My Peace I Leave Thee....

I don't know if it's because I'm now Catholic or what, but when I discuss theology--which is every single day, practically all day, I am just not at all upset with people who disagree with me. It used to make me panic when I was a Protestant because there was just something threatening if others read scripture in another way. And, even more, I was afraid if they didn't rightly believe (which was subconscious code for my way) they were lost.

The all-out GET PEOPLE SAVED through the gospel goal for me was about teaching them to invite Jesus into their hearts and then "whew" another soul saved from the clutches of Satan. But as I look back it was kinda formulaic. Person + Faith = Salvation. So I had to make sure everyone I loved, liked and met was plugged into that so that they didn't go to.... I couldn't even deal with a literal hell.

Now it is so different. I am okay when someone is an atheist. I will tell them how Catholics think and believe, but if they reject it, I just don't worry about them. Calvinists? Okay... so they disagree with my interpretation of scripture. God bless them and see them in heaven. Adventists? Mormons? Buddhists? Moslems? You know... I can love them and when given the opportunity will serve them and explain my faith... but I am not panicked.

Jesus is in control. I have a much more peaceful understanding of God's sovereignty now than I ever did. God has so many ways of saving us through His Son. Ways that are a mystery to us.

Now don't get me started on Catholicism. I am so madly in love with my mother church, getting to be a part of the.... the... the BRIDE of Jesus. I am crazy ecstatic and desire to tell everyone and convince everyone to see the Jesus His Holy Church has shown me. But it is not out of fear for their souls.

Let's face it. Catholicism isn't easy. Jesus' burden may be light but a bunch of Protestants I know want to constantly bombard me with burdens I was not meant to carry and let go with my first communion. As a Catholic, I am dying daily, I pick up my cross and follow Christ each morning. I sacrifice and serve. It is hard. But I am happier than I have ever been in my life. There is such glorious joy after the suffering of love. And Catholicism is teaching me all about the quiet, patient suffering of love.

I have never experienced miracles until I became Catholic. My understanding of scripture and philosophy and humans and history and science has skyrocketed. I swear my IQ has been raised.

But the Devil is the Father of Lies and dark forces are always trying to destroy the face of Christ in His Church. And I know its our, the Catholics fault, in many ways. Who would want to join a church with such a reputation? I didn't!

If this is God's church, and I am convinced it is, then I will be obedient to show her to anyone interested, but I have faith the Holy Spirit will convict those who should be Catholic to come in. Those who don't.... I know He is merciful... He is love... He will judge with both.

All I can say is HALLELUJAH! The Catholic Church is bringing back the Gregorian chants!

Here's a sample:







I was a stupid Protestant.... very liberal. I personally loved classical music and Gregorian chants. My favorite piece of all time is Bach/Gounod's Ave Maria and I was classically trained with a BA in vocal performance. When at home, I would have my personal worship in a veil, with the most exquisite classical music (and Catholic, which I didn't think about at the time). I was ritualistic with my coffee, my Bible readings, my prayers, candles and my....sigh...wonderful music. I created my own little haven of beauty in worship.

Somehow my love for beauty in my home didn't translate at all to my church. I fought the old stick-in-the-mud elders who wanted people to dress nicely, be reverent in church and keep the music from the hymnal and with the organ.

I wanted to open up the church to standing and raising our hands and singing to contemporary Christian pop music. The more drums the better. (I did cringe at the electric guitar, but I was tolerant because--hey, there is no intrinsically right and wrong music--only personal preference.) I could do the one-hand beating on my heart, one in the air to God with a earnest painful look on your face while singing praise songs look as well as any Christian artist. And I meant every pound with enormous sincerity. 

But when I was in charge of children's church and we started singing more and more songs like: "Jesus loves turkeys" (and I am a turkey), I started wondering. Something of substance was missing. I was so, so sincere and so stupid. I was unknowingly teaching hundreds of little souls in my care that church was theirs... it should meet their needs and make them feel happy--even if it was silly nonsense with a moral attached.

As a Protestant, church became more and more about high-energy, emotionally-driven entertainment. Later our family began going to a mega-church with a really amazing "stage" with a Jerusalem backdrop with curtains and high-def TV screens on both sides of the pulpit and theater seating.... It was awesome. They brought in Hollywood "Christians" to talk and sing. We were so Christian-edgy, causal. Yeah.... we were cool.

