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

[Mary3]

Edward,

Praise God for your return to the Church! You are back due to the personal invitation of the Holy Spirt…ponder that when you are prone to doubt.

You have asked many questions in your post of 8/17, and all deserve an answer. I’d like to suggest two things. First, get yourself a copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church if you don’t already have one. There is a fabulous topical index that will help you start investigating the answers to many of your questions.

Secondly, many of your questions have been discussed on these forums in the past. Use the search feature to find all the great discussions already available.

Finally, feel free to post here about the lingering questions you may have. There’s plenty of help available here, and lots of folks who will be glad to help you. God bless you and welcome home!

 

[Bruno_esqueXXII]

I just got back from confession and I can’t tell you how much that helped! It’s kind of like taking a shower, only I had no idea how absolutely grimy my soul really was until I was confessing.

I still have a lot of questions, and wonder how I might come about the answers… but confession and a daily rosary has indeed kickstarted my way back to the Church! I can’t wait to recieve the Eucharist tomorrow morning!

For these and your many questions there are plenty of apologetics books out there and books that answer questions about the faith and why and how we believe certain things.

Of course, you will find, some things are just mysteries and will not even be able to be answered, but you can find a lot of answers to you questions in some very good books and even this site’s home page.

Also Jimmy Akins page is a good source for answers: jimmyakin.org/

Peter Kreeft too has some good on-line tracts:
peterkreeft.com/featured-writing.htm
peterkreeft.com/featured-writing_more.htm

There are many many resources for these andswers

 

[hawko]

There is no reason why you can’t come back to the church. You simply need to go to sacramental confession, explaining the same things to the priest. He should be able to guide you and give you answers to any questions that you may have. Best of all, after going to confession, you can now again receive our Lord in Holy Communion when you attend mass. I myself, was away from the church for a period of ten years, and I came back. God Bless, and I will pray for you.

 

[Edward62]

Ah, Peter Kreeft! I totally forgot about him… actually one of his books “Fundamentals of the Faith” is on my desk because it was one of my textbooks last year, so I shall have to dust that off. I also have a Catechism, but haven’t read that in some time… thank you!

 

[Bruno_esqueXXII]

Ah, Peter Kreeft! I totally forgot about him… actually one of his books “Fundamentals of the Faith” is on my desk because it was one of my textbooks last year, so I shall have to dust that off. I also have a Catechism, but haven’t read that in some time… thank you!

That book sounds like just the thing you need for a lot of these questions – it must have been there for a reason after all, eh?

 

[St_Gabriel]

Here’s a BIG hug just for you!!

 

[mozier]

Edward,

Never think of God as 1 + 1 + 1 = 3.

Rather, think of God as 1 x 1 x 1 = 1.

This also goes for Christ’s humanity and his divinity.

And as one who left the church for years, but is now back, at peace, and even starting studies to be a deacon (beginning next year), let me say welcome back to you as well! You are on a most excellent journey and you will learn the faith throughout your life. One thing, though, — you may not understand it at first all of time, but with patience and prayer, you will!

God bless you, Edward.

 

[Alphonsus_John]

Hi,

I’m going to try to answer your questions one by one. I know the “What” for some of them, but not the “Why”. (just started Aquinas’ Shorter Summa). For the record, I was an agnostic, Buddhist, & Protestant over the course of 15 years

Wow, what an outpouring of support! Your kind words have made me feel a lot better and given me some hope… and you are right, it is very important to have hope. For the first time in many years I sat down with my mother today and we prayed the rosary… I had forgotten what a beautiful and amazing thing it is! It certainly helped me to have more faith, though I am still wavering a bit.

Do you think you could help answer some questions that I have? I feel like my ignorance is really getting in the way of my relationship with God, like a hurdle that I can’t jump on my own.

