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My Journey Into the Orthodox Church

Fri, 04 Apr 2014 00:00:00 -0400

I recall being deeply moved by Fr. Richard John Neuhaus’ recounting of his journey from Lutheranism into the Roman Catholic Church (“ How I Became the Catholic I Was ”). It is a move that not a few have made, with denominational provenance spanning most every Protestant confession. Though I journeyed in a different direction from that of Neuhaus, many of the sights along the way were quite similar. Like him, however, neither do I wish for what follows to be an argument for my position, nor do I wish to engage those who have “cruelly, disdainfully, and despitefully” spoken against me, with little or no basis for their assertions (Psalm 31:20). The former I wish to avoid because I have embraced a way of life, not a set of dogmatic presuppositions, and everyone must be persuaded for himself or herself; and the latter because, as Jesus said, “they have received their reward” (Matt 6:5). Instead, I wish to tell my story for the sake of my friends, for those who may be asking, with kindness: Why?

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Benedict XVI in Lebanon: Encouraging Us to be Children Again

Tue, 18 Sep 2012 00:02:00 -0400

In his illuminating glimpse into the life of Pope Benedict XVI ( Light of the World: The Pope, the Church, and the Signs of the Times ), Peter Seewald’s conversation with the Holy Father contains a question and answer that always struck me as breathtaking. Seewald asks: “Are you afraid of an assassination attempt?” Pope Benedict XVI responds, with his shortest answer in the book: “No.” And that was it. No explanation. No second thought. No fear.

Hence his trip to Lebanon this past weekend.

Of course, others have already written about his fearlessness for even embarking on the journey. One of the best observations, in fact, came from Elizabeth Scalia over at the Anchoress who wrote: “He is Peter, to whom Christ said: ‘ . . . when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go,’ and so, he goes.”

Pope Benedict XVI did as he was bidden by Christ to do. And in so doing, in going where he was sent, he put a smile on the faces of those ravaged by war and bloodshed, and brought companionship and love to those who feel alone and on the margins of society.

However, the most remarkable portion of his visit seemed to have been the rally for youth where, as with previous papal journeys, thousands of young people gathered to listen to their Holy Father speak to them and pray for them. But something was different about this youth rally. It was, in a word, childish. And that was not a bad thing.

There is an intrinsic innocence to being a child. Children trust. Children hope. Children care. Children love. Children live, in some sense, the way God intended for us all to live. But then we grow up.

We get big and we get smart, and we often believe that we can think our way out of troubles; that if we only know more, we could be better and happier and healthier and safer. But it only takes a quick scan of history to know that it does not always work out that way. The smarter we are, the easier it is for us to think of ways to hurt other people. The more we study, the easier it becomes to make bigger bombs that destroy larger targets. And the more we hurt others and destroy their possessions, the more immune we become to the struggles of the world and those around us. War is a grown man’s game.

So in an area of the world that is stricken by adult troubles and images of which no child should ever be made aware, the Holy Father came and did a most unprecedented thing: he encouraged those gathered for the youth rally to be children again!

There was dancing and bright colors, oversized images (e.g., a large cross, a large catechism, and a large globe) and even fireworks! The world of the Middle East was, in short, transformed into a child’s world again, as we saw things the way children see things: big and bright and beautiful and loud.

And that was not coincidental, I do not think. In fact, it seemed that, for a moment, the Holy Father was intentionally encouraging those onlookers (and those of us watching from afar) to do what children do: to forget about the troubles of this mortal life, and to rejoice in being happy and free and filled with hope, even as this grown-up world appears to be falling into unrecoverable disarray.

And I, for one, am grateful for that. After all, it is to children that the kingdom of God belongs (Luke 18:16), and for a few hours on Saturday afternoon, we knew that the Kingdom of God was among us.

Joshua Genig serves on the faculty of SS. Cyril and Methodius Seminary in Orchard Lake, Michigan, as director of lay ministry and assistant professor of systematic theology.

RESOURCES

Peter Seewald, Light of the World: The Pope, The Church and the Signs Of The Times

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Benedict XVI and the Ultimate Betrayal

Wed, 30 May 2012 00:01:00 -0400

He looked tired. The glow which once radiated from his visage has been clouded, even amid the natural joy of Pentecost Sunday. And we also heard it in his voice, as he proclaimed in his homily, with a slight tremble, the most profound and apropos aspect of this great Feast:

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Obama: Pastor-in-Chief

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 00:01:00 -0500

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How Should We Celebrate Reformation Sunday?

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 00:01:00 -0500

Sixteen years ago, Stanley Hauerwas began his Reformation sermon this way:

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A Lutheran Reflects on Benedict XVI’s German Visit

Mon, 10 Oct 2011 00:05:00 -0400

When the door was closed on the meeting between Pope Benedict XVI and the leaders of the German Lutheran Church on September 23rd, 2011, for some in the USA it signaled the possibility of an open door to reunification while, for others, it signaled the need to nail another Ninety-Five Theses (or more) to the doors of our churches while shouting, papam esse ipsum verum antichristum .

The blogosphere erupted with commentary on the Pope’s speech. Some offered half-hearted appreciation for the Pope and his willingness to engage the ecumenical issues on the table. Unfortunately, from this latter group, at least from the perspective of one within the Lutheran church, it appeared to be the same old routine: begin by stating how nice it is to have a Pope who has some knowledge of Luther, make note of the fact that the Pope is a true scholar, and then proceed to blast him backhandedly by concluding, “However, it grieves me to say it, but he’s still the anti-Christ.”

Yet this reaction, regardless of how predictable it may have been, was not without significance. In fact, what the American Lutheran reaction to the Pope’s visit to Germany revealed was that the question once queried by Carl Braaten is still apropos: “Are Lutherans émigrés or exiles?”

Certainly, there is a strand of Lutheranism which sees itself as exiled from Rome and, in response, many of its members have made their way back “home” (e.g. Father Richard John Neuhaus of blessed memory, Professor Michael Root of Catholic University in America, and Dr. Adam Cooper of the John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family in Melbourne, to name just a few). Most Lutherans of a more conservative bent, on the other hand, have been more apprehensive about swimming the Tiber River.

What this apprehension indicates, however, is that many conservative Lutherans of the present day see themselves as émigrés and not exiles. They presume we exiled ourselves . No one forced us out. We left. And as we stomped out the door nearly five hundred years ago, our bitterness has left us to define ourselves by what we hate, rather than by what we love. An analogy: if your girlfriend leaves you, all you can remember are the reasons you loved her. But if you leave your girlfriend, you only remember her faults. Many conservative Lutherans believe that, in 1517, we left our girlfriend. And ever since, we have only been able to recall her faults. This, in turn, has left us in a rut, one which extends to the present day.

However, maybe in the grey-haired, German pontiff, who sometimes struggles to ascend the stairs of the high altar at St. Peter’s Basilica and always appears winded near the end of the proper preface, maybe in him we can find a glimpse of a bright future for the Church catholic where we truly are one” ut unum sint . Why? Precisely because,, even in his latter years, he continues (and maybe more than ever before) to be defined by what he loves and not by what he hates.

He loves his homeland, so he makes his third apostolic visit to Germany in six years (the most of any country except Spain). He loves the dignity of the human person, so he once again spent heartrending time with victims of abuse. He loves young people, so even after a Mass in Erfurt and a flight to Freiburg, he stayed awake long enough to exhort the youth of Germany at a prayer vigil to be the light of the world. And he loves his own church enough that he was willing to bid them to do what would seem to us Lutherans to be the unthinkable for Catholics: to learn from Luther.

From the Pope’s speech:

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