L
Looking_back
Guest
I’m thinking of going just the opposite direction.
- Status
po18guy
Well-known member
First, do not be afraid. You are Christian now, which is so much better than not being, right? Relax and study the faith. God knows your heart and will work with you. Be patient with yourself as God has been patient with you. I will do my best to answer your questions. You have received some that are not quite right. Close, but you need the straight story.
Once you are validly baptized, you are part of the Body of Christ. You are in a form of communion with the Catholic (“catholic” just means universal, by the way) Church. It is not a perfect communion, but is a communion nevertheless. A Lutheran baptism is 100% honored by the Catholic Church. As to your family, heaven is heaven. Pray that they love God with all their hearts and serve Him in this life so that they have the best chance of getting there in the first place.
I think your friend might have meant “mediate”, but Christ is our one mediator. The Saints can intercede for you in prayer before our Lord, however. We are one family in Christ, whether on earth, in purgatory, or in heaven. And, those in heaven (the Saints) are 100% pure and stand in God’s presence. Think of how much more effective their prayers are than ours! Read the “Apostle’s creed” which is taught in the Lutheran church. It speaks of the “communion of Saints” Those in purgatory or heaven are that communion. They are able to pray for us.
As mentioned, it is called “RCIA” for the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. It is a series of classes that begin in the fall and end at the following Easter, with your entry into the Church.
Jesus did not leave us a bible, or send a bible forth. He sent Apostles (Matthew 28:19) and established an Apostolic Church. He gave those Apostles amazing authority on earth and in heaven (Matthew 16:19, Matthew 18:18). They, in turn, have passed that authority on to their successors, the Bishops of the Church. Cardinals and the Pope are also Bishops.
The Catholic Church exists today because of the Pope. Jesus appointed Peter as the first Pope (Matthew 16:18) and told him to “strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:32). All succeeding Popes have had that same command and authority. He is the one in charge, who maintains the Church in the face of constant worldly pressure to change. God’s truth cannot change.
The medallions are “sacramentals”, or holy things. They are not worshipped and are not even required, but greatly assist us in the practice of our faith. Crucifixes, Rosaries and medals are all examples of sacramentals that assist us in our faith. Their power comes solely from the faith with which they are used or possessed.
You go to hell if you die in a state mortal sin. “Sin that leads to death” (1 John 5:16) is called mortal sin. Such serious sin separates you from God by its very nature. Reconciliation (confession), a Sacrament established by Jesus, repairs and restores that relationship.
Revelation 21:27 states that no unclean thing can enter heaven. Since we are sinful by nature, and very likely die with at least some level of sin on our souls, there must be a final purification between this life and entry into heaven. Purgatory is that process. All who enter purgatoery are heaven bound, and their spirits rejoice even if they suffer the cost of being “purged” of the remnants of sin. It is not hell, and it is a temporary state until you are pure enough for heaven. Saint Paul described purgatory in 1 Corinthians 3:11-15.
Tattoos, while not specifically mentioned in the catechism, have a pagan origin. In one sense, they make the statement that God left something off of you when He created you. We know that this is not true, right? Tattoos are worldly and are popular now, but they are a fashion that comes and goes. They can also lead to vanity, which is a sin. Even though they may be h***a cool, you can live without them. Christ on the inside is better than a tattoo on the outside.
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po18guy
Well-known member
(from page 1)
Christ’s peace be with you, Eric.
Talk to your mom about all that you have experienced since you began investigating the faith. Your truth seeking may even lead her to convert. It has happened many times. If you want to attend mass, you are free to do so. Just do not take communion until you are in the Church. This is important. Jesus knows everything (John 21:17), so He knows your heart. He knows your desire for the truth. Trust Him and be patient.
