Should I complete RCIA?

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I remember when I first read about the doctrines that the Church teaches about the Eucharist. My first reaction was, “this is crazy, these people are out of their minds”. I felt that way until I did two things.
First of which was go to Mass with a friend of mine and sit on the front row (getting to see the consecration up close and personal was incredible), and second was spend an hour before the Blessed Sacrament in the Monstrance at another church that offers 24/7 Eucharistic adoration. These two things completely changed my mind about the Real Presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. I have never been the same since.

Go and be with Him, just give it a try. What harm could it do? You are in my prayers.
I have spent probably a total of five hours, in adoration, over the last few months. I was curious about it, so I checked it out. It was extremely hard, and time slowed to a crawl. I didn’t feel any presence, or anything. I blocked every thought out of my mind, until the only sense I had was the sense that I was staring at something… which I was merely a crispy wafer. There is nothing divine about it. I can stare at the stapler on my desk, and convince myself that Jesus is in the stapler. I can then associate feelings and thoughts and emotions to the stapler, and beforre long, my stapler is now some sort of divine instrument.

I’ve been to many a Mass, and even sat in the front row. I didn’t find anything inredible about the priest getting a bigger cookie than the rest of us (of course, I didn’t get any!), nor his ruining perfectly good wine with water, and proceeding to slam said wine, once everyone was finished.
 
jasphair,

You might find this site helpful for understanding what the Church teaches. See the menu on the left side of the page for pretty much any topic you have questions about:

scripturecatholic.com/

I will be praying for you!
 
Though she may not be a god, Catholics do view her as an important instrument (not simply a virgin, randomly picked by God, to give birth to Jesus). Then there’s the whole thing about Mary being crowned in heaven, being the Queen, etc. I’ve always believed Mary was just the lucky person involved in the situation. She was no better or worse than me, but had faith, and trusted God, when approached by an angel.
Do you really think that God does anything randomly - especially concern His selection of the woman to give birth to the Son Incarnate? Being “lucky” has nothing to do with God’s Plan of Salvation in which He especially created and prepared this humble Virgin to bear and nurture Our Savior.

I’ve noticed among many Protestants a great hesitancy to think that anyone, including the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Divine Savior and hence Mother of God, being at an advantage - by God’s predilection - in the Trinitarian life. This hesitancy/denial appears when there is a diminished understanding of what the grace flowing from Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit accomplishes in the faithful soul as he or she progresses (hopefully) in this Christ-life; they do not understand that we are being divinized (“do you not know you have become partakers of the divine nature?”), but, instead, see grace as something that covers rather than transforms our human nature.

A Catholic, otoh, knows that Mary’s participation in the life of the Trinity (a participation to which we are all called) is of a higher “status” or “role” than ours or any of the Saints in heaven, canonized or not. The Catholic says, “Yes, this is what we have by grace and since these is what we have the Blessed and Ever-Virgin Mary - by grace - has it in spades!”

Of course there is an infinite distance between the humanity of Mary and the divinity of Christ. Mary’s nature is human, though elevated to participation in the Divine nature, while Christ’s nature is both Divine and human. But there is no distance between the Hearts of the Son and Mother - between the New Covenant and she who is the Ark of the New Covenant (cf. 2 Sam 6:1-11 & Luke 1:39-56.)

“What is the place of Mary herself in relation to God? It is that he brought her, as he did all the other children of earth, out of nothing - although He has since then exalted her to a point of grace immense and inconceivable, nevertheless, in comparison to her Maker, she still remains as nothing. Indeed, she is - far more than any other - HIS creature, because he has wrought more in her than in any other of his creatures. The greater the things he does to her, the more she becomes the work of his hands.” (From Down to Earth: The New Protestant View of the Virgin Mary.)

If the R.C.I.A. program you attend is a good one, then it should help you grow in your understanding - and do away with your misconceptions - of the Church’s teaching regarding the Blessed Mother and the other issues which cause you concern.
I’m not protesting anything. I accept some of the Church’s teachings, but others I’m not so sure on. The same goes for the government. Do you accept everything the government says and does, or do you take something here and there, and in your mind, build, what you believe, would be the perfect utopia?
As a Catholic I believe all that the Church teaches of faith and morals. 🙂 You may do the same someday, also! 🙂
 
I’ve been to many a Mass, and even sat in the front row. I didn’t find anything inredible about the priest getting a bigger cookie than the rest of us (of course, I didn’t get any!), nor his ruining perfectly good wine with water, and proceeding to slam said wine, once everyone was finished.
You might find it spiritually helpful to approach the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass with more reverence and to express yourself here with more respect for Catholic belief.
 
