I finally told me family im catholic?

Question

After about 4 months I finally told my family that Im going back to the catholic church. They didnt get mad, but they said a lot of rude things. My 32 year old sister said she would rather me be a satanists then a catholic, my mom and sister got into a talk about how the catholics worship mary and the saints, and they both said that the bible tells you not to do what catholics do.
Im not sure how to respond. I knew they wouldnt be supportive, but that was very hurtfull.

They are protestant

Answer 1

I'm always bewildered by non-Catholics who say things against Mary, the saints, purgatory .......and then always .....and I have to laugh............they always say. "the bible tells you...........".

1) What they don't understand is the books pertaining to their questions were removed by Luther!
2) They are also, "Bible-Only (Sola Scriptura) in their religion.

The idea that all revealed truth is to be found in "66 books" is not only not in Scripture, it is contradicted by Scripture (1 Corinthians 11:2, 2 Thessalonians 2:15, 2 Thessalonians 3:6, 1 Timothy 3:15, 2 Peter 1:20-21, 2 Peter 3:16).

Our Lord founded a Church (Matthew 16:18-19), not a book, which was to be the pillar and ground of Truth (1 Timothy 3:15). We can know what this Church teaches by looking not only at Sacred Scripture, but into History and by reading what the earliest Christians have written, what those who've sat on the Chair of Peter have spoken consistently with Scripture and Tradition, and what they've solemnly defined. To believe that the Bible is our only source of Christian Truth is unbiblical and illogical.

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Due to the fact that these
Christians use the Protestant Old Testament which is lacking 7 entire books 2 (Tobias, Judith, Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus/Sirach, Baruch, I Maccabees, and II Maccabees), 3 chapters of Daniel and 6 chapters of Esther may be one of the reasons they ask catholics so many questions.

For the Sola Scriptura this is too bad .
In the 16th c., Luther removed those books from the canon that lent support to orthodox doctrine, relegating them to an appendix. Removed in this way were books that supported such things as:

prayers for the dead (Tobit 12:12; 2 Maccabees 12:39-45),

Purgatory (Wisdom 3:1-7),

intercession of dead saints (2 Maccabees 15:14),

and intercession of angels as intermediaries (Tobit 12:12-15).

The lesson, though, is this: relying on the "Bible alone" is a bad idea; we are not to rely solely on Sacred Scripture to understand Christ's message. While Scripture is "given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16-17), it is not sufficient for reproof, correction and instruction in righteousness. It is the Church that is the "pillar and ground of Truth" (1 Timothy 3:15)! Jesus did not come to write a book; He came to redeem us, and He founded a Sacramental Church through His apostles to show us the way. It is to them, to the Church Fathers, to the Sacred Deposit of Faith, to the living Church that is guided by the Holy Spirit, and to Scripture that we must prayerfully look.

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I converted to Catholicism 15 years ago.
My parents (Protestants) have never condemned my choice......but there have been discussions on the difference of our beliefs. It only made me seek knowledge and I can honestly answer them of things "they do not know", which is not there fault..........it's just ignorance or illieracy.

Don't feel hurt by their words............for they don't know. Seek knowledge and then have some dialoge with them. If they continue to debate, then let it rest and just pray for them.

Peace be with you.


Where the Bishop is, there let the multitude of believers be;
even as where Jesus is, there is the Catholic Church
- Ignatius of Antioch, 1st c. A.D-

Answer 2

First, God bless you and welcome home. As hard as it is, you've answered His call. God bless you.

Pray for your family. I have non-Catholic family that hate the fact that I am Catholic. Even so, I pray for them at Mass.

Study your Catholic Faith. It's the best thing you can do for yourself. Go to Mass, immerse yourself in prayer. Draw as close to Jesus as you possibly can, and then draw closer.

Obviously you're already feeling the anti-Catholic sentiment. That's okay. I converted two years ago and since then I've learned a lot of people don't like Catholics; I laugh about it.

Got a Catechism? If not, get one. It's THE document that shows what the Church believes and teaches. A great one is the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults. It's a big red book.

Here are some great websites that also help to explain the Faith and answer misconceptions and errors from non-Catholics: www.catholic.com
www.scripturecatholic.com
www.newadvent.com

There are a ton of others but these will get you started.