Pope John Paul II’s first four words to the public when he was elected Pope were, “Do not be afraid”. These are the words of God, of Jesus, of Angels and of Moses (Genesis 46:3, Joshua 11:6, Exodus 20:20, Matthew 17:7, Luke 1:13, Luke 12:4, John 6:20 and others). Have faith and do not fear. It may not actually be fear that you feel, but a new excitement which you have never experienced. It is the call of the Holy Spirit. Find a way to go to mass. Speak to the priest. Keep reading and coming here. Get a Catechism (less than $10) and begin reading it - you will be amazed. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we will help lead you home.
Christ’s peace be with you, Eric.
T
Truth_Seeker17
Guest
I’m going to go ahead and answer some of these questions myself, emphasizing the Protestant view on the matter. By no means am I trying to start an argument with my deeply respected Catholic friends; I simply think it is just that Spike receive both sides of the debate.
God bless,
TS17
- Your Lutheran friends will not necessarily be damned. From what I gather, although Catholics do believe that outside the Catholic Church there is no salvation, Protestants are still saved since they believe in Jesus and thus are ‘indirectly’ apart of the Catholic Church. But the surest way to obtain salvation is through the Church.
- Catholics maintain that by ‘praying’ to a given Saint, he or she will serve as a mediator between you and God, citing Revelation 5:8. However, my respected friends do not realize that this verse is referring to ALL Christians (Colossians 1:26). In reality, Jesus Christ is the only** true Mediator between believers and God, as Paul clearly states in 1st Timothy 2:5.
- Yes and no. On the surface, there is a lot of stuff the Catholic Church that is extra-biblical. But if you look at Jesus’ teachings, Catholics maintain, there is conclusive evidence supporting the notion that Jesus Christ has established the Roman Catholic Church to be His only official church. Thus, any doctrine or teachings that the Church endorses is also what Christ endorses, albeit indirectly.
- This ties in with question #4. As far as the Pope goes, Catholics will instantly point to Matthew 16:18, which they claim is when Jesus bestowed His authority upon Peter, who subsequently became the first Pope. The Pope is considered to be infallible because his teachings indirectly stem from God’s. There are three problems with this view. First of all, he was married (Matthew 8:14-15; Mark 1:30-31), which modern-day Popes are not allowed to do. Second of all, he was openly rebuked by St. Paul (Galatians 2:11), calling Peter “condemned” for refusing to fellowship with the Gentiles. Finally, Peter denied Christ three times (Matthew 26:75). The way I see it, such behavior does not signify someone’s infallibility; it’s just the opposite. I mean Jesus rebuked Peter almost immediately after He ‘appointed’ him to rule over the church (Matthew 16:23).
- Catholics believe that if you commit a ‘mortal’ sin (a sin punishable with death, as opposed to a venial sin) and do not repent of that sin before death, then you might not necessarily go to heaven. What they do not seem to realize, however, is that we are saved through God’s grace alone (Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9). Whether we go to heaven or hell has nothing to do with how ‘good’ or how ‘bad’ we are. Your man Martin Luther himself was a firm proponent of this belief.
- Purgatory is a purification process that the vast majority of Christians must go through before they are ‘purged’ of their sins and then allowed into heaven. I totally understand Catholics’ rationale and biblical reasoning behind why they believe in Purgatory, but it should be noted that no where does the [Protestant] Bible mention the word ‘purgatory’ (it does, however, mention heaven and hell several times throughout the New Testament). A knowledgeable Catholic will think make the valid point that the Bible also does not mention the word ‘Trinity’, but that is comparing apples and oranges because the Trinity is simply a concept, whereas Purgatory is actually a physical location (in a spiritual sense, that is; some Catholics refer to Purgatory as a ‘process’). Since no living person has ever visited Purgatory, we will never really know one way or the other, but since the Bible never explicitly mentions ‘purgatory’, it is safe to presuppose that Purgatory does not exist.
- Tattoos fall under Romans chapter 14, which states that for those gray areas within Christianity, you gotta live and let live. This applies as long as, of course, the tattoos you might get aren’t Satanic or anything like that.
