The Joy of the Gospel: Evangelii Gaudium

Pope Francis has written an Apostolic Exhortation (basically, a letter) to the Catholic people entitled, "Evangelii Gaudium" or in English, "The Joy of the Gospel."  It should be read by Everyone.  Catholics should read it to understand what the highest voices in the Church are encouraging them to do as Catholics, and Non Catholic Christians should read it to dispel misconceptions about the Catholic Church that they might have believed. 

Many people are enjoying what they would describe as a freshness with our new Pope Francis.  They claim that he is ushering in a new era for the Church, bringing with it a relatability that was possibly not there before.  I would argue against those thoughts, because as much as I am excited about this new leader, writings by the former Pope's were incredibly instrumental in leading us into the doors of the Church.  Yet I have come to realize that many Catholics do not pay attention to what their leaders write, and anti Catholics use their biases to misquote and re-interpret the beautiful truths that these men teach. 

Pope Francis's Joy of the Gospel is specifically encouraging for me because while he does share his dreams for the Church, ushering in a new style of Evangelizing that begins completely with the heart of the Gospel and then expands from there; a significant number of cites are quotes taken directly from other writings and homilies of previous Popes.  In other words, the Vatican has been saying these marvelous truths for Years, it is just some people are not listening, or reading.

Do you believe that Catholics are told not to honor and read the Bible?
Read Evangelii Gaudium Chapter Three, paragraphs 174 and 175
Centred on the word of God

174. Not only the homily has to be nourished by the word of God. All evangelization is based on that word, listened to, meditated upon, lived, celebrated and witnessed to. The sacred Scriptures are the very source of evangelization. Consequently, we need to be constantly trained in hearing the word. The Church does not evangelize unless she constantly lets herself be evangelized. It is indispensable that the word of God “be ever more fully at the heart of every ecclesial activity”.[135] God’s word, listened to and celebrated, above all in the Eucharist, nourishes and inwardly strengthens Christians, enabling them to offer an authentic witness to the Gospel in daily life. We have long since moved beyond that old contraposition between word and sacrament. The preaching of the word, living and effective, prepares for the reception of the sacrament, and in the sacrament that word attains its maximum efficacy.

175. The study of the sacred Scriptures must be a door opened to every believer.[136] It is essential that the revealed word radically enrich our catechesis and all our efforts to pass on the faith.[137] Evangelization demands familiarity with God’s word, which calls for dioceses, parishes and Catholic associations to provide for a serious, ongoing study of the Bible, while encouraging its prayerful individual and communal reading.[138] We do not blindly seek God, or wait for him to speak to us first, for “God has already spoken, and there is nothing further that we need to know, which has not been revealed to us”.[139] Let us receive the sublime treasure of the revealed word.

Do you believe that Catholics only focus on doctrine and not the heart of the Word made Flesh?
Read Evangelii Guadium Chapter 1, Section 3, Paragrahs 34 - 39

III. From the heart of the Gospel
34. If we attempt to put all things in a missionary key, this will also affect the way we communicate the message. In today’s world of instant communication and occasionally biased media coverage, the message we preach runs a greater risk of being distorted or reduced to some of its secondary aspects. In this way certain issues which are part of the Church’s moral teaching are taken out of the context which gives them their meaning. The biggest problem is when the message we preach then seems identified with those secondary aspects which, important as they are, do not in and of themselves convey the heart of Christ’s message. We need to be realistic and not assume that our audience understands the full background to what we are saying, or is capable of relating what we say to the very heart of the Gospel which gives it meaning, beauty and attractiveness.

35. Pastoral ministry in a missionary style is not obsessed with the disjointed transmission of a multitude of doctrines to be insistently imposed. When we adopt a pastoral goal and a missionary style which would actually reach everyone without exception or exclusion, the message has to concentrate on the essentials, on what is most beautiful, most grand, most appealing and at the same time most necessary. The message is simplified, while losing none of its depth and truth, and thus becomes all the more forceful and convincing.

36. All revealed truths derive from the same divine source and are to be believed with the same faith, yet some of them are more important for giving direct expression to the heart of the Gospel. In this basic core, what shines forth is the beauty of the saving love of God made manifest in Jesus Christ who died and rose from the dead. In this sense, the Second Vatican Council explained, “in Catholic doctrine there exists an order or a ‘hierarchy’ of truths, since they vary in their relation to the foundation of the Christian faith”.[38] This holds true as much for the dogmas of faith as for the whole corpus of the Church’s teaching, including her moral teaching.

37. Saint Thomas Aquinas taught that the Church’s moral teaching has its own “hierarchy”, in the virtues and in the acts which proceed from them.[39] What counts above all else is “faith working through love” (Gal 5:6). Works of love directed to one’s neighbour are the most perfect external manifestation of the interior grace of the Spirit: “The foundation of the New Law is in the grace of the Holy Spirit, who is manifested in the faith which works through love”.[40] Thomas thus explains that, as far as external works are concerned, mercy is the greatest of all the virtues: “In itself mercy is the greatest of the virtues, since all the others revolve around it and, more than this, it makes up for their deficiencies. This is particular to the superior virtue, and as such it is proper to God to have mercy, through which his omnipotence is manifested to the greatest degree”.[41]

38. It is important to draw out the pastoral consequences of the Council’s teaching, which reflects an ancient conviction of the Church. First, it needs to be said that in preaching the Gospel a fitting sense of proportion has to be maintained. This would be seen in the frequency with which certain themes are brought up and in the emphasis given to them in preaching. For example, if in the course of the liturgical year a parish priest speaks about temperance ten times but only mentions charity or justice two or three times, an imbalance results, and precisely those virtues which ought to be most present in preaching and catechesis are overlooked. The same thing happens when we speak more about law than about grace, more about the Church than about Christ, more about the Pope than about God’s word.

39. Just as the organic unity existing among the virtues means that no one of them can be excluded from the Christian ideal, so no truth may be denied. The integrity of the Gospel message must not be deformed. What is more, each truth is better understood when related to the harmonious totality of the Christian message; in this context all of the truths are important and illumine one another. When preaching is faithful to the Gospel, the centrality of certain truths is evident and it becomes clear that Christian morality is not a form of stoicism, or self-denial, or merely a practical philosophy or a catalogue of sins and faults. Before all else, the Gospel invites us to respond to the God of love who saves us, to see God in others and to go forth from ourselves to seek the good of others. Under no circumstance can this invitation be obscured! All of the virtues are at the service of this response of love. If this invitation does not radiate forcefully and attractively, the edifice of the Church’s moral teaching risks becoming a house of cards, and this is our greatest risk. It would mean that it is not the Gospel which is being preached, but certain doctrinal or moral points based on specific ideological options. The message will run the risk of losing its freshness and will cease to have “the fragrance of the Gospel”.

