Overwhelmed and not sure what to do

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TwinMommy said:
That is so exciting!! Confession is something that total scares me. When I confess to God, He knows what I have done, as we can’t hide anything from Him, but going in and confessing to a Priest has to bring a whole other level to it. It is not in a nature to want to tell someone when we did something wrong, so much easier to share when we did good things.
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Well…without you knowing it…you just gave a good reason for the why of the sacrament of confession.

One thing non-Catholics do not recognize is that going to confession is not easy.

One of the most difficult thing for us humans to do is to admit to a guilt, to a sin. We tend to rationalize, which is what usually happens. When one confesses to God directly, which we can certainly do, don’t you find it easy? And you tend to go back and do the transgression again.

But with the sacrament, there is no rationalization. Look at the example of King David…: 2Sam 12 (please read the whole chapter, will only cite this verse):

13 Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.”

Nathan replied, “The LORD has taken away your sin. You are not going to die. 14 But because by doing this you have shown utter contempt for[a] the LORD, the son born to you will die.”

When one goes to the confessional, there is an admission of guilt, we accuse ourselves that we have sinned. Then we now have to find the courage to go to confession, and orally account to the priest, who represents Christ, our sins. There is no ifs and buts, but a straight accounting of our transgressions and our admittance of guilt.
 
Hi Twinmommy!

As a cradle catholic I am so happy to see that God is leading you home through his Holy Spirit and moving you in the direction of the Catholic Church. Others have already given you so much info so I won’t do that. Attending Mass is the most important thing you can begin doing as others have said. Just imagine there are millions and millions of Catholics that attend mass and hear the same readings all over the world and we all pray together.

I also would encourage you to pray to God to send holy people your way who will help you in your journey. Having brothers and sisters supporting you during this time is very important. I’m sure God won’t deny you this request. I will include you in my prayers tonight.

May God Bless you and may Our Lady help you in this journey towards her Son.
 
TwinMommy said:
I am Protestant. I attend a non-denominational church. We are getting ready to move so I started the search for a new church. I have looked into many and just different red flags would come up. As I have proceeded along this journey I have felt God moving to Catholicism.Not what I expected but I am very open to it.
I have been reading up on this site and others and learning the things I thought were one way, have an amazing explanation and I don’t see how they could be wrong.

All of this is scary in a way because it is so different than Baptist and non-denominational, the two denominations I have been a part of. I am overwhelmed with all the information, with all the traditions, and on and on.

I don’t know where to go on from here. The idea of walking into Mass makes me uneasy because I wouldn’t know what to, I would probably end up looking like a fool.

Any suggestions? How do I figure out where I need to focus right now? I am use to contacting Protestant Pastors and asking questions about the church. I have no clue what to ask a Priest about the church, or is it parish? HELP!!!
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Welcome and may God bless you on your journey.

I am in tears reading your post. I came back home to the Catholic Church about a year and a half ago. My wife was raised Protestant and was never comfortable the few times we visited a Catholic Church when I was discerning if I was coming back. That was my fault. 😦

I love philosophy, theology and history. I read and read and read intensely for about 5 years.

My wife started to ask questions and little by little I was answering them. I finally went to Confession after she pushed me to it! lol. That changed my life.

The next time we went to Church, I was fully convicted of coming back. Guess what? It clicked for her! Praise God!!! I am now blessed to be bringing my 3 step children and my little one to the Church!

Here’s my advice to you:
  1. Pray - yeah sounds cheesy but trust me, it’s not!
  2. Take your time.
  3. There are lots of free online resources:
    a. scborromeo.org/ccc.htm - You can search the Catechism by typing your term in the box placed in the middle of the page.
    b. dynamiccatholic.com/ - the have a lot of free books and resources, you only pay shipping and handling.
    c. salvationhistory.com/ - Dr. Scot Hahn’s website also has a lot of free online resources. If you can, get the Signs of Life book.
That should be enough for now, lol.

If you have a smartphone or a tablet, check this website:

catholicapps.wordpress.com/

God Bless you and your family,

Jose
 
When I came home to the catholic church after 7 years in the non denominational world I went to week day church service a lot, almost every catholic church has a church service everyday.

Then I got to know a priest and had coffee a number of times
 
TwinMommy said:
I am Protestant. I attend a non-denominational church. We are getting ready to move so I started the search for a new church. I have looked into many and just different red flags would come up. As I have proceeded along this journey I have felt God moving to Catholicism.Not what I expected but I am very open to it.
I have been reading up on this site and others and learning the things I thought were one way, have an amazing explanation and I don’t see how they could be wrong.

