Understanding The Catholic Church

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Today is the Feast of the Circumcision of Our Lord & St. Basil the Great on our Byzantine calendar.

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St. Basil wrote the first Rule for monks and nuns. St. Benedict took the Rule of St. Basil, modified it and that became the Rule of St. Benedict.

St. Basil was called “the Great” even during his life. He founded hospitals, monasteries, convents AND fought against Arianism. This is a REALLY good book:

https://www.tanbooks.com/thirty-three-doctors-of-the-church.html

It has an entire chapter on St. Basil the Great and another chapter on his brother, St. Gregory of Nyssa (they’re both Fathers and Doctors of the Church). They were 2 of 10 children (5 other siblings plus their parents and grandmother) are canonized Saints. It’s a big book but very easy to read. I highly recommend it. (And it’s in my bedroom bookcase. 💛)
 
I love Saint Gregory of Nyssa, @Margaret_Ann

He has a section in the book, Positively Medieval; of great medieval Saints; West and East.
 
skyjoy00 said:
I have two more questions.
  1. What are sacraments(should’ve asked earlier)
  2. Do Catholics believe that Baptists or other Protestants will go to Heaven?
    My view on this is anyone who truly believes in the Trinity and that Jesus was crucified, died, and rose on the third day as well as practices God’s will for His glory alone and asks for forgiveness and repents will go to Heaven. As long as said person has sincere intentions on following the Father almighty.
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  1. A Sacrament is an outward sign instituted by Christ to confer inward grace.
Example: Baptism - The priest either immerses the baby or pours water on its head saying: “I baptize you in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” OR “The servant of God (name) is baptized in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”

You see water but you don’t see sanctifying grace. Before baptism, the baby had original sin and was subjected to the devil. After baptism, the baby is a child of God, an adopted child of Mary, a brother or sister of Christ and an heir to the heavenly kingdom. Outwardly, the baby is the same. Inwardly, that baby now has the Divine Life of God (sanctifying grace).
  1. If a person dies in the state of sanctifying grace, that person will go to Heaven either directly or via Purgatory if they have venial sins or any temporal punishment due to sins which were forgiven in the Sacrament of Penance or by an act of perfect contrition before death. If A person dies in the state of mortal sin they go directly to Hell (from which may we all be spared!).
Does that help?
 
I would also like to add that a knowledge of what you will actually find on entering a non-Baptist church will be useful for your enterprise. Churches and cathedrals were originally built to be “read” and are alive with images and symbols. Interpretation of these will be very useful to you. I recommend this book to help you (and others) who seek a deepening of understanding of Catholic culture.
https://www.amazon.com/How-Read-Chu...ds=how+to+read+a+church&qid=1577956345&sr=8-3

Plus this very good work which was written by a convert from the Baptist faith I think.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Four-Witne...=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=0898708478
 
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I’m going to say something that won’t be terribly popular. There is a lot of richness in the Catholic Church that people find attractive, especially aesthetically. There is a tremendous amount of accumulated wisdom over the millenia. The Baptist churches have none of that.

But they do share something with the Catholic Church when both are at their best; a lively and humble faith in God. I live in the Ozarks, and Southern Baptists far outnumber Catholics here. Sometimes we talk about our faiths, sometimes we don’t. But many times I have agreed with fundamentalists that we share a lot more than either of us share with the “mainstream” and “classic” protestant sects.

For one thing, even though a lot of Southern Baptists believe in OSAS, most don’t. And the repentance exhibited by Baptists is sometimes wrenching. It takes a lot to go up before a congregation and admit to one’s sinfulness. A lot. We Catholics do that, but more privately, and it’s hard. Really hard.

But we both want that. We want forgiveness and we don’t fool ourselves that we don’t need it. Most Fundamental Baptists have a serious sense of sin, and don’t deny it.

And the closeness to Jesus. That’s number one. It’s high above number one. Protestant Fundamentalists (and I know not all So Baptists are fundamentalists, but a lot are) long for it. When they say “I accept Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior” most of them mean it, and it’s that desire for closeness they’re voicing.

And here’s where I depart from my acceptance of what is often admirable in some versions of protestantism. We have that closeness to Jesus in the Eucharist. He’s really there. Many a protestant friend of my has said “If I could believe that, I would become Catholic instantly.” And I don’t doubt their sincerity.

In the Byzantine Catholic churches, I’m told, they say the Eucharist is the closest thing to heaven they’ll ever experience on this earth. And I agree with them.

The Eucharist is the thing, my Baptist friend. Concentrate your thoughts on that if you want to understand Catholicism.
 
Where was this when I was telling a friend about our faith?
 
Thank you for your honesty! I will try to focus on this as you suggested and try to understand. I also could imagine how hard it is to confess your sins to a congregation. I used to think about how God watches everything I do and knows all of my sin, I often felt shameful of my sins even if I didn’t know at the time I was sinning. We all try our best not to but can’t fully avoid it.
 
Hi, I understand your point of view related to trying to understand a new religion without being part of it. But we must be aware that regardless of the religious segment we must try to follow what Christ taught us through the holy gospels.
But if you want to learn some Catholic prayers and some of their dogmas I suggest you visit the website: oracoescatolicas.cvdproject.space
 
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