Accepting "everything" the Church teaches-taking the plunge

AnneTeresa · #1 Jun 15, '12, 2:45 pm

I have been back to the church for going on two years. There are still some teachings I fight against as they simply do not make sense to me. I have good reasons for not accepting these teachings.

But it gets tiring, this fighting. Sometimes I think I need to just stop fighting and give in, take the plunge. Accept it all, live it all, even the things that seem nonsensical to me. I actually think I did this once but took it back when things got very hard.

There is a little booklet about the rooms in our house and giving them over to God one by one until they are all His. Sometimes I feel I am holding out on a few of the rooms.

Has anyone else taken this "plunge"? What was the outcome? Do your doubts/concerns go away eventually or do you just grit your teeth and soldier on through the issues you have just saying I will do it because the Church says? I find myself wondering if my having to understand something in order to agree with it is a kind of rebellion that is making my life far more difficult than it needs to be.

Lady Love · #2 Jun 15, '12, 3:43 pm

Anne Teresa,

Yes. I did take that plunge. I trusted that God has revealed His truth about Himself to the Catholic church. I trusted before I had all the answers to my questions. I stayed committed and God eventually answered all my questions. Some answers took 10-15 years (and I'm still learning) to have the answers revealed but eventually I started seeing the wisdom of God. The bigger my perspective got the more the Church teachings made sense. God has given me such moments/flashes of clarity that I thought myself such an imbecile for not being able to see it before.

Hey, Dive in and join the adventure!

Gods_Peace · #3 Jun 15, '12, 4:04 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lady Love

Anne Teresa,

Yes. I did take that plunge. I trusted that God has revealed His truth about Himself to the Catholic church. I trusted before I had all the answers to my questions. I stayed committed and God eventually answered all my questions. Some answers took 10-15 years (and I'm still learning) to have the answers revealed but eventually I started seeing the wisdom of God. The bigger my perspective got the more the Church teachings made sense. God has given me such moments/flashes of clarity that I thought myself such an imbecile for not being able to see it before.

Hey, Dive in and join the adventure!

Now I'm Going to take the plunge to! :P

Jim Dandy · #4 Jun 15, '12, 4:42 pm

The Profession of Faith every convert has to publicly declare is:

"I believe and profess all that the holy Catholic Church believes, teaches, and proclaims to be revealed by God."

This is the faith required of every Catholic.

Gordon Sims · #5 Jun 15, '12, 5:25 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by AnneTeresa

I have been back to the church for going on two years. There are still some teachings I fight against as they simply do not make sense to me. I have good reasons for not accepting these teachings.

I was where you are at one point, but after doing a lot of reading and praying on the various issues about which I had reservations, I found that I didn't have any good reasons to not accept the teachings.

The sole teaching I still have problems with is capital punishment. I have a handful of friends and acquaintances who were brutally and senselessly murdered and have always seen capital punishment as a practical and equitable solution. That being said, after taking time to understand the Church's point of view, while I still have some difficulty taking it to heart, I will vocally support it when the situation arises. At the same time, I pray for the strength and understanding to fully accept it.

Luvtosew · #6 Jun 15, '12, 5:41 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gordon Sims

I was where you are at one point, but after doing a lot of reading and praying on the various issues about which I had reservations, I found that I didn't have any good reasons to not accept the teachings.

The sole teaching I still have problems with is capital punishment. I have a handful of friends and acquaintances who were brutally and senselessly murdered and have always seen capital punishment as a practical and equitable solution. That being said, after taking time to understand the Church's point of view, while I still have some difficulty taking it to heart, I will vocally support it when the situation arises. At the same time, I pray for the strength and understanding to fully accept it.

Oh I can see how that is hard, especially when its personal. I would like to personally cut every child molestors private parts off, but I know thats not my place.

I am negative on capital punishment as I never want to be involved in the death of anyone, and I just think that is left up to God,

I don't think its more a thing about you and the Church so much about between you and God,

I'm sorry and I hope you can find some peace in your decision.

St Francis · #7 Jun 15, '12, 5:43 pm

My experience was like Lady Love's: I told God I didn't understand them but was willing to obey (none that I actually had to obey right at that time), and would He please clarify? And He did, in many different ways.

I read a nice story about Cardinal John Newman (now Saint?), I have been unable to find it since, but apparently after studying the differences between Anglicanism and Catholicism for a few years, he still felt confused and ambivalent. Finally he decided to pray to God, Who answered him very quickly and he converted

johndoe100 · #8 Jun 15, '12, 7:14 pm

Everyone knows what they believe, and they usually keep inside themselves.

MrsFlapjack · #9 Jun 15, '12, 7:34 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gordon Sims

I was where you are at one point, but after doing a lot of reading and praying on the various issues about which I had reservations, I found that I didn't have any good reasons to not accept the teachings.

The sole teaching I still have problems with is capital punishment. I have a handful of friends and acquaintances who were brutally and senselessly murdered and have always seen capital punishment as a practical and equitable solution. That being said, after taking time to understand the Church's point of view, while I still have some difficulty taking it to heart, I will vocally support it when the situation arises. At the same time, I pray for the strength and understanding to fully accept it.

