Why Is It So Hard To Join

[jmcrae]

Not to dissuade you from RCIA, but to keep in mind its relative necessity from a N.T. perspective…

I do think we put the cart before the horse. In our society we take an academic approach to everything and we think somebody has to be sufficiently “qualified.”

Here are a couple of items about “head knowledge” and being “fully informed.” Make not mistake; I love head knowledge. I was an engineer with a master’s degree and a math teacher. My big problem was to get out of the head knowledge only mode (that is almost exclusively what is discussed on the forums) and get into transforming – and eventually divine – union.

1 Cor 2:1-5
When I came to you, brothers, proclaiming the mystery of God, I did not come with sublimity of words or of wisdom. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear and much trembling, and my message and my proclamation were not with persuasive (words of) wisdom, but with a demonstration of spirit and power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God.

1 Cor 1:17-20
For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and*** not with the wisdom of human eloquence, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its meaning.*** The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

For it is written:
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
and the learning of the learned I will set aside.”

Where is the wise one? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made the wisdom of the world foolish?

1 Cor 8:1-3
Now in regard to meat sacrificed to idols: we realize that “all of us have knowledge”; knowledge inflates with pride, but love builds up. If anyone supposes he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. But if one loves God, one is known by him.

Again I’m clearly in favor of, not against, having “head knowledge” but it’s obviously not the most important thing in our relationship with God. And of course some here do not accept his authority, but Franciscan Fr. Richard Rohr sent a message about head knowledge in his daily email that I receive and discuss on my own forum site. I think it is rather ironic that I received and posted this email just this morning, then came to CAF to find this thread. (“Coincidence is God’s way of remaining anonymous” – Albert Einstein)

Here is an excerpt:
Major Misplacement of Attention
Meditation 28 of 49

The Christian tradition became so concerned with making Jesus into its
God, and making sure everybody believed that Jesus was God, that it
often ignored his very practical and clear teachings. (Has Christianity
been known for loving its enemies, or even building bridges of
understanding between peoples?) Instead, we made the important issues
abstract theological questions about the nature of God (which ask almost
nothing of us except argument). Much of our church life has been on that
level, and no one ever really “wins,” and so it goes on for
centuries. Churches divide and separate largely over nonessential Gospel
issues. “Who can pour the water, when, and what do they say?”

Just some things to think about in your spiritual journey. By all means, go to RCIA and learn what you can. But remember that knowing Catholic doctrine is but a means to the goal of our relationship with God. Our proficiency with doctrine is neither required nor sufficient for us to have a relationship with God.

That said, if the Catholics say you must do it this way, then to be a Catholic I guess that’s what you’re going to have to do. But even in the Catholic tradition, the most profound form of prayer – contemplative prayer – involves zero knowledge, and in fact consists of our “un-thinking” about anything including God … just basking in His gaze.

Alan

RCIA is also not only or even primarily about head knowledge - it is a process of sequential Rites and blessings that prepare the soul for the full reception of the Sacraments. There is so an educational component, along with prayers, Liturgical experiences, retreats, and immersion into Scripture, but the essence of RCIA is the Rites.

 

[klm120861]

Depending on the level of involvement you have had in your former current Christian tradition, you may not technically need RCIA. There are some protestant traditions that baptize as infants, or even people who were baptized as older children, as I was, but then drifted away from any church until they decide to become Catholic. In my case, I had been involved in lay (protestant) ministry off and on for most of my life. (I joined my first kids choir in 3rd grade.) I had studied Assembly of God theology. Technically I didn’t need RCIA. That said, I had to “do” RCIA anyway. Looking back after being Catholic for 9 years, I have come to realize a few things.

1. While ideally candidates, catechumens and confirmands should not all be in one class together, realistically they usually are because there aren’t enough catechists to divide everyone one out.
2. Often those just needing confirmation have had little or no contact with the Church since receiving their First Eucharist, therefore they need to learn the basics.
3. As a 9 year Catholic, I have just recently become aware of just how much the Protestant theology I grew up with and studied has permeated my understanding of God. It seems like the more I knew, the more I had to “unlearn” as it were. RCIA started that process.

Would I have preferred private instruction and coming into the Church at a time separate from catechumens? Actually, yes. But I recognize the priest didn’t have the time to meet with me personally, plus I never asked.

If you have a strong church background, it wouldn’t hurt to make an appointment with the Pastor and discuss your background and what would be appropriate for you. Be willing to do whatever he advises.
Kris

 

[LittleRose]

Just as long as God understands I’m running to Him at full speed (sometimes stumbling over myself) and desparately do not want to be excluded from heaven’s entry.

Oh, yes He certainly does. Have no doubt whatsoever about that!

