Why Did You Choose “Catholic? (Why do adults become Catholics?)

CE.com ^ | January 27th, 2012 | George Weigel

[Salvation]

Why Did You Choose “Catholic?”

January 27th, 2012 by George Weigel

Why do adults become Catholics?

There are as many reasons for “converting” as there are converts. Evelyn Waugh became a Catholic with, by his own admission, “little emotion but clear conviction”: this was the truth; one ought to adhere to it. Cardinal Avery Dulles wrote that his journey into the Catholic Church began when, as an unbelieving Harvard undergraduate detached from his family’s staunch Presbyterianism, he noticed a leaf shimmering with raindrops while taking a walk along the Charles River in Cambridge, Mass.; such beauty could not be accidental, he thought—there must be a Creator. Thomas Merton found Catholicism aesthetically, as well as intellectually, attractive: once the former Columbia free-thinker and dabbler in communism and Hinduism found his way into a Trappist monastery and became a priest, he explained the Mass to his unconverted friend, poet Robert Lax, by analogy to a ballet. Until his death in 2007, Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger insisted that his conversion to Catholicism was not a rejection of, but a fulfillment of, the Judaism into which he was born; the cardinal could often be found at Holocaust memorial services reciting the names of the martyrs, including “Gisèle Lustiger, ma maman” (“my mother”).

Two of the great nineteenth-century converts were geniuses of the English language: theologian John Henry Newman and poet Gerard Manley Hopkins. This tradition of literary converts continued in the twentieth century, and included Waugh, Graham Greene, Edith Sitwell, Ronald Knox, and Walker Percy. Their heritage lives today at Our Savior’s Church on Park Avenue in New York, where convert author, wit, raconteur and amateur pugilist George William Rutler presides as pastor.

In early American Catholicism, the fifth archbishop of Baltimore (and de facto primate of the United States), Samuel Eccleston, was a convert from Anglicanism, as was the first native-born American saint and the precursor of the Catholic school system, Elizabeth Ann Seton. Mother Seton’s portrait in the offices of the archbishop of New York is somewhat incongruous, as the young widow Seton, with her children, was run out of New York by her unforgiving Anglican in-laws when she became a Catholic. On his deathbed, another great nineteenth-century convert, Henry Edward Manning of England, who might have become the Anglican archbishop of Canterbury but became the Catholic archbishop of Westminster instead, took his long-deceased wife’s prayer book from beneath his pillow and gave it to a friend, saying that it had been his spiritual inspiration throughout his life.

If there is a thread running through these diverse personalities, it may be this: that men and women of intellect, culture and accomplishment have found in Catholicism what Blessed John Paul II called the “symphony of truth.” That rich and complex symphony, and the harmonies it offers, is an attractive, compelling and persuasive alternative to the fragmentation of modern and post-modern intellectual and cultural life, where little fits together and much is cacophony. Catholicism, however, is not an accidental assembly of random truth-claims; the creed is not an arbitrary catalogue of propositions and neither is the Catechism of the Catholic Church. It all fits together, and in proposing that symphonic harmony, Catholicism helps fit all the aspects of our lives together, as it orders our loves and loyalties in the right direction.

You don’t have to be an intellectual to appreciate this “symphony of truth,” however. For Catholicism is, first of all, an encounter with a person, Jesus Christ, who is “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). And to meet that person is to meet the truth that makes all the other truths of our lives make sense. Indeed, the embrace of Catholic truth in full, as lives like Blessed John Henry Newman’s demonstrate, opens one up to the broadest possible range of intellectual encounters.

Viewed from outside, Catholicism can seem closed and unwelcoming. As Evelyn Waugh noted, though, it all seems so much more spacious and open from the inside. The Gothic, with its soaring vaults and buttresses and its luminous stained glass, is not a classic Catholic architectural form by accident. The full beauty of the light, however, washes over you when you come in.

 

George Weigel is author of the bestselling books The Courage to Be Catholic: Crisis, Reform, and the Future of the Church and Letters to a Young Catholic.

This column has been made available to Catholic Exchange courtesy of the Denver Catholic Register.

 

[Zuriel]

facepalm.....(your condescension is humbling) heh.

