Strategies for Returning to the [Catholic] Church

CE.com ^ | 01-11-18 | James Day

[Salvation]

Strategies for Returning to the Church

James Day

Our world is a fallen world. The effects of sin seem to be suffocating us. The diabolical is running rampant, unleashed, playing with immortal souls as if puppets on a string. Pride continues to dominate; repentance for anything is deemed archaic, of little use to today’s enlightened thinking.

Certainly this is not the positive language one wants to hear at the outset of a new year, when expectations and resolutions are running high. But all is not really so dire: the diabolical and pervasive sin has not crushed the divine light. “My Immaculate Heart will triumph,” promises the Lady of Fatima. There is a reason the Church opens a new year honoring the Mother of God: obedience to accepting one’s mission in life is the most daunting — and exciting — prospect we face on this earth. We have a guidebook in how to do it through Mary’s fiat.

Perhaps over holiday festivities and the euphoria — and stress — of families coming together, some readers might have encountered resistance from relatives regarding the graces offered in entering the mystery of faith during this holy season. Whether it was avoidance from some in either attending Christmas Mass or praying before a Christmas dinner, such discomforts surely existed. While certainly everyone is different, with their own freedom and right to privacy, perhaps there are some of you readers whose own children—raised in the Catholic faith you so diligently sought to instill in them — want nothing to do with it anymore. It is to this element I wish to address.

In my own experience, generally speaking, I have found degrees of toleration from lapsed or non-Catholics regarding matters of the faith — they know the Catholic Church continues to play an enormous part in global affairs while recalling their own experiences either through schooling or parish life. I have found that while the pervading motif of the millennial generation is a general shunning towards organized religion and regular church attendance, there yet remains a desire for an experience of the transcendent. And that desire is the silver lining.

Unfortunately, committed Catholics are not always quite the fearless galvanized evangelizers that each one is called to be. Marveling that St. Francis de Sales converted 40,000 is usually met with a shrug: “Well, that’s why he’s a saint.” But that’s the precisely the mentality that needs to change.

A Jesuit once posed in a homily, “Listen to conversations. How long does it take before God is ever mentioned?” Out of not wanting to create controversy, God is never mentioned. When he is, or when the Church is mentioned, Catholics are immediately put on the defensive. We can stay silent, letting the Uber driver, for example, have his say about the occultish practice of Catholics (as I experienced recently), or we can defend Holy Mother Church, as we would defend our own mother, and begin a conversation. The faith is not part of the pie of life. It is the pie.

I have come to believe that, in this era, accommodation will not work. Appeasing the culture may seem like a conciliatory gesture, but those on the opposite side most probably will not respect such compromise—even if they do not agree with the position in question. In reading Paul Kengor’s new book, A Pope and a President, on President Reagan and Pope St. John Paul II’s battles against communism, the consistency in the Church’s long running condemnation of communism as far back as Pius IX is impressive. The Church may have apologized for grievous actions throughout its long history, but it has never apologized for being magnificent.

So, how to engage your lapsed love one on returning to the Church? After all, that is our sole duty—to grow into our authentic selves, made in the image of God, and safeguard our immortal souls and those of others towards eternal life. Remembering we can only extend an invitation, a proposal, respecting the freedom of others, here are some strategies:

I: Know Thyself

Be yourself a model of virtue.

Live the Gospel, avoiding hypocrisy, condemnation of others, descent into pettiness. If you consider yourself a Catholic first and desire others to feel that same zeal, your example is the best model. Just like Mary.

Avoid “preaching.”

Respectfully engage in conversation in whatever topic arises. Listen to the other person. Avoid shouting or screaming. Do not let a discussion become an argument or a fight. But know the teachings rather than relying on your own emotions in the heat of the moment.

Pray constantly (1 Thessalonians 5:16).

Read Scripture daily, particularly the Gospels, alone or with family. Have the Catechism handy. Always be reading a spiritual work. Your own edification will inevitably seep into your own worldview. Petition the Trinity for guidance. Ask saints for intercession. Call on the Blessed Mother multiple times a day.

