Priests (&/or catechized Catholics): Is the topic of the Real Presence "too much information" for certain non-Catholics?

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I am wondering if i should tell people about the Real Presence before i tell them about other teachings of the Church?

It almost seems like teaching a kindergarten class advanced physics or something…
 
distracted said:
I am wondering if i should tell people about the Real Presence before i tell them about other teachings of the Church?

It almost seems like teaching a kindergarten class advanced physics or something…
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It depends how far they are, how much they know.
I would start with whether they accept Scripture as the inspired word of God. If so, then go into Jn 6 Bread of Life etc… if not then ‘real presence’ and Jn 6 will be laughable to them.
 
distracted said:
I am wondering if i should tell people about the Real Presence before i tell them about other teachings of the Church?

It almost seems like teaching a kindergarten class advanced physics or something…
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We/I usually teach the exists of God first, addressing the relationship of faith and science. For many this is too much for short term learning. So this year I went over it twice weeks apart, before we addressed the real presences. You are correct for many it is beyond the current grasp however over time I think many (not all) do eventual understand.
 
distracted said:
I am wondering if i should tell people about the Real Presence before i tell them about other teachings of the Church?

It almost seems like teaching a kindergarten class advanced physics or something…
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I believe that you will probably need to fashion your words and/or teaching techniques about the catholic faith, in a way that eventually introduces the reality of the supernatural and the miraculous in catholicism.

You’d probably be amazed at how many protestant christians are spiritually prepared to not only believe but to understand ( not with reason but with faith) the beautiful mysteries of the catholic faith.

Let the Holy Spirit guide you and then…step forward in faith.

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum.
 
mangy_dog said:
I believe that you will probably need to fashion your words and/or teaching techniques about the catholic faith
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I am wondering if i said something the wrong way w/ this one person i once tried to teach the faith to (about 61 yrs old) sev yrs ago. I feel that one problem was that our personalities got in the way… we had been fairly close friends & then i changed on him by becoming “more devoutly Catholic”…
Also, maybe my impatience, which i always tried to keep hidden, was manifest to him somehow… (I hate being so human :rolleyes: )… In any case, maybe i need some pointers on how to speak on this subject. I haven’t been around many non-Catholics lately, but i know i will run into some soon… I try to let the Holy Spirit guide me as to what to say & when to say it, but… well, i guess i have lost some of my confidence because of my failure w/ the aforementioned person… 😦
You’d probably be amazed at how many protestant christians are spiritually prepared to not only believe but to understand ( not with reason but with faith) the beautiful mysteries of the catholic faith.
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At another site a person was trying to figure out the Real Presence through scientific reasoning. I suggested spending time there… because Jesus does things with us there that… well, cannot be done elsewhere… I don’t think he/she ever took me up on that one… or if the person did, i never heard about it… he/she just went on discussing the aspect of proving the Real Presence scientifically… to me, there is nothing scientific (or un-scientific) about it… but anyway…
Now you can understand why my confidence in my “own” ability is not too good… I am not sure what i am doing “wrong”… & when people don’t seem to want to believe, i can’t help thinking i am doing something wrong… I mean, why would anyone who loves Jesus… NOT want to go spend time with him… ? When i am there, i never want to leave…
 
Franciscan said:
It depends how far they are, how much they know.
I would start with whether they accept Scripture as the inspired word of God. If so, then go into Jn 6 Bread of Life etc… if not then ‘real presence’ and Jn 6 will be laughable to them.
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This one guy i went inot depth with about the Real Presence (& the Faith generally) didn’t seem to get it… He said he believed in the Scriptures… but when i told him about John 6… he just, well, didn’t have an argument but kept “arguing” anyway… meaning, he didn’t seem to want to discuss it or whatever…
Have you ever successfully brought someone to the knowledge of this Catholic teaching/reality/miracle?? Please let me know how you did it. Thanks.
 
Could you please give me testimonials on how you brought a non-catholic to the knowledge of and acceptance of the Real Presence??

I feel i need some details… Thanks… God bless.
 
distracted said:
This one guy i went inot depth with about the Real Presence (& the Faith generally) didn’t seem to get it… He said he believed in the Scriptures… but when i told him about John 6… he just, well, didn’t have an argument but kept “arguing” anyway… meaning, he didn’t seem to want to discuss it or whatever…
Have you ever successfully brought someone to the knowledge of this Catholic teaching/reality/miracle?? Please let me know how you did it. Thanks.
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Well, I am a teacher of the Catholic Faith. My students are 9th graders. Some already believe, some have never heard it taught, and some are not Catholic.

I teach the Old Testament Typology of the Eucharist(Melchizedek,Moses’ ratification,PassoverAnimal Sacrfifice, Todah offerings)

Then the New Testament typology, the Bethlehem-feeding trough connection, the feedinig miracles, the Wedding at Cana(miracle of transubstantiation)

Then the promise of Jn 6, then the Last Supper, followed by St. Paul’s 1 Cor statements in ch 10 and 11 about the Eucharist as His Body and Blood, and his warning not to receive unworthily.

