Avila
-
Posts
2,317 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Events
Blogs
Classifieds
Store
Posts posted by Avila
-
-
We learn by doing, so we learn to trust by trusting, especially when it seems impossible to trust.
I think St. Therese, St. Faustina, and St. Teresa of Avila all give us good advice here. It is just so hard to follow it. We all want the suffering to end. But suffering is part of life, and it is part of being Christian. We can't "faith" our way around that.
-
Confession time. I made it through chapter five before falling asleep and I realized something. I absolutely love God and believe in Hm with every fiber of my being, but I have a very hard time trusting Him. I fear something bad happening in order to help us grow in faith or, ironically, to trust Him more. Any more that tends to be a fear revolving around our dd and as irrational as it seems to me, I can't seem to get past it (I have some trust issues in general). I don't know how to get past that and fully trust God.
Fear is the enemy of faith. It gets in the way of everything, and love is what casts it out.
I also struggle with this. It is a carry over (even after almost 20 years) of believing that God blesses those who love him so suffering is a sign of not enough faith. Either God does not love me enough, or I don't love him enough. I know that is not true. Just look at how the saints suffer.
I think we get over it by walking through it, which, like salvation, is a lifelong processs. We practice suffering, like St. Therese talks about in her little way. We walk by faith through whatever we face, and we use it to grow stronger instead of weaker. We let God use our suffering. We yield to it and to Him.
-
The Catechism is a good reference guide for the Church. It is free online at www.usccb.org, which is the U.S. Bishops' web site. It can be complicated for beginners though.
My favorite site is www.catholic.com, which is Catholic Answers. They have lots of free info and MP3s to listen to. If you have an opportunity to get books, Fr. Trigilio's Catholicism for Dummies is very good (hate the name, but love the book). Anything by Scott Hahn is very good, and he has free Bible studies at www.salvationhistory.com. I also like Frank Sheed Theology for Beginners.
On WTM, we have a Social Group called Crossing the Tiber (when the SGs come back). For now, we are doing it in thread form. It is set up for people to discuss the Church, especially for getting questuons answered. You are also welcome to PM me, if I can help.
-
I wish we really had our group back. I'm going to spin off from a post on the EO thread.
Who is your patron? Or who did you chose as your saint at Confirmation?
I picked St. Bridget of Ireland
Dh has St. Florian
Dd's St. Mary Magdalene
Mine is St. Teresa of Avila.
dH chose St. Gregory the Great.
DD 13 will choose St. Rose of Lima.
Not sure yet about the other two.
-
My oldest dd was really against going and I talked with her a while this afternoon. My heart just hurt for her. She is basically against trying any new churches due to many we've been to. She said she was most worried they would say that the things she likes are bad, so she is sinning (like other churches have done). Things like reading Harry Potter or listening to any music that isn't Christian. I hate that our journey thus far has hurt her so much and I really hope we find a place for us. She is now open to going and giving it a real try.
Hugs to your dd! Hope it goes well.
I have never had issues with those kinds of things in my parish or when we were at Catholic school, but I have seen it among Catholic homeschoolers, who tend to be more conservative than the community at large. You may find Latin-Mass only, skirts-only, strict no TV or popular books/media, etc. It is out there. It just is not as prevalent as I have found it to be in the general Christian homeschooling groups.
Even with that, we have always been able to find other Catholic homeschooling families that we fit in with, and it has been much easier to fit in than it was in the non-Catholic Christian groups we have been part of.
-
I found this online rosary today. I liked clicking on the boxes instead of beads, just as something different.
-
Can I get clarification here? I was taught that it was abstaining for 1 hour prior to receiving the Eucharist rather than 1 hour from the start of Mass. We tend to go at 10am, and we are lucky just to have everyone up, dressed, and out the door, so eating doesn't really happen. But to be on the safe side, I thought I'd ask. ;)
Canon law is an hour before the Eucharist. I go to several different Masses, and the timing is always slightly different. I am just not always able to predict what an hour before communion is. So we fast an hour before Mass, just so I don't have to worry about it. It is probably scrupulous on my part, but it is how we have always done it.
