http://stgiannaparish.org St. Gianna Catholic Church is in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Louis. The Parish is Pastored by Rev. Timothy P. Elliott Mon, 14 May 2012 13:27:00 +0000 http://snappages.com en http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2012/05/14/this-weeks-bulletin-is-posted http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2012/05/14/this-weeks-bulletin-is-posted Mon, 14 May 2012 13:27:00 +0000 Rita Schulte http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2012/05/14/this-weeks-bulletin-is-posted
]]> http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2012/04/23/devout-heart-tomorrow-night http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2012/04/23/devout-heart-tomorrow-night Mon, 23 Apr 2012 15:18:00 +0000 David Williams http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2012/04/23/devout-heart-tomorrow-night
]]> http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2012/03/28/updated-pictures-of-new-parish-building http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2012/03/28/updated-pictures-of-new-parish-building Wed, 28 Mar 2012 06:32:00 +0000 John Kainady http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2012/03/28/updated-pictures-of-new-parish-building


]]> http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2012/03/12/an-interview-with-our-organist-ann-therese-mettner http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2012/03/12/an-interview-with-our-organist-ann-therese-mettner Mon, 12 Mar 2012 17:52:00 +0000 Paula Brown http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2012/03/12/an-interview-with-our-organist-ann-therese-mettner
First of all, I am so happy to be your organist at St. Gianna Parish! Thank you, Fr. Elliott.

1. Music has long been an important part of your life. Could you share your musical background with us?

Music is a very important part of my life. In my past life, [...]]]>
Interview with composer/musician, Ann Therese Mettner:

First of all, I am so happy to be your organist at St. Gianna Parish! Thank you, Fr. Elliott.

1. Music has long been an important part of your life. Could you share your musical background with us?

Music is a very important part of my life. In my past life, at the age of eight, I began piano lessons. My two sisters always remind me that I liked to practice when it was time to do the dishes! I continued piano, but became interested in the organ in 8th grade when the sisters asked me to play a funeral Mass during school time. I wanted to take organ lessons but my mother said I would have to get a job. Sooo I did. I continued lessons and went to Fontbonne College for a BA in Education. I taught in grade schools, was principal several years, meantime getting a BA in Liturgy Concentrating in Organ at St. Joseph’s College in Rensselaer, Indiana. I became organist, music director at many parishes, getting my MA in Liturgy Concentrating on Organ during summer classes. I began teaching private lessons: piano, organ, flute, guitar, accordion and voice to this present day. I enjoy Music Appreciation classes with the Sisters and retired folks at Precious Blood Convent each week.

2. What inspired you to compose a Mass in Honor of St. Gianna?

I was inspired to write a Mass at the time of changes in the words of the ordinary of the Mass. I had written a Mass of Dedication in honor of the 150th anniversary of the Sisters of the Most Precious Blood, which is now obsolete. So I was inspired by the excitement of St. Gianna Parish moving into a new church. Why not a new Mass?

3. You have composed other works prior to this one. How many and what type of pieces have your written in your career?

I have written a few instrumental reflective pieces to pray with or to fall asleep! I recorded a work, “The Shifting of the Sand”, to accompany scripture readings of Christ’s Passion.

4. The Church documents the prominence the organ should have in the Mass. What are your thoughts regarding the role of the organ in liturgical music?

I do believe the organ is the best instrument to use in church and I am hopeful it will continue to lead our church in song and prayer.

5. Do you currently have any aspiring young organists among your music students?

At present, I have no organ students but I have had two students in the past. One is an organist at Our Lady of Lourdes in Washington, MO.

6. Is there anything else you would like to share?

I would like to thank:
Carl Leta for printing my Mass
Paula Brown for her support
The Adult and Children’s Choirs for leading the songs and singing the Mass in Honor of
St. Gianna

This is a wonderful parish; may we together pray and sing God’s praises!
God bless,
Anne Therese




]]> http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2012/02/13/mass-in-honor-of-st-gianna-by-anne-therese-mettner http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2012/02/13/mass-in-honor-of-st-gianna-by-anne-therese-mettner Mon, 13 Feb 2012 23:37:00 +0000 Paula Brown http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2012/02/13/mass-in-honor-of-st-gianna-by-anne-therese-mettner
]]> http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2012/02/05/please-read-letter-from-archbishop-carlson http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2012/02/05/please-read-letter-from-archbishop-carlson Sun, 05 Feb 2012 17:49:00 +0000 http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2012/02/05/please-read-letter-from-archbishop-carlson


]]> http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2012/01/23/devout-heart-meets-tomorrow-night http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2012/01/23/devout-heart-meets-tomorrow-night Mon, 23 Jan 2012 08:05:00 +0000 David Williams http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2012/01/23/devout-heart-meets-tomorrow-night Tuesday, January 24th, Devout Heart will meet at St. Gianna Parish from 6:30pm-8:00pm. Please be sure to bring a pen as well as your Rosary as we continue the sessions on the Theological & Cardinal Virtues. This program is for Confirmed Young-Adults or soon-to-be-Confirmed [...]]]> Tuesday, January 24th, Devout Heart will meet at St. Gianna Parish from 6:30pm-8:00pm. Please be sure to bring a pen as well as your Rosary as we continue the sessions on the Theological & Cardinal Virtues. This program is for Confirmed Young-Adults or soon-to-be-Confirmed Young-Adults. To view information on Devout Heart or to access Devout Heart materials you can visit the Devout Heart website at devoutheart.com

]]> http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2011/12/25/photos-from-midnight-mass-2011 http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2011/12/25/photos-from-midnight-mass-2011 Sun, 25 Dec 2011 18:13:00 +0000 John Kainady http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2011/12/25/photos-from-midnight-mass-2011


]]> http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2011/12/12/visit-to-the-basilica-of-our-lady-of-guadalupe-mexico-city-8-september-2011-on-feast-of-the-nativity-of-the-blessed-virgin-mary http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2011/12/12/visit-to-the-basilica-of-our-lady-of-guadalupe-mexico-city-8-september-2011-on-feast-of-the-nativity-of-the-blessed-virgin-mary Mon, 12 Dec 2011 19:17:00 +0000 V.R. Gilbert http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2011/12/12/visit-to-the-basilica-of-our-lady-of-guadalupe-mexico-city-8-september-2011-on-feast-of-the-nativity-of-the-blessed-virgin-mary
For anyone completely unfamiliar with Our Lady of Guadalupe I refer you to Wikipedia for a basic background to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady_of_Guadalupe. Or possibly if you might be interested in digging a little deeper regarding the event I refer you to Carl Anderson’s book: Our Lady of Guadalupe: Mother of the Civilization of Love.