Do you believe that Catholic Priests have no relevance to the members in their own parish.  That old rules are elevated in importance over reaching souls for Jesus?
Read Evangelii Gaudium Chapter 1, Paragraphs 27 - 33

An ecclesial renewal which cannot be deferred
27. I dream of a “missionary option”, that is, a missionary impulse capable of transforming everything, so that the Church’s customs, ways of doing things, times and schedules, language and structures can be suitably channeled for the evangelization of today’s world rather than for her self-preservation. The renewal of structures demanded by pastoral conversion can only be understood in this light: as part of an effort to make them more mission-oriented, to make ordinary pastoral activity on every level more inclusive and open, to inspire in pastoral workers a constant desire to go forth and in this way to elicit a positive response from all those whom Jesus summons to friendship with himself. As John Paul II once said to the Bishops of Oceania: “All renewal in the Church must have mission as its goal if it is not to fall prey to a kind of ecclesial introversion”.[25]

28. The parish is not an outdated institution; precisely because it possesses great flexibility, it can assume quite different contours depending on the openness and missionary creativity of the pastor and the community. While certainly not the only institution which evangelizes, if the parish proves capable of self-renewal and constant adaptivity, it continues to be “the Church living in the midst of the homes of her sons and daughters”.[26] This presumes that it really is in contact with the homes and the lives of its people, and does not become a useless structure out of touch with people or a self-absorbed group made up of a chosen few. The parish is the presence of the Church in a given territory, an environment for hearing God’s word, for growth in the Christian life, for dialogue, proclamation, charitable outreach, worship and celebration.[27] In all its activities the parish encourages and trains its members to be evangelizers.[28] It is a community of communities, a sanctuary where the thirsty come to drink in the midst of their journey, and a centre of constant missionary outreach. We must admit, though, that the call to review and renew our parishes has not yet sufficed to bring them nearer to people, to make them environments of living communion and participation, and to make them completely mission-oriented.

29. Other Church institutions, basic communities and small communities, movements, and forms of association are a source of enrichment for the Church, raised up by the Spirit for evangelizing different areas and sectors. Frequently they bring a new evangelizing fervour and a new capacity for dialogue with the world whereby the Church is renewed. But it will prove beneficial for them not to lose contact with the rich reality of the local parish and to participate readily in the overall pastoral activity of the particular Church.[29] This kind of integration will prevent them from concentrating only on part of the Gospel or the Church, or becoming nomads without roots.

30. Each particular Church, as a portion of the Catholic Church under the leadership of its bishop, is likewise called to missionary conversion. It is the primary subject of evangelization,[30] since it is the concrete manifestation of the one Church in one specific place, and in it “the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church of Christ is truly present and operative”.[31] It is the Church incarnate in a certain place, equipped with all the means of salvation bestowed by Christ, but with local features. Its joy in communicating Jesus Christ is expressed both by a concern to preach him to areas in greater need and in constantly going forth to the outskirts of its own territory or towards new sociocultural settings.[32] Wherever the need for the light and the life of the Risen Christ is greatest, it will want to be there.[33] To make this missionary impulse ever more focused, generous and fruitful, I encourage each particular Church to undertake a resolute process of discernment, purification and reform.

31. The bishop must always foster this missionary communion in his diocesan Church, following the ideal of the first Christian communities, in which the believers were of one heart and one soul (cf. Acts 4:32). To do so, he will sometimes go before his people, pointing the way and keeping their hope vibrant. At other times, he will simply be in their midst with his unassuming and merciful presence. At yet other times, he will have to walk after them, helping those who lag behind and – above all – allowing the flock to strike out on new paths. In his mission of fostering a dynamic, open and missionary communion, he will have to encourage and develop the means of participation proposed in the Code of Canon Law,[34] and other forms of pastoral dialogue, out of a desire to listen to everyone and not simply to those who would tell him what he would like to hear. Yet the principal aim of these participatory processes should not be ecclesiastical organization but rather the missionary aspiration of reaching everyone.

32. Since I am called to put into practice what I ask of others, I too must think about a conversion of the papacy. It is my duty, as the Bishop of Rome, to be open to suggestions which can help make the exercise of my ministry more faithful to the meaning which Jesus Christ wished to give it and to the present needs of evangelization. Pope John Paul II asked for help in finding “a way of exercising the primacy which, while in no way renouncing what is essential to its mission, is nonetheless open to a new situation”.[35] We have made little progress in this regard. The papacy and the central structures of the universal Church also need to hear the call to pastoral conversion. The Second Vatican Council stated that, like the ancient patriarchal Churches, episcopal conferences are in a position “to contribute in many and fruitful ways to the concrete realization of the collegial spirit”.[36] Yet this desire has not been fully realized, since a juridical status of episcopal conferences which would see them as subjects of specific attributions, including genuine doctrinal authority, has not yet been sufficiently elaborated.[37] Excessive centralization, rather than proving helpful, complicates the Church’s life and her missionary outreach.

33. Pastoral ministry in a missionary key seeks to abandon the complacent attitude that says: “We have always done it this way”. I invite everyone to be bold and creative in this task of rethinking the goals, structures, style and methods of evangelization in their respective communities. A proposal of goals without an adequate communal search for the means of achieving them will inevitably prove illusory. I encourage everyone to apply the guidelines found in this document generously and courageously, without inhibitions or fear. The important thing is to not walk alone, but to rely on each other as brothers and sisters, and especially under the leadership of the bishops, in a wise and realistic pastoral discernment.

I could go on.  I could list how he explains the importance of the basic Gospel message.  Something Catholics are accused of not knowing.  I could show how he talks about the importance of finding ones own Charism; the gifts of the Holy Spirit given to every member of his body, used for the spreading and enriching of the Kingdom.  Pope Francis discusses the importance of culture as it relates to ones spirituality.  The creative nature of God shining forth in his people among all nations.  Also the importance of a great homily, well prepared, studied, and prayfully considered by every Priest.  The elevation of the poor in society and their closeness to the heart of  Jesus.  The importance of unity among all Christians, Catholic or not.  Because Jesus is our Peace, and therefore we must show that peace to all brothers. 

If you are against the Catholic Church, read this letter.  If you are a part of the Catholic Church and have not read this.. you should read it too.  It is long, it takes time, and it makes me cry, every time.  The Lord is moving, and he has most definitely set his hand upon these leaders to share the Joy of the Gospel, because he is Love, and his Gospel brings Peace. 

