10 Reasons Why It's Hard to Become Catholic

Canterbury Tales ^ | May 6, 2013 | Taylor Marshall

[NYer]

Is it difficult to become Catholic?

I don't often disclose personal thoughts on this blog, but I feel that this is something that might be helpful for folks on both sides of the Tiber: Ten Reasons why it's hard to become Catholic.

I have spoken to somewhere between 50-100 Protestant ministers who have become Catholic or are contemplating entry into full communion with the Catholic Church. Most of these are Anglican or Presbyterian. A few have been Lutheran. 

Over the last several years, I've gathered up the "big ten" that either cause pain or lead to a man saying "No thanks," to the Catholic Church.

#10 Theological Submission

It's difficult to say serviam ("I will serve"). Theology is no longer "what I think". It requires a submission of the mind. At the same time, this a liberation of the mind. Still, it is difficult to tell oneself: "I don't fully understand the Treasury of Merit, but I will submit my reason to the reason of the Church."

#9 Priests

Catholic priests are not like Protestant ministers. Relatively speaking, they are more distant than Protestant clergy, albeit for good reasons sometimes. A Protestant has the experience of a minister smiling whenever he sees you, memorizing your name, and generally going out of his way to make a personal connection. This rarely happens in Catholicism. I admit it - it wounds my pride a little. I wish that I were greeted and hailed by the pastor after Mass. It's humbling to be part of the masses at Mass.

Protestant ministers usually have smaller congregations and more competition with one another. Hence, the minister is much more likely to say, "Hey, let's go to Starbucks this week and talk about your faith."

Of course, I know dozens of Catholic priests who do reach out on a personal level, but for the most part, Catholic priests are stretched out more thinly. Consequently, personal access is more rare. And to be honest, I'm glad to know that my priests are hearing confessions and going to the hospital all the time. That's a much better use of their time than drinking expensive coffee with me.

#8 Liturgy

I am beginning to think that there is nothing as controversial in the Catholic Church as liturgy. It is at the center of everything.

I like clean, tight liturgies. Altar boys turning on a dime and making a 90 degree right angle around the altar. Latin. Gregorian chant. Synchronized genuflections. Defined signs of the crosses. Corporal folded the proper way (up not down!) You may have guessed it. I attend the Extraordinary Form of the Mass.

However, it's not like that everywhere. There are some wonderful liturgies and some not-so-wonderful liturgies. Sometimes, potential converts walk in to a not-so-wonderful liturgy with broken rubrics and oddities. It's difficult for many - especially if they are coming from a more liturgical form of Protestantism. I don't know the best answer to this problem. All I know that it is a problem.

My suggested solution is the "Great Catholic Migration of the 21th Century." Click here to read more about "the great migration."

#7 Dealing with marriage, divorce, homosexuality, contraception, abortion

Some people have irregular marriages, live homosexual lifestyles, or enjoy the comforts of contraception. It's painful to allow your divorce and re-marriage to be examined by the bishop's tribunal. It's embarrassing to talk about a 'lifestyle.' It's not easy to imagine having a minivan overflowing with car seats or to rethink the vasectomy. 

For some, they have to revisit an abortion that occurred decades ago. These sort of things cut deep to the heart and make us squirm. All this is understandable and I think that these things should be addressed with caution and compassion. If you're a potential convert, pray for and seek out a good priest with whom you can speak confidentially.

I'll also add from personal experience, the healing a good confession is about 100 times more powerful than any of the shame or fear associated with past problems. I think others here would agree. 

(Please leave a comment below to testify to this reality so others might be assured.)

#6 Financial discomforts

If you're a clergyman you stand to lose your great pension, great health benefits, discretionary fund, and your salary. I've been there and it's tough. It's likely that you haven't been trained to do anything else that is marketable. I doubt that anyone out there will pay you six figures to write sermons for them or lead a small-group Bible study. It goes without saying that most ministers take a major pay cut when they become Catholic. Their family income goes down. They usually start having more kids. Also, they usually start paying for parochial education - another hit to the pocketbook.

#5 Vocational confusion

It was difficult at first to admit that my Anglican priesthood was invalid. I wasn't a priest long, but I heard confessions, anointed the dying, etc. What was I doing? What was God doing? Why did God let me function sacramentally with people who were deeply hurting. I still don't know how to "classify" those ministerial acts.

I think other would-be converts struggle with the same ideas. Even if they were laymen, they wonder about their past roles as Sunday school teachers, mentors, Bible study leaders, counselors, etc.

#4 Non-Catholic ridicule and estrangement

Family and friends do not understand. Even when they try to understand, they will never appreciate the frustrations, study, and heart-searching that goes into becoming Catholic. Some Anglicans still call me "Father", which makes me feel uncomfortable. Others have written terrible things about me. I've never been more greatly attacked for anything else in my life.

Tension often arises with parents and siblings. I've even heard of converts who were cut out of the inheritance because they became "Roman".

