[Kolokotronis]

Oh, don't be bothered by us. We do this sometimes. I remember many years ago when my oldest was about 11, we had the March 25th celebration and our March Parish General Assembly on the same Sunday after the Liturgy. Because my son was going to be reciting a poem that I had likewise recited for March 25th as a child, my folks came to town for the Liturgy and the pageant. Dad was a very Irish Roman Catholic, fasted all through Lent, went to Mass everyday, that sort of thing. He had never been to anything like a parish GA. Well, after a polite and friendly start, the meeting, as sometimes happens, degenerated into a battle over some point. I got pretty hot and heavy for a while, with both sides giving as good as they got. Dad watched in silence and when it was over, we all went back upstairs to a baptism then the celebration afterwards where we laughed and hugged and ate and danced and all had a grand time. Dad stood up and told the crowd he had never seen anything like it and that he loved it; that we could have a knock down drag out and then go right back to hugging and kissing because we all really loved each other, no matter what might have been said in the heat of the moment.

Internet discussions even among people of good will, and the crowd on this thread is made up of people of good will, probably isn't the best place to find spiritual guidance or answers to great questions. We all know of the dangers of e-mail, quick answer, written and sent in haste and we repent at leisure. You know, if this group had both the time and the opportunity to sit down on an evening and have this discussion, flashes of anger could be dealt with, misunderstandings readily resolved. But not here.Threads are too fast on the one hand, too slow on the other. My icon of St. Patrick says "I pray for the Church in Unity". Pray unceasingly. I know the Holy Spirit will guide you in the right path.

[NYer]

I needed help, and maybe God sent me here to seek it

God willing, perhaps we are here to help you. Kolokotronis makes a good point about the fast paced responses that oftentimes are posted "before" the individual has truly reflected. Sometimes, we squabble like sibblings here in the forum.

*this wayward-looking-to-return-to-the-fold-Cathoilc*

First and foremost ... Welcome home! . Even if you have not completed the journey, the fact that you are 'en route' is a positive step in the right direction. You will find yourself in good company here.

As a cradle catholic who has been sidetracked over the years, there was always a tugging sensation in my heart, no matter how hard I tried to ignore it. With little understanding of where you have been or how far you have come, we can at best only direct you to some resources. My first suggestion, though, would be to immerse yourself in prayer and ask our Lord to guide you.

In him comment:

"I read Jesus' giving "the power of the keys, to loose and to bind" to Peter as Jesus himself creating the papacy"

Vicomte13 points to something all catholics have been taught and believe. When Christ handed the keys to Peter, He said: "upon this rock (not rocks), I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it." The Catholic Church has an unbroken line of successors to Peter. Some of the popes were unseemly at best, yet NOT ONE of them has ever erred on doctrine.

With all respect for our Orthodox christian brethren in the forum, I have the utmost respect for you and your faith. In no way should this statement be interpreted as an accusation against the Orthodox faith. I simply wish to restate what NJNeocon, and all catholics have been taught and believe.

It may come as a surprise to you, NJNeocon (it certainly did to me), that the Catholic Church is both Western (Rome) and Eastern (Antioch, Constantinople, Alexandria, Byzantium). Earlier this year, thanks to information I learned from another freeper in the forum, I stepped into one of the Eastern Catholic Churches, lost my heart and soul to its beautiful liturgy, and never left. You can learn more about the 22 different liturgies that make up the One Holy Catholic Church, at this link.

CATHOLIC RITES AND CHURCHES .

If you have access to EWTN via your cable service, I would recommend that you tune in to Marcus Grodi's program "The Journey Home" which airs live on Monday nights at 8pm ET. Marcus is a convert and each week, his guests discuss their journey home to the Catholic Church. He also maintains a separate web site. You can meet others, like yourself at ...

Coming Home Network

There are other resources as well, but this is a start. If any one of us can be of assistance to you, please do not hesitate to freepmail me. Rest assured of my prayers for you as you complete your journey home.