- This is a very good reason why you should take some time to think about this more.
God bless,
TS17
po18guy
Well-known member
You have a very good heart and are a true lover of Christ. I must offer biblical counterpoints and clarifications on a few points:
Christ’s peace be with you.
Right on.
Actually, they are “intercessors”, just as you or I, but they are perfected and stand in God’s presence. Christ is the one Mediator.
The relationship is actually direct, since all authority on earth and in heaven was given by Christ directly to His Apostolic Church.
The prohibition against marriage is not dogma. It is a discipline that can, and has changed over time. It is a practice, not a belief. It comes from Saint Paul, who taught that a single man better served the Lord (1 Corinthians 7:32-24). As to Peter, he was restored by Christ, and affirmed it three times (John 21:15-17). Christ told him to “strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:32). Biblical evidence for this is overwhelming - if you seek it out.
You are OSAS, but Jesus and Peter taught that you can lose your salvation (John 15:6; 2 Peter 2:20).
Saint Paul described purgatory in 1 Corinthians 3:11-15. What else can this passage possibly describe?
God bless you! Since Catholics are brothers in Christ, how can Eric possibly lose by converting? Lutherans are Eucharistic Christians, and he will receive the undisputed Eucharist once in the Catholic Church. Also know this: Each Priest can trace his hands-on ordination back to one of the Twelve. That is simply amazing.
Christ’s peace be with you.
po18guy
Well-known member
Talk to us!
po18guy
Well-known member
Communion would come last, as the two other Sacraments prepare you for it.
- Haha
This is going to take a while to explain… you need to read more of the apologetics on this website and read other sources. But I’ll take a crack at it. The bible needs an infallible interpreter, otherwise it’s useless. I know this is true becuase when I started reading the bible I got so confused… I didn’t know what it was saying. Jehova’s witnesses and Seventh day adventists read the bible and their interpretation is that after death we “go to sleep” until judgement day… baptists read the bible and they think after we die we go to heaven or hell. Both of these interpretations could be made if someone read the bible. However,only one of them can be right… and thats why the bible needs an infallible interpreter (the church). Catholics, as you know, believe Jesus established a church on earth… it wasn’t as though he wrote the bible and gave it to the early believers. In fact it was the church that determined which books were going to be in the bible in the first place!!! I urge you to read more about this.
times two!Actually, it is the book of 2 Maccabees. Luther declared it “non-inspired”, but left it in his bible. About 1970, Lutherans took the 7 books out altogether.
Tackiness is not addressed in the catechism!
And, so are you.
Christ’s peace be with you on your journey home.
R
Rolltide
Guest
- The Bible only mentions Peter’s mother-in-law, not his wife. Many Catholics believe that Peter’s wife had died before he became an Apostle
- The fact that popes cannot currently marry is a discipline of the church. In other words, it’s a mere tradition. It can be changed at any time by a future pope. Even now, for example, there are married priests within the Catholic Church, although they are few. The pope can grant dispensations on a case-by-case basis.
You are confusing “impeccable” with “infallible”. The pope is NOT impeccable. He is capable of sinning, just like anyone else. In fact, it’s very likely that there are at least a couple of popes in hell right now for their earthly actions. HOWEVER… the pope IS infallible. This means he is protected from error on matters of faith and morals (and on those matters ONLY) by the Holy Spirit, and even then, ONLY if he declares it so. This power is actually almost never used. In fact, it’s only been used formally twice in the last 200 years, once to declare the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, and once to declare the dogma of the Assumption of Mary. Infallibility does, however, protect the pope from preaching error in one other way. He cannot undo past dogmas. For example, the Pope could never “unproclaim” the Trinity.
A
aspirant
Guest
Everyone else is answering, but here’s my :twocents: too.
