Posted on 01/03/2012 3:30:48 PM PST by Gamecock
Not many people get the opportunity to attend seminary. In an amazing way I have attended two. The first was training for the Roman Catholic priesthood in Ireland and the second at a conservative Evangelical seminary in England.
Raised a Catholic . . . but not knowing God Like most boys in the Republic of Ireland in the 1980s, I was brought up a Roman Catholic. My parents taught me to live a good life, say my prayers, and attend mass every Sunday. I believed there was a God, but I didn't know him personally. I prayed as my mother taught me, but I never knew whether or not God was really listening. I attended confession monthly and did many penances. Conscious of my sinfulness, I hoped that God would accept me into heaven if I did enough good works. I tried to live the best life I could. It was like balancing the accounts, hoping that my credits (good works) would cancel my debits (sins). Zealous to please God, I was just eleven years old when I decided to become a Roman Catholic priest. I told the local priest, but he said I would have to wait until I was eighteen before I could enter the seminary.
During my teenage years I got involved in much sinful behaviour. I rebelled against God and disobeyed his commandments. I loved my sin, but I hated that miserable life and started to cry out to God. I realise now that God was working in my heart. He showed me I was a sinner. I longed to be right with him. This became the focus of my life. I knew that I needed to be saved from my sins. I went on a pilgrimage to a famous Roman Catholic shrine. I ate oatcakes, drank black tea, and crawled on my knees around the Stations of the Cross over three days to do penance for my sins. I fasted and meditated but never knew pardon for sin. I wanted to know forgiveness, but how?
Training for the priesthood
At the age of nineteen, and after checking different possible organisations, I finally decided to join the Society of Missions to Africa (SMA). They are a society of priests who live together in small communities in different parts of the world, seeking to convert pagans to the Roman religion. I entered the Roman Catholic Seminary located in Maynooth, County Kildare, Ireland. During my two years at seminary, I learned about religion and philosophy but there were no biblical studies. I attended daily mass and monthly confession but, alas, there was no teaching on forgiveness for sin. We had set times of prayer as a community - morning, evening, and night. I heard many talks that were focused on pleasing God by doing charitable works and buying favour with God through the church. I also heard a lot about how to use psychology to counsel people spiritually. Not once did I hear how to be reconciled to God through Christ who alone could forgive my sins.
I began to read the Bible (a Protestant translation my parents had given to me). As I read it, I asked the priests serious questions about the religious rituals in the Roman Catholic faith, but they couldn't show me any scriptural basis whatsoever for so much of their superstition and their many traditions. I discovered that the Bible does not promote the veneration of Mary as practiced in the Roman Catholic Church. The official teaching of the Roman Church is that Mary does not necessarily answer prayers but rather intercedes on the Catholic's behalf and prays for them. However, the Bible teaches that she is a sinner: in the famous 'Magnificat' she is found praying to God her Saviour. Mary knew she had sinned and we find her rejoicing in God her Saviour, the one conceived in her womb by the Holy Spirit - Jesus Christ her Lord.
I realised that rosaries and prayers to the saints have no scriptural basis. Mary is addressed in Roman Catholic prayers (eg 'O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee'), but the Saviour teaches us to pray to the Father directly. Indeed, the Bible warns us against ritualistic prayer. This described me exactly: outwardly very holy and pious, but inwardly my heart was sinful and corrupt. Also, the Roman Church teaches its followers to pray to the saints. There is a saint for almost every circumstance, such as St Christopher for travel, St Anthony for lost property, St Martin de Porres for healing, St Joseph for the dying, St Vincent de Paul for the poor, and St Jude for lost causes. Unable to find anything in Scripture to support these things, I asked the priests many questions, and I was told that these Church traditions could not be questioned.
I was conscious of my sin and longed to have assurance of salvation. I asked the priests but I was told that we could never be sure of salvation until we died. I was instructed to attend the priest for confession, but I did not find that in Scripture either. The Bible instructs us to confess our sins to God, not to human priests. I also realised that as a priest I would have to hear people's confessions and absolve them. I was confused. How could I forgive other people's sins, when I did not even know forgiveness myself? I now realise that the Lord was lifting the veil from my eyes to show me that true faith and forgiveness for sin is to be found in Christ alone.
Eventually, I left the Roman seminary in 1995. The Society had decided that I was not suitable, but the Lord, through his Word, had shown me the errors of Rome and that I shouldn't continue training for the priesthood. I had entered the seminary thinking that I would find God's answer to my sins. When I left, I thought that I had finished with God - but he hadn't finished with me! Over the next two years I lived in Dublin and continued my search for God. I went to various Protestant churches and also met people from different cults. One cult told me that if I was to be baptized again, then I would be born again. This sounded too much like the Roman Church and its teaching of justification by works, so I had nothing more to do with them.
