Did Catholics Corrupt the Church That Jesus Founded? | K. Albert Little

Did Catholics Corrupt the Church That Jesus Founded? | K. Albert Little    I don't think so.  Read the linked article.

What's right with the Church?

One, holy, apostolic, and catholic, for one.



What's right with the Church?: Read the article from the Pilot, the newspaper for the Archdiocese of Boston.







Father Jack performing a baptism.

Why I'm Still Catholic In Spite of It All

At first, I thought I couldn't write a post about why I'm still Catholic because my reason is only one word--Eucharist.  It's one word; not even a sentence; certainly not a post.  But I meditated for a few days and came up with lots of reasons.  Let me count the reasons:

1.  Eucharist.  I believe Jesus said what He means.  I don't think He was kidding.  I don't think He was speaking symbolically because He turned a lot of people off.  They left because what He was saying was disgusting.

Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you do not have life within you.  Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.  For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.  John 6:53-56

and a few verses later His disciples said: This saying is hard; who can accept it?    John 6: 60

As a result of this, many [of] his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him.  Jesus then said to the Twelve, "Do you also want to leave?"  Simon Peter answered him, "Master, to whom shall we go?  You have the words to eternal life.  John 6: 66-68

2.  Catholic Church.  The Catholic Church is universal and as such reminds me of a mother.  Within the church are conservatives, liberals, those who like Latin Masses, those who like liturgical dance, African music at Mass, quiet Eucharist Adoration, etc.  A mother may have children who are unschooled, well educated, talented, sick, healthy, in prison, exalted, etc.  A mother loves all her children.  Mother Church embraces us all.

3.  History.  The history of the Church is a history of civilization.  It is debatable whether history shaped the church or vice versa.  But it's fascinating, both the good and the bad.

4.  Catholic social teaching.  The Catholic Church educates, treats the sick, and offers more relief services than any other religion or social organization.

5.  Mass.  I love our liturgical ceremonies.

6-7-8-9-10-....sacraments, Mary, saints, traditions, art, architecture, music, poetry, beauty...

Where else could I go?    

A Church Full of Sinners

Aleteia has an article which reminded me of an incidence with the mother of a friend.  The article is about people criticizing Catholics as "bad" people:

Renaissance cardinals who have mistresses
Catholic mobsters
Catholics are drunkards
Catholic girls are "loose"
Catholic boys are petty criminals
etc..

Yet, these "bad" Catholics wear large crucifixes around their necks and have statues of Mary on their front lawn.

The author, David Mills, converted to Catholicism essentially because of people with "logs in their eyes."  (Matt 7: 5)  His former religion had its share of "bad" people, also, but they didn't acknowledge it.

Anyway, I remember my own Protestant friend had a mother who was very anti-Catholic.  We were discussing this very fact.  People go to church to straightened out their lives.  Don't sick people go to doctors to get well?  Well, spiritually sick people go to church to get well.

However, there's a joke that builds on this idea:

I don't go to church.   
Why?
It's full of sinners!

She didn't get it.

Laetamur Magnopere

Don't ask me why, but in helping the catechumens make up a Catholic trivia game, I happened to be using the glossary in the back of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.  I flipped to the front of the book and read the Apostolic Letter in which the edition of the catechism I was using was approved.
It is called Laetamur Magnopere, written by Pope John Paul II.

I read it.  That's what I meant by my opening statement: "Don't ask me why?"

I just love our Catholic Church.  It is so rich in teaching, history, spiritual  and spiritual exegisis.  There's no end to what you can learn.  I am just amazed how everything relates to each other.

In Laetamur Magnopere I learned that in 1993, Pope John Paul II appointed Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger to preside over an Interdicasterial Commission to prepare a revised version of the first catechism.  Do you know who this Cardinal is?  He became pope--Pope Benedict XVI.

I was also surprised that in 1997, the year Laetamur Magnopere was written, Pope John Paul II wrote, "...an extraordinary commitment to evangelization is urgently needed so that everyone can know and receive the Gospel message and thus grow...".  Evangelization, evangelization, evangelization, and evangelization!  That's today's rallying cry.  And this was three popes ago!

