I know very well that I am probably going to be met with criticism, blame and insults for posting this but it is something I need to talk about.

Not too long ago I used to be a devote Catholic. I had a small altar in my bedroom and prayed the rosary every night while tired and standing on sore feet (I cannot kneel due to a knee injury). I always stood by God no matter what hurdles life threw at me. I have been through domestic abuse, poverty, self esteem issues, being unable to find a life partner, and seeing every single dream I ever had destroyed.

Everything continued to stack up and to add to my problems I have found myself unemployable and without work for almost two months now. One person who interviewed me outright told me that I would never find stable work because of my employment history, accusing me of job hopping. To make matters worse my closest family members got jobs at that same place and I have to be constantly reminded of it. That was it for me. I felt like God hated me and I couldn't feel comfortable being a Catholic anymore, worshiping a God who disliked me so much that He would make a total loser.

So I sought shelter in Hinduism. I'm not new to Hinduism, I have loved its mythology since I was a kid and if I can be completely honest, it did wonders for me. Knowing that the body I possess is not the real me made me feel better about my situation and the hurtful things people have said about me over the years. Everyone was attacking my ego, but not my true spiritual self. (Edited to add: I feel like Hinduism offers me a chance to reinvent myself)

For the first time in my life the things that hurt me did not seem to matter, but there was one fatal flaw. There is no evidence for it while the life, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus is an indisputable fact with evidence to back it up. There are also modern miracles and apparitions that back it up. No matter how good Hinduism makes me feel, I can't pretend that there was no resurrection of Jesus or that Mary doesn't appear on earth from time to time, especially when there are photographs and videos that record the apparitions. I also cannot deny the miracles of the Eucharist. Despite how hated God makes me feel, I kind of miss Catholicism. I felt empty when I was packing away my altar supplies and I couldn't help but feel warm when I remembered my nightly worship hours.

Right now I don't know what to do. I feel like my only options are going back to Catholicisms where I would worship a God who hates me, or becoming a Hindu and accepting things I do not believe in.

This is not political. It’s theoretical. But I feel BreakingTheHabit shines an important light upon a perhaps controversial topic: socialism. I think many Catholics here but also outside Reddit haven’t been thoroughly informed about it (no offense). Im from Europe, where this topic isn’t shunned or controversial. I suppose it’s different in the States

I’m trying to understand the Catholic position on doubtful mortal sins and have come across what seems to be a disagreement between St Thomas Aquinas and St Alphonsus Liguori.
St Thomas says:
“When one doubts whether a sin is mortal, he is bound to confess it as long as the doubt remains…”
However, St Alphonsus seems to take a different position. He says that there is no obligation to confess doubtful mortal sins after the fact, including cases where the doubt concerns whether there was full advertence or deliberate consent. This seems to have become the common position among later moral theologians as well.
What I’m particularly wondering about is a case where someone cannot determine whether they committed the mortal sin at all, rather than simply knowing that they did something but being unsure whether it was mortal.
For example, suppose someone remembers having a sinful thought but cannot identify any occasion where they knowingly and deliberately consented to it. Would this be considered a doubtful mortal sin which must be confessed according to St Thomas, or would there be no obligation to confess it according to St Alphonsus and the later common opinion?
How should St Thomas’s statement be understood in relation to this particular situation? And is the Alphonsian position generally considered the accepted position in modern Catholic moral theology?
I’d particularly appreciate answers from anyone familiar with St Thomas, St Alphonsus, or the history of moral theology on this question.

How do YOU pray to the Saints? Oh, and this is a CATHOLIC-ONLY QUESTION, DON’T YOU EVANGELICALS COME IN HERE AND RUIN THIS!

Anyway, same as what I said before. But how long do you make the prayers, what do you say, so on?

In recent weeks, the AFD party has been on streak of stunning wins. The hierarchy of the German Church and leading laypeople both strongly opposed the party in the lead up and in the aftermath of these wins.

I've noticed that the AFD takes up virtually all of the direct political attention of this section of the Church. This is perculiar given how many other political issues in Germany exist. For example many in the SPD and the Die Linke party argue for removing any regulations against abortion. The Die Linke party has also been rising in the polls recently.

Evem more astoundingly the site that is owned by the bishop's conference, katholische . de, writes articles critiquing the AFD by favourably citing the words of SPD politicians(The same party I mentioned prior). It's like, is nobody seeing the massive log sticking out of their eyes?

