The Catholic Church is the one true Church founded by Jesus Christ. Symbolically, I'm much more Pope Francis than Torquemada about it. Yet we all must believe it, and the true children of the Church do believe it.
Other people, it seems to me, keep the truth about the faith and the Church as a kind of keepsake, a family heirloom. Any faith or practice that is not Catholic is Wrong and Evil, and cannot be spoken of in positive terms. That's not me. I know what it was like making my way here; I'm the very last who wants to be unnecessarily caustic. I'm more likely to speak in harsh terms toward other Catholics who don't respect the faith journey of others.
Still, there is no better reason to be Roman Catholic than the fact that it is true, and that what the Church teaches is revealed by God. I don't prefer it to something else, in the common usage of "prefer" today. I can simultaneously hold that Catholicism is true, whilst also holding that everyone who doesn't is likely better than me, anyway. But everyone should be subject to the Pope, definitely.
I don't do internet dialogue with the Reformed anymore, mostly because I can be impatient and uncharitable at times. That was my world. It's a world and people that I still love. Love impels us to dialogue and to pray, and so we do.
Other people, it seems to me, keep the truth about the faith and the Church as a kind of keepsake, a family heirloom. Any faith or practice that is not Catholic is Wrong and Evil, and cannot be spoken of in positive terms. That's not me. I know what it was like making my way here; I'm the very last who wants to be unnecessarily caustic. I'm more likely to speak in harsh terms toward other Catholics who don't respect the faith journey of others.
Still, there is no better reason to be Roman Catholic than the fact that it is true, and that what the Church teaches is revealed by God. I don't prefer it to something else, in the common usage of "prefer" today. I can simultaneously hold that Catholicism is true, whilst also holding that everyone who doesn't is likely better than me, anyway. But everyone should be subject to the Pope, definitely.
I don't do internet dialogue with the Reformed anymore, mostly because I can be impatient and uncharitable at times. That was my world. It's a world and people that I still love. Love impels us to dialogue and to pray, and so we do.
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