The Catholic Faith Or Something Else?

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A familiar quote for witnesses to the dirge of lukewarm religion.

The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting.  It has been found difficult; and left untried.

― G.K. Chesterton, What's Wrong with the World

According to the enlightened, it is essential that we Catholics update our thinking so that we can live without guilt or shame or any of those nasty habits of mind that non-Catholics think we like to punish others with.  After all, God accepts us just as we are—right?  Despite the biblical record and apostolic teaching, the "progressive" way asserts that there is little or no need to change or grow in holiness or to work out our salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12). Holiness, for some, is a bad word, an outmoded concept. For the progressive religionist, spiritual success is measured by involvement in social justice projects that make one feel good about oneself.

In contrast to heterodox ways of thinking, those who truly love God will do their part to cooperate with God to avoid sin, to rely on God's grace for help to practice the Faith we have received from the Apostles, and to place ourselves at the feet of the sovereign God Who made us and Who loves us. We will seek to do what is pleasing in the sight of God (Hebrews 13:21).

Multiplying Tares

The Catholic Church has repeatedly denounced illegitimate methods of evangelization.  When her children have turned into operatives of a corrupt government and/or have served heretical ideologies that fall short of the truth and charity that the Christian life requires, she has mourned and done penance.  Clergy members' evil mistreatment of defenseless children and vulnerable adults offends God and obstructs Holy Mother Church's rightful goal to save souls.  The efforts of local churches and national conferences of bishops in recent times to offer financial reparations to those grievously injured by cruel people have been substantial, and have included robust therapeutic programs to provide ongoing support to victims.  Sadly, there are still bishops who protect abusers rather than working for justice.  Organized circles of abusers are a blight on the Church and society.

Many missionaries have devoted their lives to defend indigenous peoples and others from exploitation.  Many missionaries have lost their lives in service to local populations, having been caught between warring factions.  Saint Junípero Serra (1713-1784) "made heroic sacrifices to protect the indigenous people of California from their Spanish conquerors, especially the soldiers" (Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone).  The North American Martyrs, eight Jesuit missionaries from Sainte-Marie among the Hurons, "were ritually tortured and killed in the mid-17th century in Canada, in what is now southern Ontario and in upstate New York, during the warfare between the Iroquioan tribes, the Mohawk and the Huron" (WP).

If, in the past, people were accosted by attempts to persuade them to convert through coercion,  there is now a popular approach that amounts to evangelization by bribery.  Instead of issuing an invitation to sinners to turn from various kinds of corruption and to embrace the saving message of Jesus Christ, there are more than a few clergy who validate sinful behaviour.  There are clergy on record for having presided over disordered unions, ostensibly out of care for the souls of those in sinful relationships.  There is an attempt to seduce the wayward soul toward Christ by blindly accepting - and even attempting to bless! - sinful lifestyles.

What is now called free thought is valued, not because it is free thought, but because it is freedom from thought; because it is free thoughtlessness.

― G.K. Chesterton, The Catholic Church and Conversion

Father James Martin, for example, a prominent figure among those playing loosely with the rituals of the Church, offers a cheap gospel (Galatians 1:8) that orbits the sin of pride.

https://archphila.org/archbishop-chaputs-weekly-column-father-james-martin-and-catholic-belief/

To become a Catholic is not to leave off thinking, but to learn how to think.

― G.K. Chesterton, The Catholic Church and Conversion

A True Harvest

Meanwhile, many souls are hearing the call to conversion announced with clarity and conviction by faithful sons and daughters of the Church. They are becoming faithful disciples of Jesus who love His Church.

A few people who have recently accepted Jesus and His Catholic Church:

1. Eva Vlaardingerbroek, Dutch legal philosopher and political commentator.
2. J.D. Vance, former envangelical protestant, former atheist, Vice-president elect of the United States of America.
3. Shia LaBeouf, actor.
4. Candace Owens, political commentator.
5. Bree Solstad, a former pornography actress and producer. Miss B Converted @ X https://x.com/breesolstad
6. Rob Schneider, comedian and actor.
7. Michael Nazir-Ali, former Bishop in the Church of England.
8. Gavin Ashenden, former Chaplain to the Queen, and former clergyman of the Church of England and Christian Episcopal Church.
9. David Solomon, professor of philosophy at the University of Notre Dame.
10. Richard Pain, former Anglican bishop of Monmouth.

The above converts are fairly well-known.  There are many others who are quietly embracing the Faith.  All are attracted to the truth and love of the Gospel.  They share a common story - they find meaning in and through the sacred Liturgy.  In the Mass they discover God's embrace, His truth and healing.

Yes, cradle Catholics continue to drift away.  They require our invitation as much as anyone to embrace the Faith, and they require our assistance to navigate difficulties that may seem daunting, even insurmountable.  Nothing is impossible for God and for those who place their trust in His ways.  God relentlessly pursues each and every person and invites every soul into a holy, beautiful and eternal union.

