A Testimony to God's Grace [ex-nun's true story]

I joined the Roman Catholic Church because I was looking for God. I entered the convent because I wanted to be close to God and to serve Him with radical devotion. But it wasn't until after I left Catholicism that I found the kind of relationship with God that I had been looking for all along. You can read about it in my poems.

My pastor and my father have both advised me not to give out personal information. This biography is an attempt to share my heart and my life within the framework of their advice.

I started out as a "liberal" intellectual who was prejudiced against Christianity. I had been taught to believe that Christians were gullible people who were either stupid or uneducated. I was basically an agnostic who didn't know or care whether God existed. For me, the idea of God was irrelevant. I looked to science, psychology, and politics to save mankind from its problems.

During my senior year in high school, I fell in love with a young man who was a devout Catholic. That was my first encounter with someone who strongly believed in God. I may have met Christians before that, but they didn't make their Christian beliefs known to me.

This young man prayed. He loved God. He was a man of principle and integrity. His life was guided by his religious beliefs. He had hope. He had a kind of compassion and respect for people that I had not seen before. There was something different about him. I didn't know what it was, but whatever it was, I wanted it. I figured that it had something to do with his religion, so I started taking instruction in Catholicism. The young man moved away and I didn't see him again, but I continued studying Catholicism.

During my first year of college I majored in biology. I also studied French and Latin. I went to a local priest every week for instruction. Under his direction, I studied many books including the "Baltimore Catechism" and biographies of well known modern Catholics. This was in the days of the Latin Mass, before there was a formal catechumen program. When I returned home for the summer, I found another priest to continue my instruction.

I was unable to return to college the following year. I found another priest to instruct me. For several years I continued to study with that priest, while working to earn money for college. The priest gave me more books to study including a series of booklets on Scripture. (There was a booklet for each book of the Bible. On each page, the top half of the page contained Scripture and the bottom half contained a Catholic commentary about those portions of Scripture.)

My job was close to a Catholic Church, and I went to Mass during lunch hour. I prayed for God to give me faith. I was praying even though I wasn't sure that God existed. My very first prayer was, "God, if You're out there, show me." I didn't take communion because I wasn't a Catholic. I only said as much of the Apostles Creed as I actually believed. It was a long time before I could even say the opening phrase, "I believe in God".

After several years I was baptized a Roman Catholic. Soon afterwards, my brother also became a Catholic. His instruction was through group classes. I attended those classes with him. I was hungry to learn anything that I could about God.

I went to a Catholic college and majored in Religious Education. My classes on Scripture taught a lot of modern "higher criticism," and some of my Religious Education teachers taught things that seemed to be contrary to the official teachings of the Catholic Church. I found a conservative priest and I checked teachings out with him to see if they were the official teaching of the Catholic Church. Because I no longer trusted the teachings of the Religious Education department, I changed majors.

When I entered the convent, I was careful to choose a conservative one which followed the official teachings of the Catholic Church. My training for religious life included studying the documents of the Second Vatican Counsel, other books relating to Catholic doctrine, and biographies of well known saints.

I spent over two years as a postulant and a novice. This was a time of testing for the leaders of the convent, and for me, to decide whether or not I should make vows. My mother superior had some questions about my calling, and she and the leadership decided that I should not remain in the convent. I left the convent on good terms and have occasionally been in contact with the sisters since then.

Our mother superior was very careful about which priests she allowed to say Mass at our convent. We had priests who were loyal to God and to the Catholic Church. They believed the Bible. They were faithful men.

When I left the convent and went to live with my parents, I couldn't find priests like that. The local priests seemed to have little faith and little loyalty, either to God or to the Catholic Church. I remember one Mass where the homily (a short sermon) was so distressing that I left in tears. I stayed outside, weeping. But then I went back in, in order to take communion. I tried every Catholic church in town, but I couldn't find a good priest.

I vividly remember a priest who spoke about Luke 7:38-50. This was the time when Jesus ate in the home of a Pharisee and a woman came and wept and washed Jesus' feet with her tears, and dried them with her hair, and anointed them with ointment. The Pharisee was critical. Jesus told him that he had not washed Jesus' feet, but the woman did. He had not greeted Jesus with a kiss, but the woman kissed his feet. The Catholic priest said that this event must not have really happened, because it would be rude for a guest to say something like that to his host, and Jesus would never have been rude. This illustrates an attitude towards Scripture which I encountered with a number of priests. It was very distressing.

