Soap Suds Mouth Wash and Sin

JP over at Return of the Prodigal Blogger has recently asked some questions regarding Catholic doctrine of venial and mortal sins. Rather than tie up his combox, I'll try to give my perspective here.

Disclaimer: the following statements are my own musings and not to be taken as DOGMA but do set the stage for my next post. No imprimatur here unfortunately.

When I became an evangelical as a teenager, I was freed from the burden of discerning between mortal sin and venial sins. Hey! All sins are alike in the sight of God and are covered by His blood! What a freedom I felt to not have to go to confession to tell my most awkward sins to another person. (I do wonder though, if I had never stopped going to confession as a pre-adolescent, I may not have headed down that road to Yasgur's farm in the first place and making some very bad moral choices.)

Back to my first summer as a born again in 1973. In my new weekly Bible studies, I learned that a white lie, or gossip was the absolute equivalent to murder and blasphemy and fornication since there was no biblical basis for venial and mortal sins. I was told that Catholics invented mortal and venial sins because, well, … that’s just what they do and besides, they make up their own rules to rob our freedom as believers in Christ. Yeah that’s the ticket, those Catholics are just trying to put the yoke of slavery on us that Jesus removed! Our bible study leader had the largest collection of Chick Tracts east of the Delaware River and we were never short of reading material. Therefore, my understanding of mortal and venial sins was colored by my own distrust of all things Catholic, and partly just plain *faulty intelligence.*

In the back of my mind, I did wonder how an irritable thought towards a neighbor or my unspoken impatience with my brother (we used to get on each other’s nerves) could be morally equivalent to rape, murder or grand larceny?

And even more troubling to me was the issue of parenting. I disciplined my children with a different level of punishment based on the severity of the infraction implying there was varied consequences for their level of disobedience. Was having a "potty mouth moment" with his brother equal to direct defiance of my authority? Clearly, the ramifications of each sin here are worlds apart. Soap in the mouth might be appropriate for the former, but the latter would have graver consequences. Why didn't I just give one discipline for all since each disobedience against his parents and God should be the same? Wasn’t I teaching my children that some sins are really, really bad and can lead to death, and others are kinda bad and lead to soap suds mouth wash? As a Father was I teaching my children the principle that some sins are deadly (mortal) and others, less so (venial) yet believing that my Heavenly Father treated all sin the same and all sin held the same consequence regardless of severity?

The concept of venial and mortal sins is consistent with Natural Law and illustrated in parenting as well as our criminal justice system. For instance there are various degrees of murder based on mitigating circumstances. Why if society throughout the ages has always held that there are different degrees of sin and punishment should our heavenly Father start an entirely new paradigm that goes against Natural Law and reason? More to come.

St. Paul Would Have Been All Over This

Check out Catholic videos on Catholic Tube. A compilation of music, teaching, inspiration, preaching and "all things Catholic." If only the early Church had the internet hmmm...

Despite St. Paul and St. Peter's lack of wireless access in the Mediterranean, they were able to spread the Gospel to the whole world baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit for the forgiveness of sins.

According to their system I am rated NC-17 because of my references to:
* death (10x)
* abortion (8x)
* kill (6x)
* rape (1x)
* whore of babylon (4x) (just kidding :)

I don't feel so bad-my wife's blog, Mystery of Suffering is rated R
for:

• death (24x)
• pain (4x)
• hurt (1x)

The Vatican website as well as my music website is rated G.

Protestant Pastor says Why Not Return to Catholicism?

"I feel as if 1,000 pounds has been lifted from my shoulders. Peace. That struggle is done. Of course the journey continues and there will be other struggles, but that's fine. It's always like that. I won't go into all kinds of reasons why this is happening, theological and otherwise, right now. That's not what this post is for. That will come, as a matter of course I'm sure."

A pastor named, Alan, found my "double crossed the tiber" posting and just notified me he is coming home to the Church. Tomorrow he will receive reconciliation and be reconciled to the Catholic Church. He is the pastor of a "home church" and has gotten the green light from friends and family for his return. Check out his blog and let's all send him a Hearty Catholic Blogger's WELCOME HOME! Our prayers are with you and your family as well as the prayers of St. Peter and St. Paul on this great solemnity of the Church.

