Good Idea!!
Posted on 04/21/2014 8:51:13 PM PDT by Salvation
Becoming Catholic is one of life’s most profound and joyous experiences. Some are blessed enough to receive this great gift while they are infants, and, over time, they recognize the enormous grace that has been bestowed on them. Others enter the Catholic fold when they are older children or adults. This tract examines the joyful process by which one becomes a Catholic.
A person is brought into full communion with the Catholic Church through reception of the three sacraments of Christian initiation—baptism, confirmation, and the holy Eucharist—but the process by which one becomes a Catholic can take different forms.
A person who is baptized in the Catholic Church becomes a Catholic at that moment. One’s initiation is deepened by confirmation and the Eucharist, but one becomes a Catholic at baptism. This is true for children who are baptized Catholic (and receive the other two sacraments later) and for adults who are baptized, confirmed, and receive the Eucharist at the same time.
Those who have been validly baptized outside the Church become Catholics by making a profession of the Catholic faith and being formally received into the Church. This is normally followed immediately by confirmation and the Eucharist.
Before a person is ready to be received into the Church, whether by baptism or by profession of faith, preparation is necessary. The amount and form of this preparation depends on the individual’s circumstance. The most basic division in the kind of preparation needed is between those who are unbaptized and those who have already become Christian through baptism in another church.
For adults and children who have reached the age of reason (age seven), entrance into the Church is governed by the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA), sometimes called the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (OCIA).
Preparation for the Unbaptized
Preparation for reception into the Church begins with the inquiry stage, in which the unbaptized person begins to learn about the Catholic faith and begins to decide whether to embrace it.
The first formal step to Catholicism begins with the rite of reception into the order of catechumens, in which the unbaptized express their desire and intention to become Christians. "Catechumen" is a term the early Christians used to refer to those preparing to be baptized and become Christians.
The period of the catechumenate varies depending on how much the catechumen has learned and how ready he feels to take the step of becoming a Christian. However, the catechumenate often lasts less than a year.
The catechumenate’s purpose is to provide the catechumens with a thorough background in Christian teaching. "A thoroughly comprehensive catechesis on the truths of Catholic doctrine and moral life, aided by approved catechetical texts, is to be provided during the period of the catechumenate" (U.S. Conference of Bishops, National Statutes for the Catechumenate, Nov. 11, 1986). The catechumenate also is intended to give the catechumens the opportunity to reflect upon and become firm in their desire to become Catholic, and to show that they are ready to take this serious and joyful step (cf. Luke 14:27–33; 2 Pet. 2:20–22).
The second formal step is taken with the rite of election, in which the catechumens’ names are written in a book of those who will receive the sacraments of initiation. At the rite of election, the catechumen again expresses the desire and intention to become a Christian, and the Church judges that the catechumen is ready to take this step. Normally, the rite of election occurs on the first Sunday of Lent, the forty-day period of preparation for Easter.
After the rite of election, the candidates undergo a period of more intense reflection, purification, and enlightenment, in which they deepen their commitment to repentance and conversion. During this period the catechumens, now known as the elect, participate in several further rituals.
The three chief rituals, known as scrutinies, are normally celebrated at Mass on the third, fourth, and fifth Sundays of Lent. The scrutinies are rites for self-searching and repentance. They are meant to bring out the qualities of the catechumen’s soul, to heal those qualities which are weak or sinful, and to strengthen those that are positive and good.
During this period, the catechumens are formally presented with the Apostles’ Creed and the Lord’s Prayer, which they will recite on the night they are initiated.
The initiation itself usually occurs on the Easter Vigil, the evening before Easter Day. That evening a special Mass is celebrated at which the catechumens are baptized, then given confirmation, and finally receive the holy Eucharist. At this point the catechumens become Catholics and are received into full communion with the Church.
Ideally the bishop oversees the Easter Vigil service and confers confirmation upon the catechumens, but often—due to large distances or numbers of catechumens—a local parish priest will perform the rites.
The final state of Christian initiation is known as mystagogy, in which the new Christians are strengthened in the faith by further instruction and become more deeply rooted in the local Catholic community. The period of mystagogy normally lasts throughout the Easter season (the fifty days between Easter and Pentecost Sunday).
For the first year of their life as Christians, those who have been received are known as neophytes or "new Christians."
