Wonders & Saints and questions

[augustus]

Hello!

I am Michael, 17 years old, currently Orthodox, from Romania. As I started my journey to the Catholic faith, I struggle with some questions. There was a saint from the Mount Athos, Elder Paisios, who was a wonderworker(he died 30 years ago). I read a book about him, he made a lot of miracles. But he also thaught of the catholics as being heretics.He also spoke with Our Lady!

My question is why God would allow a miracle-worker think such things about other faiths. Also, do the CC have recent wonder-workers saints
?

 

[ReaderT]

Good morning Michael,

I am a big fan of Elder (Saint) Paisios. He performed miracles and had the gift of clairvoyance while on earth, and he was visited by saints on a regular basis. It is well documented by several people that he could read people’s thoughts, which is not a power the devil has - it can only come from God. So it’s clear that he was an extremely holy man and loved by God.

May I ask why you are not satisfied with Romanian Orthodoxy? It is so close to Catholicism already!

 

[augustus]

I liked more the Roman Catholic Mass-it is more joyful, the songs sound so sacred and you can sit down and it last one hour(so you don’t get bored). Also, the Pope gives unity to the church - as you may know, there’s a little schism inside the Orthodox Church.

 

[augustus]

Also, the Catholic Church is updated-the Orthodox Church has some very old Romanian words which sound kinda strange. Being Catholic gives you the opportunity to practice many rites-insted of just one, the Byzantine.

 

[ReaderT]

as you may know, there’s a little schism inside the Orthodox Church.

Yes, a communion break happens every so often, but they never last long and they are solved quickly - last time it happened in the 1990s, but we always work it out - glory to God.

I liked more the Roman Catholic Mass-it is more joyful, the songs sound so sacred and you can sit down and it last one hour(so you don’t get bored)

It may be interesting to know that standing was always the normal position for prayer until the Protestants put pews in Church in the 1500s. They emphasized the sermon instead of liturgy, and people began to sit because of the long sermons. But from the Ancient times, standing was always the normal thing.

 

[Margaret_Ann]

Also, do the CC have recent wonder-workers saints
?

Look up St. Padre Pio. He was born May 25 (I forget which year) and passed away Sept. 23, 1968. On the Byzantine calendar (Gregorian), May 25 is the Feast of the Third Finding of the Head of St. John the Baptist and Sept. 23 is the Feast of the Conception of St. John the Baptist.

Imo, St. Padre Pio resembled St. John the Baptist in his penances for sinners and his admonitions to them in and outside of the confessional. To one man who didn’t believe in the existence of Hell, he said: “You will when you get there!” Whereupon the man repented and eventually made his confession to St. Padre Pio.

There’s lots of good books on him from TAN Books (800-437-5876). Check them out.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

Hi Michael, it’s nice to hear you are learning about Catholicism.

My question is why God would allow a miracle-worker think such things about other faiths. Also, do the CC have recent wonder-workers saints

Saints, including Catholic saints, aren’t perfect, and sometimes they make some mistakes or take a position on something that is not totally correct. It’s still possible for the saint to be an extremely holy person.

In Catholicism we recently have St. Padre Pio, a very holy Franciscan friar and priest who has the stigmata of Christ. He was able to read people’s hearts, bilocate, miraculously heal people, and sometimes see Jesus and Mary. He died in 1968.

We also have Blessed Solanus Casey, a Capuchin from USA, and Blessed John Sullivan, a Jesuit from Ireland, who both lived in the 1900s and had gifts of miraculous healing. They are not yet canonized saints but right now are both beatified, which is one step from being canonized.