It may help you to know that this is part of the earliest Lutheran tradition, too. When Martin Luther wrote his Explanation of the Magnificat, for example, he included a prayer request to Mary: “May the tender Mother of God herself procure for me the spirit of wisdom profitably and thoroughly to expound this song of hers.” He also wrote: “We pray God to give us a right understanding of this Magnificat… May Christ grant us this through the intercession and for the sake of his dear mother Mary!”
As a Catholic, I disagree with Luther about a number of things, but on this we agree: “Whoever possesses a good (firm) faith says the Hail Mary without danger!”
This can be a great place to ask 'em, but by all means look into some good books too. Among others, I might recommend: the Catechism of the Catholic Church and/or Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (the shorter version), Catholicism for Dummies by Trigilio & Brighenti (it’s better than the Complete Idiot’s Guide), Catholic Christianity by Peter Kreeft, Why Do Catholics Do That? by Kevin Orlin Johnson, Early Christian Writings (published by Penguin), The Salvation Controversy by Jimmy Akin, Return to Rome by Francis Beckwith, The Essential Catholic Survival Guide by Catholic Answers. Looks like you already checked out the Catechism. Some of these may be available in your local library, or through friends, so check there first.
Nope. Check out what the Catechism says, and this may also help.
The English word “pray” means “to ask, to request.” In this sense, we do pray to the saints: we ask them to pray to God for us, just like we ask each other to pray.
It may help you to know that this is part of the earliest Lutheran tradition, too. When Martin Luther wrote his Explanation of the Magnificat, for example, he included a prayer request to Mary: “May the tender Mother of God herself procure for me the spirit of wisdom profitably and thoroughly to expound this song of hers.” He also wrote: “We pray God to give us a right understanding of this Magnificat… May Christ grant us this through the intercession and for the sake of his dear mother Mary!”
As a Catholic, I disagree with Luther about a number of things, but on this we agree: “Whoever possesses a good (firm) faith says the Hail Mary without danger!”
Most candidates (i.e. baptized Christians) come into the Catholic Church through the RCIA process, even though it is primarily designed for non-Christians. In my experience, most parishes start RCIA in August or September and bring candidates into full communion just after Easter. But there can be variation. I became Catholic in August after some one-on-one sessions with a religious education director.
You won’t find a better summary of what Catholics believe about the Bible than this: , the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine RevelationDei Verbum. Print it out, read it (it’s not too long), think about it, read it again later.
He is the successor of St. Peter the apostle, the servant of the servants of God. Check out the books above for more information. You may also find books like Upon This Rock by Stephen K. Ray and Pope Fiction by Patrick Madrid helpful.
If you do become Catholic, you will have the option to choose a patron saint whose name you would like to take at your confirmation. This may be a saint you especially admire or feel close to, someone whose devotion to and love for God you want to emulate, someone you want to pray for you, etc.
To remind him of St. Michael, who loves him and whom he loves.
It’s actually “rites.”
Always repent your sins before entering dangerous situations.
After death, Jesus cleanses any faithful people who might need it to prepare them for heaven.
If you already have them, no problem. If you want to get one, get one that is compatible with love of God and neighbor and do not get one that is uncharitable, unchaste, or celebrates evil. Many Catholics around the world engage in the art of tattooing, and in some cultures this is especially celebrated (e.g. among Ethiopians, here’s a traditional Coptic design). If done safely, tattoos do not normally harm the integrity of the body, unnecessarily rendering a bodily organ unable to perform its function, so it is not mutilation.
A lot of converts experience this. She may not feel this way forever.
Jesus knows your heart, and he is supremely compassionate. If you are able to do something, do what you can.
F
FabiusMaximus
Guest
Hey Spike. Welcome to the club of confused Protestants.
Have you heard of the Lutheran Orthodox Church? That’s a group that’s like “in between” Catholicism and Lutheranism. They even claim to hold valid Apostolic Succession. If you Google them, or Wikipedia them, you should be able to find your website. It might help you on your journey, whether to ease your transition to Roman Catholicism, or to persuade you to stay Lutheran.
