No, because everything just bogs down at that point. Too many Catholics just don’t even understand what Christianity IS. They think it’s bickering about whether they wear hats or not, or get to stand in line, or belong to this or that family, or like Irish music. They have got to learn what Christianity is.
I’m not sure about it. It seems to me that it’s too little, too late.
I haven’t heard anything about it in Church either. It’s supposed to start next Sunday, the Sunday after Christmas. I wonder if we’ll hear about it then?
The problem here is that you pose a question, namely, “how does one get them to read the Bible and the Catholic Catechism?” But then you don’t actually answer it. You suggest a cure that doesn’t address the question. This is a problem with this logic. Are you aware of this on any level? It’s looks like you’re just throwing out random prescriptions to make yourself feel better.
I don’t think you can start with a challenge until you really get them to understand why the challenge should be met. For many, receiving the sacrament has no meaning other than it’s what you do when you go to Mass. There’s no connection to the saving activity of Christ and what that really means in their lives. There’s no fundamental understanding of WHY they should want to change their lives. This is another place where we could learn something from our Protestant brothers and sisters. The idea of “giving testimony” is something we need to steal. People who have found the “WHY” need to share their stories with others-which is hard to do. You have to go to some very personal places and talk about what Jesus saved you from and why your life is so much better. And we need to show people that life with Jesus is better than life without Him. I’ve talked to more than a few people who think Catholics are really unhappy and angry all the time because that is what they see. They see us protesting and expressing our dissatisfaction with the world around us often-but do they see our joy in Christ? There has to be something we show people about how we live that makes them want what we have.
Amen!
I think there’s quite a lot of truth in what you say here, Seeker. Many Catholics often don’t talk much either so they don’t share these things face to face very often. That’s, after all, why we need CAF.
The bishop’s request for a prayer campaign for life, marriage, and religious liberty has as its root of the problem the very fact that Catholic teaching authority has not adequately argued its case against the sexual revolution. That is, the secular thinking that the sex drive is a powerful drive that may be unhealthy to suppress unnecessarily. Therefore, the Christian taboos of masturbation, contraception, cohabitation and homosexuality are considered antiquated & oppressive by many self-identified Christians. Many Christians accept the tenets of Christianity except where it enters their bedroom which is considered a private matter … a personal conscience matter. So I think that the sexual revolution is a disease in Christianity and especially Catholic circles that is largely not being addressed.
I agree with you completely on your warning. I’m not talking about giddiness-that’s not real joy. Real Joy is something deeper and richer than surface happiness. People who experience Real Joy have an aura about them-even when they are going through the worst possible life circumstances. Their faith in God gives them a confidence and a calmness in the face of whatever comes. Things like “Clown Masses” are fake joy-an attempt to show people joy when there is no Real Joy. It’s like forcing it or something-I can’t explain it very well, but I know it when I see it. I know when someone has that strong connection to God that brings Real Joy and when someone doesn’t and they’re trying to pretend they do. I think lots of people do and it’s why those things really don’t work.
For whatever reason, Catholics want to go right to changing sexual behavior and skip the necessary first step of introducing people to Jesus so that they understand WHY behavior should change.
My brothers & sisters (large family) are all regular Sunday Mass attendees who raised their kids in the Catholic school system whose whole purpose is to connect kids with Jesus. So why after attending Catholic grade school & high school and attending Sunday Mass and receiving the Holy Eucharist during their formative years, is it that the first time that they are on their own and find someone they love, they contracept & cohabit and stop going to church? Apparently, the Catholic school system which has been teaching love without boundaries has failed in addressing “bedroom-work”?
No, this is actually BACKWARDS. Chastity is a consequence of faith, not the other way around.
ABSOLUTELY YES. Catholics have to come to the realization that being a genuine Christian is the answer to these problems. I happen to love the Church, and believe that to be a Catholic Christian is the best, but this doesn’t change the basic idea here, and it doesn’t change what Scripture says about it.
The best way to get this across to Catholics is to get them to have a conversion experience and come to be more Christian, some of them for the first time.
The problem here is that you pose an answer, namely, “get them to read the Bible and the Catholic Catechism” or “get them to have a conversion experience”. But then you don’t actually explain how. You suggest a solution that begs just another question. There is a problem with this logic. Are you aware of this on any level? It’s looks like you’re just throwing out random prescriptions to make yourself feel better.
Nope, all over these boards I’ve been talking about the necessity to start programs at local parishes. There are several of these available:The problem here is that you pose an answer, namely, “get them to read the Bible and the Catholic Catechism” or “get them to have a conversion experience”. But then you don’t actually explain how. You suggest a solution that begs just another question. There is a problem with this logic. Are you aware of this on any level? It’s looks like you’re just throwing out random prescriptions to make yourself feel better.