Thoughts on Some Anglican Patrimony

I have been reading a lot of blogs lately by Anglicans who are discerning entry into visible union with the Catholic Church. It is really interesting to watch this play out online. There is excitement, hope, sadness, anxiety, distrust, anger, compassion, joy, and of full range of human emotions one would expect. There is thoughtfulness and frank intellectual discussion going on too.

Because of my reading about all of this I have taken some interest in this thing they are calling "Anglican Patrimony". And indeed there is a lot to be cherished in many of their traditions. On the American side of Anglicanism there is an love for the Prayer Book that will be greatly appreciated by those of us who are attached to the Divine Office in whatever form it is said. This is the place where my interest in their patrimony has settled. The Anglican office, when sung, has a great and unique quality to it. The English harmonies, along with the language used in the Coverdale psalter, are enough to soften even the coldest heart to be moved to prayer.

The reason I'm putting this post up is because one of the things I've read from some Anglicans and some Catholic traditionalists online is that some trads are not so open to Anglicans coming in without renouncing everything about Anglicanism. Even though I consider myself a traditionalist, I think it is important to realize that position is not the one the Holy Father has taken. He is a merciful and kind father and has asked the Anglicans to bring with them the good things they can.

In my experience as a convert I was never, ever, asked to leave behind or renounce anything good about my protestant past. Nor will they be. Nor will anyone ever be. This should be a great comfort to those discerning.

Ut unum sint!

Three Years a Catholic

Today, the 7th of April, is my 3 year anniversary of being a Catholic. It's gone by really quick. God has blessed me greatly - more than I deserve - in these years. I pray for the unity of all Christians and invite everyone out there to do the same. I wouldn't be the Christian I am today without my non-Catholic roots and I know many converts feel the same way.

May we all some day worship under the same roof and have true unity.

God bless!

When in Rome

Do as the Romans do, right?

I visited Rome in the Summer of 2000. That was well before becoming Catholic in 2007. I tell people often that most of the trip was spent staring at ceilings in churches and palaces. Of course we went to the Vatican.

One of the traditions is to touch the foot of the statue of St. Peter (seated on his throne). I recall seeing just how rubbed down it was. You can't even really tell its a foot anymore and it is incredibly smooth to the touch. When I think about it I can still feel it on my hand as if it was yesterday. That's what several hundred years of pilgrims touching a statue will get you. I have no idea why that has stuck with me.

Going to Rome (and France, England, Italy, Scotland, Germany, Austria, Spain, Switzerland) and seeing the glory of the Catholic Church was probably one of the real catalysts for becoming a Catholic. Viewing those things had an effect on me which I don't give as much credit as I probably should. Pretty stuff is not enough to make a guy convert, but a witness of faith over 2000 years is a pretty good place to start.

Happy feast of the Chair of St. Peter in Rome everyone.

The Well Loved NIV

I'd like to share something with everyone. This is the Bible I grew up with:

The New International Version. This is the Bible that got me through Sunday School and Youth Group and summer Bible (music) camp. I carried it every Sunday morning to the church. Every kid in our congregation who was entering the 3rd Grade got one complete with name engraving. We were able to choose the color though I don't remember doing that. My sister's has her name in rainbow with a pink cover. I remember others got blue Bibles. Mine came in maroon.

This is the Bible I faithfully memorized Scripture from. If you hear me quoting Scripture, chances are that it is still from the NIV. It was used and abused for many years and it still brings nostalgic feelings when I hold it.

It is missing some entire books of the New Testament. I think they are in the bottom of a drawer somewhere stored for safekeeping. Perhaps too safe. I'd love to get it rebound someday if I can find all the pages.

But why am I showing you this? Because while some of my posts can be a little bullish at times it is not for a lack of charity. I have a great deal of love for my Protestant brothers and sisters. After all, it was they who taught me to love our Lord. It certainly wasn't the Catholics. I like to tell people "the Presbyterians taught me to love Jesus. The Catholics taught me how."

In many ways you will find in Protestant communities a very genuine love for the Scriptures which is unsurpassed at the local Catholic parishes. That is something I have brought with me to the Church but it is not the norm for cradle Catholics. For that I am grateful to my dear old Pastor and Youth Group leaders.

Later in life, I have taken another direction but even still I will on occasion use non-Catholic Bibles where there is just no other alternative. I have found the NKJV to be quite an acceptable alternative.

My NKJV wide-margine study Bible.

