Do you know what happens when you stop being a lukewarm Catholic or Christian? Are you just a Christian by name and baptism and not practicing the religion at all? Well then, buckle up because when you return to God's flock your life will change without you even noticing it!
Well of course eventually you will notice how your thoughts and actions are changing. For me it's not drastic but whoa it's already getting somewhere! Haha. It's like I've become a different person but still somewhat the same in other aspects. I'm completely blown away by how God is slowly molding and changing me!
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(If you are not a regular reader/follower of mine and wanna know more about my spiritual renewal, just go to my profile {blog} and look for my 3 part blog back in April 2023. Posted in the inactive Christian Fellowship community.) Feel free to follow me for more posts like these and other topics.
Wanna know what the changes are? Lezgoooo! 💪
1. You want to consume anything and everything about God.
This is the very first thing I noticed. It can be anything, just to be closer to God.
It all started when I watched the interviews with and talks of Fr. Chad Ripperger, the Catholic exorcist priest. All thanks to my sibling, the YouTube algorithm and God too!
Believer it or not, at some point I wanted to get some holy water and drink or bathe with it. Like puhleeeze. Unfortunately until now I haven't gotten any. 😢 But I was able to have some coconut oil blessed so I could drink it. Hallelujah!
And then I also regularly watch webinars or online talks by priests, Catholic TV shows/series, the lives of saints, listen to praise music and more! You name it, I'll want to know more about it! As long as it will help with my being a better Catholic or related to it, lezgooo!
2. You get turned off by any sinful behavior whether it's in real life or just fiction.
Oh boy, believe me when I say, I did not expect this. I mean, if you've been a long time reader/follower of mine, you'd know I like fantasy and sci-fi shows. And that's a genre rife with a lot of sinful things. Ooof, I can write a whole other post about this!
And then I also think about the many people who are deeply immersed in sin right now. Some of them are even friends and family, oh nooo. 😱
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Initially I even became judgmental to strangers when I was never such a person! Omg, then I realized, judging others wrongly is a sin in itself! Spiritual pride is the worst so beware of it.
So glad sometimes I get advise from priests during confession in order to curtail any wrong/bad behavior. Thank you Jesus! ♥️
3 You want your family to be saved from hell!
Yep, we don't want our family members to be eternally damned right? And so doing everything in our power to help in the salvation of their souls become top priority. Yeah, 'nuf said.
I know that's kinda being selfish but of course that's the very first thing we think about. Why? Because we love our parents, siblings, and our concern can extend to our relatives too! Even your dear close friends, oh for real.
Pray, pray and pray all the time for your family and friends. Offer mass for them too. But do not forget to pray for other people. So many people need our prayers. It is a powerful thing to do that most people just disregard.
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4 You suddenly get concerned about other Christian denominations.
Oh no. These days there are times I also get worried about groups of people who got misled into religions that were inspired by the devil. And of course there are still people who get converted to their religion everyday!
The Lord knows I was never like this before. As a lukewarm Catholic, I wouldn't even care about such things. I mean I was even dabbling in the occult and Feng Shui for several years. Ugh. 🙄 I still have not even perfected myself, or gotten rid of my other bad habits but I get such thoughts now.
This is because, in learning about the lives of saints I discovered that Jesus is looking for more people to shower graces to. (Check St. Faustina's diary) And He is asking for more conversions. Oh my, I feel that I gotta help out.
But now... Now I'm feeling the need to help others come back to the religion Jesus Christ started. I don't feel it often but it is there and seems to be growing slowly everyday.
It's really sad but the father of lies enjoys dividing the followers of Jesus / God in order to conquer more people. Catholicism is not perfect. Like any other religion it is made up of humans who get tempted and sin against God. But it is so worth being under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the fold of Mama Mary's protection too!
I mean, this is all I can say about this topic right now. Clearly I know I still have much to learn to be the best Catholic version of myself.
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5 You wanna be cleansed, like your soul must be squeaky clean always!!!
Oh goodness gracious, Thank God for the sacrament of confession. Without it I don't know how I can feel some cleanliness in me from all the things I do and have done. Thank you Jesus for instituting this integral part of Catholicism. 🙏
I know my soul will always get stained whenever I sin but God knows I try my best to change. Evil (bad) habits die hard if we don't keep striking at it. With frequent confession, Jesus' help and Mama Mary's intercession we can overcome all evil.
Other Things I Noticed...
Well I dunno if this is just me or it can apply to others too. 😂
😅 Nitpicking parts of the mass
Suddenly I find myself asking when some parts of the mass is different than usual. I mean, I am not familiar with all practices of the church so if I see something different I need to know why. 😆
And usually when one is inquisitive, and most people don't care or don't know, the usual response when I ask is to be ignored. Sad but many people are like this, they don't want to be bothered to know things. Tsk tsk. Oh well...
Which is how some people end up doing their own research and then voila! We learn many things.
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👉 The Need to Share everything you learned about God, Jesus, Mama Mary, the Saints, Angels & Demons, etc., becomes Strong
Well I usually only write online when I feel like it. This is why there were/are times I stopped/stop writing. I've been writing on Steemit until the hard fork then Hive afterwards for years but not everyday. I even wrote the 3 reasons I stopped writing 2 years ago. Haha.
Related: 3 Reasons Why I Don't Write Much On Hive or Steemit Anymore
But now despite everything, I am writing about the things I learn. I can't help but share because we adults do not know so many things!
Adult catechism is so lacking in the Catholic Church imho, especially before the pandemic. Now there are many available content from Catholic priests online. Oh I'm so happy about that because now I am able to know more!
Anyway, if you only knew how many pending articles I have. I mean, I'm even posting this before all those I still have to finalize! 😭
Well those are the things I noticed about me so far... Am I happy about these changes? I'm not too sad it's happening but I keep getting surprised! Never thought I'd be acting and thinking this way before. God indeed moves in mysterious ways.
Have you experienced any of these? Are you ready to confess your sins and return to being a follower of Christ? Or feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.
XOXO,
@artgirl
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