I'm losing my faith

[whosebob]

Karen10:

. . .Without it, I could wonder all sorts of things to the point of agony. I really want to be close to God. Does using an abortifacient birth control pill please God? I could agonize on my own, for ages, over that, and come up with many selfish reasons on my own to justify doing so–and I wouldn’t be doing myself any favors. . .

JMJ + OBT​

St. Paul addresses this kind of thing at the beginning of his letter to the Romans:

Romans 1:14-32

1:14: I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish:
15: so I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.
16: For I am not ashamed of the gospel: it is the power of God for salvation to every one who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
17: For in it the righteousness of God is revealed through faith for faith; as it is written, “He who through faith is righteous shall live.”
18: For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and wickedness of men who by their wickedness suppress the truth.
19: For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.
20: Ever since the creation of the world his invisible nature, namely, his eternal power and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse;
21: for although they knew God they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking and their senseless minds were darkened.
22: Claiming to be wise, they became fools,
23: and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man or birds or animals or reptiles.
24: Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves,
25: because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed for ever! Amen.
26: For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. Their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural,
27: and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in their own persons the due penalty for their error.
28: And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a base mind and to improper conduct.
29: They were filled with all manner of wickedness, evil, covetousness, malice. Full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malignity, they are gossips,
30: slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents,
31: foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless.
32: Though they know God’s decree that those who do such things deserve to die, they not only do them but approve those who practice them. . . [if you haven’t read this in a while, keep reading, it’s really great stuff!]

Also, HelpingHands, I think you should keep in mind the following:

Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph #1861

1861 Mortal sin is a radical possibility of human freedom, as is love itself. It results in the loss of charity and the privation of sanctifying grace, that is, of the state of grace. If it is not redeemed by repentance and God’s forgiveness, it causes exclusion from Christ’s kingdom and the eternal death of hell, for our freedom has the power to make choices for ever, with no turning back. However, although we can judge that an act is in itself a grave offense, we must entrust judgment of persons to the justice and mercy of God.

You are in my prayers HelpingHands; I know that Our Lord will provide you the graces you need during your search and struggle!

In the Hearts of Jesus and Mary.

IC XC NIKA

 

[Lost_Found]

HelpingHands:

It does seem as if the church is a diverse place that can include people like me who don’t like thinking in the lines. I think some of the more structured ways of viewing things that I see reflected here in this forum, and in my parish, are outside of my personal reality. I just can’t view the world in such black and white terms. I view life and faith more fluid, like water. Maybe that’s why water is such a powerful metaphor throughout the Bible. It can be solid and unyielding when it’s cold enough, but as soon as the warmth of the sun beats down on it, it becomes fluid and lifegiving.

I think there’s lots of truth in your outlook, and that you are not afraid to take on tougher issues. I’m glad you are realizing that our Church is not as harsh as you sometimes think; she may state the truth in black and white but still recognizes that we are all “grey”. Regarding the sexuality issue, she fully acknowledges that we are not only spiritual, but that we are biological as well. “Chastity means the successful integration of sexuality within the person and thus the inner unity of man in his bodily and spiritual being.”(CCC2337) and “Chastity includes an apprenticeship in self-mastery which is a training in human freedom.”(CCC2339)
vatican.va/archive/catechism/p3s2c2a6.htm including scriptural and tradition references therein.

 

[Catherine_S]

HelpingHands:

OK, I’ve read every word written here thus far. Some new doubts have seeped into my mind, since it’s been dwelling on this subject.

Now, I’ve kind of realized that** I just don’t think certain things are really mortal sins.** For instance, I don’t think that people go to Hell for missing Mass. I just can’t see God sending people to Hell for that. Also,** I** think it’s unlikely that someone divorced and remarried outside of the Church will go to hell. I posted a thread on that subject here, because I was really interested in people’s opinions.** I** also asked the apologists but didn’t get a response.

Also,** I** don’t think people using birth control will go to Hell. Is it a sin? Well,** I** think sex is part of our fallen natures in the first place. I don’t like all this modern glorification of sex, even the Church is joining in. I think sex is part of our lower nature. I don’t think people ought to be seeking pleasure constantly though sex, because it is carnal, not spiritual, even for married people.

I think the Church ought to encourage people to restrain themselves and be very temperate in sex. Instead of making a rule about birth control, I think all people out to be restrained and try to at least partially bridle their carnal natures. But the rules about sex seem to miss the point and be legalistic, instead of promoting an underlying principle. And believe me, I’ve worked really hard at overcoming my lustful tendencies, and I’ve been totally chaste in my unmarried state. **I **think celebacy in very valuable.

I don’t know why the Church isn’t teaching us to avoid sensuality and try to raise above our carnal natures. Instead, they make a few hard and fast rules, and people work the loopholes for all their worth. That’s what I think.

**When a Catholic fails to accept the authority of the Church to teach in the name of Christ, he has in effect adopted the underlying rule of Protestantism as his divining rod: his own personal judgment. **

**How can we know if practical Protestantism is blocking someone’s conversion to belief in the Church? He may say, “I don’t see anything wrong with artificial contraception.” Or, "I don’t understand why the Church says it’s a sin to miss Mass on Sunday. Or, “I don’t think the documents of Vatican II are valid.” H****e is actually saying: “If I don’t see it, understand it, agree with it if it does not correspond with my personal views then I don’t have to accept or obey the Church’s teaching.”

****We have revealed that we have yet to be converted to a real understanding of what the Church is and what it means to be Catholic. We are forgetting that "the Church"and not our idea of what Catholicism ought to be is **“the pillar and bulwark of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:15). We are denying the Church’s divine prerogative to teach and govern authoritatively—that is, with the authority of Christ.

Highlighting this conflict between practical Protestantism and authentic Catholicism points out the need for Catholics to experience a deeper conversion to the Church. And this need must be acknowledged, because an individual will not seek to become Catholic at heart if he thinks he already is!

catholic.com/thisrock/2005/0502fea1.asp

Shalom

 

[HelpingHands]

Dear Catherine,
There are only two posts on this thread where I felt like I was being personally blamed for my feelings. That is your post, which dissects my semantics, and the first response to my intitial post by puzzleannie,. where I was was told that I just needed to examine my life, that that was my problem.

Using ‘I’ statements is not an indication of being self absorbed. It’s a way of stating one’s feelings and communicating them to others. Anyways, this isn’t a debating thread, and I’m not going to argue.

I am amazed, though, at the incredible encouraging posts otherwise on this thread! I want to say, I went to daily Mass after my nightshift at the hospital at a church nearby. The priest was gone and it was a lovely communion service that was very comforting. I was approached by some nice women afterwards who were uncommonly friendly. It was really encouraging.

 

[La_Chiara]

HelpingHands:

Dear Catherine,
There are only two posts on this thread where I felt like I was being personally blamed for my feelings. That is your post, which dissects my semantics, and the first response to my intitial post by puzzleannie,. where I was was told that I just needed to examine my life, that that was my problem.

Helping Hands–You are closing your eyes to what puzzleannie (one of the most devout Catholics on the forums) and Catherine posted. Catherine merely quoted directly (and highlighted portions) of the article from The Rock for which she also provided the link. Instead, of getting upset, you should consider especially the responses that cause such a strong reaction in you.

 

[Lalia_Mackay]

This thread is now closed. Thans to all who participated in the discussion.