Random Acts Of Catholicism?

[sweetpea316]

[quote name='Honour' date='May 12 2005, 06:47 AM'] I find that I often cross myself when I pass a Catholic church in my car....but only when I am alone. Never knew why, now I'm just afraid to admit it. [/quote]
Me too! And doing it during prayer also...

That, and I find myself defending and explaining Catholicism to others, even my own family...wow... And when I'm at my church, I find myself wishing we did certain 'Catholic' things that I really like... and I also find myself wanting to go to confession and adoration and stuff really bad, but my family would freak out if I told them... -_-

And then there's my addiction to phatmass... enough said.

God bless!

[Honour]

[quote name='sweetpea316' date='May 12 2005, 09:23 AM']

And then there's my addiction to phatmass... enough said. 

God bless! [/quote]
dITO

aRGG CAPSLOCK. i MY HUBBY really NEEDS TO LEARN HOW TO TYPE.

Edited May 12, 2005 by Honour

[daugher-of-Mary]

My most memorable "aha" moment was when the promise of Christ "I will be with you always" got connected to Catholic teaching about the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.

[Cathurian]

Great stories all.

For me, I figured I ought to salute all the churches I passed in some way. I figured the best way would be to point the index finger towards the sky, because you know, our God and Father is there! But I quickly found it was easier to put up the index and the middle, and cross one's thumb across. Or even to put up three...index, middle, and thumb out. That would be the Catholic and Orthodox Sign of the Cross, respectively.

So then upon deciding to convert, I saw all these icons of Jesus...and I thought, hey waitaminute isn't He doing that same thing with His hand? Whoa!

[PadrePioOfPietrelcino]

1)
I was raised in the foursquare church, and when I was about 4 or 5 I attended a Pro-life rally with my Mom. For the first time in my life I saw a priest. I had no idea what that meant I just knew he was special, and I wanted to be like him.

2)This links to the above. As a Protestant Youth Pastor I was working with this particular girl who confessed to me that she had said a prayer that if God made me a Priest she would become a nun. Nither of us were even Catholic then.

Doesn't God have a great sense of humor?

Ben

Edited May 25, 2005 by PadrePioOfPietrelcino

[Brother Adam]

Hmm... did she become a nun?

My intellectual honesty sealed my fate.

Then a few phatmassers sent me rosaries. and that really sealed my fate.

Then I started attending mass. (really really sealed my fate)

Then I started praying the rosary. (yeah well you get the picture)

Now I'm here, Catholic, attending daily mass, praying for the intercession of the saints, going to regular confession. I don't know what happened. Wierd.

I love hearing your stories. Especially those of you who are still 'closet' Catholics. I can't wait until you get to tell your stories of initiation into the Church. I have faith it will happen. When the Holy Spirit latches on, He doesn't let go!

Edited May 25, 2005 by Brother Adam

[sweetpea316]

[quote name='Brother Adam' date='May 24 2005, 10:19 PM']When the Holy Spirit latches on, He doesn't let go![/quote]
Yeah, I'm totally feeling that now...

Is it a sign when you're not Catholic but sit down and watch EWTN for hours on end also?? Seriously, I love that channel now...it is fascinating to me. God bless!!

[Mickey's_Girl]

[quote]Is it a sign when you're not Catholic but sit down and watch EWTN for hours on end also??  Seriously, I love that channel now...it is fascinating to me. God bless!! [/quote]

LOL!!! HA HA!!

Yeah. I'm afraid that's a pretty good sign that you've come over to THE DARK SIDE. :ph34r:

Well, not really. More like the LIGHT SIDE. The Force is with you.

MG

[Extra ecclesiam nulla salus]

I've been Catholic since birth but whenever i feel stressed angry I pray a Hail Mary, and that always helps.

[philothea]

I still have a lingering fear of any religious display. This most often comes up when I am sitting around somewhere public (like waiting in the car in a parking lot) and I want to say a chaplet or rosary. I always hesitate and have to nerve myself to be (gasp!) seen praying. Even though intellectually, I think this is a very stupid fear, I still have it and it takes me a little while to overcome it.

Today after mass my husband went to go tell our pastor something. I knew they'd chat for a while, so I figured I'd have enough time for a chaplet. I reached into my purse for the rosary... and hesitated.

