There is much that can be said, of course, but since I’m finishing this article on the feast of the Passion of Saint John the Baptist, maybe it’s appropriate to consider Matthew 3:7-10 (RSV-CE):

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit that befits repentance, and do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father’; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

The “he” in this Gospel story is, of course, Saint John the Baptist, the last prophet of the Old Testament Age, who came preaching in the wilderness a message of repentance, pointing ahead to the imminent arrival of the long awaited Messiah. From the tone of his words, it’s apparent that he was not too happy with the religious shepherds of his day — and it was this and other statements that eventually led to his imprisonment and martyrdom. Many theologians have suggested that one of the primary reasons the Father discerned that the time was ripe to send His Son for the salvation of the world was because the hierarchy of the Jewish religious establishment had grown irretrievably corrupt. To use John’s own words, a veritable “brood of vipers!” And these weren’t merely the biter opinion of a lone zealous religious fanatic, for Our Lord Himself would later repeat these very words: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites…blind guides … You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell?” (Mt 23:1-39)

Being a natural son of Abraham, one of God’s Chosen People, was, indeed, a great and humbling honor. But John the Baptist chastised them for their presumption that their Abrahamic pedigree somehow shielded them from criticism and gave them power, position, and privilege over and above the needs of the common folk of God’s Chosen People. This desert prophet chastised them for feigning demonstrations of repentance, and commanded them to “[b]ear fruit that befits repentance.”  Their Abrahamic pedigree, and assumed power, position, and privilege, will not befit them well “from the wrath to come” unless their acts of coming forward to receive Baptism are genuine expressions of a conversion of heart and of life. Later, Our Lord would make a similar charge: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you cleanse the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of extortion and rapacity. You blind Pharisees! First cleanse the inside of the cup and of the plate, that the outside also may be clean” (Mt 23:25-26).

It seems to me that, in this passage, John was saying that, for these particular scandalous religious shepherds, it was likely too late. The truth of their hypocritical lives and leadership was plain to everyone, so he declared, not just for their benefit, but for all who had ears to hear, “Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” Again, Our Lord will repeat this charge to all whom He calls to abide in Him: “Every branch of mine that bears no fruit, he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit .… If a man does not abide in me, he is cast forth as a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned” (Jn 15:2,6).

Historically, we know that in their own lifetime, John’s prophesy and others like it would literally be fulfilled, for in the year AD 70, nearly 40 years after the Death, Resurrection, and Ascension of Our Lord, the holy city of Jerusalem, the Temple, and consequently the Jewish religion based around Temple worship, would be destroyed, every stone overturned, and the city devastated by fire. 

But there was another important aspect of this prophetic statement to these scandalous shepherds. John said, “God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham.” This would be fulfilled when the Gospel of the Kingdom was preached outside of Judaism to the pagan gentiles. As described by the Apostle John in his Gospel, 1:11-13, “[The Word] came to his own home, and his own people received him not. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God; who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” 

The prophet Ezekiel had warned the house of Israel that there would come a time when, as the Lord said, “I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols. I will cleanse you. A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will take out of your flesh the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to observe my ordinances” (Ezek 36:25-27). Through Baptism, the gentile “stones” will become children of Abraham, children of God’s Chosen Family, the Church; they will be given new hearts and filled with the Holy Spirit. 

But this, of course, was something the religious shepherds of John’s day could not imagine or accept, for we know that few of them would respond to John’s warning or to those of Our Lord; few of them would bear fruit that befit repentance; most of them would rally together to send Our Lord to the cross; and few of them, after His Resurrection, would repent, put their faith in Him, and receive Baptism for the forgiveness of their sins.

Most conservative Catholic biblical scholars who study biblical prophesy recognize that there is usually an “already-not yet” aspect to prophetic interpretation. What John the Baptist prophesied had an historical fulfillment, in that it was already fulfilled in his day, in the lifetime of those to whom he was speaking. Yet, there was also an unfulfilled aspect: a sense in which John’s prophesy had “not yet” been fulfilled. His prophetic warning to his contemporary “brood of vipers” pointed forward to a time, or perhaps many times, in the future when men, who had been called by God into ministry and had been given authority in the Church as shepherds, yet through the presumptions of the pedigree of their apostolic ordinations, believed that this somehow shielded them from criticism, giving them power, position, and privilege over and above the needs of the common folk of God’s Church.

Without in any way demeaning the severity of today’s crisis in the Church, it is imperative to recognize the significance in this gospel passage of the word “many.” Matthew reported that John was moved to exhortation “when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism” — not “all” of them. The implication is that there were some who in no way responded to John’s call for repentance and baptism; and that there may have been some who were not hypocritical “vipers” at all, but true believers and sincere leaders. Maybe these felt intimidated by the sad majority of “vipers brood” and held back. We know, for instance, that when one such Pharisee wanted to talk with Jesus, he had to come alone at night (Jn 3). 

All this to say that, in due respect to the many faithful and sincere priests, bishops, and cardinals today who have been sickened and shamed by the details being made public of the unspeakable corruption and depravity of some of their confreres, yet still, I can almost hear the echoes of John the Baptist, as well as Our Lord, exclaiming, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit that befits repentance, and do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have [apostolic succession]’ … [for] even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

Given all that continues to degrade in our present culture and Church, with so many “cats” let out of so many “bags,” I do think it is pertinent for us to consider that judgment of some kind might be imminent. Sure, some will continue to counter, “But this has happened so many times throughout the history of the Church, even worse scandals!” But this does not dismiss the fact that the present scandal among our shepherds — and potentially all the way to the top — is not only repulsive and a complete rejection of the virtues expected by Christ of His hand-chosen leaders, but potentially devastating to the future of His Church. And even if there has been equally bad crisis in the past, there has never been a time in the history of the Church when the details have been so pervasively available, due to today’s media. So, is the axe laid to the root of the tree?

I also believe that John’s other prophetic statement concerning “stones” has been and is being fulfilled in ways few in the Church ever expected. As is becoming more and more apparent through these media reports, this scandal and resultant crisis did not begin today or even in our lifetime, but has been brewing and growing, festering for many, many years. John the Baptist warned the “brood of vipers” of his day, “I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham,” and I believe that Our Lord has been fulfilling this for many years and in our own day in the lives of our Separated Brethren. 

