Saturday, July 15, 2006

Thank God for history. . .

I must preface this post with this: I used to listen to Chuck Smith and bought a few of his talks on cassette tape. I thought he was so brilliant. He may very well be an intelligent man, and a good Christian with a good heart, but like so many, COMPLETELY WRONG about the Catholic Church. I know because I was wrong about the CC too. . .for years!

While going through my closet and cleaning out a wide assortment of books accumulated over the last 30 years, I came across a little book by Chuck Smith, of Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa, CA. This is not going to be a bashing commentary on him, but more on the gratitude I have for 2000 years of history of the Catholic Church. My gratitude is expressed everywhere on this blog site. Also on my blog, Kid Sis of St. Clare.
http://kidsisofstclare.blogspot.com

The book titled: What The World Is Coming To is 207 pages. The table of contents was where I decided to go first. The book is comprised of Chuck Smith's 22 commentaries on the 22 chapters of the book of Revelation. I quickly scanned down the list to find chapter 13. The Antichrist. I wanted to see if he'd written anything about the Catholic Church in that chapter. This book was first printed in 1977 so I figured I'd find some misconceptions about the CC in that chapter. I didn't find any . . .there. However, in chapter 17, lo and behold, the chapter titled Counterfeit Church was a page and a half directed toward the Catholic Church. This is an excerpt quoted exactly as written from pages 154,155. Chuck, I pray you have or will speak to someone in the CC who can help you get your facts straight. I do hope you have changed or will change your mind from what you wrote 30 years ago. Here is the excerpt:

"The priesthood didn't exist in the early Church but did exist in the Babylonian religion. The introduction of idols, the introduction of penance, even the worship and the rituals themselves, all had their origin in the Babylonian religion. These were gradually introduced and made part of the Church. They were not existent in the early Church but became a corrupt form or worship. The Lord calls them spiritual "fornication." This is actually the worship of God in unprescribed ways and manners. The Israelites sought to do this in the Old Testament. They were worshiping God after the ways of the pagans and heathens rather than after the way God had prescribed through Scriptures.
During the period of the great Inquistions, millions of true and faithful believers in Jesus Christ, who were looking for the simplicity and beauty of worshiping Him, were martyred. It is a fact of history. It's the black and dark history of the Church that we hate to acknowledge. But you cannot deny the facts.
We do not seek to speak against our Christian brothers, and there are many beautiful Christian brothers and sisters today within the Catholic Church. I am so thankful for the revival that is taking place within the Catholic Church and I rejoice in what God is doing there. He is drawing out His overcomers. He is drawing them unto Himself. The spiritual revival within the Catholic Church today is unparalleled in its history.
In the Vatican, several thousand charismatci Catholics gathered together in St. Peter's for mass, worshiping God, and singing some of the choruses from Calvary Chapel. Pope Paul encouraged these believers to receive all the spiritual gifts and to become4 more fervent in tehir worship of God. Then he surprised them all by ending his speech with "Praise the Lord!" God is moving by His Spirit within that system. I've been praying for that for years and I'm thrilled to see it.
Nonetheless, the history is still there. That we cannot deny."

Okay, for all the "Chucks" out there, who write books with possibly good intentions, but yet so misinformed about the C.C., I'm here to say "Thank God for the 2000 year history of ONE TRUE CATHOLIC AND APOSTOLIC CHURCH. THE GATES OF HELL HAVE NOT PREVAILED AND WILL NOT PREVAIL AGAINST HER." First of all, your claim in your book that there was no priesthood in the early Church is fallacious. From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

The one priesthood of Christ

1544 Everything that the priesthood of the Old Covenant prefigured finds its fulfillment in Christ Jesus, the "one mediator between God and men."[15] The Christian tradition considers Melchizedek, "priest of God Most High," as a prefiguration of the priesthood of Christ, the unique "high priest after the order of Melchizedek";[16] "holy, blameless, unstained,"[17] "by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified,"[18] that is, by the unique sacrifice of the cross.

