Note: On October 1, 2011 Our family was received into full communion with the Roman Catholic Church at St Theresa’s Catholic Church in Ashburn, VA. It has been a huge blessing and we are grateful to God for giving us the grace and provision to come home to Rome. What follows is our personal testimony of how we arrived at this decision but we don’t discuss the theological and philosophical issues – that is a post for another day.
I noticed that, just today, this young man was good enough to "ping" back to my own story of return to Faith. So I wish to return the favor. His story is excellent, and his site written fairly and with charity. Enjoy yet another story of the (borrowing Marcus Grodi's terminology "journey home" as we like to call it--those Christians who have embraced Catholicism as out own or come back to it, sometimes when we least expected it. You will like it.
“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.
Deuteronomy 5:16
“Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the LORD your God is giving you.
If you want a treat, I absolutely recommend wholeheartedly this blog to you...Joshua Huffman is a 20-year-old college student who has decided to tackle the 10 commandments as part of his Lenten journey this year. I find that amazing, especially in a world where even very devout Christians many years his senior cannot sometimes name even 3 of them.
And this young man not only knows them, but wants his friends (online and otherwise) and family to understand and follow them as well. Okay he can't spell...but hopefully he won't be too upset with me saying so hehe. Then again some of the best authors are not exactly grammatical experts either! Right, Chris Padgett? (Chris, incidentally, was one of my Confirmation sponsors and a dear friend--as well as a talented and gifted singer, song writer, author, and works extensively with youth). His site too is well worth exploring, as is his music:
In any case at his age I was in Bible College studying theology, thinking I knew so much, and I do not think I would have even thought of writing a series on this difficult and in-depth topic. His story is amazing (if you check out his site you can read it here--http://communionwithjesus.wordpress.com/favorite-books/, as is his walk with our Lord Jesus. He even takes online prayer requests. I had not thought of that either but now plan to add such a link to my site too. Thanks Joshua!
He is Lutheran by background but is kindly sharing references from the Catechism of the Catholic Church as well as Luther, and obviously of course Sacred Scripture, to enhance these teachings. You are definitely in for a treat. And he is a young man who is going places for Jesus our Lord!!! That I guarantee. I am so very honored to have made his online acquaintance and one day hope to meet him in person if God so wills it. I hope He does.
This is a new online blogger friend of mine…kind enough to “like” some of my posts and add me to his follower list.
While not directly from a religious perspective, he seems to see deeply inside himself and others. That is a tremendous gift. St Thomas Aquinas reminded us as a Church that we can find truth from many sources, and it is still a gift of God whether directly “Christian” or not.
Image via Wikipedia
That is what my new friend Jeremiah shows as well.
As he writes about the river, the heart, and so many other basic things we tend to take for granted, I think taking that second and “fresh look” serves us well. But it takes slowing down, taking time, smelling the roses and sometimes pulling the thorns from our lives.
For me personally, rivers too have a significance. On more than one occasion, staring into a moving river has been a window to my soul, and God has used it to speak to me about my own life or direction that I needed at that particular time. Perhaps it is partly because a river does indeed have a sense of eternity within it–a clear example of the circle of life.
Jeremiah thank you so much for enriching your readers with this. Read and enjoy!
I think, at this important juncture, it becomes crucial that I identify some purposes and goals for this blog. First and foremost, it is opinions. Not more, not less. I attempt to write from the perspective of someone who has been Roman Catholic for 21 years of my life and, unlike many of my generation, was well-catechized (Baltimore Catechism style), by some “bad Catholic” nuns such as those pictured on the amazing Mark Barnes’s blog ( http://www.patheos.com/blogs/badcatholic/) as well as directly below:
Although I left Rome for 35 years of my life, 20 of those were spent in strongly Bible-honoring Christ-centered/ecclesial communities within the Assemblies of God and similar circles. While charismatic in belief and gifts, the A/G warns strongly against such misuses as constant “slaying in the Spirit,” “leg growing” (if you do not know what this is I say best not to even ask!), and using such gifts as tongues and prophetic words according to 1 Corinthians 12-14, making love the center (chapter 13) and following strict guidelines as laid down by St Paul for the public use of such gifts.
