Something I read today on Dominic Mary's blog 'Libera Me' really struck a chord with me and made so much sense.
He, like me, is a convert and also a former Anglican. He refers to a comment made my Ann Widdecombe in her foreword to 'The Path to Rome' about the statement of faith made by converts at their reception into the Church.
As an adult convert, when I was received into Full Communion with the Catholic Church, I had to make a profession of faith, not only by reciting the Creed as we all do every Sunday but also by stating my belief that what the Church teaches is revealed truth.
That is quite different to those who have always been Catholics, the so-called 'Cradle Catholics', and may explain in part why some Catholics don't seem to have a problem with disregarding or not accepting certain parts of Catholic teaching. They may not have looked at their faith in this way and have never had to confirm their acceptance of the truth of the Church's teaching.
I've never thought of it in this way before, but of course they have never had to actually stand up and state their belief in the Church's teaching in the same way as I had to as an adult.
We probably all find certain aspects of the Church's teaching difficult at times and there are things that we don't like or even disagree with BUT I am reminded of that Easter Vigil more than 20 years ago when I had to stand up in front of everyone and make my profession of faith including my assent to the teachings of the Church and I personally find that very helpful.
5 comments:
Dear Miss Ellen;
thank you for the link, and the compliment.
I'm embarrassed to say that this is my first visit to your blog; but it won't be the last.
I'm very impressed at you making your Profession of Faith so publicly : mine was at a very private Mass with only four other people there, so was much less terrifying than yours must have been.
ps. I love the Gertrude Jekyll look !
Thank you. Dominic Mary.
Looking back, it seems quite 'scarey' but I was so fired up at the time, I think I felt I could have 'walked on water'! :)
Oh....I didn't realise you were a convert too! For me its 13 years next Easter, the same weekend my first baby was Baptised. Previously a devout Evangelical but fell in love with a cradle Catholic (much to my friends' disapproval) and the rest is history, as they say.
I find your observation resonates with me very much! And not just at profession, it continues....I will regularly unpack another wonderful Catholic truth or perspective on something & go to my husband all excited....Sometimes he can't see what I'm getting worked up about, for him its a given already!
Thanx for this post.
The problem these days is that those "cradle Catholics" as you call them, who have been Catholic all their lives, don't always really know what the Catholic Church teaches anyway.
Catechism is not always taught at school, especially if children go to secular schools, and if religion is not taught at home by parents either, you get a generation of "cradle Catholics" who know nothing about their Faith. Even if they do go to church every Sunday with their parents.
If we were to ask a 100 people in church on Sunday what does the Catholic church stand for and what does it teach - how many will know what to answer?
Interesting post..
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