Saturday, September 18, 2004

The Road to Damascus... part deux



Let's see . . . where was I?

Ah, yes. I spent a lot of time in that church. I spent some time in some other Catholic churches nearby also, depending on which had the convenient Mass schedule. I also spent a lot of time being indoctrinated into Catholicism. Looking back now, I spent a lot of wasted years feeling that religion was something to be tolerated. God was someone to be feared (if there was, in fact, a God). Jesus was the Son of God, a great role model, and the guy that hung from the cross above the altar who was covered in a purple sash during Lent. The "Holy Ghost", who became the "Holy Spirit" after Vatican II (I think that was the impetus for the change of name...I was a little young at the time, so I'm not positive about that) was like Casper, the friendly ghost.

All that Catholic education and time spent in church and my Bible knowledge consisted of:

John 3:16;
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only son so that whoever believes in him will not die but will have eternal life."
[Aside:] I also learned that he, him, and his, should always be Capitalized when referring to God, but that convention seems to have dropped by the wayside . . . or maybe it was a Catholic thing, or maybe I'm just missing something. I've already proven a propensity for missing things . . . like the way for my immortal soul to go to heaven.
Corinthinans 13:4-13;
4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
13And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
and Ecclesiastes 3:1-8,
1
There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
[Again, from Biblegateway.com]
Although it's entirely possible that I learned the first one from the guy who holds that sign up at major sporting events, and the last one from the The Byrds.
[Aside again:] I never knew that Turn, Turn, Turn was written by Pete Seeger, who is a great American songwriter and, furthermore, I don't remember it being in the movie Forrest Gump, but the internet says so, so it must be true.
Note to self: Watch Forrest Gump again just to be sure.
I've also just learned that a knowledge of HTML is helpful in formatting this blog correctly, but I digress. . .

Now don't get me wrong. These are some great Bible verses, they hold a lot of wisdom. BUT...take John 3:16 for instance; I always thought that the part about
"whoever believes in Him will not die. . . "
referred to God the Father , but it seems clear to me now that it refers to God the Son . . . Jesus . . . the one who said:
"I am the way, the truth, and the life. Whoever believes in me will not die but will have eternal life."
John 14:6
Where have we seen those words before?

Maybe I'm just slow on the uptake. All I know right now is that I'm tired. Good night friends.






Thursday, September 16, 2004

The Road to Damascus....


It has been about 6 months since I had my own "Road to Damascus" encounter. I am now a Christian. This is quite a change for me. I used to persecute Christians, not unlike Saul of the New Testament. Oh, I didn't take them to prison or behead them or anything, but I certainly tried to persecute them in my own way for their "intolerant" beliefs and ways. My "conversion" is a story, not a particularly long story, but one for later.

A little background:

I was born and raised Roman Catholic. That's Catholic, not Christian. I attended 2 years of Catechism classes (CCD) followed by 10 years of Catholic school and that's only because, at that time, the Catholic elementary school was so hard to get in to that I couldn't start until third grade. Otherwise it would have been the full twelve years of primary education. My parents were Roman Catholic, although the only time I remember seeing my dad in church was...actually, I don't ever remember seeing my dad in church, but I'm sure he must have been there when my brother and sister were married in the church (not to each other, mind you), and at other weddings and funerals. Mom went (and took me) on a somewhat regular basis, although I often had the impression that it was as much because it was "expected" that she go by her older more religious sister, or that she felt a duty to take me, more than because of any real church-going desire on her part. We often left church at what I came to call "half Mass", but is really more like 90% of the service, after the completion of the Rite of the Eucharist.

I was baptised (to remove my original sin), gave my first confession (and nearly my last), received my first communion, was confirmed and married all at the same church.
[Aside]
Five out of seven sacraments wasn't bad I suppose, and as long as I kept mortal sin off my soul, I was destined for heaven. Well, I may have had to set out a few innings in Purgatory, but I'd get there eventually. Heck, that only left the Sacrament of the Sick (formerly known as Extreme Unction or Last Rites) and Holy Orders (the priesthood). Taking the last first, I was never going to be a priest, so Holy Orders was out of the question, and as for the Sacrament of the Sick, one needs to be a little closer to death than simply that tired feeling that I sometimes experience for it to be administered. I was a good Catholic boy.
My sister and brother were married (again, not to each other) in that same church. Some of my cousins were married in that church. I went to Mass every Friday from third through eighth grade in that church. I had a short-lived run as an altar boy in that church. My own daughter was baptised in that church. I guess I'm trying to say that I spent a lot of time in that church.

To be continued...