Is anyone a revert here?

ChicanaRose said:

I want to make my decision carefully because once I go back (i.e. revert), that would be final.

Click to expand...

Any progress?

ChicanaRose said:

Has anyone here left the church once and came back?

What made you homesick?

Were you always conscious of your Catholic identity while attending another church (since you are still technically a Catholic)?

Click to expand...

I don't know if i've returned to the church or not. I believe Catholicism on paper is theologically correct. It is the true church. It is supposed to be the way we commune with God. It's just the amount of corruption that has caused me to have disinterest in attending an actual mass or just any church (protestant included).
For the last 2 years, I just go in a catholic church to sit and pray/meditate but haven't been able to actually attend a mass in full due to the reasons I've stated.

Cis.jd said:

I don't know if i've returned to the church or not. I believe Catholicism on paper is theologically correct. It is the true church. It is supposed to be the way we commune with God. It's just the amount of corruption that has caused me to have disinterest in attending an actual mass or just any church (protestant included).
For the last 2 years, I just go in a catholic church to sit and pray/meditate but haven't been able to actually attend a mass in full due to the reasons I've stated.

Click to expand...

Feeling similar. Most of it on paper is good. Some of what was lost I believe the East has retained, and vice versa, But it has deviated too much from the Early Church on some things for me to be really excited about. And that's a hard struggle, as I'm not finding much better elsewhere.

The only logical answer I have is the Church is not whole, and has not been for almost 1,000 years.

Trads don't like this answer, but there was one Church for 1,000 years, then there was two. Each side has some of what the other needs, and the leaders on both sides have too much pride and power at stake to fix it.

ChicanaRose said:

I prayed the St. Michael prayer, which I haven't in a long time.

Click to expand...

We now do that at the end of every mass at our parish. We restarted it about 6 months ago. For those parishes where it is not done you can always do it afterwards by yourself. I think it has become a necessary prayer.

Markie Boy said:

Feeling similar. Most of it on paper is good. Some of what was lost I believe the East has retained, and vice versa, But it has deviated too much from the Early Church on some things for me to be really excited about. And that's a hard struggle, as I'm not finding much better elsewhere.

The only logical answer I have is the Church is not whole, and has not been for almost 1,000 years.

Trads don't like this answer, but there was one Church for 1,000 years, then there was two. Each side has some of what the other needs, and the leaders on both sides have too much pride and power at stake to fix it.

Click to expand...

Pope John Paul II used the metaphor of two lungs. One can get along with one lung, and we Catholics and Orthodox have been doing that for a thousand years, but to thrive we need both lungs. The Orthodox need both lungs and so do we Catholics to do our best. That metaphor is roundly rejected by the Orthodox though.

chevyontheriver said:

Pope John Paul II used the metaphor of two lungs.

Click to expand...

Not arguing, just asking, is it clear he meant the EO Churches or Eastern Catholic Churches?

Romans 13:3 said:

Not arguing, just asking, is it clear he meant the EO Churches or Eastern Catholic Churches?

Click to expand...

I do think that he intended the Orthodox who are separated from the Catholic Church. We will not be able to take really deep breaths until united with them. But I see what you are getting at that the Eastern Catholics do supply some of that need as we are right now.

chevyontheriver said:

I do think that he intended the Orthodox who are separated from the Catholic Church. We will not be able to take really deep breaths until united with them. But I see what you are getting at that the Eastern Catholics do supply some of that need as we are right now.

Click to expand...

Speaking of Eastern Catholics, I do like how they merge the Baptism/Chrismation/Communion sacraments into one event. But when I saw that their fasting rules are so strict like that of the EO, I felt a setback again. I don't know how they do it because if I go 3 to 4 hours without eating, I'll start to feel weird

Cis.jd said:

It's just the amount of corruption that has caused me to have disinterest in attending an actual mass or just any church (protestant included).

Click to expand...

As far as corruption goes, I like to think we all go to Mass precisely in spite of it. Because at the end of the day the Eucharist is the pure body and blood of Christ.

"There is light and beauty that no shadow can touch."

Lady Bug

In both the Eastern Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches , Fasting is always done by consulting with the person's priest. What is possible for one person may not be for another.

When I was EC I do know that I did not always Fast during a Fast Period in the same way that my GodPapa did.