Going to England
I went to London in preparation for nursing studies. On the first night I met a man who told me how I could know forgiveness for sin. He gave me a leaflet that emphasized the need to trust in Jesus Christ alone. I read this leaflet many times, but still had no peace with God. Although well physically, I became very depressed spiritually.
I knew that I was condemned if I was not converted. The Bible told me that if I did not believe then the wrath of God abode upon me. Then I read 'There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit' (Rom. 8:1). This was a constant challenge to me. I was alone in a huge city with no one to turn to for spiritual help. How my heart yearned to be right with God.
While pursuing my nursing studies, I met some students who seemed to know God. I attended their church where the Bible was central to the whole service. The sermon was preached from the Bible - that was something completely new to me. Deep down I knew these people were genuine Christians. I asked many questions and started to attend the church regularly. About this time, a small Christian group was meeting in my halls of residence. I went along aiming to disrupt the meetings, but slowly began to be drawn to Christ. I saw that they had something that I didn't have - peace with God and a real love for Christ. They knew the reality of 'Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ' (Rom. 5:1). One of them gave me J. I. Packer's book, Knowing God. I read the book and saw that I too could know God in a personal way.
My conversion
One Sunday morning, 8th February 1998, I was listening to a sermon from Luke 10:30-37 about the Good Samaritan. The preacher spoke of Jesus Christ being like the Good Samaritan - coming to help us in our wretched sinful state - while revealing that the Holy Spirit gives new life to lost sinners. He also urged the listeners to repent of sin and trust in Jesus Christ alone for forgiveness. I called upon Jesus Christ to save me, 'For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved' (Rom. 10:13). There and then, I knelt down in my room and prayed, 'O God, I know that you have sent your Son Jesus Christ into the world to save sinners. Will you save me? I trust in Christ alone and ask that you would come into my life by the power of your Holy Spirit and make me new.' I felt a huge weight of guilt and sin taken from my heart. As soon as I opened my eyes a deep sense of peace came over me. At that moment I knew that I was a Christian and truly forgiven of all my sins. The Bible became the living Word of God and he was speaking to me as I read. I realised that we are not saved by works but by grace, 'For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast' (Eph. 2:8,9). I was baptised in London as a believer in September 1998. After my baptism I struggled with temptations and trials, but the Lord was my constant refuge: 'God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble'(Psa. 46:1).
My life as a Christian
On my first visit back to Ireland, I did not know of a Christian church, so I went to mass with my parents. I realised the priest was re-enacting a sacrifice that was accomplished once and for all on the cross of Calvary (Heb. 9:26; 1 Pet. 3:18). For this reason, I couldn't attend the Roman Catholic mass any longer. As a young Irish man, swearing was second nature to me. Very soon after my conversion this dried up. Worldly pursuits like drinking in pubs and going to nightclubs ceased. Prayer and communion with God became a whole new area of experience. I had learned formal rote prayer as a young boy, but now I began truly to pray from my heart. This is still an amazing experience to me: to be able to lift my heart to God as my Father and know that he is listening and will answer my prayers according to his will.
My family were upset that I had left the Roman Catholic faith. At first they thought it was another religious phase I was going through, but they soon realised that this was different. However, the Lord gave me opportunities to share the true gospel with them. About a year later my youngest brother was converted. What joy filled my heart!
Since my conversion, the Lord has taught me so much from his Word. I am especially thankful to one man from the church in London who helped me to study the Bible. We did a complete overview of the Scriptures together, as well as an in-depth study of the doctrines of grace (Calvinism). The glorious truth that God is sovereign in salvation and reaches out in mercy to sinners is truly humbling and amazing. That God, the Creator and Sustainer of the world, should call wretched sinners to himself illustrates his grace. What a joyful day it will be when all his people are united with him in heaven.
Christian service and ministry
About a year after my conversion I was seeking the Lord about serving him. One Lord's Day evening after the service I was praying to the Lord asking him where he wanted me to serve. I read 2 Timothy 3:16-4:5 and was profoundly challenged. I had never studied this portion of God's Word before. It was impressed on me that this was how the Lord wanted me to serve him - to preach the Word. I graduated and worked for a year in the National Treatment Centre for Alcohol and Drugs. Some of the patients were hardened criminals; others were involved in sordid areas of society due to their addictions. I realised the psychological treatment was not dealing with their real problem: their unpardoned sin. I couldn't witness openly to the patients but some enquired what kept me through the difficult times in my life. I told them that it was my faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and they were amazed. Both my housemate and a Roman Catholic friend were converted and baptised during this time. It was a great privilege to see the Lord use even me to win sinners to Christ. I conducted a Bible Study in Colossians with some Jehovah's Witnesses. They began to seek Christ but their leaders visited and put an end to it. I pray for these people, that the Lord would open their eyes to his truth. As I taught young boys in a Crusaders Class I soon realized that children can be taught the deep truths of Scripture in a simple, understandable way.
