Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Credo

Credo means 'I believe' in Latin, traditionally the official language of the Church. (Today, most Masses are held in the vernacular, though.)

It can be surprising sometimes to hear some of the things that people say Catholics believe. I've had people tell me that I worship Mary, the Pope, statues, a piece of bread...the list goes on. Actually, none of that is true, and these next few posts will be dedicated to setting the record straight.

First, take a look at the Nicene Creed. This statement of belief was developed in the 4th century, and is professed by Catholics at every Sunday Mass. (Note: 'Mass' is what we call a worship service.) I'm going to use the creed as a reference point for explaining our core beliefs in a simpler way. So, without further delay:

The Quick and Dirty Creed

We believe in one God who made everything, both concrete and abstract, like heaven and angels. There is no other God beside Him. However, God is present in three forms, or persons. The three persons all make up one God. They are:

Father- Yahweh, all-powerful, all-knowing, present everywhere, creator and judge. He is the God of the Jews in the Old Testament.

Son- Jesus (Christ), the savior of all mankind. God the Father formed Jesus from Himself ("begotten, not made" means they're the same in essence, just separated). After the fall of man from grace, we needed a redeemer to heal our shattered connection to the Father. Scripture explains what happened next: "For God so loved the world that He gave his only Son, that whoever believed in Him would not perish, but have eternal life" (John 3:16). Jesus came down from Heaven, and was born of a human woman (making Him both fully God and fully man, like us in every way except imperfection) to suffer and die for our sins/failings. Jesus is God, and in dying, He took our place before the Father so that we don't have to experience eternal punishment (Hell). After three days, however, Jesus miraculously rose from the dead, defeating death and suffering while promising all those who believed in Him the same--Heaven, eternal paradise with God, after we die. (Those who don't accept Jesus will still go to Hell.)

Holy Spirit- Wisdom, comforter, inspirer. The Holy Spirit is the drive in us to do good, to be moral, and to follow God faithfully.

We believe in only one Church that is protected by God; it is universal and has descended from Christ through his disciples and those who became leaders after them. We believe that baptism--a washing in water with prayer--washes away the original sin of Adam and Eve and gives us the strength to fight temptation. We believe that all the dead that accepted Jesus while alive will be given new life at the end of time.

Amen--"this is true"--this is what we believe.

Saturday, September 26, 2009

The Story So Far

I suppose that before I get into the soul and substance of this blog--the lives of others--I should probably talk a little bit about myself, where I've been, and what I'm doing now.

While I was born into an Italian Catholic family and attended CCD (Sunday School) for eight years, we never went to church. Sometimes, Catholicism can be a simply cultural part of one's heritage where the religious side is almost completely absent, similar to non-religious Jews. Since it was made clear to me that I was being raised in the faith to continue tradition and make the family happy, I didn't really care about what I was taught, especially when it came to the more difficult elements. By the time I got into middle school, I learned to tune out and gossip with my friends instead of paying attention. A few times, I was almost even kicked out of the class for being noisy or contrary--I was always that smartass kid that had to rebuttal everything. (I think that same stubbornness is what keeps me going today when I face opposition; I was once in the same place and defended the same anti-Catholic arguments).

Nevertheless, I was too close to "the end of the road" to stop catechism, so at 13, I received my Confirmation, became an adult in the eyes of the Church, and didn't show up again for another 4 1/2 years. During that period, high school started, and I eventually got into the New Age movement. When the initial "I'm being spooky and rebellious" streak wore off, I discovered that the Pagan umbrella of faiths were very peaceful, beautiful, and offered me the spiritual independence I was looking for.

I called myself Pagan off and on for the next two years, but deep down, it felt empty and showy. Odder yet was the actual power my friends and I experienced, something very real and tangible that was downright unnerving at points. One night, two of us got simultaneously sick in the middle of a "ritual" as they call it, and as I laid dizzy and nauseated in cold sweat on my best friend's floor, I knew that this was no longer fun and games. Coincidence or not, it scared me enough to convince me to walk away.

Almost a year later, I stumbled onto a Christian website for former Pagans, and I once again began railing against everything I found wrong with the religion. That year was hard on me, though, and I often struggled with feelings of loneliness, apathy, and depression. By New Year's Day of 2006, I knew I needed a centering point, something to be guided by, in my life. I had never stopped believing in God, and in the early hours of that morning I reluctantly reconciled with Him and began the rocky journey as a non-denominational Christian.

That, too, was lacking for a variety of reasons, and despite my hatred of it, I was continually pulled closer to Catholicism. Many of my new Protestant friends insisted this was a bad idea, but I could no longer just push my feelings aside. It took me over a year and a half of research and prayer, but to my horror, I realized that I could no longer refute the truth I never let myself see in the Catholic Church. Just after Easter in 2007, I went and made the first honest confession of my sins (I used to lie to their faces as a kid, then brag about it afterward) to a priest who was challenging but very good to me, and rather than finding condemnation and shame, I found real mercy.

Since then, I've been making up for lost time. That's only the abbreviated version, and I'm going to make it a point to discuss some hairy topics in the future, like Confession and what is (in my humble observation) lacking from other Christian denominations.

Let me make it very clear here that I'm not out to offend anyone. I have many "brothers and sisters" that are Protestant who have encouraged and challenged me throughout the years, and I love them wholeheartedly for their passion. I'm also not directly trying to win converts to Catholicism, but I would like to invite those of you who are curious or no longer Catholic to keep an open mind and an open heart while you read. Again, do comment here with anything you're interested in or confused about. Part of the new age of journalism is the aspect of community, so "come, let us reason together."

This week, we start the real fun. I'm ready; are you?

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Hello, world!

When starting a new blog, I always feel like I should say something...groundbreaking. This time, however, words are escaping me, so I'll keep it simple:

Welcome to Abide With Us, potentially the coolest Catholic blog on the web. ;) Well, that's my plan, in any case.

The majority of Americans are familiar with Catholicism in some way--there are nearly 68 million registered Catholics in the United States according to the National Council of Churches--but I've found that most are fuzzy on the details. In the past few years, I've heard a number of erroneous and misleading claims about the Church and our beliefs, both from other Christians and from those of different faiths. Sometimes, misinformation even comes from fellow Catholics.

As an amateur journalist, I find that disturbing, and so clearing up those errors is my first goal in creating this blog. It was said once that millions of people hate the Church, yet only hundreds understand her (I'll return with the actual quote later). I hope to be able to present the Catholic faith with honestly, fairness, and joy. If I'm lucky, someone out there will learn something. Any lessening of confusion or hostility toward the Church because of this blog will make the whole endeavor worth it.

Beyond that, I was absolutely floored when I moved up to Rowan a month ago to find a vibrant and faithful community of Catholics on campus. Considering only 25% of American Catholics go to Mass on a regular basis, and many of that percentage are older, this was certainly a surprise. I'm going to cover these college Catholics in detail over the next ten weeks, highlighting what they do, why they do it, and how it ties into the college experience.

We're not stereotypical, and we're not doing this because our parents force us. We're not what you likely expect, and I hope you'll be surprised (and impressed!) by what you see.

Of course, as a Catholic myself, I'll be coming along for the ride and occasionally writing about my personal experiences. Feel free to leave me a question, comment, or suggestion. I'll do my best to respond as quickly as I can. Thanks in advance for reading and sticking with me--I promise to make it worth your while.

Peace be with you!
Melissa