Why can't we have a Catholic wide-margin Bible?

When I went to college I took the "new" Bible that I received at my grandmother's funeral the year before. It remained with me each year in the drawer next to my bed wherever I was living. Occasionally I would take it out and read it. But it wasn't really until my senior year when I saw an old nun with an eye patch on TV that it began to get more use. That of course was my 2nd beloved Bible: my Fireside Study New American Bible. ... which is another post.

Building a bridge.

Flipping through the channels a little bit ago I saw Jack van Impe declare to his audience that between 400AD and 1400AD the world had 1000 years of "no Bibles". He was relating it to some rapture history lesson but thats not important to this post.

Friends, before 382AD there were no Bibles like we have today. In fact it wasn't until the middle ages until we really had "Bibles". He made it sound as if before 400 everyone took their Bible to church with them and studied it in their homes.

This brings me to something I've been thinking of doing for the past couple days. And this is meant in all charity. There are a lot of misunderstandings out there about the Catholic Church. The idea that the Bible was chained to the desk of the local Bishop for fear some layman might try and read it for himself is one of them. And while some copies of the Bible might have been tied down due to their value, learning about God and the scriptures is not forbidden to Catholics. But we'll get to that in another post. Anyway...

As sort of an ecumenical outreach program on this, my humble space, I want to run a series of posts simply explaining Church teaching to those who aren't part of the Church. I'm not fixing to begin any arguments or throw my religion at you. But I'm sure there are readers out there who don't even know what I'm talking about half the time due to no fault of their own. For future reference for visitors looking around the blogosphere I'll even put them in the sidebar as we go along.

I think this is a good way to use my blog. As a convert I have a unique ability to explain things in terms non-Catholics might understand. I have no ulterior motives. This series isn't meant to convert anyone, its just a bridge for understanding. Conversion is between yourself and God - not Me, my blog, and you.

In the past, one of my good (longtime) friends called this blog "obnoxious." I hope we can mellow this space out a bit through this series. I do not try to be that way. A lot of the blogosphere is filled with poisonous language. If I get out of line just let me know. ;-)

Rough waters in the Tiber

You might have heard by now about Dr. Francis Beckwith, president of the Evangelical Theological Society and his swim across the Tiber. I personally didn't even know he or that group existed until his story broke.

This is their doctrinal statement (from their website):

"The Bible alone, and the Bible in its entirety, is the Word of God written and is therefore inerrant in the autographs. God is a Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, each an uncreated person, one in essence, equal in power and glory."

I read at Jimmy Akin's blog that this statement was written to keep the Catholics away from the organization. Sheesh. Well regardless, it didn't keep one of their own, their president no less, from reverting back to the Catholic faith.

But thats not why I'm typing this. If you check out Dr. Beckwith's blog, it is filled all kinds of comments. Some of them are nice, but some of them are really condescending. I can't imagine if people did that to me. You have to figure he knew a lot of people weren't going to understand, and some would even be hurt, by his choice. But given his position as President of an Evangelical group, its a sure bet doing what he did took a lot of thought and courage.

I think there are people who are both Catholic and Protestant who would do well to take a lesson from my friends and I. I only ever had two separate friends try and evangelize me away from the Church. When you take into account that most of my friends are Protestants to begin with thats a pretty good number.

On my side, I'm not sitting at a dinner table with them either telling them they are going to hell for not being Catholic. Oh, they might, but then again I'm not a sure thing either.

I'm not advocating wishy washy ecumenism or universal salvation. What I am advocating is civility. As the good book says (loosely quoted): "Those who are not against you are for you."

Thats enough on this topic. I figured it was worthy to comment on a high profile conversion. Although I would be remiss if I didn't point out that the Church has lost uncatechised people en masse to mega churches, getting one big fish back kinda feels nice.

Blessed Oppression

First off, I have a lot I need to blog - I already know that. But this topic has been on my mind for a few days and I wanted to put it down here before it left my mind.

When was I away this past weekend a friend of mine made a comment about my recent conversion that actually really irked me. I normally do not get offended at comments but this one stuck for some reason. This person is a relatively long time friend of mine who, while not Catholic, certainly believes in God and prays etc. I can't remember where it started but the initial conversation was pretty benign. Eventually the word "oppression" came up and he said something to the effect of:

"You'd better get used to oppression, because there is a lot of that in the Catholic Church."

To which I replied with something to the effect of:

"Um, actually I believe I've been freed."

