Feasting with the dead-- who live!

Me with my grandpère, circa 1982

Today and tomorrow mark the two feasts of the year that deal with our dead... On November 1 the Saints recognized by the Roman Catholic Church as having abounded in holiness in this life through careful examination, and those who are unknown to us or known only to a few are celebrated on this day. Tomorrow we remember in our prayers all the souls who have been here below, praying especially for the mercy of God on those who may be going through purgative purification.

It's a time I always begin to reflect on the Communion of Saints. 

the Communion of Saints is the name we give to a doctrine we teach that makes most protestants shudder-- and yet it is the most glorious thing.... one of the key pieces in the puzzle of Christianity. As a protestant, I was always so frustrated when my friends died-- my choices were to believe that they had gone to hell because I hadn't seen them make visible efforts with their alleged faith in God, in which case, it was horrid, I was helpless, and God didn't care. Or to believe that they had gone to heaven and were now separate from me, GONE, away, and lost until some magical day in the far off future when we would be united in heaven. Catholicism, however, offers the simplest, and most beautiful doctrine to demonstrate both how GOOD God really is and how interconnected we are... how much relationships DO matter.

The entire Church, called the "Mystical Body of Christ," has one head: Christ. The Church here on earth is called: "The Church Militant." We are here below, waging war on sin and evil. The Church above is the Church Triumphant, having succeeded in the spiritual battle, and now interceding for us before the Throne.

The Church Suffering are the souls in purgatory (state of being, not physical place) who did not succeed in the Battle completely, who have not received the graces necessary (because they didn't ask!) to enter God's presence, but who died "doing what they thought was right." Great suffering is theirs. as the Refiner's Fire purifies them, and we pray for them anticipating their eventual glory, they helping us by their prayers and we helping them. All of us are interconnected. For those in Christ, there truly is no time and space, we are all one.

In the Holy Eucharist, In Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, I am united to all believers past, present and future, militant, suffering, and triumphant. We are all One. When I receive the eucharist I am mystically  present with all my loved ones.... family members across the globe whom I love and miss and who, also are fed by the Lamb. Friends and family members who have passed on in Christ. The Saints whose lives inspire me and mold me and help me to be the best Christian I can be. They are all there, in that little tiny host, often described as "dry tasting" by people who simply don't understand what they are seeing and tasting... the body and soul, mind and divinity of Our Lord, Jesus Christ.

If you're like me and have a lot of friends and family who have passed away, and a lot who live far away and who you simply can't be with physically, this doctrine is of so much comfort and such a source for rejoicing.

Like a great Tree of Life the branches, representing the Church Triumphant,  spread throughout the heavens, praising God and shaking things up for us here below in our necessity, uniting heaven and earth. The trunk (Church Militant), stable and sturdy, healthy, ever growing and building, depends on the connection of the roots (Church Suffering-- buried but ever active!)  with the rich earth (God) from whom all nourishment comes. The trunk is tall and straight because of the wind in it's branches, the hope in it's brightly colored leaves, each different from the next but all similar in their shape, function, and beauty and because of the depth of the roots and their constant presence. We all matter. We all have a place, and a part. We all came from somewhere, and are going somewhere. We're all connected. We all matter, and no one is simply "gone." God made the tree, nourishes us in the earth, the air, the wind, the water..... He is in the heavens, and with us in the roots and soil.

Today, Catholics will sing  Ye Watchers and Ye Holy Ones..... reminded of the Communion of Saints. Tomorrow, Catholics will hear mass in a cemetery, reminded of their duty towards the Holy Souls in Purgatory, as much a part of the mystical body as any living person.

The reflections which naturally arise from the observation of these days are dark and triumphant, difficult and beautiful, mysterious and wonderful.....amazing.

As someone involved with  the paranormal community, these two days are the most important ways to communicate to non-catholics, and especially people who have been affected by supernatural experiences with the dead ("last phone calls," "last visits," "sightings" etc) that these things have a very real purpose, that there are people who need us still and that we can not forget them, that for the dead in Christ, death is only the beginning!

O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
- 1 Corinthians 15:55

Today, I thank God for the Saints in heaven, especially my close friends Mary, Joseph, Elijah, Mary Magdalen, St Josemaria, and Blessed Mariam, the Little Arab.

Tomorrow, I remember especially in my prayers all my relatives who have died, especially my Grandpère, who died in the month of  November and who I miss very much. I remember also all of my friends who died back home, at least one a year since the year I turned twelve, of various tragedies ranging from car accidents to drug overdoses to suicides and freak illnesses. Death is no stranger to me-- but it has lost it's sting. Alleluia!

I remember also all of your friends and family, and most especially those sweet babies so many of my friends have lost in childbirth or through miscarriage. They are with us! Alleluia!

Eternal rest grant them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. Amen!

*note to non-Catholic readers: the Roman Catholic Church teaches the existence of hell. The fact that I didn't discuss hell in this blog is NOT indicative of the doctrine of universal salvation within Catholic teaching. I wanted here to focus on the things we celebrate and observe these two days... our cause for rejoicing. There is, of course, a time to weep. We'll talk about that another day. ;)

The hardest part of the journey

"And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature... And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils."

- Mark 16:15,17

Because it occurred to me today that not every Catholic knows and fully understands the implications of the Church's new decision regarding the practice of casting out evil spirits, I need to post this article.
First, I want to say that this document both infuriates me and convinces me that The End is nearer than ever.
It will also be a very interesting read for any practicing Catholics who watch shows like Paranormal State and see episcopal or Catholic priests and laypeople interacting with alleged demonic entities.

