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Dlee
Guest
No - he is not required to tell his pastor anything. His Dad is another question. He is a minor, not Catholic.
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Dlee
Guest
He doesn’t know what to do - hence his question “What do I do…”
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rcwitness
Guest
He knows he wants to become fully Catholic and so receive Confirmation and Eucharist.
I’m guessing he doesn’t want to partake in Baptist Communion, he just doesn’t know what to do about it.
So I say, the Baptist faith would not course you into taking, if you don’t want to. So don’t.
If father says he must, that seems like he is not practicing what he is preaching. I would say my peace, nd then receive for the sake of not disobeying
I’m guessing he doesn’t want to partake in Baptist Communion, he just doesn’t know what to do about it.
So I say, the Baptist faith would not course you into taking, if you don’t want to. So don’t.
If father says he must, that seems like he is not practicing what he is preaching. I would say my peace, nd then receive for the sake of not disobeying
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Dlee
Guest
My Priest recommended this prayer until I could receive the Eucharist. You can silently pray this during communion until you are Catholic.
My Jesus,
I believe that You
are present in the Most Holy Sacrament.
I love You above all things,
and I desire to receive You into my soul.
Since I cannot at this moment
receive You sacramentally,
come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You.
Amen.
My Jesus,
I believe that You
are present in the Most Holy Sacrament.
I love You above all things,
and I desire to receive You into my soul.
Since I cannot at this moment
receive You sacramentally,
come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You.
Amen.
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Peeps
Guest
Former Baptist here.
I agree with 2towers that it’s possible the teen’s father will find out about the advice given here on Catholic Forums, and his reaction could be extreme.
All of you who have no experience with Baptists have to know that there are hundreds of different kinds of Baptists, ranging from extremely conservative (theologically) to extremely liberal (we’ve seen Baptist churches that allow Wicca meetings in their church).
Many of these Baptist sects believe that the Catholic Church is a cult, an evil cult, that practices goddess worship, and that brainwashes young people into joining the cult. I’m not saying this young teen is a member of a Baptist church like this, but it’s possible. I’ve known plenty of Baptist and other Evangelical churches who believe this.
What this means is that the teen might find himself in a “de-programming” setting, where the de-programmers subject him to hours or days of “treatment” to free him from the “Catholic brainwashing” and get him to a point where he will renounce the “cult”.
Now, please don’t be too quick to criticize the de-programming organizations. There really are some very wicked cults, and sometimes this type of extreme psychological intervention is needed to free a person from the thought process that keeps them involved with these cults.
But the Catholic Church is NOT a cult and not wicked. It would be a horrible thing for this young person to have to undergo a very psychologically-demanding treatment that could totally derail his involvement with the Catholic Church, and perhaps even his relationship with the Lord Jesus, as well as affect his ability to trust others and open himself up to people.
As several others have said on this thread, the young teen should trust in the Lord and obey the Commandment, “Honor your father and mother.” God will not hold it against this teen if in good faith and trusting in Jesus, he obeys his father and mother. The time will go by quickly and in a few years, the teen will be able to begin the process of becoming Catholic.
I agree with 2towers that it’s possible the teen’s father will find out about the advice given here on Catholic Forums, and his reaction could be extreme.
All of you who have no experience with Baptists have to know that there are hundreds of different kinds of Baptists, ranging from extremely conservative (theologically) to extremely liberal (we’ve seen Baptist churches that allow Wicca meetings in their church).
Many of these Baptist sects believe that the Catholic Church is a cult, an evil cult, that practices goddess worship, and that brainwashes young people into joining the cult. I’m not saying this young teen is a member of a Baptist church like this, but it’s possible. I’ve known plenty of Baptist and other Evangelical churches who believe this.
What this means is that the teen might find himself in a “de-programming” setting, where the de-programmers subject him to hours or days of “treatment” to free him from the “Catholic brainwashing” and get him to a point where he will renounce the “cult”.
Now, please don’t be too quick to criticize the de-programming organizations. There really are some very wicked cults, and sometimes this type of extreme psychological intervention is needed to free a person from the thought process that keeps them involved with these cults.
But the Catholic Church is NOT a cult and not wicked. It would be a horrible thing for this young person to have to undergo a very psychologically-demanding treatment that could totally derail his involvement with the Catholic Church, and perhaps even his relationship with the Lord Jesus, as well as affect his ability to trust others and open himself up to people.
