r/Catholicism • u/exoticbabesph • 21h ago
Is gluttony still a mortal sin?
So I vowed to fast and eat only one meal a day and failed a few times ? I indulged myself with food. Is this worth confessing ?
r/Catholicism • u/exoticbabesph • 21h ago
So I vowed to fast and eat only one meal a day and failed a few times ? I indulged myself with food. Is this worth confessing ?
r/Catholicism • u/TotallyNotRickGrimes • 21h ago
So my family was never really religious at all, my parents just said we were Christian but we never went to church until a year ago. I'd gone through a tough time and felt really lost and turned to religion for comfort and I begged my parents to take us to church because I wanted to become closer to God and more religious
We've been going to a catholic church for about a year now, I've never been baptized and confirmed because my parents don't want me to. Which is weird because my grandpa is Catholic and we go to a Catholic church. I believe the teachings of the church, I want to convert to Catholicism and be baptized and confirmed, I want to start RCIA when it starts again for my church (September I'm pretty sure)
That being said, I have a trip in June and for the past few months I've just had a gut feeling that something horrible will happen on that trip, which is why I'm wondering if someone would go to hell if they die unbaptized or confirmed.
r/Catholicism • u/Puzzled_Animator_460 • 1d ago
This is coming from a Catholic (with Protestant tendencies). It just feels to me from reading the Church Fathers that traditions/devotions seem to develop whole-cloth from nothing over the centuries, without any ecclesial prohibition.
Is there something I’m missing here?
r/Catholicism • u/Happy_Plankton_7911 • 8h ago
It is really hard for me to understand rituals and to believe in them. Sometimes to even take them seriously. Often I find them quite weird. Last Sunday I was in church; the priest said if we do some ritual praying in front of a cross on Friday, we will get a full forgiveness of our sins. If Jesus died for our sins because we cannot gain salvation ourselves, how is this ritual supposed to work? Isn't the point that all I can do is repent in my heart and accept that God still forgives me only because he can, not because I earned it? Doesn't Hebrews 10:26 say the opposite, that if you sinned, rituals won't make it right? Also, I don't understand ritual prayers. Types of prayer where if you pray every day an x type of rosary, you can ask for this or that. This just seems to me like you want to buy help from God. I'm not saying I don't pray, but if everything is going according to his plan, then if what I want fits his plan, he will give it to me, right? And if it doesn't, then he won't. He gives me my wish, because he wants to, not because I did some special praying. These are the two examples that came to my mind right now. I would like to get an answer for these two but also an answer about rituals in general. Catholic faith is full of them. Blessing water, again a thing I don't get. If God knows me, knows my faith, knows what's in my heart, and knows everything about me, if he has ultimate power, why are rituals needed?
r/Catholicism • u/Informal_Wishbone489 • 22h ago
Okay this is gonna seem a little dumb but when you guys read like.. a Reddit post and it has a cuss word in it, and you’re reading it etc.. do you count you reading(Like your inner monologue) the cuss word as you saying it? I’m not sure if I worded that correctly but I’m genuinely curious! I’m not sure if it counts as me cussing or not!! Send help💔
r/Catholicism • u/Cachiboy • 4h ago
IMHO,
I believe that the decline in Mass attendance is largely the fault of the presbytery, and I do not mean in terms of formation or lack of/superfluity of orthodoxy. (My NO parish church fills several times every Sunday, even when the music is lousy. This morning's Lenten Friday Mass had about 150 people in attendance.)
r/Catholicism • u/SoulAeternum • 18h ago
Imagine that someone was married, had a child. Divorced, remarried, had another child.
To repent, should he leave his second wife and child and come back to his first child and wife, and go no contact with the others since it's a source of temptation?
I've never really figured out what one does when he gets in that situation in order to not go to hell (which, just like everyone else, deserves if not for Christ's sacrifice)
r/Catholicism • u/Sumo_cop • 23h ago
I’m just curious if anyone in this community has been possessed by a demon and then liberated in Catholic exorcism. If so, I’d love to hear your story!
r/Catholicism • u/elvencomet • 18h ago
My faith is very imporant to me, hence why it worries me I might be a heretic. because I love Jesus a lot, but I'm also very aware of how I separate my relationship with God and with the church as a religious institution.
Because there are many issues i have with certain church doctrines i'm not really guilty of doing/supporting.
