Dick Durbin, pro-choice Catholic Senator

Dick Durbin, Catholic Democrat, is not just pro-choice, he's super charged with killing the unborn. The pope knows that, knows he violates long held Catholic moral teaching, and he waffled on being questioned. I have no horse in this race, but we hear enough blather from politicians--no reason to have it from the pope who probably has no problem speaking out about climate or immigration on which there is no Catholic dogma.

Pro-choice politicians, Catholic teaching and the lessons we still can’t learn - America Magazine

I also dislike the so-called moral equivalency of comparing the failings of Communist/socialist ideals with failings of free market/patriotic ideals. Illegal immigration also involves drugs, rape and trafficking. That straw man is also rampant in non-Catholic Christian groups who then equate violence against someone with words they don't like.

"Senator Durbin’s track record of supporting the human dignity of immigrants is worth celebrating, but it cannot erase the moral failure of his support for abortion. We also ought to be equally concerned about the many Catholic elected officials on the right who may accept church teaching on abortion but are even now cheering on, to use the Holy Father’s language, “the inhuman treatment of immigrants.” " (the article)

The Hutchins and Houck cases

I know it's ancient history, but did the FBI arrest Alec Baldwin when he killed with an unregistered prop gun Halyna Hutchins? Don't we have federal and state gun laws? Is that a less serious offense than someone being pushed at an abortion event which the local police had already investigated and settled? Can we always expect the FBI to show up for cases under local jurisdiction or just for Catholics or just for pro-lifers? Do you remember how many Antifa or BLM rioters were arrested at home in front of their families by the FBI? They were burning down federal buildings and looting private property. It looks to me like the pro-abortion guy was assaulting the pro-lifer's son--that's why the local police settled it. Parents are allowed to protect their children, or were until Joe got on the scene. Why is Joe Biden using the FBI as his personal terror squad?

FBI arrest of Pennsylvania pro-life activist 'stinks to high heaven,' former prosecutor says: 'Loser case' | Fox News

Catholics off the rails--the Pew Study and USCCB

John 6:66 "From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him."  

 Bishop Robert Barron addresses the problem that 70% of Roman Catholics believe the real presence is symbolic.  This problem was also addressed at the recent gathering (November 15-18) of U.S. Bishops. Many had hoped there would be condemnation or at least mention of Catholic politicians who push abortion, support same sex marriage and gender confusion. That didn't happen. This speech is from 2020, and lays the ground work.

https://youtu.be/UzCPu_lEhe8

One-third of U.S. Catholics believe in transubstantiation | Pew Research Center

"BALTIMORE — The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops voted overwhelmingly to approve a teaching document on the Eucharist Wednesday that caused a great deal of controversy in its June meeting due to concerns that its section on worthiness to receive Communion would be perceived as aimed at prominent pro-abortion Catholic politicians like U.S. President Joe Biden.

The document did include a section on worthiness to receive Communion, reminding the faithful that “if a Catholic in his or her personal or professional life were knowingly and obstinately to reject the defined doctrines of the Church, or knowingly and obstinately to repudiate her definitive teaching on moral issues” they “should refrain” from Communion, but contained no references to specific politicians. Compared to the three hours of heated debate its drafting spurred, there was only about a half-hour of comments from bishops before its passage by a vote of 222-8, with three abstentions."

It seems the document leaves it up to the local bishop, so Biden and Pelosi will continue to thumb their noses at the church and Jesus.

US Bishops Try to Keep Focus on Eucharist, Not Politicians, in New Document| National Catholic Register (ncregister.com)

The document "The Mystery of the Eucharist in the Life of the Church" was developed by the Committee on Doctrine of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). It was approved by the full body of the USCCB at its November 2021 General Meeting and has been authorized for publication by the undersigned.

The Mystery of the Eucharist in the Life of the Church | USCCB

The Mystery of the Eucharist in the Life of the Church.pdf (usccb.org)

Should Biden get Communion given his abortion views? Catholics split by party | Pew Research Center

THOMAS AQUINAS - SACRAMENT OF THE EUCHARIST - Quotes (crossroadsinitiative.com)

Illustrated History of the Diocese of Columbus--today's new book purchase

 

Dear UAPL:

This is not a purchase suggestion; I'd like to donate it for circulation.  There are 9 copies in the system, none in UAPL and 5 are non-circ. I purchased it today at VOA for 90 cents.  Published in Italy in 2001, it is in prime condition with good quality paper and color photos. I'm not a Catholic, but enjoyed reading it due to the local history and excellent photos of local churches including St. Andrew, St. Timothy, St. Agatha, plus local schools like Ready and Watterson, Ohio Dominican and the Josephinum.  It also has photos of local works of art. It's not really a reference book, or even just local history (the diocese is huge and covers many communities) which is why I'd like to see it in your circulating collection. The UAPL does not have a good collection on Christian denominations, the history of Christianity or even Christian values or ideas, and I believe this would be a valuable addition to your collection.

