What makes you a good Catholic?

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Do you consider yourself a good Catholic because of your beliefs or are you a good Catholic because of how you behave? A little of both?
 
wacky&wonderful:
Do you consider yourself a good Catholic because of your beliefs or are you a good Catholic because of how you behave? A little of both?
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A good catholic is one who works out their salvation with fear andd trembling. One must give assent to all things posited for belief even if they struggle with the particular belief and ones actions must be in accord with those beliefs. However, failure to meet the standard does not make you a bad catholic but stubbornly denying or refusing to do as the church does will make one a bad catholic.
 
Good answer Mosher! I posted in a thread asking this same thing a while back. Someone said you will know a good Catholic because s/he will go to regular adoration and pray the rosary daily. I don’t think either of these things makes one Catholic. It isn’t the actions, but the motivation behind the actions that are more important to me.

Obviously, one must distinguish between a good Protestant and a good Catholic by acceptance of those doctrines which set us apart.
 
I asked the question because I’ve been told that I don’t act like a Catholic and that was said as a compliment! People most often comment on my behavior and character traits. I don’t say the rosary every day and I don’t know all the saints and their stories. The more I read on this forum the less acceptable I feel. Doesn’t it all come down to following Jesus and doing God’s will no matter how it makes you feel? That’s all I can handle. The fear and trembling come from wondering if my best is good enough.
 
Obviously, one must distinguish between a good Protestant and a good Catholic by acceptance of those doctrines which set us apart.

I behaved the same and believed the same when I was away from the RCC and attending non-catholic churches as I do now. They’re not all that different, you know. And they are very accepting of those who are from a different background. At least the ones I atttended were that way. No hostility was ever shown to me or my family. You know, maybe I’m not “officially” anything. I am a believer and a follower. I don’t think heaven is divided into sections. Catholics don’t get the prime real estate and the Lutherans, Protestants, Methodists and Pentecostals end up on the outskirts.
 
wacky&wonderful:
I behaved the same and believed the same when I was away from the RCC and attending non-catholic churches as I do now. They’re not all that different, you know. And they are very accepting of those who are from a different background. At least the ones I atttended were that way. No hostility was ever shown to me or my family. You know, maybe I’m not “officially” anything. I am a believer and a follower. I don’t think heaven is divided into sections. Catholics don’t get the prime real estate and the Lutherans, Protestants, Methodists and Pentecostals end up on the outskirts.
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Here inlies the problem. This could be what is called religious indifferentism or at least false irrenicism. In heaven there is no distinction between religions because all in heaven believe the same thing - in essence they are all catholics.

What I don’t understand is how one can say that when one was away from the church they believe the same thing as a Catholic. It seems that either one would either have believed everything all along or they are not in doctrinal unity which is what defines a person as a Catholic or any other religion.

There is really no acting like a Catholic or not like a Catholic. It is a matter of being Catholic or not. The Church is a big place and in the Church there is room for quite a bit of different praxis.
 
wacky&wonderful:
Do you consider yourself a good Catholic because of your beliefs or are you a good Catholic because of how you behave? A little of both?
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All who have the credentials to enter heaven at judgement become Catholic by default, even for non-Catholics. So it is this attainment of good Catholicism we strive for on erath.

But in answer, no, I feel I’m not as good a Catholic as I would like to be, but the opinion that carries weight comes from Christ, and he probably would bring even that down a few notches on the worthy scale. My hopes are that he considers me a Catholic at all.

Andy
 
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mosher:
Here inlies the problem. This could be what is called religious indifferentism or at least false irrenicism. In heaven there is no distinction between religions because all in heaven believe the same thing - in essence they are all catholics.

What I don’t understand is how one can say that when one was away from the church they believe the same thing as a Catholic. It seems that either one would either have believed everything all along or they are not in doctrinal unity which is what defines a person as a Catholic or any other religion.

There is really no acting like a Catholic or not like a Catholic. It is a matter of being Catholic or not. The Church is a big place and in the Church there is room for quite a bit of different praxis.
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First, a favor: When you reply to my messages, please don’t use such big words. 🙂

I’ve learned from this forum that I had (an?) incomplete formation as a child and teenager. At home it was all about the occult so any church teaching I received was done in religion class and that nun was more interested in Biblical geography than anything else. Back in the old days, we were told what to believe and none of us questioned it. They certainly didn’t have to convince us. It would have been suicidal to argue with a nun.

What I have done is reduce it all down to me following Jesus and listening carefully so that when God talks, I hear and do what He wants me to do. This forum has given me a headache like you wouldn’t believe because I couldn’t defend my faith if I had to. I just know what I know. Basic. No frills. Right vs wrong. Black & white. No gray, or very little of it. All the rest seems extraneous to me and though it makes for interesting discussions, most of it is way over my head. Doctrinal unity? Never thought about it. As an adult I have felt that God is in/with me and no matter what happens, nothing and no one can take Him away from me. If all the churches in the world burned down tomorrow, He/I would still be ok. I don’t broadcast what I believe and there are no angel pins on my coat lapel or bumper stickers on my car. But somehow people know. I’m just feeling woefully inadequate, that’s all.
 
