Where is RCIA in Scripture?

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Greetings to all! I have been reading for some time now and finally decided to join and post this question. I was raised in a protestant denomination but finally had to admit to myself that I couldn’t accept their teachings (only their denomination is going to Heaven, once-save-always-saved, etc). I’m 46 now and would be a Catholic except for one thing. RCIA. I certainly mean no disrespect, but I find no scriptural support for making a person wait almost an entire year before being confirmed. In fact, it’s easy to find Scripture that seems to refute such a practice. Acts 2:41 for example which says, "Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. No RCIA, no year long waiting period. There is also Acts 2:47, “… And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”

I do not profess to know everything, but I’m not a child either, nor am I someone who has never been exposed to the Bible or Christianity. I read the Catechism, books like Unabridged Christianity by Fr. Mario P. Romero and Hail, Holy Queen by Scott Hahn and regularly visit Catholic websites. I am also not a stranger to Mass. In short, I would be Catholic were it not for one single thing… RCIA.

Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance!
 
I don’t think this is really something that has to be based on scripture.
Having said that, while RCIA is the normative way of preparing to come into the Church, it isn’t the only way. There are cases where converts are provided an abbreviated form of instruction by a priest and given the sacraments of initiation outside of the Easter Vigil mass, however that is determined on a individual basis and is determined by the level of understanding someone has about the Catholic faith.
Entry into the Church should be done with great care because once someone is confirmed, they haven’t merely gained “membership”, they’ve taken on a great responsibility (one that a great deal of “cradle Catholics” take for granted to the endangerment of their own soul). Once you accept the faith, you’re responsibility for living it is greatly increased. The Church isn’t trying to be difficult or exclusive by making RCIA the normative method of preparation, but is merely trying to take great care that someone understands the faith before undertaking that responsibility,

I hope I’ve conveyed what I’m trying to say in a way that makes sense.
 
It was common practice in the early Church to have new members go through a period of catechesis and until they were properly trained and initiated into the “Mysteries” of the sacraments, they were not allowed to be present. .

The Eucharistic part of the liturgy was seperate from the teachings about the scriptures, and only those who were properly trained were allowed to be present.

-Tim-
 
hapkidoin said:
I would be Catholic were it not for one single thing… RCIA.
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What is your issue with RCIA? There is no doubt that it comes from the early Church. If you cannot attend; for example, because you work nights, you can usually find a priest to give you private instruction.
 
Whatever you hold bound on earth is held bound in heaven - Matthew 18:18. Simply put, the Church has the authority - the duty - to make sure that those who desire to enter are not only duly trained, but know the Church’s teaching before making the conscious decision to join. We are almost 2,000 years from the Pentecost, and an awful lot has occurred between then and now.

Here is how I see it: The true Church is the one that is difficult to join and easy to leave. False denominations are easy to join and difficult to leave.
 
From my personal experience, it is a great way to learn about the Church and its teachings. Despite it not being in the scripture it allows adults to make an informed decision. This way it is not rushed and later regretted. 🙂
 
RCIA is more like a learning process to prepare your heart and understanding for baptism. I think it just seems strange to you because you were raised protestant where you were taught that all you have to do is just say I accept Jesus and you were saved. Becoming a Christian is an important step and any important step should be done with preparation. I think it trains the new Christian towards the commitment of being a Christian not just in words from your mouth but in your actions by attending RCIA on a regular basis. 🙂
 
Speaking as someone in RCIA at the moment im glad its there. Ive learned so much that i didnt know. Thanks to that when i join the church and profess that i believe in what the church teaches ill actually have a fair bit of understanding that i otherwise wouldnt have.
 
One of the things you will learn in RCIA is that the Catholic Church doesn’t rely on Scripture alone, but on Tradition as well. In the early Church, there was a period of the catechumenate and RCIA has restored that period in modern times.

That being said, the rite also says that for baptized candidates, the period of preparation shouldn’t be extended any longer than it needs to be. How long someone needs is very individual since it requires inner conversion. Part of that inner conversion is following what the Church does and how she does it.
 
I can sympathise.

I have autism, and generally dislike human contact, unfamiliar places, and spoken communication… all of which made the idea of RCIA sessions deeply unpleasant. Add to this the fact that I was a baptised Christian and had already been studying Catholic theology and practice for well over a decade (since I first tried and failed to complete RCIA), and you may realise how unnecessary I considered the whole process to be.