#3 Catholic ridicule and estrangement

This may seem odd, but some Catholics are suspicious of converts to Catholicism. These come in two forms. Type A is the cradle-Catholic who has all their ducks in a row and suspects the convert of being a crypto-Protestant unschooled in the ways of being Catholic. If the new Catholic prays extemporaneously, then it's "We don't do that." If the convert quotes Scripture about something, they frown upon this, too. 

Some Catholics also seem to think that it is helpful to ridicule my past as a non-Catholic, as if that would somehow validate me as now "one of them." Some Catholics just love to hear converts bash their former faith. This places converts in a strange position.

Type B is the cradle-Catholic who is less committed to the distinctives of the Catholic faith. They see zealous converts as a threat. These converts are overly-concerned with dogma and truth. And this leads us to obstruction number two...

#2 RCIA (Rite for Christian Initiation of Adults)

RCIA must have been invented so that every conversion to the Catholic Church might somehow be miraculous. It is becoming an element of Catholic lore that RCIA is commonly led or organized by someone who is a "type B" Catholic as described above. These people don't seem to understand how zealous these converts can be. These leaders stress the "feelings" part of Catholicism and not the "orthodoxy" part of Catholicism much to the chagrin of the converts who have had it up to their ears in Protestant appeals to their feelings.

It's amazing how many people "give up" in RCIA. It's also amazing how many push on through. I know many who have had wonderful RCIA experiences, but I know many more who had to defend the Catholic faith while taking RCIA.

Just so I don't step on any toes, I salute and applaud all the great RCIA teachers out there. I know that you're out there and we are thankful for you! Keep up the great work.

#1 Pride

I don't know how to say this in a witty way, but pride holds the number one slot. At one point in life I felt that I was too good for all those people who respected the Infant of Prague. I'm ashamed to admit, but there it is. Why join a religion where adherents air brush images of Our Lady of Guadalupe on the hoods of their lowriders? (I grew up in Texas...) One Protestant gentlemen even told me that he couldn't be Catholic because it was "the religion of the masses." I asked him what he meant, and the term "Mexicans" was employed in his reply. 

It's snobbery against the religion of the masses and immigrants.

It's just cooler to go to an Evangelical mega-church that has a pool, basketball gym, powerpoint presentations, podcasts, and a rocking "praise team." I sometimes wish that our homilies had really cool cultural references in them or solidly crafted "gotcha" endings. Alas, this is not typical of the parochial homily.

[narses]

The Communion of Saints
The communion of saints is one of the most profound doctrines in the Christian tradition. All Christians are incorporated into the mystical Body of Christ by virtue of their baptism. Through Christ we are inextricably linked to God and to each other, and together we form the post-Ascension presence of Christ on earth. Jesus heals through the touch of our hands, He feeds the hungry through our generosity, and He speaks the words of forgiveness through our relationships with each other. This is very much in keeping with the spirit of the Incarnation. We are not meant to be a community of disembodied spirits but rather the living Church through which God interacts with the real world and spreads the message of the Resurrection.

The Church is composed of two parts — the Church Militant (the faithful who are still on this earth) and the Church Triumphant (those who have undergone physical death and are now with Christ). Christians who have already completed their pilgrimage on this earth are not truly dead but are fully alive in Christ. The link between Christians is so strong that not even physical death can sever it. Together the Church Militant and Church Triumphant are participants in the Divine Liturgy that is forever said before the throne of God.

Very early on the Church felt that the martyrs and saints who had departed this world were not separated from Christians who were alive, but rather they were in greater communion with God and with earthly Christians. This led to the doctrine of the intercession of the saints which is still present in the Catholic, Orthodox, and Anglican traditions. To ask for a saint’s intercession is simply to ask them to pray for you as you would a fellow Christian who is alive on this earth.

This intercession is not at all analogous to praying to God — worship is due to God alone. Since these saints are truly alive it is completely orthodox to allow for this practice as long as it is done in the proper sense. It is only through God’s grace that the intercession of the saints is even possible. As long as medieval excesses are avoided it is a reasonable practice that is consistent with historic teachings of the Church.

Some Christians may raise the objection that there is only one mediator between God and man and that Jesus is this sole mediator. This is certainly true, but we ask fellow Christians to pray for us all the time because we know that the prayers of others have been found by the Church to be efficacious. Other people interceding for us in no way reduces the unique work of Jesus’ complete mediation. All intercessions are ultimately derived from his singular act and cannot be separated from it.

If these Christians in heaven are in full communion with God then that makes their prayers on our behalf that much more powerful. My only advice to skeptics would be to try it out for yourself. I have been very blessed by this practice and I highly recommend it. It is often a difficult journey in this life, and more people praying for you is always a good thing.

http://anglican-musings.blogspot.com/2007/06/communion-of-saints.html

[OneWingedShark]

>> Which is why they’re preformed in the original Hebrew/Aramaic/Greek, right? > > Is that supposed to be a "gotcha" question?

Only half one.

