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

  • Thread starter Thread starter Paris_Blues
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
Hi Paris:

The fighti is tough. I really am not one to be giving advice, because I myself am having a tough time with the church, I am a RCIA, not a convert as I was nothing before becoming Catholic.

When I realized I was about to leave the church, I made an appointment with my Priest. Things didn’t turn out the way I had hoped, but I did go. Please make an appointment outside of confession, speak with him explain the ups and downs you feel. He maybe able to guide you better than we can. That is all I can tell you, because I could give you a tonne of reasons for leaving the church, but with each one of those there is an arguement to stay in the church.

Speak with your Priest.

scared
 
I would also recommend getting a good book on moral theology, it helped me greatly. It is a little pocket sized book put out by TAN. I think it is called Moral Theology but I’d have to check.
 
Paris Blues:
All right, let’s look at it this way…

Maybe being a Catholic is overwhelming sometimes and if you’re a convert, it’s even more because you have to do things where you’ve never done them before

Though believe it or not, I’m trying to not fall away…I really am trying.
Click to expand...

Just to go completely off-topic - that smiley flashing on and off could be unsafe for readers with the kind of epilepsy that is triggered by flashing lights - we now resume normal service…​

Maybe you should not try so hard 🙂 - being Catholic is not meant to make you miserable: it’s mreant to help you (& all of us) to become Christ-like. Your growth in grace - which is what we’re talking - about is far more important to Him than it is to you; He is always working at and in us, to build us up “in Christ”; and sometimes we have to do something as well. But God is always at work. We can’t be, because we tire. It sounds as though you’ve been trying to do far more than you are able to. ##
 
40.png
tparsons:
Cardinal Newman will give you not just one but, 150!🙂

ourcatholicfaith.org/reasons.html
Click to expand...
Actually this is Dave Armstrong’s list of 150.

And in my opinion (yes opinion - just like these “reasons” are Dave’s opinion) it is somewhat less than convincing.

If you want one good reason reason to not leave the RCC, I suppose the best one would be that the RCC says not to. That’s what all these posts boil down to in the end.

Peace to you wherever you go,
Richard
 
Do not forget that the Sorrowful mysteries of earth come before the Glorious mysteries of heaven. God never promised to make us happy in this life. Consider the following … Two men on a plane were given parachutes. One was told to put on the parachute because it would improve the quality of his flight – he decided to give it a try, and after the discomfort and burden of wearing it, and after other passengers lauged at and ridiculed him, he took it off. The second passenger was told that he would have to jump out of the plane, and the parachute would protect him from the end of the flight – he did just that, and despite the discomfort, and despite others laughing at him, he was glad to keep it on because he knew what was to come. Basically, too many people are being lead to Christ by hopes for a better life, rather than by looking to death (the “jumping from the plane”) and what we are saved from afterwards. When people commit to Christ because of the latter, they are more likely to endure.

This is seen many times with a lot of the great prophets of old and even a number of the modern saints – many went through great trials and at times it seemed that they were abandoned by God. For God very often pushes us to the end of human strength – beating us into the dust from which we came in order to cleanse & purge us for His purpose … getting the metal ready for the Maker’s hand.

Look at Isaiah 53 on how God the Father dealt with His own Son …
Code: 
*1 Who has believed our message
   and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? 

2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
   and like a root out of dry ground.
   He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
   nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.

3 He was despised and rejected by men,
   a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.
   Like one from whom men hide their faces
   he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

4 Surely he took up our infirmities
   and carried our sorrows,
   yet we considered him stricken by God,
   smitten by him, and afflicted.

5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
   he was crushed for our iniquities;
   the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
   and by his wounds we are healed.

6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
   each of us has turned to his own way;
   and the LORD has laid on him
   the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed and afflicted,
   yet he did not open his mouth;
   he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
   and as a sheep before her shearers is silent,
   so he did not open his mouth.

8 By oppression  and judgment he was taken away.
   And who can speak of his descendants?
   For he was cut off from the land of the living;
   for the transgression of my people he was stricken. 

9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
   and with the rich in his death,
   though he had done no violence,
   nor was any deceit in his mouth.

10 Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
   and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering,
   he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
   and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.

11 After the suffering of his soul,
   he will see the light of life and be satisfied ;
   by his knowledge  my righteous servant will justify many,
   and he will bear their iniquities.

12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,
   and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
   because he poured out his life unto death,
   and was numbered with the transgressors.
   For he bore the sin of many,
   and made intercession for the transgressors.*
 
Hi Paris;
I hope you don’t mind but I have read your more than two thousand post. I fell that maybe what you are doing is pursuing a religion and not searching for God and his guidence. In 2 Corinthians 13 : 5 "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith, is good advice for you. if you are a true Christian your life should not be in turmoil. Where are the gifts of the spirit, LOVE, JOY, PEACE.
John 16; 33 Jesus said "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have PEACE,
Seek the Lord and he shall be found !

Love and Peace

allischalmers
 
Paris,
Everyone goes through dry periods when we feel like we’re just going through the motions. It doesn’t make us fake or phony, it makes us human. Sometimes the daily grind saps so much out of us that we don’t have the energy left to spend on things we should be doing like prayer and daily Mass.

