Tag Archives: Religion

Just Another Man In The Presence Of Jesus

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The History Channel’s The Bible series was watched by lots of people.  I enjoyed most of it.  There is only so much that can be covered in the time they had.  Obviously, they left a lot out.  I thought some of what they left out could have been covered.  For example, at Pentecost, the disciples spoke in other languages, but they were not shown talking that way to the public.  And it didn’t show how the public thought they were drunk.  There was nothing shown about the Roman guards at the tomb of Jesus or the angels that were there, the road to Emmaus, etc.  Despite all they left out, it was still an interesting program to watch.

I liked that the show demonstrated the humanity of the disciples pretty well.  Even with Jesus staring them in the face they still acted human.  They were in the direct presence of Jesus for three years, but they were not groveling on the ground or prostrating themselves the entire time.  Sometimes they were scared, or they fell asleep, or they had a bad attitude, or they were apathetic, etc.  This is just like we are today, even in the real presence of Christ we have good days and bad days.  Followers of Jesus are not perfect.  Jesus is perfect.

Knowing my humanity, I try my best to do this when I go to Mass:

– I listen carefully to the Scriptures and the sermon.

– I’m mindful of the fact that I am about to encounter the body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ and receive Him into my whole self, body and soul.  (“This is my body, this is my blood.”)

– I remember how the disciples fell asleep after Jesus asked them to pray with Him.

– I remember how Thomas doubted until he saw the wounds on the living Christ and then said, “My Lord and my God.”

-I remember that Jesus said to Thomas, “You see me and you believe.  Blessed are those who have not seen, yet still believe.”

– I remember how Peter denied even knowing Jesus and then repented.

– I remember that all the heavenly saints and angels are also worshiping at this Mass and every Mass.

– I think about how Mass is constantly being said at some point on Earth at all hours of every day and how this links us to each other and to Heaven.

-I remember that there is faith, hope and love, and that the greatest of these is love.

-I remember that God is love, that Jesus is love in flesh and blood, and that I am there to receive that flesh and blood.

-I remember that we are what we eat, so I need to let Christ nourish me and change me into God’s love.

What Has Jesus Given Us? (Hint: More Than Cool Special Effects)

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As we reflect on this Good Friday, let us attempt to fathom what Christ has given us.

Himself – He has given us Himself, fully human and fully divine.  God has given everything He has.  He has taken upon Himself our sinfulness and weakness.

Eternal life – He has conquered death.  He has removed the power of sin.  He has provided the means of eternal salvation through the New Birth of baptism.  He provides Himself, The Bread of Life in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist as food to sustain our growth and spiritual life.  Eventually, He will give us glorified, resurrected bodies.  We will be the perfect creations of body and spirit that we were always meant to be.

Forgiveness – Through the Sacrament of Reconciliation He has given us forgiveness and new life when, through our feeble, human nature we damage or extinguish the spiritual life within us.

His Church, His Bible and The Holy Spirit – He established His Church.  He gave the Church the Holy Spirit to guide and teach us.  Through His Church He gave us the Bible and men with His authority to rightly interpret the Scriptures.  Through the Sacraments of His Church we are given graces beyond measure.

His family – He became our Brother, led us to His Father, and from the cross, gave us his mother.  He connects us to each other as one Body of believers on Earth and in Heaven.  Through Christ, the Communion of Saints is one, big, universal family.

He has given us much more than I can list here.  He has not left us as orphans to fend for ourselves.  He has provided all we need for our pilgrimage from this life to the next.

Holy Week: The Servant Is Not Above The Master

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I’ve been reflecting today about Holy Week and the finale episode of The Bible series on the History Channel.  I’ve been thinking about what the world did to Jesus.  Jesus told His followers that they also would be hated and persecuted because of Him.  He didn’t hint that the world might do so, but He assured them that it would do so.  He also told his followers to expect, accept and embrace suffering.  The Apostles were virtually all killed for following Jesus.  The next 2000 years produced innumerable, Christian martyrs, including many of the first popes.

