Question for converts: What's your story?

[moen]

To MONI: Wow, you are going to be JUST FINE in your life, girl! You are pursuing your call and your life in God, and I’ll be praying that He will lead and guide you to the uttermost!

TO ALL: (almost snowed-in again --unbelievable winter!)
It may be a little premature, but I’m so excited that I wanted to inform my precious, little convert community here Yesterday I snubbed the forecast that called for lots of snowfall and drove 30min. to a little Catholic church I’ve been drawn to and never have attended. Towards the end the priest announces that there’s an adult confirmation class starting this week. I call and I decide to attend, and it starts tonight!
I had gotten so discouraged thinking I had to wait to take the full RCIA (again )—all the classes through the Fall and convert at Easter Vigil in 2010!..until I read Canon Law, which states it’s a very different “animal” than someone who’s never been baptized!!!

I was baptized and confirmed a pretty conservative Lutheran at age 12 or 13 (?), and it “took”-----PLUS I went through most of the RCIA 2 years ago already—which was kind of lame, sorry to say, because it seemed to be a sort of “catch-all” group…anyway, I’m very pleased that I can do this now.

My kids will know that nothing will change in terms of their lives. My husband and I are on different planes entirely in most ways, but at age 47 I know that I know I need to do this…and am very peaceful and happy about it!!! I have yielded my desires/needs in so many areas, thinking that the fundamental view of women treating their husbands in essentially an idolatrous way was Biblical/correct. It’s so peaceful knowing that I am doing what I need to do. My husband says “fine, whatever”-----so it’s not as if it’s rebellion on on my part. It’s been almost 6 years in waiting, so I am understandably very happy!

Love and prayers to you all!

 

[LegoGE1947]

LegoGE1947,

You wrote: So since my wife and I have been attending Rock Church which is an independent “Jesus Movement” group we would be called “Sectaries” rather than Protestants? This is a new thing to me.

Well, this is how I understand there to be such a distinction. Perhaps the viewpoint is more Lutheran than anything else. Anyway, the sects and the Protestants, from whom the sects hived off, are both in the wrong camp vis-a-vis Catholicism (Roman and Eastern Catholic and Eastern Orthodox)!

Jerry Parker

I am working my way in to the “right” camp!
I was a Catholic from 2001 to 2007 when my wife decided she didn’t want to be Catholic anymore. So I followed her to Rock Church but I don’t feel at home there even though they are very loving God-fearing people

 

[luminoushope]

Greetings Moen! I’m really happy for you. Isn’t it something the way a matter that can seem so complicated can suddenly become beautifully simple–praise be to God. And, you braved the snow and ice! (Most of our snow has melted.)

Greetings CB Catholic! My first church believed in and preached the Trinity. However, I don’t think any written records were kept, and I never had a baptismal certificate. Our priest tells me that’s not unusual. I will just let the Church do with me as she will. Thank you for the encouragement about becoming a Catholic! I feel this is the fulfillment of my 27 years of being a Christian, and is one of the greatest things I have done in my life.

 

[moen]

Dear Luminous,
The class was wonderful (only 4 of us). I sat there with a “knowing” that I am doing the right thing at the right time…which is a rare thing for me in my life

In RCIA the book used was the unwieldy, heavy hardback CCC, but in this one we’re using the much easier to read United States Catholic Catechism for Adults…where there are portraits of saints, easy to read explanations…all in all much easier to wade through.

I will encourage any of you w/ a Christian/Baptized background to check out a Confirmation class, if you’re looking into converting.

Dear Jerry,
What an interesting/adventurous life you’ve led so far. I hope the ill effects of your blood issue is OK…

Regarding St. John’s tomb, since Revelation does say he died on Patmos, you’d think people would take that as fact…but yet the documentary showed the “actual” tombstone–wierd, eh?

 

[stpetric]

I was formed in the “Anglo-Catholic” wing of the Anglican church; educated at an Episcopal seminary; and ordained to the priesthood of the Anglican church in 1994. I always thought of myself as a catholic, but distinguished Anglican Catholicism from *Roman *Catholicism in a number of ways – the most important of which was transubstantiation.