Joe Biden, the faithless Catholic

"In 1988, Biden ended his search for the presidency when it was discovered that, in reciting the story of his life, he had plagiarized a speech given by Neil Kinnock, the leader of the Labour Party in Britain. The late Bernard Nathanson quipped that the reason it took Biden so long to withdraw was that he was waiting to plagiarize the withdrawal statement of Ted Kennedy. "

"When [Joe Biden] was chairman of the Judiciary Committee in the Senate, he worked closely with Ted Kennedy, and with malicious deceit, in defeating the nomination of Robert Bork. That led in turn to the nomination of Anthony Kennedy. Justice Kennedy would lead a defection of Republican appointees in 1992 to block the overruling of Roe v Wade.

And after securing the right to abortion for another generation, he laid the groundwork for removing, from the laws, any adverse judgment on the homosexual life. (Romer v Evans, 1996, Lawrence v. Texas, 2003). With that, he installed the premises that led, step-by-step to same-sex marriage (Obergefehl v. Hodges, 2015)."

Hadley Arkes, The Catholic Thing, Nov. 3, 2020

Downton Abbey—a look back

Downton Abbey was a delight as a TV series, and I hope to see the movie. But have you ever wondered why the Grantham family were living in an abbey? Definition of an Abbey: a monastery under the supervision of an abbot or a convent under the supervision of an abbess. I don't claim to know anything about the British aristocracy or what the titles Countess, Earl, or Lady mean, but I do know they aren't priests, nuns or abbots. Our status symbols in the U.S. are all about money and celebrity, not titles--Jeff Bezos for instance is the richest man the world--and that means more power than a title handed down from his father. Even the wealthiest and most admired dynasties in the U.S. disappear in a flash when the money is gone, or the government takes it away. Movie stars who have a different admired status become wrinkled and don't get the good roles.

So why did Anglican British royalty and lesser folk live in buildings built by Roman Catholics? It goes back to the English Reformation and is one of the nastiest and unloving chapters in Christian history. King Henry VIII stole the wealth of the monasteries, had the owners killed off, chased off or imprisoned, and gave the lands and buildings to his supporters. The church had traditionally taken care of the poor and sick (as Jesus told them to do)--they were turned out also, and we had the seeds of the terrible poverty, wealth and abuses of the industrial revolution.

An Illinois Catholic on the new abortion bill—guest blogger

“Our priest spoke about it numerous times, as did others. . .  The diocesan office encouraged everyone to pray, fast, and act.  For those who were able, many trips were taken to Springfield to protest this hideous legislation.  We were encouraged to spread the word about these bills.  Many wrote letters, many called. . . .  The judicial process allowed us to protest the bills via an online vote. 

It's saddening to realize we have people who do not value life.

In the recent newspaper from our Diocese, a priest has made it known that all legislators who voted for these bills and reside in his deanery will be denied holy communion (I believe it was a priest, might have come from another Bishop) . . .  until that person has made his/her confession.  And interestingly, both Madigan (Speaker of the House) and Culverton (Head of the Senate) are both Catholic.  The denial of holy communion is powerful.”

Who knew what when? Theodore McCarrick

“More than sixty years after his priestly ordination, nearly five decades after he began sexually abusing young men and boys, more than four decades after his episcopal consecration, and at least nineteen years after his preying on seminarians was first reported to the Vatican, Theodore McCarrick is – we are told – on the verge of being removed from the clerical state”

In this era of either hyper-vigilance over a joke or a yearbook 35 years old,  contrasted with a casual accepting attitude toward homosexuality, the church will be conflicted over what to do.  So far, the oversight and caring for the teens and boys who have been abused is just disgusting.

https://www.thecatholicthing.org/2019/02/14/mr-mccarricks-mess/

Cuomo and Pelosi

Abortion and infanticide were common in the pagan cultures where the early Christians lived and worked. Still is, and Christians still need to reject the siren call of the culture.

