A Quiet Peace

Well, I've fallen into a period of quiet peace, which, unfortunately for this blog, is not the same fodder for musing as my angsty search for truth was. I'm working on an entry trying to lay out some of the things that brought me to my understanding (which grows daily) that there is Truth to be found in the Catholic Church. I'm starting with Peter. But the going is slow, because frankly, I'm still trying to absorb all that I have learned, process it, and put it back out in written form in a way that does it justice.

What's funny to me is that I think this change of course may solve some of the problems I've written about before on this blog -- my lack of discipline and my lackluster housekeeping, to name a couple. I have always been an information junkie, and my religious life has been no different. So I often spend a few hours on any given day debating and discussing religion on various internet forums.

Well, as of right now, there's nothing to debate. If Catholicism is true, than many of the issues I used to go 'round and 'round about have already been settled. And those that haven't suddenly seem less important. So, while habit dictates that I sit down at the computer and hit the forums, my heart isn't in it like it used to be. I find myself bored and wanting to go read a book or something. And once I stand up from the computer and survey my surroundings, I realize there's a lot I could be doing with the time I used to spend arguing with my Christian brothers and sisters online. Who would have thunk it, eh? But all is not lost -- I'm sure as time goes on, I will find plenty of new arguments to get into with my new Catholic brethren. Especially political ones. The Catholic Church is not nearly as homogenous as my Bible Church was.

I went to the Catholic bookstore the other day and picked up Mark Shea's "By What Authority?" I read the whole thing in two short sittings, only to find that he came to the exact same conclusions I already did in the exact same order I came to them. I guess there really is nothing new under the sun. I think I'll hold onto it, though, and give it to my dad if he ever sincerely asks what changed my mind about Catholicism (assuming, af course, that at some point I find the nerve to tell him I plan to convert). Mark Shea lays it all out there in a way that is easy for a protestant like me to understand and appreciate (if a bit dry). I like his style a lot better than that of Scott Hahn, whose books my mother-in-law has been bombarding us with since she found out my husband left the church. Mark Shea seems to remember why he used to be protestant. Scott Hahn, not so much. Mark Shea remains charitable to and patient with his protestant brethren.
Scott Hahn ... well, anyway.

Another thing I picked up was a couple of prayer cards. You know, those little laminated cards with a prayer on one side and pictures of Jesus, Mary, or a Saint (or something else applicable to the prayer) on the other? One was a "Parent's Prayer" that sums up perfectly how I want God to help me parent. The other was a "Night Prayer for Healing" from past wrongs and hurts, including those I may have inflicted on other people. I always viewed these cards (as all things Catholic) with a certain amount of suspicion, but as I browsed the racks of them, I realized they are my prayers, prayers I've been saying for years, only worded more adequately than I had ever been able to accomplish on my own. And the artwork is beautiful. And they make really great bookmarks in my Bible. (I'm going to have to get a Catholic one of those, aren't I?)

Well, the baby is napping and the day calls, so I had better get on with it. It's a cool, windy fall day and I, for one, plan to enjoy it with some hearty food, hot coffee, a fire in the fireplace, some cuddle time with my husband and son, and the Word of God on my lips and in my heart. I'll try to flesh out my thoughts on Peter and get them posted before I attend Mass for my first time as a wannabe Catholic on Sunday. That should give me something to write about!