Another milestone in my journey towards the Catholic Church was adopting a view on baptism.
As I studied Eastern Orthodoxy in Oregon and then Catholicism in Colorado, I discovered that they believed that the sacraments actually confer what they represent or signify, that they are channels or means of God's grace and baptism is just one of seven sacraments in those churches. So the Eastern Orthodox and Catholics believe that God faithfully works through the sacraments to actually change people's lives! Most Protestant churches and groups only observe two of them, baptism and the Lord's supper or Communion. Some don't observe any, such as the Quakers and the Salvation Army.
Protestants have a wide range of views on baptism as to the mode (sprinkling, full immersion, pouring), timing (infancy and believers or believers only), what it signifies, what it accomplishes and whether it is necessary or not.
I was baptized twice, once as an infant in the Presbyterian church by sprinkling and once as an adult by full immersion in water in order to join an American Baptist church after I had become a "believer" through a "born again" experience.
After my conversion experience at the age of twenty, I sort of rejected my Presbyterian roots which regarded baptism as an equivalent to circumcision, a sign of the New Covenant to be applied to the children of believers, incorporating them into the Body of Christ, the church. They point to the households being baptized in the New Testament for Scriptural support as well as the practices of the early church in the first centuries after the New Testament period.
When my wife and I wanted to join an American Baptist church a few years after my conversion and they required a believer's, full immersion (dunking) baptism, I consented to be baptized again and more or less adopted the Baptist view for convenience sake but not because I was convinced of it. It was a public profession of faith but really didn't do anything according to their view. A lot of non-Baptist churches hold the post-conversion, by-immersion, profession of faith view as well. And so for quite a few years, I considered my 2nd baptism to be the valid one with a kind of pragmatic "whatever!?" attitude. I mean I knew the doctrinal arguments of the various Protestant groups and could argue them convincingly to others but I sort of placed myself "above" them so to speak.
This "whatever" attitude is very prevalent among Christians today.
Some adopt this attitude because they don't really want to learn and wrestle with concepts, issues, doctrines and the like. They have sort of a "hakuna matata", "no worries" philosophy.
Others adopt the attitude because they believe that if we believe something strongly we are going to fight with others who don't believe it. And it is true, it does happen and it can be violent. We probably have all experienced this truth in our own lives and we see it in history.
Others adopt the attitude as interested but uninvolved, uncommitted observers. I always wanted to be like Spock in Star Trek and cock one eyebrow and say "interesting" but without getting worked up about things. So I gravitated towards this group and way of relating more than to the other ways.
There is another way however and that is the way of Love.
During my time searching for a people, a way of life that could help me actually walk with Jesus, I received a Bible from my mother that her father (my grandfather) had given to me when I was baptized in the Presbyterian Church on my 1st birthday. She had hung on to it. It was a Revised Standard Version in mint condition. My grandfather had written a note in it to me. "To Howard, on the day he was presented to the Lord, from his Granddaddy". My parents and my grandfather had presented me to the Lord on that day. Hmmm... That was their understanding of what they were doing having me baptized as an infant. I had been offered up to the Lord. And they were doing it because they loved me and they thought baptism mattered and that I mattered. They wanted the best for me and so they offered me up to the Lord, the Creator and Giver of life through baptism, initiating me into the Body of Christ.
Then I learned that the Catholic Church believed many things happened at my baptism.
So stay tuned.
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Why did I become a Catholic? The Sacraments - they are physical, incarnational.
As I have mentioned, when people ask me the recurring question in the subject line of most of my posts, hundreds of reasons come bubbling to the surface all wanting expression like the bubbles in a carbonated beverage when you open up the container. Sometimes I would respond in trying to summarize the reasons, "It's physical." My answer was somewhat cryptic because there is a context that one has to understand before my answer would make sense. Therefore, I have abandoned that summary for "It helps me to hold onto Jesus better." But I want to give some more of the context here.
I came across some paragraphs of the Catechism of the Catholic Church this week that state well the importance of the physical as well as the spiritual.