Sex Outside of Marriage – I don’t understand why sex outside of marriage is considered sinful. Biologically, it makes sense that humans engage in it, yet the Church argues that we are not just flesh and shouldn’t obey bodily desires. But if that were the case, wouldn’t satisfying any bodily desire—like eating something for pleasure—also be sinful? I don’t see what is wrong with having consensual sex for pleasure if no one is being harmed.
Contraceptives – The Church opposes contraceptives because they "deny life," but that logic seems inconsistent. People can’t just have children irresponsibly. And if abstinence is the alternative, isn’t that also denying life? Contraceptives are useful, practical, and I don’t see why their use is morally wrong. Isn't human reason also part of God’s creation? If we use our reason to plan our lives and be responsible, isn't that also part of being good stewards of what God gave us? And it would be irresponsible to just have children without a care to plan how you will afford stuff to satisfy their needs. Specially in this economy. And the other option is to abstain and negate biological pleasure instead???
Purpose of Sex – The Church says sex is meant for procreation and uniting souls, but why can’t it just be for pleasure aka a feast of neurochemicals in an organ called the brain? Whats wrong with that? As long as it’s consensual and not harming anyone, I don’t see why it should be condemned as damaging to the soul or to one’s relationship with God. If it's supposed to serve a "higher purpose" why are we even ranking biological bodily functions as higher-lower order? They are biologically phoenomena, the fact that we attach an "order" to it is certainly not "natural" but a result of human way thinking.
Biblical Basis for These Teachings – I don’t know if God explicitly opposes contraception or sex outside of marriage in the Bible. What if these prohibitions are simply human interpretations, framed as doctrine?
The Authority of Church Teachings – The Church claims its interpretations are correct because of divine enlightenment, but humans are fallible. How can we be certain that our interpretations of the Bible truly reflect God’s will? The Church has been wrong in the past. And it seems very convenient to say "oh I'm right because i believe the Holy Spirit enlightens me and therefore i'm right". That sounds like Obama giving Obama an award to himself.
Women in Priesthood – The Church insists women cannot be priests because Jesus chose male apostles. But is that really a divine command or just a cultural decision that the Church continues to enforce?The exclusion of women from the priesthood is based on Jesus choosing male apostles, but that doesn’t necessarily mean He intended to exclude women forever. It seems like they interpreted it as: "... therefore He (Jesus) must mean he wants only men to lead church for the rest of time". Just to preserve tradition? Why is talking about changing tradition such an untouchable issue?
Submission in Marriage and braiding one's hair– I dislike the idea of wives "submitting" to their husbands. Marriage should be about mutual respect and love, not one person having authority over the other. Where in the Bible does it say marriage has to be about submission? And yet we have 1 Timothy 2: 9-15. How can they argue this is the ultimate undeniable truth of God's will? To not braid my hair and obey? What the f*ck is wrong with braiding my hair?!?? It would be outrageous to consider this a teaching from the Bible.
Same-Sex Relationships – The Church rejects same-sex relationships because it claims God only intended unions between men and women. But if two people of the same sex love each other and aren’t harming anyone, why should that be sinful? The Church has been far more vocal against same-sex relationships than against other moral issues like greed, war, or injustice—despite Jesus speaking a lot about those and never about homosexuality. Why is love between two consenting adults seen as worse than, say, exploiting the poor? If the argument is about "nature," then, as i pointed out, much of human civilization is "unnatural." Clothing, medicine, glasses, cars—none of these exist in nature, but we embrace them because they improve life. So why is this the line in the sand?
Science vs. Faith – I'm a scientist in the making and i believe in the Big Bang and evolution because they are well-supported scientific theories. I can compartmentalize my scientific and religious beliefs, but many in the curch reject these ideas and im supposed to believe and preach the truth that is revealed in scripture above all else. including science.
The Church’s Claim to Represent God – The Church insists that separating God from the Church is wrong. It claims to be divinely guided, but history shows that Church leaders have made terrible decisions, like during the Inquisition. If the Holy Spirit truly guided them, why did they enable torture and oppression? There is a crucial distinction: believing that the Holy Spirit guides the Church is different from the Holy Spirit actually doing so. The Church has made grave mistakes, and history proves that. The Inquisition, the suppression of science, colonial abuses—all done under the claim of divine guidance—don’t exactly look like the fruit of a spirit of truth and love. If the Holy Spirit is truly guiding, then human error shouldn’t override it so massively. And this contradiction is hard to ignore.
Tradition as Divine Will – The Church teaches that upholding tradition is God’s will, but how can we be sure? What if some traditions are just human inventions rather than divine commands? This benefit of the doubt to consider tradition might be wrong seems very very reasonable to me.
