Please pray for RCIA student

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blankjer444

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I have felt drawn to the Catholic faith for a long time. I am taking RCIA classes right now. I tried RCIA a couple of times before, and quit because I felt SO guilty about it!

I come from a Protestant background, and during my time as a practicing Protestant I read A LOT of anti-Catholic literature. (From chick.com, etc.)

Whenever I try to pray the rosary, or even say the phrase “Our Lady,” I feel guilty. When I meditate on the Real Presence, or think about Eucharistic adoration, I feel guilty. Something inside of me says, “Why are you doing this? It is silly and wrong.”

These are very real stumbling blocks for me. Is it possible that I have been so deeply propagandized (brainwashed?) by that stuff that I will never convert? Does God want me to remain in this state? Should I remain a Protestant? I want to move forward with conversion, but I need to find some peace with some core Catholic doctrines.

I will say this - when I am actually sitting in a Catholic church, I feel a DEEP PEACE in my spirit. A peace like I feel nowhere else, not in a Protestant church, nor even in my own home.

Please pray for me. I want to be a Catholic and I need peace in my heart.

Thanks in advance and God bless you.
 
Been there, done that.

Just remember that doubts aren’t disbelief. That, and remember that Jesus loved his mother so it’s ok if you do too.
 
blankjer444 said:
I have felt drawn to the Catholic faith for a long time. I am taking RCIA classes right now. I tried RCIA a couple of times before, and quit because I felt SO guilty about it!

I come from a Protestant background, and during my time as a practicing Protestant I read A LOT of anti-Catholic literature. (From chick.com, etc.)

Whenever I try to pray the rosary, or even say the phrase “Our Lady,” I feel guilty. When I meditate on the Real Presence, or think about Eucharistic adoration, I feel guilty. Something inside of me says, “Why are you doing this? It is silly and wrong.”

These are very real stumbling blocks for me. Is it possible that I have been so deeply propagandized (brainwashed?) by that stuff that I will never convert? Does God want me to remain in this state? Should I remain a Protestant? I want to move forward with conversion, but I need to find some peace with some core Catholic doctrines.

I will say this - when I am actually sitting in a Catholic church, I feel a DEEP PEACE in my spirit. A peace like I feel nowhere else, not in a Protestant church, nor even in my own home.

Please pray for me. I want to be a Catholic and I need peace in my heart.

Thanks in advance and God bless you.
Click to expand...
I am in RCIA too and can relate to your experience.

When I have those thoughts, I just remember how much alive in Cheist the Catholic Church has made me and i remember how I have learned to trust the church’s authority for scripture and the Eucharist, the papacy, etc and if I trust the church then it really is just me being out of my comfort zone.

I listened to Rosary army podcasts and listened to them recite the rosary and after a while it feels much more comfortable.

It’s like getting new shoes, they feel odd at first but after using them a while they feel natural.

I’ll pray for you.
 
Hail Mary,
full of grace,
The Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus.

Holy Mary,
Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.

Amen.
 
“remember that Jesus loved his mother so it’s ok if you do too”

THANKS FOR THAT 🙂
 
If you already feel a deep peace, the conversion has already taken place. Your mind will catch up in time.
 
blankjer444 said:
I will say this - when I am actually sitting in a Catholic church, I feel a DEEP PEACE in my spirit. A peace like I feel nowhere else, not in a Protestant church, nor even in my own home.
Click to expand...
I am also in RCIA this year. I also feel a deep peace in my spirit just sitting in our basilica. I think that is the Real Presence, and it is what I have decided to follow. I have been to many Protestant services and have never felt that anywhere before. I feel a bit silly when I make the Sign of the Cross and pray Hail Marys. It’s just because it is so foreign to use someone else’s recipe for prayer where you just kind of ramble on to God in the Protestant churches I’ve been in. Some prayers are beyond words; it’s a feeling in your heart that you have no words for. That’s when I pray Our Father and Hail Marys over and again and ask Him to see what’s in my heart. I haven’t moved on to more advanced prayers yet. I’m still trying to come to terms with the basics as the basics have changed for me.

