Summer Book Club 2018 - Spotlight on Catholic apologetics, Part II...

This summer is really flying by, yes? Hard to believe, but it's our final installment in the 2018 Summer Book Club! This summer, we've been discussing Kevin Lowry's How God Hauled Me Kicking and Screaming into the Catholic Church, and last week we chatted about how how we all enjoyed his conversion story. Let's pick up where we left off!

So the second part of the book changes course, and Kevin then moves into a discussion of 8 "things" that were obstacles he had to overcome prior to becoming Catholic. I've seen discussions like this in many other conversion memoirs that I've read, and as a cradle Catholic who grew up in the Northeast, they have always been a source of fascination for me. Beliefs that I just took for granted (i.e. a devotion to Mary, that getting to heaven involves more than faith alone) were a huge source of controversy to others, and I had no idea until I was an adult!

It's been awhile since I read a conversion story like this, so I was interested to see Kevin's list as well. It included:

(1) The Eucharist
(2) Confession
(3) The Mystical Body of Christ
(4) Mary
(5) Faith vs. Works
(6) Authority
(7) The Church's Imperfections
(8) Himself

No big surprises there. :) These are all things that are very different for non-Catholics coming from a Protestant background, and these individuals may have some biases worked up against the Catholic belief system on these issues. He touches upon this in #8. I think he also makes an excellent point about #7, which in our modern times is an increasing tragedy for all involved. 

Numbers 1 through 6 I have read about in just about every other conversion story I've encountered, so they are certainly poignant items for those looking into the Church. This is an educational list, to be sure, and his discussion is on point. I do feel like the discussion was a bit abbreviated in this section, as compared to other books like this that I have read. Beth Anne mentioned this issue last week as well, with regards to the latter part of his conversion story in part I, that suddenly we went from a more detailed-driven narrative, to it being more cursory. This discussion felt more cursory to me than its' peers in this genre. That's not a criticism, just an observation. Since I have in fact read a lot of conversion stories, I have explored extensively on all of these issues, but if this is the first book of this type that a person has picked up, they would likely be left wanting a lot more information about these doctrines. The amount of information provided here is not necessarily convincing, I don't think, as to why the author converted to Catholicism. Obviously, he did a lot more research that he simply chose not to include here, and he may have been going for a shorter book that is easier to read. I get it.

Those are my impressions of the second half of the book! What were yours? I'd love to hear them!

Thank you so much, friends, for spending July reading along with me on the topic of apologetics! Our next book club will be for Advent, and sometime in the late fall I'll post a list for us to vote from. That'll be super fun, won't it?! 😃

Summer Book Club 2018 - Spotlight on Catholic apologetics, Part I...

Here we are, at last ready for the entire first part of our Summer Book Club, as we read How God Hauled Me Kicking and Screaming into the Catholic Church, by Kevin Lowry! We had an introduction to the book last week, but I *finally* procured my library ebook copy. I actually read this book in a few days, so I returned my library copy such that the next person on the waiting list could have it.

*halo*

So, what are we waiting for? Let's dive in!

The author divided up his story into 2 parts, with this first one being devoted to background information on his life, and his conversion story. I truly loved his story. Memoirs have always fascinated me - we all have a story to tell, and they are all compelling! Of course, they have to be told in a way that holds our attention, and Kevin does that beautifully with his funny and endearing narrative.

By his own description, he was a somewhat rebellious teenager who did not take the deeply ingrained Presbyterian faith of his parents very seriously. Nor does he take his college education very seriously, at least at first. His father is the one who suggests the Franciscan University of Steubenville, interestingly, and encourages him to attend there. While they are there touring the campus, Kevin sneaks away with his fake i.d. to procure beer and generally act in ways that teenagers do that make us cringe. These are things that we all either did, or thought were cool, at the exact same age, but now make us flare our nostrils and talk about how youth is wasted on the young. One thing I was confused about that the author does not clarify is why he starting attending college at age 16? Maybe he was homeschooled?

So he gets accepted, but his immaturity and general lack of wisdom (which we are all afflicted with at this stage of our lives; such painful memories! :0) cause him to make poor choices. He doesn't do his school work and gets very poor grades. He drinks a lot of beer and has a frightening experience in which he has no memory of an entire night. He does not attend church and his spiritual life is totally adrift. He flunks out of Franciscan University.