1545 The redemptive sacrifice of Christ is unique, accomplished once for all; yet it is made present in the Eucharistic sacrifice of the Church. The same is true of the one priesthood of Christ; it is made present through the ministerial priesthood without diminishing the uniqueness of Christ's priesthood: "Only Christ is the true priest, the others being only his ministers."[19]

There were some good things about the Charismatic movement in the Church, you're correct. There were also grave atroscities against the 2nd Vatican Council documents by bishops and priests and lay people who took it upon themselves to start interpreting those documents to mean "anything goes" now. It was not only a "silly season" of the Church in many ways, but a sloppy season, and I dare to say, dangerous season.

Many wolves dressed in wooly coats crept in and wreaked havoc on many Catholics and many left the Church because of their sloppy theology. I know, because we left after only being involved in the Charismatic group for 2 + years. We left because the Truth was being abused and not being told. It is a fact that I was drawn away to a more pentecostal expression found in another fellowship where it was even more "lively" and the music was "better." I was shallow and I admit it. But I had no idea we were leaving Jesus's Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity either. I was ignorant of that fact. Just because guitars came on the scene and nifty bright artsy felt banners hung from the walls and ceilings in the new 'hip and with it' sanctuary, did little to keep seekers of the Truth there. The Truth, as it is being proclaimed now, had it been fully explained to me then, might have kept me there.

Then again, I was becoming more and more swayed against the CC. so maybe the grace was given and I ignored it and or I wasn't open enough to receive it. All I know is that it was so bland, compared to the church I'd been going to in California, that I longed for the real "Jesus Freak" songs, drums and amplifiers. I wanted to go where it was really rocking with louder electric guitars, not just the accoustic ones. So where does it end up, Chuck? It ends up making Church about "me and what I want. My tastes and my likes and dislikes" and that isn't good. That is when you're ripe for a sneak assault by the enemy. Where he can lead you on a rabbit trail or down a worm hole. You end up with "just me and my Jesus" and "nobody is going to tell me how and where I worship" attitude.

Hence every neighborhood mini mall or movie theater sprouts a fellowship, a "fun fabulous, fantastic, fellowship with Starbucks coffee and the lastest in "worship music." Hip, "with it" preachers who dress cool and talk even cooler! Bands that can really get the congregants "revved up" and then a 45 minute sermon (they have to talk that long because that's what the people pay them for and they need to get their money's worth.) Usually the message is always so great you want to buy the tape and listen to it again. I have a STACK of 'em in a drawer downstairs to prove it.

The messages were fine, in and of themselves, for the most part. There were kernels of truth but mostly certain scriptures, rather than taken in the whole context of a chapter or more. But these messages were NOT THE TRUTH, THE WHOLE TRUTH and NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH by any stretch of the imagination, Chuck. I notice you now claim that Calvary Chapel you started in the 70's, and your ministry, The Word Today, is teaching the whole Truth and nothing but the Truth. All the messages are simply different pastors' commentaries on the Word of God as THEY INTERPRET IT. Again, no authority, means NO AUTHORITY. Some might have trouble with the Pope, but yet, they have no trouble "being popes unto themselves." Who then should we believe is really RIGHT, Chuck? You? Why would it be you and not the pastor in the Baptist church? Or the Methodist church? Or the non-denominational independent little flock down the street? Do you see where I'm going with this?

Ecumenism is a great thing and should always be encouraged, but not at the expense of Truth being watered down to attract a crowd. It can become an idol, if that's the case. It's a wonderful thing to praise God with all Christians, it really is. However, if we're unfaithful to Catholic Church doctrine, or dogma as set forth by the Pope and the Magisterium, we are unfaithful to Jesus Christ Himself! He didn't start this Church in the70's, He instituted His Church 2000 years ago. He gave the hierarchy for that very reason, to keep the FLOCK SAFE from winds of strange and heretical doctrines. To be "hip" and to speak "evangelicalese" is not the goal of the Catholic Church Jesus established. To evangelize, yes. It was never the goal of Christ to attract as many followers as he could by becoming "indistinguishable" from the world. He was a radial, counter-cultural force, who overturned the tables of the money changers in the Temple and He watered down nothing! The followers who followed Him were following for the Truth they heard from Him and witnessed Him living in those 3 years. Those who were sick knew they needed what He offered them as their Great Physician.

