Question for protestants from a protestant

[Mickey]

Shlemele:

I don’t know all these people and as soon as they turn around they won’t care about me (I have never had one of these people who offer a “sign of peace” actually talk to me at or after Mass so how is that a sign of peace?).

That is a rash judgement call to make based on your limited experiences at a Catholic Mass. How do you know they don’t care about you? Because they don’t talk to you after Mass does not mean that they do not love you.

Shlemele:

I may be harsh but I am not making a point to be mean, I am observing that worship seems to be slapped together at the last minute where music is concerned (at least at the parishes I have been to). When I was in high school I played bass for my churches services. We rehearsed and looked nice because we were there to worship. One of the parishes actually had someone in a Mickey Mouse shirt singing. They fumbled through the music like it was the first time they had seen it. They may not be planning to go to “American Idol” but maybe if they put forth the same effort I would feel differently. I’m sure it isn’t this way at all parishes but all four I have been to have been rather limited in their music. The point of that paragraph though wasn’t about that, I had made the statement earlier that music seem to be one of the traditions that has been looked over in the churches in my area. I have sung in Latin for years and some of my favorite pieces are religious music that originated from the Catholic church. The point I was trying to make was not that music in the Catholic church stinks, it was that the choral tradition seems to have been lost. Again I’m talking about my experience. If you have a church that has a strong choral department count yourself blessed.

Rest assured your experience is not the norm. Every parish I have ever been to anywhere in the United States has had a beautiful, and strong choral department. My wife used to be a cantor for the Roman Catholic Church so I know first hand regarding the time and effort involved. I am now Byzantine Catholic and there are no musical instruments at all. The entire congregation chants the Divine Liturgy together. It is the most beautiful, prayerful, experience. So I guess it’s all relative.

 

[mercygate]

Delgadoajj:

Mercygate:

That’s a beautiful explanation. I hope you don’t mind me using this in my own apologetics work .

Jorge.

Please do. But credit “Catholic Answers Forums” – no need to include my username.

Shlemele: Yeah. The music in most Cathoic Churches is like fingernails on a blackboard. Yuk. Trivial pop-rock junk, badly executed. But there are a few oases – usually every big city has a place where you don’t have to cringe . . .

For me, I just realized that if I wanted the authenticity of the Church and her Sacraments, then I would just have to stand it. Can’t say it gets much easier with time . . .

 

[gardenswithkids]

april_hosen:

I was wondering if you guys have found any BIG reasons on why I shouldnt go ahead and do this?

I will play devil’s advocate as most of the responses to your thread come from Catholics trying to persuade you to become Catholic. I’m Catholic, but before you make a decision to convert or not, I think you should be fully informed about what you’re getting into. So here are some reasons why you may not want to convert:

You will be persecuted. Some friends who knew you to be a good Christian will think you are no longer Christian. Some cradle Catholics will let their prejudices against Protestants show and not accept you as a Catholic. Relatives may tolerate what you’ve done for a while but if they think you’re taking this whole Catholic thing too far they will join in the persecution. (Refer to your Bible about the warning Christ gives to His followers about persecution. It applies here.)

You will have to put up with ignorant Catholics. The Catholic Church is full of people who remain Catholic out of a sense of birthright without taking it very seriously. They save ridiculous things, misunderstand the Bible, misunderstand Church teachings, disrespect the Magesterium, etc., etc. This is most frustrating when the ignorant Catholics have theological degrees after their names and believe themselves to be experts on Catholicism. It’s less annoying when they recognize their ignorance, but choose to remain ignorant yet still opionionated.

Bad Church Music. Okay, not every parish has this problem, but mine does and it’s driving me crazy. I miss the music I used to hear. Hey-I miss what I used to think was bad music! Generally few musicians, if any, are paid at Catholic churches so we are dependent on volunteers who may or may not have talent.

Bad sermons. Now this is not a problem at my parish, but it’s fairly common. Some priests are great speakers, but some aren’t. Many give fluffy and light homilies so as not to drive away the ignorant Catholics I mentioned previously. Some homilies have little or connection to the scripture readings for the day, or any scripture for that matter.

Lack of democracy. You will not have a vote in Church policy. You won’t have a vote in who’s pastor or Pope. If you don’t like a decision that is made, you will have very little power to change it. Programs that you help start can be dissolved or changed on the whim of the pastor. In short, you will have to trust God to run your church, and He uses flawed people to do this.

