"In Christian Love"

[vocatio]

I entered my old congregation last night to pick up a DVD of my oldest son’s baptism. I baptized him on Sunday by full submersion for salvation reasons. The men were just so judgemental. I had forgotten that i was going to pick up the DVD and was wearing my seminary shirt and Franciscan Univeristy neck loop that holds my work ID. The men kept take many different looks at my shirt and it was rather awkward. It was a bit stressful because in all fairness they didn’t know I was Catholic and probably thought I was churchofchrist. But it was also insightfully funny and their initial smiles turned in to bitter hatred looks, though they did not slander my Catholic faith in front of me. I looked equally sad and stern about that faith in the video. My wife and son both say that I’ve definitely changed for the best. And some Orthodox priest on the old Eastern religious thread called me angry young man a year ago. It was true, that’s how we reacted to things we strongly disagre with. I was merely reating according to my developed conscience it seems.

This is an iteresting blog entry that makes me wonder…“What was I thinking”.
insidecatholic.com/Joomla/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3893&Itemid=48

 

[Claire_from_DE]

I entered my old congregation last night to pick up a DVD of my oldest son’s baptism. I baptized him on Sunday by full submersion for salvation reasons. The men were just so judgemental. I had forgotten that i was going to pick up the DVD and was wearing my seminary shirt and Franciscan Univeristy neck loop that holds my work ID. The men kept take many different looks at my shirt and it was rather awkward. It was a bit stressful because in all fairness they didn’t know I was Catholic and probably thought I was churchofchrist. But it was also insightfully funny and their initial smiles turned in to bitter hatred looks, though they did not slander my Catholic faith in front of me. I looked equally sad and stern about that faith in the video. My wife and son both say that I’ve definitely changed for the best. And some Orthodox priest on the old Eastern religious thread called me angry young man a year ago. It was true, that’s how we reacted to things we strongly disagre with. I was merely reating according to my developed conscience it seems.

This is an iteresting blog entry that makes me wonder…“What was I thinking”.
insidecatholic.com/Joomla/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3893&Itemid=48

Are you a married Catholic seminarian? Were you a protestant minister when you first baptized your son? What do you mean when you say you baptized him on Sunday by full immersion for Salvation reasons? Isn’t all baptism for salvation reasons? Did you just do that last Sunday? Are you a transitional deacon now? Was his original baptism invalid? Just confused and curious.

 

[vocatio]

Are you a married Catholic seminarian? NO. But if I were Eastern Rite it would be possible. The staff at my job love to shove they Aggie shirts on everyone. So I just wear a Seminary Shirt just like it’s a college shirt and proud of it…because I am proud that I atteneded the Catholic seminary.

Were you a protestant minister when you first baptized your son? NO I was working on doing it in 2003.

What do you mean when you say you baptized him on Sunday by full immersion for Salvation reasons? NO church of christ jargon that basically refutes validity of all other’s baptisms.

Isn’t all baptism for salvation reasons? NO `Some Baptist for example do not believe Baptism is required.

Did you just do that last Sunday? NO April 25, 2004 I’m a “revert”. Just welcome me home and try your best to understand withoutthe scandalizing details.

Are you a transitional deacon now? NO but again if I were eastern catholic or Orthodox that would not be unusual

Was his original baptism invalid? Just confused and curious. If he was baptized it was done secretly by my father

Let me end by saying that my life is far too complicated for this forum. It confuses Catholics and others not accustomed to our customs in the Church of Christ. Only a convert from the church of Christ or some similar faith would understand what I wrote I guess or someone that actually followed my thought process.

Sorry for the confusion. I am considering the permanent diaconate though.

 

[Cathdefender]

Let me end by saying that my life is far too complicated for this forum. It confuses Catholics and others not accustomed to our customs in the Church of Christ. Only a convert from the church of Christ or some similar faith would understand what I wrote I guess or someone that actually followed my thought process.

Sorry for the confusion. I am considering the permanent diaconate though.

What is a Fundamental Evangelist Catholic?? Either you are a Catholic or not? There are no other names attached.

 

[dessert]

It was maybe a good thing they found out, so don’t be embarrased or if you feel their anger turn your feeling to compassion if they don’t except this then you have done your best. Be proud but in a humble way. As you state in Christian Love. They probably don’t understand but sometimes that kind don’t ask questions thinking you may lead them away, and many times fear of lose of something is behind anger. Study and next time you meet them they will have a question ready or just say I see a puzzeled look on your face so I would like to tell you about what I have learned. The more you talk they will either accept or flee. sounds like your wife understands. Blessings

 

[vocatio]

What is a Fundamental Evangelist Catholic?? Either you are a Catholic or not? There are no other names attached.