1145 A sacramental celebration is woven from signs and symbols. In keeping with the divine pedagogy of salvation (pedagogy: the art, science, or profession of teaching - Merriam Webster Online Dictionary), their meaning is rooted in the work of creation and in human culture, specified by the events of the Old Covenant and fully revealed in the person and work of Christ.
1146 Signs of the human world. In human life, signs and symbols occupy an important place. As a being at once body and spirit, man expresses and perceives spiritual realities through physical signs and symbols. As a social being, man needs signs and symbols to communicate with others, through language, gestures, and actions. The same holds true for his relationship with God.
There is much more that could be said here but you can read about it in the Catechism online via the link below.
http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/catechism/catechism-of-the-catholic-church/epub/index.cfm#
And this sacramental celebration and communication spills out into the everyday world as a way of life, a way of service to others and a way of viewing the world. There is a interconnectedness of life that I have found rich and fulfilling. And so while I am going to first address the seven sacraments of the Church, there are many other areas I am excited about sharing such as the social teachings of the Catholic Church and the nature of the Church itself and the keys to understanding it.
If you want a good overview of Catholicism in a video series, I highly recommend Catholicism with Father Robert Barron. http://www.catholicismseries.com/ It has been on PBS, EWTN and many parishes are showing it in their Christian or religious education classes. We have been using it for the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adult and for general adult education classes at my parish.
The first sacrament I am going to cover is Baptism.
I came across some paragraphs of the Catechism of the Catholic Church this week that state well the importance of the physical as well as the spiritual.
1145 A sacramental celebration is woven from signs and symbols. In keeping with the divine pedagogy of salvation (pedagogy: the art, science, or profession of teaching - Merriam Webster Online Dictionary), their meaning is rooted in the work of creation and in human culture, specified by the events of the Old Covenant and fully revealed in the person and work of Christ.
1146 Signs of the human world. In human life, signs and symbols occupy an important place. As a being at once body and spirit, man expresses and perceives spiritual realities through physical signs and symbols. As a social being, man needs signs and symbols to communicate with others, through language, gestures, and actions. The same holds true for his relationship with God.
There is much more that could be said here but you can read about it in the Catechism online via the link below.
http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/catechism/catechism-of-the-catholic-church/epub/index.cfm#
And this sacramental celebration and communication spills out into the everyday world as a way of life, a way of service to others and a way of viewing the world. There is a interconnectedness of life that I have found rich and fulfilling. And so while I am going to first address the seven sacraments of the Church, there are many other areas I am excited about sharing such as the social teachings of the Catholic Church and the nature of the Church itself and the keys to understanding it.
If you want a good overview of Catholicism in a video series, I highly recommend Catholicism with Father Robert Barron. http://www.catholicismseries.com/ It has been on PBS, EWTN and many parishes are showing it in their Christian or religious education classes. We have been using it for the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adult and for general adult education classes at my parish.
The first sacrament I am going to cover is Baptism.
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Why I became a Catholic? The Sacraments
The initial draw of the Catholic Church for me was the hope of developing my relationship with Jesus through learning to pray. I was also looking for an inner transformation flowing out of that closer relationship where I would trust in God rather than being overwhelmed by fear and running to my idols. I wanted to be able to love people with God's love. And I was finding that and much more. I found that there was a whole ancient and living community, the Church, the Body of Christ, to connect with and relate to in addition to God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. I found the sacramentals (physical items and actions that aid in developing one's relationship with God such as the sign of the cross, rosaries, prayer books and cards, etc). And I found the Sacraments of which there are seven in the Catholic Church. The Eastern Orthodox also have essentially the same seven which they call the Mysteries.
The Baltimore Catechism defines a sacrament in this short and simple way. A Sacrament is an outward sign instituted by Christ to give grace.
In Howard's words, they are outward signs that are actual channels of grace established by Jesus Christ that actually provide the graces that they signify.
In the Catholic Church they are grouped together in the following categories which help us to understand their purpose.
