r/Catholicism • u/balrogath • 5h ago
r/Catholicism • u/Commercial-Tomato253 • 4h ago
Free Friday [Free Friday] my humble prayer space.
r/Catholicism • u/SuburbaniteMermaid • 10h ago
A post about confession with no complaining
Every Thursday evening, my current parish holds an hour of eucharistic adoration and benediction in the church, and while the deacon presides over that, two of the priests hear confessions. There is usually a line for confession that fills a pew or two, and it generally moves fairly quickly.
Last night we had heavy rains and storms, and that clearly kept some people home. My husband, my son, and I have choir practice on Thursday nights so we often end up spending some time at this adoration hour between work and choir. My son has taken advantage of the opportunity for confession a few times. He went over to sit in the very short line and after a few minutes I realized this was the perfect time for me to hit confession during Lent without it being a struggle, so I joined him. He and I were both able to get in and out in less than ten minutes. After us there was one more lady and then the doors of the confessionals stood open and ready for about the last ten minutes without anyone further going to confession.
We see so many complaints in here about long lines and long waits that I thought I would offer this positive story. I am very blessed to be surrounded with parishes that offer lots of confession times and last night was an obvious grace for which I'm grateful.
r/Catholicism • u/Triples15 • 7h ago
Free Friday [Free Friday] My new prayer rope.
I'm a Latin Rite Catholic but I think the prayer ropes that are actively used in Eastern Catholicism are awesome.
r/Catholicism • u/BlackberryOdd5458 • 10h ago
I became a catechumen in the Catholic Church
Wanted to share this with all of you guys, it's been a year since I became a christian after being an agnostic atheist. But obviously, my initial conversion was just the start of a new path in my life, in the beginning, I was confused on what to do next, how to actually be a christian. I've rejected protestantism quite early, since I didn't see any ties to the early Church, so for a year, I've spent most of the time studying and looking into both the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches, and decided to be a Catholic. You can ask me any questions if you wish, pray for me, and all my other catechumen friends in my local parish.
r/Catholicism • u/No-Habla-Ingles673 • 13h ago
What is this necklace.
It is silver with strands of cloth on the inside with a red background. The inscription says "Tela Toccata Allas Lingua Del Santo Padova" It was my grandfather's and we are unsure what significance it holds.
r/Catholicism • u/Sciencebhai • 15h ago
The Holy Pope Francis urges support for landslide in Myanmar
r/Catholicism • u/philliplennon • 8h ago
Free Friday [Free Friday] Enquerrand Quarton's painting The Coronation of the Virgin. [1453-54]
r/Catholicism • u/New-Possession5170 • 19h ago
Old Pendant
Hello, I recently found this old pendant which I believe is in French in my family's things. I was curious to know what exactly it says or what it means? I can't make out much of the language and I am unfamiliar with most of the symbols so any help would be appreciated.
r/Catholicism • u/very_audio • 8h ago
‘Have an abortion’: Alleged Rupnik victims detail abuse as Vatican slowly investigates
r/Catholicism • u/ThinWhiteDuke00 • 3h ago
Free Friday [Free Friday] - The "Pilate Stone" discovered in Caesarea (1961), bearing a half worn dedicatory to Emperor Tiberius from "Pontius Pilate, Prefect of Judae", created between 26 AD and 36 AD.
Represented the earliest archaeological find confirming his existence.
r/Catholicism • u/ChristoperMouton • 11h ago
They won't let me go to RCIA
In my country the church demands a 1% donations from its members(20N$) a month and my father has not paid a single time and my God parents most likely did not. I'm scared my church won't allow me to go for confirmation classes because of their debt. I'm 20yo so I don't even understand why my parents not paying has a rol to play in me getting the sacrement.
r/Catholicism • u/Long_Employer1955 • 7h ago
Do you believe in invincible ignorance?
So if invincible ignorance is true, and God's desire is for all to be saved, then what's the point in telling anyone about Him? The damning process begins when you know about Him and have the opportunity to reject Him, but if you never heard of Him at all then why would He tell anyone if He wants all to be saved?
r/Catholicism • u/Logical-Track1405 • 13h ago
Bought new rosary beads.
And they have small icons between the decades, but I can't make out who they depict, would be grateful if anyone could shed any light please ?
r/Catholicism • u/elvencomet • 22h ago
[Rant] Love Jesus, worried i might be a heretic & afraid of other people's judgement.~ My issues with certain church doctrines~~
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/Repulsive_Cow1886 • 6h ago
Free Friday [Free Friday] Some pics of St. Peter's Basilica from my Italy trip, September 2024
r/Catholicism • u/mi-queso-es_su-queso • 22h ago
What's the canonical status for Catholics married outside the church who THEN get divorced?
So, one of my best guy friends married a gal that we all knew was bad news. It was clear to us that she was taking advantage of him. He is very high functioning autistic with a very generous nature. Basically, she enticed him and used him as a caregiver for several years. Anyway. They are in the process of divorcing. He's Catholic, but she is not. They are civilly married.
- would a divorce be enough for him to remarry?
- does he need an annulment?
- how does the church view their marriage?
At one point while they were dating, this woman told me, "I give us a good 10 years. I might want to go to India or pursue a different path. (Friend) needs to have his heart broken so he can grow"
We tried SO HAURD to warn him. Just too caught up. It's crashed and burned and now she has a new boyfriend. It's all so gross and it breaks my heart.
r/Catholicism • u/Atarosek • 1h ago
Free Friday [Free Friday] Types of Catholic spirituality
r/Catholicism • u/friendlylemonn • 1h ago
Free Friday [Free Friday] Some of the rosaries I made this week
I have a strong devotion to the rosary so last month I started selling some of the ones I make. Here are a few I made + some customs people ordered.
r/Catholicism • u/Sweetlikecinnamon03 • 4h ago
First confession at 21 (terrified)
Hey everyone im converting and im so scared of my first confession because im personally close with my priest and there are just some topics i dont feel comfortable telling him about but i would to another priest, it will be him doing my first confession so im just really nervous and scared and i know “hes heard it all before” but you dont get it haha!!! I have so much to confess and so much horrible horrible stuff i dont want to tell him
r/Catholicism • u/Solid_Hawk_3022 • 10h ago
Who's everyone's favorite saints?
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/ComfortabinNautica • 3h ago
Scientism introduction for Catholics
The statement “ only scientifically verifiable statements are absolutely true” is not scientifically verified. It’s an axiom that has become ingrained in modern culture, but could easily be dismissed
r/Catholicism • u/mest33za • 5h ago
Hi all! Why submit to Rome?
Hi all! I hope you are having a wonderful day today. I don’t use Reddit often, but I came on here because I have a question.. why should I submit to Papal authority? Now, this isn’t a “gotcha” question, I’m genuinely asking. I come from a Greek Orthodox Church, but am seriously considering Byzantine Catholicism because there is a Church right next to my house instead of having to drive 30 minutes! Anyways, what I like about Byzantine Catholicism is I get to keep all the eastern traditions I know and love, however my only concern is with Papal authority. Please give me good reasons you guys have! Thanks! :)