Please make me not a church militant

[Credo in Deum]

On 7/18/2025 at 2:40 PM, Anastasia13 said:

Do you think this this is true about trauma?

Yes. I agree with the above statement about trauma and how it impacts us and our thinking.  Most of us experienced trauma during childhood which is a time of formation. When trauma happens at that time, it can severely damage the way in which you mature and processes things.  My therapist once said that a person with unheald wounds from trauma looks like a horse and carriage that has the horse (your emotions) in the driver seat, and the driver (your will) where the horse should be which is in front of the carriage subordinate to the driver.  

[Didacus]

On 7/12/2025 at 9:20 PM, Anastasia13 said:

Right. Just try saying you don’t like Trump around anyone who goes to Bible study. I would be lucky to be a simple libtard. 

Thank you though.

Strange... amongst my brothers and sisters I get that treatment because I would vote for Trump if I could (I'm Canadien)...  I supported the trucker protest against Covid and boy did I ever get a treatment for doing that!

I won't change just to appease their sentiments though...

[Anastasia13]

I still think I shouldn’t be church militant. I am not actually. 

[Didacus]

17 hours ago, Anastasia13 said:

I still think I shouldn’t be church militant. I am not actually. 

You know - that's fine.  Nothing wrong.  

Better you be honest with yourself and the Lord than hold a title that franctly, doesn't hold much weight.  But keep trusting in the Lord... keep seeking His face... 

You might never find Him - but I promise He will find you!

[Anastasia13]

6 hours ago, Didacus said:

You know - that's fine.  Nothing wrong.  

Better you be honest with yourself and the Lord than hold a title that franctly, doesn't hold much weight.  But keep trusting in the Lord... keep seeking His face... 

You might never find Him - but I promise He will find you!

I am trying. I am not sure I want to fit into your idea of who I ought to be as a Christian.

[Didacus]

14 hours ago, Anastasia13 said:

I am trying. I am not sure I want to fit into your idea of who I ought to be as a Christian.

Seek Christ - that's all you need to be a Christian...  I'm really not trying to fit you into any other mold.

I've met very strong Christians who would go nowhere near a Catholic Church and I have not a single doubt they are closer to God than I am... by far!  The Church is a means to and end but not the end itself - the end is what counts...

[Anastasia13]

13 hours ago, Didacus said:

Seek Christ - that's all you need to be a Christian...  I'm really not trying to fit you into any other mold.

I've met very strong Christians who would go nowhere near a Catholic Church and I have not a single doubt they are closer to God than I am... by far!  The Church is a means to and end but not the end itself - the end is what counts...

Good, because I will be doing things the Catholic Church disagrees with.

[little2add]

What exactly is a church militant?  I looked it up on Webster's dictionary and found this.

 

Isn't fighting evil a good thing?

[Anastasia13]

6 hours ago, little2add said:

What exactly is a church militant?  I looked it up on Webster's dictionary and found this.

 

Isn't fighting evil a good thing?

Sure, if that’s evil and one has in them to fight.

[Anastasia13]

5 hours ago, Anastasia13 said:

Sure, if that’s evil and one has in them to fight.

If something really is evil and…

[little2add]

On 8/7/2025 at 8:40 AM, Anastasia13 said:

If something really is evil

Tolerance once meant that we could use our reason to discern good and evil in open debate. Today tolerance has been used to call good evil and evil good.

Charles Colson

[Anastasia13]

19 hours ago, little2add said:

Tolerance once meant that we could use our reason to discern good and evil in open debate. Today tolerance has been used to call good evil and evil good.

Charles Colson

I said that in the hopes of clarifying my previous statement. Not sure if that changes what your response is. 

[Didacus]

On 8/5/2025 at 8:32 PM, Anastasia13 said:

Good, because I will be doing things the Catholic Church disagrees with.

huh...  ok?

So long as you geniunely seek Christ...

[Anastasia13]

On 8/19/2025 at 1:34 PM, Didacus said:

huh...  ok?

So long as you geniunely seek Christ...

Oh, I forgot about this. Yeah, sure.

[Didacus]

Best of luck!  May angels walk by your side.

[Anastasia13]

On 7/17/2025 at 10:22 AM, Credo in Deum said:

That's the great thing about being Catholic is our feelings don't determine our Catholicity.  If I only did what I felt, I would never pray.  I can't tell you a time I looked at my rosary and said, "Ooh I can't wait until I get to pray that today".  That reaction doesn't mean I hate the rosary, it simply means my fallen nature is not inclined to pray it.   It's the same with confession and contrition.  The Church recognizes I don't have to feel sorry in order to be sorry. I don't have to wait until I have a feeling in order to approach the sacrament of reconciliation.  What matters is my desire to be reconciled and to have a firm purpose of amendment. Many saints have spoken about how in their spiritual life they went through tons of spiritual aridity, and they recognized this processes as necessary to purify their hearts of any attachment to self.  They understood that they could get attached to the good feelings from being virtuous and that if they were attached to those, they could easily end up seeking out virtue for their own self rather than for the love of God.   In that same way I would look at your situation as an invitation from God to practice true selfless love towards Him. 

 

If your issue is that you're having a crisis of faith, meaning you don't believe in God anymore, then that would be a different issue. 

What happens if you go to the sacrament of reconciliation but you don’t feel sorry?

[fides' Jack]

The absolution given by the priest in the sacrament of confession is conditional upon not just your sorrow, but also your intention to do better in the future.  If you are not really sorry, then you are not forgiven.  Forgiveness from God requires contrition: imperfect contrition during the sacrament of confession, and perfect contrition outside of it.

But it's not so much a matter of feelings, as @Credo in Deum was saying.  You can choose to be sorry without really feeling much of it.

Edited September 16, 2025 by fides' Jack

[Anastasia13]

5 hours ago, fides' Jack said:

The absolution given by the priest in the sacrament of confession is conditional upon not just your sorrow, but also your intention to do better in the future.  If you are not really sorry, then you are not forgiven.  Forgiveness from God requires contrition: imperfect contrition during the sacrament of confession, and perfect contrition outside of it.

But it's not so much a matter of feelings, as @Credo in Deum was saying.  You can choose to be sorry without really feeling much of it.

Oh well. Small loss. 🍿

[fides' Jack]

1 hour ago, Anastasia13 said:

Oh well. Small loss. 🍿

I'm truly sorry you feel that way, as your eternal soul is at stake and you don't seem to care.  I'm wondering if people on here care more about you than you do yourself.

May God grant you humility, understanding, and compunction.  I'll pray for you.

[Anastasia13]

2 hours ago, fides' Jack said:

I'm truly sorry you feel that way, as your eternal soul is at stake and you don't seem to care.  I'm wondering if people on here care more about you than you do yourself.

May God grant you humility, understanding, and compunction.  I'll pray for you.

I am not that person-just someone struggling.

I am actually trying to listen to a book on the Jesus prayer that a Coptic priest recommended to me. I don’t know if I will have to change or what will be asked of me.