I think I regret

[Forrest GOP]

I am feeling sad because I am not smart enough to participate here. I feel illiterate when I read and like BA said I should have waited 3 years.

The holiest woman in history was a young girl, around age 14 or 15. She became Mother of God and Mother of the Church.

It is all well and good to be able to argue doctrine and theology, but that is not what makes a good Catholic. What makes a good Catholic is the spirit of giving and humility, which you have displayed quite nicely. You are probably a far better Catholic than I.

 

[Meepy]

I was born and raised Catholic and it took me 'untold' years to grasp it all....[eta] - to rather grasp much of it.

I know there are a lot of smarter people than me... and why it took me 'untold' number of years to get [some] of it..well, God works in His time to provide us answers.... and only He knows our capacity and at what time we need to know things.

SO if you think you are bad, that makes me a moron of the highest level.

true. Catholicism is a very intellectual road. Scholasticism, moral theology, ethics, dogma, christology, social teaching, patristics, etc. All of these take years to understand and have sink in. It definitely takes work and lots of reading and listening. Most people are not gonna understand things like the 2 natures of Christ, or his personhood, subsistence, and natural law.

 

[Davidnic]

The holiest woman in history was a young girl, around age 14 or 15. She became Mother of God and Mother of the Church.

It is all well and good to be able to argue doctrine and theology, but that is not what makes a good Catholic. What makes a good Catholic is the spirit of giving and humility, which you have displayed quite nicely.

Amen. Theology is dead without love and humility.

 

[benedictaoo]

I just feel weird here. Out of place.

I have a lot of questions only God can answer.

That's right. Only God can answer and its something you have to accept.

and I understand, sometimes I feel like I wish I could be one of those ppl who can just go to Church and not think so much.

You are a thinker and that is why I feel, you are struggling.

But as far as becoming Catholic, unless your doubting the validity of the faith itself, it should not stop you from becoming a Catholic.

There's almost two types of Catholics, one is taught the basic fundamentals of the faith and they accept it and go about their business and they are all about the strick letter of the teachings and the other gets deep into the nuances of it and wants to know everything and I think that is were we can run into trouble becuase we get to a point where we aren't going to figure it all out... like, we're going to figure out God? No, I don't think so.

 

[JimR-OCDS]

I am feeling sad because I am not smart enough to participate here. I feel illiterate when I read and like BA said I should have waited 3 years.

Intelligence has nothing to do with faith.


Why did you become a Catholic? Was it to be part of something you agreed with, or, to give yourself to Jesus?

If its the former, that is not faith, but participation in religion.


Jesus Christ must be the center of your life. Without faith in Jesus, religion is shallow and will become boring to the point where you will leave.


So, to gain faith, turn to the source of faith, Jesus Christ.

Ask Him, to give you the level of faith that sustains all.

Praying For You

Jim

 

[benedictaoo]

Ahh...well it is true. We all have gifts. I know some people who gift is helping people find their gifts. I think we often don't get the gift we want but the ones we need for God's plan. God does not call the qualified, He qualifies the called for their part in His work.

and the gift God gives and the person can be awesome at the gift, they still have to work out their own salvation... gift doesn't mean saved or holy and anything really.

 

[Meepy]

Intelligence has nothing to do with faith.


Why did you become a Catholic? Was it to be part of something you agreed with, or, to give yourself to Jesus?

If its the former, that is not faith, but participation in religion.


Jesus Christ must be the center of your life. Without faith in Jesus, religion is shallow and will become boring to the point where you will leave.


So, to gain faith, turn to the source of faith, Jesus Christ.

Ask Him, to give you the level of faith that sustains all.

Praying For You

Jim

I believe intellect and faith are intertwined. One see's the evidence of God through his creation, miracles, and revelation through ones intellect, of which one assents to the faith by the prompting of the Holy Spirit.

Faith is not some mindless thing that has nothing to do with a persons intellect. In fact I think that was one of the main reasons Thomas Aquinas wrote his summa.Some truths, such as that of the mystery of the incarnation, can be known only through revelation, and others, such as that of the composition of material things, only through experience; still others, such as that of the existence of God, are known through both equally. All knowledge, Aquinas held, originates in sensation, but sense data can be made intelligible only by the action of the intellect, which elevates thought toward the apprehension of such immaterial realities as the human soul, the angels, faith, and God

 

[benedictaoo]

I suck at life.

My summary. Just being honest.

I suck worse at it then you I bet.

But here's the thing. God gives to us so we can do His work not becuase we are awesome great ppl and all thats fine and well, however, we sit with a choice before us. We "know" what we do and that knowledge will not amount to a hill of beans in the end if we do not choose for ourselves to follow it.

