"[T]he Father through Christ is addressing us, the ones who never left home."

Regarding being raised Catholic vs. being a convert -- I said I was going to mention an insight I'd been chewing on, and then Amber sidetracked me into the last post, which led to some good comments (thanks commenters).   

Just a day or two ago I came across B16's commentary, in Jesus of Nazareth, on the parable of the two brothers, aka the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15).  I had always read the two brothers first as the story-on-its-face, and also as representing the pagan world and faithful Israel.  Indeed B16 discusses this common and traditional interpretation.  But he also goes on to describe another angle:

...[W]hat Jesus says about the older brother is aimed not simply at Israel...but at the specific temptation of the righteous, of those who are "en regle," at rights with God... In this connection, Grelot puts emphasis on the sentence "I never disobeyed one of your commandments."  For them, more than anything else God is Law; they see themselves in a juridical relationship with God and in that relationship they are at rights with him.  But God is greater:  They need to convert from the Law-God to the greater God, the God of Love.  This will not mean giving up their obedience, but rather that this obedience will flow from deeper wellsprings and will therefore be bigger, more open, and purer, but above all more humble.

Let us add a further aspect that has already been touched upon:  Their bitterness toward God's goodness reveals an inward bitterness regarding their own obedience, a bitterness that indicates the limitations of this obedience... There is an unspoken envy of what others have been able to get away with.  They have not gone through the pilgrimage that purified the younger brother... They actually carry their freedom as if it were slavery and they have not matured to real sonship.  They, too, are still in need of a path; they can find it if they simply admit that God is right and accept his feast as their own.  In this parable, then, the Father through Christ is addressing us, the ones who never left home, encouraging us too to convert truly and to find joy in our faith.  (pp. 210-211)

It's kind of cliche (and almost new-agey sounding) to write that everybody needs to find their own way, but here is Benedict coming right out and saying it:  They, too, are still in need of a path.  Everybody needs to make a journey of conversion.  Without that, living the righteous life is just a bunch of rules that somebody else foisted on you because you happened to be born into one family and not into another.  And it's pretty discouraging when you find out that following the rules doesn't always get you where you think it ought to get you in this life.

Benedict points out that the elder brother's response is not given to us.  It's left open whether he  stomped off angrily, refusing to have anything to do with such an unfair dad, or whether he accepted the father's generosity and joined in the rejoicing.  Maybe he went off to try out being prodigal himself.

But at least it gives me a model to think of the position that the "cradle Catholics" that are my children might be in. 

Thoughts?

Comments

[Amber]

Oh what a fantastic quote! That's it exactly, isn't it. We all need to be converts - we just don't think about it in the case of people who grow up in the faith. The need seems more obvious for the unchurched, but it is something that must happen to all of us.

It is interesting - of all the cradle Catholics on the RCIA team at my church, they all described going through an experience like this, something that deepened their faith and made it real to them. I'm not really sure how you manufacture this for our kids, but perhaps knowing that this needs to happen can help us to try to help them have those sorts of opportunities.

Although come to think of it all the people on the RCIA team came to this through some sort of big adversity... but there has got to be other ways of coming to conversion than that!

Thanks for sharing the quote, I am glad this book is next up on my reading list!

[Julie]

Conversion is needed for every single one of us...excluding those who might be Saints. (Padre Pio, St. Therese of Lisieux, etc., who seemed to have special graces). But with that, they still had moments of conversion which continued to lead them closer to God.

I see this as a caution against becoming complacent. We can't sit back and pat ourselves on the back for being Catholic. Holiness is work, it requires not only grace, but our cooperation with grace, and it requires true humility. As heaven rejoices at the return of a prodigal, we also must rejoice and recognize that the prodigal may far surpass us in holiness and favor to God.

As a "pseudo-revert" myself, I can testify that my faith is stronger for my having fallen away. I fear that had I not had to struggle with so many questions and against so many attacks (by anti-Catholics), I would not be where I am today...although I still have so far to go.

It is a path for all of us, and conversion is a LIFETIME process. It's not a one-time moment. It is unto death.

[Ray from MN]

In my family, I was the oldest son, but I was the one who ran away (to get away from Dad).

Ultimately, thanks be to God, I did come back as a Prodigal Son.

My next youngest brother also fled, and then returned.

Interestingly, my youngest brother stayed at home and was the obedient one, subject to the "Law." But he ended up as the estranged brother in a delayed and more serious estrangement from the Church and from the other siblings.

And I don't know how to get him back.

Your post and Pope Benedict's quote have given me some insight that I may be able to use. There is still plenty of time.

I need to pray for and help him with his conversion path.

Thank you, Erin.

[Catholic Wife and Mother]

Isn't this the problem with fallen-away Catholics? They haven't come to the "obedience out of love," and view the Church only as a set of rules that should be followed.

I agree with Julie, conversion is continual and life-long.

On a personal level, I know that when I'm doing something that's right, just because it's the Right Thing to do (i.e. being kind to someone who drives me up the wall), I do tend to get resentful. Very much "Oldest Son." When I'm going through a period of spiritual growth, I don't feel that resentment, even towards the same person who can drive me up the wall, because I'm concentrating only on the fact that you do what is right for the love of God. In those instances, I'm neither Oldest Son nor Youngest, but acting more like the Father.

[Sarahndipity]

Catholic Wife and Mother, I also tend to get resentful when I'm doing something purely because it's the Right Thing to Do. A perfect example is NFP - I've had a lot of problems with it (including an unplanned pregnancy) and the only reason I use it is because I'm scared of going to hell. There's no way I'd use it if I wasn't Catholic. I do tend to get resentful of it at times. I'm not sure how to change this, though. Maybe it's just one of those things I need to accept as a cross.

[arkanabar t'verrick ilarsadin]

I think the Holy Father is dead on with this one.

Sarahndipity, accepting rules as a cross is good, IMO. Trusting in the overwhelming love of God likewise helps me. My joy in obedience comes entirely from my surety that Jesus loves me and that God makes all things work together for the good with/for those who love Him.

And as Sister Mary Martha regularly suggests (http://asksistermarymartha.blogspot.com) you can always offer up your suffering for the souls in Purgatory.