Salvete omnes

[Kaesekopf]

Welcome!

[ÆneasQuébécois]

Just realized I broke the fast and ate meat again today. I think I've kept it once in the past 5 weeks. It's not that I crave it or anything, I just forget that it's Friday. Looking back and thinking about how every week piles the fires of Hell hotter isn't really pleasant.

[Vetus Ordo]

Just realized I broke the fast and ate meat again today. I think I've kept it once in the past 5 weeks. It's not that I crave it or anything, I just forget that it's Friday. Looking back and thinking about how every week piles the fires of Hell hotter isn't really pleasant.

Two things:

1. If you genuinely forget about it, it's not a sin.
2. While keeping the traditional tridentine rules of fasting is meritorious, what really counts is the official discipline of today. Consult your Episcopal Conference for guidelines.

[ÆneasQuébécois]

Just finished Pius Parsch's The Liturgy of the Mass. I found it very helpful, and would recommend it. Next up is The Problem of Pain, by C.S Lewis

[ÆneasQuébécois]

Finished The Problem of Pain Now I have to finally read the last two chapters of Leviathan.

[Jayne]

What did you think of The Problem of Pain ?

[ÆneasQuébécois]

I liked it for the most part. I think most of what he said in regards to the actual "problem" itself was true, and his writing style is, as it always is in his philosophic works, very pleasant to read. I was not a fan of his seeming acceptance of evolution or millions of years, however, especially since, in my opinion, someone who is that much a historian really ought to know better. I would still recommend the book, nevertheless. 

[dymphna17]

Welcome  ÆneasQuébécois!  I look forward to reading your posts!   

[Kaesekopf]

What did you think of The Problem of Pain ?

I'm currently part of a book group on this.  It's slow-going, but it's an interesting book, eh?

[ÆneasQuébécois]

What did you think of The Problem of Pain ?

I'm currently part of a book group on this.  It's slow-going, but it's an interesting book, eh?

Yeah, it is very interesting. I love how Lewis can be both incredibly profound and yet very easy to read at the same time. He, probably more than anyone else, has been the model for my own English prose writing, although I do not even come close to being worthy of comparison.

[ÆneasQuébécois]

Made it through the entire rosary today without wandering much. Much better than normal. Singing really helps, even if it makes me take about 45 minutes to an hour to say it. Is it permissible to look at an icon whilst praying? I just got a new Bible yesterday which has a number of icon prints in it and I said my rosary this morning before an icon of the Theotokos, which I think helped a bit. It is amazing how much better just singing a rosary can make one feel.

[Sophia3]

Salvete omnes. As the newest member of this forum I felt I should probably introduce myself. I was baptized into the NO church, but at the age of seven my parents left and I began a journey through every kind of Protestantism you could imagine, and then, after being disillusioned with that, into general depression. Now that I'm at university, I've started to rethink my life and am trying to come back to the one, holy, universal and apostolic Church. I've been reading my Bible again, trying to promote a habit of prayer, playing Latin chants incessantly and now just today tried to tie myself a knot rosary. (It might as well be a not rosary, it came out horrible: turns out getting the spacing even and the knots to come out right is much harder than I thought.)

I suppose I have some advantage in that I know the Bible quite well from my time as a Protestant, and I already gave up or never really got into a number of disgusting habits such as video games, television and the general debauchery of a modern youth because of the very painful physical consequences. Still though, I've been struggling with despair as I reflect on how many horrible things I've done even in my relatively short life. I'm not looking forward to being in Purgatory until Christ comes back.

On a happier note, I'm very thankful to have found this group here and have already been greatly encouraged and helped by all of you. God bless.

Welcome!
I am pretty new here too... I enjoyed reading your introduction. It's great that you are looking into things and seeking the truth...that's a beautiful thing. I thought you might like this series on what Catholics have always believed. It might help you decide some things or at least know more about the Catholic Faith and why Catholics believe what they believe. (These priests also help people long distance if you don't live near them and want some advice.) I personally know a marine who took Catechism with them on skype. Here is the first in the series on what Catholics believe:

[ÆneasQuébécois]

In other news, my advent devotional finally arrived. It is Advent with the Saints by Greg Friedman, published by Franciscan Media. They were giving them away only for the price of shipping, so I bought one. Looking at it now, it wasn't really worth the 16-odd dollars it cost to ship it to Nowhere, Canada but now that I have it, I am eager to get into it. It also looks pretty, which is a plus.

[Carleendiane]

Made it through the entire rosary today without wandering much. Much better than normal. Singing really helps, even if it makes me take about 45 minutes to an hour to say it. Is it permissible to look at an icon whilst praying? I just got a new Bible yesterday which has a number of icon prints in it and I said my rosary this morning before an icon of the Theotokos, which I think helped a bit. It is amazing how much better just singing a rosary can make one feel.

Though I have no reference for this, but they set statues out in the church for us to view and help our meditations. So, by reason alone it seems very proper and even approved if these statues are there to be seen even during Holy Mass.