I feel like such a bad Catholic

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Average_Joe17

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As a 16 year old Catholic male, I feel as if my actions have determined that I am a bad Catholic. I was talking to this young, atheist adult over text. He showed me some points as to why the Roman Catholic Church is pagan and me, being less educated about our Church’s history, I provided very shallow rebuttals, but i felt as if it made no difference to the discussion. As we were coming to the end of our discussion, out of respect for him, I searched up online “Can I say, ‘God Bless’ to an atheist?” I felt as if I am a bad Catholic due to the fact i wasn’t able to defend her and i was afraid to spread the message of God. So i ask of you today, my brothers and sisters, to pray that I may be a stronger Catholic and I may be able to spread the message of God at all times, without fear.
-Jose
 
For your intentions

Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen
 
I pray that our Heavenly Father provides you with guidance, strength, and other blessings (e.g., to further develop you as an instrument of His peace). It is okay to acknowledge that you are maturing in your faith (like many others several times your age).
 
O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fountain of Mercy for us, I trust in You!

Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, Amen.

Eternal Father, I offer you the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your Dearly Beloved Son, Our Lord, Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.

For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world. x10

Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
 
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Let's Pray a Perpetual Rosary Spirituality
for the intention of @Average_Joe17 I feel like such a bad Catholic HAIL MARY, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen. 5th Hail Mary in Chinese ~ Sorrowful (1)
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Prayer to Our Lady for Emotional Healing

Holy Mary, loving mother and heavenly guide,
be present to me now and let me know Your
compassion and kindness. Pray for me to Your
Divine Son, that I may experience calmness,
tranquility, and peace in all my emotions.

Help me to grow in faith and love. Protect me
from all that displeases God, and obtain for me
serenity of mind, body, and spirit.

I place my trust and confidence in You, dear
Blessed mother, and I pray that God’s blessings
of mercy, grace and gentle goodness will bring
happiness to my life, now and always. Amen.
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Let's Pray a Perpetual Rosary Spirituality
[Garden] First Sorrowful Mystery: Agony in the Garden (9th Hail Mary) Hail Mary, Full of Grace, The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of death. Amen. Intentions For: intentions of CAF visitors, members, prayer and Rosary warriors; victims of bias crimes; And: repose of Frank’s soul; S. family; Matthew; Linda M.; Linda P.; Margaret R.; Margaret D.; Kim; Daw…
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Ora et labora - Pray and work (Benedictine motto)

Pray that God and Our Lady will help you.

Learn more about the Catholic Faith.

Catholic Answers has a lot of good sources. Also TAN Books www.tanbooks.com has good catechetical resources.
 
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Saint Michael, the archangel, defend us in battle, be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the devil, may God rebuke him, we humbly pray. And do you, O’ Prince of the Heavenly host, by the power of God thrust into Hell Satan and all the other evil spirits who prowl about the world for the ruin of souls.

Amen.

†

Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Amen.

†

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.

Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.

Amen.

†

Prayer to Our Lady of Mental Peace

O Lady of Mental Peace,

Mother of Tranquility

and Mother of Hope,

look upon Average_Joe17 in this time

of weakness and unrest.

Teach her searching heart

to know that God’s Love

for her is unchanging and

unchangeable, and, that

true human love can only

begin and grow by touching

His Love.

Let your gentle Peace -

which this world cannot give
  • be always with her.
And, help her to bring this

same Peace into the lives

of others.

Our Lady of Mental Peace,
  • Pray for us!
Amen.

Jesus, Help Me!

In every need let me come to You with humble trust,

saying:

Jesus, help me!

In all my doubts, perplexities, and temptations:

Jesus, help me!

In hours of loneliness, weariness and trials:

Jesus, help me!

In the failure of my plans and hopes, in disappointments,

troubles and sorrows:

Jesus, help me!

When others fail me, and Your Grace alone can assist me:

Jesus, help me!

When I throw myself on Your tender Love as Savior:

Jesus, help me!

When my heart is cast down by failure, at seeing no good

come from my efforts:

Jesus, help me!

When I feel impatient, and my cross irritates me:

Jesus, help me!

When I am ill, and my head and hands cannot work and

I am lonely:

Jesus, help me!

Always, always, in spite of weakness, falls and short-

comings of every kind:

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, help me and never forsake me!

Amen

†
 
Thank you very much for your words of wisdom you have gave me! God bless you :)!
 