 

[Davidnic]

and the gift God gives and the person can be awesome at the gift, they still have to work out their own salvation... gift doesn't mean saved or holy and anything really.

indeed. Sometimes a great gift can lead to pride and be more of an obstacle to salvation.

 

[benedictaoo]

How come I go through this like 3 times a year? Even before I was Catholic?

Personally, I think God is trying to heal you and there is a road block in the way of that.

It seems, as with us all, there's a lot of junk that need to be brought to the surface and the Holy Spirit could be trying to bring it out and something is preventing it.

We can't heal something that needs healing if we do not acknowledge it and keep suppressing it.

Its good your are learning about yourself, its a gift from God so you can heal what ever it is that needs healing.

 

[JimR-OCDS]

Meepy

I believe intellect and faith are intertwined. One see's the evidence of God through his creation, miracles, and revelation through ones intellect, of which one assents to the faith by the prompting of the Holy Spirit.

That is only logical rationalization, not faith.

The most intellectually poor have the greatest amounts of faith, because their faith is from God and not through their own intellect.

Faith is God's revelation to us, however that may happen and it deepens as our relationship with Him deepens.

We are transformed by His grace, not through anything we do on our own.

Whatever we have, was given to us.

Jim

 

[WarriorAngel]

I in part envy the piety of those who need not discover, need not find every theological nuance to believe...
But instead like children, just firmly believe...and just know God called them.

I dont have that - anymore.
When i was a child i did... i lost that with life coming at me.
People threatening my faith by telling me what Catholics believe and how it is evil [et al]

Yes, i should have remained child like and ignored it...
What part of me i dont know, the pride in the faith, the pride in me, i dont know, had to discover the answers...and now to share them.

But believing simply like a child - is the best way, i should think, to believe.
But know, there are answers should anyone need more like St Thomas did.

For every level of seeking - God already put His answer.
Though wrapping ourselves around knowing Gods very Essense has to be child like faith...to get past not knowing.

Child like faith to know, in Heaven, we will understand.

 

[benedictaoo]

I in part envy the piety of those who need not discover, need not find every theological nuance to believe...
But instead like children, just firmly believe...and just know God called them.

I dont have that - anymore.
When i was a child i did... i lost that with life coming at me.
People threatening my faith by telling me what Catholics believe and how it is evil [et al]

Yes, i should have remained child like and ignored it...
What part of me i dont know, the pride in the faith, the pride in me, i dont know, had to discover the answers...and now to share them.

But believing simply like a child - is the best way, i should think, to believe.
But know, there are answers should anyone need more like St Thomas did.

For every level of seeking - God already put His answer.
Though wrapping ourselves around knowing Gods very Essense has to be child like faith...to get past not knowing.

Child like faith to know, in Heaven, we will understand.

amen.

I'm almost envious of the ppl who don't need to "know" anything, they just believe.

The simplest faith is the best faith.

I'm reminded of this woman that use to come into my work, she was, IQ wise, not all there and she said something to me once that was so simple but so profound... "You can't hold a grudge and be right with God."

God has a way of getting through to all of us, it doesn't matter if we are smart or not.

 

[benedictaoo]

Meepy



That is only logical rationalization, not faith.

The most intellectually poor have the greatest amounts of faith, because their faith is from God and not through their own intellect.

Faith is God's revelation to us, however that may happen and it deepens as our relationship with Him deepens.

We are transformed by His grace, not through anything we do on our own.

Whatever we have, was given to us.

Jim

and this is why, Jim, I know atheists are full of it.

From the smartest person down to the most challenged person, faith is there and its the same. anyone can have it, God gives it to anyone. Children, big ppl, old ppl, anyone, He is no discriminator of persons.

 

[Dark_Lite]

I have cleaned up this thread. If you did not receive a PM, you have nothing to worry about.

 

[ZooMom]

oops...sorry. missed the cleanup.

Peace be with you.

 

[CruciFixed]

That's right. Only God can answer and its something you have to accept.

and I understand, sometimes I feel like I wish I could be one of those ppl who can just go to Church and not think so much.

You are a thinker and that is why I feel, you are struggling.

But as far as becoming Catholic, unless your doubting the validity of the faith itself, it should not stop you from becoming a Catholic.

There's almost two types of Catholics, one is taught the basic fundamentals of the faith and they accept it and go about their business and they are all about the strick letter of the teachings and the other gets deep into the nuances of it and wants to know everything and I think that is were we can run into trouble becuase we get to a point where we aren't going to figure it all out... like, we're going to figure out God? No, I don't think so.