I submit that it completely changes the teachings of Our Lord Jesus Christ to his disciples, and further, that it binds and ties the hands of the faithful, who at one point HAD the authority, in the name of the Church of Christ, to cast out evil spirits. I submit that this decision is unscriptural and is fully malicious (read: not for the good of our souls.) I recognize that this means that I am utterly disapproving of an action of a Pope I love very, very much. This disheartens me to the extreme.

For a long while I let my disgust with this action and decision govern my reactions and my ministry. I have, in the past, directly disobeyed this document and thus directly disobeyed the Holy Father. Most of the traditional Catholics I know also disregard this completely, regularly using exorcisms such as the simple exorcism of Pope Leo XIII, which a POPE told us to use regularly. Further, scripture itself is full of commands to the Demons. When we pray certain scriptures over people and situations, we command evil spirits. Surely this is what we are SUPPOSED to do.

And yet, I recently learned the hard way a lesson that I don't think many readers will understand.... at least not many non-Catholics.

I learned the importance of Obedience, even to a flawed system or governance. The pope is NOT perfect, nor does the Church teach that he is. Further, it seems to me that if the man is as wise and holy as I believe he is, somehow, some way, he must have been FORCED by the hand of darkness to sign this document and further, that it will serve a purpose for good. The thing I have learned to accept is that GOD ALLOWED THIS TO HAPPEN.

Just as He allowed Vatican II, or rather the misinterpretation of Vatican II to happen. Just as He allows Satanic Black Masses to take place. And in allowing these things to happen, our humility is tested to the extreme degree, because those of us who are convinced (as I am) that a very evil spirit lurked and presided over the events at Vatican II, and yet recognize that we must remain with the faith til The End, that we cannot leave now but rather must continue to pray, pray without ceasing and strive for holiness unaided and amid endless obstacles to our spiritual growth....the ultimate lesson here, for me, and it has been LONG in coming, is that obedience in these atrocities serves to perfect my soul, to provide the "challenge" that God's grace will overcome, and that I MUST, must must must acknowledge that if the Church is true, which I believe it is, every time the Church makes a poor decision (which is has obviously begun to do-- just look at what pathetic states our parishes have fallen into. Observe how a holy non-modernist priest who actually BELIEVES in good and evil is one in a million these days. Sit through another round of KUMBAFREAKINGYA during Communion.) GOD HAS ALLOWED IT, and if I set myself up to say: "No, this cannot be so!" then am I not playing God? Am I not telling God what His own Church may and may not do??

I do not understand, not in the slightest, how these things are allowed to happen in the Church each and every day. Why the Pope doesn't just SLAM down his mighty fist and say "BASTA!"
But just because I don't understand doesn't change the fact that it IS happening, that it HAS happened, and that while it appears that every direction I turn the Catholic Faith is in shambles and crumbling it IS STILL THERE. The proof is that there are hundreds of thousands of us wandering around going "What the heck is going on here???"
Where there is ONE person who has retained the faith, there is the Church. And just like the kingdom of God-- we must accept that it IS among us. The Church will NOT fail, and the gates of hell will not prevail against her, although they are certainly doing their darnedest. My obedience to the Church, in this matter, is destined to sanctify me, to give me much needed grace for the journey, even if it's WRONG, even if it's bad, even if it's a concession to the Evil One.
God's mercy trumps everything, and His merciful heart is pleased when we ACCEPT His divine will. I now think of the Church as if she were Job, knowing that She will be restored from this naked mess to Her perfect Glory, knowing that THIS is the struggle between good and evil that has been prophesied in scripture and through the ages by the saints and by visions from heaven. THIS. IS. OBEDIENCE.... to do the will of God, and to suffer, and to see Him in His GLORY.

So, without further ado, I give you the document that breaks my heart and yet fills me with hope. I can attest from personal experience that direct disobedience to this teaching can, and will, put you at risk. Sometimes, we learn the hard way. Even if we think we are right. When the Church teaches us something, Heaven and the Church are in agreement. Peter holds the keys. Whatever he binds on earth will be bound in heaven. Whether we cooperate with heaven on this issue or not will decide our spiritual fate, and will expose our pride and our sinfulness -- well, in much the same way as it has mine. The very first sin, which Lucifer, God's most precious and glorious angel committed was pride. It was his setting himself up to BE Lord.
Everytime we disobey the Church, even when she is WRONG, (and again-- what I'm about to show you is simply a recommendation of the magesterium, it is NOT a doctrine or dogma... do not be confused)we are making the decision to act as our Enemy did... we are losing the war.

Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.


Inde Ab Aliquot Annis

On The Current Norms Governing Exorcisms

Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
September 29, 1985

Translated by Father Gabriele Amorth, Exorcist of Diocese of Rome



Also see:
Comments from Father Amorth about the Document
Latin Edition of Inde Ab Aliquot Annis
Instruction on Prayers for Healing

Prot. no. 291/70; ASS 77 (1985): 1169-70; EnchVat 9, nn. 1663-67

Excellentissime Domine

For some years there has been an increase in the number of ecclesial gatherings which seek liberation from demonic influences, even though they are not properly and truly exorcisms. These groups, even when a priest is present, are led by lay persons.

