Help with Catholic/Protestant foundation

[OhioChristian]

am a cradle Catholic and have had faith formation from several different Christian denominations. I have had valuable experiences that have brought me closer to God in both Catholic and non-Catholic Christian denominations. The conflict in my heart is how to walk daily in a faith made up of two different foundations. I have respect and knowledge of God’s prescence in both places. I have been seeking peace with this daily walk and am now trying to teach these pricipals to my children who attend Catholic school and walk as Catholics. I am not totally engulfed in the Catholic Church knowing the genuine experiences I have had to grow in a personal relationship with Jesus through other denominations. I am not totally committed to these other places either because of true Catholic experiences. I want my children to know Jesus as I have come to know him through all of my experiences. It has been difficult to find peace in either place because of a feeling of not belonging. I appreciate Christians and the true way they live their faith. Many of the Catholic groups I have tried to involve myself with are lacking in this area. Have any of you reconciled this type of issue? If so, how?

Thank you for your genuine answers and please pray for me as I try to find peace with my faith.
May God Bless You.

 

[AlanFromWichita]

Not a problem.

This is something I have recently resolved.

All Truth is Truth, no matter how it is viewed. You can view the same God through the teachings of various religions and know what to isolate from each view.

Many times we are so involved in one culture, that we do not even know what our culture looks like. Those who have been among Protestants or even non-Christians, have had a chance to view Catholicism from the outside. Like a fish in water or a prisoner in a thought-cage, if you’ve never explored ideas outside the box you wouldn’t know your box if you were headed straight for it.

Therefore I think it is possible to come back completely to Catholicism while not having to renounce your other religions. I don’t know how that works with the rules of the religions, but I’m trying to talk about the mystical rules that govern our hearts – that may or may not be in sync with any given religion on any given topic.

Alan

 

[AlanFromWichita]

OhioChristian:

It has been difficult to find peace in either place because of a feeling of not belonging.

It is my belief that your posting this question opens up the possibility, through fellowship and prayer right here on this board, that you will begin to find peace in either place. The peace of Christ should not depend on what building you are standing in or which human beings are around you; over these things we are more than conquerors, or Rom 8 will need to be watered down!

I appreciate Christians and the true way they live their faith. Many of the Catholic groups I have tried to involve myself with are lacking in this area. Have any of you reconciled this type of issue? If so, how?

I’m interested in the particular ways that you find “Christians” as opposed to “Catholics” living their faith with greater evidence. I can think of a few, but since you asked I thought it would be best for you to answer. For example, is it that they seem to know how to recall a Bible passage apropos to a situation, or that they simply know Biblical quotes better, are less stingy in some way … that kind of thing.

I ask for specifics because I used to have the same misgivings about Catholics, since I had quite a bit of Protestant formation and fellowship despite my cradle Catholic status. Since then I have found that these stereotypes have good reasons for being in place, but that there are definitely numerous exceptions. Plus, it may be fairly easy to “train” a group of Catholics to a higher form of true stewardship, depending on what it is you see.

I’ve found that people on these forums, while some are very passionate and even narrowly focused at times, honestly try to see through these barriers and can offer really useful suggestions given they understand the nature of the question.

Alan

 

[Della]

OhioChristian:

am a cradle Catholic and have had faith formation from several different Christian denominations. I have had valuable experiences that have brought me closer to God in both Catholic and non-Catholic Christian denominations. The conflict in my heart is how to walk daily in a faith made up of two different foundations. I have respect and knowledge of God’s prescence in both places. I have been seeking peace with this daily walk and am now trying to teach these pricipals to my children who attend Catholic school and walk as Catholics.

I am a “convert” to the Catholic faith who has experienced many Protestant churches from high Episcopal to Pentecostal and gained much in each of them, too. The difficulty I think you are having stems from the various world views of each group, being that they are very different from each other. That’s only natural, though because what we believe colors everything we see and do, doesn’t it?

You don’t have to throw out the good things you learned or experienced in Protestant churches. If you had great fellowship, treasure that, and take it with you to your Catholic parish. Get involved with a small group at your parish or a ministry of some sort. Once you meet other people with a common goal I think you will find that they are just as committed to Christ as you are, but that they simply express that commitment in a more subdued way, since the interior life of the Catholic faith isn’t emotion-based, but based in truth and sacrifice–a whole different concept from Evangelical understanding of our relationship with Christ.

I am not totally engulfed in the Catholic Church knowing the genuine experiences I have had to grow in a personal relationship with Jesus through other denominations. I am not totally committed to these other places either because of true Catholic experiences. I want my children to know Jesus as I have come to know him through all of my experiences. It has been difficult to find peace in either place because of a feeling of not belonging. I appreciate Christians and the true way they live their faith. Many of the Catholic groups I have tried to involve myself with are lacking in this area. Have any of you reconciled this type of issue? If so, how?

You should read solid Catholic spiritual reading and immerse yourself in the teachings of the Church and the practices of the Church. Then, you will begin to take on the mantle of Catholic understanding. I would be helpful for you to do Morning and Evening Prayer, for example. Not the whole thing that priests and religious do, but a version meant for busy lay people. Your priest can recommend one or even give you one. Read the daily Mass readings and meditate on them, making them a part of your prayer life. Or pray 5 decades of the rosary each day or even one if that is all you have time for. Get some good Catholic books for children and read them along with your kids to help them understand their Catholic faith.

Also, there is no such thing as “Christians” and “Catholics.” Catholics are Christians–the first Christians. We can trace our Church from the Bible until now, so don’t let anyone tell you that being a Catholic isn’t being a Christian.

Thank you for your genuine answers and please pray for me as I try to find peace with my faith.
May God Bless You.

You’re entirely welcome. I will indeed pray for you, please pray for me, too!

 

[stbruno]

I am sure there are many evangelical tools we can borrow from our Protestant brothers and sisters that easily can be incorporated into our Catholic faith quite successfully. As a youth minister, many of the tools used by other Christians faith have been a starting point for me and I have used them very successfully in our Catholic program.
But I have also added the richness of our Catholic tradition to those tools which those Christian faiths do not have. It’s the best of both worlds and they can be blended. So don’t throw away those things, build on them. Never regret them either or deny them. Many of our greatest Catholic leaders and saints have been converts to our faith.
So don’t beat your self up…celebrate the richness you are bringing to our Catholic faith. As with all things, Pray!

 

[Tonks40]

stbruno:

I am sure there are many evangelical tools we can borrow from our Protestant brothers and sisters that easily can be incorporated into our Catholic faith quite successfully. As a youth minister, many of the tools used by other Christians faith have been a starting point for me and I have used them very successfully in our Catholic program.
But I have also added the richness of our Catholic tradition to those tools which those Christian faiths do not have. It’s the best of both worlds and they can be blended. So don’t throw away those things, build on them. Never regret them either or deny them. Many of our greatest Catholic leaders and saints have been converts to our faith.
So don’t beat your self up…celebrate the richness you are bringing to our Catholic faith. As with all things, Pray!

I echo stbruno’s suggestion - think of it as bringing your own Christian understanding into a greater fullness in the Catholic Church. One thing that might help is to read up on conversion stories. Many converts like Scott Hahn and Tim Staples were very grounded in their own faith formation, but discovered the richness of the faith in Christ within the Catholic Church. Here’s one link to get you started:

chnetwork.org/converts.htm

God bless you in your continuing journey of Faith!