Poverty. Yes, it looks like we have a lot of money, but it’s tied up in property, art and other non-liquid assets. As far as actual parish budgets go, few people tithe and giving is substantially lower per person than in Protestant churches. Some of the money is sent to the diocese and places other than your parish. The programs you would like to see well funded probably won’t be unless you personally donate for those programs specifically. Expect to do a lot of fundraising with petty little items because Catholics often make up for their lack of outright giving by donating their time and contributing to silly fund raisers.

That lists the things that I think you would find most difficult in converting from Protestantism to Catholicism. I certainly don’t regret my decision to return, but I think you should be informed of what lies ahead for you if you convert.

 

[Eden]

jimmy:

You are doin a good job Eden. Keep up the good work. Go diocese of Pittsburgh.

Hey Jimmy! You’re from Pittsburgh too, n’at! Go “Stillers”!
Thanks for the compliment. I wish I could take credit but, well, it’s not hard when you’re defending the truth. There are so many great Catholic sources to work with.

 

[Elzee]

gardenswithkids:

I will play devil’s advocate as most of the responses to your thread come from Catholics trying to persuade you to become Catholic. I’m Catholic, but before you make a decision to convert or not, I think you should be fully informed about what you’re getting into. So here are some reasons why you may not want to convert:

You will be persecuted. Some friends who knew you to be a good Christian will think you are no longer Christian. Some cradle Catholics will let their prejudices against Protestants show and not accept you as a Catholic. Relatives may tolerate what you’ve done for a while but if they think you’re taking this whole Catholic thing too far they will join in the persecution. (Refer to your Bible about the warning Christ gives to His followers about persecution. It applies here.)

You will have to put up with ignorant Catholics. The Catholic Church is full of people who remain Catholic out of a sense of birthright without taking it very seriously. They save ridiculous things, misunderstand the Bible, misunderstand Church teachings, disrespect the Magesterium, etc., etc. This is most frustrating when the ignorant Catholics have theological degrees after their names and believe themselves to be experts on Catholicism. It’s less annoying when they recognize their ignorance, but choose to remain ignorant yet still opionionated.

Bad Church Music. Okay, not every parish has this problem, but mine does and it’s driving me crazy. I miss the music I used to hear. Hey-I miss what I used to think was bad music! Generally few musicians, if any, are paid at Catholic churches so we are dependent on volunteers who may or may not have talent.

Bad sermons. Now this is not a problem at my parish, but it’s fairly common. Some priests are great speakers, but some aren’t. Many give fluffy and light homilies so as not to drive away the ignorant Catholics I mentioned previously. Some homilies have little or connection to the scripture readings for the day, or any scripture for that matter.

Lack of democracy. You will not have a vote in Church policy. You won’t have a vote in who’s pastor or Pope. If you don’t like a decision that is made, you will have very little power to change it. Programs that you help start can be dissolved or changed on the whim of the pastor. In short, you will have to trust God to run your church, and He uses flawed people to do this.

Poverty. Yes, it looks like we have a lot of money, but it’s tied up in property, art and other non-liquid assets. As far as actual parish budgets go, few people tithe and giving is substantially lower per person than in Protestant churches. Some of the money is sent to the diocese and places other than your parish. The programs you would like to see well funded probably won’t be unless you personally donate for those programs specifically. Expect to do a lot of fundraising with petty little items because Catholics often make up for their lack of outright giving by donating their time and contributing to silly fund raisers.

That lists the things that I think you would find most difficult in converting from Protestantism to Catholicism. I certainly don’t regret my decision to return, but I think you should be informed of what lies ahead for you if you convert.

April, I’m a cradle Catholic and I agree with a lot of what is written above. Music, money, bad sermons, priests and lay ministers who ‘do their own thing’… yes, these are frustrating and troublesome in some Catholic parishes, but it doesn’t negate the Eucharist. A friend of mine once told me that music is the most important part of their service (she is a Baptist). They spend a lot of time and money on it becasue that is what ‘draws’ people in and keeps them. It’s a mix of entertainment and worship. It is the focal point of their service. The focal point of our ‘service’ (the Mass) is the Eucharist. I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but I’ll take our focal point over theirs anytime. Once you really believe in your heart in the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Christ being re-presented duruing the Mass, and understand what is actually happening during every part of the Mass, the other things mentioned above, while still frustrating - I can’t deny that - cannot make you deny the truth of the Catholic church. I’d like to suggest you read Scott Hahn’s book ‘The Lamb’s Supper’. I would also suggest you order a free cd titled ‘The Mass Explained’ by Father Larry Richards. It’s available through www.catholicity.com. God bless you!

