Come and learn...

While visiting the blog, Defend Us In Battle, I found this article and thought it excellent and wanted to post it here, too. Why Protestants and Catholics don't see eye to eye. If you'd care to post a comment here regarding this, please feel free to do so, if you're Catholic or Protestant, I'd like to know what you think about this. I was once a Protestant, brought up Methodist, then became an Evangelical for over 26 years.

Now that I'm Catholic, I have come to see things from a whole new perspective, and one that fits, ultimately, what I was searching for all along my journey. To me, the Catholic Church is the complete fullness of Truth. That does not mean that Catholics are "better" people, or more "holy" than our brothers and sisters in other faith communities. I've tried to discuss this with some of my friends from our former Interdenom church and it seems they'd really rather not "discuss" things anymore. Maybe it's my zealous enthusiasm for the Catholic faith, that I can't seem to keep "bottled up," (but when you're in love with someone, he or she is all you have on your mind and all you want to talk about, right?.) Or maybe it's just that they are not willing to try to understand what Catholics really believe, because they think they already know? Or perhaps they don't want to participate in dialogue, because they believe Catholics are 'wrong' or worse, in an idolotrous religious organization, or... worse yet, they might believe the Catholic Church to be the "whore of Babylon." That is what I think some have been taught, which is very sad.

Christendom basically "at war" is not the unity Jesus prayed for for His Church. How long are we going to keep tearing the Body of Christ apart? One Church, one body,one faith, one Baptism...and yet some 33,000 denominations in the United States? What does that say to the world? These denominations keep splitting, further and further away from the One True Source, the Catholic Church. The further these factions get from the pure source, the murkier the "water" i.e. doctrines become. How is that unity? How do such contradictory opinions and doctrines ever mesh? Why does it not bother some folks that there are so many different teachings about ONE Faith out there? It bothered me. I kept seeing split after split and "church hoppers" abound. Why?

What is most frustrating is that some of my friends, (not all) simply don't want to converse about our differences. They want to "tear down walls" between the denominations, but yet, don't watch, or listen to Catholic t.v. or radio programs I suggest. What is it? Fear? Or having to admit they could be wrong about their long-held beliefs? Is it just an anti-Catholic prejudice? Or that they might have to consider rearranging their theology a bit or a lot? I had to do that. I had to see that what I believed about the Catholic Church was nothing less that false. I had it wrong. Now, I'm only too grateful for the lavish gift of grace that opened my eyes, for it was all God's grace! And such a gift of faith- to finally see the error of my theology and thinking about the CC.

My individualistic religion, "me and my Jesus" was incomplete. I longed for community, but never thought the CC was the "family" of God. All Christians are the family of God, all are his children. Yet, I was a "prodigal" in the sense that I'd left Rome for more "fun worship" experiences and what seemed to be "more truth" only to find the discrepancies and contradictions among these faith communities kept breaking up the family I was longing to find and keep. To come to understand this glorious gift of the Catholic Church,the God-given authority and apostolic succession that Jesus did indeed build, on the rock of Peter, has been the most beautiful thing to ever happen to me! It's not just an emotional revival of my soul, but a true gift of Life, the fullness of Salvation!

I sometimes wish we could talk about these spiritual things, like we used to discuss matters of a spiritual nature, but for whatever reason, they don't want to do that now. I am not fond of "fighting" and I'm not one to be argumentative for just the sake of arguing. Throwing scripture verses around back and forth isn't ever productive. But what I would like most is to find some "COMMON GROUND" and would only hope that these friends would be "open" to consider that they might be wrong about what they've believed and still believe about what Catholics believe, for in many instances, they're perpetuating misinformation, and that is what I would like to dispel, to the best of my ability with this blog and our apostolate, RECON. Which brings me to this segue:

Speaking of dispelling misinformation about the Catholic faith, we will be showing the video series, WHAT CATHOLICS REALLY BELIEVE starting the first Sunday in June, 5:30 - 7:30 at the Holy Family Shrine, exit 432 off I-80 (Gretna) Follow the signs and please come and learn the Truth about Catholicism. We welcome you all,whether Protestant, or curious Catholics who might have had poor catechesis and would like to know the faith better. It's a "point-counter-point" dialogue between Dr. Ray Guarendi and the late Fr. Kevin Fete. ** This 13 part series was aired on EWTN last summer and is to be aired again this month.

If you'd like to meet others who have been on a somewhat "meandering journey" back to Rome Sweet Home, come and join in the discussion and fellowship at this lovely, serene Holy Family Shrine, on the rolling hills of the prairie, near Omaha. You don't have to be Catholic, only honestly seeking Truth. For the Scriptures tell us to "seek, knock, and ask." That is what RECON is about. We hope to see you there.

~ Rich and Susie

Questions? call us: 402.330.3870

** Fr. Kevin is our "patron saint" of RECON, for he was known for bringing many souls back to the CC and new converts into the CC, in the diocese of Youngstown Ohio. A brilliant man and homilist who is missed very much by his parish, Little Flower, in Canton but who is still very busy in a larger parish and who's really only changed pulpits. A priest forever. Fr. Kevin, pray for us.