Check out the photos on his site, he's very good with a camera too! ( the above photo is his)

Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul

Today the Church celebrates the solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul. What a power packed week of saints and solemnities! Apostles and Fathers of the Church and the main writers of the NT! From St Anthony Messenger:

"St. Mark ends the first half of his Gospel with a triumphant climax. He has recorded doubt, misunderstanding and the opposition of many to Jesus. Now Peter makes his great confession of faith: "You are the Messiah" (Mark 8:29b). It was one of the many glorious moments in Peter's life, beginning with the day he was called from his nets along the Sea of Galilee to become a fisher of men for Jesus.

The New Testament clearly shows Peter as the leader of the apostles, chosen by Jesus to have a special relationship with him. With James and John he was privileged to witness the Transfiguration, the raising of a dead child to life and the agony in Gethsemane. His mother-in-law was cured by Jesus. He was sent with John to prepare for the last Passover before Jesus' death. His name is first on every list of apostles.

And to Peter only did Jesus say, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the nether world shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven" (Matthew 16:17b-19).

But the Gospels prove their own veracity by the unflattering details they include about Peter. He clearly had no public relations person. It is a great comfort for ordinary mortals to know that Peter also has his human weakness, even in the presence of Jesus.

He generously gave up all things, yet he can ask in childish self-regard, "What are we going to get for all this?" (see Matthew 19:27). He receives the full force of Christ's anger when he objects to the idea of a suffering Messiah: "Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do" (Matthew 16:23b).

Peter is willing to accept Jesus' doctrine of forgiveness, but suggests a limit of seven times. He walks on the water in faith, but sinks in doubt. He refuses to let Jesus wash his feet, then wants his whole body cleansed. He swears at the Last Supper that he will never deny Jesus, and then swears to a servant maid that he has never known the man. He loyally resists the first attempt to arrest Jesus by cutting off Malchus's ear, but in the end he runs away with the others. In the depth of his sorrow, Jesus looks on him and forgives him, and he goes out and sheds bitter tears."

Go to St Anthony's Messenger to read about St. Paul as well.

One of the things I love about the Catholic Church is the way she continues to remind those living now (Church Militant) of the heroic lives of faith of those who have gone before us (Church Triumphant). The priest celebrates the Mass on these special days wearing a bright red cassock, representing blood, to remind us that the price of following Christ is often martyrdom, as it was for Peter and Paul. Even more amazing is to me is the knowledge that this great cloud of witnesses continues to intercede for us before the throne of God.

Feast of St. Irenaeus

Today the Church celebrates the feast of St. Irenaeus, one of the first apologists of the faith born in 130 AD and martyred in 2o2 AD. He was the Bishop of Lyons and wrote extensively as well as preached the gospel leading to the conversions of a major portion of his bishopric. Adversus Haereses or Against Heresies was his tour-de-force against the rising tide of gnosticism in the 2nd and third century. His writings protected the Catholic faith from the errors that were rampant and being spread by the gnostics.

St. Irenaeus was a disciple of St. Polycarp who himself was a disciple of the Apostle John. All through his life, he told a friend, he could recall every detail of Polycarp's appearance, his voice, and the very words he used when telling what he had heard from John the Evangelist and others who had seen Jesus. So the deposit of faith and sacred tradition passed to him was still pretty fresh. The things that Irenaeus wrote about the faith, though not canonical, can help us understand what the early Christians believed and preached.

What did St. Irenaeus preach about to combat the heresies? He spoke about the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, the authority of the Church, apostolic succession and how the deposit of faith was passed on. He warned the Church to avoid those who who claimed to know the truth but couldn't trace their heritage to the Church that Jesus started. (those who departed from "primitive" succession)

"He has declared the cup, a part of creation, to be his own blood, from which he causes our blood to flow; and the bread, a part of creation, he has established as his own body, from which he gives increase unto our bodies. When, therefore, the mixed cup [wine and water] and the baked bread receives the Word of God and becomes the Eucharist, the body of Christ, and from these the substance of our flesh is increased and supported, how can they say that the flesh is not capable of receiving the gift of God, which is eternal life—flesh which is nourished by the body and blood of the Lord, and is in fact a member of him?" (ibid., 5:2).


"Polycarp also was not only instructed by apostles, and conversed with many who had seen Christ, but was also, by apostles in Asia, appointed bishop of the church in Smyrna, whom I also saw in my early youth, for he tarried [on earth] a very long time, and, when a very old man, gloriously and most nobly suffering martyrdom, departed this life, having always taught the things which he had learned from the apostles, and which the Church has handed down, and which alone are true. To these things all the Asiatic churches testify, as do also those men who have succeeded Polycarp down to the present time" (ibid., 3:3:4).

