What are the reasons I should (or shouldn't) become Catholic?

[Keikiolu]

I’m curious as to what are the reasons that I should or shouldn’t become Catholic in your opinions.

You should NOT become a Catholic if you are unwilling to accept that the Church is THE SINGLE AUTHORITY in the realms of faith and morals.

Get a copy of the Catechism. If you can’t accept that everything in it is absolute truth as it pertains to faith and morals, then you should either find a nice easy unchallenging quasi-faith, or figure out WHY you can’t accept the Church as “the truth” in very specific terms, and post your “doubts” here to be answered.

Mahalo ke Akua…!
E pili mau na pomaikai ia oe. Aloha nui.

 

[myfavoritmartin]

The ones that stayed are the ones whose hearts where turned toward the message and with that they wanted to understand more of what He was saying so they stayed. And when Jesus ask them why they didn’t leave they told Him because they didn’t know where to go. The action of them staying was a profound statement regarding faith and trust which is the basis of Christianity.

YES as I posted earlier all of the answers for John 6 can be found in the words of Peter at the end…

67 Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also wish to go away?”
68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life;
69 and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”

Now does Peter talk about the bread? NO!

He addresses what the others left over, the divinity of Christ, Peter heard the message that one would be saved by BELIEVING in Christ as He had taught in this discourse.

This event opened because the crowd wanted PROOF, a SIGN, and so they asked for food.
Jesus made the transition to the manna because of the demand of the crowd for food to prove what he said.
**This dialogue is on faith without signs , it is on being saved by faith. **

 

[Palladio]

Cop out! people have brains and still don’t choose Christ, people have brains and still sin.

No, really, I think you are writing complete rubbish.

So far as your question makes any sense at all, the apostles had ordinary commonsense not to behave in the silly stuff you’ve just served raw.

Why did Peter not say, that no foundation at all (rock or otherwise)would save on costs?

 

[estesbob]

YES as I posted earlier all of the answers for John 6 can be found in the words of Peter at the end…

67 Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also wish to go away?”
68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life;
69 and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”

*Now does Peter talk about the bread? NO!*

Interesting that you omited everything that went before. its the usual sola scriptura trick of pulling verses out of context. Jesus asked Peter this question in the CONTEXT of the fact many of his floowers LEFT him because he told him they would have to eat his body and drink his blood.

Jesus had declared his divinity before this so that could not have been the reason people left him.

 

[Teeliumtrozzle]

Here are some good reasons to become Catholic-

1.We must be good to get to Heaven-that is common sense and justice and just as important as having faith.(Rom.2:6)(James 2:14)

2.Jesus is really there in the Eucharist.(John 6:53-55)He said at the Last Supper that it was His body.(Mark 14:22)

3.The Blessed Virgin is a very special Lady(Luke 1:45-55) and the Bible shows that she was assumed into Heaven(Rev.12:1-5)and Rosary is the most beautiful prayer in the world.

4.The saints are amazing Padre Pio had Instignia-you can see it in his photographs!St.Martin could work miracles!St. Gertrude had a vision of Lord Jesus!And St. Anthony always helps to find stuff.

5.Its good to have religious Icons to look at while we pray, it helps with concentration and helps us picture Jesus.The Bible says ‘Thou shall not make a graven image of anything that is in heaven above,or in earth below’ but that just meant not to have idols,and obviously wasnt meant to be taken literally.(If we were to take it literally,we wouldnt be allowed to draw pictures,take photographs,or have ornaments or toy animals)

6.Its good to have a wise governer like the Pope to help us serve Jesus well.St. Peter the Apostle was the first Pope, being instructed by Jesus to lead the people,so it’s a nice thing to always have one.There used to be bad and horrible popes, of course, but I would just have sacked those and gotton better ones.

7.Purgatory must be real.God would never cast any halfway decent person into eternal flame, so if they’re not ready for Heaven, they should go there.Before his Ressurection, Jesus went to preach to the dead souls in prison(1 Peter 3:19)so Purgatory must be where he went.

8.There should definitely be Seven Sacrements.It makes sense to have the Sacrement of Confirmation, because that makes absolutely sure that we want to be Catholic.And marriage is sacred, because it is a solemn vow taken in the presence of God.

9.The Apparitians prove that Catholichism is good.In recent years, the Virgin Mary has often appeared to devout Catholics-At Fatima, the sun proves it,at Lourdes, the spring proves it, and at Gudepail, the magic roses prove it.

 

[Church_Militant]

Church Militant,

Maybe you can take a stab at my question since no one else answered it and you don’t usually dodge or twist from things.

Why didn’t the ones who understood Christ in John 6 as you guys claim “literally” stay and grab a hunk of flesh so as to have eternal life, people have desired the path to everlasting life both spiritually and in flesh for millenia…

Well, don’t you suppose that seeing that Our Lord had just fed thousands with a few loaves and fishes, that He was perfectly capable of miraculously carrying out whatever He said?