HISTORY

In more than 30 years after Spain had came to the area (and after rightly and soundly defeating the Aztecs) there were very few converts to the Catholic faith from among the indigenous people; this was due largely to the fact that many of the Spaniards in places of authority were oppressing the natives. I can only imagine some decent and well-meaning monk spending many months learning the local language in a genuine attempt to share the gospel and then his fellow country-men come along abusing villagers and taking “volunteers” for mining purposes – good luck with the growth of the Kingdom of God. Since these many men were doing their very best to thwart the Kingdom, God had to take matters into His own pierced hands – so He sent His Mother to intercede.

Mary appeared to Juan Diego in December of 1531 to instruct the local bishop to build a particular Church in a particular location. The bishop didn’t exactly believe Juan Diego, so he asked for a sign – in the form of out of season flowers – but didn’t tell Juan Diego what the sign was – the bishop thought that Mary would reveal it, if this was indeed genuine. Mary told Juan Diego to gather some flowers, which were growing in an area which would have been miraculous by itself, let alone the fact that it was during the month of December. Juan Diego put the flowers into his cloak (a.k.a. tilma) and carefully delivered them to the bishop; when the flowers were shown to the bishop he was convinced. However, on the inside of the tilma there was an image of Mary which was the real sign and miracle.

From the limited accounts I have read, regarding Juan Diego, he seemed like a decent and likeable person even before his conversion to the Church; however, after the miraculous events, associated with the apparition of Mary and gift of the tilma, he became a saint drawing many of his family and friends to the conclusion that God must have acted profoundly in his life. Juan Diego ended up witnessing to countless of his country-men in person as he recounted the story probably more than a thousand times; and was rewarded by being able to live next to the tilma at the Church built in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

TRIP

The previous day I had been ushered all over Mexico City – attending five business meetings in eleven hours – by a gentleman who referred to himself as more of a bull-fighter than a chauffeur named Jorge. When I mentioned my intention about visiting the Basilica and the tilma, the local person in charge of my trip suggested I use Jorge and proceeded to pull out a prayer card of Our Lady of Guadalupe encouraging me to draw close to Mary, letting me know that the Mother of our Lord cares for me – it was really great being able to discuss Catholic devotion openly. Fortunately, Jorge was willing to drive me and we arranged for a time to meet the next morning.

Little did I know that Jorge was more than just a bull-fighting chauffeur, he was an apt and able guide of the entire area around the Basilica; in fact, he had been married 50 years earlier in the chapel where Juan Diego had spent the remaining years of his life. Jorge took me to all the various highpoints and explained the significance of them in great detail; unfortunately, my memory to recall most of them has already receded, but there are two impressions that still stand out:

On an Escalator Under the Tilma

The image which has survived almost 500 years of age and attacks of war continues to be the biggest pilgrimage point in all the Church; I think the reason is fairly simple, we all want an encounter with the miraculous with the hope of being touched by God and thus changed – converted again to Christ.

So it was understandable, but also a little odd and disappointing when I finally proceeded into area housing the tilma (which is both under and behind the main alter) I found that a four-piece horizontal escalator system ran almost directly under the securely framed tilma; three of the escalators ran to the right and the other one, for the return trip, ran back to the left. They moved slowly enough for someone to be able to make a quick video or take two or three quick photos, but not enough time to really relish being that close to a genuine miracle. Obviously, for security reasons, the tilma will need to remain in the fashion it is currently in, I only wish I had been able to get closer and spend some substantial time in silent prayer while looking at it. Perhaps under different circumstances I would have been able to take several hours to spend at the main Church area in the front pews to really pray, but as with everything great in life we do not usually get to dictate those events. And I am thankful for being able to make several passes before I felt socially obligated to move on, to keep my guide from waiting (and charging) excessively.

Nevertheless, my time on the escalators was filled with genuine excitement and hopefully the memory will last a lifetime.

Outside, a Woman Crawling on her Knees

The best conversion story is one that has a visible and discernable incarnational aspect to it; for example, when you have a previous person who lived a very sinful life and is then suddenly and shockingly knocked off their horse by the power of Jesus of Nazareth. They repent, and then endlessly speak of the power of Christ to save; this kind of conversion confirms faith within families and never fails to influence friends and acquaintances too – you can almost see the light of Christ reflecting off of this kind of convert.

So when my guide felt socially awkward enough to explain the fact of an obviously repentant woman crawling on her knees outside of the Basilica as an example of possibly over-zealous piety, I knew that I had to clarify something for him. I told him that I too had been radically converted to the Lord and His Church, and would without a doubt be considered a fanatic by most of my family and friends. God has convicted me many times of the depths of my sinfulness, and many times my responses to that purifying light was not nearly as dignified as the repentant woman crawling on her knees.

The thought that many people have possibly encountered the greatest miracle of the Christian faith – the repentance and conversion of sinners – by their trip to view the tilma, is for me a very strong witness to the authenticity of the apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe. When we get close to God we should recognize our ungratefulness and complete dependence upon His mercy; this repentant woman was witnessing in one of the most genuine ways imaginable, and I imagine a very fulfilling way too.

CONCLUSION

Without a doubt I am very grateful for being able to make the mini-pilgrimage and was spiritually uplifted by the experience. There are tour companies specifically founded for visiting the tilma and I think that it would be best to contact one if you were thinking of ever traveling to the Basilica to view it.