The Sacraments of Initiation
Baptism
Confirmation
Eucharist (Holy Communion)
The Sacraments of Healing
Penance & Reconciliation (Confession)
Anointing of the Sick
The Sacraments at the Service of Communion
Holy Orders
Matrimony
As an evangelical Protestant with non-denominational/Baptist tendencies, I only recognized two of the seven (Lord's Supper/Communion and Baptism). I wouldn't have called them sacraments and they were purely symbolic in my view. The Lord's Supper was a remembrance/self examination only and Baptism was a profession of faith. Both were a matter of obedience to Christ. Neither were necessary for salvation.
But as I came to understand the Catholic teaching on the Sacraments, I found out just how much I was missing. In fact, I am still learning and marveling at how much I was missing. And I am extremely grateful to be the undeserving recipient of such torrents of grace as are being poured into my soul through them.
I am looking forward to writing about these treasures of blessing in the weeks ahead.
The Baltimore Catechism defines a sacrament in this short and simple way. A Sacrament is an outward sign instituted by Christ to give grace.
In Howard's words, they are outward signs that are actual channels of grace established by Jesus Christ that actually provide the graces that they signify.
In the Catholic Church they are grouped together in the following categories which help us to understand their purpose.
The Sacraments of Initiation
Baptism
Confirmation
Eucharist (Holy Communion)
The Sacraments of Healing
Penance & Reconciliation (Confession)
Anointing of the Sick
The Sacraments at the Service of Communion
Holy Orders
Matrimony
As an evangelical Protestant with non-denominational/Baptist tendencies, I only recognized two of the seven (Lord's Supper/Communion and Baptism). I wouldn't have called them sacraments and they were purely symbolic in my view. The Lord's Supper was a remembrance/self examination only and Baptism was a profession of faith. Both were a matter of obedience to Christ. Neither were necessary for salvation.
But as I came to understand the Catholic teaching on the Sacraments, I found out just how much I was missing. In fact, I am still learning and marveling at how much I was missing. And I am extremely grateful to be the undeserving recipient of such torrents of grace as are being poured into my soul through them.
I am looking forward to writing about these treasures of blessing in the weeks ahead.
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Why did I become a Catholic? The internet and friends played a big role.
There were several internet related sources that contributed to my conversion.
1) Fellowship with faithful Catholic friends on the internet who were passionate in their pursuit of God and were willing to talk about God and life.
2) Their availability at all hours of the day or night (there were kindred minds and hearts awake). We didn't have to go anywhere to meet, didn't have to spend money other than having an internet connection and a computer, didn't have to get the house cleaned up for visitors and we could be sitting in our pajamas at our computers, chatting in chat rooms and posting on forums.
3) The Eternal Word Television Network with its myriad of quality programs and resources running 24/7, 365 days a year with solid Christian and Catholic teaching.
4) The Journey Home program with Marcus Grodi as a host. Marcus is a Protestant clergy convert himself and started a ministry to help fellow clergy and lay persons on their journey to the Catholic Church. Each week he has one or more guests who share how they became Catholics often at great personal cost to themselves and how it has helped them in their relationship with God.
I also had some friends in SE Colorado who were Catholics or who were on the journey. And some of my Methodist brothers also had Catholic spiritual leanings and we read books on the spiritual life and prayer written by Catholics. So I was finding myself supported and blessed in my relationship with the Lord by what I was learning even as we experienced very trying times.
I had a friend in SE Colorado who was raised Catholic, left the Catholic Church when he grew up, had a conversion experience and became a fundamentalist/evangelical, very anti-Catholic Christian. After some years of my sharing what I was discovering in my journey, he suddenly returned to the Catholic Church a few weeks before his death and was well cared for by Catholics during his last illness of a couple of weeks when he was in the hospital. I had never seen him with such peace.
And yet I did not really experience walking with Jesus in the sacramental way of life until I actually became a Catholic in January, 2010. More on that later, although I have given you a glimpse in my most recent post before this one.
Some of you who know me may be thinking, "But, Howard, what about all those strange, unbiblical Catholic doctrines?" Well, there are actually a couple of issues there.
