I'm a fan of the blogs at the Archdioces of Washington DC . Uber-Blogger Msgr. Charles Pope's latest blog is titled "It’s Time to Obey Christ and His Command that We Evangelize".
"Pray, sure, attend Mass, OK, tithe, I’ll try. Evangelize? Oops, I’m a little busy and rather shy too, you understand….."

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-Tim-

-Tim-

Quick kids, hide in the closet and don't make a sound until they leave. But I've engaged them twice now. It was nerve wracking at first. 

Two women came to the door the first time, one older and one younger and they asked me if I believed in God and if I would like to learn more about God's plan for my life. I immediately told them that I was Catholic, that I was firm in my faith and that I rejected many of their doctrines including the belief that Jesus is somehow not equal to God.

They thanked me for my time and started to leave but I asked them for a copy of their iconic "Watchtower" mini-magazine, which they handed me with enthusiasm. I walked the two ladies to the street and asked a few questions - the primacy of the bible (as opposed to the church) as the source of religious truth and that sort of thing and invited them to come back. Interestingly, I found later on while looking at their magazine, that it quoted scripture incorrectly, placing a period in the middle of a passage as follows:

"Go therefor, into all nations, baptizing them."

They left off, "...in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" from the end of Jesus' commission.

Two other ladies, a mother and daughter team, came to the door a few weeks later. I again informed them that I was Catholic and said that I would like to learn more about their faith. I brought out the copy of The Watchtower previously given to me and asked them about the truncated passage. They claimed that sometimes the magazine needs to save space so they leave off things which are not really pertinent to the issue at hand. It seemed funny to me that they had a icluded a generic picture of smiling moms and kids on the page but but decided to leave off one half of Jesus' sentance to save space. It's a small issue but I was going somewhere with it.  

I asked if Jehovah's Witnesses did anything in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. They responded that they did everything in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and tried to turn the conversation toward a discussion of God's name, stating that Father and God are only titles and that we need to understand and call God by his real name which is Jehovah. I wasn't buying the change of subject and said, "You know, Catholics do everything in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, exactly like it says in the Bible."

You see, Jehovah's Witnesses, like members of almost all Protestant denominations, believe in the doctrine of sola scriptura - that scripture alone, and not the church, is the authoritative source of all religous truth. I knew this and was trying to establish a precedent in their mind - that the Catholic Church did at least one thing more in acccord with scripture than their Church did, and further, that their Church may have mistakenly not obeyed scripture (and therefore God's will) as well as it could have. 

I told them that every prayer of the Church, that every mass, every baptsim, marriage and funeral as well as every private prayer offered by every individual begins and ends with the words "In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen". I then told them that we even sign ourselves as we say the words and the repeated the "in the name of the Father, etc", this time signing myself in a slightly exagerated way in order to make my point.

This took them aback a little and there was a brief moment of awkward silence. I realized right then that they were not well educated on the Catholic faith. Someone once said that the Catholic Chuch is like a caged lion, it does not need to be defended as much as it needs to just be let out of the cage and so I stepped into the breach and asked them on what authority their church teaches on matters of faith and morals.

They replied that their church teaches under the authority of the Bible and tried to turn the conversation toward biblical authority, insisting that we must always make sure that we are doing everything according to the teaching of the Bible (sola scriptura again).

 
"OK", I responded, "But the Bible states that the Church is 'the pillar and foundation of truth'" and explained that as the upholder (pillar) of truth and the base upon which all truth is built (foundation), the Bible really tells us that it is the Chuch, and not the Bible, which is the primary authority on religious truth and maters of faith and morals.

Not relenting, I stepped right into the second moment of awkward silence and said that although the Jehovah's Witness Church was established by Richard Russel in the 1800's, the Catholic Church was established by Christ himself. I then told them about apostolic succession, that every priest and bishop can trace his predecessor back through history to the original twelve apostles.

They seemed somewhat surprised by all of this. They were not familiar with the term "Apostolic succession" but the the Bibles they carried had an excellent encyclopedia in the back and they read the short essay on the subject to me out-loud. To their credit, it was acccurate and fair and I congratulated them on it.

The converstaiton went on a little while longer and as I walked them down the driveway, I told them that I admired their spirit of evangelism and that I would welcome a visit from them or any other members of their Church.  As we parted, I said, "You know, we have to always be open to God's truth, no matter where it leads us and no matter what the cost." They gave me an Amen and headed up the street.

Will they be converted? I don't know. I pray for them sometimes. Maybe, if you have read this blog post this far, you could pray for them too. 