After all this, I teach them about the alarming statistics of lack of belief in the Real Presence. We examine reasons why so few Catholics get it. Either ignorance(Post Vat.II confusion/experimentation) or lack of faith or they were deliberately misled.

I know many have appreciated this thorough treatment and have grown in their appreciation for this teaching. But surrprisingly and inevitably some will ask me later in the year about the Eucharist as a “symbol”. -That’s when i get frustrated.
 
distracted said:
I am wondering if i said something the wrong way w/ this one person i once tried to teach the faith to (about 61 yrs old) sev yrs ago. I feel that one problem was that our personalities got in the way… we had been fairly close friends & then i changed on him by becoming “more devoutly Catholic”…
Also, maybe my impatience, which i always tried to keep hidden, was manifest to him somehow… (I hate being so human :rolleyes: )… In any case, maybe i need some pointers on how to speak on this subject. I haven’t been around many non-Catholics lately, but i know i will run into some soon… I try to let the Holy Spirit guide me as to what to say & when to say it, but… well, i guess i have lost some of my confidence because of my failure w/ the aforementioned person… 😦

At another site a person was trying to figure out the Real Presence through scientific reasoning. I suggested spending time there… because Jesus does things with us there that… well, cannot be done elsewhere… I don’t think he/she ever took me up on that one… or if the person did, i never heard about it… he/she just went on discussing the aspect of proving the Real Presence scientifically… to me, there is nothing scientific (or un-scientific) about it… but anyway…
Now you can understand why my confidence in my “own” ability is not too good… I am not sure what i am doing “wrong”… & when people don’t seem to want to believe, i can’t help thinking i am doing something wrong… I mean, why would anyone who loves Jesus… NOT want to go spend time with him… ? When i am there, i never want to leave…
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Its not that you are at “another level now”. It’s that you’ve deepened your committment in your catholic faith and your relationship with God.
Do the basic things really good. Confession: I suggest once a month minimum. Communion: goes hand in hand with Confession. Regular Mass: Sundays and days of obligation. Daily Rosary: I pray it a minimum of 5 days a week and sometimes 6 days a week…my goal is everyday.
When you are eating out of the house, at a public place, make sure that you not only pray before your meal but, make the sign of the cross.
Don’t hide your catholicism. Wear your sacramentals. Be prepared to explain what the Rosary is and where it came from. Be prepared to explain why you make the sign of the cross on yourself.

These basic things I do really well and am prepared to explain them to whomever should have the curiosity or the calling of the Holy Spirit to know.

These things will make you really good at teaching, learning and defending your catholic faith.

It has worked wonders in my life.

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum.
 
distracted said:
I am wondering if i should tell people about the Real Presence before i tell them about other teachings of the Church?

It almost seems like teaching a kindergarten class advanced physics or something…
Click to expand...
They already know about Christ. You might advise them that He lives in the Catholic church, and He is what attracted you to the church. You might describe the Tabernacle and the immense inner peace that comes from spending time in Christ’s presence. You do go to Adoration, right? It’s a snap to explain if you do. Simply being in Christ’s presence has called many souls to the faith. If they can accept the Resurrection, they should be able to handle the Real Presence.

Christ’s peace.
 
Franciscan said:
Well, I am a teacher of the Catholic Faith. My students are 9th graders.
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Well this explains your success (or frequent success)… Children are far more open to learning about anything, but maybe particularly about anything that has to do with Jesus… God bless them & may they never fall into disbelief… Adulthood is enough to destroy anyone :eek: :hypno:
I teach the Old Testament Typology of the Eucharist(Melchizedek,Moses’ ratification,PassoverAnimal Sacrfifice, Todah offerings)
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Thanks 4 reminding me about Mechizedek… What do you mean by Moses’ ratification? What are Todah offerings??
the Bethlehem-feeding trough connection… the Wedding at Cana(miracle of transubstantiation)
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again, thanks for the reminder… I had somehow “forgotten” (consciously) about how the changing of the water into wine is a type of “Eucharist” (By the way, is the consecrated wine called Eucharist also?)…

The weird thing is, i may have mentioned this to the aforementioned obstinate Protestant… and, well, no matter what i said, he just remained obstinate… Oh well… there are many reasons as to why… and God knows…
surrprisingly and inevitably some will ask me later in the year about the Eucharist as a “symbol”. -That’s when i get frustrated.
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Yeah, that’s the weird thing… when people know all about it and still reject it (or seem to be rejecting it…).

But then, now that i think about it, i have been Catholic all my life and sometimes i find myself “wondering” about that tiny Host held by the priest @ Mass… Actually, i never really “wonder” during Mass… and i never wonder when i am making regular trips to the Blessed Sacrament… to spend long periods of time with Him… It is so amazing what happens there… can’t even put it into words… because it is beyond the human realm of understanding…
I only wonder when i am out in the anti-Christ world… & it is far more “anti-Christ” than one realizes…

Which brings me to the reason i try to tell people about the Real Presence… so they will experience that intimacy with Jesus that they cannot now (without the RP) experience or even imagine…