The photos I took were with an iPhone 3G, so their quality is not the best but I am glad to share them.



]]> http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2011/11/09/youth-event-next-week http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2011/11/09/youth-event-next-week Wed, 09 Nov 2011 15:05:00 +0000 David Williams http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2011/11/09/youth-event-next-week IV League Youth Group will be hosted by St. Theodore parish in Flint Hill. Meet at 7 pm in the gym for fun and games. Night concluded after 8:45 PM Benediction in Church.

Any questions: contact David Williams at 314-282-5782 or email [...]]]> IV League Youth Group will be hosted by St. Theodore parish in Flint Hill. Meet at 7 pm in the gym for fun and games. Night concluded after 8:45 PM Benediction in Church.

Any questions: contact David Williams at 314-282-5782 or email davidmatthewwilliams@gmail.com

]]> http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2011/10/31/pictures-from-trunk-or-treat-2011-are-posted http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2011/10/31/pictures-from-trunk-or-treat-2011-are-posted Mon, 31 Oct 2011 06:08:00 +0000 John Kainady http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2011/10/31/pictures-from-trunk-or-treat-2011-are-posted
]]> http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2011/09/21/artwork-completed-for-new-parish-building http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2011/09/21/artwork-completed-for-new-parish-building Wed, 21 Sep 2011 11:47:00 +0000 David Williams http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2011/09/21/artwork-completed-for-new-parish-building HERE to view the murals. [...]]]> HERE to view the murals.

]]> http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2011/08/31/photos-posted-from-last-nights-kickball-event http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2011/08/31/photos-posted-from-last-nights-kickball-event Wed, 31 Aug 2011 14:38:00 +0000 David Williams http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2011/08/31/photos-posted-from-last-nights-kickball-event HERE to view the photos. [...]]]> HERE to view the photos.

]]> http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2011/08/29/big-kickball-event-on-august-30th http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2011/08/29/big-kickball-event-on-august-30th Mon, 29 Aug 2011 12:50:22 +0000 David Williams http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2011/08/29/big-kickball-event-on-august-30th Youth Group page or click HERE for more information. See you there! [...]]]> Youth Group page or click HERE for more information. See you there!

]]> http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2011/08/28/fr-elliotts-homily-library http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2011/08/28/fr-elliotts-homily-library Sun, 28 Aug 2011 08:48:00 +0000 http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2011/08/28/fr-elliotts-homily-library
St. Gianna Parish is blessed to have access to a library of nearly 5 years, 800 pages, and 300,000 words of the Sunday Homilies from our Pastor, Fr. Timothy P. Elliott. These homilies date back to the very beginning months of our Parish. Please
St. Gianna Parish is blessed to have access to a library of nearly 5 years, 800 pages, and 300,000 words of the Sunday Homilies from our Pastor, Fr. Timothy P. Elliott. These homilies date back to the very beginning months of our Parish. Please click HERE to view the library

We are blessed to have a priest so dedicated to the Liturgy of the Word. We hope this library will be a continued encouragement for many.

]]> http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2011/08/28/new-youth-group-events http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2011/08/28/new-youth-group-events Sun, 28 Aug 2011 08:45:00 +0000 http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2011/08/28/new-youth-group-events Youth Group Page.

We will gather around the table of the Lord on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of the month at one of the four parishes of St. Gianna, IHM New Melle, St. Joseph, or St. Theodore. These evenings will begin with Mass at 7:30 pm (sometimes [...]]]>


St. Gianna Parish has recently published the new Youth Group Page.

We will gather around the table of the Lord on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of the month at one of the four parishes of St. Gianna, IHM New Melle, St. Joseph, or St. Theodore. These evenings will begin with Mass at 7:30 pm (sometimes preceded by musician led Eucharistic Adoration) and always preceded by an opportunity for the Sacrament of Confession for at least a half hour before Mass. After the 1st Tuesday Mass, there will be a themed social gathering until 9:00 pm. After the 3rd Tuesday Mass, there will be a catechetical “faith night” gathering until 9:00 pm.

On the 2nd and 4th Tuesday evenings High School students will have a chance to be part of a group called Devout Heart.

Once a month there will also be a planned service project that all will have an opportunity to participate in.

Please take a few moments to view the upcoming events, ask any questions, or register for Devout Heart by clicking HERE

]]> http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2011/08/28/welcome-to-the-new-website http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2011/08/28/welcome-to-the-new-website Sun, 28 Aug 2011 08:44:00 +0000 http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2011/08/28/welcome-to-the-new-website Parish Groups to get updated information on the activites and events in the Parish. Also, take a look at our Parish Groups to get updated information on the activites and events in the Parish. Also, take a look at our Parish Resources tab to view a long list of helpful information including Fr. Elliott's Homily Library, Web links, and the weekly bulletin.

]]> http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2011/08/25/august-28th-bulletin-is-ready-to-view http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2011/08/25/august-28th-bulletin-is-ready-to-view Thu, 25 Aug 2011 10:11:00 +0000 Rita Schulte http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2011/08/25/august-28th-bulletin-is-ready-to-view HERE to access the .pdf file. [...]]]> HERE to access the .pdf file.

]]> http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2011/08/22/photos-from-st-gianna-parish-picnic http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2011/08/22/photos-from-st-gianna-parish-picnic Mon, 22 Aug 2011 10:10:00 +0000 John Kainady http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2011/08/22/photos-from-st-gianna-parish-picnic


]]> http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2011/08/18/august-21st-2011-bulletin http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2011/08/18/august-21st-2011-bulletin Thu, 18 Aug 2011 10:10:00 +0000 Rita Schulte http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2011/08/18/august-21st-2011-bulletin HERE to view the bulletin. [...]]]> HERE to view the bulletin.

]]> http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2011/08/09/parish-building-update http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2011/08/09/parish-building-update Tue, 09 Aug 2011 12:57:08 +0000 John Kainady http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2011/08/09/parish-building-update


]]> http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2011/08/04/important-parish-news http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2011/08/04/important-parish-news Thu, 04 Aug 2011 10:32:00 +0000 Randy Miller http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2011/08/04/important-parish-news
What could it be? Parish colors and mascot, of course!

