Thankful for Advent 2011

My place card from last year's Christmas Feast :)

We had my annual Thankful for Advent party last night and I have to say, though the turnout was way smaller this year this is rapidly becoming one of my favorite traditions!!

There is something really special about getting together with other women who want their kids and families to have a spectacular advent and Christmas scene not because of commercialism or nostalgia but because of Jesus Christ! It's amazing.
In fact, I like it so much I think I am going to organize a similar event each year based on planning for the Lent and Easter seasons. It's a perfect mix of singing, holiday foods and drinks, cheer, prayer, Bible study and open discussion about creating or continuing traditions and their impacts. 

This year in particular, I've been struck by how many stores had Christmas trees up before Halloween and how many of my friends and family are so disgusted by the whole thing that they just write off Christmas. But that's why we need the Church, who provides a compass to help us make our way through the crazy and the materialistic nonsense and moves us into meaningful use of our calendar to mark sacred time that leads to sacred things. Christmas is not something we can skip. It's the celebration of our Savior, come to earth--- God with us! Advent is the perfect way to prepare for Christmas, take a breather, without feeling ANY let down that Christmas can bring from being too focused on people, places, things, or events. The Church year is a soul-journey. Taking the journey together is the POINT of Christianity. As we learned last night, that's real Christmas magic.

I know many of you who live near me had to miss the party last night and I hope that providing the discussion outline will help you to meditate on ways you can find your way along the path towards Christ this year. If you are a person who believes that Jesus is the Messiah but does not celebrate Christmas, I encourage you to read along anyways, perhaps you will find a meaningful idea or practice you can incorporate here regardless, and at the very least, it may help you to understand that those of us walking around excited about Christmas aren't G-dless Heathens. ;)

Thankful for Advent Party 2011

CALL TO ATTENTION….O Come O Come Emmanuel 

Oh come, Oh come, Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear

Rejoice, Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, Oh Israel!

Oh come, Thou Dayspring, come and cheer
Thy people with Thine advent here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death's dark shadows put to flight

Rejoice, Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, Oh Israel!

Oh come, Thou rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan's tyranny
From depths of hell Thy people save
And give them victory o'ver the grave

Rejoice, Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, Oh Israel!
Rejoice, Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, Oh Israel!


OPENING PRAYER
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.

O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the sameHoly Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen. 

BIBLE STUDY
We are going to start with a brief bible study.

i. Advent is about Christmas, and Christmas is about the birth and incarnation of Jesus. What makes us know that Jesus is the promised Messiah? If we could answer that question, we can help millions of beautiful, well meaning people all across the world find what they are looking for, and see peace on earth, so that when we say: Peace on earth and goodwill towards men, we not only mean it but can do our part to accomplish it!

ii. It seems funny to start before Jesus, but really the story of Jesus begins before Creation. Salvation history shows us a series of covenants, each building upon the other. (To understand this clearly, I recommend a book by Scott and Kimberly Hahn called "From Genesis to Jesus," which walks us through the scriptures to demonstrate clearly what God's plan of salvation is.) These covenants are: Creation, Noah and the renewed creation, Abraham the Father of the Faith, Moses and the Israelites, the Covenant with David, and Jesus, the fulfillment of all promises. 

iii. We don’t have time to cover all of it, or even come close. But we do have time to focus on two very important pieces of the puzzle that will enrich your Advent thoughts. Tonight we will focus on the prophecies of Isaiah regarding the Messiah, helping us to know that Jesus really IS the promised messiah.

THE PROPHECIES of Isaiah

THE FULFILLMENT in Jesus of Nazareth:

Will be born of a virgin (Is 7:14)

Jesus was born of a virgin named Mary (Mt 1:23; Lk 1:26-31)

He will come from the lineage of King David (Is 11:1-2, 10; 16:5)

Jesus was a descendant of King David and was the fulfillment of the covenant promise made to David (Mt 1:1; Lk 3:31-32; Ac 2:29-36)

Will have a Galilean ministry (Is 9:1, 2)

His ministry began in Galilee of the Gentiles (Mt 4:12-16; Mk 1:1-15; Lk 4:14-15; Jn 2:1)

Will be an heir to the throne of David (Is 9:7; 11:1, 10)

Jesus was given the throne of His father David (Lk 1:32-33)

Will have His way prepared (Is 40:3-5)

Jesus was announced by John the Baptist (Mt 3:1-3; Mk 1:1-3; Lk3:2-5; Jn 1:19-28)

Will be spat on and struck (Is 50:6)

He was spat on and beaten (Mt 26:67; Mk 10:34; Lk 22:63-65)

Will be exalted (Is 52:13)

He was highly exalted by God and the New Covenant people (Ph 2:9, 10)

Will be disfigured by suffering (Is 52:14; 53:2)

Jesus was scourged by Roman soldiers who gave Him a crown of thorns (Mt 27:27-31; Mk 15:15-19; Jn 19:1-3)

Will make a blood atonement (Is 53:5)