I'm not a Catholic, but neither are Andrew Cuomo and Nancy Pelosi for their support of killing the unborn, a violation of church teaching since the 1st century. ("Thou shalt do no murder; thou shalt not commit adultery; thou shalt not commit sodomy; thou shalt not commit fornication; thou shalt not steal; thou shalt not use magic; thou shalt not use philtres; thou shalt not procure abortion, nor commit infanticide; thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's goods." The Didache, a document of the church older than the Bible)

This latest crime in NY is beyond belief. Legalize the killing of a baby right up to birth (and make sure she's DOA for that last push with a shot or sucking out her brain). What can they possibly be confessing at the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation that can get them absolved of this sin against humanity and a ticket out of purgatory? They have to find a really liberal priest, is my guess.

Josee Eric walked away from the Democrats—will vote for Trump in 2020

“I was born and raised in California, San Mateo to be exact. I grew up in a Latino household and surrounded by other Latinos. Like in most cases, most people surround themselves with their own race. If I did not fit in with Latinos, where would I fit in? So naturally, I'd try to act and involve myself with other Latinos. As a legal citizen, I thought it was my duty to help them out.

As I've stated, I grew up in California. Not only was I being influenced by Latinos, but by Democrats as well. They always told me that everyone was created equal, they were going to help Latinos, everyone deserves to be here, etc. I never had a chance to do anything I believed was right because if it they found it wrong, I'd be shamed by democrats or within my Latino community. I had to follow the flow.

Fast forward to 2016, when Donald Trump was running for president. I was taught by those surrounding me that Donald Trump was evil and was racist against Mexicans. The mainstream media, such as Univision, misinformed me and made it seem as Jorge Ramos was standing up for us. As a senior in high school, I believed every word. I did not vote simply because I was too lazy, but I would have voted for Hillary Clinton.

When Donald Trump was elected president, my dance teacher, made it seem like a bad thing. She told us, "I know you're all scared, but we will push through this." She's a nice teacher, so I don't want to look down on her or even offend her out of respect; hence, why I'll stop it at that. I started seeing Democrats on TV being violent almost immediately, I saw Democrats assaulting Trump supporters. It was all chaotic.

What made me go Republican? There was a student in my school who I thought of as very smart and supported Donald Trump. I didn't want to lose a friend so I respected his opinion. He told me his reasons for supporting Donald Trump (I won't give his name for personal reasons). . . and they seemed reasonable to me; however, due to being Latino, I knew I was going to get backslash if I were to admit it.

Then, my government teacher made us all do research on both, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump- including both parties. That's where I've realized that most of my views aligned with the Republican side and Donald Trump. Still, I turned the blind eye decided to stick to Hillary Clinton and the democratic side. Time went by and the same government teacher asked the class what we do if the gay community were to start wanting to get married through the Catholic church. I immediately remembered my mom telling me that God created the male and female for a reason. So I raised my hand and told the teacher, "As a Catholic, [I believe]  God created the man and women for a reason. Meaning, chances are God would not approve of that. I have no problem having them get married through the government and stuff, but if they start messing with our tradition, our faith, then I have a problem." (Keep in mind that I've always questioned my faith, but my Mom is Catholic so I'd consider myself Catholic for her sake.)  My friend told me to shut up because I might get my "ass beat" - he said it to look out for me, not to threaten me.

Now, I've been starting to get really pissed off at the left for all the things they've done. What really made me mad, the final straw, the reason for my walk away were: the migrant caravan, Democrats not wanting to fund the wall, acting childish and then calling the president a child, for not knowing how to respect the president.

I'll admit, I didn't support the wall back in 2016, but after my teacher made us do our research, I've come to realize the wall is necessary.
Worst part about the whole thing, Democrats see me as a monster and say I'm against women's rights, against Latinos, against everything the US stands for. The Latinos, they see me as a traitor, even tell me not tell anyone I'm Latino because I'm dead to them and that I'm an embarrassment to Mexico. The few Republicans have to hide the fact that they’re Republicans because they'll get bashed on as well. So much for freedom of speech. Now I have to know who I can open up to as a conservative Latino. I have to be silent. But it's ok, I'll silently vote for Trump 2020.

This is my walk away story.”