Prayers for you Jose and for the atheist too. You are not a bad Catholic. Nancy Pelosi, Governor Como NY…are tragically misinformed Catholics who support abortion…
You desire to grow in your faith, and want to help an Atheist… Those are great desires. Prayers for your intentions.
 
Praying for all of your intentions, @Average_Joe17.

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided.

Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me.

Amen.
 
O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fountain of Mercy for us, I trust in You!

Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, Amen.

Eternal Father, I offer you the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your Dearly Beloved Son, Our Lord, Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.

For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world. x10

Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
 
Every “good” Catholic feels like they are a “bad” Catholic. There have been many times where Protestants or atheists or etc. have torn me down for my faith, and I’m not much older than you. The secret is not having a great amount of knowledge to win an argument or prove a point, it’s having the maturity to be able to agree to disagree in that point in time, defend what you can in the best way you know how - not through attacking but simply by focusing on what you feel about your beliefs (maybe that’s God telling you to read the bible or spend more time with Him), to pray for these individuals (if you think of them pray a Hail Mary or Green Scapular Prayer Or St. Faustina’s prayer, etc.), and to be the best Catholic you can be.

If anyone tries to ask you questions or challenge your faith, it’s ok to tell them that you simply don’t know something or can’t back it up, but it’s your faith and you love it and believe in it for good reasons that they just may not understand. You are allowed to let people know that you want to respect what they believe and want the same courtesy in return. Simple as that. It doesn’t sound like you’re trying to tear people down, but rather are struggling to defend your own beliefs when differences are brought up, but you do not need some grand argument to defend the church. If they are that curious about your faith and insist on challenging it in ways that you don’t feel comfortable with, tell them that it makes you uncomfortable, but that you are firm in your beliefs, and if they are that curious they are more than welcome to consult with a priest.

I had a friend in a college class who is nondenominational Christian, and another guy in our class found out I was Catholic. He picked away at me for our 10 commandments and claimed they are different, and about Mother Mary/the Saints and claimed they were idols, and every corner of our differences, and my friend joined in with him. He was googling and I refrained attacking him back, but I defended my faith to the best of my ability, which was hard when I had two of them against me who seemed far more educated. My point in this being, it’s ok to simply say that you are firm in your beliefs and do not wish to get into your differences, because, odds are, you won’t be changing each other’s minds. You do your part by praying for them, but aim for peace. My friend who was involved in this came forth shortly after and apologized for taking this man’s side instead of respecting our differences. Personally, I feel that when people attack me or my faith it only leads me away from their faith or lack thereof, which is the opposite of what they’re trying to do. Let that be a lesson to you, to know that proving a point or winning an argument isn’t necessarily the most appealing approach. The non-Catholic friends I have are ones that truly respect my faith and I respect theirs and pray for them, and we avoid feeling the need to battle each other or question things we know we disagree on.

Don’t feel that you’re a bad Catholic. You’re coming here and asking for prayers at the age of 16, and that speaks volumes. Keep chasing Christ, and you’ve got our prayers!
 
Jose, you are to be commended for having the courage to listen and engage with those who do not hold to the Catholic faith. Use these beautiful opportunities as exhortations to continue to say yes to God in becoming more formed and informed by your faith.

To my knowledge, there is nothing in Church teaching that is suggestive in the slightest that you are a “bad Catholic” for not being a perfect apologist for the Church or her teaching and I would further caution you from assuming any sort of identity as a “bad Catholic” in the first place; those who seek Christ are in a continual posture of learning and not having the right amount of knowledge does not make you “bad” at all. Even more foundational than that, however, is the fact that Jesus did not incarnate, live, be crucified and resurrected so that members of his Church would be able to perfectly recite all teachings of the Church. There’s a lot within the realm of Catholicism and it takes more than a lifetime to digest only a fraction of it’s grandeur and beauty.

Rather, I’ll paraphrase and then include the words of St. Peter in 1 Peter 3 below, that we are instead exhorted to always be prepared to give an answer for the hope (not knowledge) that we have, but in doing so with gentleness and respect to the other:

1 Peter 3:13-
"Now who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good? But even if you do suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear, and do not be intimidated, but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and reverence. Keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who abuse you for your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if suffering should be God’s will, than to suffer for doing evil. For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God.

Enjoy and share the hope that you have in Christ through your Catholic faith. I will pray for you to that end that you will find peace that you don’t have to understand today (or any future day, for that matter) all of the particularities of specific teaching, history of the Church, and praxis of the Church to be truly and faithfully Catholic.
 
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