With a sports program starting as early as this fall, the parish council found it important to make the decision to set a parish mascot and colors [...]]]>
What could it be? Parish colors and mascot, of course!

With a sports program starting as early as this fall, the parish council found it important to make the decision to set a parish mascot and colors to be used by our future teams. So after weighing several options, the decision was to go with the colors black and gold and the mascot of an Eagle.

So you may ask, why black/gold and an eagle?

The answer - the coat of arms of Magenta, Italy (St. Gianna's birthplace) is black and gold and boasts an eagle at the top; so it made logical sense. Credit must go to Father Elliott for pointing out this fact during the decision making process!

]]> http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2011/08/01/st-gianna-stained-glass-windows http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2011/08/01/st-gianna-stained-glass-windows Mon, 01 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0000 David Williams http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2011/08/01/st-gianna-stained-glass-windows They are quite large (15' x 5') and will take up a good part of the walls. However, they [...]]]>
You may be aware that we have 12 beautiful stained glass windows in storage from the now closed St. Philip Neri Church. We are planning to put them in frames so that they can be used in our Foundational Church, and perhaps someday, put in a larger Church.
They are quite large (15' x 5') and will take up a good part of the walls. However, they are in need of restoration since they have been neglected for a number of years.

The restoration company estimates that they will cost $8,000 apiece. We already have donors for 8 windows and are looking for others who can pay for all are part of a window. We are planning on putting plaques by each window with the name of the donor(s).
Any donation is welcome, but if you can make a donation of $2,000, $4,000, $6,000 or $8,000 we will happily add your name or that of a loved one to the plaque by one of the windows. Click here to find pictures of all the windows.

Thank you for considering a contribution. If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Michael Brown @636-561-4669.

]]> http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2011/07/31/parish-picnic-august-21st http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2011/07/31/parish-picnic-august-21st Sun, 31 Jul 2011 06:50:00 +0000 http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2011/07/31/parish-picnic-august-21st It will be after the 11:00 am Mass. Free food, games and lots of fun.
Marilyn Gruettemeyer and Lee Ann Juge will be co-chairing the picnic.
We need volunteers. If you can help us please call the church office at 636-625-6012 and let Rita Schulte know of it [...]]]> It will be after the 11:00 am Mass. Free food, games and lots of fun.
Marilyn Gruettemeyer and Lee Ann Juge will be co-chairing the picnic.
We need volunteers. If you can help us please call the church office at 636-625-6012 and let Rita Schulte know of it

]]> http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2011/06/13/bulletin-update http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2011/06/13/bulletin-update Mon, 13 Jun 2011 10:08:00 +0000 http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2011/06/13/bulletin-update HERE to view!

God bless! [...]]]> HERE to view!

God bless!

]]> http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2011/05/24/the-holy-eucharist-salvation-by-faith http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2011/05/24/the-holy-eucharist-salvation-by-faith Tue, 24 May 2011 15:47:00 +0000 Vince Gilbert http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2011/05/24/the-holy-eucharist-salvation-by-faith A TRULY 'PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP' WITH JESUS
The Holy Eucharist & Salvation by Faith

June 2010 By Stephen Rombouts

Stephen Rombouts is a university administrator and adjunct history instructor in Pennsylvania. He thanks his son, Frederick, for asking the question that inspired this article, and for providing [...]]]> A TRULY 'PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP' WITH JESUS
The Holy Eucharist & Salvation by Faith

June 2010 By Stephen Rombouts

Stephen Rombouts is a university administrator and adjunct history instructor in Pennsylvania. He thanks his son, Frederick, for asking the question that inspired this article, and for providing insightful critique.

Few controversies have compromised Christian unity more than the dispute over salvation, and nothing has obscured our understanding of salvation more than the question of faith and works. Conventional responses commonly assign an explicit role to faith or works in salvation: We are "saved by faith" or we are "saved by good works" or by some combination of the two. But faith and works are attributes of the authentic means of salvation, which is communion with God through the Holy Eucharist: Man believes, in faith, that the bread and wine become the body and blood of Jesus Christ, and acts upon that faith by receiving the Blessed Sacrament in Holy Communion. The Holy Eucharist is the central reality of all human experience. It transcends time, space, and matter, and unites believers physically and spiritually with God. It is the essence of the Living God, and the sine qua non of human salvation.

The truth of the Eucharist should be evident to anyone who approaches the Gospel with an open heart. Yet, five hundred years after the Protestant revolt divided the Church in the West, many still misunderstand the words of Holy Scripture by which Jesus Christ described the essential role of His body and blood in our salvation. Regrettably, the ability of traditional Catholic apologetics to restore Christian unity has suffered from the circular arguments that can arise when a distinctly Catholic rationale or Catholic sources are cited to support Catholic doctrine. A system of Catholic apologetics that would appeal to nonbelievers cannot assume, a priori, the legitimacy of the institutional Roman Catholic Church. Let us, therefore, set aside Church authority and tradition, and approach our topic solely on the authority of the Bible, which our separated brethren are inclined to accept in general principle, citing only the King James Version, to preclude any suggestion that Catholic translations of the Bible and Catholic doctrine have been manipulated in order to corroborate one another.

Non-Catholic Christians commonly believe that we are saved by faith (sola fide) grounded in the authoritative truth of the Bible (sola scriptura). They are correct on that point, as far as it goes: The problem is that it does not go far enough. Devotion to "the Word of God" often takes the form of enthusiasm for the words of Scripture as linguistic constructions or as conceptual abstractions, rather than for their substance. This problem is not new. Jesus Himself warned against excessive infatuation with the Bible for its own sake: "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life" (Jn. 5:39-40). Factual knowledge of the Bible can be little more than an academic exercise unless it brings the believer to a true knowledge of Jesus Christ, who is both the source and the fulfillment of Scripture.