 

[Contarini]

april_hosen:

HI,
When I first came to this site it was soley for research reasons. I never would of thought in a lifetime I’d be considering what I am now. I’m beginning to believe God is callingme into the Catholic Churchbut there’s still some things that just dont make sense. I was wondering if you guys have found any BIG reasons on why I shouldnt go ahead and do this? Thanks for your time!

The only big reason, I think, is that you would be denying that up to now you have been fully part of the Church. You would be denying that you have ever received Christ sacramentally in the Eucharist. You would not be able to speak of “church history” and fully include Protestantism within that story (this is a big deal for me, since I teach church history).

There’s also the question of whether it’s wise to convert to anything based on Internet discussions. The Internet is largely a fantasy world and is not a stable basis for important decisions. How many times have you attended Mass? How many real Catholics do you know offline? Have you talked to a priest? The Catholic Church is not a bunch of people hanging out on the Internet. It’s a real, solid, living reality, beautiful and terrible and annoying and sometimes disgusting. And that’s what you will be joining.

What kind of Protestant are you? What sort of community are you currently involved in? Those are the real questions to be considered, I think.

Edwin

 

[MariaG]

posted by Contarini

The only big reason, I think, is that you would be denying that up to now you have been fully part of the Church. You would be denying that you have ever received Christ sacramentally in the Eucharist.

Good point Edwin. I had never considered this, but the church I came from did not believe we were receiving Christ sacramentally in the Eucharist. I can see how Protestants who do have that belief, it would be harder.

You would not be able to speak of “church history” and fully include Protestantism within that story (this is a big deal for me, since I teach church history).

Also a good point. I know people from Lutheran and Episcopal tend to look more at the Early Church Fathers and not disregard them, as say the more fundamentalist groups. I guess I was lucky that I was in the fundamentalist crowd before coming home

There’s also the question of whether it’s wise to convert to anything based on Internet discussions. The Internet is largely a fantasy world and is not a stable basis for important decisions. How many times have you attended Mass? How many real Catholics do you know offline? Have you talked to a priest? The Catholic Church is not a bunch of people hanging out on the Internet. It’s a real, solid, living reality, beautiful and terrible and annoying and sometimes disgusting. And that’s what you will be joining.

Hate to sound like a broken record, but once again, a good point.

I just wanted to reemphasize these points since, (even though I ultimately I do not think any of them should keep a person from converting ), we Catholics have not done what the OP wanted and let only Protestants answer

God Bless,
Maria

 

[Church_Militant]

Pastor Robert:

This is a most amazing twist of scripture. The exegesis is fundamentally wrong and here is the advocating of cannabilism that Rome’s doctrine of transubstanstiation propagates.

April work through the whole analogy our Lord gives here and you will see the figurative sense of his words and how eating his flesh and drinking his blood are used as meaning coming to Him by faith.

Rome’s error in the Mass is one BIG reason for not being part of it.

With sincere concern

Pastor Robert

Pastor Robert…Twist of scripture? Fundamentally wrong? Cannibalism? You sound just like the Jews in John 6!
Let me offer you a correction from the writings of a fairly famous Jewish believer who clearly disagrees with your personal errors.

If there is no real presence in the Eucharist, then how can St.Paul warn us not to take it unworthily lest we become guilty of the body and blood of the Lord? That “spiritualization” makes complete nonsense not only of the 6th chapter of John, but of 1st Corinthians 10:16-17 “16 The chalice of benediction, which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? And the bread, which we break, is it not the partaking of the body of the Lord? 17 For we, being many, are one bread, one body, all that partake of one bread.”

and 11: 23-30

23 For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread. 24 And giving thanks, broke, and said: Take ye, and eat: this is my body, which shall be delivered for you: this do for the commemoration of me. 25 In like manner also the chalice, after he had supped, saying: This chalice is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as often as you shall drink, for the commemoration of me.

26 For as often as you shall eat this bread, and drink the chalice, you shall shew the death of the Lord, until he come. 27 Therefore whosoever shall eat this bread, or drink the chalice of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and of the blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man prove himself: and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of the chalice. 29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh judgment to himself, not discerning the body of the Lord. 30 Therefore are there many infirm and weak among you, and many sleep.

