Wavering Faith and LDS Missionaries

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TN_Catholic

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I’m a Baptized and Confirmed Catholic who’s had an on-and-off relationship with the Church for years. It got worse when I went to college.
I came in not sure about the Church, but got involved in a Catholic youth group on campus. The members were very uncharitable, so I stopped going. My boyfriend and I visited an LDS church and immediately got attention from the missionaries. At the third or so lesson, they proposed getting baptized so we basically stopped contacting with them. That was last year. They started contacting us again and we’re in the same position now.
I was actually strongly considering it, but now that it’s in my face I’m getting so scared of severely distancing myself from the Catholic Church by “rebaptizing.” I know that if I moved forward in the LDS church that I might be asked to formally detach myself from Rome, which would effectively mean no going back.
I haven’t been to Mass in months, but now that I’m facing the prospect of never being able to participate in it again it makes me so terrified and heartbroken that I cry. There are also some precepts of the Church (specifically the sanctity of life [especially as it applies to birth control and abortion], the Host becoming the literal Body and Blood of our Lord, and the indisolvablity of the Sacrament of Marriage) that I believe very strongly in and don’t want to let go of.
The main thing that drives me away from the Church is the lack of unity and respect for Doctrine in the general population. In my periods of faith, I am a fairly tradionally-minded Catholic, but I feel like most Catholics are lukewarm ones who: knowingly take Communion in a state of mortal sin; just go to Mass on holidays/when visiting practicing family; don’t know anything about the Church or their beliefs; practice to some degree (or claim to) to appease devout family members who would guilt them horribly if they didn’t. Even our current Pope doesn’t seem to respect Traditions or Doctrines that define our Church.
I love our Church but I feel like She is falling apart from within. I want to be a good Catholic but I don’t even know how because it seems like at least half the guidance out there is inaccurate and sometimes even literal heresy. I love traditional Latin Mass, but I live in a college town with only one Catholic church which has very contemporary services and very casually dressed attendants. Sometimes I’m reluctant to go to Confession because I’m worried the priest will misguide me. It makes me feel hopeless, and I turn to other options but always feel drawn back to the Church.
 
I go to other services and something feels amiss. I miss Mass and everything that makes it unique. But other times I feel better peace in faiths where members under 65 seem to really care about and study their faith.
I also feel a deep sense of identity in the Church. Family members identify me as a good Catholic, and my mother has even said that her decision to marry my father in the church after being only civilly married for nearly 2 decades was partially inspired by me.
I don’t know what to do and I want to talk to a priest about it but it’s embarrassing, especially because I haven’t been practicing for a while. I’d love to hear from any other Catholics who have had similar struggles, or just a recommended course of action, or anything.
 
I know exactly how you feel because I’ve had many of the same thoughts. I also discussed a lot with Mormon Missionaries. I didn’t convert to the LDS because I believe in the Catholic Faith - I know it is true. I also realised that the Church is in deep crisis - perhaps the worst in history. During the Arian crisis, the Catholic world lost the Faith - only St. Athanasius remained Faithful. I’m choosing to follow the example of Athanasius. I’ll never abandon Christ in his hour of need. I’ll keep the Faith even when it appears like all is lost. I’ll take up the Rosary just as our Mother asked us - and I advise you to do the same.
 
First, forget the LDS. You’ve already stated you can’t in good conscience ‘go there’.

Second, you’re falling into judgement of others. That’s not good. It’s not Catholic. Should others judge you?

Third, where are you getting these ideas that the Church is divided? Or that a certain kind of priest is going to give you advice that would hurt you? That sort of stuff doesn’t come from the Holy Spirit.
 
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Hi Tn Catholic.

Religions and groups can be very adept at drawing people in by giving them attention and hospitality. . Your catholic college group was uncharitable. You were right to turn from that, as you know that’s not what Catholicism is about. LDS gave you guys warm loving attention and hospitality. It’s such a drawcard.

Jesus tests us. Sometimes for years. That’s why many prayers include asking for perseverance to the end.
I live rurally. There are no options about the types of Mass, or which Church the Mass is held. People just go to what’s on offer where.

