Feeling That Being Catholic Was The Wrong Choice!

[Knight of the Holy Rosary]

You have my prayers...for both your conversion, happiness and healing. I'll remember you in my Holy Hour.

[bmb144]

[quote name='Cathoholic Anonymous' post='1209027' date='Mar 7 2007, 12:22 AM']But the Blessed Sacrament in the Tabernacle never went away either, did He? And can your new friends offer you Him?[/quote]

To answer your question, no they cannot.
You see there not Christian, and while I have a relationship with with God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit, I am no longer fully Christian either.....

[cmotherofpirl]

[quote name='In His Light' post='1211205' date='Mar 10 2007, 05:42 AM']To answer your question, no they cannot.
You see there not Christian, and while I have a relationship with with God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit, I am no longer fully Christian either.....[/quote]
How can one be partly christian?

[bmb144]

One can question everything..........as I am.

[Noel's angel]

Questioning is good, as long as you remember to remain open to Catholicism. Don't question Catholicism and then search for answers outside Catholicism. What I'm basically saying is that if you're going to ask questions about something, seek the answer in the something you are questioning. Your new friends seem like lovely people, but their love is nothing compared to Christ's.
Here are some quotes from St. Teresa of Avila that reminded me of you:

“Let nothing disturb thee; Let nothing dismay thee; All thing pass; God never changes. Patience attains All that it strives for. He who has God Finds he lacks nothing:God alone suffices.”

“To reach something good it is very useful to have gone astray, and thus aquire experience.”

“Do not dismay daughters, at the number of things which you have to consider before setting out on this divine journey, which is the royal road to heaven. By taking this road we gain such precious treasures that it is no wonder if the cost seems to us a high one. The time will come when we shall realize that all we have paid has been nothing at all by comparison with the greatness of our prizes.”

Remember this also:
What will separate us from the love of Christ? Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword? As it is written: "For your sake we are being slain all the day; we are looked upon as sheep to be slaughtered." No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Rom 8:35-39

[Seven77]

Praying for you to the Mother of Christ Jesus.

I'm in a wheelchair and need a ventilator to breathe. If you ever want to read my personal testimony on suffering please PM or email me... or better yet click [url="http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg98rq5w_09h6jff"]here[/url] and [url="http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/index.php?s=&showtopic=62286&view=findpost&p=1150105"]here[/url].

Peace.

[Moneybags]

As Pope, St. Pius X wrote a letter to the leaders of many other religions. Why did he do so? He said because he loved them and wanted to ensure their souls were saved. With that same love, I turn to you and ask you to please return to the Holy Church. There may be many bad priests and even bishops, but remember that Judas was one of the 12. I have found the Traditional Churches that offer Latin Masses to truly be one of the greatest sources of love and compassion.

So, please, do return. For I know that the Lord is calling you. I am thinking of a beautiful painting I have hanging in my house. It is Jesus standing at the door of a house. And with the most benevolent expression, he continues to knock on the door. There is no doorknob. Only the person inside can open it - his heart - to Jesus. And, so, I ask you to please answer the door. You may not hear the knocking know, but I know that one day, you certainly will.

[Noel's angel]

[img]http://image24.webshots.com/24/4/12/34/38141234PoJsAu_ph.jpg[/img]

That's the painting your idea refers to. Jesus is waiting outside the door of your heart, knocking. You have to let Him in.

[bmb144]

I'm just poking my head in to say hello again.

I have not been here for a couple of weeks. I mean to be here a bit more from now on but will be still in and out.

I'm no where near healed but the process has started. Just walking past the local catholic church which I do often, hurts.....a lot.

I have though given myself totally to my faith, which is not Christian, its Pagan and they *tears* are some of the most Christian people I have ever met....
Christianity simply hurts too much....my heart can't take the battering anymore.....
My heart is now healing somewhat as my leaders and friends hold me up and walk with me.

I don't know where I wil be heading spiritually but I remain open and maybe once the pain and the internal bleeding goes away I can make clearer choices. My patrons St Michael and St Benedict remain with me still and I am just trying to walk....

I still cry a lot in prayer and the pain is intense, but that's the way it is.

Belinda

[Starets]

I will continue praying for your emotional, physical, and spiritual health, Belinda

[Romans1513]

I wish I could take some of your pain away, Belinda... know that you will be in my prayers.