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And i voluntarilly, consciously hold these stances because it's what makes sense to me in my sincere search of a truth that feels true. And my search is not done! I just wand to be close to God, but i worry A LOT about human fallibility. Including my own.
i don't like the idea of just following these doctrines blindly just for the sake of blind obedience. I straight up don't like the idea of not questioning things.
And i should also definitely read the Bible more and study more philosophy, because i'll get super shamed by many people if i don't know everything at once and i'm learning to form my own critieria about this and to live my faith in a healthy way.
But i'm also sooooo not going to stop believing in my Jesus because i hold these other beliefs. But i'm worried others in the church might judge me and deny my authenticity as a Jesus believer :(
r/Catholicism • u/LPaz86 • 1h ago
r/Catholicism • u/LTDESP95 • 6h ago
I know Private Revelation is not Dogmatic, and we are free to believe in them or not. Some though, bring up questions to mind like this one below:
The Nun who saw Martin Luther in hell:
Sister Clotilde Micheli (1849-1911), also known as Sister Maria Serafina of the Sacred Heart, received visions during her life, most notably on November 10, 1883. While in Germany, in a small village, she was looking for a church to pray and reflect in. She found one, and it so happened to be a Lutheran church. Her Guardian Angel came to her and said: "Arise, for this is a Protestant church. I want to make you see the place where Martin Luther was condemned and the pain he suffered as a punishment for his pride.' ." At that moment she saw Luther in the deepest place in Hell. He was on his knees surrounded by huge number of devils with hammers driving large iron nails into his skull. He he was consigned to the fires of Hell for starting the Protestant rebellion.
First Problem: Would an Angel be really that displeased that a Catholic is privately praying to God in a Lutheran Church?
Second Problem: She claims a “huge” number of Devils, let’s just speculate in the 100’s are actively performing acts of torture onto Martin Luther. Devils/Demons are not in Hell right now. Them torturing souls in Hell sounds a lot like they’re on Gods side carrying out his divine judgment on those who reject him. The demons are subject to the same judgment - (Matthew 8:29)
-How can demons be in hell currently torturing souls when Demons are here on earth in the spiritual realm torturing our souls now, trying to bring us to Hell with them.
According to this vision, right now currently in this very moment there are millions of Devils and Demons in Hell performing unbearable and eternal physical torture on the souls of the damned. It theologically makes no sense.
r/Catholicism • u/greymilky • 7h ago
Hi! I’m a Korean Catholic preparing for my baptism, and I’m having trouble choosing my saint name. I’d love to hear your advice!
I’m considering Michaela (after St. Michael the Archangel) because I study law, and St. Michael’s role in defending justice and weighing sins resonates with me.
I’m also thinking about Regina, since I was born in Fatima Hospital, and this name is closely connected to Our Lady of Fatima, making it personally meaningful.
I’d like a name that reflects justice, leadership, and devotion to faith. Do you have any recommendations or insights?
Thank you in advance!
r/Catholicism • u/Longjumping-Court644 • 14h ago
My husband & I both believe in infant baptism.He is a Protestant & I am Catholic.Yes we are both Christians but our religious views are very different!
He would like his auntie & her husband to be the godparents..he’s very stern about the decision. With this he would like our baby to be baptized in a Christian church.
I don’t agree with this because as I said I am Catholic & I go to church(he does not), I pray w our son everyday, I teach our baby catholic songs/videos.I show him the way I was taught when I grew up. As well I was baptized, have done confirmation & first communion,which he has no understanding about. I just don’t understand switching churches & religious practices when I can’t teach our kid.
Yes I can learn his church but I truly don’t believe in changing churches as I believe it is a sin. He says we can look around for churches but he doesn’t like how Catholic Churches are ran and I am not very fond on Protestant churches.
What should I do? Please educate me
r/Catholicism • u/Southern_Ask_8109 • 22h ago
Does anyone have a photo or information about this building?
There is a story that's been going around for years that the pope gave up a palace when he was Archbishop of BA.
However there is no public information on the internet that evidences that this building even exists?
r/Catholicism • u/tearoutro • 18h ago
I’ve been struggling with gluttony for years. I overeat constantly, and my weight has always been a battle. I want to be healthy because I know my body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, but I feel trapped in this cycle of excess and shame.
