Am I 'spoiling' my RCIA

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DL82

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I am about to start RCIA in the autumn, aiming at confirmation at Easter. I was told by a friend who recently went through RCIA not to be too ‘bookish’ before-hand because I’d miss the point that becoming Catholic is a community event, not a course to be studied.

I have already read the Catechism, am working my way through various encyclicals as and where I find them, am reading JPII’s Love and Responsibility, and have read quite a lot of the Greek Church Fathers too. I’m still not too hot on Canon Law, but intend to read as much of it as I can before the RCIA course begins in August/September.

I am a philosophy graduate with a Masters degree, and so my attitude to a 1-year course is, “it’s only 1 year, need to cram as much in as I can”. Already I know I have questions on the Catechism and Catholic theology that nobody else in my RCIA group is likely even to understand. On another thread on this forum, Fr Vincent Serpa suggested I read Ludwig Ott’s “Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma”, I ordered it from Amazon and have made a start, but still have some questions at the levels of the semantic detail used to encapsulate doctrinal statements, and the philosophy of language used by Catholic theologians. I know nobody else cares about that kind of thing, not even Aquinas is that picky!

I’d like to make a start on learning Latin too, but as my RCIA class is not at a Latin Mass Society church, it’s not likely to come into the course, and I don’t know that I’ll have time with work and emigrating and marriage coming up in the course of the next year!

Back to my point - by racing ahead like this and devouring books, am I somehow missing the point? Am I going to ‘spoil it’ for myself and for others on the RCIA course, like giving away the ending before everybody else has read the book? It seems a silly analogy to me. I keep thinking I could just go to a priest now, ask my questions, baffle the priest, and present myself for confirmation, but my friend tells me I will benefit much more from learning in a group through RCIA. I’ve never been much of a group learner.

Also, would I be better off re-reading the Catechism 4 or 5 times until I have most of it in my memory, rather than reading it once, marking the bits I’m unclear on, and moving on to the next thing?
 
Remember that becoming Catholic isn’t just one journey over a year, it is spiritual journey over a lifetime. Being a part of the group is very beneficial, because that community you have there is foreshadowing to the community that you will have after you completely join the church. It is good that you are reading alot and getting ahead, but during the RCIA class, its not about the individual you, its about the group. Over the whole year, you will be able to find time to ask the questions.

I was never a big fan of memorizing stuff. I just always have my catechism with me.

You should take the load off and just enjoy RCIA. I figure that you have all the knowledge, you just have to get the “faith”. Consider the RCIA more of a spiritual journey that a knowledge memorizing one.

And it is very cool to find some one so into learning the catholic faith. You set a great example for everyone to follow. 👍
 
Nonsense!

Be as “bookish” as you’d like … first of all, telling a philosophy major not to think and analyse is like telling a fish not to swim. God has gifted you with an active and powerful intellect and He expects you to use it both to draw nearer to Him as well as to serve others.

I read every book about the Faith I could get my hands on in my public library when I began my journey to the Church many years ago. That is the great thing about Catholicism: the harmony between faith and reason, and the strength of its philosophical and theological heritage.

Just remember that genuine faith is a gift from God and not the product of study. Just as the gardener prepares the soil for the planting of the seeds, your study and reflection can help to prepare your soul to receive the gift of Faith, but it is ultimately God who gives the gift of faith, and He gives it to whom He will. And, as Sacred Scripture says, he also resists the proud man, so don’t fall prey to the temptation of thinking that you can “figure God out” or that making an act of faith in God’s revelation is somehow dependent on “understanding” everything He has revealed. 🙂

As for RCIA … never went through it. I received my catechesis from my parish priest in one on one sessions over a six-month period back in 1980. I wouldn’t get my hopes up about it either. You may find that the instructors are not quite prepared for someone with your intellectual formation. That doesn’t mak them bad people or mean that it will be a waste of time necessarily, it just means you may find it a bit unsatisfying depending on where you receive it. There are certainly some good RCIA programs out there, but there are also lots of people who comment negatively on the experience and describe as pretty bland. I guess the best advice is to try to not pre-judge it, but also to not be too disappointed if you find it lacking in the sort of intellectual stimulation you’re getting from your own study.

