The Rosary is another issue I’d have to deal with. Do we HAVE to say the Rosary? I’d feel better spending an hour in prayer pouring out my heart to God, or in Adoration (although I’m not sure I believe in that yet). Seems like nothing could be better than praying to God, talking to him, etc.
Well, no, you wouldn’t HAVE to say the Rosary. You could do Adoration of just an hour of personal prayer, or something else. Remember, at this point, the conjecture, is IF you were Catholic. We realize you are not fully settled. The point is, if it is not Lent, you can substitute something of a reasonable amount of sacrifice. I just used adoration or rosary as POSSIBILTIES.
I can see there is a lot more to being Catholic than the doctrine/gospel. How do you find out about all these rules or “disciples?” Do you guys ever feel like these “disciples” are wrong? I’m thinking based on all the Scripture that says you don’t need to have more rules imposed on you (like eating or not eating meat/circumcision/celebrating certain feasts/fesivals, not marrying, etc) I get nervous when I see a religion that claims to be Christians come up with a bunch of laws to get people to feel guilty about not adhering to, etc.
The disciplines come in because works are necessary for salvation. These works are not to be confused with the merely external rites of the Old Law. Nothing done apart from grace, which is love for God, can avail anything towards salvation. But authentic love of God demands action. Your husband cannot say he loves you and do nothing for you. Love is ACTION. St. John says, how can you say you love God, whom you have not seen, if you do not love your brother, whom you have seen? Love positively wills the good of the other. If a woman is being raped in alley and you don’t try to help, you have sinned by omission. Therefore, sin is not merely doing something you shouldn’t. Sin is also failing to do what is called for.
That is why Christ said those who ignore the downtrodden and poor when they can reasonably help will not be saved (matthew 25, sheep and goats), which is to say, not repent of this sin.
Only those who love God at death can be saved. Failing gravely to love your neighbor is serious sin, and offends God because God loves your neighbor. Loving God means knowing Him, and praying to Him. The Church is saying, if you really love God and can reasonably do so, you must worship Him in the manner He set forth at least once a week. The day matters, because Salvation history matters. Only on the Seventh day in the Old Cov did He rest. Only on the eighth day of the NT did He rise. Christ desires His sheep to worship minimally as one each week, because each week commemorates salvation history, the days of recreation. Therefore, so as to maintain unity in worship and discipline, and to keep Holy the Sabbath Day, which is a specific day, the Church holds up the Eighth day of Creation, Sunday, as the day of general worship. Since the Jewish day begins at sunset, the Vigil of the holy day before is now also allowed to fulfill the obligation in general.
If we do not be nourished in truth and grace by the regular means of the Church, we shall fall away. that is why God wants continuity, not personal study that is fragmented.
Catholics worldwide in general have the same readings every Sunday and usually every other day, with minor variations. This is so that we learn from God and worship Him as One Holy Church.
These are some of the reasons that a personal home church independent is not enough, not that you can’t have those in extraneous measure, but for regular big time, community worship, participation in the Public Liturgy is the general requirement to maintain continuuity and unity in faith, and the building up of the Body.
but how much must we do? Wrong Q. How much can we do? but so that there is no confusion as to general requirements, God has commissioned the Church to bind and loose. This includes imposing minimal discipline as steps toward growing in love of God. If you do not exercise physically, you will get ill and die. If you do not exercise spiritually, you will grow weak, fall into mortal sin and go to hell.
hence, the Church imposes minimal exercise:
I. Penance (all Fridays are penance. In Lent, no meat. On other Fridays, either no meat or some suitable substitute of your choice. Also, fast and abstinence on Good Friday and Ash Wednesday. Note displines can vary, this is the general rule in the West. Prior to VII, the disciplines were much harsher: everyday of Lent except Sundays was mandatory fast. )
II. Provide for the needs of the Church (unspecified, prayer and discernment necessary, tithe is good rule but not obligatory)
III. Confess mortal sins (if any) once a year, receive Communionn at least once a year in Easter Season
IV. Sunday/Saturday Vigil Mass Obligation, and Holy Days of Obligation (varies between locations, as needed, appropriate)
Failure in any of these regards is mortal sin, when culpable and without valid excuse, since the Church binds Catholics in the name of God. Heaven honors the respective disciplines.
Again, if a plant is not watered and given sun, it will die. If our souls don’t maintain regular spiritual effort (NOT on our own power, call on GRACE of God!), they will become weak and die spiritually, if you cross death in spiritual death, you will go to hell. Only those that remain in Christ are saved.
The Church therefore, in Her disciplines, sets forth the minimal “baby steps” toward salvation. No one should be content with baby steps, although it is enough, technically. We should not ask, how much do I HAVE to do, but how much CAN I do.
So for rambling, I have to go now, Maya, hope all this helps
penWindow(‘cr/1451.htm’)
Among the penitent’s acts contrition occupies first place. Contrition is "sorrow of the soul and detestation for the sin committed, together with the resolution not to sin again."50