Dr. Matthew Bunson

Dr. Matthew Bunson has written over 50 books, which includes this list found in Wikipedia.  I plan to look for others.  I heard him on the radio and was fascinated by his story, and that of his parents. He said both his father and brother died of Huntington’s disease (a hereditary brain disease), but never addressed that in the interview.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47usbiHDefg

• Encyclopedia of the Roman Empire
• The Encyclopedia of Catholic History
• The Encyclopedia of Saints
• All Shall Be Well
• Papal Wisdom
• The Pope Encyclopedia
• Encyclopedia of American Catholic History
• Angels A-Z, an Encyclopedia
• Pope Benedict XVI and the Sexual Abuse Crisis (co-author)
• We Have a Pope! Pope Benedict XVI
• Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages
• The Angelic Doctor
• Apostle of the Exiled: St. Damien of Molokai
• Saint Kateri Tekakwitha
• Encyclopedia of Sherlock Holmes
• The Agatha Christie Encyclopedia

Webinar on decisions of life and death from Catholic Distance University hosted by Dr. Bunson

https://youtu.be/ArVQDob8ZvU

The POLST referred to in the discussion: https://www.cathmed.org/assets/files/LNQ59%20FINAL.pdf

We met with our lawyer this week to update and revise our documents. A lot has changed since 2005 when they were created, including medical advancements. Be informed.

Sex crimes in the church

Homosexual priests preying on teen age boys, and a Cardinal preying on seminarians. It's been a tough year for the faithful, says Father Murray at The Catholic Thing.

"The faith and love of Catholics for Christ and His Church has been severely tried this year. The common expectation among Catholics that the bishops as a whole shared the same horror of sexual, and in particular of homosexual, immorality among the clergy has been shown to be an illusion. So be it.

Love for the Church has prompted laity to call for a reform of the hierarchy. Accountability for past failures to root out sexual immorality is the first necessity, as is a clear demonstration that a repeat of the career path of a Theodore McCarrick will be impossible in the future.

Bishops will only regain the respect of ordinary Catholics if they truly live up to what we all believe is the Church’s true mission, the salvation of souls. If the dark clouds of 2018 have a silver lining, it’s that there is now at least some chance that immoral and conniving priests and bishops will no longer be tolerated, protected, or promoted, but rather called to repent and held to account."

Sounds like Paul’s letter to the Romans.

https://www.thecatholicthing.org/2018/12/17/a-troubling-year-in-review/

What has happened to church weddings?

A Catholic priest called the Dennis Prager (who is Jewish) Show today to respond to a question about “marriage is a sacrament” in the Catholic church.  He said he’d been at his parish of about 400 families for 20 years, and weddings in the church had gone down by two thirds! Some people are not getting married, and some are choosing other venues.  Prager expressed his shock, but the priest continued, that the young people he counseled over 20 years had changed.  Whereas, 20 years ago they were “cultural Catholics,” and now they were “choice Catholics.”  And he mentioned 3 couples in his parish—one he married a few weeks ago, one right after Thanksgiving, and one whose wedding was coming up.  He said all three couples were in mass this past Sunday.  Prager agreed with the concept.  He said formerly there were cultural Jews, and now they are Jews by choice if they attend services.

What are you hearing in sermons and homilies?

Howard Kainz, a Catholic, observes, “I was surprised in the last couple months to hear two homilies – one on the abuse crisis and cover-ups, the other on abortion. My surprise is based on the fact that I have never heard these two topics discussed at any Sunday Mass since Vatican II. And I have attended Masses in quite a few states.”

I’ve noticed the same thing at our church.  In over 40 years at UALC, I’ve heard one sermon on marriage and nothing about abortion, homosexuality, same sex marriage, war, poverty, immigration, and just a smidgen on finances, etc. It is up to small groups or social ministries to address those concerns—without a pastor and usually without Biblical leadership.

Forty years ago I was relieved not to hear about the culture and day to day drama from the pulpit, as we had transferred from First Community Church and that seemed the primary topic of the day, but with no gospel.  The preacher there in the 1970s was a fabulous speaker, impassioned, poetic, with sermons that read like the front page of the Washington Post;  and he was also unfaithful to his wife and children leaving in disgrace. Maybe he just had pent up energy or guilt.

