Why I am Catholic, Part 1

So Why am I Catholic?
I have many Protestant friends, both Evangelical and liberal, who question why I am Catholic. Catholicism is my chosen path. I grew up Roman Catholic, but have made a few detours into Evangelical and Mainline Protestantism at different junctures of my life. Yet, I have returned to and remain in the Catholic Church- although now, I am a member of the Byzantine Catholic Church, in union with the Pope, rather than the Roman Catholic Church.

I am sure I will have more thoughts on this as times go on, so I have titled my short essay, Why I am Catholic, Part 1, in anticipation of posting more on the subject.

The following brief reflection, originally offered in response to an e-mail from a friend, gives some reasons for why I am Catholic. I also address a few specific issues Part 1:

• Salvation
• Purgatory
• Prayers for the Dead
• Last Rites

No Interest in Arguing the Reformation
I have little interest to re-argue the Reformation controversies of the 16th century. I believe neither in Roman Catholic concepts of merit, nor in Protestant forensic justification, which is a legal fiction. I reject Luther and Calvin's view of salvation. It is a bourgeois legal concept in my estimation, a transaction. Yet I know that the Reformers were trying to genuinely recover a sense of grace that had been lost in through an often legalistic spirit in the late medieval Roman Catholic Church. I am not anti-Protestant. I find much agreement with my Protestant friends. For example, I have an affinity with my Pentecostal brothers and sisters on the subject of salvation, because Pentecostals understand that salvation is not separate from sanctification by the Holy Spirit (2 Thessalonians 2.13).

An Organic Salvation
I believe in a graced Christian life whereby we become united to Christ by the indwelling Holy Spirit. It is a gift, all of grace, received though faith- but we must cooperate with it, and if we have true faith, it will have works. We are not justified by works, but faith without works is dead. The thief on the cross is the exception not the rule. I believe one can be saved on the death bed, but cannot count on it (that is, in not dying before getting right with God). Jesus asks us in today's gospel "why do you call me Lord, Lord, and do not what I say?" (Luke 6.46). The faith that justifies is the faith that works by love (Gal 5.6).

What about Purgatory?
As a Byzantine Catholic Christian, I do not think in terms of purgatory, at least not as a "place;" but I believe that Christ is returning for a church without spot or wrinkle (Ephesians 5.27) and that every man's work will be tried by fire (1 Corinthians 3.12-15). We can call it purgatory if we want, but the word "purgatory" itself and concept thereof enjoy no definitive status. The point is, sanctification, what my faith tradition calls deification, continues into the next life; indeed through out eternity, until God becomes All in All (1 Corinthians 15.28).

Prayers for the Dead
I believe in praying for the dead, and my brothers and sisters who have passed away can pray for us. Death cannot break the bonds of love between believers united in Christ. The Bible gives us evidence of prayers for the dead (2 Maccabees 12:41-46; an aside- yes, for me the two books of Maccabees are canonical books, as they were for the Christians of the earliest centuries. It is part of the Septuagint, the Bible of the Apostles). The Bible even gives us evidence of post-mortem opportunities for salvation in 1 Peter 3:19-4:6- read carefully in context- those disobedient during the flood were offered salvation by Christ in Hades- the sense is undeniable if we approach the text without preconceived notions.

What about Last Rites?
The Last Rites are simply the anointing of the sick, which has scriptural warrant in James chapter 5.14-15. Also the Bible teaches us that the presbyters of the Church have the keys, power and authority for binding and loosing, and for the forgiveness of sin. We see this taught in Matthew 16.18, Matthew 18.18, and John chapter 20.23. This power is given to Christ's ministers as a sacramental means of grace; there is no "magic" in it.

My "Felt" Experience of Grace in the Byzantine Church
I have experienced more of a sense of grace within the context of the Byzantine Catholic Church than in any other setting I have worshipped in, Roman Catholic or Protestant. Grace must be experienced in one's heart, in one's soul, and not only with the head. While I never lose a sense of God's love for me, I do wonder sometimes why I have experienced some of the disappointments and hardships I have in life. I have often felt frustrated, angry and depressed. But I stay in the Word, in prayer, and involved in the life of the Byzantine Catholic Church. I am truly fed and nourished where I am at. In my Church, I receive every week the True Body and Blood of Christ (John 6.52-58; I Corinthians 10.16; 1 Corinthians 11.27-29), and enjoy the closest intimacy with my God. The Byzantine Church may not be the place for everybody, but it is the place for me. It is where I have had my "felt experience."