Good Catholics.

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coolduude

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Hi,

Are there any good Catholics out there? I mean Catholics that adhere to the Church in all it’s teachings, are faithful, are moral, and live the Catholic Christian life.

I try to do all that the best I can, and sometimes I feel like I’m the only one. It can be a lonely world… 😦

Anyone else out there?

Coolduude
 
I applaud you then, because I am not a good Catholic most of the time.
 
coolduude said:
Hi,

Are there any good Catholics out there? I mean Catholics that adhere to the Church in all it’s teachings, are faithful, are moral, and live the Catholic Christian life.

I try to do all that the best I can, and sometimes I feel like I’m the only one. It can be a lonely world… 😦

Anyone else out there?

Coolduude
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For starters, if one indeed adheres to all the Church’s teachings, would that not automatically imply that one is faithful, moral, and lives a Catholic Christian life?:hmmm:

Does this apply to myself? I would like to think so. I am sure most Catholics would like to think so.:yup:

But your question implies that you live somewhere that has few practicing Catholics. Is this the case, or perhaps you are misunderstanding your fellow Catholics?:ehh:

Perhaps you might expand on what upsets you about your fellow Catholics where you live. Try to be specific.:choocho:
 
Perhaps I am misunderstanding my fellow Catholics.

But you see, my family is spiritually dead. They believe missing Mass is not a mortal sin. :confused: my mother might as well be an athiest (she’s Catholic in name only, but never attends church). My father isn’t as bad, but he rarely attends Mass as well. The only reason my brother goes to church is because my parents make him come with me. 😦

Also, my closest friend is pretty Catholic, but he doesn’t always agree with the Church, specifically in the areas of mortal sin and Mass attendance (I can go into details
later).

Like I said in my OP, I try to live a Catholic life the best I can by following the Church on all it’s teachings, especially in faith and morals; it’s very important to me. But granted, I’m only human and I can’t be 1000% faithful.

JaredR: I’m sorry if I offended you :o 😦
 
You didn’t offend me! 🙂 I am glad you are able to live out your faith, because I have been horrible about developing consistent prayer habits, and lately I’ve been missing Mass. 😦
 
I am a good Catholic. I haven’t always been, but I think I am firmly on the “good” side of the Faith. Am I perfect? Of course not. Do I sin? Yup. But I rely on God in all things, adhere to the Church even when I may not understand the reasoning behind a decision and let my unworthiness be washed away by the Sacraments. I try to live by the words of Samuel: that God doesn’t want offerings, but obedience. Obedience is hard for me, but through the grace of God, I adhere.

Most of the time…😉
 
coolduude said:
Hi,

Are there any good Catholics out there? I mean Catholics that adhere to the Church in all it’s teachings, are faithful, are moral, and live the Catholic Christian life.

I try to do all that the best I can, and sometimes I feel like I’m the only one. It can be a lonely world… 😦

Anyone else out there?
Coolduude
Click to expand...
I try to be a “Good Catholic”… and live my faith. But I’m not going to behave like the Pharisee who boasted of his offerings and penances at the front of the Temple.
I’m more likely to be found at the back of church helping some family to find a pew to hold their whole family, or do the collection, or helping someone to the washroom, or…

I’m far from perfect.

“Lord I am not worthy to receive You, but only say the word…” (and You’d better talk big, because You gotta say a lot.)
 
I’m uneasy with the term “good Catholic.” I recognize what the OP is getting at, but I’d prefer the term “practicing Catholic.” Here’s my main reason why:

Jesus answered him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. - Luke 18:19

That said, I am glad you wish to adhere to all the Church’s teachings, and I wish you well at finding fellowship in that regard. At least here on CA we can find people who wish to be fully Catholic.

I do not agree that following the church rules automatically implies a moral life (at least those rules that can be verified.) As far as outward observable behavior they may, but based on outside behavior we can no more judge somebody moral as we can immoral. One is tempted to make such generalizations, but one must do that with caution. For example, Jesus himself did not follow church rules, and when someone called Him on it, Jesus put them down. Reference:

After he had spoken, a Pharisee invited him to dine at his home. He entered and reclined at table to eat. The Pharisee was amazed to see that he did not observe the prescribed washing before the meal. The Lord said to him, "Oh you Pharisees! Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, inside you are filled with plunder and evil. You fools! Did not the maker of the outside also make the inside? - Luke 11:37-4

Alan
 
I hope i am a good catholic. i dont try to say i do everything right all of the time, that would be a big lie, but i try to adhere to the teachings, sometimes i fall, but with the help of God and through the grace of confession, i pick myself up by the boot-straps and go and begin the fight again with a clearer mind and better understanding of what makes me fall. and it also helps that i am truly sorry for screwing up, not just because i dont want to go to hell, but because i am sorry for offending God
 
VetA,

I like your attitude that we learn from failures.