Outside the visible confines of the Church — apart from the fullness of the seven sacraments and separated from the Magisterium in union with the successor of Peter — Our Lord continues to draw people to Himself, by grace through faith, primarily through the witness of Scripture. I believe He does this because, since the beginning of the Church and increasingly over the centuries, hundreds of thousands of men and women around the world have been alienated from the Catholic Church and, consequently, from the fullness of the Gospel, often in response to scandals in the Catholic Church’s hierarchy. Is it possible that one of the reasons He inspired the bishops of the fourth century to declare the Canon of Scripture was so that, as more and more people throughout the ages became alienated from the Church, there would always be a trustworthy witness to the essentials of the Gospel message? Though God never intended the Bible to be interpreted alone or the Church to be a “religion of the book,” yet, as the Catechism teaches, “the books of Scripture firmly, faithfully, and without error teach that truth which God, for the sake of our salvation, wished to see confided to the Sacred Scriptures” (CCC 107).

Sometimes the scandals and schisms that followed, whether of a few or of thousands of people, were the direct result of schismatic leaders who broke away from the legitimate apostolic hierarchy in union with the successor of Peter. Often, behind these schisms, however, were the uncharitable, un-Christlike actions of shepherds in the Church. As it states in the Catechism, “in this one and only Church of God from its very beginnings there arose certain rifts, which the Apostle strongly censures as damnable. But in subsequent centuries much more serious dissensions appeared and large communities became separated from full communion with the Catholic Church — for which, often enough, men of both sides were to blame” (CCC 817).

The Catechism goes on to state in the next paragraph, quoting Unitatis Redintegratio, Vatican II’s Decree on Ecumenism, “one cannot charge with the sin of the separation those who at present are born into these communities [that resulted from such separation] and in them are brought up in the faith of Christ, and the Catholic Church accepts them with respect and affection as brothers …. All who have been justified by faith in Baptism are incorporated into Christ; they therefore have a right to be called Christians, and with good reason are accepted as brothers in the Lord by the children of the Catholic Church” (CCC 818).

Here we see that the Church recognizes that Our Lord extends His mercy and grace outside the visible walls of the Church, to those alienated from the Church through no fault of their own, turning stony hearts into new hearts filled with the Holy Spirit. 

To do this, we can also recognize that God has raised up, from within their midst, “shepherds” who have used the Scriptures to bring thousands and thousands of people to faith in Christ. Yes, these non-Catholic Christian “shepherds” may not have had the right pedigree — they may not have had apostolic succession — nor did the Gospel they preached always ring true with the fullness of the Gospel that subsists in the Catholic Church, yet by grace they have led many thousands of people — who otherwise would never have listened to a Catholic priest, bishop, cardinal, pope, or apologist — to faith in Jesus Christ. 

It is through the work of non-Catholic Christian “shepherds” — pastors, ministers, missionaries, teachers — that, as the Catechism teaches, “‘many elements of sanctification and of truth’ are found outside the visible confines of the Catholic Church: ‘the written Word of God; the life of grace; faith, hope, and charity, with the other interior gifts of the Holy Spirit, as well as visible elements’” (CCC 819). It is essentially through the work of these non-Catholic “shepherds,” that, as the Catechism continues, “Christ’s Spirit uses these Churches and ecclesial communities as means of salvation, whose power derives from the fullness of grace and truth that Christ has entrusted to the Catholic Church” (ibid).  

And why does God do this? Because Scripture teaches that He “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim 2:4).

Does this mean that God has abandoned His Church? That it no longer matters that these non-Catholic Christian believers are outside the Church? Should we merely be content to leave them to find Jesus right where they are planted? No, absolutely not! For as the Catechism continues, “All these blessings come from Christ and lead to him, and are in themselves calls to ‘Catholic unity’” (CCC 819). They may have received some essential aspects of the Gospel, but one significant thing they have not received, among many other things, is the Eucharist. It’s significant to hear what Avery Cardinal Dullas once wrote:

The question could be raised whether Catholics should evangelize other Christians. According to the teaching of Vatican II, these others are not fully initiated into the Body of Christ. Baptism is only the first sacrament of initiation and demands to be completed by the Eucharist (UR, 22). Full communion requires acceptance of the Church’s entire system and admission to the Eucharist, the sacrament of full communion (LG, 14). Since the whole creed and the dogmas of the Church, as well as the sacraments and pastoral government, pertain to the gospel, it follows logically that Christians who are not Catholics still require additional evangelization.¹

It remains our responsibility to proclaim the fullness of the Catholic Faith — how our Separated Brethren respond, and whether in fact God is calling them by grace to come home, is between them and God. Our responsibility is to “speak the truth in love” so that by grace together we can “grow up in every way into Him who is the head, into Christ” (Eph 4:15).

But another essential aspect of our responsibility remains: the continual renewal of the Church. What would our Separated Brethren find if, regardless of the present scandal, more of them were to come home? Listen to what Pope Saint John Paul II stated in Redemptoris Missio, 47:

Certainly, every convert is a gift to the Church and represents a serious responsibility for her … especially in the case of adults, such converts bring with them a kind of new energy, an enthusiasm for the faith and a desire to see the Gospel lived out in the Church. They would be greatly disappointed if, having entered the ecclesial community, they were to find a life lacking fervor and without signs of renewal! We cannot preach conversion unless we ourselves are converted anew every day. 

And the laity cannot leave this to the pope, cardinals, bishops, and priests, especially when it is embarrassingly obvious that many of our present shepherds have failed in bringing authentic renewal to the Church. As St. Paul wrote to the Christians of Ephesus, “And his gifts were that some should be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ” (Eph 4:11-12). When we think that “the work of ministry” and the “building up of the body of Christ” is solely the responsibility of the pope, cardinals, bishops, and priests, we surrender the Church to clericalism and consequently reap what we have sown — which is why I disagree with those who believe that the answer to the present crisis is to turn back the clock and resurrect the clericalism of the 1950s.

I suppose the most charitable way to end this article is to remind myself that the prophetic words of Saint John the Baptist, as well as Our Lord, of course, point to each one of us. I don’t, in any way, mean to belittle the present crisis, or to suggest that we all somehow share the blame for this present scandal, but I do know, myself, that I have not always “born fruit that befits repentance.” Is it possible, for example, that the less than perfect way I have lived my Catholic life has been a barrier to someone, in my family or neighborhood, from considering coming home to the Church? Is it possible that my ranting about the present crisis, to some of my family members and friends outside the Church, has merely confirmed their convictions against the Catholic Church?

Lord, we are in difficult times, as You, of course, fully know. Please forgive us each for how we may have tarnished the beauty of Your Church, and we pray for our Shepherds — for those who have disgraced Your Name and Your Church, but especially for the many good and faithful Shepherds who now shoulder the responsibility of carrying the torch forward, in obedience to their apostolic commission. May we all by Your grace bear fruit that befits repentance.

 ¹Steven Boguslawski and Ralph Martin, The New Evangelization: Overcoming the Obstacles, (Mahwah: Paulist Press, 2008).

The post From These Stones appeared first on The Coming Home Network.