**The Church knows before God it is Jesus. So Does God. Because it is the Name that has us know the triune God. So it is more formal. So what. Do you limit that God does not understand it. LOL!!**

More formal?? Why......I guess when sending out invites, or conducting business via legal papers, I should sign them “father, son, and husband”. And my checks to the power company, and to the phone company, and to the ......

Your argument is weak as water.......and you know it. You just trust man-made tradition over what the apostles taught.

**Stop limiting God.**

Yeah, you should stop asking Mary to do things that God can do by ‘direct dial’. Talk about limiting God.

I can go and tell customers that I come representing the Founder, CEO, and Co-worker of our company and be referring to one being.

Jesus CHRIST is the IMAGE of the INVISIBLE GOD. Jesus Christ never described God as triune, a trinity, or as three persons, etc. He declared that God is a spirit. Jn 4:24

[verga]

I’m just too tired to respond to that in any other way than a resounding “kiss my butt.”

For the record I was agreeing with you and my comment about “Try and find out exactly what you are arguing against.” was directed to dartuser, but I copied you and Vlad out of courtesy since you two were also involved in the debate.

[vladimir998]

Sola scriptura is self-refuting. After that there is no discussion.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thank you so much for your questions, dear lastchance!

How I introduce someone to Christ depends on the circumstance.

I don't go hitting people over the head with Bibles or walking up to strangers. I'm not gifted for evangelism or preaching so in most circumstances, I wait for a door to open.

And if someone is generally seeking I usually point him to the Gospel of John and suggest he read it casually like a love letter. If I'm with the person physically, I usually give him a Bible or New Testament. My deceased husband was a Gideon so I developed the habit of keeping a supply of Bibles to give away.

And if the person is atheist, I usually try to engage him in his particular field of interest, e.g. math, physics, philosophy - to get his attention so that I can then introduce personal testimony or words of God, e.g.

Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, [Ye] men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious.

For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you. - Acts 17:22-24

If the atheist is being engaged on the forum, we Christians often ping each other, playing off of each others' knowledge to keep the person interested. Free Republic is blessed with well read, well educated, articulate and wise Christians from a wide range of backgrounds.

Even so, God's words are spirit and life but the words of men are neither.

It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, [they] are spirit, and [they] are life. – John 6:63

For the word of God [is] quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and [is] a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. - Hebrews 4:12

And so I offer the Scriptures and trust God for the rest.

So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper [in the thing] whereto I sent it. - Isaiah 55:11

God's Name is I AM.

[vladimir998]

You wrote:

“You trust a politician who has betrayed wives and conservatism.”

It has nothing to do with trust.

“You think it’s pure coincidence that he would convert/annul just in time for the primaries.”

I don’t think that’s what happened. He converted in March of 2009. The primaries began a few weeks ago. Don’t forget he entered RCIA no later than September of 2008. That means he decided to convert 3 years before the primaries.

“I don’t and I don’t.”

Three years. You are clearly way off.

“After his demonstrated behavior that does not fit the trust that is being placed in him by conservatives, You claim I’m prejudiced against Newt because he is a converted Catholic.”

Nope. I never claimed your “prejudiced against Newt because he is a converted Catholic.” I noted your prejudice for something else.

“Character matters in elections, and it should matter to you, too.”

It does. Feel free to keep making mistakes.

[vladimir998]

You wrote:

“What you don’t get is the fact that when you say “I do get it...” you have in fact missed it! You cannot say like the Apostle Paul did towards the end of his life..”I have run the race, I have fought the good fight...” That is what you are claiming! In all of your postings, you come across as a smug, “I have all the answers and you don’t for i have ascended into the Catholic third heaven, whether in body or in the spirit, who knows, hearing words not lawful for men to hear” kind of fellow.”

You’re completely off. I am not claiming what you falsely say I am claiming.

“Tares grow with wheat and by the 15th century the tares were choaking out the “truth” in the Catholic and Orthodox churches in such a way that the work of Christ on Earth was threatened hence the Reformation.”

Completely false. That is nothing but a fable created by Protestants to rationalize their embrace of heresy and schism.

