The story of the disciples on the road to Emmaus, which immediately precedes today’s Gospel and is unique to St. Luke, is one of my favorite stories in the four Gospels. Like other former Protestants who have become Catholic, I see it as a sort of microcosm of my journey into the Church.
As a young Evangelical, I spent time reading Scripture, as well as “conversing and debating” (cf. Lk 24:15) various points of theology and belief, especially while attending Bible college. Yes, I knew Jesus, not only through studying Scripture but also through walking with him, albeit often poorly and without a clear sense of the road before or behind.
Put another way, my walk as a Christian was often quite experiential and episodic, lacking an understanding of both the great depths and broad vistas of the ancient Christian faith.
Ironically, perhaps, my studies and experiences in Bible college challenged me to begin exploring those depths and vistas. I will always be indebted to the many holy and learned professors who pushed me to not only learn more, but to allow Christ to mold my often balking, hesitant heart.
I am thankful that I heard powerful sermons exhorting me to examine my heart and to repent.
One of my classes was a study of the Acts of the Apostles, and I was struck by the sermons of Peter, including the one heard today: “Repent, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be wiped away.”
It’s not that I had never read those words before, but sometimes you have to walk with Christ for countless miles before you take a really meaningful step toward him. I’ve heard many Catholic parents lament how their children, having been raised in the Church, now have little or no interest in being a disciple of Christ. There are no easy answers to such difficult situations, but my experience is that the problem is hardly unique to Catholics.
The fact is, we all need to be constantly converted, for conversion is not just a matter of following Christ, but of really recognizing and knowing him.
Pope Paul VI, in his 1975 apostolic exhortation on evangelization, emphasized this truth, writing:
The Church is an evangelizer, but she begins by being evangelized herself. … She is the People of God immersed in the world, and often tempted by idols, and she always needs to hear the proclamation of the ‘mighty works of God’ which converted her to the Lord; she always needs to be called together afresh by Him and reunited. In brief, this means that she has a constant need of being evangelized, if she wishes to retain freshness, vigor and strength in order to proclaim the Gospel.
One key aspect of that conversion is choosing to enter more deeply into the sacramental life. Having been baptized and filled with God’s divine life, we must protect and nourish that life through confession and Holy Communion.
When I’m asked why I became Catholic, I say that the ultimate reason was the Eucharist, for I finally recognized that while I knew Jesus, I also hungered to receive his true Body and Blood. My heart burned within me as I studied the Scriptures, but my eyes were opened when I saw the truth about the Blessed Sacrament (Lk 24:30-32).
As G.K. Chesterton once noted, becoming Catholic is a thrilling adventure, but being Catholic is often a difficult thing. Becoming Catholic does not guarantee a sin-free life—quite the contrary! But, as St. John reminds us, if we do sin, “we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous one.”
In listening to his words, we grow in faith and hope, but especially charity: “But whoever keeps his word, the love of God is truly perfected in him.”
(This “Opening the Word” column originally appeared in the April 19, 2015, edition of Our Sunday Visitor newspaper.)
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A marked difference of the journeying Protestant toward the truth found in the Church from most of us born into it is the strong grasp of saving doctrine. Converts convert because of conviction, we due to abysmal religious education struggle to be convinced. All converts whose testimony I’m aware of are drawn to the seven sacraments above all the Holy Eucharist and Christ’s real presence. Former Protestants are scandalized when they find hosts left here and there after Mass. As well as Catholics who like Chesterton’s view in Olson’s quote finally take living Catholicism seriously. That is almost always due to the calibre of a priest perhaps new to the parish.
What works is the committed priest, and the committed lay person who is willing to pay the price of love for their brother. There’s really nothing new to be added except to take Christ’s words to heart. As a parody we find Dignitatis Infinita repeating traditional doctrine as if it were some marvelous new finding, when in fact it’s repeated as before simply to assuage the skeptical Catholic’s angst over the diminishing witness by this Vatican to the revealed Word. What is lacking is courage and conviction.A few sharp convincing words from the pulpit or from laity can ignite the flame of true practice of the faith. Although many appear bored and disinterested they’re within famished.
Thus the essential role of the convert in renewal as reintegration with the revealed Word. Here on the Internet as well as in other forums. On the Internet blogs like CWR, NCReg, TCT, First Things are offering an enormous venue to draw new converts, and reconversion of the nominal. Each faithful Catholic who enters comments has, or should have a divinely inspired commission to spread the faith, to realize the meaning of a chosen people, a royal priesthood [of all the faithful]. Every word we write has either value or detriment toward that end. Awareness of the power of written words must guide our effort in realization of the good or evil they may effect. As technology expands our efforts become available worldwide. As such technology rather than menacing cultural decency becomes a valuable venue for our witness to the truth of Christ.
True that much of what is written has a neutral academic tone in the search for knowledge. Our faith nevertheless will naturally permeate our exchange with others. And in respect to a forum in which truth may be pursued without partisan conditions is maintained when all whatever their belief predilections are, may freely offer point and counterpoint. That the site isn’t perceived as an indoctrination centre, rather as an open forum for all.
As one of those baptized into the Catholic faith as an infant, I can only offer my experience. At may 3 or 4 years old, I have a clear memory of my mother leaning over me with her finger on her lips “shhhh…this is the holiest part of the mass” and as she straightened up shoulders so I was kneeling looking at the back of the pew in front, I heard the santus bells ring. I knew something very important was happening. Now as near the twilight of my live, I ponder on how it was that so many of us lost that faith. But this is not the first time our Church has faced serious problems, and I am comforted by the idea that in every era it was the faith of those few remnants in the pews who turned to The Lord with the firm intention to improve their personal holiness that helped to bring about the renewal. Its happening now. Signs are everywhere for those with eyes to see.
Yes, there are hopeful signs Kathy. While many have fallen away those remaining seem more intense in their faith. The Holy Spirit is giving us special graces to meet the challenges.
My experience as a cradle Catholic was somewhat different. Becoming a Catholic through my family with all that entailed in my youth, viz., Mass on Sunday, serving as an altar boy for many years, fish on Fridays, nine First Fridays to get umpteen thousands of days off my time in purgatory, etc. But never until later in life—only by the grace of God—trying to actually, in Chesterton’s words, being a Catholic (the Cradle Catholic’s version of “crossing the Tiber). And praying always for family and friends who found it easy to shed the “becoming Catholic” cultural experience of their youthful days and as a result never attempted or gave thought to the more difficult but infinitely rewarding experience of being Catholic, of being”constantly converted,” of “really recognizing and knowing” Christ Jesus as our Lord, Shepherd and Savior.
Thank you, Carl, for your reflection.
Nice reflection, my experience is similar. Constantly praying for friends and family that have fallen away, but being frustrated about why my prayers for their reconversion are not answered. Not much of a deep thinker about my faith, but through the grace of God, never wondered away and sometimes wonder why. Now just wish my prayers could get through to those that left.
Carl, Kudos on a very nice article. I always enjoy insights into why people convert to Catholicism. Your writing put me in mind of Scott Hahn’s writings about why HE chose to become a Catholic after years of negative thought about the Catholic Church. His being strongly drawn to the Eucharist when attending his first ever Mass is much as you describe…his eyes were opened.I myself am a “revert”, attending daily Mass now for numbers of years, after years of being away from the church. Grateful that Jesus must have had me on the Lost Sheep list…and came to find me.
Some of the best Catholics in the world weren’t born that way
( hashtag Saul)
And some of them gave up and walked away disappointed
(Hashtag Emmaus)
If more people literally, physically, put their feet on the ground and walked (hashtag pilgrimage) in the faith, He would be walking beside us.
He is not there with us in our recliners pontificating about what is wrong with the church.
“Don’t just do something- sit there!”
Thank you for this article sharing your personal conversion. I think that the Blessed Sacrament drew my Episcopalian father to convert to Catholicism as well. (I’m eternally grateful for my parents’ gift of Catholicism). When I visited his home parish a mutual friend told me my dad prayed in a weekly scheduled slot in Adoration. Now I do the same.
As a convert, Carl, like St Peter in ACTS, I’m wondering if it was your zeal for other converts which was your impetus for producing “Catholicism “ with Bishop Barron? Wondering who approached who? And I thoroughly enjoyed that series as a former catechist in my family parish.