While he was there, he DOES meet very nice students, and many of his experiences cause him to wonder what it is about their Catholic faith that draws them to it. One morning after Sunday morning Mass lets out, he finally approaches the chapel, but does not go in. He feels an unmistakable peace, and is confused about it. He still thinks that Catholics are a bit odd and does not pursue it at this point, but I related very much to his story at this juncture. I felt that peace outside of a Catholic college chapel too, right before my reversion of heart back to the faith, while I was law school in my twenties.

So he goes to work back home in Toronto and matures a bit. Eventually, he wants to return to college, but finds that his nearly nonexistent grade point average is going to make this very difficult for him. He realizes that returning to Franciscan is truly his best shot at ever getting a college degree, and he pleads his case. They allow him to return under strict academic conditions, and he works very hard to meet them. He does so, and also meets a woman who will become his wife, Kathi. She too is not Catholic.

Ultimately, they graduate, marry and start a family together. They seek out a spiritual home, and Kevin begins to be bothered by how difficult this is, and how different each of the churches is. He eventually contact Scott Hahn for a chat, and Dr. Hahn gives him a rosary to pray. This is the beginning of the end of Kevin being a non-Catholic. :0

I was expecting that he would take Dr. Hahn's classes at Steubenville, and that this was partly what led to his conversion, but that isn't what happened from what I can glean. Although his heart softened towards Catholics during his time at Franciscan University, and he became intrigued by the fervor he saw in his Catholic classmates, all of the research he did that ultimately led to his conversion happened AFTER he graduated. Scott Hahn became his sponsor when he was baptized and confirmed into the faith. We knew that Kathi also decided to come into the Church with Kevin, but we also find out that Kevin's parents too become Catholic at a later time! So, obviously his dad had a soft spot for the Church all along.

I enjoy conversion stories, and this one is no exception. I found the story poignant and touching, and I laughed out loud in places. It was a joy to read. What were your thoughts on this part of the book?

Next week we will move into the main obstacles Kevin faced as a Presbyterian contemplating the Catholic Church, and how he overcame them. Join us again then!

Summer Book Club 2018 - How God Hauled Me Kicking & Screaming into the Catholic Church, Introduction...

OK, so remember that saga of me acquiring our book, How God Hauled Me Kicking and Screaming into the Catholic Church, from the public library in ebook form that I detailed a few weeks back? Right. Well, the saga continues. 😂But I have a plan and am still able to start our book club! Pull up a comfy chair with your morning beverage.

So, I have been incensed patiently waiting my turn in the queue for the ebook copy of our book. Let the record reflect that I not only originally requested that the library purchase this book, but that I added myself to the ridiculous waiting list on June 28th. I was at that time #2 in the queue. JUNE 28TH.

It is now July 18th as I write this, and I still.do.not.have.the.book. This is a real problem with ebooks in public libraries, imo. People do not necessarily "return" the book when they're done reading it the way they do with print books. So the loan period is always reaching it's max before the next person in line can have the book. Granted, the loan period is shorter with ebooks than it is for print, but the waiting lists for ebooks is absolutely absurd. You can wait *months* for popular titles, and it is not nearly that bad with their print counterparts.

Anyway, enough complaining about that. Just under 2 weeks ago, I moved to #1 in the queue. The maximum borrowing period for an ebook is 14 days. So, by mathematical certainly, I will have the book Friday. (**edited to add that on July 19th, I now have the book! *streamers!*)

In the meantime, I was able to score a preview of the book that allowed me to read the foreword, Introduction,  chapter 1, and part of chapter 2. My thought is that this will serve as the introductory post to our book club, and then next week we'll discuss the remainder of Part 1, and then Part 2 on August 2nd. I know that I could just purchase the ebook and have immediate access to it. But at this point, it's an official Point of Pride that I await the library copy. :0 All right, ready to discuss the concept and beginning of this book?