"Since therefore we have such proofs, it is not necessary to seek the truth among others which it is easy to obtain from the Church; since the apostles, like a rich man [depositing his money] in a bank, lodged in her hands most copiously all things pertaining to the truth, so that every man, whosoever will, can draw from her the water of life. . . . For how stands the case? Suppose there arise a dispute relative to some important question among us, should we not have recourse to the most ancient churches with which the apostles held constant conversation, and learn from them what is certain and clear in regard to the present question?" (ibid., 3:4:1).

"[I]t is incumbent to obey the presbyters who are in the Church—those who, as I have shown, possess the succession from the apostles; those who, together with the succession of the episcopate, have received the infallible charism of truth, according to the good pleasure of the Father. But [it is also incumbent] to hold in suspicion others who depart from the primitive succession, and assemble themselves together in any place whatsoever, either as heretics of perverse minds, or as schismatics puffed up and self-pleasing, or again as hypocrites, acting thus for the sake of lucre and vainglory. For all these have fallen from the truth" (ibid., 4:26:2).

"The true knowledge is the doctrine of the apostles, and the ancient organization of the Church throughout the whole world, and the manifestation of the body of Christ according to the succession of bishops, by which succession the bishops have handed down the Church which is found everywhere" (ibid., 4:33:8).

The remains/relics of St. Irenaeus were forever lost when the Church housing them was destroyed in 1562 .

O Be Careful Little Hands What You Type

On the subject of blogging again, I had an interesting and sobering comment posted from someone who I assume is a non-Christian regarding the "love" he sees displayed on the Christian blogs. Skepticus Maximus said this in response to my Blogospheric Beatitudes:

"Tiber Jumper, I find it interesting that you don't provide a URL or link to this conversation. The snippet you provided hints at a more volatile history in the conversation than you let on. Anyone can cherry-pick the rare civil comment. Yet anyone who looks at xtian blogsites knows that xtians can't help but damn one another faster than their god can."

Perhaps we could be doing a better job of preaching the gospel on the blogosphere. I don't suspect this particular person would be drawn to Christianity based on the commentary that he describes. Let's remember to say prayers for Skep Max too.

Blogospheric Beatitudes

Oftentimes, due to the zeal to defend our faith, we sadly lapse into *snarkiness*, sarcasm, condescension and downright vitriol. If our blogged words could kill, there would be many casualties of the religious wars of blogdom. The reality is, at some level there are casualties. Our Church believes there are very real and temporal consequences to our wrong actions and behaviors including grieving the Holy Spirit. The words we type on-line are not excluded from Christ's promise that they will be shouted from the housetops. Unfortunately, my own comments and posts are not entirely free of this. I am not proud to admit this nor do I look forward to the "This Was Your Life" tract of my darker moments, since we are definitely held accountable for the things we have done in this life, whether good or bad. So when I see interactions on the net that are examples of Christ's command to love your neighbor as yourself, I want to post about it!

My frequent commenter, Theo,

had been conversing on a blog that does not share his theological perspective. Check out the beatitudes shown here. Theo always ends his comments with:

Theo:

Humbly, I remain your brother in Christ,

Respondent:

As long as you cultivate a belief that you are justified by the merits of Christ, your congruent merit, and the congruent merit of others, you believe a false gospel, Theo, and you are no brother.

Theo :

Dear brother ****,

You wrote: "you believe a false gospel, Theo, and you are no brother."

I fully understand how your interpretation of Scripture and the theology you hold sacred forces you into this view. As I previously wrote in a different thread on this blogsite,
"...please understand that in spite of your theology, I recognize your Christianity, and as such, I deem you my brother... I know that you cannot call me ‘brother.’ Please understand that *my* best understanding of the Gospel mandates that I recognize you as ‘brother,’ nevertheless. You can disavow our fraternity in Christ. I cannot.

“Regardless, I'm confident that God's will shall be done. In the end, all is to God's Glory."

Humbly I remain your servant and brother in Christ,
--Theo

God bless Theo, he's a better man than I!