There are many ex-Catholics, and lapsed Catholics, who are now part of, drawn to, or visiting evangelical churches and fellowships, who were either poorly catechised, or just didn't know their faith, or didn't care to learn it. They got swallowed up into the extremes of where the Charismatic movement, in some instances, found itself - in a place God did not direct them to go and with this attitude: "As long as you love the Lord, it doesn't matter where you go." Oh really? JESUS NEVER SAID THAT! IT DOES MATTER! To be a Catholic and to leave the Catholic Church is NOT A GOOD THING. GOD NEVER LEADS ANYONE OUT OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH! Those who think He has led them out are believing a lie. That pervasive attitude did nothing but further divide the Body of Christ! That is not a happy commentary on the Charismatic movement of the 1970's. Happily, there are now approximately 200,000 people returning to the CC a year as reverts/converts. Many protestant ministers, pastors are delving into history and finding the need to "jump the Tiber."

You wrote that "the Holy Spirit is working in this system." Well, I hope so! But it's not a system He's working in at all. He's working in HIS CHURCH, which is not just another 'denomination.' It is the the Church Jesus built on Peter that has not swerved off the path on matters of faith and morals. That is why we have a Pope, and the magisterium. That is the Authority Jesus himself gave to the Church to preserve Her. And that he handed down to his apostles to hand down to their successors. It doesn't mean that wolves and enemy forces don't get in the door and deceive the some of the flock. It is a church made up of sinners afterall.

Not everything was wrong in the 70's and I'm not blaming any one priest or this or that group for our leaving. But MUCH went wrong when the pride of many took over and led others to believe that what the Church had condemned such as birthcontrol, was now "okay, as long as it didn't go against one's conscience." Holy Mother Church NEVER said it was okay to suddenly contracept. To do away with devotions, and to hardly see a rosary being prayed, except by "little old ladies" was a shame. (Thank God for those little old ladies praying the rosary! I might not be here if it weren't for their devoted prayers!) The Church has never said it's okay to make up the rules as you go. She never has allowed women to be priests and never will. She never said, "Play rock and roll and they will come!" She is now cleaning up the house, and sacred Tradition and Orthodox teaching are coming back in a cleansing tide! Many children of Vatican II parents are coming back into the Church for the same reason their parents left or "dissented"... Tradition and Orthodoxy! In plain English - TRUTH. That is what brought us back to the Catholic Church and what will keep us here for the rest of our lives and to join Her, we pray, in Heaven.

I "did it my way" as far as my faith journey went, for 30 years, Chuck. I did learn and grow to some extent in the good churches we were part of, but in a way, I also drifted farther from God and more into myself, since the focus was on externals and "my tastes." The Eucharist, the reverent, holy, liturgical beauty, that so many independent fellowships have no regard for,(and still protest against) is what drew our hearts.
The beauty in Catholic worship, the art, the music, (though not a rock band) is sublime. The churches are built and crafted for the purpose of drawing one toward heaven, to "ascend" to the Holy, to be inspired toward goodness and the things of God. The crucifix reminds us always of the Love of God for us. To have an empty cross is better than no cross at all, yet somehow, without our Lord on that cross, we might have a tendency to "forget the cost" of the forgiveness we cherish. And to remember that living our faith will cost us and we WILL SUFFER as our Lord said. The statues are "helps" and reminders of our brothers and sisters that have lived and gone on to Heaven and who are praying for our souls to fight the good fight and cross the finish line. None of the art, or the statues are worshiped.

Not that everything I did or got involved in was bad, but the focus was on "me" not Jesus. I heard and learned much about Jesus and heard parts the "good news," but it all falls far short of the FULLNESS of TRUTH found in the Catholic Church. It's not about the music, or how eloquent the priest's homily is, or the videos they might show, but it's about the Eucharist. The bible alone doesn't cut it. It was never meant to be elevated entirely without sacred Tradition. Certainly not everyone's own interpretations of scripture, to the point where we now have over 30,000 denominations in America! Jesus established A CHURCH, not manythousands of disagreeable churches. I know you're a man that loves the Lord,but please, may I suggest you visit some links listed here on this blog and find out the TRUTH about the Catholic Church, before you drag Her Holy Name through a muddy melee of misguided notions.