And so, let us invite our separated brethren to join us in a spiritual journey of scriptural interpretation based on fidelity to the words of Jesus.

Man Shall Not Live by Bread Alone "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" (Mt. 4:4). Christ spoke these words before He began His public ministry, as if to set the tone for everything that would follow. This passage is significant on two levels. First, food is the most basic requirement for the sustenance of life: Jesus would use the imagery of food repeatedly throughout the Gospels, always distinguishing between ordinary food that sustains mortal life, and the Bread of Life, which gives eternal life.

More fundamentally, Jesus addressed the necessity to believe the Word of God in order to gain salvation. The reference to living "by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" ordinarily is interpreted in the narrowest sense: Our daily lives should be guided by the word of God. But there is more to it than that. To "live" by every word that proceeds from of the mouth of God is to find everlasting life in the Word of God. In this we see a foreshadowing of the doctrine of salvation through the Eucharist: "Labor not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of Man shall give unto you" (Jn. 6:27).

It was with these words that Jesus began His discourse on the Eucharist. Significantly, He spoke these words the day after He performed the miracle of loaves and fishes. He had fed a multitude, and they marveled at His works. The following day, He crossed the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum, where He defined the doctrine of salvation through the Eucharist. St. Matthew also recorded the miracle of loaves and fishes, but, unlike John, he quoted Christ's rebuke of the Pharisees immediately following the miracle: "O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times? A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall be no sign given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas" (16:3-4).

The miracle of loaves and fishes persuaded the people to believe that Jesus was no ordinary man, but only because they had seen a sign that left no reasonable alternative to belief. And so He chastised "a wicked and adulterous generation" for seeking "signs" of the kind they had just witnessed. The following day, Jesus told them, "Verily, verily I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me and I in him" (Jn. 6:53-56).

In this brief passage, Jesus described the very essence of Christian faith. His language was straightforward and unequivocal. Yet some of His followers refused to believe: "From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him" (Jn. 6:66).

The language of John 6 cannot be interpreted in a figurative sense without reducing Christ and His Gospel to mere abstractions. Our Lord emphasized that His flesh is "food indeed" and His blood is "drink indeed," and He prefaced His remarks with the words "verily, verily." This was no parable. In a most unfortunate reversal of reason, nonbelievers who claim that Christ's language was merely rhetorical have turned "the Word made Flesh" into "the Flesh made word." Christians who deny the literal truth of Christ's words in John 6 should ask themselves: If "eat my flesh" does not mean "eat my flesh," what does it mean? More to the point: If in saying "eat my flesh" Christ did not mean "eat my flesh," why did He say it at all?

The Physical Role of the Eucharist in Human Salvation The term "salvation by faith alone" is commonly understood to mean that we are saved from the certainty of damnation through belief in the divinity of Jesus Christ. Such an interpretation suggests that we deserve damnation because, by theological necessity, we were created as imperfect beings. If that were true, God would not have had reason or inclination to send His Son to effect our salvation.

It would be better to characterize salvation as the restoration of our proper relationship with God, which was first established at the moment of creation and was lost with Adam's fall. The expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden was the act of a sovereign God in response to the disobedience of man, which was itself an act of human free will. The restoration of man's proper relationship with God must similarly involve the act of a sovereign God, and man's free response to God's invitation. In each case, the cause-and-effect relationship that connects the act of God to the act of man validates the sovereignty of God, because neither scenario could occur if God did not exercise absolute authority over man. In each case, God defines the rules of engagement; in each case, man reacts to God according to his free will. In each case, the act that defines man's condition in relation to God is exclusively an act of God: man's expulsion from the Garden of Eden, followed by his redemption by Jesus Christ. An individual's free act of choosing life on God's terms does not diminish God's role in the process of salvation.

The circumstances surrounding the fall of Adam and the redemption of man through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ present us with a splendid demonstration of the beautiful logic and symmetry of salvation history. Adam sinned by attempting to be like God, "to know good and evil" (Gen. 3:22). That is to say, Adam wanted to define good and evil and, by extension, to define truth itself. Overcome with pride, he was not willing to subordinate his intellect to the mind of God and accept truth as it was given to him by God. Man is restored to grace through the Eucharist when he surrenders his intellect to the mind of God by accepting in faith something that cannot be understood in ordinary human terms: the reality of the body and blood of Christ under the outward appearances of bread and wine. That is to say, man overcomes Adam's sin of pride by submitting to the truth of God's Word in a supreme act of humility. In so doing, man achieves through his obedience that which Adam had sought through disobedience: He becomes like God, to the extent that Christ dwells within him through the Holy Eucharist.

The remarkable symmetry between man's fall from grace and his redemption can be described another way: Man fell from grace by eating something he was forbidden to eat, and he is restored to grace by eating something he is commanded to eat. Again we see the imagery of food in God's plan for our salvation.

Man's restoration to grace is the essential factor in salvation, though the role of grace in salvation requires some explanation. Grace does not make imperfect beings perfect, because created beings are necessarily imperfect. Yet we know that the perfection of Heaven cannot be violated by the presence of anything that lacks God's perfect essence (cf. Rev. 21:27). How is salvation possible for man, who, by definition, is imperfect? The faithful receive God's redeeming grace through the body and blood of Christ, by which the human imperfection that otherwise would exclude us from Heaven is overcome by the perfection of Christ. Imperfect man is made fit for Heaven when, in the form of the Eucharist, Christ becomes part of us and we become part of Him: Jesus "dwells" in us and we in him, in the most literal, physical sense. Only in that way can imperfect beings approach the perfection of God, but that is enough.

Belief & Disbelief The need to believe God's truth in the absence of physical evidence is the fundamental challenge of faith. Indeed, it is the essence of faith. The critical distinction between simple belief based on empirical evidence and authentic faith that flourishes in the absence of physical evidence was emphasized by Jesus most notably following His resurrection. He told the doubting Thomas, "Because thou has seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they who have not seen, and yet have believed" (Jn. 20:29). Faith called Thomas to believe without empirical evidence to support that belief, but Thomas demanded physical evidence. But Jesus said "blessed are they" who believed in His resurrection without having seen His resurrected body.