Elderly and Embryos

I have blogged on this before but in our study of Evangelium Vitae last night we touched on the topic of euthanasia again. Here's a link to an excellent article regarding euthanasia and the recent release of Dr. Kevorkian. The "futile care theory" is spawning the creation of "ethics" committees in hospitals which may be more accurately called "Auschwitz Welcome Wagons." When the doctors perceive that the patient's quality of life is poor they now consult these "Welcome Wagons" to badger the families into relenting and letting them stop care. I understand the need to stop aggressive measures when death is imminent and the treatment is over-burdensome, however, I have seen fluids and feedings stopped because a person with dementia was judged to not "measure up," to use Dr. Kevorkian's terminology.
Once we start killing life at the beginning, it becomes so much easier to hasten death at the end.
Germany still has the graveyards as the one seen above where the elderly and disabled were interred after being euthanized.
Let's face it, elderly and embryos don't look good in two piece bathing suits nor do they contribute to the GNP. So where's the quality there? God have mercy on us. Lord Jesus, Give us understanding of the inviolability of life.

"At Every Moment of Existence, Life is Sacred"

We are studying Evangelium Vitae, The Gospel of Life by Pope John Paul 2 in our parish pro- life group. In chapter 3, he refers to the Didache, the apostles teaching from 75 AD to illustrate that the Catholic Church has always spoken against abortion from its earliest days continuing to the present . It remains the one Church that has held this position unwavering since the time of the apostles.
When I was an evangelical, I never could understand why Catholics were leading the fight to defend life, if they were wrong about so many other things. When I asked this to a friend, he said: "They got that one thing right." I have since found out they were right about many other things as well, including their stance on artificial contraception which contributes to the abortion mentality as predicted by Pope Paul in the 1960's.


From the beginning, the living Tradition of the Church-as shown by the Didache, the most ancient non-biblical Christian writing-categorically repeated the commandment "You shall not kill": "There are two ways, a way of life and a way of death; there is a great difference between them... In accordance with the precept of the teaching: you shall not kill ... you shall not put a child to death by abortion nor kill it once it is born ... The way of death is this: ... they show no compassion for the poor, they do not suffer with the suffering, they do not acknowledge their Creator, they kill their children and by abortion cause God's creatures to perish; they drive away the needy, oppress the suffering, they are advocates of the rich and unjust judges of the poor; they are filled with every sin. May you be able to stay ever apart, o children, from all these sins!". The texts of Sacred Scripture never address the question of deliberate abortion and so do not directly and specifically condemn it. But they show such great respect for the human being in the mother's womb that they require as a logical consequence that God's commandment "You shall not kill" be extended to the unborn child as well.

Human life is sacred and inviolable at every moment of existence, including the initial phase which precedes birth. All human beings, from their mothers' womb, belong to God who searches them and knows them, who forms them and knits them together with his own hands, who gazes on them when they are tiny shapeless embryos and already sees in them the adults of tomorrow whose days are numbered and whose vocation is even now written in the "book of life" (cf. Ps 139: 1, 13-16). There too, when they are still in their mothers' womb-as many passages of the Bible bear witness⁶⁰-they are the personal objects of God's loving and fatherly providence. (from Evangelium Vitae)

When God looks at those eight cells in the above picture, He sees a human life from beginning to end as well as an immortal soul that goes on for eternity. Would that we see things from His perspective. We begin our meeting by the praying the rosary for the end to abortion and end with this prayer to Mary, whose unborn child was the Savior of the world.

O Mary,
bright dawn of the new world,
Mother of the living,
to you do we entrust the cause of life
Look down, O Mother,
upon the vast numbers
of babies not allowed to be born,
of the poor whose lives are made difficult,
of men and women
who are victims of brutal violence,
of the elderly and the sick killed
by indifference or out of misguided mercy.

Grant that all who believe in your Son
may proclaim the Gospel of life
with honesty and love
to the people of our time.

Obtain for them the grace
to accept that Gospel
as a gift ever new,
the joy of celebrating it with gratitude
throughout their lives
and the courage to bear witness to it
resolutely, in order to build,
together with all people of good will,
the civilization of truth and love,
to the praise and glory of God,
the Creator and lover of life.

Year Of St. Paul

This Thursday Pope Benedict the 16th will proclaim the Year of St. Paul on the evening of the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul. This year will mark the 2000th year of the birth of St. Paul thought to be born between 6 and 8 AD.

