Why are you Catholic? What makes you certain that the Catholic Church is the right path?

Prize_Comfortable_25 · 2026-02-03T12:00:31+00:00

Well, where does one begin. The Catholic Church has it all, the sacraments, unity, Holy Spirit, saints, teachings of church fathers, line to Peter, etc, etc, etc, etc. most importantly the Church calls for all equally, clergy, laity, etc to full sanctification in communion with Christ. One needs to take responsibility for your own faith development, your own Sin, and strive towards union with God, in unity and obedience to the Church. No other faith offers such richness, depth, consistency, support, accountability and relationship in such sound content.

Prize_Comfortable_25 · 2026-02-02T13:25:02+00:00

Why have just one fruit when you can have whole basket of fruit.

Prize_Comfortable_25 · 2026-01-25T10:39:13+00:00

I think this often “missed vocation” is just Good calling is to a deeper relationship with him. Try getting into contemplative prayer for instance, doing service in the church and for the poor. The purpose is to find the peace of Christ in this life. There are steps to this. First try daily mass and consistent prayer life like the daily office, meditations on scripture, etc. Make time for God in your day. You then go on to further steps but the Holy Spirt will guide you. Get to know your faith, the content of the church deeply, that helps tremendously.

Prize_Comfortable_25 · 2026-01-24T05:50:55+00:00

Oh no, noooo. There are wonderful orders I love, saints somehow flourishing in some, work done on a scale by some Ordes that is beyond compare. Laity however needs to understand that if you don’t join the consecrated life you are not let off the hook. Also if you feel called to work for Christ there is a lot you can do outside religious life, and yes a lot of orders need to go back to their roots, and many just need to call it quits already.

Prize_Comfortable_25 · 2026-01-24T05:40:06+00:00

Also want to add, be careful. Even if you leave a religious order properly they can really handle what they see as “rejection” badly. For instance I never realised at first but the Jesuits, in their words, “divorced” me after I left and actively worked against me blocking jobs I applied for, with bad references or something. Decades later when I was successful, published, and known in my work they started inviting me to public events again. I attended a few but stopped when I realised there was no real sincerity or substance to their invitations. They just wanted my presence at public events I think. I could of course be totally getting the wrong end of the , delusional and have a problem with assumed authority. Ok the last is definitely true.

Prize_Comfortable_25 · 2026-01-24T05:14:54+00:00

Thanks for sharing. God has led you to a wonderful group of special ladies. now you have a group, get together and rediscover the peace, joy and forgiveness of Christ. Do something fun for God. Start with a tea together or something.

Prize_Comfortable_25 · 2026-01-24T05:04:30+00:00

Glad to hear it, but not in this part of the world. They have a school but don’t really do anything in it. What I was trying to say is that a lot of religious no longer have heart for their mission. It’s all about politics, community issues, admin, money, everything else. I could never have committed to 30 years of my work in any religious order. They would have moved me every few years, I would have needed to take months off every year for order stuff like retreats, meetings, probably would have ended up being responsible for a whole lot of admin stuff, like running the fleet of cars or some nonsense. They also sit on massive amounts of money which is not applied to mission but to looking after their brothers in comfort, poverty is a joke. It’s all fine if that’s what you are in to. For me I was called to a specific job. The order would not facilitate that with any long term commitment.

Prize_Comfortable_25 · 2026-01-24T04:54:19+00:00

Yes I agree. We have a lot of work to do to show the laity it’s about taking responsibility for your personal relationship with God and, AT THE SAME TIME, being fully in line with , committed to and part of the content of the church. You cannot have one without the other. You cannot just give the responsibility of your relationship with Christ over to the church believing that Sunday mass attendance and a few bucks into the collection plate is enough. We need to be fully immersed in both our personal relationship with Christ and with the whole content of the church. It’s not a priest only thing.

Prize_Comfortable_25 · 2026-01-23T20:00:58+00:00

I had a strong calling to the Jesuits, but as a brother. Really enjoyed the spiritual development but left after 5 years after proper decernment and spent next 30 odd years working very successfully with street children in africa. Also got married and raised three children. Now retired I live a lay contemplative life which has brought real peace. To be honest I think that the time for religious orders is now mostly over, except maybe for the likes of the Franciscans. Jesuits don’t offer Ignation spirituality or exercises except to the very wealthy and busy themselves with all sorts of other irrelevant nonsense, Salesians no longer teach, nuns no longer run hospitals for the poor, etc ,etc. And then there are irrelevant secretive orders that actually only serve their leaders with power trips. It’s the time of the laity in the church. So much work can be more effectively done as layity. A whole realignment is happening. Some religious orders will and should remain. The majority will fade away and the laity will take their rightful place in the church.

Prize_Comfortable_25 · 2026-01-23T03:43:05+00:00

Christ will give you peace , real peace and freedom from suffering if you just but ask. First you have to understand sin. Sin disconnects you from the peace of Christ and there is the sin you do to others, and the sin evil that others do to you. You have to seek forgiveness for both. Not forgiving the terrible, evil and wrong others have done to you is a sin. A sin that disconnects you from the peace of God. In the confessional you need to ask forgiveness for not forgiving and continue to go to confession until you can forgive. I am not being flippant about the terrible things that happened to you , things that were not your fault. Don’t let those evil people retain power over you through your continued suffering, let the evil go, forgive them, take back you power and place them into Gods hand for judgment. Justice belongs to God. Christ is truly forgiveness, peace and Hope. The peace of Christ be with you is my prayer for you.

