Not sure being a "strict" Catholic is me

[PJM]

I was baptized a Catholic and I go to mass. However, here i see how devout so many of you are and I think if I were to do many of the things I see here it would suck all joy from my life. In one thread about lust a man said he was thinking of taking a drug to curb his desire. I like watching Game of Thrones even with the nudity. I make comments about pretty women to other guys. I am over 50 and am acustomed to certain things. Catholics here always talk about the “sorrows” of our lady and about suffering. Am I just csught up in the world or does it take a certain personality type to be a devoted Catholic?

Thanks for asking

It takes one who like Christ was HUMBLE & obedient:thumbsup:

My friend, heaven and hell are both REAL and both for eternity; and it is we ourselves who choose which we what by our life choices.

God gives us a choice:

Pay now or pay Later:shrug:

Deuteronomy 30:19
I call heaven and earth to witness this day, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Choose therefore life, that both thou and thy seed may live:

Ecclesiasticus 15:18
Before man is life and death, good and evil, that which he shall choose shall be given him

PRAY about it my friend!

GBY

 

[gofar]

I find that I must connect with God more.
Ask Him what He wants of me and my time.
Is it good and glorifying or is it empty and base?

This can cause great friction between what I want and what I need. But I have had some major addictions taken out of my life. God showed me what pure is and why it is important.

Pray, and seek what He wants. Pray unceasingly. Do not get caught up in rituals, use rituals to create connections to God. That is the point. This life is not just about comfort or getting by.

But it is not about judgment either. There is a balance. But man cannot find it. God alone can show us!

 

[PJM]

I was baptized a Catholic and I go to mass. However, here i see how devout so many of you are and I think if I were to do many of the things I see here it would suck all joy from my life. In one thread about lust a man said he was thinking of taking a drug to curb his desire. I like watching Game of Thrones even with the nudity. I make comments about pretty women to other guys. I am over 50 and am acustomed to certain things. Catholics here always talk about the “sorrows” of our lady and about suffering. Am I just csught up in the world or does it take a certain personality type to be a devoted Catholic?

THANK YOU!

A question or 2 before I attempt a reply to your question

1. WHY do YOU suppose God created you [humanity]?
2. What led you to this FORUM?

My friend, I’d really like to addess you question, but need a bt more information before doing so.

God Bless you,

Patrick

 

[Ernie07]

I was baptized a Catholic and I go to mass. However, here i see how devout so many of you are and I think if I were to do many of the things I see here it would suck all joy from my life. In one thread about lust a man said he was thinking of taking a drug to curb his desire. I like watching Game of Thrones even with the nudity. I make comments about pretty women to other guys. I am over 50 and am acustomed to certain things. Catholics here always talk about the “sorrows” of our lady and about suffering. Am I just csught up in the world or does it take a certain personality type to be a devoted Catholic?

Hi Seizin,

I just wanted to give you my perspective of a guy similar in age who nearly left the Catholic Church, now a devout Catholic, and a big habitual sinner…so much so that when I go to confession it seems like I basically confess the same darn sins, one of them being lust!! That used to bother me a lot, but I’ve come to realize, through the help of my wonderful priest, that I’m a sinner and through the grace of God I just need to keep battling and stop being so hard on myself. Jesus died for people like me!!

This battle though is one where the devil won’t stop his tempting. For whatever it’s worth the way I look at lustful kinds of things is that I ask myself, “if that were my wife or daughter would I be doing what I’m doing”. I’ll tell you that’s brutal, humbling, and painful all at the same time and being perfectly honest sometimes the temptation becomes so great that I shove that thought into the deep recesses of my brain so that I can sin. What an awful, horrible sinner I am…and those thoughts are the devil trying to take me down. This used to really get me down, but now I just turn to Jesus, recognize I can’t do it on my own, and keep battling. Daily Mass (once per week at least) and regular confession helps me greatly in my battle.

Hope this helps. God bless!

 

[LiamQ]

Am I just csught up in the world or does it take a certain personality type to be a devoted Catholic?

We are all in need of deeper conversion, and we are all called to have a passionate and love-filled relationship with God. It’s not about being strict or not strict, it’s not about lifestyle or personalities or how one comes across on a message board. It’s just about cultivating friendship with God.

If you think you’re not as close to God as you ought to be, you’re right. Thank God for that insight.

 

[Anglewannabe]

I like watching Game of Thrones even with the nudity. I make comments about pretty women to other guys. I am over 50 and am acustomed to certain things. Catholics here always talk about the “sorrows” of our lady and about suffering. Am I just csught up in the world or does it take a certain personality type to be a devoted Catholic?