As such , and I feel this is a great gift, all the more when reading CAF, I realise Jesus is present at every Mass. whether it’s a tiny no air con/heat/ mod con weatherboard built in the 1800s and not touched since then, with 10 pews, or in our gothic cathedral, also built in the same era.
Jesus is at both Masses. The Bishop celebrates in both churches. In our little tiny church, he has no ceremony, we can just about touch him and the Altar, he really interacts with us, esp the dads and babies. This church is across from a pub, as most are here, the noise and laughter from the pub is quite loud during Mass.
In the Cathedral, he processes in, and there is lots of ceremony and solemnity. Huge pipe organs, everything majestic, it’s also across from a pub, but more able to withstand the noise.

Today we live in a secular society. A Priest recently described us as remnant Catholics. It’s so true in my area. Holy Father, Pope Francis is representative of Christ on earth. Chosen by God. Voted by the conclave. There are always going to be detractors of him, and the faith, from within and without.

I read constant threads on CAF about what’s wrong since Vat 11. I never read about the positive.

It’s such an unbalanced view from disgruntled Catholics.

If I did not have my faith and trust in God I would struggle greatly. Is this right , is this wrong? My Diocese is infamous for historic child sexual abuse. The things that happened pure evil. It turns so many away. And makes others much stronger in following faith, in the face of it. We are truly remnant Catholics.

I strive to do God’s Will, not mine. If God wants me in a tiny rural Church celebrating Mass with the Diocese Bishop, having him Bless items by a car boot light , so be it. Who am I to argue.

Join us! Celebrate your faith! Stop listening to the I prefer xyz Mass. work with what you have. Realise Jesus is there whether it be the Sistine Chapel or outdoors, card table Altar Mass on a mud flat.
 
Your dissapointment re fellow Catholics shouldn’t cause you to leave your Catholic Faith.Rather,persevere and be an example for lukewarm Catholics.Keep your focus on Christ🙏
 
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I looked up St. Athanasius just to learn a little more about him since I’m not very well versed in the saints. His story and dedication to defending true doctrine is very inspiring, especially after all the persecution he faced. Thank you for introducing me to this saint, I will be sending some prayer intentions to him.
I love the rosary and our Mother. She’s the center-piece of a garden at the church in my town, and I sometimes visit after school and in between classes (the church is a short walk from campus). It’s always a very comforting highlight to the day. Part of what keeps me back from non-Catholic Christianity is the demotion of the Virgin Mary’s status in God’s Plan (merely a virgin mother, no Immaculate Conception, perpetual virginity, or Assumption).
Thank you for your words. I know that Christ said the straight path is narrow and hard. If anything maybe the difficulty of keeping the Catholic faith is a testament to its truth.

Also @roseeurekacross: I definitely know that warmth and hospitality is an evangelization strategy. I feel like Catholics in my region don’t really think about that portion of our faith, and I partially blame that for the lack of warmth and even clique-like behavior that I see in many congregations, especially among youth. When I brought none-Catholics to my youth group, they made a face, snarled “are you Catholic?” to the visitors, and complained to me about how there wouldn’t be enough food for everyone (the deacon in charge and the club’s email announcement both warmly welcomed visitors of all faiths, and we would usually have an entire pizza left over after our meetings).
I am definitely guilty of criticizing Vatican II. I almost went down the path of sedevacantism. However, I ultimately concluded that rejecting the Church in such a manner would make me a protestant (one who holds the title of Catholic and practices as pre-Vatican II Catholics did, but protestant nonetheless), so I stayed with the Church even though it’s very hard and Pope Francis really discourages me and tests my faith in Doctrinal stability with some of his statements (see my response to 1Lord1Faith).
Certainly, all Masses properly performed in accord with the Church are equally valid. Just because the appearance of the worship space and musical delivery isn’t as awe-inspiring as another service, in the end we’re meeting for the Eucharist and the celebration of Christ’s death and Resurrection. All valid Masses accomplish that, and that’s what matters most. Thank you for reminding me of that, it easy to fall into the trap of only wanting to attend the Mass that is awe-inspiringly beautiful and forget that the real meat of it is in every valid Mass across the world.
 