-
One final question for now. Is there any big difference between the Saturday Vigil vs. the Sunday Mass? We will be downtown for The Nutcracker on Saturday night. I thought we could go early and attend the 5pm vigil and have dinner first. I am really looking forward to going but the rest of my gang is more reserved (some more than others), so I thought this might be a good way to start.
That sounds like it would be great. I personally love going to Mass at the Cathedral. The Mass should basically be the same. Same readings. Sometimes the Saturday Mass is less formal in style of music and such. Sometimes the Sunday Mass has more altar servers and incense. It really depends on the parish.
Just an FYI for later down the road: as a Catholic, I would have to abstain from food and drink (except water) for an hour before Mass. So eventually, if you do decide down the road to cross the Tiber, you will end up doing what the rest of us do and go to dinner after Mass. ;)
-
I was wrong. I have one more question, and I hope it doesn't bother anyone. Dh is willing to go but he's been the hardest sell. We were talking quite a bit tonight about this before he went to bed. Apparently, one of his biggest problems is saints. He admits he doesn't understand it but is uncomfortable with the idea of praying to them. Can someone share a link to information or a book that would be good for us/him to read about this? He said he will read anything, including the Kindle books mentioned before that I've already purchased. Thanks!
The first link is a full book. The last three are free downloads from Catholic Answers. I would start there, and move to the book, if need be.
Patrick Madrid's book: http://www.amazon.com/Any-Friend-Gods-Mine-Explanation/dp/096426109X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1355459984&sr=8-1&keywords=Patrick+madrid+any+friend
http://www.catholic.com/tracts/praying-to-the-saints
http://www.catholic.com/tracts/saint-worship
http://www.catholic.com/tracts/the-intercession-of-the-saints
-
I have no idea what to really expect as we've never been to any Catholic service, so any other advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Welcome!
And sorry this is in two posts. The ipad is not cooperating with me.
Vistors are always welcome. We ask that non-Catholics do not receive communion, as that is a sign of unity of faith and belief. We believe in the Real Prescence of Christ in the Eucharist (John 6). When everyone goes up for communion, you can either remain in your seat or go up with your arms crossed in front of your for a blessing.
The service will be very structured, with standing, sitting and kneeling. Just follow along and do what you feel comfortable with. The first part of Mass is centered around readings from Scripture. The second is centered around the Eucharist.
There is usually a Missal in the pew (a little book that has the order of service and the readings and prayers in it). This will help you follow along. You can also read ahead for the Mass you attend. Go to www.usccb.org, click on the Bible section and the calendar date for Mass. Saturday evening Mass will use the Sunday readings. You don't have to prepare ahead, but sometimes it helps to know what is coming.
Please feel free to ask anything you want!
-
Is there a specific church/parish you are supposed to attend?
You can attend any where you want. I suggest trying the parish closest to you or going online to look at their bulletins to see which parishes have things that appeal to you.
If I go to the one closest to us, which mass is best to try first? The website lists one on Saturday afternoon and three on Sunday between 8-12.
Saturdays are often a little less formal, as are early morning Masses. But every parish is different. They may have different music styles and a different feel. Just pick a time that is good for you, and if that doesn't work, try another. :)
I have no idea what to really expect as we've never been to any Catholic service, so any other advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
-
Sorry, the ipad won't let me finish my post for some reason!
The only caveat that I have is that where ever you are choosing as a home parish, make sure you will belong to it as home. Make sure that, even if you do attend another parish for Bible study, etc., you still have opportunities to participate in the life of your home parish. You need to meet people and get involved in the community where you attend Mass, if at all possible. It makes a huge difference, IMO, especially for people transitioning from another Christian tradition. You need that sense of community and supoort and opportunities for growth and service. If none of that is at your closest parish, then you need to find another one.
I just know that for me, I am a lot more likely to actively participate at a closer parish than one I have to drive to. So you have to know yourself and weigh that carefully also.
-
Would you then recommend taking classes at a bigger RC than the local parish? We have a big one about 1/2 an hour away (over 4,000 families)?
