New Catholic

Prayer

2005-12-03T11:56:00.000-05:00

Excerpted from "Outlines of the Catholic Faith" (C) 2000 The Leaflet Missal Company

I. PRAYER IS THE RAISING OF OUR HEARTS AND MINDS TO GOD.
A. To adore him.
B. To thank him.
C. To ask forgiveness of sins.
D. To petition him for our own needs and the needs of others.

II. THERE ARE TWO OTHER DIVISIONS OF PRAYER.
A. Mental and vocal.
1. Mental prayer is either meditatio or contemplation.
a. We meditate when we think about one or more of the mysteries of our faith.
For example, meditating on the various aspects of Christ's Passion is one of the
most common themes for meditation.
b. Contemplation is the resting of the will in God. Contemplation is an exercise
of love. Emptying our minds of thoughts, we try to focus our wills on God in
an act of love.
c. Contemplation is a particuarly advanced form of prayer. Some of the mystics
have written about it, e.g., St. Theresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross.
2.In vocal prayer, we use our lips to "say" a prayer. This may be the most common
prayer used by people.
3. Some prayers are both mental and vocal: the Rosary where we say the prayers
with our lips while meditating on the mystery.
B. Communal and private.
1. Communal prayer is what is done in common.
2. Private prayer is what is done alone.
3. Some prayers are both common and private: the Rosary which can be said in
common or in private.
C. Catholic Prayer

Liturgy of the Hours

The faithful (required by the Church for those ordained; and required by most religious- in some form- by their orders) who celebrate the Liturgy of the Hours are united to Christ our high priest, but the prayer of the Psalms, meditation on the Word of God, and canticles and blessings, in order to be joined with his unceasing and universal prayer that gives glory to the Father and implores the gift of the Holy Spirit on the whole world. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 1196)

"Prayer is the raising of one's mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2559)

THE STATIONS OF THE CROSS

The "Stations of the Cross" is a devotion which consists of following the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ by recalling the fourteen prominent events that took place from the time of the trial under Pontius Pilate until his death and burial on Mount Calvary.

First Station: Jesus is condemned to death.
Second Station: Jesus carries his cross.
Third Station: Jesus falls for the first time.
Fourth Station: Jesus meet his afflicted mother.
Fifth Station: Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus to carry his cross.
Sixth Station: Veronica wipes the face of Jesus.
Seventh Station: Jesus falls the second time.
Eighth Station: The daughters of Jerusalem weep over Jesus.
Ninth Station: Jesus falls the third time.
Tenth Station: Jesus is stripped of his garments.
Eleventh Station: Jesus is nailed to the cross.
Twelfth Station: Jesus dies on the cross.
Thirteenth Station: Jesus is taken down from the cross.
Fourteenth Station: Jesus is buried in the tomb.
Fifteenth Station: Jesus rises from the dead on the third day, Easter Sunday.

In the public devotion of the "Stations of the Cross" it has recently become customary to add a "fifteenth station." While not part of the traditional "fourteen stations," the custom of adding a meditation on the Ressurection reminds us that the passion and death off the Lord was completed and fulfilled in the Resurrection.

THE NICENE CREED

We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, one in Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered, died, and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in fulfillment of the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son he is worshipped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.

We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.

PRAYER BEFORE A CRUCIFIX

Behold, my beloved and good Jesus, I cast myself upon my knees in your sight, and with the most fervent desire of my soul I pray and beseech you to impress upon my heart lively sentiments of faith, hope, and charity, with true repentance for my sins and a most firm desire of amendment; while with deep affection and grief of soul I consider within myself and mentally contemplate your five most precious wounds, having before my eyes that which David the prophet long ago spoke about you, my Jesus: "They have pierced my hands and my feet; I can count all my bones."

ANIMA CHRISTI

Soul of Christ sanctify me;
Body of Christ save me;
Blood of Chirst inebriate me;
Water from the side of Christ wash me;
Passion of Christ strengthen me.
O good Jesus hear me;
Within your wounds hide me;
Never permit me to be seperated from You;
From the evil one protect me,
At the hour of my death call me,
And bid me come to You
That with Your saints
I may praise you forever. Amen.

