r/Catholicism

Glory to Jesus Christ!

Honestly I really need help and I wanted to ask this Community because I have seen people usually giving great advice here.

Plus I’m not a native English speaker so I can’t really express myself well but I will try to communicate my problem as best as possible.

I used an Examination of Conscience from the FSSP and it was hard due to my Scrupulosity. Often I had the Feeling that I committed all the Sins there and eventually I had to find a new Examination of Conscience that is shorter.

Through this experience I started to realise that I’m losing myself in all those rules and oftentimes overthink and overanalyse situations. I also tend to be a person that is very uncertain and I often doubt myself wich makes it hard to come to a judgement regarding a certain situation.

All of this brings me to an argument a former Catholic brought forward and I have a hard time refuting it, he said something along the lines that if you want to follow the catholic faith then you really have to be scrupulous. I also read from some eastern catholics that they are really bothered by what they called the “Legalism” in the Latin Church.

I honestly think that this way of practicing the Faith is very unhealthy and damages my relationship to the Lord.

Edit: I forgot to mention that I used to think that holiness means perfectionism and while I now know that God does not except that wich is a huge relief honestly.

I have no problem with the excommunication of the SSPX, I indeed think it is just. They didn't necessitate to consecrate new bishops, they did it anyway, this is a clear schismatic act and excommunication latae sententiae is the right answer.
In the meanwhile, German bishops and other bishops that support progressive stances as female priesthood, homosexual sacramental marriage, permitting contraception and pretending sin and devils are overpassed concepts, all in the name of "the spirit of Vatican II" (though Vatican II never contradicted tradition about those topics) are doing the exact opposite: SSPX acted schismatic while being theologically orthodox; progressive bishops keep obeying to the Church while professing heresies, which is a form of schism. Both are unacceptable positions, but the Vatican only excommunicated SSPX. I am not to say to the pope what he should do or not, but this is my humble opinion.

Our infant daughter died back in February. It was a pretty traumatic experience for many reasons. While grief comes in waves almost daily, I feel the worst at Mass.

Has anyone else experienced this after a profound loss?

So I’ve decided I want to become catholic and start OCIA to get confirmed into the Church at Easter, but as I am under 18 (and would be 17 by the time I could get confirmed) I need permission from parents to start the course, however my whole family is Baptist and I’m not sure if they would let me.

This is really worrying me because I know that OCIA starts in only a month or two so I have little time to try convince them to let me join, I can tell them that I’m doing it just to explore more and learn about that faith (and I wouldn’t be lying because I have yet to learn so so much) But I know I must be honest with them, and with that comes them knowing that I want to leave Protestantism. How do I tell them?

Please excuse my awkwardness - I’m new to Reddit 😭🙏😃

Hi I am currently reading my Catholic Bible and have reached the New Testament. I came across this verse and I looked up an interpretation of this entire chapter and they said that this verse is proof that there was no perpetual virginity of Mary and thus there was no assumption and her role as mediator between gods and believers do not exist.

I’m looking for clarification of this verse because this line does seem to deny the perpetual virginity of Mary.

I’m a convert. I’ve been Catholic about 5 years. Married with kids

I recently found out that jerking off is a mortal sin. My wife asked if I had, I said yes once, and she said it kind of ruined our Mass plans because now I can’t receive

I’m honestly horrified. I didn’t know it was that big of a deal. But now that I know, I can’t just stop.

So if I madturbate once in the week, I can’t go receive at Mass?

Yall that have suffered with this can you give me some direction please

What do you love about being Catholic?

And the Lord hardened Pharao's heart: neither did he let the children of Israel go.

Exodus 10:20

I am becoming increasingly convinced that I have no hope of attaining salvation, and that the sole reason for my wretched life is to bring others closer to what I cannot have.

God uses me solely so that others can practice their virtues on me, to show what good Christians they are, and how kind they can be—even to such terrible people as myself.

That is why I am alive. Like the Pharaoh of Egypt, whose destiny was not to be saved, but for God to demonstrate His power through him.

That is why sinners who will never be saved are still alive. They are God’s instruments for the benefit of others.

I’m incapable of remaining in a state of grace for the long term. I manage to get by for a few weeks, but sooner or later I always commit mortal sins. And the more this happens, the more exhausted I become. I feel like there’s no point in fighting anymore, because my failure is guaranteed.

I’m not a good person.

I’m not a good Catholic.

I’m not a good Christian.

I’m not enough.

(P.S: I have diagnosed depression and autism. See my past posts.)

I would like to preface my remarks by clarifying two key points:

1. My statements are not intended to endorse Protestant theology.

2. I am not seeking to challenge Catholic doctrine; rather, my objective is to ask about areas where I am struggling.

To provide some background, I have been engaged in pastoral training for the past three years. The primary issue that has led me to re-evaluate my personal convictions is the Eucharist. Over the last few years, my study of church history has revealed a substantial and clear body of support for the Catholic and Orthodox perspectives on divine presence and transubstantiation. Even Martin Luther, the father of the Protestant Reformation, firmly upheld the belief that communion constitutes the literal body and blood of Jesus. This has caused significant internal conflict, as I find myself strongly inclined to believe something divergent from my current church's teachings. This situation is distressing, as I am uncertain if I can continue within my church. I love my church and all the people God has entrusted me with. Nevertheless, I feel profoundly conflicted due to certain aspects of Catholicism that I find challenging. I would like to pose a few questions. My primary difficulty lies with the concept of the veneration of saints and of Mary. What is the most compelling argument, drawing upon church history and scripture, for this practice? From my understanding, there were disagreements regarding iconography in the early church (approximately 150-300 AD), and I am struggling to reconcile this with a biblical foundation. Furthermore, I do not fully grasp Catholic soteriology. My Catholic friends have provided rather ambiguous responses regarding the Catholic view of salvation, particularly concerning the interplay of works and grace. I understand that the Council of Trent formally rejected sola fide ; does this imply a salvation based on works? Despite these questions, I continue to question whether my current understanding is incorrect. I sense a compelling draw towards the Church, and I am questioning whether this feeling represents a genuine calling or personal emotions.