All of this is scary in a way because it is so different than Baptist and non-denominational, the two denominations I have been a part of. I am overwhelmed with all the information, with all the traditions, and on and on.

***I don’t know where to go on from here. The idea of walking into Mass makes me uneasy because I wouldn’t know what to, I would probably end up looking like a fool. ***

Any suggestions? How do I figure out where I need to focus right now? I am use to contacting Protestant Pastors and asking questions about the church. I have no clue what to ask a Priest about the church, or is it parish? HELP!!!
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The bolded part. My very first Mass, I had no clue. This very lovely elderly man pointed out all of the Mass parts to me during the Mass. I had explained to him that this was my very first Mass and he was very helpful.

We became pew friends. 😃
 
TwinMommy said:
That is so exciting!! Confession is something that total scares me. When I confess to God, He knows what I have done, as we can’t hide anything from Him, but going in and confessing to a Priest has to bring a whole other level to it. It is not in a nature to want to tell someone when we did something wrong, so much easier to share when we did good things.
Click to expand...
There are It is more than confessing to a priest, Jesus Christ is present too, Christ is pesent in all sacrements of the Church. Ultimately you are sharing your desire to be reconciled with the Lord which is a good thing like you said “so much easier to share when we did good things.” I’m not saying you won’t have fears or be nervous, at first, but there too is the consolation of Lord’s mercy.
 
Welcome to world of Catholicism!

The Church is what I call “The Pearl of Great Price”, it is abundant, rich in history, caring, reasonable, and always… ALWAYS cares for your SALVATION!

I can understand when you say overwhelmed but what do you expect of a Church that is more than Two Thousand years old and survived Empires?😃

I am praying for your journey to THE Church, THE WAY.

Peace be with you as you discern God’s will for you. :grouphug::harp:

MJ
 
MartinJordan said:
Welcome to world of Catholicism!

The Church is what I call “The Pearl of Great Price”, it is abundant, rich in history, caring, reasonable, and always… ALWAYS cares for your SALVATION!

I can understand when you say overwhelmed but what do you expect of a Church that is more than Two Thousand years old and survived Empires?😃

I am praying for your journey to THE Church, THE WAY.

Peace be with you as you discern God’s will for you. :grouphug::harp:

MJ
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I am amazed more and more at the history of the Church.
Thank you for the prayers. Everyone is being so helpful. I am so thankful for that.
 
pablope said:
My suggestion…ask the parishes if they have adoration chapels or a schedule of their Eucharistic exposition times.

You spend a few minutes, as long as you like, in the presence of the Eucharist…in prayer and mediation…it is something for you to try to look at and experience.

Have you gone across the Divine Mercy chaplet? If not, it is something for you to look at…for starters.
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I have not come across that. I will look for it today.

I feel like I have to learn a whole new language. lol
 
pablope said:
Well…without you knowing it…you just gave a good reason for the why of the sacrament of confession.

One thing non-Catholics do not recognize is that going to confession is not easy.

One of the most difficult thing for us humans to do is to admit to a guilt, to a sin. We tend to rationalize, which is what usually happens. When one confesses to God directly, which we can certainly do, don’t you find it easy? And you tend to go back and do the transgression again.

But with the sacrament, there is no rationalization. Look at the example of King David…: 2Sam 12 (please read the whole chapter, will only cite this verse):

13 Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.”

Nathan replied, “The LORD has taken away your sin. You are not going to die. 14 But because by doing this you have shown utter contempt for[a] the LORD, the son born to you will die.”

When one goes to the confessional, there is an admission of guilt, we accuse ourselves that we have sinned. Then we now have to find the courage to go to confession, and orally account to the priest, who represents Christ, our sins. There is no ifs and buts, but a straight accounting of our transgressions and our admittance of guilt.
Click to expand...
I will add that to my things I want to read today. This next week is going to busy with my mom coming into town but going to try to read when I can.

Sin is too easy to hide away from everyone and too easy for us to count it as no big deal. Being held accountable I feel is important.
 
Last night I felt a great peace about all of this and I do feel this is the path I should be on.
I found some prayers on Catholic Online and put them on my phone. As I was praying I started crying because they were what is in my heart but didn’t know how to express them before.

I downloaded this app itunes.apple.com/ke/app/laudate-1-free-catholic-app/id499428207?mt=8 I was able to read the daily readings, learn about a Saint and so much more.

