What must I believe?

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Gal220AU

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G’day all,

I’m what may be called a “lapsed Catholic”. I have no issue with any aspect of Catholic moral theology; contraception, abortion, homosexuality, pre marital relations etc. I believe in all the sacraments of the church, I firmly believe in the real presence, and I miss reconciliation badly.

My question is, what is the degree of belief required to honestly be part of the church? To what degree am I required to believe in such things as the immaculate conception, the assumption or papal infallibility? These are de fide, yet I cannot bring myself to have the same faith in them as I do with more core dogmas concerning Christ.

Is some degree of tacit consent sufficient? Or must I have a firm active belief in these things to sincerely take part in the sacraments?

Thank you in advance for your responses,
 
You must be open to the idea that the Church in her wisdom understands these things significantly better than you or I alone might, and thus you assent to the fact that the teachings of the Church, say as found in the Catechism, are true. You don’t have to understand them or be able to articulate them to someone else, but you acknowledge their validity, and you open yourself up prayerfully to the Holy Spirit, discernment, and possibly study on any you don’t peacefully acknowledge.
 
Read 1 cor.15. The basic belief defined by saint Paul. For non jewish people
 
I don’t believe that one must become a PhD in e.g., The Entire Church Magisterium.

The Bottom Line aka Obeying God’s Command as per JESUS?

Come to Love One Another as best as one can - in practice
 
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Have the Faith of a mustard seed. You are always welcome at mass. Just respect and abide by the teachings of the church.
 
Gal220AU said:
G’day all,

I’m what may be called a “lapsed Catholic”. I have no issue with any aspect of Catholic moral theology; contraception, abortion, homosexuality, pre marital relations etc. I believe in all the sacraments of the church, I firmly believe in the real presence, and I miss reconciliation badly.

My question is, what is the degree of belief required to honestly be part of the church? To what degree am I required to believe in such things as the immaculate conception, the assumption or papal infallibility? These are de fide, yet I cannot bring myself to have the same faith in them as I do with more core dogmas concerning Christ.

Is some degree of tacit consent sufficient? Or must I have a firm active belief in these things to sincerely take part in the sacraments?

Thank you in advance for your responses,
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Those that are baptised validly not by the Catholic Church, that come into full communion, say the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed, followed by:
I believe and profess all that the holy Catholic Church believes, teaches, and proclaims to be revealed by God. (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, 491.)
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I suggest going to Adoration, sit there and open your heart, pray for the Holy Spirit to guide you in all truth.
 
This is the profession of Faith for a Catholic:

I believe and profess all that the holy Catholic Church believes, teaches, and proclaims to be revealed by God.

Now, the beliefs and teachings stretch across the ages and the world, we can never uncover them all in a lifetime. What we must do is affirm that, even for the things of which I am unaware, I accept the authority of Holy Mother Church. If my opinions differ, I will use my rational mind and free will to conform my belief to that of the Church.

When I was converting, there were some things where I had to make a mental assent, knowing the Church was wisdom and truth, and pray that God would turn my heart. He did. It was not over night.
 
Since faith is one, as St. Paul says, it is all or nothing. “Since faith is one, it must be professed in all its purity and integrity.” (Pope Francis, Lumen Fidei 48). Faith is “a free assent to the whole truth that God has revealed.” (CCC 150). In particular, faith is believing what God has revealed based on His authority as revealer who neither deceives, nor can be deceived (cf. CCC 156).

Since it is one, deliberate dissent on one point destroys faith altogether, since we have substituted our judgment for God’s authority.

Pope Leo XIII explains (Satis Cognitum 9):
But he who dissents even in one point from divinely revealed truth absolutely rejects all faith, since he thereby refuses to honour God as the supreme truth and the formal motive of faith. “In many things they are with me, in a few things not with me; but in those few things in which they are not with me the many things in which they are will not profit them” (S. Augustinus in Psal. liv., n. 19). And this indeed most deservedly; for they, who take from Christian doctrine what they please, lean on their own judgments, not on faith; and not “bringing into captivity every understanding unto the obedience of Christ” (2 Cor. x., 5), they more truly obey themselves than God. “You, who believe what you like, believe yourselves rather than the gospel” (S. Augustinus, lib. xvii., Contra Faustum Manichaeum, cap. 3).
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But being ignorant or wrong in good faith about particular points of revealed truth does not destroy this faith, since the faith is one as professed by the whole Church.

Pope Innocent IV, (Commentaria in quinque libros decretalia, Ad liber I)
In that case, the faith of the Church replaces his opinion, since, though his opinion is false, it is not his faith, rather his faith is the faith of the Church.
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So to sum up:

St. Irenaeus, Against Heresies
For the faith being ever one and the same, neither does one who is able at great length to discourse regarding it, make any addition to it, nor does one, who can say but little diminish it.
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If you do not believe in all the Church teaching, respect for the Church and do not openly go against her is a good start.

If you feel the need of confession, simply go to confession. You are more than welcome.
 
Gal220AU said:
G’day all,

I’m what may be called a “lapsed Catholic”. I have no issue with any aspect of Catholic moral theology; contraception, abortion, homosexuality, pre marital relations etc. I believe in all the sacraments of the church, I firmly believe in the real presence, and I miss reconciliation badly.

My question is, what is the degree of belief required to honestly be part of the church? To what degree am I required to believe in such things as the immaculate conception, the assumption or papal infallibility? These are de fide, yet I cannot bring myself to have the same faith in them as I do with more core dogmas concerning Christ.

Is some degree of tacit consent sufficient? Or must I have a firm active belief in these things to sincerely take part in the sacraments?

Thank you in advance for your responses,
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All your questions should be answered right here…I humbly suggest you start at page one and read on, it will make obscure things clear, misunderstood things clarified.

It will strengthen your faith and you will have a true working understanding of who “we” the Church are and what “we” believe…

Do not be intimidated, it is clear and broken down into sections…starting with our Confession of Faith.

HTH,

M

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