Since the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has been asked what ought to be thought about this, this dicastry is of the opinion that all other ordinaries should have the following response:

1. Canon 1172 of the Code of Canon Law declares that no one is able to legitimately undertake exorcisms of the possessed unless expressed and individual permission has been obtained from the ordinary of the place (section 1). The canon also establishes that this permission ought to be conceded by the ordinary of the place only to priests who are distinguished in piety, knowledge, prudence, and integrity of life (section 2). Bishops are, therefore, strongly urged to see to the observance of these norms.


2. From these prescriptions it follows, therefore, that no member of the Christian faithful can use the formula of exorcism against Satan and fallen angels, extracted from that which was made law by Leo XIII, and even less are the able to use the entire text for exorcism. Bishops are to bring this to the attention of the faithful as it is deemed necessary.


3. Finally, for the same reasons, bishops are asked to be vigilant that -- for even cases in which true diabolical possession is excluded, diabolical influence nevertheless seems in some way to be revealed -- those who do not have the required faculty not serve in the leading of meeting where, in order to gain freedom, prayers are used which dignify demons by directly questioning them and in searching to make known their identity.

The announcement of these norm, however, ought not to keep the faithful from praying that, as Jesus taught us, they might be delivered from evil (cf. Mt 6:13). Finally, pastors ought to avail themselves of this occasion to recall what the tradition of the Church teaches about the proper function of sacraments and the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the angels and the saints in the spiritual fight of Christians against evil spirits.

May I take this occasion to convey my great feelings of esteem for you,
remaining your servant in the Lord,
Joseph Card. Ratzinger, Prefect

Translated to Italian by Father Gabriele Amorth, Exorcist to the Diocese of Rome in his Exorcist Tells His Story, [American Edition], Ignatius Press, San Francisco (1999), (translated into English by Nicoletta V. MacKenzie), pp. 189-90

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Comments from Father Amorth Concerning Inde Ab Aliquot Annis

from Exorcist Tells His Story, Ibid, pp.190-91

The above-cited letter warns against any direct dealings with demons and states that their name should not be asked by those who have not been granted the specific faculty to do so. The Acts of the Apostles report a particularly fitting event ... (of the consequences of acting without faculty to do so in the story of the Seven Brothers --Acts 19:11-20).

from An Exorcist: More Stories, [American Edition], Ignatius Press, San Francisco: (2002), (translated into English by Nicoletta V. MacKenzie), pp. 189-90

I will now explain some of that is forbidden and what is required, according to these guidelines (of Inde Ab Aliquot Annis).

* First, official exorcisms are not allowed; they are reserved exclusively for the exorcist. The same holds true for the exorcism of Leo XIII, even though it is now part of the public domain. The private use of such exorcisms is another matter; at least, this is how I understand the above-cited document.

* We must avoid addressing the demon directly and to find out his name and -- I add -- anything else. All other considerations aside, a direct dialogue with the demon can be dangerous to anyone who dares to initiate it without the due authorization of the Church, and therefor without her protection.

At the end, the document reminds of of the importance of prayer, the sacraments, and the intercession of the Virgin Mary, the angels, and the saints....


Latin Version

INDE AB ALIQUOT

ACTA CONGREGATIONUM CONGREGATIO PRO DOCTRINA FIDEI

Epistula Ordinariis locorum missa: in mentem normae vigentes de exorcismis revocantur [Die 29 m. Septembris a. 1985 (AAS p. 1169-70)]Excellentissime domine, inde ab aliquot annis, apud quosdam coetus ecclesiales, conventus ad precationes faciendas multiplicantur hoc quidem proposito, ut liberatio obtineatur ab influxu daemonum, etiamsi non de exorcismis proprie dictis agatur; qui conventus peraguntur sub ductu laicorum, etiam praesente sacerdote.

Cum a Congregatione pro doctrina fidei quaesitum sit quid sentiendum de hisce factis, hoc dicasterium necessarium putat omnes ordinarios certiores facere de responsione quae sequitur:

1. Canon 1172 Codicis Iuris Canonici declarat neminem exorcismos in obsessos proferre legitime posse, nisi ab ordinario loci peculiarem et expressam licentiam obtinuerit (1), ac determinat hanc licentiam ab ordinario loci concedendam esse tantummodo presbytero pietate, scientia, prudentia ac vitae integritate praedito (2). Episcopi igitur enixe invitantur, ut observantiam urgeant horum praescriptorum.
2. Ex hisce praescriptionibus sequitur ut christifidelibus etiam non liceat adhibere formulam exorcismi contra satanam et angelos apostaticos, excerptam ex illa quae publici iuris facta est iussu summi pontificis Leonis XIII, ac multo minus adhibere textum integrum huius exorcismi. Episcopi hac de re fideles admonere curent in casu necessitatis.
3. Denique, ob easdem rationes, episcopi rogantur ut vigilent ne -- etiam in casibus qui, licet veram possessionem diabolicam excludant, diabolicum tamen influxum aliqualiter revelare videntur -- ii qui debita potestate carent conventus moderentur, in quibus ad liberationem obtinendam precationes adhibentur, quarum decursu daemones directe interpellantur et eorum identitas cognoscere studetur.

Harum normarum tamen enuntiatio minime christifideles abducere debet a precando ut, quemadmodum Iesus nos docuit, liberentur a malo (cf. Mt 6,13). Insuper pastores has oblata opportunitate uti poterunt, ut in mentem revocent quid Ecclesiae traditio doceat circa munus quod proprie ad sacramenta et ad Beatissimae Virginis Mariae, Angelorum Sanctorumque intercessionem spectat in christianorum etiam contra spiritus malignos spirituali certamine.

