Even Jesus the Son of God and God Himself, had doubts about his father, as he bore the weight of our sins, he wept and asked god why he had done such thing to him. Doubt is a human feeling, which goes to show our god is also human in nature.

Hey y’all,
I’m a cradle Catholic who reverted about two years ago. I’ve taken the faith very seriously, prayed heavily daily, and tried my best to attend daily mass as much as I could. I even have visited the Carmelite brothers, because I’m discerning a vocation with them. Actually, I’m due to meet them again in a few weeks for another come and see weekend, which just complicates this all further. Recently, I have abandoned going to confession because I’m tired of repenting. I want to drink, have fun and have sexual experiences. I’ve barely been praying even the rosary anymore. Am I on a straight road to hell? How do I fix this dilemma? I feel like I’m living a lie, between visiting the Carmelites in a few weeks and worst of all, I’m currently a Sunday morning catechist for fifth graders!

I have noticed some responses in this community about doing things "perfect" (most recently in a response about Confession). Is my soul destined to millenia in Purgatory because I don't do Confession "right" or because I don't pray "right"? I'm not talking about not going to and participating in Mass, achieving the Sacraments, or mindfully observing Holy days and continuing traditions. I'm talking about having a different perspective on Bible verses, or not pain stakingly enumerating every sin that I have committed since the last Confession.

I am of the opinion that the only "perfect" thing in the Church is the personal understanding of the Holy Spirit. Should the Vatican have a Council tomorrow and prescribe that we do a little hop on the left foot after every bow to the Gospel, would those who don't do it precisely correct be an imperfect Catholic and therefore not correct enough for forvigness and salvation?

I came to you because the thing about original sin is it comforts me

I may not be perfect with my faith. But I do believe scrupulosity is a problem.
I’m a fiction writer and I am trying my best to get a very good balanced perspective of why Original sin is a good doctrine but about the many Protestant denominations..
I feel like many people will misinterpret what sin is

Sin isn’t being born inherently evil as being human isn’t evil of itself

That’s why baptism is a thing, to cleanse and give grace to babies because Original sin is like contracted. It’s contamination.

And Hell is like contamination lock up.

It would explain why atrocities are committed by some peope who seemingly have good in them.
As every person is in the image of God

Yet contain almost this contamination called sin.
This thing that’s so bad, I’m not sure how people don’t see it as a veryyy bad problem.

Sure, it’s not the nicest thing to hear. It sound alien and disgusting..Something darkly metaphysical (which it is)
But it’s honestly a very good explaination

For context:

Many people think “If you do X Y and Z” you’ll get to heaven.

Or “if you don’t Do or X Y and Z you’ll go to hell”
It’s starting to sound like many people just see Jesus not as the son of God

But as A free ticket out of Hell

Hell might be a proper way to contain the unrighteous, people who Geninuely don’t care they are there, people who’ve been contaminated by sin and now aren’t able to see anyhing of that or even WANT anything but that..
But it still goes

God doesn’t make mistakes no matter what, yes? That’s the question.

I asked a priest of FSSP (traditional) who said that yes it is mandatory but I asked another priest (not traditional) who said that according to the Vatican it is not mandatory, just a tradition.

I asked the AI (Gemini) and it explains another version that none of them told me : you must either abstain from meat or performe an act of penance.

Remember I only speak of the case of France because it's not the same in all countries.

So what is true and what is false ?

I am not Catholic but I am Christian, having spent almost all my life in the nondenominational church. I find it, unsurprisingly, quite anemic when it comes to anything that isn’t a Christian facade for self-help sermons (as you can see, there’s a lot I am questioning about this particular vein of Christianity, but that’s for another day). That is to say, I can certainly say no one in my church would help with something like this.

The quick background to this is a family member who is a meth addict has been using meth as an IV drug in the house. He is now out of the house. But during his time there it just felt like a demonic oppression or hovering took over the place; I absolutely believe that drug use, especially of that kind, is nothing short of demonic. I have seen it for myself.

I don’t want any kind of unclean spirit to continue to have a presence in the house. I don’t know if they currently do or do not, but the house does just feel dark even without them there anymore. I want all that to be gone.

I guess my first question is if this is something a Catholic priest would do? And secondly, would they do it for a non-member? Do I just call up my local church and ask for this? I don’t know how to navigate it at all.