God bless you on your journey to the Faith! 👍
 
I am also a Philosophy major who underwent RCIA to go into the Church. I think there is some very rich theological and philosophical reflection which helps get to the heart of Catholicism; Hans Von Balthasar explains a lot of Catholic theology and spirituality in relation to Philosophy (especially Greek Philosophy) and there are many brilliant philosopher-theologians in the Church’s heritage such as St Bonaventure, St Augustine, St Gregory of Nyssa, Origen, Meister Eckhart and many others.
 
You friend improperly frames it as an either/or proposition. It is a both/and.

It is both an intellectual pursuit to know God and know the Church’s teaching and the developing of love for community.

After all, those are the two principle acts of the soul: intellect and will; knowing and loving.

The two are not at opposition, but rather in harmony with each other.

That said, do not expect everyone to be on the same trajectory as you. The RCIA instructor/facilitator may not be able to answer your questions.

Knowledge is a life-long pursuit so don’t worry about knowing it all in one year. Lay the foundation, and keep pursuing knowledge maybe even through college level theology courses if you so desire.

But, at the same time, stop and smell the roses by engaging people at a social level and also involving yourself in ministry. Experience the liturgy and the devotions and the Friday fish fry or whatever…

It’s both.
 
My girlfriend had a Master of Divinity from a top tier divinity school, had also studied the Church Fathers, the Scriptures, and Catholicism in generally independently for over 3 years–all the while going to Mass everyday during that period. When she finally decided to convert, the priest said she didn’t have to go through RCIA if she didn’t want to since she was already so educated in the faith–but she chose to anyway for the total experience.

In fact, as she said, being so well-read can actually make you a great contributor to your group! 🙂
 
1ke said:
But, at the same time, stop and smell the roses by engaging people at a social level and also involving yourself in ministry. Experience the liturgy and the devotions and the Friday fish fry or whatever…
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Like the Verizon commercial says, “It’s the network” 😃
 
Must be something about philosophy majors.😛 I was the same way and still am. Read everything I could just to make sure I was ready and wanted to do this. It’s not a bad thing. Read and bring your questions to RCIA.
Just be prepared that sometimes you may need to wait to ask you questions, because it won’t help the group. If you have a good RCIA director they will be able to balance between the needs of the community and the needs of the individual. Just make sure you help with that balance. If not you will learn alot of humility and patience like I did this last year. But don’t stop reading cause of others. But also be prepared to be part of the community. It does help.

Best of luck and keep us updated.
Historybrat
 
Before I give my opinion, how’s Love and Responsibility? I just bought the book few days ago, and going to start reading it soon. I hope it’s not too heavy for me.

Well, may be you’ll be giving more instead of receiving in the RCIA. It’s definitely good to have someone like you in the group.
Just be careful with pride and impatience.

Knowledge is one thing, but to have the heart and tolerant to others is another. After all, In CC we are part of the community of imperfect people and sinners. Who knows you can be the role model/inspiration to others and even help them in their journey. 🙂
 
When I went thru RCIA some 20 years ago, we had someone who was very advanced in their theology, and when that person would ask questions about St. Thomas Aquinas’ theology, we would all sit there for 15 minutes and that person and the priest would go way above our heads in their discussion, we would be numb by the time they finished. It really wasted the time for the rest of us with those advanced questions. The priest should have asked to talk to him after our meetings to discuss such advanced topics, and keep the meetings at our level.
 
Im in RCIA now. My situation is similar to yours.

My general outlook on converting was I wanted to understand just about everything before taking the step of agreeing to go to RCIA/convert. As a result, I rarely hear anything competely new in class particularly about the church’s doctrine (other than mechanical things I coudn’t easily find an answer to how to make the sign of the cross, which knee to genuflect, etc.)

However the classes are still invaluable. First, for me at least knowing the faith and living it are different. The classes really help in progressing from a point of mental assent to a number of propositions, to actually living the faith. So I don’t get new information per se often, but I do get practicing catholic’s pespective on things.

Occassionally there are some suprises even for those that read up. Picking a saint for a confirmation name was a complete suprise to me. And somewhat of an uncomfortable one, particularly at first. But it made me really consider my feelings on the the one area of the faith I was most uncomfortable with.

I find the classes are often not nearly long enough, at least in our parish, so reading up on a subject so as to narrow your questions to specific things are you are still unsure of I find helpful.

Good luck.
 
WOAH! Take a deep breath. And take it from a fellow convert who knows better. You are risking spiritual overload. There really can be too much of even the best of things. 🙂

I was just like you when I came into the Church. The good priest who brought me in was always saying I was on cloud nine. And, wise seasoned priest that he was, was just watching me, and waiting for me to fall off of it.