Hanc occasionem nactus impensos aestimationis meae sunsus tibi obtestor permanens

add.mus in Domino

Iosephus Card. Ratzinger, Praefectus
Albertus Bovone, a Secretis
L. S. In Congr. pro Doctrina Fidei tab., n. 291/70


I fully expect that most people who have read this far are thinking it's time to call the white coats. And that's OK. God and I have an understanding here. :)

A last word on Christian Unity.

To close the week of Christian unity, I thought I would talk a little bit about those things which we DO have in common,(and Jenny, if you're out there, this one's for you!) and in large quantities. But in order to do that, I have to qualify what I'm about to say with a statement.

When I came back to the Church, I was so thankful for the mass, so thankful for the sacraments, for the structure of the Church, for the spiritual authority, etc that I (obviously) plunged heavily into my Catholic identity right off the bat. That meant that I clung with vehemence to those traditions which I had grown up with that represented "The Faith" to me and that were rapidly disappearing in our modernistic, relatavist society.
Parishes were unrecognizable to me as "catholic" in all of their modernistic, muted decor. Priests droned on and on about "social justice" but never spoke of the reality of God and the devil, of the importance of the sacraments. It was a very, very frustrating thing to be so in love with the Catholic Faith and to find the Church you had left in shambles. I had been away a little under thirteen years, and it never occurred to me that so much could change in so little time.

Because of this yearning for more "Catholicism" (ie tradition) I thoroughly rejected any "protestantizing" of the Catholic experience-- I still do. Which is why I'm a borderline trad...I prefer the latin mass, and the TLM at that. I cover my head. I know that I'm genuflecting towards the tabernacle, not the altar. I like my altar boys to be boys and my priests to be all fire and brimstone. I pray the rosary, every day, in latin. If I had more money my kids would wear "church clothes" every Sunday. It's just that simple.
However, over the first year of our returning, Wayne and I became rapidly frustrated with how much of an anomaly we were. It was like a few hundred old folks were staring at us, amazed, whenever we told our story. They all agreed we were an answer to prayer, but they certainly weren't sure what to make of such ZEAL. While we increased their faith, I think we also confounded them a bit too. And understandably so-- we were AMPED to be Catholic, and around our Parish, orthodoxy is a rare gem. At the same time, we weren't enamored with tradition for the sake of tradition, but rather because the Holy Spirit, and the Living Word of God had led us there. So we found ourselves (and still do) in the uncomfortable situation of being both Charismatic AND Traditionalist. And I think, honestly, that that's a pretty "Catholic" place to be, since we seem to always take the "and" approach to "or" questions, like evolution/creationism, mental/vocal prayer, bible/tradition etc.

I started teaching bible studies, and leading prayer groups, and as time went on I began to REALLY miss (and I mean REALLY miss) the fellowship I enjoyed with protestant women. Why? Quite simply because for many Catholics, faith is a personal thing. It isn't lived out loud but in the quiet of the heart, and so for someone like me, who had been an ultra-charismatic used to friends calling to "declare the Word of the Lord" to me and people unashamed to Worship the King out loud, it became challenging to find spiritual closeness with many of my Catholic friends.
Don't get me wrong-- these were (and are!) women who are VERY interested in holiness. But I guess the best way to describe the difference is to say that while I was used to women who prayed (And I mean, like, PRAYED.... we prayed all the time. In English, In tongues, wherever we were and however we were connecting-- on the phone, on the bus, in the parking lot, in our kitchens....)I was suddenly surrounded by women who SAID their prayers. Which doesn't mean I'm against reading prayers-- (although it took some MAJOR getting used to when I returned to the Church!) nor that I thought/think they were doing so in an empty, meaningless fashion. To the contrary, these were deeply prayerful women.
However, I just couldn't connect on a spiritual level with them in complete unity because I sensed a lack of "freedom of movement" for the Holy Spirit in their faith lives.. they were not trained to let God do His thing in their prayer lives... and for sure were not baptized in the Holy Spirit.

I knew there were Charismatic Catholics "out there" in a general kind of way, and I was even prophesied to by one of them that I would be used to breathe the Parish's charismatic group back to life but I had my doubts. It seemed so contrived to me, that a bunch of Catholic women would get together to pray "in the Spirit," opening in worship and praise, etc. It seemed so... protestant. I was really unsure about the whole thing and did NOT want to be associated with the group, particularly because it went against everything I knew about authentic, traditional, "Catholic" worship.

Along the way, I heard the call to Carmel and began the process of aspirancy into the Order. It was amazing to me that the Saints I discovered and read about were actually saints who lived among both tradition and total openness to the Holy Spirit-- an openness which was kept in the realm of Truth and accurate discernment by obedience to the Church. Thank God for my rocky road to Carmel!! I knew I was home.

So I haven't given much thought to any of this until last week, when we were called to a week of prayer for Christian Unity. And I thought about what things we had in common, and of course I knew that the one thing we can share in is a firm faith in the Word of God, which stands forever, amen? ;)

So I started, in earnest, making my daily bible reading a priority again over anything else, (reading the saints, reading the catechism, etc) and I found that in doing so I was opening up a whole can of worms I had never given much thought to... the whole "which Bible?" question. Now, I'm not going to go into my thoughts on that here-- I'll save it for another blog-- but I will say that in the course of answering that question I discovered that the NAB, the standard, promoted-by-the USCCB-bible, is absolutely overflowing with heretical content in the commentary. (the translation itself isn't too bad.) But the two best bibles to read (Douay Rheims and RSV 2 CE) don't contain many, if any, footnotes or cross references, which are some of my favorite features in a bible. At one point I even went back to my trusty "Spirit Filled Life" Bible and pondered if I could live with missing out on all the Deuterocanonical books that weren't in it for the sake of a good translation and an excellent, Spirit-filled commentary. And what I found was amazing! While my NAB, official Catholic bible was absolutely full of heresy, relativism, and nonsensical historical criticism that totally removed any element of faith or spirituality, my PROTESTANT SPIRIT FILLED BIBLE was full of "Catholic" commentary, that certainly built up my Catholic faith. Wierd. Super wierd.

