Oh, gosh, Jim just likes to give me a bad time jokingly. He really cares that I find my place really. He just likes to razz me. I give him a bad time, too. He’s a wonderful friend on here. And my dad, really, wants to go back to the Anglican church. He doesn’t buy into Catholic theology/morality on many levels. He frequently says that. And the molestation stuff turned him off BIGTIME! But he doesn’t go back to the Anglican church because he doesn’t want to eat crow. Also, since he and my mom followed Kate and I to the Catholic Church, he doesn’t want to return to the Anglican Church with us. My mom said that it’ll look like their son calls the religious shots (which actually, since my parents were never well-catechized, I did!
). As a teenager, my parents never even wanted to go to Mass. I had to talk them into it! They always “had a headache” or “were too busy” etc. LOL I talked my dad into RCIA back in 1991. He was enthusiastic about it actually. and he enjoyed RCIA and the people there so much. But after it was over he steadily got burn out. So did I, so did mom. We went to St. Paul’s. In the early 2000’s, I started re-evaluating my beliefs and found that RCIA did a pretty poop-poor job of catechizing me as well. That’s when I got into EWTN/Catholic Answers, catholic books, online stuff, you name it. I became convinced that the Catholic Church was the true Church and we went back to her together. Kate and I got our marriage validated before a priest (he was wonderful!) and we felt whole.
When NFP gave us the most stress of our lives within our marriage, I started thinking twice. It gave Kate post-pardem depression and all sorts of misery. And it was NOT 99.9% effective but rather the opposite in fact.
We just couldn’t take it. And there was nothing in the Church to aid us, no priest would meet with us, stunk.
I also have struggled with inconsistencies, as you know. Pius V vs. Novus Ordo makes no sense, Lumen Gentium contradicts the “only in matters of faith and morals” stuff with regard to infallibility, Islam worships the True God that we worship and they are “foremost” ??, indulgences, treasury of merit, etc. I still struggle. So, I guess I’m a hypocrite as a Catholic.
This morning Kate was really missing St. Paul’s and was talking about how sad she is to have returned to Catholicism on one hand but then saying the opposite moments later that we are Catholics and I guess this is where we belong. So, there are factors here that make me waffle, not just me.
I honestly thought, about a year ago, of trying Orthodoxy because I got tired of both groups. Honestly I felt like “I hate Republicans and Democrats! Why not try a third party!” LOL…And in Church polity they make the most sense. But in studying them, I really disagreed with their Christus Victor approach, their views on Catholic validity, their view of Original Sin, and I don’t see the anger toward the filioque and unleavened bread, etc. And they seem more anti-ecumenism. And yet they make a ton of sense on so many levels.
Sometimes I wonder if there is no ONE Church that holds all the truth and that it’s spread out and they’re all a mess to some degree, some less than others. The Orthodox are the least messy but they have their issues, the Catholics are so law-driven and “obligation” centered with heavy legalism, the Anglicans are, well, just a total mess that is beyond description, the Protestants (especially Calvinists!!) are in serious error and heterodoxy if not total heresy, and the Orthodox are mistaken about several issues IMO. So, where does one go? Heck, right now my rear end is just parked at the Catholic Church. I’ll be going there in about a half an hour.
And it’s tough. I sit in the Anglican church questioning so many things in my head. Some eye-rolling.
Then when at the Catholic Church (our bishop recently passed away) they say, “it’ll take about six months before we get a new bishop. The pope is carefully selecting a new one” my history brain kicks in and I think…“hmmm. Back in Augustine’s time the PEOPLE elected him bishop of Hippo! And the popes didn’t install bishops at all? This is ahistorical!” LOL…
I can’t win.
But you are right; I sure love the Lord and just want to do right by him. I keep praying to Him for guidance.
I’m envious of the people who feel they’ve found their Church home and peace. I am trying. At this point I am just agreeing to try to keep my mouth shut, be obedient, and be a decent Catholic. Am I succeeding? Heck I don’t know…
Did that make things worse or better??? I’m not sure.
The folks on local Catholic TV are very gay in mannerisms. My dad thinks 7 out of 10 of them are gay around here. While I can’t back that up, I’d say he’s in the ball park! Does priests being gay concern me? Yes. Because it might lead to an acceptance of it in their pastoral care and counseling with could scandalize the laity. I don’t like the idea. But if they can be objective, know that their thinking is disordered, grapple with it like we all grapple with our sins, and teach against it with maturity, I’m somewhat ok with it I suppose.
