Stephen K. Ray's Blog, page 91

The Ship & the Rafts: A Convert Looks Back at his Protestant Raft

Imagine that a king establishes a new country on the other side of the ocean. It is called the Celestial City and has streets paved with gold. To populate his new land, he summons the people and invites them to be citizens. Next, he builds a ship and prepares his chosen people for the long journey across the ocean.

The ship he provides is a large, beautiful ocean liner well-equipped with everything needed for the journey: food and water, showers with hot water, navigation charts, maps and GPS. He has ordained a captain and a crew and an engine with dynamic power to move the ship. The king invites many to join and soon the ship is full.

Everything needed to reach the new country can be found aboard that ship. The founder of this new country is God, the new country is heaven, and you and I are the ones he has chosen to join the voyage. The ship that He built is the Catholic Church, the captain is the pope, and the crew are the bishops, priests and deacons. The navigation charts and GPS are Scripture, the maps are Sacred Tradition.

The food is the Eucharist — the food for the journey. The water is the grace of baptism and the life that flows from Christ through the Sacraments. What are the showers? Confession of course. When we get dirty and soiled we need to be cleaned up. The power that moves the ship is the Holy Spirit. Everything we need to reach heaven can be found within the Catholic Church.

He warns the passengers before they commit, that there will be troubles along the way. Troubles from without and troubles from within. Storms will hit the ship and threaten to dash it to kindling wood. They will get so sick at times they may wish they had never come aboard the ship.

There will be problems within too. The captain and crew may not always conduct themselves as expected and some may even attempt to sabotage the ship, but he promises them boldly, that if they stay with is the ship he promises to get them to the other side.

Everyone agrees to go and he steps up to the bow and smashes the bottle of champaign with great solemnity and christens her the Catholic Church. The engines roar and fire is seen as he moves away from the port.

The journey goes well for the first 1500 years. There are some awful storms and waves and within there are debilitating intrigues and rebellions but in the end, the ship is always righted and still on coarse. There are some who fall overboard due to their own recklessness and disregard for rules. The ship is battered but remains intact and seaworthy under full steam by the powerful engine.

About halfway across the ocean some of the passengers start to argue and protest. Like the Israelites who grumbled about the manna in the desert, they begin to complain about eating the same food all the time. They ask, “Who is this captain, and why should he be in charge? Who gave these crew members the right to tell us what to do?” They stir up emotions and rile up some factions and instigate a mutiny.

The protesters go down into the belly of the ship where they find wood and rope, and they lash them together and build rafts. They collect food and water, clothing and anything else they can find, and throw themselves and their rafts over the side of the ship. Now they are free! No more captain, no more crew. Now, they are on their own to their own!

Instead of a single ship sailing through the sea, there are now 33,000 or more small rafts bobbing around in the water around the ship! Now this beautiful ship is surrounded by 33,000 rafts bobbing around it—each with its own self-appointed captain giving conflicting and contradictory orders. Rafts are crashing into each other, competing with each other for people to join their rafts.

As the ship continues toward heaven, some of the rafts remain close by, but others drift off into the distance, and some are moving in the opposite direction and have lost their way completely. Those rafts that are close to the ship are sheltered from some of the wind and waves; those farther away are tossed about during the storms. The farther away they are, the less chance they have to make it to the other side.

And here is a question for you. Everything good they have on their raft—where did they get it from? It all came from the ship, but now they are cut off. Eventually, the King’s food runs out, and the people begin to eat something other than what the king provided. There are no hot showers available for people to get clean.

(When I was a Protestant, I never realized that everything good that I had on my raft came from the Catholic Church. For example, the Bible was put together by Catholic bishops and copied and preserved by Catholic monks. Martin Luther even admitted that we wouldn’t have a Bible if it were not for “the papists.” My Protestant fellowship only had two sacraments, baptism and the Lord’s Supper, while the Catholic Church has seven. I did not define the faith, such as the Trinity. That was hammered out by Catholic Councils over the first 500 years of the Church.)

One interesting point—I wasn’t one of those who jumped off the ship; I was born on a raft. For most of my life I didn’t even know there was ship—it was nowhere in sight! I was born on a Baptist raft, and I could yell over to the Methodist raft, and they could yell over to the Episcopalian raft, and they could yell over to the Pentecostal raft, and so forth. Our view of unity was just all trying to get along. We called that fellowship and we had an invisible unity. How could it really be a visible unity since we were all split up on separate and competing rafts?

Then one day, I caught a glimpse of something large on the horizon and I had no idea what it was. I yelled out, “Hey, what is that on the horizon?”

Those on my raft answered, “We don’t know!” So I yelled louder to nearby rafts and they responded over the waves, “We don’t want to talk about it.” “Why not?” I yelled. “Because it’s enemy.”