Before I go on, an aside to Catholic readers: Catholics often use “transubstantiation” imprecisely, meaning by it only Our Lord’s “Real Presence” in the Blessed Sacrament. It has a technical meaning, though, in Aristotelian and Thomistic metaphysics, which is the sense the Church uses it in official theology. That philosophy distinguishes between “substances” and “accidents”; and Catholic eucharistic theology says that the *accidents *of bread and wine remain while the *substance *is changed to the Body and Blood of Christ. Most Anglicans, and virtually all Anglo-Catholics, affirm belief in the Real Presence even though most don’t use the language of “substances” and “accidents”.

As pastor of a church, at the announcements during the liturgy each Sunday I would teach a little about the saints whose feast days occurred in the coming week. And one Sunday I happened to talk about St Athanasius and his defense of the doctrine of the Incarnation. I described the Council of Nicea adopting his use of the term “homoousion”, and reminded the congregation that we use that word every week in the creed when we affirm belief in the Son as “being of one substance with the Father…” As the words came out of my mouth I realized that as Anglicans we do use the language of substances and accidents! At the point, the penny dropped, and it was only a matter of time before I “came over”. That happened on October 9, 2006 – October 9 being the anniversary of Cardinal Newman’s reception in 1845.

 

[Jerry_Parker]

Moni,

Thanks for your timely and wise advice about not delaying unduly conversion from Lutheranism to Roman Catholicism. I have struggled with this due to my acceptance wholeheartedly to Eastern Orthodoxy, but also to my lack of total conviction of Roman Catholicism in matters where it differs from Eastern Orthodoxy. However, there is no living Eastern Orthodox ecclesiastic presence here, nor is there any Lutheran presence, either, in Rouyn-Noranda (a somewhat small city in the Northwest of Québec, which, nonethess, is the largest municipality in the entire remote Abitibi region), so, if I am to have a practising connexion, with the vital sacramental life, with any church of Catholic character, it must be either Roman Catholic or Eastern (Ukrainian) Catholic.

Also, we are in the midst of the Abitibi’s long and somewhat arduous northerly winter, and my difficulties, due to severe arthrosis in these elderly years of my life, in getting about (there being no public transport here presently on Sundays) limit what I can do until more clement weather arrives. I long for the sacraments, and they are only available here validly in communion with the Roman and/or Eastern Catholic Church.

Do not worry: I am resolved! May your teenage son overcome his own temporal difficulties in coming to conversion!

Jerry Parker

 

[usemelord]