GRACE

2005-12-03T11:18:00.000-05:00

Last night I did a study on the topic of "grace". Sometimes we can think that grace is something we can obtain more of, but we cannot. Here is what I discovered about God's loving grace.

When we speak about grace, we have to remember that it is not an "it" but a living relationship. It is not "out there" (to be gotten more of) but "in here," in my being, in my heart-head-body person.

God is love. His business is saving, healing, forgiving, comforting, happily being with us.

Hell is the non-acceptance of this love, grace, healing- a state we place ourselves in by rejecting God's love.

It is easy to see how human beings take advantage of God's love. Pretty soon it is no longer God's generosity, but our "rights." How dare God not do this or that for us? Why doesn't he come running, like a servant, when we press his button? (Actually, he does.)

Because of this uncreaturely assuming of "rights" before God, the Church has always emphasized the graciousness of grace in two ways.

First, the Church insistently reminds us that God acts with total freedom. It is God's choice to make us the special children we are. Second, he has gone further than we think. We cannot (and do not need to) earn God's saving grace. That is why it's called grace. It's free. God willed to share, not just any kind of happiness, but his own. He has made us capable of face-to-face, person-to-person communion with him on his level.

God enters into the very being of those who accept his offer. He possesses us int the most gentle, yet the most generous, of ways. To those who reject him he is still like the all-surrounding atmosphere, trying to get "in" at any possible opening. He will not intrude. He waits, pressing gently all the while.

"Here I stand, knocking at the door. If anyone hears me calling and opens the door, I will enter his house and have supper with him, and he with me." -Revelation 3:20

God Transforms Us
So, what happens to persons who respond to God's offer of himself? We have "sanctifying grace," which "inheres" in us as a permanent gift. It is not a "substance", but a quality. We are raised to the supernatural life: we are adopted children of God, temples of the Holy Spirit, co-heirs with Christ. We are changed in our very being. We are transformed, transfigured, into a new creation. If we persevere to the end, we will see God face-to-face.

Whether we realize it or not, we know how God loves us by the way others love us. (The greatest tragedy is therefore the absence of love.) We open ourselves to God's love through faith. Faith means believing God and believing in God, trusting God with my life. It means that I take God's word for who he is. There is a space of darkness across which God calls me to come in trust.

Realization of the meaning of this relationship is my lifelong task. Sanctifying grace is not a kind of ticket to heaven that I can whip out when I die. Rather I am called to and given a loving relationship with God.

Jesus is the gracious God made visable so that I can see and hear and touch and taste and smell the out-straining love of God. The one Jesus is both gracious God and graced man. What happened to the human Jesus is the sign and promise of what the Father does for us. In Jesus we understand ourselves.

Jesus is the pattern for all of humanity- the Eternal Son joined to one human nature and therefore to all human nature, inseperably, forever. Jesus was the model God used in creating human beings. All of this that has been said above about God's desire to share himself is perfectly realized in the union of divine and human nature in Jesus. And we are Jesus' brothers and sisters. [How cool!]

Jesus- Closed to Sin; Open to Grace

Part of God's eternal vision was the sin of humankind, our turning away from his gentle offer of total life. Jesus is therefore etenally destined to be Savior. He appeared not only as the "firstborn of all creation," but also "the firstborn of the dead."

Jesus shared everything possible with us- except our sinfulness. But he shared other tragic results of sin.

All this evil bore down on Jesus. Unlike sinners, he had not embraced it with his freedom. He was pure, even though suffering the tragedy his brother Adam had brought upon the family.

Jesus was perfectly graced. That is, he was totally open, in his mind and heart and body, to the inflowing of the Father's creative love. He lived the life of God, not just in his eternal divine nature, but in his everyday human acts and in the constant attitude that those actions expressed. As a human being, Jesus was "full of grace and truth."

If we are to understand our graced lives, we must look at Jesus and let him be Lord, that is, the power in our lives.

Because God is Life, all who allow him to possess them become newborn into a way of thinking and loving and acting and being which "images" God's own life.

