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Mekenzi
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Hi, guys —
I grew up in a non-denominational church and was taught by my parents to love God and to keep my Christian values. This past year I started dating my current boyfriend; he is a Catholic.
I have attended Mass with him about ten times. We have had plenty of talks about our faith and I am very interested in the Catholic Church. His family is all very immersed in their faith, and I love going to their house and having great discussions and praying the Rosary together.
As much as I love and respect my parents and their beliefs, I wish that my upbringing had been the same. I feel myself drawing closer to the Lord while practicing the Catholic faith.
There are so many things that I don't understand about it but I would love to learn more. The thing is I can't find the questions to ask. I want to become the best person I can and I'm trusting that God will lead me through this situation.
Any sort of advice is appreciated!
If there are any things:
- I should learn, or
- have a talk about with my boyfriend, or
- any website or book suggestion that could help me learn more about the faith would be great : )
Thank you and God Bless!
Mekenzi
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Do you have good advice for someone being drawn to the Lord while practicing the Catholic faith? }
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Paul replied:
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Dear Mekenzi,
To those whose hearts are open, the Catholic faith is very attractive. There are too many things to suggest to you. The best materials are the ones that fit your personality and correspond to where you're at in your spiritual development and understanding of the faith.
The basic two books that are good for everyone are the Bible and the Catechism. They are the Word of God in Scripture and Tradition. If the Catechism's language is too advanced, perhaps the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, or YouCat may be a better resource.
There are many great Catholic websites, books, radio shows, publications, and YouTube lectures out there. EWTN, Catholic Answers, USCCB website, and (HLI) Human Life International are just a few websites worth visiting.
Hopefully my colleagues will suggest other specific things for you.
Peace,
Paul
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Bob replied:
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Mekenzi,
I recently watched a series on Mary, the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Protestants and Catholics have differed so much on Mary:
- we are accused of worshiping her
- making her a demi-god, and
- all kinds of other accusations that just aren't true or are huge misunderstandings.
If you really want to understand the Catholic faith, you need to understand Mary.
Try this: Get your boyfriend's family to get this video series from the St Paul Center:
If you tell them you will commit to watching it with them or at least with him, they will probably consider it. (If they pray the Rosary, they already have a Marian devotion; this will knock their socks off.) They will thank you and me because it will be so good. There are 12 episodes, about 30 minutes each, but you will be blown away. If you like reading the Scriptures, or haven't yet, this will get you excited to start. There is so much in there, that you will be overwhelmed and probably can't even absorb it all in one viewing, but if they buy the set, maybe you will want to watch it again and show others.
I'm telling you, it is really well done — I read the books it was based on quite a while ago and I was still really drawn in because the production quality is excellent and the presenter is so articulate, clear and deep. (Also, I like imagery, art, and videos in general).
In the words of Nike: Just Do it!!
God bless you,
Bob Kirby
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Mike replied:
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Dear Mekenzi,
Following your example, for anyone who has ever thought about becoming a Catholic, my advice, and no one has to know, is just:
- Attend a Catholic Mass . . . even if it is just once, or
- Sit and meditate in a Catholic Adoration Chapel
Whether you believe in His Presence or not, ask questions:
- questions about your faith
- questions about your previous and current spiritual journey, and
- questions about your future spiritual journey given your current and future life situation.
While you are there, listen for non-vocal answers . . . meaning ideas or thoughts that just come to your mind.
If you wish to dig deeper buy a copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Look into Biblical sources that defend Catholic teachings, on my Scripture Passages page:
A Biblical defense for Catholic teachings <https://www.AskACatholic.com/ScripturePassages>
Learn the basics and buy books on the Early Church Fathers, the very first Christians.
Check out some resources here:
Good Apologetic and Catechesis Sources
Finally, while Paul did mention some excellent websites, don't forget ours! LOL
We address:
Hope this helps,
Mike
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