Shed His blood to atone for our sins (Mt 26:28; Rm 3:25; Heb 9:11-12, 18-22; 1Pt 1:2)

Will be widely rejected (Is 53:1, 3)

Jesus was not accepted by many (Jn 12:37, 38)

Will bear our sins and sorrows (Is 53:4, 5)

He died because of our sins (Rm 4:25; 1Pt 2:24, 25)

Will be our substitute (Is 53:6, 8)

Jesus died in our place (Rm 5:6, 8; 2 Co 5:21)

Will voluntarily accept our guilt and punishment for sin(Is 53:7, 8)

Jesus took on our sins upon Himself (Jn 1:29; Rm 6:10; 2 Co 5:21)

Gentiles will seek Him (Is 11:10)

Gentiles came to speak to Jesus (Mt 8:5-13; 15:21-28; Mk 7:25-30; 21)

Will be silent before His accusers(Is 53:7)

He was silent before Herod and his court (Lk 23:9)

Will save us who believe in Him (Is 53:12)

Jesus provided salvation for all who believe (Jn 3:16; Ac 16:31)

Will die with sinners (Is 53:12)

Jesus was numbered with the sinners (Mk 15:27, 28; Lk 22:37)

God’s Anointed will heal the spiritually wounded and brokenhearted and to comfort those who mourn (Is 61:1, 2)

Jesus was God’s Anointed who healed the spiritually wounded and brokenhearted and the comfort those who mourn (Mt 3:16; 5:5; Lk 4:18-19)

God’s Spirit will rest on Him (Is 11:2)

The Spirit of God descended on Jesus (Mt 3:16; Mk 1:10; Lk 3:22; 4:1)

Will be buried in a rich man’s tomb (Is 53:9)

Jesus was buried in the tomb of Joseph, a rich man from Arimathea (Mt 27:57-60; Jn 19:38-42)

He will judge the earth with righteousness (Is 11:4, 5)

Jesus was given authority to judge (Jn 5:27; Lk 19:22; 2 Tm 4:1, 8)

TRADITIONS
So now that we know why we are celebrating the advent of our messiah, we need to know a few things about the season of advent. 

1. Advent is a season of PENANCE and PURIFICATION. Like a "little Lent," Advent carries us not through a season of rejoicing necessarily (that's what Christmas is for) but a season of focus on our sinfulness and our NEED for a Savior. The liturgical color of Advent, like Lent, is purple, which represents sorrow for our sins. We should make the time for practices like fasting (Orthodox Christians to this day fast from all products containing lard, butter, cream, etc.) examination of conscience (doing a daily check-in with God to see how we may have sinned and what we should do about it) and also regular confession. During Advent, we wait in hushed expectation for the coming of the Lord and examine our hearts... and this is especially important in light of the fact that we know Jesus is coming AGAIN and that there will be judgement at that time. When I asked the question: "Are you prepared to FACE the Lord? When he came at Christmas, He came as a little baby, bringing a promise of judgement and justice. This time, He comes in all His glory!! Are we ready for that?" We ALL have to hang our heads in shame. None of us is really ready for that. Advent is the time to get ready. Attack your sins with a vengeance!

2. Acts of Service. While penance and charity are two sides of the same coin, we often ignore one or the other. Advent is a good time to ensure that we are doing both. Ideally, during Advent it is a wonderful idea to take extra steps to reach out to those whom we have wronged or who we have difficulties with because they have wronged us. But it is also a great time to reach out to those who are alone and suffering alone. Some families make it a point to write letters on the four Sundays of Advent to people in their family they have wronged or who they struggle with... letters of forgiveness and compassion and kindness. Some people visit hospitals, visit shut ins or retirement communities, even elderly priests, and bring homemade breads or cookies, sing, or even prepare a nativity play or some other activity. Advent caroling is a wonderful activity that my family enjoys very much.... we simply walk from house to house in our neighborhood, singing hymns of Advent. I've seen people cry, hug us, etc. It's amazing what an impact this can have on a community. Families may enjoy taking Advent to make Christmas Cards they will send off for Christmas. Kids in particular enjoy this task. One tradition that is commonly shared is that of "Kris Kringles" (Christ Child.) We know it as Secret Santa, but returning to it's roots shows us the point of this tradition is not materialism and the accumulation of junk but of love. Family members or friends can draw names out of a hat and then spend Advent secretly doing acts of kindness and service for the person whose name they drew. Also popular is the idea of "Advent Angels." Similarly, names are drawn, and then we agree to pray for the person every day of Advent. At the end, you can even throw a party where you share who your person was and what happened. :) One of the most popular advent traditions regarding acts of service is that of simply baking cookies and breads and bringing them to neighbors. What a joy it has been for us to receive a beautiful plate of gingerbread cookies from neighbors we don't know well, giving us an opportunity to talk. Another idea I love is that of putting a bowl of straw somewhere central in the house. next to it, an empty "crib" made of wood or popsicle sticks. Whenever a child in the home does an act of service or kindess, a piece of straw is transferred to the Crib, making a soft bed for Jesus by the time He arrives. What a powerful image for the children to retain!