Tie that in with the many last supper passages MfM, Jesus hands the unleavened bread and cup of wine to them and literally says to them, " Take ye, and eat. This is my body…Drink ye all of this. 28 For this is my blood of the new testament" (Matthew 26:26-28)

I hope you can see how shallow the interpretation is that precipitates the way you have expressed your question is. I can find no logical or scriptural way to reach the kind of thinking that you have expressed there my friend. It is the rationale of the teachings of men as opposed to the New Testament and the teachings of the early church.

Does that help?

Sorry it took so long to answer…my lunch was ready.

 

[Church_Militant]

YES as I posted earlier all of the answers for John 6 can be found in the words of Peter at the end…

67 Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also wish to go away?”
68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life;
69 and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”

Now does Peter talk about the bread? NO!

He addresses what the others left over, the divinity of Christ, Peter heard the message that one would be saved by BELIEVING in Christ as He had taught in this discourse.

This event opened because the crowd wanted PROOF, a SIGN, and so they asked for food.
Jesus made the transition to the manna because of the demand of the crowd for food to prove what he said.
This dialogue is on faith without signs , it is on being saved by faith. I’m sorry MfM but that is a biased interpretation based upon the teachings of modern men and not at all what the New Testament teaches on this subject in it’s own topical context, or the teachings of the early church.

Peter was known to be ineloquent in his verbal responses to Our Lord, and this is another such case. You have to remember that these 12 had been with Him from the beginning and have been exposed to virtually every miracle and message (and their private instruction to them) and so I see this as Peter actually expressing something to the effect of “After all I have seen and heard from you Lord. This too I believe.”
I hope that helps some more.

 

[mercygate]

I’m sorry MfM but that is a biased interpretation based upon the teachings of modern men and not at all what the New Testament teaches on this subject in it’s own topical context, or the teachings of the early church.

Peter was known to be ineloquent in his verbal responses to Our Lord, and this is another such case. You have to remember that these 12 had been with Him from the beginning and have been exposed to virtually every miracle and message (and their private instruction to them) and so I see this as Peter actually expressing something to the effect of “After all I have seen and heard from you Lord. This too I believe.”
I hope that helps some more.

Indeed. And aside from the fact that “flesh and blood have not revealed this” to him, Peter here is cashing in on his personal relationship with the Lord.

IOW: “Lord, maybe we don’t exactly understand what you have just said, but because we know you, we trust you.”

O! Wait! Did I say “personal relationship with the Lord?” Can’t be. Everybody knows that Catholics are religion-bound, faith-deprived, rule-constrained believers in works righteousness and have no personal relationship with Jesus whatsoever!

 

[Sixtus]

Catholicism is not for the weak willed or those easily hurt, one has to have skin like a rhinoserus to withstand insult and spittle, to withstand being persecuted but not to persecute, to be crucified but not to crucify.

Catholics are called to love till it hurts. Mother Teresa said that when we reach the point where we feel we have no more love to give, it is only then that we start to love’.

I would say being catholic is ‘having a very hard skin with a very soft heart’

 

[Nella]

I’m curious as to what are the reasons that I should or shouldn’t become Catholic in your opinions.

I cannot make that call for you, but I will tell you a bit about myself. I am an ex-cradle Catholic. I was Catholic for many years before I finally left the church. I felt dead in the spirit for the last 6 or so years that I was Catholic. I attended mass every Sunday, I went to confession about once a month, I observed all of the Lenten discipline of the church and I observed holy days of obligation. I did this for a long long time and felt that I didn’t even know Christ anymore. I met a guy in the town in which I moved and it turns out he was an Episcopal priest. He invited me to a Wednesday Noon Healing Eucharist service. I was nervous but I attended. I liked it, it was more spiritualism than I felt in years. I started attending Sundays and within a month, I decided to be received into the church. I have never regretted my decision. I love it there. My parish is one who holds tight to the Anglican doctrine and does not allow gay active clergy or same sex unions. I am more active in church than I have ever been in my life. I have the “joy” of the Holy Spirit even in the bad time in my life and even through my wife’s surgeries and hospital stays and oh by the way, she is Episcopalian too as is my son!! i can’t tell you where you will find the spirit, but I can tell you that it is so very important to search for it and find it!!

 

[jabelltulsa]

Wow, you’ve no clue of the doctrine of OSAS, furthermore this shows us what being born again is or is not. Which one must be to have eternal life.

Neither do I, and I’ve asked what this means MANY MANY MANY times. I rarely get an explanation, and when I do, no one seems to be able to answer questions like, “What if I commit grave sins after I have been ‘saved’?”.