So it got me thinking-- that same Holy Spirit that animated me as a protestant still animates me today as a Catholic. And too often, as a Catholic, I have ignored Him or failed to call Him "friend" in favor of a more "structured" approach to my prayer. Thinking on it now, it's not that I ignored Him. I heard Him and knew He was there. It's that I failed to put Him first. Many times in prayer I "felt" Him urging me to one thing or another but I didn't always respond. Which led me to a sort of spiritual dryness that I blamed on not having other people to pray with.

The thing is, as I examine closer the so-called "Charismatic Renewal" in the Catholic church, it's not that they are "trying to be protestant," (although in some cases, let's face it, they are!) it's that the SAME Spirit is animating those in the Catholic Church who, like pentacostals and Charismatics everywhere, are begging God to show up in power. The entire renewal began with a move of the Holy Spirit when a group of people in the North Eastern US begged God to show them the grace of baptism and confirmation (Baptism and "Sealing in the Spirit!") At which point the Spirit fell and they began to speak in tongues. Having experienced baptism in the Holy Spirit myself, I can tell you that it was not an emotional or "made up" response on my part but rather a total and complete release of myself into God. He literally "took over."
Because of that, I can say that I am certain that this prayer group's prayer was answered in power, and that the movement appears to me to be authentic and definitely "Of God." I notice also that many parishes where the Renewal is alive and well are not only overflowing with orthodoxy in a Novus Ordo kind of a way, but are also completely filled with the types of things I would like to see more of around me: healing and deliverance ministries, for example. One Church in St Louis even has a prayer room where parishioners can stop by and just pray with someone AT ANY TIME OF THE DAY OR NIGHT! What a relief to the priest of that parish, and what a blessing that they have taken upon themselves to respond to God's call to be good and do good in their community! Would that we had something as awesome here in my Parish-- I would LOVE to be a part of something like that and think it's SHAMEFUL that we don't pray over/ with people more. We are supposed to be God's hands and feet!

I remember a day not so long ago that I went to mass thinking just that and when God confirmed in me that it was "still happening" in His Church-- a woman leaned across the pew before mass and asked if she could pray for me, then layed hands on my baby-filled belly and did. In tongues. I remember that I wept with joy that someone was taking it upon themselves to minister to me-- not because THEY wanted to but because they KNEW that God wanted them to. It was awesome.

Anyways, in the commentary of my Spirit filled believers' bible I found nothing but faith-building, awesome, uplifting and powerful commentary that made me want to get out there and LIVE the Spirit-filled life. And it's the same bible that my protestant friends are reading. Because it's the same Holy Spirit... that lives in them, that lives in me, that brings us all to life, and life abundant.

The more I think on it, the more I am ashamed that I do so much to denigrate protestantism in here, when I could be doing so much to show that the Truth with a Capital T is alive and well in the Catholic Church, which exists by the power of the Holy Spirit, a perfect combination of both Sacred Tradition and Organic movement by the God who IS Spirit and Truth.

On Christian Unity--- and the Catholic/protestant "thing."

I posted a little note my hubs wrote on his frustration with protestants recently and it occurred to me that a lot of my protestant friends might read it and feel offended or frustrated by his language-- after all, my husband 's strongest points are not always diplomacy and sensitivity :P
That being said, I totally enjoyed his article and thought it was hysterical-- having been in that same position SO MANY TIMES-- the position of having to "explain myself" to a well-meaning but totally off-track Christian in order to secure my own salvation in their eyes. We can and should always have a sense of humor about it, because if we don't laugh, we will cry.
Particularly in the case for Christian unity, when people see Catholics as being so "hard-headed" and unwilling to budge an inch, while the Catholic position is actually far more all-encompassing.
As a whole, the protestant position seems to be: "You must be saved, thus you must do things exactly as I do them or you will miss my boat and heaven will be closed to you." (and remember-- been there! Guilty as charged!)

The Catholic position, on the other hand, is: "Come over here, we have perfect hope that we will see the Salvation of the Lord and that we're doing it right, but if you don't get in our boat, we hope to see you there anyways. You aren't going to get there without Jesus, so we hope you meet Him along the way."

But it got me thinking that I need to do some clarifying about my own position and in my own words so that people don't misunderstand me (or him!) because good communication is always important. Then I got to Mass today and apparently, this is the week we are supposed to be praying for Church unity with protestants and orthodox (irony!) That meant it was definitely time to do some heavy blogging. :)

The Catechism of the Catholic Church has this to say about protestants:

817
In fact, "in this one and only Church of God from its very beginnings there arose certain rifts, which the Apostle strongly censures as damnable. But in subsequent centuries much more serious dissensions appeared and large communities became separated from full communion with the Catholic Church—for which, often enough, men of both sides were to blame."269 The ruptures that wound the unity of Christ's Body—here we must distinguish heresy, apostasy, and schism270—do not occur without human sin:

Where there are sins, there are also divisions, schisms, heresies, and disputes. Where there is virtue, however, there also are harmony and unity, from which arise the one heart and one soul of all believers.271


