I need advice from Catholics

[Javl]

Oh thank you Lord Jesus! My mom’s friend (Who is a very strong protestant) recently adopted a little girl from China and has been taking her adopted daughter to Mass everyday for the past few weeks. My mom and her are very good friends. She told my mother as if there were no big deal. I said "Hey cool maybe I could attend Mass with her "My mom hesitated at first and then said “Uhm I’ll have to call and see if it’s ok… And you will have to get up very early… I’ll have to pray about it, I don’t know… I’m not guaranteeing you and we are just visiting… but maybe” PLEASE pray for me! Pray that I will be able to attend Mass with her next week, and pray that I will be able to wake up I think this is the breakthrough I was looking for! Hopefully…

Great! I hope your mom does let you go. You are in my prayers. God Bless.

PAX DOMINI

Shalom Aleichem

 

[aicirt]

That’s Great! Just curious…why would the Protestant Mom of the little girl be going to Mass?

 

[Oumashta]

That’s Great! Just curious…why would the Protestant Mom of the little girl be going to Mass?

That is what I found to be weird… She never did go before… Maybe a sudden change?

 

[Javl]

That is what I found to be weird… She never did go before… Maybe a sudden change?

It’s the work of the Holy Spirit…pray that she continues to go to mass and that she
and you mother learn the truth about the Catholic Church. I’ll pray also. God Bless.

PAX DOMINI

Shalom Aleichem

 

[TLM08]

Yes, many people do have misconceptions about the Catholic Church and yes my mother likely is one. But what do you mean by “Bible-based Christianity”?
I understand that the Catholic Church likes to beautifully adorn her churches, but taoists in hongkong like to decorate their temples too. What attracted me to the Catholic Church is not pretty pretty Mary statues. But rather their love for Jesus and the hunger for the truth. I only made the decision to convert after many months of praying and learning more about the Catholic Church.

To me, “bible based” christianity follows the Word of God and recognizes it as the lone source of authority. Catholicism uses the Bible as a supplement to the teachings of men (Pope and magisterium) which is otherwise known as “Sacred Tradition”.

 

[Patrick_Cox]

To me, “bible based” christianity follows the Word of God and recognizes it as the lone source of authority. Catholicism uses the Bible as a supplement to the teachings of men (Pope and magisterium) which is otherwise known as “Sacred Tradition”.

Hi Oumashta

If anyone should ever suggest to you that the Bible is the ONLY source of authority, ask them where it says in the Bible that the Bible is the ONLY source of authority. The truth is - they won’t be able to find a single verse in the Bible which says that the Bible is the only authority!

There are, however, many verses which show that BOTH the Bible and the teachings and traditions of the early Church are important authoritative sources for us:

Here are just a few of these verses:

1. Matt. 28:20 - “observe ALL I have commanded,” but, as we see in John 20:30; 21:25, not ALL Jesus taught is in Scripture. So there must be things outside of Scripture that we must observe. This disproves “Bible alone” theology.
2. Mark 16:15 - Jesus commands the apostles to “preach,” not write, and only three apostles wrote. The others who did not write were not less faithful to Jesus, because Jesus gave them no directive to write. There is no evidence in the Bible or elsewhere that Jesus intended the Bible to be sole authority of the Christian faith.
3. Luke 1:1-4 - Luke acknowledges that the faithful have already received the teachings of Christ, and is writing his Gospel only so that they “realize the certainty of the teachings you have received.” Luke writes to verify the oral tradition they already received.
4. John 20:30; 21:25 - Jesus did many other things not written in the Scriptures. These have been preserved through the oral apostolic tradition and they are equally a part of the Deposit of Faith.
5. Acts 8:30-31; Heb. 5:12 - these verses show that we need help in interpreting the Scriptures. We cannot interpret them infallibly on our own. We need divinely appointed leadership within the Church to teach us.

So for us as Catholics, whilst the Bible is of course crucially important to our faith, it is not the ONLY source of our faith. As the Bible itself says: The Church is the “pillar and support of the truth” - 1 Timothy 3:15.

God bless you as you continue on your journey!

Patrick

 

[TLM08]

Hi Oumashta

If anyone should ever suggest to you that the Bible is the ONLY source of authority, ask them where it says in the Bible that the Bible is the ONLY source of authority. The truth is - they won’t be able to find a single verse in the Bible which says that the Bible is the only authority!

There are, however, many verses which show that BOTH the Bible and the teachings and traditions of the early Church are important authoritative sources for us:

Here are just a few of these verses:

1. Matt. 28:20 - “observe ALL I have commanded,” but, as we see in John 20:30; 21:25, not ALL Jesus taught is in Scripture. So there must be things outside of Scripture that we must observe. This disproves “Bible alone” theology.
2. Mark 16:15 - Jesus commands the apostles to “preach,” not write, and only three apostles wrote. The others who did not write were not less faithful to Jesus, because Jesus gave them no directive to write. There is no evidence in the Bible or elsewhere that Jesus intended the Bible to be sole authority of the Christian faith.
3. Luke 1:1-4 - Luke acknowledges that the faithful have already received the teachings of Christ, and is writing his Gospel only so that they “realize the certainty of the teachings you have received.” Luke writes to verify the oral tradition they already received.
4. John 20:30; 21:25 - Jesus did many other things not written in the Scriptures. These have been preserved through the oral apostolic tradition and they are equally a part of the Deposit of Faith.
5. Acts 8:30-31; Heb. 5:12 - these verses show that we need help in interpreting the Scriptures. We cannot interpret them infallibly on our own. We need divinely appointed leadership within the Church to teach us.

