Last weekend, a chunk of my OCIA class were baptized at the Easter Vigil, and became Catholic. This weekend, on Divine Mercy Sunday, another group of us who have already been validly baptized will be confirmed. At tonight’s class, we broke into discussion groups to share how we’re feeling during these final days before Coming… Continue reading Reflections during my final week as a Protestant
Tag: Christianity
“Catholics have convoluted Christianity with tradition”
Recently I came across this post from a Catholic I follow on X: The context is about how Catholics supposedly “over complicate” worship, adding in all these unnecessary requirements like mandatory mass (including certain holy days of obligation), going to confession, participating in the Eucharist, etc. The Protestant view of discipleship is far simpler: focus… Continue reading “Catholics have convoluted Christianity with tradition”
There’s something about Mary
The first time I ever prayed a Hail Mary was during my miscarriage. With my own mother 1500 miles away, I needed to be mothered: particularly by someone who also experienced the pain of child loss. One year later, in active labor with my daughter for several days, every contraction felt like it would break… Continue reading There’s something about Mary
The communion of saints who led me home
When I think of the people who led me to Christ by faithful example, I naturally think of those I’ve actually met: classmates, mostly. A few older, mentor-like figures.. But that “communion of saints” also includes those who finished the race before me, in previous eras. For me, one of those pivotal figures was Joan… Continue reading The communion of saints who led me home
On coming home: the Eucharist
After months of speculation, I’m finally going to start writing about the reasons I am becoming Catholic. The truth is, much like my conversion to Christianity from Judaism, there isn’t one single reason I can condense into a 30-second response to curious friends and followers. So I’m going to start cataloging the “explanation posts” here,… Continue reading On coming home: the Eucharist
Reproductive technology and the scandal of redemptive suffering
What this post is not: a value judgment of parents who grew their families with IVF. What this post is: a response to some of the ethical concerns raised by new developments in reproductive technology. This tweet featuring a screenshot from a New York Times article caught my attention recently. Genomics researcher Noor Siddiqui asked… Continue reading Reproductive technology and the scandal of redemptive suffering
Why I’m (still) not a Messianic Jew
Nearly ten years ago now, I wrote a blog post explaining why, despite my Jewish heritage and faith in Jesus Christ, I do not call myself a Messianic Jew. It went semi-viral, and not in a good way. I received – and still do, on occasion – many emails criticizing my reasons, which mostly had… Continue reading Why I’m (still) not a Messianic Jew
What Christians get wrong by saying “It’s not a religion, it’s a relationship”
There are rhythms to certain relationships that are not only enjoyable, but indicators of good health. In my marriage, it’s making coffee for myself and my husband (he still doesn’t quite understand the French press) in the morning, which we sip in our home library as our daughter races her toy cars across the carpet.… Continue reading What Christians get wrong by saying “It’s not a religion, it’s a relationship”
How anxiety pointed me to the gospel
I’m occasionally asked if I ever consider myself a “completed Jew,” and Christians tend to be surprised when I answer no. The main reason for that is because it’s considered highly offensive to Jewish people. The gospel is offensive enough; I don’t see a need to use language that is inflammatory if I don’t have… Continue reading How anxiety pointed me to the gospel
Pope Francis and the importance of moral clarity
If there’s one takeaway from my brief stint in progressive Christian spaces, it’s this: certainty in faithful matters is not a goal, but rather an enemy (ironically, they seemed pretty certain about that). But when I read books and blog posts about people’s de-conversion journeys, it seemed that certainty itself was not always the problem:… Continue reading Pope Francis and the importance of moral clarity