Meanwhile, my parents had become Christians. They had joined a little Methodist church where the pastor believed the Bible and loved the people. Because the local Catholic churches were distressing, I started doing the splits. I went to early morning Mass (out of duty) and then I attended the Methodist church. When my parents joined another Scripturally based Protestant church, I followed them there, while still attending early morning Mass on Sundays. I did the splits for years.

I made myself go to Mass out of duty. But I went to my parents' church eagerly. I learned exciting things about the Bible there. I sang songs that stirred my soul. I took classes that made me more and more hungry for Scripture. I got to know people who were enthusiastic about God. I learned that Biblical principles really work, and that they make a significant practical difference in real life situations.

As I learned more about the Bible, I began to realize that some Catholic teachings are contrary to Scripture. This was disturbing, but I kind of pushed those contradictions to the back of my mind and didn't deal with them. They made me uneasy, but I wasn't emotionally able to handle the idea that there might be something wrong with the Catholic Church.

My brother was a devout Catholic. He assisted the priests at Mass for many years. He lived several hours' drive away from us. We had a tradition that on Easter and Christmas, he would come visit and we would go to Midnight Mass together.

One Christmas, at Midnight Mass, the priest taught that the Christmas story as presented in the Bible is basically a pious fairy tale to make people feel good, but it has nothing to do with reality. My brother got so angry that he wanted to jump up and shout, "Are we here to celebrate it or to debate it?"

The next day, we went to church with our parents. The pastor there told us that Daniel had been in charge of the "wise men" of Babylon (magi). Therefore, they knew about Baalam's prophecy that the King of the Jews would be heralded by a star. Their religion included watching the stars for signs. So when they saw the special star, they realized that it signaled the coming of this special King of the Jews. Also, one of their functions was to decide who the valid king was if there was a controversy about it. So when they came to confirm that Jesus was truly the King of the Jews, they were fulfilling their official function.

Needless to say, the contrast was striking. And troubling. I did a lot of praying after that. By the following Easter, I had left the Catholic Church and joined my parents' church.

I didn't know what to tell my brother and his wife, because they were coming to visit at Easter, and I did not want to go to Midnight Mass with them. We had a long, awkward telephone conversation. Then I finally told them. They started laughing. They had also left the Catholic Church, and were in the process of visiting different churches, trying to find a church home.

There was a prayer that had a major impact on my life, but I don't remember the exact words. When I prayed it, I was crying and I didn't know why. And afterwards, things were different, but it's hard to put into words. The prayer was something like this:

"Jesus, I want to know You. Please reveal Yourself to me and make the Bible come alive for me. I want to be clean and start over again. Please forgive my sins. Wash them away and set me free. I want to live right. Please change my heart. Help me love what You love, and turn away from things that displease You. You know what's best for me. I want to do things Your way. Please be the Lord of my life. Teach me to love the way You love. Help me be faithful to You. Thank You for loving me and for hearing this prayer. Thank You for being my Lord and my Savior."

Since then I have been struggling with issues related to Catholicism. The papers that I have written have emerged from that struggle.

In addition to being a former nun, I am also a widow. My husband and I were very close, and his death introduced me to a level of emotional pain that I didn't know was possible. The articles which I have written about finding God's comfort during times of adversity were born out of my own experience.

My testimony is not unusual. A number of former Catholics have written me sharing how they found a living, personal relationship with God when they became born-again, Bible-believing, Protestants.

Some ex-Catholics read my testimony and wrote to me, wanting to be sure that Jesus Christ is my Lord and my Savior. (He is.) An ex-nun befriended me. Two former priests gave me wise counsel. Other ex-Catholic friends have shared their hearts, their wisdom, and valuable information. I am deeply grateful for these people. May the Lord bless them for their kindness.

Your Word brings life to save my soul. Your Truth brings light to make me whole.

I was in religious life for a little over two years. I was a novice but I never made vows. A novice is someone who has entered a religious order and has been given a habit. He or she undergoes training and "religious formation" in preparation for taking vows. (There are novice monks as well as novice nuns.)

Some people have asked me why I call myself a former nun when I never made vows. According to "The Catholic Encyclopedia," if a monk or a nun has been accepted by a religious order (which I was) and has been given a religious habit (which I wore), then he or she is a monk or a nun in the broad sense of the term. [Note 1] So I refer to myself as a former nun.

