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Traditional Catholic Faith => Catholic Living in the Modern World => Topic started by: graceseeker on March 08, 2018, 01:31:50 PM

Title: All “churches” (C or P) get this wrong
Post by: graceseeker on March 08, 2018, 01:31:50 PM

All “churches” (C or P) get this wrong

 

“People often come to church because they are dying inside; they are hurting and stretched to the breaking point. They just want someone to acknowledge that they exist and maybe pray with them. But nobody says anything, nobody demonstrates any caring, and that person leaves church feeling more empty and lonely than ever... when you're perceived as rich... even church people think you have no problems.

 
I remember the times I wnet to church and left feeling that nobody  cared. I really needed somebody to go beyond the usual superficial pleasantires: “Him how are you?” - “Doing fine, how are you?” I needed somebody to touch that raw, aching nerve deep inside my soul... someone to reach out and ask... “how are you doing? [and] Don't just say 'Fine'... Tell me how you're really doing because I want to be alongside you, praying for you, helping you any way I can” But nobody said that to me. 

 -Michael Reagan (former president's son), a victim of child sex abuse (at the hands of a [non-Catholic] camp counselor). Mr. Reagan was not properly catechized as a child, and so believed Deuteronomy 23:2 (the only Bible passage he read as a child) and thought it meant that he was destined only for Hell (for being a “bastard”) and there was nothing (obviously) he could do about it.


Can you imagine living with that frightening thought for 30 years, as he did? I can imagine it, even though I was never sɛҳuąƖly abused as a child. I have other diabolical life stories that have enabled me to empathize with Mr. Reagan. I don't even want to talk about thsoe stories, at least not at this time. But  I offer up thanks to Jesus and His Church, the only Person-Place that ever helped me with all that.

 

Now that I think about it, I recall years ago when I was very young (and also un-catechized) feeling that I was not going to make it to Heaven, not for the same reason as Mr. Reagan, but because I felt that my life had gone too far away from Jesus. I often felt there was no Forgiveness for me...

and since I am now about to change the topic somewhat, I will start a different thread on the unforgivable sin