That said, in spite of my lack of enthusiasm, I must admit that the sessions I have been to *have *been very profitable! Not necessarily in terms of the knowledge imparted, but rather because it has brought me into contact with others who are exploring and grappling with the faith issues that I have hitherto only read about. I’ve not really “connected” to anyone or made any friends, but I have been inspired and encouraged.

I would recommend speaking to the priest and asking if it is possible for you to be received earlier. However, if your priest does prefer you to go through the entire program, don’t be *too *frustrated and discouraged. It’s not doomed to be an entirely futile endeavour. 🙂
 
As someone who helps teach RCIA ill put in my 2 cents.
You must look at the history of the Church. There was at a time people claiming to be Christian but when the Persecutions began alot of people would say they were not. Priests and deacons would hold Mass in secret locations. Some of the people that were against the Church would attend only to to tell of the Christians whereabouts. RCIA was implemented to make sure those who wanted to become Catholics would study for 2-4 years before being accepted. Thats why it takes a year (or more) to become a Catholic. If its what you really want then you will go through the journey. My wife attended class just to see what it was about but converted because of the love she found in Christ Church. Heck, Jesus died for us, the least we could do is go to class 1 time a week and show our love for Him.
 
I’m not at all trying to be rude, but I don’t understand your problem with RCIA. Holy Mother Church has the responsibility to instruct, to teach, to correct and to admonish Her children in the Faith. RCIA is one such program.
Now when I went through preparation to join the Church my village parish didn’t have RCIA. I was instructed one-on-one with my pastor. I LOVED IT! I’ll never forget it, and I’m soooo glad I went through it, because even though I knew a lot about the Faith I still had a lot to learn. He had me read certain books of both thr Old and New Testaments, plus there were certain prayers I had to memorise-the Creed, the Our Father, etc.
Please don’t be ornery about this. Humbly obey and accept the Church’s wisdom in this. This is Jesus’s Church after all. Two thousand years of experience speaks volumes to me.👍
 
Thank you all for taking the time to reply and for your thoughts. Upon reading them, I realized I have been just rebeliious and angry. Angry because in actuality, I was starting RCIA over a year ago but then had a motorcyle crash. That left me with no vehicle, injured and eventually depressed (clinical depresssion). So here I am now, I’m all healed up and have a new motorcycle so I can get around again… but that means I have to wait an entire year almost for RCIA to start again (the local parish only has it once a year, with a “start” date and “end” date). So, I must admit I have not been submitting to the authority of the Church, I realize that after reading your relpies. Again, thank you all for your relies! I know what I need to do now, I just wish I didn’t have to wait so long.
 
hapkidoin said:
Thank you all for taking the time to reply and for your thoughts. Upon reading them, I realized I have been just rebeliious and angry. Angry because in actuality, I was starting RCIA over a year ago but then had a motorcyle crash. That left me with no vehicle, injured and eventually depressed (clinical depresssion). So here I am now, I’m all healed up and have a new motorcycle so I can get around again… but that means I have to wait an entire year almost for RCIA to start again (the local parish only has it once a year, with a “start” date and “end” date). So, I must admit I have not been submitting to the authority of the Church, I realize that after reading your relpies. Again, thank you all for your relies! I know what I need to do now, I just wish I didn’t have to wait so long.
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i would suggest you make an appointment to talk to the pastor. Even though RCIA is a standard calendar, it does remain primarily for the unbaptized. If you are already baptized, it is possible for you to receive instruction and be received into full communion in another manner. Now, whether or not the pastor will be able to accommodate that would be up to him, but you won’t know if you don’t ask. The worst he can say is “go through RCIA next year.”
 
Since you are now up and able to go, thanks be to God that you are! You could call your local parish to see if you could join the existing class now in progress. They might make an exception for you, since candidates (those who are already baptized) do not have to go through the same process as catechumens (those who have not yet been baptized). You could ask–talk to the priest about it. He can determine how far you’ve come in the process already and if you are “up to speed”. In the meantime, attend Mass without receiving communion to become a part of the community and get involved, as you are able, in some ministry/apostolate within the parish. In a word, immerse yourself in parish life and Catholic practice. You can only benefit from doing so. And welcome to the journey to full reconciliation with Christ’s Church. 😃
 
