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caticle
Member
| Joined: | Fri Dec 28th, 2007 |
| Location: | Florence, Mississippi |
| Posts: | 9 |
| First Name: | Cat | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | cradle-SouthernBaptist--great interest in Catholicism~ |
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Posted: Sat Dec 29th, 2007 11:03 pm |
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Hey everyone,
I'm new here. I found this forum about a week ago and joined and have been reading and reading ever since. There is so much great information here.
I am 53 years old (can't believe that!) and I take care of my mom full-time at home. She's in the late-middle stages of Alzheimer's disease. I grew up in a Southern Baptist home and never doubted my faith or that I was going to heaven until I was in High School. I realized then that I was too young (at 9 years old) to understand what I was getting myself into when I went forward and joined the church with alot of other girls in my Sunday school class. At age 17, I thought that I hadn't been saved back then, so I accepted Christ as my Saviour and was baptized again in our church. As the years went buy and I got different jobs in different parts of the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex, I got away from going to church or even praying anymore. For the next 30-or so years, I got busy with my life and put God on the back burner.
In taking care of my mom by myself for the past 4 years (and being homebound with her), I realized once again the power of prayer. I was at the point of either killing myself or my mom (I just am so sad to admit this). But a desperate prayer to God helped me through an awful time and afterwards I realized how much I needed God and how very much I missed Him and loved Him.
Since then I have been reading and searching for "The Truth"--I firmly believe that it is not Fundamentalism, so I got interested in learning more about the Catholic faith. My college roommate was Catholic and I went to Mass with her many times, but back then I couldn't get past alot of what I considered was wrong with the Catholic Church. (I was so close-minded and set in my ways back then ;-) I want to attend RCIA classes as soon as possible and attend mass again, since I have been studying and reading about the True Church.
So that's my story. I thank everyone for their questions and for those who answer them at this forum--it is truly a blessing and a great learning tool.
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Kayla
Member
| Joined: | Mon Jul 30th, 2007 |
| Location: | Emmitsburg, Maryland USA |
| Posts: | 369 |
| First Name: | Kayla | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Atheist, kind-of Mormon, Catholic |
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Posted: Sat Dec 29th, 2007 11:23 pm |
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Welcome, Cat! It sounds like God is truly pulling on your heart. I hope we can be of help to you. 
____________________
I believe, Lord, help my unbelief.
Jesus, I trust in You!
There's not a lot of job security for us after death. I suppose that's one advantage of being a philosopher. - Peter Kreeft
http://kayla23mount.blogspot.com/
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CajunRick
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Posted: Sun Dec 30th, 2007 12:00 am |
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caticle wrote: In taking care of my mom by myself for the past 4 years (and being homebound with her), I realized once again the power of prayer. I was at the point of either killing myself or my mom (I just am so sad to admit this).
Welcome to the forum, Cat. We're glad to have you with us.
I spent some time as a hospice chaplain, and I can assure you you are not alone in your feelings. Alzheimer's is a particularly cruel disease for the caretakers because you never know who you will be taking care of from day to day. Will it be the mother you have loved your whole life, or the stranger who inhabits her mind on the other days? Will she be loving or hateful, helpful or hurtful? When you enter her room, you have no idea who you will be meeting.
Jesus says those who take care of the sick will be rewarded (Matthew 25:31-46) so regardless of your faith journey, you are blessed for taking the opportunity to take care of your mother. And of course, you are honoring her (fourth commandment by our Catholic reckoning) so you are doubly blessed.
We don't know why God gives us these burdens, but our challenge is to look to them as opportunities to be Christ to someone we love. God wants to bless you by giving you this opportunity to honor your mother, even though it is hard. As Mother Teresa said, "I know God doesn't give me anything I can't handle; I just wish he didn't trust me so much."
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Intercessor
Member
| Joined: | Tue Sep 25th, 2007 |
| Location: | Southcentral, Kentucky USA |
| Posts: | 1446 |
| First Name: | Becky | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Southern Baptist, Catholic |
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Posted: Sun Dec 30th, 2007 12:21 am |
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Welcome to the Forum, Cat.
While you are waiting to be received into the Church, I hope you can get away from your home long enough to attend Adoration at least once each week. You could find strength and comfort in that practice.
God bless you.
Becky
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Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials. . .the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Blessed is the man who perseveres in temptation, for when he has been proved he will receive the crown of life. . . NAB James 1:2-4,12
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caticle
Member
| Joined: | Fri Dec 28th, 2007 |
| Location: | Florence, Mississippi |
| Posts: | 9 |
| First Name: | Cat | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | cradle-SouthernBaptist--great interest in Catholicism~ |
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Posted: Mon Dec 31st, 2007 03:35 pm |
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Hi everyone--
Thank you so much for all your welcomes & comments! I appreciate it very much. And yes CajunRick you are so right--I never know from day-to-day (and sometimes it's hour-to-hour) who exactly I will be caring for. Mom doesn't know me as her daughter anymore. She remembers that she was married but not that she had any children. (Mom and dad were married for 53 years before he died.)