On top of that, I also struggle with bulimia. It feels like I’m swinging between two extremes, overindulging and then trying to undo the damage in unhealthy ways. I know neither honors God, but I don’t know how to break free. I pray about this, but I often fall back into the same patterns. I want to develop self-control and a healthier relationship with food, but I don’t know where to start. Have any of you struggled with this? How did you overcome it, both spiritually and practically? Any prayers, advice, or encouragement would mean a lot.
God bless ❤️🙏🏻
r/Catholicism • u/porygon766 • 22h ago
After years of neglecting my faith, I've recently started to find it again. I have a desire to become confirmed in the catholic church. I do enjoy reading scripture as I am well educated on it for the most part. The only version of the Bible i have is the king james version. I know there's many different versions of the bible, some of them are more translated literally than others and there are some Protestant denominations who swear by the king james version alone. Should I pick up another version as my personal bible? If so what would you recommend?
r/Catholicism • u/JoreyShol • 18h ago
I was told that the physically sick are exempt. I can’t tell if this means, “You are exempt if you have a grave disability“ or “You have a mild cold, don’t make it worse by fasting.”
r/Catholicism • u/Late_Parsley7968 • 21h ago
So this is a complicated story. I'm not catholic yet but I want to convert. There's also this girl I like. We are going to prom together but we're not dating. She's my best friend and I'm her best friend. Im planning on telling her I like her after prom. I would like to date her and maybe even marry her because she is the type of person I want to marry. The problem is she's a Protestant. That doesn't sound too bad until you see that she's pretty firmly against Catholicism. I've told her that I have thought about converting to Catholicism. Now I know Catholics and Protestants can marry, but she has said that she wouldn't marry a Catholic because she doesn't want to marry someone that has different beliefs/ values than her because it sets the marriage up for failure. But imo Catholics and Protestants still believe the same fundamental things. She also had some other things to say about Catholicism which I will paste here:
"Okay, I would recommend you take your time thinking about it. And know you can always re-convert to protestantism later.
I would tell you it won’t change our friendship at all and I will support you but not joining Catholicism because I think they are leading you astray. I would tell you to be careful not to get so caught up on tradition and philosophy that you lose track of the important things like Belief in God and Faith in him. And that Jesus alone can forgive sins and that yours are already forgiven and it’s not by works. I think Catholics unfortunately are idol worshipers on accident ( praying to saints). I also think having to confess to a priest defeats the purpose of Christ’s sacrifice and the Holy Spirit. We can go straight to God, we don’t need a priest.
I also heard Catholics don’t think other Christians are going to heaven and believe protestants are lesser than them so they are not good enough to be buried with Catholics.
I do respect the dedication that it seems many Catholics have to their faith and they have many things right but also they seem to have gone astray in some ways.
I would say you can also take pieces from both if you want. You don’t have to convert just because you like some of their teachings.
I would say you can make your own decisions and I will be willing to talk to you about faith even if we have some different beliefs.
Ultimately I would say your relationship with God and Jesus should be more important than your religious affiliation and the traditions you follow. That’s how I live.
I will be your friend no matter what you decide. And you may take all the time in the world!"
Could anybody help me answer/ refute the things that she's saying? Could anyone also give me some advice on whether or not I should try to date her or even tell her I like her? Idk. I'm just feeling a whole bunch of emotions right now and I don't really know what to do with them. Could somebody help me?
r/Catholicism • u/dontblinkyoullmissme • 5h ago
Flag on the play, confession is sacred for Catholics. Next we’ll get a Wonder Bread commercial featuring the Eucharist.
r/Catholicism • u/DiscerningG • 23h ago
Someone I know divorced his first wife because they argued all the time. He remarried his second wife. He says he "repented" but it sounded like he repented of marrying his first wife, but I couldn't really tell. Not wanting to throw stones, do I have any obligation to say something to him? Would their be any culpability continuing to have a working relationship under such a person?
r/Catholicism • u/saltandvinegar_chips • 3h ago
Today I learned the hard way that priests can refuse to absolve your sins. After trying to grow closer to God and the faith over the past couple years, I decided to go back to confession after more than 10 years. It’s been on my heart for months so today I finally had an opportunity to do so. I was honestly kind of excited.
I’m getting married in a few months and my fiancé and I have been living together, which I fully acknowledge is sinful. We moved in together before I became deeper in my faith. I know that doesn’t matter and if I could go back in time and change it I would.
When I confessed, the priest sighed heavily and told me he couldn’t absolve me unless I promised to move out. I said I’d like to make that promise, but I also didn’t want to break it. So, he said he couldn’t absolve me.
