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Mar 25th, 2025
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Joined: Jan 2002
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Dear Brother Ed: Thanks for this reminder! I (and perhaps others) need a jolt of this magnitude once in a while!  Amado
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Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 302
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Dear Brother Ed,
I also am a convert from Protestantism - 20 years ago. One thing I've always wondered though was why the Catholic church does not offer Sunday school like Protestants do. The Catholic church has an advanced theology with solid moral teaching, but the ideals don't seem to get past the hierarchy in this country. For example, I've never seen a class offered on the encyclicals of John Paul II at a parish church. Protestants who show up for worship on Sundays, on a regular basis, also usually go to Sunday school and strive to serve God with their complete hearts -however limited their understanding is. Wolfgang
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Wolfgang where ever are you living?
There is Sunday School here at our parish every week (although catholics may not always have the teaching of children on Sundays per se they do teach the faith to them.
Actually we have so many classes that we have religious instruction 4 nights a week with over 800 in the program. As to adult faith formation we have 2 classes a week and two bible studies a week.
I think maybe you should familiarize yourself with just what your parish offers READ THE BULLETIN as I continually harp.Then maybe you (they) might know what the Church offers. How many times have I heard "Well why doesnt OUR Church have a Bible Study?" Well it HAS and its been going on for over 10 years now it is YOUR responsiblity to get yourself THERE. (Sometimes I wonder just what planet the laity are living on.)
Stephanos I
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Bill from Pgh Member
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Bill from Pgh Member
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Dear Incognitus,
I thought of St. Paul's words less than a minute after making the post in which I stated "Love is not always kind". Being a parent of a teenager and soon to be teenager, what I meant by that was there are times when you have to correct and even scold, not because you want to be mean, but because you are concerned about the child, and you do it out of love, knowing what is right for the child. I'm not one of those parents that lets my kids do whatever they please because I want them to like me and be my friend. That's what I meant by "love is not always kind" and "hard love". I drew that analogy because the Church teaches, many disobey, the Church points out the disobedience and is often branded as being the bad guy. Does that make any sense? Did Christ who is Pure Love, not chastise the Pharisees out of love. I don't think they considered it love at the time, either.
In Christ, Bill
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Joined: Jun 2003
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Dear Bill,
To be honest, I knew full well what you meant - it is, for example, a kindness to take someone to the dentist and have his or her teeth attended to, even though while in the process of having the teeth attended to, the patient may not feel that this is the sort of kindness he or she wants!
However, I did think it right to point out that Saint Paul teaches us that love is kind, and I'm sure you agree.
fraternally in Christ,
Incognitus
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Joined: Feb 2005
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Stephanos I,
I envy you & your parish! However, I stick to my guns. There has been minimal adult education at the Roman Catholic parishes I've attended in the last 20 years in Ohio. Frankly, I find too many Roman Catholics want to just put in a minimal effort - fulfill their obligation, which really turns me off. I wish they would just stay at home, if their hearts aren't into worship, like they do in Europe. By the way, I've been attending a Byzantine church for over a year, which I like much better! Pax Christi, Wolfgang
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Oops - sorry TG, I realized that I did not include the post I was responding to. It wasn't your post. I didn't think you were trying to label anyone - sorry for any misunderstanding. I think it is fair to say that to be a Catholic, you follow the teachings of the Church. But sometimes they are hard to accept in your heart and mind. If you do what is required by the teaching, but don't fully accept it in your heart and mind - but at the same you work toward better understanding of a teaching - then I would say that you are very much "practicing" as a Catholic. They don't call us "practicing" for nothing. To me, the lesson of St. Thomas is in part that some people have to see and touch everything in order to be faithful and we're the unlucky ones. I'm definitely in that class. Originally posted by Theist Gal: I agree, Annie - I sympathize (having myself been many things, including atheist, agnostic and Wiccan, in my not too distant past!). Please note that I was not accusing anyone of heresy! If it sounded that way, my apologies.
However, I don't think it's "legalistic" to say that being a Catholic (Roman or otherwise) means, at least in part, that you assent to all the non-negotiable (infallible, for lack of a better word ) teachings of that Church.
[warning - long-winded story ahead!]
For example: there are many things I admire about the little "Free Methodist" church which my grandparents, along with a few other hardy pioneers, founded in Kansas City, Missouri. I respect their faith and their love, and all my life they were an inspiration to me because of their love for Christ.
However, I could never *join* their church. Why? Because I don't agree with several of the doctrines which they hold to be necessary for membership. So I can admire them but I can never be a part of them (in this world, anyway ).
By the same token, they admired many things about the Catholic Church, and work together with Catholics on many social issues. But they could never become Catholics because they just couldn't get past a lot of the doctrinal differences. I respected them for that, because even though I now think they were wrong, I also think they did the best they knew how to do.
So yes, I understand that there are many people who just can't agree with all the things the Catholic Church teaches. But if you're going to call yourself a *member* of that Church, you should at least try. Otherwise, why belong to it? Why not become Orthodox ... or Methodist?
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