Some people have asked me what I believe. In describing my beliefs, I am going to avoid technical terms. I am also going to avoid the issues about which different Protestant churches disagree, such as church government, form of worship, details about the Second Coming of Christ, and the relationship between predestination and free will.

I believe many things which are not in this summary. If I tried to go into them all, this would become too long and cumbersome. I am only going to mention some key areas. If I fail to mention something which you consider to be a foundational Christian doctrine, that does not necessarily mean that I don't believe it. It just means that I didn't mention it.

I believe in the three "solas" of the Protestant Reformation. We are saved by faith alone (not faith plus works). We are saved by faith in Jesus alone (not Jesus plus something else). Our rule of faith is the Bible alone (not the Bible plus tradition or other writings).

Saving faith is demonstrated by loving and obeying God, and by doing good works. These are the results of salvation, not the cause of it.

Christianity works for all Christians under all circumstances. There are some countries where Christians are severely persecuted. In these countries, Bibles are scarce, and Christians are not able to meet publicly. Some Christians have been put in prison for their faith, without Bibles, and often without being able to see fellow Christians. If Christians do not have Bibles to guide them and encourage them, then God has other ways of guiding them and strengthening them. God is not limited by our circumstances.

It is valuable to have Bibles and pastors and teachers and church meetings. If they are available, then we should benefit from them as much as possible. But if those things are not available, then God is powerful enough to enable us to live godly lives without them. Jesus promised us that the Holy Spirit would guide us into all truth (John 16:13) and teach us "all things" (John 14:26). God is able to keep us from falling. (Jude 1:24)

I believe in the authority and the accuracy of the Bible. I believe that it is the inspired Word of God. Jesus said that the Father showed Him what to say. (John 12:49) Surely our God is capable of doing the same thing for the men who wrote the books of the Bible.

Through the Bible, God shows us His nature and His character. He shows us what we should believe and how we should live. We need to test everything against Scripture. We also need to ask God to help us understand Scripture, to reveal Himself to us through the Bible, and to help us live according to His Word.

Ordinary people can understand the Bible. We don't have to rely on experts or church officials. The basic principles are simple enough for a child to understand. But the Bible is so rich that a brilliant scholar can spend a lifetime studying it and still not understand everything in it.

I believe that every Christian can have a personal relationship with God. We all have direct access to Him. We don't have to rely on professionals, church officials, and other special people.

I believe in the Atonement. Jesus died to save us from our sins. I believe in the Resurrection. Jesus literally rose from the dead and He now has a glorified body. He is in Heaven with the Father, and He is interceding for us. I believe in the Second Coming. Jesus will come back again.

I believe that at the end of all things, we will all stand before the judgment seat of Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:10; John 5:22; Romans 14:10) Talking about judgment is not popular these days, but it's in the Bible. When Judgment Day comes, we will want to be numbered with the Redeemed, the Saved, those whose sins have been forgiven. Even then, our works will be tested by fire. (1 Corinthians 3:11-15)

I believe in the Trinity. There is only one God. But there is the Father, the Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit. I believe in the Incarnation. Jesus Christ is truly God and truly man. Jesus was miraculously conceived by God. Mary was still a virgin when Jesus was born.

I don't understand how this works. But even the Apostle Paul had things that he didn't understand. Paul often spoke about mysteries that are beyond our understanding.

Even in the physical world, there are many things which we can't understand. According to the laws of aerodynamics, hummingbirds and bumble bees should not be able to fly. But they do. Scientists are studying them in hopes of gaining new understanding about aerodynamics, and developing new forms of aircraft. There is an animal called a platypus which is warm blooded, lays eggs, and nurses its babies. It looks and acts like a cross between a mammal and a lizard. Everything is made of atoms. Atoms have a nucleus of protons and neutrons, and there are electrons that go around the nucleus. The protons are positive. Neutrons are magnetically neutral. And electrons are negative. Have you ever tried to take two magnets and hold the positive sides of them together? They push each other away. Yet here we have these protons all together in the nucleus of the atom. What holds them together? Scientists don't know.