Becky, I will most definitely check into going to an Adoration...hopefully in the next couple of months I can get a home-health person to come in for an hour a week so that I can get out and do this. Thank you so much for the suggestion.
I ask you all for your continued prayers if possible~ and I would like you wish you all a bountiful and blessed 2008.
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BodRod
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| Joined: | Mon Oct 2nd, 2006 |
| Location: | Apple Valley, California USA |
| Posts: | 840 |
| First Name: | Cliff | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Raised an SDA, then Generic Christian, finally at home with ... |
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Posted: Mon Dec 31st, 2007 04:45 pm |
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caticle wrote:
Becky, I will most definitely check into going to an Adoration...
Hi Caticle,
That certainly is a high-strung, vicious, killer beast you have there in the picture!!! I hope you are safe!!!
People look at me in a strange way when I tell them about my experience. So, ..... I'll tell you about it here and then quickly look away from the monitor so I won't see your facial expression!!!
Before I was involved in my more serious investigation of the Church and certainly before I was involved in RCIA, I found that I could visit my local RCC church, sit in a pew and enjoy the quiet peacefulness in the church. As I went exploring around the church, (We have beautiful "stained glass" windows on all sides of the church.) I noticed that I felt more quietness and peacefulness in a particular corner of the church. It was in the corner where a candle was always burning. Later, during my RCIA experience, I learned that in every RCC church that was open during the week, there is a container containing the Holy Eucharist and a candle is always burning in that area. If I had know about the practice of the candle and the box with its contents in advance, I would say that my experience was all in my head. However, I did not know in advance about the Holy Eucharist and therefore, those experiences have strengthened my beliefs that God is present there.
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Gratias agamus Domino Deo nostro.
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sewnsew
Member
| Joined: | Mon Oct 9th, 2006 |
| Location: | Arizona USA |
| Posts: | 913 |
| First Name: | Kim | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | cradle Anglican, Episcopal /Catholic-04/07/07 |
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Posted: Mon Dec 31st, 2007 05:12 pm |
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BodRod wrote: Before I was involved in my more serious investigation of the Church and certainly before I was involved in RCIA, I found that I could visit my local RCC church, sit in a pew and enjoy the quiet peacefulness in the church. As I went exploring around the church, (We have beautiful "stained glass" windows on all sides of the church.) I noticed that I felt more quietness and peacefulness in a particular corner of the church. It was in the corner where a candle was always burning. That is one reason my Southern Baptist In laws doubted that I was truly saved for so long. Even as an Anglican during times of great sorrow or need I wanted a church with the candle burning and the Host present. They felt that you can "visit with God anywhere" true but not the whole truth if you know what I mean. To them however that need somehow showed them that I worshiped the building or the statues or stained glass-
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Dave Armstrong
Network Apologist
| Joined: | Fri Nov 2nd, 2007 |
| Location: | Melvindale, Michigan USA |
| Posts: | 2227 |
| First Name: | Dave | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Evangelical (1977): Diverse Protestant Influences / Catholic in 1990 |
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Posted: Mon Dec 31st, 2007 07:02 pm |
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Welcome, Cat. I hope and pray that our forum can be a blessing to you, in your difficult situation. You can share your feelings and questions (and answers!) with us. I think you can see how wonderful and caring our people are, from the above responses.
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I'm happy to offer whatever theological & personal assistance I can. My blog, Biblical Evidence for Catholicism, contains 2100+ papers & web pages (free) & 17 apologetic books (4 sale: 15 E-Books: $25)
http://www.biblicalcatholic.com/
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CajunRick
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Posted: Tue Jan 1st, 2008 12:30 am |
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BodRod wrote: those experiences have strengthened my beliefs that God is present there.
You know, I once had an RCIA participant tell me that her daughter said, "Mom, I like the Catholic church. When we were Protestants, Jesus visited our church, but this is where he lives!"
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tedjenczewski
Member
| Joined: | Thu May 10th, 2007 |
| Location: | Richmond, Virginia USA |
| Posts: | 359 |
| First Name: | Ted | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Catholic, Presbyterian, revert Catholic |
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Posted: Tue Jan 1st, 2008 12:49 am |
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| Hi Cat. God has blessed us to have you here in our presence. May God bless you and help you as you show Christ's love to your mother and thereby to the whole church.
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"...the church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth." 1Tim 3, 15
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