🎉

I noted right off the bat that the foreword was written by Scott Hahn, a Catholic apologist whose conversion story I'm very familiar with. He and his wife's book, Rome Sweet Home, was a huge influence in my own faith walk in my twenties. Let's have a quick moment with definitions, shall we? Apologetics:

reasoned arguments or writings in justification of something, typically a theory or religious doctrine

So, when we speak of Catholic apologetics, and Catholic apologists, we are speaking of men and women who dedicate time to defending our faith in an academic sense. Such work can be very instrumental in drawing others to the Church.

We learn quickly that like Dr. Hahn, our author, Kevin Lowry, is a former Presbyterian.  Growing up in the haven of cradle, cultural, Catholicism that I did, I was very unfamiliar with Protestant denominations growing up. As a young adult, one of my fascinations with reading conversion stories was learning about the faith background of others that differed from my own. In all cases, the authors were grateful for their Protestant upbringing and had nothing but respect for the Christian values that it instilled. Which is is as it should be, and very pleasing to my empathetic heart.

As we move into the Introduction, our author emphasizes to us how unexpected his conversion was, and how conversion should, in a sense, be a daily occurrence, even for cradle Catholics.We should not become stagnant in our faith, and take it for granted. Regular conversion of heart is key to our spiritual sustenance.

I love the way that he starts chapter 1, with an overview of a crucial moment in time: his baptism at age 25. He had not previously been baptized in the Presbyterian church, so this sacrament was also his initiation into the Catholic faith. We find out that his parents are devout Presbyterians, his father a minister, but they support his decision to convert. We also find out that his wife is being received into the Church alongside him, but he was unsure as to whether or not she would decide to do this until the very last minute.

He recalls that when he first started attending Mass, the community seemed "cold" to him, and I understand what he means in that the culture in Catholic parishes is very different from what I hear others relate about their churches. Catholicism oftentimes is deeply ingrained into a community's culture, and it can become insular. It's not ill intended, but I think that for someone who is new or visiting the community, it can feel off-putting, especially if they are used to a church with greeters and tons of small group fellowship opportunities.

After this exciting whirlwind of thoughts, the author then moves into story of how he came to this crucial event. Chapter 2 begins with the author describing himself as a cocky teenager who did not take to heart the deep Christian faith of his parents. He grew up in Toronto (hey neighbor!), and as he began to explore colleges in late high school, his father suggests the Franciscan University of Steubenville.

Dun dun DUN!

This is obviously where he met Dr. Hahn (who has taught theology there for many years), and heralds the beginning of his interest in Catholicism, one would think. And did his father know that the vibrant faith alive at this campus would dramatically impact his son, even if it was not within Presbyterianism? But this is also where my sample ended, so I'm on pins and needles waiting for my turn with the ebook. :0

The waiting list for the ebook at my public library now has 4 people on it, I'll have you know. I like to think that my purchase request was it's own little form of apologetics. ;-)

What were your thoughts on the very beginning of this conversion story? Has formal apologetics had an impact on your own faith journey? I'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences. We'll fully discuss Part 1 next Thursday on July 26th!

Exploding diapers and Church bashing: a weekend tale...

Well, it was an interesting weekend, to be sure. I didn't write on Friday because I was home sick and was feeling quite poorly. It's just a cold, but I was SO run down and congested on Friday that I knew I needed to just stay in and rest. Of course, I did go to Mass in the morning for the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, but I kept to myself and refrained from shaking anyone's hand at the sign of peace. :) The sign of peace is a very awkward exchange for us introverts anyway.

At any rate, I stayed in otherwise on Friday and did nothing except look after Anne and change a poo explosion diaper that was so vast in its ferocity that I had to implement "Poos of the Apocalypse Survival Tactic #9 - Immediate Strip and Hose-down." With Anne stark naked and sobbing in the bathtub, I had to just splash her off for a bit lest a definite raw sewage situation overtake the bathtub.  After the worst of it had been washed away, I filled the tub to let her soak and do a complete wash down. Afterward, I still found poo (a) in her hair, and (b) underneath my fingernails.

*faints*

Anyway, I survived, and so did Anne. On Saturday, we had some family over for dinner from out of town. And during the course of the after-dinner conversation, I found myself in one of those quandaries: when is the right time to defend the Church, and when is it better to keep ones mouth shut lest you anger people?

