Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults R.C.I.A. WELCOME! The Conversion of Saul Conversion of Saint Paul (c. 1601) Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio oil on canvas On Saul s journey, as he was nearing Damascus, a light from the sky suddenly flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? He said, Who are you, sir? The reply came, I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. Acts of the Apostles 9:3-5 1
Conversion: Responding to God s Call During this class, we will look at 1. The spirituality of conversion 2. Biblical foundations for conversion 3. A brief history of the process of conversion within Christianity, including the RCIA process in the Church today, with its various rites and scrutinies. 4. An overview of Catholicism 5. My Faith Journey worksheet What is conversion? 1. In everyday life it s defined as a. A change from one thing to another (like an electrical converter). b. Turning; to turn to; to return. 2. In the Christian spiritual life, it refers to an on-going transformation into the unique, particular image of Christ that God created us to be for the world. 3. Since it is an on-going transformation, most of us do not experience conversion in the same dramatic fashion as Saint Paul. 2
Our on-going, lifelong conversion means that 1. We continue to struggle with sin 2. The chaos of the world affects us 3. We slowly move closer to God when we courageously take responsibility for our sins and the chaos of our world. The benefit of a lifelong conversion process, instead of a magical, one-time moment, is that it places the emphasis on RELATIONSHIP! Fr. Joseph Tetlow, in his book, Making Choices in Christ, points out that conversion takes place in all areas of our lives. We experience Intellectual Conversion like Nicodemus (John 3:1-16)* Religious Conversion like James and John (Luke 9:51-56)* Moral Conversion like the lawyers (Matthew 15:1-9)* Why we need ongoing conversion becomes clear when we understand that we are God s project for our world. Patiently, the Holy Spirit shapes us, because our virtues are not for us alone; they are for the world around us. 3
Conversion in the OLD TESTAMENT: Conversion in the O.T. typically entailed Yahweh s invitation for the Jews to accept the responsibilities of their covenant relationship with Him. It was a moral and spiritual conversion. Rarely did conversion have to do with switching religions, since Judaism was a national religion that, for the most part, someone was born into. There are some examples, however, of people who worshipped Yahweh, but were not Jewish (ex. Ruth). A large-scale conversion of Gentiles (i.e. non-jews) to Yahweh was anticipated only as a part of the end-time events (ex. Is. 2:2-4; 66:18-21; Zech. 14:16-17). Conversion in the NEW TESTAMENT: A similar thing can be said about conversion in the N.T. The two words most commonly used for conversion refer more to a person s transformation than joining a new religion. The most commonly used word for conversion in the N.T. is metanoia, which refers to the internal process of conversion. However, there is a second word in the N.T. for conversion, epistrophe, which refers to an outward process of conversion. 4
Ultimately, conversion must be both of these, internal and external. Conversion is not simply about changing one s prayer life, or one s faith community, but it s about changing everything the way we live and the way we love. If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation; everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! (2 Corinthians 5:17) Saint Ignatius of Loyola, in his famous book, Spiritual Exercises, offers a meditation on three types of people. This meditation give us a reminder of the importance of conversion and a goal toward which we are moving.. The meditation is entitled, The Three Classes of People. They are described as 1. Those who do not care one way or another about God. 2. Those who want God to support them in their plans 3. Those who desire to follow God. 5
The first type of persons are those who do not purposefully pursue a relationship with God. It might be described as being similar to a person who is in love with another without being conscious of that love or ever expressing it. Such people tend to be quite selfish and pragmatic. They often avoid sincerity, authenticity, transparency and vulnerability (all of which are expressions and dispositions of love). The second type of persons are those who recognize God and love God, but their love is immature. They love God almost entirely for what God can do for them. They want God to bless and facilitate the things that they want to do in life and possess. Such people tend to pray most when they need something from God. They consciously or unconsciously avoid growing in obedience and surrender to God s will. Most Christians fall into this category. 6
The third type of persons are those who have committed themselves to God in a loving and responsible way. They put God s will above their own and they see their relationship with God as a mutuality and a sharing in intimacy. Such people tend to have a regular and relational prayer life. They strive to do what love requires in a responsible, obedient, and mature way in every aspect of their lives. An important part of the process of conversion is our being honest with which type of person we are and how God is working to lead us to an ever deeper relationship with Him. Such conversion requires us to be Self-reflective, aware of our motives and intentions. Contrite and sorry for our failings and sins. Aware of our woundedness and willing to bring it to God. Prayerful, in consistent and transparent ways. 7
RCIA Now let s look at the journey of conversion in the Church today: The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) is an educational and spiritual journey modeled after the process used in the Early Church to teach people about Christianity and assist them in conversion. In the first few centuries of Christianity, it was illegal and dangerous to be a follower of Christ. Therefore, the Church wanted to make sure that people knew what they were getting into before they let them be full members of the community of believers. This process of conversion had two main aspects to it: Ø A sponsor would have to vouch for the candidate. Ø Becoming a Christian was more than a knee-jerk, emotional decision. It involved the intellect and will. 8