Now, how can one become guilty of the body and blood of the Lord IF THAT BODY AND BLOOD OF THE LORD IS NOT REALLY THERE? Now if I make a symbol of Karl Keating like this symbol here: and then I decide to do bad things to that symbol symbol…like say this: http://bestsmileys.com/violent/10.gifI may indeed be guilty of abusing that symbol of the goodman Karl Keating, but am I guilty of his body and blood? Silly question…of course not! Why? BECAUSE KARL KEATING IS NOT REALLY PRESENT IN THAT SYMBOL is he?
There is the the whole case for why the Eucharist really is the presence of Our Lord Jesus Christ…body and blood, soul and divinity.

Catholics! You have the greatest miracle of all at every Mass that you participate in. BE THERE!
Pax vobiscum,

 

[Contarini]

MariaG:

Good point Edwin. I had never considered this, but the church I came from did not believe we were receiving Christ sacramentally in the Eucharist. I can see how Protestants who do have that belief, it would be harder.

But here’s the thing–I came to believe in this while receiving Communion in very low-church, non-sacramental churches (Baptist, Plymouth Brethren). By the time I started attending sacramentalist churches (mostly Anglican), I already believed in the Real Presence. And I’ve heard other stories of people (largely Plymouth Brethren–though some of my Restorationist friends also find that their practice leads in this direction) who came to believe that Christ was present because they received communion every week, even though the church they belonged to told them that it was just a symbol.

Granted, had I just plunged right into Catholicism when I first came to grad school, it would have been a lot easier, because I was coming from such a radical Protestant background. But my family’s opposition and my own very indecisive personality (and my consciousness of my own liability to sin and error) kept me from doing that. And I was fortunate or unfortunate enough to be at Duke, which (the Div School) is a stronghold of sacramentalist Protestantism. This produces a goodly crop of conversions to Catholicism and Orthodoxy (including, most recently, a Lutheran theology professor who became Catholic), but it also produces a lot of folks like me who agonize over Catholicism but don’t want to give up on Protestantism altogether.

Edwin

 

[april_hosen]

Subrosa:

however it is important to understand that the Mass is an ancient form of worship.

Hi Suborosa,
Thank you so much for your point of veiw on this! I was talking to someone today and he said something along the lines of a lot of the Catholicteachings are based off of oral teachings buta lot ofthem arent Bibical. So I was wondering where in the Bible does it mention Mass?

 

[april_hosen]

jimmy:

Unworthy!!! For recieving a symbol??? How can someone be unworthy and be guilty of the body of Christ if it is a mere symbol? Truth is it is impossible.

Okay…
I’m gunna try to address this as best as I can. If ya’ll are mad at me afterwards then there’s nothing I can do about it, so here it goes.
The truth is we really dont know. We dont know what God really meant, because there so many theories and “laws” that interpret the same words differently. Did you know there are over 100 different interpretations or diffenitions in the dictionary for the letter ‘a’. No joke! So here’s my interpretation for that passage. What He meant is if you dont accept me/recieve me into your heart/soul you cant come to me. I hope that made sense because it makes sense to me.

 

[april_hosen]

jimmy:

Unworthy!!! For recieving a symbol??? How can someone be unworthy and be guilty of the body of Christ if it is a mere symbol? Truth is it is impossible.

Okay…
I’m gunna try to address this as best as I can. If ya’ll are mad at me afterwards then there’s nothing I can do about it, so here it goes.
The truth is we really dont know. We dont know what God really meant, because there so many theories and “laws” that interpret the same words differently. Did you know there are over 100 different interpretations or diffenitions in the dictionary for the letter ‘a’. No joke! So here’s my interpretation for that passage. What He meant is if you dont accept Me/recieve Me (all of Me) into your heart/soul you cant have a relationship with Me. Thats the very much so watered down version. I hope that made sense because it makes sense to me.

 

[mercygate]

april_hosen:

Hi Suborosa,
Thank you so much for your point of veiw on this! I was talking to someone today and he said something along the lines of a lot of the Catholicteachings are based off of oral teachings buta lot ofthem arent Bibical. So I was wondering where in the Bible does it mention Mass?

Yo, April!

For Scriptural evidence of the Mass See post #68. Also go to Catholic Answers home page and look in the tracts section. The word “Mass” comes from the dismissal in Latin, "Ite, missa est." “Go, you are sent!” We usually hear that translated as “dismissed” but the Latin really means “sent” – as in “sent to spread the Gospel!”

Mass is based on the Last Supper: "This is my Body . . . "

When assessing biblical evidence, Catholics always look to the full context – and the context of the New Testament is the *lived experience *of the early Church. That is why we value the writings of the Early Church Fathers for the explication of doctrine.