It's a very interesting one ... the Eastern rites do retain their original Greek and Aramaic ... as the Latin rite retains its original Latin.

Actually there's more arguments that it should be done in the language of the congregation than an old language: why?
Because all the scriptures the [very] early church used was the Old Testament (the New in the process of being written) and that in the language of that city [i.e. translations].

Christianity has, from the very beginning, been about getting the message out [termed 'evangelize'] rather than keeping it secret knowledge.

[Clint N. Suhks]

This intercession is not at all analogous to praying to God

My praying for you does not make me part of the Holy Trinity. Nor does asking saints to pray for you or me.

[A.A. Cunningham]

the mainstream media(sic)

There's no such thing. The DLEMM - Dominant Liberal Establishment Mass Media - is anything but mainstream. Liberals are not mainstream they are an anomoly. People need to stop using the misnomer "mainstream media".

[Yardstick]

Is that the creed that one must profess in order to become a Catholic?

It seems pretty on-target to me.

[bramps]

There are no sweeter words than “I absolve you of your sins”
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

A mortal man absolving you of your sins, that's rich!

[Religion Moderator]

Discuss the issues all you want, but do not make it personal.

[ArrogantBustard]

been about getting the message out

For this reason, the Catholic Church (East and West) has always had a keen interest in translating the Sacred Scriptures accurately into as many languages as necessary. The Vulgate, of course, being perhaps the earliest such translation. The Church translated the Scriptures into English almost as soon as there was a recognizable English language. The Cyrillic alphabet was invented for the purpose of presenting the Sacred Scriptures in slavic languages. Other examples abound.

The Church (East and West) retains the ancient languages for the purpose of maintaining continuity and accuracy. Either way you look at it (use of ancient languages OR use of 'modern' languages) the Church has it right.

[A.A. Cunningham]

I don’t have to start my prayers with her.

Are there any other parts of Scripture you also have an aversion to reciting?

I don’t need to confess my sins to another mortal man,

Despite the instruction in Scripture to do so?

I don’t worship Idols,

Neither do Catholics.

I believe one must be Saved

You won't know if you're saved until your particular judgment, just as Scripture teaches.

I do not believe simply sprinkling water on one is being Baptized.

There's more to the Sacrament of Baptism than simply sprinkling water.

And I believe in the King James Bible.

An abridged and heavily edited version of Scripture that didn't exist until over 12 centuries after the original.

[A.A. Cunningham]

Anglicans don’t pray to Mary.

Quite a few Anglicans recite the rosary on a regular basis and ask for the Blessed Virgin Mary's intercession.

[ArrogantBustard]

Leftists hate everything “big” ... they constantly rant against “Big Oil”, “Big Pharma”, “Big Agro” ... big business generally. Whatever sins those entities may commit or have committed, the damage they may do is orders of magnitude smaller than the damage done by the leftist pathological liars in “Big Media” and leftist tyrants in “Big Government”. I propose the term “Big Media” or “leftist Big Media” for your consideration.

[Clintons Are White Trash]

Very interesting! I am a convert - I was fortunate enough to have my instruction given directly from a priest in a smaller parish. As someone raised Baptist, it has been interesting. After not practicing for years, I have returned after getting a job where I work with/for Jesuits. It has been such a treat to renew my faith through reading the Examen and teachings of St. Ignatius. I recommend anyone coming from a Protestant background to check these out.

[A.A. Cunningham]

Stating a fact isn't "making it personal".

When people publicly display their ignorance pointing out said ignorance isn't "making it personal".

You need to stop being an apologist for and defender of the ignorant.

[Religion Moderator]

Discuss the message, not the messenger.

[A.A. Cunningham]

A mortal man absolving you of your sins, that's rich!

Scripture is indeed rich.

"Amen I say to you, whatsoever you shall bind upon earth, shall be bound also in heaven; and whatsoever you shall loose upon earth, shall be loosed also in heaven." Matthew 18:18

"Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained." John 20:23

"But all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to Himself by Christ; and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation. For God indeed was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing to them their sins; and He hath placed in us the word of reconciliation. For Christ therefore we are ambassadors, God as it were exhorting by us. For Christ, we beseech you, be reconciled to God." 2 Corinthians 5:18-20

[ArrogantBustard]

That is what we call the “Apostles’ Creed” ... it represents a fairly early attempt to capture Christian belief in a short statement. Various disputes led to the Council of Nicea, and the following “Nicene Creed” (which is recited as part of our Liturgy):

I believe in one God, the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.
I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, consubstantial
with the Father;
Through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate
of the Virgin Mary,
and became man.
For our sake he was crucified
under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
in accordance with 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.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son
is adored and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
I believe in one, holy, catholic,
and apostolic Church.
I confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins
and I look forward to the resurrection
of the dead and the life of the world to come.

[A.A. Cunningham]

Either would be appropriate but the term “mainstream media” is wholly inaccurate. Nothing mainstream about the fourth estate.