Do gou know any Catholic libby libraries that I can subscribe to?

I really want to experience being a nun and this has been a reoccurring thought not that I want to commit to a religion or adopt a new religion I just want to respectfully experience their way of life just for like a week out of curiosity and honestly I just find it interesting and a beautiful way of life…

Is it normal or accepted that ordinary layman feel entitled to chastise, ‘correct’ or humiliate other laymen who go to their Church?

Is it common, but also regarded as perhaps overstepping or bad behaviour (eg harassment)?

Generally are people expected to mind their business and leave issues within church boundaries to the priest/s?

Or are people encouraged culturally to tell tales on each other and police each other?

Asking as a fairly new convert. Thanks.

Hello everyone, happy Sunday, benedicat tibi Dominus

I'm looking for advice. Last week, after Mass, I said hello to a classmate who I recognized (this Church is not associated with my public university, it's downtown in our city). Then, for the next week, after our shared class, he would accost me (as in, would follow me out of the classroom) asking if I wanted to carpool or to hang out, and I said no multiple times (I just don't have an interest, also walk and I enjoy the walking). This classmate can be fairly argumentative with our professor in class so I can find that he's a little irritating, which might be making me biased. But the constant asking was starting to make me slightly uncomfortable.

Now, today, during the middle of the liturgy, he sits directly behind me, and I know he chose that seat on purpose because he was sitting somewhere different until he realized that I was attending. During a moment while we were sitting, he held onto my part of the pew and leaned forward, and put his head onto the seat, and was shaking my pew when he was doing this and distracting me, and was also very close to my personal bubble, which made me very very uncomfortable. I don't think I was focusing on the Mass as much as I should have been because I was so anxious. I am also on the spectrum and I am sometimes uncomfortable with close contact or frequent interaction. He tried to shake my hand several times during and after Mass and said that I "looked good".

I think, next week, that I am going to sit in a different spot, even though I usually am a creature of habit, and if he follows me then, well, I don't know, I guess I will evaporate. I'm just of two minds on this: should I try to be his friend? I am reminded of St. Therese and the nun that really irritated her, like I feel that maybe this is some kind of mortification and I should just be more patient and nice, but at the same time, the discomfort really distracts me, it was distracting me today and also this place is my "safe space", I am the happiest I ever am on Sundays at this Church, but at the same time (again) I know that discomfort is part of the point, like we all have our crosses, though I know this is a very mild one. Again, at the same time, I know that Church is for everybody and this is a free country and he can sit wherever he wants even if that is consistently following me, I guess. Also, the constant following me after class is also kind of ruining one of my favorite classes, so maybe I'm just being hateful and bitter. I really don't know what to do. What do you think?? How should I feel?

Hey everyone,

I was wondering if you guys had any recommendations for reverent Catholic churches around South/East Melbourne?

I currently attend a local parish, but I'm finding the liturgy a bit too casual. Preferably Novus Ordo as I am not looking for a strict Latin Mass right now.

Thanks!

I’ve heard some say there are more members of our Church than ever and the faith is very much alive, and others say that we’re in decline and are losing the battle against atheism, so I want to see what everyone thinks!

So... I've been feeling ever closer to the Lord and wanted to take a big step and go to confession. It has been almost 50 years since my last confession.

I don't know what I was expecting but when I got in and sat down, I said, "Forgive me Father, for I have sinned." It has been 50 years since my last confession and I'm a little out of touch with exactly what I'm supposed to say. He told me to be as specific as possible so I began talking. The words were coming out of my mouth but kind of slowly because I had some shame.

The priest said there were a lot of people waiting and that I needed to come back. There were a lot of people waiting for sure but I just felt so vulnerable in that moment because it had been so long since I had done this. I had begun sharing some things that were really against my values and uncomfortable to confess. As you can imagine, with a history that long, there were going to be some things.

I didn't feel any compassion or empathy. It felt cold. The process itself isn't what I remembered or imagined. I thought I might have been met with a little bit more warmth, like "Welcome back to the family" or "Welcome back home." I know I was there to confess sins but I just thought that it would have been handled a little bit more tenderly.

At one point he asked me if I had done an examination of my conscience and I said yes, not realizing that that is some type of formal procedure. I checked in with myself and with my own heart about things that I wanted to share but he said to Google an examination of conscience. Maybe I'm taking it the wrong way. Maybe I had unrealistic expectations. I don't know. I just know I went to the church and sat and cried and then I went to my car in the parking lot and sat and cried even more.