After this many of his disciples drew back and no longer went about with him. Jesus said to the twelve, “Will you also go away?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life; and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?” He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was to betray him (John 6:66-71).

How does one adequately address the growing scandal in the Church? Specifically, as I consider this in relation to our work in the Coming Home Network, how do we explain to non-Catholics why they should still consider coming home to the fullness of the Church — and why must Catholics remain?

As we see in the above Scripture — and as has been said by many during this difficult time — scandals have been present in the Church from the very beginning: one among the Twelve betrayed his calling, his loyalty, betrayed Jesus and sent Him to the cross — one whom Jesus Himself had called into ministry!

Scripture also reminds us, however, that it didn’t begin with Judas, either. There have always been bad shepherds, as attested to throughout the Old Testament. From the very beginning, all the way back to Adam, God’s Chosen People have been plagued with bad shepherds — though not all of them were bad, of course — and too often they were the ones who had the biggest influence on the history of God’s People.

From the days of the earliest Christian writers, theologians have divided the history of God’s People into ages. For example, some Patristic writers divided salvation history into five consecutive ages: the Ages of Innocence, Nature, the Promise, the Law, and the Church. But there is another way to see the ages of salvation history: First, from Adam to Herod is the long age of God’s Chosen People falling away from God, starting with the Fall and leading over centuries to a time of such utter ignorance and rebellion from God that He saw, out of His love for the world, that the time was right to send His Son. All the Old Testament prophets warned of this rebellion of God’s People and pointed ahead to the coming of the Messiah. 

This long Old Testament Age was subdivided into periods of rise and fall leading to subsequent periods of renewal under new leadership: from Adam to the Flood; from Noah to Babel; from Abraham to Egypt; from Moses to Saul; from David to the Exile; from Ezra to Herod. Each of these periods started with an opportunity for renewal, with new leadership — a new shepherd — but, as a result of the constant downward pull of sin, each period descended from hopeful renewal through bad shepherds and scandals, to chaos and separation from God.

Since the Incarnation, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension of Jesus Christ, we have lived in the Age of the Church. It began with great hope, the appointing of new shepherds and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, a new Creation.  The old was gone and the new had come. Through faith in Christ and the waters of Baptism, any person could become a new child of God, a member of His Body, the Church. Through the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist, one could be united with Christ and with other Christians. This also included, however, a call to “put off the old … put on the new”; to live out our baptismal graces; to seek holiness and perfection; to resist sin and the devil; to seek things of heaven not of this world; to love one another; and to look forward to His return in glory.

The New Testament warned, however, that from the very beginning the devil would fight against the Church, “[prowling] around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” Jesus even told Simon Peter, whom He had chosen to be the Chief Shepherd of the shepherds of the sheep, “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail; and when you have turned again, strengthen your brethren” (Lk 17:31-32). 

From the beginning, every person who responds to the call of God to serve Him, and gives his life to Him, immediately becomes a target of Satan — especially those who express their desire to serve the Lord in His Church, including seminarians, religious, deacons, priests, bishops, cardinals, and popes. Sadly, throughout the history of the Church, those who have caused the most egregious scandals and heresies have too often been those who had received the most sacraments. 

Bishop Fulton Sheen once pointed out that the Age of the Church can be understood as divided into four 500 year periods, each, like those Ages of the Old Testament, starting out with great hope and renewal, but ending in crisis and chaos.¹ The first 500 years, which started with the Apostles and the coming of the Holy Spirit, ended in chaos with the Fall of Rome. It seemed like all was over! But God raised up new shepherds and spiritual leaders, such as Sts. Augustine, Patrick, and Gregory the Great. Then again this second 500 years saw decay and division until around the year 1,000 the Church experienced schism between East and West and Christendom was invaded by the Muslim hordes. 

Was this the end, as many apocalyptic writers claimed? No, a third 500 years began with great hope, with renewal movements under Sts. Francis and Dominic, Albert the Great and Aquinas, and many others, but again in time this all descended into great corruption, leading to divisions, multiple concurrent claimants to the papacy, and massive defection of priests and nuns, ending in the Great Divorce, called the Protestant Reformation.

So now was it all over? No, a new 500 years began, with the Counter-Reformation, the Council of Trent, and the many great shepherds and renewal movements of these past 500 years. Through it all, however, the devil has been alive and well, drawing down the people of God by a constant, underlying thread of sin and corruption, leading to division, nominalism, indifferentism, and relativism. Saint Pope John XXIII saw this ever-growing corruption, and inspired by the Holy Spirit called for a Council, but the devil used the good of the Council to spark further confusion, rebellion, and division. 

Certainly not all in the last sixty-plus years has been chaos and confusion, but yet, as we live at the end of this fourth 500-year period of the Church, is it the end? Since much of the Old Testament served as types or signs of things in the New Testament, one can see how in this Age of the Church the pattern is followed with God’s People descending from renewal into corruption and rebellion, until God intervenes with new shepherds to inaugurate a new age of renewal and hope. 

It is especially essential to recognize that running like a thread throughout all the ages — from Adam to this present Age — has been a Remnant of God’s People, always looking to Him, trusting in Him, never giving up, aided by grace, and loyal to the faithful shepherds: a Remnant with whom God could always rebuild His Church under new shepherds, giving hope for the future.

Many voices are claiming that the end of this fourth 500 years of the Church is the start of the long awaited final Tribulation, leading to the Second Coming of Christ. Is the corruption, violence, and deviant morality of our present age the opening and pouring fourth of the Seven Seals as forewarned in Revelation chapter 6? 

Or, will this fourth 500 years transpose into a fifth 500 years, under new shepherds, leading to the new Springtime that Pope Saint John Paul II once foresaw?

My purpose in this reflection is not to side with any particular apocalyptic camp, but to remind us of the important words of St. Peter quoted in the opening paragraph. With all the craziness happening around us, in our culture and in our Church — even among our shepherds — how will we, the Remnant, those who by faith and Baptism seek to follow our Lord faithfully, respond to the question of Christ: “Will you also go away”?

Regardless of what some of our shepherds do or say, we must remember what the Holy Spirit led the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council to proclaim:

Basing itself upon Sacred Scripture and Tradition, it teaches that the Church, now sojourning on earth as an exile, is necessary for salvation. Christ, present to us in His Body, which is the Church, is the one Mediator and the unique way of salvation. In explicit terms He Himself affirmed the necessity of faith and baptism and thereby affirmed also the necessity of the Church, for through baptism as through a door men enter the Church. Whosoever, therefore, knowing that the Catholic Church was made necessary by Christ, would refuse to enter or to remain in it, could not be saved (Lumen Gentium, 14).