Hmmmm. Where to begin? Well, I was “born again” in seventh grade during an Awana Boys Club meeting. Then and there, I thought, my salvation was secured forever and ever. You know, “once saved, always saved,” right? Not quite. Fast forward 40 years. After marrying a Catholic and raising our two kids Catholic, and each of them having four children all of whom are being raised Catholic, I started having serious questions about the concept of “once saved, always saved.” Although I was away from the church for quite a long time, God was still in my heart. All I believed I needed was the Bible and the Cross, nothing more, nothing less. Give me a good sermon and good music any day of the week over what I experienced on the odd occasion I attended Mass with my wife. Mass, at least for me, was too robotic. Everything was the same from week-to-week except the readings. And what about all the things that I perceived as distractions from the Cross such as holy water, candles, incense, statues, the rosary, the role of Mary, and on and on. No one ever bothered to explain to me why Catholic do what they do at Mass, and I, in turn, never bothered to ask. One thing lead to another and before I knew it, I was attending “Inquiry” sort of a lead-in to RCIA. Then, just as swiftly, I was enrolled in RCIA to begin a journey that I wasn’t sure would be finished. But, one thing had to be very clear to my wife, kids, and grandkids, and that was that I was entering this process for myself and myself alone, because if I did it for my wife or anyone else, it would be for the wrong reason. The RCIA instructor was one of my son’s best friends from high school. He came within a whisker of becoming a priest, so his knowledge was vast and, more importantly, his teaching style was exceedingly palatable. Before too long I was getting all the answers to the myriad of questions that had bothered me for so long about Catholics and the Mass. All those things that I thought were distractions from the Cross actually lead us back to the Cross. Holy water reminds us of our Baptism. Candles remind us that the Lord is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. Incense rising up remind us of our prayers rising up to the Lord. Statues of Saints remind us of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for the sake of the Church. As for Mary, she is not worshipped as so many non-Catholics think, rather venerated as one might hold up one’s own mother in the highest regard. Yes, bit by bit I started connecting the dots and understanding why Catholics do what they do at Mass. “Your One Step Guide to the Mass,” a simple, easy read authored by a local priest, helped me understand every little step of the Mass from beginning to end. Indeed, the first chapter of that book was entitled, “Our Jewish Roots.” I thought to myself, “By golly, they have it right!” But what about the Eucharist? As a young person we had communion perhaps on the first Sunday of every month and it was very reverent, but only symbolic. What was the big deal about Communion in the Catholic Church, then? I found out the answer to that question at the RCIA retreat in Prescott, Az about one month before coming into the Church at the Easter Vigil, 2005. A deacon explained what goes on every time a priest consecrates the Host which has a funny name called Epiclesis. The priest calls down the Holy Spirit to transform the elements into the Real Presence of Christ. For a nano-second I thought to myself, this is just some hocus- pocus. However, in the very next nano-second, I had to accept it because by denying Transubstantiation, I would be denying the power of the Holy Spirit which is something that I absolutely could not and would not do under any circumstance. Once I came to the stunning realization of the Real Presence, it changed my life from that point forward. No longer was communion ever going to be merely symbolic. Rather, every time I accepted Communion in a worthy fashion, I abided with the promise that Christ lived in me, and I lived in Him. Therefore, and henceforth, I had a DUTY to be a 24/7 Christian, as opposed to a one-day-a-week Christian. That was nearly four years ago and now as I approach my 65th birthday, I can honestly testify that I still love celebrating Mass and try to approach each Mass as if it’s my first one, as if it’s my last one, as if it’s my only one, in order to keep it fresh. Also, as a priest once observed during a homily, “No one ever said being Catholic would be easy. If you want something easy, become Unitarian.” (Editorial note: my brother is.) Other helpful aids during the course of my RCIA journey included Scott Hahn’s conversion cd, or any book written by him, as well as “Surprised ByTruth,” a compilation of conversion stories put together by Patrick Madrid. Now I attend Mass as often as possible, take Communion to the infirmed as a Minister of Care, attend an ecumenical Bible study, etc. Funny thing is that my wife now thinks I am “too Catholic.” Just trying to make up for lost time, honey.

 

[LegoGE1947]