A graced life is one illumined with the light of God's truth- the Word in Jesus- and empowered by God's own love. A graced life is that of a branch bearing fruit in charity because it is joined to the Vine.

We learn from God how to please God. Beneath and within all the relationships of life, as well as its pain and suffering, there is a consciousness of One present within. All life is graced. Everything that happens is a means of grace. God speaks to us, his beloved, in a million ways, and our loving relationship with him transforms the quality of our lives.

Excerpted from "Catholic Update's Grace: Our Love Relationship with God, by Leonard Foley, O.F.M."

The Book of Tobit

2005-11-28T21:22:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I read the Book of Tobit in the New American Catholic Bible, the Bible they gave to me at my Rite of Welcome a week ago. The Book of Tobit is not found in Protestant Bibles. The reason the Catholic and Protestant Bibles differ is because Protestants got their Bible from the Hebrew Bible and the Catholics from the Greek Bible. Whatever. Anyways, I decided to read this Book to see if it had anything to offer me that the other Books did not. Here is what I discovered:

The Book of Tobit combines specifically Jewish piety and morality with oriental folklore in a fascinating story that has enjoyed wide popularity in both Jewish and Christian circles. The Book of Tobit contains numerous maxims, plus contemporary spiritual themes: fidelity to the law, the intercessory function of angels, piety towards parents, the purity of marriage, reverence for the dead, and the value of almsgiving, prayer, and fasting.

The inspired author of the book used the literary form of religious novel (as in Jonah and in Judith-another book not found in Protestant Bibles) for the purpose of instruction and edification. The book was probably written early in the second century B.C.; it is not known where.

Tobit was a devout and wealthy Israelite living among the captives in Ninevah. He suffers severe reverses and is finally blinded. Sarah was a young woman who had been married seven times, all seven husbands died on the wedding night before they could consumate the marriage vows. She cried and prayed for God to end her suffering just as Tobit prayed and begged the Lord to let him die because of his misfortunes. Tobit then thought of the money he had saved and hidden with someone and sent his son, Tobiah, to claim it so he would have all of his inheritance when he died. Tobiah did not know the roads well so he hired a man who did to travel with him. The man told him of Sarah, saying that he, Tobiah, was her closest relative and had the right to marry her first before anyone else. Tobiah was scared because he knew of what had happened to her former husbands. The man reassured him and told him to take the gall, liver, and heart from this fish. The liver and heart were to drive the demon Asmodeus from Sarah's bridal chamber and the gall was to cure his father's eyes.

Finally, the man who traveled with Tobiah reveals his identity to Tobiah and Tobit. He reveals his identity as Raphael, an angel from heaven. Raphael then returns to his throne. Tobit then sings a beautiful hymn of praise. Before dying, Tobit tells his son to leave Nineveh because God will destroy that wicked city. After he buries his mother and father, Tobiah takes his wife and family and leaves for Media. Afterwards, Tobiah learns that the destruction of Nineveh has taken place.

It is a very captivating story and this is but a summary of it. It really teaches humilty and faith and prayer and piety. Here are some of the quotes that inspired me as I read it. I wrote these down in my journal I am keeping:

Part of Tobit's Prayer for Death
"So now, deal with me as you please, and command my life breath to be taken from me, that I may go from the face of this earth into dust. It is better for me to die than to live, because I have heard insulting calumnies, and I am overwhelmed with grief. Lord, command me to be delivered from such anguish, let me go to the everlasting abode; Lord, refuse me not. For it is better to die than to endure so much misery in life, and to hear these insults!" -Tobit 3:6 (and yes, this was only one verse)

A quote from Tobit to his son, Tobiah, before his journey
"For if you are steadfast in your service, your good works will bring success, not only to you, but also to all those who live uprightly." -Tobit 4:6

Tobiah and Sarah's Prayer on their Wedding Night
"Blessed are you, O God of our fathers; praised be your name forever and ever. Let the heavens and all your creation praise you forever. You made Adam and you gave him his wife Eve to be his help and support; and from these two the human race descended. You said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone; let us make him a partner like himself.' Now, Lord, you know that I take this wife of mine not because of lust, but for a noble purpose. Call down your mercy on me and on her, and allow us to live together to a happy old age." -Tobit 8:5-7

A quote from the angel Raphael
"A king's secret it is prudent to keep, but the works of God are to be declared and made known. Praise them with due honor. Do good, and evil will not find its way to you."
-Tobit 12:7

Didn't Go to Mass- Oooooooooh!