The Church did not become "corrupt." That does not mean there were no bad popes or people in the Church. Peter denied Christ, but yet, regained his chair. We do not worship Mary. We honor her as Christ honored and still does honor HIS MOTHER. We do not worship or pray to idols. We do not pray to the dead. The Saints are more alive than we are! They're praying for us. We did NOT ADD books to the Old Testament. Luther took them out! He also wanted to remove James and Hebrews and a few others! The arrogant tone the "facts" in your book are stated with, speaks more about you than it does the 'system' you were, and maybe still are, hoping will become "saved" one day. Though you may not have meant your words to sound that way, they do. Who is your authority? The bible? The bible doesn't even claim that anywhere. Are you your own authority? If so, remember, so was Jim Jones, and so was David Koresh. They were "bible believing Christians" who just interpreted the bible "their own way." I pray you are not still spreading these lies. I know your intent was not malicious, but it's very damaging just the same. You'd not even have a bible to read or believe in if it weren't for the Catholic Church, so do remember that and maybe we can praise the Lord together sometime . . .at Mass! Again, I can only say, "Thank God for history!" TRUTH WILL OUT! It always does. And one final thought, if you would take the time to read the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Chuck,you will understand and perhaps remedy the erroneous "facts" you've written and believed in for all these many years. God bless.
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Sunday, July 02, 2006

One True Church?

Bishop Fulton J. Sheen

If I were not a Catholic, and were looking for the true Church in the world
today, I would look for the one Church which did not get along well with the
world. In other words, I would look for the Church, which the world hates.

My reason for doing this would be that if Christ is in any one of the churches of the world today, He must still be hated, as He was when He was on earth in the flesh.

If you would find Christ today, then find the Church that does not get along with the world. Look for the Church which is accused of being behind the times, as Our Lord was accused of being ignorant and never having learned.

Look for the Church which men sneer at as socially inferior, as they sneered at Our Lord because He came from Nazareth.

Look for the Church which is accused of having a devil, as Our Lord was accused of being possessed by Beelzebub, the Prince of Devils.

Look for the Church which, in seasons of bigotry, men say must be destroyed in the name of God as men crucified Christ and thought they had done a service to God.

Look for the Church which the world rejects because it claims to be infallible, as Pilate rejected Christ because He called Himself the Truth.

Look for the Church which amid the confusions of conflicting opinions, its members love as they love Christ, and respect its Voice as the very voice of its Founder, and the suspicion will grow, that if the Church is unpopular with the spirit of the world, then itis unworldly, and if it is unworldly, it is other-worldly. Since it is other-worldly it is infinitely loved and infinitely hated as was Christ
Himself. But only that which is Divine can be infinitely hated and infinitely loved. Therefore, the Church is Divine"

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The Church Jesus established:

TRUE CHURCH

Catholic Church History Facts

When did the Church established by Jesus Christ get the name Catholic?

Christ left the adoption of a name for His Church to those whom he commissioned to teach all nations. Christ called the spiritual society He established, "My Church" (Mt. xvi, 18), "the Church" (Mt. xviii, 17).

In order to have a distinction between the Church and the Synagogue and to have a distinguishing name from those embracing Judaic and Gnostic errors we find St. Ignatius (50-107 AD) using the Greek word "Katholicos" (universal) to describe the universality of the Church established by Christ. St. Ignatius was appointed Bishop of Antioch by St. Peter, the Bishop of Rome. It is in his writings that we find the word Catholic used for the first time. St. Augustine, when speaking about the Church of Christ, calls it the Catholic Church 240 times in his writings.

St. Ignatius of Antioch, disciple of the Apostle John, concerning the heretics of his day wrote: "They have abstained from the Eucharist and prayer, because they do not confess that the Eucharist is the flesh of Our Savior Jesus Christ."

St. Justin Martyr, another Church Father of the second century wrote: "This food is known among us as the Eucharist... We do not receive these things as common bread and common drink; but as Jesus Christ our Savior, being made flesh by the Word of God."

"Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you shall not have life in you. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has life everlasting and I will raise Him up on the last day. For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed" (John 6:54-56) "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" they argued. (John 6:53) "And whilst they were at supper, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and broke: and gave to his disciples, and said: Take ye, and eat. THIS IS MY BODY. And taking the chalice, he gave thanks, and gave to them, saying: Drink ye all of this. FOR THIS IS MY BLOOD." (cf. Matt. 26:26-28; Mark 14:22-24; Luke 22:19-20).

