Coffee, Crucifix, and St. Benedict

There's not really any significant thought behind this blog other than what I have right in front of me: Some coffee, the crucifix I wear around my next and a book about St. Benedict.

These things got me thinking though.

First thought:
I drink a lot of (and spend far too much money on) coffee. That is a sad but true fact of life. It's an addiction like any other, and I don't think I'm willing to let this one go. Deal with it people!


Second (and slightly more serious) thought:
As I read this book about St Benedict I am deeply convicted about some of my lifes pursuits. Benedict of Nursia was a man deeply devoted to making every aspect of his life aim toward God. He is considered the "father of Western Monasticism," and many people, monks and nuns, layperson and clergy, see him as a wonderful example of what it means to give up every fleshly desire and follow after Christ.

I am so convicted because I, just like the rest of my American peers, am chasing after the wind. I always want more stuff. Do I need more useless crap in my life? Absolutely not. Yet I keep longing and coveting the things that I don't have. Benedict is a wonderful reminder that Christ is all I really need. That vain pursuits are not lasting and will fade away, but those things that are done for the cause of Christ Jesus will last forever. Praise God.


Third (and final) thought:
Recently I was spending time with some family and the crucifix I wear around my neck became visible. A family member of mine scoffed at it and made the remark "Protestants don't hang Jesus on the Cross."

Well, this got me thinking a bit and asking a hard question. Am I a protestant? No, I don't think so. Not in the American Evangelical sense of the word anyway. I don't hold to a narrow view of Christianity that only allows for what the "emergent/emerging/seeker/charismatic" movements shove down our throats either.

I would much rather allign myself with Christs One, Holy, Apostolic and Catholic Church. I need something with roots, and deep ones at that. It's not enough for me to look back to a Christian tradition that only goes as far back as 1960, I'd rather link up with a tradition that goes back to AD 60.

We have a glorious history in our faith, and for whatever reason we Americans are content to let it stay history. There's a problem with that though; it is our pasts that make us who we are. As individuals our personalities, quirks, preferences and thoughts are shaped by our experiences growing up.

At the risk of falling into an existential heresy I will say that the Church is this way as well. We as a Church have been shaped and formed by our past. The Great Persecution, the Church Councils, the Reformation, the Inquisition, the Crusades, the Calvinist/Arminian debate, Billy Grahm, etc... For better or for worse our faith is shaped by our history.

Our faith has splintered into so many different factions and sects, and things as petty as a cross with a little Jesus figure on it is enough to separate Christians. This makes me sick. This is why I refuse to call myself a Protestant. Ridiculous little things divide Protestants.

I am a Catholic Christian in the Anglican tradition, and I am very proud to be a part of Christs ONE universal (catholic) Church. These are my thoughts. As scattered and random as they may be.

Soli Deo Gloria,
-Matthew