QUANTUM CATHOLICISM: Five stories of My Catholic Church and the four quantum threads of energy that directly link God with me.

I attempt to provide a theoretical and conceptual, rather than scientific, view of what I believe reality is and how my Catholic Faith uniquely prepares me to be in the presence of Christ. For me, this is what Church looks like at my stage of spiritual evolution. I have discovered how to make all things new each day by embracing Cistercian practices and charisms. These occasions of grace are when I knowingly and lovingly want to be present to the one I love, a person I have never seen and only encounter in the upper room of my inner self, whom I have come to believe as Jesus the Christ, and God’s energy in the Catholic Church (Church Universal) for which I am the tabernacle of the Real Presence.

There is a saying, “Outside the Church, there is no salvation.” Obviously, this means the Church Universal, of which the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox are but a part, and critical ones at that. In this reflection on the four marks of the Church (one, holy, catholic, and apostolic), I offer my personal Church, that part of me which continues to grow each day, infused by linking with other levels of the new Catholic Church, all bound together by the energy of God.

What follows is how I see the Church (using theoretical Catholicism).

• My Catholic Church (which mine alone, as is yours,) looks like a five-story building or five floors situated on solid bedrock (The Trinity). Each floor has four rooms, and they are the same for each floor. They are stacked one on top of the other like a ziggurat pyramid, the largest being on the first floor or the foundation, all the way up to the smallest, My Catholic Church, and how I have decorated it.
• The four rooms are called One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic, and they traverse all the way from bedrock just to me. You have your own Church created in your image and likeness. One is not better than the rest, but different depending on life experiences and choices made during each of our lifetimes.
• Like the three little pigs’ house that the wolf tried to blow down, this house is made of a special brick crafted by the Holy Spirit. Even the gates of hell will not blow it down or prevail over this structure.
• This Catholic Church of mine is grouped together with others to form a gathering of eagles, or in this case, individual Catholic Churches (new wine skins) that each of us must make, and which forms the three levels of the living Body (militant, purgative, and triumphant).
• Christ is the head of this gathering, providing to all gathered together His Real Presence in Eucharist right now, and as the Lamb wounded for our offenses, later in heaven.
• What I choose to decorate in this house (which is one of the many mansions God has prepared for those who love him), I do so while I am alive, desiging what interiors I wish to take with me to heaven, by doing good works (not for the the sake of good works but to have others see them and give glory to the Father), and always using faith informed by reason.
• I use my heaven on earth to store up treasures; those I pack for my home in heaven. It is important to note that even the rich get to heaven, but it must be God’s riches we pack and not THINGS, not our material accouterments.
• God would not have abandoned humans to seek out how to be adopted sons and daughters without providing the help that they could accept or reject.

BEDROCK — Every house should be built on solid bedrock and not sand. This is the only reality for me in the Catholic Church, because it will be the foundation for my home in heaven. Christ is the rock, the capstone, the only foundation for my church that will sustain it after I die. This is the Rock of Ages. For God to reach me (after Christ died and rose from the dead), Christ chose imperfect humans to figure out how to make it operations throughout the whole world. As we suffer the ambiguities of what is wrong today, so too did our predecessors in this quest face the same predicament we have.

FIRST FLOOR — ( From Abraham to the Ascension of Christ into Heaven) In My Catholic Church, the first floor is the foundation of the building and sits on the rock of ages (God), but in real time, at least for the 84.11 years I have the privilege of existing. This period is from the Sacrifice of Abraham through to its fulfillment, the Sacrifice of Christ on the wood of the cross as a ransom for the many. This is the rock in real time upon which Christ will build His five stories with four rooms. He chose Peter to replicate what he said, albeit with Peter’s idea of what Christ wanted. To give authority to such an imperfect human is a sign of trust that God had in humanity.