So for us as Catholics, whilst the Bible is of course crucially important to our faith, it is not the ONLY source of our faith. As the Bible itself says: The Church is the “pillar and support of the truth” - 1 Timothy 3:15.

God bless you as you continue on your journey!

Patrick

I would encourage all to investigate the above claims with the understanding that while the church no longer burns people to death for public disagreement, (yea I know, protestants did some of that stuff too) catholics are still forbidden to interpret the Bible.

 

[aicirt]

I would encourage all to investigate the above claims with the understanding that while the church no longer burns people to death for public disagreement, (yea I know, protestants did some of that stuff too) catholics are still forbidden to interpret the Bible.

I see you are a Christian but not a Catholic. As a Protestant, do you have any concerns, that primarily through private interpertation of the Bible, there are now 30,000 different brands of Protestant Churches? Is it ever a concern within the Protestant churches that you’ve gone too far?

 

[almightyservant]

Ok… How do I start?
… What to do?

Start by doing these things (in no particular order):

1. Like someone’s already said, study the lives of the saints.
2. Meditate on the Passion of Christ.
3. Read the Bible.
4. Continue to pray the rosary and meditate on the mysteries.
5. Adore the presence of the Lord in the Eucharist.
6. Pray to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
7. Pray to Mary, the angels, your guardian angel, and the souls in Heaven.
8. Ask those in this world to pray for you.
9. Offer up your sufferings. Glorify God.
10. Give praise to God for your blessings.
11. Ask the Lord for his mercy and compassion. Ask him for forgiveness.
12. Hate the devil. Hate all sin.
13. Desire perfection. Desire holiness.
14. Pray for others especially the souls in Purgatory. Pray for your parents, friends and family.

The list doesn’t seem to end. I could go on and on.
Right now it’s hard, but I think it only gets harder. But don’t worry. Trust in the Lord.

By the grace of God, He’s led you to the Church. Trust in Him and abide in Him, and He will guide you to Heaven.

 

[Disciple96]

I would encourage all to investigate the above claims with the understanding that while the church no longer burns people to death for public disagreement, (yea I know, protestants did some of that stuff too) catholics are still forbidden to interpret the Bible.

The above quoted post is slanderous and I would recommend that anyone who wants to know the truth about the Church to study the Bible, history (real history) and the Catechism.

Catholics have never been forbidden to interpret (or read) the Bible. They have been advised, however, not to run amok, MISinterpreting the Bible and have been advised to stay away from those who do.

As far as burning folks, that would be civil governments who may have also been Catholics but that was not the Church. And Protestants have been known to burn those accused of witchcraft. Again, not the Catholic Church. Get your facts straight. Even one of them.

 

[Disciple96]

Originally Posted by TLM08 forums.catholic-questions.org/images/buttons_khaki/viewpost.gif
To me, “bible based” christianity follows the Word of God and recognizes it as the lone source of authority. Catholicism uses the Bible as a supplement to the teachings of men (Pope and magisterium) which is otherwise known as “Sacred Tradition”.

And as for these statements, all I can say is that Catholicism follows the Word of God, Who happens to be Christ, by the way. The written word of God is the record of things concerning the Word, Who, as I said, is Christ, primarily. The teachings of Christ have been handed down in written form (as it says in the Bible) and in spoken form (as it also says in the Bible). Sacred Tradition consists of both forms. Tradition is spoken of by St. Paul in his Epistles. The Bible was written by the Church for the Church to be read and proclaimed in the Church. Catholics are Bible Christians, the full Bible, fully venerated. The Pope and the Bishops exist to keep the teachings intact and to keep the Church on track, safeguarding the teachings of her Lord and Savior until He returns.

Those who reject such helps find themselves in a maze of competing and mutually exclusive misinterpretations, none of which have or can have any claim to authority. The Bible itself never enjoins such confusion on Christians. The Bible states that an authority has been given by Christ by one who is to lead the Church with help from the Holy Spirit. That would be Peter. His successors down through the ages keep us on track, even though there are always those who will reject what the Pope teaches. There were those who rejected Christ and His teachings and His Apostles when He walked among them. And there are still those who reject Christ and His teachings and His Apostles.

 

[jmtowle]

Dear Oumashta,

When mother Teresa needed a quick miracle she would pray a novena ( 9 consecutive repetitions ) of Memorares. One of the previous posters included this prayer in the post; sorry I don’t remember which post it was but I think it was on page #2.

