June 19, 2012
I have always thought of myself as “born Catholic”, or Catholic from my mother’s womb. I hate the term “cradle Catholic”, although I don’t know why. Maybe because that phrase didn’t exist when I was small and brought up Catholic. Or maybe it’s because to me Catholic is Catholic and it doesn’t matter when a person enters the Faith. The simple fact of accepting the Catholic faith as true in its entirety is enough and I don’t see a need for differentiation.
Being Catholic is as much of my being as is being a woman. I cannot see myself as someone whose religion is an accoutrement of my existence, but rather being Catholic is so fixed in me, as is my womanhood, that I think of the Faith and all that it implies as part of my essence, without which I cannot breathe or live. There is not a time in my life from my first consciousness of self that I did not think of myself as Catholic.
Metaphysicians and psychiatrists would have a field day with these statements. The first would say it is impossible and the second would label me as delusional. They would be both right by their standards and wrong. Of course, I know full well that my essence, metaphysically speaking, is that of created human, and plenty of people walk around living and breathing without being Catholic. But my identity is bound to God as He has revealed Himself in Sacred Scripture and Tradition and that means to me being Catholic.
As I’ve gone through life, even in the times when I didn’t go to church or practice my Faith, I did not divorce myself from “Catholic”. In that sense, I’ve taken my Faith for granted without fully understanding all its riches. If I had understood, it would have been inconceivable for me to fool around with the false gods of the world the way I did.
The Church has always been “home” to me, no matter where I am. Not a particular building or diocese, but the entire Catholic community here in the world and the saints in heaven. In my mind I have always “belonged.” Therefore, I have never considered myself as not having a church home and never thought about why someone would refer to becoming Catholic as “coming home.” Until…
Every now and then a conversion story opens my eyes to the gift of my Faith – a gift I have taken for granted. It helps me appreciate more and see with greater clarity how blessed I have been to have been born and raised Catholic. Eric’s story, Catholics Come Home: My Pilgrim’s Journey to Rome is just such a tale and a marvelous painting of how God reels in seekers of Truth.
Roman Catholic Altar, Chanting the Gospel in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, Assumption Church, Patton, NJ
Eric has many reasons why he, a Protestant pastor and missionary who for ten years evangelized in 25 countries, ended up entering the Catholic Church with his entire family. If you like to read conversion stories, you’ll definitely want to read his. He lists some of his reasons in the post I’ve linked to above, letting me see the Church through his eyes. I was especially struck by his first reason:
Centrality of Christ:
The Catholic Church, in its theology, liturgical life and even its architectural design, exudes the centrality of Christ. I remember preaching and teaching around the idea that Christ is our anchor, the central figure from which everything else flows. Hence, when I began visiting Catholic churches in the quiet hours between Masses I realized that everything they do (liturgical life of the community) centers around Christ in the Eucharist. The difference between Catholics and Protestants, as I saw and experienced it, was this. The message of Christ as the central figure within Christianity was compromised [in Protestantism] by two things:
- Personality driven pulpit
- Interpretation of the “priesthood of the believer”
Protestant church experience and theology is based in a “me” centered spirituality. In Catholic practice and theological understanding, the Eucharist is central to the life of the community. Hence, the focus is on two things:
- Christ in the Eucharist / Centrality of Christ in the Mass
- Communal experience within the Liturgical life of the Church
In addition, the offering of daily Mass is an additional living symbol that Christ is the Person from whom we live, move and have our being as Christians.
Adoration of the Name of Jesus - El Greco
It was during this time that I had my “epiphany” moment – while sitting in a traditional Roman Catholic parish I realized, after being caught up in the art and architecture of the space, that what I had been preaching regarding the centrality of Christ – Catholics were actually living it and they had the proof!
- The table of the Lord was the center of the sanctuary
- Art in the form of Biblical story surrounded the worship space
- Statues & Imagery – drawing the eye heavenward
Everything, and I mean everything, screamed Christ.
Eric’s testimony concerning the centrality of Christ in the Catholic Faith put into words something I’ve taken for granted and have been living in my flawed human way since my reversion. Catholic liturgical and personal prayer is geared toward making Christ the center of our lives and building the Christian community. Yes, traditional Catholic churches and sacred art are a silent but visible testimony to the reality of Christ’s redemptive work and consistently draw our eyes heavenward. I knew these things, but had never conceptualized them in this way because I had never had his experience of Christianity.
June is the month of the Sacred Heart. This heart of Jesus suffered so for us that every soul lost to God is a waste more terrible than any earthly disaster we can experience. The loving Heart of Jesus reached out to Eric and called him home to the Catholic Church so that many would be able to receive the fruits of his talents and experience the joy of Christ in the way Eric now is. Be sure to read his story and his “About” page. Thanks, Eric, for making me appreciate my Faith all the more, and welcome home!
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R. Now and forever!
(Click on the link above to read why I end my posts this way.)
