Into Full Communion

I look at what happened to me more as a process of coming into full communion with Rome, rather than a conversion. The conversion process is ongoing, even for catholics, and is a matter of drawing closer to God.

I first sent this to someone who asked what my story was.

I became a Christian at about the age of seven or eight. I was raised in a Baptist church, in a Baptist family. I was always in Sunday school. From this I learned that God sent his only son, Jesus, to save us by dying upon the cross for the sins of all. I knew that I needed to trust Jesus as my savior, and begin to follow Christ. I was baptized after I prayed and asked God to save me.

My first encounter with Catholics was when I enrolled in a Catholic Hugh School in Atlanta, Marist. I discovered that these were also people of deep faith in Jesus as their savior.

Soon I felt called by God to enter the ministry. I began working with the younger teens at church. My college major was religion, and I attended The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. After seminary I went to Pennsylvania to pastor a church there. I also worked as a hospital chaplain. This put me into contact with other pastors of many denominations. I had a lot of discussions with them about the different beliefs we held regarding the Lord's Supper and Baptism in particular. Funny, I often knew the theological positions that a Presbyterian, Lutheran, or Catholic should hold better than these ministers from those denominations. This is what lead me to begin questioning the theology of my own Baptist tradition. Though we Baptists claimed to not have tradition, it is as strong as steel. So it was that I saw a conflict between what we practiced and taught about the Lord's Supper, that it is symbolic only, and what Jesus plainly said in John chapter 6, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. 54 "He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 55 "For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. 56 "He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. 57 "As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also shall live because of Me. 58 "This is the bread which came down out of heaven; not as the fathers ate, and died, he who eats this bread shall live forever."

So, when I stood before the Baptist congregation and held the bread and quoted the words of Jesus, "This is my body,"
I knew that it was more than just a symbol.

Over the years I was drawn to find a denomination that upheld this truth from the Bible, from the very words of Jesus. For some reason, it did not occur to me to seriously consider Catholicism. For one thing, I could not be a priest, since I was married, and God had called me to serve Him as a minister.

Entering the Episcopal Church or Lutheran was appealing, yet, the liberal leanings in both groups troubled me. I knew what Lutherans and Episcopalians were supposed to believe, but the leadership of each seemed to have drifted from the truth.

Meanwhile, I read the writings of many great teachers over the centuries. Many of these who were most solid were Catholic, even saints, like Augustine and Aquinas. The example of Jesuit and Franciscan missionaries also appealed to me. If asked to name my heroes in the faith, it would include more Catholics than any other group. I loved to read about Ignatius of Loyola, Francis of Assisi and Benedict. I knew that the real Santa Claus was Nicholas, and was a saint who lived out his faith by giving to others.

Most appealing to me was the witness of the life and faith of Pope John Paul II. He became Pope at the time I started college. Here was a man of convictions, and of prayer, and being used by God! He stood up to Communism, had survived the Nazi's, and fought for the rights of the unborn millions. In him I could see Jesus. Though Baptists are not supposed to like the Pope, some of my favorite books were about Popes living out their faith in Christ.

One day I heard the bells ringing for noon Mass at St. Peter's Catholic Church in Charlotte. I was there on business. In years past I had attended other churches for prayer services held at lunchtime. It appealed to me to go into the church and pray, even if I wasn't Catholic.

And there it stuck me that I saw a church like it should be. Businessmen in suits next to hard hats and jeans. African American and Vietnamese worshipped with Hispanics. Young and old alike, and all in QUIET prayer, earnestly seeking God. AND, most of all, I felt God's presence so strongly there, and I looked, and I knew, it was because the Lord was present in the tabernacle.

So began my journey home to Rome. I knew that Baptists were disconnected from the historic faith, here was a group that went back to the first. I had read the writings of the earliest Bishops, and they had been direct students of the Apostles. Soon I started attending Mass in my town, and became friends with the priest. In time, I understood that God was calling me to become a Catholic. I had a conversation with the Lord in prayer over this. Clearly I heard that if He had called me to go on a mission to a distant place I would go. Now God was calling me to go to a different place, even though it was just across town.

After several years I resigned from the Baptist church that I pastored. Then I began to attend the RCIA classes and prepare to be received into full communion as a Catholic at Easter vigil. I took a job as a truck driver. My family did not follow me in this move to the Catholic Church. I had waited three years from when I told them that I felt called to become Catholic. They have remained very active as Baptists.

Now I teach CCD classes, sing in the choir, and answer questions on Catholic forums. Most of all, I receive the sacraments regularly, and am trying to grow in my devotion to the Lord.