Hmmmm. Where to begin? Well, I was “born again” in seventh grade during an Awana Boys Club meeting. Then and there, I thought, my salvation was secured forever and ever. You know, “once saved, always saved,” right? Not quite. Fast forward 40 years. After marrying a Catholic and raising our two kids Catholic, and each of them having four children all of whom are being raised Catholic, I started having serious questions about the concept of “once saved, always saved.” Although I was away from the church for quite a long time, God was still in my heart. All I believed I needed was the Bible and the Cross, nothing more, nothing less. Give me a good sermon and good music any day of the week over what I experienced on the odd occasion I attended Mass with my wife. Mass, at least for me, was too robotic. Everything was the same from week-to-week except the readings. And what about all the things that I perceived as distractions from the Cross such as holy water, candles, incense, statues, the rosary, the role of Mary, and on and on. No one ever bothered to explain to me why Catholic do what they do at Mass, and I, in turn, never bothered to ask. One thing lead to another and before I knew it, I was attending “Inquiry” sort of a lead-in to RCIA. Then, just as swiftly, I was enrolled in RCIA to begin a journey that I wasn’t sure would be finished. But, one thing had to be very clear to my wife, kids, and grandkids, and that was that I was entering this process for myself and myself alone, because if I did it for my wife or anyone else, it would be for the wrong reason. The RCIA instructor was one of my son’s best friends from high school. He came within a whisker of becoming a priest, so his knowledge was vast and, more importantly, his teaching style was exceedingly palatable. Before too long I was getting all the answers to the myriad of questions that had bothered me for so long about Catholics and the Mass. All those things that I thought were distractions from the Cross actually lead us back to the Cross. Holy water reminds us of our Baptism. Candles remind us that the Lord is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. Incense rising up remind us of our prayers rising up to the Lord. Statues of Saints remind us of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for the sake of the Church. As for Mary, she is not worshipped as so many non-Catholics think, rather venerated as one might hold up one’s own mother in the highest regard. Yes, bit by bit I started connecting the dots and understanding why Catholics do what they do at Mass. “Your One Step Guide to the Mass,” a simple, easy read authored by a local priest, helped me understand every little step of the Mass from beginning to end. Indeed, the first chapter of that book was entitled, “Our Jewish Roots.” I thought to myself, “By golly, they have it right!” But what about the Eucharist? As a young person we had communion perhaps on the first Sunday of every month and it was very reverent, but only symbolic. What was the big deal about Communion in the Catholic Church, then? I found out the answer to that question at the RCIA retreat in Prescott, Az about one month before coming into the Church at the Easter Vigil, 2005. A deacon explained what goes on every time a priest consecrates the Host which has a funny name called Epiclesis. The priest calls down the Holy Spirit to transform the elements into the Real Presence of Christ. For a nano-second I thought to myself, this is just some hocus- pocus. However, in the very next nano-second, I had to accept it because by denying Transubstantiation, I would be denying the power of the Holy Spirit which is something that I absolutely could not and would not do under any circumstance. Once I came to the stunning realization of the Real Presence, it changed my life from that point forward. No longer was communion ever going to be merely symbolic. Rather, every time I accepted Communion in a worthy fashion, I abided with the promise that Christ lived in me, and I lived in Him. Therefore, and henceforth, I had a DUTY to be a 24/7 Christian, as opposed to a one-day-a-week Christian. That was nearly four years ago and now as I approach my 65th birthday, I can honestly testify that I still love celebrating Mass and try to approach each Mass as if it’s my first one, as if it’s my last one, as if it’s my only one, in order to keep it fresh. Also, as a priest once observed during a homily, “No one ever said being Catholic would be easy. If you want something easy, become Unitarian.” (Editorial note: my brother is.) Other helpful aids during the course of my RCIA journey included Scott Hahn’s conversion cd, or any book written by him, as well as “Surprised ByTruth,” a compilation of conversion stories put together by Patrick Madrid. Now I attend Mass as often as possible, take Communion to the infirmed as a Minister of Care, attend an ecumenical Bible study, etc. Funny thing is that my wife now thinks I am “too Catholic.” Just trying to make up for lost time, honey.

I became “born again” at age 26 after having no religious upbringing at all as a child. However I went forward, not for myself, but for a bunch of college and career age young people who all but dragged me to the service. Seems like all my life I’ve been doing things for the benefit of others instead of me. I even joined the catholic Church in 2002 for my wife who also joined at that time. but in 2007 she decided she wanted to go back to her pentacostal roots so I followed “for her” But I am miserable so I have been going to a large Catholic church that has a Mass very early in the morning before my wife even wakes up. I went this after noon and bought a copy of the Catachism of the Catholic church. (My wife went through the house several months ago and disposed of every bit of Catholic literature we had) I want to go back to the Catholic Church this time for ME

 

[Memaw]