But there are times I feel we conservatives Christians are drowning in a culture of hate, bias, misinformation, and scripture twisting. I understand the pastor has to speak to everyone, but it does seem we just quietly go out to coffee in the narthex to struggle on our own while munching blueberry donut holes.

https://www.thecatholicthing.org/2018/11/12/homilies-on-hot-topics/

The Pope is still part of the problem, according to many Catholics

"There are three takeaways from the announcement that came from the Vatican on Wednesday, of a gathering of the presidents of the world’s bishops’ conferences (in February 2019) to discuss “the protection of minors”:

1) the pope is closing the barn door after the horse got out;
2) the C9 cardinals had to twist the pope’s arm to close the door;
3) when it comes to the moral rot in the clergy, high and low, the pope is still part of the problem.
Christopher Altieri, The Catholic Thing, https://www.thecatholicthing.org/2018/09/14/two-on-the-crisis/

Before 21st century Christians, particularly the non-Catholics, get their feathers fluffed and fur standing on end so they can look bigger, let's just remember that all the reprimands Paul wrote to the churches in the first century concerned all these sins--pornography, pederasty, false gods, impiety, every wickedness known to man, mutual degradation, worship of a creature, insolence, scandals in the church, gossip, murder, and so forth. Or, look at the revelation Jesus gave John with descriptions of the church--again first century--the favorite apostle was still alive and the Christians were already stumbling! People were claiming to be apostles who weren't! Members of the assembly of Satan! Kneeling at Satan's throne! Holding to the teachings of Balaam! Listened to a fake prophetess! Harlots! Incomplete works and a dead church.

To each of the 7 churches, Jesus says, "I know your works."

The PR spin on the sex abuse scandal

http://www.ncregister.com/blog/dan-burke/must-watch-video-how-to-recognize-judas-in-your-midst

An excellent sermon, but I don’t think many are listening.

What’s happening with Philadelphia’s foster care?

The City of Philadelphia is attacking the Catholics--THIS time—because it doesn’t recognize marriage between/among homosexuals. Therefore it must lose its grant funding for children’s foster care.  But in fact, federal, state and local government social services sub-contract to many different religious groups, Jews, Catholics, Protestants, Orthodox, and Muslim. The problem is, you have to dance with the one who brought you. And many do.  Churches often have to compromise their beliefs, morals and values in order to get the money—to collaborate--or to even get insurance for their staff members. Remember when Obama went after the nuns who cared for the elderly and poor because they didn't provide birth control for staff? And Chick-fil-a because it didn't cover abortifacients?  I believe it was Massachusetts that planned to penalize churches that didn’t “integrate” the bathrooms because the building might be used for secular or public purposes. http://newbostonpost.com/2016/12/19/not-so-fast-massachusetts-ag-office-says-churches-not-always-exempt-from-bathroom-bill/

All Christians are commanded to do good works--some see it as part of salvation, others see it as an outcome of salvation, but Jesus made it clear--if you have no good works, you don't recognize him as savior (Matt. 25) and he won't see you as his flock. There are no goats in heaven. At one time in the U.S., virtually all community services were handled by the churches and community organizations, but gradually the government became more socialist and began copying and co-opting them (like the Peace Corps which was built on the Anabaptist volunteer model) and then doling out funding for the churches to do what Christ commanded. Gradually, churches lost their mission, and began competing for the government dollar instead of hearts.

Not accepting the grant money isn't always the solution. The government also controls the licensing and regulations for social services and all the HR regulations for staff, internships, codes, building, etc. Also, some of these agencies that the government attacks for not recognizing homosexuals as adoption candidates or fostering (it is after all supposed to be about the children) also run food panties, clothing and material outlets for the poor, settle refugees and immigrants, run job training programs, prison ministries, summer camps, disaster relief, etc., and the government can consider those "contaminated" and pull those grants, too.

So the holier than thou accusations about gay couples are really just an all out attack on Christians. Even those Christian organizations who have no problem with gay couples, just might draw the line at polygamy, incest or someone who choses another of the 32 genders.

The Church's response to Islam

 William Kirkpatrick, The Catholic Thing

"Ironically, one of the factors that is driving people out of the [Catholic] Church is its response to Islamic terror. After every terrorist attack, the Vatican (or some prominent bishop) assures us that the violence has nothing to do with Islam, which we are told is a “religion of peace” – a response not a whit different from the politically correct, secular liberal response.

In fact, Church leaders often put secular leaders to shame in their advocacy for Islam. The Obama administration called for the admittance of 10,000 Syrian refugees; the USCCB called for 100,000. When European leaders began to admit that Muslim migration should be restricted for the sake of national security, Pope Francis responded by insisting that the safety of migrants was more important than national security."

And before you think this is just a Catholic problem, you can hear the same thing in Main Line Protestant churches--just different "authorities." He continues.

