Jon Sweeney, a self-described ‘evolved Protestant’ and
noted religious writer, has long been fascinated by the Catholic
Church. However, it wasn’t until he was a young missionary in
the Philippines that he truly began to understand the
Church’s traditions, mysteries, and religious beliefs and its
hold on those who follow the tradition. As he explains, Catholic
spirituality is all about responding to the fundamental mystery of
Jesus, the incarnation, and what it all meant in the beginning as
well as what it means today.
In Almost Catholic, Sweeney offers an appreciation of
Catholicism, weaving in the story of his own explorations with
those of others who have also been attracted to this tradition. He
finds himself drawn to the Church’s ancient and medieval
traditions out of a desire to connect with the deepest and widest
paths on the way. Two millennia of saints and practices and
teachings and mystery form a connection for him to the very
beginnings of Christianity.
Table of Content
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
About the author
THE AUTHOR
JON M. SWEENEY is a prolific author who wrote Born Again and Again, named one of the Best Books of 2005 by Spirituality & Health magazine and honored with an Award of Merit by Christianity Today, and Light in the Dark Ages: The Friendship of Francis and Clare of Assisi, a selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club. He writes for the website www.explorefaith.org, and his articles have been published in a variety of magazines including Catholic Digest, The Lutheran, The Merton Seasonal, and Spirituality & Health.
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