RCIA - Second Doubts/Fears?

[Bill_Cherry]

Yahoo! I start monday!
this makes my third try in tha past 5 yrs.
and I really dislike this feeling that satan is trying to prevent it.
THIS time,…a job transfer and shift change,and mysterious overdrafts,which have been taken care of,but,still,…
But I’m really praying hard,and putting it in GODS hands.He brought me this far,…I’m sure He’ll see it through.I’m a lot stronger in my belief and faith.
i hope
So, for all of you in a similar boat.And please pray for me,too!!
I want to be able to take eucharist.I need to be baptised.
I may try to enter a consecrated life of some sort…Besides,I’ve all but worn out my IDIOTS GUIDE TO CATHOLICISM.

 

[Rachel_J]

“When your feet hit the floor in the morning, may the devil cringe and say ‘Oh, no, he’s awake again.’”

Ken

I wish you remember who first said that as well 'cause that is an awesome quote!

 

[dianaballein]

I’ve been feeling second doubts and fears about my conversion to the Catholic Church and thinking about not attending RCIA…

I know that I’m on the right path… but have any of you who converted from protestantism ever feel these feelings as you got closer to finally being Catholic?

Brian, sometimes I feel like I shouldn’t be there because I am so ignorant about the rites and rituals and scripture…I am so new to all things religious other than knowing the basics…but even though it is hard to appear ignorant, I know that I really believe I am meant to be a Catholic, and the teachings and the knowledge and the comfort level will come in time. I am now facing the task of annuling a prior marriage…scary and unsure territory. You are not alone.

 

[jalco1]

I had doubts right up to and through my confirmation. They never got resolved until I got up the courage to honestly discuss them with a priest. Try to be as clear as possible about these and find a good Spiritual Director to discuss them with. There are good reasons for all of the Catholic beliefs so far as I have found, and there are many proofs of the basic reality—Jesus Christ crucified and rising from the dead. He either rose or he didn’t. If you can get past this you should resolve your doubts issues. Don’t give up!!

 

[hope_7]

Brian

I can understand your doubts and fears too. I know the teaching of the penticostal church. There is alot of misunderstanding about the roman catholic church. There is just as much misunderstanding about the penticostal church by catholics as well.

            One thing that you said is that you were baptized..

    I would first ask you if you are saved and can you tell me about that. I would also ask if you said yes to my first question have you  been baptized in the Holy Ghost and speak in other tongues as the spirit gives utterance. Many in the catholic church do not understand these things especially about being born again.

If you join the catholic church that is not going to send you to hell. If you are born again it will not effect the fact that Jesus has saved you and your sins are washed away. If you join because this has not happened then you could end up in deception if you are trying to rely on going another way other then being born again. I am assuming that you have been saved but that you didnt mention that because of fear of being misunderstood here when you said you are baptized.

         Many people join churches and are baptized and live good lives take comunion help the poor and follow the rules set down by the church. Even in the catholic church    .Many people know all about God but have never come to know Him through the new birth.

I am not condeming the catholic church I am trying to speak in a language that you understand. I am sure that many here will not understand me here but that is ok.
I do not believe that all the doubts and fears that you are experiencing are inspired by the devil. If God wants you to join the catholic church He will confirm it to you again and again. I would just read His word and keep praying about it .I am sure that as you continue reading His word seeking His face and obeying Him that He will guide you and you will have His peace as you follow Him.

 

[YinYangMom]

I understand and appreciate Hope taking the time and making the effort to speak to you in terms you’d be familiar with but I must interject at this point:

If you join the catholic church that is not going to send you to hell. If you are born again it will not effect the fact that Jesus has saved you and your sins are washed away.** If you join because this has not happened then you could end up in deception if you are trying to rely on going another way other then being born again**. I am assuming that you have been saved but that you didnt mention that because of fear of being misunderstood here when you said you are baptized.

Because the Catholic Church is the one true church, there is no risk whatsoever of ‘ending up in deception’ by becoming Catholic. I understand that’s the trickiest part for a possible convert such as yourself because it means truly trusting in the validity of the Church. The good news is, even if you haven’t ‘been saved’ as Hope asks, you’ll definitely be born again in Christ when you are baptised through the Trinity of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

Many people join churches and are baptized and live good lives take comunion help the poor and follow the rules set down by the church. Even in the catholic church .Many people know all about God but have never come to know Him through the new birth.