Don’t expect to feel “on fire” every single day. Fake it til you make it, and you’ll eventually feel the fire again if your heart is in the right place.
 
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.

I DON’T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO DO!!!

Maybe you guys could give me so helpful tips because I sure ain’t help!
Click to expand...
I would ask if you were expecting spiritual comfort and good feelings by praying the rosary and going to Mass, etc. If there is even a possibility of this (common misconception about prayer and worship), then consider this…

Worship and prayer are always to be given unconditionally. In the beginning of spiritual life, people may be lured by the comfort they receive in prayer or worshiop. This is pure grace from God working as a magnet. Many graces come in such a way as to mold and shape us, such as the desire to go to confession (always a grace). Think of it like training wheels.

What happens to a soul in the early stages of spiritual progression is that God may temporarily remove the training wheels to see how you do and to let you learn. When it is a burden to pray or worship, do you perservere, or give in to the temptation to not give him the same time, unconditionally, that you provide when these things are self-pleasing or comforting (or even downright sweet)? If we respond with persistence, then it shows we are learning to tame our own apetites - apeitites to do what makes us feel good at a give moment.

On the other hand, one mistake that happens early in spiritual progression, is to load up with too many devotions and practices. Sometimes the best prayer is to simply spend time in silence with Him for a set amount of time each day (mental prayer). When people begin to progress along the path of mental prayer into contemplation, sometimes they are stifled when they hang on to too many devotions as opposed to sitting in silence where the Lord can speak to our hearts. If you are a recent convert, you may be burning out from taking on too much at once, rather than going in baby steps. It might be good to back off for a while. Rather than a Rosary daily, why not pick a few days a week to do it and work your way through themysteries. Maybe at some point, you will want to increase it. Or, say the Angelus in the AM, noon and in the PM. It is short, buta very good Marian devotion.

Mother Theresa went through well over 15 years, if not decades of spiritual dryness. This is simply where one gets no pleasure or satisfaction from their prayers or worship. For someone as holy as her, it was just one more way to test the gold that she was, in fire.

Doubts are also normal in the early stages of spiritual development. I went through this stage and still have a bout here in there, but I try to discuss it with my confessor. When I can pin point something causing the doubt, I can deal with it. However, doubts can come for no reason at all. It’s at these times that we must remember that faith is often the ability to believe without fully understanding something or everything. It is exemplifed in the Angelus when Mary said, “Be it done unto me according to your word”. She had no idea what she was in for, but took the plunge without asking for details. She said, “yes” to God without full knowledge.
 
40.png
Richard_Hurtz:
Actually this is Dave Armstrong’s list of 150.

And in my opinion (yes opinion - just like these “reasons” are Dave’s opinion) it is somewhat less than convincing.

If you want one good reason reason to not leave the RCC, I suppose the best one would be that the RCC says not to. That’s what all these posts boil down to in the end.

Peace to you wherever you go,
Richard
Click to expand...
Yes I corrected myself it was Dave Armstrong. I thought opinions were just that. It appears that Armstrongs list has some truth to it…like a lot of truth not opinions. And yes, the RCC say’s not to. It’s bascially say why he’s a Catholic and tend to agree with those reasons. 👍
 
Paris Blues:
Well, for example, I’ve really never prayed the Rosary every single day like most good Catholics do! I’ll pray it once in awhile then later wont feel like it then will have to tell our Lady sorry for being slothy and then will forget about it.

Maybe I should stop watching EWTN Daily Mass because what they say in the homily always “pinches” a sensitive spot so to speak. In other words, what they say gets me to think, "well, I should start doing that more, some Catholic I am…etc.
Click to expand...
I can only speak for myself.

I go through dry periods. I feel, at times, as though I am alone in a crowd, that the Lord is not listening and that my prayers are just words.

These are my feelings. My feelings are not, necessarily, reality - especially in terms of my membership in the Body of Christ.

Only someone stuck in emotional immaturity acts on their feelings all the time - and when this was pointed out to me my feelings were hurt, because what the person was pointing out to me is that I can be - at times - emotionally immature.

Dag nabbit.

So, you don’t feel spiritual…so what? That does not mean you are not a spiritual being. What does the Catechism teach you? You don’t *feel *like going to daily Mass. Yeah, and your point? You don’t feel like doing what you have committed to doing…you took a vow…you are a confirmed member of the Holy Mother Church.

Now, put on your big girl pants, talk to Jesus specifically about how you feel, and think about how you might be of service to other Catholics who are suffering. Is there an elderly person who needs a ride to Mass or just a phone call to cheer them up? Is there a priest who could use a nice note from you thanking him for hearing confessions even if he doesn’t feel like hearing them?

Get off the pity pot, Nicole. You’re a woman now…a woman of grace and dignity. Go for it.
 