IT is surprising what an ignorance of Jesus there is in the world… people just know him like they know, say, about George Washington… (head knowledge)…
Thanks…
 
po18guy said:
. You might advise them that He lives in the Catholic church, and He is what attracted you to the church.
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I did say this kind of thing to the obstinate person aforementioned… I mentioned just about everything i could about the RP & he still… rejects… Frankly, i think he just doesn’t want to agree with me… He & i have had a problematic relationship for years. In another post, i asked if i should just let the “friendship” go because, in a nut-shell, it seems more “abusive” than productive… or edifying or whatever…
I am very thankful for you reminding me about how Jesus was what attracted me to the Church. I had kind of forgotten about that… I was baptized/raised Catholic (minimally Cathlic), and then even went through one of those “born-again” things, but then, later, for some mysterious reason, i began to fall away… and kept falling & falling (long, weird, tragic story… 😦 )… until i hit rock bottom, but then God brought me back:) 🙂 . I know it was only God who can be credited because, well, what happened to me was just too awesome to have been of human doing…
Anyway… once God got me back, I fell in love w/ and was committed to Jesus before i began to make my way back to the Church. Maybe the guy i am trying (No, was trying) to convert well, Sad to say, maybe he just isn’t in love with Jesus, despite him quoting scriptures at me, reading the Bible every now and then, etc…
You might describe the Tabernacle and the immense inner peace that comes from spending time in Christ’s presence. You do go to Adoration, right?
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Yes, i spend more time @ the Blessed Sacrament than probably most Catholics do… (most of the ones i know…).
I don’t always feel that inner peace you refer to, though… I DO, but only after having been there for a long time… I have to get the worldly “gunk” out of my system before the peace settles in… (I think there are other reasons for the lack of peace i sometimes experience, but that is another one of those long stories…🙂 ).
being in Christ’s presence has called many souls to the faith.
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Right - if i could only get them to GO there.
You know, now that i think about this, i realize that in some ways, i am letting this one “failure” get me down. I haven’t been telling many people about hte RP lately… (even though that is partly because i have been isolating…but anyway… ).
I am easily discouraged, but should not let one bad apple spoil the whole bunch…
thank you so much for the help. 🙂
 
mangy_dog said:
Confession: I suggest once a month minimum.
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I used to go once a week… Now i go once a month…
Communion:
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I go to daily Mass, take Communion every time…
Daily Rosary:
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I used to pray the rosary 2-3 times a day. Now I try to pray it every night…
Don’t hide your catholicism.
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I am a very outspoken Catholic but for some reason, i feel funny doing the sign of the cross in public… Weird… I can’t figure that out… The sign of the cross is very powerful and i do it if no one is looking but for some reason, don’t like people to see me… :hypno:

Thank you so much…
 
distracted said:
You know, now that i think about this, i realize that in some ways, i am letting this one “failure” get me down. I haven’t been telling many people about hte RP lately… (even though that is partly because i have been isolating…but anyway… ). I am easily discouraged, but should not let one bad apple spoil the whole bunch… thank you so much for the help. 🙂
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Imagine the dismay and utter disappointment that Christ felt when so many of His followers left Him after the Bread of Life discourse. Jesus, Emmanuel, God with us, had just taught them the most important lesson of their lives, and they turned away in droves. Eternal souls lost forever to the evil one! Our Lord even suspected that the Apostles doubted. So, he asked them. And, thanks be to God, that impetuous, impulsive, rude, burly, uneducated fisherman Peter, stepped up and spoke the truth!

John 6:66-69 From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”

Any wonder why Peter was given the keys? Keep the faith. You have had only one turn away. Christ suffered the loss of many. You are called to pray for the one who will not hear the truth. The most eloquent explanation by the most blessed theologian will not convince a hardened heart. Only the flames of the Holy Spirit can melt such material! Pray for him. He has been lead astray by the spirit of antichrist. He may love the concept of Christ, but the reality disturbs him.

Christ’s peace be always with you.
 
po18guy said:
Imagine the dismay and utter disappointment that Christ felt when so many of His followers left Him after the Bread of Life discourse.
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You wouldn’t think i would need this kind of reminder, but i do… i guess i take things too personally and am affected too deeply sometimes… the thing that disturbs me the most is that this guy seems to be rejecting Jesus just to get back at me or something :confused: … i hope i am wrong… but lately he just seems to be playing these weird games with me… I just gave him to God… (long story…).
. Christ suffered the loss of many.
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Yes, i know this causes Jesus great pain… If i can feel such pain, i know he feels it much more… I try to often pray for the whole world… seems like a tall order but it works somehow… 🙂
He has been lead astray by the spirit of antichrist.
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funny you should say this 'cause recently i was @ the Blessed Sacrament & the Holy spirit seemed to be telling me/showing me just how much anti-Christ “stuff” there is in this world… way more than i fully realized…
He may love the concept of Christ, but the reality disturbs him.
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This is something that has been in the back of my mind for a long time… but without the clarity of your words… That is exactly what his problem seems to be… I guess he just wants to keep Jesus in the attick… of his mind… but isn’t that the way it is with Protestantism - Jesus is never really known in their world as He is with the Catholic… (the Real PResence…)… Pretty sad…

thank you so much… I am so glad i asked this question (almost didn’t)… God bless… 🙂
 
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