Posted: 1/4/2013 12:17:31 PM EDT
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First off, I was raise Roman Catholic, went to mass every Saturday night with my mom, dad, and older and younger sister but never felt saved. After high school I joined the Army for almost 10 yrs until I was medically retired because of liver disease that the Army could not figure out ( not due to alcohol ). During those 10 yrs I only went to mass when I was home on leave, basically just to make my mom and dad happy. In the past 2 years or so I have been trying to find God and my faith again. When I was still in the Army I saw a chaplain because I wanted to learn what faith was and how to find God. His answer didn't really help, and it's always bothered me that he couldn't help me.
For lack of better words, I want to get back to my faith and be the Christian I know I should be and become a true Roman Catholic. I feel like I have so much on me with my liver transplant and trying to find God, and other issues I don't know we're to turn or what to do. |
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I was a christian of non denomination for many years and then I joined the Catholic church because I felt it was the true church and I love it!!
I suggest finding a priest that maybe is involved in the charismatic renewal if possible. PM me if you like and we can chat. Whether you stay in the Catholic church or not does NOT a christian make. You and God is all that matters. |
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Thanks for the help. It really helped me understand that I have to find my own way of finding God. What is a charismatic renewal?
One of the main things that has put me of about finding my faith again is my older sister. When my wife and I were planning our wedding, my wife wanted her to be one of the bridesmaids. My wife and I were only able to find a Lutheran church and priest due to the date and place of our wedding. My sister told us that she couldn't be a bridesmaid because she couldn't be part of me being married by a non-Catholic priest, yet she still came to the wedding ceremony. Secondly! when she came to visit last summer, my wife and herself attended Sunday mass while I was at home sick. After mass, my sister told my wife that in the eyes of God we weren't married because the church and priest weren't Catholic. This really upset my wife and I, and only pushed me further from wanting to find my faith and God at the time. She constant tries to push her beliefs on both of us and it only pushes me further away from her and makes my wife not want to convert Catholism. Can you give me your input on this. Thanks in advance for the help. 
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I can give you some input only from personal experience with several churches in several towns over the years on "exclusivity".
Short version is that many denominations including the Catholic church can fall into the false belief that someone must belong to THAT particular church or dogma. That in itself is a works based faith wherein you have to DO something, BE something in the RIGHT place to merit God's favor. I encountered a couple of churches that held to an exclusive dogma and both of them eventually added more and more "things" for you to do to become/remain a child of God. Baptisms, clothing, giving, diet, etc. There is a difference in whether they allow communion if you are not a member or of their particular sect of the faith and whether they exclude you as a believer. I don't have a problem with open or closed communions for example - that is not something I base my faith on or feel the need to argue over. The essentials of the faith are hearing the call in your heart of Christ, being brought to a point of repentence by His Holy Spirit in order to recognize your need of Christ as an atonement for your human state - that separation by sin from the living God of the Universe that has occurred in all mankind and you personally, and your acceptance of Christ as your Savior - meaning he is your atonement to pay the blood libel for that sin to give us fellowship, connection and grace to live as a child of God. That acceptance of Christ can be debated as to whether he chose you first, you chose him, he found you or you found him - the important thing to know is the God draws to you himself by his Holy Spirit so you can answer the call you hear in your heart. Right then and there it is God and you. Christ is God. God manifested in the Son, perfect and sinless who was the unblemished sacrifice in our stead. The Holy Spirit is God indwelling you as a believer and his child to empower you to live for him. If you grasp the essentials above, the sacrements such as baptism and communion can become alive with meaning to you. I like the high church atmosphere even though I am not a Catholic. I attend a Greek Orthodox church occaisionally and find the sacerdotal minsitry of the priesthood fascinating and beautiful. So I am not knocking your faith or choice of Catholicism if that is where God is leading you. But beware of anyone adding anything to the mission, purpose or effect of Christ and His blood shed for you. The more you add acts for you to perform to curry God's favor, the more you cheapen the precious pure innocent blood of the very Son of God who shed it on your behalf. I realize this rambled a bit but hope it is helpful and not found offensive in any way. It is only my take on it. My prayers are with you in this. |
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becks83,
It is good that you have made a conscious decision to desire to get it right with God. Now, you have stated that you have had some serious medical issues at one point and I hope that through the transplant proceedure that you underwent that all is medically stable for you with the evidence of a health life following. But, this being said, we as humans are made up of several different layers according to our existances that in many instances are not really apparent or conspicous to us. I have been a christian most of my life and am in my mid-fifties now, belong to a protestant church and read my Bible or God's word most every day. Now, saying this, I do not read God's word as something that I feel like God has or is compelling me to do, but because I love doing it and I know God Himself, in the form of Jesus Christ delights as His word says,'' in knowing Him and understanding Him is God's delight.'' But, as that may be for me and other christians, these things, or manifest blessings from