Now, the Catholic church taught me that church isn't about me and my personal preferences. Worship is about what He expects from us. Now, ironically, I am taken back by God to what was most natural for me-submission, reverence, holiness and humbleness.

I am not sure I am so excited about this new Vatican push for Gregorian chants because I love them or Christ is loving them through me. Either way.... I am so excited.

See below for announcement:

http://chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it/articolo/1350251?eng=y (excerpts).

It is common knowledge that Gregorian chant is not in its finest hour. It has been practically banned everywhere, in spite of the fact that Vatican Council II, in the constitution on the liturgy, reaffirmed its primacy in the clearest of terms:

"The Church acknowledges Gregorian chant as specially suited to the Roman liturgy: therefore, other things being equal, it should be given pride of place in liturgical services."

If Gregorian chant has been banned, it is because of complete amnesia concerning its nature. Its rebirth therefore demands in the first place that it be rediscovered and understood.
*

The conclusion that Ferrer [undersecretary of the congregation for divine worship] drew from this is that a "clear and precise" magisterium in this regard has been given. But it has been widely disobeyed and contradicted. And the blame has in part belonged to the hierarchy of the Church.

The Church spoke – Ferrer noted – but lacked "a concrete intention to have the discipline in effect applied by those who had responsibility in the matter."

So then, in regard to this sin of omission attributable in large part to the congregation for divine worship of which he himself is part, Ferrer has announced that it is being remedied.

And this is being done at the prompting of a recent motu proprio of Benedict XVI, "Quaerit semper" of August 30, 2011.

Ferrer announced that the congregation for divine worship will soon be endowed with an office for liturgical art and music that will finally apply, all over the world, the prescriptions of the Church unheeded until now, the rebirth of Gregorian chant first among them.

Obama and Infanticide

I had to close my eyes through this, so I don't know how graphic it is.... but please be warned...

Faith Alone Beatitudes

Blessed are the poor in works, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

Blessed are they who have imputed justification, for they will inherit the earth. 

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for faith, for they will be filled.  

Blessed are those without merits, for they will be shown mercy.  

Blessed are the pure in their belief in sola fide, for they will see God. 

Blessed are they that are at peace with their sins, for they will be called sons of God. 

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of hypocrisy when you are covered by grace, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of the Reformation.  Rejoice and be glad, because great is your security in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

On Being Wrong, Truth and the Umbilicus Urbis

We Are Wrong

Are you aware of the things you are mistaken about-- this very moment? 

Can you clearly identify which “truths” you currently hold that are incorrect? Please make a list of them in your mind.

If you did indeed list them and are aware of these areas you are wrong, why do you still believe them? If you didn’t make a list, it is because you are like almost everyone today. You either don’t think you are wrong in what you believe or you are not yet aware of where you are wrong.

It’s a very strange thought to know that you have a blind spot somewhere in what you believe and you don’t know where it is or how big. ...Scary.

Most Christians’ consciences were formed by their parents and teachers, and we glide through life without realizing that those who taught us right and wrong were imperfect and most likely taught us imperfectly. We could be believing something to be wrong that isn’t and something to be right that is, in actuality, a sin in God’s eyes. 

(I know most of you are thinking: “The Bible is inerrant and I go there, so my beliefs are true because I get them from scripture.” For a moment, though, take away scripture. We are dealing with the human heart all by itself--without the influence of the Bible--not yet, anyway.)

We have a general sense about what is right and wrong (the natural law). For example, we know stealing is wrong, we know adultery is wrong, we know lying is wrong. However, if you were to accidentally place a pencil in your pocket at work and then find it at home, is it stealing if you don’t take it back? What if a spouse is being very verbally abusive, can a person divorce them even if they are not unfaithful? Is it a sin to feel deep resentment against your parents if you are still act respectfully to them? What about taking the Lord’s name in vain? If someone sighed, “Oh Lord!” is that taking His name in vain? What about female pastors? Watching really funny but questionable television?

God knows the answer to these questions--there is an exact right answer.

We often think we have the answers because we intelligently, reasonably, (with the Holy Spirit) judge the matter. It’s hard to admit though, that often we are just assuming our opinion is from the Lord.

