14 Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong. ² For instance, one person believes it’s all right to eat anything. But another believer with a sensitive conscience will eat only vegetables. ³ Those who feel free to eat anything must not look down on those who don’t. And those who don’t eat certain foods must not condemn those who do, for God has accepted them. ⁴ Who are you to condemn someone else’s servants? Their own master will judge whether they stand or fall. And with the Lord’s help, they will stand and receive his approval.

Dear God, I want to look at these verses from yesterday again because I am having an important meeting today that these thoughts from Paul could influence.

You know that my wife is Catholic, and although I am not Catholic, we attend Catholic church together, participate in church activities almost as if I was Catholic. I’ve been all of the way through the Rite of Catholic Initiation for Adults (RCIA) and found that I couldn’t get myself close enough theologically to actually become Catholic. But I’ve happily attended for 13 years now, and I’ve actually grown quite accustomed to it. Outside of the obvious thing that I do not go forward for Eucharist, I dare say that anyone there would otherwise think I am Catholic.

So why am I bringing this up today? Well, one of the leaders of the church asked my wife and me to consider working with couples who are doing the premarital program–specifically the couples where one is Catholic and one isn’t. I suppose we are seen as a good example of a “mixed” marriage. But I am concerned about it. Basically, I think it is important for couples to worship together and serve the church together. I would overlook my theological differences with the church and consider being confirmed Catholic except that there are a couple of them that the church places paramount importance on, and if I do not believe these one or two things then they do not want me taking part in the sacraments. And I get and respect that. No problem. But if I am working with a couple that has a Catholic and then one who is either unchurched, nominally churched, or churched in another tradition, I don’t want my decision to not be confirmed Catholic to influence them.

I’m glad I’m doing this because I think I might have just had a thought. Holy Spirit, is that you? Perhaps I should just not talk theology, but encourage them to walk the path I have walked, which I think has been a good one. When my wife came to be nearly 14 years ago and told me she had visited a Catholic church for the first time and loved it, I was resistant. Then, as I felt more and more disconnected from her spiritually, a friend encouraged me to start going to church with her. Eventually, we went through RCIA together, and I now know more Catholic theology than a lot of cradle Catholics. What I found in that first year of that church was people who are truly lovers of you. They want to worship you. They want to serve you. I’ve sat in the balcony during a Christmas Eve service, looked down on the crowd, and thought about how much you loved them and me. And how much we love you. So while I couldn’t be confirmed, I certainly found no reason why I couldn’t worship with them and keep my differences in opinion to myself. Then, a couple of years ago, I listened to the Bible in a Year Podcast with Fr. Mike Schmitz. It was so good for me. Yes, he taught some Catholic doctrine throughout with which I disagreed, but nothing was beyond the types of disagreements Paul describes above. I’m not saying one of us has a less mature faith than the other. In fact, mine is probably less mature if we are measuring on a scale. But the act of worshipping with my wife, supporting her involvement in the music program and visitation ministry, and being involved in a couples group with six other couples has been very good for me. I think I have been a blessing to at least some of them as well. So maybe as I’m visiting with engaged couples of different Christian denominational faiths in the future I can just point them to my path without giving them a sense of my theological differences. Maybe I can point them to my support for my wife’s spiritual development under you as opposed to the places where I think I am smarter that 2,000 years of Catholic theology.

Father, guide me in this conversation today. Help me to submit to the authority of the church leader who runs this program. Help me to be humble. We all like to think that we are the mature one in our faith, but even the example Paul gives above with food is not clear cut. I can say that it is paramount and a dealbreaker if someone doesn’t believe in the deity of Jesus; his life, death, and resurrection as reconciliation with you; and the need to love you with our whole heart, soul, mind, and strength and our neighbor as ourself. If the Nicene Creed is a foundation for both, the rest is us working out our faith with fear and trembling before you. Help me to come one step closer to working out my faith before you today. And use my wife and me to be your blessing to others, including possibly couples at the beginning of their lives together.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen