Polling for the Real Presence

[Michael_Welter]

Does anybody in this forum doubt the Real Presence ?

Probably not. The “casual” Catholic would never join a forum like this. I would expect that all the Catholics on this forum believe in the real presence. However, this forum is not representative of the Church, as a whole, unfortunately.

 

[Pug]

Too many people think they can pick and choose what to believe.

I was guilty of that (I’m a convert). I went to RCIA believing that the way to go was to only add religious beliefs that made sense to me. But RCIA did nothing to dispel the notion, so it stayed intact for years. I finally rooted out this issue, but only thanks to me finally getting my claws on some orthodox reading materials. (I didn’t used to know about imprimaturs and similar ideas).

Do you feel RCIA does much to dispel the notion about picking and choosing? Do rites and “the process” help?

 

[EBSSTF4]

It depends on who is teaching the class. When my wife went through the process a few years ago I was very happy with what she got out of it. This year I have been happy with most of the team members. I wish people would do the reading; there is a lot more to learn than can be covered in two hours a week. Even with the excellent job done with my wife, one member of her class recently invited her to go see a psychic!!! I think she missed the point.

 

[Pug]

I wish people would do the reading; there is a lot more to learn than can be covered in two hours a week. Even with the excellent job done with my wife, one member of her class recently invited her to go see a psychic!!!

Yikes! But, you know, I didn’t chuck my Tarot cards until years after converting. It never crossed mind. Maybe it is exactly what you say…everything simply can’t be covered in such a short time.

We must pray regularly for the candidates and catechumens.

 

[Michael_Welter]

Pug,

When my wife and I started dating, she was a protestant, but was willing to go through the classes, if only to learn more about my faith. So she attended at her local Catholic church. The classes were taught by the Pastor there. Each week, after her class, I would get together with her to correct what she had been taught in class! :bigyikes:

No, we don’t worship Mary!
No, we don’t pray to statues!
etc., etc., etc.

 

[Pug]

Each week, after her class, I would get together with her to correct what she had been taught in class! :bigyikes:

No, we don’t worship Mary!
No, we don’t pray to statues!
etc., etc., etc.

How frustrating for you two! Did your wife become Catholic when all was said and done?

 

[Michael_Welter]

How frustrating for you two! Did your wife become Catholic when all was said and done?

Yes! When we started dating, I made it clear that I would never marry outside the Catholic Church. She became Catholic, we got engaged, and have been married almost 26 years. We’re both 100% Catholic.

 

[DiZent]

I would get it right now, just not back in 1992 when the poll was done, so no worries! But my point is that I believed in the real presence long before 1992, so what is the deal with these polls? I did believe in the real presence, I just hadn’t ever heard the formulation “body, blood, soul, and DIVINITY”, so I would not have recognized it as a specific dogmatic formulation. I would have figured the poll people chose the words, and who knows with poll people, they could mean any sort of strange thing by it, so I wouldn’t have picked it. But I did believe what it really means. I guess I’m not explaining it very well.

Same here. I don’t remember exactly what I was taught as a child, but I did believe in the Real Presence, and when I came back to the Church, I realized that the Eucharist was what was missing in the other churches I had tried. I did not learn of transubstantiation, or the formula “Body, Blood, Soul & Divinity” until recently. I would NOT have picked #2 (just a symbol), but may not have understood the difference between the other choices without further explanation.

 

[Pug]

Same here. I don’t remember exactly what I was taught as a child, but I did believe in the Real Presence, and when I came back to the Church, I realized that the Eucharist was what was missing in the other churches I had tried. I did not learn of transubstantiation, or the formula “Body, Blood, Soul & Divinity” until recently. I would NOT have picked #2 (just a symbol), but may not have understood the difference between the other choices without further explanation.

Thanks, DiZent. Glad to know I’m not the only one.