Have you heard of the Lutheran Orthodox Church? That’s a group that’s like “in between” Catholicism and Lutheranism. They even claim to hold valid Apostolic Succession. If you Google them, or Wikipedia them, you should be able to find your website. It might help you on your journey, whether to ease your transition to Roman Catholicism, or to persuade you to stay Lutheran.
S
StillWondering
Guest
Hey there Spike
. I’m just an ordinary Catholic who is still learning, so I’ll asnwer you as best as I can. Hopefully my answers are useful and direct. You can always send me a private message using the in forum e-mail system.No worries, no good Catholics are going to bite you. The Catholics here are pretty good, right guys? =). Just to warn you there are many Catholics who do not know the faith much. Nevertheless the Catholic Church is real and has real teachings that is consistent and continuous throughout time. The Church continues to grow dynamically through time but the teachings are dogmatic and doctrinal teachings are always the same. Those are the truths of the faith. There are other teachings such as theological interpretation. Think of it as a family setting. You always know who Dad is, who Mom is, and what the Family is. But the disciplines can change such as Wednesdays are salmon steak days one year and chicken club sandwiches another year. So just know there are teachings that cannot be changed and others that are meant to help us understand and grow but not definitive.
By the way, I very much relate to the sense of confusion. For years I’ve been working on getting firmer ground. Remember Jesus tells in chapter 7 of the Gospel of Matthew to build our homes on rock so that when the storm comes we stand firm. I started on sand and am working my way onto rock. Hopefully you’re doing the same. Being on rock means a lot less confusion.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) is very solid. Some find it too deep to understand. Each one of us are on a different part of teh journey and some take longer to get down to reading the CCC, others can jump right in. Some can never because of just reasons. It’s great that you are able to read it. the CCC is really thourough and at the back there are references to most verses in the bible and how it relates to the CCC. Check it out if you haven’t seen it.
This is how I figure this out in my head. First, anyone who are exposed to the Catholic Church and understands it’s truths are required by faith and trust in Christ who in the Scriptures founded one Church to carry on his salvation mission throughout time (cd. Matt Chapter 18). The same Church that Christ says He will be with till the end of ages (see last chapter of the Gospel of John).
Second, for all others who do not understand the truths of the Catholic Church, God will judge them on what truths they do understand. These truths are reflection of the one Truth, God Himself. So to clearly answer your question, your family who do not understand as you do are not damned for not joining the Church. However, if they do understand and refuse to join, that may be a situation. Also, if they do other things wrong but do not know the Church, that may be a situation. Just as it is for all peoples.
A third part of that statement from what I understand is that, if the Church never existed in this world including up till now, then the would would still be waiting for the Messiah and thus there is no salvation. This is because the Church is the body of Christ and is His continual extension of his Incarnation where he works in the world for it’s salvation. This is core to Church understanding of what the Church is and why we are called to evangelize to the world. (Check out the Acts and the letters of Paul for the foundation of this teaching.)
That’s one way to understand it I guess. In reading the Scriptures we can see that the Saints and others who have died physically and are in good graces with God are still alive with us now. They are here as elder brothers and sisters in Christ ever present and ever active in our lives. They pray for us and share our lives with us. While they are invisible to us ordinarily, they are able to pray with us and for us because they are united to Christ who is there for us always.
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StillWondering
Guest
The standard process is to go through RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults) that begins typically September and ends on Easter Vigil. Note the starting date changes with parishes and year to accomadate the amount of RCIA sessions. Usualy it’s 1-3 hours a week, once a week. Some parish offer deeper RCIA classes which are longer and have much assigned readings. Others are less so. I would suggest going to the deeper classes myself =). Some parishes have great RCIA classes that many long time Catholics need to go to for instructions themselves.
Another process is by having private or small group meetings with an knowledgeable priest to over over the material and questions with you directly. There’s no preset material for RCIA. The material is trusted to the individual bishops who through their priests teach the people. Typically they will cover the CCC and fundamentals of Catholic teachings.