Pope Benedict XVI will preside at the celebration of first Vespers in the basilica of St. Paul's Outside-the-Walls. This is the location that archaeologists confirmed last December was the resting place of St. Paul.(See image above)

During the ceremony, the Pope will proclaim a year especially dedicated to St. Paul, to mark the 2000th anniversary of the birth of the "Apostle of the Gentiles."

His ministry here still continues through the prayers and intercessions he makes for us before the throne of God. Can you imagine St. Paul not praying for conversions? I am sure if he is within earshot of the angels that rejoice when one converts , he no doubt shouts a hearty "Praise God! along with them.

This may be an excellent time to start a Novena to St. Paul. There's one below if you are so inclined. A Novena is a prayer said for a particular intention over a 9 day period, based on the 9 days the apostles tarried and prayed in Jerusalem as instructed by our Lord. Not an incantation, or superstition. Just fervent faith-filled intercession through the communion we have with all believers, here and beyond.

Novena to St. Paul the Apostle

Entrust your special intentions to St. Paul
and offer the following prayer,
concluding with an Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be.

O St. Paul the Apostle, preacher of truth and Doctor of the Gentiles, intercede for us to God, who chose you.

You are a vessel of election, O St. Paul the Apostle.
Preacher of truth to the whole world.

O God, you have instructed many nations through the preaching of the blessed apostle Paul. Let the power of his intercession with you help us who venerate his memory this day.

More on Conscience

From the Catechism:

THE FORMATION OF CONSCIENCE

1783 Conscience must be informed and moral judgment enlightened. A well-formed conscience is upright and truthful. It formulates its judgments according to reason, in conformity with the true good willed by the wisdom of the Creator. The education of conscience is indispensable for human beings who are subjected to negative influences and tempted by sin to prefer their own judgment and to reject authoritative teachings.

1784 The education of the conscience is a lifelong task. From the earliest years, it awakens the child to the knowledge and practice of the interior law recognized by conscience. Prudent education teaches virtue; it prevents or cures fear, selfishness and pride, resentment arising from guilt, and feelings of complacency, born of human weakness and faults. The education of the conscience guarantees freedom and engenders peace of heart.

1785 In the formation of conscience the Word of God is the light for our path,⁵⁴ we must assimilate it in faith and prayer and put it into practice. We must also examine our conscience before the Lord's Cross. We are assisted by the gifts of the Holy Spirit, aided by the witness or advice of others and guided by the authoritative teaching of the Church.⁵⁵

Forming Your Conscience

The word conscience comes up a lot lately in the media, particularly when interviewing Catholic presidential candidates on their views of abortion and same-sex marriage, etc. We hear that well worn Catholic teaching that says "you are to follow your conscience." That's of course assuming you have a well-formed conscience. Even hardened criminals have a conscience, *formed* according to their own particular code of ethics. I wouldn't encourage them to just "follow their conscience!" So what is a well-formed conscience? How do I form mine? How do I know if it is formed well? Thankfully, the Church has the answers for us.

"We are responsible for forming our consciences, allowing God’s Word to truly be a light for our path. When we do not respect the dignity of conscience -- when we do not seek what is true and good -- the conscience becomes increasingly blind and less capable of making sound moral judgments (cf. Mt. 6:22-23; Veritatis Splendor [VS] 63).

The Catechism (no. 1792) gives several examples of how conscience can go astray, identifying the following sources of errors of judgment in moral conduct:

—ignorance of Christ and His Gospel

—bad example of others

—enslavement to passions

—mistaken notion of autonomy of conscience

—rejection of the Church’s authority and her teaching

—lack of conversion

—lack of charity

Conscience is our personal link to God’s law, and it must be distinguished -- often with the help of a confessor or spiritual director -- from our natural inclinations and “passions.” And deep down we know that as Catholics we are not acting with a “certain” conscience when we make choices known to be at odds with the Church’s moral teaching. "
(From Catholics United for the Faith)

A key to a well-formed conscience involves:

1. Prayerful adherence to God's Word
   
2. Submission with a docile attitude to the moral teachings of the Church
   
3. Accountability through the sacrament of reconciliation and spiritual direction
   

I believe the grace and strength to then follow our well-formed conscience is obtained through frequent reception of Christ in the Eucharist. We can never follow our conscience on our own power but through His spirit living in us.