I think about everything including things like "Why do I exist?" and how come my existance seems to hurt a lot. Why did God send so many bad people in my life even when I was so young? I hurt a lot growing up and have not stopped hurting yet I think that I just answered my own question in my head
Everyone suffers is the answer to most of the above. Why I exist I sometimes wonder when I wish often I didn't

Intelligence has nothing to do with faith.


Why did you become a Catholic? Was it to be part of something you agreed with, or, to give yourself to Jesus?

If its the former, that is not faith, but participation in religion.


Jesus Christ must be the center of your life. Without faith in Jesus, religion is shallow and will become boring to the point where you will leave.


So, to gain faith, turn to the source of faith, Jesus Christ.

Ask Him, to give you the level of faith that sustains all.

Praying For You

Jim

I wanted to be wherever Jesus is. Its a bonus that I can agree with the Church teachings on most issues. I just wanted to go wherever God leads me and I was praying with my whole heart that I wasn't doing something I'd regret. Coming to the Catholic Church after all I had been taught, heard and read about was a struggle but I only wanted to be where God is.

Personally, I think God is trying to heal you and there is a road block in the way of that.

It seems, as with us all, there's a lot of junk that need to be brought to the surface and the Holy Spirit could be trying to bring it out and something is preventing it.

We can't heal something that needs healing if we do not acknowledge it and keep suppressing it.

Its good your are learning about yourself, its a gift from God so you can heal what ever it is that needs healing.

I think instead of opening up I need to shut it down. I am so stupid because I am a sharer and I trust people then I get burned. So what's my lesson? Don't trust? What do I do? Trust again. I think I will never learn. That's why I am stupid.

I in part envy the piety of those who need not discover, need not find every theological nuance to believe...
But instead like children, just firmly believe...and just know God called them.

I dont have that - anymore.
When i was a child i did... i lost that with life coming at me.
People threatening my faith by telling me what Catholics believe and how it is evil [et al]

Yes, i should have remained child like and ignored it...
What part of me i dont know, the pride in the faith, the pride in me, i dont know, had to discover the answers...and now to share them.

But believing simply like a child - is the best way, i should think, to believe.
But know, there are answers should anyone need more like St Thomas did.

For every level of seeking - God already put His answer.
Though wrapping ourselves around knowing Gods very Essense has to be child like faith...to get past not knowing.

Child like faith to know, in Heaven, we will understand.

When I was a little girl I had the most child like faith I could ever have. Of course I was a little girl ahahaha so obviously I was a child. I prayed about everything and was not afraid to ask for help when I needed it. I used to say blessings before meals including at school before lunch. I do not recall who taught me this practice because my mom and dad didn't do it but I somehow learned it. Anyway the teacher one day called my mom at home because my silent prayers before meals disturbed some of the other children and this was not appropriate behavior at school. So I stopped praying at school before lunch then slowly stopped praying at home.

the Baptism of infants was around long before St.Augistine

anyway, the reason for three years of Rcia (Rite of Christian intiation for Adults)
is because first century jews knew the Scrptures very well and there was Paganism, the Jews and The Church
fairly simple
now there are thousands of denominations, most people do not know the Bible as well as they should
it is just a lot more confusing time

Hello there.

And yes it is a very confusing time. Too many different denoms claiming they have the truth and this one does not. And a lot of the denoms don't like the Catholic church for one reason or another. :o

 

[Dark_Lite]

Edit: opened at OP request.

 

[JimR-OCDS]

Brikkz

I wanted to be wherever Jesus is. Its a bonus that I can agree with the Church teachings on most issues. I just wanted to go wherever God leads me and I was praying with my whole heart that I wasn't doing something I'd regret. Coming to the Catholic Church after all I had been taught, heard and read about was a struggle but I only wanted to be where God is.

But God dwells within you, so where ever you are, so is God.

All we need to do is turn to him within the depths of our being.

Through the Church we receive the sacraments which are outward signs to give us grace.

But all grace comes from God who dwells within us.

Jim

 

[CruciFixed]

I definitely didn't believe it at the time. I used to read the psalms and then praydream. (my own word for the experience) Its like I was daydreaming and praying at the same time, my thoughts were totally clear and I would pray the psalms its hard to explain what I was going through when I was a new Christian. And that was no good for me because there was emotional love for God attached to that which emotions are what is it? deceitful. so I wanted a true love for God. I also wanted to come to Christ....and he is truly present in the Eucharist that was important to me also. I guess a lot of things formed my reason for wanting to be Catholic. The only things I regret are not giving myself enough time to think....I guess.

I already know we can't harbor true love for God before anyone can tell me that.