Know your own spiritual story.

What were the integral moments for you in your faith formation? Where did God reveal Himself? Write your own spiritual autobiography in a way that you find creative and inspiring. “Know thyself” is not just an ancient Greek saying. It’s vital to one’s own development.

“Pray the Mass,” as St. Pius X instructs.

Throw your fears and pains onto the altar. Bow your head at the Consecration; respect the Real Presence of Jesus Christ.

II: Extend an Invitation

Know the story of your lapsed child or loved one.

“Communication is simply mutual understanding,” says Stephen R. Covey. You have to care about who they are, where they’ve been, and where they want to go — while you are called to evangelize, you cannot treat them as an agenda, a project. In this way, study Ignatian spirituality for insight on the discernment of spirits. You are always an unofficial spiritual director to someone!

Find common ground.

There are many launching points one can meet due to the richness of the Catholic faith. Unfortunately, many lapsed Catholics have a distorted or misinformed view of the faith, just as many in the Protestant and evangelical world have a Reformation-era concept of the papacy. Much time may be spent on clearing the cobwebs on the reality of the Catholic Church today. Yes, corruption and scandal and atrocities have weakened the moral authority of the Church. But there is a difference between human failings and the Church as founded by Christ handed to Saint Peter (Matthew 16:18). That needs to be made clear. (See Joseph Ratzinger, “Why I Am Still in the Church.”)

Nurture their interests.

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Luke 12:34). Getting to know your loved one authentically and establishing common ground will offer new avenues of appreciation. Are they artists, musicians, poets, writers? Michelangelo, Gaudi, chant, or the great classics of literature offer beautiful immersive experiences in the Catholic worldview.

Pope Francis has been an inspiration for those of any background, through his environment work, Laudato Si, or his call for activism towards migrants, refugees, the disenfranchised.

Connect them with possibly like minded individuals who might continue the conversation, depending on their interests: educators, bioethicists, Father Spitzer’s Magis Institute on science, faith, and reason. Historical subjects on the veracity of Jesus: the Shroud of Turin, for example (see Ian Wilson’s The Shroud, among others).

Give your lapsed child or loved one Matthew Kelly’s Rediscover Catholicism or a similar book that perhaps impacted you. Rediscover appeals to the mainstream, ringing distant bells they would have remembered growing up Catholic. In many ways, that book is an appetizer to what awaits.

Bottom line: communicate the resources provided by so many apostolates—there is something for everyone. Many of those actively engaged in the mission of salvation, the mission of the Church, were once lapsed themselves. Just ask St. Augustine, Dorothy Day, or many great evangelizers in our day and age.

Invite your lapsed child or loved one to Confession.

It’s a challenging invitation. But you’ve at least put it out there. At the same time, do not let the graces of Confession become distorted. While one receives absolution, authentic penance comes when one’s life is turned around. So often the thought is that a few “Hail Marys” and “Our Fathers” is all the Church demands for conciliation. Actually, one must authentically set out determined to begin anew, a new person, transformed. Vinny Flynn’s 7 Secrets of Confession is a powerful little book for guidance.

Extend an invitation to Mass.

Bring an extra copy of Magnificat or a book with daily readings and give your loved one a copy. Sit up close. And then pray the Mass. Together.

Give your loved one Benedict XVI’s Jesus of Nazareth.

Along with the timelessness of the Scriptures themselves, this trilogy is written for people of our time to rediscover Christ. It is some of the most staggering spiritual reading you will encounter.

III: Going Forward

Three very simple, practical steps:

• 1.) Offer help in introducing your loved one to parish resources in their diocese, again contingent on their own discernment of spirits, perhaps even establishing a regular meeting with a spiritual director.
• 2.) In a quiet moment, offer to pray with them, calling specifically on the Holy Family for guidance.
• 3.) Finally, ask them to pray for you.