The only clarification with Hope’s statement here, is that the ‘new birth’ of Christ is achieved through the sacrament of Trinitarian baptism. It’s not an personal experience you ‘feel’, it’s your “Yes” at the end of your RCIA experience wherein you freely give yourself to God. The sacrament is an outward sign of that “Yes”. When you assent and receive the Trinity and are bathed in the holy water that is the new birth in which you will receive Grace from God and thus new life.

I do not believe that all the doubts and fears that you are experiencing are inspired by the devil. If God wants you to join the catholic church He will confirm it to you again and again. I would just read His word and keep praying about it .I am sure that as you continue reading His word seeking His face and obeying Him that He will guide you and you will have His peace as you follow Him.

Hope is correct about that. Keep praying. Reflect upon scripture, especially Act of the Apostles, and He will continue to guide you through RCIA. In the meantime my prayers to the Spirit for courage, wisdom and and open heart and mind are with you on this journey.

 

[janw]

Brian

I can understand your doubts and fears too. I know the teaching of the penticostal church. There is alot of misunderstanding about the roman catholic church. There is just as much misunderstanding about the penticostal church by catholics as well.

            One thing that you said is that you were baptized..

    I would first ask you if you are saved and can you tell me about that. I would also ask if you said yes to my first question have you  been baptized in the Holy Ghost and speak in other tongues as the spirit gives utterance. Many in the catholic church do not understand these things especially about being born again.

If you join the catholic church that is not going to send you to hell. If you are born again it will not effect the fact that Jesus has saved you and your sins are washed away. If you join because this has not happened then you could end up in deception if you are trying to rely on going another way other then being born again. I am assuming that you have been saved but that you didnt mention that because of fear of being misunderstood here when you said you are baptized…

As a former baptist later penticostal, I understand I think, what Hope is talking about.  I believe she and most penticostal churches are wrong in their belief that you must speak in tongues as a way of knowing you have been baptized in the Holy Spirit. One of the main reasons I left the penticostal church is the wrong teaching concerning the gift of tongues.  They do not follow the Bible as to how this gift should be used and seem to believe everyone should receive this.

When I made this decision, I knew nothing of Catholic beliefs. I just studied the Bible and knew from scripture that the penticostal church was very wrong about many things. Didn’t know where to go as I could not find any church that fit what I was learning from the Bible alone.

I started to watch EWTN and I could not believe it but they followed the Bible more closely than any other faith I had found.
This was a search that lasted over a decade spending all my spare time in my search of God’s Truth.

I never dreamed I would find it in the Catholic Church as I knew nothing about the CC. But thanks be to God, he answered my prayer to lead me where I should be.

As to spiritual warfare when you decide to go to RCIA, I thought I had experienced SW before, but never anything like what started after I made to move to be a part of the CC. So many strange things began to happen, it was really obvious it had to be the devil did not want me in the CC.

Please pray for all those in RCIA.

For Brian, go to saint-mike.org The more you learn about the CC, the more you will know you are in the right place.

 

[OldeThom]

Greetings

Not all of us can be so secure and sure of our footing especially as we step into areas that are unknown to us or with which we are uncomfortable. I have had concerns myself, with doubts and fears all along my journey to finally know the Truth. It is very common to experience this kind of warfare within ourselves: like the first time you had to give a speech in your Speech class; jumping out of an airplane for the first time; your first appearance in a team sport in which there are hundreds of spectators; or your first job interview. Our minds race with all kinds of thoughts in those instances and may cover many extremes.

However, there is another warfare, a spiritual one, going on around us at all times. Demonic forces will do anything in their power to dissuade us from the Truth. God’s angelic forces are there fighting them on our behalf. The Saints in Heaven are praying for us. Satan was once an angel of light, now an angel of darkness. His wiles are crafty and disguises his villainy in a false light, but discernible. Ever taken a multiple answer test where you have four choices for each question and two always “seem” to be right but one is always right, the “best” answer, and does not contradict the test material as a whole? If you look carefully at satan’s deceptions you can see the darkness through his false covering of light.

With the forces of evil and with the power of our own doubts and fears, we might surely capitulate. It took some time and discipline, but for my part, I found that constant prayer and devotions, reading from the Scripture, attending Mass on Sunday, yes, but also during the week, kneeling before the Monstrance in meditation and prayer, and when possible surrounding myself with readings, images and sounds inspired by God, have gone a long way in keeping my heart and mind focused on the Truth and Love of God. And I have not even started my RCIA class yet!