BOOM! I fell hard. I almost lapsed and nearly lost my faith entirely. But, thanks be to God I didn’t. But, it was close. I never fell off the deep end, but, I went down to the bare minimum.

Like other posters have said, there is a lifetime to learn your faith. By all means learn, learn away, and ask TONS of questions. Do study enough so that you fully know the beatiful step you are about to make, drink it up to the fullest, and love Jesus’s Church with all your heart.

But, balance your journey. Make sure you spend time with family and friends and do all of the things you like to do (sports, recreation, etc.) And those you have to do (work, family, home, etc.)

Start by making your daily life a prayer to God by living the teachings of the Church to the full in your everyday life. Offer your life to God as a living prayer. Focus on how you live your everyday life, not prayer and study. Prayer and study is to feed the pilgrim for the journey of everyday life. If your everyday life is not conforming to the Gospels, then nothing else will matter.

When you live your life in conformity to the Church and to the Gospels, your life will become a living prayer to God. Taking care of- and spending time -with wife or chldren (if you are married) or relatives, friends, the poor, the sick, the suffering is living prayer. Your work at your workplace is living prayer when given to God. Your eating, your drinking, your sleeping, your recreation is living prayer when given up to God.

Sleep, eat, work, recreate, time with family and friends, study, pray. Do all, but all in moderation. Don’t overdo any one in particular.

I will be praying for you. Please, take care of your new-found precious love of the Catholic Faith. But, don’t try to take it all in at once, you’ll drown!

I can hardly wait until you are Catholic. Let us know when the “big day” is so we can pray for you. God bless you! :heaven:

WELCOME HOME! :grouphug:
 
I guess I should second those who urge caution in the intellectual areas you pursue. I did the same, read everything I could get my hands on (although never made it cover to cover through the catechism 😃 ) spent a lot of time here on CAF, and shared a lot of what I learned in RCIA - most of which was appreciated, some wasn’t.

The important thing I learned from all of that since then is this: God doesn’t want just a “yeah, that makes sense” intellectual affirmation. Rather He demands a spiritual commitment, a oneness with Him. We will account for everything we do, think, say, and believe. Even the smallest thing will be greeted with “WHY”, so we must then interiorize everything we assent to. It is a spiritual union we are engaged in, tempered by reason - not the other way around.

What has happened to most, though not all, people on earth is that our intellectual growth has completely outstripped our spiritual growth. Therefore it is habit that we process through the brain, and mostly (although not completely) ignore or forget the spiritual excersizes that follow. Which things are the main aim of spiritual pursuits. Understanding is good, teaching others is good, but woe to him to teaches but doesn’t follow what he proclaims. Love is our pursuit - not dissecting aquinas.

Your calling is to the intellectual that much is obvious…but remember the spiritual things you pursue are meant to be done, not just memorized…your final eaxam will be on what you did with what you learned…not how much of it you memorized.

Peace to you and yours, and may the Love of Christ fill your life, and WELCOME HOME 👍 .

John
 
Could you perhaps balance the group experience of RCIA with a private series of meetings with the parish priest? As other posters have pointed out, you might get an RCIA instructor who isn’t as well-read as you are, and questions would go unanswered. You might end up monopolizing the conversation as you and the instructor go over the “how many angels can dance on the head of a pin” discussion for 15 minutes. You might flat out burn yourself out.

I’d see if you could strike a balance between the community and a smaller, one-on-one setting.
 
I think that faith in general is a matter of both head and heart and you need to nourish both. I see nothing wrong with reading and studying about the faith. Just make sure that your faith doesn’t become a totally intellectual pursuit.

At the same time, keep in mind that the people in RCIA run the gamut from people like you who know a lot to others who know very little about the Church and her teachings. That doesn’t mean that they love God any less, just that they are in a different place from you. It may be a good lesson in humility to not take over the class or show off your knowledge.
 
Thanks to all of you for your advice. I’m meeting with a priest recommended by a friend of mine tomorrow, he’s apparently a very well-read Thomistic scholar, so could be worth talking to him as well as doing RCIA.

I’m usually pretty quiet with new people, so I don’t think I’m at risk of monopolising discussions.