Preparation for Christians
The means by which those who have already been validly baptized become part of the Church differs considerably from that of the unbaptized.
Because they have already been baptized, they are already Christians; they are, therefore, not catechumens. Because of their status as Christians, the Church is concerned that they not be confused with those who are in the process of becoming Christians.
"Those who have already been baptized in another church or ecclesial community should not be treated as catechumens or so designated. Their doctrinal and spiritual preparation for reception into full Catholic communion should be determined according to the individual case, that is, it should depend on the extent to which the baptized person has led a Christian life within a community of faith and been appropriately catechized to deepen his or her inner adherence to the Church" (NSC 30).
For those who were baptized but who have never been instructed in the Christian faith or lived as Christians, it is appropriate for them to receive much of the same instruction in the faith as catechumens, but they are still not catechumens and are not to be referred to as such (NSC 3). As a result, they are not to participate in the rites intended for catechumens, such as the scrutinies. Even "[t]he rites of presentation of the creed, the Lord’s Prayer, and the book of the Gospels are not proper except for those who have received no Christian instruction and formation" (NSC 31).
For those who have been instructed in the Christian faith and have lived as Christians, the situation is different. The U.S. Conference of Bishops states, "Those baptized persons who have lived as Christians and need only instruction in the Catholic tradition and a degree of probation within the Catholic community should not be asked to undergo a full program parallel to the catechumenate" (NSC 31). For this reason, they should not share in the same, full RCIA programs that catechumens do.
The timing of their reception into the Church also is different. The U.S. Conference of Bishops states, "It is preferable that reception into full communion not take place at the Easter Vigil lest there be any confusion of such baptized Christians with the candidates for baptism, possible misunderstanding of or even reflection upon the sacrament of baptism celebrated in another church or ecclesial community . . . " (NSC 33).
Rather than being received on Easter Vigil, "[t]he reception of candidates into the communion of the Catholic Church should ordinarily take place at the Sunday Eucharist of the parish community, in such a way that it is understood that they are indeed Christian believers who have already shared in the sacramental life of the Church and are now welcomed into the Catholic Eucharistic community . . ." (NSC 32).
Christians coming into the Catholic Church must discuss with their pastor and/or bishop the amount of instruction needed and the time of their reception.
Peace with God
The sacrament of baptism removes all sins committed prior to it, but since Christians have already been baptized, it is necessary for them to confess mortal sins committed since baptism before receiving confirmation and the Eucharist.
In some cases, this can be difficult due to a large number of years between the Christian’s baptism and reception into the Catholic Church. In such cases, the candidate should confess the mortal sins he can remember by kind and, to the extent possible, indicate how often such sins were committed. As always with the sacrament of reconciliation, the absolution covers any mortal sins that could not be remembered, so long as the recipient intended to repent of all mortal sins.
Christians coming into the Church should receive the sacrament of reconciliation before their reception into the Church (there is no established point for when they should do this) to ensure that they are in a state of grace when they are received and confirmed. Their formation in the faith should stress that frequent confession is part of Catholic life: "The celebration of the sacrament of reconciliation with candidates for reception into full communion is to be carried out at a time prior to and distinct from the celebration of the rite of reception. As part of the formation of such candidates, they should be encouraged in the frequent celebration of this sacrament" (NSC 36).
The Christian fully enters the Church by profession of faith and formal reception. For the profession of faith, the candidate says, "I believe and profess all that the holy Catholic Church believes, teaches, and proclaims to be revealed by God."
The bishop or priest then formally receives the Christian into the Church by saying, "[Name], the Lord receives you into the Catholic Church. His loving kindness has led you here, so that in the unity of the Holy Spirit you may have full communion with us in the faith that you have professed in the presence of his family."
The bishop or priest then normally administers the sacrament of confirmation and celebrates the holy Eucharist, giving the new Catholic the Eucharist for the first time.
Reception in Special Cases
In some situations, there may be doubts whether a person’s baptism was valid. All baptisms are assumed valid, regardless of denomination, unless after serious investigation there is reason to doubt that the candidate was baptized with water and the Trinitarian formula (". . . in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit"), or that the minister or recipient of baptism did not intend it to be an actual baptism.
If there are doubts about the validity of a person’s baptism (or whether the person was baptized at all), then the candidate will be given a conditional baptism (one with the form ". . . if you are not already baptized, I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit").