You might find it spiritually helpful to approach the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass with more reverence and to express yourself here with more respect for Catholic belief.
How am I being disrespectful? Am I supposed to apologize for my observations? When someone does something, and I accurately point out what is going on (e.g. wine being ruined, priest drinking it, etc), it’s not supposed to be offensive.
 
First thing, you have been a little disrespectful regarding the Eucharist. Quick calling it a cracker and cookie, and about the priest slamming the “wine”.

but what would be helpful for you is to read a couple books by Scott Hahn. GREAT writer. He was a former protestant minister who converted. The ones I would recommend are 1. Hail Holy Queen, 2. The Lord’s Supper, and 3. Rome Sweet Home.

I think these would open you eyes and answers a lot of the questions and misinformation you have. Please do stay in the RCIA program, and ASK your questions!!! Now is the time to do that. But please do not go through Confirmation or any of the other sacraments until you have decided that you want to be Catholic 100%.

God Bless and I’ll pray for you to be open to learning more.
 
How am I being disrespectful? Am I supposed to apologize for my observations? When someone does something, and I accurately point out what is going on (e.g. wine being ruined, priest drinking it, etc), it’s not supposed to be offensive.
Your observations are couched in terms offensive to Catholics: "cracker, “cookie,” in reference to the Eucharist… Saying that the priest “ruin[ed] the wine”, expresses a disdain for the Sacrament; and “slamming it” a disdain and an innuendo regarding the priest. It’s one thing not to understand or believe, it’s another to express this lack of understanding and belief in a boorish manner.
 
I think that you need to read some good Catholic books on your own outside of the RCIA program. We tend to learn better what we study on our own accord. Perhaps everyone can help by posting links to books and free e-books that jasphair can read?
 
It’s perplexing to me that you want to be Catholic because you take issue with SO many core things about the faith, especially the Source and Summit, that it seems odd to me that you would want to be Catholic at all… I mean, what’s drawing you to the faith if it isn’t a belief in the Sacraments? If you don’t believe in what the Church teaches about the Sacraments, then it isn’t reasonable or rational to believe that the Sacraments will bring you closer to God than you are now…so I guess I’m confused.

If you are sincere… and you do want to be a Catholic… what’s the rush? Why do you find it so necessary to skip the whole “belief” part and go through with confirmation anyway? The whole point of of being confirmed is just that… you are being CONFIRMED in the FAITH… all of it. Not just the parts you like. 😉 So it defeats the purpose of confirmation to go through with it with soooo many disbeliefs and doubts. It will be better for you if you wait.

I am a baby Catholic (lol) and I spent a LONG time studying the faith before I even decided to go through with RCIA. I got stuck in a rut at one point in RCIA, over Christmas break, because I was a thousand miles away from the comfort of my Catholic family (not my immediate family, but the people helping me and supporting me in the RCIA process) and this SCARED me. I didn’t go to Mass, I didn’t live my faith… for all of Christmas break… which was about a month. When I got back, I went straight to my priest and I told him I was having second thoughts and I wasn’t sure I was ready. I told him I was scared that I couldn’t be a good Catholic and that I wasn’t sure I was doing it for the right reasons. He told me that it was completely normal to have these fears and that he would be worried if I wasn’t having any doubts. He also told me that I should not go through with confirmation unless I felt certain and comfortable I could do it the right way, for the right reasons and that there was always next year–it didn’t HAVE to be right then. You know in your heart of hearts where God is calling you and if you’re ready or not. Just trust in Him for the answers, He won’t lead you astray.

But ask yourself, why do you feel drawn to Catholicism? You haven’t reasoned your way to the decision, because you don’t believe a lot of important elements of the faith. So then could it be that God is calling you to Catholicism? If you can accept that that is true, why do you think He would call you to a Church that is “confused” about many of the things it STRONGLY believes in…?