Yes you are caught up in things of the world. And all those posters who told you it was OK to watch it as long as you don’t sin are off the mark. I have never watched the show, but I am confident in saying it is created with the premise that sex sells and is degrading. And then to talk about it with other guys ! How juvenile

And being over 50 and accustomed to certaint things That sounds like a baby whining. Why did you accustom yourself to sin in the first place We are all called to be holier every day and age is no excuse.

The only personality required to be a devout Catholic is a sincere desire to do God’s will. But don’t think you can have your cake and eat it to

 

[joeybaggz]

I was baptized a Catholic and I go to mass. However, here i see how devout so many of you are and I think if I were to do many of the things I see here it would suck all joy from my life. In one thread about lust a man said he was thinking of taking a drug to curb his desire. I like watching Game of Thrones even with the nudity. I make comments about pretty women to other guys. I am over 50 and am acustomed to certain things. Catholics here always talk about the “sorrows” of our lady and about suffering. Am I just csught up in the world or does it take a certain personality type to be a devoted Catholic?

Your post alludes to a basic question, Is simply watching something like the nudity on GOT sinful? On this site you’ll get a lot of different opinions, some scrupulous, some gentle or benign.

As to my opinion, your thoughts bring up a few questions. One, could one ever received communion in the Sistine Chapel, given its ceiling? Second, could I ever receive communion after watching a documentary about the holocaust? Or even the movie Bonnie and Clyde for that matter? Is watching sin, sin? (And no, I don’t believe the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel is sinful)

Seeing evil, or even an occasion of sin, is not a sin, unless thoughts and actions become adulterated with malice and intent. We men, (and women) are wired to be stimulated by the opposite sex, and God did the wiring. Enjoy your life, take things in moderation, and go easy on yourself. If you find your questions bothering you more and more, seek out a good priest and lay out your questions to him. A good retreat, if you can find the time, is often a great way of “clearing the air.” Think about it.

Shalom

 

[Mammoths]

Holiness is by nature a joyful experience. If “devoutness” means being depressed it is wrong. My grandpa used to say, “if it feels good do it even if it is wrong.” That was bad advice. Hedonism leads to grief. Here’s how this Jesus himself is described by the disciples.

Hebrews 1:
8 But of the Son he says,

“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever,
the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.
9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
therefore God, your God, has anointed you
with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.”

 

[LexDivina]

I was baptized a Catholic and I go to mass. However, here i see how devout so many of you are and I think if I were to do many of the things I see here it would suck all joy from my life. In one thread about lust a man said he was thinking of taking a drug to curb his desire. I like watching Game of Thrones even with the nudity. I make comments about pretty women to other guys. I am over 50 and am acustomed to certain things. Catholics here always talk about the “sorrows” of our lady and about suffering. Am I just csught up in the world or does it take a certain personality type to be a devoted Catholic?

Just be yourself and live your life, don’t worry about what other people do with their lives or what opinion they have of yours. If I lived like a lot of the extreme ‘‘devout’’ types did, it’d drive me insane. Being a catholic is not about being ‘‘the best’’. I mean look, there are over 1 billion Catholics on this earth. Do you think the majority of them are like the people you describe? I know for a fact they aren’t. Even the pope goes to confession. Everyone sins. You aren’t expected to give up your hobbies, joys, and life. People may talk about suffering, fine. Let them be the one’s to suffer if they want to. Just try your best to be a good person, go to mass, go to confession, and have a fulfilling life.

 

[Vic_Taltrees_UK]

Sitting in front of a television where you don’t know the intellectual and emotional level of the next umpteen plot twists, in addition to the nudity risks, is a different kettle of fish from paying hundreds of pounds in fare to take a dekko at the Sistine.

Catholic or not, “strict” or not, you need pursuits and you need company.

I suggest an area of study or absorption regarding a sport, craft, subject you had to drop from school or college but wish to take up again, whether indoor or outdoor, manual, mental or whatever. Flower arranging, ancient history, horse riding, model steam engine making, cooking, factual writing, woodwork.

Life is short. We owe ourselves the duty to be active and not passive. If instead of trying to copy what you think people think you ought to do, God gave you enough clues in your life already how to have a life. When you pursue ordinary constructive things, you can start to judge what is holy and what isn’t.

Oh and the above suggestion is important to get on with whether it obviously involves you in company or not. It might be on your own at first. The constructiveness and the activeness are the important thing.

Most people have been put down and told to stop doing something that was good for them, in case it interfered with exams or something like that. (It probably wouldn’t have.) Now is the time to restart!

Don’t be a spectator in your own life when there’s nothing to watch!

(Also, I recommend from first hand experience spending a little more on a better grade of tea or coffee, and in some people’s cases that might be in place of a television subscription. A buzz that doesn’t use one is better than a buzz that does.)

