The Pull Towards Catholicism Keeps Getting Stronger

[catholic1seeks]

Thank you for the kind comment about my blog.

My only hesitation to what you just said here is that you probably shouldn’t judge the Catholic Church based on your experience at one parish – especially if it’s just one visit. There are goof-ups out there, always. I would recommend reading and researching, too, in addition to experiencing in person. The mind and heart have to connect, true enough! But the mind is important, here, because the search for Truth should be first. That is, a bad experience at a Mass or parish may not reflect the Truth of Catholicism, for example.

 

[semper_catholicus]

This pull in you is if the Holy Ghost. By all means, follow it. Come into to full communion with Rome!

 

[MatthaiosX]

Thank you! I am going to go check out some parishes near me. Luckily, I live in a town that has everything to offer: Novus Ordo, Traditional Latin Mass and Byzantine/Eastern Rite. We’ll see how this goes, please pray for me!

 

[PJM]

I continue to feel need to come into full communion with Rome and be Catholic. I am currently Eastern Orthodox and have been for quite awhile now, but I continue to feel that something is “missing” from Orthodoxy. I don’t feel right about it and I am trying to put my finger on what it is that’s bothering me. I think one thing is the lack of Catholicity in the Orthodox tradition. It is very ethnically-centered and there is just this feeling of division that I continue to get from it. I am an American and I feel like a big loner being Orthodox in the West. Not many people in my day to day life even know what it is and even at church I am one of few Americans. It is not this reason alone that I am considering conversion, there are many more, but I can’t help but feel “cut off” from the rest of Christendom. This causing a huge feeling of something “missing”. I feel out of communion, on my own and separated from all other Christians. Then I have to read all these things in Orthodoxy about how it is the one, true faith and how all other Christians are wrong and it is just so bothersome. I know that Catholicism views itself as the one, true church too, but from what I noticed they are at least more accepting of other Christians than the Orthodox are. Orthodoxy is extremely separatist and this just makes me sick to my stomach. We all know that the devil is the author of division, not Christ, and while I am not claiming that the devil is necessarily within Orthodoxy, I do feel very bad about the divisive behavior within the church. It is even divided among itself believe it or not. There is a lot of disunity.

Now, there are other reasons why I am highly drawn towards Catholicism which I don’t have time to mention in one sitting right now, but I am trying to gauge whether my feelings are correct or not. I of course don’t want to make any rash decisions here, but I don’t know if I can keep on going the way I am going. I am going to continue to pray and continue to seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit, but I also need help. Are there any books that you all would recommend me reading? I need to start getting serious about my research on Catholicism so that I can, with God’s help, hopefully make the right decision here and hopefully put an end to this feeling of utter emptiness that I have right now. I know full well that there are going to be challenges no matter where I go and I know that not everything should just be based on a feeling. However, at this point the pull towards Catholicism is so strong that I just cannot deny it anymore.

Permit me to help you:

What your missing is TRUTH which can logically BE only singular per defined Issue

Jesus said: "I AM the Way; I AM the Truth and I AM the life"
It is to be noted that each of these is singular tense by intent of our Perfect God

NOW with singular tense in mind prayerfully read carefully; use the DOUAY Bible
www.http://drbo.org/

Mt 10:1-8
Mt 16: 15-19
John 17:17-20
Mt. 28:18-20
Eph 4:1-7

Then send me a PM if you have other questions

God Bless you,
Patrick

 

[pppp]

Yes the God called iam
Yes the God called the way
Yes the God called the truth

Yes Jesus presented his body as a living sacrament or sacrifice. Romans 12:1:1234:

And yes it it depends on who’s religious commentary
Or as saint Paul Saint said. 1cor.2
I came with power of the I am

 

[snooop1e]

God hates division/divorce.

While the Orthodox faith is licit the fact that they are separated from the seat of Peter is illicit.

Jesus prayed that we would be ONE. I think this separation is the source of your distraction and rightfully so. When I entered the church (former Evangelical) I also considered the Orthodox church but to me it would have been no different than remaining Protest-ant.

God Bless

 

[PJM]

God hates division/divorce.

While the Orthodox faith is licit the fact that they are separated from the seat of Peter is illicit.

