Holiness in Community

So I'm skipping back to my thoughts from class on Tuesday. The topic was the Church, quite a lot to cover in a couple of hours, but it was interesting. Our associate pastor presented and that was neat because we haven't seen quite as much of him. The whole thing was pretty theological, which I enjoyed, but I wonder if it went over some people's heads.

The thing that caught me the most was when he was talking about the four marks of the church, one, holy, catholic, and apostolic. He talked about how we are called to holiness as a community. That stuck with me because I'm from a Wesleyan background so there is quite a bit of talk about personal holiness. We are supposed to be moving towards holiness. But I have never really thought about holiness as a whole church. It makes sense, we are supposed to be a holy community.

The whole community thing is something that has really struck me as a Catholic. The sense of connection is so much greater than the other churches I've been a part of. I have a much more real sense that we are all connected and all part of the same body. I love it!

I have also noticed this in how excited people have been for me as I'm converting. It is so encouraging to have this cheering section behind me. People at church, people I've talked to through e-mail, friends at the Catholic Answers Forums, people posting here, everyone has been SOO excited for me! Thank you all for your encouragement!