Tiber Crossing's Not a Cake Walk
Amber over at This Catholic Journey has written another great post describing her year's journey across the Tiber. Very few that I know of tell of the journey as a cake walk. Most converts or reverts seem to have similar experiences in this regard with their extended family. The most sad and difficult scenario is when a spouse doesn't want anything to do with Catholicism. PD waited and prayed for 5 years until God slowly opened my heart to the point where I was willing to take the plunge. Not persistent nagging, cajoling, or leaving tracts lying around either.
Though she was pretty sneaky putting on EWTN's Journey Home and saying "Here's an interesting story TJ......"
"Though it's often difficult being Catholic where the rest of my family is not, I have to say I feel very blessed that God chose to open my eyes to the truths of Catholicism. It has strengthened me in so many ways and it has brought my relationship with Jesus to a deeper level. I'm still far from where I want to be in that relationship but I know that each day is a day I grow closer to Christ and His Church. A year ago, I sat in a row of chairs with my family at church. Now I sit in a pew in another church, obedient to God's call to bring me into the Catholic faith, yet separated from my family... the picture of disunity that brought me to the state of brokenness to begin with. One day, I want to sit in a pew with my family in church, fully united as the body of Christ in ONE faith... the way God intended."
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posted by Russ Rentler, M.D. | 8:41 PM
8 Comments:
What fond memories your illustration for this posting brought back! I saw the original One Mo' Time at the Village Gate off broadway in the early 1980's and it remains my favorite theater experience. I was at a front row table and being so close to the dancing was great. And I'll never forget Cake Walkin' Babies Back Home.
Thanks, TJ. I'm SO thankful to blog along with others who have similar experiences. It's definitely not a cake-walk, as you said...
In fact, sometimes I wish my family could see this, just so they would know how very serious I am about being Catholic. Despite the difficulty, I have absolutely no regrets. How can one have regrets when they know they're following God?
Happy July 4th!
MMFAN: But I bet their cake walk was a little more fun than these!
Amber:
Yes, I agree.
Lord willing over time, they will see you are serious about your relationship with God. Though, quite honestly, I am not quite sure why many evangelicals feel it is their duty to assist God in judging the spiritual life of others!(particularly if they have crossed the Tiber)
I think our God is more than able to see our hearts and judge our relationship with him.
Tiber, PD, Amber and friends:
I bless God that He spared me the same sort of disunity and family rejection that so many have reported--at least, not as a result of my faith. My unfortunate experience is that when I've been alienated from people close to me, the root cause is not my practice of Catholic Christianity, but my failure to practice it.
I thank God for the steadfast faith and fine example of proper Christian deportment I see during every encounter I have with Tiber, PD and other reverts and converts to fullness of faith. I'm personally humbled while at the same time edified to see Christ so ardently served and unreservedly imitated by my fellow Catholics.
Your brother in Christ,
Theo
Thanks Theo, But as you know it's only by the grace of God and his strength can we ever do anything of any good!
I too was blessed that my dearest Pentecostal friends understood my decision to become a Catholic. I think the reason is that they're more intellectually inclined; as my pastor friend put it, those Pentecostals who actually do read history and the Church fathers tend not to carry the same knee-jerk anti-Catholicism as others. I should note that my friends, as educated individuals in a strongly anti-intellectual denomination often feel marginalized and looked upon with a certain amount of disdain.
My crossing the Tiber wasn't a cakewalk for a totally different reason; believe it or not I got hit by a car on the way to Mass for the Rite of Acceptance. I know Satan didn't want me to be a Catholic, but I wish he wouldn't be so direct! (Don't worry, I got a badly skinned knee and some abrasions, but otherwise unscathed.)
Nancy wrote:
"...I got hit by a car on the way to Mass for the Rite of Acceptance."
That's a danger of Mass transit: no Acceptance of the Rite of way.
OK, I'm sorry, but I couldn't help it.
Theo
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