Jesus prayed that we would be ONE. I think this separation is the source of your distraction and rightfully so. When I entered the church (former Evangelical) I also considered the Orthodox church but to me it would have been no different than remaining Protest-ant.

God Bless

May The Wisdom of God’s TRUTH guide us

 

[ziapueblo]

While the Orthodox faith is licit the fact that they are separated from the seat of Peter is illicit.

Is this true that the Orthodox not being in communion with Rome is illicit? Yes, we are not in full communion with the Orthodox but Rome does see the Orthodox and “true Churches” and “sister Churches.”

Thanks,
ZP

 

[snooop1e]

The SEPARATION is illicit.

Jesus desire is that His Bride be ONE. The Orthodox church is licit, their refusal to submit to the authority of Peters seat is what is ill-icit.

I hope this makes sense.

 

[ziapueblo]

I see where you are coming from however “submit to the authority Peter” seems a bit strong. Have your red the Chieti Document? How do you interpret the text?

Peace,
ZP

 

[snooop1e]

Literally EVERYTHING in the OT (old covenant) is an imperfect foreshadow of the perfect (new covenant) in the NT.

We see Jesus command obedience to (Moses seat) in the OT.

Matt 23:1-3
Then Jesus said to them “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, so do and observe whatever they tell you to do, but not the works that they do. For they preach, but do not practice.

In the NT the keys to the kingdom of heaven are given to Peter (Matt 16:18) so that whatever he and the Apostles bind on earth is bound in heaven and whatever they loose on earth is loosed in heaven.

But unity to Peters seat is required because they KEYS rest with Peter’s seat. The King leaving His keys with His trusted servant to rule over His kingdom during His absence is also prefigured in Isaiah 22:22.

Isaiah 22:22
And I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David. He shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open. And I will fasten him like a peg in a secure place, and he will become a throne of honor to his father’s house.

It is in our sinful human nature to reject authority but AFTER Jesus resurrection, when the price for ALL sin had been paid He returned and appeared to the Apostles, telling them,

Matt: 28:18
All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

And

John 20: 23
Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from them, it is withheld.”

Jesus passes ALL of HIS autority to Peter (Keys) and the Apostles (forgive or not forgive sins). This is pretty serious considering the unforgiven will not enter eternal life (Matt 19:17)

I have not read the Chieti Document as I believe that the fullness of God’s revelation is contained in the CHURCH that Jesus established (Matt 16:18) and gave the Keys to the kingdom of heaven. Scripture tells us that Jesus CHURCH is the pilar and foundation of all truth (1 Tim 3:15)

I trust in the written word of God that what He says about the church Jesus established (Matt 16:18) is true.

If Jesus Church is the pilar and foundation of all truth then what need do we have to rely on writings, teachings or contradictions outside of Jesus Church?

IMHO they are gongs clanging in the wind and ships tossed about by every wind of doctrine.

I sincerey hope that I’ve explained myself clearly.

In Christ.

 

[ziapueblo]

@snooop1e

I know those Scripture versus and I thank you for your response. It is always good to remember these things. Just to be clear I am Catholic (Byzantine rite).

Scripture tells us that Jesus CHURCH is the pilar and foundation of all truth (1 Tim 3:15)

Amen! It is the Church, the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church, that put together the Chieti Document. The official title is SYNODALITY AND PRIMACY DURING THE FIRST MILLENNIUM: TOWARDS A COMMON UNDERSTANDING IN SERVICE TO THE UNITY OF THE CHURCH. This document came out in 2016 and can be found on the Vatican website.

The North American Orthodox-Catholic Theological Consultation (NAOCTC) released a statement last year on the document. The NAOCTC, which is co-chaired by Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, Archbishop of Newark and Consultant for the U.S. Bishops’ Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, and by Metropolitan Methodios of Boston. They praise the document saying, “as the fruit of perseverance in fidelity to our one Lord. It is a fruit holding many seeds, potentially yielding a harvest for the countless members of our Churches who experience the division every day in their lives and pray for it to be healed.” The Chieti Document discusses the relationship between primacy and synodality during the first millennium Churches of the East and West. It specifically examines that relationship on three levels: the local, regional and universal.

It’s a great read!

peace,
ZP