That’s a good question Cathdefender, why don’t you let us in on it. I’d love to know what ever that it. But I do know some very fundamentalist Catholics. My dad would have been one of them. I have no idea where you got this crazy stuff.

 

[vocatio]

It was maybe a good thing they found out, so don’t be embarrased or if you feel their anger turn your feeling to compassion if they don’t except this then you have done your best. Be proud but in a humble way. As you state in Christian Love. They probably don’t understand but sometimes that kind don’t ask questions thinking you may lead them away, and many times fear of lose of something is behind anger. Study and next time you meet them they will have a question ready or just say I see a puzzeled look on your face so I would like to tell you about what I have learned. The more you talk they will either accept or flee. sounds like your wife understands. Blessings

THANK YOU! Somebody who actually read my post and responded in a way that showed they understood. I was beginning to wonder if I was crazy for a little bit because of what a couple of people said that made no sense to me.

Yes, my wife is a wonderful Catholic woman. She’s devoted to praying for priests and for vocations like me. We’re hoping our own children will become priests and/or religious. Franciscan’s Rule. EWTN RULES. Praise God I found the ancient church fathers.

 

[Cathdefender]

That’s a good question Cathdefender, why don’t you let us in on it. I’d love to know what ever that it. But I do know some very fundamentalist Catholics. My dad would have been one of them. I have no idea where you got this crazy stuff.

Vocatio…it’s er…in your profile…

 

[ibkc]

vocatio, were you a member of the mainline Church of Christ, or the ICoC?

 

[dessert]

THANK YOU! Somebody who actually read my post and responded in a way that showed they understood. I was beginning to wonder if I was crazy for a little bit because of what a couple of people said that made no sense to me.

Yes, my wife is a wonderful Catholic woman. She’s devoted to praying for priests and for vocations like me. We’re hoping our own children will become priests and/or religious. Franciscan’s Rule. EWTN RULES. Praise God I found the ancient church fathers.

What a wonderful testimony! Yes the Church Fathers are a good study, and example of Christ’s Love.

God bless you – Que Deus te abencoe(Portuguese)

 

[vocatio]

Main Line. My father-in-law was an elder before resigning because a man in his 40’s was selected as an elder. He was in his early 80’s at the time. He died in 2004,which started a tumbling effect and ultimately brought me back home to the Catholic Church and my wife’s conversion. We have 3 children. My op was a visit to the COC which opened my eyes for real this time and made me realize I had made a terrible error. Only I was not convinced that it was the Catholic Church. I suspected that the “real” church was the Orhtodox Church. I thought that because of all the dissent in the Catholic Church was a sign that it was not in obedience to God and thus it was in havoc. The Orhtodox Church seemed to be much like the COC in that there seemed to be a lack of instrumental music, which wasn’t as big to me but important. The clergy were without a doubt all male without the women rebelling and wanting to be clergy. They were very similar to what I believe, even still today. Although I used to accept Evolution, I turned to Creation Theory that seemed embraced by the Orthodox. There are many conservative ways they have that I embrace. Further they neverf accepted the things that made me feel strange as a Catholic. Marian Devotion to the level it gets. That is to say Jesus should be obvious center stage to me. Infalibacy and Immaculate Conception. Stuff like that. Do difficult to converse about here and off topic. I’m clarifying my earlier confusing posts that I typed while stressing out over my visit to that Church of Christ in Texas. It really pushed my buttons. I was a strong Church of Christ Christian for over 17 years. I was planning on being a preacher once my wife became comfortable with it. But what I discovered over time was that she was not fond of her own faith, particularly with the hypocrisy of the Elders, Deacons and Preachers. I felt betrayed when I realized my own wife didn’t like her own faith and rejected lots of it. I thought she was rebelling against God at first. It took conversion to see her truly finding peace. Had I not seen her come to peace I would have continued to move towards Orthodoxy. The hesitation allowed me more time to learn what I didn’t understand and never learned in my youth. Although I was baptized Catholic as a toddler, Mom only took us to Protestant churches. Later she stopped going to church altogether. It wasn’t until I moved with my father in Louisiana that I was allowed to “become” practice Catholicism and that was 3 years after moving with Dad. I was almost 15 when I went to first confession and first communion. I only had that for 5 or 6 months when Dad and stepmom (Southern Baptist) separated. I moved to the country in the middle of no where and initially did not have tranportation to get to mass all the time. Dad went out of state, still living like an idiot, but pushing Catholiciism on me still. It was my love of the faith that brought him back home. But he still insisted on living a sinful life. I didn’t put it all together until I was about 18. It really hurt me to see how he was living. To top it off he beleived that all non-Catholics were doomed to hell and that most Catholics wouldn’t make it to heaven. So in fact I was damned no matter how hard I tried. At the age of 16 I became very devoted to reading my scriptures every day and saying my rosary. I only heard of the Divine Office later and really didn’t understand it. No one took the time to help me to explain to me what was wrong with solo scriptura and probably didn’t know themselves. It made sense to me and only made sense to me how I learned it in the first place, MOM and I remember her dropping us off at a Church of Christ in San Antonio years before…I was 9 back then and COC are very agressive at “plantig seeds”. That’s why when I hear my wif’e’s preacher he sounded like he was so right. Interestingly they do have many similar believes that Catholics believe. But they are severely limited by their disbelieve in the real presence, apostolic succession, bible only, confusion between man’s philosophy, man’s traditions and Sacred Tradition.

