Bruce Sullivan - Christ In His Fullness: A Protestant Minister Discovers the Fullness of Christ in the Catholic Church

CHRIST IN HIS FULLNESS

BY BRUCE SULLIVAN

CHResources
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of the Coming Home Network International, Inc.

Copyright 2007 The Coming Home Network International
All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America

Bruce Sullivan
Christ in His Fullness

ISBN: 0-9702621-7-5

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture texts normally used in
this work are taken from the
Revised Standard Version of the Bible,
(C) 1966 by the Division of Christian Education of the
National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States,
and are used by permission.

Cover design by Devin Schadt and David Griffey

Cover Photo by Marcus Grodi

Electronic edition by Marpex Inc., Steubenville Ohio

To Father Benjamin F. Luther whose selfless dedication to the proclamation of the Gospel in both word and deed has been such a blessing to so many. Like St. Raphael with young Tobias, you have been God's guiding angel in times of testing. Your continued friendship has been one of God's greatest gifts and a treasured part of experiencing Christ in His Fullness.

Numerous people reviewed the manuscript for this book and offered words of encouragement and helpful suggestions. While every one of them is greatly appreciated, three of them stand out in a special way: Father Ray Ryland, Marcus Grodi, and John O. Shields. Their fraternal support and guidance helped me carry this project through to completion. For that I am eternally grateful.

1. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture citations are from the Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition.

2. Unless otherwise noted, all Patristic citations are from W.A. Jurgens, The Faith of the Early Fathers (Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 1970). In addition, they have all been keyed to Jurgens' work by the letter "J" followed by a number that corresponds to the numbering in The Faith of the Early Fathers. Jurgen's work was selected because of its ease of acquisition and price.

3. Fictional names are so indicated by an asterisk (*) as they are introduced.

Mountains have long been a source of inspiration for the contemplation of God and our upward journey toward him. The Psalmist said, "I lift up my eyes to the hills. From whence does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth" (Psalm 121:1). And so I, too, lifted up my eyes on the beautiful Sunday afternoon of July 16, 1995.

I was participating in a division sales meeting for the company that was, at the time, my employer. The meeting was held in the picturesque setting of the Keystone Resort in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. Sunday was, of course, a "free" day for us, and I intended to take full advantage of it. My plans consisted primarily of trekking into the mountains for prayer, meditation, and spiritual reading. For reading material, I brought along a book on Eucharistic meditations.

On my way to the mountain trails, I was met by one of my co-workers, Joe*. We barely had exchanged greetings when, spying the book in my hand, he asked, "So, Bruce, what are you reading?" Before I could answer, he took the book from my grasp and began reading the description on the back cover. Returning the book, he commented, rather smugly, "You must be Catholic." I responded by saying, "As a matter of fact, I am." Not content to leave it at that, I quickly added, "But, I have not always been so."

*A fictional name.

Joe took a step backwards and said, "Really?" It was apparent that to him the idea of someone converting to the Catholic Faith was rather strange and novel. After a moment's reflection he asked, "So, tell me this: What did you find in Catholicism that you did not find in Protestantism?"

Joe's question was a genuine one, and to be sure, quite a good one. Unfortunately, before I could begin to respond, some additional co-workers appeared on the scene and whisked Joe off to a white water rafting adventure. After that, Joe and I never had the opportunity to discuss his question. However, it stuck with me. What exactly did I find in the Catholic Church that I did not find in Protestantism? The following pages are my feeble attempt at an answer.

Autumn on the campus of Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama, is truly exhilarating. Football is in full swing, a new academic year has begun, and the cooler weather brings welcome relief from the sweltering Alabama summer heat. Yet the crisp, cool air of the Auburn autumn often invites "heat" of a different kind -- the heat of fiery outdoor campus preachers.

It was the fall of 1984. I was making my way across campus, smartly attired in my Air Force ROTC uniform, when I stopped to listen to one of those preachers. I had listened to several in the past and often, as in this case, they were traveling preachers making a circuit of major college campuses. Some of them could get quite comical, but there was little that was comical about this one.

He was serious and sobering to a degree that could, in fact, be described as grim. Clad in blue jeans and a T-shirt, with a carpenter's belt filled with tracts, he looked as if he had been transported by a time machine out of the 1960s. His wife sat off to the side, minding their two young children, her hair pulled back and covered with a bandana. He propped up a life-sized cross as he preached to the students going to and from their classes. His subject matter? Sin, judgment, repentance, and the need to save oneself from "the system." When personally challenged, he tended to respond with words of biting sarcasm.

I was simply one student in a crowd of dozens. Yet, this preacher singled me out in a rather profound way. He turned, looking directly at me, and said without sarcasm, "Jesus Christ is not the Lord of your life! You're wearing it."

I wasn't the only bystander wearing an ROTC uniform, so I began to object. However, an especially devout friend -- also in uniform -- encouraged me to simply listen. So I did. And as I listened, the Lord opened my heart to the truth of this traveling preacher's words, for indeed Jesus Christ was not, at that time, the Lord of my life. My pursuit of a particular career had become an idol.

I could not tell you that preacher's name; in fact, I don't think I ever saw him again. But I am convinced that God used him to speak to me at a very important juncture in my life. That juncture was one of coming to grips with the reality that each of us, at some point, must decide whether we will seek God's will or pursue our own. Sadly, we usually are not even cognizant that we are making such a choice. Prior to that day, I simply had assumed that my personal preferences coincided with God's holy will. I thank Him for the grace to have been shown otherwise.

There was nothing particularly earth-shaking about my upbringing. I was raised in the South as a Southern Baptist. In my youth, attending services three times per week was simply par for the course. My three sisters and I participated in children's choirs, Vacation Bible School, and youth group activities. At the age of ten, I made my first public profession of faith before the congregation of West Side Baptist Church in Hollywood, Florida, and from that point forward did my best to live the Christian life as I understood it.