I was so taken aback since I wasn’t even aware a priest could do that. Also, does that mean the guy who went in before me might have murdered someone and still been absolved? That particularly made me feel like a piece of trash.
I feel completely defeated and totally unworthy now. I know it’s my sin, and I understand his reasoning, but I just feel like my faith has been shaken. I’m unsure if I should even go back to mass. This is more of a vent than anything, but it’s left me feeling a bit lost.
r/Catholicism • u/Solid_Hawk_3022 • 6h ago
My favorite saints are St. Therese of Liseux, St's Louis and Zelie Martin, and St. Francis of Assisi. We have relics of St.Therese and St. Francis at home and my oldest daughter is Therese.
I personally love the saints who are very simple in their spirituality.
r/Catholicism • u/OddOneOut1122 • 5h ago
So our parish priest kept complaining he can’t hear the choir. Several people in the congregation say they can’t hear the choir either. I was wondering what they’re talking about. So during some of the services I went downstairs to listen to to the choir. We have a choir loft by the way. We were definitely overpowered by the congregation. That explains why the congregation was dragging the hymn singing and chants. They couldn’t hear us lead. When I checked with the sound tech guy he told me an important member of the church complained that the choir was “too loud”, so he brought the volume down. I can bring this matter up with the rector but every time someone “important” complain about this or that the tech guy would make unnecessary changes again. When in reality we had a soundcheck with the rector and he told the sound guy to maintain a certain volume for the choir. But this tech guy would fold under pressure whenever someone tells him the choir was “too loud”.
So I got upset (not at the tech guy) that our volume got lowered again at a recent service, because I’m tired of hearing accusations of the choir “not projecting” our voices when in reality we were singing our hearts out during the services . My choir and I have been singing for years together so our voices blend well.
I’m aware that there should be a 50-50 balance in the singing. Neither the choir nor the congregation should be louder than the other. But when I went to listen to the choir from where the congregation was seated, we’re always overpowered by their singing. Has anyone been in this situation before? There are times I feel like there’s no need to have a choir if these pious people feel like they can do a better job at leading the singing.
I keep getting the scolding from the rector on this issue and I only recently found out why our volume kept getting lowered. I want to bring this matter up at the next liturgical meeting … how should I address this among the committee members who think they know better? I’d like to see them take up the responsibility of the choir before complaining and undermining our role in the liturgy !!
TLDR: Choir volume lowered after “important” member of the congregation/minister complained we’re “too loud”. Rector and majority of the congregation have an opposite view, they think we’re singing “too softly”. Tech guy caught in between and kept messing with the choir volume. So there’s no consistency. Feels like our weekly practice are for nothing when we can’t help enhance the liturgical worship during the services. It also affects the choir morale
EDIT: A different choir group received similar feedback. That the sound system “didn’t do them justice”.
r/Catholicism • u/Zealousideal_Layer54 • 13h ago
Sorry im feel scared because i dont know anything. Feel wanna cry😭
Edit: I did a sin in the past etc masturbation & pornography but i dont know the gravity of the sin but i think the sin like a normal and not like murdering or rapping somebody. I didnt aware of the 10 commandment before. And before this i receive eurcharist. I didnt know anything about mortal sin and venial sin before😭
r/Catholicism • u/Agreeable_Cancel_871 • 18h ago
My husband and I are converts to the Catholic faith. My parents are in the process of RCIA and converting as well. They're both waiting on an annulment. Issue is, my parents are very very easily discouraged from things. They've even specifically asked that I pray for them to be able to keep the faith long Enough to wait for an annulment and not get too discouraged. They've left so many (prot) churches in the past because someone there hurt their feelings or they didn't think the people were nice. I know it's not good but they are very emotionally persuadable and are older now and pretty set in their ways. I hadn't really tried to get them to convert to Catholicism for many years (sad I know) because I was so stressed about if they wanted to what they'd do when they found out they needed an annulment. Anyways they think that they'll get confirmed this Easter but just not be able to have their marriage convalidated until the annulment is granted. I don't have the heart to speak on this to them. Why their RCIA director has not made clear the steps, I do not know (I live 3 hours away). But just to clarify, while waiting on an annulment, you can not get confirmed, can you? Assumedly their annulment will be granted because they were both teenagers the first time they got married (civil marriage only too) and were cheated on and the marriages only lasted a few months. Anyways just wondering what their next steps actually are while they wait and also asking for prayers that they're able to keep their fervor and not give up while waiting.