I wasn't at the dining room table (where the conversation took place) when it happened; I was in another room talking to Hank, so that seriously impacted my ability to interject anything. But it went down like this, and I think this is a very common thing:

"So what did you think of the bishop's letter that the priest read during Mass today?"

The governor of New York is expected to sign a bill soon that would expand access to abortion, particularly late term abortion. Our bishop asked that all priests in our diocese read his letter condemning this bill in Masses this past weekend. It was read at our Saturday vigil as well.

"Yeah, I thought it was fine. It was good that he did that."

So far so good.

"You know, I went to confession last week for the first time in 40 years."

Even better! Things are going great! I know that other present family members do not put much stock into the Sacrament of Reconciliation, so I'm hoping that this testimony may get them thinking about things. 

Let's bask in this moment, dear reader, because it was the high point of the conversation. :)

"Well, I didn't go for so long because I was doing (sin inserted here; even though the person in question named it, it doesn't feel right to reveal it here), and I knew I was going to keep doing it, so what was the point?"

"Yeah, well, you tell the sin to the priest, and he gives you a Hail Mary or whatever to say? What good does that do. Confession is just bull*#@!"

*sighs*

"Why do they even make the kids do confession anymore before First Communion?"

My husband interjects: "Well, it's because Catholics believe that confession cleanses you from sin. And you should be without sin if you're going to take communion."

*CATHOLIC LIBRARIAN PUFFS CHEST UP WITH PRIDE* Even my non-Catholic husband can converse in an orthodox manner about the sacraments. I chose well!

"Well, whatever. The Church is so behind on so many things. I mean the Rhythm Method? You know what they call people who use that, right? Parents!!" *joke-maker inserts proud-of-self laugh here*

 At that moment, I was fielding First Communion questions from Hank in the living room: "Mommy, I'm confused. Is communion really like you're eating Jesus' *skin*?" So I had my hands full. I thought it would be kind of weird to cut Hank off and suddenly leap into their conversation and tell them how wrong I knew they all were. But then I felt guilty for staying silent.

It was a quandary, gentle reader. Given the circumstances, I think that I did the only thing I could. But let me tell you, I was feeling a bit miffed about the whole thing. I really don't need my faith (which I don't think is a secret that it's extremely important to me) mocked in my own home. The confession thing was prickly enough, but the *Rhythm Method*? Those are fighting words. It did create a nice conversation between Mike and I later as we debriefed, and I was so proud of him for explaining the Catholic position.

It was quite a weekend, I'm still recovering, both physically and emotionally. :) But I persevere.

Is there a patron saint of keeping our mouths shut?

Yesterday, I was having a really long day. I had a long meeting, I had a long reference shift, and in the midst of all that I had to prepare a lesson plan for a gigantic class today that I'm nervous about teaching every semester. And so during my last hour and a half at work, I got back from the reference desk and sat down to both pump and work on my lesson at the same time. In an effort to relax myself, I checked my Facebook news feed first, and something happened that I knew would happen eventually, but hadn't actually taken place until the cursed day that was yesterday: I was very upset by something that I read on there.

My list of Facebook friends isn't teeny tiny, nor is it huge. I'm friends with some people on there that I rarely if ever see in everyday life. But in each instance, I do care about what is going on in their life, hence the reason for the friending. And in any group of 130 people, naturally all of these people are going to have a mix of different opinions, viewpoints and lifestyles. And that's fine. I'm married to an atheist, for heaven's sake. I don't need everyone to agree with me. I have lots of friends, both on Facebook and in real life, that I treasure deeply despite any differences in our worldviews. In real life, this is because we all respect each other and can discuss things (when they come up) in a civilized and charitable fashion.

On Facebook, you have a totally different phenomena going on. I do think people feel less restrained in what they say in such a format, plus you also see comments from strangers, people you're not friends with, but they commented on one of your friends posts. And this is what happened in my situation yesterday.

One of my Facebook friends posted a link to an article about the story that is all the rage in the Catholic news right now: Catholic bishops objecting to mandated contraception coverage in all insurance plans. And the thing is, that topic isn't even relevant to the post I'm writing now, because the fact that people disagree with the Church on this is not remotely the reason that I got upset. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and I'm friends with lots of people that aren't Catholic. No problem. What upset me is that I'm reading my Facebook news feed, and I have to see comments that are mean spirited, ugly, and absolutely vitriolic. I actually started shaking reading some of them.