2005-11-27T09:40:00.000-05:00

I did not go to Mass today. While Mass is supposed to be obligatory, I just did not feel like leaving my warm, comfy bed this cold November morning. I was sleepy and oh so cozy. I don't have that luxury very often. It was very nice.

While I did miss Mass today, I will be doing some Catholic readings to make up for it. I might read up on the First Sunday of Advent since that would be today. I need to get my homemade Advent wreath from Greg's house so I can light the candle and pray tonight. I love studying Catholicism. I don't understand a couple of things but I really relate to most everything about it. I am looking forward to the day trip on December 10th, where we study about Confirmation.

So, I better say a prayer since I most obviously did not attend Mass.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, JESUS.

Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. AMEN.

2005-11-22T19:45:00.000-05:00

I just read an article from Zenit News Agency, whose mission is "to provide objective coverage of events, documents and issues emanating from or concerning the Catholic Church". This particular article concerns Pope Benedict XVI's address that secularism "doesn't have all the answers". It is a very interesting article about how "attentive people" can no longer "grapple with the ethical and spiritual questions posed by the life sciences". The comments were made at the 20th International Conference by the Pontifical Council for Health Care Workers, who were there discussing The Human Genome Project. You can read the article here.

On Sunday Greg and I went to Borders and I bought a copy of Catholic Customs & Traditions-A Popular Guide Revised and Updated by Greg Dues. I am eager to read it to see how much more information I can learn about the traditions and customs and practices of the Catholic Church. It says on the back cover it "makes an ideal resource for people involved in the RCIA". We shall see...

I am looking forward to our RCIA's first retreat, a daytime retreat that is about Confirmation. I am uncertain at this point if I am learning about the sacrament or if I am actually receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation. I will learn more Dec. 5th when we start up again after a Thanksgiving break with Intro to the Sacraments. The retreat will be on Dec. 10th.

I am excited about the Advent Wreath I designed for RCIA last week. I am going to have Greg take a picture of it to post up here, if possible. That might cost money and if it does, no such photo shall be published.

Please pray for our friend, Kahlil, the first grader Greg and I are sponsoring in Palestine. We are putting him through a year of school in a Catholic school. The public schools there teach the children about Islam and how to be a practicing Muslim. This way Kahlil can come home singing and praising Jesus instead of praying to the East and reciting the Koran. He is one of six children and he can help his family stay with their Catholic upbringing. There are apparently less than 2,000 Christians left in the Holy Land. Please pray that he will grow mightily strong in his Christian faith and able to share it with his family so that we may have one more child of God and one less Islamic Fundamentalist.

"O God, the nations have invaded your heritage; they have defiled your holy temple, have laid Jerusalem in ruins. They have left the corpses of your servants as food for the birds of the heavens, the flesh of your faithful for the beasts of the earth....Do not hold your iniquities against us: may your compassion come quickly, for we have been brought very low. Help us, God our savior, for the glory of your name. Deliver us, pardon our sins for your name's sake...Then we, the sheep of your pasture, will give thanks to you forever, through all ages we will declare your praise." -Psalm 79:1-2, 8-9, 13

The Rosary

2005-11-22T15:31:00.000-05:00

The Rosary is a form of prayer and meditation where we recall the mysteries of our Redemption. Mysteries refers to religious teachings that were carefully guarded from the knowledge of the profane; they are revealed truths that surpass the powers of natural reason. Scriptural reference to the mysteries include 1 Corinthians 2, Ephisians 3:4-9, Colosians 1: 26-37, Matthew 4:25-27, and John 1:17-18. Prayers are said over and over and over again throughout the Rosary. The custom of reciting prayers upon a string with knots or beads at regular intervals come from the early days of Chrisitianity.

