Posted on 05/05/2008 2:22:52 PM PDT by annalex
The short version:
I was one who ignored God for some time after leaving The Way. When I got married I decided to join my wife’s church—Presbyterian. At the time I didn’t know or care what the Presbyterian Church taught or believed. It was a little weird sitting in a church with wooden pews that had stained glass windows.
Our first child came into our lives and I decided that we needed to find a church and raise our children as Christians. But this meant we needed to start living as Christians as well. I had never lost the desire to know and love God, I simply ignored my heavenly Father for a period in my life.
I started church shopping. Because I was raised in a “non-denominational” setting, I decided to openly investigate the various denominations in Christianity to see what I was getting into. Because of my past, I was a skeptic towards church authorities.
I ended up at a Baptist church and I felt more comfortable here than I did at my Presbyterian church. The Baptist organization was closer to “The Way” model I thought. I moved to a different city and had to leave my Baptist church. I ended up at a Lutheran church of all places and I really enjoyed it. After all, I was into Jesus and fellowshipping with other Christians, but I thought Lutherans were leaning a little too Catholic.
A good friend of mine asked me one day if I had ever heard of “The Eucharist.” I had not. Saint John chapter 6, plus Communion was never taught to me. I was blown away by what Catholic’s were taught regarding this. I started an intense 2 year study of church history, the reformation, the sacraments, the early church fathers, a Pope here a Saint there, and all that comes with Catholicism. I consumed Apologetics books like crazy (on both sides—Protestant and Catholic). Scott Hahn, Jeff Cavins, EWTN , Relevant Radio, Father Corapi, and the list goes on and on. I remember one late night watching EWTN and this guy came on and started preaching like a Southern Baptist—in your face truth. I thought “who is this guy with a Roman collar?” It was Father Corapi. I was hooked. Man can he preach! I looked him up on the internet and I could not believe he was coming live to my city. It was as if God gave me a gift to nudge me onward.
Most importantly, the teachings of the Catholic Church are—BIBLICAL! I had so many prejudices and misconceptions and falsities to forge through. I reached the point were I had felt left out. I desired the two things the Israelites squabbled over in the Old Testament—Authority and Food. I found both in the Catholic Church. I am in awe at every Mass to this day!
I reached a point were I needed the Eucharist; I needed ALL of the Sacraments; I needed the deposit of faith and fullness of truth. I had to come home to the Catholic Church (I say come home because as it turns out—when I was an infant, my mother had me Baptized Catholic! I cried when I received my Baptismal papers—I never knew).
I reached a point in my journey where I was actually evangelizing other Catholics. A few don’t know or don’t live their faith well enough in my humble opinion. I was attending Mass, but not receiving our Lord’s body and blood. It drove me crazy—especially watching a few other Christians take Holy Communion in such a cavalier way. I often wondered why the Confessional lines were so small, but the Communion lines so large.
I was going to skip RCIA and get right to it but I had one problem—my wife. I wont go into her journey here but I will say one simple thanks and praise to our most beautiful, loving, and example to all of Christianity—Mary.
I decided to wait for Confirmation and complete RCIA because my wife agreed to at least “look into things.” I was willing to give her the time she needed to absorb everything. RCIA was great! I am so thankful I didn’t skip it and my wife joined me this last Easter (2006) for our first Confession, Confirmation, and Communion. I should say, we were even blown away that to Catholics, marriage is more than a social contract, it’s a beautiful Sacrament. So we were re-married into the Church prior to Easter.
Now being open to life and God’s plan rather than our own, we have our third child due in January.
That is the short version of my journey home.
Take care, God bless, and keep up the good fight.
Aaron
50 Days of Easter 2008 Celebration ping, dedicated to converts to the Catholic faith. If you want to be on the list but are not on it already, or if you are on it but do not want to be, let me know either publicly or privately.
Happy Easter. Christ is risen!
Alex.
Anti-Catholicism, Hypocrisy and Double Standards
Hauled Aboard the Ark
Why I Returned to the Catholic Church. Part I: Darkness
Why I Returned to the Catholic Church. Part II: Doubts
Why I Returned to the Catholic Church. Part III: Tradition and Church
Why I Returned to the Catholic Church. Part IV: Crucifix and Altar
Why I Returned to the Catholic Church. Part V: The Catholics and the Pope
Why I Returned to the Catholic Church. Part VI: The Biblical Reality
His Open Arms Welcomed Me
Catholic Conversion Stories & Resources
My Personal Conversion Story
My (Imminent) Reception into the Roman Catholic Church
Catholics Come Home
My Journey of Faith
LOGIC AND THE FOUNDATIONS OF PROTESTANTISM
"What is Truth?" An Examination of Sola Scriptura
"Have you not read?" The Authority behind Biblical Interpretation
The Crisis of Authority in the Reformation
Our Journey Home
Our Lady’s Gentle Call to Peace
A story of conversion at the Lamb of God Shrine
Who is Mary of Nazareth?