Most Christians are familiar with the biblical description of faith as "the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Heb. 11:1), though the Eucharistic significance of that passage is usually overlooked. If we are saved by faith, and if faith is the evidence of "things unseen," then we are saved by faith to the extent that we believe in the unseen reality of Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. "Blessed are they" who believe that bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ, even though they have not seen the bread and wine change in their outward appearance. In acting upon that belief, they partake of the Bread of Life, which has the effect of bringing them to eternal life.

Curiously, many who reject the scriptural truth of the Eucharist steadfastly defend the miracles recorded in Holy Scripture: the virgin birth, the loaves and fishes, the raising of Lazarus from the dead, and so on. Each of these events defied the normal order of the physical universe. The distance in time and space that separates those events from the here and now makes it easy to believe such things because our credulity is not challenged by our sensory perceptions. Even our Lord's resurrection can become an almost mythical abstraction for some, because the historical fact of the resurrection is not subject to the critical scrutiny that ordinarily validates beliefs that are based on personal experience. In contrast, authentic faith requires belief in the real and exclusive presence of our Lord in the Eucharist, despite the fact that we do not perceive the body and blood of Christ with our human senses. It is only by eating the flesh and drinking the blood of Christ's resurrected body that the historical fact of our Lord's crucifixion and resurrection becomes a part of our personal experience.

Some modern Christians speak of the need to have a "personal relationship" with Jesus Christ. Upon closer examination, the kind of relationship they describe might be little more than an abstraction that exists solely in the mind of the individual. But when Jesus told His disciples that He dwells within those who eat His flesh and drink His blood, He was describing the "personal relationship" ne plus ultra. Human salvation ultimately depends on unconditional faith in the words of Christ in an intensely personal manner. Perhaps the skeptics among us will always attempt to reconcile the truth of the Eucharist with subjective views of reality that proceed from the imperfections of the human mind and the frailty of human nature. But the prudent among us will believe that Jesus meant exactly what He said in John 6. Let us encourage our separated brethren to do likewise.




]]> http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2011/04/04/conversion-the-psychology-of-change http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2011/04/04/conversion-the-psychology-of-change Mon, 04 Apr 2011 15:53:00 +0000 Vince Gilbert http://stgiannaparish.org/blog/2011/04/04/conversion-the-psychology-of-change Conversion & the Psychology of Change

November 1999 By Art & Larraine Bennett

Art Bennett is a practicing psychotherapist who regularly provides seminars on the psychology of men and women for Catholic marriage preparation programs. Laraine Bennett, an M.A. in Philosophy, is a [...]]]> Conversion & the Psychology of Change

November 1999 By Art & Larraine Bennett

Art Bennett is a practicing psychotherapist who regularly provides seminars on the psychology of men and women for Catholic marriage preparation programs. Laraine Bennett, an M.A. in Philosophy, is a writer and mother. Both are Catholics and are home-schooling their four children.

The following are all instances of change. What do they have in common?

- A man goes to a psychotherapist hoping to be cured of his depression. The therapist says that he does indeed have a lot to be depressed about; in fact, he should schedule four hours each day to devote just to being sad. The man laughs and says, "Well, it's not that bad."

- A judge travels into the desert to visit a famous hermit. On the way he meets an old man of whom he asks directions. The man tells the judge not to bother going, for the so-called holy monk is a fool, and all the talk of his saintliness is fraudulent. The judge returns home, disappointed, but grateful to have saved himself a trip to no purpose. Later he learns that the old man was the hermit he had been seeking. The judge is greatly edified.

- An alcoholic is told that her weakness for drink is an incurable disease, that willpower won't avail her, and that she will be an alcoholic for the rest of her life with no hope of ever being anything else. She never takes another drink.

- A man who yearns for conversion to religious faith and struggles endlessly to believe in God is told to give up the struggle because no one can be converted by his own wish for it but only through the grace of God. This realization initiates the man's conversion.

Shift of viewpoint, mental breakthrough, epiphany, quantum leap.... What are we to call such events? Perhaps the most accurate and useful conceptualization of such enlightenments is that offered in the book Change (by Watzlawick, Weakland, and Fisch, 1974), the concept of first-order change versus second-order change. These psychotherapists illustrate the difference with a striking image:

A person having a nightmare can do many things in his dream -- run, hide, fight, scream, jump off a cliff, etc. -- but no change from any one of these behaviors to another would ever terminate the nightmare. The one way out of a dream involves a change from dreaming to waking. Waking, obviously, is no longer a part of the dream, but a change to an altogether different state.

In all of the stories above there is a change like the change from dreaming to waking, a movement that dissolves the "logic" of the first order and reveals a second order of reality -- hence the concept of second-order change. Our mixture of religious and nonreligious vignettes in the examples above is intentional, for our purpose here is to explore the connection between religious conversion and the psychology of change.

Psychology? Psychotherapy? What have they to do with religious conversion? you might ask. Isn't conversion about giving up oneself, looking outside oneself, submitting oneself to God? And isn't modern psychology a veritable swamp of self-concern? Aren't psychologists to blame for keeping us stuck on ourselves, telling us endlessly to explore ourselves, express ourselves, and fulfill ourselves, to create our own reality, release our inner child, embrace our shadow?

In fact, there is much we can learn from psychology. Understanding the psychology of change may help us believers to become more effective apostles and to win more souls for Christ. Applying the concept of second-order change, we can see that conversion is itself a second-order change, for the difference between natural life and supernatural life is like the difference between dreaming and being awake. With the aid of this concept, we can grasp that when we speak the language of faith, we are talking the language of second-order change to a world that is usually stuck selecting among various first-order alternatives. And when we look at our Lord and Master, we see that His teaching and conversation exemplified this concept. The world came to Him with first-order dilemmas, and He exploded them with second-order answers. So the paradoxical interventions recounted by psychotherapists like the authors of Change are worth our study if we hope to represent Christ in this world.