3. Prayer. Advent is a time to pray like we've never prayed before. If we are truly preparing for the coming of Christ, we should pray, because prayer is our pipeline to God. Many Catholics who do not pray the Liturgy of the Hours (our way of praying the psalms without ceasing) will do so now, and you can pray along with us using this website if you don't have the book by going to the site and then clicking on the appropriate time of prayer (morning, daytime, evening, or night): http://divineoffice.org/

The Advent Wreath in particular is a powerful tradition that incorporates prayer and song (He who sings prays twice, right?) and which children in particular absolutely LOVE. For many people who are concerned about the possible pagan origins of a tradition, the advent wreath may be particularly meaningful because it stems from the Sabbath lights lit by the Jews in obedience to God and in anticipation of the Messiah. During Advent, like on Shabbat, we light the night, bless, pray and sing! And advent wreath can look any way you like: four candles in a row, a ring of candles, etc. It can be decorated or not. It can consist of four taper candles, pillar candles, etc. Traditionally, the advent wreath has three purple candles, one pink, and one large white candle in the center. The first two sundays we light only the first, and then the second purple candles, the third a pink (the third sunday is called Gaudete Sunday -- the rejoicing Sunday) and then purple again. On Christmas Day we can finally light the Christ Candle in the center. My family lights the candles (I do that, just like I light the Sabbath lights) and we hold hands (or not) and sing O Come O Come Emmanuel followed by the blessing of the bread and wine and food. They remain lit during the meal and are put out afterwards. My kids, even the tinyest ones, have the song memorized by the end of advent and will generally make me nuts by singing it from morning til night in anticipation of the great Candle Lighting Moment. I highly recommend it. 

For more information about Advent Wreaths, please see this link: http://www.fisheaters.com/customsadvent2.html

You can also create a prayer book for your children. Kids loving cutting things out and pasting them, so find some meaningful scriptures and prayers you read regularly, cut and paste pictures you find online that speak to you, and bind the whole thing with ribbon. Kids will LOVE reading these before bed, and it's a great way to build prayer into your normal reading and play time together.

The Jesse Tree is another tradition that many families find meaningful. Either a real tree or a large poster or wall hanging of a tree is used to hang ornaments, one a day for all of advent, representing different facets of Salvation history leading up to Christ. This brings the Old Testament to life for people and is also a fun activity you can do with children-- although many people purchase their own Jesse Tree ornaments, most families read the scripture for the day and then make their own ornaments, which is great. There are MANY websites which describe different ways of doing the Jesse Tree. One such website I recommend is here: 

http://www.fisheaters.com/customsadvent9.html

(note, the author of that site feels very strongly that the Star of David is not an appropriate symbol for Christians to use and not a biblical symbol to represent Judaism and King David. You may disagree with her opinion and want to just ignore the bottom section, the rest of it you will not find offensive.)

Advent Calendars are similar ways to draw the family to prayer. 24 little doors are opened behind which are scriptures to read that lead us towards Christ's arrival. You can read more about advent calendars here: 

http://www.fisheaters.com/customsadvent12.html

Lastly, nativity scenes (the Crèche, where I come from) are also ways to pray in the season. Families will unite to gather items in the natural environment (moss, grass, sand, etc) and creative elements (tin foil, wrapping paper, etc) to create a "scene" of the nativity. (many include figures representing various family members or villagers.)

As the figurines are placed, it is useful to pray for the virtues represented by each "character" present: for example, you may want to place one figurine each day, and as you place: 

- The Angel, pray for the grace to be a messenger of joy with  your positive and encouraging words that day.

-Saint Joseph, pray for the grace to be ready and willing to listen to God and do His will.

-The Blessed mother, pray to be more aware of Jesus' presence as you go about the day's duties.

-The Shepherd, pray to do your duty faithfully and lovingly.

-The Ox, pray to cheerfully accept each task assigned to you.

-The lamb, pray to follow the shepherd wherever he may lead.

-The Donkey, pray to lighten the burdens of others by carrying along family and friends.... etc.

The O Antiphons begin December 17. At that time, we find ourselves faced with beautiful depictions of Christ's person which we can work into our prayer any number of ways, from declaring them over our dinners before we eat to using them in the liturgy of the hours, advent wreaths, or even the Jesse Tree.  You can read more about them here: http://www.fisheaters.com/customsadvent10.html

4. Gift Giving and Feasting. Though Advent has a penitential character, the Church year contains feasts which are best taken advantage of for the character building potential they contain if nothing else. We celebrate the saints because we believe that there are no dead in Christ, therefore we honor those who have gone before as if they were still with us-- because they are. Just as we have certain friends here on earth who help us more than others and who have guided us, by their prayers and example, we have certain friends in heaven who lead us towards Christ by guiding us through their prayers and example. Some of the feast days which can be used to celebrate a particular event that leads to Christmas are: 

December 4, Saint Barbara's feast day. St Barbara was a virgin and martyr killed by her own father for serving her heavenly Father. On her feast day, people in the south of France plant little containers of wheat which will grow all of advent. On Christmas, they will be ready to place in the nativity scene, and red ribbon will be wrapped around them for decoration. Since she was a martyr, on St Barbara's day we decorate with red.

