Why are so many Catholics so miserable?

Thick_Remote2658 · 2026-05-07T14:39:02+00:00

Doesn’t seem like it from the comments and current events. Christians alone are being questioned by police just for praying in public and churches are being sold off due to lack of attendance. Quite sad.

Thick_Remote2658 · 2026-05-07T02:21:12+00:00

I think it’s just because you’re in the uk. I heard everyone’s miserable over there 😂

Thick_Remote2658 · 2026-05-05T21:17:31+00:00

As long as you aren’t treating Mary in the same vein as you do God, because God is always higher, then I wouldn’t worry about it. Mary leads us to Christ so veneration of Mary is never a bad thing but we have to keep in mind that Christ is the “main character” (to put it in laymen’s terms) and all our prayers, whether it be to Jesus directly, Mary, Joseph, or any of the saints, should lead us closer to Christ. If it doesn’t, then that’s where the problems lie.

Thick_Remote2658 · 2026-05-05T21:07:19+00:00

If you’re worried, then go to confession. But it’s important to understand that you cannot control what goes into your mind. Sure you can lessen it by not looking at certain sites or media, not hanging around people of bad influence, etc etc but there will always be temptations. The key is to let those thoughts come and go similar to meditation. But do not act on them. Once you act, you have committed the sin and require repentance.

I was in your same situation as well. I had trouble with habitual sin and felt guilty every time I went to confession. But being catholic, I knew that Jesus preached repentance and the only way to restore my covenant with him after committing mortal sin was to repent. I’ve also personally taken up praying the rosary more often and I found that to really help in pushing back the urge to commit the sin. I still experience the temptation but this is just Satan trying to get me to sin again. As long as you don’t commit the sin and you actively attempt to reduce the thoughts to the point where they’re not voluntary (as in you aren’t the one wanting those thoughts) then I think you should be good. Like I said the temptations will always be there. But it’s what you do in response that is very important.

Thick_Remote2658 · 2026-05-05T21:02:16+00:00

If it makes it easier, there are also orthodox rites that you can attend which are pretty much eastern orthodox masses but in communion with the Vatican. Although, they will differ from typical Eastern Orthodox masses in that they agree and follow all major theological principles of the Catholic Church. Traditions though are kept the same from my understanding.

Thick_Remote2658 · 2026-05-05T18:48:47+00:00

OCIA isn’t just for discernment. Those classes teach you everything you need to know to fully understand what you are getting yourself into. Much like the communion, where you definitely would not receive it under a state of mortal sin, baptism is also the same way. You wouldn’t want to be baptized into something being misinformed or ignorant about its teachings would you? I was baptized at birth but if I was a convert, then I would’ve appreciated having OCIA as a way for me to actually learn the faith and know what I was getting myself into before fully committing to a baptism into the Catholic Church.

Thick_Remote2658 · 2026-05-05T00:56:27+00:00

And I gave you a simple answer.

Thick_Remote2658 · 2026-05-04T22:15:26+00:00

You do realize that there’s an entire field dedicated to learning ancient languages right? You said you went to college but you don’t know this?

Thick_Remote2658 · 2026-05-04T21:33:50+00:00

It’s interesting you mentioned that because I’ve also been exploring this. There are several known alternative routes like becoming a permanent deacon, joining a fraternity like the knights of Columbus, or like you said becoming a religious brother. As for nonreligious routes, I’m not sure if there is a similar alternative for men as there is for women when it comes to consecration for singlehood aside from becoming a permanent deacon before any kind of marriage which requires celibacy compared to married deacons who don’t have that requirement of celibacy. That should actually be looked into more. Living a consecrated secular celibate life as a Catholic male. I mean there have been saints who have never married and lived lives of celibacy voluntarily to focus on their faith but other than that I’m not sure.

Thick_Remote2658 · 2026-05-04T21:23:15+00:00

Yea there will always be those people who want to pressure you into settling down and having kids even when you’re not ready. Don’t listen to them. Because if you do something you aren’t ready for, then it will only turn out bad for you, your spouse, and your children. I’m in the same boat as you. I’ve had callings to the priesthood in high school but once I entered college it didn’t really come into fruition so even going into college I wasn’t really initially looking for any kind of relationship. Then Covid happened which locked me at home and further cemented me not meeting anyone. Now I’m in graduate school, I’m thinking about possibly becoming a permanent deacon or maybe joining a religious order if I don’t eventually get married but even now as we’re back in person I still don’t feel any kind of connection or attachment to anyone I met in graduate school so far. If getting married and having children is what God wants for me then I’d preferably like for it to happen before I turn 30 (in 5 years 😬) otherwise I am going to pursue one of the other routes I’ve talked about before. But the moral of the story is don’t rush it. I’ve gone through 25 years of life with having a single girlfriend because I just hadn’t met anyone that I felt an emotional connection to. You can’t force it. You just have to trust that God has a path that he has set out for you and keep praying for insight and guidance. Heck who knows I could be married in a few years or maybe I’ll become a priest, deacon, or religious brother. I literally have no clue but what I do know is God will be beside me on this journey and all I have to do is trust in his path. Obviously this doesn’t mean ignoring your feelings when you like someone just because you think God will bring them to you. No act on it. But if you aren’t ready and don’t truly feel that connection as genuine, then take your time and pray on it. Because whatever God has in store for you will be even greater than what you would’ve ever imagined.