"As recently as ten days ago, on the anniversary of 9/11, Pope Francis declared that religions “cannot desire anything other than peace.” Well, technically, yes. Islam desires peace – except that Islamic scholars say that peace can only be achieved by the subjugation of the entire world to Islam.

Church leaders haven’t quite figured out that when Islam talks peace it really means war, but ordinary Catholics are not so Pollyannaish. And as the gap widens between what the hierarchy says about Islam and what Catholics can see with their own eyes, we can expect that many more Catholics will become alienated from the Church."

Continental Ambitions; Roman Catholics in North America

I accept review copies of books--usually non-fiction. Next time, I'll ask the number of pages and font size. Kevin Starr's "Continental Ambitions; Roman Catholics in North America, the Colonial Experience" has 639 page, a 32 pg. index, a 38 pg. essay on sources, a preface, a prologue, acknowledgements and notes. I can barely hold it on my lap, and the print is tiny. It begins in 1511 and ends when John Carroll returns to Maryland in the 1700s. So there's more to come. The prologue covers the Christian missionary work in Greenland and Iceland in the 12th century. Because I'm a Lutheran, I know nothing between Paul's journeys/letters and the 16th century so this is some deep diving for me. Starr has been the city librarian of San Francisco and the state librarian of California. Publisher is Ignatius Press, 2016. ISBN 978-1-62164-118-6. And here's something I haven't seen in awhile: Printed in the United Sates of America!

  

"Starr begins this work with the exploration and temporary settlement of North America by recently Christianized Scandinavians. He continues with the destruction of Caribbean peoples by New Spain, the struggle against this tragedy by the great Dominican Bartolomé de Las Casas, the Jesuit and Franciscan exploration and settlement of the Spanish Borderlands (Florida, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Baja, and Alta California), and the strengths and weaknesses of the mission system.

He then turns his attention to New France with its highly developed Catholic and Counter-Reformational cultures of Quebec and Montreal, its encounters with Native American peoples, and its advance southward to New Orleans and the Gulf of Mexico. The volume ends with the founding of Maryland as a proprietary colony for Roman Catholic Recusants and Anglicans alike, the rise of Philadelphia and southern Pennsylvania as centers of Catholic life, the Suppression of the Jesuits in 1773, and the return of John Carroll to Maryland the following year.

Starr dramatizes the representative personalities and events that illustrate the triumphs and the tragedies, the achievements and the failures, of each of these societies in their explorations, treatment of Native Americans, and translations of religious and social value to new and challenging environments. His history is notable for its honesty and its synoptic success in comparing and contrasting three disparate civilizations, albeit each of them Catholic, with three similar and differing approaches to expansion in the New World." Ignatious Press

"Asking Kevin Starr a question is like turning on a fire hose. First there's a blast of erudition. Then, as his intellect gathers, information rushes out in a deluge. He's talking, but it's as if an invisible scholar inside his head is yanking books off shelves, throwing them open, checking the index, then racing off to find the next volume. On the outside, Starr is an avuncular 72-year-old, but his brain is sprinting like an Olympian." LA Times, April 12, 2013

Catholics and Lutherans on Grace

I'm not linking back to this former Lutheran pastor's name until I check with him that it's OK. If it's not, I'll remove the post. He's now a Catholic.

"Catholics and Lutherans both agree grace is undeserved and entirely all God’s doing. How God does it is where the wheels spin off the rails. Catholics held to a”infusion” of grace, Lutherans to an “imputation.” Either way, the same source, God.

Infusion of grace enables sinners to cooperatively “grow” toward God through lives transformed in Christ. Imputation of grace declares you’re never going to be any more righteous than you are at the moment Christ declares you his. Nonetheless, both Catholics and Lutherans hold to the doctrine of sanctification, growth in holiness.

In a sense, Catholics conflate justification and sanctification. For Lutherans, sanctification rises as one gains greater awareness of being justified. Now, for the life of me I can’t tell a whole lot of difference one from the other – justification is through Christ by faith that we may ever become who we are, children of God. But in the rarefied airs of theology-talk, Lutherans accused Roman Catholics of believing that humans can earn salvation, and Roman Catholics accused Lutherans of believing that Christians do not need to have their lives transformed. Neither, examined attentively, is what the other actually taught.

A Waffle House waitress explained it to me when I once – and never since – tried to order grits. Grits are like grace, you know. “Honey, you don’t order grits, they just comes.” Now, does it matter how I eat them when they arrive, mixed with my scrambled eggs, or take them straight from the bowl?""