I would greatly appreciate any counsel you could offer.

I pray that the God of all peace blesses you abundantly.

In a hypothetical scenario where we see a massive momentum toward Christian unity, I’ve been thinking about which groups are closest to and furthest from returning to Rome.

Here is my current take:

The Easiest (Traditionalists): The SSPX probably has the highest chance of returning to full communion. If we go down the rabbit hole, even more extreme offshoots like Sedevacantist Carmelites or the Palmarians *could* theoretically return if they ever "wake up" from their current state, given their Catholic roots.

The Next In Line (Eastern Orthodoxy): After them, my bet would be on some (or all) of the Eastern Orthodox Churches. At the end of the day, both Nicene communions share relatively cordial diplomatic relations. It's clear to almost everyone that, alongside Catholicism, they truly trace their roots back to Jesus and Peter. Plus, the existence of Eastern Catholic Churches already provides a working blueprint for full communion.

So, here is my question for the community:

In a hypothetical universe or historical turning point, which schismatic religion, denomination, or movement do you think would be the absolute hardest to bring back into communion with Roman Catholicism, and which would be the easiest?

Feel free to challenge my assumptions about the SSPX or Orthodoxy too!

I have been a member of my current parish for over a year now but a practicing Catholic for almost 40 years. At my parish, the wine (blood) is not usually offered to the laity. Today, however, one of the Eucharistic ministers was standing up front to the side with the chalice right next to where the host was being offered. He was standing in the same position where ministers have stood at other masses where the wine was given. I decided that I would take the wine since I hadn’t done so in a while. I wasn’t really paying attention as to whether anyone else was taking the wine, but in my experience it is not atypical for very few people to take the wine. When I got up to the altar. I bowed, took the host, made the sign of the cross, and proceeded a few feet over to the minister with the wine. To my surprise he emphatically and brusquely waved me off and muttered under his breath that the wine wasn’t available. I did notice that he had the sanitizer cloth covering the chalice. It was a little embarrassing because it is a fairly small church. I am confused. Why was there a minister up there with the chalice if the wine wasn’t available? I asked some of my Catholic family members today and they were shocked and had never heard of this before (nor have I). Do any of you fine Catholics have any insight? Maybe I am being too sensitive, but something about this interaction really bothered me.

My wife and I are on vacation in Ireland. We went to a 7:30 PM mass in Galway and it was only 30 minutes. We are used to a solid hour/hour and 10 minutes in San Diego, California. It was super surprising.

Hello everyone, 22F here with a strong desire for marriage, however I’ve realized that I have a pretty deep fear of losing the people I love. It’s not debilitating in the sense that I can’t function. I have a normal life, I enjoy my friends and family, I work, and I’m generally happy. But this fear shows up whenever anything romantic enters my life. If I start to like someone, or someone seems interested in me, I almost want to sabotage it before it even begins. It’s not because I don’t want to get married, I actually do, I’ve always wanted a husband and a family. But I’m terrified of loving someone that deeply only to lose them one day. I know we’re all going to die eventually, but the thought of building a life with someone, sharing everything with them, and then having them taken away feels unbearable to even think of. It makes me wonder if it’s somehow “safer” not to marry at all. I’m an Orthodox Christian (reposting to Catholic subreddit cause didn’t get many answers in the Orthodox one), so I thought this might be a good place to ask. People often say, “It’s better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.” But for those of you who have actually lost a spouse, a child, or someone you deeply loved… is that really true? Looking back, would you still choose to love, knowing the pain that would come later? This fear has gotten worse over the past couple of years because every time I open the news, I seem to read another story about a spouse dying young, parents losing children, miscarriages, accidents, or sudden illnesses. I know that’s not all there is to life, but it’s become hard not to imagine it happening to me l. How do people survive that kind of loss? How do you keep living? How do you keep your faith? One of my biggest fears is that a loss like that would completely destroy my faith in God.

I know it’s said that believers have the right to choose to receive Communion on the tongue. But even so, many priests remain stubborn and publicly show their aversion to the practice.

Three weeks ago, I wanted to receive Communion on the tongue as usual, and there was this one priest there whom I rarely see. When I went up to the altar and knelt to receive Communion on the tongue, he tried to get me to take the Host in my hands, but I refused because I take this very seriously. In the end, he gave in and then said in front of everyone, “That’s just disgusting and unpleasant.” And I didn’t really know what to say because I was so shocked but also angry at the same time. Since then, I haven’t wanted to receive Communion anymore because it was just so traumatic for me, and I don’t want to go through something so humiliating again. 

I just don't know what to do anymore, how am I even supposed to know how priests feel about receiving Communion on the tongue? It's not like they're wearing a sign that says, “I don't like giving Communion on the tongue!”

Are there people here who’ve had personal experience with this? Is this just the cross I have to bear, going to Mass knowing I might be humiliated again? I find the thought very unpleasant, receiving Communion on the tongue from a priest who is inwardly disgusted by it.