In the most unequivocal language the Apostles affirmed that the bread and wine duly consecrated on the altar did in fact become the actual Substance of the Savior. Declared the Apostle Paul: "The chalice of benediction which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? And the bread which we break, is it not the partaking of the body of the Lord?" (1 Cor. 10:16)

....Receive ye the Holy Ghost. Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained." (John 20:19-23). "Amen I say to you, whatsoever you shall bind upon earth, shall be bound also in heaven; and whatsoever you shall loose upon earth, shall be loosed also in heaven." (Matt. 18:18) "Take heed to yourselves, and to the whole flock, wherein the Holy Ghost hath placed you bishops, to rule the church of God ..." (Acts. 20:28) "And when they had ordained to them priests in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, in whom they believed." (Acts 14:22). " He that heareth you, heareth me; and he that despiseth you, despiseth me; and he that despiseth me, despiseth Him that sent me." - Luke 10:16

Catholic Church is the church most united in Christ. The spectacle of one billion Catholics, three-fifths of all professed Christians, perfectly, indomitably united in belief, in organization, and in worship - the historical fact that Catholics, consistently the largest body of Christians in the world, have always been thus perfectly united - was evidence nobody can not ignore. Here is the unity of Bible prophecy - nowhere else on the Christian scene was there a unity nearly so compact, nearly so long-lived. Nowhere else on the Christian scene was there a unity so obviously permanent.

Wrote the great St. Cyprian in the third century: "God is one and Christ is one, and one is His Church, and the faith is one, and one His people welded together by the glue of concord into a solid unity of body. Unity cannot be rent asunder, nor can the one body of the Church, through the division of its structure, be divided into separate pieces" (St. Cyprian, On the Unity of the Church, chap 23).

Like His glorified body in Heaven, Christ's Mystical Body on earth never was and never will be a disjoined body. St. Paul said, a member of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones. (Eoh. 5:30) ...Sanctify them in truth. Thy word is truth. ...That they all may be one, as thou, Father, in me, and I in thee; that they also may be one in us... I in them, and thou in me; that they maybe made perfect in one." (John 17:1-23).

You can see in Sacred Scripture that Christ's true church is not the "learning" church but is manifestly a TEACHING church. Moreover, it is evident that Christ's true church is an INFALLIBLE teacher, never liable to teach false doctrine "All power is given to me in heaven and in earth. Going therefore, teach ye all nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching then to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world." (Matt.28:18-20). "As the Father hath sent me, I also send you." (John 20:21). Here again is a clear, unmistakable reference to the teaching mission of His Church; for here He is telling the Apostles that they had fallen heir to His own teaching mission. His Church was to be no less of a teacher than He was.

Here is another evidence that Catholic Church is an INFALLIBLE teacher, never liable to teach false doctrine: "These things have I spoken to you, abiding with you. But the Paraclete, the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring all things to your mind, whatsoever I shall have said to you. ... when the Paraclete cometh, whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceedeth from the Father, he shall give testimony of me. And you shall give testimony, because you are with me from the beginning." (John 14:25-26; 15:26-27).

Compiled by Rafael Brom from: "True Church", "Radio Replies" by Fr. Chas. M. Carty & Rev. Dr. L. Rumble, M.S.C. and "Confession of a Roman Catholic" by Paul Whitcomb, a former Protestant Minister. Published by TAN Books and Publishers, Inc. Available in Apologetics Sections of marianland.com

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Saturday, June 24, 2006

Saint John - Creighton University

Last Sunday, after the Corpus Christi procession, Rich and I went to Creighton University to see this magnificent cathedral. I'd never been there before so it was a real blessing to see the beauty on such a clear and bright day. We love taking photographs of churches and have taken many in small towns and rural areas of eastern Nebraska and some in west central Nebraska. We take many a day trip or weekend jaunt to these prairie gems. When we travel on vacation we make sure we get photos of churches in the towns we visit or drive through on our way to our destination. Posted by Picasa
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Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Welcome Reverts/Converts to the Catholic Church


RECON: what is it?
It's how some wonderful words begin such as: Reconcile, Reconcilation, Reconfirm,Reconnect, Reconvene, Reconstruct, Reconnassaisance.

