A recent long conversation with someone who is close to the Church and pondering the possibility of being received reminded us of how difficult the step can be. He first thought about it twenty years ago. Anglican clergy received into the Church in their mature years have told us they had imagined - or even in fact actually assumed - as early as the time of their Anglican ordination that they would eventually become Catholics, but then postponed the decision for many years. The long postponement is a reflection of the real psychological challenges involved in the move. For some, these difficulties have primarily to do with their inner conflictedness; for others they have more to do with worries about how those around them may react if they convert. This last issue is particularly taxing, because there is no way round the fact that if I make a public decision to put the Catholic Church first in my life before all others, then I am in fact thereby making a statement about my belief in the uniqueness of the claims of the Church Unfortunately, some of those around me may then perhaps feel that this is a slight on their faith community and therefore on them, but then the reactions of others to what we do are not in our control.
Posted on: Thu, 06 Jun 2013 08:24:21 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015