Hmmmm. Where to begin? Well, I was “born again” in seventh grade during an Awana Boys Club meeting. Then and there, I thought, my salvation was secured forever and ever. You know, “once saved, always saved,” right? Not quite. Fast forward 40 years. After marrying a Catholic and raising our two kids Catholic, and each of them having four children all of whom are being raised Catholic, I started having serious questions about the concept of “once saved, always saved.” Although I was away from the church for quite a long time, God was still in my heart. All I believed I needed was the Bible and the Cross, nothing more, nothing less. Give me a good sermon and good music any day of the week over what I experienced on the odd occasion I attended Mass with my wife. Mass, at least for me, was too robotic. Everything was the same from week-to-week except the readings. And what about all the things that I perceived as distractions from the Cross such as holy water, candles, incense, statues, the rosary, the role of Mary, and on and on. No one ever bothered to explain to me why Catholic do what they do at Mass, and I, in turn, never bothered to ask. One thing lead to another and before I knew it, I was attending “Inquiry” sort of a lead-in to RCIA. Then, just as swiftly, I was enrolled in RCIA to begin a journey that I wasn’t sure would be finished. But, one thing had to be very clear to my wife, kids, and grandkids, and that was that I was entering this process for myself and myself alone, because if I did it for my wife or anyone else, it would be for the wrong reason. The RCIA instructor was one of my son’s best friends from high school. He came within a whisker of becoming a priest, so his knowledge was vast and, more importantly, his teaching style was exceedingly palatable. Before too long I was getting all the answers to the myriad of questions that had bothered me for so long about Catholics and the Mass. All those things that I thought were distractions from the Cross actually lead us back to the Cross. Holy water reminds us of our Baptism. Candles remind us that the Lord is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. Incense rising up remind us of our prayers rising up to the Lord. Statues of Saints remind us of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for the sake of the Church. As for Mary, she is not worshipped as so many non-Catholics think, rather venerated as one might hold up one’s own mother in the highest regard. Yes, bit by bit I started connecting the dots and understanding why Catholics do what they do at Mass. “Your One Step Guide to the Mass,” a simple, easy read authored by a local priest, helped me understand every little step of the Mass from beginning to end. Indeed, the first chapter of that book was entitled, “Our Jewish Roots.” I thought to myself, “By golly, they have it right!” But what about the Eucharist? As a young person we had communion perhaps on the first Sunday of every month and it was very reverent, but only symbolic. What was the big deal about Communion in the Catholic Church, then? I found out the answer to that question at the RCIA retreat in Prescott, Az about one month before coming into the Church at the Easter Vigil, 2005. A deacon explained what goes on every time a priest consecrates the Host which has a funny name called Epiclesis. The priest calls down the Holy Spirit to transform the elements into the Real Presence of Christ. For a nano-second I thought to myself, this is just some hocus- pocus. However, in the very next nano-second, I had to accept it because by denying Transubstantiation, I would be denying the power of the Holy Spirit which is something that I absolutely could not and would not do under any circumstance. Once I came to the stunning realization of the Real Presence, it changed my life from that point forward. No longer was communion ever going to be merely symbolic. Rather, every time I accepted Communion in a worthy fashion, I abided with the promise that Christ lived in me, and I lived in Him. Therefore, and henceforth, I had a DUTY to be a 24/7 Christian, as opposed to a one-day-a-week Christian. That was nearly four years ago and now as I approach my 65th birthday, I can honestly testify that I still love celebrating Mass and try to approach each Mass as if it’s my first one, as if it’s my last one, as if it’s my only one, in order to keep it fresh. Also, as a priest once observed during a homily, “No one ever said being Catholic would be easy. If you want something easy, become Unitarian.” (Editorial note: my brother is.) Other helpful aids during the course of my RCIA journey included Scott Hahn’s conversion cd, or any book written by him, as well as “Surprised ByTruth,” a compilation of conversion stories put together by Patrick Madrid. Now I attend Mass as often as possible, take Communion to the infirmed as a Minister of Care, attend an ecumenical Bible study, etc. Funny thing is that my wife now thinks I am “too Catholic.” Just trying to make up for lost time, honey.

My what a long journey and beautiful story. I love the conversion stories here and so respect the difficult path some of you had to travel. I am sooo thankful I was “born” into the Faith, although our journey is not always easy either and some of us take it for granted to often. Many don’t even understand their own Catholic faith. You bring new life into the Church and are a bridge between Catholic’s and other denominations. You understand where they are coming from and you also know the truth about Catholicism. What a Blessing !! Keep the wonderful stories coming and God Bless you all., Memaw

 

[Jerry_Parker]

Use Me Lord,

What a fine testimony you have made of coming to the Holy Catholic Faith! Like so many sectaries, you had fallen early in life for the “once saved, always saved” concept. What is so perplexing is how the Protestants and sectaries can get so many takes on the idea of “salvation by faith (through grace) alone”, which they interpret in such a bewilderingly lnumerous ways, one contradicting the other.

