I just finished Almost Catholic: An Appreciation of the History, Practice, and Mystery of Ancient Faith, by Jon Sweeney.
I made the mistake about halfway through of reading reviews and then visiting Sweeney's blog with the same title and premise as his book.
I learned that he has since stopped blogging there; here is an excerpt:
After 20 years as an evangelical, and 21 years as an involved Episcopalian, in 2009 I became a Catholic on the feast day of St. Francis. My primary congregational involvement today, however, is Jewish… I started this blog because I called myself “almost Catholic”–at that time I was an evolving Protestant … Now I am actually a Catholic, but that doesn’t really define me. In many ways I’ll religiously and spiritually always be “almost.” Source >
HIs candor casts some of his more moving accounts in a new light, especially how meaningful some things had become to him, like praying the Stations of the Cross alone and outdoors.
It's not my place to judge, but as I am myself on the outside looking in, I felt a kinship with him.
I finished the book - it's very good, candid, a joy to read - but instead of ending at Rome, it only made a rest stop there, which is not to disparage Mr Sweeney (who is an honest spiritual seeker and deserves an enormous amount of credit for being open about his journey), but rather to say I thought I'd found a kindred spirit, and at that moment while reading his blog, I felt a loss, and continued to the end on my own.
[2014-08-06]
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