God and the devil: trials

[newcalling]

Before I get into it, please understand that I am joining the Catholic church, and that it is because my heart, soul and mind lead me to it. This post is more about the uncertainty of relying on signs, and asking for prayers (the prayer forum discourages discussion other than offering prayer, so I put this here.)

We have had the hardest time joining the church, my best friend and I. We keep getting hit with mishap after mishap, mostly financial, and of unusual variety. One thing which wasn’t financial is that we both know that we were baptized as babies, I Catholic and he Lutheran, but the churches our godparents insist that we were baptized in cannot find any record of our baptisms. His new job has been unreliable with giving him his pay on time, making it difficult for us to get to mass, and his old job (still works for them too) put him on a work hold because they didn’t process his change of address correctly. Then, yesterday, his car got repossessed and we almost had to cancel our catechism class today. On top of it, our bishop requires a letter from prospective confirmees, and our letters were in the glove box with the deadline to hand them in today. Thankfully a good friend, who is pagan, came to his rescue and he got his car back this morning. This is just a sampling of our frustration. As to the baptism, we are both still working against the deadline to find the certificates, but our catechism teacher said that the priest will baptize us again if necessary.

My protestant friends would say, “see God is telling you not to be Catholic, could He be any clearer.” My Catholic friends would say, "See, the devil doesn’t want you to be Catholic and he is trying to stop you. " So, we’re not following signs, and instead are following our hearts. We still set to join the church with confirmation set for May 24th, and we would both very much appreciate your prayers. Have you seen such obstacles plague other prospective Catholics? Thank you. My first name is Daniel and his is Joseph.

 

[Errham]

It sounds like you’re stressing the conversion way too much. There’s nothing wrong with putting it off a year or two; in many dioceses Catechumens need to wait a few years before baptism anyways.

As for the rest, the important thing to do is to pray, and to remember that sometimes, we must suffer in order to carry out God’s will, with Christ’s crucifixion being the leading example of it.

 

[Dorothy]

Before I get into it, please understand that I am joining the Catholic church, and that it is because my heart, soul and mind lead me to it. This post is more about the uncertainty of relying on signs, and asking for prayers (the prayer forum discourages discussion other than offering prayer, so I put this here.)

We have had the hardest time joining the church, my best friend and I. We keep getting hit with mishap after mishap, mostly financial, and of unusual variety. One thing which wasn’t financial is that we both know that we were baptized as babies, I Catholic and he Lutheran, but the churches our godparents insist that we were baptized in cannot find any record of our baptisms. His new job has been unreliable with giving him his pay on time, making it difficult for us to get to mass, and his old job (still works for them too) put him on a work hold because they didn’t process his change of address correctly. Then, yesterday, his car got repossessed and we almost had to cancel our catechism class today. On top of it, our bishop requires a letter from prospective confirmees, and our letters were in the glove box with the deadline to hand them in today. Thankfully a good friend, who is pagan, came to his rescue and he got his car back this morning. This is just a sampling of our frustration. As to the baptism, we are both still working against the deadline to find the certificates, but our catechism teacher said that the priest will baptize us again if necessary.

My protestant friends would say, “see God is telling you not to be Catholic, could He be any clearer.” My Catholic friends would say, "See, the devil doesn’t want you to be Catholic and he is trying to stop you. " So, we’re not following signs, and instead are following our hearts. We still set to join the church with confirmation set for May 24th, and we would both very much appreciate your prayers. Have you seen such obstacles plague other prospective Catholics? Thank you. My first name is Daniel and his is Joseph.

May our Lord Jesus Christ bless you and your friend on your spiritual journey to Him!

Be aware that if Baptismal certificates cannot be found, that the priest can baptize conditionally. That means he says “If you are not baptized, I baptize you in the name…etc.” Not a problem.

Perhaps discussing the problems and being reassured can help you both to feel better about these circumstances? The Lord knows your desires to be Catholic, and He will get you there.

 

[Origen52]

I strongly agree with Errham, it is best to take more time before entering the church. Why the rush? You can go to mass, pray and take part in other church services and events while further studying the faith.

