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?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Are you Catholic? There are readings from both the Old and New Testament. These readings are done in a three year cyccle so throughout those three years, you hear 90% of the Bible -- again and again.

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.

I always find it fascinating when people trot out their "Catholic creds" only to follow them by woeful ignorance about the Church. Perhaps you don't remember, or perhaps you didn't listen to what was being said, but you most assuredly were read two Old Testament readings at every single Mass, and did indeed hear scripture from every book you listed. Additionally, most of the prayers and responses themselves are pulled directly or indirectly from Scripture. Yes, it is a problem that Catholics sit through Mass Sunday after Sunday, often for decades, yet still leave without knowing what they have heard. It seems that for many Catholics it simply does not occur to them to follow up on what they might have heard during Mass, or investigate what it is that they are being exposed to. But whose fault is that? Yes, it is obviously presented very differently than many other Christian Churches, were parishioners are encouraged to memorize and recite bible verses - yet the exposure to scripture in Catholicism is far deeper and richer than in many other traditions.

trollol 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.

Why baptize near time of birth? It would mean a lot more to your child if they made the choice to be baptized later in life, understanding full well the consequences.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For PPs who still doubt the Church's devotion to Scripture: start attending daily mass. You will hear the entire Bible.

No. You will hear maybe 8% of the entire Bible though. The Catholic tradition is based upon Biblical Snippets. Highlights, Best-Ofs.

Anonymous wrote:

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.

And yet, Jesus did NOT say, "Suffer the little children to come unto me so long as their paperwork is in order." In fact, I would speculate ---that Jesus would have a few withering things to say about the hoops being constantly moved for OP in her attempts to have her child baptized.

Signed, Protestant mom (married to Catholic DH) who is also tremendously annoyed by the excessive bureaucracy of the Church

Anonymous wrote:For PPs who still doubt the Church's devotion to Scripture: start attending daily mass. You will hear the entire Bible.

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.

Anonymous wrote:
I always find it fascinating when people trot out their "Catholic creds" only to follow them by woeful ignorance about the Church. Perhaps you don't remember, or perhaps you didn't listen to what was being said, but you most assuredly were read two Old Testament readings at every single Mass, and did indeed hear scripture from every book you listed. Additionally, most of the prayers and responses themselves are pulled directly or indirectly from Scripture. Yes, it is a problem that Catholics sit through Mass Sunday after Sunday, often for decades, yet still leave without knowing what they have heard. It seems that for many Catholics it simply does not occur to them to follow up on what they might have heard during Mass, or investigate what it is that they are being exposed to. But whose fault is that? Yes, it is obviously presented very differently than many other Christian Churches, were parishioners are encouraged to memorize and recite bible verses - yet the exposure to scripture in Catholicism is far deeper and richer than in many other traditions.

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.

Anonymous wrote:

Are you Catholic? There are readings from both the Old and New Testament. These readings are done in a three year cyccle so throughout those three years, you hear 90% of the Bible -- again and again.

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.

Anonymous wrote:

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.

You're probably going to get flak for this post, but I just wanted to tell you that I, at least, appreciated it.

Me, too.

Thank you!

trollol 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.

Why baptize near time of birth? It would mean a lot more to your child if they made the choice to be baptized later in life, understanding full well the consequences.