Writing for Catholic Stand gives me a tremendous opportunity to explore my faith, and I am grateful to our Editor-in-Chief, Melanie Juneau, and my Managing Editor, Peter Darcy, for bearing with me month after month. Without question, my faith has grown as I’ve delved into the immense font of our Catholic Faith, looking for morsels to share with you who wait for the coming of our King of kings and Lord of lords as I do.
When I put what I believe in writing, it becomes reality for me. As an intelligent reader, I invite you to consider the essays and judge your own faith walk by what you read.
The Catechism as Foundation
When I began my journey with Catholic Stand, I shared some of the meat of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, knowing how much I personally received from an in-depth study, and how it strengthened my faith.
In my initial studies, I made it my goal to look up every citation of Sacred Scripture, the documents of Vatican II, and other sources from the saints in the Catechism. I think President Reagan was the one who said, “Trust, but verify!” Except for citations in works other than English, I find the source and study it.
By studying the Catechism, I became hungry for the Vatican II documents and other major works of holy Church. My Catholic faith grew as my understanding of the Church’s teachings gave me the opportunity to explore the Word of God through the eyes of the Fathers of the Church and the Magisterium. I write “Catholic faith,” because in most areas of the world it is distinct and separate from other expressed “Christian” faiths.
The motivation behind the formation of Catholic Stand is taken from 1 Corinthians 16:13-14: “Be on your guard, stand firm in the faith, be courageous, be strong. Your every act should be done with love.” St. Paul encouraged many of the new churches throughout the budding world of Christianity to “stand firm in the faith.” He tells the Ephesians – and us – to “put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11). In verse 14, St. Paul encourages us to “stand fast,” and he explains how we are to prepare for spiritual warfare.
The Power of God’s Word
What a tremendous challenge we have as worshipping Catholics to uphold one of the teachings of the Church regarding the sanctity of human life! The Catechism teaches that, “Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception. From the first moment of his existence, a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person – among which is the inviolable right of every innocent being to life” (CCC, 2270).
Doesn’t this cause a tremendous need for each of us to cling to the Word of God that admonishes each of us to “stand firm in the faith, be courageous, be strong,” and every one of our acts to be “done with love?” That is a tall order. It would be so much easier to hand that one over to the priests and bishops.
It is easy for practicing Catholics to say, “Hey, Bishops! For crying out loud, get out there and defend life! We’re just the pew sitters (when we were allowed to go to church)! You are the ones with the Crosier, go whack some heads.”
I know what some of you are thinking. What about “every act should be done with love?” The job falls on my shoulders, and maybe yours, too?
On Fire with the Spirit
In the early 1970s I walked away from the Catholic faith after being “renewed” in the Holy Spirit. We were living in the Catskills at the time and were caught up in the Charismatic Movement that seemed to be blazing across the land. Especially at the St. Joseph Franciscan Seminary in Callicoon, New York, not far from where the first Woodstock Festival was held. We attended the prayer groups for only a few months and were swept up in a powerful way with the glory of God. A few months later, the seminary closed and the friars moved to other areas. It was a tough blow. We found something there that we had never experienced, and we craved more of it.
I spoke to the pastor of the church in the town where we lived and asked if he could facilitate a Bible study or prayer group. He was really too busy trying to get the vacant Catholic School behind the church up and running.
Learning about the Charismatic experience on my own pointed me to the Pentecostals. I went to my pastor and told him I needed more of the power of God in my life. I literally worked three jobs and an assortment of odd jobs to support my family, yet I needed the strength I knew I’d receive from God. I was hungry for God, for the Trinity, for knowledge of my Faith.
A Long and Winding Road
At Mass one Sunday during that time, my wife put three dollars in the offertory. In the car after Mass, she told me it was the only money we had left until payday the following Friday. We had no money for milk and bread. When we arrived home, we stood in the yard, held hands with our two children and prayed. Our dog was nearby, smelling something in the grass. We bent down to see her sniffing a five-dollar bill. Coincidence, right?
There was a new Pentecostal church opening in a storefront in town. A friend invited us. It was almost the Franciscan Seminary charismatic experience. Some months later I stopped attending Mass. I participated in the Pentecostal Bible study, prayer meeting, and Sunday morning and Sunday evening services, while still working three jobs. I consumed the Word of God. “Immersion” in the Word may be a more accurate term to use. I told the pastor of the small, growing church that I needed more. I asked if there were any Bible studies that may be more in-depth. He told me about the church’s seminary college that offered home studies at a price. If I told them I was studying for the ministry, he told me, I would get a twenty-percent discount.
Home Again
In early 1994 I received a promotion which sent me to a place south of Rochester, New York, and I rented a small room nearby, commuting home on weekends. It was a few minutes from the Abbey of the Genesee, a Monastery of the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance, also known as Trappists. For income, the monks make “Monks’ Bread” and other edibles (which are delicious and easy to purchase online). They chant The Liturgy of the Hours seven times a day. Visitors are invited to participate in the mystery of the Church through their incredibly beautiful prayer regimen.
They welcomed me and taught me the part of the Church I had missed. They opened my eyes to leading a life of prayer, work, and sacred reading. They are steeped in the heart and mystery of the Church. Their love of God and of their fellow man was evident everywhere. The welcome I received reminded me of the welcome the “Prodigal Son” received when his father saw him walking a long way off. “The father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son embraced him and kissed him” (Luke 15:20).
Home again. God is so good.