Why do so many present day Christians expect their lives to be free from suffering?  Jesus said that the servant is not above the Master.  The servant follows the Master.  The Master suffered for speaking, indeed for being the truth in love.  The Master did not suffer because He spoke things that made everyone feel good.  The Master did not suffer because He pointed out how fair and free from injustice the world could be.  He suffered because He testified to the sinfulness and injustice of the world.  He suffered because He pointed beyond this life and our attachments to it.

I’m not suggesting that Christians need to go out and pick fights or seek out ways to suffer.  But, I do believe that if we stand for truth when the world tries to feed us lies, we will not need to seek out suffering or persecution.  It will come and find us.  If it does not come looking for us, we’re probably not following Christ.  If we receive constant applause from the world, we’re probably not following Christ.

Jesus said, “Blessed are you when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake.  Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy: for behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.” (Luke 6:22-23)

Christians, are we prepared to be blessed?  Are we prepared to leap for joy?  Christ had His resurrection.  Ours is yet to come.  We are still in the world.  But, we are not of the world.  Speak the truth in love.  Then, be ready to follow the Master.

Love Means Sometimes Having To Say You’re Sorry Out Loud

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Imagine that you were born in a primitive part of the world that had no access to technology.  Imagine that you had never seen a cell phone or a television or a radio.  Then one day, a stranger showed up in your land.  Somehow, this stranger knew your language, and he told you about the place he was from and some of the people he knew.  Intrigued, you said to the stranger, “I would like to meet some of those other people, too.”  “Of course,” said the stranger, “I will ask them to come join us.”  Then, the stranger pulled out a little, square, black object from his pocket and began to speak to it.  After putting the object back into his pocket, the stranger said, “They will be here tomorrow morning to meet you.”

Confused, and thinking this person might have a screw loose, you said to the stranger, “I thought you were going to talk to your friends about coming to visit.”  “Yes,” said the stranger, “I just spoke to them.”  “No, you didn’t, you spoke to that thing in your pocket.”  “Well, that is a phone.  It allows me to communicate with my friends.”  “You mean you don’t have to speak directly to your friends?  You can speak to that little phone and it does everything for you?”  Well, no,” explains the stranger, “I was actually speaking to my friends through the phone.  The phone is an instrument through which I speak directly to my friends.”

After a crash course in basic technology you begin to understand how the phone operates.  Once you understand about radio waves and electronic speakers, transmitters and receivers, you can see just how much sense it makes.  At first it seemed like the stranger was a confused, crazy person talking to a little black box.  Now it seems like a good idea.

In a similar way, non-Catholics (and even some Catholics) think it is unnecessary and even silly to confess one’s sins to a priest rather than going “directly to God.”  What is misunderstood is that Catholics are going “directly to God” when they confess to a priest.  The priest is merely God’s chosen instrument.  God realizes that we, being physical and spiritual creations, benefit from actually speaking our sins out loud to another and hearing the words of absolution audibly spoken back to us.

When Jesus walked the earth 2000 years ago, His followers got to use their physical mouths to speak to Him and their physical ears to hear Him say, “Your sins are forgiven.”  Jesus did not communicate to them strictly through telepathic or “spiritual” means.  He spoke and listened like a man to other men and women.  2000 years later, Catholics still have access to this gift through the priest.  Jesus is right there the whole time.  Jesus listens and Jesus forgives through His instrument, the Priest.  This is the system established by Christ.  It is the way Christians are to find forgiveness (especially for mortal sins) apart from “emergency” situations that I will not cover here.  Suffice it to say that the normal way to drive a two lane highway is to not cross the solid, center line.  In certain emergencies, crossing the center line might be necessary.  The normal or “ordinary” way for Christians to find forgiveness for sins (particularly mortal sins) is through the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  But there is no reason to avoid the Sacrament for venial sins as well (even though these can be forgiven apart from the Sacrament of Reconciliation).