The Atonement is another mystery. I believe that Jesus did it. The Bible gives me some understanding of why we desperately needed to have Him do it for us. But I cannot understand how He could love us enough to do it. How could Jesus love us so much that He was willing to be tortured to death for us? Especially when He knew that most people would not respond to Him and would not appropriate the salvation that He paid such a high price for. How could God the Father love us so much that he endured the agony of watching his beloved Son be crucified? God's love is beyond my comprehension.

I believe that faith in Jesus Christ is the only way that we can be saved. In the Garden of Gesthemane, Jesus prayed to the Father, begging His Father to spare Him from having to drink the cup of suffering. (Matthew 26:39; 26:42) If there was some other way to save us, don't you think that the Father would have told Jesus? Don't you think that Jesus and the Father both intensely wanted to find some other way to save us? But there was no other way. Jesus had to go through the indescribable agony of mocking, shame, abandonment, physical torture, and death in order to save us. And He was willing to do it for us.

If there was some other way, then why did Jesus suffer for us? If good works, or being nice, or sacraments, or devotion to Mary, or good intentions, or wearing the brown scapular, or non-Christian religions, or anything else would do the job, then Jesus didn't need to suffer for us. Nobody in their right mind would go through that kind of suffering if it wasn't absolutely necessary. And no loving father would allow their son to go through it if it could be avoided. There is no other way. That's why Jesus died for us.

I have a Biblical world view. I believe in a literal heaven and hell. I believe that the devil is real. I believe that angels and demons are real. And I believe that God intervenes in the lives of individuals and of nations in response to prayer. I believe that the healings and miracles and supernatural events of the Bible are real. They really happened. God did it then, and if He wants to, He can do it now. (If you want to see an example, read "God's Smuggler" by Brother Andrew. God supernaturally protected Brother Andrew when he was smuggling Bibles into Communist countries. I have also read and heard accounts of God supernaturally protecting modern Christians who were being persecuted.)

I live in America. Many people here no longer believe in a Biblical world view. It is interesting that two things are happening at the same time. Many modern Christians are abandoning their belief in the supernatural things which are described in the Bible. At the same time, belief in occult supernatural things is growing rapidly and is becoming more and more mainstream. Books, movies, and TV shows are full of it. Some colleges have courses in goddess worship, witchcraft, spell casting, and other occult things. The American military has Wiccan "chaplains".

But God can use all things, even the occult. I know a man who saw the movie "The Exorcist". He also read the book. It persuaded him that the devil is real. He decided that if the devil is real, then God must also be real. So he started reading the Bible to find out about God. This man eventually became a strong Christian.

Sorry for my delays in response - the real world does take priority ;-)

And again, the Encyclo. isn't "law" per se, but helpful as guidelines(?) in defining, explaining, or illuminating ideas or precepts? We might find some rough agreement on this?

Yet too, isn't the Encyclo. looked upon or used as a sort of codification? To help define things, who, what, how, even the "why", in such ways that conform to the traditions?

I agree the Encyclo. can be helpful to explain ideas and precepts, but it is not authoritiative. It is not any form of codification, any more than a commentary on the law by a learned Judge is. Now, it may be persuasive and correct, but it is not the final authority - it merely explains the final authority, in the given case, Canon Law, as I quoted from in post #112. In that post, I tried to move away from reliance on the Encyclo. and onto the actual laws of the Church.

From the Code:

Can. 654 By religious profession members make a public vow to observe the three evangelical counsels. Through the ministry of the Church they are consecrated to God, and are incorporated into the institute, with the rights and duties defined by law.

It is consecration that makes a member of the laity a religious - a nun. From your quote of the Encyclo:

Writers are not all agreed on the question whether the religious of other orders can properly be called regulars before solemn profession.

This quote seems to demonstrate there is some legitimate disagreement on whether or not they are regulars - the Canon Law indicates novices are not, as they are not bound by vows and are not concecrated. Further, the following quote you've chosen from the Encyclo. Novices: II. Juridical Condition is this line:

If he is a novice in a religious order, he becomes a regular in the widest sense of the word; as such he is not bound by any vow, but he is protected by the ecclesiastical immunities, and shares in the indulgences and privileges of his order, gaining a plenary indulgence on the day of his admission, at least into an order properly so called

Even the Encyclo. recognizes that novices are not bound by vows - the requirement to become a REAL nun. The "widest sense of the word" means that a novice is "in" with an order, and allowed to share their benefits (i.e., a Jesuit novice is a member of the Society of Jesus, but is not a Jesuit Brother).