I got mad.

People, this isn't easy to accomplish. I am EASY GOING. Can someone make me mildly annoyed? Yes, very easily. I do work with college students after all. But mad? That's hard to do. And I wasn't just mad. I was seething.

The comments that got me riled up were not crafted by my Facebook friend posting a link to the article. They were in the comments that followed, from her friends and friends of friends. And I KNOW that anything Catholic is not a very popular religious choice, especially if it becomes known that one actually believes in all of the teachings of the Church. So, some snarky comments about how outdated the Church is and virtual eye rolling do not bother me in the least.

But what DOES make me mad, my friends, is the absolute intolerant and NASTY stuff that I read yesterday. I mean, HORRIBLE. Terrible inflammatory statements about the Church and anybody SIMPLE MINDED enough to actually align themselves with such an archaic institution.

99% of the time, I can let things go. But this stuff? I couldn't let it go. I just couldn't. I'm not going to even dignify what was said by paraphrasing it here, but I'd hope that you'd trust my judgment enough to know that the fact that I was so upset by it means that it was BAD.

I'm using caps a lot, see how worked up I am?

So I posted something. This is way out of my comfort zone, because I would never ordinarily do it, but I couldn't help it. I simply commented that I found the comments posted therein to be both unkind and unfair. I immediately got a comment back directed to me that had a major Attitude.

Well. I'm weak, but I couldn't let it go. I just COULDN'T. Pride goeth before a fall, sigh.

I certainly was not going to get into a debate on Facebook. Because, primarily, it's an easy format in which to lose your cool and launch into a very uncharitable tone with people. And that's wrong, even if you feel provoked. Secondly, let's face it, it's not going to do any good. Is she going to change her mind because I try to argue with her on Facebook? No way.

So I did comment back, but only to say that there are others out there, myself included, with a different viewpoint, and I respectfully agreed to disagree. I just wanted everyone who was spewing venom out on that thread to realize that, yes, there ARE still people out there who identify as Catholics, are proud of it, and feel that, despite the human imperfections of Her members, the Church is a beautiful and worthwhile institution.

Well. That ignited a malestrom of even uglier responses, and at that point, I did let it go. Because that was the right thing to do, and sometimes, I'm able to do the right thing. Not often enough, for sure, but sometimes I am. I did want to stand up for the Church, but I also did not want to slip into putting my pride first and thereby causing others to have an even more negative impression of Her. There was nothing to be gained by saying anymore, I'd said what I felt I needed to, and then I stepped away. These were all strangers to me anyway, why should I care what they think?

But I tell you, gentle reader, it was HARD. Oh, OH so very difficult! Someone even took my one sentence (and polite, if nothing else) reply and mocked it. It was a long post, I had clearly touched a nerve. And even though I left work feeling like I was snorting my nostrils out and creating new wrinkles in my forehead (such an attractive look), I didn't write anymore.

Interestingly, when I checked the thread again this morning (glutton for punishment), the worst of the comments, like that long one after mine? Gone. Deleted. Must be either by the commenter, or by the original poster of the article. Interesting. So maybe somebody else also thought they were over the top.

But this begs a question: when you hear something that you feel is anti-Catholic, should we say something? Or should we let it go and be an example of humility? St. Francis of Assisi tells us that we should evangelize always, and when necessary, use words. Yesterday, I felt a few words were necessary. But I agonized over whether or not I should say them, and chose them very carefully. And I stand by what I wrote. It was charitable and respectful. I held back a lot of what, emotionally, was roiling inside me. Was it the right thing to do?

In the end, I'm very glad that I chose my few words and otherwise held my tongue. I don't need to spew hatred all over a social networking site. I stand confidently with the Church, who stands firm, despite the weaknesses of Her human members.

And I learned another important lesson: I'm going to hide more things on Facebook when something bothers me. Nobody needs that kind of negativity in their life. Certainly not on something that is designed to help us stay connected to our family and friends.

So, the question of the day...Catholic Librarian: kind and possibly brave, or a cowardly idiot? Discuss. :)