I want to thank everyone who shared in this journey with me, any part of it. After 46 years and what you may have gathered from the introduction, this conversion to Catholicism was about an answer to many prayers and finally surrendering to overwhelming historical and Biblical evidence, hardships, and joys of life, both intellectually and spiritually. There is a reason that this process is called a "conversion to Catholicism" verses just changing denominations although we are all Christians. Converting to Eastern Orthodoxy or Roman Catholicism requires not just an intellectual change but a radical spiritual death and rebirth that is difficult to describe because it requires "crossing the Protestant bridge" into a Christian expression that is 2000 years old verses 500 years old or less.
A few family members and friends have asked me why they can't take Communion in the Catholic Church. I once asked the same thing until I was confirmed. I told them; you don't want to receive Communion unless you go through the full a confessional cleansing and confirmation process. Until the Protestant Reformation, no Christian was able to take Communion until they went through these steps. Simply, the confessional is a cleansing booth to receive the Eucharist in the best possible state. There are times I do not take Communion as a Catholic simply because I need to to go the confessional and make amends with my Lord beforehand.
Please know that I fully understand anything you may have struggled or disagreed within this blog. The Lord had to finally "pull the rug out from under me" to convert me to a 2000-year-old expression of Christianity. I knew that if I finally "Swam the Tiber," I may lose friends and family which I have. This also happened to Hank Hannegraeff when he converted to Eastern Orthodoxy. Thankfully, our three children and Grant kindly and collectively encouraged me to finally go through with this move to Catholicism. They have an understanding like no one else. I told them that I only want them to become Catholic if they are ready to totally surrender to the Church Jesus founded which is under more attack than any institution of Earth. Since I have been looking to eternity for five years after my diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease, this illness has been the largest piece of my conversion.
The primary purpose of this blog has been to soften hearts to the Christian faith 1500 years prior to the Protestant Reformation which essentially included Eastern Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism with other Apostolic traditions like Coptic Christianity, Celtic/English Catholicism, Oriental Orthodoxy, etc..... This has not been an easy endeavor because I had to let go of doctrines from the 1500s like Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone) and Sola Fide (Faith Alone). It boiled down to me asking the Lord for answers to the wide moral and theological differences between all of the Protestant world (30,000 denominational) combined because of my Church background in Anglicanism and the the Baptist Church.
Throughout this entire faith journey of 46 years, the good Lord reminded me of the many people who would die for their Christian faith from any tradition. I believe the Lord wants faithful devoted followers first and foremost.
Ok, I have been saving Steve Ray for the end. He is a Baptist to Catholic convert. His testimony is absolutely wonderful. https://www.youtube.com/watch?
One last source is a good two-minute answer to each common questions people ask about the Catholic Church.
https://www.catholicscomehome.
God bless everyone!
Julie
No comments:
Post a Comment