Good luck in your search for the Truth. 🙂
 
So basically, I kneel before the altar, and repeatedly tell myself “this is not a cracker, this is not a cracker, this is not a cracker” until I really think it’s not, and then start to associate certain feelings, emotions, and ideas, to said cracker?
No, you don’t have to tell yourself anything. But you do need to have an open mind and let God does the work. If you believe nothing is impossible for God, why would you have problem to believe through consecration the bread will turn into the real body of Christ? Especially Jesus said at the last supper “This** is** my body”. He did not say this is the symbol of my body, he said this is my body.

But we don’t have to debate this, if you are willing, God will reveal the truth to you when you regularly and faithfully stay in front of his tabernacle and leave your heart open to listen.
It may take long time before his grace go through and sink in. But the Real Presence is powerful. You just have to give yourself a chance. Not just do a few times, but keep on doing Eucharist Adoration and ask God to reveal the truth to you.
 
I am willing and desire to go through the process of becoming Catholic (e.g. RCIA, rites, Confirmation, Eucharist, etc), however, I do not believe that in doing so, I am saved, nor put under a different light than anyone else, Catholic or not. My becoming Catholic, would be my attempt to grow closer to God, plain and simple. There are things I would take as truth, and others I would question (and pray about), and believe that in time (though maybe not in this life), God would reveal it.

It all sounds fine and dandy to me, however, the general consensus is that I should not be confirmed. That sort of throws a wrench into things.

What about my beliefs makes me sound Lutheran? The fact that I don’t completely side with all the teachings of the Catholic Church? I’ve been to Lutheran services before, and they were quite nice.
Your thoughts on A,B,D, and E sound very much like my own.
 
I think your question as to whether you should be confirmed might be couched in terms of trusting the Church. I’m going through RCIA at the moment myself, and there are certainly some teachings of the Church which I find difficult to understand - indeed, they are pretty much the same points are having difficulty with. But the Church, I believe, knows what she’s talking about. Understanding is not the most important part (although it is always to be preferred). Everyone, I think, will find some things easier than others. What’s important, if we wish to be confirmed into the Catholic Church is that we trust the Church’s teachings even in matters we haven’t fully understood yet - because it would take more than a lifetime to understand everything.

I hope you do continue with RCIA, and that you keep seeking answers to your questions. Questions are good. I believe the Church has answers for them. When you’re ready, I hope you will be received fully into the Church.
 
Continue to go grow learn… I am Dissapointed that your Sponsor Will not let you proced … As for my self the Church i was attending while in RCIA the instructor who was previousley a Babptist before converting and She struggled with the divinity of marry an still does but didint stop her from being confirmed, or teaching others … I will finish my sacrements in time but to hear the words of others, breaks my heart as well, I belive Whole heartly and will deal with God on my Own Terms I believe in 98.9 percent of the CHURCHES teachings i will take the remaing percentage to the gates of heaven and will discuss those things i strugle with with the Man Himself. dont be discouraged.!! chin up . !👍
 
Well, after giving it much thought, I’ve decided to abandon not only Catholicism, but Christianity as a whole. The constant bickering and disagreements between Protestant sects led me to seek out a more confident and historically accurate branch of Christianity, but unfortunately, upon finding one, steep requirements and rejection I face to join the Catholic church has left me with a complete lack of interest in any Christian church organization.
  • I believe in a deity, and beyond that, it’s all speculation. You wouldn’t find many people to argue whether or not the sky is blue, and if it were the same way for religion and god, there’d only be one true (religion). As no religion or religious sect has all the right answers, however, one should only take them with a grain of salt, as they’re all speculation, albeit all speculations backed up by “legitimate” sources (ancient (or not-so-ancient writings), oral sayings, and traditions).
  • I’m going to appreciate life, and appreciate what is the unknown. I believe someday it will be revealed. It may not be, but I’m optimistic. I also believe that life follows after death. It may not, but to think otherwise, leaves me feeling depressed, so I’ll be optimistic that something awaits us after this world.
  • I’m going to obey the laws of my land, and should I feel a better life awaits me elsewhere, I will happily leave my land in search of another. I will follow my moral conscience, and be the best person I can be, showing kindess whenever I can, and sorrow when I lack kindness when I should have. I will not associate my feelings with a devil or talking snake, but rather, associate my flaws and faults with my own poor decisions and actions, which I made without first consulting logic.
  • I’m going to love with all of my heart, and love love itself. I’m going to receive love wherever I can find it, and pass it on to whomever I can (e.g. a future spouse, kids, family, etc). I will dream of a better world, although we may never see it, and will do my part to give back to it (e.g. giving back to others, contributing to society, etc).
  • I’m going to have a really great time with life. I’m going to love it, and have fun, as much as I can, whenever I can, wherever I can. We never know when our life will end, so we have to make the best of the moment. I’m not going to stress out over certain things which are not illegal, though condemned by a church or other organization. I’m not going to pray and hope that my words are being heard by someone interested in helping (if they did, they would). I’m not accept a status as a ‘sinner’ or one in need of salvation, nor suggest that anyone else in this world is. I’m going to accept that humanity, as all creatures, are not perfect, but we make the best of it.
Now then, good day to all of you, and I hope we all find ourselves in the same place someday. And if that place doesn’t exist, then oh well! We won’t be able to point fingers and say who was wrong!
 
