Christian...Catholic...and Praising Jesus!

INTRODUCTION

I am a Roman Catholic.  This is a simple sentence, a declaration of faith.  To some readers, it may evoke a yawn and a “so what?”; to others, a sense of camaraderie; to yet others, a welling up of long-standing negative feelings and beliefs about Catholicism and its teachings.  Like many Catholics who live in the “Bible Belt”, I have experienced misunderstandings, prejudices and a conviction by many that Catholics are not even Christians.  I was a Protestant for sixteen years, sandwiched between my life as a Catholic, and that experience has given me a good understanding of and a profound respect for my Protestant brothers and sisters.  But I also know that I am back where I belong, in the fold of the Roman Catholic Church.                                                             

At the same time, I am also keenly aware that, sadly, many Catholics do not understand the richness of their faith and are not comfortable in explaining or sharing it. 

I am a Christian first, a Catholic second.  And as both, my heart yearns for the fulfillment of the prayer that Jesus uttered on the night before He died, “that they all may be one, Father, as You are in Me and I in You.”  For almost five hundred years, the Body of Christ has been torn asunder by conflict and division, with an ever-increasing proliferation of denominations and independent churches.  It is a scandal to the non-Christian world and it prevents the grace of God from flowing freely through the Body, the presence of Jesus on earth during this final age, the age of the Church.  The deepest division is between the Catholic Church and the Protestant Churches overall.  I pray that by the love and grace of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, this book may play a small part in healing the wounds, erasing the scars, and bringing a new understanding of Catholicism both for Protestants and Catholics.

This book is not a work of apologetics – not a defense of my faith.  There are many fine books of apologetics, both Protestant and Catholic, that have been written, which have as their objectives both the explanation of the faith and the conversion of souls – whether non-believers to Christianity or Christians to a particular church or denomination. The word “apologetics” is often misunderstood.  It is not the science of “making an apology” in the sense of seeking forgiveness; rather, it is the science of defending the faith, based on the Greek word that means defense.  In essence, an apologist, verbally or in writing, seeks to clearly and forcefully explain what he/she believes to the truth and frequently compares these beliefs to different or even contradictory ones.  The goal is to bring the listener and the reader to an intellectual agreement that what is being presented is indeed true.

I repeat:  This is not an “apologia”.  What follows will be as clear an explanation as possible – with the help of the Holy Spirit’s guidance – of what I believe, of specifically why I am a Catholic.  I absolutely refuse to use my beliefs to demean those of my Protestant brothers and sisters.  You will not find in this labor of love any statements like “I believe this, and you should, too, because of the following logic.”  No, I passionately believe that God is nudging me to just make available to those who are interested what I believe and why I believe it.  I do not seek to advance my beliefs at the expense of the beliefs of others.  Obviously, I love my faith, my expression of Christianity, and I have a passion for others to embrace it; but my primary purpose is one of explanation, to be an instrument in the growth of knowledge and mutual respect.

You will not find footnotes or a focus on academic and doctrinal principles.  I will use Scripture, but only as one might refer to a favorite book or author, not as a tool to prove anything.  I have a great love for the Word of God, and I will be sharing some of my own Scriptural interpretations and some of those of my Church.  The writing will simply be from my heart, and I pray that the hearts of readers will be open to genuinely listen – nothing more, just seeking to understand my heart as I pour out what is important to me as a Catholic Christian.

I seek to write what I believe as a way to help me grow in my own faith and as an opportunity for readers to hopefully understand how a Catholic thinks and what a Catholic believes.  But just as I have a responsibility to be true to my commitment to avoid apologetics, so, too, the reader has the same responsibility if this book is to have its intended purpose and value.  When we hear a belief or doctrine explained, our normal reaction is to mentally begin examining its truth by comparing it to what we believe and by preparing a response.