Again, novices may look like a duck and quack like a duck, but until they vow themselves to Concecrated Life, they are not properly members of any order. Like, I've said multiple times, improper use of a term, no matter how common, does not make it correct (i.e., my Italian example).

Hopefully this clears up some things - a minor point to be sure, but precision in language in explaining theological ideas is paramount, and this is good practice for the bigger issues.

“Isn’t it amazing they can only proclaim their faith by attempting to trash and slander the Catholic Church?”

Little do some of them realize, that it is through that trashing(persecution) is also another reason why we know that the Catholic Church is the Church founded by Christ.

The media takes great pride in printing and broadcasting everything it can find, that is of a negative nature regarding the Catholic Church. Many Protestant denominations appear to spend the majority of their time attacking us with hatred and lies, rather than preaching love to their flocks, as Christ commanded all Christians to do. It is ironic, and whether these detractors realize it or not, they are helping all Catholics to salvation by their actions. Here is what Scripture says as proof....

“No disciple is above his teacher, nor is the servant above his master. It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and for the servant to be like his master.
IF THEY HAVE CALLED THE MASTER OF THE HOUSE BEELZEBUB, HOW MUCH MORE THOSE OF HIS HOUSEHOLD!”
Matthew 10:24-25

“Blessed are you when men reproach you, and persecute you, and, speaking falsely, say all manner of evil against you, for My sake. Rejoice and exult, BECAUSE YOUR REWARD IS GREAT IN HEAVEN; for so did they persecute the prophets who were before you.”
Matthew 5:11-12

“Woe to you when all men speak well of you.”
Luke 6:26

Those who persecute the Church are actually persecuting Our Blessed Lord by either ignorance or
following “protestant tradition” handed down through generations via Luther, Calvin and others even before them.

In their folly the Church stands strong through the ages as the Mother and teacher of faith and morals to the whole human race with Christ as the head.

I wish you a Blessed day!

Thank you both for sharing your testimony and insights! And thank you, Dr. Eckleburg, for those beautiful Scriptures!

Since the subject is humility and the accoutrements of Catholic worship – and most importantly, that we should always give God the glory – it occurs to me that y’all might find my experience this past Easter to be relevant.

We have a cousin who had a stroke last fall; she and her sister are both cradle Catholics, now elderly spinsters. They both obviously need help to attend mass and so I helped them on Good Friday and Saturday evening services. I am not Catholic, btw, and eschew all the doctrines and traditions of men across the board.

Any hoot, to make a long story short, at one point in the Good Friday service, the priest and his aides brought to the front a wooden cross about four feet high, set it upon a wooden mount and had the congregants come forward orderly like they do for the Eucharist, each one coming forward, kneeling (those who could) before the cross, kissing it and crossing themselves.

This is a small community and I know many of these people and am known of them. And most assuredly, I know my two elderly cousins.

In no way were they worshipping that hunk of wood. Though surely, by a reasonable measure to an on-looker - the practice itself would seem an abomination under this Scripture:

And none considereth in his heart, neither [is there] knowledge nor understanding to say, I have burned part of it in the fire; yea, also I have baked bread upon the coals thereof; I have roasted flesh, and eaten [it]: and shall I make the residue thereof an abomination? shall I fall down to the stock of a tree? - Isaiah 44:19

I’m very certain, to my cousins and those I know who participated, it was a physical acting out of the humility and gratitude they feel – and most importantly, it was done in obedience to the tradition of the Catholic Church. If the tradition were to lay prostrate before the crucifix, that is what they would do (if they could.) Truly, they were not worshipping the wood.

Nevertheless, I’m also quite certain that if anyone in that assembly were worshipping the wood – or believing it to be “alive” in any sense of the word – then what he was doing was indeed an abomination.

This stands as an example of why I have so strong a reaction against the doctrines and traditions of men, i.e. any tradition that might risk misdirecting even one of Christ’s lambs is simply not worth it, in my view.

A similar thing happened in the Easter eve candlelight service. At one point the priest blessed a tub of water and filling his sprinkling device, went through the church sprinkling all of us (me included of course.) And shortly thereafter they celebrated the Eucharist to which I am of course, excluded because I am not Catholic.

