Why is it that some non-Catholics are more Catholic than many "Catholics"

[distracted]

I know people (and know OF people) who:

are very pro-life,

very devoted to Scripture,

try to live by the Word of God…

and would never THINK of voting for someone who is pro-abortion

To me, they are “Catholic”…

Then there are those who attend Sunday Mass every week (some even daily Mass )

yet do NOT support the right to life…

and thereby are NOT in compliance with the Word of God… (“Thou shalt not kill”)

and WOULD vote for someone who is pro-abortion…

Very strange…

I just don’t “get it”…

 

[1edyson]

poor catechesis, poor faith formation, and suffering from being “luke warm”. Sometimes I just want to scream during Mass, WAKE UP DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHATS GOING ON RIGHT NOW!

 

[Sailor_Kenshin]

Some of us go to Mass each week AND vote against abortion.

 

[4Squarebaby]

Just because someone chooses to fellowship with you doesn’t mean they agree with all of your positions. At what point does differing with the official line make one a protestant? Is it only when he officially informs his bishop?

 

[SuscipeMeDomine]

I know people (and know OF people) who:

are very pro-life,

very devoted to Scripture,

try to live by the Word of God…

and would never THINK of voting for someone who is pro-abortion

To me, they are “Catholic”…

I think that’s a very distorted view of what makes someone Catholic. Are they in union with the Pope, their local bishop, and the Church in general? Do they receive and believe in the efficacy of the sacraments? Do they have the Catholic view of what it means for a Church to be one, holy, catholic, and apostolic?

A Jew or a Muslim may be pro-life but that certainly doesn’t make them Catholic (even if they are devoted to their scripture and try to live by the Word of God).

 

[Peter_J]

I know people (and know OF people) who:

are very pro-life,

very devoted to Scripture,

try to live by the Word of God…

and would never THINK of voting for someone who is pro-abortion

To me, they are “Catholic”…

I’d like to suggest, instead of “they are ‘Catholic’”, the statement “they are good Christians”.

A Jew or a Muslim may be pro-life but that certainly doesn’t make them Catholic (even if they are devoted to their scripture and try to live by the Word of God).

But ‘their scripture’ doesn’t equal ‘the Christian scriptures’.

 

[Faith_at_Large]

The Catholic Church holds that all baptisms performed in the proper way (Trinitarian formula and with proper intent) are valid and therefore there are many Catholics in other denominations that just do not know it.

And being baptized into the Catholic Faith is a starting point, if some chose to not to fully embrace it, then they have cut themselves off.

I have known non-Catholics who fully believe in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist in the manner taught by the Catholic Church (many do eventually become Catholics officially because of this).

We are not meant to be divided this way and I can only hope that Christ’s Church will be reunited one day. In the meantime it is tragic that there are many in the Catholic Church that do not realize how lucky they are.

 

[distracted]

sorry, no time to read all posts… but something occurs to me:

people are too caught up in “enjoying life” to even think about what is truly right and wrong in the eyes of God… They think that God thinks as they do… values what they do… although they think this subconsciously… probably don’t give it much thought… consciously (?)…

In any case… we are on Earth to work out our salvation with fear and trembling…

not ENJOY it all the time…

thanks for your responses, which i will read tomorrow…

 

[Peter_J]

The Catholic Church holds that all baptisms performed in the proper way (Trinitarian formula and with proper intent) are valid and therefore there are many Catholics in other denominations that just do not know it.

You make a good point, but personally I don’t refer to those people as “Catholics”. (If I did, I could no longer use the term “the Roman Catholic Church” interchangeably with “the Catholic Church”.)

 

[Faith_at_Large]

They are still our brethren in Christ and would still benefit from the fullness of revelation which is only found in the Catholic Church proper. That is why sometimes Protestants converting to Catholicism are considered to be coming home to the Catholic Church.

Elements of our Faith are in many places, but having a piece of it is not the same as having the whole. But for some having a piece is like a seeing a puzzle and they keep looking for more pieces until they have the whole, eventually these become Catholic.

There are also Catholics who see a piece outside and think it may be prettier than the same piece that they have connected inside. They chase after the loan idea or “doctrine” as if it were better as a standalone than combined with its fellow pieces. They may stay in the Church for a long time just holding on to the little bits that they like and ignoring the rest, or perhaps blind to it. That is a shame.

 

[distracted]

poor catechesis, poor faith formation, and suffering from being “luke warm”. Sometimes I just want to scream during Mass, WAKE UP DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHATS GOING ON RIGHT NOW!

poor catechesis… could write a book on that one… (and would find an endless # of people who could help me!!)

Why are people lukewarm?

I tend to think they are lukewarm because… hmmm… lots of things come to me, actually, but i guess the long & short of it is that they do not apreicate Jesus… They probably dont because they are too … enthralled with someone or something else… their lives in this world…

As to that last line… wanting to scream at people…

I feel that way when i see people… right before Mass, sitting there yammering away about totally un-spiritual stuff… worldly stuff… and not one word about Jesus… or something related… Weird… and i am having to sit there & be distracted by it… (although I AM getting pretty good at tuning poeple out completely… have to say… … just not always good enough to NOT know that they are talking about… temporal things… not to mention BORING things…

Then after Mass, during socializing, no one seems to want to talk about Him then either… or about the homily or whatever… Have to say, you wouldn’t find this in a Protestant “church”… usually.