"The primary reason for evangelizing is the love of Jesus which we have received, the experience of salvation which urges us to ever greater love of him. What kind of love would not feel the need to speak of the beloved, to point him out, to make him known? If we do not feel an intense desire to share this love, we need to pray insistently that he will once more touch our hearts. We need to implore his grace daily, asking him to open our cold hearts and shake up our lukewarm and superficial existence. Standing before him with open hearts, letting him look at us, we see that gaze of love which Nathaniel glimpsed on the day when Jesus said to him: “I saw you under the fig tree” (Jn 1:48). How good it is to stand before a crucifix, or on our knees before the Blessed Sacrament, and simply to be in his presence! How much good it does us when he once more touches our lives and impels us to share his new life! What then happens is that “we speak of what we have seen and heard” (1 Jn 1:3). The best incentive for sharing the Gospel comes from contemplating it with love, lingering over its pages and reading it with the heart. If we approach it in this way, its beauty will amaze and constantly excite us. But if this is to come about, we need to recover a contemplative spirit which can help us to realize ever anew that we have been entrusted with a treasure which makes us more human and helps us to lead a new life. There is nothing more precious which we can give to others. "  Pope Francis

Road to Emmaus

I've been asking my husband to write on here for a long time.  We have been fortunate to walk this conversion together, and I believe that hearing it from a different voice other than mine could also be encouraging to anyone interested.  He is incredibly wise, and loves the Lord immensely.  He has written a post in three separate parts.. so today I'm posting part 1.  He's also a busy attorney.. so we have already agreed that I won't pester him about when part two or three will be finished.  But rest assured they are worth the wait.   If you know Kevin, you know he is one of the most genuine and thoughtful men out there.  And if you don't know him... let me formally introduce you to my husband. 

Road to Emmaus – Part I

 

My wife has asked me to write a “guest post” several months ago. I dragged my feet for two reasons. First, I have struggled, and on some level still struggle, with whether joining the Catholic Church is the correct decision. Second, the thought of trying to summarize the last decade generally, and the last two years in particular, is daunting. I don’t know where to begin.

 

Unfortunately, the ostrich can’t keep its head in the ground forever. I need to accept reality. I plan to walk with my family as evangelical Protestants into the Catholic Church for the last time on April 20, 2014. Lord willing, we will walk out as evangelical Catholics. Nothing will change, yet everything will change.

 

Nothing will change because Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (Hebrews 13:8.) We want nothing more than to follow him. At the same time, everything will change. If the Church’s audacious claim is correct – that She is the “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church” [http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/] established by our Lord – then full communion with the Church is life-altering.

 

Someday I will look back on this post when the kids ask why we are Catholic even though many of our close friends and family are faithful Protestants. Hopefully this will help me remember why. Or someday we will pull this out of the “remember when we almost became Catholic?!” file, just for a good laugh. Either way, it’s worth writing these things down.

 

When I think of my path to the Catholic Church, I think of Luke 24. The Road to Emmaus. Like those early disciples, Jesus walked beside me.  I could not see him fully in the Catholic Church, but my heart burned when I encountered Him through the Scriptures. Over the last decade, he opened my eyes to see Him fully in the Eucharist.

 

The Road to Emmaus

 

On the first Easter Sunday, two disciples traveled from Jerusalem to Emmaus.  Jesus appeared alongside them, but “their eyes were kept from recognizing him.”  (Luke 24:16.)  Jesus asked what they were talking about, and the disciples explained that Jesus had been crucified.  They had hoped he would redeem Israel, but now he was gone.  Jesus proceeded to chastise them (“O foolish men”) and outline the prophecies concerning himself from Moses and the prophets.  (v. 27.)  When they arrived at the village, the disciples asked Jesus to stay with them.  He agreed.

 

When [Jesus] was at the table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it, and gave it to them.  And their eyes were opened and they recognized him; and he vanished out of their sight.  They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” (vv 30-32.)

 

Immediately they returned to Jerusalem to tell the Eleven: “[T]hey told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.”  (v 35.)

 

Jesus’ interaction with his disciples on the Emmaus Road has at least four distinct components. First, he appeared beside the disciples and walked with them. Second, “their eyes were kept from recognizing him.” They knew Jesus, but could not see him fully. Third, their hearts “burned” when Jesus opened the Scriptures. They could not see Jesus with their eyes, but they encountered the eternal Word of God (Jn. 1:12) in the written Word of God. Fourth, their eyes were opened in “the breaking of the bread.”

 

Jesus walked me through a similar path to the Catholic Church.

 

Jesus walked beside me

 

My experience during the first two decades of life was similar to that of many other evangelical Protestants. I knew I was a sinner. I knew I needed a Savior. I knew I couldn’t do anything to earn God’s favor. My thoughts, my words, my actions all bore witness to this fact.

 

I embraced the gift he offered to me and to the whole world on the cross. I tried to love because he first loved me. Even though I fell short again and again and again, I asked Him to pick me up again and again and again (Ps. 40:2.) I also believed in His promise that He who began a good work in me would carry it on to completion. (Phil. 1:6.)

 

I had no delusions of self-sufficiency or that I could somehow please God by working harder. I needed Christ. And like the disciples on the Road to Emmaus, I encountered him in a real way.

 

I could not see Jesus in the Catholic Church

 

As the disciples “were kept from recognizing” Jesus on the Road to Emmaus, I could not see Christ in the Catholic Church for decades. Rome’s claims were not even plausible in my view. They interpreted Scripture incorrectly: among other things, Jesus built his Church on Peter’s confession (“petra”), not on Peter himself (“Petros”). They added man-made traditions to Scripture: faith-plus-works justification, purgatory, etc. With few exceptions, it appeared that the lives of Catholics magnified these errors. For a group of people that wanted to work their way to Heaven, it never looked like they were trying very hard!

 

I believed that Catholics could be Christians in spite of their Catholicism, not because of it.

 

Brennan Manning once said that “The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.” This may be overstated, but it’s worthy of reflection. In the same vein, one could say that the greatest single cause of division in Christ’s Church is Catholics, who attend Mass on Sundays and walk out the door an hour later and deny Jesus by their lifestyle (or Catholics who don’t even bother attending Mass at all). That is what Christ-believing, evangelical Protestants simply find unbelievable.

 

That’s what many of my friends and family find unbelievable. That’s what I found unbelievable for years.

 

Many Catholics don’t understand this point. They ask why Protestants want to build their own churches. They ask why Protestants won’t “come home to the Catholic Church.” Many evangelical Protestants are ex-Catholics or have encountered numerous individuals who are Catholic in name only. In case after case, we can encounter people who never encountered Jesus in a deep, personal way until they left the Catholic Church.

 

These are not anecdotal stories. These are facts confirmed by Catholics. 42% of Americans raised Catholic are still practicing Catholics today. 63% of Americans raised Catholic are now Protestants. For Catholics, Mass attendance drops generation by generation, from 45% of those 65 and older to 10% of Millenials (ages 18-25). Sherry Weddell’s book, Forming Intentional Disciples [http://www.amazon.com/Forming-Intentional-Disciples-Knowing-Following/dp/1612785905/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1386432901&sr=8-1&keywords=forming+intentional+disciples], analyzes these statistics and many others to conclude: “In the early twenty-first century, among Americans raised Catholic, becoming Protestant is the best guarantee of church attendance as an adult.”