Too many people see failure as a “bad” thing. I think it is a necessary stepping stone on the way to success. Here’s proof: if we don’t ever fail, then we have not truly been tested up to our potential, and testing makes pure.

Alan
 
coolduude said:
Hi,

Are there any good Catholics out there? I mean Catholics that adhere to the Church in all it’s teachings, are faithful, are moral, and live the Catholic Christian life.

I try to do all that the best I can, and sometimes I feel like I’m the only one. It can be a lonely world… 😦

Anyone else out there?

Coolduude
Click to expand...
There are many good, faithful catholics out there.
For myself, I adhere to Church teachings -
I am faithful, but still with nagging doubts that I must fight -
Most everyone believes they are “Moral” so this might need clarifiaction, but I hold my morality from the Law of Love and from Church teachings -
I live my life in the best way I can. I care for my wife full time so my “worldly sphere” is limited.

I do understand how you can feel isolated. My family also is kinda all over the map. my mother is a “Rock” in faith. My siblings tend not to be…But then for many years so was I.🤷

Just carry on as best you can and know that your brothers and sisters here are “with you”.

Peace
James
 
Just to clarify, I believe it is a good thing to follow all the Church’s teachings.

I just don’t think that following the rules is enough. What matters most are matters of the heart.

Alan
 
AlanFromWichita said:
Just to clarify, I believe it is a good thing to follow all the Church’s teachings.

I just don’t think that following the rules is enough. What matters most are matters of the heart.

Alan
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👍👍

The Jews were great “rule followers” but Jesus tells us it is not enough.

Peace
James
 
coolduude said:
Hi,

Are there any good Catholics out there? I mean Catholics that adhere to the Church in all it’s teachings, are faithful, are moral, and live the Catholic Christian life.

I try to do all that the best I can, and sometimes I feel like I’m the only one. It can be a lonely world… 😦

Anyone else out there?

Coolduude
Click to expand...
you are the member of the universal Church, that is what Catholic means. You are one of millions who are good faithful moral Catholics. you simply have not met most of them. You are also a member of your own parish and diocese, with thousands of faithful Catholics, whom you also have not yet met.

Make a point of meeting your fellow parishioners, and the best way to do this is through serving your parish in any capacity. Resist the temptation to assess new friends among the parish be speculating on whether they are faithful or moral. That is between them and their priest in confession.
 
puzzleannie said:
you are the member of the universal Church, that is what Catholic means. You are one of millions who are good faithful moral Catholics. you simply have not met most of them. You are also a member of your own parish and diocese, with thousands of faithful Catholics, whom you also have not yet met.

Make a point of meeting your fellow parishioners, and the best way to do this is through serving your parish in any capacity. Resist the temptation to assess new friends among the parish be speculating on whether they are faithful or moral. That is between them and their priest in confession.
Click to expand...
👍

There are indeed millions of faithful Catholics who are living the life Christ and His Church want us to live with great love. Praise be to God for the holy and faithful members of His Body in the world today! 😃

Cooldude, maybe if you read some of the writings of the saints, you’ll be encouraged by the sight of such purity!
 
coolduude said:
Hi,

Are there any good Catholics out there? I mean Catholics that adhere to the Church in all it’s teachings, are faithful, are moral, and live the Catholic Christian life.

I try to do all that the best I can, and sometimes I feel like I’m the only one. It can be a lonely world… 😦

Anyone else out there?

Coolduude
Click to expand...
I don’t think I’m a good Catholic, but I do agree with all the Church teachings 🙂
 
I would only settle for a good Catholic to marry and found one. One thing I liked about her is that she went to daily mass.
It is important for most people to have friends that can help them grow, and grow in the faith too. (If you have trouble finding someone to build you up in the faith, you should pray for such friends. (However personallly I am a very stubborn person and if I knew no one else that was a good Catholic, it would be a matter of indifferent when it came to practicing my faith.)
 
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