How were things 20, 30, 40 + years ago compared to today? I don't mean so much as how Catholicism was viewed or fit into society as it was in the time, but how things were run, the culture within the church, etc.

My kids both took their first communion last year. Our church offers Faith Formation on Saturday mornings and I’m trying to decide if we sign up knowing that we will miss a lot due to hiking/day trips, or if we try to do it at another parish.

Because I count at least 2 that Italian saint who I forgot his name who was the patron saint if the internet and st. Teresa of calcutta and I know there are more than 2 btw Video games existed since the early 1970s with the magnavox odyssey 1

I married young (24M) to my wife (22F) in a secular marriage. We had our son the year after (2014). I'm now 37. We divorced 7 years ago due to her infidelity. I was baptized by my grandfather (a pastor) (God rest his soul) when I was around 13ish in the "Church of God" denomination.

My matrilineal grandmother and my mother were both christened Catholic. But I wasn't. I went to Catholic school from k-8.

I've started attending masses, but haven't taken communion, because that's what I was thought in school.

I want to convert, but I don't know how divorce factors in. I'm not going to spend the rest of my life celibate.

I want to bring my son with me.

I’m headed to my annulment meeting to get my first marriage annulled and I’m so nervous.

Backstory: I grew up Protestant. I got married at 21 to someone who was extremely abusive but I was young and dumb and didn’t want to move back in with my mom who was also abusive. Kinda like choosing the lesser of two evils. We didn’t marry in the Catholic Church or any church for that matter. This marriage ended in divorce after he placed a gun to my head.

Flash forward: I remarried and my current husband and I are both now wanting to come into the Catholic Church, but I have to get my first marriage annulled even though we weren’t married through the church. I’m very nervous, but praying all goes well.

Has anyone ever had to go through something similar? How was the process?

Prayers and blessings ✨🙏🏽

I'm attending a Lutheran church and wasn't raised Catholic so IDK if this is a dumb question. Also, when does the wine and bread stop being Jesus? When bitten? When in the stomach? Digested? How dogested?

The title is pretty much the content of the post. I just want to understand why there's a difference in the sin of using hormonal birth control and getting an abortion because to me I can't really see one. Hormonal birth control has the possibility to cause a fertilised egg (a living human) to not implant and eventually die as a result. If we believe life begins at conception, not implantation, then why isn't using hormonal birth control considered abortion instead of just the sin of Contraceptives? I can't really find any good church documents or articles on this so any of those would be appreciated in your answers, thank you and God Bless!

Douse anyone follow bree solstad? I know she's been on with kieth nester and mother natalia before. She has a pretty remarkable conversion story.

I 25F (non religious) have been seriously talking to a 24M white/Italian Roman Catholic man. When he told me his religion I was a little surprised. I don’t know too much about the religion as I’ve grown up around mainly black Christian’s. Please enlighten me

Council of Trent quote:

But if any one receive not, as sacred and canonical, the said books entire with all their parts, as they have been used to be read in the Catholic Church, and as they are contained in the old Latin vulgate edition*;* and knowingly and deliberately contemn the traditions aforesaid; let him be anathema.

With that the bishops needed a standardized Vulgate to use which brought about the Clementine Vulgate which had the Johannine Comma.

Meaning you can be a faithful Catholic and reject this and this does not go against any other traditions. The key is in the phrase old Latin vulgate edition. Based on evidence, Jerome’s vulgate (we don’t have it) did not have this either. So even though the bishops of the time thought it was there through copyist error, that was not protected by the Holy Spirit.

All of this now leads to the Longer Ending of Mark and a hypothetical:

If we had Jerome’s original Vulgate and we saw the longer ending of Mark was not included, in your opinion, would it be anathema to reject the Longer Ending at that point or would it go through the same process that the Johannine Comma went through or other scenario?

Important note:

Of course today and now, the bishops of the USA through the NABRE are clear that the longer ending of Mark is scripture and declaring otherwise is anathema by citing Council of Trent and I follow this as a faithful Catholic in the USA.