 

I always knew I needed Jesus.  I simply could not understand why I would need the Catholic Church

Full Circle

My taste in music is often a laughing point for many of my friends.  I felt like my time had come when my husband could dance like the Backstreet boys while singing all of the lyrics; especially when he pretended to like country music in order to swoon my 16 year old self.   It only makes sense that sometimes the Lord would even redeem my horrible musical tastes to teach me truth in Him. 

"Love Can Build a Bridge" by the Judds has been replaying over and over in my mind.  It began when I realized that we had come full circle from the time of our initial interest in the Church to our now current *almost* immersion in it.   We came into our search a bit frustrated by some of the things that our Evangelical background had resulted in.  We were sad from the lack of unity that we saw among congregations and denominations, and we longed to know Jesus so much deeper than we were currently knowing Him. 

In contrast, we viewed the four points of the Catholic church (One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic) as generous gifts that God had given in order to build up his Kingdom here on earth, protecting the unity of truth and the vast depth of who Jesus becomes when viewed among his Body.  It was easy to get caught up in the newness of what we were experiencing, forgetting the rich heritage of faithful people that had brought us to this point in our lives.  We never ceased to be thankful for our upbringings, but we did find ourselves dwelling on more negative aspects of our Evangelical background than the positive ones.  Until confronted with the words of Paul...

 

"If I speak in human and angelic tongues, but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal.  And if I have the gift of prophecy and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing.  If I give away everything I own, and if I hand my body over so that I may boast but do not have love, I gain nothing. 

 

And he concludes his fruit of the Spirits discourse by some very intriguing words:

 

At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face.  At present I know partially; then I shall know fully, as I am fully known.  So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these, is love."



Love will ultimately remain when the perfect comes.  When heaven is realized, faith will be completed in sight; hope will be fulfilled in possessing what we have hoped for.  Love, will remain, because He is Love.  He gives faith, and he is the reason to hope, but he is ultimately, Love.  If we want to have any chance in sharing the Catholic faith with those outside of it, the first goal of the Church must be to love.  We must love him unceasingly before all else, we must be devoted to him in the Eucharist, and we must love our neighbors as holy objects which carry within them the image of the Creator. 

The fullness of the faith cannot be used as an triumphant battle call to argue people into our sanctuaries.  It has to be viewed as a humble reminder that if the Church does in fact possess all of the fullness of the Savior who called us His Body, then we who are a part of this visible body must resemble Christ in his love for the world.  We must first encounter Christ who we profess in an intimate and personal way, calling others to Him and his Church by our desire for him, even before our knowledge of tradition or practice.  For Tradition and practice are only true and beneficial because they point to Him, and reveal something about his nature and his plan for us.  Severed from an encounter with the Lord, they are empty rules. 

Our viewpoints on the scriptures may very well be what the Church fathers and the apostles meant them to be.  The Eucharist is the body, blood, soul and divinity of him who died for me.  And the Lord's mother may very well be the secret weapon of intercessory prayer that the Church has been given.  But if we fail to love those separated denominations who we call brothers in the faith, if we fail to acknowledge and learn from many of their strengths, and if we fail to appreciate their lives of faith, then we remain resounding gongs instead of his hands and feet. 

We continue to move closer to full communion with the Church, joyfully now in this place of full circle.  We find ourselves in a place where although very "catholic" now in thought and practice, we are more grateful than ever for Evangelicals, and what they find most dear in a relationship with Jesus.  We find that as we long for more to come and see and taste that the Lord is mighty and loving and glorious in his Church... he is also mighty and doing great things among those who love him outside of the walls.  We pray for a wider and shorter bridge to be built among the two, finding unity in doctrine and scripture and communion.  And I believe the answer lies in a simple humble love for one another.  Love builds a bridge, who became a Son, who promised the Spirit, who leads us into all truth, if we listen to his voice.  This truth can heal falsehoods, it can spread the gift of the Savior, and it can form a Body that is more effective than ever in leading a lost world back to the Rock, on whom the whole building stands. 

The Land of the Living

 

"I remain confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the Lord
in the Land of the Living." 

 

 

Dear self, 6 months ago:

 

Those tears you have cried out to Him in your prayers have been heard

 

Your longing for a friend has been answered

 

Your loneliness has been received, and the isolation your heart feels will soon be healed

 

Your confusion if the Lord is the leader of this journey will be answered

 

The example you found in Moses and Aaron was an appropriate one

 

That priest that inspired you is a good one to be inspired by

 

The Lord's love for you will be shown more than you could ever ask for in those requests

 

You beg from your knees now, and you will soon rejoice in the embrace of an answered prayer

 

You believe in the Land of the Living, and they will soon be given faces and names

 

You will know, as you follow his plan, that he is ever moving, ever loving, ever listening.  Catching every tear, every thought, and every prayer. 

 

"Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD".

Psalm 27:13-14

 

When a favorite verse becomes true reality, words do not seem to do justice to the generosity of God

 

 



Adoration at World Youth Day

I have so many half written posts that I want to finish up, but then I get stuck mid way and need to do more studying, praying, and thinking before I post.  In the meantime, this clip from World Youth Day of Matt Maher at adoration is one of the most encouraging and beautiful displays of the Catholic Church in all of her fullness that I have ever seen.  If anyone is questioning the humility of the Pope, the devotion of the faithful, or the reverence to which the Church gives our Savior, watch this video.  Matt Maher is faced away from the crowd because he is facing the host of Jesus, on his knees, adoring the Lord.  It is all for Jesus, every word, every note, and every prayer. 

Discipline

Catholics are often accused of burdening their congregations with a heavy yoke full of rules and procedures.  I, have many days where I feel overwhelmed with the immense amount of  practices included in joining the Church, compared to that of my non denominational Church.  Many times, these practices are labeled by non Catholics as heavy burdens, not being of the Lord, but of men.  For, as Jesus said,

"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (Matt. 11:28).

Today was a watershed moment for me when I saw that I have been reading this passage incorrectly when combining it with passages about discipline, as in Hebrews 12:5, 1 Corinthians 11:32, and Deut. 8.  I had always read the Discipline of the Lord as a negative connotation.  As in a time out, a reprimand, or a removal of a privilege.  But that is only one aspect of a much deeper word.  The word discipline, in Greek,  "Paideia" includes much more of a definition than simple punishment.  It includes training and teaching of a child, cultivation of mind and morals, the curbing of passions.  In other words, learning how to obey. 