“But what is it?” I yelled. “It’s, it’s, well, it’s  the ship.”

As I gazed upon the ship I thought to myself, “If the founder of the Celestial City had any sense, he would never have pushed 33,000 rafts into the ocean and expected them all to successfully make the voyage. He would have prepared a ship with everything needed for the voyage.

It dawned on me that that the founder of the country I was trying to reach had created the ship to carry me home safely. I began to ask questions and discovered from ancient documents that INDEED the founder had only chartered one ship and the rafts were all a result of a protest!

“Of course,” I thought. “Why would God create 33,000 rafts competing to ferry His people home?” After a year of paddling around the ship and looking up at it from every angle, and after much reading and researching and praying, I got back onboard the ship and pulled my whole family up with me.

I became a Catholic on May 22, 1994, and I’m amazed at what I have found onboard. Cradle Catholics may take these things for granted, but we converts are in awe. You have seven sacraments, and they work! You have navigation charts: the Scriptures and the Tradition that helps you make sense of the maps. You have a crew that understands how to read the maps and charts without error, how to prepare the food of the Eucharist properly, and how to operate the showers so that we can get cleaned up from all the foul-smelling sins we commit. You also have a captain, the Pope. There have been good and bad popes and clergy, but throughout history the Papacy has known how to navigate the ship!

(Picture to the right: Our family getting on board the ship at Christ the King Catholic Church in Ann Arbor Michigan with Fr. Ed Fride on Pentecost Sunday, May 22, 1994)

So do I now want to shot canons at all the protest-ants out on the rafts? No! My mom and dad are out their and Vatican II reminds me that those who are baptized and recite the Creeds are my brothers and sisters in Christ though separated from the physical ship. Some of the people on the rafts can even sing better than the people on the ship.

No, I don’t want to shoot them. I have decided I will spend the rest of my life calling out to the people on the rafts, “Hey, you out there. I too was born on one of your rafts but I have discovered the fullness of the faith in this ship, the way the founder originally planned it. Problems, yeah! But the ship is great. Come rejoin us!”

And when I get a few minutes I turn around and look at the people on the deck. I say, “Why are you grumbling? Don’t you realize where you are?”

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Day 1: Arrivals in Munich Germany and St. Benno

We did not have any group air for this trip; everybody purchased their own airline flights from various cities in the United States and we all converged together in Munich Germany.

Some arrived early (like Janet and I, Fr. Dan, Teresa Tomeo and Deacon Dominick) and some arrived today, Wednesday, June 15.

We picked up our “today” flight passengers at the airport, checked in to the hotel then took our bus to our first Mass of the pilgrimage which was at St. Benno Church in Munich. I gave a talk on this unknown saint so people appreciate the mass even more. We were all delighted to find out it was his feast day today!

Those who arrived early walked the short distance from our hotel to the church and back.

We then went to our Eurostar Grand Central Hotel where we all settled in and had a nice dinner together.

Watch my short talk on St. Benno here—and the parallel state of the Church then and now!

 

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All Pilgrimages are NOT created equal!

An interesting letter I received from a woman yesterday inquiring about our pilgrimages, especially to the Holy Land. She said a priest she works with told her,

“One of the priests I used to work with at school traveled to Israel a few years ago with _____________  [I am leaving travel company’s name out].

“He told me they went to 5-6 stores,  He said, ‘We spent more time in the stores than at the holy sites.’  He also said it was disorganized and they were constantly with their hands in their pockets for tipping everyone.

“In my opinion this is NOT acceptable on any  trip.”

In response, I came up with TWENTY-ONE QUESTIONS TO ASK BEFORE GOING ON A PILGRIMAGE.

 

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A Few Biblical Puzzlers

On the Serious Side

What biblical saint died twice and was buried twice?

Who was the first man who broke all Ten Commandments?

What biblical character killed one quarter of the population?

What prophet anointed two kings who lived simultaneously?

Explain this riddle: Born once, die twice; born twice; die once?

On the Lighter Side

Who was the smartest female financier in the Bible?

Who was the smartest male financier in the Bible?

What biblical character had no parents?

 

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“The Sinner’s Prayer” – All You Need to Get to Heaven?

When I was a kid, the “Sinner’s Prayer” was a big deal. It was at the heart of everything we knew about Jesus and getting saved. It was almost used as an incantation.

My mom coached me to pray the Sinner’s Prayer when I was 4 years old. We knelt together in front of the green vinyl couch, and she helped me pray,

“Dear Heavenly Father, I know that I am a sinner and the wages of sin is death. You sent your Son Jesus to die on the cross for my sins. I accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I ask Jesus to come into my heart. I know my sins are now all forgiven past, present and future. Thank you Jesus for saving me and assuring my entrance into heaven. Amen.”