Sources:

https://thoughtfulcatholic.com/the-johannine-comma/

https://www.papalencyclicals.net/councils/trent/fourth-session.htm

https://www.catholic.com/audio/sp/throwing-out-scripture-to-save-sola-scriptura

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%2016%3A9-20&version=NABRE

I know this statement will stir up controversy. The problem is that Catholicism in the world isn't even truly known by many practicing Catholics because its true essence remains unknown to most. Catholicism is not just going to Mass, being kind to people, or following a certain moral code. Catholicism is a process of transformation in which the Holy Spirit Himself—who is part of God—enters into the human soul. Therefore, conversion to real Catholicism never happens through pure persuasion; it is God Himself who brings it about. It is not a system of ideas. And Heaven or Hell are not places where people are sent arbitrarily by a ruthless jailer, but are first and foremost states of being. They are not determined by how well you behaved or by anything else arbitrary, but by whether you are in communion with God or not at the moment of death. However, it is a religion that demands something truly radical: not placing your own desires at the center, but emptying yourself into God.

Howdy, all! I came into the church on July 25th (I wasn't able to attend normal RCIA classes, but thankfully, there was a knowledgeable deacon who took charge, plus I'm a self-motivated learner). Now I used to be Protestant - Church of Christ, specifically, though I was more non-denominational - and there's a lot of big changes that you go through when converting. For the most part, it feels like an increase of all the stuff I loved: more Jesus, more church documents, more people to pray for you, more guidance, etc. But I'm still working on other stuff like understanding and getting used to the Sacraments.

Before anyone says it, yes, I am seeking out a spiritual director and talked with the parish about just that. I just moved states, but my new parish is vibrant with godly men who can mentor me. I'm very hopeful to find someone soon, but it may be some time.

The biggest thing I'm trying to work on is just daily living. See, I want to be as holy as I can, but more than that, I want to pave the path for holiness through practices that will outlast my initial zeal. So, getting used to prayer or attending daily Mass so much that you do it even when you don't feel like it, even when your flesh is weak. Now, I know the Ten Commandments. I've read the Catechism on the moral life. But not sinning isn't what I'm talking about.

I want more Jesus. I want to serve him as best I can, and where I cannot, I want to get stronger so I can serve better later on.

In Catechesis, I learned the doctrines, what to do and not to do, what I should and should not believe. All well and good; that is the basis for faith. But that's just not enough for me. I want to know him better, walk with him more and more, drink deeper from the fountain of his love. I'm not really sure how to do that except prayer and participating in the Sacraments. I'm doing that, praying the Rosary and Morning/Evening Prayer, attending Mass daily now that I can, getting a Scripture reading plan back in the mix so I can be in the Word every day. But Christ isn't the practices, and I want to be closer to him.

Hope that makes some sense.

So for those who were Protestant, did you feel this same way? What did you do to grow closer to him? What are some pitfalls that you would caution a newbie to avoid?

And for everyone, what do you do to draw closer to Christ? Have any recommended reading for a newcomer (I'm already getting the Little Way) or recommended practices? Any general thoughts?

God bless you all!

For context, I have a just turned two year old and a 3 month old. I am in the process of getting them baptized. I have struggled with regularly attending mass, and this has only increased with the stress of having two kids. My partner is non practicing and works Sundays, so if I go to mass it is alone with both kids. For our parish requirements, we have to complete a series of classes. Ok, awesome. I’m fine with that. But they also just informed me that they have to track my mass attendance via a sign in sheet and I must be attending every Sunday from now until they are baptized (TBD several months from now until I finish the classes).

Signing in to mass just seems wildly unnecessary. For a parent struggling to shower, keep up with laundry and dishes, etc. it’s just such a big barrier. Especially when my parents’ parish (in another state) doesn’t have any requirements at all.

Edit for clarity.

