Ironic Catholic has tagged me for a Meme:
Five reasons you love Jesus:
1. Because Jesus loved me first, with the complete, all-encompassing, perfect self-giving love that brought him here to die for our sins by reversing the sin of Adam and opening Heaven for our eternal union with God.
2. Because Jesus invites us to unite our suffering to his, dignifying our own suffering and giving it meaning, giving our very lives meaning.
3. Jesus never gave up on me, even when I had given up on myself, and he showed me that he will NEVER give up on me, no matter how lost I become, no matter how confused, no matter how dark it seems or how sinful I am, He will never give up and he will never let go.
4. Jesus healed my eyesight literally overnight when I was due for surgery the next day, and, years later, physically intervened to prevent me from taking my own life.
5. When I most needed Jesus, when I was all but orphaned due to family crisis, He kept me close to Him even when I didn't realize it, recognize him, or know him with any understanding. And through his loving protection through all those tumultous years, I came home, the Prodigal daughter, praying never to be separated from Him again.
I tag
Angela Messenger (Happy Birthday Lady!)
Snoring Scholar
Paramedicgirl
and anyone else who doesn't have a blog but wants to play. That's what comboxes are fer!
7 comments:
Thanks for this post.. His love and compassion are boundless indeed.
i converted to catholicism about 4 months ago, and your blog has given me a huge wealth of information and accounts i need to be brought closer to the cahtolic faith, to God as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the Saints and our Holy Mother. Just want to say you have touched lots of people, and influenced the way they view this faith. :D
Hi, Karyn, thanks for the comment and WELCOME HOME! :-D
Just keep in mind...whatever I say, if the CCC says something different, "listen" to the CCC. I'm so glad I've had a positive influence...your words are a great encouragement. Thank you.
What did you convert from? What brought you to Catholicism? (I'm always curious...)
i was just an atheist before i met this man (who is now my partner) and who brought me out of this emotional crisis i have been undergoing for about 2 months not with religion, but with plain friendship and the comfort of his views and presence.
He was a fervent catholic, and we had dscussions about his religion many times, and one thing i still recall was how he changed my stance on human life and all its dealings from pro-choice to a pro-life within 15 minutes, by revealing its dignity and sanctity. And to this day, one thing i admire about the catholic church and its values is how they are 'above' the beliefs of an increasingly depraved and corrupt society.
Note that my focus is on values and beliefs, not on the church being above the people themselves who work contrary to what God teaches..indeed, the values that Jesus taught, especially those that require selflessness, sacrifice and a belief in the unseen, are directly in opposition with what this world desires.
cont'd below :)
well, i asked him to take me to Mass on my birthday in the middle of april, and to tell the truth, i did not like it at first, but it seemed now that i just could not understand what was going on, and thus felt sort of drawn away during my first experience..
I made a decision to convert about a week later, and forsaw a journey full of struggles, for within me saw a pride that refused to acknowledge fully a divine authority that created me, as well as practices so alien to me (such as the veneration of the Holy Virgin Mary) that they seemed formidable enough to erase all possiblities of being accepted.
I asked God for his help and guidance, to help me accept this faith. Stangely enough, despite my intial reservations or opposition, it seemed only right and worthy deep inside that i am to be guided by the catholic faith.
There is a church near my school ( i am 17 this year actually) and one night (around late april), days after vowing never to attend Mass again till RCIA began in june, i suddenly pondered the idea of going for daily Mass before school at 6.30am..something just encouraged me to go. So i did, and whatever struggles with conversion i predicted were almost non-existent. Mass became most meaningful and entirely rich in the evidence of God's love and will for us. I then learnt more about the catholic faith on my own, and saw a purpose in the path that i was to follow.
I will be baptised on Easter next year, and am currently expanding my knowledge through the bible and catholic blogs like yours and those you recommend. I attend Mass daily, and always walk away with a peace and a purpose, to spread the word of God through my actions and to believe in His will and guidance.
And its only been 3 months..how far i have journeyed. Will post more often here, after reading your entries.
God bless you, and take care! And thanks once again.
Love, Karyn.
Karyn ~ That is beautiful! Thank you for telling your story. You are most definitely in my prayers! And if you ever have any questions, please feel free to post them here in the combox, or send me an email.
I also greatly recommend a blog on my linklist to the right: Adam's Ale. He is a priest in Cleveland, has awesome posts including a lot of info on the symbolism in the Church, which may be of great assistance to you as you go through RCIA. He's also a lot less snarky than I. In fact, his blog is a snark-free blog, but it's not a humor-free blog! You'll enjoy his wit! LOL!
And just a comment on the Church..you are right to focus on the values and morals as taught by the Church, versus the people who make up the Church. We are fallible; we mess up, and history bears this out as truth. The Church itself is a Divine Institution, but our teachings with regard to faith and morals have NEVER changed, thanks be to the Holy Spirit as promised. If you Google "didache", you can actually read an early document, used by the apostles to instruct early converts in the faith. If you compare it to today's Catechism and of course, to the scripture it heavily references, you will see that the teachings have not changed.
God bless you on this journey. What an exciting time for you!
Please let me (or any of us) know if there is something we can do to help you.
God bless you!
adoro,
i don't see or hear many referals to the didache ... i think that is a wonderful option for a new-vert
another, for those maybe a little farther into their catechetical formation, is to study the various early credal statements and formulas - amazing how things are still the same!
Thanks for the tag, dearie. Too funny, because here in my post I tagged you! (So I guess I'm showing how pathetically AWOL I've been with my blog reading AND writing... :)
I LOVE your reasons (as I knew I would). :)
And, just because I feel like I should, here are some {{{hugs}}} (call it third trimester nesting, this need to send hugs...or some instinct I can't explain...)
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