after your initiation, because doubts and questions will still be coming up. In almost all your posts you exhibit some very emotional reactions to things you hear and experience, which suggests you need some help discerning these things, and also that you tend to judge what is going on in your spiritual life (and perhaps in your relationships) on a purely emotional basis, which is unreliable and dangerous.

do not make grandiose promises about daily devotions. as another poster said, do one thing and do it faithfully.
fulfill your Sunday obligation
receive the sacraments frequently
choose one prayer practice and do it faithfully and do not change or add to it for several months, until the habit is firmly engrained
this, plus the graces from the sacraments, will gradually lead you to do more
don’t do any devotions out of obligation, only out of love, and by that I do not mean affection, emotion, sentiment or search for excitement, assurance and affirmation. I mean the kind of love that stands beneath a dying man on a cross when he is apparently powerless.

cease using religion as a source of emotional satisfaction, and use it for what it is, an ongoing growing relationship with Jesus Christ and his Church, gathered to give all to the Father, in the protection of the Holy Spirit.
 
Paris Blues:
I DON’T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO DO!!!

Maybe you guys could give me so helpful tips because I sure ain’t help!
Have you called your Parish to inquire about your mystigogy? Confirmatoin is NOT graduation, as a new Catholic you should still be part of the group, growing and learning your faith. There should be a period of follow up for you - call the DRE at your Parish.
 
Paris Blues:
Oh gee, thanks, now I committed a sacrilege by taking the Eucharist yesterday thinking I was back with the Church but now I have to go back to Confession tomorrow! :banghead:

I’m in deep yogurt now…I went to Confession Sat. and forgot about what I did and now look…I committed a sacrilege.http://images.bravenet.com/common/images/smilies/20_grumpy.gif Not to mention, I just commited a mortal sin in thought last night…great, just great…I’m really in deep yogurt.

But thanks for letting me be aware of it. Now the guilt is growing and growing and growing…
Are you sure you aren’t being overly scrupulous? If you forget that easily, it sounds like you may be talking about a fleeting thought which popped into your head unbidden; this is NOT a mortal sin!
Mortal sin has to be grave matter, full knowledge and full consent of the will.
 
Hi Paris:

I don’t know if I’ve ever posted to you before or not, but I am familiar with a lot of your posts and feelings. I too went through RCIA about eight years ago. Afterwards I had a lot of zeal, but my faith was like the seed that grew quickly and was then burned off by the sun because it wasn’t deeply rooted.

I made the mistake of working with the finances at our Church while I was still a newbie. A new priest came to the parish and started a smear campaign against me because I wasn’t one of his hand-picked cronies that would bend over backwards for him at the snap of a finger.

Indecently, I allowed it to affect my faith and I basically quit going to church or being involved in anything. I also did something I now regret. It wasn’t until I started to study my faith and had a few insults thrown at me by non-Catholics, that I got my faith and life back. Now I’ve vowed to never again let any human(s), or any sins of the past get between me and God, no matter what. If I fall, the Blessed Mother picks me up, wipes the dirt off my face (like any good Jewish mother would), and points me down the path where her Son is waiting at the end.

The Catholic Church is so deep and mystical, there is no way you can fully develop the “deep roots” in just a few short months, I certainly didn’t. Oak trees have some of the strongest and deepest roots of any tree, yet they take many decades to develop. It’s a lifelong journey. There is not a day that goes by that I do not learn something new. Just relax and enjoy the ride.
 
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IanS:
Just relax and enjoy the ride.
Well, at least I’m not the only one going through it.

But it really upsets me when people call me psycho or think I am and they really don’t have a right to judge me that[http://images.bravenet.com/common/images/smilies/16_angry.gif](javascript: void(0);)!!!

But I guess I could look at it this way: it’s a test.