Reformed Protestants and Lutherans, if they are true to their heritage (which increasingly few are) reject the sectaries’ reduction of salvation to the formula about “once for always”. The reason is the same as that of the Roman and Eastern Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. Faith has to be living, producing the fruit of good works, to be vital and valid. This does not mean that one is saved wholely or partly by works, but simply to identify living and fruitful faith as being what true faith really is, not some mere empty assent or fading emotion.

The Eucharist, indeed, is central to the appeal of the Holy Catholic Faith. The Protestants, to a degree, and the sects, wholely, abandon the treasures of the Eucharist and of baptismal regeneration, of Christ’s ministry of priests and bishops, and so many other things, accepting along the way in their futile “Holy Communion” commemorations, a service of personal and human devotionalism that displaces Christ’s Real Presence, for the Mass, which conveys Christ’s Real Presence and all the graces attendent thereon. The sectaries and most Protestants cherish the secondary, holding fast to a whole bunch of contested propositions, rather than valuing what is central and which only God Himself can effect. Those aberrent ideas of those who dissent from Catholicism are worth so little compared to what these ame folks have abandoned! That is something that converts recognise. One clings to those things most precious in order not to lose them, as the sects and many of the Protestants have done so!

Jerry Parker

 

[usemelord]

Thank you so much LegoGE1947, Memaw, and Jerry Parker for all your kind comments. I means a lot to me to be affirmed in my witness and convictions. This is not to sound pretentious or falsely pious, but it’s been said many times that converts make the best Catholics. If this is, in fact, so, then it must follow that so-called cradle Catholics have either forgotten everything they’ve learned, or Mass has become such a rote activity that it no longer inspires them to practice their faith in their daily lives. For me the ultimate revelation that sums everything up about my conversion is that I found Truth in the Catholic Church. One of the things I failed to mention was that prior to even considering RCIA, I read in the weekly bulletin a short invitation that started out by saying, “You may be considering becoming Catholic if you can answer ‘yes’ to any of the following questions/statements.” The very first statement made me laugh. It read, “My mother would roll over in her grave if she knew I was thinking of becoming Catholic.” How true. Somehow I now think my mother is smiling back at me with a wink and giving her silent assent as if to say, “Well done my son. I’m so proud of you.”

 

[Jerry_Parker]

Use Me Lord,

You wrote: This is not to sound pretentious or falsely pious, but it’s been said many times that converts make the best Catholics. If this is, in fact, so, then it must follow that so-called cradle Catholics have either forgotten everything they’ve learned, or Mass has become such a rote activity that it no longer inspires them to practice their faith in their daily lives.

Well, I hope that I, converting, can be such a good Roman Catholic as that! I would note, too, as someone old enough to recall, how much more conducive the 1962 Missale Romanum liturgy was to concentrating on the Mass. The Novus Ordo, in whatever language (French or English, here in Canada) is so brief and leaves so little “breathing space” for the spirit, that it is difficult to immerse oneself contemplatively and attentively in the holy mysteries of the Mass. It can become “rote” and routine more easily precisely because it flies by so quickly and leaves so little space for quiet and personal devotion. The old Mass left more silence within it and it was more directionally related to God rather than to the priest and between him and fellow worshippers. I only can hope that Pope Benedict XVI really will work to assure that the 1962 Missal is restored to use universally in parishes.

At least I can say, nowadays that it is not the beauty of the liturgy that attracts me to the Church, for the Anglican Book of Common Prayer liturgy, among other Protestant liturgies, really is more beautiful than the Novus Ordo. However, the Mass is the Mass, and right doctrine and true priestly ordination authority regarding the Eucharist are more important to assure validity than beauty is. Still, there was a time, before 1970, that the Roman Catholic Mass had both, i.e. validity and the serene beauty of spiritual repose.