I think your spirit knows where it belongs.
 
I can’t say that Mary was a huge stumbling block for me; even though I grew up in a Southern Baptist family, I guess God just gave me the grace I needed to see how it “made sense.”

One of the things that helped me when I was converting was just taking my doubts to God and talking with Him. Praying about the things you are struggling with, like Mary and the Eucharist, to God is a great way to start opening yourself up to His grace. Just be honest and ask for help!

And don’t forget that God has called you to the Faith and the Church! The guilt you are feeling is not from Him, but from the Evil One! Trust in the Lord and His Church.

Also, it might benefit you to read some of the tracts available on Catholic.com, here—the ones about the Eucharist, Mary, and other things you need help with—so knowing and understanding these beliefs can help you deal with your doubt and grow in acceptance.

God bless you! May Mary’s prayers help you on your way! Try praying the rosary and asking God to help you understand His Mother better. Once you get used to praying the prayers, the rosary becomes a very peaceful, encouraging prayer!
 
Hail Mary,
Full of Grace,
The Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit
of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary,
Mother of God,
pray for us sinners now,
and at the hour of death
Amen.

St. Jude, pray for this person!!
St. Therese, pray for this person!!
St. Monica, pray for this person!!
St. Irenaeus, pray for this person!!
 
Hail Mary, Full of Grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blest is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.

Amen.

:crossrc:
 
Jon_S said:
I listened to Rosary army podcasts and listened to them recite the rosary and after a while it feels much more comfortable.
Click to expand...
This. Actually, I have been doing this often as well. You can listen to a podcast (I love Rosary army because it is good and there is no background music like some) and say the prayers in silence. Same in the mass. Just observe and pray in your mind, when you are confident you will say the prayers loudly.

Praying :gopray:
 
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.

Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.

Amen.

†

Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Amen.

†
 
I’ve been lucky to have been raised with the Catholic faith since little so never had anything remotely like this. We had been raised to view Mary as our spiritual mother. Christ, literally, gave us everything. At the cross, we believe he even gave not only St. John, Mary, but by extensión, all of humanity! Reread that passage. He said to John, “Behold thy mother”, but we believe, Christ was giving us his own mother from that moment on!

There are numerous references to the Blessed Virgin Mary throughout the Bible, both Old Testament, and New. When we pray the rosary, we are quoting scripture! We are repeating back God’s own words, through the Angel Gabriel to the Mother of Jesús…the Mother of God! We are also repeating Elizabeth’s words, also from the Bible, but in the form of a prayer.

Mary is God’s finest creation. Her womb was the first place that Jesús first touched on Earth!

Mary said that ALL generations would call her blessed! Why should protestants, or anybody else, then now ignore, denigrate, or dishonor her? She has been intervening for us since the Wedding of Cana, if not before!

She is the daughter of God the Father, the Mother of Christ, the spouse of the Holy Spirit, and temple and tabernacle of the Most Holy Trinity. She is the Ark of the Covenant, in the flesh!

I haven’t seen it, but “Mary of Nazareth” is supposed to be coming to movie theaters soon. Why don’t you consider seeing it?

Some prayers of reparation I have done are for those who have never taught people to honor God’s Mother and worse, for those who teach others to dishonor her. I believe that to be a sin, a negligence on someone else’s part for failing to teach you to love and honor our spiritual mother.

Honor thy mother!
 
Hail Mary,
full of grace,
the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus.

Holy Mary,
mother of God,
pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.

Amen.
 
Praying that the Lord may give you the grace needed to remove your doubts.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen
 
Hail Mary, Full of Grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blest is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.

Amen.

:crossrc:
 
Hail Mary, Full of Grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blest is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.

Amen.

:crossrc:
 
Fortify me with the grace of Your Holy Spirit
and give Your peace to my soul
that I may be free from all needless anxiety,
solicitude and worry.
Help me to desire always
that which is pleasing and acceptable to You
so that Your will may be my will.
 
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