That’s great that you’re all better. If I may be frank, I think you should seriously reconsider riding a motorcycle. They are soooo dangerous and so many people are killed by them. I know that all vehicles and forms of travel have risk factors, but motorcycles can be more lethal. A longtime family friend was in such a bad crash that the EMTs, upon arriving at the scene, assumed he was dead. He lived but most of his face is gone and he’s had to undergo reconstructive surgery. Just something to consider-why take unnecessary risks when you don’t have to?🤷
 
hapkidoin said:
Greetings to all! I have been reading for some time now and finally decided to join and post this question. I was raised in a protestant denomination but finally had to admit to myself that I couldn’t accept their teachings (only their denomination is going to Heaven, once-save-always-saved, etc).
Click to expand...
There is a sense when OSAS is true. After death of the body, if one goes through purgatory 1st, they WILL be in heaven after purification…forever…guranteed,… and those who go straight to heaven, once in heaven, It’s forever … guranteed 😉
h:
I’m 46 now and would be a Catholic except for one thing. RCIA. I certainly mean no disrespect, but I find no scriptural support for making a person wait almost an entire year before being confirmed. In fact, it’s easy to find Scripture that seems to refute such a practice. Acts 2:41 for example which says, "Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. No RCIA, no year long waiting period. There is also Acts 2:47, “… And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”
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At this stage in your journey, without RCIA, can you honestly say you can confirm all that the Catholic Church teaches at this point? The answer is no. You’re already dissenting from learning about the Catholic faith, in RCIA…true?

Re: scripture, the apostles didn’t just go out and start baptizing. And they didn’t get people all jazzed up in the morning at 9:00 a.m. and baptize them @ 9:15 a.m…

Consider Peter’s words.

Once someone receives the gift of faith, THEN they need to

2 Pet 1:
5 make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.* 9 But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins. *10 Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, 11 and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Notice the words Peter used
  • make every effort to add the following to your faith
  • goodness
  • knowlege
  • self control
  • perseverance
  • godliness
  • brotherly kindness
  • love
Those need to be added in ever increasing measure. It’s not one act and done. What’s 2nd on the list? knowledge. That’s a process. That’s why the Church thinks RCIA is important.

Maybe you’re hung up on the concept of *initiation. *You’re probably thinking you’re not a new Christian. So why go through initiation…is that it?
h:
I do not profess to know everything, but I’m not a child either, nor am I someone who has never been exposed to the Bible or Christianity. I read the Catechism, books like Unabridged Christianity by Fr. Mario P. Romero and Hail, Holy Queen by Scott Hahn and regularly visit Catholic websites. I am also not a stranger to Mass. In short, *I would be Catholic were it not for one single thing… RCIA. *

Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance!
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As a suggestion, we don’t say to the Church I’ll take the faith on my terms or it’s no deal. Put simply, as much as you and I might know individually on many subjects, and as many books as we’ve read individually on faith issues, scripture doesn’t say, you and I are the pillar and foundation of truth. Scripture reserves that to the Church…the Catholic Church.

Also, when Paul wrote to the Church of Rome, what is it he praises them over? Obedience of faith

Rom 1:5Through him and for his name’s sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith.

*Rom 16:19 *Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I am full of joy over you;

And obedience of faith is tied in with love, and all the other attributes Peter talked about above.

Confirmation requires a knowledgable decision
 
hapkidoin said:
Greetings to all! I have been reading for some time now and finally decided to join and post this question. I was raised in a protestant denomination but finally had to admit to myself that I couldn’t accept their teachings (only their denomination is going to Heaven, once-save-always-saved, etc). I’m 46 now and would be a Catholic except for one thing. RCIA. I certainly mean no disrespect, but I find no scriptural support for making a person wait almost an entire year before being confirmed. In fact, it’s easy to find Scripture that seems to refute such a practice. Acts 2:41 for example which says, "Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. No RCIA, no year long waiting period. There is also Acts 2:47, “… And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”

I do not profess to know everything, but I’m not a child either, nor am I someone who has never been exposed to the Bible or Christianity. I read the Catechism, books like Unabridged Christianity by Fr. Mario P. Romero and Hail, Holy Queen by Scott Hahn and regularly visit Catholic websites. I am also not a stranger to Mass. In short, I would be Catholic were it not for one single thing… RCIA.

Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
I’m in the middle of my RCIA class and I love it. I’m 47 and I was never a member of any church, I attended Baptist churches, but was I never baptized. My class started September 2012 and I will be baptized this March.Yeahh!! Maybe you could find another parish with a shorter program. I’ll pray for you.
 
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