Just to be complete, if someone lives in a parish with very bad catechism, there is no reason why that person cannot supplement their learning with good orthodox books or audio tapes. Let me know if you are interested in anything I’ve seen.
To get to the heart of the question. The answer is no. The Magisterium is the authority on Earth. Check out chapter 28 in Matthew:
Christ is God, who is Lord of all. He says clearly here [and in another chapter to Peter individually] that His authority is being passed down to the Apostles who are now to minister the Sacraments (such as baptism) and teach of the Faith. Within the Catholic Church structure this role is in the Magisterium. In particularly the bishops are the direct successors of the Apostles with the Bishop of Rome (the Pope) being the successor of Peter. Priests are the delegated people from the bishop to teach and minister the Sacraments within the diocese the bishops oversees. This structure of the bishops united together and under the one pastor and shepherd of the Church, the Pope, is the Magisterium. This is also known as the teaching authority of the Church.
The Pope has a number of roles. A simplified answer is that the Pope is as the unifier of the Church. The Church is one billion members and several thousands of bishops spread across the entire globe. God did say go to all the nations and He meant it. So this first role is the all unite with the Pope so that we are all united together. Jesus prays that we are all one. This is how Catholics from all walks of life can be one.
Secondly the Pope is the final authority on discipline and the infallible teacher of faith and morals. However, this role is never acted as a top down only process. Infallibility and authority is complicated. However, it’s important to know that the Pope is the universal Pastor of the Catholic Church. At the same time the Church goes by the system where matters are always intended to be resolved on the local level and Rome is called in, in manner of speaking, only when needed.
A medallion is kinda like a locket of your parents or someone that is important to you that watches over you. It is a keepsake, a reminder, and possibly other things depending on the context. Some are blessed, some are relics, some help us in praying.
As for a Patron Saint. It is a saint whom we take our saint name from during our baptism and confirmation. These are Sacraments which means they are physical signs of supernatural realities. Baptism is when we are born in the spirit similarly how birth is when we are born in the flesh I think. I think Confirmation is like in the Acts of the Apostles chapter 1 and 2 where the Holy Spirit came down as tongues of fire on the Apostles and those gathered there. My Confirmation didn’t have visible fires =). But it was a pivotal moment in my life. Adults entering the Catholic faith receive Baptism, Confirmation and their First Communion at Easter Vigil. Since you were already Baptized you’ll only receive the other two.
In addition our patron saint is a saint we pick to be our partner in this journey. The relationship varies quite a bit depending on the person. However, since the Saints are in Heaven and doing God’s will, we can be sure they are willing and able and ready to be there with us on our journey. We are the ones that need to make the commitment or not to have our patron saint by our side. Many pick the saints by reading their lives while they were physically alive to find a saint that they can relate with or a saint that they wish to imitate and learn from.
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StillWondering
Guest
I think you are refering to the three Sacraments that are given to those who are dying: Reconciliation, Eucharist and Annointing of the Sick. There are many people who die from sudden accidents and cannot receive the rites in time, we entrust them to the Merci of God. The Sacraments are not magic so they do not say “yes you go to Heaven” type of thing. Instead they are God’s helping hand in our journey towards home with Him.
In particular, if you are going on a dangerous mission and you may die, like a soldier in war, you definitely can ask a priest to come hear you confession the night before or right before you are off. The purpose is that you can go without mortal sins on your soul. We are all called to live the way God wants us to. For me this is beyond my own strength, thus I often seek God’s help. The Sacraments are one of those helps. God can call us at any time, it does not have to be a dangerous situation, so it’s good to receive reconciliation often and make sure we have no known mortal sins on our souls.
Receiving and not receiving the “Last Rites” are not in and of themselves reasons for damnation or salvation, instead it is our ongoing relationship with God. This is what I understand and understanding this helps me have a healthier perspective then thinking about when to do what and where to put when. Hopefully it will be useful to you too.