As several others have said on this thread, the young teen should trust in the Lord and obey the Commandment, “Honor your father and mother.” God will not hold it against this teen if in good faith and trusting in Jesus, he obeys his father and mother. The time will go by quickly and in a few years, the teen will be able to begin the process of becoming Catholic.
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Peeps
Guest
I very much agree with TheLittleLady
In the Baptist church that I grew up with, the members and the church Board took the passages in I Timothy 3: 1-13 (especially verse 4), and Titus 1: 5-9 (especially verse 6) very seriously.
If the young teen has "accepted Jesus into his heart to be his personal Savior), he is able to receive communion even if he hasn’t been baptized yet (which he probably has been).
If the young teen consistently refuses communion, the members will very likely ask the church Board “why?” The church Board will ask the pastor why his child is not receiving communion, and if the pastor tells them that his son is planning to become a Catholic–well, that could be the end of the pastor’s job.
It is no light thing for anyone to lose their job. The pastor probably will not be able to get another pastorate in a church in his denomination, so he will have the option of trying to find a pastorate in another denomination which may not align with his own convictions. Or he might decide to try to start a non-denominational church, but this is tough going, and the pastor will very likely have to find a secular job to support his family.
Most pastors don’t have a lot of marketable skills, so the job will likely be a low-pay job.
This means that his wife may also have to find a job, and this could totally up-end the family life.
How many of you have lost a good-paying job that you love? Was it hard? Did it cause a lot of unpleasantness or even misery in your family? Was someone else responsible for you losing your job? Have you truly forgiven that person, or do you still harbor resentment against them?
CAF friends, this is not a good way for us as Catholics to win friends and influence people!
I advise the young teen to submit to his parents, trusting that God will honor his commitment to the Commandment to “Honor father and mother.” The teen will have much more positive influence with parents and other family members if he cheerfully and humbly submits to their God-given authority, and perhaps his quiet and submissive example during his last few years of “childhood” will help his family to also become Catholics!
I agree with others on this thread who point out that the Baptist “communion” is not in any way a Catholic Holy Communion. It is made very clear to Baptists the bread and grape juice is only a symbol of the Lord’s Body and Blood, and that the communion is only a remembrance of Jesus’ death on the cross. Catholics have been told by our Church to not participate, but the teenager is not a Catholic yet and so is not bound by this decree. He will not be sinning to obey his parents rather than a Church that he is not yet a member of.
In the Baptist church that I grew up with, the members and the church Board took the passages in I Timothy 3: 1-13 (especially verse 4), and Titus 1: 5-9 (especially verse 6) very seriously.
If the young teen has "accepted Jesus into his heart to be his personal Savior), he is able to receive communion even if he hasn’t been baptized yet (which he probably has been).
If the young teen consistently refuses communion, the members will very likely ask the church Board “why?” The church Board will ask the pastor why his child is not receiving communion, and if the pastor tells them that his son is planning to become a Catholic–well, that could be the end of the pastor’s job.
It is no light thing for anyone to lose their job. The pastor probably will not be able to get another pastorate in a church in his denomination, so he will have the option of trying to find a pastorate in another denomination which may not align with his own convictions. Or he might decide to try to start a non-denominational church, but this is tough going, and the pastor will very likely have to find a secular job to support his family.
Most pastors don’t have a lot of marketable skills, so the job will likely be a low-pay job.
This means that his wife may also have to find a job, and this could totally up-end the family life.
How many of you have lost a good-paying job that you love? Was it hard? Did it cause a lot of unpleasantness or even misery in your family? Was someone else responsible for you losing your job? Have you truly forgiven that person, or do you still harbor resentment against them?
CAF friends, this is not a good way for us as Catholics to win friends and influence people!
I advise the young teen to submit to his parents, trusting that God will honor his commitment to the Commandment to “Honor father and mother.” The teen will have much more positive influence with parents and other family members if he cheerfully and humbly submits to their God-given authority, and perhaps his quiet and submissive example during his last few years of “childhood” will help his family to also become Catholics!
I agree with others on this thread who point out that the Baptist “communion” is not in any way a Catholic Holy Communion. It is made very clear to Baptists the bread and grape juice is only a symbol of the Lord’s Body and Blood, and that the communion is only a remembrance of Jesus’ death on the cross. Catholics have been told by our Church to not participate, but the teenager is not a Catholic yet and so is not bound by this decree. He will not be sinning to obey his parents rather than a Church that he is not yet a member of.