December 6 is the feast of St Nicholas, which most people today know as Santa Claus. For our kids, December 6 includes a surprise "visit" from St Nick who brings oranges and chocolate coins in their shoes, placed there the night before. For some people, this is the time the stockings are filled. This is also a great day to make a meal for a needy family or something similar.

The Feast of St Lucy is December 13, and a family favorite around here. For more information on traditions and ideas, see my best read blog, here: http://marymission.blogspot.com/2010/12/saints-on-saturdays-lights-lussekatter.html

The feast of the Immaculate Conception and the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe are also popular days of celebration and appropriate SMALL gift-giving moments. Lastly, there is also Hannukah, which you can read about here: http://www.joi.org/celebrate/hanuk/index.shtml Catholics can read about Hannukah in our bibles (the story is NOT found in protestant Bibles!) and that alone might make it a good reason to celebrate. :)

If gift giving seems to be too much for just ONE day, do consider spreading it out and doing it in very small doses through many of these exciting and wonderful feast days and even during the Christmas Season itself, which contains many opportunities and feasts. More on that next blog :)

The general rule for Advent decorating is UNDERSTATED. All the ornaments come out for Christmas, so during advent we have a few physical reminders (the wreath, the jesse tree) that Christmas is NEAR but that we aren't ready yet. 

Instead, focus your traditions on prayer and song, giving and fasting.

I hope this has been helpful! May God bless you this advent season, sisters, as you prepare your hearts and help your families to recieve Him in the fullness of His glory!

Catholic Apologetics questions from my email, part One: Unity and Authority

NOTE: BEFORE I EVEN BEGIN TO RESPOND TO THE QUESTIONS I'VE BEEN ASKED BY MY PROTESTANT FRIENDS AND READERS REGARDING CATHOLIC DOCTRINE, I MUST LAY A FRAMEWORK FROM WHICH TO WORK. THIS BLOG IS AN ATTEMPT TO LAY SUCH A FOUNDATION OF MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING.


When I first came back to the Church I was so grateful to have the opportunity to return to the Sacraments and the "fullness" of the Truth that I waxed poetic about it at every opportunity and spent a great deal of time berating protestantism because it was just so silly to me to go around with only HALF the picture and feel so..... unfulfilled.... all the time. (I should specify.... I mean "for me." Who had left the Church in the first place to BE a protestant looking for fulfillment. I found it terribly ironic that I found that fulfillment in the place I walked away from, and that I had spent YEARS as a strong, bible- believing protestant searching for the right way to "do Church.")

Nowadays, I still get asked the same exact questions over and over again that I was asked when I crossed the Tiber: "What about the Pope?" "How can you pray to dead people if you believe the Bible?" "Why do you worship Mary if you say Jesus is Lord?" etc etc etc.

However, I've noticed that instead of being thrilled to have the opportunity to answer like I used to as an uber-enthusiastic, bible-believing apologist (:P) I now get more than a little frustrated (read indignant) in my heart when I get asked the same questions over and over and over. Particularly the ones about Mary, who I have grown to love so much I don't know how I ever got on without her. (I can see my protestant readers starting to twitch! But rest assured, I will explain using my Bible in an upcoming blog.)

This isn't because I fault those protestants who are asking as if they knew better (they don't! and I love them!) But it is because with my appreciation for Catholicism has grown a sense of "Truth" with a capital T-ness in which I find it absolutely appalling that Catholics should have to explain their position all the time in order to be "approved" as it were by fundamentalist Christians. Why? Because the Catholic Church is the parent of protestantism, it is the root from which they have sprung, and it is the source to which they owe the very life of the Spirit they covet and who gave them the very Word of God they think they can use to destroy it. It's just so silly. If anything, protestants should be explaining to Catholics just how on earth they can call themselves Christian when they deny mystical Body of Christ and the Authority which Christ Himself has given. BUT... Catholics don't do that. We call protestants "separated bretheren," and we acknowledge that they have a vivid, if unfocused, picture of the Gospel and the salvation of Christ our Common Lord.

Now, granted, most of my protestant friends feel that it is THEY who are "inclusive" and the ones who make the efforts towards unity when the Catholics instead are dis-unifying by their unflinching.... well....Catholicness. I've been there many times when a protestant friend or family member realized they weren't allowed access to our communion table and had an absolute fit.

And it's a tricky thing. Because in our heart of hearts, every Catholic has a technical right to be as mystified as I am that we must somehow "explain ourselves" in order to be coined "Christian--" the very thing which we have handed down for two thousand years from Jesus Christ Himself. But I also know that my protestant brothers and sisters are doing the same thing I am: journeying. And in that pilgrimmage, they are doing what they can with what they know. Been there.

