Very Lapsed Catholic... Can I Come Back? How?

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Edward62

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I have a lot of questions, and I wonder if you might shed some light on the matters. I am a lapsed Catholic… I was very faithful until about the age of fifteen, and then I became very angry with the Church and left in an immature huff. Now I am eighteen years old and realizing the error of my ways, but finding it very difficult to come back to the Church I loved so very much.

I have such nagging doubts about the very existence of God, though I know He is real… probably left over from my days as an “atheist”. I talk to my friends about this and they laugh, saying they can’t believe I would be a Catholic, don’t I know this or that… and I do know of it, I just know it is wrong. I want to be a Catholic, but no matter how hard I pray, I keep thinking that I’m never going to find God again. Plus I’m not at all sure I can come back into the Church, which really makes me scared and sad.

Is there hope? I know that all things are possible through God, but I’m not sure that I can hold up my end of the deal.
 
Yes, there is hope, and don’t let anyone tell you differently. The fact that you want to come back is a sign that the Holy Spirit is calling you, inviting you back! What cause for celebration!

It’s remarkably easy to come back, too. Go to confession, and make a good confession, telling the priest your concerns and fears, etc. He hopefully will give you good advice, and then just start going to Mass and receiving the sacraments regularly again.
 
But among my sins I have committed the unforgivable sin many times… I have deliberately blasphemed and denied the existence of God! Doesn’t the Bible say that my soul is immediately condemned upon doing that?:crying:
 
I thank God I’ve always had the gift of faith. It’s so easy for me to believe in God’s existence, His divine plan and the fact that the Catholic Church epitomizes the fullness of God’s truth. No matter how bad things have gotten in my life, I’ve never doubted in the slightest God’s love for me and His plan for my life. I don’t even have to rely on private revelations to strengthen my faith. I realize now what a blessing the gift of faith is to me. Not all people believe so easily and unquestionably. Yes some people do struggle extremely hard to believe. My advice is to pray, pray, pray. Ask God to give you the gift of faith and the strength to endure the crisis of faith you are having. For some reason, God is allowing your faith to be tried and tested. If we are to succeed in the end, we are to rely on God’s grace. Pray for it and He will help you in times of trial.
 
Most of all, do not despair. That itself is a sin. There is nothing you can do that God cannot overcome. he can turn anyone around.

I don’t even think your in a bad state at all. Three years is a mild lapse compared to some that I’ve heard. you should hear some Fr. Corapi testamonial. You are talking about three years that are between 15 and 18?!?!?. Oh my Gosh. I don’t even understand how any of us survive that period. You’ve done marvelously to come back so soon.

When you do go to confession, just get it all out. I wouldn’t dwell on your sins, (but do give acurate representation) I would discuss more with the priest your leaving of the church, what prompted it and where your doubts stand now.

Very important. Don’t get discouraged if you run into a bad confessor. I don’t see it happening, but I wouldn’t say it is unheard of.
Luke:
[3] So he told them this parable:
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[4] “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it?
[5] And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
[6] And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost.' [7] Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. [8] "Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it? [9] And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin which I had lost.’
[10] Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
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Welcome Home and God Bless All,
Michael
 
Absolutely you are welcome back. You have listened in the quiet to the Holy Spirit. He wants you to have the life God has planned for you. It’s true.
My advice…go to people who know the Catholic Faith to get your answers…ask Catholics you know for a good priest or good Adult Faith Ministers at local parishes. These people are out there to help you in your journey, not to pressure you, but to help you.
 
Edward62 said:
But among my sins I have committed the unforgivable sin many times… I have deliberately blasphemed and denied the existence of God! Doesn’t the Bible say that my soul is immediately condemned upon doing that?:crying:
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If you really had done this, I doubt that the HS would be prompting you to come back into the church. Just please, go to confession, and try to grow closer to God in the sacraments and through prayer.
 
I’ve heard most interpretations of this to be the belief that the sin against the Holy Spirit is denial of Christ’s Salvation. I only hear your Hope (<–gift of the Holy Spirit) and your acceptance(<-- guess who) of this.