Let’s clear up a few of the misconceptions you seem to have

A) Mary’s divinity. We don’t believe Mary was divine. We believe that because the special grace of preservance in holiness at the instant of her conception in St Ann’s womb. Because she had this grace she was able to avoid actual sin and was the perfect Virgin mother to enable God to become a man just like us.

B) Mary’s death (or not). The church doesn’t make any claims about whether Mary died or fell asleep but rather that her body was taken up to heaven. Please do try to disprove this by locating her body as I understand there maybe some who will pay large sums for her relics (No one has ever produced them)

C) Eucharist. Jesus said “This is my body, given up for you…” “…do this in rememberence of me” Yes He was literally saying that the elements of the Passover meal became His body and His blood. Otherwise what Christians have always offered in sacrifice makes them blasphemers [only His body and blood are acceptable to the Father]. Also in Jn 6 you will read this at Stomaching Jesus
6;53 Jesus said therefore to them:
Amen, Amen, I say to you, if you would not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink of the same’s blood, you will not have life by Him 6:54 Anyone feasting on My flesh and drinking my blood has eternal life, and I will raise up him on the last day. 6:55 for My Flesh truly is food and My Blood truly is drink 6:56 anyone feasting on My flesh and drinking My Blood remains with Me and I with him 6:57 Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, anyone feasting on Me, will live because of Me. 6:58 This is the bread which came down from heaven, Not as the fathers ate and died, anyone eating this bread will live into eternity.
Where else are you going to be able to eat His flesh and drink His blood?

D) Mass. Attendance at the Divine Liturgy [of the Holy Eucharist] weekly on the Lord’s day (Sunday) is mandatory. When you were a child wasn’t attendance at the family dinner required? Don’t you think it is a good idea to go or are you just not that committed to Christ? If you’re not that committed to Him, you don’t love Him really , do you?..
 
One thing I must say is that I don’t see true humility in you. I really am not trying to condemn you, really- I know for a fact that I’m far from true humility; it’s something I’m working hard on, and I think I’m safe in saying that there are very few any truly humble people. But one thing about Catholocism is that it’s a faith of giving and giving ourselves up to God, and shouldn’ be all about us. Yes, the ‘requirements’ may seem harsh, but never was it stated that the way would be easy. We cannot truly comprehend God and his ways, nor whould we try to- it would be like trying to fill the ocean into a hole on the beach. It may seem like we are ‘blindly’ trusting in a being we couldn’t even be sure really exists to those still attached to the world- those with strong secular attachments- but this is called Faith, and it may be something that some of us may never comprehend in our lifetime, but we trust in the Lord to help us on our way.

So basically, one thing about Catholocism is that we must give ourselves up entirely to God- and this does not happen overnight, or in a matter of weeks, months, or years; It’s a process that can last a whole lifetime, and takes a lot of hard work to achieve. I encourage you to continue your RCIA program- understand that you cannot be confirmed as of yet, for you must fully be confirmed in your faith, meaning you accept and believe in everything about it. Take time to understand why.
 
Good luck to you Jasphair. I did a search of all your posts and it seems that the entire time you were in RCIA you had major, major doubts, so it is probably for the best that you did not go through with it at this time.

I “tried” to leave the Christian faith many times and He kept calling me back home to Rome. 😉

Good luck and you are in my prayers! 🙂
 
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