Happy New Year!

[ravenwolf]

Sorry about my post with out any spaces but I think you can get the point.

Jesus called Simon Cephas which means rock in Aramaic
and also Hebrew, you can translate it to what ever you
want.

If it is Greek, Latin or pig Latin it still means rock.

[ADSUM]

You still do not understand “virgin birth”, just like your opinions and misunderstandings of the teachings of the Catholic Church as preached verbally by Jesus Christ and the apostles and later written in the books of the Bible.

The Prayer Of Mary

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children forever.

(Lk 1:46-55)

[imardmd1]

However, the word, “Képhas”, is Greek, which is what’s used in all the manuscripts we have today. The word “Képhas” is derived from the Aramaic “Cephas” which means “rock” in other words. “Képhas” means “rock” in Greek, etc.

No, the word Kephas is not Greek. The Aramaic word pronounced as Kefas comes from the Chaldee tongue and is in lexicons as follows:

-----

Strong's Number H3710
כֵּף
kêph
kafe

Strong's Definition:
From H3721; a hollow rock: - rock.
Total KJV occurrences: 2:

Brown, Driver, Briggs Definition:
1) rock, hollow of a rock Part of Speech: noun masculine

-----

The sound of the word is transliterated into the Greek, and an inflected ending given to it. That word is:

-----

Strong's Number G2786
Κηφᾶς
Kēphas
kay-fas'

Strong's Definition:
Of Chaldee origin (compare [H3710]); the Rock; Cephas (that is, Kepha), surname of Peter: - Cephas. Total KJV occurrences: 6

Thayer's Definition:
Cephas = “stone”
1) another name for the apostle Peter
Part of Speech: noun proper masculine

------

Kephas does not mean "rock" in Greek. It means "petros" in the Greek mind that knows no English, but "stone" in the English mind that knows no Greek. The KJV translators took the word "Cephas" from the Vulgate, where about 400 A. D. Jerome transliterated the Aramaic/Greek sound by using the Latin alphabet. The English alphabet has a lot in common with the Latin, except for example "K" which does not exist in Latin, which uses "C" to express the "K" sound. So to pronounce "Cephas" as "Seefuss" betrays one's lack of a better education. The word written "Cephas" in English is pronounced "Kay-fahss"

So, I hope you have followed this discussion of your mistaken conclusions.

Don't confuse transliteration with translation, nor interpretation (which is giving the meaning of a word in one language with the words of another language) with either.

C'est si bon!

[imardmd1]

I’m afraid, after partially reading this post, that you are quite confused as to the meanings of transliteration, translation, and interpretation, particularly as to what word is going to be operated on to give its sense in another language. Go back to the start, learn which operation you are discussing, and your post will be cut to 10% of the space and time you took.

[ravenwolf]

All I did was to show you the actual interpretation of the
words, if any one is confused it is you, I do not have to
try to change the scripture because I believe Jesus knew just
what he was talking about.

[ADSUM]

Luke 10:16:
In the context of Jesus saying “he who rejects me rejects him (the Father) who sent me,” Jesus said, “He who hears you hears me, and he who rejects you rejects me, and he who rejects me rejects him who sent me.”

[ealgeone]

You still do not understand “virgin birth”,

Unless you have another definition of "virgin", I think we've agreed it means, in this case, that Mary became pregnant through the actions of the Holy Spirit.

just like your opinions and misunderstandings of the teachings of the Catholic Church as preached verbally by Jesus Christ and the apostles and later written in the books of the Bible.

Well, for starters, the Immaculate Conception wasn't preached by anyone in the Bible, nor were the Assumption, Mary as "mother of God", Mary as co-redemptrix, Mary as advocatrix, infant baptism, the Mass in only Latin, the Mass, mandatory days of obligation, purgatory, etc. In fact, you will not find a lot of Roman Catholic teachings in the books of the Bible.