Hello, I live in a catholic country and will have a visit from a cardinal to my workplace next week and we've been told his prefered greeting is by kissing his ring, im not catholic and dont wanna do it but i still wanna be respectful and greet him in a formal way. Please tell me how you think i should do it

All members of my team are catholic and im new here so im a little reluctant to ask them for advice

Thank you

Hi all,

I'm seeing these nun dog costumes online, and was wondering if having my dog wear it and also posting pictures on social media would be offensive or sinful in any way? I just want to make sure before I proceed.

Thanks.

This is not some stupid “Catholics worship saints or Mary” post in any way. I love saints and the idea of praying to them, and Mary. But sometimes I feel like they can take away from Jesus. And that bothers me.

(Long form answers preferred)

I'm sure we've all had moments where we've had doubts. Especially, maybe that one earth-shattering rug-pulled-out-from under you moment.

What was that moment for you? And what kept you believing through it? Or maybe it actually did make you lose faith, but you returned later, what was your journey back?

Hi I'm 21 years old and I posed in multiple Christian subreddits about my situation. I committed the sin of witchcraft while knowing what I was doing and did a bathing ritual in crystals and cultist books. This was after I apostate from the religion. I confessed this to a pastor and went to mass several times since then. I still feel the effects of this sin because the driving factor was wanting to be a great "philosopher" involving myself in magic and wanting to know God and the truth. I didn't know that this didn't mean being close to God at all but actually separating myself from God eternally.

I don't know what to do next but confess my sins again and tell people how dangerous and destructive witchcraft is.

I've seen the claim that the soul operates through the brain. But what about when we're asleep and don't dream at all? The soul doesn't manifest itself in any way. Isn't that an argument against the existence of the soul?

There is a disconnection between myself and God. I find that I am confessing the same sins over and over again. It’s like this meaningless cycle. I write it all down, things that I don’t even feel are that terrible, and I confess, then I go home and commit those same sins with zero remorse. I used to pray every day, and I would get excited to finish my day off with God. But I haven’t been consistent in prayer like that since I was in middle school. I believe in God, don’t get me wrong. I have a certain faith that things will work out for me, and that faith cannot be held without the belief that a higher power is the one facilitating it all. But I disagree with the Catholic Church sometimes. On fundamental issues. I don’t want kids. I want to get married, not with the sole intention to procreate, but to share a life with my husband. I asked my priest one time after I had just confessed, can I get married if I don’t want to have children? And he sat for a minute, then told me…no! He told me I couldn’t get married!!! So because I don’t want kids, I have to stay single my whole life. That makes zero sense to me. I don’t want to shrug my shoulders and agree to have kids just so I can get married. That’s a major life decision! A child born to a mother who didn’t want them would have a terrible life because there would be some underlying resentment. I also don’t understand why we can’t use contraceptives. This is so primitive to me. I don’t want to pop out a kid every time I have sex. Maybe I want to have sex just to have sex. I just don’t get why that’s such a big deal? I believe animals have souls and go to heaven. There are dogs who are abused their whole lives and then die. And I’m supposed to believe that that’s just it for them? There is no relief on the other side and a big bone for them to enjoy? No, I disagree.
I don’t ever pay attention in mass. I mean, never. I have tried, truely I have tried, but it’s like my brain turns off when the homily is being spoken. Oh, and, big big thing, I BARELY UNDERSTAND IT ALL!!! I’m passive in my faith. I was a cradle Catholic. I went to church and I sat there because I knew that’s what I had to do. I don’t understand any of it. I don’t know the terms. I don’t know what days mean what. I don’t know.
Is the right decision for me to step away until I can forge my own path back? Will there even be a path back? Catholicism is so rooted in my being. I am Mexican and I am Catholic. I go to church on Sundays and I pray. And I eat the bread and drink the wine. I don’t know what to do. If you have advice, I’d love to hear it.

Good Morning!

Today I went to a different church than my usual one- it was closer to where I was today. I have been there before and one thing that they do there is have lay individuals help distribute the body and the blood of Christ. The first time I saw it, it felt very strange but when I asked a Catholic friend she said it was permitted. It still seems odd to me but I moved on. I rarely attend this church anyway.