People who may have one foot in the Church and the other foot on the precipice of vice need our kindness.  However, kindness that conflates care for the well being of the individual with condoning immoral action is not kindness at all.  We must be sympathetic enough to recommend Christ's path to the seeker without sacrificing the truth of the Holy Gospel.

A heart caught up in sin is in a dying state.  The doctor assists the patient in facing the truth about his illness.  The Christian must also bear testimony to the story of sin and salvation, to eternal life, and to eternal death in the absence of repentance.  We disciples propose the truth of the Gospel to others; God disposes minds to accept the truth.

Do not underestimate the prospective convert's willingness to engage in lively debate.  Be sincere, and entrust the potential disciple to God.  Speak plainly.  If you cannot provide an answer, admit that you will comb the Church's teachings to provide one.  Reassure the seeker that honest questions are appreciated.  We accompany the convert home to Jesus Christ and His Church.

Let's acknowledge a powerful witness to the transforming love of Christ by walking an avenue toward the experience of Israel (Eugenio Maria) Zolli (1881 ‒ 1956), former Chief Rabbi of Rome (1940 to 1945). Both Rabbi Zolli and his wife converted to the Catholic Faith.

Conversion consists in responding to a call from God.  A man is not converted at the time he chooses, but at the hour when he receives God's call.  When the call is heard, he who receives it has only one thing to do: obey. Paul is 'converted'.  Did he abandon the God of Israel?  Did he cease to love Israel?  It would be absurd to think so.  But then?  The convert is one who feels impelled by an irresistible force to leave a pre-established order and seek his own proper way.  It would be easier to continue along the road he was on. | Zolli (2008) quoted in Schoeman (2007, p. 79).

When asked about his conversion and having left the synagogue, Zolli responded saying,

But I have not given it (the synagogue) up. Christianity is the completion or crown of the Synagogue.  For, the Synagogue was a promise, and Christianity is the fulfillment of that promise.  The Synagogue pointed to Christianity: Christianity presupposes the Synagogue. So you see, one cannot exist without the other.  What I converted to was the living Christianity. |  A.B. Klyber. Introduction in Zolli (2008, p. 17).

One could add that Christianity presupposes the Synagogue and the Temple.  Where do we encounter the Synagogue and the Temple? In the Mass. The Sacred Liturgy of the Church, that is, Divine Worship - the Liturgy of the Word (Synagogue) and the Liturgy of the Eucharist (Temple) - makes present the Mosaic covenant and its fulfillment, the Gospel.  The Mass - Word and Sacrament - manifests the New Covenant, the Kingdom of God.

The Eucharist is the sacrament of love: it signifies love, it produces love.  The Eucharist is the consummation of the whole spiritual life. - St Thomas Aquinas

The New Covenant is established through Jesus Christ, who fulfills the promises made in the Old Testament. It is characterized by a profound communion between God and humanity, realized through the incarnation of Christ and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. This covenant is not merely a continuation of the old but is fundamentally transformative, as it is written on the hearts of believers, enabling them to know God intimately.

At the Last Supper, Jesus explicitly identifies his blood as the "blood of the covenant," signifying the establishment of this New Covenant through his sacrificial death. This act is seen as a definitive moment in salvation history, where Jesus, as both priest and victim, offers himself for the redemption of humanity. The New Covenant thus restores communion with God, which had been disrupted by sin, and is made effective through the Eucharist, which perpetuates the sacrifice of the Cross.

The New Covenant is also described as a gift of love, where the essence of eternal life and salvation is found in the commandment to love one another, as exemplified by Christ. This covenant invites all believers into a relationship of mutual abiding with Christ, who sustains them in their spiritual journey.

• Catechism of the Ukrainian Catholic Church: Christ – Our Pascha 333
• ibid. 378
• 11 June 2009: Solemnity of the Sacred Body and Blood of Christ - Mass and Eucharistic Procession 11 June 2009: Solemnity of the Sacred Body and Blood of Christ - Mass and Eucharistic Procession
• The Bible and Morality: Biblical Roots of Christian Conduct 74
• CCC 613
• Ecclesia de Eucharistia 22
• The Eucharist: Source and Summit of the Life and Mission of the Church 6

The Old Covenant, established through Moses, was characterized by laws and commandments that were external and often followed out of fear or obligation. In contrast, the New Covenant is based on a relationship of friendship and love, as it is ratified by the blood of Christ and emphasizes internal transformation through the Holy Spirit. | Haurietis Aquas 33; Catechism of the Ukrainian Catholic Church: Christ – Our Pascha 333

To form and nurture souls, Holy Mother the Church provides the Catechism of the Catholic Church, a treasure trove of orthodox teachings that illuminate the mind and nourish the heart.  The Catechism orients the disciple to the two pillars of the Apostolic Witness: Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition (2 Thessalonians 2:15).

The Mass is a living catechism.  Our minds are grafted to the mind of Christ in His word and our lives are nourished by Jesus Who provides us His Body and Blood to sustain in us His Presence.

Through devotions like the Divine Office, Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, and the Rosary, as well as the other spiritual gifts provided by God through the Church—chief among them the sacraments instituted by Christ—we respond to God's offer of an intimate eternal communion.