[aMorePerfectUnion]

“Well, for starters, the Immaculate Conception wasn’t preached by anyone in the Bible, nor were the Assumption, Mary as “mother of God”, Mary as co-redemptrix, Mary as advocatrix, infant baptism, the Mass in only Latin, the Mass, mandatory days of obligation, purgatory, etc. In fact, you will not find a lot of Roman Catholic teachings in the books of the Bible. ”

+1

In addition, no evidence that any Apostle ever believed or taught any of that paganism.

[ADSUM]

Your comment; “Grace is not in effect unless there is sin.

If Mary was full of grace, it was because she was a sinner.”

Your personal opinion. Not theologically correct.

https://www.catholic.com/encyclopedia/grace

Grace (gratia, [Gr.] charis), in general, is a supernatural gift of God to intellectual creatures (men, angels) for their eternal salvation, whether the latter be furthered and attained through salutary acts or a state of holiness. Eternal salvation itself consists in heavenly bliss resulting from the intuitive knowledge of the Triune God, who to the one not endowed with grace “inhabiteth light inaccessible” (I Tim., vi, 16).

In the process of justification we must distinguish two periods: first, the preparatory acts or dispositions (faith, fear, hope, etc.); then the last, decisive moment of the transformation of the sinner from the state of sin to that of justification or sanctifying grace, which may be called the active justification (actus justificationis); with this the real process comes to an end, and the state of habitual holiness and sonship of God begins. Touching both of these periods there has existed, and still exists, in part, a great conflict of opinion between Catholicism and Protestantism. This conflict may be reduced to four differences of teaching. By a justifying faith the Church understands qualitatively the theoretical faith in the truths of Revelation, and demands over and above this faith other acts of preparation for justification. Protestantism, on the other hand, reduces the process of justification to merely a fiduciary faith; and maintains that this faith, exclusive even of good works, is all-sufficient for justification, laying great stress upon the scriptural statement sola fides justificat. The Church teaches that justification consists of an actual obliteration of sin and an interior sanctification. Protestantism, on the other hand, makes of the forgiveness of sin merely a concealment of it, so to speak; and of the sanctification a forensic declaration of justification, or an external imputation of the justice of Christ. In the presentation of the process of justification, we will everywhere note this fourfold confessional conflict.

[Elsie]

“The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin.”

Pius IX

Sounds like something Baghdad Bob would spout.

[Elsie]

What does a sword piercing Mary’s soul mean?

It 'means' she was killed by a sword!

Just like when Jesus said, "This is my body."

[ealgeone]

I recommend you read Romans 1-10 with special attention to chapters 3-5. It's all good, but those are critical chapters to understand.

I would also recommend you read Galatians and Colossians.

My other recommendation is to not use any commentary....just read the text for yourself.

Ask yourself the following question.

If Jesus' death on the cross was sufficient to cover all of my sins...past, present and future....then what deed can I do that equals that?

[Elsie]

So you have proof of the sinning? Just your personal opinion.

Nice try to flip the argument.

It is ROME that has NO PROOF of Mary EVER being sinless.

It did; however; produce a book that contains the phase, "...ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of GOD."

[Elsie]

Which post?

Try 175 - 176 for starters...

[Elsie]

Mary was sinless and was assumed in Heaven.

Two conjectures in one sentence!

[aMorePerfectUnion]

.

[Elsie]

Since Mary was sinless, why wouldn’t she be able to receive God’s graces?

An assertion based on an assumption.

---

Keep cranking out these illogical statements.

[Elsie]

That's a joke, right?

You read the Scripture.

Did Jesus say anything to Peter to indicate at name change?

---

 

 

 

Matthew 4:18-19Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition (DRA)

¹⁸ And Jesus walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea (for they were fishers).

¹⁹ And he saith to them: Come ye after me, and I will make you to be fishers of men.

[Elsie]

The members of the Church at Rome seem to believe a lot of stuff with no foundation...

[Elsie]

Yes beware of the false prophets and the many man-made religions.

Call no man father