Practical Christianity
Last night, while watching Anderson Cooper's 360 on CNN, I learned that the average life expectancy for an American is 77 years of age, while the average life expectancy for a member of the Seventh Day Adventist communion is 88 years of age. As I pondered this newly aquired information, I was confronted with a couple of choices. One choice was to consider joining the Seventh Day Adventist group. I personally am not a fan of death. I do not look forward to my death. Lest one think me unspiritual for such thinking a fair reading of the Scripture, I believe, demonstates that God is not the God of death but of life. The longer I can put off death, so much the better. Therefore, practically speaking, it made some sense to at least consider becoming a Seventh Day Adventist. As I thought about that option, I realized that, while becoming a Seventh Day Adventist would add approximately 11 years to my life, it would not prevent my eventual death. To be sure, I would be glad to add those eleven years but I would still have to face the fact that I am going to die and my body is going to be seperated from my soul. The other choice that was before me was to bite the bullet and remain as I am, a Catholic, swallowing the fact that I will more than likely lose about 11 years of life compared to the average Seventh Day Adventist. What is the practical decision? What is one to do when faced with such decisions?
To join or to stay, that is the question and so I have concluded that I will stay. I will "suck it up" as they say and confront the fact that remaining a Catholic and not becoming a Seventh Day Adventist means that I will probably die a decade sooner and I don't like that!!! But is living longer, even a healthier life a reason to choose a religion?? Some of you may remember how every now and then a magazine will do a cover story on faith and its positive impact on one's life. I remember a cover story not too long ago on prayer and how people who pray live longer and healthier lives. Are such practical benefits reason enough to be religious or, in the case of becoming a Seventh Day Adventist, choosing a different form of Christianity??? The answer is "NO." Truth is not, nor can it ever be, subject to the test of practicality. The question "does it work?" must be secondary to the question "is it true?" I choose to remain a Catholic, not because it is practical or beneficial in this life, though there are benefits to being Catholic in this life, but because to be Catholic means to have been embraced by the truth, for truth is not an idea or a propisition but a Person who became flesh and dwelt among us and even now, in this life, we receive this truth in the Eucharist. Becoming Catholic for me has been, to be very honest, very inconvenient and impractical. Without going in to many details my life has been made more difficult not less difficult by becoming Catholic, on both a personal and professional level. On a professional level, I love to teach the Bible and Theology, I have not done so for almost 6 months. Lord willing, I will have, someday, the privilege of either becoming a high school teacher of religion or the head of parish religious program. Until then, I wait. Finding a job has been very difficult. I have been looking in the business world and my resume is not the type of resume that makes me an attractive candidate, unless, of course, they are looking to hire a Corporate Chaplain LOL. I had one interviewer tell me very honestly, "You have one of the strangest resumes that has ever come across my desk." He was not being disrespectful, just honestly expressing what I am sure other prospective employers were thinking but didn't say. I write this, not because I feel sorry for myself, but to state very honestly that we must not make choices based on practical benefits but on truth. When Pilate was confronted with the Truth Incarnated he asked, "what is truth?" as if truth could be decided vote or consensus. As a close friend of mine has stated,
"Pilate was the first liberal in many ways. He thought truth could be what the majority decided and that the majority would make the right decision if given the choice." Pope Benedict XVI has called such thinking the dictatorship of relativism. We do not become Catholic because it is the practical thing to do. We do not remain Catholic because it is the practical thing to do. Rather we become Catholic and remain Catholic because it is true and because it is founded on the Truth made flesh. We are Catholic because our Founder remains with us even to this day, and even now continues to give of His flesh and His blood for the life of the world. This may not be the Religion we want, but it is the religion we need and in the end what we need is the most practical of all!!!
To join or to stay, that is the question and so I have concluded that I will stay. I will "suck it up" as they say and confront the fact that remaining a Catholic and not becoming a Seventh Day Adventist means that I will probably die a decade sooner and I don't like that!!! But is living longer, even a healthier life a reason to choose a religion?? Some of you may remember how every now and then a magazine will do a cover story on faith and its positive impact on one's life. I remember a cover story not too long ago on prayer and how people who pray live longer and healthier lives. Are such practical benefits reason enough to be religious or, in the case of becoming a Seventh Day Adventist, choosing a different form of Christianity??? The answer is "NO." Truth is not, nor can it ever be, subject to the test of practicality. The question "does it work?" must be secondary to the question "is it true?" I choose to remain a Catholic, not because it is practical or beneficial in this life, though there are benefits to being Catholic in this life, but because to be Catholic means to have been embraced by the truth, for truth is not an idea or a propisition but a Person who became flesh and dwelt among us and even now, in this life, we receive this truth in the Eucharist. Becoming Catholic for me has been, to be very honest, very inconvenient and impractical. Without going in to many details my life has been made more difficult not less difficult by becoming Catholic, on both a personal and professional level. On a professional level, I love to teach the Bible and Theology, I have not done so for almost 6 months. Lord willing, I will have, someday, the privilege of either becoming a high school teacher of religion or the head of parish religious program. Until then, I wait. Finding a job has been very difficult. I have been looking in the business world and my resume is not the type of resume that makes me an attractive candidate, unless, of course, they are looking to hire a Corporate Chaplain LOL. I had one interviewer tell me very honestly, "You have one of the strangest resumes that has ever come across my desk." He was not being disrespectful, just honestly expressing what I am sure other prospective employers were thinking but didn't say. I write this, not because I feel sorry for myself, but to state very honestly that we must not make choices based on practical benefits but on truth. When Pilate was confronted with the Truth Incarnated he asked, "what is truth?" as if truth could be decided vote or consensus. As a close friend of mine has stated,
"Pilate was the first liberal in many ways. He thought truth could be what the majority decided and that the majority would make the right decision if given the choice." Pope Benedict XVI has called such thinking the dictatorship of relativism. We do not become Catholic because it is the practical thing to do. We do not remain Catholic because it is the practical thing to do. Rather we become Catholic and remain Catholic because it is true and because it is founded on the Truth made flesh. We are Catholic because our Founder remains with us even to this day, and even now continues to give of His flesh and His blood for the life of the world. This may not be the Religion we want, but it is the religion we need and in the end what we need is the most practical of all!!!
posted by Cruciform Catholic | 11:15 AM
1 Comments:
What could the Adventists be doing that could be opposed to your faith that would allow them to live 11 years longer? Could this be an issue of your creating a false dichotomy to prove a point against a religion you don't understand? I was raised an Adventist and I can tell you we are wrong. In fact we aren't just wrong about one thing, we are wrong about many things. We, like other protestant denominations have bashed catholics and unintentionally caused
needless divisions in the body of christ. But, on the upside, we have been given a role in the body. Our role is to point out the absurdity in your argument. God has never asked us to do anything that was not
for our best interest or has he asked us to obstain from anything that would be beneficial. We are admonished to look at the longer view and not for short term gain. But, do you really think that God would withhold from you good health and longevity? What kind of witness would that be to the world? Is there any biblical support for it? Don't you think that poor health and shorter lifespans might be considered a stumbling block for non-believers? God bless you if you are willing to give up 11 years of life for your faith, but it is far more likely you are loosing your effectiveness as a witness for truth.
You may be entirely right! It is a shame that many will never see it!
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