Hi, I have a few questions for you Catholics out there. Let's say I wanted to become Catholic, what should I do? What I am saying is what are the basic things I should know. I believe in God and all but want to know more. I want to belong to the Catholic church and faith, but don't understand it so well. What role does the Pope play and confessions, and the whole bread and wine thing? Can someone please help me. Thanks in advance.
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Catholic Faith
- Thread starter Blazen
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Go speak to a priest at your local church about joining an RCIA Class, which is the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults. That class should teach you all you need, and if u have any questions, you;re always welcome to post them here.
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Yes- absolutely- go to the local Church and talk to a priest. Also go to Barnes and Noble or Amazon and get a copy of The Catechism of the Catholic Church. That is what Catholics believe. Why do you feel called to the Church? What has led you to want to join? Are you coming from a Protestant denomination or have you never been baptized? It will help to address some of your questions if we have a better idea of where you are coming from!!
In Him,
shannon
In Him,
shannon
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raptor13 said:
Blazen, Raptor gave some very good advice. It's the best way to go.
But in the meantime, let me say a coupla things.
1. The Faith is simple but -because of all the lies the world teaches- it's sometimes hard to grasp. It's like we need to be de-programmed.
2. We have an excellent book called THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC FAITH. It is easy to read, well-written and contains the whole summary of our Faith. It is a biggish book but you'll enjoy it, because you'll learn a lot with every page you turn.
3. You can ask us any question you like right here. Your opening post is rather 'general' and therefore hard to answer.
The Pope = the Chief Pastor of the Church
Confession = a great gift from God by which we can be absolved from sins we committ after Baptism
Bread and Wine become the Body and Blood of Jesus and we receive Him whenever we go to Mass (worship).
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Have you been active in another denomination? Do you have any background in Christianity at all? What led you away from the Church? Are there specific things about the Pope or confession or the Eucharist that you have questions about? I'm finding it hard to answer a very general query of "tell me all about the Church"...
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When I was younger I used to go to a christian church, and learned to accept Jesus Christ into my life. We studied from the King James version. And yes I do have a few questions.
Why is the Pope so important, and how is he chosen?
Why must you confess your sins to a preist?
Why must you eat bread and wine every mass?
Why is the Pope so important, and how is he chosen?
Why must you confess your sins to a preist?
Why must you eat bread and wine every mass?
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ps139
Ab omni malo, libera nos, Domine!
Hey Blazen,
You are very welcome here and it is wonderful that you want to be closer to God.
I'll try to answer your question about the bread and wine.
In the Gospel accounts, at the Last Supper, Jesus said "This IS My Body..." "This IS My Blood..." In John Chapter 6 Jesus talks a lot about Himself, the Bread of Life:
John 6:35-69:
Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father's will
is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."
At this the Jews began to grumble about him because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven." They said, "Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, 'I came down from heaven'?"
"Stop grumbling among yourselves," Jesus answered. "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the Prophets: 'They will all be taught by God.' Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life. I am the bread of life. Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."
Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"
5esus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever." He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
On hearing it, many of his disciples said, "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?"
Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, "Does this offend you? What if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! 63The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. Yet there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. 65He went on to say, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him."
From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.
"You do not want to leave too, do you?" Jesus asked the Twelve.
Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God."
When we Eucharist is consecrated at Mass, it becomes the Body and Blood of Jesus. His Flesh is real food, and His Blood is real drink.
In Corinthians, Paul talks about the sacredness of the Eucharist, and how some people are receiving Communion without respecting it or acknowledging it as Jesus, and bad things are happening to them:
1 Cor. 11:27-29
Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself.
Jesus is present in the Eucharist.
You are very welcome here and it is wonderful that you want to be closer to God.
I'll try to answer your question about the bread and wine.
In the Gospel accounts, at the Last Supper, Jesus said "This IS My Body..." "This IS My Blood..." In John Chapter 6 Jesus talks a lot about Himself, the Bread of Life:
John 6:35-69:
Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father's will
is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."
At this the Jews began to grumble about him because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven." They said, "Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, 'I came down from heaven'?"
"Stop grumbling among yourselves," Jesus answered. "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the Prophets: 'They will all be taught by God.' Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life. I am the bread of life. Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."
Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"
5esus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever." He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
On hearing it, many of his disciples said, "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?"
Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, "Does this offend you? What if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! 63The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. Yet there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. 65He went on to say, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him."
From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.
"You do not want to leave too, do you?" Jesus asked the Twelve.
Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God."
When we Eucharist is consecrated at Mass, it becomes the Body and Blood of Jesus. His Flesh is real food, and His Blood is real drink.
In Corinthians, Paul talks about the sacredness of the Eucharist, and how some people are receiving Communion without respecting it or acknowledging it as Jesus, and bad things are happening to them:
1 Cor. 11:27-29
Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself.
Jesus is present in the Eucharist.
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Jesus gave us the Church as a family. In Christ we are a family. He gave us Teachers and Pastors to keep the family on the right track. It was very important to Him that we remain a family and be united in the Truth He came to reveal to us. He died for us and wanted to stay united so that we could bring the message of His love to the rest of the world. That is what the Catholic Church is all about.
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When we eat the Body and Blood of Jesus, we have His very own Life within us in a special way.
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Credo
broken
This booklet is a great starting point. It was what helped me to begin my journey back to the faith: Pillar of Fire, Pillar of Truth
Then, there's also: How to Become a Catholic
Both are offered by the website Catholic Answers which is a very good resource to have.
Please also check out Scripture Catholic another terrific resource.
May the Lord be with you on your journey!
Then, there's also: How to Become a Catholic
Both are offered by the website Catholic Answers which is a very good resource to have.
Please also check out Scripture Catholic another terrific resource.
May the Lord be with you on your journey!
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ps139
Ab omni malo, libera nos, Domine!
If we have committed a mortal sin we must go to Confession, give a true confession, and be absolved of our sin before we can partake in the other Sacraments, like Communion. The Sacraments give us grace when we receive them.Blazen said:
God forgives the repentant sinner - it is not like if you do not go to confession, and you die, you will go straight to hell. Otherwise only Catholics could be saved, and we know that non-Catholics can be saved. But through confession we receive absolution. This is like, if by sinning, we are at a spiritual " - 1 ", by repenting to God we are forgiven and get back to "0" and by absolution we can be at a "+1." I think this is a good analogy. Jesus gave us the Sacraments as gifts, as ways to receive Grace.
Also, in the Bible, we see that Jesus gave the apostles (the earliest priests) power to forgive sins. St. Paul urges us to confess our sins to one another. When we sin, we sin out of pride - telling God that our way is better than His. So if we confess in front of someone - it is humiliating, and we need this humbling experience to counteract the pride.
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Credo
broken
Also, check out Catholic Home Study Service. This is a free home study offered by the Knights of Columbus that can help you to learn more about the faith. "We Believe...A Survey of the Catholic Faith" was one of the earliest books I read that greatly helped me on my journey home. "The Priviledge of Being Catholic" is a good follow-up.
God Bless!
God Bless!
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Also Confession is an outpouring from James 5:16- Therefore confess your sins to one another, so that you may be healed. If read in context it is speaking of confessing sins to the prebyters(same root word as priest). Confession also comes from John 20:23 - If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any they are retained. Which is illustrating Jesus passing on this duty of forgiving sins to the minesterial priesthood.
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ps139 said:
It is an excellent analogy.
Absolution repairs the damage we do to ourselves by sinning. It gives us Grace and strength to resist sin. It is administered by priests who are ordained for this work and who have been trained to advise us. E.g. sometimes we do something that is not actually a sin and they can tell us that.
Confession is very important. When Christ rose from the dead, He went to see the Apostles and THE VERY FIRST THING HE DID was give them the power to absolve us from sin. What a Merciful God!
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Blazen, The first Pope was appointed by Jesus in the 16th chapter of St Matthew's Gospel. Jesus said: You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church.
Peter is the anchor of the Church. The Bishop of Rome today is the successor of St Peter in the unique ministry called the Papacy.
The word Pope comes from an ancient word Papa - which means Father.
It is Peter's job to shepherd Our Lord's sheep. Read John's gospel, chapter 21.
Peter is the anchor of the Church. The Bishop of Rome today is the successor of St Peter in the unique ministry called the Papacy.
The word Pope comes from an ancient word Papa - which means Father.
It is Peter's job to shepherd Our Lord's sheep. Read John's gospel, chapter 21.
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ps139
Ab omni malo, libera nos, Domine!
The apostles, when they ordained other priests (laying of the hands) passed this power along. Jesus would not give them this wonderful gift, only to have it last as long as the last apostle. He would not want droves of people lining up at John's house for ConfessionBlazen said:
. The gift that Jesus gave the apostles then is the same gift that he gives the Church today, and until the end of the world.
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