Returning to Catholicism

[sirticsalot]

I’m a new member and I’m not sure if this category is the appropriate one to post in on this.

I’m a 21-year-old man in New England. I was baptized Catholic, had First Communion around 2007, and have been a lapsed Catholic since and for many years an ardent atheist. I’ve recently found a renewed belief in God and the ethos of Jesus Christ after a couple years of trying to fill this spiritual void I began to feel as I exited my teenage years. I’m inclined to return to Catholicism, but I’m not sure what the process is, and there is another concern.

For years, I’ve openly identified as gay and have been in a few long-term, meet-the-parents relationships with men. I’ve recently considered celibacy, not because I feel any particular shame about my homosexual feelings, but because same-sex relationships have not suited my needs; they have negatively impacted my mental health and they have been all-consuming in my life. I long for a life free of sexuality, while admitting that that is of course a struggle.

My question is (along with the general question of how a lapsed Catholic might return to the faith) if a celibate approach, while acknowledging same-sex attraction, is consistent with Church teaching, if I confess about the relationships I’ve held prior.

Thanks.

 

[Neithan]

Welcome home.

This is a weird time we’re in and in many places we do not have access to the sacraments right now. Normally you would find out what diocese you’re in and your parish, then contact a priest there and ask for confession. You can still try this but you may have to wait until the covid crisis subsides.

Your sexual feelings are not sinful, though they are disordered. We are all called to chastity and if you choose to live celibate, then you can live in a state of grace in communion with the church. While you wait for confession, you can make an Act of Contrition and ask God to forgive you for any sins you have committed.

I’d also recommend the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church for an easy introduction back into the teachings of the faith.

God bless you!