A story from the Desert Fathers and Mothers on living the Christian life in this time of All Saints and Souls. FYI, Abba means Father, or a monk. The Desert Fathers and Mothers were the first Christian monks; their sayings originate from the first 300 years or so of the Church.
Abba Lot went to see Abba Joseph and said, “Abba, as much as I am able, I practice a small rule, all the little fasts, some prayer and meditation, remain quiet, and as much as possible I keep my thoughts clean. What else should I do?”
Then the old man stood up and stretched out his hands towards heaven, and his fingers became like the torches of flame.
And he said, “Why not be turned into fire?”
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FAQ… How does a person become Catholic?
There are a couple of different ways to become Catholic.
- Easiest: You were baptized when you were a baby and confirmed a Catholic at some point as a teen by your bishop.
- Slightly harder: You were baptized and raised Catholic, but for one reason or another you didn’t get confirmed. You need to go through a preparation process and be confirmed by your bishop (often in the company of a bunch of 8th graders). You’ve been Catholic all along, you’re just completing the sacraments of initiation.
- Also slightly harder: Full Communion: If you’ve been baptized (and maybe also confirmed) in another Christian denomination and you want to become Catholic, then what you’re seeking is to be “received into the full communion of the Catholic Church.” As a candidate, you go through a preparation process to make sure you understand enough about Catholicism to be able to make a full commitment to it. Then you go through a quite simple rite, usually at a regular Sunday mass, asserting your acceptance of Catholicism. You are confirmed by the priest (not the bishop) and then you receive Eucharist.
- Baptism is NEVER repeated as long as you were “properly” baptized: with water, using the Trinitarian formula (“I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit”—remember that in case you ever have to do an emergency baptism!). Baptism confers an “indelible mark” on the recipient: having been washed in the waters of Baptism, you can never wash that status away. The Catholic Church respects the baptisms of all Christians and affirms the communities that raised them in the faith.
- Baptism is NEVER repeated as long as you were “properly” baptized: with water, using the Trinitarian formula (“I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit”—remember that in case you ever have to do an emergency baptism!). Baptism confers an “indelible mark” on the recipient: having been washed in the waters of Baptism, you can never wash that status away. The Catholic Church respects the baptisms of all Christians and affirms the communities that raised them in the faith.
- Hardest: RCIA: If a person is a non-Christian, they go through the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults. This process was developed after Vatican II to echo the process for becoming a Christian that was used in the early church. There are several stages.
- First you’re an Inquirer: in the Pre-Catechumenate you inquire or explore whether you want to become Catholic or not. This lasts till you make up your mind that you do.
- Then through the Rite of Acceptance you enter into the Catechumenate as a catechumen (“one who echoes back, who learns by listening”). This can last from 9 months to several years (it was three years in the early church) as you learn about Scripture, prayer, community, service, and the Catholic Church. The emphasis isn’t on learning doctrine, but rather on learning discipleship.
- When you’re ready to actually join, you are sent (in the Rite of Sending) by your parish to the bishop for the Rite of Election. You become one of the Elect, those elected or chosen to continue on to becoming a Christian, and you are enrolled on the list of elect in a public ceremony. You spend Lent, the Period of Purification or Illumination, in final spiritual preparation. In fact, Lent originated in this time of purification for the elect, in which the rest of the congregation joined in solidarity.
- At the Easter Vigil you are baptized and confirmed by the pastor of your parish and you receive Eucharist for the first time. Receiving these three Sacraments of Initiation together like this is how we originally did it; over time they got separated out.
- After this you are a neophyte, a Catholic newbie, and you spend the Easter season in Mystagogy, unpacking the Mysteries of the faith and the sacraments you received at the Vigil.
- First you’re an Inquirer: in the Pre-Catechumenate you inquire or explore whether you want to become Catholic or not. This lasts till you make up your mind that you do.
- And after any of these ways of joining the Church, you spend the rest of your life muddling through the journey of discipleship with the rest of this fabulously fascinating Catholic family! Unless…
- A final means of entering the Church? On your deathbed. You’ll receive baptism, confirmation and Eucharist all in one ritual.
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Karen Soos
Associate Chaplain and Catholic Campus Minister
Davidson College
Campus Box 7196
Davidson NC 28035
704. 894. 2423
Associate Chaplain and Catholic Campus Minister
Davidson College
Campus Box 7196
Davidson NC 28035
704. 894. 2423