Left to my own devices with just the "God told me" mentality, my Sin-o-Meter becomes defective and begins to malfunction. Sometimes, I was not aware that it was malfunctioning until it was too late. I am very thankful that Jesus gives us the "tools" we need to live a life pleasing to Him and the ability to form our conscience in accordance with His will and to keep our Sin-O-Meter working in tip-top shape.


Thanks to commenters MMFan for the sin-o-meter idea and Nancy for her recent thoughts on Confession. You guys inspired this, God bless.

Cycles of Feasting and Fasting

Kacy, a new convert and new bride has a most excellent post regarding food over at Meandering Home. The cycles of feasting and fasting in the Catholic Church is something I have grown to love over the past three years. She references Babette's Feast which has been one of my favorite movies, next to Buckaroo Bonzai and the Adventures from the 8th Dimension. (Buckaroo was a race car driver, neurosurgeon and lead guitarist in a rock band, but I digress)

"In summary, we are brought closer to God through eating because we are reminded of our dependence on Him. The family meal brings to mind the Eucharist, as we share food as a community. Finally, the cycles of feasting and fasting keep us from becoming too attached to creation while letting us enjoy the good things God has given to us."

Calling All 12 Steppers

Prodigal Daughter has been hosting a chat on the Coming Home Forum on Wednesday evenings at 8 PM EST for several months. Topics in the past have included: "What drew you to the Church?" or 'How converts relate to Mary?" or "Talking to your non-Catholic relatives and friends", and open discussions. It is a chat for support and fellowship, and not the forum for debate.
Go here to the CHN Forum to register

12 Step Recovery Program for Reverts/Converts

As children of alcoholic parents, Prodigal Daughter and I have benefited from the principles annunciated in the 12 Steps of AA. There has just some been discussion on my blog regarding the subject of converts/reverts returning to their former protestant faith. I began to think of the 12 Steps of AA and how they were uniquely applicable to this situation as well. Therefore, I developed my own version of the 12 Step Program. Together, we can say the 12 steps and hopefully prevent someone from falling off the wagon, or out of the Barc of Peter, so to speak. (The regular font is the original , brown italics are my reworking of them)


1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol - that our lives had become unmanageable.
We admitted we were powerless over our desire to experience God on our own terms-our spiritual lives had become unmanageable.

2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
Came to believe in the hierarchical Church with an infallible teaching authority that could restore us to theological sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
Made a decision to submit our will and our life over to the care of the Church historically started by Christ 2000 years ago.

4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
We performed an examination of conscience with the help of the Holy Spirit.

5. Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
We went to Confession and confessed our sins in detail to a priest.

6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
We received forgiveness and grace to sin no more through this sacrament of reconciliation instituted by our Lord in John 21.

7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee and I detest all my sins, because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell, but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, Who art all good and deserving of all my love, I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to confess my sins, to do penance and to amend my life. Amen

8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all. We perform Penance, attempting to make restitution for the wrongs done and the temporal consequences of our disobedience.

9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. Continue to perform restitution where possible for my sins.

10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
We continually live in a state of grace and humility acknowledging that we can fall from His grace by our conscious choices to sin. We continue to make frequent use of the confessional.

11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God through the gifts, graces and sacraments given us by Christ in the Church praying for the knowledge of His will and the power to carry that out.

12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we try to carry this message to all our brethren and to let Christ guide us in all our earthly affairs.

A Day in the Life of a Catholic Blogger

Blogging about blogging

Crossed The Blogger

JP from Return of the Prodigal Blogger tagged me with these questions. Here goes:

1. How did you start blogging?
I never intended to blog. Being a musician and part time physician took up most of my time. It started accidentally. I was visiting with my extended family and got into a discussion over Catholicism. I later received an e-mail from one of the family members present excoriating my wife and I for our decision to convert. It contained the usual mis-conceptions, bad history and fundamentalist *mythology* regarding the Catholic faith. Even more surprising and sad was that it was from a person with a good heart and good mind, as is often the case.
It prompted me to answer his objections and misconceptions one by one. I may have had my testimony of conversion already blogged, I can't remember but, I decided that it was necessary for me to attempt to make a defense of the faith for those who had never heard the "real story."
I had gone 30 years as an evangelical having never heard an apology for the Catholic faith and my intention is to not let that happen to someone else. The internet is an excellent tool to share the faith since there are so many people on line these days.