Deuteronomy 8 gives a beautiful explanation of the use of this understanding of discipline:
"Remember, how for these forty years the Lord, your God, has directed all your journeying in the wilderness, so as to test you by affliction, to know what was in your heart; to keep his commandments, or not.  He therefore let you be afflicted with hunger, and then fed you with manna, a food unknown to you and  your ancestors, so you might know that it is not by bread alone that people live, but by all that comes forth from the mouth of the Lord.  The clothing did not fall from you in tatters, nor did your feet swell these forty years.  So you must know in your heart that, even as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord, your God, disciplines you.  Therefore, keep the commandments of the Lord, your God, by walking in his ways and fearing him."  (2-6)

Here, Moses is first reminding the people of the goodness of the Lord.  He has kept them safe, protected, and fed in the desert.  He has tested their hearts, so that He would know if they loved him.  He took away their comfort of food, and then fed them from his own heavenly source.  He made them first depend upon him alone for everything, and then supplied what they needed to live.  He taught them how to be his chosen ones, he "disciplined" them through training, through teaching the importance of obedience.  Discipline not being used in a negative way here as when a child is scolded, but rather as when a runner disciplines his body through practice so that he may win the race. An Olympic runner would never expect to reach Gold through slothfulness and missed practices.  Rather an Olympian trains daily, hourly, always striving for a better outcome because that is what will allow him to see the heights of glory.  So too, is it with Godly discipline. 

Hebrews 12:5 warns of this lack of discipline:

"You have also forgotten the exhortation addressed to you as sons:
'My son, do not disdain the discipline of the Lord or lose heart when reproved by him; for whom the Lord loves, his disciplines; he scourges every son he acknowledges.' Endure your trials as "discipline"; God treats you as sons.  For what "son" is there whom his father does not discipline?  If you are without discipline, in which you have all shared, you are not sons but bastards.  Besides this, we have had our earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them.  Should we not then submit all the more the Father of spirits and live? They disciplined us for a short time as seemed right to them, but he does so for our benefit, in order that we may share his holiness.  At the time, all discipline seems a cause not for joy but for pain, yet later it brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who are trained by it. So strengthen your drooping hands and weak knees.  Make straight paths for your feet, that what is lame may not be dislocated, but healed." 

In other words, do not consider the discipline (training) of the Lord as burdensome.  Do not regard it as annoyance in your busy life, but rather the very key which makes your life entirely whole.  For the Catholic: do not consider Mass attendance as a chore, but as a great honor, and the only place where we come to accept and partake of our Savior in his Fullness. Do not consider confession as a heavy yoke, but the very act that replaces the chains of sin with the freedom of Christ.  For the purpose of all of the training is to make us holy.  To make us partakers in his Divine Nature. 2 Peter 1:4.

For if there is no discipline, it will result in a lack of respect, for God himself.  I would raise that there are many Christians who claim that God requires so very little, that their respect of the Lord is incredibly lacking to a point of being almost equals; reverence for the Holy One is replaced by dissatisfaction when our requests are not answered as we see fit.  Salvation is trumpeted as a simple act, labeling any doctrine that demands results, or works, as legalistic.  Yet, Paul tells us to work out our salvation, to struggle, to labor, for it is the Pearl of greatest price. 
"Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed--not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence--continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose." Phil 2:12,13

And then In I Corinthians 11:
Paul is reprimanding the church at Corinth for partaking in the Eucharist with impure hearts and selfish attitudes.  The rich are drinking too much wine, while the poor go hungry.  Resulting in sickness, judgment, and in some cases, death.

"Whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily  will have to answer for the body and blood of the Lord. ... If we discerned ourselves, we would not be under judgment; but since we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world." (vs. 27,32). 

Paul is adamant: discipline (or obedience) is the tool that the Lord gives and sets before us so that we may be able to find our way out of the  mire of the world, and into the fullness of life that is Him.  "If you love me you will keep my commands." (John 14:15).

So the question then needing answered is this:  Do the teachings of the Catholic Church foster a discipline that burdens the laity with yokes of works, rules, and doctrine that appear good but lead to empty souls? Or does the Catholic Church's teachings lead to Godly discipline, where if followed, righteousness is fostered and spiritual muscles are created in place of a weakening human nature?    

I believe this must be answered in light of the starting verse:

Come to me all who are weary and I will give you rest. 

Lined up on a sheet of paper, some practices seem arbitrary and legal in direct conflict with a life of rest and peace.  Yet, as I consider my life now, in view of my Catholic belief, I see them in an entirely different light.  I see how even partaking of a few of them have changed my life. Jesus offers himself in the Eucharist, therefore at the Mass, I will receive all of my Savior.  Reconciliation restores ones soul.  Therefore freedom is found in forgiveness.  The teachings of morality actually help to make me more human, more myself than I would ever have been in the world, on my own, therefore bringing Peace to the restless.  Fasting on days of obligation train me to control the desires of my flesh so that during times of deep trouble, I may be thoroughly equipped to resist temptation and stand firm for Him. In Christ, in the Church, he allows me to receive every Grace that is offered to me, through his death, and apply it to my life.  Through his body, the Church, I learn how to love my neighbor and I learn to Love him with all of my heart.

This the burden of freedom.  It is a Yoke full of peace, joy, and love for the Savior.  It is a holy yoke that is fought for, sought after, and achieved with endurance and discipline.  For we strain towards what is ahead, and press on toward the goal to win the prize, for which God has called us heavenward in Jesus Christ.  Come to Him, all who are weary, and you will find rest for your souls.

Look Like a Fool

I cried like a fool tonight at our RCIA class (the classes we have to take to join the Catholic Church).  It was embarrassing, I needed a tissue and didn't have one, and wiped my nose with my Disney Cars Band-Aided hand.  I would say I have pent up emotion.. but sadly, it's not pent up.  I now cry all the time.  I am beginning to come to terms with it, however, because I believe it is a sign that my heart is softening.  The Lord must want a huge piece of mush by the time he's completed me!

Tonight was a retreat night.  We didn't leave the room, so there was no "going" anywhere.  But it was a time for the large group to be divided into two smaller ones.  I found myself in the group with the leader who wanted to hear everyone's story of how they came to be seated in the chairs.  What led them to seeking full communion with the Catholic Church.  In fairness, most people were tearing up.  There were some amazing stories of the still small voice of the Lord, ever faithful, ever calling his children to him.  And I was encouraged that there are so many routes to the those doors.  Some are through well churched avenues like I have taken, and some are no church at all.  They just knew that they had to come.  Really, He is quite creative in sounding the horn.  It is so much sweeter and alluring than any regular "dinner's ready" cow bell.

As I was reflecting on my 2 minutes of cry fest once home, at first I felt ashamed, and embarrassed that I couldn't control myself enough to get out an eloquent summary of why I came.  Really, there are great things in my story that demonstrate the Lord's love, his goodness, and his wisdom.  There are great books that I could share, great Biblical truth's that I have discovered that would have been helpful to others, I'm sure.  In other words, so many ways that I could have puffed up my pride in giving my reasons for why I now desire this.  Prideful, because a great speech of head knowledge would not have exposed the heart. They would not have heard that Jesus is worth following no matter the divisions, the heart ache, or the pain.  I hope my snotting could have at least shared that.  Christ is all. And following him, is worth, everything. 