Again, God bless you for coming home. You've made His heart smile.

God bless, and take care.

Answer 3

I'm sorry that your family isn't supportive. But I think you are in a good position to inform them about Catholicism. As you know, Catholics do not worship the Blessed Virgin Mary or the saints. Try explaining the communion of saints: All Christians are called to be saints. If you believe in Christ, you shall not die, but will have eternal life. Well, even if our brother and sisters in Christ have "fallen asleep", they can still pray for us. It is like phoning a friend.

Now for Mary. In the Ten Commandments, there is one commandment: honor your father and mother. Jesus honored her. Shouldn't we too? Also, you can tell them that all the saints, and especially the Blessed Virgin Mary, always point to God and esp. to Jesus.

It sounds like they are just repeating what other people are telling them. Ask them to point out specifically what the bible says. Email me and I can help find what you need to respond. If you would like some supporting scripture for both, you can get a Catechism of the Catholic Church or go to the link below. Good luck and God bless.

Answer 4

Someone sent me an audio file about explaining Catholicism to Protestants. His or her moniker is "Catholic Christian." That should tell you the audio is good and will be supportive of your position. If you email me with your email address, I'll be able to send it to you when I get my computer connected (soon but not immediately.) As a Protestant, I really enjoyed this audio piece. It explained things in a way that was easy to understand. I go to a church where many of the folks are prejudiced against Catholics, so I'm always looking for stuff to help me make my point clearer.Our pastors don't understand that some Catholics truly are Christians (saved by grace through faith, just like we are, and the 'works' are just evidence of that.)

Click on the name under my avatar for an email link. I don't know how to attach files when sending things through the Answers email links, so I'll need your regular email. Let me know if you want this. I'd be happy to send it to you and see if it helps.

Answer 5

I had much the same reaction from some of my family members when I converted to Catholicism back in college. My immediate family was very supportive, but my grandmother and some of the other family members wouldn't speak to me. (And some of my cousins still haven't, here 30+ years later.) I'm sorry you're going through the same kind of hurtful situation with your own family, and you have my full sympathy and understanding.

I tried explaining my love for the Church and the Eucharist to those who didn't approve of my choice of religions. One or two people finally came to see that Catholicism is in line with Scripture, but the others refused to accept what I was telling them. I told them that what they were saying was hurtful and asked them to stop. Those who refused were told that I could no longer accept their abuse towards my faith. They chose to sever the relationship when I would no longer let them harangue me.

It may be that you have to do something similar, no matter how much it hurts. You have the right to practice the faith of your choice without your family harassing or insulting you. You're the only one who can set the boundaries for how much you're willing to let them hurt you.

If you *do* have to put some distance between them and you, perhaps you could offer up the pain as a sacrifice for the salvation of souls and the return of Catholics who've left the Church. By making that sacrifice, you will have brought something good out of a bad situation.

I'll pray for you and your family. God bless you, and welcome "Home."

Answer 6

It is doubtful that you are going to change their minds. Many Christians take the attitude of "Hate the sin. Love the sinner". Perhaps that will be their approach. Some of the money collected by churches does go to helping the poor. You could help out with family finances by getting a job and sharing with your parents. They may refuse the money at first, but I am sure they would appreciate the help. Seeing you are being self supporting should help to increase their respect for you. They would not see you as a dependent child.

Answer 7

You don't say whether they are athiestic (believe that there is no God), agnostic (don't believe in God, but don't disbelieve either), protestant, or otherwise.

Try to get into why they were hurtful. If they believe that you are going to die and go to he**, of course they spoke up.

Sometimes, however, they are hurtful because they just don't understand it.

Just be loving, and lead a good Christian life. They will see you being happy and eventually accept that this is good for you, even if they think you are wrong.

Answer 8

Just give your family some time for the information to sink in. Demonstrate to them that being Catholic is not as bad as they think it would be.

Answer 9

While I'm not Catholic, I know none of those things are true. I guess just tell them you hope they find something that gives you the peace you most likely feel with your decision.

Answer 10

Read the catholics' answer.
Catholics do not worship St Mary, the angels and saint. But we pray or ask them to assist us to make our case to Jesus... all prayers goes to God.