Every one of us who recognizes that our faith in Christ and our membership in the Church has been a gift of grace through faith and Baptism, needs to be a continuing witness to the need to remain faithful in the Church that Christ established in His Apostles under the leadership of Simon Peter, whose witness must be ours: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life; and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”

¹See blog post by Joseph Pronechen, http://www.ncregister.com/blog/joseph-pronechen/fulton-sheen-answers-for-a-christendom-crisis.

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As a young man, sitting alone in front of a black and white television set, I first gave my life to Christ in response to Billy’s televised invitation from the New York Madison Square Garden crusade. In seminary, I had the privilege of meeting him—I preached my first chapel sermon with him sitting in the 3rd pew!—and I had the honor of shaking his hand when I graduated. His life-long response to grace, his integrity, and his single-focused desire to give all to Jesus Christ, has long been a model for my life. 

The post Marcus Grodi’s Remarks on the Passing of Billy Graham appeared first on The Coming Home Network.

We’re excited to announce the new book from EWTN Publishing, From Atheism to Catholicism: Nine Converts Explain Their Journey Home, with a foreword by Coming Home Network Founder and President Marcus Grodi.  With testimonies by Dr. Kevin Vost, Joseph Pearce, Holly Ordway and others, it’s a great resource that helps show how atheists from a number of different backgrounds overcame their resistance to faith and ended up as grateful members of the Catholic Church.

A lot of us who have loved ones who profess atheism wonder if there’s any getting through to them, and we’ve done our fair share of trying to argue friends and family home to faith with little success.  Reading these stories can serve as an encouragement that God has his own mysterious ways of touching lives with His grace that we may never understand, and help give us hope that He’s not done reaching out to the people we love.  It’s also a great resource for readers who consider themselves to be atheist or agnostic, because it introduces them to real people who came from their backgrounds and who can explain why they didn’t believe, and why they do today.

In the book, you’ll meet, among others:

• The atheistic Jew who sparked the conversion of a fellow atheist, and led him into the priesthood.
• The Nietzsche-loving bodybuilder whose atheismwas upended by St. Thomas Aquinas.
• The hardened, anti-Catholic, neo-Nazi convict who shed his vices and became a celebrated Catholic author.
• The commune-dwelling hippie socialist who is now a happy Catholic husband and father.
• The once militant, gay atheist who is now “Christ’s willing captive”

And more!

As Marcus writes in the foreword, “A conversion story is miraculous because it points to the undeserved work of God’s grace; and it is powerful because it has the capacity to be used by grace to change other people’s lives.”  From Atheism to Catholicism: Nine Converts Explain Their Journey Home is now available in the CHNetwork Online Store, as well as local Catholic bookstores everywhere.

The post NEW BOOK: From Atheism to Catholicism, with Foreword by Marcus Grodi appeared first on The Coming Home Network.

Approximately two thousand years ago, a man betrothed to be married received some information that shattered whatever expectations, plans, and dreams he had for his future. This is not very different from the kind of jarring impact encountered by members of the Coming Home Network upon discovering the fullness of the Catholic faith.

If this man had been a different sort of man, he might have belittled the worries that so many of us expressed when we discovered that we might lose our jobs and vocations. Scripture tells us, however, that this man was a righteous man, so we can be sure that he has great empathy for the uncertainties that confront clergy converts and their families.

The man I’m talking about, of course, is St. Joseph. Consider his situation. We know few of the details, but let’s imagine.

He was betrothed to the woman of his dreams. She was beautiful, pure, and surprisingly holy — compared to the rest of the girls he knew. She seemed to be almost without fault or flaw. And she was his betrothed! What a blessing. What a future!

I picture him being like the young tailor in Fiddler on the Roof who courted and finally won the hand of Tevye’s first daughter. He was planning for their future and had his eyes on a new, modern sewing machine. Did Joseph perhaps envision the enlarged carpentry shop he would need to support his future family?

However, all of this was shattered when he found his betrothed “with child.” Imagine the questions that went through his mind as she stood with distended stomach before him.

We don’t know the order of the events, but should we not presume that Mary had already accepted her marching orders from the angel, and visited her cousin Elizabeth? Now she stood before her beloved several months with child.

We’ve all heard interpretations about what went through Joseph’s mind and eventually motivated his response. Please allow me, if you would, to add another thought to this mix.

In Genesis 3 the First Eve explained to the Lord God what led to her “changed situation.” Though often described as “passing the buck,” Eve merely explained truthfully what happened: “The serpent beguiled me, and I ate.”

What did the Second Eve do? Though movies have interpreted this with theatrical flair, Scripture does not give her explanation. Should we not presume from Matthew’s account that, like the First Eve, she told her beloved exactly what happened? If she believed that “with God nothing will be impossible,” then she could surely trust that how Joseph would respond would also be in God’s hands.

And how did Joseph respond to Mary’s explanation that the child in her womb was “of the Holy Spirit”? How would you or I have responded? Was he disappointed that all of his dreams and plans were shattered? Was he fearful of what his friends and family might think? Was he afraid that this would offend his customers and destroy his business?

Scripture tells us that, “being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, [he] resolved to divorce her quietly.”  Again, many explanations abound for why he would do this — it would prevent Mary from being stoned, or even allow her to marry “the true father.” Again, please allow me to add another thought. It’s probably safe to assume that at first Joseph, being a just man and believing Mary at her word, didn’t know what to do. The Angel who had startled Mary with what would happen to her had not included instructions for Joseph. If the child to be born was not of his seed, but of the very seed of God Almighty, what would you have done?

We could also presume from what is written that Joseph had only her welfare and the larger plans of God in mind, and wanted in his righteousness to be obedient. Is it not also possible, therefore, Joseph, without instruction to the contrary, resolved what he did because he felt that he was far too unworthy to remain betrothed to the woman God had chosen to be the mother of the Messiah?

Joseph was much in the same boat as Abraham — large dreams, but faced with a difficult decision. Kneeling over his only son with the knife poised, he was willing to do whatever God commanded — even if it seemed so pointless.

In the case of Joseph, with only Mary’s information and no instruction, he made the best decision he could.

Then the angel appeared confirming Mary’s story, and giving Joseph his marching orders. Scripture tells us that Joseph “did as the angel of the Lord commanded.”

Joseph is a wonderful model to emulate, as well as a powerful intercessor upon whom we can rely. But I encourage you who are on the journey — whose dreams, plans, vocations, and self-understanding have been shattered by discovering the fullness of the Catholic faith — to take heed of and comfort from the experiences of this righteous man of God.

Is it not significant that the Angel did not give Joseph his instructions for the future until after he had resolved how he would respond to the truth of God’s plan?