You see, it is Catholics who say that you must BE a Catholic. Or rather, that if it is possible for you, you SHOULD be a Catholic. It isn't necessary for salvation, but it gives you that blessed assurance.

Protestants, however, are in two camps about the Catholic Church.

Camp One says that the Catholic Church is the Whore of Babylon of the end times- an abomination before the Lord and anethema. They base this idea on complete misunderstandings of Catholic doctrine (not being Catholic themselves NOR QUOTING ACTUAL CATHOLICISM but instead feeding each others' distaste for said Whore with experiential and outlandish claims they find on youtube and in the corner baptist church that-- to a Catholic-- are laughable enough that we may just let them go on thinking what they are thinking just to have a giggle, if you know what I mean.

Camp Two says "hey man, you believe in Jesus and that's good enough for me." They are very relaxed about Catholics, assured of individual Catholics' salvation and completely OK with saying that "Catholics are one denomination among many." Most of my friends fall into Camp Two (MOST) but therein lies the problem. Because as a Catholic, I recognize the historical fact that Catholicism is outside denominations. We ARE the Faith, and from "THE FAITH" sprang splintered groups which evolved to look more or less "like us" and which are, in fact, denominations. It's touchy, but it's true. So while we may all belong to the "Body of Christ" or the "Church" in the sense of all being believers who love and serve the Lord, we don't all belong to the ACTUAL unbroken apostolic line which He set in place to go forth from Him until the time of His return. We are NOT all serving the same spiritual / earthly authority. Therein lies the problem.

Because there is ROOM inside Catholicism for sooooooo many different "ways" of living out our Catholic faith, there is room for everyone who calls on the name of Jesus to get into the same boat and to submit to the same apostolic authority, who got where he is by the laying on of hands from a loooong line of other apostolic authorities which can literally be traced ALL THE WAY BACK to Jesus Christ Himself. This is why having a pope is awesome. You can be a Catholic and never say a prayer to Mary in your life if you don't want to. the Rosary is NOT a requirement for Catholicity. :P
But you must recognize apostolic authority, and that is the one thing I find fascinating.

I have been to many different churches with different opinions about apostolic authority. I believe, like all of you, in the five fold ministy gifts--- giftings from the Holy Spirit for particular offices (teacher, prophet, apostle, etc) Thus, like them, Catholics believe that "apostleship" is a gift of the Holy Spirit, an annointing for a particular person. Like them, we believe-- as Scripture clearly lays out-- that apostolic authority is passed on from one believer in authority to another by the laying on of hands. AND like them, we believe that God will confirm with other witnesses who He will call to the next apostleship.
I was a member for a long time of another church which believed the things i've just laid out about apostles, but it went further still. Because the Bible is clear that apostles must be APPOINTED--- and here's the kicker--- BY OTHER APOSTLES IN AUTHORITY, this particular church had to basically make up a teaching about apostleship and make a case for apostleship not being able to come through the unbroken line anymore because times have changed.

I don't know about you, but I think God is unchanging. And I'm pretty sure my Bible says so too. So while I think it's all fine and dandy to raise up strong leaders in these protestant Churches to guide and shepherd the people, I and the rest of the Catholic Church are sitting back wondering how on earth you can call these people apostles when apostleship is clearly a gift which is handed on and confirmed with ACTUAL spiritual authority-- not imaginary spiritual authority, not spiritual authority which is given by a believer but which is given by CHRIST, conferred by those whom HE has chosen to select the next apostles and shepherds.

So that's the first thing I think I will say in this tricky business of trying to defend / explain Catholic beliefs to inquiring minds. This whole thing is tricky, because in the end, you'll either believe and agree with what I will say in the next few blogs as I answer these questions, or you will totally reject what I am saying as Truth. And the implications of each are pretty staggering.

Let's keep in mind a few things as we go into it:

1. I (personally) love you very much. Chances are, if you are protestant reader you are someone I consider a sister in the faith, an inspiration and an encouragement. I am NOT by any means writing these blogs so that you will convert (although I think you should ;)) but rather so that you will set your mind at ease that I have thoroughly thought all of these things through and that I am STILL READING MY BIBLE AND HEARING (and I should specify, from JESUS) every day.

2. The Catholic Church, for 1500 years, WAS the sole "container" in which the Gospel message spread. Until the protestant reformation occurred, we had perfect unity. The protestant reformation was NOT, I don't believe, intended to be a bad thing-- the Church was in need of renewal. But there is a difference between Renewal AND reformation, and I strongly believe that Satan used something which we could have greatly benefited from to separate us so that he could attack us better (you know ,the old "divide and conquer" method.) Christ is CLEAR as crystal in scripture when he prays for us to have unity. We MUST find a way to work towards that unity somehow. I do NOT hold you personally responsible for the protestant reformation. I do, however, imply often in my blog that you haven't totally thought out some pretty basic aspects of theology, else you would be a Catholic (or at least an orthodox Christian.)I will say that being a Catholic MAKES SENSE, at the end of the day, when you know your Bible and you apply logic to it. That is the argument I will use again and again to defend it.