 

[distracted]

I think that’s a very distorted view of what makes someone Catholic. Are they in union with the Pope, their local bishop, and the Church in general? Do they receive and believe in the efficacy of the sacraments? Do they have the Catholic view of what it means for a Church to be one, holy, catholic, and apostolic?

A Jew or a Muslim may be pro-life but that certainly doesn’t make them Catholic (even if they are devoted to their scripture and try to live by the Word of God).

i think its pretty distorted to call someone’s honest viewpoint distorted…

 

[distracted]

I’d like to suggest, instead of “they are ‘Catholic’”, the statement “they are good Christians”.

no, they are Catholic, whether they realize it or not … even the Church says this kind of thing when it says that Protestants are part of the Catholic Church if they believe the basics of what She teaches… even though they are indirectly part of the Church…and they are FAR more Catholic than those who support abortion (legalized)… and i n other ways go against the teachings of the Church. What makes a Catholic is a person who adheres to Catholic teaching… Anyone can go into a Catholic Church on Sun and call himself Catholic… doesn’t mean a blasted thing… Going into a garage doesn’t make you a car…

 

[distracted]

Elements of our Faith are in many places, but having a piece of it is not the same as having the whole. But for some having a piece is like a seeing a puzzle and they keep looking for more pieces until they have the whole, eventually these become Catholic.

There are also Catholics who see a piece outside and think it may be prettier than the same piece that they have connected inside. They chase after the loan idea or “doctrine” as if it were better as a standalone than combined with its fellow pieces. They may stay in the Church for a long time just holding on to the little bits that they like and ignoring the rest, or perhaps blind to it. That is a shame.

maybe my brain is kinda tired… but i don’t quite understand this…

 

[distracted]

We are not meant to be divided this way and I can only hope that Christ’s Church will be reunited one day. In the meantime it is tragic that there are many in the Catholic Church that do not realize how lucky they are.

That is SO true…

i was thinking abuot this the other day… how fortunate i am to know the Objective Truth… as opposed to subjective truth, which… is useless if it is not in line with Objective Truth… (sometimes it is… accidentally or whatever… )

Objective Truth is Jesus Christ, the Word Made Flesh…

I have also been thinking a lot lately about how funny our feelings and thoughts can be… we can think and feel something SO strongly one day and then, due to circumstances, etc… the next day we feel something totally different… That is SCARY! to me… It means we cannot trust our human minds to always … be consistent… or whatever… Iff i had not experienced the Real Presence in the Church… i am not even sure i could have stayed Catholic… because… well, one day you feel “Catholic” and the next you don’t feel so Catholic… You know… maybe some Bible-studying protestant comes along and reads you some scriopture that SEEMS to contradict some dearly held Catholic belief… and you start to have doubts… or half-doubts or whatever… But the Real Presence settled it for me… :bowdown2::heaven:

hmmm…

 

[Sailor_Kenshin]

poor catechesis… could write a book on that one… (and would find an endless # of people who could help me!!)

Why are people lukewarm?

I tend to think they are lukewarm because… hmmm… lots of things come to me, actually, but i guess the long & short of it is that they do not apreicate Jesus… They probably dont because they are too … enthralled with someone or something else… their lives in this world…

As to that last line… wanting to scream at people…

I feel that way when i see people… right before Mass, sitting there yammering away about totally un-spiritual stuff… worldly stuff… and not one word about Jesus… or something related… Weird… and i am having to sit there & be distracted by it… (although I AM getting pretty good at tuning poeple out completely… have to say… … just not always good enough to NOT know that they are talking about… temporal things… not to mention BORING things…

Then after Mass, during socializing, no one seems to want to talk about Him then either… or about the homily or whatever… Have to say, you wouldn’t find this in a Protestant “church”… usually.

You SOCIALIZE after Mass?

Here, everyone just leaves. Though we do usually discuss the readings or homily on the way home.

 

[distracted]

You SOCIALIZE after Mass?

Here, everyone just leaves. Though we do usually discuss the readings or homily on the way home.

you don’t do coffe/donuts?

What kind of Catholic Church do you attend??

Is it a (Bad spelling alert!!! ) a sedavacantus Church??



… no coffe and donuts… hmmm… :coffeeread:

 

[Sailor_Kenshin]

you don’t do coffe/donuts?

What kind of Catholic Church do you attend??

Is it a (Bad spelling alert!!! ) a sedavacantus Church??



… no coffe and donuts… hmmm… :coffeeread:

Nope, only a once-per-month thingie at the parish center, following the parish food collection.

I can’t spell that word either—and I don’t know whether it is or not.

 

[distracted]

Nope, only a once-per-month thingie at the parish center, following the parish food collection.

I can’t spell that word either—and I don’t know whether it is or not.

hmmm… maybe the priest at your parish is into healthy eathing?

haven’t liked those donuts since i was a little kid…

well… can’t say i don’t LIKE them… they still tempt me… but you know… not exactly longevity food

 

[Sailor_Kenshin]

I think if the priests didn’t like donuts they wouldn’t serve them at all.