He mumbled something which I couldn't distinguish but was obviously in disagreement. I let it drop.

My point in mentioning the remark is not to take my friend to task on his comment. I let it go and its water under the bridge. But I have noticed several people who are friends, relatives, or acquaintances making comments like this all around me. So I would like to address the idea that somehow taking a step towards Christ by joining his Church is some sort of self imposed oppression.

First off, joining the Catholic Church has been the most liberating experience of my life. If I had continued on my path of just believing in God but doing nothing that would not have been freedom but a continued slavery to sin and the world. My life now is not by any means saintly but I am trying to achieve that goal. I am not a lemming. I am a sheep. Lemmings senselessly run off the cliff following the herd. The herd follows its animal nature this way and that to its eventual peril. I am following a caring shepherd who has my best interest in mind.

Sometimes I think those around me believe I have given up all possible joy in life by throwing it all away and joining the Catholic Church. Binding myself to all these rules and thou shalt nots is a terrible thing to them. To some perhaps I should allow the passions to rule my life and live like an animal rather than go through life as a free thinking individual. Choosing the passions is not freedom, but rather choosing a different master.

In focusing on all the shalt nots, we have forgotten the the beatitudes. Submission brings a virtue which I think all of us can benefit greatly from: Humility. The reason I haven't been as loud on this thing as usual is that after my confirmation a month ago something genuinely changed in me. I realized that, as St. Thomas Aquinas once did, that everything I know is nothing more than straw. I am a complete imbecile when it comes to this stuff. Standing around with other practicing Catholics and hearing them talk about this or that and how they live their lives has been a very humbling experience. Even being around regular people in my life makes me see the love of God in a way I can't fully express. I appreciate my friends more, my family more, and my time with each of them more. And in many ways, I have been softened to others who hold contrary opinions to mine. (Not the contrary opinions, but the people themselves.)

Following that thought, another thing it has done in me is it has given me a greater ability to love others. Love that is real, not just an imaginary figment or a smattering of brain chemicals bouncing around in my head, but actual charity. All of my atheist, agnostic, Protestant and Catholic friends and family alike no doubt will reap these benefits in my life. Where before I would be much quicker to find faults and place blame, to gossip amongst my friends, or become arrogant in the pride of my own glorious self, I now have this "charity twitch" that I didn't have before. For that we can thank not only Confirmation, but the Confessional. Placing my own faults (weekly) before God and forcing myself to do so has created this charity twitch.

So, in closing, if I am oppressed then it is a joyful oppression. I am more than willing to be oppressed like this for the rest of my earthly life. There is so much more that I want to say on the subject but its late and I'm not up to it at the moment. Suffice it to say, I have a long way to go to perfection, and I'll likely not get there until I die. So be it. As Mother Angelica once said:

"Holiness is a beautiful struggle."

A Divine Coincidence? Perhaps.

When I was a kid we used to visit my grandmother on my dad's side on holidays. Thing is, she had previously suffered strokes and was unable to talk properly. In fact most of what she could get out was complete gibberish or often curse words. It was very sad really and as a kid I really didn't understand what was going on all the time until I got older.

She was still able to communicate though through gestures and other non-oral-non-written ways. For instance she could point at something she wanted or give you a hug to show affection. Things like that.

One thing she did every time we saw her was bring us Catholic religious items. Icons mostly but also prayer cards and other trinkets. My father was raised Catholic and says "he was supposed" to raise my sister and I that way. Obviously that didn't happen. But my grandmother did her best to continually give us Catholic items at every meeting. It was her way of communicating the faith to us. As kids we thought it was a bit crazy that every time we saw her we got this stuff. We smiled and said thanks but after we dropped her off or left wherever we were my parents just took the stuff and we never saw it again. Now I wish I had it back.

Flash forward to 1997, her funeral. I had been playing in some Catholic masses on Saturday afternoons for a little while but didn't play her funeral mass. All of my dad's side of the family was there and even some of my mom's (to support us probably). Now, I don't want anyone to think I was super close to my grandmother. Effectively we never really got a chance to know her even though we'd seen her many many times over the years. She of course was not able to communicate with us so it made interaction difficult. Anyway, out of everyone there somehow I managed to walk out of there with the gift bible from the occasion of her funeral. It was my first Catholic bible. It is also the bible that would help begin my investigation into the Church.