I was going to sleep and had a few questions pop in my head.
  1. Bible study…It is very common in the churches I have been in to have Bible study a few times a week. In the Catholic Church are there times where people come together for Bible study or is that something one does on their own?
  2. When looking at Catholic churches I am not seeing anything for children’s church or Sunday school. Is that more of a protestant thing?
  3. Are there prayers that are best to teach children? I have two 5 year olds and have always found praying with them hard as there is no structure.
  4. With the Catholic Bible is there one translation or a few of them?
I called my mother-in-law last night to see if she has a Catholic Bible I can borrow. I started explaining why and she was more excited than I have ever heard her be. She couldn’t talk long because she was closing her store but said this was too important not to finish talking, so she is calling me today. I am praying that this will go a desire in her to start going to Mass besides on Christmas and Ash Wednesday.

I woke up this morning with a new excitement. I have not felt excited about church in sometime. I actually have not been to Sunday service in about a month. I have been to Wed. morning Bible study, and Wed night but I been feeling detached from it.

I have a few friends who were Catholic and some who have family members who are. I am noticing the biggest argument against Catholicism is not true. I hear a lot how Catholics never read their Bible and that it is not encouraged. Every broadcast I have listened to from this site has many Scripture references, every thing I have read on sites has many Scripture references.

I am so grateful for all of you!!!
 
TwinMommy said:
Last night I felt a great peace about all of this and I do feel this is the path I should be on.
I found some prayers on Catholic Online and put them on my phone. As I was praying I started crying because they were what is in my heart but didn’t know how to express them before.

I downloaded this app itunes.apple.com/ke/app/laudate-1-free-catholic-app/id499428207?mt=8 I was able to read the daily readings, learn about a Saint and so much more.

I was going to sleep and had a few questions pop in my head.
  1. Bible study…It is very common in the churches I have been in to have Bible study a few times a week. In the Catholic Church are there times where people come together for Bible study or is that something one does on their own?
  2. When looking at Catholic churches I am not seeing anything for children’s church or Sunday school. Is that more of a protestant thing?
  3. Are there prayers that are best to teach children? I have two 5 year olds and have always found praying with them hard as there is no structure.
  4. With the Catholic Bible is there one translation or a few of them?
I called my mother-in-law last night to see if she has a Catholic Bible I can borrow. I started explaining why and she was more excited than I have ever heard her be. She couldn’t talk long because she was closing her store but said this was too important not to finish talking, so she is calling me today. I am praying that this will go a desire in her to start going to Mass besides on Christmas and Ash Wednesday.

I woke up this morning with a new excitement. I have not felt excited about church in sometime. I actually have not been to Sunday service in about a month. I have been to Wed. morning Bible study, and Wed night but I been feeling detached from it.

I have a few friends who were Catholic and some who have family members who are. I am noticing the biggest argument against Catholicism is not true. I hear a lot how Catholics never read their Bible and that it is not encouraged. Every broadcast I have listened to from this site has many Scripture references, every thing I have read on sites has many Scripture references.

I am so grateful for all of you!!!
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Oh, baby girl, welcome to the TRUTH! I’m tellin’ ya, it will take your breath away.

On confession: it was the most humiliating and beautiful thing I have ever done. The priest was so kind and comforting to me. I blubbered like a baby, as is my wont. In the end he told me that all those awful sins were IN THE PAST and if I ever thought of them again to know they are gone. I don’t even remember his words of absolution, I just remember his hands over my head. When I walked out I just grinned like a cheshire cat to everyone waiting in line.
 
Thank you for sharing this journey here, it is inspiring and thrilling to read your thoughts. Most of the parishes in my area have “greeters” as you enter for Mass, tell them what you are doing and I expect they will gladly help. Our parishes have a variety of ways to teach our children. Some go to the Church schools, some go to public school and attend the Public School Religion classes which are held at various times depending on the parish. We have childcare available for young children during Mass on Sunday. There are many Bible studies available but Sunday School is not for adults in our area, which is the one thing I really loved about the Methodist church. Keep us posted, I am praying for you.
 
Hoo(name removed by moderator)mie said:
Oh, baby girl, welcome to the TRUTH! I’m tellin’ ya, it will take your breath away.