In the end, I hope to be a saint (small “s”)[images.bravenet.com/common/images/smilies/30_angel.gif](javascript: void(0)😉
 
Paris Blues:
You know, I just absolutely love it when people tell me I’m psycho.:rolleyes: :mad:
If you guys have such a problem with my “!!!” or “what am I doing wrong???” kinda thing, then I’m sorry. I myself wonder why I do that even, believe it or not. I’m also aware that I could be giving you guys a bad “definition” of who I am so to speak by the way I post.

Just for YOUR info, I’m very aware that I may be not seem “normal” and I’m trying to see why the heck I’m like the way I am but I guess I can post with the exclamation !!! and without enthusiasm if it bothers you that much.

It’s just that I’m a very sensitive and emotional person. I can sometimes go overboard when I really don’t intend to. I over eggagerate (sp?) when I post even if I don’t “feel” it inside and I know that causes others to judge me badly when I don’t intend to.

Sorry, I guess I could be hyper images.bravenet.com/common/images/smilies/hyper.gif
Well…hmm:hmmm:

First off I did not say you were “psycho”. I gave a list of three things that seemed to possibly be an issue for you. Yes, one was pyschological problems. I didn’t you were crazy for crying out loud.
You said you were “sensitive and emotional” which is a “high-strung” personality. This !!! and this !!! look like shouting when typed.

What I was trying to point out was one day your majorly in love the church and a day or two later you have massive doubts, and this happens pretty regularly. This is not healthy. Instead of continuing in the pattern and wearing yourself down you need to get guidance. As much as people on the forum can give support and some direction it can not replace a good spiritual advisor. So you can chose to seek out a good priest or you continue in this hay wire pattern that has to be exhausting. You do seem very scrupulous to me so this may be part of the problem for you.

Paris none of us are “normal”. We all have issues in some way or another. There’s no need to get so offended by the suggestion that may need some help sorting this all out.
 
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IanS:
Hi Paris:

… Now I’ve vowed to never again let any human(s), or any sins of the past get between me and God, no matter what. If I fall, the Blessed Mother picks me up, wipes the dirt off my face (like any good Jewish mother would), and points me down the path where her Son is waiting at the end.

The Catholic Church is so deep and mystical, there is no way you can fully develop the “deep roots” in just a few short months, I certainly didn’t. Oak trees have some of the strongest and deepest roots of any tree, yet they take many decades to develop. It’s a lifelong journey. There is not a day that goes by that I do not learn something new. Just relax and enjoy the ride.
Absolutely grand Alltogether! 👍 It really is like exploring the many facets of a big beautiful gem, isn’t it? 🙂
 
