Just too much going on, too much traditions

[TheBreak]

English is not my native language, I’m sorry for any misspellings.

Please read my thread all of it to understand me and Please do not take what I say as insult God forbids.

When I compare Catholicism to Evangelical. I see in the first side too much going on, too much traditions that I ask myself " DO we need them in the 21 century? Do we really need all that to come to God ? What about the people who became Catholics in countries that they might get killed for , do they need statues and pictures, go to church, confession. ?

When I look at Evangelicals in the other way, it is too simple, too easy to follow, all what they need is just one bible and pray,that is all, they don’t need rosary, go to church, confession specially in countries where they might face legal problems .

God bless.

 

[Ridgerunner]

English is not my native language, I’m sorry for any misspellings.

Please read my thread all of it to understand me and Please do not take what I say as insult God forbids.

When I compare Catholicism to Evangelical. I see in the first side too much going on, too much traditions that I ask myself " DO we need them in the 21 century? Do we really need all that to come to God ? What about the people who became Catholics in countries that they might get killed for , do they need statues and pictures, go to church, confession. ?

When I look at Evangelicals in the other way, it is too simple, too easy to follow, all what they need is just one bible and pray,that is all, they don’t need rosary, go to church, confession specially in countries where they might face law problems .

God bless.

Catholics don’t “need” rosaries, statues, etc. But they can be helpful to faith. One can say the rosary on one’s fingers if one must. My father’s people came from Ireland back when it was against the law to be Catholic. Yet, they kept the faith and even developed “ring rosaries”; a ring that has ten bumps on it. The 21st Century is turning out to be a very empty century. So many people are “adrift” spiritually. The traditions of the Church are like bits of driftwood from Christ’s boat that we can hang onto while we reach the boat, and not drown in the emptiness of our time.

Many Evangelicals are sincere. Many are not. But for most of them, their religion is simply whatever they think it ought to be. In other words, each person invents his own religion. There’s no sureness to that, no previous wisdom to read, no one with authority to teach. There is no boat to swim to, and nothing to help one swim there.

 

[aeroengr]

As a convert, myself, I used to think the same thing when I first started going to mass. However, once I learned about all the tradition and symbolism used in the mass, I understood how beautiful and wonderful the Catholic mass really is. To me, the typical protestant service seems to be little more than a Bible study. The Catholic mass, however, is truely focussed on worshipping God.

 

[CatholicServant]

As a convert, myself, I used to think the same thing when I first started going to mass. However, once I learned about all the tradition and symbolism used in the mass, I understood how beautiful and wonderful the Catholic mass really is. To me, the typical protestant service seems to be little more than a Bible study. The Catholic mass, however, is truely focussed on worshipping God.

This is exactly the way I felt at the big Mega Church protestant services - a very feel good Bible study.

 

[rfournier103]

I don’t NEED steak. I don’t NEED air conditioning. I don’t NEED a dog. I have those things because they make my life better.

The traditions we have (note the lower case “t”) make our worship fuller and deeper. Traditions with a capital “T”, have been in place since the time of Jesus and the Apostles. Those are essential to Catholic worship, and may never be changed or done away with.

 

[PennyinCanada]

All those things Catholics do. Think about baking a cake, all the ingredients that go into it. Eggs don’t look at all like a cake, but they’re there, so is sugar, flour, and some other ‘special things’ that make a particular cake. It’s in the end, all together, that make something wonderful that individually each item could not by itself. That’s the richness of the Catholic Church.

One of my favorite cakes is upside down ginger bread cake, with pears. The pears are on the bottom when cooking, it’s flipped onto a plate so the pears are on the top of the cake. All the juicy pear sauce finds its way into the ginger bread cake. If I was an evangelical, I would have to settle for sliced pears with a sprinkle of cinnamon. lol Now, if that’s all I had, I would be happy, but if I was sitting at a table where everyone else had cake, I know what I would prefer. lol

 

[Lancer]

What you are saying makes every bit of sense…in all aspects…it’s “a Plan” devised by you and all Protestants (in various shades and details)…for loving and serving God. I am sure it is good to its core. The only problem is that God the Father…through Our Lord Jesus Christ…in the Power of the Holy Spirit…has another plan…His Divine Economy of Salvation Plan…and yes…it’s much more complex and has many more moving parts…why such a plan? There is only one answer we know with absolute certainty…one word Love. Everything God wants for us, that is,…To Know Him…To Love Him…To Serve Him–in this life–and be united…in Union with Him…forever in Heaven (The Beatific Vision)…is based on that one word…Love…because** God is Love (1 John 4: 8).**

So, I like you, think that there are a lot of “moving parts”…but the execution is simple…Faith in Our Lord Jesus Christ…and the first response to this Faith…even more simple…Obedience to the Will of the Father…thus Jesus says to the Apostles (the Twelve plus the others He sent out):

Luke 10:16
Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSV-CE)

16 “He who hears you hears me, and he who** rejects you rejects me**, and he who rejects me rejects him who sent me.”

CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
SECOND EDITION

169 Salvation comes from God alone; but because** we receive the life of faith through the Church, she is our mother:** “We believe the Church as the mother of our new birth, and not in the Church as if she were the author of our salvation.” 55. ** Because she is our mother, she is also our teacher in the faith.**

Obedience is not something…it’s a Person…Our Lord Jesus Christ…Truth is a Person…Our Lord Jesus Christ…so how can we expect to draw close to Jesus Christ in Faith and Love…to Him who is Truth and Obedience by ignoring Truth and being Disobedient.

