I'm Thinking of leaving Catholic Church? Help!

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BinTN said:
When we go to a Catholic church we usually don’t get to hear anything because we are constantly taking the kids out because they can’t sit still.
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we solved this problem by one of us going to Mass while the other stayed home with the kids. There are multiple Masses in our parish so it wasn’t a problem. I often went to the Sat Mass and then my spouse would go to the Sunday Mass. Our church is old and doesn’t have a ‘crying room’. When the kids hit preschool age we began taking them to church and we always sat in the back. If they can sit in a classroom they can sit in the church. My kids went to the Catholic School so they knew from kindergarten how to behave in Mass.
 
"and you can find him nowhere else except the Catholic Church. " Nice, but not exactly true, even according to Catholic teaching.
 
Not really, you can find fullness of Jesus in Catholic Church only- while Eucharist is validly consecrated in other Apostolic Churches too, it is through partial unity with Catholic Church that He manifests.
 
Struggling to attend Mass, or remain strong in our faith, is something that many of us go through in our younger years. Even I went through it once when I was in my twenties.

The Church is a perfect organization- the true Mother of us all, but it’s run by imperfect humans who struggle to remain loyal to their Mother’s admonishments.

Even though the alleged sexual misconduct has harmed our Mother’s face, you must remember that she ultimately is unharmed and perfect…her shepherds are the ones that need to be cast out of her busoms- our Eden. Her face is clean and clear in reality just as Eden was after Adam and Eve and the snake were sent away

Your children that need to be cared for, they aren’t obligated to stay for the liturgy of the Word, so they can be kept elsewhere as that’s occuring, perhaps? Maybe a parent from the earlier Mass can take care of them as you attend a later Mass.

Much like a child that needs to suckle from their Mother after a fufilling day, they can come back for the liturgy of the Eucharist, with us all.

The only difference between this portion of the Liturgy, week to week, is minor things like collects or mini prayers. You’d be losing nothing substantial but gaining everything.

Stay strong! I’ll pray for you and your children
 
Jesus warns about being lukewarm. The real problem is you need to apply yourself to the study of the faith.

In Judaism, men consider that their primary duty is to study God’s instruction (Torah). Yes, they have to make a living and raise their family, etc., but the orthodox have this sense of commitment to study God’s word. Consider:

Psalm 1:1-2
Blessed is the man who does not walk
in the counsel of the wicked,
Nor stand in the way of sinners,
nor sit in company with scoffers.
Rather, the law of the Lord is his joy;
and on his law he meditates day and night

Got it?

If you leave the Catholic Church and go to some other Christian church, what have you gained? Can any of us hide from God? Or, may I ask, are you running away from the guilt of living up to the faith? Are you getting weak in the knees about living the truths taught by the Church? You brought up a personal matter here, so I feel that I have to be direct about this.
 
I’m sorry you are struggling with your faith right now. I want to echo the posters who said you should be entirely clear about what you are leaving before you do it. Have you watched any of Bishop Barron’s videos, particularly his Catholicism series? I find he explains the faith in an intelligent but accessible and enthusiastic way. He has videos on Youtube, but I really recommend you go to Word on Fire and purchase a pass to watch the more detailed videos on the Mass, Eucharist, Catholicism in general, etc.

Another thing to consider is Church history. Do believe Jesus’ promise that Peter was the rock on which he’d build his Church, and that the gates of hell would not prevail? If not, how can you be sure that the new church you join will be representing Christ’s teachings accurately. You might want to read John Henry Newman’s Apologia Pro Vita Sua where he discusses why he decided to convert to Catholicism from Protestantism. As he puts it: to deep in history is to cease to be Protestant.

I too am deeply, deeply disturbed and disgusted by the abuse scandal. If I didn’t believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and established the Catholic Church as the one means of salvation, there is no way I’d stay here. The only reason to stay is because this is Jesus’ Church.
 
Do not compare homilies, The Eucharist has the greatest spiritual benefit:
‘One is the table of the holy altar, having the holy Bread that is the precious Body of Christ.
The other is the table of divine law, containing holy doctrine that teaches all the true faith and firmly
leads them within the veil, the Holy of holies.’ - The Imitation of Christ
 
BinTN said:
So recently I have been thinking about leaving the Catholic church. I am a cradle Catholic and never thought about leaving up until the last few years
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How old are you now? Was there something that held you from thinking about leaving? When you & your wife decided to baptize the yutes, what was the deciding factor?
BinTN said:
When we go to a Catholic church we usually don’t get to hear anything because we are constantly taking the kids out because they can’t sit still.
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Have you tried going to the early Mass or the Saturday afternoon Mass? They’re usually less packed & move a lot quicker, they shouldn’t have to sit still long.
BinTN said:
I’ve also attend some masses recently where the priest put their political views in their homily which really didn’t set well with me.
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Have you looked into other parishes? Maybe you can find one with day care. & that’s another thing. I bet you’re not the only one with this problem. Maybe you can work something out with other families where y’all can work out a schedule where you watch each other’s kids.
 
BinTN said:
When we go to a Catholic church we usually don’t get to hear anything because we are constantly taking the kids out because they can’t sit still.
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My wife doesn’t attend church and I take our one year old. He likes to flirt with old church ladies, chew on pew missals, yammer during the homily, and he squirms around so much I get hardly anything out of Mass. But I am taking him, and getting him used to being at Mass. One day I’ll get to attend prayerfully again. …I hope!
 