All of us in the Coming Home Network can vouch for the constant and more-than-generous care our Lord has given us after we followed through on our resolutions. Yes, for some this has involved hardships, like those faced by Joseph — flights into Egypt and then to Nazareth, no place to stay, less than ideal living situations, dependence upon gifts for sustenance, and even taking a back seat to the more visible purposes of God. But God is so good. What He has for you is always the best, and the Coming Home Network is just one of the many ways He can help you on your journey.

As this year comes to a close, I ask that you consider joining the Coming Home Network and including us in your year-end giving. Together, with Joseph and Mary as models, we will do all we can to help those who are following their own fiat in obedience to God.

The post What Now, Lord? St. Joseph as a Model for Clergy Converts to Catholicism appeared first on The Coming Home Network.

I never dreamed this would happen — and I don’t think Mother Angelica did either — but this fall we begin the 20th Season of EWTN’s The Journey Home program! I don’t have the exact number, but I would estimate that I’ve had the great privilege of interviewing close to 900 converts and reverts since that first interview with Dr. Thomas Howard in September 1997. Though The Journey Home is an EWTN program, it has always — and in some ways unintentionally — had a direct relationship with the Coming Home Network International.

Back in the spring of 1993, the “Network” began as a simple newsletter that connected non-Catholic clergy who were on the journey with clergy converts. Three years later, June 1, 1996, was the official start of the now non-profit lay apostolate, with the new name, the Coming Home Network International. I had resigned from Franciscan University of Steubenville specifically to focus full-time on managing the escalating membership of inquirers, converts, reverts, and life-long Catholic supporters. In July of 1996, I was invited to appear on Johnnette Benkovic’s program, The Abundant Life, to talk about the work of the CHNetwork. Dr. Scott Hahn, Jeff Cavins, and Dr. Kenneth Howell appeared with me, and during the taping, the producer for Mother Angelica’s Live program, heard our conversion accounts, and invited Ken and me to come back and do the same on Mother’s program. It was after this appearance in December, 1996, that Mother Angelica and Executive Producer Doug Keck invited me to host a new, weekly live program in which I would interview converts and reverts to the Catholic Church. The program began with Dr. Howard’s interview, and now nineteen years later, the Holy Spirit continues to provide inspiring men and women to tell their stories about how they “came home” to the Church.

For the first twelve years of the live program, I flew every week from Columbus, Ohio, through either Cincinnati or Atlanta, and on to Birmingham, Alabama. There, first on Friday nights and then on Mondays, I would meet briefly with each new guest and then help them tell their stories on live television and field questions via telephone or email. After a night’s sleep, I would grab a plane home in the morning to return to my family, to my work with the CHNetwork, and sometimes to chores on the farm. Though the program has always been EWTN’s program, from the beginning the majority of guests have been members of the CHNetwork. And from the beginning of the broadcast, the membership of the CHNetwork has grown as a direct result of the program.

Then starting in 2009, through the encouragement of EWTN and through your generosity, we were able to build a fully functioning television studio here in the basement of the CHNetwork. We began tentatively taping the programs here, until now our staff produces the entire program — Scott Scholten, producer; Bill Bateson, technical supervisor; Mary Clare Piecynski, emails and prompter; and Jim Anderson and others manning the third camera. Now instead of a two-day trip from Ohio to Alabama, I drive just seven miles from our farm.

So often over the years, viewers and radio listeners (and now internet viewers) have interconnected The Journey Home program with the CHNetwork. This is understandable for many reasons. Some people say, “I love to watch the Coming Home program!” Once when I was at a bishop’s meeting to discuss the work of the CHNetwork, a bishop, whom I didn’t know, passed me, donning his hat and pulling a suitcase, saying, “Well, I guess I’m on my ‘journey home.’”

It is important to state that EWTN and the Coming Home Network International are separate apostolates. However, I do want to emphasize that it is only through your financial support and prayers that the CHNetwork is able to produce The Journey Home program for EWTN in our studio — which you built! Thank you!

I continue to pray that the stories shared on The Journey Home program are an encouragement to your faith, and that by God’s mercy, the program will continue to inspire many to consider, maybe for the first time, the truth and beauty of the Catholic Church.

Explore 20 years of the Journey Home Program and other Catholic conversion stories here at CHNetwork.org/stories!

The post The Ongoing Blessing of The Journey Home appeared first on The Coming Home Network.

What was your moment of grace? What happened on the day you said “Yes” to God? What inspired you to take the hand He offered? More important, who helped you say, “Yes”? Whose friendship, wisdom, or encouragement inspired you to seize that moment?

After all, none of us say “Yes” on our own. We all have help on the journey: a friend, a saint, an author, a speaker, or priest. Someone is always there, urging us on.

That is the communion of saints at work. It’s other followers of Christ, all on different parts of the journey, helping others not to miss life-changing moments of grace. Through the prayers, witness, and support of our partners, the CHNetwork helps others say “Yes” to God.

I want to tell you about some of the people we’ve helped this year and to ask for your partnership or continued partnership in the work of the Coming Home Network.

There are so many men and women out there who need encouragement on their journey — men and women who desire full communion with Christ’s Church, who desire to receive the Eucharist, and who desire to receive absolution for their sins. They sense that God has offered them His hand. They’ve recognized His call to the Church. They feel it with their hearts or they hear it with their intellects, but they face so many obstacles in their journey home.

We don’t want these people to miss their moment of grace, which is why one of the most important things we do at the Coming Home Network is to provide personal, one-on-one support to men and women on their journey home.

We answer their questions. We send them information. We give them whatever help we can. But it doesn’t stop there. After that initial contact, we keep reaching out. We keep listening. We keep checking up on those who’ve asked for our help, being the friend they need as they work their way home.

We also pray regularly for everyone we encounter, and have Holy Hours offered for their needs. That work and those prayers are bearing fruit.

Recently, one former Methodist minister wrote us, saying how much he appreciated the prayer offered for his intentions.

He came into the Catholic Church not long ago, but faces ongoing opposition from his wife. He explained:

“I wanted to thank the Coming Home Network for checking on us even after we have converted. This may be the most difficult time when the conversion does not involve family participation or support…I endure great family pain and the Blessed Sacrament is my hope and sustenance.”

We also received some wonderful news from another longtime correspondent.

“Thank you so much for all you have done for me,” she wrote. “All the prayers, letters, and books you sent me made all the difference. I finally visited [a local parish]. From the moment I stepped through the door, they loved me and treated me like family. My family is not supportive of my decision at all, but my husband is finally getting used to the idea.”

It continued:

“Again, thank you. That doesn’t seem like enough for what you and the Coming Home Network have done for me. Your prayers and help have opened a door for me that, otherwise, may have never opened.”