Consider the insomniac who seeks psychotherapy. He has "tried everything" to get to sleep -- reading, progressive relaxation, pills -- but the harder he tries to sleep, the more anxious he becomes. The therapist enjoins him to stop trying to fall asleep: He is to lie in bed and not to close his eyes at all. Struggling to keep his eyes open, the exhausted man falls asleep. Second-order change has been effected.

Or take the man nearly paralyzed by his fear that while driving his car he would run over a pedestrian. He sought psychotherapy to rid himself of this "irrational" fear. The therapist soberly informed him that his fear was quite justified and that what he should do was to pay the strictest attention to it. The man was enjoined to stop his car at each corner and to check thoroughly around and under the car and on the pavement for any injured pedestrians. The patient found this to be "crazy" and shortly abandoned his fear.

Depression, despair, and discouragement frequently bring clients to psychotherapists. The depressed person has been advised by well-meaning people that he has no real reason to be depressed, or that he should find a cheerier outlook, or take more time for himself, or count his blessings, or snap out of it. But all of these are first-order counsels. The psychotherapist may make a refreshingly different response, acknowledging that the client has good reason to be depressed, and may thus initiate a movement toward second-order insight. As novelist Walker Percy remarked acerbically in Lost in the Cosmos, "You'd be deranged if you weren't depressed. Consider the only adults who are never depressed: chuckleheads, California surfers, and fundamentalist Christians who believe they have had a personal encounter with Jesus and are saved once and for all."

Percy is harsh. But who would disagree that one's own notion of a personal encounter with Jesus should be checked against the indubitable personal encounters with Jesus recorded in the Gospels? An encounter with Jesus turns out to be often paradoxical and surprising, uncomfortable in the moment yet ultimately curative. For instance, Simon Peter rebuked Jesus for saying that He must go to Jerusalem and be killed, and Peter began hatching first-order plans to prevent such a thing. Jesus was harsh: "Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do." But in a gentler tone He went on to show that, while He understands the first-order project of saving one's life, there is no first-order way in which to accomplish it. "Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it" (Mt. 16:21-28).

In John 9:1-4 the disciples present first-order logic to Jesus. "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus shows them a second order of reality: "Neither he nor his parents sinned; it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him." Then Jesus restores the man's sight. The Pharisees give the cured man a thorough first-order examination in which they exhibit their own blindness to his second-order change. After the Pharisees throw the man out, Jesus finds him and asks, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" The poor fellow replies honestly that he doesn't know who that is. Jesus says, "It is I." The man says, "I do believe." The story ends with the Pharisees still muttering, still justifying themselves. Dismissing the eye-opening divine therapy of Jesus, they are left mulling myopically their first-order alternatives while the man born blind goes off with a new view of reality.

Our Lord, encountering the Samaritan woman at the village well, reframed her mundane need for water as a higher-order search for the Living Water (Jn. 4:7-15). The enmity between Samaritan and Jew was an established and bitter fact of life, a fact of which the woman reminded Jesus rather sharply: "How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?" Jesus does not tell her she is wrong; indeed, in the first order of reality she is correct. Instead he tells her that if she knew who was asking her for a drink, she would ask him for the water that quenches thirst once and for all. She is intrigued, and a conversation develops. Beneath each of her replies and each of her expostulations, Jesus discerns a possibility of second-order change, and He leads the conversation gently but firmly toward it. The woman does become open to Him and His truth, and by the end of the story she is telling her neighbors that she thinks she has met the Messiah.

The Pharisee Nicodemus (Jn. 3:1-10) is a classic instance of someone stuck in the first order, unable (and perhaps unwilling) to see any other options. When Jesus tells him that one must be born anew in order to see the Kingdom of God, Nicodemus replies, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?" On the first order, the natural order of common sense, not only is there no way to be born again, but the very notion is absurd. But Jesus describes how rebirth can occur: through water and the Spirit. Puzzled still, Nicodemus asks, "How can this be?" Jesus sounds somewhat exasperated: "Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand this?" How can he be a teacher if he is not aware of the supernatural within the natural -- if he is not able to shift from the first order to the second order? He -- and we -- must learn to live sacramentally, to experience the world as infused with grace, with the life-giving breath of the Holy Spirit. But Nicodemus at that moment cannot transcend the first order -- he "hears the sound of" the Spirit but does not know whence it comes or whither it goes.

Jesus the healer and teacher saw what lay beneath the surface of the problems presented to Him. In the same way, a psychotherapist must go past first-order problems to stimulate second-order change. In the same way, a preacher of Christianity must see past surface disagreements or difficulties in order to guide a possible convert to the second-order change to a life of faith.

Rational apologetics can be useful in effecting conversion. But it will be useful only with someone whose rational arguments express his true motivations, not with someone whose reasoned pronouncements do not express his real situation. Most of us can employ reason and logic, can debate and rebut, can ask questions that seem to us penetrating or even unanswerable. But even while debating competently we may be far from revealing our true internal situation; we may be avoiding some deeper issue -- whether from guile or fear or in simple unawareness. We once spent many hours arguing the necessity and importance of the Magisterium of the Church with a man who was a doctoral student of theology. No progress was made until at last the conversation brought out that the man's true difficulty was not with the existence of the Magisterium but with the divinity of Christ. We had been trying to effect a first-order change with first-order means -- more and better arguments for the Magisterium, more clinching quotations from Scripture -- when the real need was for a second-order change: He needed to see Christ as God.

People are quite capable of providing reasons for an unwillingness to change. But their claim that they are open-minded and willing to consider arguments may amount only to a pretense (conscious or unconscious). In Mark's eleventh chapter Jesus was causing a ruckus in Jerusalem: Welcomed with Hosannas by the crowd, He went about blasting fig trees and thrashing moneychangers out of the temple. The chief priests, the scribes, and the elders asked Him by what authority He did these things. Jesus replied that He would answer their question if they would answer His. "Was John's baptism of heavenly or of human origin?" They mulled the unpalatable alternatives of answering yea or nay, and answered, "We don't know." Well, said Jesus, "neither shall I tell you by what authority I do these things" (Mk. 11:27-33). They had ostensibly come inquiring of Him, ready to listen, but their minds were essentially closed, unready to break their old habits of thought.