The RCIA process today is similar. We match candidates with sponsors who companion with them on their journey of conversion, while we offer material about the Catholic faith for the candidate s thoughtful reflection and prayer. Ø Over the next eight months, we will cover various topics on Scripture, Sacraments, prayer, Church teaching, and Church history. Ø The simple goal of RCIA is to provide people with accurate information about the Catholic Church s beliefs and practices, while providing an opportunity for spiritual growth and fellowship. Overview of Catholicism All of us here are in the process of spiritual conversion. Some of us here are also discerning God s call to convert to Catholicism. It s important, then, for us to look briefly at what it means to be a Catholic (these are the things that we will be looking at more in-depth through the year): 9
Being a Catholic means living as a Christian (a disciple/apostle of Christ) from the perspective of the Catholic Church. Every Christian lives his or her faith from a particular perspective (which we call tradition ). Even those who claim not to follow a particular tradition are, in fact, following a tradition. Another way of saying this is every Christian denomination is a lens through which Christ is seen, but the lenses offer us different depths of clarity and perspective. Converting to Catholicism is a process by which men and women learn more about the lens through which the Church helps us to see Christ. What are the most fundamental understandings that make up the lens of Catholicism? 10
There is one God in three Persons Father (the Creator) Son (Jesus Christ the Redeemer and Savior) Holy Spirit (the Sanctifier) God created all things in love Human beings are good, but sin has left us wounded and in need of forgiveness and healing. God forgives us through Jesus Christ and offers us grace (i.e. divine help) for healing. We experience God s grace through Sacred Scripture The Sacraments Prayer And countless other ways We recognize God s Presence and grace through our five senses. In other words, Catholic worship involves the whole person! Hence the reason for Music (hearing) Incense (smell) Eucharist (taste) Oil (feel) Stained-glass windows and statues (sight) 11
Our relationship with God helps us to form our conscience. Catholicism places a high priority in individual responsibility. We are challenged to continue to grow intellectually, morally, emotionally, spiritually, physically, etc. The Church is not interested in providing us with a list of do s and don ts, but rather, She is interested in helping us apply Sacred Scripture, natural law, ethics, and morality to every situation and area of our lives. God brings order to the world. The Catholic Church teaches that the various disciplines of life (i.e. science, technology, history, religion, ethics, etc.) are not in contradiction to one another or faith. Rather, Catholicism believes that faith can be integrated into everything in our lives. Our relationship with God should always be personal, but never individualistic. In Catholicism, faith can never be separated from the community of believers. Faith invites us into deeper love and solidarity, not only with God, but also, with one another. 12
Conversion: Responding to God s Call An important part of our on-going conversion is our taking the time and energy to be consciously aware of how, and to what depth, our relationship with God has been a part of everything in our lives; to recognize the ups and downs, the ebb and flow, of our response to God s love. My Faith Journey 13
That was just a brief overview of my own faith journey. Each of us here has a personal story, a particular journey of faith where we have experienced conversion and encountered the living Christ. I encourage you to take a worksheet home with you this week and spend some time prayerfully reflecting on your own faith journey. At the end of all of our classes this year, we will end with a quote from Scripture and a Church document (ex. a text from one of the Church Councils, Encyclicals, or Saints). My hope is that these quotes will offer us some food for our personal prayer time and give us an opportunity to continue to reflect on what we ve studied each week. There will also be some discussion questions for those of you who want to use the RCIA material in a faith formation group. And, there will be a reading list for further study. 14
Let s end our class by praying together the Prayer for Conversion by St. Augustine God, to turn away from You is to fall, To turn back to You is to rise, To abide in You is to stand firm, To go forth from You is to die, To return to You is to revive To make You our dwelling is to live God, who cleans us, and prepares us for Divine rewards, come graciously to us. SCRIPTURE: Ezekiel 36:24-28 I will take you away from among the nations, gather you from all the lands, and bring you back to your own soil. I will sprinkle clean water over you to make you clean; from all your impurities and from all your idols I will cleanse you. I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my spirit within you so that you walk in my statutes, observe my ordinances, and keep them. You will live in the land I gave to your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be your God. 15
TRADITION: Taken from the Confessions of Saint Augustine, describing his conversion experience Late have I loved you, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new, late have I loved you! You were within me, but I was outside, and it was there that I searched for you. In my unloveliness I plunged into the lovely things which you created. You were with me, but I was not with you. Created things kept me from you; yet if they had not been in you they would not have been at all. You called, you shouted, and you broke through my deafness. You flashed, you shone, and you dispelled my blindness. You breathed your fragrance on me; I drew in breath and now I pant for you. I have tasted you, now I hunger and thirst for more. You touched me, and I burned for your peace. Group Discussion Suggestions: 1. What stirs in your heart when think about God creating you to be a unique, particular image of Christ? 2. Of the three types of conversion, which one seems the most needed right now in your life? Why? Intellectual Conversion like Nicodemus (John 3:1-16) Religious Conversion like James and John (Luke 9:51-56) Moral Conversion like the lawyers (Matthew 15:1-9) 3. Share with the group one particular moment in your life when you experienced the presence, love, and/or forgiveness of God. 16
For Further Study: The Catechism of the Catholic Church: Paragraphs 153-165 Catholicism for Dummies: Chapter 1 The Holy Longing by Ronald Rolheiser Rome Sweet Home by Scott Hahn Surprised by Truth by Patrick Madrid The Catholic Church and Conversion by G.K. Chesterton The Imitation of Christ by Thomas à Kempis The Seven Story Mountain by Thomas Merton Confessions by St. Augustine My Other Self by Clarence Enzler 17