3. Scripture is explicit:
"let each one be convinced in his own mind."
I cannot change your mind nor can you change mine. Thus, I ask only that you read these blogs with an open mind and pray about them before you cast them away as garbage. Likewise, I pray that I will be NOT A STUMBLING BLOCK to you but a blessing.

See you next blog.<3

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

820
"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.

My husband wrote this on facebook- I found it hilarious

Holler if you relate :

A Politically Incorrect Guide To Why Protestants Annoy Me... Usually...

This is chiefly to my brother, Scott... written in response to the accusation that I make to many jokes at the expense of Prods, and don't like them... just so you know.

First of all let me just point everything out afresh, Scotty. You are Protestant and I am a former Protestant, a heavily involved and devout Protestant, turned Roman Catholic. So... you don't have the advantage of understanding the issue a broadly as I do and probably never will... unless you become a Catholic. Also, let me be clear that anyone reading this can internalize it and be offended and act like I am being bigoted toward Protestants... or you can read it just as I meant it, as a general diagnosis of what is observable amongst Protestant culture, and you yourself can prove to be an exception to what I observe as the rule. THIS IS A GENERALIZATION... but also a literal example. In fact, I think most Protestants who read this will probably agree with me and probably hate the same things... ESPECIALLY YOU, SAM! Sam always understands me.

Probably the biggest thing that is frustrating, in general, in any given parlance with a Protestant is the flagrant anti-intellectualism. For instance, they don't ever want to listen to anyone say anything about philosophy, history, or science unless they have leather elbow pads, gold rimmed glasses, an old bible with them and a southern twang. It's as if they think scientists shouldn't be allowed to talk about science, or that there is room in the scientific method for "secret atheist-devil" agendas... which is complete nonsense. Or as if only Protestant pastors know the "truth" about history and everyone else is lying. Or that philosophy doesn't matter because it "isn't in the bible." And they always bring up their objections in reactionary ways instead of reasoned responses, because if they reasoned an argument they wouldn't have an objection to begin with usually.
For instance, without fail, a Protestant who arrogantly tries to attack Catholics by attacking the Church usually starts with cursory historical knowledge of specific events. Very often this is little more than an undigested regurgitation of a sermon they once heard a pastor on the radio give or something like that... if you are lucky it is "digested regurgitation." They'll say in rapid succession," Well, what about the Crusades, and the Inquisition, and the Salem Witch Trials." And you will give a factual explanation of the events, contrasting it with real-time social norms and preface it with historical fact," The Crusades was the re-taking of Christian Eastern Empire to succor pilgrims who were being raped, murdered, robbed, and kidnapped, and was also a military response to Muslim incursions into Europe for over three hundred years... etc, etc. The Inquisition was affected by both the secular and ecclesial authorities and usually dealt with actual criminals... etc, etc... And the Salem Witch Trials were done by Protestants." And then they will say," Yeah, but MILLIONS of people were butchered by the Catholic Church." To which you say," Actually, the death toll of the Crusades, the Inquisition, and even the Salem Witch Trials was only 110,000 people over a thousand year period..." And then they start to feel stupid and think," Oh, this jerk thinks he's so smart! God will make foolishness of the wisdom of men! He is so blinded by the world... this guy isn't saved!"
And why are they thinking those things? For no better reason than the fact that the Catholic person just showed that guy what an idiot he is without ever insulting him or being snarky. The Protestant at this point has already determined and settled on the tone of this conversation, and determined a goal as well... it's going to be a battle to vindicate the Protestant's pride, he wants to win, he doesn't care about being right. The Protestant realizes that he has no objectivity, that he doesn't possess all the knowledge he thought he did, and so the natural and next course of action is for them to turn their brain off and become completely subjective. To put it simply... at this point they have abandoned facts and reason and will resort to semantics, strawman arguments (putting words and ideas in peoples mouths), sweeping generalizations, red-herring arguments (trying to prevent the other person from making points by not sticking to the subject), ageist remarks, and if all else fails... out come the ad hominem attacks (insults to the person's character, attacking the man instead of his argumentation). These are the staples of their fight from this point on.
So, the next barrage of questioning goes like this," But what about Mary? You guys pray to Mary and the Saints! And Purgatory??? That's not in the bible! Why do you worship the Pope? Why do you call priests "father?" You guys have all these traditions of men! You pray to statues! (If they are really smart they'll go on to...) What about Transubstantiation and confession?" Basically, they will demand that you explain the last 2,000 years of Christian theology in four sentences or less... OR ELSE! As if they are your judge and you are guilty till proven innocent, as if your salvation depends on them and their limited mental capacity.
So, you dig down deep and muster as much patience, eloquence and charitableness as possible and you try to explain it in clarity and brevity, and in such a way that isn't offensive to them... even though at this point they have done nothing but insult you, your intelligence, and everything you believe in, they might as well have pissed all over the front of you. BUT... you swallow it and give them your best, in charity using common sense... which is where the Catholic has it all wrong, because the Protestant abandoned reason and common sense before they began their second tirade of questioning.
So, you explain "the communion of the saints", the use of effigy, the rosary, the Apostolic succession of the Pope, the office of the priest, transubstantiation, and confession... like a super human, because you did it all in ten minutes, even with them interrupting you every sentence, never letting you make your point, never letting you complete or connect ideas. You did it in ten minutes and in language and concepts that a child could understand, you have given them no reason to misunderstand you.