The idea for starting RECON came to me from a convert who recently called The Doctor Is In radio program and asked Dr. Ray the best way to share his love for the Church with others. He was experiencing less than enthusiastic responses from some people he hoped to persuade to accept his entering C.C. I certainly could relate to his new-found zeal! He was received into the Church this past Easter and was obviously very glad, but was finding expressing this obvious happiness to a few people and some in his family, more difficult than he'd anticipated. Dr. Ray told him to temper his zeal with some people, since not everyone will share his enthusiasm about his return to the Catholic Church.

How I wish I'd have had heard that sage advice a year and a half ago when in my zealousness via e-mails, I seemed to have confused some and even ruffled some feathers of others inadvertently. I was somewhat disheartened to find a few weren't ready to hear about my love for Our Mother,Mary, the Rosary and the Communion of Saints. Here I was, extremely happy and finally at peace to have found the Fullness of Truth that I'd been searching for during my entire Christian walk of 30+ years, yet my enthusiasm seemed to fall on "deaf ears" with those who I'd shared my Christian journey with closely up to this point.

I love, repsect and cherish my dear friends in other fellowships and it's my hope that one day we can all be Catholic, as Jesus prayed for us all to be one as He and the Father are one, in St. John 17. It's not my aim to become anti-Protestant now that I'm Catholic. My family on my mother's side were and still are wonderfully devoted, devout Methodists who taught us Christian values and were pillars in their community. My father's side were Baptist and lived very devout Christian lives. I would NEVER say that they or others we have and hold as dear friends are not good Christians, so I hope nobody is coming to a misguided conclusion by my words written here. With that being said, when one seeks the FULLNESS of TRUTH, one will find it.

Over these many years, Rich and I received only kernels of truth, in various places taught by various pastors, who all taught something a little different from the others. That is what began to cause me some anxiety and confusion. It's why I'd sometimes even fail to go to church on some Sundays because there was no compelling reason to go. Good messages are good messages, but I was hungry for a FULL MEAL. What was missing was in the Church we'd left but I sure wasn't considering that for a moment. I did long for something that would give me more and help me stay on course, and a place where I could pour out my sins I was still committing (and still do commit.) That place is the confessional and the Food is the Eucharist, and that is not found anywhere else but the Catholic Church. Appetizers, though tasty and tempting, will never satisfy a hunry heart/soul to the fullest. I believe God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are NOT conflicted over doctrine, as some 30,000 + sects/denominations are now conflicted over doctrinal issues. As John Martignoni says (paraphrased) "They [the Trinity] may root for different sports teams, but they're in complete agreement regarding baptism!" No wonder the world has such trouble seeing Christ in us! How do they know we're Christians by our love when we are so divided? Jesus left us ONE CHURCH that the gates of hell have not and will not prevail against. She's stood the test of 2000 years. As John Henry Newman stated, "To go deep in history is to cease to be Prostestant." One only has to love history and start digging to find how true that statement is.

I can and do empathize with their confusion or even slight and possibly overt "dismay" they might feel. I would have felt the same, had it been one of them who returned to the BIG Church we'd all left for the more "free" and "lively" evangelical ones. Rich and I are now finding out how FREE and Full of LIFE one can truly be in the Catholic Church, under the authority and guidance of the magesterium. When children know their limits, they're confident, safe and truly free. When is a train most free? When it is on the tracks - not off of them trying to "blaze a trail." When is a fish most free? When it's in water - not on dry land. We'd been fish on the sand for years and didn't even realize it! You can only know how starved you are and have been when you finally eat of the BREAD OF LIFE! The EUCHARIST is found NOWHERE else. IT IS THE BREAD OF LIFE. Jesus HIMSELF! Priest and victim Lamb. He feeds his flock HIS FLESH, and it is the most glorious thing this side of Heaven to participate in the on-going sacrifice of Calvary daily re-presented, unbloody, but just as real! To dine with all the Saints in Heaven at the Bride Groom's banquet! Where Christ's body, blood, soul and divinity are offered and given for the Life of the world! Heaven bends and kisses Earth at EVERY SINGLE MASS. There are books and dvd's titled Why Be Catholic? They're great, by the way - we have them and listen to them often. I guess my question would be this: "Why NOT be Catholic?!"

