Almost Catholic: An Appreciation of the History, Practice, and Mystery of Ancient Faith

Introduction vii

Section One The Language and the Spirit 1

Forget What You Thought You Knew 3

“Catholic” 11

Forget About Conversion 16

Doubters and Believers, Atheists and Agnostics 22

Eleven Steps to Becoming a Truly Catholic Christian 26

Section Two The Catholic Imagination 29

God is Here 31

Sacred Spaces and Places 36

Privy to a Revealed Secret 42

But It’s Too Easy 48

Taking Vows 54

Becoming a Saint 62

Section Three Faith with Flesh 69

He Loved His Own Flesh 71

The Sensuousness of Jesus 77

The Crucifix 81

Stations of the Cross 88

Bones and Bodies 93

Something Good About Hell 101

Section Four Much More Than Kitsch and Jesus Junk 109

Rosary Beads 111

Little Books 116

Images That Speak 122

Novenas for Heathens and Outcasts 128

Going to Confession 135

The Sacred Heart of Jesus 140

Section Five My Own Cloud of Witnesses 147

Thomas Merton 149

Saint Francis of Assisi 153

Every Idealist Who Has Ever Tried 156

G. K. Chesterton 160

Flannery O’Connor 165

The Catechism as a Mystical Novel 172

Section Six Together with Others 179

Take Me to the River 181

Sacraments and Sacramentals 187

Contemplative Living 192

Eating and Kissing 197

Millions of Blessings 203

Excommunication 207

Appendix Defining a Few Terms 213

Notes 217

Suggestions for Further Reading 225

Acknowledgments 227

The Author 229