Doubts and fears are part of the human experience and no one is immune, but we can all take heart and hope in these words,

“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?” - Rom 8:31

Respectfully,
Thom

 

[Stella76]

I get scared daily…perhaps that’s because I’m just beginning my RCIA journey.

It took everything I had to pluck up enough courage to go to Mass last week; I’m so afraid of doing something wrong and having the whole place think “Ohhhhh…she’s one of those new ones!”

Sometimes I know this is the right path for me and sometimes I panic and want to run back to my “old” life. My husband barely understands why I’m going on this spiritual journey, and that feels lonely as well.

But enough of my babbling; just wanted to say I know what you’re feeling. You’re not alone.

-Stella

 

[dianaballein]

Stella,

This is why I sit in the back row at Mass…no one behind me watching me learn. I am in the same place you are. Just know that you are loved and that everyone, EVERYONE, had to start somewhere, and learn it all just like we are doing now. Someday, we will be the ones who are comfortable and knowing. Until then, enjoy your journey down the path, and if you ever need to vent or share, I am here too!!!

 

[janw]

I have always been too self conscious, was very shy as a child. I was very nevous about the first few times at mass. Afraid I would do something wrong and be embarrassed.

Didn’t take me long to realize no one was really paying any attention to me, they were involved in the worship. I think this was a good experience for me as I realized I was too concerned with my dress and appearance. I guess what I’m trying to say is it was a humbling experience and a learning experience.

I quit thinking about myself so much and starting thinking about My God and the worship of the Mass. Not saying that this could be the situation with anyone else. But it brought a Blessing to me, in that it changed my attitude. Now I want to be there no matter what I look like or how horrid I sound singing (and I do).

So I guess the Good Lord was working on me right away getting rid of things in my personality that didn’t need to be there.

He’s a Great God!

Pray for all in RCIA

Janice

 

[Hope070408]

It does take awhile to get used to Mass, but it’s a beautiful experience! I add my prayers for all going through RCIA.

Here’s a question for anyone who has been through the process of RCIA: if you complete RCIA and decide to officially join the Catholic Church, is your original church notified? Or is the record simply kept within the Catholic Church?

 

[Bill_Cherry]

It does take awhile to get used to Mass, but it’s a beautiful experience! I add my prayers for all going through RCIA.

Here’s a question for anyone who has been through the process of RCIA: if you complete RCIA and decide to officially join the Catholic Church, is your original church notified? Or is the record simply kept within the Catholic Church?

This is a good question,actually.
But in reality,…I could care less.
What are they gonna do?
Excommunicate me?

 

[Hope070408]

Hmm…hopefully someone will know the answer.

My church would never in a million years do such a thing! There’s no such thing as excommunication in my church. Mainly I’m just curious if they’d get the record or not. I know that the record of my marriage (in my husband’s Catholic church) will be sent to my home church where I was baptized.

 

[Joe_Kelley]

    . . .

Here’s a question for anyone who has been through the process of RCIA: if you complete RCIA and decide to officially join the Catholic Church, is your original church notified? Or is the record simply kept within the Catholic Church?

I ran the RCIA for several years. As far as I know nothing was ever sent to the neophyte’s previous community.

 

[strngrnrth]

