What Was The Hardest Truth To Accept?

[N/A Gone]

Going from protestant to Catholic it was a matter of submission to the teaching of something beside my own ability to understand. Once that trust was established I understood that if something did not make sense it was a matter of submission and understanding, rather than the issue of truth itself.

On a related note, I was trying to explain the concept of 3 persons 1 nature to my wife. That was hard.

[Archaeology cat]

[quote name='Revprodeji' post='1618865' date='Aug 6 2008, 06:03 AM']Going from protestant to Catholic it was a matter of submission to the teaching of something beside my own ability to understand. Once that trust was established I understood that if something did not make sense it was a matter of submission and understanding, rather than the issue of truth itself.[/quote]
Exactly! Once I got to the point where I could submit (which actually came after I came to believe in the Real Presence in the Eucharist), I found that it didn't matter if I didn't fully understand something, as I had to trust that the Church was right and submit.

[LouisvilleFan]

The hardest part for me would be actually [i]doing[/i] what all this theology says I'm supposed to do, and not doing what I'm not supposed to do.

[dominicansoul]

I'm not a convert, not a revert but a cradle Catholic and have been a practicing Catholic all my life...

I think the hardest Truth came to me when I was 6 years old, when my cousin died in a car accident...I had never felt the weight of original sin more than at that moment, when I realized we all must die in order to go to the next life. Up to this point, I had been a very happy little kid...but after my beloved cousin died, and knowing I wouldn't see him anymore in this life, made me very fearful of losing my mom...and also knowing that one day I would have to say goodbye to all those I loved...

[cmotherofpirl]

Wow, very old thread.
I still find it hard to believe that children have to suffer in this world, and bad things happen to good people. I still struggle with the concept of a caring God, because sometimes I see very little evidence for it, and much to the contrary. The older I get the harder it seems.

[Thy Geekdom Come]

[quote name='Revprodeji' post='1618865' date='Aug 6 2008, 01:03 AM']Going from protestant to Catholic it was a matter of submission to the teaching of something beside my own ability to understand. Once that trust was established I understood that if something did not make sense it was a matter of submission and understanding, rather than the issue of truth itself.

On a related note, I was trying to explain the concept of 3 persons 1 nature to my wife. That was hard.[/quote]
Hehe...I was a poorly-catechized Catholic teenager...and once I discovered the infallibility of the Church, I never had a disagreement with the Church again.

I think for many people, it's a matter of "how much can I trust the Church?" When you finally realize that Jesus didn't leave the Church without His guidance, you lose a very heavy burden of trying to test and judge every teaching to see what's right and what's wrong...and you accept it in faith...and then it all starts to make sense.

[N/A Gone]

[quote name='Raphael' post='175070' date='Apr 24 2004, 03:22 PM']I'm not a convert, but...

I've never found either to be an over-complication.

With the Immaculate Conception, I find it necessary for this to be defined because it shows us that God is so pure that even the vessel He was born of had to be spotless.

As for the assumption, it shows us what heaven is like. It shows that heaven is the ultimate goal and reward for living the Christian life. Mary never did anything against God, and we see how she is rewarded. It's encouraging.[/quote]

I think an important aspect to consider in this is that systematically the Immaculate Conception is needed and we can make an argument simply from that, but both the IC and the Assumption are strongly spoken about in the early church.

I have 11 quotes about the assumption. The earliest is prior to 400 AD

[quote]“If the Holy Virgin had died and was buried, her falling asleep would have been surrounded with honour, death would have found her pure, and her crown would have been a virginal one...Had she been martyred according to what is written: 'Thine own soul a sword shall pierce', then she would shine gloriously among the martyrs, and her holy body would have been declared blessed; for by her, did light come to the world."
Epiphanius, Panarion, 78:23 (A.D. 377).[/quote]

I have 15 about the IC the earliest is 235 AD

[quote]"He was the ark formed of incorruptible wood. For by this is signified that His tabernacle was exempt from putridity and corruption." Hippolytus, Orations Inillud, Dominus pascit me (ante A.D. 235).[/quote]

For me, the support of the early fathers is essential for the development of our theology.