And yet... they ask the same questions again, this time more belligerently, more insinuatingly, more aggressively, far more accusatory," You are idolaters and you worship a demon known as Astoreth but call her Mary. You use pagan practices and you have all this religion made by men. You never read your bibles, and what about priests touching kids.What about the Illuminati...( and other vague references to Dan Brown fiction thrillers to bolster their argument)" So, naturally, at this point you are getting a bit fed up with their stupidity, because your patience is wearing thin... and why is that? Because you are the only person thus far who has controlled yourself the entire conversation which has been going for half an hour or more by now, pouring yourself into this conversation.
Now, it is not that the Protestant is "actually" mentally deficient, it's not that they are literally an "idiot"... its that they are arguing and behaving like idiots. Because while you were giving the most brief, brilliant, and concise apologetic refutation know to mankind on behalf of the Roman Catholic Church... the Protestant wasn't listening. All they heard was," Blah blah... blah blah blah, blah blah." And do you know why? Because of what I stated in the previous paragraph above... this conversation is no longer about what is true and right, or even who is right... its about them vindicating their pride... its all about their pride, just because they made themselves feel stupid about the Crusades. So, while they should have been listening to the answers they asked you for, trying to understand and digest what you are saying... while they should have been trying to see the angle you were construction for them so that you can have an actual conversation... they were only thinking about how to prove you wrong. They were wracking their brains for bible verses from the King James bible, trying to remember something clever their Protestant pastor said, trying to figure out a clever way to quibble over a word and use semantics, finding points to equivocate on, and trying to figure out a way to put you into a corner so that they could foist their beliefs and ideas on you and hope that you just give in.

And so, basically what you just did was cast your pearls before swine. You gave them the answers they asked for, and used the bible, cited historical reference, gave names and dates and made a great apology for the faith... and they just ignore it and act like they are smarter than you, but even more importantly, more righteous than you.
It's at this point you abandon what has obviously become an argument and vicious attack not only against what was their original target, which was the Roman Catholic Church, but now they are attacking and insulting you... because they are holding you accountable for how stupid they sound and feel! And you haven't insulted or attacked them once!
So, you hazard a defense of your own character, to which they begin to really out rightly insult you even more calling you blind, ignorant, religious (using the term as an insult), wrapped up in the traditions of men, you aren't a Christian, you need to be saved, you need to leave the Church and go to a "bible believing Church" etc, etc, etc...
And then you point out how they are acting and that they are using one-sided, circular logic and attacking you because they can't keep up intellectually, because they lost pace when when they were scheming on how to prove you wrong. And that makes them really indignant and self-righteous, because lets face it... no one can stand to be transparent especially when you were trying hard not to be.
And the Protestant finally says," I'll pray for you man." which is a modern construct from the Evangelical parlance which means," F*%ck you, mate." So you go separate ways, and the Protestant is telling themselves like a mantra," That guy is a fool, full of worldly wisdom. That guy needs to be saved. He has a spirit of strife, he's a divider of the brethren and bound up by satan... blah, freakin, blah..." And then they go tell their Protestant friends about "the fight a Catholic picked with them" and they pat each other on the back and patronizingly pray for the poor sinner Catholic with tons of platitudes," Father God we just pray, father God that you will just touch that guys life and open his eyes, God. We just pray Lord Jesus that you'd remove the hatred from his heart and show him your love, Lord Jesus... blah, blah, blah..." And the Catholic guy just walks away and says," Holy Jesus, what an idiot. I'm glad you are ever merciful and all understanding, remember this conversation when that guy comes to you and when considering his sin, consider also his stupidity and have mercy. Amen."

And so, being a Catholic, and a former protestant... I know these things. And having had these "discussions" with literally hundreds of people, and I don't say that lightly, I have had the above conversation about oh, 80+ times... I am certain of these things. So, what you think doesn't matter, what matters is what I have experienced, because the question is,"Why don't YOU (that is me) like Protestants?" I have answered that, with just a "TASTE" of some of why I don't get along with most Protestants. However, there are a great many other Protestants who I really admire and think are really genius in their own right, and I greatly respect them for their objectivity and their ability to cipher and dig deep. I've know quite a few, in fact my former professor Sam Nuckolls is one of those protestants I so respect and he is on my friends page, add him and he'll blow your mind, he's a very smart man. There are exceptions to the rule... I am one of them. :)

So, when these conversations happen to a person like me on a daily basis for months and years on end... it gets old. How is a person supposed to feel about people who only condescend to you about your core beliefs? How is a person to feel about people who only attack you and insult you? How are you to feel about people who only test you and your patience? Hmmm??? You might suppose I would look at them like my enemies. I suppose one might conclude then that it's a miracle I don't hate Protestants, but instead look at most of them like petulant children... and do pray for their ministries, their families, their charities, their faith, their health, their happiness, their holiness, and their communities. So, in my defense, I'd say I'm rather resilient considering the quantity of such experiences that I have had, which is way, way more than most people. So, there it is.