Then I thought, oh COME ON! I'm sitting in a CATHOLIC CHURCH! How awkward can I possibly feel about having a rosary out?!

[journeyman]

OK, that is taking fear of "display" to a very high level

Friday, in the repair shop, waiting to find out if the car was going to actually have something wrong with it, or if the diagnostic chip was setting off lights at random again. I didn't have a rosary, but I did have my fingers. So I guess it wasn't obvious what I was doing.

[CatholicCid]

[quote name='philothea' date='May 28 2005, 08:56 PM'] I still have a lingering fear of any religious display. This most often comes up when I am sitting around somewhere public (like waiting in the car in a parking lot) and I want to say a chaplet or rosary. I always hesitate and have to nerve myself to be (gasp!) seen praying. Even though intellectually, I think this is a very stupid fear, I still have it and it takes me a little while to overcome it.

Today after mass my husband went to go tell our pastor something. I knew they'd chat for a while, so I figured I'd have enough time for a chaplet. I reached into my purse for the rosary... and hesitated.

Then I thought, oh COME ON! I'm sitting in a CATHOLIC CHURCH! How awkward can I possibly feel about having a rosary out?! [/quote]
I wait until my School Chapel is empty and know no one will be there before I even enter...

[philothea]

Medals.

I wear a miraculous medal, and a sacred heart medal. I have had a miraculous medal for ages, my (then, future) grandmother-in-law gave me one before I was married. I got the sacred heart medal when I was baptized.

I get comments occasionally. A waiter in an Indian restaurant showed me his miraculous medal, and explained to me about Goa, the Catholic area of India. A young guy working the register at a bookstore thought they were great, and showed me his medals, and talked about all the others he had. He said he had a huge bronze St. Benedict medal which was so cool he put together a whole outfit to match it. A friend's 4-year-old daughter climbed up on my lap to tell me how pretty they were. I'd have given her the miraculous medal, but her family wasn't Catholic, and I didn't think I could trust them to handle something that was blessed.

I wear them all the time, out and visible, even when it looks stupid with my outfit. A friend invited me and my husband to go to her evangelical protestant bible study. I said I didn't think it would be a good idea -- they dislike Catholics. She suggested maybe I could take my medals off. Um... no. We didn't go.

I've had various ways of holding the medals. I used a necklace chain for a while, then a thin cord, now I have a solid stainless chain. Strangely, I lose miraculous medals all the time. I eventually bought a whole bunch of them (in inexpensive aluminum). When I asked to have them all blessed the priest gave me kind of a funny look. I guess someone needs to find a miraculous medal out there from time to time.

I have never lost the sacred heart medal, even though it's on the same loop.

[Mickey's_Girl]

[quote name='philothea' date='May 28 2005, 08:56 PM'] I still have a lingering fear of any religious display. This most often comes up when I am sitting around somewhere public (like waiting in the car in a parking lot) and I want to say a chaplet or rosary. I always hesitate and have to nerve myself to be (gasp!) seen praying. Even though intellectually, I think this is a very stupid fear, I still have it and it takes me a little while to overcome it.

Today after mass my husband went to go tell our pastor something. I knew they'd chat for a while, so I figured I'd have enough time for a chaplet. I reached into my purse for the rosary... and hesitated.

Then I thought, oh COME ON! I'm sitting in a CATHOLIC CHURCH! How awkward can I possibly feel about having a rosary out?! [/quote]
Hee hee! Your story cracked me up. (But what I really find funny is that miraculous medals don't seem like "religious display" to you! Hee hee.)

No, but seriously--do you have a rosary bracelet? I have one, and it's very convenient for "secret" prayer when I'm out in public. I whiled away a boring graduation ceremony the other day--got through the whole rosary! ;-)

Maybe a bracelet will help you "bridge the gap" and not be so nervous. :wub:

MG

[philothea]

Hee. Yeah, I'm not very logical, am I?

I think it's initiating anything that gets me. I put the medals on at home, in privacy. Once I'm out and visible I'm already committed.

The rosary bracelet is a good idea. I've seen rings too. I used to have a few little finger rosary things but I lost them all. I honestly have no idea where this stuff goes. I have a tiny house and I keep it all organized! Boogle.