During the “missing in action” 15 years after, I explored many other spiritual paths and traditions including such things as the Tarot, astrology, I Ching, and a general hodge-podge of New Age types of experiences. Those were as well the years that I was active in the LGBT lifestyle. I also attended and was a member of, at various times, a United Methodist, Episcopal (Anglican), UCC (United Church of Christ), and MCC (Metropolitan Community Church). Oh, and Baptist for a bit as well. You might say I partook of a literal “Seven Layer Salad” of various Christian groups in addition to around 7 years where I never darkened the door of a church at all.
Since my return to Rome in 2005, I went through RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults), which is a thorough review of basic core Catholic beliefs, and then took a 2 year course of studies through the St Paul Seminary. Since I had already taken 4 years of college level theology through the Assemblies of God, I now have 6 full years of theological study from both Protestant and Catholic perspectives.
ALL TO SAY—I do not claim to be a “theologian,” on TV or otherwise! However I do have a pretty broad spectrum of religious study and practice, and find that I have at least a decent handle on most issues. What I do not know I at least have many resources to research and find out. So my opinions, while being simply that, are generally not based on vague “tingles of the spine” or “flavor of the day” experiences but on at least a basic grasp of my own theology and that of others.
That was a long but important digression. I started out by saying that I was attempting to bring forth some specific goals for this blog, and one of those is in the area of becoming more devotional in my approach to blogging. For instance as I posted a couple of weeks back, I plan to start a Rosary meditation series soon. I will continue to cover current topics of interest, and the occasional “just fun” posts too. But expect less politics and more overall Christianity, however from a Catholic Christian perspective to be sure. I also plan to go beyond this with the occasional sharing of posts such as the other day regarding Jefferson Bethke, a Protestant Christian evangelical brother who has done some truly amazing things, whether one totally agrees with his approach or not, and then attempting to build some authentic bridges wherever possible between Protestant and Catholic Christianity. There are literally dozens of sites out there for Catholic apologetics, and I have in fact some of them listed on my blog roll. But what I tend to see less of are those with a concern to be truly ecumenical. To me that may mean at times laying aside, while not ignoring, the very real differences that continue to exist between us. And when I see someone who I believe is doing so effectively, whether Protestant or Catholic, I will gladly share their stories and perspectives without giving up my understanding of the Faith. Our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI has indicated the need for this type of dialogue, and I think it sadly becomes frozen in place when all we do is wrangle over someone’s use of the word “religion” for example. There I have said it. That is not the direction I wish to take this blog and I will be doing my utmost to steer clear of such discussions.
The changes I am making are not in truth huge—this has pretty much been the vision I have had from the beginning for my writings. However I think even I could not have articulated it without a few months of “blog time” to begin learning the ropes within the blogosphere. But now is the time.
As my posted article “Catholic First—Christian First” (linked below) clearly delineates, I am of the view that our first objective as believers is not to “bag Catholics” from the “evil world of Protestantism.” I believe that the first and foremost goal we are to have as Christ-honoring historical Christians is to fellowship together in whatever ways we honestly can without compromising belief on either side. If during that process someone becomes intrigued with or wishes to learn more about the Catholic Faith, I will gladly help direct them towards it. But sometimes we as Catholics make it “Church first, then Jesus” and in reality it is the exact opposite. I think that is what my brother Bethke meant when he said he “loved Jesus but hated religion.” In that context, would that more of us do the same.
There is a new book out by Paul Badde, The True Icon: From the Shroud of Turin to the Veil of Manoppello. Here is a description from Amazon:
The Shroud of Turin is one of the most famous relics in the world. Scrutinized by scientists and studied by debunkers, it is also honored by countless faithful devoted to the mysterious image of a crucified man that appears on the cloth.
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This Wednesday, Lord willing, I will be hearing one of the foremost speakers on this topic. It will be interesting--hopefully I can obtain a copy of this book by then too. I like "signed" stuff...