I struggled with the Church's capital punishment view as well. But after reading through the Gospels, a thought came to me. Would the Jesus that I have been reading so much about flip the switch to start the death drip which would result in a criminal's execution? The answer is no, Our Lord forgave the very men who were crucifying Him. So if Christ wouldn't do it, then we shouldn't either.

acadian · #10 Jun 15, '12, 8:21 pm

I have pretty much done that. For a while, it was just me admitting, "Lord, I don't agree with this, but there are far more wiser people than me in the Church, so there must be a reason for it." What *I* believed was true or not true really didn't amount to a hill of beans. As the others have said, the Truth was gradually revealed. THere are a lot of people who still don't want to hear that. I am married to one of them.

THere was a group on the boards for a while - sometimes I still see it - the HLS Club. HLS standing for Hook, Line, and Sinker. Preferring to believe what the church teaches and to stand before God and say, "I fell for it all, Lord, Hook, Line and Sinker", than whatever the alternative might be..."Lord I believed in what I could understand??"

constantconvert · #11 Jun 16, '12, 1:34 am

"If, of those things taught by the Church (as divinely revealed), one holds what he chooses to hold, and rejects what he chooses to reject, he no longer adheres to the teaching of the Church as an infallible guide, but to his own will. Such a one may accept other teachings of the Church, but he does so not out of divine faith, but only by a kind of opinion in accordance with his own will." --Thomas Aquinas

I have some niggling doubt about certain things the Church teaches, but I just kind of shrug it off. Of course, I do wonder if that's the right thing to do, because that's also what I did with a lot of incorrect doctrine when I was protestant.

animalis · #12 Jun 17, '12, 9:23 am

One of the hosts for the Catholic Answers radio show says before breaks, "Be a saint, what else is there!"

I agreed with this years ago and I am very happy and filled with peace in it all. There is much begging to God with this.

Doubt is a serious thing, in some cases it can be a mortal sin. But what is important to keep in mind is that lack of understanding in a part of doctrine does not consist of doubt. Ask yourself, Am I sincere in seeking truth? Do I love falsehood that much? What good am I seeking? Is it Love of God or of glory? Beg.

The Catechism says this:

"The first commandment requires us to nourish and protect our faith with prudence and vigilance, and to reject everything that is opposed to it. There are various ways of sinning against faith:

Voluntary doubt about the faith disregards or refuses to hold as true what God has revealed and the Church proposes for belief. Involuntary doubt refers to hesitation in believing, difficulty in overcoming objections connected with the faith, or also anxiety aroused by its obscurity. If deliberately cultivated, doubt can lead to spiritual blindess." (CCC 2088)

This should serve as a warning, for we all want to see and seeing in this way brings the peace of God.

Do well little one

Jesus, I trust in you.

**Bookcat** · #13 Jun 17, '12, 10:52 am

An important homily of Pope Benedict XVI to read (even if you may have read it before..read it again now)

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/be...aolino_en.html

The main Homily starts after the first paragraph --(though that is very interesting and exciting too)

it is good for us all to read...

**Bookcat** · #14 Jun 17, '12, 11:17 am

We give our YES to Jesus and Profess our Faith in him...Profess the Faith of his Church. Such involves the whole of the Catholic Faith ...

Jesus said if we want to be his disciple we must renounce even ourselves....

Jesus' call is a radical one...he even refers to "hating" things in comparison to following him... (Luke 14:26)

He means this in the semintic way of teaching...(not that he wants us to hate our parents...etc) ...but it is to express the radical nature of discipleship... And it does make things clear.

This discipleship includes the renewal of the mind...http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/be...aolino_en.html (keep reading after the first parts..)

because we have encounter HIM ....we trust HIM..we trust HIS Church about which he says "he who hears you hears me"...we trust ...and give ourselves...just like in marriage...but more radically.

The YES to him in the Catholic Church is to be a YES to all the Church teaches...(in the various degrees...it is the Obedience of Faith....in some things and the religious submission of intellect and will in others...)

This YES is a choice...similar to Marriage...(in ones yes one says no to many things...and one must renounce various attractions...things that would draw one..so too with the Yes to Christ)

...but this YES is greater.

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/be...tesimo_en.html

Now of course ....one can have difficulties...but a thousand difficulties does not make a single doubt. It is to be --"Faith" seeking understanding--- Which is reasonable. Yes Faith and reason go together..the Faith is reasonable and is to be reasoned about (that is the nature of Theology) ..and different persons may be a different places in this...but my point is largely that it is possible for one to give ones YES without understanding everything...

One may not understand everything about ones spouse the day one says "Yes" in marriage...there will be much to learn etc...but one has encountered him or her...

As Paul talks about things..one "hands oneself over" ...

Let us renew devotionally --daily our "Yes" of baptism ...our Yes to Christ and all he has given us.

"..the happiness you are seeking, the happiness you have a right to enjoy has a name and a face: it is Jesus of Nazareth...

I repeat today what I said at the beginning of my Pontificate: "If we let Christ into our lives, we lose nothing, nothing, absolutely nothing of what makes life free, beautiful and great. No! Only in this friendship are the doors of life opened wide. Only in this friendship is the great potential of human existence truly revealed. Only in this friendship do we experience beauty and liberation" (Homily at the Mass of Inauguration, 24 April 2005).

Be completely convinced of this: Christ takes from you nothing that is beautiful and great, but brings everything to perfection for the glory of God, the happiness of men and women, and the salvation of the world." Pope Benedict XVI Aug 28 2005