While that caller and Dr. Ray were talking, I thought outloud and asked the Lord at the same time: "Wouldn't it be great if reverts and converts had a place to gather that was safe, supportive and where that exuberance we all share wouldn't have to be tempered?" I prayed for God to make it clear to me what that could mean. The word 'reconnaissance' kept coming to mind. Many of us have come back Home or are entering the Catholic Church for the first time. We find a vast new territory that is challenging and so different from where we've been. We need to survey this territory and get an overview of this "new land" and where each of us fit into His Church. It can appear very daunting to find where we can assimilate ourselves, our talents and our gifts. Plus, as sad as it is, many of us have lost or may potentially lose some friends and even family members by returning the the Catholic Church.

Reconnaissance was a little too long a word, however, for "marketing" purposes, so with the help of a friend at our local Catholic radio station, where I volunteer, [KVSS Spirit 88.9 FM] we decided to shorten it to RECON to keep it easy to remember, not to mention easier to spell. The fact that so many healing words begin with those 5 letters is all a part of our goal and desire for this fellowship.

Have you recently returned to the Catholic Church?

Have you recently converted to the Catholic Church?

Are you a "cradle Catholic" who would like to learn more about the Faith and grow with others who are just as excited to be Catholic as you are?

RECON is a newly forming support group where reverts and converts to the Catholic Church can gather to share the joys and struggles they’ve encountered as they've returned Home or entered the Church for the first time. Right now, it's just in the "embryonic" stage, but we will have a room at our parish, St. Robert Bellarmine in Omaha, to meet this coming Fall. We hope to meet soon at the Holy Family Shrine with a few converts and seekers. We can certainly "e-meet" on line for now. If you're reading this, we already have "e-met." The need for fellowship and support is great and the goals of RECON are to meet that need, to offer loving support, and to enjoy fun events as well. We’ll encourage each other to grow in our faith and learn how to best share, in and with charity, the Fullness of Truth with others in our lives.

When Rich and I came back to the Church in Dec. 2004, we found that it was somewhat lonely. We'd been used to a small neighborhood fellowship that our large Evangelical church had offered. Doughnut Sundays are great and we were bold enough to try to make aquaintances there, but the time doesn't allow for long visits and people usually don't linger after they've had a cup or two of coffee. We don't often see those people again or recall their names if we do see them again.

We did find the classes offered, such as the apologetics class, were a good way to meet people and learn about the faith. However, they only last a few weeks or 2 -3 months. It's our hope RECON will be a bridge to link people to activities or classes that they would find the most suited to their needs and will be an ongoing group that won't end in the summer. It is our vision that this group will be a "core group" to make the large Church small. A place where community can be formed to foster quality friendships, and offer a way to network with others to find where each person's gift/talents can best be placed in the Catholic Church to further the New Evangelization of our beloved Pope, John Paul II.

We hope to also enjoy fun events such as hiking, picnics, game nights, camping, canoeing, etc. Though this is for Omahans right now we welcome others around the area and e-mails from anyone from other parishes in Omaha, or throughout the U.S. that could benefit by this type of support group. We also welcome cradle Catholics as we would cherish what perspective they might bring to us neophytes in the Faith. We all have much to learn from each other.

If you'd like to establish a RECON group in your parish please send us an e-mail. We'll be glad to help in any way we can. We will post our meeting time and room # when the logistics get confirmed. With Father Shane's blessing, and the guidance of Msgr. Dunne, this group will be under way soon. We will abide by the Catholic Church and her doctrine, for the Church is the pillar and bulwark of Truth as we know, not the bible. Whatever materials we might read or view as a group, will also be under that same authority. We've no desire to form this group and "go our own way" so you can be assured of our intention to remain under the Church's guidance. Perhaps we could go to dinner or meet you at a central location, such as The Holy Family Shrine on I-80 at the Gretna exit 232. It's a great place to gather and has a kitchen we could use if we'd need it. I volunteer there once a week on Tuesday afternoons. The Shrine will have extended hours on Mon. Thurs. and Saturdays for the summer months June- Sept until sunset, so that might be an option for us.

Grace and peace to you,

Rich and Susie Melkus

Contact us:
RECON@tconl.com

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