Moving onto college. Somehow that bible was the one I chose to take with my to school. I'm thinking now thats because it was my newest one. I didn't open it for a while (junior year maybe) and really begin reading it, but once I did I noticed all kinds of words like "magesterium". After that I turned on the TV and saw this old nun talking and joking around... and the rest you can read about in the archives of this blog.

I've always felt that somehow my grandmother was involved in my conversion. She obviously wanted us to be Catholic badly and probably prayed often for that intention. I'm not saying this is some sort of miracle or that I've received a kind of divine personal revelation here. Its not my place to judge things like that.

Yesterday at while getting ready to sit down for Easter dinner my sister mentioned that it would have been our grandmother's birthday. I perked up when I overheard her say that, because it was also the day of my first Holy Communion. Coincidence? Perhaps. Providence? I hope so.

I hope she had a wonderful birthday.

The Good Book Gets Better

For most Catholic Converts there are issues. Issues that for one reason or another are sticking points that are harder to get over than others. For instance some converts have problems with the Marian doctrine. Praying to Mary, accepting her as Queen of Heaven, Mother of God and the like can be difficult. Others may experience believing in the True Presence of Christ in the Eucharist hard to accept. So did many of Christ's followers in his time. (cf. John 6:67)

But for my part - I've had problems with the 'extra' books of the Bible. I should say first off that since I've accepted the authority of the Church I have accepted their canonicty. But still something has kept me away from them. Up until now I've kind of felt they were the crazy family member you don't talk about at the dinner table. (Well, something like that.)

Lately though I've been trying to read bits and pieces of them. I still couldn't get it to sit right with me. Yet I know the problem hasn't been with the scriptures themselves but with me. For whatever reason, probably my own experience as a protestant, I've felt uncomfortable with them.

One of the things I've really missed from my Protestant life is bible study. Yes it sounds hokey but its true. My catechesis is wonderful but we rarely use the Bible in my lessons. However last week Fr. Fischer assigned me Mystici Corporis Christi by Pius XII. (Encyclical On the Mystical Body of Christ, 1943) The letter is filled with scripture references. I studiously looked all of them up. I must say this was one of the most fullfilling experiences in my entire conversion process. The paper read like a bible study. It was fantastic.

So anyway a few days ago I was perusing my Douay-Rheims bible and decided to re-read 1 Peter. For me 1 Peter is awesome because nowadays it reads like a Papal Encyclical. I had yet to read the DR version so I thought I'd give it a shot. And since looking up the scripture references in Mystici Corporis Christi had gone so well for me I figured what the heck, I'll do the same for 1 Peter.

And here is where my conversion continues...

So I'm reading through the first chapter when I come across verse 24. Here it is:

1 Peter 1:24
For all flesh is as grass; and all the glory thereof as the flower of grass. The grass is withered, and the flower thereof is fallen away. 25 But the word of the Lord endureth forever.

I checked - this verse is also in my New International Version that I grew up with. It is actually separated to stand out and reads like this:

"All men are like grass and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass wither and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever."

Now, the little reference down at the bottom of the page says: Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) 14:18, Isaiah 40:6-8 Sirach is not accepted by the Protestants. So I turn to it and do you know what I find?

Ecclesiasticus 14:18-19
All flesh shall fade as grass, and as the leaf that springeth out on a green tree. 19. Some grow, and some fall off: so is the generation of flesh and blood, one cometh to an end, and another is born.

Hello?! We've got Peter quoting from Sirach! The reference to Isaiah was a closer quote but nonetheless Sirach is obviously a valid reference. I furiously went back to the Gospels to see if anywhere there is a reference to one of the Apocrypha. I scanned the bottom of the pages to find the references...

In Matthew chapter 6, Our Lord teaches us the "Our Father" (Lord's Prayer). At the conclusion, it reads:

"14 For if you will forgive men their offences, your heavenly father will forgive you also your offences. 15 But if you will not forgive men, neither will your Father forgive you your offences."

The little reference back to Sirach says this: (From the NAB so its a little more readable. If the USCCB complains, I'll change it.)

Sirach 28: 1-7

1The vengeful will suffer the LORD'S vengeance, for he remembers their sins in detail.

2Forgive your neighbor's injustice; then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven.

3Should a man nourish anger against his fellows and expect healing from the LORD?

4Should a man refuse mercy to his fellows, yet seek pardon for his own sins?

5If he who is but flesh cherishes wrath, who will forgive his sins?