I take your point on living the faith as well as studying it. How should I live differently as a Catholic than I did as a Protestant, if at all? I can’t think of anything in particular I can do differently, except the way I pray, which was already pretty Catholic before, and maybe going to Adoration when I get some time to. Any other suggestions? I was thinking I should start a regular pattern of fasting and mortification, but am not sure I can do this without spiritual direction.
 
DL82 said:
I am about to start RCIA in the autumn, aiming at confirmation at Easter. I was told by a friend who recently went through RCIA not to be too ‘bookish’ before-hand because I’d miss the point that becoming Catholic is a community event, not a course to be studied.
. . .
Also, would I be better off re-reading the Catechism 4 or 5 times until I have most of it in my memory, rather than reading it once, marking the bits I’m unclear on, and moving on to the next thing?
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there is certainly nothing wrong with reading and studying anything that interests you before the formal RCIA sessions begin. I question the benefit of trying to memorize the catechism, because that is not the goal of RCIA, although it will help you in certain church ministries you may want to pursue.

The purpose of RCIA is to prepare you for the rites themselves, especially of course the sacraments of initiation, and to help you join parish and church life as a Catholic. It is not primarily a course on doctrine. What you need to know is enough to make and intelligent and informed profession of faith. RCIA is an introduction to Catholicism, not a graduate level college course in theology. Its primary text is the Sunday lectionary readings, particularly the gospels, not the catechism. In fact, it is expected and hoped that new Catholics will of their own desire to learn more pursue more study on doctrine and other areas after reception into the Church.

Read whatever addresses questions and concerns you have at this time, but there is no need to try to anticipate what will be covered in your RCIA classes. You will find that no matter what you already know, there is always more to learn, and that you can learn from even the less informed members of the group. Do not underestimate the importance of the community-building exercise inherent in the RCIA process. RCIA is envisioned as informing all catechesis and evangelization, for children and adults, and in forming new Catholics to be, as well as practicing, evangelizing, so everything you learn is to your benefit. But there is no “AP RCIA” course to test out of the process, and it is a process, much more than a class.

Please get some help from good Catholic friends (one of whom hopefully will become your sponsor) or priest about your spiritual growth as well, which is actually more important than mastering academic content.
 
How will your life change? Let God change your life!

If you feel that you are called to fasting and mortification I highly recommend fasting on Friday. (Be careful with all spiritual disciplines as they could lead to spiritual pride if you’re not vigilant. Spiritual directors are helpful.)

Let God lead you. If a friend is in the hospital visit him. I highly recommend stand and pray at abortion clinics. Or you might even want to just ask the priest what ministries around here need help. Perhaps he wants to use your intellectual gifts to start a blog on theology and philosophy. Just be open to what He wants you to do.

Make Catholic friends.
 
While I am not the mentally slowest of RCIA instructors, I think some of you really smart guys would make me feel, well scared I guess. I am one of those persons that likes to read but do better digesting chemistry than philosophy and theology. More power to you all. The only comment I would make is that I believe that it is also important to form relationships with fellow Church members and even more important with our Lord. There are many Christians out there who know only beans about their Faith, but their relationships with the Lord and others are exemplary. In the end, as Paul says,“only love endures.”
 
DL82 said:
I take your point on living the faith as well as studying it. How should I live differently as a Catholic than I did as a Protestant, if at all? I can’t think of anything in particular I can do differently, except the way I pray, which was already pretty Catholic before, and maybe going to Adoration when I get some time to. Any other suggestions? I was thinking I should start a regular pattern of fasting and mortification, but am not sure I can do this without spiritual direction.
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My first thought, since you didn’t include it in your list of all the things keeping you busy right now, was that you are not including enough prayer time. I would suggest contemplative prayer since you are already given to deep thought. Intellectual knowledge is good, but don’t neglect the spiritual. In the end, it is not how much we have learned, but how much we have loved.

Keep a journal of your spiritual journey.

Adoration is good - I recommend it. Stay after Mass to pray, or just drop in to the church when you have a spare hour and pray before the Tabernacle. Do make a regular time to pray - first thing on rising in the morning and last thing before going to sleep.

The Church, in the past, traditionally fasted on Wednesdays and abstained on Fridays. This is no longer required but is recommended and can be quite beneficial. You could start with this without needing approval from an advisor.

I would hesitate before performing mortification at this point in your faith development. This is an extreme measure and should only be entered into under the advice of your spiritual advisor or your confessor.
 
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