• John 21 speaks of the meaning of this level of Faith. It is not my Faith alone, but contains all those who have died in the peace of Christ and are in heaven or purgatory.
• This level is the collected gathering of all the faithful in the time they spent living out what it means to be human, using God or Christ as their center, and not their own whims and human urges that do not lead to heaven on earth or in heaven.
• This is Christ fulfilling the Old Testament and Prophets by expanding the Church to all humans.
• This floor has four rooms, corridors, if you will, of God’s energy flowing through time and space, ever growing in complexity and consciousness to that next level of Church.
• This level is real and exists moving forward. Today, there are two types of those who believe in Christ:
• Those who look back two thousand years to a perfectly completed Bible and glean from it the word of everlasting life.
• The next group is those who have borne the head of various pitfalls and wrong detours as a Group that is One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic, and show the bruises and scars of battles won and last as a group, but still functioning because the Holy Spirit won’t let them go too far off course. It is in this sense that I make personal reparation for the sins of the Church, sin being an archer who aims for the target bullseyes but misses it completely.
• This bottom level contains all the bruises that the Apostles suffered in coming to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, Son of the Living God, and Savior (John 20) This is why the veneration (not adoration) of Mary and all the Saints (I am a small s) is so important as a link right now to that first floor, those first Christians and disciples who had no handbook except the Torah and prescriptions of the law but where tasked with taking that to the whole world who did not know Jesus. These four marks are the four strands of God’s grace (energy) that stretch from the Rock of Ages through each century, containing all humans, believers or not.
• The point is that tradition and Scripture move forward in each age, and we inherit that deposit of collective Faith if we but dig deeper into a Faith that seems so shallow at first glance. Going to Mass once a week (if I am so inclined) is good, but good is not good enough. We must all dig for heavenly gold right under our very feet, or, as I like to say, in that upper room of my inner self (Matthew 6:5)
• The Gospels (remember, there were at least 25 that we know of) outline the way, what is true from Christ, and so point to the life of heaven now and later after we each die. Life is changed, not ended, after we die, when we realize that death has no sting anymore. It is the testament of the four canonical (approved) Gospels that give us the life of Christ as an archetypal Hero overcoming battles and obstacles to die on the cross as a ransom for many. (Philippians 2:5-12)The four marks of the Catholic Church are sources of energy which each of us can tap into through prayer, sacrifice, service to others, and loving God with our whole mind, heart, and strength and our neighbor as ourselves. (Deuteronomy 6:5 and Matthew 22:36)
• Here are the direct words as reported by the scribes of the times, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, plus their practical blueprints on how communities can walk in the footsteps of Christ, the Epistles, and Letters deemed to be significant for our salvation.
• The energy of the Church Universal, militant, triumphant, and purgative, with the four rooms or entanglements of One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic, stands on the foundation of the Rock of Ages and so must be THE way, THE truth, and THE life. But there is a deeper (higher) meaning for me as a Catholic.

SECOND FLOOR — (From Pentecost through to each day, now) Upon the rock, Christ built His Church, and this second floor is the Catholic Church militant, the gathering of the faithful in each movement of space and time for them, all built on One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic floor with these continguous rooms on each floor being the template for what is to come.

• The Holy Spirit took the baton handed off by Christ and is running with it from Pentecost to the Second Coming. Because the Holy Spirit is Hope that the words of Christ to us are true, and thus we will have our own resurrection of the dead and life of the world to come (Apostles Creed), we live out whatever time we have on earth linked to the Church Militant (visible to me) at the broadest level.
• What we see is the Catholic Church present, but, because we are all linked together with One Lord, One Spirit, One Baptism, and One Faith, we receive what is true as preserved from our past, not guarauneed by our Present Magisterium (teaching authority from Christ) but also through Ecuminical Councils through the Centuries and Encyclicals from the Holy Father, who wears the shoes of the fisherman.
• As it is with the first floor, the second floor of this Ziggurat is smaller but still contains the four marks of the Church to transmit power directly through the Holy Spirit to be present with Christ in silence, solitude, work, and prayer in the context of a gathered community. Continuity and contiguous traditions are one.
• The Catholic Church ( all who confess that Jesus is Lord) moves forward in space and time together, all the while becoming more complex (capacitas dei) and consciousness (daily conversio morae) as a whole, and I am one of those grapes in the bunch of the Vine of Christ. The Holy Spirit overshadows those who wait in humility in the presence of Christ (in Lectio Divina, Eucharist, Eucharistic adoration, Holy Rosary, Meditation, and Sacrament of Penance).
• Authentic Catholicism looks forward as it moves down through all the centuries, picking up best practices based on living the Gospel (the Saints and saints), and keeping what is true from Jesus in the depository of the Magisterium. If you must look back to Scriptures or practices in the early Church, you have not borne the heat of the martyrdom of living Christ down through the centuries, plus all those mistakes and wrong paths, and, more importantly, learned from them.
• This Church manifests itself through the four marks that distinguish it from those who must look back to find Christ. The practices that the faithful have created (Stations of the Cross, the Rosary, Eucharistic Adoration, Contemplative Practices of Cistercian spirituality) place themselves more firmly in the presence of Christ through the Holy Spirit, separating the societal Catholics from the deeper disciples and practitioners of Gospel spirituality.
• Catholics are not better Christians than any other denomination (comparisons are odious), but rather, they have the opportunity to be aware of the evolution of their spirituality in each age and then act accordingly. Catholicism, at the deepest level of our humanity, provides some ways to answer the three questions that plague each human’s unconsciousness:
  • What is the knowledge at the deepest part of my humanity that addresses why I am here and my worth?
  • How can I love fiercely as Christ loved me?
  • What is true, beyond the effects of individual opinions and false ideologies?
• The four marks of the church are lifelines from the energy of God, through the Church, looking forward in space and time. In Eucharist Adoration, I place myself in the presence of Christ and simply ask for mercy for me and the Church Universal.

