I don't understand the Catholic Church

[The Walker]

Vicky got some pennance from her priest today. More than usual, I think. What I can't figure out is what the heck for? I didn't go, as I usually only go with her on the first Sunday of the month. I'm not RC, but it makes her feel better and causes me no grief.

She's been on the ranch all week, since last Sunday. She hasn't been cross or vexed with anything, in fact she's been very happy, puttering around the house, in the garden, whatever, singing all week. Not a discouraging word. I never bother to ask her what the pennance is for, I don't know if she's allowed to tell me, and I can't ask her priest, obviously. She's been the perfect wife and friend and lover.

I can't think of anything she could have possible done to deserve pennance. She's even been happy in her thoughts as well as deeds, from what I could tell. When Vicky sings all day, all's right with the world.

Any Catholics out there? What sort of trouble can you get into that would give you extra hail Mary's (or whatever you do) when you have been happy and pleasant to all about you since your last confession? Not a cross or angry word all week, just singing and working in the garden and in the house, and taking a horseback ride in the cool of the early evening with her husband.

I am glad I'm not Catholic. Us Injuns have got a different take on sin that suits me just fine.

Don

[Ray]

... in response to I don't understand the Catholic Church, posted by The Walker on Sep 8, 2002

Tommy goes into a confessional box and says, "Bless me father, for I have sinned. I have been with a loose woman."

The Priest says, "Is that you Tommy?"

"Yes father, it is I."

"Who was the woman you were with?"

"I cannot tell you... For I do not wish to sully her reputation."

The priest asks, "Was it Brenda O'Malley?"

"No father."

"Was it Fiona MacDonald?"

"No father."

"Was it Ann Brown?"

"No father, I cannot tell you."

The priest says "I admire your perseverance but you must atone for your sins. Your penance will be five Our Fathers and four Hail Marys."

Tommy goes back to his pew and his buddy Sean slides over and asks, "What happened?"

Tommy replies, "I got five Our Fathers, four Hail Marys and three good leads."

[bryan]

... in response to I don't understand the Catholic Church, posted by The Walker on Sep 8, 2002

Maybe Vicky is happy, smiling and singing because she has maintained her spirit through penance. This is a bad subject for a discussion board, a man with a 175 IQ should know better. I didnt like Raquels response but your subsequent taking her to task was bullying.

[Ray]

... in response to I don't understand the Catholic Church, posted by The Walker on Sep 8, 2002

CATHOLIC DICTIONARY
--------------------
AMEN:
The only part of a prayer that everyone knows.

BULLETIN:
1. Parish information, read only during the homily.
2. Catholic air conditioning.
3. Your receipt for attending Mass.

CHOIR:
A group of people whose singing allows the rest of the congregation to lip-sync.

HOLY WATER:
A liquid whose chemical formula is H2OLY.

HYMN:
A song of praise, usually sung in a key three octaves higher than that
of the congregation's range.

RECESSIONAL HYMN:
The last song at Mass, often sung a little more quietly,
since most of the people have already left.

INCENSE:
Holy Smoke!

JESUITS:
An order of priests known for their ability to found colleges with good basketball teams.

JONAH:
The original "Jaws" story.

JUSTICE:
When kids have kids of their own.

KYRIE ELIEISON:
The only Greek words that most Catholics can recognize besides gyros and baklava.

MAGI:
The most famous trio to attend a baby shower.

MANGER:
1. Where Mary gave birth to Jesus because Joseph wasn't covered by an HMO.
2. The Bible's way of showing us that holiday travel has always been rough.

PEW:
A medieval torture device still found in Catholic Churches.

PROCESSION:
The ceremonial formation at the beginning of Mass, consisting of altar servers,
the celebrant, and late parishioners looking for seats.

RECESSIONAL:
The ceremonial procession at the conclusion of Mass - led by parishioners trying to beat
the crowd to the parking lot.

RELICS:
People who have been going to Mass for so long, they actually know when to sit,
kneel, and stand.

TEN COMMANDMENTS:
The most important Top Ten list not given by David Letterman.

USHERS:
The only people in the parish who don't know the seating capacity of a pew.

