The Catholic Revert
I have been Roman Catholic. I have been new age spiritual. I studied Judaism and have read Torah. I studied the Koran. I have read the Bhagavad Gita. I have prayed to the universe. I have prayed to the great spirit. I have been Agnostic. I have been a Protestant for over 15 years. I went to church on occasion. I went to church out of familial obligation. I attended church on holidays. I attended to avoid eternal damnation. I searched for faith in heaven. I went to church for others. I went to church for myself. I am Catholic again. This is my journey back to the church.
The Podcast
Don’t want to read the posts? It’s ok. I am an avid listener of podcasts. I have one! Check out The Catholic Revert Podcast and leave a comment! I would love to have your questions and feedback.
Why the surge in Stoicism?
Stoicism isn’t new, although many speakers, books, and blogs will tout it as the next trendy social fad. Stoicism appeals to macho-ism, and as we lose more and more of the male macho stereotype, Stoicism has arrived to give men their confidence back in a politically correct way. Stoicism never went away. It was prevalent before Christianity.
My Credentials
Once during a sermon on the early church, I felt a rush of adrenaline and excitement hit my veins. The early church. I had never read about the early Christians of the first and second century. I really didn't know what happened beyond Acts and Paul's epistles. The living historian and history buff in me came alive. I wanted to know more.
The joy of waiting
My eyes are open but I cannot see. I remember after five minutes or so, feeling growing panic. I wanted the darkness to end. It was uncomfortable. I didn't know what was going to happen.
The elephant in the dark room.
Imagine entering a dark room and at the center of that room a small table, an open book with a single sentence in view.
Do you remember the old projection televisions?
All of the color seen by the human eye is either transmitted or reflected light consisting of a mixture of the 3 primary colors: red, green, and blue. Did the early church know this?
Do you require Jesus to sit in a waiting room with only old issues of Highlights magazine?
The waiting room. A place for someone to bide time. Very important people rarely encounter waiting rooms. They are usually the people that we wait for. How many times have we placed Jesus in the waiting room because he came to serve us?
The woman that gave everything she had.
Hail. This is a greeting word that has been used to describe many expressions. The definition of hail is to "call out for someone's attention." It can also be to "acclaim enthusiastically", primarily when used in a sentence that ends with an exclamation point.
Do "thoughts and prayers" make you cringe?
When I became enveloped in the world, I saw this phrase as satirical and ingenious. It was the auto-response on social media to people in need. If someone lost a job, it was “thoughts and prayers”, if someone experienced sickness, “thoughts and prayers”. If someone was grieving over the loss of a loved one, there were always dozens of “thoughts and prayers” thrown out. This was a way to say, I feel bad for you but I am keeping my distance…
Typology, where have you been my whole life?
I have never connected the old testament of the Bible and the new testament together. I have always read and understood the evolution from the old to the new as a story in time that unfolds into the more important and relevant gospels.
Enter typology. Applying this understanding to scripture was life-changing. I lost count of the number of times my brain exploded from the correlations between the old testament and the new testament.
I started thinking about St. Nick in November
I have been writing alongside the liturgical readings of the season, however today I was pulled off track by something that I have never read into before. I wanted to write about St. Nick and I know as I now write in November, getting so close to the holiday season, many will read this title and think about Santa Claus. Hey. If it works! Cheers to your pumpkin spice latte.
Give up your place in line at the grocery store.
Liturgical Reading from 10/29/2022
Rather, when you are invited, go and take the lowest place so that when the host comes to you he may say, 'My friend, move up to a higher position.' Then you will enjoy the esteem of your companions at the table.
For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted."
The day I saw Mary in action
Today was my day. Today, I saw my Lord. I saw Christ because someone chose to follow Him when the moment called for it.
The most terrifying words ever put into writing.
Many will say to me on that day, "Lord, Lord did we not prophesy in your name? Did we not drive out demons in your name? Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?" Then I will declare to them solemnly, "I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers."
How big does a mustard seed get?
I have never seen a full-size mustard tree. I have heard they get big. I have seen the seeds, and I have seen the mustard seed mulched into a paste and applied to my hot dog.
Suffering means you're on the right track
Do you want to know if you are on the right path to God's calling? When everything falls apart and the weight of the world falls upon your shoulders. You are on the road.
Prayers of the Lowly that Pierce the Clouds
Everything about today can be wrapped up in humility until the end. The long game is holding on to the humility that God showed the word and His creation by coming in the flesh and dying on the cross so that we might have a pathway to knowing Him. If our creator would subject Himself to this, who are we to question or demand that He bend to our will? We are like spoiled children.
How many autumns do we have left?
The leaves fall and we move through our seasons. How many autumns do we have left? How many seasons do we have left to bear fruit?
Signs of the Times
What if you knew the truth? What if we lived our life in a way that we knew with certainty that we have a messiah and that he had come? Would we live differently? What if we lived our life as though there were rewards on the other side of it? What if we were certain that when we died, suffering would end? How would we live our life now?
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