In a sort of reversal of the phone analogy, people today see the Sacrament of Reconciliation as “obsolete technology.”  In other words, why pick up the “phone” to call someone when you can just instantly “be” with that person (i.e. Jesus in spirit).  “We can talk directly to Jesus anywhere!  Why do we need this ancient, “go-between” priest nonsense?”  This attitude is an outgrowth of the “Jesus and me” theology that is so prevalent today.  This theology emphasizes a one-on-one relationship with Christ at the expense of the corporate, familial, sacramental reality of the Church.  This can be seen in the attitude that says, “As long as I’m not hurting anyone else, it’s ok.”  But sin is not just between the sinner and God.  Sin hurts the entire Body.  If one member of the Body is sick, the whole Body suffers.

We humans tend to deceive ourselves and justify our sins.  It’s too easy to “talk to Jesus” about things and not be truly honest with ourselves.  We can too readily fashion Jesus into who we want Him to be.  We don’t like to confront and admit sin.  The priest can help us discern if we are being too hard or too easy on ourselves.  So then, why not just talk to a trusted friend or a therapist?  We can derive some psychological benefit from doing so, but Christ did not give the authority to “bind and loose” to your friends or to therapists.  Christ did not say to your friends or your therapist, “Whosoever sins you forgive are forgiven and whosoever sins you retain are retained.”  Christ gave that authority to specific men in His Church and to their successors.

It is one thing to “be sorry” and another thing to “say you are sorry” (despite what the Movie Love Story might want us to believe).  I see this frequently in my counseling office.  People tend to be defensive and avoid admitting their faults.  Getting an apology from some folks is like pulling teeth.  So many marriages would be a lot happier if both partners knew how to apologize and how to graciously accept an apology.  As earlier stated, sin affects not only the sinner, but the entire Church, His Body.  Therefore, Christ wants us to make our apology and find healing through the Church, His Body.  He wants us to do the real work of humility and actually speak our sins out loud to the Church.  He wants us to make a full apology through His Church.

When Jesus healed the blind man, He made mud with spit and dirt, put it on the man’s eyes and then told him, “Go wash in the pool.”  Imagine the blind man saying, “Forget all this mud and washing nonsense, just heal me now, Jesus!”  No, the blind man did as Jesus instructed and was healed.  Jesus often gave specific instructions to those He healed.  Jesus told His disciples, “Whoever hears you hears me,” and “Whosoever sins you forgive are forgiven, whosoever sins you retain are retained.”  Yet, we often say to Jesus, “No, I don’t want to go through that process to call upon your Name, express my personal belief in You and find healing for my soul.  It’s too humiliating, too inconvenient, too old fashioned, too complicated, too messy.  I want to do it my way.  Just forgive me now, Jesus.  I don’t need Your apostles or their successors or any of Your Church getting in the way of my relationship with You.”

What? The Church Is Full Of Old People? Thank God!

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I have heard critics of religion in general, and Catholicism specifically, point with glee to the increasingly gray heads of congregations.  By doing so, they hope to emphasize the irrelevance of the Church to the modern world.  They reason that, since churches are not full of young people, it must mean that church no longer works for contemporary society.  A church full of elderly folks indicates that the world has passed them by and they are just old fashioned, stuck-in-the-mud old people.

Yet, who do we typically turn to when seeking wisdom and experience?  We look to those that have been through it all.  We do not seek out the youthful and energetic among us.  Youth and energy is not bad.  However, the youthful tend to seek out their peers, until they require wisdom.  Then they look for mentors to “show them the ropes.”

Why not go to those old people who still populate the pews and ask them why they are still there?  Instead of assuming that church no longer “works,” why not assume that wisdom still resides there while so much youthful energy has been sidetracked by the siren song of fleeting pleasures that the world offers?  Instead of saying, “Ha ha, look at all the foolish, irrelevant old people!” why not say, “Wow, look at all the old people!  I wonder what keeps them there.  Maybe they know something about life we arrogant youths have yet to learn!”