One issue is that what are often presented as alleged Catholic doctrines among Protestants are actually distortions having little similarity with the actual teachings of the Catholic Church, the Straw Man Syndrome that I mentioned in a previous post.
Sometimes these distortions come from Catholics themselves (clergy and laity alike) and former Catholics who have a faulty understanding of the teaching. Try sampling the views of members of any Christian group and you will find some pretty far out variations. Other distortions have been passed down from generation to generation, often growing over time.
If you want to know what the actual teachings of the Catholic Church are, here is the link to the Catechism. http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/catechism/catechism-of-the-catholic-church/epub/index.cfm
Then, secondly, there are the Scriptures I never saw or understood before because I was reading with my Protestant glasses on, like not seeing Mary as the woman of Revelation 12 and the mother of all Christians (even those who don't recognize her as such) in Revelation 12. Some of the posts I have in the works will deal with more examples of this issue.
But why am I writing these posts?
Well, in part to answer the question why did I become a Catholic.
But the most important reason is that I have found rivers of grace that I do not want to keep to myself. Jesus said "I came so they might have life and have it more abundantly." I am experiencing His life more abundantly and so I want you to know how that has come to pass. I also hope and pray that God may use my story to draw each of you closer to His heart of love.
1) Fellowship with faithful Catholic friends on the internet who were passionate in their pursuit of God and were willing to talk about God and life.
2) Their availability at all hours of the day or night (there were kindred minds and hearts awake). We didn't have to go anywhere to meet, didn't have to spend money other than having an internet connection and a computer, didn't have to get the house cleaned up for visitors and we could be sitting in our pajamas at our computers, chatting in chat rooms and posting on forums.
3) The Eternal Word Television Network with its myriad of quality programs and resources running 24/7, 365 days a year with solid Christian and Catholic teaching.
4) The Journey Home program with Marcus Grodi as a host. Marcus is a Protestant clergy convert himself and started a ministry to help fellow clergy and lay persons on their journey to the Catholic Church. Each week he has one or more guests who share how they became Catholics often at great personal cost to themselves and how it has helped them in their relationship with God.
I also had some friends in SE Colorado who were Catholics or who were on the journey. And some of my Methodist brothers also had Catholic spiritual leanings and we read books on the spiritual life and prayer written by Catholics. So I was finding myself supported and blessed in my relationship with the Lord by what I was learning even as we experienced very trying times.
I had a friend in SE Colorado who was raised Catholic, left the Catholic Church when he grew up, had a conversion experience and became a fundamentalist/evangelical, very anti-Catholic Christian. After some years of my sharing what I was discovering in my journey, he suddenly returned to the Catholic Church a few weeks before his death and was well cared for by Catholics during his last illness of a couple of weeks when he was in the hospital. I had never seen him with such peace.
And yet I did not really experience walking with Jesus in the sacramental way of life until I actually became a Catholic in January, 2010. More on that later, although I have given you a glimpse in my most recent post before this one.
Some of you who know me may be thinking, "But, Howard, what about all those strange, unbiblical Catholic doctrines?" Well, there are actually a couple of issues there.
One issue is that what are often presented as alleged Catholic doctrines among Protestants are actually distortions having little similarity with the actual teachings of the Catholic Church, the Straw Man Syndrome that I mentioned in a previous post.
Sometimes these distortions come from Catholics themselves (clergy and laity alike) and former Catholics who have a faulty understanding of the teaching. Try sampling the views of members of any Christian group and you will find some pretty far out variations. Other distortions have been passed down from generation to generation, often growing over time.
If you want to know what the actual teachings of the Catholic Church are, here is the link to the Catechism. http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/catechism/catechism-of-the-catholic-church/epub/index.cfm
Then, secondly, there are the Scriptures I never saw or understood before because I was reading with my Protestant glasses on, like not seeing Mary as the woman of Revelation 12 and the mother of all Christians (even those who don't recognize her as such) in Revelation 12. Some of the posts I have in the works will deal with more examples of this issue.
But why am I writing these posts?
Well, in part to answer the question why did I become a Catholic.