818
"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."272

819
"Furthermore, many elements of sanctification and of truth"273 are found outside the visible confines of the Catholic Church: "the written Word of God; the life of grace; faith, hope, and charity, with the other interior gifts of the Holy Spirit, as well as visible elements."274 Christ's Spirit uses these Churches and ecclesial communities as means of salvation, whose power derives from the fullness of grace and truth that Christ has entrusted to the Catholic Church. All these blessings come from Christ and lead to him,275 and are in themselves calls to "Catholic unity."276

Toward unity

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"Christ bestowed unity on his Church from the beginning. This unity, we believe, subsists in the Catholic Church as something she can never lose, and we hope that it will continue to increase until the end of time."277 Christ always gives his Church the gift of unity, but the Church must always pray and work to maintain, reinforce, and perfect the unity that Christ wills for her. This is why Jesus himself prayed at the hour of his Passion, and does not cease praying to his Father, for the unity of his disciples: "That they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be one in us, . . . so that the world may know that you have sent me."278 The desire to recover the unity of all Christians is a gift of Christ and a call of the Holy Spirit.279

821
Certain things are required in order to respond adequately to this call:

* a permanent renewal of the Church in greater fidelity to her vocation; such renewal is the driving-force of the movement toward unity;280

* conversion of heart as the faithful "try to live holier lives according to the Gospel";281 for it is the unfaithfulness of the members to Christ's gift which causes divisions;

* prayer in common, because "change of heart and holiness of life, along with public and private prayer for the unity of Christians, should be regarded as the soul of the whole ecumenical movement, and merits the name ‘spiritual ecumenism;'"282

* fraternal knowledge of each other;283

* ecumenical formation of the faithful and especially of priests;284

* dialogue among theologians and meetings among Christians of the different churches and communities;285

* collaboration among Christians in various areas of service to mankind.286 "Human service" is the idiomatic phrase.


822
Concern for achieving unity "involves the whole Church, faithful and clergy alike."287 But we must realize "that this holy objective—the reconciliation of all Christians in the unity of the one and only Church of Christ—transcends human powers and gifts." That is why we place all our hope "in the prayer of Christ for the Church, in the love of the Father for us, and in the power of the Holy Spirit."288

However, lest we all start singing Kumbaya, it also reminds us of who and what Luther and Calvin really were: heretics.

406 The Church's teaching on the transmission of original sin was articulated more precisely in the fifth century, especially under the impulse of St. Augustine's reflections against Pelagianism, and in the sixteenth century, in opposition to the Protestant Reformation. Pelagius held that man could, by the natural power of free will and without the necessary help of God's grace, lead a morally good life; he thus reduced the influence of Adam's fault to bad example. The first Protestant reformers, on the contrary, taught that original sin has radically perverted man and destroyed his freedom; they identified the sin inherited by each man with the tendency to evil (concupiscentia), which would be insurmountable. The Church pronounced on the meaning of the data of Revelation on original sin especially at the second Council of Orange (529)296 and at the Council of Trent (1546)

It is important to remember these two things. As Catholics, we know that we love and serve the SAME LORD Jesus Christ as Protestants. We also know that we will need to work towards unity of belief with these protestants without compromising our own faith. And we know that we must accept that these protestants are lacking in one thing and one thing only: sacramental grace. For example, though the protestant churches do not have the Eucharist, nor any of the graces that come with that, they have been given a special grace for worship, that enables them to be filled with the Holy Spirit in a very special way.
Where there is a lack, God can MORE than make up for what is needed by providing a different type of grace, and thus we find that many, MANY protestants, though they don't have the sacraments, are powerful examples of what a Christian, quite simply, IS.

For starters, I don't regret my time as a protestant. I am not sorry for it and I DO think that God called me TO it and out of the Catholic Church for a moment so that I would be able to appreciate all the better what I had in front of me when I returned. I definitely believe that God has guided this journey. Second, I have no ill-will towards protestants today. Nor do I "hate" any protestant churches-- I have nothing but goodwill and wishes for success -- if we share the definition of success, which in my view is "to accomplish God's will."---towards my previous churches and to any of the Churches in Christ around the globe. I may roll my eyes a bit or poke fun at some of them for the sheer predictability of what they are up to these days, but I do the same for Catholic Parishes, so don't feel like I'm being "hard on you" if you are a protestant reader.

So here's the deal.
One of the major things I DO regret-- and that I have had to repent of-- is the absolute arrogance that grew from my ability to read, internalize, know and teach the Word of God. Because I was my own personal interpreter of "God's Bible Truth" for years and years, I grew to feel entitled to tell others what was and wasn't God's Truth based on that interpretation. I was my own authority, even though I believed I was submitted to my pastor's authority, and in doing so I rejected ACTUAL spiritual authority-- the authority which, in the biblical and apostolic manner, was handed down from Christ Himself to his disciples and their own disciples not only spiritually but by the literal laying on of hands.

Instead I picked and chose a Church which I felt taught what I had decided was "Bible Truth" based on what other people told me it was (and eventually, after studying theology and apologetics, based on what I thought it was) and then expected other people to build and teach doctrine and theology based on what I felt the Bible said.