Our priest (very well-informed on theological issues) told a cohort of candidates in our parish once that when you join RCIA and begin the process, if anyone asks you your religion, you can truthfully say “I am Catholic.” He explained that it’s not that you are an outsider until you receive the Sacraments for the first time. You were made a part of the Church when you were validly baptized (even if you didn’t know it until recently), and you became Catholic once you placed your faith in Catholicism and entered RCIA. Of course, you are not fully initiated yet, and you don’t know everything about the faith (as is also the case with small children who have yet to receive all of their sacraments), but the fact that you have the desire to be a Catholic and that you have entered into the process of becoming fully initiated into the Church makes you part of the Church already.

Welcome home!

 

[CompSciGuy]

I’m considering joining the Catholic Church. I’ve read several articles about what it takes to join, and was really motivated to talk to a priest about this. I just had a meeting with someone at the church closest to my house; he was not a priest, but this was the only person who would reply to my email. I told him I was ready to join; I would do it today. He told me that the RCIA program is what I needed. As I understand it, this would delay my entry into full communion with the church for almost a full year.

What?? Why is it so hard to join? Why in the world would Catholics want to keep people out until an appointed time in the future? You have the most blessed sacrament of all, and I make full accent to all the Catholic Church teaches, but I cannot receive any sacraments until the next scheduled boarding date? What is the purpose of this delay? What will happen if I die between now and then? Don’t I need these sacraments to receive Christ fully in my life? If these things can wait a year, then why would I need them at all?

I know it’s a lot of questions, but I’m a little put out. It’s like an employer who wants you to start a job, but you won’t be paid until some time next year; but please come anyway.

Trust me, it’s necessary. RCIA and the inquiry/conversion process takes time. I remember when I was wanting to convert, I was thinking the same thing: why go to RCIA? I already know everything there is to know now. But knowing isn’t enough. Formation takes time. I went through so many periods of doubt and questioning… I actually ended up doing two full years of RCIA instead of one because I didn’t tell my parents about it the first time around until right before Easter, then my dad started debating me and I started having doubts all over again. When I found that after this period of doubting I was still drawn to the mass, I went back to the church seeking conversion. The new RCIA director told me to take another year to sort things out with my family and to work through any other doubts I may have. I needed that extra year. And yes, I was itching for the sacraments, let me tell ya. But receiving first communion after waiting two years, let me tell you, it was worth it.

 

[CompSciGuy]

A new convert needs to be nurtured and taught the Faith so they can make an informed decision on whether or not being a Catholic is right for them.

Not to be nitpicky… but being Catholic is right for everyone. Catholic teaching is objective truth, and all men are called to the Church. Perhaps what you meant is “whether or not you are prepared to enter the Church”? Maybe this is what you meant to say. I am a little obsessive over semantics.

 

[aemcpa]

Not to be nitpicky… but being Catholic is right for everyone. Catholic teaching is objective truth, and all men are called to the Church. Perhaps what you meant is “whether or not you are prepared to enter the Church”? Maybe this is what you meant to say. I am a little obsessive over semantics.

Nothing nitpicky about this.

 

[novelista]

I am a convert, too. I was anxious to celebrate the sacraments, but had to go through RCIA, even though I had studied a lot of Catholicism on my own. I felt I was Catholic from the very first time I stepped foot into a Catholic church.

But as RCIA progressed, I realized I had a lot to learn, and that the rites were important steps on the journey. It made the Easter Vigil that much more significant when I was finally baptized and able to participate in the sacraments.

In addition, I think RCIA helps in that it makes the convert think about the step they are taking to join the church.It has to be a personal commitment.

 

[GRATEFULONEjim]

Not to be nitpicky… but being Catholic is right for everyone. Catholic teaching is objective truth, and all men are called to the Church. Perhaps what you meant is “whether or not you are prepared to enter the Church”? Maybe this is what you meant to say. I am a little obsessive over semantics.

Nicely phrased. Those who are unwilling to accept ALL teachings of the Church should consider waiting to enter until they are willing to accept them. If they find, during RCIA, that they can not “In Good Faith” live by these teachings, should withdraw themselves from the program. This is why RCIA is so important.

 

[jmcrae]

Nicely phrased. Those who are unwilling to accept ALL teachings of the Church should consider waiting to enter until they are willing to accept them. If they find, during RCIA, that they can not “In Good Faith” live by these teachings, should withdraw themselves from the program. This is why RCIA is so important.

I completely agree. I also have found that it is a bad idea to rush people through the conversion process, unless they have strong supports within the parish community, and are involved already in regularly scheduled, frequent small-group gatherings (whether it’s a study group, a ministry, or an outreach doesn’t seem to matter) with supportive people around them.

I’ve seen people come in with lots of head knowledge, be accepted into the Church after one or two interviews with a priest, and then disappear, never to be heard from again.