 

[newcalling]

I strongly agree with Errham, it is best to take more time before entering the church. Why the rush? You can go to mass, pray and take part in other church services and events while further studying the faith.

We’ve been working on this one since November, and that was after waiting a year. We have just one adult catechism class remaining. Our hearts, minds and souls are totally with the church. We are not rushing in, nor is it something we are doing lightly. We decided on our own to wait a year, as we were not fully convinced that it was the right choice until then. It was, and is, utterly clear that it is time.

The point of this post was more to talk about obstacles which have come up, and to see if others had similar obstacles. It was also to discuss how it can be fruitless and even dangerous to take everything as a sign from God. These challenges have been frustrating, but they in no way change the call from the Holy Spirit to join the church. We are quite excited about our upcoming confirmation.

Even though I am a writer, I do not believe that I can express in words alone how refreshing it is to our souls to have had our hearts and minds opened up to the Roman Catholic church. It was like there was a veil over our eyes which has been torn away by the power of Christ, and we are seeing clearly for the first time. It is like our hearts were covered with a thick layer of tar which has been cleansed away. It is a joy which has remained strong throughout every one of these trials, even though the trials themselves have been no picnic.

Fools rush in where angels fear to tread, goes the saying. We have definitely not rushed into this one. I will be 42 in about a week, and in a way this decision has been the journey of my whole life. It is the right choice at the right time for me, and my friend expresses a similar sentiment and fervor for this church. The Roman Catholic Church is a breath of fresh spirit.

 

[ynotzap]

Yes

Before I get into it, please understand that I am joining the Catholic church, and that it is because my heart, soul and mind lead me to it. This post is more about the uncertainty of relying on signs, and asking for prayers (the prayer forum discourages discussion other than offering prayer, so I put this here.)

We have had the hardest time joining the church, my best friend and I. We keep getting hit with mishap after mishap, mostly financial, and of unusual variety. One thing which wasn’t financial is that we both know that we were baptized as babies, I Catholic and he Lutheran, but the churches our godparents insist that we were baptized in cannot find any record of our baptisms. His new job has been unreliable with giving him his pay on time, making it difficult for us to get to mass, and his old job (still works for them too) put him on a work hold because they didn’t process his change of address correctly. Then, yesterday, his car got repossessed and we almost had to cancel our catechism class today. On top of it, our bishop requires a letter from prospective confirmees, and our letters were in the glove box with the deadline to hand them in today. Thankfully a good friend, who is pagan, came to his rescue and he got his car back this morning. This is just a sampling of our frustration. As to the baptism, we are both still working against the deadline to find the certificates, but our catechism teacher said that the priest will baptize us again if necessary.

My protestant friends would say, “see God is telling you not to be Catholic, could He be any clearer.” My Catholic friends would say, "See, the devil doesn’t want you to be Catholic and he is trying to stop you. " So, we’re not following signs, and instead are following our hearts. We still set to join the church with confirmation set for May 24th, and we would both very much appreciate your prayers. Have you seen such obstacles plague other prospective Catholics? Thank you. My first name is Daniel and his is Joseph.

Yes I recently had such a situation. I befriended a young mother who has M.S, when I first saw her she could hardly walk up the church steps. She was on a lot of medications, could hardly attend RCIA classes. She needed a God-father, her own family was disfunctional and they disowned her for becoming a Catholic. By God’s providence my wife and I showed up to help her. She bounced back from depression and tears because her life had so much turmoil. She was very happy when she was baptized, confirmed, and made her first communion. She felt so much peace. An ll year old girl was practically left on her doorstep because her mother was exploiting the young girl for drugs. This young mother with M.S had 3 three children of her own, twins, l6 yrs old, and one son 2l yrs old. She was divorced but still had custody of them. She has very little financial means, yet she secured legal custody of the ll year old child. All I can say is whew!! She believes strongly in God, and calls us her new family, she edifies. us. When we think we have it hard, God shows us someone who has it harder.