"I'm going to Winterville Christian fellowship Church this morning." "Oh, why?" I asked. (For those that don't know me and my family, my knight-in-shining-armour, who is also a scientist, is not Catholic and probably, as he puts it, never will.) His response was, "I want to receive communion." He attends Mass with the girls and I most Sundays. Thinking for a moment on how to broach my next question, I asked. "If you don't believe it is really Christ's flesh and blood, why bother?" He said,"Think about that question." Me:"I did, you have questions, I have questions, it's my question" Him:"I don't believe that God changes what He has already made into something that is not meant to be something it's not." Me:"There are miracles due to the Eucharist, people have lived and died for the Eucharist. The Eucharist changes people. Why do you think Jesus Himself asked, "Does this shock you?" in your King James version?" Him:"I don't know, but it only says that in one Gospel." Me:"In John's Gospel! Besides there are books on the miracles, you just don't care to learn about them." Him:"I don't think reading a book about these things would change my mind." Me:"I can't believe you said that, you the research scientist, who reads new breakthroughs, staking your whole research on what others have learned!" Him:"I don't believe that God changes things, I just don't." Me:"But you are limiting God as the Creator of this whole world and saying that He isn't all powerful, all knowing, and able to do things that you can't conceive.? I'm gonna make coffee."
The girls and I will attend Mass alone, it doesn't happen often, but it will happen more since he went to this church another time recently and liked the pastor and told me the pastor took notice of him (there were only about 25-30 people there, duh!) and asked him about himself. Invited us all there next time and blah, blah.
Conversion is a very individual process, there might be a magic word, but I don't know what it is for my husband. We have been married for 14.5 years and he knows my convictions, but has essentially turned his back on the truth as every other protestant has that I have met. They refuse to see the truth, God's omnipotence and how small we really are in terms of what our Heavenly Father is. Nicholas from
phatcatholic.......HELP!!!!!!!!!
The coffee is waiting for me....sigh
13 comments:
Prayers ascending heavenwards!
Your husband desires to receive communion this morning. May he receive Whom he desires.
Same here Ebeth!!!
Prayers for you, ebeth. (I knew there was someone I meant to add to my blogroll and it's you!)
As for hubby - this can be a long process even with people who convert. Every conversion story is different and yet the same. Sometimes it takes a long time for something to impact.
But I think you are right to start with John 6. That is the core of my belief too. It might also help that in John 6 apparently the Greek word for eating the flesh is even clearer - along the lines of "gnawing."
One book that might help is a book by Karl Keating called Catholics and Fundamentalism (or something darn close, I don't have it in my hand but look up Karl Keathing.
Even though your husband (I would guess) isn't a fundamentalist - it gives a Catholic great insight into how protestants approach things. We often use the same terms - thinking they mean the same thing to both Catholics and protestants, but they don't. So sometimes before catechesis (even informal, like you are with your hubby) you have to learn internally what the protestant is thinking.
Try not to think of him turning his back on the truth - because so far in his own mind he is being faithful to the truth - but it's just that the fullness of the truth hasn't hit him yet.
Karen
I am sorry to hear this Ebeth. Many prayers for your husband's conversion.
God bless
Therese
Hi again Ebeth.
I have nominated you for a mathetes award. Please see my blog for details.
God bless you and your husband. I will soap for you too.
Prayers for you all ....
I object... being a confirmed Methodist (which, last time I checked, has been considered Protestant for some time)... and I have been going through the conversion process...
It may not be a blind refusal to see the truth, but just having trouble accepting certain elements...
Like Hydrogen.... or Oxygen... We know they exist, and we can physically examine them (now) and identify how they combine to create thinkgs like water (it is, after all, H2O), or the air we breathe (IIRC, it's listed as O2)...
Any scientist can accept those elements as fact, but can miss the wonder of the complicated simplicity of how people need water and oxygen for their bodies to function.
He obviuosly sees the importance of communion, but has some trouble seeing the complicated simplicity that goes with church doctrine. After all, it is one oif the hardest things for Protestants (even those of us that are converting) to really wrap our heads around...
Just a thought... or three...
You changed water into coffee? And coffee changes grumpy people into happy people. And if that isn't a miracle what is?
Thank you all...for being supportive at my moment of depression and showing me a better way of thinking this whole thing out....and truly for all your prayers!
How's this for being Church for each other??!!!
Ebeth
Ebeth
My heart goes out to you-and prayers of course.
I went through all this too. Don't lose hope-keep praying. My husband was finally received into the Church last year. We had been married 18yrs by then.
Have Masses offered for your husband.
One Mass offered for us in our lifetime grants more than many afterwards.
The Christian Near East Welfare Association (google em) has priests who need stipends badly. Even $5 will help them greatly.
So too the Cardinal Kung Foundation - $10 will keep a rural/underground priest eating for 4 days.
$5 or $10 a week or a month... its a good investment.
Thank you for leading me to this post. My prayers go out to you and your husband. I know firsthand how very tough this can be. My husband doesn't talk about it much. I used to "bug" him all the time and ask him questions, but it only ended up upsetting me. I've now turned him over to God's hands.
He's working today and I miss him and all that he is for his family. He may not be Catholic, but he is very Christ-like and works so hard on the behalf of our family.
God bless you, Ebeth. Enjoy Father's Day with your family.
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