Jerry Parker

 

[fabricdragon]

i just wanted to state that i have been truly inspired by many of your stories… and that it is obvious to me that more than a few of you have a real gift for writing about the faith in an approachable but still inspiring fashion…
and i think you should consider writing for a wider audience…

 

[usemelord]

The church I attend here in Mesa, Az can only be best described as “charismatic.” Unlike the majority of Catholic churches where you can practically hear a pin drop before Mass, our church is alive with anticipation. My mother-in-law who was visiting from South Bend, Indiana a couple years ago made the humorous comment that she thought she was in the Crystal Cathedral. The traditional Catholics seem to be offended by the activity going on prior to Mass, but, truth be known, I think Jesus would be smiling to see such a strong sense of community, especially participation in a wide variety of ministries. There’s a lot of hugging going on, and we hold hands during The Lord’s Prayer, etc. The Mass experience for me is a true celebration of worship and praise. We are lifting each other up with the Lord and the Holy Spirit’s presence is palpable. Sometimes when I have occasion to attend a traditional Mass, of course, I feel reverence but no connection to the members of the congregation who come and go invisibly. How can you develop the sense that you are part of the Body of Christ without nurturing community?

 

[moen]

To St. Pretric: - WHat a beautiful story of God’s spirit speaking to you. In my many, many years wandering in the desert of Protestantism, I had similar things along the way. I applaud you for your humility, being honest with what God spoke to you and moving on that.

**To usemelord:**Wow, you’ve stated very clearly what so many of us have experienced. What a journey. It’s so encouraging to hear similar stories, that we’re not alone!

I must say in defense of my wandering desert years, it wasn’t all dry and strange and confusing. I believe God used it, and I can recall years where I grew spiritually in a BIG way. I also believe that God will use anyone/anything to spur us towards HIM. God is still sovereign, and I praise Him for the years of tremendous spiritual growth I had in Baptist, Pentecostal churches. The Lutheran church experience I had as a child was probably very similar to the nominal Catholic person who was not encouraged to read scripture (as Many are not), not given spiritual encouragement or explanations of much of anything. We had the rituals, the Real Presence…but the funny thing is NO ONE sat me down and explained anything in a way a child of 12 could understand. I remember in confirmation pretty much only memorizing the books of the Bible in order! Not much else was promoted, to the best of my recollection)

I saw no point in going to church, and went skiing instead in the winters for the next years. Then a Baptist boy told me that God loved me and invited me to a Bible Study. That was it, and I grew like crazy for many years afterwards. Thank God for that boy. There were no Lutheran Bible studies, probably no Catholic either at that time…and I wonder now: Why Not?

Now, here I am moving into the CC–after studying / praying for 6 years about this! I will face rejection, silence, and possible abandonment from friends (hopefully not family!). But I know it’s right to do. I am , after all, the first Catholic probably ever in either family line! (Straight from Norse pagan to Lutheran!!!)

All that say, keep on believing that God is pursuing you more than you are pursuing Him, that He’ll keep you on track.

 

[Jerry_Parker]

Fabric Dragon,

You wrote: More than a few of you have a real gift for writing about the faith in an approachable but still inspiring fashion, and I think you should consider writing for a wider audience.

Hm-m-m, that might be something for the moderator of C.A. to consider, selecting what seem the best conversion accounts from standpoints of writing, variety (different backgrounds, factors) to group together as a collection in printed (large booklet?) form. That’s up to C.A., of course!

Jerry Parker

 

[Jerry_Parker]

Moen,

You wrote: There were no Lutheran Bible studies, probably no Catholic either at that time…and I wonder now: Why Not?

Many Lutheran congregations indeed do have Bible studies, usually before the main public service, at least in Lutheran Church Missouri Synod and Wisconsin Evangelical Synod parishes. Your parish may not have been typical, after all.

One wise thing in L.C.M.S. and W.E.L.S. parish Bible studies is to insist that the pastor conduct them. It is easy for errors to crop up when laity hold Bible studies with no guidance. Sometimes, too, lay Bible studies can become cliques that seem more important to those involved than the public liturgy is to them. That is not a good thing at all, and I know that this can be a problem with others besides Lutherans.

Still (barely) Lutheran Jerry Parker

 

[usemelord]

Jerry, a good idea for CA to maybe look at these conversion stories and consider putting a book together sort of like “Surprised By Truth” by Patrick Madrid, except these stories written here are much more abbreviated. In fact, six months after coming into the Church at Easter Vigil 2005, I wrote my own conversion story which also included a mini-autobiography so the reader could understand how I got from point A to point B. By far my favorite thing to share with others is my conversion story primarily because, like so many other converts, the LAST thing I thought I would ever become was Catholic. Except for my PhD-in-high-energy-physics-from-Cal-Tech Unitarian brother who says we are on “opposite sides of the universe,” most people enjoy hearing my story.