6Remember your last days, set enmity aside; remember death and decay, and cease from sin!

7Think of the commandments, hate not your neighbor; of the Most High's covenant, and overlook faults.

Christ is teaching us from Sirach (Ecclesiasticus). Peter also taught from Sirach. This is because historically Sirach was used extensively by the early Church to teach newcomers to the faith. (aka: Catechumens)

One last reference for the still doubtful. This one really did it for me. Its the big one - the Golden Rule. The Golden Rule appears 2 times in the New Testament. Once in Matthew 7:12 and once in Luke 6:31. However, it also appears in the Tobias - yet another so called apocryphal (deuterocanonical) book, not accepted by Protestants.

To quote from Matthew 7:12

"All things therefore whatsoever you would that men should do to you, do you also to them. For this is the law and the prophets."

And Tobias 4:16 (hook line and sinker)

"See thou never do to another what thou wouldst hate to have done to thee by another. "

Law and the prophets indeed. When Christ said the Jews didn't know their own scriptures he meant it. 40 years later the Jews from Palestine would reject the greek language scriptures we now call 'apocrypha' or 'deuterocanoncial', though Christianity would accept them universally for the next 1500 years until Martin Luther hacked them out to get rid of purgatory (among other things, like the entire book of Revelation). Christ knew and taught from them. Peter clearly did so. And throughout the New Testament you can see bits and pieces of them throughout the apostles' writings.

All my uncomfortability with them has now been removed. They are as much as part of the Bible as any other book in there. With the hurdle crossed, I'm ready to dive right in. Message to my Protestant friends: Be not afraid of the deuterocanonical books. You won't lose your soul by reading them. :-)

At the Crossroads

Ok, so I haven’t written much in over a week now. There isn’t really any reason why. But I guess I thought possibly people wouldn’t be interested in what I had to write. I’ve been writing a lot about spirituality lately, but I don’t want to alienate any of my friends who read this by thinking I’m one of those Campus Crusader types. That is not me. I am essentially no different than I was before. However, there has been a real change in my outlook on life and an attitude adjustment to boot.

Get ready, here comes one heckuva post.

For those of you that are not spiritual at all, let me explain what I am not. I am not into forcing my spirituality at anyone. I’ve come into Catholicism after a long drought of spirituality. And ultimately my previous spirituality as a teenager was outward and Protestant. We studied the Bible a lot and there was some loud singing and hand-raising in youth group. I really enjoyed my time in that, but theologically, it was empty.

But sparing you from all those theological details, Catholicism is much more inward. There is a lot of silent meditation and serious contemplation involved. There is no hand waiving or “words on the wall” singing. It is safe to say that my conversion to Catholicism has not been simple or easy. I guess that is normal when someone is searching for where they belong and making a major life decision. There are no altar-calls in Catholicism, as many experts say. The process of joining an apostolic faith is a drawn out process that takes consideration and discernment. And it should, to prevent error and false teaching.

I have done the altar-call type of experience before, where all you have to do is accept Christ into your heart and *poof* - you are in. It requires no real commitment (except the one you bind youself to) and there is no real process for redemption. Literally, you can be having a life changing experience one minute and be engulfed in sin ten minutes later. Then what? It doesn’t matter because you are already saved? Ok, that didn’t make any sense to me.

I’m not putting down anyone else’s personal spirituality here. That is not what any of this is about - whatsoever. I’m just trying to explain my own place right now, which is my “journey home” to the Catholic Church.

But right now I still find myself at a crossroads. This one is a little more difficult…OK, so I’ve accepted my path as going right into the Church - but do I go East or West? I am falling in love with both liturgies and that’s where I am torn. In the Byzantine Catholic church, the music is wonderful but more importantly the people are so real and genuine. Their priest is amazing and seems extremely approachable.

In the Tridentine Mass parish (Roman Rite *Latin), St. Michael’s, they take their spirituality very seriously. Many drive hours just to attend a traditional Catholic parish every week. I would love to be a part of that group and share in their love for the Eucharist with them. But all that is raised up to such a higher level by their Choir. I’ll just say this once – you have no heard a church choir until you’ve heard St. Michael’s. They aren’t huge, they aren’t loud, they aren’t a rock and roll band in the pulpit, but they ARE amazing. Pure beauty, clear, magnificent sounds come from these folks.

So, that’s where I am right now. Completely torn, but loving it. The experiences I’m having are tremendous and I wouldn’t have it any other way.