timeimmortal

Grace (yes, my wife) writes in to try and stimulate a bit of creative thought on my part.

Ken, do you consider yourself an orthodox Catholic and in what sense? Just curious.

Grace
Love You

I love you too, sweetheart.

As to whether I consider myself an orthodox Catholic, the short answer is: yes, I do. Now, I will be the first person (though hardly the only one) to tell the Reader that I have not lived anything like an exemplary Christian life; I’m a sinner as sure as anyone else is, and I mean it very literally when I reflect that Christ came into the world to save sinners, “of whom I am first.” If you wrote every sin I’ve committed on a standard yellow sticky note, you could wallpaper Edmonton.

But as the priest at Mass noted yesterday, that heightened awareness of sinfulness is one of the things that separates the people who have entered into the light of the Christian faith (of which Catholicism is the pinnacle) from those still caught up in darkness. That’s not to say that Christians are any more or less sinful than non-Christians…it is merely to remark that they are more aware that they do, in fact, sin. For what does sin, despite its reality, mean to an atheist?

In my faith journey, I try and live by the Bible, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and the Code of Canon Law. I could ask for no better guidelines for living than these three books, and to the best of my ability I try and live a life that follows the tenets outlined in each of them. Of course, I fail at doing so on many accounts, which is why I am eternally grateful that Christ instituted in the Church the glorious and somber Sacrament of Reconciliation (also called Confession). When I am confronted, in my life, with a conflict between my desires and the teachings of the Church, I strive to remember that I am flawed and weak, and that there will never arise a circumstance in which I am correct and the revelation given to (and through) the Church incorrect. And should any occasion arise in which I cannot achieve even that reconciliation in mind, I will still cleave to the faith and my ongoing participation in it, rather than walk away as so many of my family have done.

I rise and fall on the Apostle’s Creed (and the Nicene Creed as well), and that same prayer I would gladly have as my death warrant, if it came to that.

For me, the source and summit of faith is the Eucharist, and ongoing participation in that Sacrament is the most important action I can, will, and do undertake in my life. I find, especially, that I am drawn to, and captivated by, the Blood of Christ during the celebration of the Eucharist. During consecration, I always strive to ensure that I can catch at least a glimpse of the cup holding the Blood, and for me the moment that the wine is consecrated and transformed is the pinnacle of the Mass.

I hope that the above, while short, is an adequate answer to the question posed. It’s a complex question that I could, if I gave myself more time, compose a very lengthy answer to. I’ve tried to hit the main points, at least. And I hope I have done at least that.

So today I attended the first lecture of my elective this term, CHRTC 350 as my University calls it (that stands for CHRistian Theology: Catholic, by the way). The lecturer and professor put it to the class from the beginning that he was both a man of science and, devoutly, a man of God. He even went so far as to, on the overhead, put up a copy of the and declare that he would "fall on a sword for this". And then, he signed and dated it.

Just like that. His signature, and the date: 11 Jan. 05.

If in some dark future the persecution of Christians reasserts itself and reaches the murderous tempo that it did at the outset of the Church, that would be his death warrant. And that is what had my mind racing for several hours after the class. Oh, the course material was astounding, and I’m still pondering on several issues he raised throughout the 80-odd minute lecture. But what has resonated with me more than that is his line in the sand. which he has drawn, signed, and bound himself to.

Now this has got me thinking.

So amazingly profound was this experience that, at the risk of seeming contrived, I would seek now to emulate it. I can think of nothing greater than to publically declare that for God, for Jesus, I would face a thousand swords, or bullets, or stones. And so, on the above copy of the Nicene Creed, I would like to pledge just that:

For the above, for the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I would readily perish. For the above and all it means, I would lay aside my life if my God asked it of me. I can think of no greater service I could give the One who created me.

Sadly, I can’t affix my proper signature to a website, at least not at the moment. But I deem myself bound to this pledge all the same, and my name and the date are below to declare it. So there it is folks. I’ll lay it out right on the line for everyone.

Kenneth Paul Kully
January 11, 2005