Thanks be to God!

A reader writes:

I wrote you awhile back to lay on some flattery regarding By What Authority? (which was all very sincere, so perhaps not so much flattery) and a brief historical question about terminology. (You did get to my query on your blog, in case the phrasing makes you wonder.) Anyway I wanted to lay some further semi-flattery on you. Last year as a result of some situations I was in I found myself really exploring Catholic ethics a little more in-depth; I had already been contemplating the faith for some time. Now I mentioned that in that regard, and with respect to crises of faith in general, By What Authority? was a big help. But I think part of what’s made a decent difference as well, has been seeing your example (among those of others, like the Archbold bros. and the Curt Jester) in modeling what a consistently Catholic ethic of life, womb-to-tomb/sperm-to-worm, looks like. So thanks for that. I have officially decided to join the Church, now, so prayer in that regard is of course appreciated.

Sperm to worm. That’s… vivid. 🙂 I’ll have to steal it. Anyway, I’m glad to see you are happily in the meshes of the Great Net (and not the electronic one). May God our Father guide you into communion with Holy Mother Church and grant you fullness of joy in Christ Jesus as you are received and make your first communion. If I can be of further assistance, please let me know. Notes like this make my day!

By the way, just a head’s up. One of the things I’ve noticed about conversion is that God seems to typically put us in a moment where we encounter something about the Faith (it will be different for different people) which is difficult or scandalous and says, “Well, are you still willing to trust me?” The pattern is laid out at the end of John 6. Jesus says something difficult and the visceral response is “This is a hard saying! Who can hear it?” Jesus turns to the wavering disciples and says not, “Wait! You misunderstood!” but “Well, are you leaving too?” Should that moment come for you, my advice is “Keep trusting. God will see you through.” Peter’s response is “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” That’s perfect.

For some folks the scandal might be Mary. For others, some teaching or other. For some, it’s the scandals and sin in the Church. For some, it may be something which, to the rest of us, seems small or idiosyncratic, but to you seems huge and ominous and a sinister sign that the whole thing is a fraud or a mistake. Should such a trial come, recognize it as a trial permitted for your good and go to God with it, asking for grace to be given *through the Church*, that your faith might be strengthened and the bond between you and Holy Church made stronger. He won’t let you down.

Finally, remember: it’s not the Perfect Church. It’s just Christ’s Church. That’s all he ever promised us. We don’t get to Perfect till That Day.

In the words of C.S. Lewis: A thousand welcomes! I bid my minions, toadies, lackeys, lickspittles, cravens, and mugwumps to pray for you.