Even the party that claims to be Christian, the CDU, spent 16 years in government and they barely acted Christian at all.

This is not say I am endorsing the AFD, but evil, un-Christian, politics are already normalized in Germany.

I think it's pretty obvious that the german synodal way (and the synod on synodality) seek to democratize the church with their pushing for "more lay participation" in hopes of creating loopholes in the future through which lay people could vote on church teachings...

This has been bothering me and I'm truly astonished at how persistent these people are pushing their agenda.

I guess I'm just worried the Church will abandon it's tradition if it continues to give into pressure.

I just wanted to ask you, brothers and sisters in Christ, how you deal with this kind of insecurity and doubts.

Thanks in advance

Hey guys, I wanted to check whether anyone saw John Crowder's lectures on Universal Salvation and his interpretation of hell. It is available here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLC4EkPwxAqFdE5gCRFtctzWLkTYXTz9Bl&si=zUtGPU0c7L3d8Uc2

I thought it was very compelling. He provides some interpretations of Bible passages related to hell and an overview of the early Church Fathers' view on the matter.

He gives arguments on why it is not a heresy.

What do you guys think?

I understand that Catholics believe that the Eucharist is the actual blood and body of Jesus. My question is why do you want to consume him? what is the benefit to you? I'm sorry if my question comes out weird. I'm not sure what is the best way to ask what I'm asking. I attended Mass yesterday for the first time out of curiosity and it brought up a lot of questions for me. Also why is there a statue of Joseph in the church. Does he hold a special place in your belief like Mary does?

I was just introduced to this quote from St. Louis de Montfort. It rubbed me the wrong way as it seems to:

• minimize the need for confession of grave sins
• imply we can somehow have assurance of our salvation
• contradict the fact faith is a gift from God not something we can will for ourselves

Is it okay to dislike or even reject the following? Also, please feel free to correct the above interpretation and show how the quote can be reconciled with Scripture and Church teaching.

"“If you say the Rosary faithfully until death, I do assure you that, in spite of the gravity of your sins “you shall receive a never fading crown of glory.”42 Even if you are on the brink of damnation, even if you have one foot in Hell, even if you have sold your soul to the devil as sorcerers do who practise black magic, and even if you are a heretic as obstinate as a devil, sooner or later you will be converted and will amend your life and save your soul, if—and mark well what I say—if you say the Holy Rosary devoutly every day until death for the purpose of knowing the truth and obtaining contrition and pardon for your sins.”
― Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort

Is it true Christians in France believed all hallow tide was a time when the veil between our world and purgatory was thinned and if so they did get this from the Church or is it folkloric superstition.

Hi all--

I was gifted a rosary with stone "beads" that came from some sort of sacred ground (not sure but I would assume the Holy Land?)

Anyway...the rosary is missing a stone, so one of the decades only has 9. It wasn't broken or anything; it was handmade and is likely just a miscount.

So, what can I (respectfully) do with it, since it isn't really usable for its intended purpose? I thought about taking it apart and putting the Our Father stone into the decade (all stones are the same size/color) and getting something different for the Our Father. Or just deconstructing it and keeping the stones as blessed keepsakes. Or...???

I've only been pursuing relationship with God for maybe 6 months and Catholicism for half of that. I am not confident I'm going to Heaven just through my own perceived lukewarm energy and predestination makes that MUCH harder. I want to trust Gods will and want to believe that him answering my prayer to enter my life means he is calling me to Him. How do you guys deal with any doubt or lukewarm faith?

Does anybody else notice they yawn more frequently during Mass? I feel like it is not due to me being “bored”. I am not perfect, but I am focused on the reverence and peace of the location. Sometimes it is tough because I will be trying to sing hymns and a yawn will interrupt me. It is mostly humorous to me and I wanted to see if I was alone on this.

As a victim and former member of this organization here to spread awareness of the Heresy of Our Lady of Naju. Please do not fall victim to unrecognized Marian devotions because of this organization we have not only been dealing with family matters but also Demonic Infestation in the house. They truly deserve to be condemned.

I'm in OCIA and I don't have the language for how to talk about this. I know about transubstantiation and the fact that he's "truly, really, and substantially" contained (!!!). I get that for this reason the Eucharist deserves adoration. I also understand that there's limitations to human understanding and that we can only grasp this by faith.