 

[Ernie07]

Just be yourself and live your life, don’t worry about what other people do with their lives or what opinion they have of yours. If I lived like a lot of the extreme ‘‘devout’’ types did, it’d drive me insane. Being a catholic is not about being ‘‘the best’’. I mean look, there are over 1 billion Catholics on this earth. Do you think the majority of them are like the people you describe? I know for a fact they aren’t. Even the pope goes to confession. Everyone sins. You aren’t expected to give up your hobbies, joys, and life. People may talk about suffering, fine. Let them be the one’s to suffer if they want to. Just try your best to be a good person, go to mass, go to confession, and have a fulfilling life.

Hi LexDivina,

I just wanted to respond to your post. I totally get that a Catholic is not about being “the best” but then what is it about? Ultimately, a Catholic’s main goal is to become a saint. We have higher standards and believe that our soul can and will be transformed. That doesn’t mean you have to be a robot or needlessly suffer, but it also doesn’t mean that we should have hobbies that tempt us to sin or are sin in and of themselves. A little sin here and there can seem like a small thing until it softens you up for a bigger more serious sin. I just thought you were “settling” a bit when we’re called for so much more. I’d welcome your thoughts. Thanks.

-Ernie-

 

[SAVINGRACE]

We are all on our own journey. I found it best not to compare myself or get too wound up over every little thing I say or do. When I first converted I used to end up in Confession in a state of serious gut churning anxiety but with guidance from my Priest, I am better. I learned not take posts on this forum too seriously or personally.

What matters is that we are all doing in our real lives i.e. practicing the faith to the best of our ability with guidance from our Priests. Listen to your Priest, obey your Bishop and you can’t go wrong.

 

[JanetF]

I was baptized a Catholic and I go to mass. However, here i see how devout so many of you are and I think if I were to do many of the things I see here it would suck all joy from my life. In one thread about lust a man said he was thinking of taking a drug to curb his desire. I like watching Game of Thrones even with the nudity. I make comments about pretty women to other guys. I am over 50 and am acustomed to certain things. Catholics here always talk about the “sorrows” of our lady and about suffering. Am I just csught up in the world or does it take a certain personality type to be a devoted Catholic?

Keep in mind also, that no one has time to post on every topic on the site. Some things catch my eye, other things don’t. While I don’t watch Game of Thrones, I’m not going to condemn you for doing so. I have my own guilty pleasures (if that’s what Game of Thrones is?).

I think sometimes some people get too wrapped up in how Catholics are supposed to behave to remember that our faith should be filled with joy, each individual has their very own faith life guided by the church’s teachings. Sometimes church teaching is interpreted incorrectly by lay people to fit their individual agenda.

So, basically, just chill show your devotion to Christ and don’t worry about whether other Catholics can see your devotedness (if that’s a word) or not.

 

[RCinMT]

I think it’s better to go to mass and watch GOT than not go to mass at all. That being said, GOT is pornography brother. It’s definitely “of this world”.

This I disagree with. Perhaps less mature people, people who are prone to lust might have an issue with watching GoT but if one appreciates it for what it is–fiction–than it’s not a problem. In fact, I can’t recall a single sexually suggestive scene from GoT that was anything other than repulsive in terms of the nature of the respective interactions–the scenes they depict are not meant to be appealing.

I’ve seen lots of people saying the Young Pope is garbage but Sister Helena Burns, who writes on culture, movies and Theology of the Body AND has disparaged Disney movies for the messages they try to send says that the spiritually mature should watch the Young Pope, it’s great art and “get’s God right”. I assume that she can disparage Disney but endorse the Young Pope because she understands the vulnerable nature of Disney audiences versus potential Young Pope viewers and even warns those who could watch Young Pope that it’s not for everyone. And she’s absolutely correct.

I can appreciate one person feeling that GoT or any other fiction (non-pornographic) is scandalizing but there are equally faithful Catholics who don’t feel the slightest bit scandalized.

 

[Mammoths]

Holiness is the call of God on every believer. The definition of holiness is to be separated from something. It carries with it the connotation of exception. God is Holy because he is high above creation separated from common dependent existence by his extreme greatness power and goodness. Christians are called to be holy by being above the works of the flesh and worldliness. By all rights the things of the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life are beneath us. We have bigger and better fish to fry. Things like faith hope and love that are the quintessential elements of Christian character. “There is joy in the Lord, There is Love in His Spirit, there is hope in the knowledge of Him.” Strictness has nothing to do with it. We have a right by adoption to partake of the lavish riches of heaven. Why concern ourselves with the beggarly elements of the world!