 

[Jerry_Parker]

Use Me Lord,

You wrote: Jerry, a good idea for CA to maybe look at these conversion stories and consider putting a book together sort of like “Surprised By Truth” by Patrick Madrid, except these stories written here are much more abbreviated. In fact, six months after coming into the Church at Easter Vigil 2005, I wrote my own conversion story which also included a mini-autobiography so the reader could understand how I got from point A to point B. By far my favorite thing to share with others is my conversion story, primarily because, like so many other converts, the LAST thing I thought I would ever become was Catholic. Except for my PhD-in-high-energy-physics-from-Cal-Tech Unitarian brother who says we are on “opposite sides of the universe,” most people enjoy hearing my story.

I suspect that different people will find interest and inspiration in different approaches to retelling accounts of conversion. They all have their place and uses. A long account, e.g. one that takes an whole volume, Cardinal Newman’s Apologia pro vita sua, can be fantastically good, and Newman’s is one of the classics of English literature, but briefer accounts by ordinary folk (and some less plain) have their utility, too. Autobiographical background is good, but so is “intellectual and spiritual growth” accounts with little of such data, as well. (I personally like the individual touch that such life recountings brings to telling of conversion.)

Bring 'em all on, in whichever form and at whatever length or brevity!

Jerry Parker

 

[Memaw]

The church I attend here in Mesa, Az can only be best described as “charismatic.” Unlike the majority of Catholic churches where you can practically hear a pin drop before Mass, our church is alive with anticipation. My mother-in-law who was visiting from South Bend, Indiana a couple years ago made the humorous comment that she thought she was in the Crystal Cathedral. The traditional Catholics seem to be offended by the activity going on prior to Mass, but, truth be known, I think Jesus would be smiling to see such a strong sense of community, especially participation in a wide variety of ministries. There’s a lot of hugging going on, and we hold hands during The Lord’s Prayer, etc. The Mass experience for me is a true celebration of worship and praise. We are lifting each other up with the Lord and the Holy Spirit’s presence is palpable. Sometimes when I have occasion to attend a traditional Mass, of course, I feel reverence but no connection to the members of the congregation who come and go invisibly. How can you develop the sense that you are part of the Body of Christ without nurturing community?

At the risk of sounding like an old ‘stick in the mud’, traditional’ Catholic, in defense of reverence for Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, I believe silence in Church is very important. There are people there praying and it is very difficult to pray when others are talking, laughing etc, around you. We are there to Worship and spend time with Our Lord, not socialize. There are plenty of other times and places to do that. I belong to a big parish that is very friendly, we have many things for those who wish to join, Legion of Mary, St. Vincent De Paul Soc., Men’s Club, Perpetual Adoration, Pro-life activities, several dinners a year, Lent activities, Christmas activities, many, many ways to get together and socialize. So inside the Church is for prayer and Worship. We do not hold hands during The Lord’s Prayer as it is a prayer for God and our attention should not be on each other. It is NOT a part of Mass to hold hands anytime.
As for Catholics not reading the Bible, seems funny to me as we had Bible study books, Bible story books in school all the way thru Catholic schools. I have several copies of those old books. And did you know that if one attends Mass daily for 3 years in a row, you will have every bit of the Bible, Old and New Testaments alike, read to you in a 3 year cycle. . Even if one only went to Mass on Sundays, they still got plenty of scripture read to them. Maybe Catholics were taught not to interrupt the Bible yourself, (and we can all see the danger in that) but unless we deliberatly ignored what we were taught, its hard to imagine one not knowing anything about Scripture. Catholics do not zero in on certain verses and build our belief on that only. There is soo much more to it than that.
If you have ever been in an older Catholic Church, you could learn the faith by looking at the beautiful stained glass windows. In fact that’s why Catholic Churches have such beautiful windows, so those who couldn’t read, could see. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I have been fortunate to have visited so many very beautiful Catholic Churches and Cathedrals across our country. Many were built by poor, struggling immigrants and are breathtaking.
One can be silent and still be ‘alive with anticipation’. God Bless, Memaw.