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I’m constantly seeing rather alarming things about Pope Francis and his statements in both secular and Catholic news. He seems to be attempting to alter/reform doctrine concerning abortion and birth control, marriage and divorce, and other things. Socially liberal Catholics (and even just non-Catholic liberals) love him and use him and his statements to support claims that the Church is finally “getting with the times.” When I first really chose this Church for myself, it was in part because it is a 2000 year-old Institution that has been around since the time of Christ on Earth. I saw the Church as a stable, unchanging rock to hold fast to in times that seem rapidly changing and sometimes outright insane.
But now we have a Pope who secular media and Catholics alike paint as reformist. Conservative Catholics don’t discount this claim and rather seem very concerned about the spiritual/doctrinal murkiness some of his statements seem to generate within and outside of the Church. In this day and age the Church needs more than ever to stand firm on Christian values, and I feel like this Pope is more about moral relativism. The command not to judge others least you be judged is a very fine line to walk because you also need to hate the sin but not the sinner, providing correction to the degree that you reasonably can (while always remaining charitable).
I have a friend who attends a Catholic college in the North that, from everything she has told me, sounds anything but Catholic. One precept they do keep is that the university does not provide birth control for students (ie, unlike my state school down here, there aren’t any free condoms lying around sponsored by the university, and I’m pretty sure the university stores don’t carry them), and for that, the student population attacks them and blames them for the high occurrence of STDs/STIs at the university.
In research I have done concerning the Church’s ruling on contraception, I have read accounts of women who say they go to Confession, and when they mention using birth control, the priest brushes it off and says not to worry about that. I have not had much exposure with different priests as far as Confession is concerned (I may have received that sacrament from 10 different priests tops, and pretty much all of them were within a 400-mile radius of each other), but either these women are lying or there are priests out their spreading grave doctrinal misinformation, which frightens me.
 
TN_Catholic said:
Conservative Catholics don’t discount this claim and rather seem very concerned about the spiritual/doctrinal murkiness some of his statements seem to generate within and outside of the Church
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The Church has a 2K year history of this. It’s not even remotely new.

Some people join the Church thinking that it never changes. But It is a living Church, it changes with “the times”, which by the way is wholly consistent with Catholic theology.

The following is very important for you to realize. Today, young people are inundated with opinions from media. I mean overwhelming so. It appears this has happened to you. Before the proliferation of ‘opinion’ media, people relied on priests to give them the gospel. This is unfortunately being usurped by media. You must listen to priests, not Joe Opinion from the internet.

There are dozens of people like you who come to CAF with the same erroneous notions of Catholicism. They have just enough knowledge to be dangerous to themselves and, what’s worse, others.

Regarding your youth group, I don’t want to belittle that problem, but it’s simply a bunch of small minded youth who have little to no experience in the world. Do yourself a favor and don’t go back. I don’t see very much good fruit coming out of youth groups, but I see a lot of “holier than thou” attitudes coming out of it…and a lot of things that are exactly like what you are posting here.
 
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We are there to meet Jesus in the Eucharist and the Mass.

Work with what you have. You know the Catholic Masses you can attend are valid. Don’t get caught up in the politics of it. Wavering faith, and the work of the evil one will bring any excuse into your heart to stop you going.

Go to Mass, pray, follow the Liturgy, meet Jesus. Don’t set yourself up for anxiety and stress about if the Priest is doing it right, if everyone is dressed right. If the music is right.

I would take that youth group to task on all welcome but, when you being visitors, people complain. Perhaps a better system. People rsvp and with numbers, or being a plate of food.

Your thread and concerns about valid mass and which mass to attend strike a real danger on CAF.

People read the discussions/ controversies over the Mass and get confused and they question, their faith wavers, they go off to another religion.
 
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TN_Catholic said:
I’m constantly seeing rather alarming things about Pope Francis and his statements in both secular and Catholic news. He seems to be attempting to alter/reform doctrine concerning abortion and birth control,
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Can you point to a legitimate source, or is the stuff you are reading from people disgruntled in having him as their leader? Or worse from writers of other religions.

That’s a big brush to tar Holy Father Pope Francis with.

Pope Francis, our leader , is a Pastoral Pope. He works from that basis. Do you know much about his past . He is called the Bishop of the slums.
 