ON and On and ON…BTW. My profile may be a joke I’ll check it.

 

[vocatio]

Vocatio…it’s er…in your profile…

Cathdefender. Thank you for your pointing out the log in my eye. It was deeply rooted and part of my disordered personality. My religious profile was probably a joke and not meant to be taken literally. How you did that was borderline over the top to me. I have a bazaar sense of humor and only someone that reads my threads and posts would understand that. But as you pointed out my joke was incapable of being perceived by cradle Catholics I changed it to read “Catholic - formerly Fundamental Evangelical Christian”. Happy now? If you notice I post mostly in non-Catholic forums, and for a purpose. They will know up front that thy can’t get that bible only past me…a very well read /studied bible only Christian that went deeper and deeper. “To be deep in history is to seize to be Protestant.” Don’t take people’s profiles to be literal when you see them as such that is just OCD. Relax a little and realize that this is a forum to learn for people, not for you to proselytize. Only a fundamentalist would come close to understanding me or visa versa. I’ve been in their shoes and understand their thinking. I pick nd tease, but I try to avoid being major thorn except to anti-Catholic former Catholics that really go over the top. I’m more inclined to favor Orthodox Christians and Orthodox Jews over others. I learn from them. Catholics typically disappoint me and are in deep need of catechesis, something I also try to do. I am learning as I go. My defautl web page is www.usccb.org and I read www.ewtn.com often. My television is always on EWTN and my car radio is always on our new Catholic radio station “Guadalupe Radio” in the DFW area. I’m a revert. Chill out a bit and stop being so scrupulous just because you don’t understand doesn’t mean others don’t.

 

[wisdomseeker]

What a wonderful testimony! Yes the Church Fathers are a good study, and example of Christ’s Love.

God bless you – Que Deus te abencoe(Portuguese)

portuguese. i too speak portuguese. i thought i was the only one here who spoke portuguese.
Amen to that.

 

[dessert]

portuguese. i too speak portuguese. i thought i was the only one here who spoke portuguese.
Amen to that.

I don’t speak it, I’m learning it a bit by e-mailing a friend in Brazil. I’m so glad I have found someone who does. I will pm you and let you know his e-mail.

 

[vocatio]

We have a Portuguese Mass in Irving at St. Lukes. It’s not my parish, but we went to it thinking there wasn’t one near us in the evening. We just went along with it. Isn’t it great being Catholic, following mass is so much easier knowing the mass.

Cool, I’m glad you found someone to talk to on here.

Running to the beach…we’re on vacation.

