Same Sex Marriage and the Church, Is It Time for Change?
Church Rules are not for Me!
Photo By: Flickr/Moyan Brenn
I am so happy that I don’t have to follow all the stupid rules that the Catholic Church has established. I mean, they aren’t mandatory. I see so many fellow Catholics that do not follow them, many who are clergy in the Church or teach the Faith in Catholic school and Sunday school programs. If they don’t follow the rules then it seems to reason that I don’t have to either. Everyone knows that all we need is belief and we go straight to the pearly gates when we die. God wants us to be happy after all. How could a loving God send anyone to Hell? I am not sure that I believe that Hell even exists.
"I, Sister Faustina Kowalska, by the order of God, have visited the Abysses of Hell so that I might tell souls about it and testify to its existence...the devils were full of hatred for me, but they had to obey me at the command of God, What I have written is but a pale shadow of the things I saw. But I noticed one thing: That most of the souls there are those who disbelieved that there is a hell." (Diary 741)
St. Francis Xavier “How many souls turn away from the road to glory, and go to hell!”
Pope St. Gregory the Great “There are many who arrive at the faith, but few who are led into the heavenly kingdom. Behold how many are gathered here for today’s Feast-Day: we fill the church from wall to wall. Yet who knows how few they are who shall be numbered in that chosen company of the Elect?”
So many people have died for their Faith in God, I just don’t think that God wants us to suffer like that. If someone were pointing a gun at me, I would become a non-Christian very quickly! God doesn’t want us to be tested like that, He understands.
Matthew 10:33 – “But whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.
2 Timothy 2:12 “If we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us”
I could probably handle Mass for my parents’ sake, a few times a year. If I go on Christmas and Easter I could get dressed up and buy some new clothes. It would be a great place to show off a new outfit. We could even do a big Easter brunch or Christmas dinner. Oh, and we can’t forget the Easter egg hunt and Christmas presents, these are fun times. I mean everyone likes a party, and Christmas and Easter themes can be pretty exciting. I just don’t think that going every single Sunday is all that important or vital. I have more important priorities on Sunday mornings, and my relationship with God is personal, I don’t need Mass as an avenue for my prayers.
Our Lady to Blessed Alan -“My Son so loves those who assist at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass that, if it were necessary He would die for them as many times as they’ve heard Masses.”.
St. Pio of Pietrelcina - “It would be easier for the world to survive without the sun than to do without Holy Mass.
~ Saint Thomas Aquinas - “The celebration of Holy Mass is as valuable as the death of Jesus on the cross”.
Saint Jean Vianney - “If we really understood the Mass, we would die of joy.”
St. Augustine - “The angels surround and help the priest when he is celebrating Mass.”
I don’t get the whole confession of sin to a priest thing either. I’m just going to go straight to God myself. I am sure that I really don’t have many sins worth telling him about anyway. I do love him after all and that is all that matters. Where did the Church ever come up with the idea that you must go through a priest for the forgiveness of sin. God is all about mercy and forgiveness.
Cdl. Sarah: ‘If There’s No Repentance, There’s No Mercy’
Matthew 16:19 “19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be] bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
John 20:22-23 - When He had said this, He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you withhold forgiveness from anyone, it is withheld.”
I also don’t understand why all these churches seem so adamant about us providing money and service to them. The Catholic Churches I see on TV seem pretty fancy and they must have a lot of resources, and look at the Vatican. Why should I offer up my hard earned money to people who should be able to provide for themselves? I am sure that there are plenty of others that are more than happy and enjoy being able to give to those who are less fortunate. I need all my money and time for me. I need that money for all the stuff that will make me happy. God does want me to be happy after all, and I have a pretty big bucket list of things to accomplish during my life. I have lofty goals of big houses, fancy cars and expensive vacations. I also want a prestigious job with lots of power over subordinates. I won’t get those things if I am donating all my money, time and energy to a Church. God understands and he wants me to be successful, It says so in the Bible.