I found this fascinating – because if the powers that be in the church actually believed that the blessing of the water accomplished spiritual cleansing in any sense then there would be no cause for them to deny the body and blood of Christ – which they profess the Eucharist to be and/or represent - to a believer who had confessed his sin. I am a Christian plain and simple and confess my sins continually in prayer. But the powers that be have determined my refusal to submit to the doctrines and traditions of the Catholic Church is a disqualification to the body and blood of Christ.

So again I perceive a doctrine or tradition of men which is intended to stand between Christ and me, a member of His own body born of God and indwelt by the Holy Spirit. And that, of course, is impossible to do.

For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 8:38-39

As Peter said in reference to the conversion of Cornelius:

Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as [he did] unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God? - Acts 11:17

And yet, by the doctrine and tradition of the Catholic Church, that is what happens.

I do not mean to pick on the Catholic Church. I eschew all the doctrines and traditions of men across the board. In the final judgment, all those who have directly or indirectly (e.g. by instituting doctrines and traditions which caused actual spiritual damage) offended Christ’s little ones will be held to account.

But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and [that] he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh! – Matthew 18:6-7

So it doesn’t matter to me what other label a Christian wears, or what doctrines and traditions he might embrace. But it does matter a great deal to me whether my brother or sister in Christ is being ever vigilant not to prevent or offend one of God’s own adopted children - especially so, simply because he happens to wear a different additional label.

But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, [even] to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. – John 1:12-13

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with [him], that we may be also glorified together. – Romans 8:14-15

Thus I encourage all my brothers in sisters in Christ to look at one another as toddlers in Him and whatever we say or do, do it in His love and peace. Let's try very hard not lay burdens hard to bear on one another.

Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.

And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us.

If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?

And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also. - I John 4:15-21

To God be the glory!

we are to imitate Christ in His humility for the good of others.

Our "imitation of Christ" is God working in us and is part of our sanctification.

It is not the reason we are saved. Christ on the cross is the reason we are saved.

Rome always confuses sanctification with justification. They are two separate workings of God. God elects His family; Christ justifies that family; the Holy Spirit sanctifies that family.

I don't know if the man who falls on the grenade is redeemed by Christ or not. The Bible tells us we are saved by grace through faith in Christ. Therefore, the man who falls on the grenade is not saved because of his selfless act, but by the grace of God, if God so wills.

We are told hundreds of times in Scripture that all good works we accomplish are the result of our salvation, not the cause of it, as Rome insists over and over to its everlasting shame.

"For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure." -- Philippeans 2:13

"For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness...
He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;
And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.
And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.
Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;
But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;
Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification." -- Romans 4:3-5;20-25

Christ's righteousness imputed to us, for those with ears to hear.

That being said this author seems to have an unhealthy obsession with attacking the Catholic Church.

This author appears to me to have an obsession with the truth.

I believe the testimony is false with intentions Christ does not approve of.

What would those intentions be?

If you are happy being protestant why have a web site like this author.

If you saw a person crossing the street in the direct path of an oncoming bus, would you try to warn them? I would. Therefore, we preach the Gospel to all ears within reach, confident God will protect who are His.

This woman was a Catholic. She seems to know exactly how big a bus is heading in the wrong direction.

When I see this bickering all I see is the judgement of one man(or Woman) by another. This is contrary to Christs teachings.

What teaching by Christ would that be? How about this one...

"I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.
And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.
Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word" -- John 17:9-10;20

“”I don't know if the man who falls on the grenade is redeemed by Christ or not.””

Here is where Calvinism goes horribly wrong again,Dear Sister

The soldiers act of unconditional love to give up his own life can only be Christ working in him.

All goodness and love is from God,Dear Sister, and there can be no evil in God,thus the soldiers act cannot in any way be not of Christ redeeming him at that very moment he gave his life for the love of another.

Blessed Saint Aquinas explains this well

That God is the Good of all Good

GOD in His goodness includes all goodnesses, and thus is the good of all good.
2. God is good by essence: all other beings by participation: therefore nothing can be called good except inasmuch as it bears some likeness to the divine goodness. He is therefore the good of all good. Hence it is said of the Divine Wisdom: There came to me all good things along with it (Wisd. vii, 11).