But the most important reason is that I have found rivers of grace that I do not want to keep to myself. Jesus said "I came so they might have life and have it more abundantly." I am experiencing His life more abundantly and so I want you to know how that has come to pass. I also hope and pray that God may use my story to draw each of you closer to His heart of love.
Saturday, August 10, 2013
Writing my journey is becoming hard work.
It is difficult to go back and try to sort out what I knew at the time of what I now believe and to try to convey how life changing it was and is.
I have 3 draft posts in various stages of development, one on baptism, one on the Church and another one that I would have to leave this post to refresh my memory on. That one will probably end up in the discard pile. LOL
I want to write about the present for a break. I have really changed and am really changing on the inside, in my spiritual life. It is like a major remodel, an "extreme makeover". I have been and am being delivered from my idols, my besetting sins. I am becoming integrated as a person. I am becoming "human" as God intended me to be. And the changes are working their way outward into my life. God is at work and He is using everything and everybody in the past and present in His work on me.
I actually pray a lot now, talking to God, God talking to me, revealing things. I am becoming a patient, considerate driver because the longer it takes to get somewhere the longer I have to pray. My thought life is becoming more pure, true and wholesome. The Holy Trinity, Mary, the Saints and Angels are becoming constant companions.
And joy, I have a lot more joy which makes sharing the faith easier because I want everyone to experience that joy. And yet, I am finding that I am understanding people a lot better, respecting their dignity that God has given them and I know the roadblocks to faith personally and the catastrophic wounds we can receive in this world. And so much of my evangelism is done via prayer and seeking to love and serve them. As St. Francis of Assisi said, "Preach the gospel at all times and if necessary use words."
Time to go. Please feel free to comment. I have viewers from a variety of countries with Russians, Dutch and Germans being the most frequent viewers besides Americans. Welcome. I took a year and a half of Russian and a Russian civilization course in college.
I have 3 draft posts in various stages of development, one on baptism, one on the Church and another one that I would have to leave this post to refresh my memory on. That one will probably end up in the discard pile. LOL
I want to write about the present for a break. I have really changed and am really changing on the inside, in my spiritual life. It is like a major remodel, an "extreme makeover". I have been and am being delivered from my idols, my besetting sins. I am becoming integrated as a person. I am becoming "human" as God intended me to be. And the changes are working their way outward into my life. God is at work and He is using everything and everybody in the past and present in His work on me.
I actually pray a lot now, talking to God, God talking to me, revealing things. I am becoming a patient, considerate driver because the longer it takes to get somewhere the longer I have to pray. My thought life is becoming more pure, true and wholesome. The Holy Trinity, Mary, the Saints and Angels are becoming constant companions.
And joy, I have a lot more joy which makes sharing the faith easier because I want everyone to experience that joy. And yet, I am finding that I am understanding people a lot better, respecting their dignity that God has given them and I know the roadblocks to faith personally and the catastrophic wounds we can receive in this world. And so much of my evangelism is done via prayer and seeking to love and serve them. As St. Francis of Assisi said, "Preach the gospel at all times and if necessary use words."
Time to go. Please feel free to comment. I have viewers from a variety of countries with Russians, Dutch and Germans being the most frequent viewers besides Americans. Welcome. I took a year and a half of Russian and a Russian civilization course in college.
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Why did I become a Catholic? Scriptures that I never really "saw" before about angels.
As a Protestant, when I read Matthew 18:10 where Jesus inferred that an angel was assigned to me, I just sort of thought "Check", file that fact away in my theology box. But I learned from the Catholics to really think about the ramifications of these facts and act on them. Angels are spiritual beings that can appear as human beings but most of the time remain invisible. There are good angels serving God and us and evil angels called demons that followed Satan in his rebellion against God who seek to deceive and harm us. So when I talk about angels, I am talking about those who are loyal to God and I will use the term demons for those who are in rebellion towards God.