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RobNY:
Praying the rosary isn’t a requirement for being a good Catholic. If you aren’t up to it, ditch trying to say it daily. What you are doing is setting up a burden for yourself that you aren’t fulfilling, and you’re feeling guilty about it. Set a goal you can reach. Maybe, pray the rosary once a week. And set that in stone, do that once a week, but don’t skip that either.
Yes but I thought our Lady wanted us to! “The world’s going to Hell and you don’t want to pray the Rosary?” is what Fr. Corapi once said I remembered.
Likewise with your other commitments. It is laudable to do all of those devotions, but don’t do them if they tear you apart. Start small. That is, start with what you’re required, your Sunday obligation. And from there branch out. Cut out all of the daily masses for now. Not that they aren’t good-- but in your state they aren’t helping you. You’re feeling overwhelmed instead of comforted. I recommend paring down your devotion to something small, and then taking that to the point where you love it truly and deeply. Once you look foward to nothing more than getting back to Mass on Sunday and receiving the Eucharist, maybe then start to branch out. Go to a daily Mass a week, maybe, if you feel compelled.
I do go to Sunday Mass. Then I could start praying the Rosary once a week then if that goes good, start going to Daily Mass, etc.
But what you’re doing now is actually insanity-- you are overburdening yourself. The daily Mass is a beautiful devotion, but it is meant to help, not to hinder.
I remember last week, still being a college student, I wanted to go to Daily Mass because it was in my time frame but I had this urge not to go and felt that sin (whether it was venial or not) kept me from going. Now that I’m out of college, I want to go yet want to sleep in. http://images.bravenet.com/common/images/smilies/11_confused.gif Also, I told our Lord yesterday that maybe I should go to Daily Mass. Then I had a mortal thought burst in my mind and I tried to fight the dang thing but realized I committed a mortal sin so that screwed everything up. Maybe our Lord doesn’t want me to go to Daily Mass
How much did you read? I recommend taking what you used to do, reducing it drastically (because if I know you, you did a lot of it!), and being faithful to it. For instance, pray the Rosary one day a week, read Scripture for a half hour on another day. Be absolutely committed to those, but don’t make huge commitments which you are going to break because you are overwhelming yourself.
Well, when I first started reading the Bible after seeing “The Passion”, I started reading it on March 8, 2004 and NEVER TOOK A DAY OFF until September this year because I was going through some tough times and still can’t get back to reading it. But every once in awhile, I’ll read like a sentence or two, does that count?images.bravenet.com/common/images/smilies/10_confused.gif
This is a good thing. Don’t worry about that. That is, it is good if you are going to confession because you are falling into mortal sin. Not good if it is an exercise in scrupulosity.
Even if it’s only venial sin, I still go. But now that I committed a mortal sin, I have to go tomorrow, last chance before Christmas.
Go to adoration less frequently. And when you do actually do it, do it more intensely.
I try to go see Him once a week but I guess once a year for how small my faith is when I do. My gosh, I wish I had faith as strong as the nuns on EWTN and saints doimages.bravenet.com/common/images/smilies/15_weeping.gif
Why not start from scratch again. When you pray, it’s not how much, so start with a little. A few prayers. Reflect on those as your pray, and gradually expand if you want more. Better to pray a little, in a good way, than a lot if it becomes a horrible burden that you resent.
I would but first I have to go to Confession tomorrow.
 
Paris Blues:
Oh gee, thanks, now I committed a sacrilege by taking the Eucharist yesterday thinking I was back with the Church but now I have to go back to Confession tomorrow! :banghead:

I’m in deep yogurt now…I went to Confession Sat. and forgot about what I did and now look…I committed a sacrilege.http://images.bravenet.com/common/images/smilies/20_grumpy.gif Not to mention, I just commited a mortal sin in thought last night…great, just great…I’m really in deep yogurt.

But thanks for letting me be aware of it. Now the guilt is growing and growing and growing…
Paris,

Scrupulosity is a very serious disorder. It is a compulsive-obsessive neurosis. Please talk to your priest.
 
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Mickey:
Paris,

Scrupulosity is a very serious disorder. It is a compulsive-obsessive neurosis. Please talk to your priest.
I KNOW THAT. [http://images.bravenet.com/common/images/smilies/knockedout.gif](javascript: void(0);)I know it’s a disorder and I’m working on it.

BUT like I said, when I went to Confession this past Saturday, I forgot about it a little then went over to the Adoration Chapel and was in our Lord’s Presence and that’s when I thought about what I did (think should leave the Church) and told our Lord I was sorry for even thinking that. THAT right there I DIDN’T know it WAS APOSTOSY until puzzleannie said it was (I didn’t check this forum on Saturday nor yesterday so I didn’t know) and now that I was informed today, I must’ve committed a grave sin and took Communion yesterday and that’s a sacriledge right there so therefore, I MUST go to Confession tomorrow which will be the last chance before Christmas.

Make sense? Do you see where I’m coming from?
 
Paris Blues:
I KNOW THAT. http://images.bravenet.com/common/images/smilies/knockedout.gifI know it’s a disorder and I’m working on it.

BUT like I said, when I went to Confession this past Saturday, I forgot about it a little then went over to the Adoration Chapel and was in our Lord’s Presence and that’s when I thought about what I did (think should leave the Church) and told our Lord I was sorry for even thinking that. THAT right there I DIDN’T know it WAS APOSTOSY until puzzleannie said it was (I didn’t check this forum on Saturday nor yesterday so I didn’t know) and now that I was informed today, I must’ve committed a grave sin and took Communion yesterday and that’s a sacriledge right there so therefore, I MUST go to Confession tomorrow which will be the last chance before Christmas.