Look Paris, I’m just about the most un-contemplative person I know. Prayer has always been hard for me. In fact, I once bought a book called “Difficulties in Mental Prayer” and it was too difficult for me to read. :eek: Sad but true. I once told Mother Teresa’s retreat master that I just wasn’t a contemplative person and he said “You’re more contemplative than you think you are.” I’d have to say that’s still true.

Alas, I just keep trying and recite my favorite “Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief.” That always get’s me through.
 
I think this is simply a case of burnout. You’ve been very excited about becoming Catholic, and now the excitement has slowly worn off. It happens. It doesn’t mean you have to leave the Church; think of the many people who also went through this stage, and still hung on. Just take a step back, loosen up a bit. Don’t get too fixated on doing all things Catholic to the point of being to scrupulous. It helps to know that you don’t need to necessarily do all those things to be a good Catholic, though it also helps that you do those things to be a better Catholic.
 
Paris,

What buffalo said in post #80 and IanS said in post #85.

It’s the journey of a lifetime; don’t be in too much of a hurry to get there tomorrow.

Joyeux Noel !!
 
Paris,

God is probably happy that you are concentrating so hard on holiness. One reason not to leave Catholicism is that it’s the One True Philosophy, Theology, Religion, and Metaphysics. God allows Satan to tempt and test you. There is a verse about suffering unto God and all those who are heavily burdened (perhaps simply by our conscience) being in the good grace of God. Remember to tithe. Don’t hesitate to ask the priest serious questions. Don’t give up the work of the One True God. He is alive; I believe it with the strongest evidence. If you don’t have the Nicene Creed and other prayers memorized by now, do that. I have felt like you before, now, and probably will again later after this period passes in my life. May God, His angels, and His saints be with you. Jesus is the One Way, the One Truth, the One Life, and the One Love.

Soul
 
Hello Paris…I’ll let you tell yourself why you shouldn’t leave the Catholic Church…

Here: forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=87457

I think you are experiencing some burn out! Go out…be a young person…have some fun. You can pray every day just by talking to God…Saying good morning God…I love you…then go out and live your life…interact with people…God wants us to do these things.

Ironically enough…you joined this forum on Dec. 1, 2004…the thread I just looked up is Dec. 1, 2005…you have worked hard for quite a while…thinking hard and praying…posting here almost daily…You should…in my opinion…just go out and live a little. I think you need a break!
 
Looks like Paris is missing in action. According to her profile, she hasn’t been on since 12/19 …
 
Paris Blues:
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
Click to expand...
Thinking about leaving the Church and actually leaving the Church are two completely different things.
Also about the Rosary, it is commendable to say it, if you join a Confraternity the only requirement is one Rosary per week.
Plus you are being helped by all the members of the Confraterinity world-wide.
Stop imposing redicilous burdens on yourself, daily Mass is a good thing to do but it’s not a sin if you can’t keep that up, Sunday Mass is a requirement.
I wouldn’t recommend joining a confraterinity if it becomes a burden. Read what St, Louis says about the Rosary
You are not bound under the pain of sin if you forget to say your Rosary.

And you saying you didn’t know it was an apostosy makes it not a mortal sin.
Come on Paris, you aren’t paying attention to the CCC. 🙂

CCC 1859** Mortal sin requires full knowledge and complete consent. It presupposes knowledge of the sinful character of the act, of its opposition to God’s law. It also implies a consent sufficiently deliberate to be a personal choice. Feigned ignorance and hardness of heart do not diminish, but rather increase, the voluntary character of a sin.**
 
grow in grace and in the knowlegde of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ" 2 peter 3:17 "therefore since Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same attitude…For it is better to suffer for doing good , if that be the will of God, than for doing evil…the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night…do not be surprised that a trial by fire is occurring among you…but rejoice to the extent that you share in sufferings of Christ.

hi I thought these quotes from 2peter may help since they help me when ever I feel the absence of consolation in prayer. I can sympathize, and maybe I can help because this has always been a problem for me. from what I can tell what you maybe going through is a condition called Aridity. From what Ive researched this lack of emotional devotion can come in certain degrees of severity.from a lack of sensible devotion to total desolation of the soul…

and it can be both dangerous and advantageous to the soul…on the one hand it can lead to complete weariness in well-doing; and adbandonment of the spiritual life,

but on the other hand ,when patiently endured, it fosters true devotion and fervor by making piety an affair of the will and not of the emotions. Aridity is often sent by God to those he is leading to himself in order to make them seek him only and not just his consolations…

Hebrews ch 12 says …let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles us.and let us run with perserverance…the fight set before us…

And also I Try to meditate and contemplate the majesty of the LORD God , the ruler of the universe heaven and earth spirit and flesh: Christ the King.
And pray for mercy and grace(which is a super-natural gift from God) which also has certain degrees : as actual Grace from a transient or temporary help by which God enlightens the mind or assists the will…to affecting the faculties of the soul;intellect and will.
then there is Habitual Grace which affects the very substance of a person leading to a state of sanctification…

I am a very busy man and I always find it hard to make time for prayer. I try to learn the prayers of the church by memory and I try not to burn out so silent spontaneous prayer is important .

and just be yourself and pray for grace…I hope that I’m helping
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top