Christians do not have an infallible internal mechanism that always alert us when we get these nuanced moral dilemmas wrong. 

I am Not Wrong!

Even humbly admitting we are imperfect, somehow most Christians live with certainty that they know what is true. On major denominational beliefs, we will panic if someone we know to be smart and godly disagrees with our interpretation of truth. When confronted with different or opposing interpretations, often our natural defenses inform us that the person has not studied like we have, is perhaps less spiritually mature or not as close to Christ. They, possibly, do not have the Holy Spirit because of a cherished sin in their lives or they are not as sincere as we are. In really judgmental moments, we might even accuse the person of twisting truth for an evil goal.

But if all that protective armor is pierced and we find we might be incorrect, often Christians will retreat back into the idea that truth is relative or it doesn’t really matter or it is unknowable. Anything but see the frightening truth that we are wrong.

Okay, I’m Wrong. What’s the Big Deal?

For Christians, being doctrinally wrong isn’t like the embarrassment of getting a “D” on a spelling test or reading a map inaccurately. Being deceived isn’t an “oopsie” nor is it just prideful to want to get theology correct. To us, getting our faith and moral compass in the right direction is about arriving in heaven rather than hell.

Most Christians believe being theologically wrong is dangerous. And it is frightening when we realize that we cannot trust our spiritual instincts, our feelings or judgements.

So then, if we know we do not possess perfect theology and we are not able to precisely identify where we are wrong at any given minute. Why do we, as Christians, live as if we are correct in our theology?

God Knows We’re Wrong

None of this comes as a shock to God. He didn’t abandon us to a do-it-yourself morality. He didn’t implant perfect theology into us and we grow into it with prayer and study. And as many times as we write and say the contrary, we really do have a deep apprehension that there is a theology test to get into heaven. There are some, even if few, essentials of faith.

God created mankind with a sense of wonder. We innately grasp that we don’t know it all and we have to go outside ourselves to search for truth. We are to be students, not formulators or judges of truth. Within our hearts truth does not spring! It originates outside ourselves in Him. Sin has caused us to struggle and search for wisdom.

Humans will never educate themselves enough, sincerely pray enough, or even be filled with the Holy Spirit enough to be infallible in their beliefs. 

To Err is Human

Many Christians are thinking, “Hey I have the Bible and the Holy Spirit; that is all I need.” However, even then you know deep down inside that your beliefs develop over time and that at any given point your theology is imperfect.

To live with the stifling confinement that we know all truth or will discover all truth via our own hearts and minds (or even our personal Biblical interpretation) is not really faith. And it really is a burdensome responsibility that we were never meant to carry. God is truth and He sends it to us so we don’t have to figure it out.

Umbilicus Urbis

Imagine, for a moment if you will, a fountain flowing deep and wide. This fountain is truth and you may come freely and drink from her. It doesn’t matter your age, your IQ, your amount of faith, your education, your spiritual maturity... nothing. The only thing you need is obedience to Christ. What if truth were really that simple?

What if Christ gave us a place where we could go to get guaranteed, absolute truth? Wouldn’t that just be lovely? No more arguments, debates. We would be absolutely unified in our hearts, minds and faith. A Christian Utopia of peace and tranquility (on the theological battlefield anyway.) So... simple. We could then spend our time doing the will of God and loving our neighbor instead of always having to discover anew what truth is.

That would be so.... so... like God. This place of truth would have to have the Bible, of course. Then they would have to have the right interpretation of the Bible, they would have to be filled with the Holy Spirit and not be dependent upon one person’s opinion. Maybe they wouldn’t have to be perfect, only guard the perfect truth. Yes, that’s it--they would be perfect guardians of God’s truth. Man, that would be so exquisite. Imagine if it were a church, an ancient church, that goes back all the way to Christ and His Apostles....

Boy, some people who hold independence and rights as highest values wouldn’t like it at all. They wouldn’t like to submit to someone or something else for truth. It would certainly get attacked both without and within by dark, satanic forces.

Hmmm.....

Thanks to Kathryn Schulz, “On Being Wrong.” 

http://www.ted.com/talks/kathryn_schulz_on_being_wrong.html

Michael Voris and the Brave Bishops

Catholic Problems-- Catholic Answers.....

As usual, Michael is brilliant....




This program is from RealCatholicTV.com

Beautiful Catholic Music!