The Evangelical Universalist Forum

Reasons I've Decided To Become Catholic

Another reason is because St. Teresa Of Avilla’s Experience of a spear thrusting into her heart creating a passionate desire and love for God fits well with my poem called “Union”. Here’s her experience and my poem:

It pleased our Lord that I should see the following vision a number of times. I saw an angel near me, on the left side, in bodily form. This I am not wont to see, save very rarely… In this vision it pleased the Lord that I should see it thus. He was not tall, but short, marvelously beautiful, with a face which shone as though he were one of the highest of the angels, who seem to be all of fire: they must be those whom we call Seraphim… I saw in his hands a long golden spear, and at the point of the iron there seemed to be a little fire. This I thought that he thrust several times into my heart, and that it penetrated to my entrails. When he drew out the spear he seemed to be drawing them with it, leaving me all on fire with a wondrous love for God. The pain was so great that it caused me to utter several moans; and yet so exceeding sweet is this greatest of pains that it is impossible to desire to be rid of it, or for the soul to be content with less than God.

Union

In union with You upon the cross
As love’s arrow pierces my heart
I die to myself and suffer loss
Then given a new life and start

Buried to my old self I then rise
Vision is now clear as I can see
New self reflects in Your eyes
The person I am and want to be

Looking deeper into Your Face
Beauty becomes brighter inside
With no more wrath only grace
In union with You I now confide

Another reason is I hold to their view of union in my book “The Evidential Power Of Beauty”

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God is love (agape love). So it’s basically falling in love with love or coming into union with love. This is done through prayer, meditation, contemplation, charity, and the Holy Eucharist. The blood of Christ is His love poured out. When we drink the wine we are drinking love and coming into union with Christ. Hence, falling in love with love. We worship what we love the most.

Kreeft believes in eternal torment. He defends it.

Yes but I go along with Bishop Barron in hopeful universalism. He was just recently appointed bishop. He’s also the one my Catholic church goes by.

Another reason is that they have a multiplicity of views on Revelation. They even allow for a combination of different interpretations all at once. Futurist, Preterist, Historicist, Spiritual/Idealist etc., etc.

Another reason is this poem by St. Teresa of Avilla

The Grail

They are like shy, young school kids - time and space
before the woman and the man who are intimate with God
The realized soul can play with this universe the way a child can a ball
A chalice - the Grail - my body became, for it held the Christ
and He drank from me
Sanctified are our limbs, for every heart has touched God,
though most with closed eyes.
A holy relic is each creature, and beauty may worry
about it’s comeliness waning
We fear dying till we know the truth of ourselves
The seams on my body are torn
I have stepped from the region of me that did not love all the time
There is a divine world of light with many suns in the sky
I slept with my Lord one night
now all that is luminous I know we conceived

Another reason is that you can do yoga and meditate. Here’s the definition or kind of meditation defined by St. John of The Cross:

Another reason is Catholics support and were involved in founding A.A.

12-step-review.org/

Another reason is because love forgives

The reason why I left the Catholic Church is because theres too many rules. http://www.themillergroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/JCLdMDveAn.png?4be9bf

I don’t mind the rules. I’m not a rebel anymore. I respect the authority of the Catholic church now :smiley:

Hehe, yeah, I was just being silly. Some of my favorite people are Catholics. I used to love watching Mother Angelica and Fr Groeschel on EWTN back when I lived with my mom and had a TV. Some of the most interesting people in history were Catholic, I read a biography once of St Therese of Lisieux, known as the little flower. Very inspiring that someone so young can have a deep love for the Lord. At that age I was way too rebellious.

That’s wonderful Turtle. I’ve never seen those but I do have a book by St. Francis called “The Little Flowers Of St. Francis” that I need to read. He’s one of my favorite. I have a statue of him in my front yard.

The Catholic man who is my A.A. sponsor and the one I am a caregiver for that I mentioned in the OP above had a good happy 30 years of marriage with his now deceased wife. They got along and never fought or argued. They never read a book on how to do it either. It took John Piper 40 years to write a book on marriage. For these reasons I’m rejecting The New Calvinism and becoming Catholic.

I am so glad you have been so greatly helped, Michael.

Whomever we fellowship with, Jesus and his Father are the centre of our affections. They are the Ones who supremely love us.

Well said Paidion!!! Thank you. And I agree!! :smiley:

I consider Christ like an icon and friend. When He’s not at the center things get out of balance for me. I’ve had many icons and idols. From poets, artists, rock star musicians like Metallica, writers, even drugs and alcohol have become idols for me. I worship what I love the most. It’s what my life revolves around. Here’s how the Christian mystic Richard Rohr puts it:

Here’s how one female lady put it:

Another reason I’m becoming Catholic:

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The 85 year old man who is my sponsor from A.A. and father to me (who I help out now) has been a great help to me and influence in bringing me to the Catholic faith. When I was down and out he and his family took me in and loved me when I was unlovable. A lot of people like to get others inspirational greeting cards but I write my own. Here’s what I wrote my A.A. sponsor - father - friend and had it framed with this scripture:

You see. Jesus hung out and loved the outcasts. These are the ones He came to love and heal. It was the poor and mentally ill that He loved. He said " Whatever you do to them you do to me". When speaking to the ruling class he said: