The Inaugural Tacky Tuesday

I've been thinking about ways to move forward with the blog, and in order to keep it from being too serious, I've decided to have a weekly post that's a little on the wild and weird side of things. With that in mind I have instituted Tacky Tuesdays. For the first Tacky Tuesday I've decided to share with you one of my favorite crazy Christian puppet videos. It involves livestock, wailing guitar solos, and more wtf than you can shake a stick at. Feast you eyes on the wonder that is "I Just Want to (be a Sheep)"

Faith of My Fathers

   

     I was raised a Freewill Baptist. Now, there are several types of Baptist, each with their own unique variations of belief, but the distinctive belief of the Freewill Baptist is that one can fall from a state of Grace. They do not refer to it as such, instead they define it as losing salvation, backsliding, and a number of other terms. I had a lovely talk with my grandmother about the faith of my childhood, and so I would like to list several of the reasons that I am thankful for the religious upbringing that I had.

1.) An Emphasis on Faith

    

    Faith was always an important part of my life growing up. I heard many sermons on trusting in God and how important it was to know that no matter what happened in my life that God was working it for a better purpose. This is hard to see in the moment of anguish, but once you are on higher ground and can see the road behind you it really does make sense. 

2.) An Emphasis on the Importance of Scripture

      Baptists love the Bible, this is a fact that few could contest. They love the scriptures, and have a desire to know as much about it as possible. This heritage of love for the Word of God was thankfully passed on to me, and few things thrill me more than making connections between scripture and the liturgy, or seeing how various passages have been interpreted through the generations. The Bible is part of Divine revelation, and Catholics could learn a thing or two from our Baptist brothers and sisters when it comes to appreciation of it.

3.) An Emphasis on Community

     I have many, many wonderful memories of growing up as a Baptist. Some of the most cherished memories are those of the homecomings that were held at my grandmothers church. We would get dressed up in our Sunday best, go listen to a sermon, and then visit and share a meal with our family and friends. You will be hard pressed to find a better cook than a Baptist grandmother, and I was blessed with two of them, and a great grandmother who put both of them to shame in the kitchen. This community was beautiful. The people cared for each other and you could see it in their eyes, their smiles, and their casseroles.

4.) An Appreciation for Beautiful Music

     One of the things that I miss the most about the faith of my youth is the music. Certainly there are grand, and magnificent compositions that exist in the Church, and some of the most achingly beautiful music exists in the Catholic tradition, but there will always be a place in my heart for the hymns of my childhood. Just yesterday as I was sitting in the nave before Mass began, I heard the familiar notes of "Take my Hand Precious Lord." Instantly I was reminded of all the songs that were as close to me as family members. "There is Power in the Blood" "How Great Though Art" "In the Garden" "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus" and so many others. I still listen to them when I'm feeling nostalgic about the past. I'll include links to all of these songs so you can hear what I'm talking about.

5.) A Passionate Love for Jesus

     I learned about Jesus from my parents, from my Sunday School teachers, from preachers, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. Everyone I knew as a child loved Jesus, and they passed this love on to me. In times of darkness, and despair when it seems like it would just be easier to give up, I remember him. To give up would be to turn my back on Jesus, and that's something that I can't even consider. This love still exists in my family, and it still unites us. Even though there may be differences, we are still one in our love of Christ.

     I hope this column, inadequate though it may be, gives you an idea of just how grateful I am for the faith that was given to me. I would be nothing if not for the love of my family, and the values that they instilled in me as a child, and words can not express the gratitude I hold in my heart for those dear Baptists who loved me, and taught me.

Hymns:

Precious Lord Take My Hand

There's Power In The Blood 

How Great Thou Art 

In the Garden 

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

Jesus Cleanses the Temple... With a Vengeance

This is my first foray into video editing. It's something that has been banging around in my head for a while and I hope you like it.

St. Dominic Must be so Proud

      I'm going to be straight up, this scares the life out of me. I'm not really sure what he's trying to accomplish apart from trying to make kids scared of both dogs and Jesus. Here's hoping he's been neutered. 

Exsultate!

      I took my last final of the semester today! No more late nights, no more cramming, and no more fighting for a parking spot. Not for a month at least, then it's back to the grind. I really am very blessed to be able to go to school and receive an education so I shouldn't complain too much. I'm just grateful that I will be able to spend some time with my friends and family this Christmas without having to worry about papers and exams.