Tradition!

Those of you who have been reading this blog for a long time, and the previous one before it, know that Peter and I have wanted to work in missions for a very, very long time. You've probably seen us go through trials and frustrations as we pursued missions up and down every avenue. Finally, we became Catholics, and this burning vision to evangelize "out there" became a little bit less important as we learned to humble ourselves and find peace in the situations God had put us in for now. We didn't need a big, visual ministry and hundreds saved each day. We just needed to make an impact in the communities where God called us to live, and we pray that one day God will call us to make an impact in a community that isn't here in North Carolina, and that He will use our language skills and my cultural sensitivity in a way that glorifies Him.

That being said, I got the distinct impression the other day that God is training and preparing us for just that mission. We live with my father in law, now, and he is not a Catholic. He's a nondenominational Christian... by which I mean that he doesn't identify with any major Christian group, but rather has his own "quirks" in his style of worship, theology, and beliefs. He is a tried and true believer, a friend of Christ, and I am so thankful for that.... it's a wonderful example to his own kids and to his grandkids. He delights in praying with the Children, listening to Christian radio shows with them, and reading Bible stories to them in the rocker. It's a true gift.

However, he also has those ever-so-present protestant distastes for all things truly Catholic. While he understands and accepts (and believes!) the Catholic approach to and doctrines about Mary, for example, he is wary of "too much Mary" and is constantly trying to push my Marian daughter out of that. I tell him till I'm blue in the face that she SHOULD trust Mary with all her heart, because the real Mary will ALWAYS point her towards Jesus, but it makes him squirm. He isn't a fan of us doing family devotions in front of the family altar.. and much prefers that we do them in the kids' room. He doesn't often comment on it, but when he does, he makes it clear.

Likewise, he is notorious for getting worked up about his inability to recieve Communion. Which is fine, because on days when he is being reasonable and thoughtful, he is both respectful and understanding of our Catholic differences. It's only on days when he is short on patience that he likes to periodically "stick it to us," so to speak and makes snarky comments intended to bruise, if not wound, our Catholic faith.

Because he has been so understanding, I didn't think that we would have too many repurcussions for the kids living in the house with him. But I'm realizing that I'm going to have to be somewhat vigilant in this area because there IS some distrust on his side. It's not that I have ANY problem with him teaching the kids about faith-- I LOVE it! It's that I don't want him teaching the kids that their Catholic faith is wrong. I don't want him to undermine Sacred Tradition, the Communion of Saints, the Eucharist, or any other doctrine that makes us different.

He spends a lot of time at Walmart, and from the day after halloween Walmart has been full of Christmas decorations. This got him thinking-- he hadn't EVER decorated the house for Christmas, and this year, this was something he wanted to do for our kids. I was honored and excited-- until I heard him mention that he was going to get started this weekend. Suddenly, it dawned on me that we were going to have to fight it out to have a Catholic Advent, and I was broken hearted over it.

You see, Catholics begin by celebrating Advent. It's a period of four weeks in which we prepare our hearts and homes to recieve the incarnation... we focus internally on good works and repentance, we decorate with decorations that symbolize penitence and waiting in anticipation, and we make it a point to fully PREPARE for the coming of our Lord on Christmas Day. Practically, this means that we don't decorate for Christmas (tree, lights, etc) until the day before Christmas Eve, and we keep our Christmas Decorations up for the entire Christmas Season, which ends in February, after the day we celebrate the visitation of the 3 wise men.

It is important to me that we observe these things... they are worthy traditions which I believe will draw our family into an atmosphere of hushed anticipation for the coming King, creating a magic seed which set me ablaze with love for Christ when I was young and did the same. But when I brought it up, my father in law completely shut down. He asked a lot of questions, I explained it as best I could, and he shook his head incredulously and made hilarious comments like this:

Me: following the liturgical year helps us to live OUT the Christmas story as if we were there.
Him: Well, not me, that sounds like a lot of RELIGIOUS nonsense.

Once he came back, calmed from his miffed misery that he wouldn't be able to put up Decorations the day before thanksgiving and take them down before new years day, he agreed to "work with me" as long as what I was asking was "reasonable and feasible."
Gee, thanks.

I hadn't really thought much about the repurcussions of living with a non-Catholic because we've been going through ordinary time-- there hasn't been a ton to "do" around the house to mark the Christian year lately. But now we are faced with my favorite Christian traditions, and our family, children and all, must serve as a beacon of light to invade the closed mind and mental darkness in this good man's daily life. It's a mission, and it's a lot harder and less romantic than we think of when we think of missions across the globe! But it's good, and it's practice, and it's wonderful to be faced with this challenge so that we can be that much more grateful for our beautiful faith!