I need to drop it and just accept!

[Paris_Blues]

Guys,

Ever since I started pursuing Catholicism and been learning more and more about it, like I’ve said before, I came to realize that it’s THE Church. Well, it does make sense if you look at the history of it like the early Church fathers, apostoles and their passing on of the teachings from Jesus, etc. etc. and could go on and on.

Well, forgive me for saying this but I’m going to say it anyway. Now that I’ve come to the knowledge of the Truth, I felt that when I was a Protestant, I was being taught some “false” stuff…I’m not saying that what they taught was false, it’s just that they were preaching and all this the way that really wasn’t intended maybe. Now that I’ve been going to Mass for approx. 6 months, I realized that this is what feels and seems TRUE in reality, as if what Jesus intended, like obviously I sense a true presence of our Lord!

Now that I’ve come to know the Truth, I just have this terrible desire to go out and tell non-Catholics that oh, the CC is THE Church and the teachings, etc. are great and True and oh boy, this and that, that and this, etc. but I DON’T want to because I try to respect the freedom of choice for people and their religion and all that. Yet I also do feel that EVERYONE SHOULD know the Truth and how it SHOULD be taught!

Could anyone give me some nice advice here?

I also want to point out that I feel anti-Protestant!! Not that I want to be or anything and I shouldn’t. It’s just that everytime I get something that’s non-Catholic in the mail or whatever, I get this feeling like, oh they don’t have a clue what they’re saying teaching and all this and that and I struggle to not think like that but I can’t help it! I try to pray that I would love ALL people regardless of religion and stuff and pray that I would understand better and accept it. But if I do try to accept non-Catholic stuff, than something deep down inside of me is saying something like, you’re suppose to be practicing and learning Catholic! Don’t look at this stuff!

Help me! :banghead: It’s probably pride, eh?

How and what do I do than?

 

[space_ghost]

…first things first… you be the best little hindu that you kindu…

…try to lead by example, that’s the best way to evangelize, and you will need time to study and study hard…

Matthew:17Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. 18And I tell you that you are Peter,c] and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hadesd] will not overcome it.e] 19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will bef] bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will beg] loosed in heaven.”
…so remember, you didn’t figure this out all by yourself, you will have to give them the same opportunity…

…i am very happy for you… i wish you pardon and peace:thumbsup:

 

[Sgt_Sweaters]

Pride? Probably. That’s my problem too.

On the other hand, you’re still right. That is, the Catholic Church is the one true Church, and all who follow a different faith follow an incomplete faith. Why shouldn’t you want to share the Truth with others, even if they are already Christian? Why should you be content to let them hobble when they could be walking?

Of course, most Protestants won’t be keen to listen to you (at least in my experience). For instance, I talked to my dad last night about my own conversion to the Church, and he’s under the assumption that I’m going through some sort of phase, and his main concern is that I’ll try to “impose” my Catholicism on the rest of my family, or something. He made it very clear when he said, “you aren’t going to convert the family.” Obviously it’s going to take a lot of prayer and a lot of tact even to get my point across!

Never shy from the Truth because you’re worried you’ll offend someone. Tell them, because they need to know. Just do it kindly, gently, in love. Trust me, I know the charge isn’t evil. We’re in the same boat!

 

[Paris_Blues]

Sgt Sweaters:

Pride? Probably. That’s my problem too.

On the other hand, you’re still right. That is, the Catholic Church is the one true Church, and all who follow a different faith follow an incomplete faith. Why shouldn’t you want to share the Truth with others, even if they are already Christian? Why should you be content to let them hobble when they could be walking?

Of course, most Protestants won’t be keen to listen to you (at least in my experience). For instance, I talked to my dad last night about my own conversion to the Church, and he’s under the assumption that I’m going through some sort of phase, and his main concern is that I’ll try to “impose” my Catholicism on the rest of my family, or something. He made it very clear when he said, “you aren’t going to convert the family.” Obviously it’s going to take a lot of prayer and a lot of tact even to get my point across!

Never shy from the Truth because you’re worried you’ll offend someone. Tell them, because they need to know. Just do it kindly, gently, in love. Trust me, I know the charge isn’t evil. We’re in the same boat!

Yes, but like for example, my parents are both Protestant and before I started pursuing Catholicism, I asked if they would ever convert to Catholic and they replied, no. So here I am, on my way.