Purgatory is like the door mat in front of the home where we need to wipe our shoes before entering =). Purgatory is where we, who lived life in this world and are got up and tangled with the vanities and difficulties of life, need to clean ourselves up and reorient ourselves to God. Those in purgatory are those who have died in God’s graces and are aiming for Heaven. Only a few enter Heaven immediately, all needs to get themselves straighten out a bit. One cannot go to Purgatory with mortal sins on their souls and Purgatory is the rest stop on the way to Heaven.
I like to think of it as God is this eternal and unquenchable flame of love. Those who reflect that love fully and can love God fully enter the flame and all they feel is the warm and love of God. Those that are standing outside and pulling the weeds of temptation and selfishness are in Purgatory getting themselves ready to go in and join God. If they try to enter with the weeds still on them, the weeds will burn horribly and they cannot stand it. So God is being patient with us while we get ourselves ready.
In contrast, Hell are those that have so much weeds that they themselves have turned into a weed. Remember the parable of the farmer who has a field of wheat and the enemy has slipped in and planted weeds in the farm? Well those who have so much weeds that are now turned into a weed can never enter the flame because it burns too much. Thus they are eternally separated form God and that is Hell.
Tattoos are fine as long as they are not excessive (i.e. harmful to your health and body or waste money when money is needed somewhere else) nor blasphemous (i.e. have text or pictures that are anti-God, anti-Church or promotes evil).
Yes Jesus will definitely understand your attention. He is our every faithful and trustworthy God. I’m not saying it as a free pass but that He will know your intentions, good and bad =). College is a great time to go to Mass because you can even go daily since Mass is short during the weekdays. Just make sure to not let your faith fade with secularism that is prevalent through many American colleges. It sounds like you are the type of person that really has things under control so maybe the secularism will do nothing. It was tough on me but I’m quite the opposite personality.
Mass on TV does not fulfill your responsibilities when you become Catholic. What Mass on TV does do is that it is like reading a book or listening to Catholic radio (check out EWTN.com or others that are sound =) ). It will enhance your life and give you insights. Especially when there is a great homily online. You can always spiritual receive communion once you understand how no matter where you are when you cannot receive communion directly. So watching Mass on TV is great. Just know that it’s a supplement to actually Sacraments and in person worship.
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StillWondering
Guest
I think you are on a great start. If you are a reader I can suggest some books if you tell me what type of reading you do. If you like to to listen I can recommend some websites I have used to learn from.
For the modern reader, I recommend books by Dr. Scott Hahn. He writes clearly, simply and short books. He is very passionate and I relate to how he thinks. If he is not helpful let me know what type of books you read and I can see if there is another authoer. For those considering converting, I think his book Rome Sweet Home is really good. For those wanting to know more about the Mass, the Lamb’s Supper is really good.
I really love listening to the Sunday homilies at Word on Fire. The last five years of homilies are available as well as his lecture series. He also has plenty of commentaries on movies and modern controversies. (www.wordonfire.org)
I also love the series, Our Father’s Plan. This is about salvation history told and explained by the bible. (EWTN archives)
Also the writings of the popes are amazing. This is the Vatican website. There is a button for the Papal Archives button with documents from the last 10 or so popes. (www.vatican.va)
T
Truth_Seeker17
Guest
@ po18guy and Rolltide: Thanks for clarifying my statements! While it is absolutely true that the vast majority of what Catholics believe ultimately stems from the Bible one way or the other (several of my Protestant friends would disagree with me there…), it takes a while to digest all the beliefs, if that makes sense. Having been raised in a Protestant household my entire life, it has been hard to be able to understand the Catholic point of view on some issues. But I’m getting there. So there certainly won’t be any serious side-effects from Spike converting to Catholicism in my opinion; I just want to ensure that the transition is smooth and his personal relationship with God is not hindered.