Apparently there are 15 Promises of Mary to Christians who recite the Rosary. I know what they are but not how we know of them. The Rosary is very long and is a form of meditative prayer because you recite the same prayers over and over again for a long period of time, putting you automatically into a meditative state. The Mysteries include the Five Luminous Mysteries, the Five Joyful Mysteries, the Five Sorrowful Mysteries, and the Five Glorious Mysteries. These mysteries include the Conversion of the Heart, the Desire for Heaven, the Wedding at Cana, the Baptism in the Jordan River, The Agony in the Garden, the Annunciation, the Birth of our Lord, and more.

I have yet to get through the Rosary or much past one decade. I do own a rosary that was given to me in RCIA. Still, I can barely do the one you wear on your thumb. I need to work on my meditative state while saying the Rosary. I believe now that I understand more about the Catholic faith and about the rosary, it will be easier. Still, I know I will not get to the end for a while. Mnsg. told me that the important thing is to be saying the Rosary, not the completing of it. Many Catholics cannot complete a full rosary. That makes me feel better for failing, but I still set it as one of my lofty goals to achieve before I am confirmed in the Church.

I choose to research the Rosary more and try to pray it reguarly, or at least irreguarly. I'll see how it goes.

Angels

2005-11-21T20:25:00.000-05:00

What is your position on angels? Do you believe in their existence? For what purpose do they exist? Do they exist for different purposes? Are there different kinds of angels? What do they look like? Do they interceed for us? Do they talk to us? Why does God feel the need to keep angels around? What exactly IS an angel?

These were questions I had when I began my study tonight on Angels. I learned a lot about angels. My source was, of course, the Bible, and also Catholic Online at catholic.org.

An angel is a pure spirit created by God. The Old Testament (OT) theology included the belief in angels: the name applied to certain spiritual beings or intelligences of heavenly residence, employed by God as the ministers of His will.

I was surprised to learn that there are apparently nine choirs, or orders, of angels. Seven are mentioned in the New Testament (NT) and two in the OT. Here's a briefing on what I learned:

Seraphim are the highest order of angels. They are angels who are attendants or guardians before God's throne. They have six wings: 2 cover their face, 2 cover their feet, and 2 are for flying. I can't really even produce the image of a Seraph in my mind. There are also Cherubim, the 2nd highest choir. They are the guardians of God's glory. In Revelation 4:6, they are alluded to as celestial attendants in the Apocalypse (the four appeared as having the form of a lion, an ox, a human face, and an eagle).

Thrones are the Angels of pure Humility, Peace and Submission. They reside in the area of the cosmos where material form begins to take shape. The lower Choir need the Thrones to access God. I am unclear of how we know what we know about Thrones.

Dominion (ations) are Angels of Leadership. They regulate the duties of the angels, making known the commands of God. I am unclear of how they access God and how we know anything about this order, either. There are Virtues, known as the Spirits of Motion who control the elements. Apparently this choir controls all nature- the seasons, stars, moon, and even the sun. They are also in charge of miracles and provide courage, valor, and grace.

The most interesting to me were the Powers. Powers are Warrior Angels against evil, defending the cosmos and humans. They are known as potentates. The chief is said to be either Samael or Camael, both angels of darkness. Could these be the helpers in the mighty battles fought in the name of God? How about in the Battle of Jericho? Or the battles of the Crusades? Are they fighters in the sense of Spiritual Warfare?

The Archangels are the most frequently mentioned throughout the Bible. They may be of this or other hierarchies as St. Michael Archangel, who is a princely Seraph. The Archangels have a unique tole as God's messengers to the people at critical times in history and salvation as in the Annunciation and Apocalypse. Of special significance is St. Michael as he has been invoked as patron and protector by the Church from the time of the Apostles. Look in Luke 1 and 2 to find the Archangel St. Gabriel.

"Gabriel appeared to her (Mary) and said, "Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!...Don't be frightened, Mary for God has decided to bless you!" Luke 1:28-30

Okay, the next one confuses me a lot. Principalities are one type of spiritual (metaphysical) being which are now quite hostile to God and to humans. These beings were created through Christ and for Him. Given their hostility to God and humans due to sin, Christ's ultimate rule over them (ibid) expresses the reign of the Lord over all in the cosmos. This is the Lordship of Christ.