God Bless All, Again,

Michael
 
Go to www.catholicity.com and order the free CDs.

As Michael said, listen to Fr Corapi’s story, and I also recommend Fr Donald Carroway’s conversion story. You won’t believe what HE got up to when he was a kid, and how the Holy Spirit got his attention. I don’t know what you have been up to but I doubt it is worse than him.

There is also another guy whose story was on EWTN’s The Journey Home. He was a gangster and thinks he may have killed someone before God claimed him.
 
Edward62 said:
But among my sins I have committed the unforgivable sin many times… I have deliberately blasphemed and denied the existence of God! Doesn’t the Bible say that my soul is immediately condemned upon doing that?:crying:
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Well, I don’t think you committed the unforgivable sins. Because you would not be here! I think all you need is a good confession and constant reception of the Holy Eucharist.

Take courage
 
Please, don’t be afraid - the evil one really enjoys that.

There are those of us who can’t believe we’ve been so bad and turned our back on God in such horrible ways. Through God’s grace, we have heard His call to holiness. I’ve learned nothing is so bad, that if we are truly sorry and promise to do penance and amend our life, God in his divine mercy will forgive us - we just need to ask. We also need to learn to forgive ourselves and accept His love. He’s waiting for you with open arms. Some ideas:

Call the church and ask to speak with a priest. You can tell him over the phone that you’ve been away a long time and want to come home. He can advise whether it’s best to come during the regular confession time or make an appontment. If you’re not ready for confession, he may suggest you make an appointment to talk about it.

You could also just go to confession. Tell the priest how long you’ve been away and don’t worry if you stumble through it - you won’t be the first or the last to do so.

Some people are more comfortable jumping in, others want to talk first. You know what you are comfortable doing. Pray to the Holy Spirit, He has brought you this far and won’t leave you alone.

Prayers.
 
As someone who was gone for 23 years and as anti-Catholic and blasphemous as Bill Maher, I can promise you that your return is being anxiously awaited by the Lord!

The “unforgiveable sin” is the refusal to repent of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. You are obviously repentent. Do not fear! You are about to embark on a glorious re-conversion which will fill you with wonder for God’s mercy and love!
 
Hmm, I was gone from about 14 and was beginning to come back as I turned 17(maybe not exact, but close enough), so I guess that is pretty close to where you are now. I promise you that you can do it too. No doubt that you will still have strong moments of doubt and temptation, but don’t let anyone, including yourself stop you from coming to God. If I came back, I have no doubt anyone else can too. If you really go into this with all your strength, and if you do all you can to be a real man following in the footsteps of Christ, I PROMISE that you will find more awesomeness to life than the world itself will ever offer you. I didn’t think that could be the case, which kept me out of the Church for a while, but I am glad I came back. Work yourself up to go to confession…the sooner the better. We’ll all be praying for you.
 
hi,you are wise to accept the truth of the Catholic Church-i know that if you go looking for God anywhere else you wont find Him and you will realise that the Truth has always been there-because you are lapsed.if you were a protestant and you started looking you would become angry and deny deny deny until you come to the Church-but you are lucky and already know the great Truths.so i agree with a previous comments-go to confession,all your sins can be forgiven-no matter what,as lopng as you do the penence-even people who are excommunicated can repent and be welcomed back into the church(even though they are watched). so you have the best time ahead of you,there is nothing that pleases Jesus more than a repentant sinner coming back to His Heart,and that is you,you repenting and confessing your sins could save the world from a volcanic eruption because you have appeased the anger of the Almighty by repenting.so i hope you have already gone or are going,and remember it is not a priest that you are talking to but Jesus Himself,so if you are affraid of the priest thinking this or that just adress Jesus and not the priest,go in and say “father i would like to talk just as if Jesus was sitting behind that screen,so i would like you to listen and gave me my penence and absolution-but i want to confess my sins to Jesus because its been …years and i …etc”.and the best thing is because you are being called back,Jesus obviously has great things in mind for your future
 
Edward62 said:
But among my sins I have committed the unforgivable sin many times… I have deliberately blasphemed and denied the existence of God! Doesn’t the Bible say that my soul is immediately condemned upon doing that?:crying:
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Where there is life there is hope.