[NoNamePinay]

... in response to I don't understand the Catholic Church, posted by The Walker on Sep 8, 2002


Hi Don,
I wish I had a better answer to your question but all I know about penance is it's an act performed to show sorrow or repentance for sins. I am a RC myself but I'm not as
devoted like others RC do, I only go to church occasionally but I always give "Thanks" to God everyday and I say my little prayers at home every night at least, I don't forget Him .
About Vicky's penance maybe she does this in order to restore her fellowship or at least her full fellowship to God and has nothing to do whether she feel sorrow for her sins & asking for forgiveness for the sins she has committed or not. It could simply give her a benefit of relief & happy feeling .
Penance means also those punishments we inflict upon ourselves as a means of atoning for our past sins;
it means likewise that disposition of the heart in which we detest and bewail our sins because they were offensive to God. Please, keep posting because I enjoy reading posts from you & Vicky.

Regards,
NNP

[Dave H]

... in response to I don't understand the Catholic Church, posted by The Walker on Sep 8, 2002

Sorry Don,

Being an ignorant Protestant ), I had to consult the "resident expert" when she got home from work this morning. ) My personnal thoughts were that maybe the priest was having a bad day. )) Hey, maybe he kept hearing the same boring confession over and over. Sorry Vicky! ) My wife said that perhaps it was a different priest. There is a standard for pennance that priests usually follow. Although, it is up to them to interpret and apply. Another possibility is that your wife is repeating the same offenses that she has said pennance for previously. My wife also said that priests are human and don't always do things the same way each time. She was tired, so that was about all I could get out of her.

Dave H.

[MsDuong]

... in response to I don't understand the Catholic Church, posted by The Walker on Sep 8, 2002

just did something simple as question the Catholic Church for their recient failure to come forward and admitt that they screwed up when it came to the treatment of those poor alter boys. If you don't talk about it, it'll go away, right?

[kevin]

... in response to maybe she, posted by MsDuong on Sep 9, 2002


politically correct to talk about it in many offices of the Catholic church hierarchy just like talking about incidences of female sweetheart swindling on this board is subject to denial and intimidation of the person who brings up the subject.

On the outside, one might think the entire Catholic church is a bad entity because of the sex abuse scandals.  The reality is that the bad priests do not represent the entire organization.  Yes, whistleblowers are silenced and intimidated, especially by those in higher positions of authority, just to cover their butts.

I know my pastor is sensitive to the fact of the negative publicity of the church.  He brought up a good point one Sunday.  The same authorities that are pointing the finger at the Catholc Church as a whole are also responsible for the promotion of their own immoral agenda.  The priest made a point that this is an easy excuse to not have to take the Ten Commandments or the teachings of the Bible as part of one's everyday living.

- Kevin

[MsDuong]

... in response to It's not . . ., posted by kevin on Sep 9, 2002

I'm sorry to get into this, but the whole thing really got to me.  Yes, these priests DO represent the whole catholic church. When they got caught what did THE CHURCH do about it?? The sent them to Another church. And when it became a public thing?? THE CHURCH still did nothing.

Correct me if I am wrong, but I do believe there are several thing in which you can do to get yourself bannished from the catholic church. Was this not one of them?

I thought humans who represented Jesus were not allowed to harm their flock, but were supposed to leve as closely as Jesus lived.

My ex-hubby lived in a small town in wisconsin. A roman catholic town. It was highly encouraged for the boys to spend time with the priest. Sorry for my poor ex. Needless to say it happened to alot more boys than came forward. It's a tragic shame in my book.

I know I'll get flamed for this one.  It just gets me heated everytime I think about it.

[MsDuong]

... in response to I don't understand the Catholic Church, posted by The Walker on Sep 8, 2002

just did something simple as question the Catholic Church for their recient failure to come forward and admitt that they screwed up when it came to the treatment of those poor alter boys. If you don't talk about it, it'll go away, right?

[Febtember]

... in response to I don't understand the Catholic Church, posted by The Walker on Sep 8, 2002

Because your an ignorant protestant.
People hate the  catholic church because of what they think that church teaches,not what the church actually teaches.
I'm  really sorry Don but I think you should respect us catholic here in this board including your wife.I been posting here in this board for not quite long time but I did try my best not to mention any religion because I respect everybody.Why should you guys want to marry filipina if you hate catholic?I feel hurt when you guys try to criticize us catholic.We just want respect okey.
About your question about pennance it means that by doing penance you show God how sorry you are for having offended Him and that you want to make up whatever lacking to perfect satisfaction.

[bigjiro]

... in response to Re: I don't understand the Catholic Chur..., posted by Febtember on Sep 9, 2002

ignorant protestants? I encounter many catholics who admit to spending little or no time reading the bible, and never made an actual confession of faith in Jesus Christ. The Lord's prayer doesn't include hail Mary.