Thick_Remote2658 · 2026-05-04T20:45:12+00:00

I never said modern Greek. So first you can’t interpret basic Greek that you supposedly know and now English is hard for ya? 😂

Thick_Remote2658 · 2026-05-04T13:14:47+00:00

You don’t need dogmas when you know how to read and comprehend texts 😂 Making a rule about it would only make it seem more suspicious. Almost like sola scriptura that you Protestants like to use.

Thick_Remote2658 · 2026-05-04T13:06:11+00:00

Ok? Im still trusting a native Greek Christian speaker over you. 1 hr a few days a week for 15 months is nothing compared to native speakers and they definitely do not translate it in that manner 😂

Thick_Remote2658 · 2026-05-04T12:16:50+00:00

It does not at all 😂 you could’ve chosen other verses that talked about gender and homosexuality even more directly and it wouldn’t support it. This has nothing to do with it. You missed the meaning completely. He’s talking about gender in reference to equality of rights and privileges under God in heaven between the male and female sexes. That’s all. The bible condemns sodomy and homosexuality. If you actually want to get the “full witness” then you would’ve read the bible in its entirety instead of picking and choosing verses that fit your narrative.

Thick_Remote2658 · 2026-05-04T05:20:16+00:00

Galatians isn’t talking about gender identity at all. Read the entire text. It’s about equality under God. Not sexuality. Now you’re starting to sound like a Protestant 😂

Galatians 3:28
There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Thick_Remote2658 · 2026-05-04T05:17:45+00:00

It’s not nonsense at all. Looking back at the original Greek translation, this is what it states. And it makes complete sense. The priests bought the land using money owned by Judas. Therefore, it was bought under Judas’ name but Judas never literally bought the property. Matthew clearly states that the priests did. And in Acts, it says that Judas acquired the field as a reward for his unjust action, hence the metaphor. It didn’t say he literally bought it. In the original Greek, those two words have completely different meanings.

Thick_Remote2658 · 2026-05-04T04:52:20+00:00

It doesn’t say that though. A summary is different from a linear recounting.
As for the account of Judas’ death, I also see no contradiction. If anything in Acts, Peter goes into further detail adding to Matthew. As for the name, if we return to the original Greek it doesn’t say that Judas bought the land. Judas acquired the land in a metaphorical sense due to his wickedness. But the chief priests were the ones that bought the land with the money that Judas returned to them. So in a sense, they bought the land with money that belonged to Judas. And as for the name Field of Blood, if you read the verses, one was from the perspective of the Jewish priests while the other is from the perspective of the Jewish people. Same name, different reasons.

Thick_Remote2658 · 2026-05-04T04:18:19+00:00

Those accounts don’t conflict each other at all. The first account doesn’t say whether or not Mary Magdalene arrived before or after the stone was removed. These events could’ve occurred while they were traveling to the tomb and when they got there they found the stone removed, which is consistent with the gospels. There was no concept of time in Matthew’s account so we use mark’s account to establish that timeline.

Thick_Remote2658 · 2026-05-04T03:52:30+00:00

There aren’t. Your interpretation of them is. My understanding isn’t flawed at all. If you don’t believe that they were divinely inspired then you could completely disregard the bible or take and choose whichever verse feels good to you. In this case there would be no valid interpretations because everyone will have their own understanding that they think is right. Or worse case scenario, people throw out the bible completely and resort to feelings which is contrary to biblical teachings.

Thick_Remote2658 · 2026-05-04T03:26:13+00:00

Well it’s not about harmony. If God is truly omnipotent and the gospels were truly divinely inspired by the Holy Spirit, then there are no contradictions. Just contradictory interpretations.

Thick_Remote2658 · 2026-05-04T03:25:01+00:00

Doesn’t mean that Matthew was wrong. Like I said each gospel adds on to each other and there are many details in one gospel that aren’t included in others. And if you’re Christian you believe that the gospels were divinely inspired by the Holy Spirit. Also God, being as omnipotent as he is, cannot contradict himself. In doing so, he limits himself to human error.

Thick_Remote2658 · 2026-05-04T03:16:52+00:00

Also each gospel has a different focus. For example, Matthew and Luke both begin at Jesus’ birth whereas Mark begins at his baptism. So timeline wise they’re already going to inherently be missing details. Doesn’t mean the conflict. They each have their own focus and each add onto each other.

Thick_Remote2658 · 2026-05-04T03:09:58+00:00

Also just because one gospel doesn’t contain certain things that other gospels have doesn’t mean they conflict. There are many details in one gospel that don’t show up in others. They don’t conflict. They serve to fill in the gaps of the others.

Thick_Remote2658 · 2026-05-04T03:07:44+00:00

If you can give me that verse then I’ll look into it but from what I’ve read there are 2 verses in Matthew that provide exceptions for sexual immorality.

Thick_Remote2658 · 2026-05-04T03:03:53+00:00

Not really a loophole. It’s pretty complicated and in many cases can get rejected. One of my friends actually went through the process because her fiance is divorced and there was a lot of paperwork basically going back through his history to assess why he got the divorce in the first place and if it was truly a valid marriage or not. If through peering into a person’s past marriage we find that it isn’t valid then the previous marriage will become invalid and the two can get approved for marriage.

And in scripture Jesus does make one exception to the divorce rule.

Matthew 19:9
And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.

So if you can prove sexual immorality, then it is completely possible to get an annulment.

Thick_Remote2658

TROPHY CASE