Saul of Tarsus reciting the “Sinner’s Prayer”? I don’t think so

It never dawned on me as a young man that such a prayer is never found in the Bible. Nor do we ever see anyone coach sinners to pray such a prayer. The Bible never encourages us to “ask Jesus into our heart.” And the whole idea of sins forgiven into the future with no guilt for future sins is – so unbiblical that I can’t even believe now I ever believed it.

I am grateful to my good mother for loving Jesus and wanting me to be saved. She believed what she was taught and never questioned the Baptist tradition she learned after hearing Billy Graham.

But now that I have read widely and studied these matters from Scripture and the early Church I realize there is much amiss with this Sinner’s Prayer. The Catholic Church is the fullness of the faith and explains salvation as faith in Christ, repentance and water baptism.

You never find St. Paul espousing such a prayer nor St. Peter on the day of Pentecost. My, it is good to be Catholic and cling to the rich and full teaching of the faith.

******************************

One of my old favorite Protestant writers, A. W. Tozer wrote, “I believe that a true ‘sinner’s prayer’ will gush out of anyone who is truly seeking God and is tired of being enslaved to sin. (Matthew 5:6) The very act of ‘leading someone in a prayer’ is utterly ridiculous. You will find nothing even remotely like it in the Bible, or among the writings and biographies of those in Church history. It completely savors of crowd and peer pressure tactics, and (please forgive me) brainwashing techniques. I do not believe that Jesus wants to have his disciples ‘repeat after Me,’ I believe He wants them to follow after Him!

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My talk “How Does a John Paul II Catholic Survive in a Pope Francis World?”

My wife and I are members of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre which is an order of Knights and Dames since the Crusaders Period. Our mission is to defend and support the Christians and the holy sites in the Holy Land.

In 2019 our Lieutenant asked me to give the keynote speech and when I asked him what the title was I was shocked to find out that it was “How Can a John Paul II Catholic Survive in a Pope Francis World”. There were at least 10 bishops and archbishops in the room and over 100 members of the Order.

I had to give the talk the morning after I returned home from Israel at 10 PM the day before!

Some assumed that I was going to deny the papacy of Pope Francis but they were incorrect. Even those of the hierarchy who called from Rome to cancel my talk were ill -informed.

With all of the current speculations and the intrigue going on with our current pope, not the least the elevating of Bishop McElroy to be a cardinal, I thought folks might like to hear my talk and be encouraged about the Catholic faith and the papacy, but also what our job is today as faithful Catholics.

I apologize for the quality of the video but it was recorded by a Knight in the audience. But it is easy to understand and I hope you find it helpful and edifying especially in our current situation in the Catholic Church today in America.

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Did Pope Francis slight Archbishop José Gómez of Los Angeles and Insult the America Faithful?

The Pope’s recent elevation of progressive and liberal Bishop McElroy of San Diego Diego California to cardinal sent many Catholics’ heads a spinning.

Since the Pope bypassed Archbishop Gomez of Los Angeles to raise Gomez’s “subordinate” McElroy, it seems the Pope is making a statement, preferring the very left-leaning political bishop and in so doing slapped the face of the American bishops and American faithful.

The Catholic Thing published a very astute and insightful article by Fr. Thomas G. Weinandy, OFM, Cap.

He suggests that the Pope has not only misunderstood American Catholics but even insutlted and slapped them. Here is his insightful article published by The Catholic Thing.

Although much has already been written concerning Pope Francis’s elevating Bishop Robert McElroy to the College of Cardinals, I believe a critical aspect of Bishop McElroy’s appointment is missing.  It appears to many that by bestowing a red hat upon McElroy, Pope Francis has slighted Archbishop José Gómez of Los Angeles, who is, after all, the shepherd of the largest diocese in the United States, a diocese that contains multiple ethnic populations and diverse cultures. Moreover, he is a man of authentic Catholic faith, upholding the conciliar and magisterial teaching of the Church concerning faith and morals.  He is esteemed among the American hierarchy – currently serving as the President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.  Given these, and other credentials, it would seem that he meets the criteria needed to be a cardinal.  The fact that he has now been passed over by Pope Francis on a number of occasions gives rise to bewilderment.  Has Pope Francis insulted Archbishop Gómez?

Even if Pope Francis has his own defensible reasons for not elevating Gómez to the College of Cardinals, yet there are many other capable American bishops and archbishops from whom Francis could have chosen.  These prelates are, again, men of authentic Catholic faith who have boldly spoken out in promoting and defending the Church’s teaching, teaching that is vital to the present American cultural setting – evangelization, racism, immigration, abortion, gender theory, etc.  The question arises: Why were none of these men chosen by Pope Francis?  Is the passing over of these men also a not-so-hidden insult?