That in God there can be no Evil

ESSENTIAL being, and essential goodness, and all other things that bear the name of ‘essential,’ contain no admixture of any foreign element; although a thing that is good may contain something else besides being and goodness, for there is nothing to prevent the subject of one perfection being the subject also of another. Everything is contained within the bounds of its essential idea in such sort as to render it incapable of containing within itself any foreign element. But God is goodness, not merely good. There cannot therefore be in Him anything that is not goodness, and so evil cannot be in Him at all.
3. As God is His own being, nothing can be said of God that signifies participation. If therefore evil could be predicated of Him, the predication would not signify participation, but essence. Now evil cannot be predicated of any being so as to be the essence of any: for to an essentially evil thing there would be wanting being, since being is good.* There cannot be any extraneous admixture in evil, as such, any more than in goodness. Evil therefore cannot be predicated of God.

5. A thing is perfect in so far as it is in actuality: therefore it will be imperfect inasmuch as it is failing in actuality. Evil therefore is either a privation, or includes a privation, or is nothing. But the subject of privation is potentiality; and that cannot be in God: therefore neither can evil.

This truth also Holy Scripture confirms, saying: God is light, and there is no darkness in Him, (I John i, 5) Far from God impiety, and iniquity from the Almighty (Job xxxiv, 10).

Thanks for that lovely post, AG. Your aunts are fortunate to have you for a neice.

When John talks of loving our brothers, we logically ask, as it was asked of Christ, "Who are our brothers?"

And Christ answered...

"...Who is my mother, or my brethren?
And he looked round about on them which sat about him, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!
For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother." -- Mark 3:33-35

"My mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it." -- Luke 8:21

So again I perceive a doctrine or tradition of men which is intended to stand between Christ and me, a member of His own body born of God and indwelt by the Holy Spirit. And that, of course, is impossible to do.

Amen. If the sacrament confirs saving grace, it is indeed wrong to exclude any Christian. Therefore, the error probably lies in the fact that the sacrament does not confer saving grace, but in fact is a sign and seal of God's grace which is apparent to all believers, you included.

Uncluttering our mind of all that stands between Christ and His flock is a worthwhile and God-ordained goal. And encouraging this "house-cleaning" is a type of "loving our brothers" because it is important to train our minds to understand correctly that Christ is the focal point of all things in existence -- "and by Him all things consist."

And you are so right. Anything that stands between Christ and His sheep is to be weighed and discarded as detrimental to our walk of faith. From your description, it certainly sounds like your aunts understand the wooden cross they kiss is not Christ. As for me, I am more confortable with the reformer's zeal for the simplicity of Christ alone...

"That God's word damns your ceremonies it is evident; for the plain and straight commandment of God is, 'Not that thing which appears good in thy eyes shalt thou do to the Lord thy God, but what the Lord thy God has commanded thee; that do thou; add nothing to it; diminish nothing from it.' Now unless you are able to prove that God has commanded your ceremonies, this his former commandment will damn both you and them." -- John Knox

Harsh assessment for two elderly women, but unless any of us can prove from Scripture that God has commanded our ceremonies, we are all in big trouble. 8~)

Ultimately I believe in God's mercy. He will save whom He saves, according to His own perfect will.

And what we know of God's will is Christ.

"For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:
That no flesh should glory in his presence.
But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:
That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord." -- 1 Corinthians 1:26-31

Thank you oh so very much for sharing your insights and especially, for those beautiful Scriptures!

If the sacrament confirs saving grace, it is indeed wrong to exclude any Christian. Therefore, the error probably lies in the fact that the sacrament does not confer saving grace, but in fact is a sign and seal of God's grace which is apparent to all believers, you included.

Indeed.

..unless any of us can prove from Scripture that God has commanded our ceremonies, we are all in big trouble.

So very true. I pray for increasing Spiritual discernment among all the members of the body of Christ.

Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish [ought] from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you. - Deut 4:2

What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it. - Deut 12:32

Christ's explains it in Mark 7:

Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands? He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with [their] lips, but their heart is far from me.

Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching [for] doctrines the commandments of men.

For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, [as] the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.

For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death: But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, [It is] Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; [he shall be free]. And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother; Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.

And when he had called all the people [unto him], he said unto them, Hearken unto me every one [of you], and understand: There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man.

If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.

And when he was entered into the house from the people, his disciples asked him concerning the parable. And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, [it] cannot defile him; Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats?