There's another document after Laetamur Magnopere in this edition of the catechism.  What will I learn from this one?  Stay tuned.

The Catholic Church Wins the Race

There were a lot of turtles and frogs in the lily pond, in the Garden in the Woods.  The turtles, or rather the environment, put me in a meditative mood.

Did you know that turtles have been around since the dinosaurs, millions of years ago?  They seem so placid, like the tale of the tortoise and hare: "slow and steady win the race."  They aren't flashy, but they're valuable.

Kind of like the Catholic Church.  Evangelical or charismatics may seek out flashier churches.  Some want more modern, current, new churches.  But "slow and steady (and true) win the race.

Whatever one wishes the Catholic Church to change into, is irrelevant.  What will win the race is the fact that the Catholic Church has the Eucharist.  From the Last Supper, to today's Mass, it's always the same truth.  That's what will win the race.

Spiritual Direction Catholic Style

Blessing

There was an article in today's Boston Globe about spiritual direction becoming more common.  It seems that since the culture today is not church-going, that need that all humans have for God, is not fulfilled.  That need for love.  That need to be loved.  That need to make sense of life.  That draw towards something.  That something that is ingrained in our genes.  That ineffable feeling that searches for meaning, love, wisdom, God.  St. Catherine of Siena, in her Dialogue would remind us:
"The human heart is always drawn by love." Dialogue 26

People today don't think the answer is in church, I guess.  Why would 20 centuries of traditional answers be smarter than they are?

Another reason, I am glad I'm Catholic.  All you have to do is make an appointment with a priest, to get spiritual direction.  And priest do it for free.  We Catholics get some spiritual direction in Confession.  In confession it would be narrow focused, but all you would have to do is ask the Confessor for an appointment for more time,  to discuss your concerns.  It's that easy.  Call the rectory.  Make an appointment.

Tabernacle Thomas Aquinas Priory

As a Catholic I am surrounded by spiritual fulfillment.  That's what our sacraments are for.  The Eucharist feeds us spiritually.  The outward appearance of the sacraments: water, wine, bread, salt, oil, blessings, hit me in the eyes.  The prayers, chants, songs, liturgical music, hit my ears.  The readings, scripture, early church fathers, papal writings, hit my mind with beautiful language.  The smell of incense, oil, candles, hit my nose.  The taste of the Eucharist: bread and wine, hits my soul through my mouth.  The feel of my brothers and sisters' kiss of peace hits my heart, with this early sign of Christianity.  I even love the debates and arguments of our theologians.  The governance of my pastor, bishops, and popes.  I love the struggles of our saints and martyrs.  I love the poetry of our poets.  I love the architecture of the different expressions   of worship in our church buildings. I love everything about the Catholic Church.

The Catholic Church embodies the presence of Christ.  Yes, God is everywhere.  But He's tangible in the Catholic Church.  His true presence lives there.  

The Purpose of the Church

St. Joseph's, Spencer, MA

Have you ever noticed how everyone kind of fits God into their own personality?    "Tight  ass" people have a "tight ass" God, and "laid back" people have a "laid back" God.  MMMmmmmm.   God is God.  But we each experience God differently.  God is constant Himself; it's us.  I guess it's because we all have different personalities, so we each experience God differently.

Think back as a child, and I suppose as an adult, who first becomes aware of God.  The God we envisioned was One we could love.  How we see God changes through the years as we change and come to know the one true God more and more as God is, and not as each one experiences God--at least we're aware of the possibility that our religious experience has grown.  

Ultimately, God can never be fully understood.  What we think and say about God tells us more about ourselves, than God.  (Yikes!  I'm a kaleidoscope!)  

Wait a minute.  Wait just one minute!

Don't we know of God's existence and presence only by what God has chosen to reveal to us?

So it's up to God.   ?????

I think I need a spiritual director.

This is where I see the purpose of the Church.  The Church is our only assurance of a universal idea of God.  And even if the Church only ensures an orthodoxy of concepts, it's at least something other than my own crazy ideas.  The Church reveals our God.  But the living God who is experienced is in a sense still my God.

Jewish View of the Catholic Church

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