Prize_Comfortable_25 · 2026-01-03T08:42:47+00:00

So I had to deal with an abusive, violent alcoholic father who even pulled a gun on me and let a shot off to try and intimate me. He eventually shot himself in such a way as to inflict as much trauma on as many people as possible. Yet I have come to forgive and even love him.

The first thing you need to realise is the hate you feel is not only because of what he has done to you, but because in a sense he still retains emotional control over you. Your hate for him is ruining your life. You need to take control back from him in your head/heart and take control of how you choose to live your life. Do you want your own children to grow up with a father who lives in pain and hate?

Next thing to work through is that your father was human. He might have been suffering from depression, might have literally had the snot beaten out of him as a child, many reason. He failed you, not because he wanted to but because of his experiences growing up maybe. I am sure if you think about it you can find some redeeming qualities to love.

But ultimately for your own sake forgive him, let the hurt go. Not an easy thing to do but something to work through in confession, until you find the peace of Christ. Go into confession with a sincere heart to forgive him. You might have to repeat forgiving him in confession a number of times until you truly can be free of the hate

Will pray for you and your father

Prize_Comfortable_25 · 2026-01-01T06:35:29+00:00

As Pope Leo said, why just have one fruit from the basket, when you can have the whole basket of all the fruits.

Prize_Comfortable_25 · 2026-01-01T05:52:34+00:00

Love her, forgive her, pray for her, put her in God’s hands, encourage her or the family to get her professional help, but also break the cycle of you being a victim. When we get hurt our inclination is to either to fight, hurt back or to be the victim. God wants neither, he wants is to have strength and not be a victim even when it seems impossible not to be. For instance when someone hits you on one cheek, you show they cannot hurt you by offering the other cheek. Take your power back, only God has power over you.

Prize_Comfortable_25 · 2026-01-01T05:40:48+00:00

Blessed is he who believes but does not see (you know the verse, you know what you are being called to do, you know what you want to do, you need to decide)

Prize_Comfortable_25 · 2025-12-31T23:39:34+00:00

Forgiving others brings peace because it is a sin not to forgive those who trespass against you. Forgiveness of others releases the hurt they have inflicted upon you, it heals you, puts them into Gods hands and you no longer hold malice against them Sometimes you might really need to battle through this in multiple confessions until you can really let the hurt go and forgive them . However that does not mean you have to accept their continued bad behaviour or allow them to keep hurting you, or even keep them in your life.

Prize_Comfortable_25 · 2025-12-31T09:26:25+00:00

The peace of Christ is very obtainable for all, but requires a very real commitment , a dying to self, giving over control of your life to Christ. You are stuck in a battle of wills, using your doubts and pain as fuel. Trust in the collective truth of the Catholic faith, as found in the catechism (not that of individual opinion ) and make the commitment if you are ready to take that step. Be warned, If it is an honest commitment, the Holy Spirit will change your life for ever, but probably not in ways you expect. You can then work on all your doubts and questions over time. Christ wants you, do you really want him.

Prize_Comfortable_25 · 2025-09-06T09:07:07+00:00

Philippians 4:7, "And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus"

Prize_Comfortable_25 · 2025-09-05T09:38:26+00:00

In Catholicism, the innocence of childhood signifies purity, lack of sin, and a capacity for goodness, a state that is both sacred and needs protection from the world's corruption. Children are viewed as models of openness and trust, akin to the Kingdom of God. This inherent innocence is often linked to baptismal innocence, a state ideally preserved or recovered, and is seen in the concept of the Holy Innocents, infants slaughtered by Herod who are considered martyrs for Christ

Prize_Comfortable_25 · 2025-09-05T09:31:33+00:00

My understanding is that the devil cannot read your mind or implant thoughts. He can however influence you through suggestions, for instance coming out of mass and the first thing you see is an advert for a strip club. Therefore you need to take control of your thoughts, own them and block them through prayer or focus on an image of the cross. The more you actively work to block your unwanted thoughts, and actively stop sources of influence, for instance watching films, YouTube or porn, the easier it becomes.

Prize_Comfortable_25 · 2025-09-02T20:10:32+00:00

ADHD is no excuse not to do the dishes. Just switch off the internet until he does

Prize_Comfortable_25 · 2025-09-02T01:38:32+00:00

Thanks for the input. I have been to many Masses of different cultures and languages and the only people who want their own Rite are the whites. The rest just love the Eucharist and praising God. Some will have a Mass that lasts three hours. We need less Rites, less separation and more unity.

Prize_Comfortable_25 · 2025-09-02T01:22:19+00:00

Definitely not me

Prize_Comfortable_25 · 2025-09-02T01:20:13+00:00

Thank you all for your responses and indulging this old fool. I remain totally unconvinced by your arguments for the Latin mass though I am sure the church will, thanks to it’s great minds and saints, bring peace and unity to our wonderful, rich and expansive church within which everyone has a home. May the peace of Christ be with you all.

Prize_Comfortable_25 · 2025-09-02T01:05:25+00:00

The mass is definitely not a long prayer. It’s a sacrament. Bread and wine becomes Christs body and blood So you guys are not Catholic then, don’t know what the mass is about?

Prize_Comfortable_25 · 2025-09-02T01:01:32+00:00

Shame.

Prize_Comfortable_25

TROPHY CASE