It has been difficult to keep up my blog these days. The problem is that when you blog you are writing from a position of knowing what you are talking about. This would be the teaching mode. But I can't be in the teaching mode when I am heavily in the learning mode. This learning has been prompted by my conversion to the Roman Catholic Church. The conversion is causing me to rethink everything in my life.
I can keep writing these SOC posts because they are more like journal entries than essays. I have even toyed with just turning the C-blog into one continuous online daily journal. With an SOC post, I am writing from a position of not knowing and just chronicling the journey. They write themselves. The danger of writing these sorts of posts is that I might become too confessional which makes my wife cringe.
Why did I convert? The conventional wisdom is that my wife made me do it, but I think people drop this idea after meeting me and talking to me about this stuff. I am a bit too zealous to be a reluctant convert trying to appease his wife. My wife did not make me do anything. She merely opened a door on a world that I simply did not know existed.
The first and most fundamental lie that I got from Protestantism is that Catholicism is not from the Bible. If you attend a single mass, you will realize the absurdity of this claim. Baptists like to talk about Bible preaching, but they are merely long winded opinions from a preacher based on a single verse of the Bible. In the Catholic Church, the Bible is read. You get an Old Testament passage followed by a passage from the New Testament and a reading from the Gospel. These are not atomized passages. They seem pre-selected to make you squirm in your seat. The readings are powerful as the Word is read for what it is and not merely as some starting point for a personal religious rant. Catholics are Bible readers, and they are Bible Christians more so than any Baptist.
At this point, some will say that I am being less than charitable to the Protestants. I am being "negative." Most of this criticism comes from cradle Catholics who have no idea what goes on in a Protestant church. My wife was one of those people cautioning me to be more gentle and charitable to non-Catholics. Then, I took her to a Baptist church and a Presbyterian church to let her get an idea. She was upset at both services and felt physically ill. I thought she would like the Presbyterian church a little more than the Baptist church, but the Presbyterian service was even more upsetting because they served communion at that one. If you have spent a lifetime believing in the Real Presence, watching a bunch of people smack their lips on Wonder Bread and grape juice and calling it the body and blood of Christ is traumatic. I had to get her out of there, but we only succeeded in catching one of the elders carrying the leftovers of the communion to the garbage. It was like a horror movie. You know the blood and gore is just make believe, but it still disturbs you all the same.
Catholics believe that the wine and the host are the actual body and blood of Christ. This is why they genuflect before the altar. This is why they have eucharistic adoration. This is why they build magnificent cathedrals. If you want to cause anguish and pain in a Catholic church, drop a single crumb from a communion wafer and see what happens. They will literally eat it off the floor. And where do they get this idea from? From the Bible:
53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.57 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.58 This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.59 These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum.60 Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?61 When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you?62 What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.64 But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him.65 And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.67 Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.69 And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.
(John 6:53-69 KJV)
Jesus clearly teaches the Real Presence. If He were merely discussing juice and crackers, why were the disciples offended? Who peels off over a symbol? And wouldn't Jesus have corrected them? But He doesn't correct them. He really meant it. You must literally eat His body and drink His blood. This teaching was established by Jesus, affirmed by the first century church, continued all through history for over a thousand years, and still continues in both Catholic and Orthodox churches today which trace their lineage all the way back to the Apostles. This teaching was not questioned until the Protestant Reformation.
St. Paul does not mince words. Here is what he had to say about it:
27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.
(1 Corinthians 11:27-29 KJV)
It is the actual body and blood of Christ. If you eat it unworthily, it will kill you. Fortunately, for Protestants, it really is just bread and grape juice. No change happens in their communion because if it did, they would have been wiped out long ago. I also don't think it is a coincidence that virtually all Protestants deny the Real Presence. This denial is actually mercy. When Protestants celebrate communion, it is like a kid with a toy steering wheel on his safety seat riding in the car. It is pretend, but it would be a disaster if we actually let the kid drive the car. Likewise, Christ is not present in any Protestant church. Protestants are pretending.