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Anyone who manages to get to Heaven is, ipso facto, a Catholic.

As I recently remarked about my suddenly deceased fundamentalist protestant grandmother - “Well, she’s Catholic now”…
 
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mosher:
In heaven there is no distinction between religions because all in heaven believe the same thing - in essence they are all catholics.
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Assuming that an invincibly ignorant good and decent Moslem man with three good and decent wives have attained their eternal salvation in heaven.
What happens in heaven to the Moslem man and his three wives?
 
wacky&wonderful:
Do you consider yourself a good Catholic because of your beliefs or are you a good Catholic because of how you behave? A little of both?
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Both. I try hard to practice virtue and to receive the Eucharist daily and confession well at least monthly. I work on bi monthly but it is not always possible plus it is difficult. When I find a priest I usually have so many other things to work with like a Mass schedule for the classes etc. so I end up forgetting to ask or just plain chicken out. My beliefs are solid like the rock!
 
Actually, sometimes I think at this point in my life, I’m still letting the things of this world get in the way of God. Also, I feel like I’m not as helpful, or understanding, or compassionate, or giving as I should be, if I was living with the love of God. So maybe in a spiritual sense, I’m not as good a Catholic as I wish to be, but I keep trying!
 
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stanley123:
Assuming that an invincibly ignorant good and decent Moslem man with three good and decent wives have attained their eternal salvation in heaven.
What happens in heaven to the Moslem man and his three wives?
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Likely the same thing that happened to the woman who had 7 husbands,

“Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies without children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up descendants for his brother.’
Now there were seven brothers among us. The first married and died and, having no descendants, left his wife to his brother. The same happened with the second and the third, through all seven. Finally the woman died. Now at the resurrection, of the seven, whose wife will she be? For they all had been married to her.” Jesus said to them in reply, "You are misled because you do not know the scriptures or the power of God. At the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like the angels in heaven."peace

Jim
 
wacky&wonderful:
What I have done is reduce it all down to me following Jesus and listening carefully so that when God talks, I hear and do what He wants me to do. This forum has given me a headache like you wouldn’t believe because I couldn’t defend my faith if I had to. I just know what I know. Basic. No frills. Right vs wrong. Black & white. No gray, or very little of it. All the rest seems extraneous to me and though it makes for interesting discussions, most of it is way over my head. Doctrinal unity? Never thought about it. As an adult I have felt that God is in/with me and no matter what happens, nothing and no one can take Him away from me. If all the churches in the world burned down tomorrow, He/I would still be ok. I don’t broadcast what I believe and there are no angel pins on my coat lapel or bumper stickers on my car. But somehow people know. I’m just feeling woefully inadequate, that’s all.
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Sounds like you are in better shape than most of us. Remember it was the sinful man who beat his breast and didn’t even look up to heaven that went away justified, not the self-righteous man who was pleased that he wasn’t like sinners.

The basic “doctrines” like love of God, love of neighbor, avoiding greed, spending time in prayer are the ones that matter more than the true meaning of “transubstantiation” (sp?) or the difference between Catholics and Protestants.

What makes you a good Catholic? The same thing that makes you a good person, following the example of Jesus.

peace

Jim
 
Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or homeless and give you shelter . . . .?
 
wacky&wonderful:
The fear and trembling come from wondering if my best is good enough.
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What more is there than your best?

Love has desire at its root. Desire to be ever closer to Christ leads us to live ever more in his presence. Sometimes this desire compels us to greater devotion to prayer, and sometimes it leads us into more loving service to others – both at the same time.

To love and to follow one’s desire is the mark of a “good” Christian. This isn’t a “Catholic” thing exclusively.
 
wacky&wonderful:
I’ve learned from this forum that I had (an?) incomplete formation as a child and teenager.
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We all had an incomplete formation as a child/teenager, and need to keep on learning. I am apalled at my own ignorance sometimes, and am working on reducing it.

Yes, being a Catholic is all about following Jesus, but don’t fall into the trap of thinking that all that “other stuff” is unimportant. Doctrines I don’t understand are still important, and I try to understand them better. Still, we can only act according to the knowledge we have received, and God will judge us on our choices, not our knowledge. That should comfort all of us, but it should not excuse us from trying to learn.
 
I would not use the label “Good Catholic” rather I would use “Practicing Catholic” meaning I live and practice my Faith to the best of my ability and strive to be better each day.
 
A good Catholic is someone who truly believes they are a bad Catholic.

I strive to be a good Catholic but hope that no one looks to me as an example of a good Catholic. Rather let me be an example of a bad catholic striving to become a good Catholic.

I hope I never start to believe that I am a good Catholic, because then by effort to become perfect would cease.
 
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