2. Did you intend to have a blog with a big following?
No, I didn't, and didn't really understand the whole process when I started. My intention was to share my story of conversion and experiences as a Catholic Christian to the many people who would never ask me directly. Little did I know there's only about 5000 other Catholics out there doing the same thing!
I usually don't have that "big" a following unless one of my posts is picked up by another blogger that is heavily "trafficked." I find it curious that certain non-Catholic Christians who are hostile to "all things Catholic" have links to my blog! If one of their readers is directed to my page, then Praise God!

3. What do you hope to achieve or accomplish with your blog? Have you been successful? I often look to St. Frances DeSales as my role model. Despite being handicapped by the lack of internet access, he was able to win 60,000 Catholics back to the faith by his handwritten tracts, sermons and heroic faith dedicated to Christ. My hope is that by the grace of God, my blog will point some back to the Church and hopefully bring them home. It is frightening though because we will be held responsible for every word typed and we will all have to give an account for our blogged words someday. Sometimes, I wish I could have a good theologian looking over my shoulder as I type, to make sure I don't write anything that is not solid Catholic teaching. It's a bigger responsibility than many of us realize.
I think I have been successful in getting many people peeved at me! But seriously, a highlight for me was when I received a comment from a student at Virginia Tech thanking me for the prayers and telling me had had been reading my blog for awhile and was seriously considering Catholicism.

4. Has the focus of your blog changed since you started blogging? How?
Maybe a bit. Besides the apologetic-type posts (which get old after awhile, I mean, how many times have I written "Catholics don't worship idols?") I also focus on topics that converts and reverts find helpful or humorous. Quite frankly, living a Catholic life is so counter-culture that we are constantly faced with incredulity and derision so the blogosphere forms a nice supportive community. A "virtual 12 step support group." LOL

5. What do you know now that you wish you'd known when you started?
How much hostility was out there. Whew! I don't publish every comment that I receive.
6. Do you make money with your blog?
No, I actually lose moneywith my blog because I should be spending the blog time marketing and promoting my music career! The Cafe Press thing has made zero so far and I am giving that money to Catholic Charities anyway.

7. Does your immediate or extended family know about your blog? If so, do they read it? If not, why? My brother's son-in-law who inspired the whole thing used to go to it, but doesn't anymore after getting peeved by some of my posts. Unless of course he is the silent reader from Helsinki or the Korea (Man, do I have a lot of readers in Korea!)

I initially was impressed with how many people across the world were reading my blog until I realized they were just masking their ISP's by cloaking software. Well, on second thought, maybe my blog is a huge hit in Latvia and Gdansk!
So no, I don't think anyone from my family reads it. My enthusiasm for Catholicism has not been widely shared by family. (Except for Prodigal Daughter of course)

8. What two pieces of advice would give to a new blogger?

Here's more than 2:
Pray before you type, I often don't. Did you have your quiet time before you blogged?
God first, family second, career/job third, blog "ministry" last. None of our blogs are so important that the world will end if we don't post!
Keep your computer in a public place, keep accountability software on it at all times, invite your spouse/friends to read your browser history. Too easy to be lead to badness on the net.
Finally, when on your honeymoon, it's probably best not to blog! (Japhy)

Double Crossed The Tiber?

It has been a little more than three years since PD and I reverted to Catholicism. Shortly after my reversion, I received an e-mail that predicted that once the "pomp and circumstances" of my conversion had worn off, I'd be left with nothing but the "empty promises that Rome can't fulfill." I responded to that e-mail by politely requesting he send me a list of the converts/reverts he was aware of that were reverting back (double crossing) to their previous protestant denomination. I never received a reply.

I am not sure what the person described above meant by "pomp and circumstance." I must admit, I get a little less emotional describing my conversion these days but still get choked-up when I speak of Christ in the Eucharist and how He has been there all the time, unrecognized by myself. I wonder if he meant the aesthetic aspects of Catholicism? Quite frankly, the local Church building we attend is shaped like the mother ship from Close Encounters and the interior design is Frank Lloyd Wright meets IKEA (So it's not the architectural majesty and iconic brilliance that drew us, nor keeps us!) There's not a whole lot of pomp or circumstances there either, just the 2000 year old divine liturgy and the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist confected by two godly over-worked and under-paid pastors.

