What do Catholics do after first kneeling?

[mercygate]

gladtobe:

Kage
You have to understand some things. I live in a very rural city. Really small. The priest I took RCIA with was getting ready to retire. It was him and me for RCIA. Pretty small eh? My RCIA was only a month and a half, because he felt I had a good knowledge of the church and the scriptures. I did, but not of the order of the liturgy or even what to do.

I was confirmed at Easter. But no one showed me what to do in the mass. I had to learn on my own. I didn’t even know what the tabernacle was for up front. I had to do a helluva lot of reading on my own.Through much embarrassment I learned what to recite, when to recite, when to stand and when not to stand. I soon found that even though our parish had a Madonna statue, no one prayed before it.Most people just come to mass and burn a candle for a loved one.

We only have about 50 members tops. 80% are old geysers like myself. There are a few younger people, but they don’t come often. There is no weekly bible studies, no greeters and everybody comes to mass, exits as fast as they can** and it’s the same week after week .**I keep the faith because I believe strongly in the Eucharist, but inwardly I am lonely, because no one even cares if I even showed up. My wife is an agnostic. She was a Catholic years ago, but gave up going as well, because of the same thing I experience socially.

You are very luck to have church people in your life. Thank you for your kind words and keep the faith.

glad, the best is yet to come! You were really shortchanged in the RCIA department. A month and a half! That’s almost criminal. You might be able to make an overnight Christian, but it takes a pretty fair amount of time to make a Catholic. Even years. As a former anti-Catholic myself, I had a lot to learn. Took me 30 years. This isn’t like moving from Congregationalist to Methodist.

You accept the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. That means that at some level you accept the authority of the Church. Go for it! Stop quibbling about the teaching of the Church and really plumb those doctrines you dislike. The Magisterium is a rich and beautiful thing. Leave your old wineskin at the door and pour the new wine of the fullness of faith into a new wineskin.

Maybe start a coffee hour yourself after Mass? Nobody will come, but hey! Ya never know if you don’t try.

 

[Exporter]

gladtobe, your question was answered. Read # 56.

 

[carol_marie]

gladtobe:

Carol Marie

Butt out with doesn’t concern you. Your just a busybody.

Wow. I’m floored. What did I do to you to deserve THIS? I was trying to defend YOU and see things from YOUR perspective and for that you personally attack me?

You said that you were old enough to be a grandfather. If that is true then shame on you! Name calling is neither productive nor nice and someone your age should know better.

CM

 

[jpjd]

gladtobe:

Kage
You have to understand some things. I live in a very rural city. Really small. The priest I took RCIA with was getting ready to retire. It was him and me for RCIA. Pretty small eh? My RCIA was only a month and a half, because he felt I had a good knowledge of the church and the scriptures. I did, but not of the order of the liturgy or even what to do.

               I was confirmed at Easter. But no one showed me what to do in the mass. I had to learn on my own. I didn't even know what the tabernacle was for up front. I had to do a helluva lot of reading on my own.Through much embarrassment I learned what to recite, when to recite, when to stand and when not to stand. I soon found that even though our parish had a Madonna statue, no one prayed before it.Most people just come to mass and burn a candle for a loved one.

             We only have about 50 members tops. 80% are old geysers like myself. There are a few younger people, but they don't come often. There is no weekly bible studies, no greeters and everybody comes to mass, exits as fast as they can** and it's the same week after week .**I keep the faith because I believe strongly in the Eucharist, but inwardly I am lonely, because no one even cares if I even showed up. My wife is an agnostic. She was a Catholic years ago, but gave up going as well, because of the same thing I experience socially.

             You are very luck to have church people in your life. Thank you for your kind words and keep the faith.

gladtobe,

I agree that it can be lonely when a person doesn’t have church people in their life. My husband is not Catholic, although he does attend Mass with me and our 2 boys. But that’s the extent of his participation in the church. So there are times when I do things alone, and it can be lonely. For example, Stations of the Cross. I went by myself last Friday, and I would love to have gone with someone else. It sure adds to the experience to have company. I am active in my church so I do know people, but unfortunately none of them are close friends. My closest friends are other denominations. So, I understand what you are saying about not having (Catholic) church people in your life.

My only suggestion would be to try to befriend someone. Is there a person your age (or even not your age) who is also alone at church, who might like to get coffee with you, or go to lunch, or do something where you could develop a friendship?

 

[MariaG]

posted by Carol Marie

Wow. I’m floored. What did I do to you to deserve THIS? I was trying to defend YOU and see things from YOUR perspective and for that you personally attack me?

You said that you were old enough to be a grandfather. If that is true then shame on you! Name calling is neither productive nor nice and someone your age should know better.

And I deserved post #38??posted by gladtobe

But I sure as hell am not going to swallow everything YOU SAY I should, because you feel it’s right. If you think so, then your elevator doesn’t stop at the top floor.

or #46

The fact that you follow everything that comes out of Rome does prove you check your mind at the door…

You definitely remind me of a lady I see on the Sanford and Son TV show. Her name is Aunt Esther. She is always telling Fred Sanford what she thinks he ought to be doing. I just hope your not as ugly. I will not make posts to you or about you, if you do the same.

or #50

You’re right. But sometimes when one posts an opinion, some old battleaxe gets all bent out of shape because it doesn’t agree with her interpretation of what the church says, and so she resorts to character assassination, such as “you are deceitful”, “you are not really a Catholic” and trash talk like that.

Oh yes, I guess I do deserve personal insults when I question if someone is actually Catholic who by his own words does not agree with dogma, like the Immaculate Conception. But what do I know, I just check my brain at the door.

Guess that is what I get for taking someone off ignore. By all the resonable response back, I thought maybe I had been wrong about him. Guess not.

 

[gladtobe]

Maria
I thought you told me you were going to but out? You just don't know when to quit.

 

[Paul_Stephens]

This thread is now closed. Thank you for your participation

Paul Stephens

Moderator