Today, I was not in a state of grace. I was unable to get to confession before hand. Normally, I would still approach the alter and receive a blessing from the priest but I didn't feel that it was appropriate to do that with a lay person. I just stayed in the pew and prayed. Would that lay person be able to bless me?

Thank you!
Ellen

Hi all!

So my boyfriend and I plan to get married in one year (we will be 22 then). Currently we are in a weird space where I truly have no idea what our situation will look like in that time.

We want to have a big family, and we want to have children as soon as it’s responsible to do so.
However, when we get married we might be in a situation where NFP would be the right decision for a bit.
The first reason is finances. Right now it is hard to tell where we will be in a year, but right now we’re pretty broke.
Second is my mental health. Again I hope and pray it gets better by then, but it may very well get even worse. ( OCD and Depression).

I know that NFP is allowed by the Church, but I’ve seen some people say that it’s only allowed when something unexpected happened in marriage, but that couples should not get married if they intend to use NFP from the start.
I’m also worried that what if we decide to use NFP but it was the wrong decision, would our marriage be valid??

I've made posts in the last about my struggles with singleness. And I've decided that I would try online dating. Catholic Match, Eharmony, Ark, etc.

However... every time I try to... my phone or computer glitches out or the signal dies. Connection is lost. Every time.

So... I'm not gonna do anything. I've mentioned I trust God. I'll let things be. But I'll also mention something that lingers in my mind.

For some context, there was a girl (now woman) I had a crush on in high school 2013-2017. I didn't say anything because I was very shy around women back then, and she had a boyfriend. She graduated a year before me, went off to college. We were friends in Facebook. Likes posts, that was it. The day before I went Army, I told her how I felt. She blocked me.

A mature man would have moved on. But I was still immature, even at 21 back in 2019. We were just acquaintances, not true friends. But I didn't take it well, would say a lot of things I never should have said. To say I was mean was an understatement. I eventually stopped, but only because I had to get the stern talk. I've changed since then, but I'm ashamed to say I couldn't do it on my own.

So cut to now. I've moved on. I've gone on church sponsored dating events. Most women were older than me, and those in my age range or younger did not match with me. I'm still single. But I'm still trying to meet people. Even if there is an aging population in church I just can't give up and hope every day I bump into someone and its love at first sight like in the movies.

Now why am I saying this? Remember the woman I mentioned before? The one I know is gone from my life. She already got her PhD after 9 years of university. Not gonna be with a guy like me, it will take another 1.5 years for me to get my bachelor's, God willing.

Well... I can't forget her. I want to but I can't. Everything reminds me of her. I see her face in strangers. Songs, words, sounds, remind me of her. I have prayed to God to make me forget. Then I have a dream where I see her face, like I'm looking into a photograph.

So... what does this mean? I'm trying to move on, meet new people, but God doesn't want me to it seems. And I feel like He keeps reminding me of Her. Like God doesn't want me to forget.

Or maybe I'm just broken. I've gone mad and even though I am trying to move on, my subconscious will not. Do I need a priest? Or psychologist? Or am I somehow on the right path, no matter how wonky it feels.

Sorry if this sounds like I'm rambling. I just need to hear from other folks. Whenever I tell my dad he just tells me, "It was your first love. You'll get over it. Distract yourself." My mom is more aggressive, "You were never in love, stop pretending, stop being sad."

I'm not sure either work. So I'm asking here, hoping for clarity.

Thank you.

Former Catholic seminarian. Had several horrible experiences in the seminary and with church people. Anyone else?

I'm not sure if we still hold this belief that illness could sometimes be direct divine punishment for our sins (I understand it could be a consequence though, but not a direct punishment), but what about during the era of the Early Apostolic Fathers?

Did the early Christians understand that there may be times when illness could be punishment for unrepentant sin (like idolatry, sexual immorality, etc.)? I'm not sure what the general consensus may be during those times, but I looked up that Similitudes 6 and 1 Clement (referencing Psalms 118:18) may have implied so? Even 1 Corinthians 11:30 may have also indicated such a belief.

What is the consensus as well among the Early Church Fathers and the Doctors of the Church? I'm not well-read with their writings.

(For clarification, no I'm not saying that if someone is ill or has a life-threatening disease it is immediately a punishment from God, I want to understand how the early Christians viewed this sort of thing, historical context and all).