God always, is not quite the state of being or even mindset that many who call themselves christians have, as here you too seem currently ready to explore the deeper things of God, which by the way with success through God's own Spirit does make the trip very exiting at times and as a witness for Christ richly blessed and very well worth any of the menial effort that I have given in accordance to what God has given me back as a matter to recieve. But, it is here my friend were we must as christians at one point or even several points, stop subsisting on the basics of God's kingdom, not forgetting trhe centrality of Christ as head of all the christian churches as its Master, but move on into the fullness of God's word in order to become mature,''in Him,'' and thus to be in Christ the same way that God in this form as,''Lord and Savior,'' has been for us as God would have us to be,''perfect as God is Perfect''! But, does this mean that we in this pyhsical lifetime that God has given us that we should be exactly like Jesus Christ was when He walked this earth during the short physical time of His own powerful ministry who is God in which He suffered and died for us so that we could be reconcilled back to Him? I know that you might have some questions here about what is the truth about salvation, but from your own experiance there is, and I will repeat no christian church which has ever existed that can be responcible in the area of salvation because truly this is not why that there is christian church or ministry today or at any time that has ever saved anybody, no not one! It is God who calls and then we answer! As a matter of fact here speaking of these things, there is and always have been many churches who might call themselves,''christian,'' but are in fact not christian at all. God is not a church, but the head over all churches, that He and He alone acknowleges, because it is God who searches and fully examines the hearts and intentions of all men and women and this goes for all people just not the ones who belong to some christian orginization. Is your heart broken over many matters and circumstances that you have not only seen, but have experianced on your own? Well, if you have then that means that you are just like the rest of us who would speak honestly about some of the things which we have had to endure in life. But, if you would have never had the medical issues that the army doctors could not diagnose correctly would you be in a better spot now to square up with God as God would have a productive relationship with you, or something else if you would have stayed in as a soldier serving your country with honor going for at least twenty to retire? No way to tell you say, well I say what was and still is right for you, by the will of God, is exactly what happened to you and by God again, it is Christ who never leaves any work undone on anyone who has been called by His great and glorious Name, and He will finish this work in you so that you will be a blessing and a great help to others as God wills this for everyone that He loves! And if this is you as God would have you, then it is God who will have his way so that your joy and the capability of spreading that joy to others might become a complete in them also and with effort, as God is also complete in His giving pertaining to you! Do you understand and get my meaning here becks83? In the name of Jesus Christ recieve the Holy Spirit within your life and in your midst now! Wake up sleeper! Your brother, SAE* |
| I'm a life long member of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. We are a conservative church which strictly adheres to Luther's original principal of scripture being sufficient in and of itself. Whether you stay in the Catholic church or not, just remember that you are saved through your faith in Christ's death and resurrection. It's as simple as that. |
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IM sent.
There's a difference between grace - the inner presence of God - and our emotional high or consolation we SOMETIMES get from prayer, an altar call, a sacrament, etc. it's not always the case that prayer or sacraments will be accompanied by an emotional or spiritual peace or euphoric feeling. Sometimes it happens. The Charismatic renewal is notable in this phenomenon - it's real, I wouldn't pooh pooh it at all, and it does heal those who receive the gifts. but not everyone has that gift ('charism is greek for 'gift). So.... going to Mass does expose you to God's presence and grace...but it's not always the case that this will be 'felt'. On the other hand, if you are suffering physically, emotionally and spiritually you do need healing ministry - confession, perhaps counselling, marriage or personal, and other forms of liberation. Our Lord commanded his disciples to 'make disciples of all the nations'...but they were to do this by a) healing the sick b) casting out demons and then c) preaching the Gospel.... if we just preach the gospel but don't reach out to heal people of their wounds or liberate them from their bad habits, vices or real 'demons' who oppress their spirit.... we're just being clashing cymbals and booming gongs. The answer then is "both/and" not either/or. In arfcom style, it's "get both". We need both sacraments AND counselling, one-on-one healing/liberation.... we need both to grow in the knowlege of Jesus in the word of scripture and knowledge of Jesus in the presence of the sacraments - including eucharist and confession but also Confirmation and even the annointing of the sick. Because ultimately we are seeking an encounter with Christ - and that happens in many ways not just one. If you need formal introductions or someone to open a door or get someone to give you a call or set up an appointment with the Catholic Church in south GA, send me a IM or email and I can connect you with whomever is closest to you. Peace and let's pray for one another as we're all broken, we're all sinners and we all are called to a relationship with Jesus Christ in the Church He died to establish and give to the world for its salvation. |
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Quoted:
