Eilish Posted January 12, 2014 Share Posted January 12, 2014 After several years I've realized that, unlike most ex mo's, I don't want to throw God out of my life because my ancestors fell for a con. Various church visits later I've had the brilliant idea to check out the original Christian church largely because Mother Mary got me through my son's deployment to Iraq after my best friend (who shares her name) told me I could pray to her to intervene for my son. Sharing with another suffering mother meant more to me than any prayer. Since RCIA began in October, I'm too late for that, study suggestions? I've started with the Ignatius Bible for Catholics, but Mass is very confusing when I go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nihil Obstat Posted January 12, 2014 Share Posted January 12, 2014 If you feel your theology is at a pretty basic level, Scott Hahn might be a good start. I think his book Supper of the Lamb would likely have a decent introduction to the theology of the Mass. If you feel that your theology is pretty strong to start out, then Spirit of the Liturgy by Josef Cardinal Ratzinger / Pope Benedict XVI is an excellent book on the Liturgy. If you are somewhere in between, and perhaps more on the devotional side, Dom Prosper Gueranger did great work on understanding the liturgical season and the Mass parts as a whole, although he did have some antiquarianist and Latin-imperialist bias. More a product of his time than any ill-will on his part. Good source overall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lil Red Posted January 12, 2014 Share Posted January 12, 2014 Catholicism for Dummies by Fr. John Trijillo (spelled wrong, I know) is a great book. above books though, pray. try out different forms of prayer to see what is most comfortable: rosary, Lectio Divina, Liturgy of the Hours, etc or a combination of prayer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruciatacara Posted January 13, 2014 Share Posted January 13, 2014 After several years I've realized that, unlike most ex mo's, I don't want to throw God out of my life because my ancestors fell for a con. Various church visits later I've had the brilliant idea to check out the original Christian church largely because Mother Mary got me through my son's deployment to Iraq after my best friend (who shares her name) told me I could pray to her to intervene for my son. Sharing with another suffering mother meant more to me than any prayer. Since RCIA began in October, I'm too late for that, study suggestions? I've started with the Ignatius Bible for Catholics, but Mass is very confusing when I go. Have you spoken to your priest about the Mass being confusing to you? He might have a spare missal he could lend you. I have had some that explain step by step what is happening and who says what and when. If you have money, buy yourself one, but why not ask him for help as well? He might have other suggestions to help you. I was fortunate to come into the Church before RCIA so I had private instruction with a priest and then was baptized and confirmed within a few months. It does seem too bad that you have wait until October before you can begin instruction, but then things are done differently these days. Welcome to the Church and to phatmass. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eilish Posted January 13, 2014 Author Share Posted January 13, 2014 Thanks to all, I remember how confused I got when I went through the temple at age 21. Oddly enough, I have not once yet felt an urge to giggle uncontrollably at Mass. And how I love all the statuary. I never saw a representation of Christ in a church until I attended a summer Methodist program at age 9, fell in love with the kindness in His face. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotreDame Posted January 13, 2014 Share Posted January 13, 2014 Wow, great story. Interesting, because the other thread got me google searching about mormons and I found this thread at a different site and most of the ex-mormon's there turned atheist. You are saying that's what you've usually seen happen in others who have left? They become atheists? I really have no idea about your background, knowledge level, or tastes, so I can't give recommendations, but there are no shortage of books (from many different centuries) that you could choose from. Do you have any Catholic friends locally or are you on your own? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ploomf Posted January 13, 2014 Share Posted January 13, 2014 Wow, great story. Interesting, because the other thread got me google searching about mormons and I found this thread at a different site and most of the ex-mormon's there turned atheist. You are saying that's what you've usually seen happen in others who have left? They become atheists? I really have no idea about your background, knowledge level, or tastes, so I can't give recommendations, but there are no shortage of books (from many different centuries) that you could choose from. Do you have any Catholic friends locally or are you on your own? Oh yes, most former LDS become atheist/agnostic. I considered myself agnostic for several years and wanted absolutely nothing to do with any religion period. :p Most of the ex-mormon friends/relatives I have think my joining the Catholic church is akin to Jumping from the frying pan into the fire. :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotreDame Posted January 13, 2014 Share Posted January 13, 2014 Oh yes, most former LDS become atheist/agnostic. I considered myself agnostic for several years and wanted absolutely nothing to do with any religion period. :P Most of the ex-mormon friends/relatives I have think my joining the Catholic church is akin to Jumping from the frying pan into the fire. :P What are the biggest differences between the two for you? Not necessarily with the doctrine, but with your experience? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basilisa Marie Posted January 13, 2014 Share Posted January 13, 2014 Does your church have books in the pews with the readings? Has anyone ever shown you them? Because in the front of each of those is usually an "order of mass" that could help you follow along, if that's part of what you mean by mass being confusing. Otherwise the recommendations in this thread are all great. If you want something kind of basic, you could check out C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity. He's Anglican, but pretty much everything in there is in line with what the Catholic Church teaches, and it really helped one of my friends when she was debating between LDS and the Catholic Church. If you've only been exposed to the LDS way of doing theology, it might be a helpful read. Also, if you haven't already, I'd recommend emailing or talking to your local parish priest or director of religious education or whoever runs RCIA and ask them for recommendations, too. And welcome to Phatmass. :) I hope you stick around! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotreDame Posted January 13, 2014 Share Posted January 13, 2014 If you want something kind of basic, you could check out C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity. He's Anglican, but pretty much everything in there is in line with what the Catholic Church teaches, ^^^ That's a good idea. It's basic enough to read if you are new, but it's still deep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheresaThoma Posted January 13, 2014 Share Posted January 13, 2014 Contact your parish about RCIA. There are some parishes out there that run year round inquiry/ RCIA sessions (my parish does this). At the very least they can help you figure out the order of Mass a bit better. I went through RCIA myeself and now help out as a sponsor/general morale support. PM me if you have any questions (even ones that seem "silly"). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotreDame Posted January 13, 2014 Share Posted January 13, 2014 And Bishop Sheen when you need a pick-me-up: https://www.google.com/search?q=bishop+fulton+sheen+youtube His Life Is Worth Living series is great, but he also has a full catechism (audio-only.) You'll find some of both on youtube. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToJesusMyHeart Posted January 13, 2014 Share Posted January 13, 2014 Not about the Mass, but since you said that Mother Mary led you to the Church, you will likely enjoy this by Fulton Sheen. "Mary: The Woman I Love." http://youtu.be/TG5-RSevDBI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arfink Posted January 13, 2014 Share Posted January 13, 2014 Ploomf routinely grills me about Catholic stuff as she's going through RCIA. She says it's helped her a lot, so if you get stuck, just start asking questions. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ploomf Posted January 13, 2014 Share Posted January 13, 2014 (edited) What are the biggest differences between the two for you? Not necessarily with the doctrine, but with your experience? I'm only in RCIA so my experience is limited of course but so far there are several pretty big differences, some good, some I don't like so much. The best difference is that questioning is allowed and encouraged and they don't rush you into joining. As arfink said, I've grilled him pretty hard about Catholic doctrine and history, he was always very patient and never avoided answering or told me I was questioning too much. In the LDS church they really discourage this kind of questioning, just read the Book of Mormon, pray to get your testimony, and ignore anything that isn't faith promoting, it's all probably anti mormon lies anyway. Also, I've never felt rushed or pressured into joining the Catholic church and I really appreciate that, if I'd shown half the interest in the LDS church as I have the Catholic church they'd have had me dunked a dozen times over already. :P Also there is less pressure to conform to a certain image the church wants to present to the world. The LDS church wants its members to be act and look a certain way and the culture can be brutal if you don't conform. No piercings (girls are allowed to pierce their ears once but no other piercings are allowed), no tattoos, neat appearance, very modest clothing, no facial hair or long hair for guys, no unnaturally colored hair, girls wear skirts and guys wear white shirts, ties, and black slacks to church. People will definitely question your faithfulness if you break any of these rules. At least in Idaho and Utah they will. I've heard from multiple people that Mormons outside of these two states are less uptight about this kind of stuff. :P One thing I’ve loved since I’ve begun looking into the Catholic church is how many female role models there are. They are very few role models for women in the LDS church, it’s a very male dominated church. I’ve loved learning about all the female saints there are in the Catholic church. The one thing I miss about the LDS church that I haven’t found in the Catholic church is a sense of community. Parishes are really large and can feel kind of impersonal. In the LDS church you were assigned a ward, so you went to church at the same place and the same time every week and you saw the same people every week. Wards tend to be very close and the members watch out for each other, if someone in the ward has something happen and needs help, you can bet just about all the members of the ward will hear about it before the day is out and you will have more help than you know what to do with. There are exceptions to this of course but this was my experience across several different wards over my active years. Also, the LDS church has a lay leadership for the most part, leaders are chosen from the local congregation and serve for several years and then are released and someone else is called to that position. While this has many draw backs, I found it did give you a sense of ownership and sweat equity in the church. Edited January 13, 2014 by ploomf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now