With regards to Archbishop Gómez and other bishops and archbishops of similar stature, it would appear, as some may conclude, that it is precisely their loyalty to the Church’s perennial teaching, especially with regards to its moral teaching, that disqualifies them from Francis’s consideration.  They bear the hallmarks of conservatism and traditionalism. And, therefore, they are incapable, in Francis’s eyes, of discerning the present working of the Spirit within today’s Church. …”

For the full article which is very worthwhile to read, click here.

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Questions I Answered on Catholic Answers Live – “Keeping Your Kids Catholic”

https://catholicconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/ca220608a.mp3

There are few questions I get asked more frequently than, “What about my kids? They left the Catholic Faith.” Or, “What can I do to keep my kids from getting influenced by the world and leaving?”

Well, in this episode of Catholic Answers Live our topic was “Keeping your Kids Catholic”. It was aimed at what to do with younger kids to safeguard them in the Faith and the family tradition and second, what to do about those who have left.

We started out with the experience of my wife and I raised four kids to stay true to Jesus Christ and the moral teaching of the Church. And how that has now flowed down to our 19 grandkids. We discuss our “business plan” when we got married to put Jesus Christ first and bring the kids along with us.

So, these four questions are really only the tip of the iceberg. Hope you find this discussion helpful.

21:06 – My Non-Catholic husband doesn’t want to raise our kids Catholic. How do I approach this if I want to get them baptized Catholic? 29:12 – Do you have any references to check out on your discoveries in the Holy Land? 32:20 – How do you deal with extended family who are very anti-Catholic? 42:36 – How do we deal with facing secular culture, especially what’s on tv?   

Or, watch it on YouTube

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Charlie’s Story from Evangelical Protestant to Catholic

This is a very astute account of a man’s discovery of the Catholic Church. It is not long but covers a lot — the Bible, Mary, the Pope and salvation.

Dear Family:

Given the deep and sincere feelings we all have about our faiths, and the volume of information I want to share, I felt this was the best way to express what I would like to tell you.

For the past two years, I’ve thoroughly reviewed Scripture, dedicated hours listening to debates/podcasts and read many books about Christianity.  After reflecting on what I’ve learned and examining my conscience, I’ve come to the conclusion the Catholic Church is the Church that Christ founded on earth.

To be clear, this is my decision.  I actually began this journey to prove the validity of my Protestant beliefs and disprove Catholicism.  However, now that I understand Scripture in its proper context and have studied the teachings of the Apostolic Fathers; the first generation of Christians who learned the faith from the Apostles themselves, it has left me with no doubt as to the truth of the Church.

I want to preface the following message by saying it is not meant to be critical of anyone’s beliefs.  I respect and admire each of you for your dedication to Christ, and I am grateful that I was raised in a family that loves our Lord.  Ultimately, what I came to realize is that becoming Catholic isn’t the rejection of how I was raised or what I was taught, but rather the fulfillment of it.

At the end of the day, everything good that Protestants have comes from the Catholic Church, and this is the perfect segue to the first topic I want to reference.

The Bible

Protestants contend the Bible is the divine Word of God and sole source of authority.

While I’ve always believed the Bible was divinely inspired, I never knew the history of how the book itself came to be.  To show my ignorance on this issue, I was under the impression Christ came to earth and within a few decades of his Resurrection, the Bible was organized by the Apostles.  This would have established the Bible as divinely inspired and the sole source of authority.

To my shock, I learned the Bible wasn’t canonized until 397 A.D.  This realization begged a question; who/what entity had the authority to determine which books were divinely inspired? ….

To read the whole story, click here.

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Steve Ray’s Seven Rules for Dealing with Non-Catholic Family & Friends

My Seven Rules for dealing with family and friends who disagree with us, oppose us, want to argue and are against the Catholic Church and our morals. They are basically common sense, but many have found this article to be very helpful. Yes, it was originally Six Rules but I realized “Patience” had to be added as No. 7.

Cover story on Catholic Answers Magazine

Steve Ray’s Seven Rules:

1) Never argue with them, it will only push them further away.

2) Love them more than ever before, especially between spouses

3) Pray seriously and constantly and make sacrifices

4) Show the Joy of the Lord in your life so they see the result of the fullness of the Faith

5) Study apologetics and do biblical homework so you are ready when they finally ask questions

6) Be patient – God is not in as big a hurry as you are.

7) Ask God to bring someone else into their lives to influence them since they won’t listen to you

Joint us on a pilgrimage. Visit FootprintsOfGod.com.

Read the whole article in  Catholic Answers Magazine

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