Now, there is some method to that madness. You will find, as I did, that MOST issues really ARE completely obvious to a person who regularly dives into the Word and that Bible-reading protestants AND Catholics across the board really DO agree on almost everything. And if they don't, it's usually because they haven't looked at their bibles correctly, which means, in light of the correct lens. Because we ALL wear lenses when we look at scripture-- some of us see it through our own experience, or another's. Others of us see it through the eyes of the Magesterium. Regardless of HOW we look at it, some-- even many-- issues are undeniable in light of Scripture. (abortion, or homosexual marriage, I'm looking your direction...) Protestants acknowledge that lens when they say things like "that's legalism," or "that's out of context."

That being said, since the fundamental goal of every person who knows Christ is to share Him with others who need to know Him in order to get into heaven, then we have a conundrum. Because how do we share Him? What do we say about Him? And, as the famous Charles Colson said: "How now shall we live?"

It might surprise you that Catholics and Protestants will tell you the same thing: you must build a personal relationship with Him through prayer and time in the Word. Catholics add another step: you must be part of His Church, because to be a member of the Church is to accept His salvation. Why do we say this? Because within the confines of membership in the Catholic Church are all of those things which are necessary for salvation:

we believe. we are baptized. we proclaim and meditate on the Word of God. We receive Communion. We confess our sins. We repent. We turn from our ways and do penance. We annoint our sick with oil. We die in His good graces.

To be a member of the Catholic Church is to be guaranteed salvation IF (and this is a big IF) we take our membership seriously. If we live our Catholic faith. Not only that, but Christ established a Church, which gives all the more reason to be a part of it.

Protestantism is structureless-- as evidenced by the two trillion different denominations who somehow "all believe the same thing." There are different branches which at their conception were created specifically to do things more or less differently than the Church they departed from. It is an organic movement of people's yearnings mingled with the Holy Spirit's call, and it is amazing to me to see the differences as they evolve. In my last six or so years as a protestant I was more or less a Catholic with protestant skin on: I was a part of the Family Integrated Church movement, the new apostolic reformation, and other groups which essentially BELIEVED virtually everything a Catholic believes with regards to what the scripture says, all the while staying firmly grounded in my reformation stance. But when I look at it objectively-- most of the "95 theses" Luther posted on the door were eventually integrated into the Catholic Church.

I DO believe that the Church was in need of renewal at that time, and in that sense, Luther was a much needed instrument. Renewal, yes, but not Reformation. I don't believe, from reading his writings, that Luther intended to remove himself from the Catholic Church. I think that he was to be used as a much needed instrument of renewal and that Satan was able to subvert his main purpose and that it got away from him too fast for him to really HEAR God's voice in all of it. He is not, then, a hero of the faith but a failure of the faith, for me... an example of how easy we can fall when we fail to discern God's voice from the devil's and from our own flesh.
That being said, the children of the reformation cannot be held responsible for their fathers' actions. Somewhere along the line these children began to seek Jesus for themselves and to build a Church that resembled his own. Since the Catholic Church was "off limits" to them, so to speak, as a source of Truth, they turned elsewhere.

Let me be clear: I do NOT believe that Catholicism is a denomination of Christianity. It is THE denomination. Anything else is a departure from the "Unity" that Christ intended, and one of the most glorious things about BEING Catholic is that you enjoy perfect unity of doctrine with literally hundreds upon hundreds of groups with different WAYS of living out that faith. It is an awesome thing.

On the other hand, this in no way negates the very real participation in the life of Christ that every protestant person is called to by virtue of his "personal relationship" with Christ. I am not denying the strong bond that a protestant person can build with Jesus and the exemplary fruit which can come of said bond.

I spoke earlier of my certainty that Catholicism is a completion of protestantism-- that it is, so to speak, the 'missing link' that so many, disheartened with seeking the face of God in Church, after Church, after Church, are looking for. Being a protestant, simply put, is only half the story, and that isn't because we Catholics add "works" but rather because we add bucketloads of grace which God desires to pour out through the sacraments, which are visible signs of grace instituted by Christ Himself. We don't baptize people because it is an ordinance (Because God said to do it) but because it is a SACRAMENT, because through it certain graces are conferred onto us that will later be used to build up our Spirit-man. It does something. And most protestants, when pressed, will realize that they believe this too-- that it places an indelible sign of grace on the person. They just don't KNOW they believe it, or if they do, they refuse to call it "Sacramental." That sounds "too religious."

Which brings me to the next thing: liturgy. Because "church isn't what we come away with but also what we do when we are gathered. And that's another thing I love about being a Catholic--we don't get together to fellowship. We don't need to, because through the grace conferred by the sacraments we find that we are fellowshipping all the time, only its a natural progression instead of what seems to me to be an artificial encouragement to "love each other" in like, a fifteen minute meet and greet. I see Catholics starting meet and greets in their own parishes and I get annoyed--- it's such an unCatholic concept. These things should naturally BE occurring because we have worshipped together and we will go out into the world and shelter each other... not because we "should" but because we want to.
Liturgy is the messy business of perfecting how we "do" Church, and while there is a vast difference in that all over the world as far as protestantism goes, Catholics have the advantage of being able to worship together in common whether they are on Galapagos or in India, in Cuba or ShangHai... Not only because the Order of Worship is the same but because all over the world Catholics hear and study the same verses from scripture and celebrate and observe the same holy days.
Also, there is no need for so many of the arguments that exist in the protestant world today. Predestination or Free will? Both. Evolution or Creationism? We don't know, both. And either. Church on Wednesday night or Sunday night? How about every day of the week?

