What exactly does our teachings teach (or supposed) to teach us?

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mphill85

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I’m writing this post after I read a Christen pin that was posted on Pinterest. The pin in question was a quote from a “St. Alphonsus de Liguori” (whom I have never heard of). What I have heard from teachings and readings and such is that God’s mercy is forever. However, this St. Alphonsus says that God’s mercy is finite and he doesn’t extend his mercy for that long and eventually that one time the forgiveness stops he will punish you immediately with death or something along the line of torture that drags out. That last part seems to go against what I’ve been taught.

I’ve been seeing a lot of contrast/comparison posts/pins on the internet and I have no idea if they are true or not. Some kind of make sense while others seem to go against what our faith teaches us. A lot of them seem to be something about calling our faith (or Christianity in general) or our teachings a “mainstream” faith that actually isn’t in line with that bible actually says. Being that I’m not “spirit” smart with our faith outside of readings and what is taught at mass I find myself becoming increasingly confused. Coupled with my anxiety and depression it doesn’t help that I end up questioning a lot of things. I’m not sure what to believe or what I am supposed to believe. I get confused easily and being that I try to make faith an essential part of my life I feel like things get thrown for a loop and me along with it. I have an appointment with my pastor this Friday but I really wanted to get a headstart with this subject before I went to see him.

I was not exactly a good person (Catholic-wise) growing up and starting back a year ago I’ve been trying to fix things and get myself together. I end up questioning everything that I do and on a daily basis end up asking myself did I do anything today that would upset God.
 
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My general advice is to avoid posts on Pinterest and perhaps Internet posts in general written by people who may have a (religious) ax to grind or are just ignorant of most religious teachings including their own. I’ve never heard that the forgiveness of Gd is finite or that his forgiveness stops and then he punishes you, except perhaps by a couple of fundamentalist televangelist preachers. It’s good that you have an appointment to discuss your thoughts and feelings about this and other issues with your pastor. I’m sure he will be able to advise you appropriately.
 
That’s what I was thinking. None of my pastors or chaplains in the past ever talked like that. Like I said my anxiety doesn’t help any. The whole thing with Pinterest was to find prayers and it was something that was suggested because it was “similar” (which obviously its not). I cannot fathom why people do things like this. I believe it hurts our faith more instead of strengthening it.
 
The Saint, if he actually said this, was not determining doctrine, nor was he speaking for the Church.Again, what was the context?

Do you have a catechism?

EXTREMELY helpful.

What the teachings of the Church endeavor to accomplish is, oddly enough, the same thing as an exorcism: establishing (or re-establishing) a right relationship with God.*

*for forum contrarians, restoring a right relationship with God is the job of the exorcist.
 
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I think I have to order a new one. Mine is a little old and it’s been sitting in storage since I moved.
 
If you suffer from anxiety, strive to limit your exposure to all media.

That’s right: all media. Media is anxiety-promoting, anxiety producing.

Focus like a laser on Catholic sources - good, orthodox, in-communion-with-Rome Catholics.

The 1995 Catechism is still current, with perhaps a tiny update. Dig it out, read it. Get a book such as the Lives of the Saints (available in several forms) and read up. You will be inspired.

Oh, and get yourself before the Prince of Peace at Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. No way on earth you can be harmed there!
 
Thank you all. I’m going to strive to do this and become a better Catholic.
 
Liguori is actually a good spiritual writer. I’m a bit curious to see what that quote says exactly because it does sound out of character.
 
VanitasVanitatum said:
Liguori is actually a good spiritual writer. I’m a bit curious to see what that quote says exactly because it does sound out of character.
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Context is everything. It might make sense if he was admonishing an unrepentant sinner, for instance. If so, that was never intended to be a general statement.
 
mphill85 said:
Thank you all. I’m going to strive to do this and become a better Catholic.
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Exactly! Striving is what the Lord desires. Hre does not expect us to be perfect, as He knows what we are made of. Yet, we strive toward perfection with God’s grace.
 
God has infinite mercy and infinite justice. He can read our hearts so He can judge us perfectly.

He also has perfect knowledge of all time. He knows who will repent, as you are doing, and who will never repent, if any people like that exist.

Do not let any out-of-context quotes disturb you, or even in-context quotes!

If something you read helps you, keep it. If something you read does not help you become closer to God, set it aside. You may not yet be ready for it, or it may not be meant for you ever.

Remember that the writings of the saints have a wider context outside of the writing itself. Perhaps a saint focuses on one particular sin, like gossip. Well, he has heard the people’s confessions, he knows what is happening, right?

But for the person who does not gossip, the writing about it is superfluous and can be disregarded.

Keep yourself in God’s hands, ask for His mercy, and stay safe that way.
 
I should of posted this somewhere in the middle. But this is what the pin says:

“God has patience with the sinner for a time, but not forever. When the measure of iniquity is filled up his mercy ceases, and he punishes the impenitent sinner either by death, or by abandoning him to a reprobate sense, in which state he goes on from sin to sin without remorse, and at length is precipitated into hell. O Christian! attend seriously to this. It is time you should put an end to your disorders and return to God; you should fear lest this will be the last warning that he will ever send you. You have offended him long enough, and he has borne with you long enough in your sins: tremble then, lest he should forsake you after the next mortal sin.”
 
mphill, One of the huge issue Pope Francis is addressing is the cult of traditionalists who pit one era of the Church against the Church teachers of today. You must read the writings of St Alphonsus in the light of the subsequent 2 centuries of the Church and realise how all the Saints have contributed to our knowledge of Gods mercy and forgiveness today.
 
St Alphonsus de Liguori was a great saint who founded the Redemptorists and struggled with his own scruples.

He is correct that God could run out of patience with sin. Scripture shows this numerous times. Although the Church does not require us to believe private revelations, several Church-approved Marian apparitions conveyed a similar message. Many saints have also said the same.

If you’re sincerely trying to reform your life and stop sinning, then just keep on doing and don’t worry. God sees what’s in your heart.
 
So pretty much what he is saying is if I consistently and deliberately keep sinning without a care in the world is when this would come into play? Not with struggling with addiction but rather deliberately not making any kind of effort to stop and continue on your merry way while sinning with every step not caring about consequences?
 
Yes, it would come into play at some point. Only God knows at what point that might be.

Addiction, if one truly has addiction, is a disease and a person who has it should be getting some kind of help.
 
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