It is important to remember that although the 27 books of the New Testament were written in the Apostolic age, they had hot competition from a lot of other writings that never made it into the canon. The certainty we feel when we say, “It’s Scriptural” was a luxury the early Church did not have because the New Testament had not yet been assembled. The canon wasn’t closed until 393 A.D. So “context” in the early Church was “WHAT WE ARE DOING AS A CHURCH.” “We” were definitely celebrating the Eucharist and we were definitely believing that Jesus was truly present in the Eucharist.

 

[sonseeker]

april_hosen:

Okay…
I’m gunna try to address this as best as I can. If ya’ll are mad at me afterwards then there’s nothing I can do about it, so here it goes.
The truth is we really dont know. We dont know what God really meant, because there so many theories and “laws” that interpret the same words differently. Did you know there are over 100 different interpretations or diffenitions in the dictionary for the letter ‘a’. No joke! So here’s my interpretation for that passage. What He meant is if you dont accept Me/recieve Me (all of Me) into your heart/soul you cant have a relationship with Me. Thats the very much so watered down version. I hope that made sense because it makes sense to me.

You are right April. The language is figurative. I wrote a long piece about it on another thread that got iced by the moderator. The Jn 6 passage is a metaphor. If what Christ is telling them is literal, then He is going against God’s command not to consume blood (Gen 9:4), and the eating of human flesh goes without saying. Christ says in Mk 4 that a kingdom and house divided against itself cannot stand. His telling people to literally eat His flesh and drink His blood clearly divides the Son from the Father. That is why it is not literal, but figurative, and that is why so many walked away. They misunderstood. They took Him literally, when He is not speaking literally. He is not talking about us eating Him.

Hang in there, April. Talk to your family, not people on the internet.

Grace,
Bill

 

[scylla]

This is an interesting thread so I will throw in my two cents,

As you said there are many ways of interpreting scripture, in no way does the Catholic Church’s beliefs or practices contradict scripture, they might not agree with one’s own personal interpretation, as many people have their own.
This is how people object to the Catholic Church as it doesn’t agree with their interpretation.

What the Catholic Church’s beliefs and practices are based on are the beliefs and practices originally understood by the apostles and passed on down. That is why as a Catholic everything makes sense to me, examples.

Zechariah 14:20-21 and Malachi 1:11 fit without mental wrangling, to the Catholic Mass.

The Bible was not written as a basis for the faith or else the faith would have come after the Bible. Were there no Christians before the Bible? How did they worship? Where did the Bible come from? Once they compiled the Bible, did they argue over what it meant?

For Catholics the faith is based on Christ and the teachings to the apostles. We use the Bible to substanciate our belief in this understanding of the faith “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness”

God Bless
Scylla

I would look and see what the early Christians believed to see if it fits with what you believe or if what you believe is something new, I suggest not reading commentaries but the full writings in context, keep praying and searching.

 

[Mickey]

sonseeker:

You are right April. The language is figurative. I wrote a long piece about it on another thread that got iced by the moderator. The Jn 6 passage is a metaphor. If what Christ is telling them is literal, then He is going against God’s command not to consume blood (Gen 9:4), and the eating of human flesh goes without saying. Christ says in Mk 4 that a kingdom and house divided against itself cannot stand. His telling people to literally eat His flesh and drink His blood clearly divides the Son from the Father. That is why it is not literal, but figurative, and that is why so many walked away. They misunderstood. They took Him literally, when He is not speaking literally. He is not talking about us eating Him.

Hang in there, April. Talk to your family, not people on the internet.

Grace,
Bill

Yes April, talk to family, but most of all pray and listen. Sonseeker is one of the most anti-Catholic posters here and his revisionist theology is misguided.
Read John 6 carefully and prayerfully. Research the Church Fathers and Church history. You will see that the metaphoric view is not the view of the early Church.

 

[mercygate]

april_hosen:

. . . Okay…
The truth is we really dont know. We dont know what God really meant, because there so many theories and “laws” that interpret the same words differently. . . . So here’s my interpretation for that passage. What He meant is if you dont accept Me/recieve Me (all of Me) into your heart/soul you cant have a relationship with Me. Thats the very much so watered down version. I hope that made sense because it makes sense to me.

. . . and a Catholic would say that because God has sent the Holy Spirit with a particular charism for the Church (to "guide you into all the truth [Jn 16:13]) in matters of faith and morals, we can know what God really meant.

