Be a Good Catholic

One of the easiest ways to be a good Catholic is simply to pray. Keep prayer short and simple; don't ask for things such as money, girls, health for yourself, but rather focus on others. Check out Solomon's prayer and God's response (I Kings iii.5-14).

Steps

  1. Receive God's provision: The important thing is to know God's love! Realize Jesus gave his all, as He died to give us life! No matter what, as Catholics, we believe that through the Sacrament of Confession or Reconciliation, God forgives our worst sins. Do not despair but hope in God. If we look at the lives of the saints, many of them were as far away from God as you could ever imagine; but they were able to change their lives around, serve God, and enter joyfully into His Heavenly Kingdom.
  2. Respect Him in prayer and revere His presence! God is with us at all times, even when we think we are alone. Try to be aware of His presence which is all powerful, all knowing, and all loving. Love Him who first loved the world.

For All Catholics

  1. If you are not already Catholic, please go to a local church, and talk to the priest about becoming Catholic. Do some research by going to your local library, looking at some good Catholic websites such as catholic.com, and sit in a pew and observe Mass at the local church
  2. Pray and participate in the Sacraments. Mass is the source and summit of our Faith as the Bread and Wine offered at Mass according to Church doctrine becomes the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Also frequently praying and partaking of the Sacraments brings us closer to God and makes us stronger in our Faith. There are numerous prayers that have been written throughout the Catholic Tradition. Some parishes sell Catholic prayer books to help you with your prayer. Pray the Rosary (at the bottom of the article), say the Our Father, the Jesus Prayer, or just have a conversation with God. Remember to ask for the intercession of Jesus Christ to the Father, and that of Holy Mary, the Mother of God and the saints in your prayer. We are not worshiping the saints and Mary but praying (communicating) with them to God.
  3. Read the Bible every day. Pick a passage or set a time of maybe ten minutes to read the Bible each day. You can also look for Catholic Bible commentaries that may be sold at a parish or through an online Catholic website to assist you with trying to understand the Bible more
  4. "Love thy neighbor as thyself," Jesus said, and: "By this ye shall know ye are my disciples; 'That ye love one another.'" Give charity to the poor, visit those in prison, give food to the hungry, forgive, clothe the naked, give drink to the thirsty, and bury the dead.
  5. Keep the Ten Commandments.
  6. Avoid the 7 deadly sins: lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, anger, envy, and pride.
  7. Go to church regularly. Catholics are required to attend church on every Sunday and Holy Day of Obligation (HDOs for the Byzantine Metropolitan Church of Pittsburgh are listed in the tips).
  8. Follow the teachings of the Church. The leader of the Church as a whole is the Pope, although various Churches have their own leaders (e.g. the Metropolitan of Pittsburgh of the Ruthenians; the Patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites; the Metropolitan of L'viv of the Ukrainians, etc.). Hold true to the Traditions of the Faith as the Faith has been passed down from Jesus Christ to the Apostles to their disciplines through the numerous saints to this present day. Research and look into what the Church actually teaches by going to good Catholic websites and by reading good Catholic books. The Catechism of the Catholic Church lays out point by the point what the Church teaches and believes.
  9. Know that there are nearly 25 different Churches sui iuris that make up the Catholic Church. The most common of these is the Roman Church. The others are known as the Eastern Catholic Churches. Almost all of them (except for the Maronite and Italo-Albanian Churches) have an Orthodox counterpart. The members of Eastern Catholic Churches are not pleased when people refuse to accept the fact that they are in full communion with the Bishop of Rome.
  10. Know your heresies and how to beat them.

For Byzantine Catholics

  1. Byzantine Catholics ought to already be doing everything above. This is just a supplemental section covering traditions that we have but aren't necessarily present in other Churches.
  2. Know your Church's traditions! It is important that you are able to easily give an outline (however rough) of your Church's particular features.
  3. Read the Fathers. They know best.
  4. Learn common prayers of the Eastern Churches. The Jesus Prayer, for example, is simple and powerful:
    • Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
  5. Make the sign of the Cross one of the traditional ways, for example: thumb, index, and middle finger held together, with the ring finger and pinky tucked in. Forehead, abdomen, right shoulder, left shoulder.

Rosary Prayer

Doc:Rosary in English,Rosary in Latin

Tips

  • Be kind.
  • Follow all of the Ten Commandments and ask your priest to explain them, if you don't understand them:
    • Thou shalt not have other gods before Him.
    • Thou shalt not take the name of thy Lord God in vain.
    • Remember to keep holy the Lord's Day.
    • Honor your father and mother.
    • Thou shalt not kill.
    • Thou shalt not commit adultery.
    • Thou shalt not steal.
    • Thou shalt not bear false witnesses against thy neighbor.
    • Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife.
    • Thou shalt no covet thy neighbor's goods.
  • Go to confession regularly.
  • Make sure you attend a Catholic Church. It does not matter what Rite; any Catholic can receive all of the Sacraments at any other Catholic Church.
    • Beware; there are some churches which claim to be Catholic but are not. Some are independent of the major Catholic churches. If you have doubts, check with your pastor.
    • Also, before attending a Traditional church, make sure that they are not schismatic. Some are, some are not.
  • For those who are part of the Byzantine Metropolitan Church of Pittsburgh, the Holy Days of Obligation are:
    • Christmas (December 25)
    • Theophany (January 6)
    • Ascension (40 days after the Resurrection)
    • Ss. Peter and Paul (June 29)
    • Dormition of the Theotokos (August 15)
      • Please note that these are not all binding on all Catholics. See "Warnings."
  • Read the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the writings of the Fathers for added knowledge.
  • When choosing a Bible, get one that's translated, not interpreted: the Latin Vulgate is best and written in very simple Latin for everyday people (nothing complicated like Cicero, so you can understand it with a little practice). The official English Bible of the Catholic Church is the New American Bible.
  • Christ said . Keep His words in mind constantly.

Warnings

  • People might persecute you for being Catholic, even though it is one of the most popular religions as exemplified by membership worldwide.
  • Your bishop has the final say. For example, if the Latin Rite bishop of Pittsburgh transfers the obligation to attend church on the feast of the Ascension to the following Sunday (which does happen), then well and good for Latin Rite Catholics in the Diocese of Pittsburgh. However, the Byzantine Catholic faithful, even if they live next door to the Latin Rite bishop, still have to go on Thursday, since they fall under the jurisdiction of the Byzantine Metropolitan of Pittsburgh, not the Latin Rite bishop. The same applies vice versa.

Things You'll Need

  • Bible
  • Rosary
  • Chotki, Byzantine Rite (optional)

Related Articles

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  • Pray the Chaplet of the Holy Wounds
  • Buy the Perfect Rosary Beads
  • Receive the Sacrament of Penance
  • Become a Catholic Monk

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