I remembered, after it was over, my reading for the day, and my constant prayer in the last few weeks.  This morning I read Paul; his letter to the Corinthians.  How often do we forget that while a great scholar of the law, brilliant, by many accounts, Paul was still not without weakness.  He sought not to wow people with beautiful speech or theatrical abilities.  He only wanted to preach Christ, and Christ alone, no matter how rough the message may have been delivered. 

"And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.  For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling.  My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power." (I Corinthians 2:1-5)
 
I am grateful that I read that this morning.  I am learning to be grateful that maybe somehow, through the tears and the somewhat flubbering, that someone could have heard how much Jesus has changed my life.  I am thankful that He allowed me to look foolish, so that He could become greater.  It is a constant challenge, to let humility reign, and pride dissolve.  It is a wonderful thing when what at first seemed like humiliation, was actually an answer to prayer.  For if I pray for humility, why should I be shocked when God decides to answer? 

Oh that I may always only desire the wisdom of Christ unattached to any selfish boasting.  He works in my life this way, and in another's, that way.  He calls us all to himself, sometimes with a clanging gong, and sometimes through a veil of tears.  And yet, the most significant blessing of it all, is that though there may be tears on many days, there is also an unspeakable Joy.  It is not contradictory, but rather complimentary.  The same tears that soften my heart are at the same time ushering in a Joy so complete and concrete that  no tear can break.  Joy comes with the Morning, and the Evening.  It comes with Him, so he can be honored in all things, even the ugly cries.  But next time I am going to bring tissues, just in case he decides to humble me again. 

Faithfulness

Before I write a post about my current favorite books, my frustrations with retaining and sharing all the golden nuggets I find within those books, and my conflicts with simply living as a Catholic versus always having to be on guard to defend it.... I will write about a marvelous thing at Church today. 
Because I want to make sure that when I look back on this, and re read some of these posts, that the faithfulness of the Lord was the overarching theme.  I have found in this last year, that he is, as he claims to be, Always, without ceasing, ever Faithful.  And I am amazed every morning by his new demonstrations of that promise. 

Switching churches has been a difficult transition for this family.  We were not bonded at the seams with our former church, but neither were we strangers every week.  We had friends, familiar faces, and at least 2 or more greetings by our first names every Sunday.  It was a place where we felt comfortable, if not always with their theology (in the later months), but always with their congregation.

One of my many specific prayers has consistently been for an "Aaron sidekick to my Moses calling."  First things first, this is the best way I know how to put this prayer into words.  No, I do not think of myself as Moses, and yes, I most certainly know that by the time God said Aaron could come along with Moses, Moses had thoroughly exhausted his excuses for why he was not able to lead the people, maybe even angering the Lord a bit.  So I get why my ditty for my request fits not that much, but so well, at the same time. 

Moses didn't want to go alone.  He wasn't... God was with him.  But Moses was human and failed to realize just how powerful that God in the burning bush was.  I, like Moses, feel as though I am being called out from where I was comfortable into a place that God has prepared for me.  I wish I was called to bring a whole nation of friends with me, but I'm not naïve.  I do, however, pray for friendships.  Supporting ones like Moses was to Aaron, and Aaron was to Moses.  Ones where I am able to have a conversation and have a common understanding of certain words.  Ones where the word Eucharist doesn't divide, and "works" do not intend legalism.  This is my desire when I pray for an Aaron.

I never thought I would look to two 4 year old little boys to answer that request.  But Jesus loves children, and he works magnificently through their small hearts.  My boys attend a new preschool this year.  Closer to home, and nice, but still unfamiliar, especially in my friends department.  Yet after the first few days, they both came home raving about the same little boy; a new best friend for them both.  I met his mom, she is wonderful, and warm, and apparently the feelings for my boys to her son are mutual.  A friendship has begun  (lucky for him he gets a two for one special).

We have been attending our Catholic Church for over a year now, and usually leave Mass saying a quick hello to the RCIA director, because she is apparently the only one who knows we exist in the large parish.  They aren't unkind, just not social.  Today changed my world, however.  Today, at the children's offering, my boys spotted their best friend, from preschool.  And I cried.  Because God is faithful, and he is good.  And he has looked out for me from my conversion, to our preschool choice, to my boys' friend, to his mom, who is Catholic.  They have attended there for 3 years, and her husband is lovely too.  I don't know their story yet, but I know He is faithful.

We also almost didn't pick our son up from the nursery (that was OPEN!)... in time because we were chatting with 3 other people who stopped by, just to say hello, and see how we were doing.  I credit this to sitting in the front row, and being largely visible, but also more visible to a God who knows how many hairs are on my head.  I am being continually humbled by the community that we are becoming a part of, and a God who leads them faithfully to love one another, and us.  

Today was a good day to be a convert.  It was a good day to have sweet 4 year old boys that make wise choices in friends, and it was a good day to sit up close and watch God display his faithfulness, that never ceases, and never fails to come to the aid of a child in need.  This is the God that can blaze in a bush without destroying a leaf, and this is the God who gives us a mission, but promises to never make us do it alone.  Because he is Faithful. 

So... Why?

I received a short John Piper question and answer podcast a week ago.  The question posed was how to explain the "trend" of Evangelicals returning to Rome.  Personally, I hate the word Trend; much because during the first months of our conversion, I was unaware I was a part of a "movement".  Instead, it felt like a secret hidden mission to find out what I really believed, and what that crazy Catholic Church around the corner believed as well.  Secret, because I couldn't for a very long time say the word, "Catholic" out loud, let alone declare myself to be in the process of becoming one.  Anyone who has EVER gone through this will claim it to be a very interior search first, and then a terrifying realization that life as you know it will not be the same. 

Back to John Piper.  Keep in mind, this man might be one of the most modern outspoken critics of Catholicism, along with James White.  Just Google it.  If you dislike Catholics now, just wait until you read about what they have to say.  You will think I've sold my soul to the depths of the earth.  (They are wrong, but that's another day).  John Piper gave four reasons for why, in his opinion, people are flocking to Rome. 
1. People have a yearning for history within their faith ("roots")
2. People want beauty in their Church: intellectual and artistic richness
3. People want a sense of Authority: clarity and stability, Church dogma's
4. People want a sense of seriousness within their faith, instead of Evangelical seeker friendly services
Here's the link for anyone interested
https://soundcloud.com/askpastorjohn/why-evangelicals-go-catholic

With that in mind, I have some thoughts, and I will end with a list of books that we have read to date, on the true teaching of the Catholic Church.  Because we have decided that if we are going to become Catholic, we are going to find out what the Catholic Church believes, From the Catholic Church.  Not from a former, now turned Evangelical who has a grudge with the Church, not from a Protestant looking in, not even from a serious non Catholic Historian.  (we actually have read some from that side, but over and over they are obviously slanting the correct position for their own). 