Charles, a former Non-denominational missionary to Asia sent us this powerful email:

Sunday was absolutely incredible! I am home. Really, truly home. There is just so much to say, so much to tell. The rites of reception were powerful and I loved every moment of it. Being able to say the Creed in communion with the Church Catholic for the first time, being anointed with oil, tasting the body and blood of Christ. All of it. 

Not only was I received into the church and given the grace of partaking of the body, blood, soul and divinity of our Lord, but I have been invited onto the RCIA Catechist team. A wonderful group! I am certain that, although my journey as a Protestant has ended, my journey as a Catholic has just begun! My goal is to be used by the Lord in lay ministry, however that may work out. It is a great honor to be a part of this team and have the privilege of working with other Catholics who guide and introduce seekers to Christ and the church. Joy!

What a blessing. For the first time in my life I am connected to the cloud of witness, the saints, the Church universal, and participate in the very life of God in a way that up until now, I had not. The Catholic Church is a treasure I am just now experiencing. Thank you, Jim and CHN, for the service you perform on behalf of all the Protestants who are searching, on behalf of the Church, and on behalf of our great God and Saviour!

This “thank you” is for our partners as well. Because of their support of the Coming Home Network, countless men and women have found the help they needed as they walked the long road home to the Catholic Church.

I invite you to become a partner in this work. Click “Give” or “Become a Partner” at the top of this page. You’ll begin receiving our monthly CHNewsletter containing new stories, articles, and prayer requests from around the network.

No one should have to make this journey alone. And with your help and ours, no one will have to.

Yours in Christ,

Marcus Grodi

The post Every Journey Starts With a Moment of Grace. appeared first on The Coming Home Network.

This is precisely why the Coming Home Network International exists, and, by grace, we have been able to help many “come home.”

We’ve always maintained that we aren’t here to “push, pull, or prod” anyone into the Church, but rather to invite, encourage, and prayerfully stand beside.

Based on over 20 years of experience working with journeyers and talking with converts on EWTN’s The Journey Home, I would like to propose the following Ten Steps of dialogue as a prudent strategy to help our non-Catholic Christian friends and family discover and, if God so leads, “come home” to the Catholic Church. Each of these steps should include more explanation, but for now just a few thoughts.

1 . Reaching out by establishing relationships of love

We believe that all true evangelization must begin here. Certainly, the Holy Spirit can use cold turkey, impersonal methods to open hearts and minds, but generally He works through disciples. Jesus charged His disciples to “Go and make disciples,” and this challenge was passed on from Jesus’ disciples to theirs and on throughout history to you and me.

If, for example, you know someone who is lonely and, out of compassion, you want to connect her with another person, it rarely works unless you have a good relationship with both people. Then they both will be open to your invitation to bring them together, because they trust your friendship. This is why evangelization is most effective when it is relational: when we know both our friend and Jesus. This is why all the Church’s ecumenical pronouncements focus on developing good and lasting relationships with our non-Catholic Christian brothers and sisters. Is this also why the statistics show that Catholics have not been very effective evangelists — we spend most of our time with other Catholics. If we desire to help non-Catholics discover the beauty and truth of the Catholic Church, we need to make every effort to know both: our Catholic Faith — and most importantly our Lord Jesus Christ — and our neighbor.

This first step must be accompanied with the second.

2. Disciplined prayer

Every convert I know recognizes that his or her conversion came about through the work of grace. It wasn’t that they claim to have been especially intelligent, diligent, or wise, but rather that God in His mercy had moved mountains to break down barriers, especially pride, to nudge them slowly toward Christ and His Church. This is why the single most important thing we can do to help anyone discover the beauty and truth of the Church is pray for him or her. We must lay them spiritually before the Father, and not once, but every day, and if necessary for the rest of our lives, asking Him to open their hearts and minds. Saint Monica is certainly our model, because her patience and long-suffering for her seemingly unreachable son Augustine reminds us that God’s timing is often different than ours. Entrust to Him your friend or family member, believing that He knows them better than they know themselves — and boldly ask Him to move mountains to bring them home.

If we have done steps one and two, then maybe we will be able to do step three.

 3. Help them see in you that faithful Catholics are faithful Christians

It’s important that we recognize that in their eyes, few Catholics look or sound like Christians — and we can understand this when it comes to bad Catholics. But even good faithful Catholics look strange to our Evangelical brothers and sisters. At best they feel sympathy, and at worse, revulsion, when they see what they interpret as a superstitious, idol-worshipping woman wearing a doily (i.e., mantilla) on her head, kneeling before a statue of Mary, fingering a string of beads, and mumbling Latin phrases. Like so many other converts, I can attest that most of my former non-Catholic friends no longer communicate with me because they wonder whether I am any longer a Christian.

Underlying this is that fact that most non-Catholic Christians have a subliminal suspicion that the Catholic Church is hardly a Christian Church — many still suspect that she is the “whore of Babylon” and the Pope the Antichrist. This underlying anti-Catholic prejudice is as much a part of our American experience as the air we breath. The Black Myth of anti-Catholic fear was birthed and bred in Elizabethan England, and came like a disease with all those who planted the American colonies. For 150 years, from the Pilgrims through the American Revolution, there were no Catholic priests in all of New England, due to the enforcement of the English anti-Catholic penal laws. None the less, most of the anti-Catholic bias that still prevails in the hearts and minds of most modern non-Catholic Christians, comes from the preaching and catechisms of New England Puritan ministers — who in their entire lives never met a Catholic, witnessed a Mass, or experienced the “smells and bells” they lampooned! This suspicion has been passed along from generation to generation, feeding the fear that, regardless of how authentic and genuine a Catholic may appear on the outside, down deep the Catholic Church and Catholics are not Christians.

This suspicion can be found almost anywhere in Protestant books and media, internet sites and blogs, and shows its face in the relationships we share with non-Catholic friends and family. How many times have we heard the once silent anti-Catholic prejudices rising into hatred and rejection from non-Catholic family members toward those who have the audacity to marry a Catholic?

As a result, even when all other misunderstandings are clarified through apologetic arguments and winsome conversion stories, still, our non-Catholic friends often harbor suspicions.

Therefore, if we have established a friendship, and are faithful in prayer for that person, we may consider turning the tables, by asking how that person proves that he or she is a Christian? Generally, this includes their pointing to Scripture passages that express their convictions, or to their professions of faith, but also to their lifestyles, what they chose to do or not do, their morality and holiness, and particularly their love.

Hopefully, in our friendship, we have shown them the latter in our words and actions. But by asking them to prove that they are Christians, we earn the opportunity to do the same: to show them, through the Catechism and maybe the Vatican II documents, what the Church expects of her members: that Catholics are good because they are living by grace as good Christians. We can show them that nearly everything that an Evangelical Christian believes about Christ is identical to what Catholics believe (actually, they got what they believe from the Catholic Church, and not from Scripture alone). In fact, the Church has affirmed these similarities in her official documents.