"If conditional baptism . . . seems necessary, this must be celebrated privately rather than at a public liturgical assembly of the community and with only those limited rites which the diocesan bishop determines. The reception into full communion should take place later at the Sunday Eucharist of the community" (NSC 37).
Another special case concerns those who have been baptized as Catholics but who were not brought up in the faith or who have not received the sacraments of confirmation and the Eucharist. "Although baptized adult Catholics who have never received catechetical instruction or been admitted to the sacraments of confirmation and Eucharist are not catechumens, some elements of the usual catechumenal formation are appropriate to their preparation for the sacraments, in accord with the norms of the ritual, Preparation of Uncatechized Adults for Confirmation and Eucharist" (NSC 25).
Waiting for the Day!
It can be a time of anxious longing while one waits to experience the warm embrace of membership in the Church and to be immersed into Catholic society. This time of waiting and reflection is necessary, since becoming a Catholic is a momentous event. But waiting can be painful as one longs for the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, and the joys of Catholic life—the security that being a faithful Catholic bestows. Yet even before being received, those waiting to be fully incorporated already have a real relationship with the Church.
For those who are already Christians, their baptism itself forms a certain sacramental relationship with the Church (cf. Vatican II, Unitatis Redintegratio 3; Catechism of the Catholic Church 1271). They are also joined to the Church by their intention to enter it, as are the unbaptized who intend to do so: "Catechumens who, moved by the Holy Spirit, desire with an explicit intention to be incorporated into the Church are by that very intention joined to her. With love and solicitude mother Church already embraces them as her own" (Vatican II, Lumen Gentium 14:3; CCC 1249).
Thus, even before one is fully incorporated into the Church, one can enjoy the status of being recognized by the Church as one of her own, precious children.
NIHIL OBSTAT: I have concluded that the materials
presented in this work are free of doctrinal or moral errors.
Bernadeane Carr, STL, Censor Librorum, August 10, 2004
IMPRIMATUR: In accord with 1983 CIC 827
permission to publish this work is hereby granted.
+Robert H. Brom, Bishop of San Diego, August 10, 2004
“They will me!”
Nope. In 2,000 years no one will remember you. No one on this earth will call you anything.
Go away, troll.
Go worship your goat god or whatever it is your kind do.
It's been going on a LONG time...
NIV 2 Peter 3:16
He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.
But as I pointed out with scripture, baptism doesn’t clean you up...It can’t take away your past sins.
While it is true that baptism does not take away your sins, Peter tells us in Acts 2 that we are to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins.
Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and they asked Peter and the other Apostles, “What are we to do, my brothers?” Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is made to you and to your children and to all those far off, whomever the Lord our God will call.”
Good Idea!!
I am coming from the Catholic positon on baptism that is why.
Thank-you Salvation for posting this information about the RCIA ministry. God Bless.
Too many contradictions with Paul??? I’m glad to see someone claim there are contradictions...When I started out I saw contradictions as well...
More recently a few things have been pointed out to me.
Rev 2
1
“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:
These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands.
2
I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false.
2 Timothy 1:15
15 You know that everyone in the province of Asia has deserted me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes.
I think Ephesus is the only church in rev that was considered one of Pauls churches and wasn’t it in Asia?
1 Corinthians 9
1
Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not the result of my work in the Lord?
2
Even though I may not be an apostle to others, surely I am to you! For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.
3
This is my defense to those who sit in judgment on me.
Some one in Asia was saying that Paul was not an apostle, could it be the church at Ephesus?
So if it does not fit why is Paul defending himself?
Paul seemed to make it a point to mention his apostleship many times
We know that there is no evidence of Paul being called an apostle except by himself, we can also see that the other apostles did not exalt their self as being apostles.
Mathew 24
26
Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.
If we can believe Paul was contacted by Jesus in the dessert or secret chambers why can`t we believe Joseph Smith was? and I certainly do not.
Paul told the church at Galatia that the only instructions given to him at the council of Jerusalem was
Gal 2
10 Only they would that we should remember the poor; the same which I also was forward to do.
But the actual account was a little different.
Acts 15
20 But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.
Why did Paul circumcise Timothy after criticizing Peter for being a hypocrite and going with the circumcised crowed?, was he afraid too?
Acts 16:1-3
Most of the above was pointed out to me by some one else plus like you said I had already noticed a few myself and there are many more, some I take with a grain of salt, a few I do not agree with.
