What is the Roman Catholic meaning of providence?

No, it is not fate.

It is God providing spiritual care.

And I take exception to your continually asking for “Roman Catholic” meanings, as if Catholics speak a different insidious language.

@zenvelo I didn’t mean to offend . Sorry.

In all my years being raised by a (Sisters of the Sacred Heart as well as Irish) Catholic mother, and going to Catholic church, and having to attend Catechism classes, I have never heard of any special connotations concerning the word “providence,” except maybe when the Bible points it out as ”...Divine guidance or care; also, an act or instance of it. ...”, which is, and, or was, nothing special in the eyes of the Catholic church, as I understand or understood it.

@kritiper @zenvelo Sorry I was trying to say the religious meaning providence not .“Providence Rhode island” Doesn’t have to be R.C. Flagging my question.

I agree that providence is not a word exclusive to any particular denomination, but it IS one of those words favored in the armories of “people of faith”. For me, it’s another one of those words difficult to saddle with a concrete definition, and therefore particularly useful in discussions involving matters of faith. What I mean is that you will rarely catch atheists or religious skeptics using the word, and the reason is rather obvious. I think it is generally agreed that providence can be loosely defined as “divine will” or more subtly “divine intervention”. But it is important to notice that the word is invariably restricted to positive or uplifting themes. It’s never providence that brings the tornado down on your house, destroying your net worth. On the other hand, should all of the children and puppies emerge from the wreckage unscathed——well you get the picture.

More or less, “God’s will”, or divine intervention. Though I’ve heard more Protestants (especially Anglicans) use the term than Catholics.

The word providence comes from the word provide and means to provide guidance to assure that things will work out. It is mostly used in a religious sense referring to divine intervention, but can also be used in a secular sense.

One term that does seem to be used mostly for Catholics is “lapsed Catholic”. It strikes me as an odd phrase, as if a person had a countdown Catholicism meter running, which causes loss of faith when it expires. Have you ever heard of a lapsed Protestant?

@LostInParadise Catholics have ongoing obligations, such as weekly attendance at Mass, annual Reconciliation (what used to be called confession), annual participation in Communion. Once a Catholic stops meeting those obligations, they are considered “lapsed”, but they continue to be a Catholic.

Part of the so called Reformation was eliminating the obligations of Catholicism.

@zenvelo , Thanks for the explanation, but I am still a little confused. Aren’t Protestants expected to attend Sunday services? Why couldn’t we call a Protestant who did not go to church a lapsed Protestant?

@LostInParadise There is a difference between “expected” and “obligated”. Not going to Mass each week is considered sinful:

Since a “grave cause” is needed to excuse one from this obligation it would be a serious or mortal sin to willfully skip Mass on Sunday or a Holy Day of Obligation, as the Church has always taught. Reasons such as the necessity to work to support one’s family, child care, personal sickness or the care of the sick, necessary travel etc. would excuse a person on a particular occasions. Those who have continuing reason to be excused should consult their pastor.

Protestants don;t have that obligation; it is not considered “sinful” to miss church on Sunday.

Thanks again. I learned something about Catholicism.

Yep. skipping Sunday Mass was a mortal sin when I was a kid. Just think about that. Burn in hell forever for missing Sunday Mass or indulging in a slice of bacon on a Friday. Try to reconcile such pronouncements to an 8 year old as you tell him about a just and merciful God.

Growing up Roman Catholic, I don’t remember it being of any real significance. We were taught to pray for Gods Will to be done through us because it is believed that God may have better plans for us, but to believe that everything is absolutely Gods will, then you would have to believe that God did not give man free will. As far as I know, and remember we believe in the free will of man. So there is no providence, AKA fate. The only thing close is our birth and death.
@stanleybmanly As I always understood it. Sunday Mass is for sinners. So there would be no point in going to church ever if you automatically are sentenced to burn in hell for missing one Mass. It would also may penance obsolete. And Jesus would’ve died for nothing. I personally also never saw the 5th commandment as a hard rule in going to Church. You are suppose to keep Holy the Sabbath day. Since there are masses on Saturday, do you break the Commandment by not going on Sunday? Is Sunday the actual day of the Sabbath (being the Sabbath was Saturday since God’s people where originally the Jews and the Sabbath was Saturday) Does observe the Sabbath mean actually go to Church or simply to honor the Lord on that day and give thanks.

@Pandora No no. If you missed Sunday mass, the reprieve from hell lay in Confession the following Friday. However should “providence” arrange your demise in the interim——well…...

But then again, if you manage to squeeze in an “act of contrition” and beat death to the punch, you can technically deprive the devil of your immmortal soul. But there’s a catch. The “act” must be based on your sincere sorrow for having sinned, not your terror of roasting in hell. Now THAT is a very tough climb for an 8 year old.