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Page 6 of 6
Counting the cost
If you do begin to consider entering the Catholic Church,
what obstacles and difficulties are you liable to encounter on your way
"home"?
Becoming Catholic has a cost. You will need much humility, an
open
mind, possibly the willingness to let go of old prejudices, and a deep
and prayerful desire to receive the fullness of what
God has for
you. You will need to pray much and study diligently. You will need
courage, patience and perseverance, both before and after your baptism
and/or formal reception into the Church, to "endure until the end." You
may encounter a lack of understanding and possibly rejection and
persecution from your family, friends, and current faith
community.
Or, you may be faced with a lack of encouragement and even
apathy coming from Catholics who don't understand your journey of
faith and the price that it has cost you.
The journey to God is paved with difficulties, but it is also
surrounded by God's infinite grace and all-encompassing love for you.
He is calling you to a life of self-giving love. He is
calling you to Himself. Will you answer the call?
What should I do now?
If you feel that God may be calling you into the Catholic Church:
- Build your relationship with God. Pray daily - speak with Him and ask Him to lead you and guide you into His truth and
light.
- Study the Catholic faith, either with Catholics
for Israel, or through other Catholic resources (see links).
- Find a Catholic Church in the area and begin to attend Mass and to learn about Catholic prayer and liturgy.
- Get together with faithful Catholics who know and love
their faith so that they can help you progress on your journey to God.
- Speak with a priest about your desire to become Catholic. Pay close
attention to what he says, and make sure he is faithful to the Church.
If you find that he dissents from any of the Church's
teachings as taught in the Catechism,
or tells you that you don't really need to become Catholic, leave and
find another priest.
May the Lord bless you and keep you on your journey to God!
For further reading
If you are not a Christian or do not believe in Jesus you may
want to read:
If you are Jewish, check out the following articles and
resources:
To find out more about the Catholic Church and on how to
become a
Catholic, see also:
Are you an Evangelical Christian or Messianic Jew? If so, is
your faith
tending towards unbelief, liberalism, fundamentalism, or Catholicism? Read more: The
Tendencies of Evangelicalism
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