Rational apologetics has a long and honorable tradition, but modern man is not impressed with -- or not trained to handle -- traditional arguments for the existence of God and the divinity of Jesus. As Bishop Fulton Sheen wrote in his essay "Instructing Converts," modern man must come to God through his "disordered, frustrated, complicated, confused, bewildered self," because we are no longer prepared, as our forefathers once were, "to accept the sacramental character of the universe."

Indirection, suggestion, paradox, and surprise are tools that we would recommend to the modern evangelist. Walker Percy made sly use of implication, humor, and -- as he put it -- "every trick in the bag" to impart a Catholic perspective in his works of fiction. We, too, must be aware that presenting traditional apologetics to nontraditional modern man might be imprudent and might even mean swift alienation. Grace is, of course, the ultimate source of any conversion. God is the source of all grace, but in His generosity He allows us to participate, to be co-converters. And a few good strategies couldn't hurt, particularly strategies based on a sound understanding of the psychology of change.

"Take what the patient is bringing to you," is a fundamental starting point in most psychotherapy since Milton Erickson. We recommend this same basic attitude for any Christian addressing a potential or would-be convert. Try to avoid viewing the person as a reluctant student or an outright opponent. First, learn the person's language and see things from his point of view. Only then, by reframing the situation or by finding the incongruity in it, might you be able to suggest a shift to a second order of reality. Consider an essential area of body-and-soul where conversion is badly needed today, the realm of sex. How can young folk tempted by pre-marital sex come to an understanding that true freedom only exists in the service of the good, and that true love never uses the beloved as an object? One can help them transcend the first-order realm of sexual trial-and-error by encouraging them to see their actions from another perspective: "Do you want to teach your future husband or wife that it is perfectly acceptable to have sex outside of marriage?"

One might also appeal to the idealism of young adults and challenge them by saying, "The problem with cohabitation is that it is such a consumerist and impersonal response to a feeling of love. You treat the other person like a new pair of shoes or a new car on a test drive. Real love doesn't treat someone like an object."

To someone using artificial birth control, you might say, "Well, I would like to recommend Natural Family Planning to you, but I am reluctant to do so. NFP would require you and your spouse to talk with each other frequently and very openly about sex, and you might not be ready to do that at this stage of your relationship."

And when a couple fears that the romantic attraction in their marriage is fading, it may be time not for discouragement but for a shift in viewpoint. They can consider the advice that a priest gave to a confessing soul who said that he was having an arid period of prayer. "Great," said the priest. "Now you finally get to show God your will and desire to love Him." Seeming dead ends in the first order can be steps up to a second order where greater clarity and achievement are possible. Fading romance may really be a blossoming opportunity for deeper love.

A shift in viewpoint can end a pointless conversation and begin a new and pointed one. In these days of ecumenism, committed Catholics meet committed Protestants far more often than would once have been the case. Predictable conflicts and misunderstanding can ensue even when greater mutual understanding is the stated goal. Listening well and reframing are invaluable skills in this area. To standard Protestant arguments about Catholicism's deficiencies, a Catholic who has grasped the Protestant's concerns might suggest a new view of things. "I agree with you that what is essential is a more personal relationship with Jesus. That's what I want too. That's why I go to Mass every day." To someone declaring that you must be "born again," you might say, "Exactly right. And I'm born again every time I go to Confession."

Some of these replies raise a chuckle, and many of the stories of second-order change sketched above bring a laugh. It is striking how much humor is released in the shift from first order to second order. Fr. George Rutler puts his finger on why: "Humor is among other things the perception of imbalance as imbalanced and the appreciation of incongruity as incongruous." The depressed man in our first story saw nothing funny in his problem, but from a higher level, a second order, he did. Reframing the situation can reveal the inherent humor. It is a humor that does not wound, that has no wish to hurt -- a humor, indeed, that saves. The authors of Change recount the tale of the military officer who is told to clear the square by firing on the rabble gathered there. The officer draws his soldiers up and has them level their weapons at the crowd, then announces, "I understand that there may be a few decent, upstanding citizens in this crowd. Would those decent citizens please leave the square so that I may safely fire upon the rabble?" Everyone leaves the square.

New self-recognition is a mark of second-order change. My new way of seeing myself may not be immediately comforting but it may be ultimately curative. Consider the classic instance of this in John 8:3-11: "They brought a woman who had been caught in adultery and made her stand in the middle." The crowd around the sinning woman, it is important to note, was not a mob. It was a group of respectable believers who were righteous, logical, and authoritative, and they brought Jesus a pair of first-order alternatives: Either affirm Mosaic law or deny it. Jesus opened to them a second order of reality: "Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." One by one they went away, "beginning with the elders." The woman in the middle was also shown a higher reality: Not to be stoned does not mean to be condoned. Jesus said to her, "Go, and do not sin again."

Once the option is presented to behave in a way not previously thought possible, or to view oneself and others in a new (transcendent) light, barriers to conversion can dissolve.

Of course, belief in Jesus Christ and membership in His Church do not amount simply to holding a different point of view. Faith is not merely a new perspective, nor a solution to psychological problems, nor a revised philosophy of life. Faith is, rather, one's opening up, by the grace of God, to transcendent truth. To have faith is to dwell in a second order of love and mercy where formerly, perhaps, one had dwelt simply in the first order of the natural world. Christians believe in the seen and the unseen, in a sacramental world infused with divine grace. Conversion is a change not just of mind but of heart, and the incorporation not just of a new view of things but also of a new commitment to the transcendent person of Jesus Christ. Among God's marvelous creations is the human psyche, and understanding the psychology of change can perhaps help us to discover and remove, in ourselves and others, obstacles to His converting grace.


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