My Protestant readers may find all of this highly insulting, but I can't help this. This is the teaching of the Lord. It was as offensive to his original disciples as it is now. It was so offensive that they all turned away leaving just the twelve to carry on with Jesus.
The second lie that Protestants have promulgated since Luther is the idea that Catholics believe in justification by works alone. This simply isn't so. That is a fashionable lie. God can never be in anyone's debt. God owes us nothing. But here's the thing. God still rewards you as if you actually did work. The Parable of the Workers highlights this:
This parable is important because it stresses two important truths simultaneously. The first is that we are called to work. Remember, the owner of the vineyard isn't just handing out cash to the idle. He wants work. But the reward is gracious. It isn't a quid pro quo. But what happens to those who don't work?1 For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard.2 And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard.3 And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace,4 And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way.5 Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise.6 And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle?7 They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive.8 So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first.9 And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny.10 But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny.11 And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house,12 Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.13 But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny?14 Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee.15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?16 So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen. (Matthew 20:1-16 KJV)
The Parable of the Wedding Feast has the answer:
2 The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son,3 And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come.4 Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage.5 But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise:6 And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them.7 But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.8 Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy.9 Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.10 So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.11 And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:12 And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.13 Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.14 For many are called, but few are chosen. (Matthew 22:2-14 KJV)
I like seeing both parables together because they end with the same refrain about many being called but few being chosen. In both parables, we see the grace being offered. But the insults to that grace are different. In the workers parable, the workers insult the grace by acting as if it is something earned and owed to them. In the wedding feast parable, the works insult the grace as if it is no value, and they owe nothing to the one extending the grace. Both are serious errors. And we see both today.
God does not operate by the game theory strategy known as "tit-for-tat." Jews in their scrupulosity are known for this sort of thinking. This would be the Pharisees in the time of Jesus but such thinking is not confined to a single religion or sect. God's grace is not given as someone pays a bill for services rendered. The worker parable is specifically for those types of people.
The wedding feast parable is primarily for Protestants. Protestants make the error in thinking that because grace is not earned that nothing is owed to God. Jesus is explicit in the parable. The man without wedding clothes is cast out. Evangelicals will make the argument that the wedding clothes are Christ's righteousness imputed, but this is an error. The wedding guest is not wearing the rags of his own filthy self-righteousness. He simply doesn't give a rip that he has been invited. He is there to freeload and be an ungrateful swine. If you want to see such ingratitude today, go to a typical evangelical church where there is zero reverence. Worship is turned into a rock concert, and churches are judged purely by how well they met the felt needs of the churchgoers. Religion is reduced to a consumer item. Preachers have to be entertaining and put on a good show.
These two errors are on the same continuum. The first error says that God owes me something. The second error says that I owe God nothing. You can see how both would be insulting to the Almighty. So, what is the right way to be?
Generally speaking, Catholics get it right. They believe God does not owe them, but they believe they owe God everything. This is a Church that will forgive the greatest of sins, but it will also excommunicate you. You will hear two things about the Catholic Church. It is simultaneously gracious but also severe. It is loving but tough. That is what God's grace looks like. You see this way of God relating to His people throughout the Old Testament and the New. God is not a tyrant, but He is not a doormat either. His forgiveness is gratuitous, but it is not cheap.
Not many people can discern this way of relating. They bring these errors into their human relations as well. This would be the husband-and-wife game of tit-for-tat where a sex favor is done in exchange for a shopping spree. Or, it could be the opposite where a son or daughter extracts mucho dinero from long suffering parents to pay for drugs and booze at State U Party School while on academic probation. Our human relationships and our relationship with God are intrinsically bound. Both are to be the same in terms of grace, forgiveness, and gratitude.
Theologians can make all of this very complicated with big words and philosophical concepts, but it doesn't have to be like that. Love God with all your heart, and love your neighbor as yourself. Anyone who strives to do those two things is going to get it right. God owes you nothing. He has given you everything. Give Him everything in return. That is simple.
I suppose I have written enough now to get myself in trouble. I will stop here.
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