I originally published this book in 2008 and was inspired recently to update and share it by a dear friend who is seeking the truth and something deeper in his faith. I am sharing the introduction chapter along with the link for the book below. I hope you enjoy and please share.
Chapter 1: Introduction
“I give you a new commandment: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35)
Does it really matter if someone is Catholic or what denomination one belongs to as long as they are Christian? After all, what difference does it make if we are all following Christ and have a personal relationship with Him? Often, many feel that the Catholic road is not an easy road. So why do so many stay in her fold? Well, let me explain…
This is not another Catholic ‘apologetics’ book or a book merely defending the Catholic Faith. This is a book between friends, allowing me to explain my beliefs to my many dear Protestant friends, who we consider our brothers and sisters in Christ. Because I never seem to have enough opportunities to say all that I would like to say when discussing our various Christian beliefs or I simply do not remember everything at the most opportune time, I have decided to explain some of our beliefs with this book. This is not, however, a comparison between Catholic and Protestant beliefs, but an explanation from a Catholic perspective of some of the areas where we do differ. This book barely scratches the surface of the beauty and depth of the Catholic Faith, as demonstrated by the enormous size of the ‘Catechism of the Catholic Church’ (CCC). I would highly recommend that every Catholic read the Catechism to help them to grow in a fuller and deeper understanding of our faith. The Catechism is not a book of rules, as many might expect, but a book of deep theological explanations of what we believe and why, much of which had been compiled from the Church fathers. Many of these church fathers were the fathers of all of Christianity during the early Church when we were all united as one Church, until the protestant reformation began in 1517. With a few very minor exceptions (Orthodox Christians 1054), we were all one in worship and beliefs. It was during the Protestant Reformation that individuals broke away from the Church and began to form new beliefs and traditions that were different than the previous 1500 years.
I was inspired to write this book during prayer and subsequently received several unsolicited confirmations from friends and acquaintances. If we listen ever so carefully, God speaks to each of us and wants us all to work for His kingdom. Although, I would imagine, that none of us would feel qualified to work for Him. But, He always provides us with adequate resources to respond to His call and will guide us if we ask Him. Jesus walks beside us in all that we do. We must always have faith in this and remember to ask Him to help and trust that He will. Just as when Jesus commanded Peter to walk on water, Peter followed His command. But when Peter became frightened, he began to sink, even though he knew that Jesus was right there with him. “Immediately, Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him, and said to him, ‘O you of little faith, why did you doubt?’” (Matthew 14:31).
My goal in writing this book is to clarify a few of the many misconceptions that there are about the Catholic Church and explain some of Her teachings on a very basic level. Bishop Fulteen Sheen once said that there are only a handful of people who hate the Catholic Church, but millions who hate what they believe to be the Catholic Church. This is so true! I have come across many of these misconceptions particularly through conversations with friends and inter-faith bible studies. It is always surprising to me that many times when a non-Catholic realizes that I am Catholic, they take it as an opportunity to criticize my faith, even though they may not understand it at all. This always saddens me. Additionally, I would like to demonstrate that the Catholic Church is in fact biblical, counter to claims that we are unbiblical and a ‘man-made’ religion.
Many years ago, I dove back into my faith head first after being away from it during college and the years that followed. I began studying scripture and read everything I could get my hands on about the Catholic Church, including anti-Catholic books. I fell deeply in love with Jesus and His Church and have never looked back. Through many discussions with Protestant friends, I have come to the realization that we actually have quite a bit more in common than I had thought. Some of the disagreement is due to mis-conceptions on both sides, as well as the terminology that is used.
I was led back to Church as a result of someone I care about suffering through depression. He headed back to church and I followed, realizing how much I had been missing in my life. I will be forever grateful to this person for what has changed my life. It is a perfect example of God using something bad to lead to something good. I have always been Catholic and have held strong to my faith, but once I was on my own in college, I stopped attending Mass on a regular basis. It was no longer a priority in my life. I was raised in a strong Catholic family, and my maternal grandparents and my parents are my role models as those who have truly lived their faith. The death of my maternal grandmother resulted in even more growth in my faith. I believe that her prayers have led to some amazing changes in the lives of those who love her. She passed away with such grace. She is my inspiration. I feel her presence often and have witnessed many of us grow in our faith as a result of her passing.
It seems that much of my generation was not taught our faith as well as we could have been. Fortunately, this seems to have changed and the Church has done a wonderful job teaching my children. I have three children, all of whom attended Catholic school. They are all almost adults and on their own paths now, searching as I did. I hope and pray that they find the path to which God is calling them. There is nothing more important to me as a parent. My family attends an amazing parish in Sugar Land, Texas, where there are over 25,000 parishioners. Our pastor, Father Drew Wood, has had a great impact on my faith as someone who has so much passion for his faith
With this book, my hopes and my prayers are: “that your love may increase ever more and more in knowledge and every kind of perception” (Philippians 1:9); that my Protestant friends are open minded, do not take offense to what is said (as that is not my intent), and that they have a more accurate and positive view of the Catholic Church. Also, I pray that my Catholic friends grow in deeper love with Christ and His Church, just as I have. Let the Holy Spirit guide your heart and your mind.
“Of course, some preach Christ from envy and rivalry, others from good will. The latter act out of love, aware that I am here for the defense of the gospel; the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not from pure motives…What difference does it make, as long as in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is being proclaimed? And in that I rejoice”. (Philippians 1:15-18)
Living GRACE-fully 