[The Walker]

... in response to Re: I don't understand the Catholic Chur..., posted by Febtember on Sep 9, 2002

1. I am not a Protestant. I am not a Christian at all. I am to you a *gasp!* infidel, a non-believer, a savage worshipper of strange and pagan gods. By labeling me a Protestant, I could take offense with you. But I make allowances for those of other religions. I assume they know little of my religion and therefore require information. I have found the lay practitioners of most Christian faiths to be rather intolerant, so I do not take offense easily. I assume it is part and parcel for the course.

2. I am not ignorant, except in the ways of Christianity, especially Catholicism. I have a tested IQ of 175 and I hold a degree in mathematics (ballistics). I can still do artillery adjustments in my head.

3. I do not hate Catholics or the RC Church. I don't understand many of the rules, but I do not hate it. I don't even hate Islam. I am, in fact, on good terms with the local Priest, but not enough so that I feel comfortable discussing penance, as he would have to refuse to comment, except in general terms. In fact, he was a guest at our US "tribal" wedding. He found the proceedings to be fascinating, and questioned the tribal elders much on the reasons behind certain things. As did the local Rabbi, who sits, with the Priest, on charity boards with me and others. Some of our house parties are very eclectic, with a Priest, a Rabbi, and two different flavors of Pastor in attendance, along with whatever tribal members are guesting at my home at the time. I am tolerant of other religions.

4. I respect Vicky's religion. I attend her church once a month, and on special occasions where she feels she would like me to be there, even though the services mean nothing to me. While I will attend her church, it is apparently a sin or at least frowned on for her to participate in my religious services, so she merely watches, or not, as she chooses. She pledges our money to local church projects, and she volunteers her time. I encourage her to do so as it makes her happy. When her conscious niggles at her and she tries to convert me, as the RC Church says she must, I turn her down gently, without anger or protestations.

5. If you had been reading posts here long enough you would have read all this before, and not sounded off. I had a real question. I see that Catholics are not the best people to ask about their religion. They seem to be paranoid and defensive, or rude. *HINT: If you cannot answer a few basic questions about your religion without going off the handle, you perhaps need to reevaluate your commitment to your own church, and study it better so as to be able to answer the questions of the curious without anger and hatred, and name-calling.* I can and have answered many inquiries about my religion here. I assume these questions, even the humorous ones, are earnest requests for knowledge, not insults that must be fought to the death.

6. I was wondering what sort of things would lead an honest, happy, and faithful Daughter of the Church to receive such penance from the Church, when to my mind she had done nothing the whole week to deserve it? Is there some sort of sin with being too happy and satisfied? She had not left the ranch the whole week, so she could not have trespassed against another person, she had not been short or cross with me in the least. In fact she had been happily gardening and doing housework all week, singing as if she was as happy as a lark. She fed the wild birds, and the squirrels, and made sure her special friend our main bull was not left out of the treats, feeding him leftovers from breakfast and scratching his massive head. She had been as pleasant and as happy as anyone could be, singing and laughing all week. Then she returns from church and has to do all this extra penance. And I can't for the life of me figure out why. I do not talk religion much with her, as it makes her uncomfortable, since I will not convert. I certainly cannot ask her about penance, that is between her, the Priest and her God. I cannot ask the Priest about confessionals, of course. From what I do know of the RC Church, the sacrament of the confessional is iron-bound and inviolable. So I asked a question here. I figured there must be many men who are Catholic or married to RC Filipinas, and I could get some real answers to a question that had puzzled me off and on for quite some time.

7. How wrong I was.

Don

[bryan]

... in response to Re: Re: I don't understand the Catholic ..., posted by The Walker on Sep 9, 2002

You should not be seeking religious counseling on a public forum, this is how you were wrong. Your intitial inquiry into the RC practice of penance should have been kept between family and religious counsel. This rant attacking Raquel is bullying, as you pointed out you have this astonomical IQ and an obvious command of this language and culture that she doesnt. By the way it took my pretty lil Pinay to point out that penance is spelled with one N, im not sure of her intelligence quotient

[Febtember]

... in response to Re: Re: I don't understand the Catholic ..., posted by The Walker on Sep 9, 2002

I'm so sorry Don yah I will accept that I'm being paranoid and defensive.Forgive me for being rude.I feel hurt when somebody talk about our religion here.
But you know what I feel regrets why I post that message I should keep my mouth shut and I feel hurt more to hurt somebody's feeling.I never mean that you are an ignorant in some ways but maybe with our religion.
Again I'm so sorry and hope you forgive me.

Respectfully Yours,
Raquel