Mary and the Problem of Christian Unity
Why I'm Catholic
A Convert's Response to Friends
My Story
Courage to Be Catholic
Finally Catholic! My Conversion to the Catholic Church
Southern Baptist Pastor Leaves Everything for the Eucharist
Also see:
Sheep That Go Astray
Pope Benedict Goes to Washington Ecumenical Meeting at St. Joseph's Church, New York
Orthodox and Catholic Churches are allies, (Orthodox) Bishop Hilarion says
A converted Lutheran here. Pinging for a read tomorrow.
Welcome home. God bless.
What a wanderer. At least he’s into a trinitarian church now.
Looks like he tried every major trinitarian denomination except Methodist, too.
I like this observation very much.
my mother had me Baptized Catholic
There is no other way, really. One is either baptized Catholic or not baptized at all. "We believe in one baptism for the forgiveness of sins". Still, it is intriguing how his mother baptized him in a Catholic Church. So, who got him into the Way?
Good point about baptism. Maybe the “long version” of his story explains what “The Way” is and how he became involved.
I liked his comments about Father Corapi. I feel the same way - I could listen to him forever.
I love this part:
“I reached a point in my journey where I was actually evangelizing other Catholics. A few don’t know or don’t live their faith well enough in my humble opinion. I was attending Mass, but not receiving our Lord’s body and blood. It drove me crazy—especially watching a few other Christians take Holy Communion in such a cavalier way. I often wondered why the Confessional lines were so small, but the Communion lines so large.”
Reminds me that we Orthodox aren’t the only ones plagued with “Oh So Very Holy Converts!” :) This character seems to have a full blown case of crazy convert disease. Luckily most of them straighten out...or move on to find holier people.
The Way International is a religious organization founded by Victor Paul Wierwille. It claims a founding date of 1942, the year Wierwille began his Vesper Chimes radio program, a.k.a. the Chimes Hour Youth Caravan. The Way describes itself as a Christian biblical research, teaching and fellowship ministry that teaches others how to understand the Bible and operate the "9 manifestations of holy spirit". Critics accuse the group of being a cult; some point out inconsistencies between The Way's doctrines and orthodox Christianity. This group is non-trinitarian and believes Jesus Christ is the savior and the Son of God, but not God Himself.
One way to NOT baptize your children...
I hear you.
Bear in mind, however, that the Protestants largely leave the Orthodox alone, while we Catholics receive a lot of attention and tensions run high in both direction.
Please take me off your ping list. Your arrogance and ill towards other Christian repulses me. I’ll pray for you to be delivered from such.
You are off and prayed for. Thank you for your prayers. Where do you see ill will on my part?
Okay, thanks. There sure is a lot of different stuff out there.
Catholic ping
It's not healthy to wander that much in one lifetime.
Chapter 1. He Proclaims the Greatness of God, Whom He Desires to Seek and Invoke, Being Awakened by Him.
1. Great are You, O Lord, and greatly to be praised; great is Your power, and of Your wisdom there is no end. And man, being a part of Your creation, desires to praise You, man, who bears about with him his mortality, the witness of his sin, even the witness that Thou resistest the proud, — yet man, this part of Your creation, desires to praise You. Thou movest us to delight in praising You; for You have formed us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless till they find rest in You. Lord, teach me to know and understand which of these should be first, to call on You, or to praise You; and likewise to know You, or to call upon You. But who is there that calls upon You without knowing You? For he that knows You not may call upon You as other than You are. Or perhaps we call on You that we may know You. But how shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? or how shall they believe without a preacher? Romans 10:14 And those who seek the Lord shall praise Him. For those who seek shall find Him, Matthew 7:7 and those who find Him shall praise Him. Let me seek You, Lord, in calling on You, and call on You in believing in You; for You have been preached unto us. O Lord, my faith calls on You,— that faith which You have imparted to me, which You have breathed into me through the incarnation of Your Son, through the ministry of Your preacher.
Chapter 2. That the God Whom We Invoke is in Us, and We in Him.
2. And how shall I call upon my God— my God and my Lord? For when I call on Him I ask Him to come into me. And what place is there in me into which my God can come— into which God can come, even He who made heaven and earth? Is there anything in me, O Lord my God, that can contain You? Do indeed the very heaven and the earth, which You have made, and in which You have made me, contain You? Or, as nothing could exist without You, does whatever exists contain You? Why, then, do I ask You to come into me, since I indeed exist, and could not exist if You were not in me? Because I am not yet in hell, though You are even there; for if I go down into hell You are there. I could not therefore exist, could not exist at all, O my God, unless You were in me. Or should I not rather say, that I could not exist unless I were in You from whom are all things, by whom are all things, in whom are all things? Romans 11:36 Even so, Lord; even so. Where do I call You to, since You are in me, or whence canst Thou come into me? For where outside heaven and earth can I go that from thence my God may come into me who has said, I fill heaven and earth? Jeremiah 23:24
Good point. I suspect, though, that the individuals I was thinking about aren’t anywhere near as deep and reflective as Augustine.
Sounds a bit like the ‘Donut Man’ who bounced from group to group. In neither case is it likely that the current stop will be the last.
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