Believing in Jesus – A Book Review

Over the past 15 years, I have been studying various religions and the theology behind those religions. Six or so years ago I began “homing” in on the Catholic faith and converted a few years ago to the Catholic faith. I continue to grow in my “new found faith”, and in that function of growing, I am always wanting to get a deeper understanding of where the Church stands on things, and why.

This book was a great find to help me grow in understanding in the faith that God has led me to.

This book follows, loosely, the American version of the Catechism of the Church book released a few years ago. It does a very good job of describing why the Church believes as it does, ties it to the Bible, and explains the differences on a concept between the Catholic Church and other Christian Churches in the Protestant areas.

I HIGHLY recommend this book for any Christian, so they can better understand where the Catholic Church comes from in it’s theology of life.

This review was written as part of the Catholic book reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Believing in Jesus – 6th Edition Revised and be sure to check out their great selection of Mary statues while you are there.

Fixes…

I had, at one time, my reviews of books and movies showing the actual review. I just noticed that it was just showing my rating of the item, and not the review I wrote for it. I just fixed it. You can now be bored with what I have to think about the item I am reviewing. Enjoy!!

What a find!

For the last two and a half years, I have spent a lot of time at a couple of the local libraries studying various aspects of Theology as it was required by the Order I was in, or as I found an interest. During that time I got to know several of the staff pretty well, and have become close friends with a couple of them.

Yesterday one of them brought me two books:

The second book has me VERY excited. It is a book that has a photo copy of one of the original printings of William Tyndale’s initial translations of the Greek text of the New Testaments to the Bible. The history of the text and notes at the beginning of the book are also very interesting reading.

I am very excited that Charlie gave me this book. And it is in almost new condition, with no writing in it or other such marks! Very nice of him to give these two books, especially the New Testament one!

Shameless Plug/Begging…

Hello Readers,

Today I updated my blog yet again by adding some more advertising. So, it’s time to beg. There on the right, I have a section titled “Buy This!”. Below that tag you will see a rotating ad for a product I use and recommend. Each item you click on, and subsequently acquire, I get a SMALL stipend.

This goes for any book titles and pictures anywhere in the blog as well, again I get a small stipend. So, please do click on the links of the books I am reading or about to read that may be of interest to you. (Or go to my “Wish List” on the right sidebar under “Gifts for Don” and buy ME a book I want. ) (Please? You just missed my birthday!! )

Click on the link for Watkins, which will take you to the Watkins web site, which has some of the best spices in the world available for your cooking and eating needs! We also have other products at Watkins that may be of interest to you as well. There is even the ability to become an Associate of mine at Watkins and get a 25% or more discount on your products, and make money at the same time by selling to others.

Or you can directly give me money to open up my Dojo (Martial Arts School) by clicking on the link on the right side bar titled “Investment”, or on the page link below the coffee cup under “Investment”.

The banners under “Buy this!” will be added to and changed as I get better links to the products I use or used and recommend!

If you can’t buy any of the products, I hope you click on one of the two options I have under “Donate” (the tigers or the American Red Cross)!!

End of plug/begging!

I’m back!!

After an extremely long, longer than expected, absence I am back at the computer. Over the next few days you should start seeing postings here again.

I did want to call attention to a very good friend of mine and his new Blog. Ed created a company a few years ago called Oasis International that distributes Bibles and other Christian based books to many parts of Africa. He recently went modern and created a Blog that I would like to share with you: http://oasisinternational.typepad.com/ Please drop by and check them out. If you can, help them acquire the building/compound they are currently in and about to lose!!

Stay tuned!

Why the Catholic Church for me?

Over the last year and a half, as I have told people about my decision to convert to the Catholic Church as my faith center, I have had many people ask me “WHY?” (and in some cases “shouting it”!). So, after some thought about sharing why, I decided to write this, and schedule it to release while I am away on a 30 day prayer and contemplation retreat (returning on the 8th of June 2008).

When I turned 15, for 3 years every night, I had a dream about being a monk. I can remember trying to change my habit from that of the dream to an all black or all brown habit and white rope of the Roman Catholic Monks I had seen on TV or of the orange habit of the Buddhist Monks. I kept going back to the brown on white habit with a blue rope in the dreams, no matter how hard I tried to change it.

As many of you know (and if you read the whole blog, it’s here already), for the past 20 plus years I have been a Shaman (or priest) of the Mescalero Tribe of the Apache Nation. At the time of my life when I was introduced to this Nation, through what is now my Blood Brother George, I felt that the beliefs of the Tribe and Nation very closely followed what I felt in life. I learned the stories of the Nation, their love for the planet earth and all that the Great Spirit/Giver-of-Life (God) gave them, etc. During this time in my life, I felt there was still more out there to learn.

Every time I drove by the Knights of Columbus Halls out there, I had a strong desired to go inside and see what it took to become a Knight within their Halls. Over the last few years before converting to the Catholic Faith, I had a strong feeling that I would become a Knight through the Knights of Columbus… It was a STRONG feeling.