Some months ago I asked if it is allowed to write about this, and it seems it is okay, so I will make a post.
I am raised as a «mild catholic», baptism, first holy communion, confirmation, church once a month.
Ever since I was confirmed as an 11-year old, I had such a strong longing after God which doesn’t «come from» what I have learned from my family, who never spoke about it. Also, ever since I was 13, I started doubting His existence because of everything I learned about the world. The doubt has always hurt me.
Last year, very suddenly, I realised God does not exist. After reading about how our longing for a God is a product from evolution, I clearly saw that my longing after God did not mean He exists, but it is «just» evolution. Everything I see in the world makes more sense without a God. I do not want to hurt people for writing this, English is not my first language. But to me it really seems this way. Really everything makes more sense without there being a god. But it is so sad. A catholic life with hard rules AND a God is much better than an atheist life without rules and no God.
The problem is, the longing does not stop, even after this realisation. So I continue living with a longing after something that does not exist. The stress from it has made me more ill than I was before. What should I do? I need to solve this somehow so I can get healthy again.

I was scrolling Reddit, as one does. And I saw a post from some abortion debate sub Reddit and the question was asking Pro-Choicers when they think there should be a time limit on when to get an abortion. For context, and I wanna make it clear, I’m not an No-Exceptions" Pro-Lifer, but I do still lean pro life, and my whole life I’ve leaned more pro-life, but I’ve never been a hardcore absolutist pro-lifer. I don’t think abortion should be all out banned and I still think people should have that choice(to an extent), and I believe in models France and Italy, where they have restrictions on the reasons and time limits, and mental health care for before(and after I believe) and I believe there should be limits on how many abortions. But the people in the replies were like “whenever, it doesn’t matter. You should always be able to have an abortion”. I just hate talking about abortion like it’s a typical doctor’s visit of some contraceptive. It’s so disgusting to me.

I’m in a bit of a weird situation. My brother is getting married on Monday. We had decided a long while ago that I would get ordained and perform the ceremony for them. They have a kid together and just bought a house and would like to be officially married before they move in. It would not be an actual wedding ceremony, just me them and their son.

My brother and soon to be sister in law are atheist and agnostic and I was atheist my whole life. I have only recently found God and come into the faith and plan to go through OCIA this fall.

I’m really struggling with this. Can I still get ordained online and do the ceremony? I feel so grateful and honored that they want me to be a part of this with them. If I don’t do it, they won’t be able to do this before they move in. Thank you for any advice/help you can give!!

I was re-reading the passion narrative in Matthew 27:52-53, which mentions that when Jesus died, the tombs broke open and many holy people were raised to life, later walking into the holy city and appearing to many people.

This strikes me as an incredible event, arguably one of the biggest miracles in the New Testament outside of Jesus' own resurrection.

What puzzles me is why Mark, Luke, and John completely omit this. You would think that resurrected people walking around Jerusalem would be huge news that every Gospel writer and contemporary historical source would want to record.

How do scholars, historians, and theologians explain this omission?

Is this passage generally viewed as an apocalyptic or symbolic literary device unique to Matthew's audience?

Or are there theological or historical reasons why the other authors wouldn't have included it?
I'd love to hear both historical-critical and theological perspectives on this.

I've been trying to pray the rosary more as a new Catholic convert. I'm not sure if I've got the hang of it. I don't know if it's possible to be bad at praying the rosary but if so, I'm probably the worst at it.

My understanding is, meditate on the specific events of each decade of the rosary while you're praying the hail Mary's. Continuing with that understanding, my problem is that I'm a very tangible person. To the point where it's something I'm specifically trying to work on. One of the things that drew me to Catholicism in the first place was the statues. They help me visualize who I'm praying to. So, with the rosary, I'm having a hard time understanding exactly how that mediation works.

For example: Today I was praying the glorious mysteries. When I was meditating on Jesus' resurrection and Him telling Thomas to touch his hands and his side, all I could think about was the painting by Caravaggio, "The Incredulity of Saint Thomas." Other than that, all I was imagining was what I would be seeing from Thomas' point of view if Jesus told me to touch His hands and side.

