I just don’t understand why doing all those things around a bunch of loud Catholics is necessarily easier for an introvert than doing it around a bunch of quiet Presbyterians, to the extent that people are representing the Catholic Church as the answer to the question, or Protestantism as the reason people struggle with it, or whatever’s going on with these “I used to have this problem and then I became Catholic” comments.

To repeat myself for the umpteenth time (and the last time, I promise!), Catholics don’t feel compelled to “do all those things,” whereas in certain evangelical churches it is expected. On the other hand, a Catholic can develop an interior life and even embrace a Christian mysticism, whereas many evangelicals look on that as pagan.

The comparison isn’t to “quiet” Presbyterians, and the issue isn’t “quietness” anyway. The question is the sorts of activities into which one is pressured to engage. Having said that, I did attend a Presbyterian church once, and the expectation to attend the after-worship coffee and doughnuts was one of the deal-killers. Perhaps not all Presbyterian churches are like that, but at least one of them was in my experience.

Christ IS.

That should end all silly discussions about whether or not He matches one of our psychological distinctions. To imagine otherwise borders on heresy. Who are we to judge what the Xpistos is? He gives us His death in Baptism, as well as the Eucharist, and in the Eucharist also gives us the food for tomorrow–for eternity.

Everything else, especially our opinions, are at best secondary, and most often, of no effect upon Jesus, for He is not of this world and we Christians of whatever stripe far too often ARE of this world.

Today’s Epistle–I Cor. 1:18-31–puts “our” opinions on the “do not disturb because they don’t matter” shelf. Baptism shatters man’s reasoning, and what is left is toast with the Eucharist. The liturgy is the vehicle that breaks the Old Adam, that the new might break forth, all in the Incarnate Word, God in the flesh. If there is one claiming the name Christian (of Christ) that argues against any of that, then he is but a caricature of Jesus.

The ultimate shame of faith is the breeches permitted by all and everyone under the name of doctrinal purity. I know that leaves me wide open, but bring it on, I have had really big guns come at me for saying that.

Still true. Everyone has their own little piece of Jesus they fancy as their own, and everyone else is wrong. Hogwash. We either belong to Him as He says in His own words (John intimated there were too many of them to be contained in all the books of the world), or we do not. Our wisdom is what today’s Epistle called it–foolishness.

Be it Calvin’s pre-destination; Luther’s free grace; Rome’s faith formed by love, or the Orthodox theosis, we ALL struggle to know the mysteries. Proclaiming one’s side correct at the expense of all others is really, all in all, presumptuous. To minimize the grand theology of all to make it serve the various psychoses we invent or “discern” in our mundane, and I am sure, very boring to God discussions means nothing. “Who do you say that I am?” Jesus asked Peter.

That question should be the question we should all ask when we awake, and when we put our heads on pillows. Our answer to that would solve most every theological rift, and lay waste to the cheap psychology that has invaded the Una Sancta.

We think too much of ourselves, and we have since Eden. We are way past the time to get over the me/us, andinstead, focus on the One Who came in the Flesh.

However, Chesterton got in right in Orthodoxy when he surmised that the most overlooked factor about Jesus is His mirth. Jesus and Isaac must rock Heaven giggling themselves silly over all of our serious theological discussions.

Get a grip, Sports Fans. There are many martyrs for Christ dying every day in this modern world of ours, while we quibble about personality types.

Give the Xpistos a break. He, at least, has earned that much. If you are an extrovert, shout and be glad! If you are an introvert, don’t shout, but still be glad.

Jesus loves you both.

No, that’s definitely not what I’m doing. I’m an introvert, and I understand it’s not that.

I just don’t understand why doing all those things around a bunch of loud Catholics is necessarily easier for an introvert than doing it around a bunch of quiet Presbyterians, to the extent that people are representing the Catholic Church as the answer to the question, or Protestantism as the reason people struggle with it, or whatever’s going on with these “I used to have this problem and then I became Catholic” comments.

I don’t claim that Christ is an introvert, but that you seem to have a misconception about introverts.

They already know each other so there’s no need to continue to spend time together knowing each other? This is odd.

Hear, hear, Sean.