Holding onto the Good

Hi there. Post about my journey to Catholicism #2.

I'd like to affirm openly that I am becoming Catholic even after having had many great experiences in my evangelical Christian upbringing, and that this move should not be interpreted as a reaction against previous churches or as a gesture of disgust. Through this process of attraction to Catholicism, I have realized that I want to spend my life working for ecumenism. I know that I can only join the Church if it is for the cause of the unity of the body of Christ and for the sake of ushering in his Kingdom. I'm not sure how this works out exactly, and I've never been comfortable labeling my religion with anything other than "Christian." But I know what is right, and I know that this is what I need to do. And I think I will probably care this passionately about ecumenism for the rest of my life.

I have moved around too much, and perhaps the hardest thing about each relocation is leaving behind a church community (especially when leaving Madrid, my island in Maine, and the community in Jackson, TN). I feel the separations keenly and with deep regret.

Each church has its particular weak places and things I wish were better. But I am not turning to Catholicism out of any bitterness or any particularly negative experiences with Protestantism. I love the tradition that raised me. I appreciate the good training I've received: the familiarity with the Bible gained from 8 years in a Reformed school and 4 years at Union University, the freedom of expressive worship that I've always known,  the comfort and familiarity with movements of the Holy Spirit, my mentors (none were Catholic), my Baptist people, all of you. The evangelical expression of the Christian faith that I've known is vibrant and exciting and quite healthy.

It's just that I spent some time with a more beautiful liturgy, and the mystery and the beauty of it stuns me and enthralls me and keeps me coming back. I'm amazed. It's that good.

This brings me to the subject of traditions: all Christians have them. Some traditions (habits, rituals, liturgies) are better than others. If I'm going to have liturgy, (and really, everyone does, even if the liturgy is very casual or involves continually changing the expression of worship) I have realized that I really prefer thoughtful, well-developed, time-tested, orthodox, deep stuff. I like using the Liturgy of the Hours and knowing that Christians have been thinking about the words and developing them for centuries. I like liturgical practices that have marinated in the best Christian thought and endured the test of time. I know that most Catholic traditions have made their way to me via many more intelligent, more serious, more experienced, more dedicated and scholarly Christians than myself.
I love to explore the inexhaustibly profound intricacies of the Mass and know that there will always be more to find out.
Christianity is really cool.

May we all grow to understand and love one another more, in the unity of the Holy Spirit.