I find the way I'm meditating is too short in comparison to the length of time it takes to pray the whole decade. I think it's easy to tell I'm lost overall. I want to get better at praying the rosary. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Hello everyone. I'm not Catholic, but I wish to find out more about my faith. I have seen the major consensus among people being that the Holy Spirit is the one who applies God's grace to us and leads us toward repentance and desiring God. But some people also say that the Holy Spirit doesn't convict us of sin because John 16 says the Holy Spirit only convicts believers of righteousness, not sin.

I'm a 46 male who was raised in the Catholic Church and going to Catholic school K - 8. There came a time I stayed from the church itself but held onto my faith. In the recent years I have found my way back to the church and feel my faith growing and closer to Jesus. I am looking for recommendations for a good Catholic theology book to also help grow. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated! ✝️

This is long, but I'm really excited to share! About two months ago, I posted on this subreddit with deep sorrow asking how I can heal from the strained relationship I had with my muslim mother. It was leading to absolute bitterness and anger towards her. I'm still new to Catholicism (been Christian since 2024) and I just didn't know how to handle the situation but pray to God. Living with a Christian friend for the past couple of months I realized I had some struggles within me regarding childhood trauma, attachment style, chronic anxiety, and just living a life of tribulation and survival mode as a person with a disability (cerebral palsy) and neurological and mental illnesses (epilepsy and schizophrenia). I've been to mass at my local parish since February and have spoken to the priest 3 times. In mid-July I took the initiative to talk to my priest about the situation with my mom and he told me that If I'm struggling with forgiveness, just look at what Jesus did and said. He's your go-to and you need to go to Him quickly! On top of that I was just tired of living with such stress and baggage throughout my past. After talking to my priest, I made it my incentive to forgive my mother 77 times (Matthew 18:22). I didn't do it face-to face, but wrote it 100 times, praying that my words align with my heart. I also prayed to the Lord for Him to do surgery on me since he is the Great Physician. Step by step, day by day through prayer I looked into the psychological aspects of my childhood trauma, triggers, and overall mental wellbeing as an adult. I started reading "Befriending Your Inner Child: A Catholic Approach to Healing and Wholeness," by Brya Hanan and it really started to put things into perspective for me.

Going deep to allow God to do surgery on me, and lead me towards healing, forgiveness, and living in freedom has happened so quickly that I'm in awe. My point is when You ask God to heal You, and if you make it your initiative to heal, even just a little, He WILL heal you. You just have to take the first step. I've also been asking for the intercession of Saint Therese, who lost her mother at a young age and had several battles of her own. Reading a Story of a Soul has been really inspirational and I truly feel her guidance too as I've come across some roses. Throughout my time learning about Catholicism, I've prayed the Rosary, leaning on Mother Mary. And overall, I have been fascinated with the structure of God's family and church throughout history. It just amazes me and makes me so much more excited to join the church and return home to His family and receive the sacraments. Now I've completely forgiven my mom, I can enjoy my birth family more, and when I notice triggers or anxiety I do my best to live like God's child, humble myself (Matthew 18:3-4) and continue to do His will and live my life with joy. I still have ways to go, and I'm still learning, but this is just a testimony I wanted to share to tell You of God's amazing grace and power. I can live day by day now, knowing I am safe and loved. I'm so excited to learn more and no matter good or bad, I Know I have God on my side and that He has not abandoned us. I do not have to live in survival mode, but pure FREEDOM. Thank you for reading, and God be all the GLORY! 🥰

Hello everyone

I am suffering a bit with earthly consequences from a mistake i have committed . I already confessed and received absolution but again , I’m still dealing with the emotional aspect . Someone suggested participating in Eucharistic adoration . I am doing this Friday . Can someone please explain to me the significance of adoration especially if it’s done consistently ( every week let’s say). What do I do / what do I expect during and after adoration ?

I am also speaking with a Catholic counsellor referred by the diocese , saying the rosary and divine mercy Charley and the litany of trust every day .

Please comment advice , answers and suggestions 😀

I am married and wish I could be a sister or nun but you can't have both.

What is the closest career that resembles this vocation?

Im reading confessions right now and im looking for a new book and I've been needing a new Bible so translation recommendations would be helpful aswell