WHY does the Catholic Church make things so damn difficult?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not any more, but was for 28 years, attending mass every Sunday, and once a week with school through grade 12. Yes, we occasionally had some Old Testament readings, I was exaggerating somewhat, but the majority of readings were from the New Testament. We definitely didn't go through 90 percent of the bible. I can assue you that I have never heard most of Numbers, Tobit, Deutoronomy, Judges, Chronicles, Nehemiah, Lamentations, etc. read at our masses.

You're remembering incorrectly. Every Sunday mass has an Old Testament reading, with a few exceptions during certain times of the year like Easter.

Yep. Mass readings consist of the First Reading from the Old Testament, a verse from the Book of Psalms (also Old Testament), and the Second Reading which is from the New Testament.

You heard something from the Old Testament approximately fifty weeks out of the year.
I do agree, as I stated in an earlier post, that for the most part Catholics do not study the bible the way that other religious denominations do.

I agree with the earlier PP -- there were many books of the Old Testament that were either never mentioned or get very short shrift in the three year catholic liturgical cycle. If the only exposure you have to the Old Testament as a Catholic is through readings at church you would not get a good sense at all of what is in the Old Testament.

In CCD we did read some of the acts of the apostles, but nothing else.

+1

The Roman church wants you to know what it wants you to know, and no more than that. The priest is very much the designated intermediary between you and the Bible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP again. In the Catholic tradition, you don't read the Bible, and you certainly don't read any OTHER Bible other than the One True Version with the Papal Imprimpature. You read (or listen) to what it has been determined that you will listen to, based on the 3 year cycle. Nowadays I think here are some Catholic Bible Study Groups, but certainly in my mother's generation and earlier, there was no such thing. Catholics didn't just pick up a Bible and start reading it because -- heavens -- that's when people start questioning things.

Much better to hear the Word read aloud in church, where the priest can interpret it correctly for you so you know what you believe.

Do you know the history of why the Bible was used in Mass? Centuries ago there were a number of factors at play: 1. It was pretty much just the wealthy who could read 2. There were no printing presses.

The Bible was read at Mass because that was the way of sharing the Bible with everyone not a way of keeping it from people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When we got married, it was one thing after the other. Now we have a newborn and I'm trying to have her baptized. THey make this whole process SO. UNBELIEVABLY. DIFFICULT. I am really on the verge of just saying screw it. I don't understand why they are doing this? Shouldn't they want to encourage young adults to remain active in the Church/introduce the next generation to Catholicism? If that's their intent, they are seriously going about it the WRONG way.

You know what else is SO. UNBELIEVABLY. DIFFICULT? Being forced to carry a wooden cross to your intended place of death, having thorns placed on your head in a crown to mock you, being naked and nailed to a cross in the hot sun to slowly die while your mother watches.

He made the ultimate sacrifice for you, for your child, to be cleansed of original sin (ie baptism) and you are upset about paperwork.

Perhaps you want to rethink your reasoning for wanting your child baptized.

LOL!

BEST POST EVER!

nut job

Why is this poster a nut job? Because she believes in Jesus?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For PPs who still doubt the Church's devotion to Scripture: start attending daily mass. You will hear the entire Bible. Get the Magnificat. Never heard of it? Check it out. If you can't attend daily mass, it will keep you on task. Read the Catechism. Every single line has a biblical citation.

Look at it this way: the Catholic Church compiled the Bible. Who else could possibly care more about it?

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP again. In the Catholic tradition, you don't read the Bible, and you certainly don't read any OTHER Bible other than the One True Version with the Papal Imprimpature. You read (or listen) to what it has been determined that you will listen to, based on the 3 year cycle. Nowadays I think here are some Catholic Bible Study Groups, but certainly in my mother's generation and earlier, there was no such thing. Catholics didn't just pick up a Bible and start reading it because -- heavens -- that's when people start questioning things.

Much better to hear the Word read aloud in church, where the priest can interpret it correctly for you so you know what you believe.

Do you know the history of why the Bible was used in Mass? Centuries ago there were a number of factors at play: 1. It was pretty much just the wealthy who could read 2. There were no printing presses.

The Bible was read at Mass because that was the way of sharing the Bible with everyone not a way of keeping it from people.

And yet, when the printing press was invented, and Bibles could be produced in the vernacular, the Church strongly opposed making translations of the Bible available to the laypeople.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Absurd to make sure the Godparents were active? Why is that absurd?

I agree. Godparents are supposed to be the spiritual shephards so to speak for the child. They should be chosen based on, among other factors, a commitment to the faith.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Absurd to make sure the Godparents were active? Why is that absurd?

I agree. Godparents are supposed to be the spiritual shephards so to speak for the child. They should be chosen based on, among other factors, a commitment to the faith.

I agree. NonCatholics can be named as witnesses, I believe, but they cannot be godparents. We are facing this within our family as we try to select godparents for our 2nd daughter. The godparents for our first DD were DH's bro (Catholic) and my sis (Catholic). Now, for #2 DD, the only person we have "left" on DH's side to select from is his sis (non-Catholic), but 4 other potential siblings on my side (all Catholic). We will likely end up naming 2 from my family as the godparents and name DH's sis as a witness. MIL is griping about this, but, really? If SIL is not Catholic, what can I do about this?

[Anonymous]

Wait till you go through communion...it's like jumping through fire hoops. Is it any wonder the Catholic Church is shrinking. It's one meeting, retreat, book to be completed after another and then there's faith formation classes, books that have to completed to prove you were at mass and paying attention(no more just using your envelope to prove you were at mass) after three kids...I'm disalushioned with the whole thing...if you can't figure it out by now...I was just at another Communion meeting this morning. Gotta go, I have a banner to create and a book to start on!! Geesh!

[Anonymous]

Did you just say disalushioned? Yeah, I am too.

[Anonymous]

"Do you know the history of why the Bible was used in Mass? Centuries ago there were a number of factors at play: 1. It was pretty much just the wealthy who could read 2. There were no printing presses.

The Bible was read at Mass because that was the way of sharing the Bible with everyone not a way of keeping it from people."

How was the Bible shared when the Mass was in Latin?

[Anonymous]

OP here- you know what is really ironic? I wrote this original post six months ago, the baptism kept getting delayed, we finally got a date and then the godfather died in a sudden, tragic accident about three weeks beforehand. So, while my daughter is baptized now, the constant delays made it so that we never were able to do the intended baptism. I know I can't blame the Church for his death or anything, but what a shitty situation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here- you know what is really ironic? I wrote this original post six months ago, the baptism kept getting delayed, we finally got a date and then the godfather died in a sudden, tragic accident about three weeks beforehand. So, while my daughter is baptized now, the constant delays made it so that we never were able to do the intended baptism. I know I can't blame the Church for his death or anything, but what a shitty situation.

I'm so sorry for your loss.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Did you just say disalushioned? Yeah, I am too.

Sorry, didn't realize the spelling police were here. Disillusioned.
Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did you just say disalushioned? Yeah, I am too.

Sorry, didn't realize the spelling police were here. Disillusioned.
Thanks.

Did you just fall off of a turnip truck?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did you just say disalushioned? Yeah, I am too.

Sorry, didn't realize the spelling police were here. Disillusioned.
Thanks.

Did you just fall off of a turnip truck?

Classy.