– How is it that 1(fully God) +1(fully human) =1 (Jesus)? he has two natures that operate interdependently.
– How is it that the Trinity is both 3 and 1 at the same time? I thought it was three aspects of the same thing, like two sides of the same coin only with three, but apparently that is not correct.
– Why does the Bible have some seeming contradictions in it? Not sure what you mean here. The Bible was written by many different people over a very long period of time, so styles, customs, etc. would change. Some of the things written in the Bible addressed the political climates of the day.Is it because something is lost in translation, and if so, what have we lost?
– God, being God, is obviously omniscient. But Satan is a fallen angel, right? Yes.So did God plan for Satan to exist? Satan freely chose himself over God. From what I read, because of his much greater intelligence and knowledge of God the choice was irrevocable.Why? (Maybe dynamic tension… like you can’t choose God unless you have some other option to follow because He can’t make us love Him?)
– If He can’t make us love Him, does that mean He is not omnipotent? God
– Is it that God doesn’t want to violate our free will, or that He can’t? God will not violate our free will. Besides, the love that is possible to humans and extremely desirous of God DEMANDS a free will. Forcing someone to love you isn’t love, it’s force.If he can’t, doesn’t that mean He is omnipotent?
– God, still intrinsically omniscient, must’ve known that He’d had to send His Son Jesus to die for our sins and that Judas would have to betray Him. Why did God make it so that Judas had to betray Jesus? That is a pretty awful setup… somebody had to do it, but doesn’t that also interfere with free will/predestination?Knowing someone is going to do something and forcing them to do it is not the same thing. I have a sarcastic friend that always responds in a particular way to a partiuclar phrase of words. I know he is going to respond in a certain way, but I do not force him to respond.

continued.

 

[Alphonsus_John]

– How does Jesus dying pay for our sins? I get that He is God, obviously, but I don’t see why He’d have to die to save us (though I am most certainly glad that He did!)I’ve read in places that Original Sin was eternal as it offended an eternal Being (God). Therefore, the payment has to be eternal as well and conducted by an eternal Being (Christ). I might be wrong here.
– Since Jesus did die for our sins, how come some people still go to Hell?Because they choose it. I’ve read that if the gates of Hell were opened no one would leave. You are probably too young to have experienced it yet, but you will probably meet people in the course of life who are extremely self-destructive and selfish. No amount of logic or reason will cause them to change their ways; it’s about me, me, me. They create their own hell here and will probably (barring God’s Mercy and grace) go there in the next life. CS Lewis, although not Catholic, puts it pretty well.
– What happens if you died before Jesus was born?Jesus preached to the dead in the time between his death and ressurection. Supposedly those who were good and just had a relatively happy existence (although they did not know God), and the wicked were in pain. Not sure about that.
– How does transubstantiation work? I know that the host and wine become His Body and Blood, but how? It just doesn’t make sense (which is why it is a miracle, I guess)! They become His Body and Blood, but veiled under the species of bread and wine. I don’t know much more.
– How is it that the Blessed Virgin Mary can be both a virgin and Jesus’ mom? Miracle and I’m pretty clueless about this one too.
– Why is it that the doctrine of natural law exists? I understand that it is why all intercourse has to be open to the possibility of conception, but how did this all get started? Why does it still continue today?
– How does the priest saying the absolution cleanse a person of their sins? Why doesn’t a person confessing their sins directly to God count? If prayer is not sufficient for that, is it sufficient for other things? In confession you talk to God through a priest. It is a sacrement set up by Christ (I forget the Bible verse, but it includes the terms sins forgiven and sins bound).
– God created everything, including other religions, right? So why are there so many other religions than our one true religion? Or would that be the evil one trying to decieve us and lead us astray? I’m not saying that the other religions are satanic but since they are wrong, what should we do? Obviously treat them with dignity and love, but do we try to convert them or just let it sit? I’m not sure God “created” other religions, just as God did not create the automobile. Perhaps other religions are people’s desire to know God without the fullness of Truth. They may have some elements of Truth, but not all.
– What happens to miscarried babies? Why does God let them be concieved if He knows they’ll be miscarried?
– How do indulgences work? It says in the front of my Bible that if I read it for half an hour then my venial sins are cleared for the day… does this take the place of Reconciliation if I have not sinned mortally? Also, it is wonderful to say a novena or a Mass for someone’s soul, but how does that expedite their time in Purgatory? Doesn’t a person have to learn the lesson/get the grace for themselves?If I know my indulgences correctly, half an hour of Bible reading is a plenary one. Indulgences come in two forms; partial or plenary (everything) and they are for the remission of temporal punshiment for sin. (short version: you drop your mom’s glass vase and you apologize=repentence & forgiveness; you clean up the mess=expiation of temporal punishment). You cannot apply indulgences to living persons. Souls in Purgatory can benefit from indulgences and we are commanded by God to pray for them.

that’s my attempt at question answering. I’m no theologian so your mileage may vary.

John

 

[Edward62]

Thank you. That was very helpful.

 

[Al_Masetti]

For years I have recommended to my “revert” Catholic friends that they buy a copy of “Weeds Among the Wheat” by Rev. Thomas Green.

FABULOUS book on the topic of discernment. I just dip into it anyplace and … usually … can only read a page or so before my mind explodes with ideas for thinking about.

