Questions for older cradle Catholics

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Peregrinans

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Hello brothers and sisters in Christ,

For some background:
I am almost 50 and I am a cradle catholic, I left the faith for awhile because I really didn’t know it or its history. Growing up, I attended Catholic school and I would sometimes attend Mass on Sundays with my Dad. My parents both had drinking problems, so my home life was chaotic to say the least and my mom, although raised Catholic, was very hostile against the Church.

We never had a bible in the house, I only had a children’s book of bible stories. I never heard the term “early church fathers” until I was in my 30s, so I was totally clueless to any early beliefs, writings etc. That all changed when I had a child since, despite my falling away from the Church, I never left Jesus. I, from my earliest memory, always felt close to Jesus. I knew, without a doubt, that He exists, He was always there and that He loved me. I wanted my child to know Jesus, so I began studying the catechism, reading the bible and learning about the ECF (Early Church Fathers) and I got back into the Faith.

Ok enough about me…my question has to do with cradle Catholics my parents´ age, 83ish.
My mom and dad stopped drinking in their 70s and both got back into their faith, coincidentally about the same time I did, but they never felt the need to learn about it like I did. They still didn’t have a bible or a catechism. My dad passed away earlier this year, but mom, thank God, is still going strong. My mom’s faith is very Marian based, and she reads about the lives of Saints, apparitions of Mary etc. She says the rosary daily and prays a lot. All of which is wonderful, but I’ve asked if she’s ever curious about reading the bible and she says no that she couldn’t understand it. So my question is:

For those of my parents generation, did you read the bible growing up? Have you ever read the bible, even if only the New Testament? And, if not, have you ever wanted to read the bible? Or do you feel, like my mom, more comfortable in your faith with just hearing the Word at Mass? I am curious if my parents, and their approach to the Faith, were indicative of cradle Catholics of their generation or outside the norm.
 
Not quite your parents, age, but kind of in between. Let’s just say I’ll never see my 60s again.

Yes, I read the Bible in Catholic grade school. I remember one homework assignment: pick any book from the Old Testament, and do a report on it. Many of the kids picked Genesis, quite a few others sought to find the shortest Book to read. I asked my parents which one they would choose. JOB. I think I got maybe 5% of what is buried in that book.

Having said that, reading the Bible was not commonplace, and would remain so up to Vatican II. So, it does not at all surprise me regarding your mom’s attitude.

For me, Bible reading really began in high school and sort of continued on and off for years. In one of my jobs, we had a lunchtime Bible Study group that eventually I joined, which resparked my interest, which continues and intensified.

Blessings,
Stephie
 
I am “close” to your parent’s generation.

We had a Family Bible on our coffee table in the living room. I would glance through it at times. Occasionally my dad would spend some time reading it. We didn’t 'study" our Bible because my sister & I attended Catholic school.

The Bible is important but for most Catholics like your Mom…it is not necessary.

If she attends mass every Sunday… in three years she will be exposed to readings that cover over seven thousand bible verses. That’s a lot more than most protestants see. The new lectionary is so extensive that it covers almost the entire New Testament and the most significant portions of the Old Testament. So in three years your Mom will hear the New Testament along with a commentary (Homely) Just like a good ole Bible Study
 
My mom was like your mom, a very strong Marian devotion. My dad actually grew up at a convent, his dad was caretaker during ww2 and they nuns gracefully allowed the family to live there. My mom had the Bible and read a few verses here and there. Neither one had enough faith in the church, with the changes/abuses after v2 they left the church and kept us kids away. My mom died in 2013, on her 89th birthday. My dad died a year ago, neither ever reconciled with the church.
 
My dad is a cradle Catholic and about your parents’ age. (My mom is neither. 🙂 )

My dad reads some of the Bible every day, and has read through the Bible many times. He also reads lives of (and more frequently writings of) saints, and of course prays (including the Rosary). He has done this for many years. I’m afraid I don’t know what he did as a child, though. It would maybe be awkward to ask, because if the answer is that no, his family didn’t read the Bible when he was a child, he or I might seem to be criticizing his (deceased) mother, which would upset him.

–Jen
 
My 83 year old mother grew up in an immigrant family in NY. I don’t think anyone in the family owned or read the Bible. Going to Mass and personal devotions were enough for them. When my mom got married, she bought her first Bible (Douay Confraternity) from a door-to-door salesman in 1954 along with a missal and prayer book. I’m not sure how often she read it.

In my experience, cradle Catholics tend not to be too interested in the history of Catholicism or the Catechism, or the Bible. Mass and personal devotion is enough for them. Converts and reverts, on the other hand, are enthusiastic students of the Bible and all things Catholic.
 
I am in the generation with you parents and we didn’t study or read the bible.

But we did know what was in it because of our schooling and the knowledge we obtained from the Mass. We also learned about things in the early church and the developement of the Mass. But Bible study was neither encouraged nor discouraged.

However for other Christians, the bible is what it is about, and that is all they have. In their service they really don’t have strong worship. So they encourage bible study. For them it is sola scriptura.

But for us, worship is what it is about. So we live for the Mass…true worship of the Father thru Jesus. They do not have this perfect sacrifice of worship.

So the emphasis is different.
 
Thank you all that have posted. It helps me understand where my mom is coming from better. And I know that my mom hears the Word at Mass, thank God. Growing up in the 30s and 40s the Mass was in Latin and my mom was a kid so she really wasn’t interested in following along, in English, in the missal. So when she went back to Mass, after basically leaving the church in the 50s (She still was married in the Church and had us all baptized) she was happy that it was now in English so she could follow along. I am so happy that she has such a strong faith and that she is going to Mass again. I would just be so curious to read the Word for myself that I couldn’t help but at least have a bible handy at home. If only just to look at on occasion. Just a different generation mindset. And funnily I would LOVE a mass in the traditional Latin esp. one with the Gregorian chant, unfortunately my Church is done all in English with only a couple of Latin words here and there.

Thanks again to everyone
 
Peregrinans said:
Thank you all that have posted. It helps me understand where my mom is coming from better. And I know that my mom hears the Word at Mass, thank God. Growing up in the 30s and 40s the Mass was in Latin and my mom was a kid so she really wasn’t interested in following along, in English, in the missal. So when she went back to Mass, after basically leaving the church in the 50s (She still was married in the Church and had us all baptized) she was happy that it was now in English so she could follow along. I am so happy that she has such a strong faith and that she is going to Mass again. I would just be so curious to read the Word for myself that I couldn’t help but at least have a bible handy at home. If only just to look at on occasion. Just a different generation mindset. And funnily I would LOVE a mass in the traditional Latin esp. one with the Gregorian chant, unfortunately my Church is done all in English with only a couple of Latin words here and there.

Thanks again to everyone
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That is a great picture of Jesus…where did you get that?
 
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