They probably will want to deflect our conversation to the doctrines and practices that separate us, but ask them, for now, to set these aside — we’ll get to these later!

We can, also, point to those whom the Church has lifted up as confirming this: the saints. We may need to skirt around some hagiography, but we can help them see that the reason the Church declares people saints is because of their Christian lives.

We can admit that bad Catholics are often poorly formed Catholics and do not represent the Church — just as bad Protestants are not faithful Christians. We can emphasize that the Church has always been concerned with helping bad Catholics learn and live their faith — which is precisely why the Church is calling for a New Evangelization of her members.

If, by grace, we can get them to accept that good Catholics are Christians, we have truly come a long way (!), and can address the next sticky wicket.

4. Help them discover that the Catholic Church is a Christian Church

Recognizing that they may silently still question whether the Catholic Church is Christian, ask them- can they prove that their denomination is a Christian church? Frankly, many of our evangelical friends might hesitate to unequivocally defend their denominations as solidly Christian, because of their denomination’s modern, progressive stances and actions — and they may not feel the need to do so anyway, since they believe that the true Church is an invisible, universal fellowship of believers.

We can stand beside these fellow Christians and affirm their concerns about their wayward denominations, yet still, encouraging them to set these concerns aside for now, again ask: why do they believe that their non-Catholic denomination is Christian? Generally, they would point to their creeds and to the content of their liturgies, hymns, and prayers.

Giving them time to prove this, once again earns us the opportunity to show the same to them. With permission to delay any questions and qualms about supposed Catholic teachings and praxis, we can show them the Christianity of the Church through her Creeds, liturgies, hymns, and prayers. We can point out the Christ-centered content of the Catechism, of the long stream of official historical Church documents and councils. We can even point to those times in history when the Church has excommunicated and silenced priests, bishops, and theologians for teaching against traditional Christian truth. And we can challenge them to give quotes from the present leaders of their denomination that prove they have as much orthodox faith in Jesus Christ as our Catholic popes and bishops.

In G.K. Chesterton’s book, The Catholic Church and Conversion he gave three stages of conversion: (1) Patronizing the Church; (2) Discovering the Church; and (3) Running away from the Church. By “patronizing the Church” he basically meant at least accepting the Catholic Church as a Christian Church. He felt once a person accepted this, they were in trouble of becoming a Catholic, mainly because the rejection of the Church is so strong in the consciences of non-Catholic Christians. If we can help them accept that we are Christians, and that the Catholic Church at least appears to be a Christian Church, then we can move to the next step.

5. All true Catholic doctrines, devotions, and praxis are centered on Jesus Christ

First, we can affirm with them that, as a result of bad catechesis and leadership, there have been many Catholics throughout history who have promoted and practiced less than authentic Catholic Christian doctrines, and devotions. Often these unfortunate instances are what attract the attention of the media. Less than trustworthy and authoritative Catholics in the public sphere too often misrepresent the Church.

But, second, we can point out that this is equally true of non-Catholic Christians — though maybe not as noticed in the media as much as bad Catholics.

Third, we can discuss with them the wide array and history of non-Catholic Christian doctrines, devotions, and praxis, with the hope of helping them recognize the diversity and confusion.

Finally, if they can at least agree to these things, we can go on to apologetics: to clarify and defend true Catholic doctrine, devotions, and praxis, demonstrating that these are all Christ-centered, even the most Marian of doctrines and devotions. If, by grace, they can hear and accept these things, then they have accepted truths that have changed them, and they may never be the same in their views of Catholicism or Protestantism. Then they might also proceed to the next step.

6. Sacred Scripture was never intended to be interpreted alone

Up until this point, it will have been likely that our non-Catholic Christian friends have been insisting that we show everything we claim “in the Bible!” In the same way that nearly all non-Catholic Christians suspect, at least subliminally, that the Catholic Church is not truly Christian, they generally all assume that the Bible is the only true foundation for faith, the “pillar and bulwark” of the faith, even though the Bible itself claims that this is the Church (1 Tim 3:15).

Once again, we can address this by turning the tables.  We can ask them to prove their belief in sola Scripura. Where is this in the Bible? Where did the Bible come from? Who determined the canon of books that make up the Bible? Most non-Catholic Christians can’t answer any of these questions. Through a little personal study of the Catechism and Catholic apologetics, we can help them discover that the Bible was truly a product of the Catholic Church, guided by the Holy Spirit.

7. Jesus intended the Church to be the community of salvation

Following the lead of the Reformers, particularly Luther and Calvin, few non-Catholic Christians believe that membership in any church, let alone the Catholic Church, is necessary for salvation. Many don’t even believe attending church worship with any sort of regularity is necessary — it is good and proper, but not necessary. Most believe that only faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior is necessary for salvation.

Step seven is a little more precarious because there are many verses that seem to imply that all that is necessary for salvation is faith in Christ. However, with a little homework, we can be prepared to use Scripture, history, and even philosophy to demonstrate that Jesus intended that union with Him means being adopted into the Family of God, the Church. We can explain that the New Testament Church is the continuity of the Old Testament People of God; and that salvation was never intended as an individualistic act of faith, but as a faithful membership in the community of faith. Then we can show how this was the clear teaching and underlying assumption of the New Testament writers, and that of the earliest Church writers. (I summarize this in my book, What Must I do to be Saved?)

It is particularly in this step when the significance of 1 Timothy 3:14-15 is pointed out, which builds on the discussion of the flaws of sola Scriptura.

If they can accept this, and what has preceded this, it will become more and more difficult for them to remain comfortable as a non-Catholic Christian, and they may be ready for the next step.

8. This Church subsists in the Catholic Church

If Christ intended a church as the means of salvation, then which church? Which denomination? Which mega-church? Their local congregation? We can help them recognize that an invisible universal church of believers, known only to God, can hardly fit the bill of a “pillar and bulwark of truth.” We can particularly show them how the Vatican II documents deal with this, and how the Church understands her mission to protect, preserve, and proclaim the teachings of Christ, as guided and protected by the promised Holy Spirit.

We can discuss the sensitivity and love expressed by the Church when she uses the word “subsists”: she recognizes the mercy and love of God, and how God honors and accepts the faith, hope, and love of every single person — redeemed by Christ — when they turn to Him. There are truths and aspects of the historic Catholic Faith in all Christian traditions, at different levels, but, by the mercy, grace, and protection of the Holy Spirit, the fullness of the Church established by Christ subsists or continues, remains, abides in the Catholic Church. The Church does not condemn anyone outside her visible boundaries; rather she reaches out in love and mercy, standing beside especially those who through Baptism share as brothers and sisters in the family of God.