I still pray as much now as when I first returned and in many ways have a deeper "filial" affection for "Mother Church" that was not there three years ago. I still desire frequent reception of the Eucharist and do not grow weary of daily Mass. Sometimes, I am less enthused about going after a long day, but have never once left Mass saying to my spouse
"PD, what a waste of time, I wish we stayed home instead!" The stack of new and Amazon-used Catholic-related books on my night stand shows no sign of shrinking anytime soon either. So it's been three years and counting I haven't yet seen the "empty promises that Rome can't fulfill."

But, in all fairness, maybe I am not aware of a Double Crossing Phenomena that my e-mail interlocutor is aware of. In light of all the conversions that have been tracked by Coming Home Network or such I was wondering what the percentage of convert/reverts have decided to go back to non-Catholic faith expressions. Does anyone have data on this type of "double crossing?" I am sure it has occurred and in the days of the hubbub over the Beckwith Incident this past May, there was a well known Catholic convert blogger going the other direction with less fanfare. This former 7th day Adventist -Catholic convert recently returned to his 7th Day denomination and posts an interesting discussion on his journey to and from Rome. About a year ago, Rod Dreher of Crunchy Cons blog left Rome to cross the Bosporus.

• Are there any other revert/converts any out there currently, who long for their previous fellowship experience and question their Crossing Over?
• As an aside, does anyone ever wonder why we are referred to as converts and reverts rather than just Christians who changed churches and became Catholic? When I went to the Methodist church for a time before coming home, I wasn't referred to as a "Methodist convert." I think it is an interesting phenomenon. The media use this nomenclature as well so it's not just Catholic-speak or "Catholese*."

*Catholese= the use of terms to describe religious experience within the confines of Catholic culture and faith practices. This is a term that is analogous to "Christianese" or my personal favorite "Spirit-speak."

Radical for Jesus- Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of The Eucharist

I posted about these Sisters before but just wanted to post an update. That's their Mother Superior at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast with the President. These Sisters really get around!

I first literally ran into these sisters at the March for Life in Washington DC this January. I was immediately impressed by their love for Jesus and defense of the unborn and have since found out that their order is growing in leaps and bounds. At a time when many orders are dying off due to lack of new vocations (new members), it is refreshing to see that this one can't adequately house the number of young women who desire to live a radical life for Christ! The average age of those entering is 24 and the average age among the professed is 28 years old.

Check out their new website and in particular the link to the CBS news report on their work.
Their new website has received over 1.4 million hits since December and Sister Joseph Andrew, the director of vocations, carries a Blackberry with her to respond to greater than 70 e-mails she receives daily with questions regarding a possible vocation.

What motivates these nuns?
"Our daily prayer life is absolutely essential to our missions, as it is to our whole lives as consecrated Sisters. Religious Sisters are "formed in the sanctuary"-it's only by knowing Our Lord in the Eucharist that we can bring Him to our students, to the families in the parish, and to the strangers we meet."

And if the Lord leads you, pray for them and send a couple quid. If you have time give a listen to their singing. It gives me chills.

The Bible and Conception and Abortion

H/t to Dr. Jeff Mirus of Catholic Culture for this website: Scripture for Life.

"This site is a road map for a journey through Scripture for those who hold life sacred, particularly those who are interested in protecting unborn children. The site is divided into seven themes, each containing related Catechism quotations and Scripture references. This is a very useful tool."

Prayer During Driving is Encouraged

PD and I have taken note in the past few years how drivers are becoming more aggressive and inconsiderate of one another. Call me an alarmist, but my theory is that the "culture of death mentality" has crept into the personal habits of many, including the act of driving. When one disregards the sanctity of life, it's easy to be threatening, rude and disrespectful of others because the underlying assumption is that "my life has more value than yours."

The Vatican has just released the 10 Commandments of Driving.

"A 36-page document called "Guidelines for the Pastoral Care of the Road" contains 10 Commandments covering everything from road rage, respecting pedestrians, keeping a car in good shape and avoiding rude gestures while behind the wheel."

A must read for my 18 year old who just got his license, and the rest of us too!

Shameless Self -Promotion Again

After Susie from Recon recently Crossed the Tiber (literally) she took photos to prove it! She sent me the pics and I uploaded one of them onto my Cafe Press Products. Seeing that these babies haven't been flying off the virtual shelves I thought I'd do a little shameless promotion here.
You too can have your very own "I Crossed The Tiber" Refrigerator Magnet.
I will double the amount that comes in and send the proceeds to Catholic Charities.

The Quiet Genocide in Iraq