Hi, Rich —

Thanks for the question.

You said:

• How can I have that relationship with my parish?
• What do I do?
• Where do I start?
• What questions do I ask?
• I'm trying to learn how to be a good Catholic; I read the Bible occasionally and
  I try my best to do the right thing on a daily basis, so what's next?

You have a great attitude; one I wish other Catholic parishioners had.

First, I want you to keep in mind, that the Lord has a specific place for you in the Church; one that suits your:

• interests
• likes, and
• abilities
  

If you have never personally met the priests or pastors of the parish you are attending and can't find time after Sunday Mass, I would ask the secretary at the rectory that you wish to make an appointment with one of them.

If she asks, for what reason; just say you wish to talk to him about the various ministries the parish offers and that you have an interest in serving the local parish and helping the pastor.

If he does have time after Mass to talk with you, by all means, go up with a smile, introduce yourself and tell him you are interested in serving on one of the various ministries the parish has to offer.

• But how do you know which ministry you are being called to?

A lot of this can be discerned by:

• private prayer time in front of the Blessed Sacrament, and
• thinking about what you have seen others do at the parish, that you would also like to do.

I admire your desire to be a good Catholic! We need more people like you in the Church. Being a good Catholic comes down to living a sacramental life (attending your Sunday obligation) along with a daily regiment of prayer: I recommend the Rosary (and/or) reading from the Scriptures.

Some are fortunate to be able to attend daily Mass.  If you can, great, if not, just keep a good prayer life. Going to Confession on a regular basis is also highly recommended. The bishops in America recommend going to Confession on a monthly basis, but if you have a lot of responsibilities in your vocation, especially if they are of a spiritual nature, going every two weeks or weekly, would be best as long as you don't get too scrupulous.

Finally, don't do dumb things like receiving Holy Communion, without first going to Confession if you have struggled with sins of the flesh. A priest is their most every Saturday afternoon and you get important graces that will help you with the sins you are having problems with.

In my personal opinion, in this sex-saturated world, satan can easily beat the crap out of us. Nevertheless, the sacraments and a daily prayer life are the best way we beat the crap out of satan.

That said, our goal is to beat the crap out of him, more then he beats the crap out of us. : )

The most powerful way to do this is by attending Mass in a state of grace as many times as we can.

Hope this helps; if not just reply,

Mike

Rich —

I think the first thing you should do as a Catholic is to make a firm and deliberate decision to follow Christ, do His will, and live out the Gospel in everything you do. It sounds like you are on this path already, but it is more than just being a good person. It's establishing a personal relationship with Christ, seeking Him as a person to be known and loved, not merely following a set of rules or laws. While doing what the Church tells you do is fine and necessary, we must not lose sight of the fact that we do so on account of our relationship with Christ: She is His bride, our Mother, and His Body. So ultimately it flows from our love of Christ. When we were baptized, we were made friends of Christ our God. Let us cultivate that friendship.

Also remember the central mystery of our faith:

• Christ died for our sins on the Cross, so that we may have forgiveness and be raised with Him.
• "Dying, You destroyed our death; rising, You restored our life."
• "Lord, by Your Cross and Resurrection, You have set us free. You are the Savior of the world."

Grow in appreciation of the fact that the Holy Eucharist is that saving Death and Resurrection being communicated to us in a most intimate way; we are literally divinized by the Eucharist,
the medicine of immortality (St. Ignatius of Antioch). It is the fruit of the tree of life.

We are wounded in many ways, if not by our own sin, then by the sin that came into the world through Adam. We needed a savior, a healer, to come and rescue us from darkness, from the dungeon, from being prisoners to our brokenness. Christ is that healer, and the Eucharist is the medicine, along with the other sacraments.

Always open your heart to the flood of God's grace when you receive the Eucharist. It is the Cup of Salvation, the Bread of Life. Remember Isaiah and the coal from the altar that the angel touched his lips with (Isaiah 6:6-8); likewise the Eucharist comes from the same altar in heaven, touches your lips, and cleanses you of your sin as Isaiah was cleansed. Nothing — nothing, I repeat, in Heaven or on Earth — is more holy than that Eucharist which you consume, and which goes into all parts of your body. It fills you with all the fullness of God when you receive it.

Receive it well.

Eric