But we do need to remember it was the Catholic Church who decided what is God given scripture.
http://www.problemswithpaul.com/
As I said I do not agree with every thing but there are many things that make a lot of sense.
The problem I have with your premise is that it defies logic, and also Scripture.
Your world must be interesting. Your apparent view of Scripture is totally askew from reality. Your comparison of Paul to Joseph Smith reveals an ignorance of Paul's conversion.
Acts 9: 9 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. 3 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.
“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. 6 “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
7 The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. 8 Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. 9 For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.
10 In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!”
“Yes, Lord,” he answered.
11 The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. 12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”
13 “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. 14 And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.” 1
5 But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. 16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”
17 Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, 19 and after taking some food, he regained his strength.
So you think that after spending over three years teaching his apostles and making sure they were there to witness his resurrection that he would just take it away from them and give it to some one who claimed to have saw Jesus in the dessert>
Mathew 24
23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.
24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
Just in case you can not understand what I was saying, I was not saying that I am convinced Paul was a false prophet, I just say that I am not convince he was an apostle.
Paul came onto the scene just exactly like Jesus was warning his apostles about.
He is his own witness, exactly like Joseph Smith.
NIV 2 Peter 3:16
He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters.
His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.
He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand,
But then he added
which ignorant and unstable people wrest, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.
As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things;
The above is what Peter was agreeing with Paul on, that does not mean that Peter agreed with him on everything, he just knew when to keep quiet.
What was Peter,s intent on saying what he did?
Peter was told to turn the other cheek if a brother slapped him, but obviously Paul was told no such thing.
Peter did not want to go into a verbal war with Paul because Paul was an educated man, Peter would have been destroyed, Paul did enough damage to him and the other apostles as it was.
Channeling another fella??
I've seen this attempted here...
I’ve seen this attempted here...
To go to all that trouble to try and prove the apostle Paul is not a legitimate apostle is evil deception...
In at least one case, the author resorted to outright lies to sway his audience...
Paul says to follow him instead of our Lord. 1Cor. 4:16
This is an outrageous lie...Paul never said to anyone to not follow the Lord...So here's another lie...
Paul claims to be the "Master Builder" and lays the foundation stone. 1Cor. 3:10
Really??? Let's look and see...
1Co 3:10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.
1Co 3:11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Paul says he is A masterbuilder, not THE masterbuilder...And he says nothing about laying the foundation stone...
Whoever runs this site of your just follows after his father, the Devil...
1Co 3:10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.
1Co 3:11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
And then he says : For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Paul never laid no foundation. The non Catholic,s argue all of the time that Jesus is the rock and not Peter so if they are right then Jesus is the foundation .
Mathew 16:18
and upon this rock I will build my church; the rock is the foundation.
If the protestants are wrong then Peter is the foundation.
1 cor 4:16
Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me.
The point is that it is Jesus who Christians are to follow, not Paul.
You never commented on the verses I gave you which show with out a doubt that some of the Churches in Asia had left the teaching of Paul.
And it also shows that the Corinthians had heard about it and obviously mentioned it to Paul in a letter or by word of mouth, other wise why would Paul feel it necessary to defend his apostleship with them.
1Cor 9:2
2 Even though I may not be an apostle to others, surely I am to you!
Could the others be the Church in Ephesus?
Again Rev 2:2
2
I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false.
Looks like a plenty of evidence to at least wonder about it.
This is an outrageous lie...Paul never said to anyone to not follow the Lord...So here’s another lie...
Catholics are not by default Christians, nor are Christians by default Catholic.
The terms are not interchangeable.
Being a Catholic is being the member of a denomination.
Being a follower of Jesus, not a church, is what makes one a Christian.
If Catholics are Christians then Ted Kennedy was a Christian. Chavez was a Christian. Pelosi is a Christian. Kerry is a Christian.
Really?
No, the point is the person you are promoting lies...Paul did not say not to follow Jesus...
If your author wasn't so deceptive he would admit that Gentiles Paul was preaching to did not know Jesus and maybe did not know of Jesus...Scripture was scarce and had Paul told the Christians to follow Jesus, they wouldn't have any idea what to follow...
So Paul who had spent 3 years following the risen Jesus told the church follow him as an example on how to follow the Lord...He did not tell them to follow him as the Lord but to follow him as one following the Lord...
What deception you are posting!!!
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