I'm thinking of going over to the Episcopalians...

[Blackrook]

I am a divorced man and am starting a new relationship with a woman who meets all my criteria of what I'm looking for.

So, I want to be free to marry if the relationship goes in that direction.

As a Catholic, if I remarry, I cannot remarry in the Catholic Church, and after I remarry I will be in a state of mortal sin and ineligible to receive the Sacrament of Eucharist.

Today, I went into an Episcopalian diocesan office and picked up some literature. Then I called the rector of an Episcopalian parish church.

The reason I would go over to the Episcopalians is that it is the branch of Protestantism which kept most of the Catholic rituals and most resembles the Catholic Church in its teachings.

The rector and I agreed that I will attend the 10:00 a.m. Mass this Sunday, and afterward attend the coffee social to meet with him and others.

He was very welcoming and when I explained why I'm thinking of leaving the Catholic Church he was very understanding.

I told the rector that my father would be very upset by my decision, and he said, don't worry about converting just attend the Mass and see where that goes. In other words, I don't have to go from A to Z, only from A to B.

I'm looking forward to Mass this Sunday and a chance to meet the rector and maybe even make new Episcopalian friends. It is hard to make friends in the Catholic Church because most people just attend Mass and then rush to their cars to leave.

 

[Blackrook]

I will still attend Catholic Mass with my father.

 

[Oddball]

Catholic Lite™....All the fun, half the guilt.

 

[Blackrook]

Catholic Lite™....All the fun, half the guilt.

Yes, I've heard that.

And I know some Catholics divorce and remarry, and still take the Eucharist, but I'm not going to do that.

In my opinion, it's more honorable to leave a Church that doesn't want you then to stay in it and sneak around the rules.

 

[Blackrook]

And I know there is the option of getting an annulment.

But my ex-wife and I had a very long marriage, almost thirty years, and most of those years were wonderful.

I'm not going to have the Catholic Church declare I was never married to my ex-wife.

 

[Blackrook]

I would never consider going over to the evangelicals and learning that all the time I was a Catholic I was an idolator and that all Catholics are going to hell.

 

[ding]

Catholic Lite™....All the fun, half the guilt.

Yes, I've heard that.

And I know some Catholics divorce and remarry, and still take the Eucharist, but I'm not going to do that.

In my opinion, it's more honorable to leave a Church that doesn't want you then to stay in it and sneak around the rules.

Somehow I don’t believe Jesus would mind. It isn't sneaking. He knows everything.

 

[Blackrook]

I told the rector that my other option was not to attend Mass at all but I'm not ready to do that.

 

[Blackrook]

Catholic Lite™....All the fun, half the guilt.

Yes, I've heard that.

And I know some Catholics divorce and remarry, and still take the Eucharist, but I'm not going to do that.

In my opinion, it's more honorable to leave a Church that doesn't want you then to stay in it and sneak around the rules.

Somehow I don’t believe Jesus would mind. It isn't sneaking. He knows everything.

Maybe Jesus wouldn't mind but I would. Also, since my father attends Mass with me, there is no way I would be able to take the Eucharist without him knowing about it.

 

[ding]

Catholic Lite™....All the fun, half the guilt.

Yes, I've heard that.

And I know some Catholics divorce and remarry, and still take the Eucharist, but I'm not going to do that.

In my opinion, it's more honorable to leave a Church that doesn't want you then to stay in it and sneak around the rules.

Somehow I don’t believe Jesus would mind. It isn't sneaking. He knows everything.

Maybe Jesus wouldn't mind but I would. Also, since my father attends Mass with me, there is no way I would be able to take the Eucharist without him knowing about it.

Tell him that according to Catholic teaching in the Catechism that sin is anything which separates us from God and that wanting to partake in the union of the living God is the opposite of being separated from God.

 

[Blackrook]

The man at the diocesan office gave me two books to read, no charge:

The Book of Common Prayer

A Dictionary for Episcopalians

 

[ding]

I would never consider going over to the evangelicals and learning that all the time I was a Catholic I was an idolator and that all Catholics are going to hell.

Tell them that everyone is a sinner.

 

[CarlinAnnArbor]

Catholic Lite™....All the fun, half the guilt.

Yes, I've heard that.

And I know some Catholics divorce and remarry, and still take the Eucharist, but I'm not going to do that.

In my opinion, it's more honorable to leave a Church that doesn't want you then to stay in it and sneak around the rules.

You should worry about what CHRIST says, not a church organization.

Neither of those organizations are GOD'S church.

 

[Blackrook]

Catholic Lite™....All the fun, half the guilt.