But the main point in what Jesus said is that God cares about us enough to give us each an angel to protect and serve us. And we can assist them by praying for them and they can hear us. They also fight for us as the book of Daniel mentions in Chapter 10 where Daniel is seeking understanding about a matter from God and an angel is dispatched to bring the answer to Daniel but he gets tied up in a battle for 3 weeks with the Prince of Persia who appears to be a demon in charge of that area. The archangel Michael has to join the battle in order to free the angel up to continue on his mission. So that was why it took 3 weeks for Daniel to get an answer to his prayer. So next time an answer to a prayer of yours is delayed, maybe an angel is having to fight his way to you.
You might ask, "Well, Howard, have you ever been aware of your guardian angel?" I think perhaps when I was about 5 years old or so. It was a Sunday and we were at our church, Hilltop Presbyterian, which was on the crest of a hill (hence the name Hilltop). I was playing out in front of the church and for some reason ran out into the road, saw a car come over the crest of the hill and tried to run back to the side of the road. My foot landed on a round stick in the road and I fell in front of the oncoming car. I was aware of a movement of some kind around me and the car came to a sudden halt just a couple of feet from me. I think the movement might have been my angel rushing to stop the car.
So now I thank God and my angel for keeping watch over me. My eyes have been opened like Elisha's servant in 2 Kings 6:15 Early the next morning, when the servant of the man of God arose and went out, he saw the force with its horses and chariots surrounding the city. “Alas!” he said to Elisha. “What shall we do, my lord?” 16 Elisha answered, “Do not be afraid. Our side outnumbers theirs.” 17 Then he prayed, “O LORD, open his eyes, that he may see.” And the LORD opened the eyes of the servant, and he saw that the mountainside was filled with fiery chariots and horses around Elisha. I also pray for the angels as they fight for God and for us. NABRE
But the main point in what Jesus said is that God cares about us enough to give us each an angel to protect and serve us. And we can assist them by praying for them and they can hear us. They also fight for us as the book of Daniel mentions in Chapter 10 where Daniel is seeking understanding about a matter from God and an angel is dispatched to bring the answer to Daniel but he gets tied up in a battle for 3 weeks with the Prince of Persia who appears to be a demon in charge of that area. The archangel Michael has to join the battle in order to free the angel up to continue on his mission. So that was why it took 3 weeks for Daniel to get an answer to his prayer. So next time an answer to a prayer of yours is delayed, maybe an angel is having to fight his way to you.
You might ask, "Well, Howard, have you ever been aware of your guardian angel?" I think perhaps when I was about 5 years old or so. It was a Sunday and we were at our church, Hilltop Presbyterian, which was on the crest of a hill (hence the name Hilltop). I was playing out in front of the church and for some reason ran out into the road, saw a car come over the crest of the hill and tried to run back to the side of the road. My foot landed on a round stick in the road and I fell in front of the oncoming car. I was aware of a movement of some kind around me and the car came to a sudden halt just a couple of feet from me. I think the movement might have been my angel rushing to stop the car.
So now I thank God and my angel for keeping watch over me. My eyes have been opened like Elisha's servant in 2 Kings 6:15 Early the next morning, when the servant of the man of God arose and went out, he saw the force with its horses and chariots surrounding the city. “Alas!” he said to Elisha. “What shall we do, my lord?” 16 Elisha answered, “Do not be afraid. Our side outnumbers theirs.” 17 Then he prayed, “O LORD, open his eyes, that he may see.” And the LORD opened the eyes of the servant, and he saw that the mountainside was filled with fiery chariots and horses around Elisha. I also pray for the angels as they fight for God and for us. NABRE
Why I became a Catholic? It really was an accident from a human perspective. I just wanted to follow and to be close Jesus.
That's all.
A Protestant usually does not start out wanting to become a Catholic. I mean it's counter-intuitive really. I mean the Catholic Church is what we Protestants have been protesting against since the Reformation 500 years ago. That's why there was such a barrier when I wanted to go through the doors of a Catholic church about 20 years ago. But I needed help to walk with Jesus, to pray, and what I had experienced to date in the Protestants was great in many ways but Howard wasn't changing as much as he needed to, to become the man of God, the husband, the father, the friend that he wanted to be. And life was almost defeating me. But not quite. I have been shown a path to follow through the wilderness, a little way to follow.