I don't know how much this will help, but it is at least something to think about, especially at this time of year. Almost 2000 years ago, Jesus was going through this suffering more intense than we can imagine. He was betrayed by one of His closest friends, denied by His best friend; He spent tonight (Holy Thursday) awake and being tormented. He was mocked, laughed at, beaten, ridiculed by everyone; there seemed to be no one to help Him. He carried a heavy cross, the Cross that He would soon be nailed to, and hang on for 3 hours before death. Thats the thing about our God that no other religion can give you. He knows what it is like to lose His friends, to be mocked and hated, to suffer incredible physical pain. He overcame it in order that He could help us overcome it and join Him for eternity.

I am so so sorry that the Catholics and even the Christians you know have failed you in this time. But don't forget all the people on Phatmass who have been praying for you as well- I am sure that if time/money/circumstances allowed we would have come to Australia to be there with you. I would. But if you return to Mass, Jesus, the same Jesus who went through all of that for you and me, is there for you, and really, that is all we need.

I will be praying for you this Easter, Belinda, and I hope life starts getting brighter for you very soon.

[Piamaria]

Praying for you especially during these holy days.

[cathoholic_anonymous]

[quote]Christianity simply hurts too much....my heart can't take the battering anymore.....[/quote]

"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us." John 3:16

Love like that will always hurt, Belinda. Running to a new religious system may act like anaesthetic, but that's all it is. The pain will always be there, underneath, until you take up your cross and follow Him.

With prayers for your healing, sister.

"If you don't love you're dead and if you do they'll kill you." - Fr Herbet Mc Cabe

[bmb144]

[quote name='Cathoholic Anonymous' post='1232154' date='Apr 6 2007, 10:55 PM']Love like that will always hurt, Belinda. Running to a new religious system may act like anaesthetic, but that's all it is. The pain will always be there, underneath, until you take up your cross and follow Him.[/quote]

I was not going to respond, but I need to respond to this above.

Love heals, not wounds....love takes the person in pain opens and cleans out the wounds, bind them and walks with them until they can walk. And that is what my church has done and is doing.

Sorry these guys are not into anaesthetic, if I wanted that I would have stayed catholic...."oh just pray..it will be fine" or "God loves you, know that"....mind you God works through people and all they[local catholics] could do is run away....

I'm going to give all of you a window into what I have been through...and you tell me how would you do...

How many knives have you had put to your throat?
Has your life ever been threatened?
Have you been in a place where you know if you walk out that front door you may not come home again?
How many of your friends have been murdered?

And so on....

I took up the cross...I got torn apart by it....and while I deeply respect you guys, I can't be either Christian or Catholic, the wounds/scars are simply too deep.

[Hirsap]

Just some questions for reflection... (which I hope to follow up).

Is the Christian revelation (from God) worthy of belief?

Is the Catholic Church worthy to be seen as the dispenser of this Christian Revelation?



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If the Christian Revelation does in fact come from God, then there can be no doubt as to its veracity. (God is Truth itself).

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On the matter of suffering...I cannot say I personally experience what you did/are...nevertheless, I can offer reasonable insight into suffering in general...as one priest once remarked on a television 'debate', one need not be a chook/hen in order to discuss eggs.

Suffering taken of itself, is horrible. Fear of suffering is natural. I would encourage you (I realise it is Easter and past Lent!)
1)
to meditate and reflect upon the Cross. There are many items which can help you do this. The lives of the Saints as well I strongly recommend to you.
- Holy Hour with the Sacred Heart of Jesus, wherein one meditates on His Agony in the Garden.
- Padre Pio was no stranger to suffering as well (just as an example). Look into this guy!
2) Know that suffering, far from being a curse from God, is a blessing from God. We now exist in this world, within the bounds of time, and this will not be for long. It is only during our earthly life that we can gain merits for Heaven. Through suffering one gains the highest of merit, that is, when resigned to it, and done in union with Christ's sufferings. The more suffering God sends us, higher is the degree of sanctity to which He is calling us. And this participation in God's own life, can only be strengthened during this life and increased, which will reap fruits a hundred fold in the eternity to come. [i]And that is all the really matters! [/i]

I read somewhere that St Andrew the Apostle, in his own crucifixion, implored others not to end his life, so he could go on in his suffering, to be like His Divine Master, Jesus Christ. For what greater honour is it than to be like Christ, like the Incarnate Word? Of course I am not suggesting that you ought to adopt this degree of zeal for suffering, as only very few souls are called to it, but nevertheless, we can always learn from these remarkable examples, and apply them, to the extent God's grace will allow us to, in our own lives.

God bless,