For most of the years 2004, 2005 and 2006 I did a lot of research into religion and faith systems. I looked into the Jewish faith, which was the faith of Moses, Abraham, David, and most of those God chose to his side in the Old Testament which is used by the Christian faiths and the Jewish. I looked into the Muslim faiths, which are an offshoot of the Jewish faith from a line of descendants from Abraham. I looked deeper into the Buddhist and other Eastern faiths. I looked into the Orthodox Catholic cult. (Cult to me is not a bad word in this case, all religions are cults in the original sense of the word. It is only “today” that cult has a bad meaning behind it, and wrongly so in my eyes. SOME cults are bad, some aren’t, and all religions are, by definition a cult.) I looked into the various Protestant church, especially the Methodist, which is what I was raised as until I turned 20ish.

In all of this research, I read at the Bible. (I didn’t REALLY start reading it until January of last year when I finally settled down and began studying the Catholic Church under Father Francis at Saint Henry Roman Catholic Church in Pompano Beach Florida.) In my readings, I found that I was leaning more and more towards the Catholic Church, as I was getting the feelings inside me that it was the Church that was initially founded on the actions and words of Jesus Christ, who I was earnestly coming to believe was the Messiah foretold in the Old Testament in no uncertain terms.

As I looked at the various Protestant Christian systems out there here in the US, I found that each had be created by someone that had been wronged or didn’t like something that was happening in the Roman Catholic Church, which they were a member of. For example, the Methodist Church, which I was most familiar with was created by John Wesley, who was originally a Priest with the Anglican (or Church of England) Church, but had a desire to make changes, which the Church did not accept. So, he split off and formed the Methodist Church. (A lot more than that happened, and lead to the split, but that’s a rough, and I do mean rough, summation of it!)

The same appears to be true for most of the other Christian faith systems.

While I do not believe that the Roman Catholic Church is infallible, I do believe that PEOPLE within the Church, including Priest, have made some bad choices, probably listening to themselves, and not open up to the Word of God, and done some wrong things. I do feel that Jesus appointed Peter to lead Jesus’ flock in the pursuit of love and the will of God. I do feel that he assigned the other Apostles of Christ to create the basis of the “leadership” of the Church, or the Bishops. I do believe that the Pope sits in the position of the first Pope, Saint Peter.

I do not believe that the Pope is infallible, but then again, nor does the Roman Catholic Church, contrary to the popular belief of others! I do believe that a good Pope will listen to his Flock as well as to God through Prayer, reading the Word, and consultation with his fellow Bishops.

In my research, I feel, strongly, in my heart that the over all dogma of the Roman Catholic Church is correct and follows the intent and Word of the Bible. I like that it is one of the few Churches that has services seven days a week. That the Priest are dedicated to the Church and do not work in any other capacity. (Yes, some teach, some work in offices, etc., but in all cases, they are religious related postings.) That you can go to any Mass/Service on the same day anywhere in the World and know what is happening and know in advance what is being read and said (minus the Homily or “speech” by the Priest, which is always individual for the most part). That over a three year period, if you go to Mass seven days a week, you will have had the entire Bible read to you and explained to you. (Many of the Protestant Church get fixed on one or two or three Books in the Bible and go back to the often through out the year, and they leave out books that they don’t understand or like or ….)

Upon looking at the various faith systems out there, I felt a sense of relief as I grew closer and closer to converting to the Roman Catholic Church and the few times I moved in directions towards other faiths, I felt a sadness of heart. At each point this past year, as I was accepted as a Postulate with the Order of Brothers and Sisters of Reconciliation last year, as I was accepted into and confirmed in the Catholic Church earlier this year , and as the Order accepted the past year as my Novitiate year and accepted my initial Vows as a Full Religious Brother/Friar in the Order, I felt that relief intensify.

As I go to the Eucharistic Mass daily, participate in the rituals and readings, help others settle their issues with the Lord, pray daily and often in a day, I feel more and more that I have done the right thing in life.

The Changes Continue…

Back in May I announced that I had started the process of converting to Catholicism. What I didn’t say on that day, was that I had applied to the Brothers and Sisters of Reconciliation, a Secular/Religious Order of Friars and Sisters, to become a Postulate to the Order. On the 27th of May 2007 I was accepted as a Postulate and gave private vows of Poverty, Chastity, and Obedience, pending Novitiate status once Confirmed in the Church. So, for the past several months I have been doing my initial studies to become a Friar, and once accepted as a Novitiate, will take my second Private Vows of Poverty, Chastity and Obedience. Once I am fully in the Order as a Professed and Vowed Brother/Friar, in one year roughly, I pray that I will be allowed to begin my studies to become a Priest.

During this study time I have come to learn the “Liturgy of the Hours”, which are a series of prayers and readings seven times a day that are read and prayed by all Religious and Priest within the Church. Many Lay people are once again participating as well. I have read the the Bible via three different translations from the Original Greek and other original languages, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the book of Canon Law for the Church, and MANY other books. (Look at side bar of current readings, pending readings and an updating list of book reviews of all of the books I have read.)

This has been a strong formative time for me, and I have learned a lot! I continue to grow in God and in happiness with each passing day.

Ahhh!

Ok, I kept exercising and doing my thing and by the evening of that first night I was better, and today the pain is mostly gone. Good timing as tomorrow I do the same set again. This working out is making me feel much better. Haven’t lost any weight or inches yet, but I have lost some fat and toned up already some! Lots more fat to remove and toning to do though!

And lots of reading. This past holiday season has messed up my reading and I am WAY behind where I want to be!! Time to get back on the reading boat now that the decorations are down at church, the traveling, for now, is over, etc!