In this case, it is the teaching of the Church since the Apostle Paul (post #68) that Christ is truly present in the consecrated bread and wine. The theology does not claim that this is DNA flesh" and “type AB negative” blood (Eucharistic miracles notwithstanding – the theology is not based on miracles). The theology states that the presence is mystical: i.e. not fully comprehensible by the human mind. It is the Resurrection Body we take, not the human Body. The “accidents” or appearance of bread and wine remain but the “essence” or true nature are changed into the Body and Blood of Christ.

If you have a problem with the doctrine of the Real Presence, it is not the Catholic Church you have a problem with; it is Jesus Christ himself.

 

[Contarini]

april_hosen:

Okay…
I’m gunna try to address this as best as I can. If ya’ll are mad at me afterwards then there’s nothing I can do about it, so here it goes.
The truth is we really dont know. We dont know what God really meant, because there so many theories and “laws” that interpret the same words differently.

Well, we don’t have to figure it out on our own. We read the Bible together with all our brothers and sisters in Christ throughout time and space. And it’s significant that a purely symbolic interpretation is largely a modern notion. Most Christians have historically held that in the Eucharist we really eat and drink the Body and Blood of Christ. That’s different from “literal.” We don’t eat Jesus as if He were a steak. We share in His glorified Body and Blood. The Fathers put it like this–normal food is changed into us, but this Food changes us into Himself!

There are different theories as to how this happens. But if anyone tries to tell you that it’s purely metaphorical, they’re going against the way the overwhelming majority of Christians have interpreted it. The earliest Christians spoke in a very realistic way of partaking in Christ’s Body and Blood.

april_hosen:

What He meant is if you dont accept Me/recieve Me (all of Me) into your heart/soul you cant have a relationship with Me. Thats the very much so watered down version. I hope that made sense because it makes sense to me.

But the question is: how does this happen? And both 1 Corinthians (the bread that we bless is a partaking in the body and blood of Christ) and noncanonical writings of the earliest Christians make it very clear that this happens through the sacrament of the Eucharist (among other things).

The choice here is between a religion that just involves thoughts and feelings and a religion that involves the whole person. That’s what is at stake. Does Jesus unite Himself to us only through what we think or feel, or does He use physical actions like eating and drinking? Historic Christianity says that the latter is true. The “Reformed” tradition of Protestantism (not Luther) largely came to the conclusion that it wasn’t. And I believe that this was a disastrous error.

Edwin

 

[Semper_Fi_1]

april_hosen:

Hi Suborosa,
Thank you so much for your point of veiw on this! I was talking to someone today and he said something along the lines of a lot of the Catholicteachings are based off of oral teachings buta lot ofthem arent Bibical. So I was wondering where in the Bible does it mention Mass?

Hey April,

I have been a Catholic all my life but when I was 14-18, I was going to mainly Methodist and Baptist churches (I am 20 now). May I suggest before deciding to become Catholic that you take in a few Masses and actually give them a chance? After I went back to Mass and had a full understanding of what it was (mostly from this site and from a few of my good friends that I’ve been talking to)… I found that it was definitely Biblical. Most of the Mass is reading from the Scriptures, praying, and reciting the ancient Christian creeds (Nicene, Apostles, etc.). You really should go to a Mass a few times! They have weekday Masses everyday, so you may not feel as intimidated going to one of those. Call your local parish and get the times and dates and even schedual a meeting with a Priest or a spiritual director. I am sure one would love to talk with you and answer any questions you have. Usually in the fall, they will have RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation Classes for Adults) which will Catechise you and teach you all of the Church’s beliefs. After this you have a decision of going Catholic or not. I plan on going back to a couple of these classes myself just to get myself more in tune… btw I am from Brighton, CO…

p.s. feel free to pm me if you have any questions.

 

[edward_george]

   		 			 				 Originally Posted by **april_hosen**
  			 *Hi Suborosa,

Thank you so much for your point of veiw on this! I was talking to someone today and he said something along the lines of a lot of the Catholicteachings are based off of oral teachings buta lot ofthem arent Bibical. So I was wondering where in the Bible does it mention Mass?*

I would highly recommend Scott Hahn’s The Lamb’s Supper for a look at where the Mass is found in Scripture. The whole thrust of the book is that the heavenly worship spoken of by John in Revelation is just like when we worship at the Mass.

I would also highly advise you to go to a Mass or two, and talk to the Priest about what’s going on for you.

Stay the course April, and you will be lead home. You are in my prayers.

Veni Sancte Spiritus
-ACEGC