Tag Archives: Catholic Faith

What’s it like to be an Evangelical Catholic

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One good example is the love of the game. I love great athletes. It doesn’t matter if it’s Jim Thorpe, Jesse Owens, Billy Jean King, John Elway or Seabiscuit. It’s not the sport any more than it’s the religion. That is to say, it’s the goodness they bring to the table, the heart of a champion, the will, the power and the love of their game. In the same way, it’s not the denomination, but the love of the Lord, the searching, the yearning to stand in His shadow. Everyone stands in the prelude of faith, so to speak, no matter how deep or penetrating the devotion and conviction may be, we are all somewhere on the learning curve.

Actually, Seabiscuit is the best example. Great strength and stamina, the will to win, competitive on a razor edge, focused and directed as if spent by God. Yet meek and humble enough to be trained, controlled and driven by a more powerful source than his own. The horse was not beaten into submission, but willing follow the lead of his master. The riding crop did not beat the horse to victory, it was his signal, it heralded the moment, the mystical moment had arrived, now break to the open lane and run like the wind. Seabiscuit responded, of course he did, this was the moment his life had prepared him for; reckless abandonment and prefect planning were one in the same. The trophy was not for certain but the victory was.

So it is in this spirit I bring the good news to you. The love of the Lord, the deposit of the Faith, fully given, richly rewarded. One Christ without division or confusion; one breath fully alive; a mission without end; one unique moment just like each unique moment which came before it and each moment which followed it. One God One Religion.

Spirituality

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My personal rending of spirituality is in stark contrast with what our authors will develop as Christian Spirituality. I would compliment Catholicism with a big dose of spirituality as our authors clearly intend to do, however I am more inclined to discuss spirituality as a point of departure when discussing religion. In our society today, spirituality plays the essential role in popular mysticism. I will credit these spiritual people with experiences, visions and aspirations as they develop in their growth as individuals and broadcast their ideas into what they would consider building a better society. The spirituality aspect allows this goodness without the constraints of traditional religions with their creeds, absolute values, faithfulness and obedience. The “spiritualist” can be much grounded in their beliefs and convictions while enjoying the open “endedness” of our infinite universe. For them, just as the scientific truths are forever changed with each scientific breakthrough, their spirituality is deepen with each epiphany, whether through study and contemplation of a particular discipline or serendipity. However, having said all this, it’s time to turn our attention to “Christian Spirituality”, where this “core” is Christ centric, deeply Apostolic and rooted in Universal Christianity which has developed through the ages.

The Hour Glass

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The turmoil, troubles and falling away which the Catholic Church has experienced in recent years maybe solved by making the past the path into the future. Through the rediscovery of our perfected precepts, the Body of Christ through our Catholic Faith and our continuing conversion of the heart will recreate the cornerstone and construct Jesus’ Church. As it was, as the Holy Spirit makes it and as it will be.  Through right thinking, evangelization flows naturally from one idea to the next.  Solutions found by reestablishing the harmony in the “Form and Content” of our Church. What does this mean?

Take the hour glass, unmistakable in its form, design and purpose. It’s immediately recognizable; in its symmetry, its functionality and in its simplicity, no other structure is like it, no other structure can take its place. It is the Form. It is the way that it is, because it is the only way it can be. This is the Church.

The sand; each grain is exquisitely unique.  Distinctively faceted, a shade apart from the rest, fashioned by God and honed by nature. This is the Content. Bathed in paradox, because the only element they truly share is that each is different. Yet taken in their entirety, each is uniform, locked in perfect harmony with the rest. This is the Body.

We realize the Form can not be changed, rearranged or altered in any way. And nothing can be added or taken away from the content. Not even the most beautiful diamond among the sand, for nothing else belongs there. There can be no substitutes; there are no equivalents, for only a genuine and measured amount will work.

Simply put, the “Hour Glass” provides the best example of the Catholic Church. Without the Form the Content fulfills no purpose.  Without the Content the Form has no function.