Pax Christi

Some Scripture for your consideration…God Bless you on your journey.

John 14:6
Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSV-CE)

6 Jesus said to him, “I am** the way**, and** the truth**, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me.

Matthew 16:14-28
Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSV-CE)

14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Eli′jah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”[a] 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”** 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven**. 18 And I tell you,** you are Peter,[c] and on this rock[d] I will build my church, and the powers of death[e] shall not prevail against it.[f] 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven,**[g] and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”20 Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.

John 20:22-24
Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSV-CE)

22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23** If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”**

1 Timothy 3:15
Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSV-CE)

15 if I am delayed, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is** the church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth.**

John 16:13
Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSV-CE)

13 When the** Spirit of truth comes**,** he will guide you into all the truth**; for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.

 

[pablope]

English is not my native language, I’m sorry for any misspellings.

Please read my thread all of it to understand me and Please do not take what I say as insult God forbids.

When I compare Catholicism to Evangelical. I see in the first side too much going on, too much traditions that I ask myself " DO we need them in the 21 century? Do we really need all that to come to God ? What about the people who beTcame Catholics in countries that they might get killed for , do they need statues and pictures, go to church, confession. ?

When I look at Evangelicals in the other way, it is too simple, too easy to follow, all what they need is just one bible and pray,that is all, they don’t need rosary, go to church, confession specially in countries where they might face legal problems .

God bless.

How do you view such traditions? Do you see/view them as a hindrance to the faith?

I would suggest start simple. Start with simple prayers. These catholic traditions are optional…they are not a hindrance to the faith…but are faith affirming, and expressions of the faith…a deeper faith.

Start simple…as you begin to grow deeper into the faith…then look to go deeper into catholic devotions. Keep in mind…these traditions are meant to implement the faith, are applications of the faith…not hinder it.

When I look at Evangelicals in the other way, it is too simple, too easy to follow, all what they need is just one bible and pray,

Did Jesus not say…pick up your cross and follow Him? How is having it easy picking up our cross?

catholic-forum.com/saints/stj18020.htm

Catechism on Suffering
by Saint John Vianney

There are two ways of suffering – to suffer with love, and to suffer without love. The saints suffered everything with joy, patience, and perseverance, because they loved. As for us, we suffer with anger, vexation, and weariness, because we do not love. If we loved God, we should love crosses, we should wish for them, we should take pleasure in them. . . . We should be happy to be able to suffer for the love of Him who lovingly suffered for us. Of what do we complain? Alas! the poor infidels, who have not the happiness of knowing God and His infinite loveliness, have the same crosses that we have; but they have not the same consolations. You say it is hard? No, it is easy, it is consoling, it is sweet; it is happiness. Only we must love while we suffer, and suffer while we love. …Our greatest cross is the fear of crosses. . . .

 

[Della]

Devotions like the rosary started as grassroots movements to enrich the faith of ordinary people who could not read or write. This is not anything against the rosary, it’s a very enriching prayer that many find helpful and a great blessing in their lives. Having written that, though, the prayer life of the Church is the Liturgy of the Hours. Anyone who wishes to pray with the Church on a daily basis, and benefit from following the Church calendar should pray at least Morning and Evening Prayer: divineoffice.org/. It is also available in book form in the four volume set, but most lay people use Christian Prayer or Shorter Christian Prayer.

Also, if we read the daily Mass readings we will hit the highlights of the Bible over a three year cycle: dailygospel.org/M/AM/. It too takes us through the Church calendar of seasons and feast days. Since the Bible was compiled to be read in the Church’s liturgies, it’s great introduction to reading the Bible, as well as another form of prayer.

As we discipline ourselves to do some of these basic practices, we find ourselves in tune with Christ’s Church while learning how to prayer more effectively. There is nothing like this in Evangelical circles where one has to spiritually fend for oneself.

 

[zz912]

I came from a Baptist background, and I see it exactly the opposite. All the “extras” (which are completely optional) are time-tested, proven actions that can help us in our faith journey to know and serve God better. And funny enough, in the Protestant/Baptist/Evangelical world, what ends up happening is they have to create entire new “traditions” to replace what they have lost from Catholicism. Some are good, and some are bad, and some the Catholic church should look at and consider using them as well. But they have to create these same traditions because Christianity is NOT an empty, easy, or simple faith. And it can’t be something done part-time. It must be incorporated into everything you do.

So they end up with different “traditions”, but they don’t realize them as such. But that is what they are. So they have after-service Sunday fried chicken lunches, and Wednesday night worship services, and Friday night teen nights, and Sunday School before service, and Tuesday night Bible study, and Thursday night men’s group, etc, etc, etc.

That is what the small “t” traditions do, they help to incorporate the Christian faith into every fiber of your life.

 

[Bruised_Reed]

From the Catholic Grout List:

Converts and reverts to the faith are often unaware of the little things that good cradle Catholics “absorb” as children that make day-to-day Catholic living run smoother. While not as essential to the Faith as doctrinal belief and sacramental participation, these “little things” are the grout that binds the mosaic of Catholic living in place, giving it context and texture.

My bold.