"The Christianity of history is not Protestantism. If ever there were a safe truth it is this, and Protestantism has ever felt it so; to be deep in history is to cease to be a Protestant." (-John Henry Newman, An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine).

"Where the bishop is, there let the people gather; just as where ever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church". -St. Ignatius of Antioch (ca 110 AD)a martyr later thrown to the lions, wrote to a church in Asia Minor. Antioch was also where the term "Christian" was first used.

“But if I should be delayed, you should know how to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of truth.” 1 Timothy 3:15

"This is the sole Church of Christ, which in the Creed we profess to be one, holy, catholic and apostolic." -CCC 811

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Wanted: Former Catholics by Catechism on Call

Soruce: Catechism On Call - Did you leave the Church because you disagree with or don’t understand its teaching on abortion, birth control or homosexuality? Did the sexual abuse scandals wear you out? Did you feel that your spiritual needs were unmet by Parish life or the Mass as you experienced it? If you describe yourself as a former Catholic or “recovering Catholic,” you should give the Church a second look.

There are a million reasons that Catholics leave, but more often than not, they’ve left because of poor formation (nobody taught them the faith), scandal (seeing or hearing about a priest, sister or some other Catholic do something that was clearly sinful or just plain hurtful) or because they’re living in a way that separates them from God, and don’t care to have the Church remind them of this reality.

It’s true: there are hypocrites and sinners in the Church, but the head of the Church – Jesus Christ – is not a hypocrite nor a sinner. Sinners have been with the Church from day one, the apostle Judas is certainly proof of that.

Judas was hand-chosen by our Lord, yet still gave into the temptation of evil. This is not new – but the sins of Judas, Parish priests, mothers, next door neighbors or your own sins – do not change the reality that Jesus Christ is God.


And God loves you personally; he died on the cross for you – not some abstraction called “humanity.” God is mercy and there is nothing you’ve done that he can’t forgive.

If you feel God pulling you back to the Catholic Church, please visit the site Catholic Come Home and make sure you discover what the Church actually teaches and then learn how you can return – God loves you, and wants you back.

Others things to do on the journey back home:
  • Go to the rectory (Church office) of the nearest Catholic Church, ask to see a priest; explain that you’ve been separated from the Church and want to talk about returning
  • Pray the Hail Mary, asking Mary to pave the way back home to her son, Jesus Christ; Mary is the mother you can run to no matter what you’ve done 
  • If you remember how to make a good confession, make a list of your sins and go to Confession; don’t worry if it’s been many years; you can explain to the Priest that you’ve been away for years and don’t know how to proceed – he will be excited to help reconcile you back to the Lord
  • Read about Jesus in the Gospels (New Testament: Gospels according to St. Matthew, St. Luke, St. Mark and St. John); learn what He says about Himself and His mission
  • Pray, pray, pray to God. Don’t know how to pray? Tell God you don’t know how to pray, ask for direction, and then let the Holy Spirit show you the way!
Watch some solid, Catholic television online for free! EWTN is a Catholic TV station that faithfully portrays the teachings of the Catholic Church with passion, confidence and love.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Comments are moderated by the blog owner.

Thank you and God bless you.

My Blog List

My Calendar