The Lord opened up the way for me to study at London Theological Seminary. The lasting memories of my time there are of the nightly prayer meetings with fellow students and the godly men who taught us theology and prepared us for the ministry.
There are a lot of protestant “theologians” who do not have the intellectual capabilities to ever become a Catholic priest.
Sure, anyone can sit in the pews in a Catholic church.
You can rest assured that this man will never give up his Christianity to return to your religion...
He has found Jesus...Jesus is in him...And he in Jesus...
The same Holy Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead; the same Holy Spirit that you guys claim leads your magisterium now resides in this man, and all born again Christians...
Catholicism is the thinking man’s Christianity. Calvinism is the lazy man’s Christianity.
I find it interesting that virtually all of the Catholic to Protestant conversion stories were ones rooted in emotional reactions to a misunderstanding of the Catholic teaching on grace.
That was true for Martin Luther and individuals like the one in the article.
If salvation is an eternal thing that you can’t lose through laxity or spiritual laziness, then who wouldn’t want to find the path of least resistance?
Calvinism selectively cherrypicks verses to fit its theory while ignoring those that object to it.
What objectively on the basis of scripure alone makes the Calvinists right and the Arminians or Lutherans wrong?
Catholicism is the thinking man’s Christianity. Calvinism is the lazy man’s Christianity.
I find it interesting that virtually all of the Catholic to Protestant conversion stories were ones rooted in emotional reactions to a misunderstanding of the Catholic teaching on grace.
That was true for Martin Luther and individuals like the one in the article.
If salvation is an eternal thing that you can’t lose through laxity or spiritual laziness, then who wouldn’t want to find the path of least resistance?
Calvinism selectively cherrypicks verses to fit its theory while ignoring those that object to it.
What objectively on the basis of scripture alone makes the Calvinists right and the Arminians or Lutherans wrong?
It is like someone telling him what to write It seems very sterile on the Catholic side of the article. There should be more little things its like a phony hit piece.
We Catholics do have the Holy Spirit. In fact the Holy Spirit guided us as we canonized the scriptures and is still guiding us (and Protestants). Somehow I find it hard to believe that nobody found Jesus until after the Reformation. Praise Jesus that I found him in the Lutheran Church and haven’t lost him despite being received into the Catholic Church.
I thank God every day for my faith, given to me through the Roman Catholic Church and the bible!
You are completely correct. Conversions of poorly catechized Catholics to protestantism all center around emotion. Every last one of them.
My mother is a devout Polish Catholic woman who married my Calvinist father in 1954. Eventually, after 50years of marriage he converted to Catholicism after intense study and reflection. Suffice it to say, he had a conversion experience, and God led him there through his (my father’s)intellect. He’s the smartest man I know and finally came to his senses regarding the Church founded by Jesus Christ.
Thankfully, my siblings and I were raised as Catholics and had a mother who instructed us in the nuances of the faith.
Your rhetorical question: “If salvation is an eternal thing that you can’t lose through laxity or spiritual laziness, then who wouldn’t want to find the path of least resistance?” is succinct and brilliant.
This is sterile. If he really did this He would show why his knees hurt in descriptive words. No true human being especially an opposite of this so-called stereo type complaint would forget this part of pain.
And He never knew pardon for sin. Very strange words indeed from a so-called priest. What a Hit piece. What suckers on this thread from some of our Indy church brethren responses.
“There are a lot of protestant “theologians” who do not have the intellectual capabilities to ever become a Catholic priest.”
AMEN!!!
I agree 100%!
It takes GENIUS level brain power to take God’s Word and turn it into a pretzel.
I’ve had a RCC seminary professor tell me that “born again” doesn’t mean “born again” and I had a Jesuit tell me that Jesus was not bodily resurrected. Yep, those guys are too smart for the average “protestant”.
\sarc
Where did you get that bible you worship? Not from any protestants.
A certain FReeper who will remain nameless asked me privately if I “traded up” by giving up on an assurance of salvation.
But that individual failed because I was a Lutheran, and Lutherans reject eternal security.
But I almost never see Lutherans on these boards waging a scorched-earth war on Catholicism.
And Catholics who become Lutheran do so to be “Catholic lite” without the restrictions on divorce or contraception.