O
oneGODoneCHURCH
Guest
To paraphrase Pope Benedict All christiansbelong to the the One and only Church, there are those that are in a state of impurfict union ( Prostestants), but they are still in the Church.
To understand this we must first look at the word Pray. To Pray is to ask. I can Pray (ask) you to come over for dinner. That said yes we pray to the Angles and Saints, In asking them to pray with us and for us to God. Just has we ask other here on earth to Pray to God for us. Rember That God Is the God of the living not the Dead, So those that have gone onto glory In heaven are living and standing before the Thrown of God.
That would depend on the pastor and Bishop were you are. In most cases RCIA class normally begin around september or October and convert are welcomed into the Church at the Easter Vigial, Holy Saturday.
Catholic look to the Scripture as well and Tradition and the Teaching of the Magisterium. Remember that what we Know as that New Testement was not written till some years after the Resurection of Chrict. And was not Cannonized till the 300’s
The Pope, or Bishop of Rome is the successor of the Apostal Peter. As such he inherits the Role as head of the Church on Earth and holds of the Keys given to Peter by Christ. If we look as the book of Acts we see Paul says after his converstion that we must go to Pete and the other Eleven. Peter is seen to have elevated place. It was Peter that was given the Keys and It was Peter that said we must elect a replacement for Judas. So It is throught his successor that this authority continues.
A patron Saint is one who’s life you admire and with you use a a guide post for your own. the medal of the saint are reminders to us of them and remember also that many of these thing came into being when most people could not read but could tell you the stroy from a picture that they saw. This is the reason for picture stain Glass windows in Churches as well.
the “Last Rights” are not read to you. They are part of the sacrament of Annointing of the Sick. And if at all possible right before death is a very bllessed thing to receive. It would incluold annointing with the Blessed oils. Hearing of your final confession and receiving Holy communion. As long as you were not in a state of grave mortal sin at the time of death not being able to receive this sacrament would not send you to hell.
O
oneGODoneCHURCH
Guest
We are Saved by our acceptance of Christ as our Savior, Through His Sacrifice on the Cross he has washed of are sins. Purgatory is the restoration of our soul to the sate it was in before damaged by sin. Lets say you like to restor old cars, you go to the junk yard and by a old rusted broke car that does not run. you have saved it from total destrution. then you restore it it oringinal glory. that is what happens in Purgatory.
I am not sure that the Church has ever made a stance on them. I myself lookk to the Old testement on this one and say no. but my Brother has several and was received into the Chruch last year.
Remeber the 3rd commandment and Honnor your Parents. Go to Church and if the oppertunity presents Itself go to Mass.
May God Bless you.
T
TheosisM
Guest
This is not correct. The Last Rites includes Anointing of the Sick, it is not part of Anointing of the Sick. Anointing of the Sick is one of the Seven Sacraments of the Catholic Church (Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Holy Orders, Confession, Matrimony, Anointing of the Sick). Last Rites is not a sacrament, but a group of three sacraments (Confession, Anointing of the Sick, and Eucharist) given to the dying. Anointing of the Sick can be given by itself (such as when someone is going for an operation, but not dying), or it can be given with Confession and Eucharist as part of Last Rites.
Hi Eric,
Just a couple of comments from one cradle Lutheran to another. First, most confessional Lutherans (esoecially those of us who consider ourselves Evangelical Catholic) would agree with you that we agree with Catholic teachings about 95% of the time.
Now, I would encourage you to do 4 things:
- Get a copy of the Book of Concord and the Catholic Catechism both for reference
- Make sure you know what Lutheranism teaches. Read the confessions, and take classes.
- Attend RCIA. Make sure you know and understand what Catholicism teaches.
- Pray, and allow the Holy Spirit to guide you. And no matter what anyone says, follow His guidance.
Jon
O
oneGODoneCHURCH
Guest
not to be argumentative but is not the meaning of included and and part of the same thing?
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