I did not expect to become Catholic.  I can identify with some of the things that John Piper is listing, because in some ways, those are all great benefits of becoming Catholic.  Authority is present, and it is beautiful once viewed from a Biblical perspective.  Jesus did mean to leave us with a visible Church.  I believe that.  The Catholic Church is historical.  It has roots preceding the Reformation.  Some of the years are dark and ugly, but I believe they have never ceased being the Church.  Many of our Church's today can trace roots only until 1500 when everything hit the fan, so to speak.  Beyond that it becomes very hard to argue for a multi-denominational position.  There was only one guy in town. 

The Catholic Church has a rich artistic and intellectual history.  Intellectually, it is magnificent.  You could spend your entire life unpacking the writings and richness of Christianity within the walls of the Church, and still not have grasped most of it.  It is a 4D depth that is often misunderstood by Protestants.  And finally, the Church is serious.  One visit to a Mass would make that clear.  The Mass is not similar to an Evangelical worship service.  From the beginning to the end every breathing aspect is meant to show something about Jesus and his sacrifice for us, and how that changes us today.  Every. Single. Part.  Once understood, I believe that it would be very hard for someone to turn away from it.  Problem is, it is very often, not, understood.

With all of that in mind.  Those are not why I have become Catholic.  Even with the above things being true, they are not, the real reason, for me.  You see, if I wanted Authority, I wouldn't have to travel all the way to Rome.  I could be Lutheran.  They have a small and large Catechism too... and I would make my family happy as larks.  If I wanted history, I could become Anglican and take on a lot of roots.  If I wanted intellectual richness, I could become Presbyterian.  Denominationally, they are one of the most rigorous in their theological reasoning's.  And if I wanted seriousness... I could join any of the three just mentioned.  Each one has Church's with members who desire serious intellectual Biblical study.

I am becoming Catholic because I believe it is the Church that Jesus founded, and I believe that he is there, present, always, in the Eucharist.  I believe that He alone is found in Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity within the walls of the Catholic Church.  Is he active in Protestant denominations?  Of course!  But he is only wholly present, within the Eucharist.  It is confirmed through history, the Fathers, and most importantly, the entire Bible is sprinkled with the truth of the Eucharist.  Old and New Testaments.  The foreshadowing is heavy in the Old, and is brought to fruition in the New.  That is why I am becoming Catholic, and that is why I believe many others, are also becoming Catholic.  Because as hard as they will try, the anti Catholic theologians fail to recognize, or claim, this one point. 

Before I list the books, I would like to link to one more article.  An article written to dispel this very type of criticism of those going to Rome.  It was written by a Calvinist convert on our favorite blog, Called to Communion.  It is worth the read, and worth considering.  It is arguing against the position that if people only knew their own historical faith, they wouldn't have to become Catholic.
http://www.calledtocommunion.com/2013/08/why-evangelicals-are-getting-high-a-response-to-rebecca-vandoodewaard/

And now, our books.  Kevin and Kim, combined, not necessarily in order of impact.

• Why Catholics are Right: Michael Coren
• Rome Sweet Home: Scott Hahn
• If Protestantism is True: The Reformation Meets Rome: Devin Rose
• Born Fundamentalist, Born Again Catholic: David B. Currie
• A Lover's Quarrel with the Evangelical Church: Warren Cole Smith
• How the Reformation Started: Hilaire Belloc ****hands down my ultimate favorite***
• Jesus Shock: Peter Kreeft
• John Calvin: The Institutes:   (not all, but some)
• Triumph: H.W. Crocker III
• Eusebius: The Church History: Eusebius, edited by Paul Maier
• On Being Catholic: Thomas Howard
• Evangelical is not Enough
• What Happens at Mass: Jeremy Driscoll
• Evangelicals and Tradition: D.H. Williams (a protestant professor)
• Surprised by Truth 2: Patrick Madrid
• Roots of the Reformation: Karl Adam
• The Apostolic Fathers: J.B. Lightfoot
• Becoming Orthodox: Peter Gilquist
• The First Seven Ecumenical Councils: Leo Donald Davis
• Roman Catholics and Evangelicals, Agreements and Differences: Norman Geisler
• Hail, Holy, Queen: Scott Hahn
• Catechism of the Catholic Church
• Humanae Vitae: "Of Human Life" Pope Paul VI
• Jesus of Nazareth, Pope Benedict XVI
• Theology of the Body: podcast series of Father John Riccardo http://frjohnriccardo.libsyn.com/
• Catholicism for Cradle Catholics: Fr. John Riccardo podcast series http://frjohnriccardo.libsyn.com/webpage/category/Catholicism%20for%20Cradle%20Catholics
• Crossing the Tiber: Steven Ray
• Peter, the Rock and the Keys (Steve Ray Youtube) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXCUSAEVNIE
• Multiple debates Protestant vs. Catholic on Youtube
• THE BIBLE
• Any writings published by the Vatican.  they are all there, and some of those are gold mines for what the Church believes.

I list these not to boast.  But to demonstrate that we have not blindly followed a glowing light that is beautiful but false.  We have tried, and are still trying, to do our thorough homework of discovering what and why they believe what they do.  It is a difficult process, but one that has given us more joy and peace than we would have ever imagined.  We only would hope that our journey could someway encourage others, and that, in the words of John Piper, the "Trend" would continue.  I always like a good Trend, especially if it contains a sale and a Gap.  And of course, a Church with Jesus. 

Because I Can't Say It Any Better

My favorite Priest, Father Riccardo, has quoted this homily many times.  It was given to a small circle of priests by Fr. Walter Burghardt, a Jesuit who Father John studied under while in Washington, D.C.  Fr. Riccardo uses it many times whenever he discusses the Eucharist, as in this short homily it allows for the depth, love, and appropriateness of the event to come through.  There's no need for me to try to explain it when one could just read it for themselves. 

 http://www.olgcparish.net/resources/Files/frjohn/handouts/ParishMission2011TuesdayHO.pdf

There are also some interesting articles included after the homily. 

When Conversion Isn't Fun

Some days are not all flowers and roses.  Some days, you want to push everyone you have met along your conversion path aside, and just cling to Jesus.  I find myself weary, heavy hearted, and if not for the peace of who Jesus has become throughout this conversion, I am sure we would be hanging things up and looking back at this time with a good belly laugh of, "Remember when we almost became Catholic?!"  Yes, some days are bad. 

It's not that we have met a theological issue that we cannot find truth in, or a teaching of the Magisterium (Pope) that we just couldn't reconcile in Jesus.  The depressing matter of the fact, is that we are still loving who the Church should be, and what her mission on earth looks like.  It's just that for the last 50 years or so, some people of the Church have traded the mission of evangelization in exchange for tradition, rules, and procedures.   The numbers are on my side, it has been proven, and the number of people within the Catholic Church who have been Evangelized into the Love of Jesus versus simply catechized into the traditions of the Church, are lacking.