When I was a boy, my mother told me to watch for restaurants with lots of seniors.  She said that seniors were generally good at discovering places that had decent food at reasonable prices because so often they were on a budget and were more careful with their health.  Why not find a church with lots of seniors?  They understand the value of life and they are more careful with their spiritual health.  It is a shame that younger people will avoid a church simply because the congregation is predominantly seniors.  To think that older people should be dictated by the whims of youth is an upside down perspective.  How can youth learn from their elders if they avoid them?

Think twice about going to a church just because it is lively, youthful and allegedly “relevant” to the person of today.  As a Christian, just how “relevant” do you want to be to the world of today, anyway?  The more youth there is the less wisdom likely resides there.  Just because it feels good and has what you want doesn’t mean it has what you need.  Obviously, age is not a guarantee of wisdom, but youth and energy is not a guarantee of truth, either.  There is no substitute for experience.  Our new 76 year old Pope Francis is a case in point.

When facing the battles of spiritual warfare in life, who do you want fighting beside you?  Do you want to be surrounded only by clumsy, new recruits, or do you want to be with veterans that know their way around a battlefield?  Imagine a new combat soldier saying, “I don’t like being in this company.  Too many veterans.”   Whatever struggle you may be facing, there is an older person that has been through it already.  Personally, I want lots of experienced prayer warriors around me.  I like seeing lots of old people in the Church.  In fact, I hope to be one myself someday.

The Bible Is Not A Pastor

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The election of Pope Francis has triggered some discussion with my non-Catholic friends.  Such conversations often reveal misconceptions about Christianity, Catholicism and the Papacy in particular.  I’ll try to make a few things more clear in “layman’s terms.”

There is a slogan that is used by many non-Catholic Christians, especially those from Fundamentalist backgrounds.  The slogan is, “No hope in the Pope!”  The meaning being that Christians should place their eternal hope in Jesus Christ, not in an imperfect man.  As a devout Roman Catholic, I agree with their premise.

The misconception is that Catholics follow the Pope instead of Christ, or that the Pope trumps the Word of God in some way.  Many non-Catholics believe that the Pope can make up whatever rules he wants, even if they contradict biblical principles.  They often think that “infallible” means “impeccable.”  Infallible is not the same as impeccable.  In other words, Catholics do not believe that the Pope is totally free from error or that he is free from mistakes.  Even Peter, the first Pope, made mistakes.  He also made some infallible statements and decisions when God gave them to him.  For example, when Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” it was Peter who gave the infallible answer, “You are the Christ.”

Most of my non-Catholic, Christian friends go to church somewhere.  Those churches have pastors.  The people in those churches generally trust God to speak to them through the preaching/teaching of their pastors.  If they have questions about the Bible and its meaning, they typically ask their pastors for an interpretation.  Or, they read the Bible and make their own interpretations, or they ask a friend for an opinion.  If the preaching or teaching of the pastor is deemed incorrect, there are other pastors in other churches to choose from.  The trick is to determine whether or not the preaching and teaching of the pastor is properly aligned with the “final authority” of the Bible.  There are many pastors teaching many opposing things about the Bible while all claiming to be “led by the Holy Spirit.”  So, how can they know who is right?  Checking the Bible does not solve differences of opinion about the Bible.

The Bible is not a pastor.  The Bible cannot lead the people in the way that a shepherd leads a flock.  Jesus told Peter, “Feed my sheep.”  Jesus gave Peter (and his fellow apostles) a specific office of authority that included “binding and loosing” of things here on earth and in Heaven.  He also gave Peter the “keys to the Kingdom of Heaven.”  By giving Peter this unique office, Jesus mirrored the Old Testament tradition of a king appointing his prime minister.  Peter’s office also needed to be filled upon his death, just as the empty office of Judas had been filled.  This is why we have a 2000 year succession of Popes and apostolic authority in the Church.