Lady Bug said:

Speaking of Eastern Catholics, I do like how they merge the Baptism/Chrismation/Communion sacraments into one event. But when I saw that their fasting rules are so strict like that of the EO, I felt a setback again. I don't know how they do it because if I go 3 to 4 hours without eating, I'll start to feel weird

Click to expand...

We Catholics are pretty wimpy fasters, but at least we continue the tradition in wimpy form rather than not at all.

Fasting is a good thing spiritually and likely also for health. But it's not for everyone. Some people should not fast. I want to but I shouldn't. Maybe you are in the same boat. So I can abstain from things instead.

I liked the clarity that came over me on the second full day of the fast starting Holy Thursday and heading to the Easter Vigil.

I never had RCIA. I was the only one so my Priest taught me himself an gave me books to read, tons of books but I love reading books so it was cool.

Fenwick said:

As far as corruption goes, I like to think we all go to Mass precisely in spite of it. Because at the end of the day the Eucharist is the pure body and blood of Christ.

"There is light and beauty that no shadow can touch."

Click to expand...

While I agree with you. There is a really big reason why I've lost trusts in the Church is because it's arguably responsible for poverty in some countries such as mine. The Church is a political force in some countries, and they normally use religious teachings as some fake slogan to hide their actual intentions.

So it made me wonder, can a priest with these kind of sins be capable of transubstantiation through Christ? Are we really taking the Eucharist stored in some golden tabernacle, or are we contributing to the problem?

Cis.jd said:

So it made me wonder, can a priest with these kind of sins be capable of transubstantiation through Christ?

Click to expand...

Yes, he can. To believe otherwise would be the heresy of Donatism, which was condemned by Pope Miltiades (Melchiades) in the fourth century.

Fenwick said:

Yes, he can. To believe otherwise would be the heresy of Donatism, which was condemned by Pope Miltiades (Melchiades) in the fourth century.

Click to expand...

Thing is. If this priest and church is partly responsible for the poverty in the area he is assigned to, then how can he be working through Christ?
How can a man with this type of dirt on his hands be capable of holding something Holy and not taint it?

There was part of my post that I edited out just for length purposes, but I will repost it here so my stance can be understood.

About 10 years ago, I worked at a bank in a small local area in the Philippines. During the end of each month, a 16 year old girl would come in with her 5 kids to sell 3 ears of corn for less than a $1 and a % of that goes to the church. The Church prohibits contraceptives for the poor using the biblical views as a slogan when in reality they are just hiding their actual motives which is to keep poverty strong so that they and other corrupt politicians remain in power.
One of the priests in their church is related to long time government officials of her village. Government officials who have had a high reputation of corruption, and pass their offices to their children - dynasty style.

For someone who lives in the West, this is hard to conceive but for someone who experienced life in 3rd world countries - in where the Catholic Church is a political force, they can understand the type of corruption I am talking about and have seen it first hand.

Cis.jd said:

Thing is. If this priest and church is partly responsible for the poverty in the area he is assigned to, then how can he be working through Christ?
How can a man with this type of dirt on his hands be capable of holding something Holy and not taint it?

There was part of my post that I edited out just for length purposes, but I will repost it here so my stance can be understood.

About 10 years ago, I worked at a bank in a small local area in the Philippines. During the end of each month, a 16 year old girl would come in with her 5 kids to sell 3 ears of corn for less than a $1 and a % of that goes to the church. The Church prohibits contraceptives for the poor using the biblical views as a slogan when in reality they are just hiding their actual motives which is to keep poverty strong so that they and other corrupt politicians remain in power.
One of the priests in their church is related to long time government officials of her village. Government officials who have had a high reputation of corruption, and pass their offices to their children - dynasty style.

For someone who lives in the West, this is hard to conceive but for someone who experienced life in 3rd world countries - in where the Catholic Church is a political force, they can understand the type of corruption I am talking about and have seen it first hand.

Click to expand...

That's a sad thing, and the priest will indeed answer for that, but it doesn't change the fact that he received a valid ordination which confers on him the faculties to consecrate the Eucharist. So if he is indeed responsible (to any degree) for the poverty of your community, that may be a sin he needs to confess but it doesn't change the fact that the Eucharist is still the Eucharist. Understand the Eucharist is the flesh and blood of Christ, not the priest. You may dislike his actions, his views, even him as a person, but that's irrelevant so long as he uses the correct words of consecration.