Yes, I've heard that.

And I know some Catholics divorce and remarry, and still take the Eucharist, but I'm not going to do that.

In my opinion, it's more honorable to leave a Church that doesn't want you then to stay in it and sneak around the rules.

Somehow I don’t believe Jesus would mind. It isn't sneaking. He knows everything.

Maybe Jesus wouldn't mind but I would. Also, since my father attends Mass with me, there is no way I would be able to take the Eucharist without him knowing about it.

Tell him that according to Catholic teaching in the Catechism that sin is anything which separates us from God and that wanting to partake in the union of the living God is the opposite of being separated from God.

Jesus' teaching on divorce and remarriage is that it is the equivalent of committing adultery, and forcing your ex-wife to find another husband so she can commit adultery.

I understand the teaching, and I'm not going to take the Eucharist at a Catholic Mass when the Catholic Church thinks I'm in a state of mortal sin.

I understand that joining the Episcopalians may be a fantasy escape, but there it is.

 

[Blackrook]

Catholic Lite™....All the fun, half the guilt.

Yes, I've heard that.

And I know some Catholics divorce and remarry, and still take the Eucharist, but I'm not going to do that.

In my opinion, it's more honorable to leave a Church that doesn't want you then to stay in it and sneak around the rules.

You should worry about what CHRIST says, not a church organization.

Neither of those organizations are GOD'S church.

Well, there's no point in telling me that because I believe the Catholic Church is Christ's True Church.

 

[ding]

Catholic Lite™....All the fun, half the guilt.

Yes, I've heard that.

And I know some Catholics divorce and remarry, and still take the Eucharist, but I'm not going to do that.

In my opinion, it's more honorable to leave a Church that doesn't want you then to stay in it and sneak around the rules.

Somehow I don’t believe Jesus would mind. It isn't sneaking. He knows everything.

Maybe Jesus wouldn't mind but I would. Also, since my father attends Mass with me, there is no way I would be able to take the Eucharist without him knowing about it.

Tell him that according to Catholic teaching in the Catechism that sin is anything which separates us from God and that wanting to partake in the union of the living God is the opposite of being separated from God.

Jesus' teaching on divorce and remarriage is that it is the equivalent of committing adultery, and forcing your ex-wife to find another husband so she can commit adultery.

I understand the teaching, and I'm not going to take the Eucharist at a Catholic Mass when the Catholic Church thinks I'm in a state of mortal sin.

I understand that joining the Episcopalians may be a fantasy escape, but there it is.

Did Jesus say you shouldn’t eat his flesh and drink his blood because of it?

 

[Blackrook]

I would never consider going over to the evangelicals and learning that all the time I was a Catholic I was an idolator and that all Catholics are going to hell.

Tell them that everyone is a sinner.

Yes, everyone is a sinner but a divorced and remarried man is in a state of mortal sin and refusing to repent the sin by breaking off his second marriage.

 

[Blackrook]

Yes, I've heard that.

And I know some Catholics divorce and remarry, and still take the Eucharist, but I'm not going to do that.

In my opinion, it's more honorable to leave a Church that doesn't want you then to stay in it and sneak around the rules.

Somehow I don’t believe Jesus would mind. It isn't sneaking. He knows everything.

Maybe Jesus wouldn't mind but I would. Also, since my father attends Mass with me, there is no way I would be able to take the Eucharist without him knowing about it.

Tell him that according to Catholic teaching in the Catechism that sin is anything which separates us from God and that wanting to partake in the union of the living God is the opposite of being separated from God.

Jesus' teaching on divorce and remarriage is that it is the equivalent of committing adultery, and forcing your ex-wife to find another husband so she can commit adultery.

I understand the teaching, and I'm not going to take the Eucharist at a Catholic Mass when the Catholic Church thinks I'm in a state of mortal sin.

I understand that joining the Episcopalians may be a fantasy escape, but there it is.

Did Jesus say you shouldn’t eat his flesh and drink his blood because of it?

Yes, St. Paul said that you can't take the Eucharist when you're not worthy of it.

 

[ding]

I would never consider going over to the evangelicals and learning that all the time I was a Catholic I was an idolator and that all Catholics are going to hell.

Tell them that everyone is a sinner.

Yes, everyone is a sinner but a divorced and remarried man is in a state of mortal sin and refusing to repent the sin by breaking off his second marriage.

Was the divorce mutual?

 

[Blackrook]

I understand that going to the Episcopalians is a cop out from a difficult teaching, but I don't want to be alone for the rest of my life and I still want to go to Mass and take the Eucharist.