The Catholic bishops are the successors of the apostles.  There are more than twelve of them now because the Church is so large and global.  Yet, there still is only one head of the apostles.  There needs to be a “go to guy,” a pastor that all the Church is accountable to.  The Bible alone cannot fill this role.  There are too many varying opinions about how to discern and interpret the Bible.  Incidentally, no one even knew what books and letters to officially include in the Bible before the Catholic Church made that decision nearly 400 years after Christ.  The Bible is actually part of the Sacred Tradition handed down to us from the leadership of the Catholic Church.  Part of the Pope’s role (along with his fellow bishops) is to protect this Sacred Tradition (aka “The Deposit of Faith”) which includes the Bible.

Jesus, of course, is The Good Shepherd.  He is the Head of the Church.  Catholics worship Jesus and strive to follow Jesus.  Part of following Jesus includes following the earthly pastor appointed by The Holy Spirit.  Jesus promised that The Holy Spirit would guide His Church.  The Pope is simply an instrument of The Holy Spirit.  I have a pastor in my local Church, but he also is answerable to the highest, earthly pastor.  In this way, we heed the words of the apostle Paul “that there be no divisions among you.”  (1Cor 1:10)  When disagreements arise, as is often the case with human beings, the Church authority is there for direction and discipline (Matt 18:17).  Without that 2000 year old Church authority, Christians have no rudder to steer them on the drifting waves of conflicting opinions and divided denominations.

Infallibility means that God protects the office of the Pope from teaching error in faith and morals.  It does not mean that everything the Pope says is infallible.  Nor does it mean that the Pope is sinless or free from mistakes.  Infallibility is given to the Christ-established office of the Pope.  The man himself, like Peter, is just a man.  The Pope cannot contradict Sacred Tradition, including Scripture.  The Pope cannot add to or subtract from Scripture.  Catholics believe that God is powerful enough to protect the office of the Pope, just as God is powerful enough to protect the inerrant, inspired Bible that the Catholic Church compiled.  He gives us His Word and a pastor to guide us all.  Jesus is The King, and the Pope is His earthly Prime Minister.  What an awesome God we serve!

“I Have A Personal Relationship With Christ. Before That I Was Catholic.” Umm, We Need To Talk

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While browsing through the comments on a non-Catholic, Christian friend’s blog, I noticed the following comment:

“My husband and I accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Savior 6 years ago. Before that we were catholic. I am grateful that I have an infallible source, God’s Word.”

Her comment made me cringe for several reasons.  First, it sounded like something I would have said several years ago as an uninformed, fallen away Catholic.  Secondly, it demonstrates how misunderstood Catholicism is, even by its own members.  Thirdly, it shows how unprepared Catholics are to defend their own Faith and share it with others.  It also shows a common misunderstanding of authority.  Lastly, it suggests that Catholics do not have personal relationships with Jesus Christ and are therefore not Christians.

I know where this person is coming from, because I used to have some of the same misconceptions.  So, my goal is not to criticize or belittle this person in any way.  Finding a relationship with Christ is awesome, and I’m happy for her and her husband.  At the same time, I’m sad for her because she did not need to leave Catholicism to have a personal relationship with Christ.  In fact, there is no better way to draw close to Christ than through authentic Catholicism.  I stress authentic Catholicism because there are lots of caricatures and misconceptions about Catholicism floating around.

For the past fifty years or so, the Catholic Church has not done a great job of catechizing the faithful.  Hence, most Catholics are ill prepared to “give an answer for the hope” that lies within them (1Peter 3:15).  But, the failure to catechize does not make Catholicism untrue.  It just means that Catholics are not prepared to explain why it is true to those who have questions or who seek to lure them away from the Church.  They are “easy prey.”  Hopefully, this is improving with the explosion of Catholic apologetics and the New Evangelization being promoted.  The new Pope also will be an essential element in addressing many issues, as will the new crop of younger priests.