UPDATE: i MISSED THIS EVENT, BUT STILL HOPE TO GET THIS BOOK AND PERHAPS A VIDEO ON THIS TOPIC SOON!
I must say this is the absolute last thing I planned to post today again, or ever for that matter. But I think it is time, now that the earthquake is over and the volcanic ashes settled over his use of the word “religion,” which seemed to be the main point of contention for most of my liturgical brothers and sisters in Christ, to hear with more clarity what he was attempting to say here.
At the outset, I will say that there are points of theology I probably disagree on with Bethke. I am not a Calvinist. I would believe in and defend the Roman Catholic position on doctrine anytime, not just “because I am Catholic” but more to the point I am Catholic because I fully believe in and follow, as best I know how, the authority of the Word of God through Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition, which of course is not “every tradition” but the ones which have their basis in the early Church and Church Fathers, and have thus stood firm through the Councils and over the many centuries of the Faith.
Having said that, the official and clear Catholic position is that there are Christians, meaning potential “saints” who are headed for heaven, in all Christian denominations who teach the basic creeds of historical Christianity (such as the Apostle’s and Nicene Creeds). Our Catechism of the Catholic Church could not be clearer on this point.
“However, one cannot charge with the sin of the separation those who at present are born into these communities [that resulted from such separation] and in them are brought up in the faith of Christ, and the Catholic Church accepts them with respect and affection as brothers . . . . All who have been justified by faith in Baptism are incorporated into Christ; they therefore have a right to be called Christians, and with good reason are accepted as brothers in the Lord by the children of the Catholic Church.”
I do not believe the point can be any clearer than that. This is our brother in Christ. He is 22 years young. He has turned from the world and, as the old song goes, has “decided to follow Jesus, no turning back.” No parent in their right mind would be ashamed of having this man date their daughter or be their son for that matter. And, as strongly as I believe in the concept that Christianity flows from Catholicism, and I do accept this, I also would daresay that I would rather have a hot-blooded evangelical Christian in my family than a near-dead Catholic Christian who puts in for Mass twice a year.
We can argue the theology of “his church versus ours” all day. But the first and foremost issue is bringing souls to Christ. And that can happen through the Sacraments or beyond them. See CCC reference below:
CCC# 1257:
The Lord himself affirms that Baptism is necessary for salvation. He also commands his disciples to proclaim the Gospel to all nations and to baptize them. Baptism is necessary for salvation for those to whom the Gospel has been proclaimed and who have had the possibility of asking for this sacrament. The Church does not know of any means other than Baptism that assures entry into eternal beatitude; this is why she takes care not to neglect the mission she has received from the Lord to see that all who can be baptized are “reborn of water and the Spirit.” God has bound salvation to the sacrament of Baptism, but he himself is not bound by his sacraments.).
It however won’t happen by calling people such as he or Tim Tebow or others who are at least attempting to share the Lord who they love so very much such things as “idiots” or “heretics” when they are neither.
As I shared to him in a personal note, when I was in my Protestant years I never bought into the anti-Catholicism I saw around me. What I was shocked to find after my return to the Church was that many of those who had indeed had their lives totally changed through a committed relationship (yes, I said it!) with Jesus Christ now had no problem ripping to shreds those who found Him outside of Catholic circles. And I have seen more examples of this in regard to both Bethke and Tebow than at any time since my return to Rome. Maybe we should just revive burning at the stake or something else equally Christ-like…
Image via Wikipedia
Rubbish, folks. And that is the nicer word for it.
Real “religion” always respects the other, even when we disagree on points, even important ones. Anything else simply kills dialogue (another word some who read this no doubt just cringe when even seeing it in print, no doubt). But dialogue we must.
Here is a very positive example of Jefferson Bethke and a Roman Catholic priest in that very dialogue on the secular CBS This Morning…with deep and obvious respect on both sides clearly shown. We can all learn from it.
So may I now challenge you to once again watch the video, and then read what our brother in Jesus Jeff Bethke says about it in the link below? You might be surprised at what you missed the first time around. In fact, read his thoughts first, and then watch the video again. As we always teach and say we believe, context is everything.