And yet, God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) has been leading me all the way. All through my life. And becoming Catholic is giving me understanding of that in so many ways, especially with the Scriptural background I received being an evangelical Protestant for so many years.
I mentioned seeing Scriptures that I hadn't seen before. Oh, I had read them and even studied a lot of them but I didn't understand them. So what are they?
Well, let's take angels for instance. The Catholic Church teaches that we are each assigned a guardian angel. Where do they get that from? From Jesus. In Matthew 18:10, He says “See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father." The phrase does include children for He has just used a child as the reference point for His lessons in the passage but it is also clear from the passage that we must all become childlike to enter the kingdom of heaven. So we are all His little ones, the lost ones He is gathering.
More later. Time to get ready to go to work.
A Protestant usually does not start out wanting to become a Catholic. I mean it's counter-intuitive really. I mean the Catholic Church is what we Protestants have been protesting against since the Reformation 500 years ago. That's why there was such a barrier when I wanted to go through the doors of a Catholic church about 20 years ago. But I needed help to walk with Jesus, to pray, and what I had experienced to date in the Protestants was great in many ways but Howard wasn't changing as much as he needed to, to become the man of God, the husband, the father, the friend that he wanted to be. And life was almost defeating me. But not quite. I have been shown a path to follow through the wilderness, a little way to follow.
And yet, God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) has been leading me all the way. All through my life. And becoming Catholic is giving me understanding of that in so many ways, especially with the Scriptural background I received being an evangelical Protestant for so many years.
I mentioned seeing Scriptures that I hadn't seen before. Oh, I had read them and even studied a lot of them but I didn't understand them. So what are they?
Well, let's take angels for instance. The Catholic Church teaches that we are each assigned a guardian angel. Where do they get that from? From Jesus. In Matthew 18:10, He says “See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father." The phrase does include children for He has just used a child as the reference point for His lessons in the passage but it is also clear from the passage that we must all become childlike to enter the kingdom of heaven. So we are all His little ones, the lost ones He is gathering.
More later. Time to get ready to go to work.
Sunday, August 4, 2013
Why did I become a Catholic? The Church as a hospital for sinners so they can become saints as they learn to walk with God.
Even though the Church is a hospital for recovering sinners and staffed by recovering sinners and Satan plants his agents in the Church and thus evil, sin and scandal happen in and through the Church, God has set it apart and declared it holy and has endowed it with many gifts and channels of grace so that He can accomplish His plan of salvation in and through the Church.
As I have revealed in my posts, I was finding that the lives and prayers of Mary and the Saints, the sacramentals (actions and material objects that helped turn one's heart and mind towards God, not to be confused with the Sacraments) and the prayer books were helping me hang onto Jesus. I discovered that developing a close, intimate union with God, the Holy Trinity, was emphasized and encouraged. And so many sinners have been transformed into Saints because that is what happens when one hangs out with God and finds out how passionately God loves us.
There was also an emphasis on our solidarity with both believers and unbelievers as fellow human beings created in God's image through the social teachings of the Catholic Church. Hence the many charitable works that the Catholic Church has been and is engaged in and the concern for the poor, education, healthcare and defending life.
I was also seeing verses in Scripture that I had never noticed before, like Mary in Revelation 12.
More on that later.
As I have revealed in my posts, I was finding that the lives and prayers of Mary and the Saints, the sacramentals (actions and material objects that helped turn one's heart and mind towards God, not to be confused with the Sacraments) and the prayer books were helping me hang onto Jesus. I discovered that developing a close, intimate union with God, the Holy Trinity, was emphasized and encouraged. And so many sinners have been transformed into Saints because that is what happens when one hangs out with God and finds out how passionately God loves us.
There was also an emphasis on our solidarity with both believers and unbelievers as fellow human beings created in God's image through the social teachings of the Catholic Church. Hence the many charitable works that the Catholic Church has been and is engaged in and the concern for the poor, education, healthcare and defending life.
I was also seeing verses in Scripture that I had never noticed before, like Mary in Revelation 12.
More on that later.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)