Make sense? Do you see where I’m coming from?
You can’t commit a mortal sin if you didn’t know it was a mortal sin. Besides, I don’t think that wondering whether or not you’re in the right church, very fleetingly at that, is a mortal sin in the first place. My counseler always tells me you can’t “think” a mortal sin, you have to DO it.
 
Paris Blues:
Well, at least I’m not the only one going through it.

But it really upsets me when people call me psycho or think I am and they really don’t have a right to judge me that[http://images.bravenet.com/common/images/smilies/16_angry.gif](javascript: void(0);)!!!

But I guess I could look at it this way: it’s a test.

In the end, I hope to be a saint (small “s”)[images.bravenet.com/common/images/smilies/30_angel.gif](javascript: void(0)😉
I don’t think you’re “psyco” at all.

Just remember, Jesus came here to save us, not condemn us. I know that sometimes when I feel a lot of inner-turmoil and become too legalistic in my thinking, I discover it’s because I’m not trusting fully in God’s love and mercy. I know one thing I often need to confess, is a lack of trust in Christ’s power and mercy and “offering things up”. I have found it can be the root of many sins. I will often pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, when I start feeling this way. “Jesus, I Trust You”

All of us should shoot for sainthood and not purgatory, but I will be filled with joy to go there, because HE will be waiting for me at he end.
 
Paris Blues:
I disagree with that.

I was told to comit a mortal sin, it has to be an act OR a thought

But then again, I’m probably being scrupulous…images.bravenet.com/common/images/smilies/cold.gif
Well, you probably are, b/c I am (clinically :)) and this is what he told me. He’s got masters degrees in both counseling and theology. You can’t commit murder by thinking, you can’t skip Mass by thinking, even sexual sin is pretty black and white when it comes to mortal sexual sins, you literally have to sit there and CHOOSE to think about it. A thought running through your head uninvited, or even a temptation that you may deal with and immediately offer up, is not a mortal sin. I don’t think he was talking about “lusting in your mind”, in other words committing adultery by thinking (CHOOSING to think about a person other than your spouse, or choosing to think about a married person), but anything else.
 
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bookgirl:
Well, you probably are, b/c I am (clinically :)) and this is what he told me. He’s got masters degrees in both counseling and theology. You can’t commit murder by thinking, you can’t skip Mass by thinking, even sexual sin is pretty black and white when it comes to mortal sexual sins, you literally have to sit there and CHOOSE to think about it. A thought running through your head uninvited, or even a temptation that you may deal with and immediately offer up, is not a mortal sin. I don’t think he was talking about “lusting in your mind”, in other words committing adultery by thinking (CHOOSING to think about a person other than your spouse, or choosing to think about a married person), but anything else.
Well, what if I were to think of someone not a human being but quickly tried to force it away? I just commited a mortal sin?
 
Paris Blues:
Yeah but it makes everyone think I’m nuts or have a mood disorder, etc. Now what?http://images.bravenet.com/common/images/smilies/3_oh.gif
Well, I’m obsessive compulsive, with a nice big dose of scrupulosity (sp?) to go with it. Believe me, you can grow pretty significantly from it sometimes, especially spiritually. If you’re really worried about it, go talk to someone (warning, sprupulous problems can only be dealt with by a Catholic counseler). But I wouldn’t necessarily diagnose yourself off of what people have said on the forum.
 
Paris Blues:
Well, what if I were to think of someone not a human being but quickly tried to force it away? I just commited a mortal sin?
No, not a mortal sin. Maybe not even a sin at all. It’s just that Satan can and will screw with your imagination. I’d say if it’s a thought that seriously bothers you, that you didn’t want to think of, that you didn’t invite, then it could be that. Even if it’s not, it is still not a mortal sin unless you very purposefully chose to think it, and a thought popping into your head is not a choice.

That’s what he was trying to say when he said you can’t “think” a mortal sin.
 
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