But my parents ARE NOT anti-Catholic thank goodness…they are open minded to all religions as a matter of fact…
…though I WISH they understood that the CC is THE Church and I kindly said something like that to them and they softly disagreed with me and I was actually frustrated too because I do feel that they need to know the TRUTH darn it and I love them enough and respect them and their choice of religion but I love them enough to tell them the Truth! And that’s how I feel about others as well…they NEED to know the TRUTH!!!

 

[elizabeth4truth]

Dear Paris Blues,

Please remain in peace and trust The Holy Spirit to guide you. He will. It is sad when Christians are torn apart by our desire to have the fullness of truth, when it divides us. Our pride often gets in the way. God has total knowledge and truth and He’s not telling us everything. We must remain little children and trust in Him. That’s how He wants it.

As Catholics, we acknowledge our Protestant brothers and sisters, as Christians. Unfortunately, they do not always do the same for us. Sometimes it is best to walk away and remain in God’s grace, in silence. Remain open to The Holy Spirit’s desire to work in and through you. He will make your joy complete.

God’s blessing to you,
Elizabeth

 

[Didi]

I’ve heard Scott Hahn talk about this very subject and he had some very wise advise.

What we have to remember when talking to non-Catholics about our faith is to do so with great love and charity. If they ask about something, be very honest without coming down on their beliefs. Instead of “You should know that…” try “The Church teaches” or “The Bible says…”

He also said we have to make sure our attitude is proper (which I have a hard time with sometimes). It’s not that we’re right and they’re wrong, it’s that God is right with His Church and Her teachings. It’s that God gave us the gifts of the sacraments because He knew how much we would need them!

Sometimes we are so excited about something new we’ve learned, that we want to share it with everybody, but some aren’t quite ready to hear it. Think about your own journey.

The best thing you can do is to be a great Catholic, people will be drawn to your faith and begin to ask you questions. As St. Francis said “Preach the gospel always, and when necessary, use words.”

 

[Paris_Blues]

Didi:

I’ve heard Scott Hahn talk about this very subject and he had some very wise advise.

What we have to remember when talking to non-Catholics about our faith is to do so with great love and charity. If they ask about something, be very honest without coming down on their beliefs. Instead of “You should know that…” try “The Church teaches” or “The Bible says…”

He also said we have to make sure our attitude is proper (which I have a hard time with sometimes). It’s not that we’re right and they’re wrong, it’s that God is right with His Church and Her teachings. It’s that God gave us the gifts of the sacraments because He knew how much we would need them!

Sometimes we are so excited about something new we’ve learned, that we want to share it with everybody, but some aren’t quite ready to hear it. Think about your own journey.

The best thing you can do is to be a great Catholic, people will be drawn to your faith and begin to ask you questions. As St. Francis said “Preach the gospel always, and when necessary, use words.”

Thanks for the advice from Scot Hahn, I’ll try that. However, that’s hard to do especially if you’re in a Christian-Faith group like I was before and I tried to explain it to them but they were soooo anti-Catholic, I just left.

 

[ElizabethJoy]

I don’t know about evangelizing - if ever the day comes when I can explain with fact and truth and without getting flustered, I’m sure I will. (I’ve never hesitated to open my mouth, before! LOL!)

I think we converts are so enthusiastic about our discovery that we want to tell the whole world - but are we really equipped for it at first? I don’t think I am - not yet, anyway.

And it’s probably natural to go through a period of rejection, don’t you think?

You invested a lot of time and faith in what you now see as lies and it feels like a betrayal. Very painful thing to bump your nose up against. At least it has been for me, first with Protestantism and then with new-age paganism.

You know the answer to pain and betrayal, though. With prayer and time, I’ll bet this will take on a whole new look for you.

For what it’s worth, it was much easier to deal with this time. The first time, I rejected and disdained and even cursed all things “born again” for years - I would sneer at those little fish symbols and “WWJD” bracelets and stuff. Liars! Hypocrites! Oh, I was mad!

But this time, it’s like I saw that all the people who have taught me before simply had veils over part of their vision and shields around parts of their hearts, so what I feel for them has become empathy instead of disdain and anger.

Hope that’s some help,
Elizabeth

 

[CarrieMG]

Hi
I feel a kindred spirit with you but for an entirely different reason than you might think. I am a cradle Catholic raised during the spirit of the 70’s and 80’s where a lot of focus was on “warm fuzzy Jesus” and concentrating on the idea that we are all Christian and that is what is important. Growing up I never thought about who taught “truth.” I was Catholic, she was Methodist, he was Baptist and we were all Christian. As an adult, thankfully, fundamentalist friends of mine began praying for me to become Christian because I had “such a heart for Jesus.” I didn’t understand why they did not consider me Christian and I couldn’t defend my Catholic beliefs at all.