I know what you feel like. I wasn’t raised religious, but I found the Lord when I was an adult. Over the next few years I struggled to get some spiritual guidance and counsel, and some boldness, in a notoriously anti-Christian area, and I struggled to sort out what I’d picked up in my childhood and misspent youth (which included a lot of occultism and drugs and more), from the truth. The people I started liking to hang out with who went to a nearby nondenominational independent Charismatic storefront church were bold about their faith, overwhelmingly caring, giving, passionate Christians. And they didn’t seem to care if I switched to their church. No pressure. I enjoyed their church, because the pastors and speakers were so genuine and enthusiastic. There was a great missions, street outreach and poverty outreach system, and I wanted badly to take part. Moreover they had a system of Bible study that offered companionship and support.
Do I have to tell you how things started to change when they joined a Pentecostal denomination?
I started shopping mentally for another church when the pastor said several disturbing things, leading up to an admission that he was getting flak from other church leaders in the same tradition for coercive persuasion tactics, which we were supposed to laugh off. But it was true.
And then I was reading up on some facts as part of debunking the Da Vinci Code, and a lot of other stuff was going on, and I ended up here and learned that I had been really taken for a ride about some stuff, almost as badly as my friend who believed the Da Vinci Code. I got angry and sad and eager to learn more. And relieved. It was not going to destroy me to let my mind roam a little.
I had been so afraid to lose my faith by mistake by misunderstanding some thing or other I had decided to shut my thought process down when things got too bewildering, and then I found it harder to gear it up again when I wanted it.
It wasn’t like I didn’t think for myself. i just didn’t want to think anything wrong so when things didn’t make sense I decided to ride them out in a lower level of awareness and turn on again later and figure things out then. But it doesn’t work that simply. The brain isn’t a lightswitch.
And I care so much about my friends there. I feel like they’re my family, in a real, holidays and watching the kids, serious sense. One already warned me soulfully that she’s afraid I’m losing my salvation getting into witchcraft being a Catholic. A wonderful person who gives her all for the needy and sobs sincerely for lost souls, and she thinks I am one now unless the book I gave her is helping. People who have literally saved my life and given me everything I needed when I was neediest, and shown me so much about life and myself; how can I walk away from them, turn my back?
But I know I did the right thing. I know it as a fact. There is no turning back now. I have had the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ in me, and it changed me forever.
Confirmation feels so good. If you like prayer meetings and walks (if you did that), you’ll love your First Communion and talk about anointing. Wow! Don’t look back. A lot of us are waiting.

 

[Hope070408]

I ran the RCIA for several years. As far as I know nothing was ever sent to the neophyte’s previous community.

Thanks, Joe Kelley!

strngrnrth, I totally get what you’re saying about struggles over faith and what to believe. It’s such a challenge! It sounds like you’re working through it well and made the right decision for you. That’s so wonderful .

 

[strngrnrth]

One problem of going Pentecostal to Catholic is the issue of personal boundaries. Are you doing OK with that so far, Brian? I find that balancing a strong sense of community with a rebuilding of my sense of individual beginning-and-ending places has me overwhelmed at times.
You don’t have to answer that. it’s up to you.

 

[Laurie_86]

In reading over a lot of the posts I can relate so much with what has been said!

I grew up Protestant everything from strict Methodist to non-Denominational. For the past two years I have really been questioning my Protestant upbringing. God brought my boyfriend, who is Catholic, into my life 6 months ago. Through a lot of prayer and research I decided to join RCIA. I can’t say I understand Catholicism completely, but from what I do understand I know even despite my doubts I could not stay Protestant any longer.

RCIA classes have been challenging simply because I don’t know anyone. There are 150 people in my RCIA class and so far they just have us sitting in tables together not interacting with each other while we listen to someone talk. A lot of people there look like they have sponsors already. My boyfriend lives in New Mexico so he can’t be at classes with me so I feel very alone at times.

I feel like the vast majority of people I see brought someone with them to be their sponsor. I made the mistake the past two meetings sitting at tables with engaged couples (one is a sponsor, the other is a candidate) where they where they were involved with talking among themselves. I really wish I had someone I could rely on being with me for the classes…we won’t be getting our sponsors till the end of October which seems so long to go without one. I feel really alone in the classes. They are friendly people…I just feel like there are so many people and I never see the same sponsor twice. When is it common to get sponsors?

I feel like at Mass I have a huge stamp on my forehead that says Protestant. I don’t always do everything right but I’m trying to remind myself to be patient and not feel like a fool. Sitting down while others are receiving the Eucharist is the hardest part. I’m trying not to feel like an outsider in those moments, but literally I never see anyone sitting down around me.

It’s getting better I guess. I don’t know anyone who is Catholic except my boyfriend and he lives 700 miles away. He’s trying to be as supportive as he can be, giving me books that we’re going through together and praying the Rosary with me. My heavily Protestant family is not always supportive of my conversion…which is hard when you see them on a daily basis.

So I’m just trying to remind myself that this is all going to work out…I know this is where I need to be, the swim just hasn’t been very easy so far. It’s only been a few weeks since I started RCIA so I probably need to give it more time.

 

[jmcrae]

I’ve been feeling second doubts and fears about my conversion to the Catholic Church and thinking about not attending RCIA…

I know that I’m on the right path… but have any of you who converted from protestantism ever feel these feelings as you got closer to finally being Catholic?

Yes, I was absolutely terrified, right up until the very end. This is perfectly normal.