Sorry for the confusion ToAslan! I forget that most Roman Catholics have always been Roman Catholics and that few have converted. In contrast, in some non-Catholic churches, few there have always been Christians and most have converted. Thieves, gang members, convicts, drug addicts, prostitutes, homosexuals, and others experience life-transforming events. They leave their old lives behind and begin new lives. People who used to know them are amazed by the change, or think it’s merely a con. But those who have been changed from the inside, out know better.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!*(2 Corinthians 5:17)*I’m not criticizing those who have always remained faithful to Jesus. It’s better to have always loved, then to have been lost before discovering His love. I’m just saying that Jesus seems to be making the point that when a dramatic change of thoughts, words and deeds occurs, it is good evidence of the miracle of the Holy Spirit changing a person’s life.
I was baptized as an infant, Soc–I was filled with the Holy Spirit as the water streamed across me and the words of consecration were said. In that moment I was made a
New Creation.
The spiritual wound of Original Sin which I had inherited in the flesh from Father Adam through my dad and mom was healed; leaving me with the scar and wobble, with the effects of Original Sin but without its terrible separation from God’s life. The water and Spirit of baptism united me in that moment with God as His royal heir, an adopted child and intimate member of His family circle. All I had to do was grow up in grace.
Any falls from that grace along the way–well, in our Stations of the Cross we see Our Lord fall three times. As each thing He did on earth was done for me, I understand from His falls that when I fall, I am to get up. So I get up when I fall, taking my sins to a priest and receiving the forgiveness of Christ, and therefore reunion with Christ, through him. This is why the Catholic Church is the normal road to salvation–all the means and helps to remain in grace once baptized into God’s family–all the means are handy. It is structured so as to always guide us right back to His Body.
The Catholic Church is like a huge multi-lane highway to heaven, with lots of merge lanes well designed, spacious, well lit and marked, obvious, easy to use. When we wander off into the ditch, we find right in front of our nose a Huge ON Ramp just for us, brightly lit with blaring yellow arrows and green lights–MERGE here!
If the system is functioning well, with lots of workers on the Road Maintenance crew, it’s no superhuman task to stay or get back on the road.
Please don’t anybody get hung up on the analogy–I’m sure the Catholic Church is not like a highway either, OK?
No, Soc, I don’t remember my baptism. But through it my parents chose spiritual life for me just as they had chosen physical life for me–they did their duty as Christian parents well. My baptism gave me the chance to begin life already united to my Creator/Redeemer/Sanctifier as a New Creation in God. It is ever since been my job to correspond in my obedient love to that faith into which I was born by gift.
And as you say, it is better to have stayed in grace than to have died to God and THEN come into grace. I agree with this as a general principle, not that such has been my path. Very few have not strayed off the road either more or less; that’s exactly what all the On-ramps and Merge-signs are all about!
Soc:
I’m just saying that Jesus seems to be making the point that when a dramatic change of thoughts, words and deeds occurs, it is good evidence of the miracle of the Holy Spirit changing a person’s life.
I don’t think this is “evidence.” It is too subjective. Evidence is demonstration to the point of speculative certitude. I can prove to you that 1 + 1 = 2 (unless one has totally lost one’s sincerity and common sense).
Citing my interior experience as proof of anything is to equivocate on the word “proof.” My interior experience is by its nature subjective.
Thoughts?
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