And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man. - Mark 7:5-23

Simplicity indeed. There is no substitute for Jesus Christ. The blood of Christ is altogether sufficient.

There is only one Great Commandment.

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. – Matthew 22:37-38

Truly, complicating things by adding to the words of God is Spiritually unwise, as we can see from His wrath in Matthew 23.

To God be the glory!

Aw Gee whiz. "In any sense"? Does the sense it which it is generally taught qualify as "any sense"?

The Mark 1.1, 1 each, Device, Water, for the sprinkling of - aka "aspergillium", from which, I believe, we get the word "asparagus" - which is what a little portable Mark 2.1 device, water, for the sprinkling of, looks kinds like, deals with venial sin. The Asperges are for venial sin (for those who like to keep score -- not me) and to recall, in a subjective way, Baptism and its graces. A Catholic who had committed mortal sin would not be qualified to receive after being sprinkled.

So that's cleansing in some particular sense - and "some particular" is part of "any" - while not presenting an inconsistency about admitting someone to Communion. It May, (stipulated for the sake of conversation) be madness, but there is method in it. We ain't QUITE as stupid as we look. Well, okay, except for me.

And again: the complaint seems to be that we won't let you have something you don't think we have. And that seems to me a little like looking for something to complain about: "The Catholics won't let me share in their ceremonies which I think are, at best, misguided and at worse, idolatrous, the nasties!" If we compelled you to participate or exercised some kind of social pressure to do so, THEN you'd have a beef, IMHO. As it is, we can't win for losing.

After all, as you say if YOU are right, there's no harm done. And if we're right, there's no harm done.

So what's the problem? First we are told that there's nothing much there, and then we are berated for not letting the someone who says there's nothing much there SHARE in that nothing much. "I WANT some of your nothing which may be, if it is anything at all, idolatrous, and which runs a high risk of being scandalous."

And all along we're saying, "If anyone eats the bread or drinks the cup in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord .... any one who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself."

And note that St. Paul is very concrete about this: "That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died [!]"

We ain't kidding around here. We're playing with [a consuming] fire here, and it wouldn't be right to let those who think it can't possibly singe them (or worse) participate when there's a clear Scriptural warrant for being careful.

[We'll take up "powers that be" in a subsequent tirade. ;-) ]

And the scandal problem is a good one. If I understand it, the problem is that those who disagree with the teaching of the Catholic Church might find something in the practice of the Church to smack of "stock of wood worship". I'm reminded of a distant in-law of the teetotalling persuasion who spat communion wine back into the chalice because she was shocked, shocked, that Episcopalians use fermented wine in their worship. Should they stop so as to avoid scandal to co-alcoholics? Should we stop talking about "love" because of the reputation given to our worship by some "out-there" Corinthians.

My alleged point is that whatever we do is going to scandalize someone. So we're going to have to wonder about where the dividing line is. That's going to be tough. Some people, after all, cant possibly enjoy their day if they don't have something or someone down upon whom they can look (or up with which they cannot put.)

ANyway, it's still Easter and hooray.

In no way were they worshipping that hunk of wood. Though surely, by a reasonable measure to an on-looker - the practice itself would seem an abomination under this Scripture.... I’m very certain, to my cousins and those I know who participated, it was a physical acting out of the humility and gratitude they feel – and most importantly, it was done in obedience to the tradition of the Catholic Church. If the tradition were to lay prostrate before the crucifix, that is what they would do (if they could.) Truly, they were not worshipping the wood.

Dearest sister in Christ, this to me is a fine example of keen spiritual discernment on your part. The surface appearance might indicate the worshippers indeed were venerating a "hunk of wood." But they would not have understood their act in this manner but rather, as you say, as "a physical acting out of the humility and gratitude they feel" for the sacrifice of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

It seems to me that the Catholic tradition pays more attention to the complementarity and reconciliation of the physical and spiritual dimensions of human life than the Reformed Church does, which seems to have an almost exclusive concern with the spiritual. That is probably why one typically finds in Catholic churches amazing appeals to sensory experience, through such media as art and architecture, music, the use of incense, the physical aspects of ritual, and so forth. All of these are ultimately appeals to spirit, mediated by bodily experience, intended to unify the Body of Christ and join us to Him through commonly-shared experiences.

At least, that is my understanding.

Thank you ever so much for your splendid essay-post, dearest sister in Him!

To God be the glory!

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