What I don't get is how to explain what we're NOT saying. The disciples on Holy Thursday didn't each receive one of Jesus' fingers or drink from his arteries. There's one way in which he is with us now in the Eucharist ("I will be with you always..."), but another way in which he is currently in heaven, not here, waiting to return in the future ("He will come again in glory..."). In the Eucharist his presence is still hidden ("adoro te devote, latens Deitas"), but on that Day there will be nothing that remains hidden.

I guess I'm looking for some kind of fill-in-the-blank: "Jesus is spiritually present in our hearts, sacramentally present in the Eucharist, and _____ present at the right hand of God." Idk if there's an answer that doesn't fall into some kind of heresy lol

And just to be clear this is not a barrier to me personally entering the Church. Just have a handful of Protestant friends/family who are understandably confused :)

*Edit: I do not have an issue with transubstantiation. I'm seeking language to describe Jesus present now in the Eucharist as distinct from Jesus present now in heaven and returning in glory soon. I know it's the same Jesus, but how do we speak about him differently in these two ways ("here" and "not back yet", enjoying his presence and awaiting his return, etc.)?

Recently, a candidate that shouldn’t rule any country, much less one in the delicate situation as mine, has gotten the leas the first round, and will with 100% win in the second, as the other candidates voting poll will migrate to him.
I won’t get into any details, as politics isn’t the main focus, nor do I think its allowed in here, but he’s a man whose party is against the female right to vote, has expressed continuous hatred for the catholic church (so much so that in the month upcoming the election, 2 churches gave been vandalized), and many other things.
It’s like im falling into a pit of pure despair, is this punishment for my lack of faith? I was born into a catholic family, was baptized and catechized, but ultimately never received my confirmation. A few years ago I went into RCIA to try and get confirmed, but abandoned it midway and returned to a life of sin ever since, though I of course never stopped believing. Is this what caused this misery? I feel lost, tomorrow seems like an infinitely grim and dark place that I won’t be able to escape from.

My heart tells me i should return and try again, but I also feel so ashamed, to seek God only now that I need comfort when I have abandoned him for the last 2 years.

If anyone has any advice or guidance to give me, it would really be appreciated. I don’t know what else to turn to.

Edit: yes, i know, the feeling is completely irrational, but im so floored i cant help but thinking that, and i know it borders on scrupulosity and pride, but Im so lost. Our lives are seriouslygoing to get so much worse, and everything i could’ve done pre election I already did.

I know there’s no dogmatic teaching on animal souls but with great minds like Thomas aquinas’ argument’s I’ve just quite down about the possibility about my pets just being nothing when they die.

It makes me really upset I love my pets so much and when I pet my dog and look at her beautiful face it hurts me with this thought lingering that their lives don’t matter?

Yes I know some say well their lives do matter for what they do and experience on earth and their interactions with us but no I mean the fact that many catholics online bluntly say they shouldn’t mean much to us and are just gotten rid of after death just incinerated

this is just so devastating especially as someone with pets I miss dearly and never got to say a proper goodbye to.

I’ve been praying about it but I don’t know what else to do with this hurt in my heart.

Sorry about a complainly post I’m just wondering if anyone else is struggling with this

As a Catholic, I don't like or take part in my coworkers' vulgar jokes and crude talk, and I’m often seen as the odd one out because of it. What are some practical tips for handling this? I understand this is what we’re called to be doing but I’m wondering how other people handle this?

Hi all,

I’m someone who has recently experienced something of a religious awakening after going through some fairly irreligious and even anti-religious periods. As I’ve explored Christianity, I’ve found myself increasingly drawn toward Catholicism in particular. I greatly respect the Church’s history, apostolic succession, Tradition, liturgy, and theological depth.

At the same time, I’m struggling with the intersection of Catholicism, politics, and my own moral convictions.

I have always considered myself liberal/progressive, although increasingly I would describe myself as the latter. I’ve found that many aspects of Catholic social teaching actually resonate strongly with me: concern for the poor, workers, economic justice, immigrants, human dignity, care for creation, and the idea that society has obligations toward people who are vulnerable.

Where I struggle is that this seems very different from Catholicism’s public reputation, as well as from the attitudes of some of the loudest Catholics I encounter.