---

Another thing I have done over the years is to collect crucifixes. Big ones and small ones. Conventional and San Damiano. My sister sent me the one that had been in our dad’s casket. Just came across one in an “antique shop” that was made as a reliquary. About three inches high. Gorgeously detailed Corpus.

Fr. John Corapi’s videotapes are frequently played on EWTN and in his lectures … whenever the topic of “why” comes up … Fr. Corapi points to the crucifix and says that the ANSWER is Jesus.

So, I would suggest that folks just hold a crucifix in their hands and just stare at the Corpus for a while.

---

One day some years ago, I commented to my spiritual director that I had NO FEELING for Mary. He said “pray the rosary”. So I started a daily rosary. Sometimes I got interrupted, but I persisted … and after a short period of time … maybe a month or so … I “suddenly” realized that I had a more intense feeling about Mary than I did about my own mother.

It was an incredible “epiphany”.

---

So… think about these things…

 

[scapularkid8]

welcome home!

 

[maryj]

Yep, this was my experience, too.:yup:

Me Too!! Our Blessed Mother always leads us straight to Him. She magnifies Him for us to see clearer. God bless.

 

[repo_man]

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.

you sound exactly like me. except i still have my doubts. i’d recommend going to meet a priest and discussing your concerns and whatever is keeping you away from the church.

where there’s a will there’s a way.

my process back was very gradual, although very short in hindsight. it started when i was about 13 or 14, about to go through confirmation, and lasted until maybe not even a year ago (almost 18 now).

i was an atheist. then an agnostic (not much difference if you ask me). then a deist. then an arian. then a catholic. take it slowly.

perhaps read mere christianity or even the screwtape leaders. i’ve never read either all the way through, but i’ve heard enough good things about both to recommend them.

 

[Alphonsus_John]

I’ve read both Mere Christianity and the Screwtape Letters all the way through and recommend them both. Screwtape in one place, IIRC, is a teeny weeny bit off from Catholic theology (as Lewis was an Anglican), but mostly it’s spot on.

 

[Nevarlander]

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.

Was Father Carroway the guy who was kicked out of Japan when he was fifteen for going on a crime spree? If he was the one, then trust me, there are probably worse people than you coming back. (By the way, I’ve heard him tell it on the radio before and his is a really good story; try and track it down.) And when you go to confession, no matter how nasty your sins look to you, the priest has almost certainly heard it from someone else. God’s just happy you’re back, man. And so are the rest of us. :hug1:

 

[Eileen_T]

Was Father Carroway the guy who was kicked out of Japan when he was fifteen for going on a crime spree? If he was the one, then trust me, there are probably worse people than you coming back. (By the way, I’ve heard him tell it on the radio before and his is a really good story; try and track it down.) And when you go to confession, no matter how nasty your sins look to you, the priest has almost certainly heard it from someone else. God’s just happy you’re back, man. And so are the rest of us. :hug1:

Yeah. Actually, his name is Calloway, not Carroway, ooops

His story is here visionsofjesuschrist.com/weeping339.htm I also have a DVD from EWTN which is just great.

 

[Eileen_T]

I just got back from confession and I can’t tell you how much that helped! It’s kind of like taking a shower, only I had no idea how absolutely grimy my soul really was until I was confessing.

I still have a lot of questions, and wonder how I might come about the answers… but confession and a daily rosary has indeed kickstarted my way back to the Church! I can’t wait to recieve the Eucharist tomorrow morning!

Good for you.

You now need to be aware that you are likely to be under some spiritual attack in the near future to cause you to have doubts that you have made the correct decision - coming home.

If you can get a copy of the Snakebite Letters by Peter Kreeft, I suggest you do so. Remember, the devil only plagues those he doesn’t already have, and now you have slipped out of his grasp, he will want to get you back.

 

[Eileen_T]

Yeah. Actually, his name is Calloway, not Carroway, ooops

His story is here visionsofjesuschrist.com/weeping339.htm I also have a DVD from EWTN which is just great.

Just found his story on EWTN ewtn.com/vondemand/audio/seriessearchprog.asp?seriesID=-6892289&T1=The+Journey+Home

Former Episcopalian.
Series Name: The Journey Home
Currently at #5, if that changes, use the production date to find it.
Host: Marcus Grodi w/ Fr. Donald Calloway.
Date Produced: 7/23/2007

another good story is #7 John Pridmore, the former gangster.

 

[Nevarlander]

While we’re on conversion story recommends, if you can track it down on Catholic Answers, Joseph Pearce’s is pretty great. I know the guy, and from what he tells of his own life and from what he is now, it’s like… whoa.