[quote name='Raphael' post='1623442' date='Aug 10 2008, 12:11 PM']I think for many people, it's a matter of "how much can I trust the Church?" When you finally realize that Jesus didn't leave the Church without His guidance, you lose a very heavy burden of trying to test and judge every teaching to see what's right and what's wrong...and you accept it in faith...and then it all starts to make sense.[/quote]

I thought you would see it in a Christocentric way. as Dr. Martin would say, the Church is the moon that reflects the Son. We offer nothing other than His reflection.

[Quietfire]

For me it was everything. But I think looking at my early posts might help.
I didnt ask half as many questions as most would have thought, cause I ended reading everything I could get my hands on and now have quite an extensive Catholic library.

While reading other posts here I saw myself in alot of them. I never had a problem with the saints, I never thought that praying to a saint or to Mary was a form of idoltry. Prayer is nothing more than talking spiritually and mentally (although I have prayed out loud as well!) with God. So if I did that with a saint, I alwayed thought I was just "talking" to a good friend. There is a difference in telling God that you love him, wish to obey him and adore him. There is something completely different in telling Mary I love her, and wish to do what she asks of me. I know, first and foremost, that she would never ask for anything for herself, but would only glorify the Father.

I know some people still have a hard time accepting Mary as the Mother of God. I thank God that I never had difficulty with that.
Mary is also my confirmation name.

I was baptised Catholic but was not raised in the faith at all. My mother is Southern Baptist.
My dad will admit that he is a very poorly catechised Catholic, that his beliefs strayed far from Church teaching and that his own needs outweighed anything the Church taught.

Some of you may remember I had arguements with him on legalized protestution and gay couples receiving the same benefits as hetero married couples. (He figured if gay couples could receive the same benefits as a hetero married couple then why couldnt him and my brother receive those same benefits since he lived with my brother at the time.) Yeah....that was fun

I had to go see him this past spring because he had been hospitalized and then needed some assistance for the week after being released and we went to Mass as often as he was feeling up to it and he was so surprised how much I knew and it ended up being a wonderful week were I got to teach my Dad about the wonderful truths of the Catholic faith.
Since returning home he called me almost daily with questions and then requested a missal so that he wouldnt feel "lost" when he went to Mass.
It was pretty wierd showing him in the Missal were to find everything since he had forgotten all the prayers.
Now he looks foward to Mass.
Oh, and my older brother was received this past Easter. It was my greatest honor to sponsor him.


God is good.

[N/A Gone]

[quote name='cmotherofpirl' post='1621876' date='Aug 8 2008, 05:10 PM']Wow, very old thread.
I still find it hard to believe that children have to suffer in this world, and bad things happen to good people. I still struggle with the concept of a caring God, because sometimes I see very little evidence for it, and much to the contrary. The older I get the harder it seems.[/quote]


I do not want to hijack the thread, but the idea that Children "have to" suffer and bad things "have to" happen is bad theodicy. We need to understand the pain as a result of our (and others) free will choices and the effects of a war between Heaven and Hell. God suffers with us, and is sad with us, but he does not predetermine the individual suffering.

See if this blog on Sept 11 helps. I wrote it a while ago

[url="http://catholicneophyte.blogspot.com/2007/09/sept-11th-is-it-gods-fault.html"]http://catholicneophyte.blogspot.com/2007/...gods-fault.html[/url]

[Saint Therese]

For me, the hardest truth to accept after my conversion was not the doctrines about the importance of our Blessed Mother ( I mean, she was Jesus's mom,come on!) but the actual practice of giving her veneration.
Now, of course, having gained some wisdom with my years (and hopefully some sense!) I find fillial devotion to Mary to be one of the most powerful and fecund things that one can do spiritually. The daily Rosary is a great weapon! Also, I love her now, as my own true Mother, and trust in her loving intercession.
The easiest thing for me was the Real Presence and the power of confession.

Edited August 15, 2008 by Saint Therese