The woman in the comment has bought into the (relatively speaking) new Protestant idea of Sola Scriptura.  In other words, only the Bible is her infallible authority.  She apparently has rejected the biblical principle of Church authority that was established by Christ, taught by the apostles, written into Scripture and handed down as part of the deposit of faith.  She is glad to “have an infallible source, God’s Word.”  She had that same Bible in the Catholic Church, but she now has no infallible interpreter of that Bible.  She has knocked a leg off of what was a solid, three legged stool.  She has entered the world of thousands of conflicting interpretations of The Word.  She has no way of knowing who is right about the Bible.  She has discarded the system established by Christ.  She has replaced the Catholic Pope, Peter’s successor, with some other pope, even if that pope is herself, her husband or her minister.  She is likely making the all-too-common mistake of equating Papal infallibility with impeccability.  Even Peter was not impeccable.

Finally, Catholicism provides more than ample opportunity for people to have a personal relationship with Christ.  Catholics that don’t know this are simply not listening, not hearing or not understanding.  Everything about authentic Catholicism points back to Christ.  Frankly, I don’t know how Christ can get more personal than to give us His very flesh and blood and allow us to join with Him physically, even on a daily basis if we so choose.  Catholics pray the “sinner’s prayer” when they go to confession.  It’s called the Act of Contrition.  But only Catholics that actually practice their Faith as they are called to do would recognize this fact.  We hear Old Testament and New Testament Scriptures at every Mass, throughout the entire Mass.  We are given a chance to confirm our Faith in the Sacrament of Confirmation.  We openly renew our baptisms and our profession of faith.  From before conception to deathbed and beyond, Jesus is personally active in the life of a Catholic, and the Catholic has every opportunity to choose Christ.  Jesus is there the entire time, waiting for us to reciprocate and love Him back.

No one needs to leave Catholicism to have a personal relationship with Christ and be a Christian.  Catholics that leave Catholicism simply do not understand what they are leaving behind, or they would not go.  They are leaving behind the very vehicle by which Christ makes Himself personally available to us.  They are leaving behind the fullness of the Faith.  There really are no “former Catholics.”  There are simply fallen away Catholics that have lost sight of what was given to them and confirmed in them.  They have lost sight of home.

Not only are Catholics Christians, they are the original Christians.  No other church has a succession of authority that can be historically traced directly to the apostles and Christ.  Many Protestant denominations only began within the past century or even decades.  Catholicism is not simply one of many Christian denominations.  Calling Catholicism a denomination is a bit like calling the trunk of a tree a branch.  Even the Bible was assembled and validated by Catholic Church authority.  This is not a statement of pride, arrogance or one-upmanship.  It is simply a fact that Catholics themselves often fail to consider with sober reverence and gratitude.  No one is deserving of what Christ has given.  All of it is by grace.  But to whom much is given, much will be required.  When Catholics learn their Faith, and stop taking for granted what God has given them, fewer will find reasons to leave and more and more Christians will make the journey home.

Jesus Vs. E.T.

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There are lots of reasons I can give as to why I choose to be a Catholic Christian.  I can talk about the necessity of Church authority in a world of relativistic, secularized theologies and individualistic Bible interpretations.  I can talk about the historical consistency of the Church from Christ until today in an atmosphere of endless church splits and fragmentations.  I can talk about how the Catholic Church stands firm on issues of morality while other churches cave into public pressure and secular culture.  I can talk about the need for unity, community and guidance in a world of Jesus-and-me, church-hopping Christians who “don’t want to be told what to do.”  I can talk about 2000 years of sacred Tradition and the deposit of faith being preserved by the Catholic Church.  I can explain that, without the God-given authority of the Catholic Church, Christians wouldn’t even know if their Bibles should contain The Gospel of Thomas or The Gospel of John or the Book of James, for it was the Catholic Church that decided the answer.  I can appeal to both reason and faith from the perspective of Natural Law and theology, etc., etc.