Come Apart into a Desert Place and Rest a Little

       Something that I've been thinking about a lot here lately is spiritual dryness. Many of the saints have written about it, from St. John of the Cross to Blessed Teresa of Calcutta. St. John considered it to be a purging of the vain things in life so that the soul could come into a relationship with God that was not contingent on feelings or emotions. While knowing this can give hope, it doesn't make us feel better. Feeling better would defeat the purpose of the dryness, and so it is something that needs to be endured with patience. 


      Oftentimes what seems like dryness is due to sin in our lives, and the solution is as close as the nearest confessional. That has certainly been the case with me on many occasions. Other times though it is God calling us into a deeper union with him. One that doesn't depend on the warm and fuzzies, or kid gloves. The author of Hebrew writes "For every one that is a partaker of milk, is unskillful in the word of justice: for he is a little child. But strong meat is for the perfect; for them who by custom have their senses exercised to the discerning of good and evil." As long as we are immature as Christians then we will want the sweet milk that we receive when we get the chills, and our time in prayer is refreshing, and all the things that go with young love.


       Sadly many Christians never leave this stage of spiritual infatuation and this leads to a Church that is filled with baby Christians who are unable to defend their faith, they are not "...ready always to satisfy everyone that asketh you a reason of that hope that is in you." This troubles me. I am a convert to the Catholic Church, and for those of you who do not know, becoming a Catholic is a very involved process. 


      The first step is usually speaking with a priest who will then direct you to the director of the RCIA*. The person will then go through a process of intense prayer, discernment, and learning before they decide whether or not they want to become Catholic. The whole process ideally takes a year at minimum, but can last much longer. While the process is not perfect, I feel it prepares the person to live a Christian life much better than the "Hallelujah, here's your Bible" approach that is taken by many Christians today in their evangelization. 


      My reason for going into the subject of RCIA is that even then there are periods of dryness. "Am I doing the right thing?" "What if I'm being lied to?" "What will my family and friends think?" The prayer that I grew in during that time sustained me, and still does. I learned how to pray the Scriptures in Lectio Divina, I learned how to meditate on the life of Christ in the Rosary, I learned how to unite myself with the entire Church through the Liturgy of the Hours, and these all helped me grow and get through those dry times. 

      God does not leave us alone. Our Lord tells us "I will not leave you orphans, I will come to you." Even though we feel completely abandoned, he is there and is bringing us through our sufferings so that we can be more closely united to him. The desert may seem lonely and barren, but from the barrenness of our souls God will bring new life; life that is pure, and has him as its focus.

*RCIA: Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults.

Et Homo Factus Est

      I do a lot of thinking in my car. Most of the time my thoughts drift to strange situations that may arise, but most likely won't and these situations are almost invariably theological in nature. For instance, is baptism by water gun valid? (It is.) Is mass baptism via rain valid? (It's not.) Does the disbelief of the priest affect the efficacy of a Sacrament? (Nope.)  Such is the life of a Nerdius Ecclesiasticus. 


      One thing that came to my mind recently though, no doubt due to the closeness of Christmas, was the Incarnation. The Nicean Creed says that "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." This section of the Creed is dense with deep theological beauty. God loved us enough that he came for our salvation. This is of course reflected in Our Lords conversation that is recorded with Nicodemus in the third chapter of the Gospel of St. John "For God so loved the world, as to give his only begotten Son; that whosoever believeth in him, may not perish, but may have life everlasting." Not  only was it astounding that he would come for our salvation, but the means by which he came is incredible as well. 


      "Hail full of Grace, the Lord is with thee." These were the words of the Archangel Gabriel to Our Lady at the Annunciation. By the yes of a young woman in Nazareth, the creator of the world entered his creation. He who was not under the limitation of time entered into time, and the one over whom death had no power willingly subjected himself to death. 


      It is almost absurd. Not absurd as in foolish, but absurd like a king living in a mud hut so that a pauper could live in his castle. Even that analogy falls terribly short. God, who created the universe cannot be contained by it and yet he emptied out himself and came among us so that we could possess eternal life. It is an absurdity, but one whose love and beauty is unparalleled.