I need Help with Convincing My Mom Catholics Have to Believe It All

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My mother swears up and down she is catholic. She converted when she married my father. I’m 16. I would consider myself a traditional Catholic. I believe that every catholic should and must profess every teaching of the church. My mother doesn’t. She doesn’t see the need for confession she doesn’t think that the priest can act in persona christi. She doesn’t even think that the church should have rules because all that matters is what Jesus says. I would like to continue living under the same roof but I need to confront the issue. Hopefully rather tactfully. I came here looking for help as into how to get her to understand that in order to be catholic you must believe in what the church teaches. Understand or go to hell. I would love to say it straight to her face but I simply can’t. thanks for any advice you can provide.
 
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I don’t have advice about how to speak to her about it.
I can only say that you should pray about it, and if you are very concerned, as it seems you are, pray time and again.
 
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First, remember that you are 16 and she is your mother. NEVER say to her

“CatholicMC1 said:
Understand or go to hell.
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You can talk calmly with your mom about confession, etc., but don’t get into a situation where it sounds like you know more than she does. Do you like to read? Maybe get some basic Catholic Belief books and read them together or just leave them in the living room. It’s possible that she wasn’t properly taught the catechism when she converted, or that she forgot some things, or became Catholic for the sake of marriage. I realize this is important to you, but pray that the Holy Spirit will lead 'mom to fully accept the teachings of the Church. This isn’t a reason to think that you can’t continue to live under the same roof. It’s not about proving that you are right and she is wrong. Is your dad there? What does he say?
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Well, it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to say “understand or go to hell.”

Pray for her. That is my first and best advice. Besides, we Catholics don’t have to understand everything to go to heaven. If she is Catholic and wants to be Catholic, then that is a good start. If there are times that she brings up issues, try to explain them tactfully. Educate yourself about the faith and about the issues she brings up so that you’re ready when questions do arise. These things take time, so try to be patient.
 
It is not your job to convince your mom! It is the Holy Spirit’s job.
What I would suggest, if you think your mom might be receptive, suggest studying a specific issue. Say prayer. Get some material and you both read it. Then discuss after each chapter. The search is for the truth. Few of us learn by someone telling us we are wrong! Pray don’t preach and watch to see if your mom learns anything. You should learn a lot.
 
Some people see the Church as having “rules,” And probably 99% of parishes have parishoners in the pews every Sunday who will disagree with one or more of the Churches moral or faith theologies.

The underlying problem is how they view and understand the Church, You see, the Church IS NOT a man made institution with “rules,” The Church IS the living Body of Christ that contains and professes the teachings (not rules) of Christ. The Church also has been given the authority by Christ to preach the Gospel and to bind and lose here on earth. Jesus clearly says to the Apostles “Whoever refuses to hear you refuses to hear me, and whoever refuses to hear me rejects the one who sent me.” (Luke 10:16)

It takes real humility and a deep fidelity to Christ to accept and understand this. The conversion from “I” believe this or that my way, to “yes Jesus” I trust and believe in ALL your teachings has to come from within, and that my friend is the work of the Holy Spirit

Therefore there is probably not much you can say to your mother. YOU must lead by example and you must pray for the conversion for her to accept the Truth, for the Church does not teach in error.

Just do not butt heads with your mother or you will add bricks to the wall of pride that already exists. Just love her and understand her weakness in failing to see the Church as Christ’s living Body. Keep praying and keep leading by example. Tread lightly.
 
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This is an unfortunate consequence of modernism.
It actually plagues more than just the Catholic Church but even traditional Protestant groups have been having a lot of infighting of the same denominations over things such as homosexual marriage. ( think of the recent Methodist upholding the prohibition of it).
It comes down to a phenomenon of anti authoritarianism which swept the country in the 60s and actually many other parts of the world at times since. Right now it is quite strong as well. It isn’t something totally new, I think it comes off that way but there have been many anti authority, anti establishment revolutions in the past. I would say the one with the most lasting impact on the Church is actually the French Revolution of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The Church never totally recovered in France from that. France was the backbone of the Church for centuries and now over 200 years later the Revolution still grasps the anti authority view many French have.
The thing we need to realize, especially what I notice is people question the Church today by asking legitimate questions or teachings they don’t understand. The Church is 2,000 years old. Any question any person has about literally anything has been asked before, probably many times in history. Instead of people researching this they think they have a question the Church suppressed or something and it justifies them not believing something.
A recent one I had was on social media a friend on mine posted something about the seeming contradiction in the creation narrative in Genesis where the sun is created after light which obviously is illogical.
What my friend probably didn’t realize is this “problem” was realized before Christ was even born, by a few centuries at least and has been answered numerous times.

