I wondered critically for a long time about the funny hats, the sedan chairs for the pope, the robes, the gold and all of that. I wondered before I was Catholic and after. It took a deeper understanding of things to figure it all out. Funny, but it never required research or asking anyone who was deep into the Church. Once I was really Catholic not nominally Catholic, it began to all make sense.
I had made the jokes or at least laughed at them about the showiness of the Church. Coming from Southern Protestant roots and being a practicing Baptist (sometimes), though not what my father would call a "Bible thumper," it all seemed so silly to me. I guess at heart I'm a frontiersman, as that is the interest of my life. Therefore the practical side of me looked at Catholicism and said, "What's all that about?" The historian side of me somehow understood all along, though.
Then when I became Catholic and then later really became Catholic, it slowly and then suddenly was understandable and acceptable. Let me explain the seeming double conversion to Catholicism. When I fell in love with my Catholic wife, I looked at the situation and the beliefs of the Faith in an intellectual way, and I said: "I can believe that. I've already accepted Christianity partly on faith and partly on historical evidence, so now I can believe this." All that was required was believing the Eucharist (basically) and I could always tell myself, “Christ said it," and not worry about interpretations. Later, twice actually, I delved deeper into my Faith, each time inspired by different events and experiences.
What hit me was: A. The Church is glorifying God with every gold chalice at every mass, every ceremony and every elegant robe at that ceremony; B. The Church is the largest charitable organization in the world, so Catholics cannot be accused of spending on ceremony at the neglect of those in need; C. Those hats and robes, and the ceremonies themselves, are not necessarily always comfortable, so this not an example of priestly luxury; D. The wealth of the Church is directed at charity, education , evangelization, and other worthy endeavors, while the part of that wealth wrapped up in historical collections and archives is used as educational resources. So the Church's resources are well used.
What the organization of the Catholic Church means to me today is a strong, worthy institution of God, founded personally by his son, Jesus Christ, with a noble mission (the most noble mission); but, as an organization of men and women, ever in danger of the flaws of mankind within its midst.
I had made the jokes or at least laughed at them about the showiness of the Church. Coming from Southern Protestant roots and being a practicing Baptist (sometimes), though not what my father would call a "Bible thumper," it all seemed so silly to me. I guess at heart I'm a frontiersman, as that is the interest of my life. Therefore the practical side of me looked at Catholicism and said, "What's all that about?" The historian side of me somehow understood all along, though.
Then when I became Catholic and then later really became Catholic, it slowly and then suddenly was understandable and acceptable. Let me explain the seeming double conversion to Catholicism. When I fell in love with my Catholic wife, I looked at the situation and the beliefs of the Faith in an intellectual way, and I said: "I can believe that. I've already accepted Christianity partly on faith and partly on historical evidence, so now I can believe this." All that was required was believing the Eucharist (basically) and I could always tell myself, “Christ said it," and not worry about interpretations. Later, twice actually, I delved deeper into my Faith, each time inspired by different events and experiences.
What hit me was: A. The Church is glorifying God with every gold chalice at every mass, every ceremony and every elegant robe at that ceremony; B. The Church is the largest charitable organization in the world, so Catholics cannot be accused of spending on ceremony at the neglect of those in need; C. Those hats and robes, and the ceremonies themselves, are not necessarily always comfortable, so this not an example of priestly luxury; D. The wealth of the Church is directed at charity, education , evangelization, and other worthy endeavors, while the part of that wealth wrapped up in historical collections and archives is used as educational resources. So the Church's resources are well used.
What the organization of the Catholic Church means to me today is a strong, worthy institution of God, founded personally by his son, Jesus Christ, with a noble mission (the most noble mission); but, as an organization of men and women, ever in danger of the flaws of mankind within its midst.