Christ's reign over them is because of his holiness because humans (and Christ was human) are beneath angels (Psalm 8). "God has given him authority over all things (except God, who gave Christ his authority)" is stated in 1 Corinthians 15:27. So Christ has power over the angels. I guess if I were an angel that would make me pretty mad. But why only the Principalities?

The only answer I find is in Ephesians 6:12: "For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms."

Okay, but why are they wicked? They are not fallen angels or are they? What is this about? Where do I find more information?

The last group is comprised of the regular angels, the common folk. These angels are closest to the material world and to human beings. They deliver the prayers to God and God's answers and other messages to humans. Angels have the capacity to access any and all other angels at any time.

Now, I am excited to learn that we all have guardian angels. Psalm 91:10-12 states that "no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your dwelling. For he orders his angels to protect you wherever you go. They will hold you with their hands to keep you from striking your foot on a stone." And it then goes on in Verse 14: "The Lord says, 'I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name." That is exciting! This is the first scriptural reference I have found revealing the existance of guardian angels. Is there one for each of us? That's a lot! Is there one for many of us? How can they do that!

So, it is like God is everywhere at once because he created angels to be his eyes and ears and hands and mouth and tongue and legs and feet. Angels are how God is everywhere at once! I still believe he is with me always, but it helps to have help! Catholic Online says that angels bridge the huge gap between the holiness and protection of God in heaven and the shortcomings of dying people on this planet. Wow.

Introduction

2005-11-20T20:27:00.000-05:00

I would like to introduce myself. My name is Becca and I am currently in the process of becoming a Catholic. I am in the RCIA class of my fiance's parish (RCIA meaning Rite of Catholic Initiation for Adults) and he is my sponsor (a Catholic who helps you and supports you along your journey). I love this parish and I love going to Mass and being with this community. Today I went through my first Rite, the Rite of Welcome, where you stand in front of the parish and state that you want to become a Catholic, basically. It is a very special ritual and rite of passage for everyone involved. It was very deeply spiritual to me when my fiance and sponsor, Greg, made the sign of the cross on my forehead to bless me. I felt very close to him and extremely close to Christ.

There are two groups who are going through RCIA, catechumens, who have not been baptized, and candidates, who have been baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and who will not go through the Sacrament of Baptism again, but only take the Sacraments of Reconciliation, Confirmation, and Communion or Eucharist. I am a Candidate because I was already baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit and the church recognizes my baptism.

I have learned so much from attending Mass, talking with Greg and his family and other Catholics, attending class, reading, and through prayer. I know that for me this is the right path. It is true and right to me. I am closer to God and my faith than I have ever been. I understand my faith more and I feel more blessed everyday as I grow closer to God. As a protestant I was skeptical about Catholicism and everything it stood for. However, the more I learn about their beliefs, the more I realize that this has been my faith all along and this is the community in which I belong. I have not found one thing that is contradictory to my beliefs. Protestants, I have found, have many misconceptions about the Church and its teachings. I know I did.

For me this is a most exquisite and exciting journey. I feel uplifted, blessed, and I truly feel like a child of God. I feel in the presence of God when I pray, when I am before the Eucharist, especially when it is being consecrated (I believe that's the correct terminology- when you pray over it Friday night-Saturday morning), and I feel in his presence in everything I do. I understand why Catholics hold Mary in such high regard (it's not worship, it's honor and respect), why they listen to the Pope, why Catholics do all kinds of things I never understood before. It is an eye-opening experience and I am so excited and genuinely glad to have discovered what I have longed for- a community of believers who believe exactly as I do, a church that is universal in its teachings and does not make callous decisions, a truely passionate devotion to Christ and a feeling that he is as close as my spouse (Bride and Bridegroom) and that he is my one true Father. I love being his child and I always have. Now, I know I am closer to him as I learn more about his teachings and his life and what God has done throughout the history of Christianity and throughout the world. Nothing can be proved false. And not only that, I know He lives because I have his Spirit within me.

This is a journal of my journey to become Catholic and my journey as a believer.