“God planted new off shoots so that the light of Christ could continue to be preached in the whole world. That is also “truth”...sorry you can’t handle that aspect of the truth...which is that the true church is the whole body of Spirit filled believers everywhere, across time and dimension.”

The Spirit does not sow discord. Thus, the Spirit had nothing to do with the founding of Protestant sects.

“I’d consider becoming Catholic, should there ever be such a revival that the Catholic Chruch gets close to what it was in the earliest of its history...even getting back to 325ad practises would be a tremendous improvement!”

Then you better convert tomorrow. They had the Eucharist, priesthood, bishops, 7 sacraments, etc. back then and we have it today. All your doing now is showing you probably don’t know much of anything about the Church in 325 let alone today.

[Salvation]

I think you need to know a little bit more about Newt Gingrich. Do you realize that he is a historian and has written a documentary on Pope John Paul II? Here are some FR threads.

Newt has changed dramatically. Here are some FR links about his conversion.

Newt Brings Gaelic Fury To The GOP Race (some personal family history)
Newt Gingrich Attacks Fashionable Anti-Catholic Bigotry
Newt Gingrich: What Kind of Catholic Is He? [Born Lutheran, Turned Baptist, Now Catholic]
Newt Gingrich: America’s Next Catholic President?
Clemson Palmetto Poll finds Gingrich (38%) momentum growing, most S.C. GOP voters still uncommitted
Gingrich Threatens GOP's Chance to Nab Independents

The Evangelical Case for Newt Gingrich
Gingrich Represents New Political Era for Catholics
Gingrich Represents New Political Era for Catholics [ecumenical}
Newt Gingrich on Catholicism and JPII
Why Newt Gingrich Converted to Catholicism
Exclusive: Newt Gingrich Opens Up on Catholic Conversion and Embracing 'Overt Christianity'
Newt Gingrich on his conversion to Catholicism
Gingrich Keeps Quiet on Catholic Conversion (received into Church over the past weekend)
Exclusive: Newt Gingrich conversion details; plans release of JP2 documentary
Gingrich to Become Catholic During Easter Season
The Newt Evangelization: Gingrich to become Catholic

[boatbums]

http://www.tektonics.org/ntdocdef/mattdef.html

[Heart-Rest]

Salvation, your post here has generated a lot of "adversial discussion". My prayer is that every single poster on this thread becomes a saint and spends eternity in heaven with God. I also pray what Jesus prayed for, "That they all be one", rather than all of us staying in the approximately 38,000 Christian denominations that currently exist just in the USA.

I became Catholic because I believe it is the one true Church that Jesus Christ himself founded. On the way to becoming Catholic, I had passed though various "Bible-thumping" anti-Catholic churches, but eventually (and reluctantly) came to see clearly that there was only one Church that Jesus founded (and it was not any of the Protestant ones -- they ALL came in the 1500's and later).

Jesus said he was going to build A Church:

And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Jesus then gave the Apostles of his Church power and authority, and sent them, as the Father had sent Jesus:

John 20:21-23

Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you." And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."

In fact, the Church Jesus built was here even before the New Testament was fully written. Most of the New Testament books were written by the Apostle Paul, and the Church was already here when he was still named "Saul" and was still persecuting the Church. (See the Bible texts below for the proof of that.)

Acts 7:58 to Acts 8:3

Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him; and the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. And as they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." And he knelt down and cried with a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." And when he had said this, he fell asleep. And Saul was consenting to his death. And on that day a great persecution arose against the church in Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the region of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Devout men buried Stephen, and made great lamentation over him. But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.

Acts 9:1-5

But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Now as he journeyed he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed about him. And he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" And he said, "Who are you, Lord?" And he said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting."

As can be seen, when Saul was going around persecuting the Church that Jesus Christ founded, he got knocked down, and he heard a voice saying, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" Saul replied, "Who are you, Lord?" And he said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting." (Notice, Jesus did NOT say,"Why do you persecute my church?", he said,"Why do you persecute ME?")

In other words, Jesus was in effect telling Saul (later known as the Apostle Paul), "If you mess with my Church, you are messing with ME".