Also, @ ewtn.com you can go to the devotional prayer section and included in this treasury of prayers you will find a 30 day novena of prayers to St. Joseph; I have found this devotion to be very effective almost beyond reasonable hope.

I will suggest that you include St. Joseph in your daily prayers along with your prayers to our Blessed Mother and daily seek both their intercessions.

You are off to a wonderful start and with the aid of all the angels and saints in heaven and the believers that make up the Church militant, you will find great success in the One, Holy, Catholic (Universal) and Apostolic Church.

As some wise person has said, “If God brings you to it He will bring you through it”.

Be at peace, you could be one of the truly unfortunate souls that do not have the gift of faith.

May the Peace of Christ be with us all, always

JT

 

[TLM08]

I see you are a Christian but not a Catholic. As a Protestant, do you have any concerns, that primarily through private interpertation of the Bible, there are now 30,000 different brands of Protestant Churches? Is it ever a concern within the Protestant churches that you’ve gone too far?

Evangelical Christianity is in shambles as well right now. 4 out of 5 television preachers are promoting their own “prosperity” gospels. If you’ve ever seen Joel Osteen, you’ll know what I’m talking about! Yes I am deeply concerned that the Word of God has long since been abandoned for the flavor of the day. Just as much of a concern for Catholics should be the church’s trend toward “enculturation” where pagan cultures not being converting, but rather are absorbing christianity into their pagan worship.

 

[aicirt]

Evangelical Christianity is in shambles as well right now. 4 out of 5 television preachers are promoting their own “prosperity” gospels. If you’ve ever seen Joel Osteen, you’ll know what I’m talking about! Yes I am deeply concerned that the Word of God has long since been abandoned for the flavor of the day. Just as much of a concern for Catholics should be the church’s trend toward “enculturation” where pagan cultures not being converting, but rather are absorbing christianity into their pagan worship.

Can you give an example of “enculturation”? Why is this the Catholic Church’s trend? Wouldn’t pagan cultures just absorb what they want whether Protestant or Catholic? How are Protestant churches avoiding enculturation?

 

[usemelord]

As often happens on most of these threads, we are starting to get far afield from the original purpose and intent of the thread which was that of a young man who was simply seeking advice from Catholics. Let’s keep it focused on that subject alone. If people want to start engaging in other unrelated matters, please start a new thread. Thanks be to God.

 

[4EverHis]

I would encourage all to investigate the above claims with the understanding that while the church no longer burns people to death for public disagreement, (yea I know, protestants did some of that stuff too) catholics are still forbidden to interpret the Bible.

since the Church is the pillar and foundation of truth, it’s role is to interpret the Bible. I’m so glad that Catholics don’t interpret Scripture how they want but that we are to submit to the Church on this. The reason Protestantism is so fragmented is because everyone interprets it their own way.

 

[Seatuck]

since the Church is the pillar and foundation of truth, it’s role is to interpret the Bible. I’m so glad that Catholics don’t interpret Scripture how they want but that we are to submit to the Church on this. The reason Protestantism is so fragmented is because everyone interprets it their own way.

Amen!

 

[Javl]

To me, “bible based” christianity follows the Word of God and recognizes it as the lone source of authority. Catholicism uses the Bible as a supplement to the teachings of men (Pope and magisterium) which is otherwise known as “Sacred Tradition”.

My dear Christian Brother, you are sadly misinformed and very wrong. The bible is not the sole source of authority. Jesus Christ is, and he gave that authority to the Apostles, which
formed the first magisterium. This authority did not end with the deaths of the Apostles, but was passed on to each bishop. These bishops continued the magisterium to this day.
If this authority died with the apostles, then of what use was it for Jesus to found His Church? Remember the He said that He will be with His Church always. As for “Sacred Tradition”, didn’t St. Paul say to hold on to the traditions that were passed on? And also,
if it were not for “Sacred Tradition” you would not have a bible from which to claim your “sole authority”. Please think and pray about it. The Holy Spirit will open your eyes.
I also will pray for your understanding. May the Good Lord bless you.

PAX DOMINI

Shalom Aleichem

 

[allhers]

I will keep you in my prayers too so that your Mother will allow you to go to Mass with her friend. We’ll pray that even your Mother will go. Plus, prayers that your Father returns!! God bless you!

 

[Ferde_Rombola]

To me, “bible based” christianity follows the Word of God and recognizes it as the lone source of authority. Catholicism uses the Bible as a supplement to the teachings of men (Pope and magisterium) which is otherwise known as “Sacred Tradition”.

That is a blatent lie and a bigoted, anti-Catholic slur. Prove Catholicism used the Bible as a suppliment to the teachings of men.

“Bible based” Christianity does not follow the word of God. It makes things up to follow, changes the meaning of the words of Scripture and attaches interpretations of them which are not found in Scripture. “Bible based” Christianity, sola scriptura, sola fide, OSAS and any number of protestant inventions originate in the 16th Century and were handed down to you from a gang of ex-Catholic heretics. Among the inventions is the anti-Catholic bigotry you live by.