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| Reason #3 I Became Catholic: The Big Welcome |
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Becoming a Roman Catholic Christian as an adult involves learning a lot of things. Sometimes the conversion process feels like a full-time college education on the history, vocabulary, theology, posture, languages (Greek, Latin, Italian). That part of RCIA curriculum is fairly rigorous; yet not the most trying part of the journey toward Easter Vigil. I found the late "catechumenate" phase of learning to live as a disciple of Christ (with the Word of God at the center of your life and soul, not merely an adjunct/demographic appendage to your identity) is even more insistently demanding.
Especially vocabulary/language. There is almost an entire dictionary of words, phrases that seem familiar, but need definition to the average American Protestant. And it all starts with the word "catholic."
The first thing I asked in Inquiry class was what does the word "catholic" mean? The answer, and it was a thrill to hear it, that catholic comes from the Greek katholikos, meaning "universal."
Wikipedia defines the word Catholic as "an adjective derived from the Greek adjective 'καθολικός' / 'katholikos', meaning "general" or "universal" (cf. Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon."
Inquiry is the first stage of the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA... the process where one converts to the Roman Catholic Church). In Inquiry class, the student asks questions about Christianity, Catholicism, catholic dogma, church history. I think the book Why Do Catholics Do That? came from the childlike questions asked by the unchurched and converts in RCIA.
Back to "universal." This refers to our commission from Christ to, "Go and make disciples among all people and all nations. Baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit." I learned during my conversion that James Joyce, who had a problematic relationship with his catholic faith, famously wrote that Catholicism was like saying "here comes everyone." That sentiment is a reality, at least in my experience.
Christianity was intended to be an open, welcoming reality for all people, not a single chosen tribe. Welcoming all in an embrace. An embrace that in architectural metaphor exists with the Bernini's monumental colonnade at the Vatican's St. Peter Square. From the aspect as an outsider (whose impressions of the life inside a Catholicism was molded by movies such as The Godfather or television), there is feeling that the Roman Catholic Church (or individual catholic churchs, to delineate the difference between the institutional church in Vatican City and parish in your town) is the greatest insider family business in the history of the world. On top of that, to show my ignorance the Church was an exclusive European (and European colonies) fraternal organization. Finally, even in the best of social circumstances I figured that the best catholic parish was not racist, but cold and inadvertently off-putting to any newcomer.
Now I can not over-emphasize how much of a dope I was for having this prejudiced notion that the Roman Catholic Church, catholic parishes, and individual catholics were not really open and welcoming. I was a monumental idiot for having that attitude; conversely, I can not over-emphasize how friendly and warm I found the individuals and hierarchy of the Church once I started attending Mass as a visitor at St. Augustine Church. Mercies, indulgences and kindnesses great and small made me want to be part of the Catholic Family. It was, "The Big Welcome." A sense of socially, historically, and spiritually coming back to the great universal home. A home with a wise, omniscent, just and benevolent Father; a Blessed/Beloved Mother always there to comfort; a heroic older brother teaching wisdom and protecting you from bullies, willing to sacrifice; a spirit of warmth and comfort pervading the house; and innumerable brothers and sisters in a mansion of many rooms. |
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Hello again Jay : ) I really enjoyed reading this post. Have you ever heard of Deacon Alex Jones? I've heard him speak and what a story. Christ's Peace. |
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Jay |
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June 18, 2008 at 12:08pm |
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Josh:
I saw Deacon Alex Jones' TV special on EWTN when I was in the last few weeks of RCIA, and heard him describe his book on a radio program. I got the feeling from those programs that the book would focus on things similar to my above post... or average "Coming Home" episode (a lot on Early Church Fathers and truth of aspects of Catholic tradition... lite on shortcomings of his "home" church... essentially missing on the issues in my blog post "#1 Reason Why I Converted: The Mass" or "Reason #3: The Big Welcome" or the nity-grity issues I plan on writing about in a future blog... the perils for everyone to remain in homogeneous congregations/parishes.
I am really committed to discussing the urban nature of the Church from its founding. Urban meaning in a city/area of dense population, heterogeneity of peoples, religions, economic classes, saints and sinners. Urban not as it is used by the lazy as code for blighted, inner-city, predominately (in America, France, Brazil) African-diaspora in heritage. Think back... Christianity sprung up in Jerusalem a densely, heterogeneously populated city-state; a city with extremes of income and living conditions. Most of Christ's teachings applied to urban dwellers with a working knowledge of rural life/desert terrain (allusions or facts to vineyards, wine makers, sheep/shepherds, scattering seed in good soil or rocks, etc.). His disciples and would be disciples were Tax Collectors (urban professional) and fishermen (rural profession that urban consumers would be familiar with); Jews and Gentiles. People who would come in contact with "People of All Nations" or "Widows, Orphans, the Hungry" which is why in the end I decided to spin out my conversion testimony in this format. Racial, Socio-Economic, Ethnic, Age isolation is crippling and warping to The Church and The People of God (individually and collectively). Catholic as "universal" is good. |
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