The seed has been planted. The lion has been let out of the cage. That's all anyone can do.

Interestingly enough, I read that the Mormons are starting to push a big door-to-door campaign similar to what the Jehovah's have been doing for years. The word on the street is that they send out kids who know less about their own faith than the Jehovah's at my door did about Catholicsim. You can read about the Mormon campaign over at Patrick Madrid's blog. See http://patrickmadrid.blogspot.com/2010/06/coming-soon-to-doorbell-near-you-mormon.html.

So what's my point in all this? Don't hide when they knock on your door. They are really nice people who sincerly believe in their faith and are trying to live it as best as they know how.  Engage them. Talk to them. Give them a drink of water because it's pretty hot outside. May God bless them.

And their theological arguments are really weak.

Most non-Catholic Christians believe in the supremacy of the Bible and if you can show them how Catholicism is firmly rooted in scripture, you just might plant a seed that will grow.  

-Tim-

Pray Station Portable is an unassuming webstite featuring the Liturgy of the Hours in MP3 format.
No fanfare. No fancy graphics. No advertisements. Just the Liturgy of the Hours recoreded a few days in advance, free to download or via RSS feed. Much thanks to Deacon Dave (I think) for pointing me to this great site.

The producer of these simple yet elegant MP3's is Star Quest Production Network, a non-for profit which bills itself as follows:

"SQPN (Star Quest Production Network) is a multimedia organization specializing in the production of audio and video programs faithful to the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. Its mission is to respond to the Church’s call to use the media for religious information, for evangelization and catechesis and for formation and education."

Their site should be fun to explore.

Interestingly, SQPN lists their US headquarters at a PO Box right here in Roswell, GA.

-Tim-

If you have EWTN, you have probably seen this. For those who have not, it is an awsome series of video's of St. Josemaria Escriva.
What a holy man. Very inspiring to watch.

-Tim-

This is what I'm talking about. You have to be very wary of what you read.

 A blogger (with an agenda) reports in the headline that the Catholic Church in Vermont has lost one fifth of its membership since Benedict XVI ascended to the Papacy. The analysis in the first sentence is that "This is bad news for Vermont's Roman Catholic Church."

 The technique is common. A statement is made to the effect that two events took place or that two conditions exist, which might or might not be related to each other, with the intent of infering that one caused the other when there is in fact, no proof of causation. Stating that two events took place, one right after the other, at best shows correlation, but it does not show causation.

 100% of people who drink orange juice will die. 

Mark Twain must be rolling over in his grave.

Another flim-flam job that we are supposed to fall for is the "That is consistent with what we would expect to see" technique. We are told of a particular condition, and then some expert says that this condition is consistent with what we would expect to see if (INSERT AGENDA HERE) were true.

 "More whales have been found washing up on beaches throughout the world. This is consistent with what we would expect to see during periods of intense global warming." 

I stopped watching the TV channel on which I heard this statement, not because of its social or environmental positions but becasue this type of mind game is simply dishonest.  Could it be that whales are making a comeback and that the old ones are actually dying and washing up once in a while? Nah!

 Regarding the net loss of Catholics in Vermont, what the blogger does not report is that Vermont's population rose 2.1% from 2000 to 2009 while the population of the US as a whole rose 9.1% during the same time period. (1) Could it be that Catholics are simply moving away? Nah!

 Whenever someone tries to infer causation without proof, more likely than not the root cause of both conditions is the same. With regards to the blogger's inference that Catholics in Vermont are leaving the Church as a result it's teachings on sexuality brought about by the ascension of Benedict XVI to the papacy, I would like to suggest what one common root cause might be.

Is it possible that the loss of Catholics in Vermont as well as the rise of a concervative theologian to the Papacy are both a reaction of the Holy Spirit to rampant sexual promiscuity, of which both Vermont's same sex marriage law and the blogger's website are symptomatic? Nah!

Personally, I think the Catholics from Vermont are all moving to Georgia!

 -Tim-

 (1) US Census Bureau, State and County QuickFacts, Vermont, http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/50000.html

"On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, 'Peace be with you.' When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said the them again, 'Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.' And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, 'Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.'" (John 20: 19-23)

 This is Jesus' grand entrance, his first appearance to this disciples as a group (save Thomas) since rising from the dead. One could reasonably expect that the Son of God, upon rising from the dead, would have something important to say when he first appears. St. John chooses to record these two statements:

• As the father has sent me, so I send you."
• "Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained."