Please enlighten me.

 

[Nella]

Neither do I, and I’ve asked what this means MANY MANY MANY times. I rarely get an explanation, and when I do, no one seems to be able to answer questions like, “What if I commit grave sins after I have been ‘saved’?”.

Please enlighten me.

What about the grave sins that the man who was hanging on the cross next to Jesus comitted?? Scripture called him a thief, but if you look at the translation, thief meant worst of the worst in those days. Jesus didn’t tell him to go to confession first and then I’ll think about it. I think the whole Catholic idea of faith and works doesn’t hold water.

 

[mercygate]

What about the grave sins that the man who was hanging on the cross next to Jesus comitted?? Scripture called him a thief, but if you look at the translation, thief meant worst of the worst in those days. Jesus didn’t tell him to go to confession first and then I’ll think about it. I think the whole Catholic idea of faith and works doesn’t hold water.

But he did go to confession: he admitted his sin. The Savior of the world assured him on the spot that his integrity had won him a place in Paradise.

 

[donnyblake]

What about the grave sins that the man who was hanging on the cross next to Jesus comitted?? Scripture called him a thief, but if you look at the translation, thief meant worst of the worst in those days. Jesus didn’t tell him to go to confession first and then I’ll think about it. I think the whole Catholic idea of faith and works doesn’t hold water.

The sinner hanging next to Jesus did what Catholics do, confessed his sins directly, humbly, contritely and outwardly to Jesus…as Catholics do in the Confessional to Jesus’ representatives on Earth. It obviously took a WORK for the man to do this. He didn’t just hang there in faith and Jesus looked at him and said what he said. It took the initiative of the sinner’s part and ACTION. He didn’t merely say the “sinner’s prayer” and then think, “hey, now I’m good to go”. Yet again…faith without works is DEAD.

 

[Isa_Almisry]

Church Militant,

Maybe you can take a stab at my question since no one else answered it and you don’t usually dodge or twist from things.

Why didn’t the ones who understood Christ in John 6 as you guys claim “literally” stay and grab a hunk of flesh so as to have eternal life, people have desired the path to everylasting life both spiritually and in flesh for millenia…

Did you check out Hebrews 10.26-30? Press the arrow.

I’ve already answered this.

 

[allischalmers]

I do know by the grace of God I have recieved the indwelling of the HS. I don’t hear many Catholics claim to have this or even understand it for that matter…NO offense intended.

ya me too

 

[estesbob]

ya me too

Why is it that all you people who claim the indwelling the Holy Spirit have him giving you different versions of the truth?

Perhaps he gets confused indwelling in so many different places ?

 

[pismopal]

The Church, we call it Catholic, was founded by Christ and guided by those of our fathers who were closest to Christ and His ministry. That is historical fact that cannot be refuted by anyone. Christ said that the gates of hell would not prevail against His Church and the gates of hell have not, although we can sometimes feel the heat.
The reason I am Catholic and the reason I converted to the C.C. is because if the Church is wrong…then the whole thing is bunk and we have been the victims of the biggest fraud ever perpetrated…and I don’t think so.

 

[Nella]

The sinner hanging next to Jesus did what Catholics do, confessed his sins directly, humbly, contritely and outwardly to Jesus…as Catholics do in the Confessional to Jesus’ representatives on Earth. It obviously took a WORK for the man to do this. He didn’t just hang there in faith and Jesus looked at him and said what he said. It took the initiative of the sinner’s part and ACTION. He didn’t merely say the “sinner’s prayer” and then think, “hey, now I’m good to go”. Yet again…faith without works is DEAD.

By your own standards here, he could have said the “Sinner’s Prayer” and been saved. he didn’t do what Catholics do. He confessed directly to Christ. This isn’t a work, it was his faith that Christ could save him. He didn’t say, “Bless me father for I have sinned”. he asked Jesus to remember him when he went to his kingdom. You know the rest from there. It’s faith that saves. It’s works that show others your proper faith.

 

[Palladio]

By your own standards here, he could have said the “Sinner’s Prayer” and been saved. he didn’t do what Catholics do. He confessed directly to Christ. This isn’t a work, it was his faith that Christ could save him. He didn’t say, “Bless me father for I have sinned”. he asked Jesus to remember him when he went to his kingdom. You know the rest from there. It’s faith that saves. It’s works that show others your proper faith.

Well then by your logic your prayers to Christ avail not since He is not nailed to any cross near you, is He? Your faith falls by the same argument. Anything you say to Christ is worthless since you seem to require a literal recreation of an event for it to mean anything at all.

Roman Catholic priests, by apostolic succession, enjoy the gift Christ granted to Peter and His one true church. But they also help misguided souls to understand the NT, not make up wild claims about it to attack other faiths.