If a person accepts the truth of this step, they may not be ready to join the Catholic Church, but they will never be the same; they may even feel they are no longer either Protestant or Catholic; they love Jesus and His written Word, the Scriptures, but beyond that, they may now question everything. We can then help them see the significance and importance of the next step.

9. The sacraments are the ordinary means of receiving grace

This is, in essence, the missing link, extracted by the Reformers, that affirms why membership in a church is necessary for salvation. It is not merely some kind of rule of membership established by God. Rather, it’s because, from the beginning, the sacraments were intended and given as the ordinary means of receiving the graces necessary to believe, obey, and follow Christ — and to love. Certainly apart from the sacraments God can convey grace; His love, mercy, and generosity are not limited. However, we can show how, through the teachings of Christ, the writings of the New Testament and the early Church Fathers, the sacraments from the beginning were understood as this ordinary means of receiving grace. We can also show how, through the writings of St. Augustine, Newman, and others, this understanding developed as Christians challenged this historical view; why apart from the gift of the sacraments, the trajectory was always chaos, indifferentism, and libertarianism.

If they can at least see the truth of this stage, we can point out the ultimate significance of the next.

10. The Eucharist is the ordinary means of abiding in Christ

Here we draw them to the most divisive and yet most important of stages. Most non-Catholic Christians believe that Christ abides in us and we in Him (cf., Jn 15) through faith alone. However, if they have at least been open to the previous stages, they will more openly follow the apologetics behind the Catholic belief in the Real Presence. Pointing out the clear interpretations of John 6 and 1 Corinthians 10-11 at least demonstrates that the Church has always taken these statements from Scripture seriously, and the historic consistency of the early Church Fathers on this doctrine is often something they have never seen. What is particularly eye opening is how before the Reformation, Christians universally believed that this mutually abiding relationship occurs through the sacraments, particularly through the reception of the Eucharist.

If the Holy Spirit helps them understand and accept this truth, He may also give them a hunger for the Eucharist. If so, they are at the door, ready to come home.

I certainly don’t mean to imply that this is a sure-win process of evangelization, like some kind of sales strategy. But from my personal experience, from our shared experience, from hearing years of Journey Home conversion stories and reading our CHNewsletter stories, I believe, like Chesterton, that if, through our relationships of love, girded by prayer, we can help them to at least patronize the Church (step four), they are almost home.

The post 10 Steps of Dialogue to Help Non-Catholic Christians Discover the Beauty and Truth of the Catholic Faith appeared first on The Coming Home Network.

“I rejoice at the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus, because they have made up for your absence; for they refreshed my spirit as well as yours.
Give recognition to such men. (1 Cor 16:17-18)

St. Paul ended most of his letters with a strong confirmation that he needed — and therefore we need — the fellowship and companionship of fellow believers.

Following Jesus Christ was never meant to be a solitary walk — “Me and Jesus.” When He called His first disciples He called them to follow Him into community; and when He sent them out to minister in His Name, He sent them out in pairs, never alone. When He called the Twelve into leadership, they were to be a group of leaders, and when He placed Simon Peter as their leader, it was still as a community of the New Israel.

The first reception of 3000 newly baptized converts after Peter’s Pentecost sermon “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship [koinonia or communion], to the breaking of bread and the prayers” (Acts 2:42).

This continuing fellowship of believers was so important to Saint John that he began his first letter by saying that the reason he was proclaiming what he had “seen and heard” was “so that you may have fellowship with us” (1 Jn 1:3).

Concerned that many Christians were becoming lax in their convictions and fervor, the author of Hebrews wrote: “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Heb 10:23-25; emphasis mine).

And this community, of course, was the Church our Lord established, that met in the homes of converts wherever there were Christians — individual churches yet united as “one body” in “one Spirit” by “one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all” (Eph 4:4-6).

Following Jesus Christ — from faith and Baptism, through Confirmation, Confession, and the Eucharist, through the sacrament of Marriage or Ordination, through the trials of sickness and suffering — this “abiding in Christ”, must never be done alone, for “[y]our adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking some one to devour” (1 Pt 5:8). This is why St. Paul’s greetings were never mere friendly, perfunctory add-ons, but genuine expressions of his gratitude for the strength and comfort he had received from their companionship.

What is particularly significant about the greetings, especially for our work in the CHNetwork, is that St. Paul and all of his first-generation companions were converts to the faith. He even mentioned that the “household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia” (1 Cor 16:15). St. Paul knew from experience that these converts to this strange new “sect” were continually being ostracized by those whom they had left behind, from Jewish and pagan non-believers who did not understand why they had become believers in this Jesus.

From the beginning of our work, we have not only focused on helping non-Catholics, lay and clergy, discover the fullness of truth and “come home” to the Catholic Church, but on providing as many ways as possible to help them be at home in the Church after their reception. Converts and reverts, clergy as well as laity, can face many trials after conversion: they may have lost their vocations and means of supporting themselves and their families; they may have been rejected by most of their former friends and family; they may experience marital struggles, and even depression as they seek to break from their past and enter into the fullness of the Church; and they may not find themselves as welcomed by Catholics as they had anticipated. They need the fellowship of the Church, but especially the fellowship of others who have made the same journey into the Church.

For this reason, we have always provided opportunities for converts to fellowship with other converts — so that together they can weather whatever storms may arise and receive encouragement in their continued journeys. Particularly for clergy inquirers and converts, we often have arranged annual retreats — but we are now in the process of expanding these to allow both clergy and lay members on the journey as well as converts to gather on retreat. We have also recently launched a new online community, expanded discussion forums, and denominational groups. Please check these out at chnetwork.org/community and join if so led.

All of this, as well as all aspects of our work, are driven by the same convictions that drove all the New Testament writers to encourage their Christian readers to meet together and to encourage each other in fellowship: “See to it that no one fail to obtain the grace of God” (Heb 12:15a). We believe that every non-Catholic inquirer who comes to us seeking information about the Church is being drawn by grace, and we want to do all that is possible to nurture this grace. For this, inquirers as well as converts need the strength of community, and we thank you, through your support and prayers, for making this possible.

But we also recognize that life-long Catholics are strengthened in their Catholic faith through this same fellowship with converts and reverts — with those who have given up much to obtain what so many take for granted. For this reason, we strongly invite all members of the CHNetwork to explore the options for fellowship that we offer online, so that together we can “stir up one another to love and good works … encouraging one another” as brothers and sisters in Christ (Heb 10:24-25).

The post Encouraging One Another appeared first on The Coming Home Network.

To learn about the life and work of Mother Angelica, visit the EWTN memorial site at http://ewtn.com/motherangelica/

The post Marcus Grodi reflects on Mother Angelica’s life appeared first on The Coming Home Network.