 

[Cathdefender]

Cathdefender. Thank you for your pointing out the log in my eye. It was deeply rooted and part of my disordered personality. My religious profile was probably a joke and not meant to be taken literally. How you did that was borderline over the top to me. I have a bazaar sense of humor and only someone that reads my threads and posts would understand that. But as you pointed out my joke was incapable of being perceived by cradle Catholics I changed it to read “Catholic - formerly Fundamental Evangelical Christian”. Happy now? If you notice I post mostly in non-Catholic forums, and for a purpose. They will know up front that thy can’t get that bible only past me…a very well read /studied bible only Christian that went deeper and deeper. “To be deep in history is to seize to be Protestant.” Don’t take people’s profiles to be literal when you see them as such that is just OCD. Relax a little and realize that this is a forum to learn for people, not for you to proselytize. Only a fundamentalist would come close to understanding me or visa versa. I’ve been in their shoes and understand their thinking. I pick nd tease, but I try to avoid being major thorn except to anti-Catholic former Catholics that really go over the top. I’m more inclined to favor Orthodox Christians and Orthodox Jews over others. I learn from them. Catholics typically disappoint me and are in deep need of catechesis, something I also try to do. I am learning as I go. My defautl web page is www.usccb.org and I read www.ewtn.com often. My television is always on EWTN and my car radio is always on our new Catholic radio station “Guadalupe Radio” in the DFW area. I’m a revert. Chill out a bit and stop being so scrupulous just because you don’t understand doesn’t mean others don’t.

Well, if you are a Catholic, simply say Catholic. Somehow I don’t find the humor in this.

 

[wisdomseeker]

I don’t speak it, I’m learning it a bit by e-mailing a friend in Brazil. I’m so glad I have found someone who does. I will pm you and let you know his e-mail.

nice!

thanks

:byzsoc:

 

[vocatio]

Well, if you are a Catholic, simply say Catholic. Somehow I don’t find the humor in this.

Then you need professional help. What if I were Byzantine Catholic. Would you go out of your way to make me say just Catholic? If I were a member of the Church of Christ would you required that I call myself Protestant? Do you not realize that is offensive to members of the Church of Christ because they believe they are emmbers of the Lord’s Church and reject denominationalism? You fail to understand the purpose behind what I wrote. Youre perspective is holding you back from sharing the joy of being fully Christian by being Catholic. Your witness is limited to your terms only on a forum under non-Catholic that have nothing to do with what my profile listed. You must not follow how often I change my profile and forget to change it back. There is no evasive bahavior coming from me. What you are doing is being scrupulous and we both know that that is sinful, not to mention lacks charity. I have lost me entire family because of my choice to be Catholic. The fundamental evangelical part of that relates to my history not my actual faith. I put Latin Catholic sometimes. I used to have Latin Catholic in love with the Eastern Church. Does that also offend you. You need to elevate you sights on holiness, not pointing out splinters in others eyes. I have plenty of my own sin to rid myself from. You sound like your pride is getting the best of you and that you are on an endeavor to scandalize me now. So which is worse to put down a humorous profile that describes my feelings and historical journey or to be the brute that is scandalizing a fellow Catholic for no good reason? Your choice. But so far you’ve responded with several berating comments with no reference to saying somethig to the effect of “Oh, I’m sorry I didn’t get it and maybe you ought to consider changing it to just Catholic so as not to confuse folks”…every thought of that? I could stalk you online and find every flaw in you if you desire. I’ve become quite the knowlegeable idiot lately and could do that but I choose not to. So PLEASE, move on, get over it and shake it off. You detracting from my thread. You sound like you’re out to get someone for something. If you want to say something nice…please do so, I promise I will not attack you or drag you across the coals. Apparently you don’t realize how difficult it is for me to get through the family and friends issues. You should visit the “Dealing with Family and Friends” on a forum I frequently post on. This forum is for those from my previous faith tradition that I’ve been talking aboiut. coctocatholic.com/forum/

You will find there just how difficult life is for us. And rather than trying to correct people’s profiles you ought to consider doing something constructive like giving some good spiriutal or wholesome advice. That would be received much better than what ever kick your on right now.

 

[Cathdefender]

Vocatio, you need to calm down. My God, I said two sentences and you’re attacking me. Be whatever you wish to be called. I am a Roman Catholic. Simple.

 

[vocatio]

But you came back without clarifying why you were so bent… Well…I’m supposed to be on vacation…I guess I should let it go either way. Sorry if I went over board. Life is great but still stressful dealing with family and friends. It takes time building up a new support group and this vacation is supposed to be a way of letting go. I felt slimed by that old congregation and maybe you should have just PM’d me…or did it more lightly. It felt over the top to me. My wife’s situation dictates that we not tell family of oiur conversion to Catholicism.k Pastoral advice even changed once he discovered the “big picture” and advised us to avoid tellng as well. It’s just tha serious.