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BinTN said:
I must admit my faith has been pretty and I have not been the greatest Catholic since my teen years probably due to a lot of tough situations in my life.
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That to me seems to be a very good reason to draw nearer to your faith rather than just leave it. Tough situations are when you need God more not less and a stronger faith would have helped you through these times. If you do not have a strong faith why would it become stronger if you left the Catholic Church?
BinTN said:
My cousin attends a southern baptist church with a non-denominational feel. The pastor’s speech was very good and he put it in a real life perspective.
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That does not even make sense and shows the confusion created by so many thousands of Protestant ecclesial groups. Either a church is Baptist or non-denominational. Therein lies another problem. Protestant worship always seems to focus on a sermon. Where’s what going to church should be about? You go to church to worship God. That is what liturgy is for and is something most Protestants lack.
BinTN said:
They also have daycare for our young children so they can socialize and learn about Jesus. When we go to a Catholic church we usually don’t get to hear anything because we are constantly taking the kids out because they can’t sit still.
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That’s basically saying other people should take responsibility for my children. As their parents you and your wife should be the first ones to ensure they learn how to behave properly. If you are not the only couple with young children at your church instead of saying oh dear my parish does not provide this why not volunteer to start this yourselves and get a few other parents interested.
BinTN said:
Other things that are pushing me away is the sexual abuse by the priest and more so the cover up that took place.
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The Church is a place for sinners. If we were all perfect and never sinned there would be no real need for the Church. The fact the Church has sinners, even if those sinners are popes, cardinals, bishops, priests and religious, their existence does not change the fact that the Church is the true way to God. Only recently another report has come out saying how many alleged abuse victims there are of Catholic clergy. The same report said that the numbers allegedly abused by Protestant ministers was comparable. This problem is not unique to the Catholic Church. It occurs in all religions and in any institution where there is easy access to children by people assumed to be trustworthy.

God gave you free will so it is for you to decide. I believe your reasons for leaving the Church are the wrong reasons. If you are lukewarm in your Catholic faith I see no reason why you would not be lukewarm in any protestant ecclesial group because you do not seem to grasp the real purpose of being a Christian. It is about worshipping God and living your life as he wants you to and not about ‘me’.
 
The surest way of losing faith is to look left and right, seeing only sinners and hypocrites. Multiply this by the public failings of the hierarchy and it only becomes worse. None of this affects the truth of the faith one iota. Remember when Peter walked on the water, but took his eyes off of Jesus? In a sense, that is where you are. You, too can call out to the Lord “save me!” - and He will.

Find when your local parish offers adoration of the Most blessed Sacrament. Then go, and just sit in our Lord’s presence. Pray, read scripture, or simply contemplate Him.

Then, be as patient with the Lord as He has been with you. As Fr. Benedict Groeschel taught, “When you are aware that He is there, you will be changed.”
 
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Don’t leave please! Only in the Catholic Church you can find the nourishment for your soul, the Bread of Life came down from Heaven. Jesus promised that those who eat His flesh and drink His Blood will have life in Him and he will raise them on the last day. Stay where the food is, otherwise you and your family will starve! 😃

PS: watch this presentation on the Eucharist and Mass by Jeff Cavins, believe me, you’ll not regret it:
 
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Yes, very true. I think one of the best writers on this subject is Scott Hahn. His writing is theologically sound, and passionate. His “The Lamb’s Supper” relates the Mass to the heavenly worship of Revelation. His conversion story is compelling reading for both those coming into the Catholic Church and those seeking to better understand what is so special about the Catholic Mass.
 
Fr. Phillip Wolfe, FSSP, came up with the following analogy:

The Church is like a ship at sea. In fact, it is sometimes referred to as the ‘barque of Peter.’ We board this ship by virtue of our baptism.

This ship has been on course for Heaven for more than 2000 years. It is the only ship on course for Heaven, because there is no salvation outside the Church, the barque of Peter.

If you were on a boat, and you found that the captain and nearly every other crew member were drunkards, thieves, violent, promiscuous etc. would you jump off the boat? Would you walk the plank yourself? No! Remember: there are no other boats out there on course to Heaven, and you certainly can’t swim there in your own.

The barque of Peter has remained on it’s course to Heaven, remains and will always remain on its course to Heaven even to the end of time, despite how ugly or evil Her human element may become. Jumping overboard on account of the evil crew not a solution; in fact, it makes the problem worse.
 
Are you arguing that Catholics don’t think for themselves but only swallow doctrine and dogma without reason? Have you read Aquinas…Fides et Ratio…or even Scott Hahn?
It appears by your statements that you’ve never truly understood the Catholic faith.
 
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BORED?! You think Church is entertainment?? You go to Church to offer worship and sacrifice and humble yourself to the God, Creator of Heaven and Earth, not to get entertained.
 
True. Indifferentism and universalism among nominal Catholics are the result of many decades of poor catechism and an exclusively low Christology in which Christ as Second Person of the Holy Trinity, i.e. as God, fully present in His divinity and humanity in the sacrifice on the altar, is rarely if ever mentioned.
 
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