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Arkansan
Guest
Consequentalism
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SnowRose
Guest
Just wanting to point out that a symbolic rememberance of Jesus’ sacrifice is just that - symbolic.
It’s not the fullness you strive for, but it’s a nice try.
If you cannot avoid it, I believe God will understand, more than some posters of CAF
. After all, refusing God bc the format doesn’t live up to your man-made requirements is a good advice for a convertining minor in a tight spot? Really?
It’s not the fullness you strive for, but it’s a nice try.
If you cannot avoid it, I believe God will understand, more than some posters of CAF
. After all, refusing God bc the format doesn’t live up to your man-made requirements is a good advice for a convertining minor in a tight spot? Really?
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rcwitness
Guest
This OP has already expressed a conversion to becoming fully Catholic.
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YourNameHere
Guest
To me it would seem like hypocrisy to continue to receive communion at the Baptist Church when you understand the truth of the Eucharist.
I do not mean to sound judgmental.
It just seems like you probably should avoid communion at the Baptist Church.
My prayers are for you in this matter. I am sure you feel awkward.
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tafan2
Guest
I understand your logic, but not for sure if I agree. If something is objectively evil, a person who does not realize it is evil may not be culpable, but the sin still occurs and in some way, a little more evil enters into the world. So if every Protestant communion service is a blasphemy, there good never be any good that comes out of it. Yet, I have heard Catholics say and teach sayat at some level, God is there with Protestants who are honestly and in good faith worshiping the Lord.
I have to think about this a bit.
I have to think about this a bit.
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ComplineSanFran
Guest
And why WOULDN’T God be present with those who are worshipping Him? Isn’t it true that when two or three are gathered in His name, He is present?
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StephenBales
Guest
I’ve been reading St. Augustine’s Confessions recently. During a trip to visit my aunt in Houston, we stopped in a Barnes & Noble for Starbucks, and saw it on a 2 for $10 table. I got it and Miguel de Cervantes’ Don Quixote. Anyway, I just started today, and I came across a pertinent line in 1.11.18.
Augustine writes, “Was it indeed for my good that the reins were slackened, as it were, to encourage me in sin? Or, were they not slackened? If not, why is it still dinned into our ears on all sides, “Let him alone, let him do as he pleases, for he is not yet baptized”? In the matter of bodily health, no one says, “Let him alone; let him be worse wounded; for he is not yet cured”! How much better, then, would it have been for me to be cured at once…”
Now, my situation is not precisely akin to this. I do not in fact know that to partake in Baptist communion, when I know it is only a shallow shadow (how’s that for rhyming alliteration) of the glory of the Eucharist, would injure me. And if it would, I do not know whether it would injure me more to disobey my parents if they demand I partake in communion at our current church (though I do think that is unlikely). As it is, we haven’t had communion in a long while, since at least several weeks before the OP was written. That tells you how much our church values it, I suppose. Blegh.
Anyway, where doctrine does not expressly solve the problem, I must follow conscience, correct? As far as I can see, my conscience demands I not partake in Baptist communion, that I step out when possible, but that if my parents demand, I submit. Does this sound right? For those of you still following the discussion, please correct me if you think I’m wrong!
Augustine writes, “Was it indeed for my good that the reins were slackened, as it were, to encourage me in sin? Or, were they not slackened? If not, why is it still dinned into our ears on all sides, “Let him alone, let him do as he pleases, for he is not yet baptized”? In the matter of bodily health, no one says, “Let him alone; let him be worse wounded; for he is not yet cured”! How much better, then, would it have been for me to be cured at once…”
Now, my situation is not precisely akin to this. I do not in fact know that to partake in Baptist communion, when I know it is only a shallow shadow (how’s that for rhyming alliteration) of the glory of the Eucharist, would injure me. And if it would, I do not know whether it would injure me more to disobey my parents if they demand I partake in communion at our current church (though I do think that is unlikely). As it is, we haven’t had communion in a long while, since at least several weeks before the OP was written. That tells you how much our church values it, I suppose. Blegh.
Anyway, where doctrine does not expressly solve the problem, I must follow conscience, correct? As far as I can see, my conscience demands I not partake in Baptist communion, that I step out when possible, but that if my parents demand, I submit. Does this sound right? For those of you still following the discussion, please correct me if you think I’m wrong!
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Cor_ad_Cor
Guest
Seems to me you’ve found a very mature, excellent resolution to the issue.
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