Honestly, I think you are over reacting a bit.

For one thing, you are 18 not 80. I find it quaintly humouros, then, that you consider yourself a “very” lapsed Catholic when it seems clear that all you are really dealing with is typical trial of faith which so many do, especially at that age. While you may have seriously rebelled, really, don’t oversell your sinful self.

Look on the bright side of things. Now you are sorry, repentant even. You are saddenned by sin and desire to return. I don’t think, therefore, that anyone employing common sense would reason that you are irreparably lost.

As far as blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, while we are all probably guilty of this to one degree or another in so much as resisting his urges and even running the other way. But as long as one wishes to respond to the impulses of God’s Love Personified, who is this Spirit the Scripture speaks concerning, then one has not ultimately denied his existance. Oh, we may have said that we do not believe or taken his name in vain, even intellectually reasoned him away. We might put him out of sight/out of mind. But he remains ever present to us, for while we may deny God he can not deny the one who he cherises as his beloved creation. Like a lovesick suitor, then, he keeps longing for our return.

Yes, there is a saying, “Where there’s life, there’s hope!” It is the Holy Spirit who sustains you in life, itself. So if you have not denied responding to this invitation definitively in death and still have the opportunity to turn in love to him, then I don’t think you have committed the “unforgivable sin”, afterall.

Quit fretting so much. Listen to his invitation, “Do not be afraid,” and enter into the Father’s embrace of merciful forgiveness; life anew.
 
Edward62 said:
But among my sins I have committed the unforgivable sin many times… I have deliberately blasphemed and denied the existence of God! Doesn’t the Bible say that my soul is immediately condemned upon doing that?:crying:
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I had this (blasphemy and unbelief/turning away) and a vast array of other sins on me before I came back…and let me tell you – the night I made my first confession ranks up there as one of the best of my life (and I am married and have had two kids born into the world for me.)

I was nervous and sweating before i went in, but after it was truly a moment of intense relief like no other. It really is like the cliche about a great weight being lifted from you. Repent in your heart and listen to what everyone is saying about going to confession.
 
Hi Edward,
None of the sins we commit are greater than God’s power to forgive. He wants each of us to stay with Him. It’s caving in to our doubts and despairs that He won’t forgive us that’s the
 
Edward62 said:
I have a lot of questions, and I wonder if you might shed some light on the matters. I am a lapsed Catholic… I was very faithful until about the age of fifteen, and then I became very angry with the Church and left in an immature huff. Now I am eighteen years old and realizing the error of my ways, but finding it very difficult to come back to the Church I loved so very much.

I have such nagging doubts about the very existence of God, though I know He is real… probably left over from my days as an “atheist”. I talk to my friends about this and they laugh, saying they can’t believe I would be a Catholic, don’t I know this or that… and I do know of it, I just know it is wrong. I want to be a Catholic, but no matter how hard I pray, I keep thinking that I’m never going to find God again. Plus I’m not at all sure I can come back into the Church, which really makes me scared and sad.

Is there hope? I know that all things are possible through God, but I’m not sure that I can hold up my end of the deal.
Click to expand...
I wish I had realized at age forty what you realize at age eighteen!

A sign of your intelligence and God’s grace is obvious to me.

Confess and begin again: God’s mercy is infinite and everlasting.
 
I left the Church at age 15 and declared myself an atheist. I stayed away for 27 years and I did not live like a saint during that time.

When I finally came back I was scared to death of confession and it took me a few months to get up the courage to go. Like others have said, the feeling you will have after that first confession is just so awesome.

I knew my confession would be rather lengthy so I made an appointment with the priest. My confession ended up being more like a conversation and I was able to ask questions and the priest had time to provide spiritual advice. It was one of the best days of my life.
 
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