Gal.5:13 - “By charity serve one another.”
Mat. 6:2-4. “When you do an almsdeed, sound not a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and In the streets, that they may be honored by men. Amen I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you [give] alms, let not your left hand know what your right hand [is doing], that your alms may be In secret; and thy Father, who sees in secret, will repay you.”
2 Cor. 9:7 – “Every one give as he has determined in his heart, let him give not with sadness or of necessity [compulsion]: for God loves a cheerful giver. “
Hebrews 13:5 “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
God wants me to be happy, so I am going to live my life doing what I want, and on my own terms. I know what is best for me, and I know what I am doing. I have a personal relationship with Him. I talk to Him all the time, when I am in trouble and need something, I always go to Him. I believe in him and I love him, so I am doing my part. Faith is all I need, so I will focus on me
The Blessed Mother to St. Bernadette - “I cannot promise you happiness in this world, only in the next”
Ecclesiastes 11:9 “You who are young, be happy while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see, but know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment.”
I’ve heard so many of these statements along my journey from the people whose paths I’ve crossed. At one time, I believed them as well, until I took the initiative and made the effort to learn my amazing Catholic faith. People truly believe these heresy, which are based on their own doctrines and not those of the Church. They choose to do what they want and they don’t listen. It is very sad, so I pray for them and hopefully can point out their errors for others to benefit from.
God does want us to be happy, and God knows how we can be happy. He wants to be the King of our Hearts and he knows what we need more and better than we do. That is why Jesus came to establish his Kingdom here on Earth, and left us Prime Ministers and Ambassadors in his physical absence from the temporal world. He gave us all the tools and means to obtain the Grace we need to follow these difficult commands to love, not only our friends but our enemies; and for leading a fulfilling life. After all, how do we love God? We love God by loving our neighbors, all of them. How can we love a God we cannot see, when we cannot love our neighbor whom we can? After all, they are God’s creation as well, made in his likeness and image, with an eternal soul. Loving those we don’t like is difficult, right? So he gives us the grace we need for this through the Sacraments instituted by the Church. That is why the Church has established these obligations. Christ knows how weak and inclined to our passions and desires we are. He knew that if given a choice we would do the things that are easy and fun. He knew that we would find it difficult if not impossible to adhere to the works that are difficult yet will get us to Heaven. So follow our Heavenly Father’s guidelines for us, they are for own good, benefit, happiness and ultimately our Salvation!
About the Author
I am a 57 year old, wife and mother of two grown sons. I am Cradle Catholic and experienced a reversion to the faith several year ago that moved me to dive more deeply into an understanding of the church and it’s doctrines and dogmas. The more I read, and discover, the deeper my love of the Catholic Church and her teachings becomes.
I become the Executive Director of a very active and busy Crisis Pregnancy Center on the West side of Cincinnati in October 2021. God is so good and answers prayers even though He knows at times, we have no idea what we are asking for. I left this job a few days ago, after having my heart broken and idea of working for a Catholic institution disallusioned. I am so honored and humbled to have had the experience to serve women and the unborn in this capacity! I am also very grateful for God, allowing me to see for myself, that perhaps such a calling was not His long term plan for me. Perhapos returning to Catholic 365 is more to his liking and fits more into his plan for me. I hopefully can once again be more active with content to this wonderful website.
I live in Cincinnati, Ohio where I attended the same parochial grade school and public high school that my two boys attend. I sang in the choir for 35 years and have also been a cantor. I recently left singing in church because i found it to be a grave distraction to the awesome significance of the Liturgy. I haven't looked back, and love the Mass now more than ever! I have been a past member of the Education Commission and have devoted many hours to the well being of St. Ann Church and School (now Our Lady of Grace).
I look forwad to being back and submitting more articles and content. I love being able to share my faith and use this platform as a way to express my deep love and devotion to our Lord. We need each other, and what a wonderful way to connect with others!