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TN_Catholic said:
" When I first really chose this Church for myself, it was in part because it is a 2000 year-old Institution that has been around since the time of Christ on Earth. I saw the Church as a stable, unchanging rock to hold fast to in times that seem rapidly changing and sometimes outright insane.
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TN: I invite you to reflect a little more on your statement I highlighted above. This church, founded on Peter by Christ has been around for 2000 years. Think about that, it is the oldest continuing living organization on Earth. If you think there are problems now, I offer that you might study the history of the church during the Middle Ages. At the time of Francis of Assisi, it made the problems of the past 40 years seem trite.
There is no great catastrophe looming in the present day church. You have a pastoral pope who tends toward offering the mercy of Christ as shown to the adulteress, the Good Thief, and others to the modern day world. His opponents, those who are more traditional (and strict)about the laws set down by Christ and the need to not only follow them, but uphold them, are rightfully questioning his words and methods. What will happen?? As HE has for 2000 years, the Holy Spirit, the Advocate promised to the apostles and Peter by Jesus Himself, will bring from this current adversarial discussion, a holy and proper resolution. This is the great truth and beauty of our Church. There is one leader, the Holy Spirit who works through Jesus’ representative on Earth, the Bishop of Rome, the Holy Father, and all his bishops and priests worldwide.
If you think there is a Christian denomination superior to what Jesus founded on Peter, in good conscience, you must investigate it. But a place where reconciliation, inclusion in the life and death of Christ, consistent one voice teaching, and in the end, the actual body and blood of Jesus Christ offered in the Eucharist as everday nourishment on life’s journey is lacking. I can’t conceive of that.
I offer a thought to young people when I speak. It is this. The greatest and most common fault of almost every person on earth is that each of us is too often guilty of defining ourselves to ourselves (self-definition) by our perceived mistakes, deficiencies, sorrows, faults and failings, and our failures, rather than by the fact the all of us are made in the image and likeness of a great and wondrous creator who has a purpose for all of us in our lives. Find the good and live it out consistently in your life. I invite you not to judge the RCC by that same mistake.

Peace.
 
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@1Lord1Faith I understand that there’s a lot of misinformation, negativity, and heresy on the Internet and media. I am definitely guilty of allowing the media to have excessive influence on my faith (for example, watching a movie about demonic possessions usually scares me back to Mass if I haven’t been in a while, and usually a media report about Pope Francis makes me question the Church). However, I’m part of a generation that gets a large portion of all my learning from electronic sources. I’ve tried to use it in learning about my faith, in part because I don’t always have easy access to learning through “real-life/face-to-face” sources (especially when I was younger and couldn’t drive myself to church, as none of the churches in my home town are walking distance from my house). I also feel distanced from others in my faith because I don’t feel like I even know the basics, so I try to research them in hopes of better chances at becoming a part of Catholic social community. Besides that, it feels like I missed all the trains for Catholic social groups, and not knowing any other practicing Catholics makes faith matters a little harder, too. They all seem to have very different personalities and interests from me, and I don’t know how to connect with them.
@roseeurekacross asked me about valid sources, but I don’t even know exactly what those are. Even within the Catholic community opinions on what constitutes a valid source seem to vary. I want to learn more about my faith but I don’t even know how, and that frustration is part of what keeps drawing me in and out of it. I don’t like having Protestants constantly ask questions about my faith and not being able to answer even simple things (I live in the Bible Belt so it happens fairly frequently). I took Catechism classes for my Confirmation but I still feel like I know basically nothing, and I don’t know how to learn more, and when I try it seems like I’m always getting negative feedback from other Catholics for being too strict or too lax or having incorrect/inaccurate information from the wrong source, or the wrong interpretation from the right source. It’s honestly extremely frustrating.
@joeybaggz thank you. I recognize the Holy Father’s authority and don’t mean to disrespect or discount his office by expressing my discomfort with some of his methods/statements. I totally agree with you that our Church’s concept of the Eucharist, Reconciliation, and unified beliefs is something lacking in other denominations, which is why I’ve never really left. There just always seems to be something missing in other churches, and when I read Scripture it always feels like I’m being pointed back to Rome.
 
The local Baptists can offer me dinner to get me to go to their church. It’d be nice, but I’m more worried about what’s true, not the attention I’m getting.
 
I’m going to be frank with you. The Church is going through hard times. There are two sides now: those who are more traditional and those who accept everything the Church is doing at the moment. Those who do not see it must be blind, in my opinion.

Many Mary apparitions forewarned this sort of thing, especially Our Lady of Akita “bishops opposing bishops” seems especially true for our times as does Pope Leo XIII’s vision of the 100 year test.

The best thing you can do at the moment is to find a FSSP Church or a Church that offers Latin mass, or if you cannot attend one near you, then a more traditional or orthodox parish. Look up to the saints and pray for unity.

God bless
 
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Yeah, that’s kind of a condescending attitude, and not very helpful to this post.
 
Uh…how exactly is that condescending? There are many that like to lie and say things are all nice and dandy but they aren’t. And there are those who make things worse by claiming the pope is an “antipope” or that the new mass is invalid. Both sides have their issues.

This is why I say to pray for unity.
 
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