To God be the glory,
In Christ,
Monte Waddill

Hermit in a Truck

Until last week I spent the past 15 months in a very interesting situation, living on the road by myself for two or three weeks, sometimes over a month. It occurred to me that the isolation, along with my pursuit of spiritual disciplines, made me into a sort of modern day mechanized Hermit. I even drew up a rule of life for the road, mostly orally, though I tried writing them out. From a positive practice of friendly waving at people, to the daily discipline of reading morning and evening prayer. Also almsgiving, even though I often had little to give. Regular attendance at daily Mass and frequent confession. Spiritual reading in the tradition of lectio divina. I never came up with a habit, but then that would go with making vows. Even so, I voluntarily practiced these also.

Jesus' Love for Mary Magdalene

John 15:13 "No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. "

I am writing this in red, because the church has long used color to emphasize strong truths. So the red of a cardinal is to emphasize his willingness to die for the faith. So we have priests wear red vestments on days that memorialize the martyrs, those who died for the faith.

And all this is first and foremost based upon the act of love made by our Lord Jesus Christ, in dying for love of us, his friends. This was the kind of love that Jesus had for Mary of Magdala. People living today in a sexually distorted society cannot concieve of such a love. It was a chaste love, love that was restrained by the respect for another person which does not wish to violate their privacy. Such a love is deeper than we readily comprehend.

Even Mary's own words towards Jesus reveal the type of relationship that they shared. When she came upon him in the garden after the resurrection, we can read: "Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, "Rabboni!" (which means, Teacher). from John 20:16
These are not the words of people who were lovers as we use that word today, but rather, of a teacher and disciple, of a man and woman who knew what kind of relationship was proper to their calling from God.

And truly, Jesus loved Mary Magdalene with a deeper and stronger love than any man has ever had for any woman. And Jesus has that same kind of love for all of the people on this earth. But again, it is a chaste love, restrained by respect from violating the rights of another. In fact, there is not within the love of Christ any element of the desires which are unworthy of such a chaste love. As is popularly said, "get your mind out of the gutter!" The mind of Christ is never to be found there. And we are encouraged to have such a mind: "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things." Collosians 3:1 & 2

The Secret Vatican Archives

What are those Catholics hiding in Rome? The following addresses an issue of particular juicy interest to many who would attack the Catholic Church.

What about the Vatican's "Secret" archives? This has been the subject of novels and conspiracy theories, etc. Guess what? There is no big hidden secret here. If one goes to the Vatican website, http://www.vatican.va/phome_en.htm (the English Page) there is a link, bold as day, "VATICAN SECRET ARCHIVES"

Here is where you arrive: http://asv.vatican.va/home_en.htm

And, when a person searches a little deeper, you find that the very nature of the term "secret," is not so hidden as we may think.

I wish to quote from this site: "The term «secret» (secretum),... was used... for persons close to the prince, and it was often the person who prepared the respective documents, was called «secretarium»."

Of course, many documents and information was and is of a private nature, confidential, thus, considered secret. But it has been the practice of the Catholic Church to make these archives available, not to hide the truth. The purpose of the archive is to be a storehouse of documentation pertaining to the professing and clear declaration of the truth.

I felt moved to post this in light of the Davinci Code and the serious errors and conspiracy theory run amuck. Let us all pray for the truth of God to be known, and even for the souls of those who seek to deny it.

To Be Fair, Go to the Source

Usually when I am talking to people about their concerns and questions regarding the Catholic Church, I encourage them to go to the original source. How would you rather people get to know you, by talking to you or reading what you wrote, or by listening to someone who is maybe not even your friend?

So, look at the links over to the side for "Search the Catechism, The Catechism of the Catholic Church from the Vatican, and a Search the Catechism" site.

Also, find someone who attends Mass weekly, maybe even daily, and is a sincere practicing Catholic, not just someone who left the church years ago. Ask them your questions, and give them time to answer them carefully. Sometimes they might want to get back to you, "I don't know, but I'll ask."

In that light, let me assure you that Catholics worship God only. Catholics DO NOT worship Mary. We believe in what the Bible teaches. If you will, accept this as my sincere sworn testimony. Otherwise, am I a liar?

Please pray and ask God to guide you.

Welcome Friends

This first post will be brief. Please read the description above. It is limited to 500 characters, so there is a lot more that I wish I could have said there.

Most of all, I want to welcome everyone who may find their way to this blog. I welcome the exchange of comments, though I ask that these be offered in a spirit of seeking growth in Christ for each of us. Please do not attack, as I would never wish to attack you and your beliefs.

"By this will all men know that you are my disciples, that you have love for one another."
The Gospel of John 13:35