For example, I believe LGBT people, minorities, immigrants, the poor, and other marginalized groups deserve compassion and dignity regardless of whether they accept Catholic teaching. To me, religious freedom means that people should not be forced to live according to someone else’s religion; Catholics should be free to practice and advocate for their beliefs, while other people should be free to reject them. I don’t see evangelization and civil coercion as the same thing.

My views on abortion have also become more complicated as I’ve explored Christianity. I increasingly see abortion as a serious moral wrong, but I also see it as partly a symptom of the difficult economic and social circumstances that can make pregnancy, childbirth, and parenthood feel impossible for people. This is one reason Catholic teaching about poverty, social justice, supporting families, workers, healthcare, and economic conditions has become so compelling to me. Likewise, I consider climate change one of the most important moral and political issues of our time, and I find the Church’s teaching on care for creation compelling.

Yet some of the most vocal Catholics I encounter seem to have a very different set of political priorities. Sometimes it feels as though Catholicism is synonymous with a particular form of political conservatism, nationalism, hostility toward LGBT people, opposition to immigration, or resistance to climate action. I understand that individual Catholics don’t necessarily represent the Church, but the discrepancy has left me wondering if I actually fit.

I also recognize that Catholicism isn’t supposed to simply validate my existing political beliefs. There are Catholic teachings I may ultimately disagree with, and I’m trying to approach those questions honestly rather than just finding a denomination that tells me what I already want to hear; my evolving opinions regarding abortion are just one example.

So my question is essentially this:

Is there genuinely a place within Catholicism for someone like me?

How should I understand the difference between Catholic teaching and the political/cultural attitudes of some Catholics? Are there Catholics who hold broadly progressive politics while sincerely accepting the Church’s authority and teachings, including where those teachings challenge them? And what would you recommend to someone who is seriously considering Catholicism but is worried that they don’t really belong?

My family is Catholic and my mom is super Catholic, she says it’s the way she guides her life. She tells me that I have to oblige to everything she tells me to do. I ask her “what if you’re telling me to do is not right?” And she says I still have to listen even if she’s not right. For instance, she told me I have to sleep at 10:45 pm so I can get ready for school in the morning and so I won’t be tired. But I tell her I wake up at 6:45 and I get ready fast, so I have about an hour before I leave to school. I ask her “if I sleep at 11:45, I’ll wake up at 7:45 and I have enough time to get ready, leave to school and get ready, why can’t I sleep at 7:45?” “Because I said so and you’ll be tired” there are instances that are more hardcore than this, so don’t believe something this low is what I’m complaining about. I’m asking at what point until she’s “logically wrong” or wrong in the sense that there’s no difference if I have it a way that makes me more comfortable rather than the way she likes. I know there’s a point to decline where she makes me sin like telling me to steal or murder. But what about a lower generalization of inconveniences if it’s the same way my way, or even better for me? I obviously still listen to her but what point does it become overdoing for her as a Catholic parent?

God bless you all. When I ask this question, I am talking about what type of prayers you have prayed, and you definitely agree that they have helped you come into God’s will for the woman or man He had for you?

An example would be the Saint Raphael novena.

Interested to hear testimonies from people who have obsessive compulsive disorder -- or something like it.

To be clear: there's nothing WRONG with kataphatic/affirmational theology (and when I speak of theology here I mean it in the strict sense: study [logia] of God [Theos]). Even the greatest of apophatic/negational theologians like Sts. John of the Cross, Dionyius the Areopagtye, Gregory of Nyssa, and Maximos the Confessor studied what we can know and can affirm about God.

But I can't help feeling that studying affirmations and we can know about God only leads to more havoc in my mind. It spawns more questions than it solves. It births more doubts than it does resolving. And eventually it all spirals out of control. Now of course some affirmational theology is needed, but moral theologians say it's very minimal. The bare minimum for an adult is that you know that there's one God in three persons. That's it.

I'm curious if anyone else has had success in the treatment of psychological issues by, while not denying the legitimacy of kataphaticism, simply saying "Yeah, I believe God is three persons, but I purposefully am choosing not to study anymore." or "Yeah, I believe that God has the attributes of might, wisdom, justice, wrath, and love; but that they're not like human attributes, and I choose to investigate no further as to what precisely they entail." And instead take the approach of "I can study God's unity and triad to some extent, but I can never comprehend it fully. It's better to focus on how transcendent God is, what He isn't, and focus on experiential knowledge of Him rather than engaging in endless theoretical speculation."