This made me look at why we believe what we believe and the histories of the different denominations. Then two of my sisters left the church and I felt like if they had been taught what I was learning they never would have left. This has made me upset with the “false” teachings that you mentioned, or the leaving out of important teachings. I want to pray for my seperated brethern, but there is anger underneath.

As far as telling everyone else - I took this to a priest in spiritual direction. He told me that everyone needs to walk their own path and that God can lead them. He said, “Pray for those outside the church. Be a good model of authentic Catholicism. If God wants you to do something, he will let you know.”

Hope that helps.

Carrie

 

[AlanFromWichita]

Paris Blues:

Guys,

Ever since I started pursuing Catholicism and been learning more and more about it, like I’ve said before, I came to realize that it’s THE Church. Well, it does make sense if you look at the history of it like the early Church fathers, apostoles and their passing on of the teachings from Jesus, etc. etc. and could go on and on.

This is an excellent question. I admit I did not read all the replies, so please forgive me if I duplicate, and tell me you’ve heard it before.

Dear Paris Blues, I am probably on the same path, but it all started when a Protestant secretary told me, in 1983, that even though she isn’t Catholic, she does believe the Church is directly traceable to St. Peter, who was the first pope.

This was news to me, as I went to 8 years of Catholic School and didn’t know that. No wonder Protestants found us so easy to make fun of. Such was religious education in the 60s, even though nearly all of my teachers were even nuns.

Well, forgive me for saying this but I’m going to say it anyway. Now that I’ve come to the knowledge of the Truth, I felt that when I was a Protestant, I was being taught some “false” stuff…I’m not saying that what they taught was false, it’s just that they were preaching and all this the way that really wasn’t intended maybe. Now that I’ve been going to Mass for approx. 6 months, I realized that this is what feels and seems TRUE in reality, as if what Jesus intended, like obviously I sense a true presence of our Lord!

I’m with you. I do enjoy hearing non-Catholics preach from time to time, because I like to hear their ideas. Sometimes, though, I just have to turn them off because I get sick of them. Joyce Meyer is one example; a lot of what she says is great for healing but every now and then she slips up and says something that just makes my head turn.

Now that I’ve come to know the Truth, I just have this terrible desire to go out and tell non-Catholics that oh, the CC is THE Church and the teachings, etc. are great and True and oh boy, this and that, that and this, etc. but I DON’T want to because I try to respect the freedom of choice for people and their religion and all that. Yet I also do feel that EVERYONE SHOULD know the Truth and how it SHOULD be taught!

You’re like the person who found the valuable gem. Resist the urge to go show it off, until you can bury it again and buy the field.

I don’t know what that means but I just felt like typing it. :whacky:

Could anyone give me some nice advice here?

First, listen more than talk.

Learn and practice St. Francis’s prayer.

Help me! :banghead: It’s probably pride, eh?

How and what do I do than?

Become totally true to yourself. Have no fear. Express your opinion and force yourself not to care one iota whether they understand or not; if God wills it they will.

Be friendly, help people, talk to them, and if they are wearing a religious symbol. Ask them about their faith and act interested. You might not even want to disclose your own faith right up front, so you can hear more about where they currently are in their path before you decide how much truth they can handle at this time.

Believe it or not, I probably strike up at least three conversations a week with strangers, like in checkout lines or even working, that gets personal. Usually maybe one per week turns to religion. When and if I tell them I am Catholic, they are stuck because you have already befriended them and listened to their story so they really can’t diss you too bad!

Alan

Alan

 

[NotWorthy]

Paris,
What made you “Cross the Tiber”? Was it someone you admired who happened to be Catholic? Was it something someone said while in a religious discussion (like the secretary talking to Alan)? Was it a book someone gave you?
My point is… someone who wasn’t afraid to evangelize may have planted the seed, which began your journey. Don’t be afraid to do the same! You won’t see immediate results, but you’ll find that people will tend to respect your decision more if you are not afraid to explain it! I’ve had friends that will shy away from a religious discussion (OK, argument is a better term), and others can sense their insecurity. This is not evangelization! I’m not saying to shove it in their face. I’m just saying that we all are called to be “light of the world”.

Good luck, Paris, God Bless, and Welcome Home!

NotWorthy