People want to think they are unique and can accept what they want. It is the constant of humanism which could be seen as a consequence of the Protestant Revolution. When a group is always telling people the Bible is personal interpretation only, which is unbiblical to begin with, the conclusion will be that people will think they can choose to believe whatever they want about anything. These errors have now unfortunately made it’s way everywhere into the secular world and thus why we are plagued with relativism in society these days. What your mom is doing is q textbook case of relativism really. Pray for her. Don’t be rude but simply point out these facts charitably.
 
How about you pray for your mom and continue to set a good example but quit pushing her?
She is probably not going to suddenly change because her kid (who is only 16) got super-traditional and tells her she’s going to Hell. Not to mention that you’re hardly the big authority on who goes to Hell, and she’s also your mother and you need to show her respect.

If living under the same roof means you’re going to insist she believe just like you do, then I think it would be better if you moved out.
 
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Prodigal1984 said:
A recent one I had was on social media a friend on mine posted something about the seeming contradiction in the creation narrative in Genesis where the sun is created after light which obviously is illogical.
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Scientifically, our Sun is a 2nd generation star. Here is my question to you, how do we know it is a 2nd generation star?

Genesis supports your friend’s reading.

Genesis 1:3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

Genesis 1:14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night.

Genesis 1: 16 And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars.

To the OP, do you guys go to Mass together?
 
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Exactly. The OP is in no position to be telling her mother what she should think, do or believe. Set an example by not talking, but rather living your beliefs.

OP, if your mother asks about something, fine, but otherwise, it is disrespectful toward your mother to try and force her to your way of thinking. It doesn’t matter if you are pushing Catholicism or Socialism, it is not your place to address your mother in the manner you wish to.
 
I’m going to make a prediction OP…in thirty years or so, you will think back on this post and cringe when YOUR know-it-all kid tells you how wrong you are about something.
 
It is a very complicated task, especially for you as the child. So to begin with, you will find as many opportunities to be here, that you didn’t mention it earlier. That is the reason why you are looking for the assistance.
 
Take consolation in knowing that the Holy Spirit has infused you with a wisdom that is extraordinary for someone your age! Be strong in your faith and firm in your convictions.

As for the advice you seek - pray…every day that your Mom’s ignorance may not be invincible.
Ask the same Holy Spirit to soften your Mom’s heart and open her eyes to the majesty of this faith that she professes.

So many have been poorly catechized and truly seem to think that their belief system is like choosing from a menu…sad actually.

Do not let your heart be troubled by this. It is only by prayer and the Holy Spirit that any of us sinners have hope for eternal life.

Peace and grace…
 
You should simply pray for her. So many Catholics do not understand the power of prayer.
 
You know what, your faith and devotion and concern for your mother’s soul has nothing to do with your age, so ignore those comments that suggest you keep silent, simply because you’re only 16. The Church is full of young saints and children, younger than yourself, who have contributed greatly to the salvation of many. Read up on Thérèse of Lisieux.

Some of the most successful Catholic scholars, authors and apologists have family that they just couldn’t convert, so don’t be too hard on yourself if your mom doesn’t take what you say to heart. Family can be tricky like that and often it’ll take a non family member to open up the truth for them.

So don’t get too focused on winning the argument with your mom about having her accept the Church and all her truths in one fell swoop. Never stop praying for her and remember to give her space to watch you grow and become strong in your own faith.
 
Crusader13 said:
The Church is full of young saints and children, younger than yourself, who have contributed greatly to the salvation of many. Read up on Thérèse of Lisieux.
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St Therese, St Francisco and Jacinta Marto, Sts Maria Goretti, St Bernadette, etc did not go around disrespecting their parents and telling them they were going to Hell.
The Lord does not approve of disrespectful or know-it-all kids. Also,it’s against forum rules for you to encourage a minor to disrespect a parent.
 
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Pray for your mother. Always remember to Honor thy father and mother, love as Jesus loves us, and forgive.
 
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