On confession: it was the most humiliating and beautiful thing I have ever done. The priest was so kind and comforting to me. I blubbered like a baby, as is my wont. In the end he told me that all those awful sins were IN THE PAST and if I ever thought of them again to know they are gone. I don’t even remember his words of absolution, I just remember his hands over my head. When I walked out I just grinned like a cheshire cat to everyone waiting in line.
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I hold on to a lot of guilt when I sin. I have been trying for over a year to forgive myself for sins years and years ago. It holds me down.
 
mountee said:
Thank you for sharing this journey here, it is inspiring and thrilling to read your thoughts. Most of the parishes in my area have “greeters” as you enter for Mass, tell them what you are doing and I expect they will gladly help. Our parishes have a variety of ways to teach our children. Some go to the Church schools, some go to public school and attend the Public School Religion classes which are held at various times depending on the parish. We have childcare available for young children during Mass on Sunday. There are many Bible studies available but Sunday School is not for adults in our area, which is the one thing I really loved about the Methodist church. Keep us posted, I am praying for you.
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I think that getting on the right track with prayer and me digging deeper into how to really worship and praise the Lord, that teaching my children will become easier. Will be searching today for short prayers that they can.

I am trying to figure out the best way to bring Mary into my prayers. This is very foreign but from all I have read, it is a beautiful thing to do. I don’t have to go to all my friends to intercede for me. I can go right to the mother of my Lord and she will help.
 
TwinMommy said:
I was going to sleep and had a few questions pop in my head.
  1. Bible study…It is very common in the churches I have been in to have Bible study a few times a week. In the Catholic Church are there times where people come together for Bible study or is that something one does on their own?
Click to expand...
It depends on the Parish. Ours is very active and it has something for everyday of the week in the form of: Bible Study, Rosary Prayers, Book Studies, etc.
TwinMommy said:
  1. When looking at Catholic churches I am not seeing anything for children’s church or Sunday school. Is that more of a protestant thing?
Click to expand...
In my experience it’s not the same as most Non-Catholic Churches we have attended. At our Parish, after the blessings and before Mass starts the kiddos go to the Chapel for their own service. During Mass they come back with the parents.
TwinMommy said:
  1. Are there prayers that are best to teach children? I have two 5 year olds and have always found praying with them hard as there is no structure.
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Absolutely!

catholic-kids.com/prayers.htm

We have prayers for everything, and I mean everything!!! lol. See if you have a local Catholic book store near you. They should have plenty of little booklets with prayers.
TwinMommy said:
  1. With the Catholic Bible is there one translation or a few of them?
Click to expand...
There are several.

Here is the list of approved English translations FROM 1991.

usccb.org/bible/approved-translations/

The Douay Rheims is still aprroved and so is the RSV-CE and RSV-2CE. The Vatican when quoting Scriptures in English uses the RSV-CE. I personally prefer the RSV-2CE.

Peace,

Jose
 
Can someone who is not a Catholic pray the Rosary? I was just searching for prayers and come upon this catholic.org/prayers/rosary.php It really spoke to me.

With reading over it, I saw the name Salve Regina…I live about two minutes from that school. I never knew it was a Catholic school.

I had the chance to talk to my husband this morning(he is working non-stop right now) about what all has been going on with me. He was very supportive and that made me very happy.

My mother-in-law is more than likely going to my first Mass with me!!! I am so happy about that. I really think God is putting me where I need to be at the perfect time. We move in two weeks and will be right by my MIL, so hopefully we can go together more than once.
 
Isaiah45_9 said:
It depends on the Parish. Ours is very active and it has something for everyday of the week in the form of: Bible Study, Rosary Prayers, Book Studies, etc.

In my experience it’s not the same as most Non-Catholic Churches we have attended. At our Parish, after the blessings and before Mass starts the kiddos go to the Chapel for their own service. During Mass they come back with the parents.

Absolutely!

catholic-kids.com/prayers.htm

We have prayers for everything, and I mean everything!!! lol. See if you have a local Catholic book store near you. They should have plenty of little booklets with prayers.

There are several.

Here is the list of approved English translations FROM 1991.

usccb.org/bible/approved-translations/

The Douay Rheims is still aprroved and so is the RSV-CE and RSV-2CE. The Vatican when quoting Scriptures in English uses the RSV-CE. I personally prefer the RSV-2CE.

Peace,

Jose
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I did see at the churches I am looking at that they do have Mass through out the week and Rosary prayers. Very happy about that. I like to be at church as often as I can.
Great! I will check out those translations. Thank you!!

I think it would be good for the boys to be with me. I am sure questions will arise and that will inspire me to learn even more.

I will have to check to see what we have as far as a Catholic bookstore.
 
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