Yes this smelled phony from the get-go, like “Alberto”.
Yes! From He who can not be mentioned. A forger and wanted in several states. Which Christianity Today exposed in 1980(?)
Colossians 1:18: And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
The True Church is the Church which God the Father and the Resurrected Christ Jesus REVEALED THE MYSTERY which has been hid from organized religion and the pagan world system for ages past - but now is CLEARLY made manifest to HIS Believer-Saints:
Colossians 1:26: Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:
Colossians 1:27: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
The True Church is the Church which God the Father and the Resurrected Christ Jesus revealed to Peter REGARDING PAUL's appointment and calling to the Gentiles:
II Peter 3:15: And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;
II Peter 3:16: As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.
The True Church is the Church which God the Father and the Resurrected Christ Jesus communicated to the Apostle Paul to make known that GOD and CHRIST will judge the secrets of men ACCORDING to the Gospel of Grace which GOD gave Paul to preach in the last 2,000 years:
Romans 2:16: In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.
The True Church is the Church which God the Father and the Resurrected Christ Jesus REVEALED that ONLY HEAVEN and HELL exist - and that a person has ONLY ONE choice during this life - once that person physical dies, that person is immediately ushered into either HEAVEN or HELL (FOREVER). Purgatory is a fabrication of man, not GOD. GOD is not a liar - HE only spoke about HEAVEN or HELL as the only destinations. That is why Jesus WARNED about HELL so very often inside the Jewish Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) - read Zechariah this book mentions all of the Gospels by Christ's Titles, thus making these Gospels intimately tied with the Jewish scriptures as fulfillment.
Repent ye and believe in the Grace of God which Paul preached and ye shall be "judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel". GOD appointed Paul to say that - not men.
Peter never said that - show us the scriptures that Peter says "judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel"! It doesn't exist! Be ye not found in Rev 20:12:
Be ye not found in Rev 20:12:
Revelation 20:12: And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
Stop being spiritually lazy and thinking that intellectual religion will save you.
As St. Paul also says in Romans 2:13,”for it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified.”
This echoes St. James in James 2:24. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
And James 2:20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
St. Gregory of Sinai summarizes the Catholic/Orthodox view on faith better than anyone who I have seen.
St. Gregory of Sinai, a 13th century Greek monk, who is considered a saint by Catholics and Orthodox alike writes the following in his treatise: “On Commandments and Doctrines”
“Grace-imbued faith, energized by the Holy Spirit, alone suffices for salvation, provided we sustain it and do not opt for a dead and effectual faith rather than a living and effective faith in Christ.”
http://bit.ly/saddKM
Penance serves to humble the heart of the believer to being a better follower of Christ because he can only be served with humility.
And St. Mark the Ascetic, a 4th century Desert Father teaches:
18. Some without fulfilling the commandments think that they possess true faith.
Others fulfil the commandments and then expect the kingdom as a reward due to
them. Both are mistaken.
19. A master is under no obligation to reward his slaves; on the other hand, those who
do not serve him well are not given their freedom.
20. If ‘Christ died on our account in accordance with the Scriptures’ (Rm 5:8; 1Co
15:3), and we do not ‘live for ourselves’, but ‘for Him who died and rose’ on our
account (2Co 5:15), it is clear that we are debtors to Christ to serve Him till our
death. How then can we regard sonship as something which is our due?
21. Christ is Master by virtue of His own essence and Master by virtue of His incarnate
life. For He creates man from nothing, and through His own Blood redeems him
when dead in sin; and to those who believe in Him He has given His grace.22. When Scripture says ‘He will reward every man according to his works’ (Mt 16:27),
do not imagine that works in themselves merit either hell or the kingdom. On the
contrary, Christ rewards each man according to whether his works are done with
faith or without faith in Himself; and He is not a dealer bound by contract, but God
our Creator and Redeemer.
“I loved my sin, but I hated that miserable life and started to cry out to God.”
Sometimes I do believe that is the universal lot of mankind. At least this man knew whom to cry out to. So many of the lost these days do not know that God is ready to answer their cries.
“I entered the Roman Catholic Seminary located in Maynooth, County Kildare, Ireland. During my two years at seminary, I learned about religion and philosophy but there were no biblical studies”
Here is a link to the course requirements of that seminary.I doubt the course outlines have changed all that much.
http://www.maynoothcollege.ie/courses/index.shtml
We have course offerings in
“Sacred Scripture
SC 131 ‘From Eden to Exile’
SC 135 Risen Lord in a Pagan Empire”
Perhaps the good man had no idea that courses in Sacred Scripture were Biblical Studies. However, did he qualify for admission?
An experience shared by many former RC’s..Thanks
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