First off, I was raise Roman Catholic, went to mass every Saturday night with my mom, dad, and older and younger sister but never felt saved. After high school I joined the Army for almost 10 yrs until I was medically retired because of liver disease that the Army could not figure out ( not due to alcohol ). During those 10 yrs I only went to mass when I was home on leave, basically just to make my mom and dad happy. In the past 2 years or so I have been trying to find God and my faith again. When I was still in the Army I saw a chaplain because I wanted to learn what faith was and how to find God. His answer didn't really help, and it's always bothered me that he couldn't help me. For lack of better words, I want to get back to my faith and be the Christian I know I should be and become a true Roman Catholic. I feel like I have so much on me with my liver transplant and trying to find God, and other issues I don't know we're to turn or what to do. This is exactly how my wife felt when we met. She had been raised Catholic but for her 35 years on this planet that meant going to Mass on Easter and Christmas. She did not have a true personal relationship with Jesus Christ until we began attending a Bible-based church for almost a year and also during that time began an indepth study of His Word, The Bible. She has been truly saved now, and has the Holy Spirit within her. Her hope is in God, and she like everyone who calls themselves Children of God, can communicate with him instantly by prayer. No intermediary needed. That bible study that literally helped change her life is called Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) and it is a worldwide study that has locations in just about every medium/large U.S. city. Her transformation encouraged me to also get into the Men's BSF class and my walk with Christ has been strengthened so much. For the first time in my life, even though I have been saved since the age of 16, I was able to breakdown better the particular Bible verses that we were/are studying and understand the principle/application into my life. I would encourage you to get into His Word, daily, whether through a bible study such as BSF, or others, or on your own. www.bsfinternational.org Prayers are heading your way. |
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Quoted:
I can give you some input only from personal experience with several churches in several towns over the years on "exclusivity". Short version is that many denominations including the Catholic church can fall into the false belief that someone must belong to THAT particular church or dogma. That in itself is a works based faith wherein you have to DO something, BE something in the RIGHT place to merit God's favor. I encountered a couple of churches that held to an exclusive dogma and both of them eventually added more and more "things" for you to do to become/remain a child of God. Baptisms, clothing, giving, diet, etc. There is a difference in whether they allow communion if you are not a member or of their particular sect of the faith and whether they exclude you as a believer. I don't have a problem with open or closed communions for example - that is not something I base my faith on or feel the need to argue over. The essentials of the faith are hearing the call in your heart of Christ, being brought to a point of repentence by His Holy Spirit in order to recognize your need of Christ as an atonement for your human state - that separation by sin from the living God of the Universe that has occurred in all mankind and you personally, and your acceptance of Christ as your Savior - meaning he is your atonement to pay the blood libel for that sin to give us fellowship, connection and grace to live as a child of God. That acceptance of Christ can be debated as to whether he chose you first, you chose him, he found you or you found him - the important thing to know is the God draws to you himself by his Holy Spirit so you can answer the call you hear in your heart. Right then and there it is God and you. Christ is God. God manifested in the Son, perfect and sinless who was the unblemished sacrifice in our stead. The Holy Spirit is God indwelling you as a believer and his child to empower you to live for him. If you grasp the essentials above, the sacrements such as baptism and communion can become alive with meaning to you. I like the high church atmosphere even though I am not a Catholic. I attend a Greek Orthodox church occaisionally and find the sacerdotal minsitry of the priesthood fascinating and beautiful. So I am not knocking your faith or choice of Catholicism if that is where God is leading you. But beware of anyone adding anything to the mission, purpose or effect of Christ and His blood shed for you. The more you add acts for you to perform to curry God's favor, the more you cheapen the precious pure innocent blood of the very Son of God who shed it on your behalf. I realize this rambled a bit but hope it is helpful and not found offensive in any way. It is only my take on it. My prayers are with you in this. Ditto. This is the crux Becks. Choose this day whom ye shall serve! Christ is the way! |
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Quoted:
First off, I was raise Roman Catholic, went to mass every Saturday night with my mom, dad, and older and younger sister but never felt saved. After high school I joined the Army for almost 10 yrs until I was medically retired because of liver disease that the Army could not figure out ( not due to alcohol ). During those 10 yrs I only went to mass when I was home on leave, basically just to make my mom and dad happy. In the past 2 years or so I have been trying to find God and my faith again. When I was still in the Army I saw a chaplain because I wanted to learn what faith was and how to find God. His answer didn't really help, and it's always bothered me that he couldn't help me. For lack of better words, I want to get back to my faith and be the Christian I know I should be and become a true Roman Catholic. I feel like I have so much on me with my liver transplant and trying to find God, and other issues I don't know we're to turn or what to do. Where in GA do you live ? I grew up in a Catholic Church and like you found myself down the road not feeling safe and searching for something. If you are near me I would love for you to come visit my Church. It is not a Catholic Church but a small Baptist Church. This is the place that the first time I walked through the door I felt right. Its where I actually got Saved and havent left. Like was said in another post its not really the denomination we should all be one but we know it isnt always like that. But anyways my invitation is always good if you are close. As far as Catholic Church im no help because I grew up in Texas and thats where we went to the Catholic Church. I will pray for you and hope you get what you need. |