With that said, however, I am convinced through my study, my searching, and my underlying PEACE, that this in no way means that the Church itself is not, actually, the Church.  It just means that something is missing in the method in which the faith is being passed along and taught to an entire generation of people.   Note: I have paused, at this very thought, many times.  I have asked when it becomes no longer a wrong method of application, but rather a wrong set of truths in the first place.  I am still searching that out.  Yet three things remain true. 

The Church has many incredibly faithful members who know and love and serve Jesus Christ
Jesus is present in the Eucharist, and that changes Everything.
Israel screwed up a lot.  And they were still his people.

Catechesis is, and has been, horrible.  People who are not equipped to teach the faith have taught it.  Catholics are taught an incredibly contemplative, disciplined, private spirituality that while true and necessary for a basis of evangelization, is misunderstood by Protestants.  It seems that many times this spirituality is held in higher regard than a deep personal knowledge of the Scriptures, which can then be detrimental in the ability to give a Biblical defense for the faith in a meaningful and intelligent way.  Church nursery's are poorly, if at all, staffed, leaving young parents without focus and without aid every Sunday morning for their own personal growth.  RCIA programs (the class to become a member) vary widely from parish to parish.. some focusing on a relationship with the Lord and a Biblically led teaching, while others simply list the small "t" traditions and rules; leading one to miss the heart of it all, Jesus; and to leave still unaware how their Bible drips with evidence for the Church.   Classes can be vastly overshadowed with a call for community among fellow classmates rather than a calling to Divine reverence for Jesus in the Mass and personal spiritual growth.  

This is where the daily readings for today come into focus.  It was on Gideon.  He's been called to mind a lot, lately.  Maybe I should listen. 

Judges 6
The LORD turned to him and said, “Go with the strength you have
and save Israel from the power of Midian.
It is I who send you.”
But Gideon answered him, “Please, my lord, how can I save Israel?
My family is the lowliest in Manasseh,
and I am the most insignificant in my father’s house.”
“I shall be with you,” the LORD said to him,
“and you will cut down Midian to the last man.”


Here is my thought for Evangelicals.  Does the Catholic Church need renewal?  Yes.  But so too does the Evangelical and Protestant church if separated from the original in which He founded.  What if we blended that evangelical devotion and love for Evangelization with a historical faith that was absolutely true and beautiful, reverent, apostolic, and holy.  What if we used the talents that God has shown us in our churches and brought them back into the original Church and actually became United, like Jesus prayed for in John 17.  What if we were ONE,  not just in a mystical sense but also tangibly; that the world could see for themselves.  What if Christians came together and really decided to believe that the Lord was truly present in the Eucharist.  That he was truly infusing our own bodies with his own.  Not just in a "spirit" sense but in a physical sense.  How would that grace transform not just a broken Church but a broken world?

Yes, it sounds like heroic dreams born on the couch of a mom writing in her pj's that will never come to fruition.  The first half of that statement might be true.  But do we believe Matthew 19 or do we not?  He said it was impossible with man.  But it was possible with Him.  Gideon didn't think it was possible.  Moses didn't think they would listen to him.  Abraham and Sarah had no idea how God would make them into a great nation; they were barren, after all.  Noah was told to build a huge ark, when it hadn't rained in forever.  Mary was pregnant while still a virgin.  The God of the Universe became man and came to earth in the form of a baby.  He was killed, and conquered death.  He rose again, and reigns on High.  Impossibility is not a hurdle, for God.

So today was a low point.  But the Church is still good.  Because Jesus created it.  Humans can do nasty things to the greatness that he made.  But they can't destroy it.  Matthew 16:18 told us that.  So I will chose to power forward with the peace and grace he gives me for each day.  And I will continue to believe that he has called me into the Church because it is in his will.  And if his Will is to come on earth, like it is in Heaven, then who am I to argue with that?


Book suggestion: Forming Intentional Disciples: The path to knowing and following Jesus
http://www.amazon.com/Forming-Intentional-Disciples-Knowing-Following/dp/1612785905/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1377052173&sr=8-1&keywords=forming+intentional+disciples

Matthew 25

I just spent most of nap time (for the littles, not me today), trying to make sense of a response by a New Perspective on Paul guy, to a John Piper book.. who is anti - new perspective, and wholeheartedly in agreement with imputed righteousness.  Just writing that sentence has me confused again.  And while I'm sure I could fumble my way around the basic argument of the two men, I most definitely could not intelligently do it for anyone else's understanding, or learning.  My head began to hurt at page 6 out of 38, and therefore I resigned that I was not a scholar and there were more important things to concern myself with.

This does not at all mean that I do not care for the study of doctrine or theological beliefs.  I'm becoming a Catholic, for crying out loud.  They formed an entire Catechism to explain their doctrines.  I believe that searching for historical accuracy and truths are important.  But dissecting the grammatical usages and intentions of a word by Paul are not as high on my priority list as making sure whether or not I am kneeling before a lay piece of bread, or the Body of Christ. 

It hit me, after a few 'Lord Help Me Get This' prayers, reading over the argument, that although these discussions are probably needed, and it is good for Biblical scholars, who do this for a vocation, to be the best at what they do... that might not be my calling, as a lay person.  Because all I could think about as I fumbled through it, was Matthew 25. 

When I reach the Hope to which I am striving; Heaven, and I gaze on my Savior, I could not imagine his first question being,
"So Kim, what did you come to believe about imputed Righteousness.. I would like to know what you thought when Paul used the passive voice with indirect objects concerning his phraseology for certain terms."
Yep, nope.  I don't think the Lord will ask that.

Yet, he will probably ask me the same questions he asked his followers.  Who did you say that I am?  Did you believe me when I said it was my Body?  Did you do anything for the least of these, thereby doing it for me? 

In short.  He will ask me if I loved him, and if I did, what I did to show it.  Matthew 25.  It's been burning in my mind for a while now.  And it is a terrifying passage.
"Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me. Then he will say to those on his left, Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.  For I was hungry and you gave me no food.  I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.  Then they will answer and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs? 
He will answer them, 'Amen, I say to you, What you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.  And these will go off into eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

Terrifying, correct?  No matter what your views on salvation theology.. once saved, always saved, the ability to lose salvation, ect.. that verse has to make you stop; and think, and then act.

C.S. Lewis had a great quote:
"Next to the Blessed Sacrament itself, your neighbor is the holiest object presented to your senses."

The Body of Christ is the sacrament, it is Him.  Your neighbor is a soul within a body, created by the Living God, therefore serving them is serving God. 

Mother Therese also said,
“I see Jesus in every human being. I say to myself, this is hungry Jesus, I must feed him. This is sick Jesus. This one has leprosy or gangrene; I must wash him and tend to him. I serve because I love Jesus.”

I think she got Matthew 25.  And I'm sure that talking to her about it in Heaven will be a lot more interesting than discussing the verbage of words.  Now I've got to go and prayerfully figure out what that is, so that when I get there, it's not a one sided conversation.