To paraphrase G.K. Chesterton, it’s hard to give a short answer as to why I decided to be Catholic, because there are at least 10,000 reasons all leading to the conclusion that Catholicism is true.  But, after all is said and done, the ultimate reason I want to be Catholic is because I love Jesus Christ, and I want to follow Him.  I want to be with Him.  But, as much as I love Him, He loves me even more, and wants even more to be with me.  I’m not content to have a long distance relationship with Christ.  It is not enough for me to only have Jesus “in my heart” and read His letters and listen to preachers talk about being with Him in Heaven some day.  I want to be with Him now.  Thankfully, Jesus wants this even more than I do, so He set up His Church to provide the means.

But it’s not all about me and Jesus.  Jesus loves us all the same.  So He set things up in such a way that we can all be with Him, and He with us, not just “in our hearts” but in our very physical presence and essence.  I used to imagine that Jesus did a kind of “E.T” thing.  In the movie “E.T.” the little alien creature goes back to space and leaves his friend Eliot behind in tears.  In order to consol Eliot, the alien points his glowing finger at his friend’s head and says, “I’ll be right here!”  In other words, “I’ll be with you in spirit, or I’ll be present in your thoughts, but actually, I’m leaving you.”

Jesus promised to never leave us nor forsake us.  He also said He would not leave us orphans.  On the road to Emmaus Jesus met the men who begged Him to stay, even though they did not recognize who He was.  Jesus did not point to their heads or their chests and say, “Don’t worry, I’ll be right here!”  No, Jesus vanished from their sight, but, as they requested, He stayed with them in the bread, and that’s how they recognized who He was.  Jesus can do anything He wants with His glorified body.  He chooses to be present with us in bread and wine, so we can all touch Him, be with Him, partake of the Sacrificial Lamb and be united in one Body with Him.  This is what Passover was foreshadowing.  We are saved by the blood of the Lamb, but we also physically partake of, and become one with, the Lamb.

Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit as the Church’s teacher, Comforter and power.  However, the Holy Spirit is not a substitute for Christ’s physical presence among us.  Jesus said He would send the Holy Spirit to teach the Church what it needed to know.  One thing the Church needs to know is that Jesus is here among us!  He longs to be with us and become one with us.  The Holy Eucharist is the source and summit of Christian life and unity.  If you love Jesus, don’t just read His letters and sing songs about Him.  Follow Him and really be with Him!

A Talk With The Youth

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I’m back in the saddle again after a break from writing.  Sometimes I just run out of things to say.  A period of contemplation and soaking in of the life that surrounds me usually provides some thoughts to share.  The introverted side of me is always reluctant to speak for the sake of speaking.  So, I try to have something to convey that may be pertinent to someone.

Recently, I was asked to share my story of Catholic reversion with some eighth graders at a local Catholic school.  It was part of an attempt to capture their interest in upcoming youth events that may help them stay involved with their faith as they become more independent.

Afterwards, it occurred to me that, when I left Catholicism, the Protestants I was involved with wanted to hear my “testimony.”  They wanted to hear how God had worked in my life to bring me out of Catholicism and into their fold.  Catholics had little interest in hearing about why I had left.  Upon returning to Catholicism, the only folks that openly want to hear my story seem to be Catholics.  There are no Protestants approaching me and asking me to tell why I decided to leave them and return to Catholicism.  Now, it is the Catholics that want me to “testify.”

It would be nice if everyone had a listening ear.  It would be nice if everyone had a “teachable spirit” and a willingness to hear truth spoken in love (even truth that hurts).  But, I suppose it is human nature to take sides and dig in one’s heals and feel threatened or bewildered by opposing opinions.  We all want to feel secure in what we believe.  We tend to seek out like minds to confirm our beliefs, not opposing views that challenge them.