The Catholic Church which Jesus Christ founded and which has been passed down directly from the Apostles has the fullness of truth and the fullness of all the Sacraments that Jesus instituted here on earth. The Catholic Church also spends a lot more time every week reading from the Holy Scriptures during Mass than any Protestant church I've ever attended.

For more information, I would strongly recommend reading any Catholic books by Scott Hahn, Stephen Ray, Patrick Madrid, Peter Kreeft, Karl Keating, or David B. Currie.

You also might want to check out some of the following web sites:

   Scott Hahn's Web Site

   Catholic Answers Web Site

   Catholic Convert - Stephen Ray's Web Site

   Patrick Madrid's Web Site

   Peter Kreeft's Web Site

   Ask A Catholic Web Site

God bless all of you, and good night.

[Salvation]

Fantastic post. Thank you!!!!!!

[mdmathis6]

You may call me Michael!

[HarleyD]

I noticed that although there are many reasons for becoming a Catholic, not one of them mentioned that they were a sinner in need of a Savior.

[johngrace]

Wow! I thought I saw him there! I went on a pilgrimage(5 Bus trip) there with the bishop of Long Island, New York in April of 2010. I just read one of your links.

HERE:

"And when Pope Benedict came to the basilica for vespers with the bishops, and my wife and the choir were singing, and I was allowed to come as a spouse -- I had been talking with Monsignor Rossi, who is the rector of the basilica, for about five years, just about faith, and secularism, the challenges we have in the modern world with our civilization, and that afternoon seeing Pope Benedict XVI fairly close up, and both really believing in his central theme of 'Christ Our Hope,' and seeing the joy in his eyes, fundamentally different than the news media portrait of a severe German intellectual, something in me just was triggered."

I saw him from a distance. He looked so happy too. Big smile at times.

Now, That place is truly anointed just some church or several chapels multilevel. You could fit more than one or two completely St Patrick's from Manhattan. Also if his wife sings there she sings with the angels. They are anointed! Truly one of the greatest blessings I ever experienced. Holy Ground!

[verga]

I hope you see the irony here: You are using Catholic Early Church Fathers to prove the validity of the gospel that Vlad asked you to prove the validity of by using that Gospel alone. In other words you are using Catholic historical references to prove that a Catholic book in a Catholic Bible is part of the Catholic Canon.

[RFEngineer]

“That means he decided to convert 3 years before the primaries.”

Friend, his conversion 3 years before the primaries was “just in time” politically speaking for these primaries.

“I noted your prejudice for something else.”

Don’t be wishy-washy. You already are out of line, why not go the rest of the way and detail what the heck you are talking about instead of hiding behind squishy rhetoric.

[RFEngineer]

“Newt has changed dramatically”

I respect your opinion, but I do not share it.

His shenanigans in the mid-term elections going against conservative candidates cured me of this misconception. I used to like Newt. I feel his “conversion” was all-too convenient. I think he used the Catholic church - many Catholics feel the same way if you read around the intertubes on him.

I feel if his “conversion” was genuine, he’d not be running for president.

He has fooled many conservatives that he is now suddenly a stalwart conservative. He isn’t, and there are many “couch” moments ahead if he gets the nomination. The only thing worse than a liberal Romney is a pretend-conservative Gingrich.

We don’t need either of these characters as president just because both claim to be “conservative”.

[vladimir998]

Thanks for that link.

[vladimir998]

You wrote:

“Friend, his conversion 3 years before the primaries was “just in time” politically speaking for these primaries.”

Nope. Sorry. He converted after thinking about it for quite sometime. He converted after being married for about 9 years to a practicing Catholic. I have known many people who have done the same thing.

“Don’t be wishy-washy.”

I never am.

“You already are out of line,”

Nope.

” why not go the rest of the way and detail what the heck you are talking about instead of hiding behind squishy rhetoric.”

No, I see no reason to have posts deleted. I’m sure you can handle it.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thank you, Michael!

[vladimir998]

You wrote:

” hope you see the irony here: You are using Catholic Early Church Fathers to prove the validity of the gospel that Vlad asked you to prove the validity of by using that Gospel alone.”

Right. On. Target!