No "Hey, good to see ya!". No, talk of how little faith the disciples had or of how they lacked understanding. No inspirational talk of how he will be with each individual as a personal guidepost on their walk of faith. Jesus' first words to his disciples after descending into hell and rising again in fulfillment of thousands of years of prophesy seems oddly out of place.

 "As the Father has sent me, so I send you."

 Just how was Jesus sent to us by the Father? Jesus was sent to us by God the Father for the forgiveness of sins. So if Jesus sends his disciples as he was sent, then the disciples too must be sent into the world for the forgiveness of sins.

 "Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them..."

 This first statement about how the disciples are being sent into the world is the context under which the second statement makes sense. Jesus clearly tells his disciples that if they forgive a persons sins, that person's sins will be forgiven them. How can this statement about men forgiving and retaining sins makes sense if only God can forgive sins?

"...he breathed on them.."

"God, the Father of mercies, through the death and resurrection of his Son has reconciled the world to himself and sent the Holy Spirit among us for the forgiveness of sins; through the ministry of the Church may God give you pardon and peace, and I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

Reading the words of the priest at the end of confession makes me want to go.

 -Tim-

No less than Rocco Palmo over at Whispers in the Loggia posted on the 21st about the vibrant and growing Catholic community here in Atlanta.

It seems that the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church's ordination of 15 permanent Deacons (our own Rv. Mr. Manning among them), the presence of our new auxilary bishop, 15 new priests in the past year and the fact that the Archdioces has trippled its size in the past twenty years has not gone unnoticed.

Even the AJC couldn't ignore what Father Adrian told us at the monthly Evening of Recollection sponsored by Opus Dei this past Friday... there are a record number of converts entering the Church - 2,015 people participated in the Rite of Election yesterday (Feb 21).

Both articles quote the Director of the Archdiocese of Atlanta's Office of Divine Worship, Fr. Theodore Book. Parishoners who have been at St. Catherine for a few years will remember Father Book when he was one of our Parish Priests.  

Personally, moving six years ago from the suburbs of New York City - where everyone is either Chatholic or Jewish - to the deep south, was quite a culture shock. What I was totally unprepared for though, was the religious aspect of that culture shock. That was driven home on a bike ride on the Silver Comet Trail during my first year here when I was challenged with, "Don't you believe that all you have to do is believe in Jesus Christ to get into heaven?" by a fellow rider. When I answered no, they yelled - literally yelled at me, "Why do you think you can earn your way into heaven!?"

"Toto, where not in Kansas any more."

There still arn't any Catholic bibles on the self at Lifeway Christian stores and 104.7 "The Fish" doesn't play "Take and Eat" or "One Bread, One Body" during Christmas season. But having a colleague show up at a business meeting with ashes on his forehead goes a long way toward makikng this "Goergian by Choice" feel a little more at home. 

I struck up a conversation about cars with a guy in a Mustang Cobra a few weeks back.  We chatted inside the Atlanta Bread in Woodstock for a few minutes and he saw my Catholic Prayer book. He volunteered that he used to be a Baptist who went around telling Catholics how they did everything wrong and said, "Now I'm a Catholic and I go around telling the Baptists how they do everything wrong."  

I can't imagine what it must be like to tell your family, who have been Baptists or Evangelicals or Non-denominational "Full Gospel" Christians for generations, that you are bailing-out for the Church of Rome because you see it as the true Church, established by Christ and you are going to "Eat the flesh" this Easter. Scott Hahn said that it broke his wife's heart so bad that she went into depression for three years, even praying for death when he told her exactly that. 

And I guess that's the point. It's not about comfort or about fitting in or about fond memories of growing up with Catholic Churches on every street corner. It's about the truth. It's about living in the truth no matter what the cost... even if the cost is being nailed to a cross.
So I got yelled at about being a Catholic on a bike ride - big deal - maybe that was just one hamer blow against one of the nails being hammered into the cross. And all the people who suffer loss for joining Christ's one true church are hammer blows against those same nails. And so are all the hours quitely spent in front of the monstrance by people who will never be known for it, all the rosaries prayed in the privacy of Catholic homes across Atlanta and all the Masses offered by all the priests since the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception was built downtown in 1849.

All of the hammer blows eventually drove in the nails which held our Lord to the Cross and Christ was Crucified - IS crucified - and the Mass is the perpetuation of that sacrafice. And here we are with 2,015 converts this year with one million Catholics in the Archdioces an attainable goal.

And we are the 56th biggest parish IN THE WORLD? Maybe there is something to the Catholic belief that our suffering and sacrifice has redemptive value. It is Lent after all so go figure...

As for me, there's no place like home.  


-Tim-