In telling my story, it is important for me to make clear the positive contributions that both Catholics and Protestants have made in my spiritual journey.  My desire is that all Christians heed the prayer of Jesus that we, as believers in Him, “all may be one.”  Therefore, in talking about my return to Catholicism, I try to avoid an “us against them” attitude.  Obviously, it would not make sense for me to be Catholic if I did not believe Catholicism to be true.  But I try to approach that truth as one would direct a thirsty soul to water in a desert.  “It’s over here.  Come this way.  Look at this awesome gift God has given us!”

I only had a few minutes to speak to the eighth graders.  After briefly explaining how I left Catholicism and found my way back to Jesus and His Church with the help of Protestant Bible teaching, I presented them with the following scenario:

“Have you ever loved someone so much that you just wanted to be with them?  Writing a letter wasn’t enough.  Talking on the phone wasn’t enough.  You had to be with that person physically.  You had to embrace and hold that person so close that you practically melted together and became one.”  I noticed many of them nodding their heads.  “That’s what the Holy Eucharist in the Catholic Church is like.  The Bible is like letters from God.  The presence of His Spirit is sort of like talking on the phone with a loved one.  But God loves us so much, He desires to also be with us physically, and melt into us and become one with us, and us with Him (after all, He did make us eternally spiritual AND physical creatures).  God makes this life-giving embrace possible through the physical presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist.  The Catholic Church is where this 2000 year old miracle takes place.  That was the biggest reason for me coming back to Catholicism, and it’s the biggest reason for you to stay.”

Yet Another Grain of Truth

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Recently, my doctor told me to go on a gluten free diet.  No gluten.  No wheat.  Although it needs to be confirmed, my blood work shows I may have Celiac Disease.  So, I have been following doctor’s orders, and experimenting with gluten free products.

Some products are better than others.  One thing I have noticed is that my gluten free breads, cookies and pancakes don’t hold together very well.  They seem to crumble or separate rather easily.  The gluten in wheat apparently has a cohesive quality to it that other grains lack.

When faced with the “go gluten free” order from the doctor, I began to wonder what I should do about Holy Communion.  Although I had heard some vague mentioning of this issue, I never really paid much attention to it.  Now I have to, so I did a little research.  I discovered this article:  http://www.catholic.com/magazine/articles/why-wheat-bread

Previously, I had no idea how scripturally important it is to use wheat for the Eucharist.  Two points really struck me.  First, the sacramental substance really is important (like using only water for baptism and not milk or orange juice, for instance).  Secondly, the cohesive quality of wheat has so many spiritual and symbolic applications that never occurred to me until I read this article.  No other grain can fulfill the role.  Suddenly, I saw the Eucharist as the source and summit of the Christian life in a whole new light.  When I hold a hamburger on crumbling, gluten free bread or watch the bottoms fall out of my gluten free pancakes and cookies, it reminds me of how important it is for all Christians to partake of the authentic, Holy Eucharist in unity.  We are not supposed to be divided into competing, crumbling denominations with our own versions of the Lord’s Supper.  We are supposed to worship in one accord with the Holy Eucharist holding us all together.

Thank God for the bishops that insist that Catholics must keep at least some gluten in our communion bread.  I love the authenticity of Catholicism and the Church’s steadfastness.  I’m not offended one bit that the Church’s suggestion to me is, “Receive Christ from just the cup, because both the bread and the wine are transubstantiated to become the whole Christ.”  Nor does it upset me in the least that completely gluten free wafers are not offered.  I would have it no other way.  I want the Church to remain authentic in every aspect.

Incidentally, those who ask, “Doesn’t the gluten disappear when the bread is changed into Christ?” are misunderstanding what transubstantiation is about.

Maybe I have Celiac Disease, or maybe I just have gluten sensitivity.  In any case, this experience has opened my eyes to yet another grain of truth in Catholicism.  The more I learn about it, the more I appreciate it.