If you are talking about RCIA, I think it depends on the parish. I have seen some very small parishes offer great RCIA programs. If you go, and the fit feels wrong, there is nothing wrong with trying another parish. We are not limited to the parish most local to us any more. Usually, the cathedrals and larger parishes have more resources and can offer bigger programs. And they are a great place to start, if you have one close to you. But don't automatically rule out a parish RCIA just based on size.
For adult faith formation, the cathedral and larger parishes usually have more opportunities. But not always. And you don't have to limit your participation in these just to your home parish. If your parish does not have the adult opportunities you need, it is fine to attend those programs at another parish.
-
Unfortunately, given the crisis of catechisis (sp?) in the last fifty years or so, the beginning level is what is most urgently needed. That's why parishes tend to devote the most resources to that aspect of adult faith formation.
I understand that. There is always a need for beginning level adult faith formation. But I think we underestimate people when we never progress beyond that.
We have offered the exact same Bible study for 12 years. The parish has had three cycles of it, with a lot of the same people participating. The people who really need the catechesis don't come, no matter what we offer. I would just like to see an opportunity for growth and not just recycling of the same materials and topics. We are certainly a big enough parish for that, and it seems a shame to have Why Catholic as the only thing offered to the faithful, catechized Catholics we do have.
-
My parish is having a few speakers come in, but that is about it. We already have regular Bible studies, and they just brought in Christ Renews His Parish. And Why Catholic has one more session to go this Spring.
I keep toying with offering adult ed stuff outside of RCIA, but it is really hard to get people to commit, especially if they are doing something else. I would love to see apologetics get started. Don't get me wrong. I do appreciate that we offer those other things, but I personally would like something deeper. It seems like everything we do is beginner level, no matter how long it goes on.
-
The ministry conference I went to awhile back had several talks on The Year of Faith. One of the big suggestions was to read through the documents on Vatican II. I have never read them all.
Would anyone be interested in reading and discussing them with me?
-
I love the TLM. I attended a TLM parish for more than a year. I also love a well-done Novus Ordo Mass. But even a sloppily done NO Mass is still Mass.
http://www.ncregister.com/blog/simcha-fisher/why-i-love-my-ugly-little-liturgy
-
I have a 9yo soldier/waltz flower. This will be our third Nutcracker.
-
Oh dear. This is going to get ugly, you know.
-
I am Catholic (we converted 2 years ago) and I would like to ask something in a more private place. Are most of you Catholics on the FB group? Any suggestions where I can talk about this?
Not sure FB is the exact right spot. I really wish CTT was up and running.
But please PM me or FB me, if I can help. You know how to find me over there. :)
-
These are my two favorites. The Year and Our Children and A Continual Feast.
I think most people who join the Church feel that way. I still do, even after 17 years.
-
I am waving, but I have nothing earth shattering to add. I did buy a copy of Pope Benedict's Jesus of Nazareth: the Infancy Narratives to read during Advent.
And I got Johnnette Benkovic to sign a copy of Experience Grace in Abundance when she was at my parish to do a retreat. That was awesome. She is a wonderful speaker. The Truth in the Heart sisters also came, and we met two of them. So we are going into Advent feeling blessed.
-
Actually Catholicism for Dummies by Fr. Trigilio is quite good. Anything by Scott Hahn is going to be excellent. The Catholicism book and DVD series by Fr. Barron is wonderful.
If we ever get our social group back (hint, hint, powers that be), we would love to have you join us over there. Please feel free to PM me if I can be of any help.
Eta: Spelled Fr. Trigilio's name wrong. He also has The Catholic Answer Book, which I find helpful.
-
Flaxseed oil helps me. I take the oil if I have active excema, and I take the pills as a preventative.
Dorothy Mills History books??
in K-8 Curriculum Board
Posted
I used all of them except for the one on the Hebrews. We did them from 4-6 with a gifted dd, and we really enjoyed them. I bought the guide from MP for the Ancient World, but we never used it. It was good, but it was too detailed for my middle dd. I like having it for the questions, but I would not want to fill it all in. It would be too much.
Mills is still my favorite. :)