At the end of the day, I know why most of my protestant friends don't want to be Catholic. It's usually not because they find it too religious (there's the whole "Traditions of men" thing, but anyone who actually takes the time to look into it understands from a biblical perspective why we do what we do) and it's not because they think Catholicism is unbiblical. It's because they don't want to get behind the Holy Father, our Pope. They don't want to adhere to the "rules" of Catholicism-- like going to confession before receiving communion, or believing in the authority of the priesthood. The thing is, in order to be a good Catholic one must really do all of the things it takes to be a good protestant:

Develop a relationship with Christ, be baptized. Reject sin. Reject Satan. Know and proclaim the Word. Be present at the altar of Christ to worship Him. Confess your sins. Submit to a spiritual authority.

The only difference is that as a Catholic you are consciously and visibly accountable to a higher authority other than yourself.

The biggest obstacle to Unity is the pope, because protestants don't realize that he is the servant of the Church, that we are behind him as leader but because he serves, not because he 'reigns.'

The second biggest obstacle to Unity is what protestants think/assume/have been told Catholics believe, as opposed to what ACTUAL Church teaching is. This leads to GREAT misunderstandings and/or disagreements that could be avoided. Some of the more common ones are confessing to a man, purgatory, "Mary worship" etc.

The third biggest obstacle to Unity is pride. Because of obedience, the Catholic Church does not condone the "celebritization" of persons with large, powerful ministries or individual parishes which are larger than others. We are One, and all glory goes to God and His visible Church on earth. Our monks and nuns give up all worldy possessions to live in community and serve people. They don't build golden toilets, own private "prayer jets" and take ten to fifteen vacations a year. Our heroes wear rope sandals or identical black shirts with a white collar. We don't tell you that you will have nothing but sunshine and rainbows when you give your life to God. We are honest. You will have penance, not parties, and you will have suffering and lots of it.

There are plenty of books that explain the vast theological "misunderstandings" protestants have about the Catholic Church. The four I always recommend are :

"Catholics and Christians."
"95 verses to confound protestants"
"Catholicism and fundamentalism."
"The Catholic answers survival guide."

I also recommend very, very highly anything you can get your hands on by Dr Scott Hahn, who is a brilliant genius when it comes to explaining all things Catholic in light of Scripture (and a former protestant!)

That being said, these books explain with great gusto what the Catechism of the Catholic Church (which no protestants I have found seem to want to read) teaches. So clearly, the best option is the actual source, the catechism.

It has been said that no one "hates" the Catholic Church for what she actually teaches, only for what they think she teaches. I couldn't agree more.

But it has been a devastatingly challenging experience going from die hard "nondenominational" Christian to Catholic. First, because it was a huge blow to my pride to acknowledge that I didn't know a thing about being a Catholic, even though I was raised one. And second, to acknowledge that a big part of what I was addicted to as a protestant was the EMOTIONAL experience of worshipping with other people. It's hard not to feel "God's presence" when you're around other hyped up people and the worship set is good and someone speaks a word to your heart. It's much harder to hear God in silence, like Catholics do in adoration, in liturgy, where responses are already mapped out, or in quiet, humble service for which you get no thanks. And yet in my own life, the fruit that has been produced has been tremendous-- so though I miss the extravagant worship experience very much, I can't say that this isn't better for my soul.

Lastly, it was hard acknowledging that I am not in charge of other people's salvation. As a protestant I AGONIZED over the salvation of souls, doing everything I could to tell people what they were doing right or wrong in order to "save them." I annoyed the heck out of people and quite frankly I judged them incorrectly, because I literally felt that I KNEW intellectually (not with my spirit, but with my mind) what God would say to them at all times. In the past two years since i have returned to the Church it has never ceased to amaze me how many times people assume something -- usually the worst-- about me based on whatever evidence is presented, and I am left only able to hang my head in shame at how many times I must have done the same thing to someone else. It needs to be said that St Francis had the best idea we've ever had when he said:

"Share the gospel always. Use words when necessary."

It bothers me to NO END when my nondenominational friends assure me that I'm part of the body of Christ (really? Gee thanks!) despite my Catholicism. Or that it's fine for me to FELLOWSHIP Catholics, so long as I know "the truth" which is that the Church is just one denomination among many (nope!) The thing that gets me the most is that I guess I feel that people are perpetually asking me one after another question about Catholicism because they want to know if they can count it as "Christian" or not. It seems to be the biggest underlying question: is Catholicism acceptable or not? I shouldn't have to defend myself and my theology to other Christians. After all, they are orphaned children of the Church. These same protestants who use the Bible to make claims that the Catholic Church is "unchristian," "a disunifying factor," the "antichrist" or "whore of babylon" etc have been GIVEN that bible they hold in their hand by the very same Catholic Church they want to denigrate. It's so frustrating. I don't need/want other people's approval to do what I know is right, so I'm not sure why protestants always seem to want to give it or withdraw it.

At the end of the day, though, I absolutely love my protestant brothers and sisters. I admire their enthusiasm and their dedication to the Lord, their willingness to go out and do ANYTHING for Him. I admire their zeal for truth and their passion for seeing hearts turn to Christ. We need more of that fire in the Catholic Church-- it has been sleeping! (which is why we need the Charismatic Renewal, but that's another story.) At the same time, I am so thankful every day that God didn't just make me a Christian, but a Catholic. It doesn't get any better than this. And I have enough common ground with my protestant brothers and sisters to keep us united in prayer. That, really, is the most important thing.

Monday's motherhood moment

In this case, I think actions speak louder than words. So here are some of the children at the latest Clan gathering:



Angela titled this, appropriately, "must be doing something right." May it be so, Lord! Theres nothing more amazing than seeing our little ones on their knees before You.