THIRD FLOOR — (The Local Gathering from its inception to now and into the future). The Church refers to local gatherings of the faithful as dioceses, and each diocese has a bishop as its head. The very early slogan of “Ubi Episcopos, ibi Ecclesiam,” https://ubipetrusibiecclesia.com/2020/01/24/all-bishops-are-successors-of-peter-florilegium/ Read quotes from the Early Church Fathers and make up your own mind.

• St. Paul highlights the importance of communities in various cities, such as Colossians, Hebrews, Philippians, and Corinthians.
• My point here is that the local bishop is the chair of the cathedra from which the territory is administered.
• Bishops have an unbroken lineage to the time of the Apostles.
• All Bishops are united by allegiance to the Holy Father (Roman Catholic) but also by making real the four marks of the Church (one, holy, catholic, and apostolic), but on a local application.
• The authentic Catholic Church (23 rites that recognize the Pope as successor of St. Peter, plus all Eastern Orthodox Greek and Russian) all move forward with their complexity and consciousness of what Christ taught us. They do not look back at Scripture or some event like the Eucharist at the Last Supper and claim it as their own. In one sense, all other interpretations of the Gospels have not had to suffer the pains and anxieties of choosing a pathway that may or may not work out.
• Gaudium and Spes, the encyclical on the meaning of the Church, delineates those who, because of ignorance or fidelity to their faith traditions, have not chosen to be Catholic Universal but something they created since the time of the Apostles, are not to be judged by me or anyone else. No one can say Jesus is Lord, except through the Holy Spirit. https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19651207_gaudium-et-spes_en.html
• Tradition is what of Christ’s teachings are true, passed down through the ages, subject to the lens of human interpretation, yet filtering the way, the truth, and the life down through the ages.

FOURTH FLOOR--(THE LOCAL GATHERING (parish) within each diocese.) So far, I am a direct descendant of the faithful to include those based on the rock, on which sits the Church Universal with four rooms (one, holy, catholic, and apostolic), on which sits the Church Militant (on earth), on which sits the unique diocese with its bishop, on which sits the local parish.

A diocesan grouping of the faithful is called a community within a specified geographic area. The parishes of the diocese all follow the teachings of the local bishop on how to be present to Christ with the energy of the Holy Spirit, and through, with, and in Christ, the Real Presence, give glory to the Father and ask for mercy and forgiveness of sins.

Like the other floors, there is a continuity with the rock (God). There are four rooms on this floor with responsibilities peculiar to a local group. Notice how the Church, although Church Universal, which is at a cosmic level, is the same as the parish in its purpose and mission– to allow individual believers to be present to Christ in a variety of practices and charisms.

FIFTH LEVEL — (From my parish activities to my personal Catholicism, where I take all of the above and make it operational (to serve others) as my abilities and situation allow.

• I am the center of the universe, in the sense that I observe and live reality that is not the same as yours, yet this is only one reality. In the same way, I am a Catholic, not like you, but as Christ the potter moulds me in the image and likeness of God as an adopted son (daughter).
• Likewise, the authentic Catholic church is ONE, where there is a diversity of lifetimes and various intensities of those who make operational the Gospel (taking up my cross each day and following Christ). Christ is One, and so the marks of the Church Authentic reflect that.
• Diversity within Unity is the paradox.
• I am the only nexus within humanity or the Church Universal that can say NO to God and not get punished for it. There are, however, consequences for my good and bad choices.
• I am born alone, I pray alone (along with others) in that upper room of my inner self (Matthew 6:5), I receive Baptism alone, I alone can ask forgiveness for my own sins, I receive Eucharist alone, I give Glory to the Father through Christ alone, Christ being the mediator, I am the only one who prepares on earth for what I will become in heaven by not just saying, Lord, Lord, but by abandoning my will and my freedom to choose and put on the white garment that is Christ to prepare for the wedding feast. I alone but not forgotten, linked to the reality of the Universal Church and the fulfillment of the deepest part of my human evolution as a person.

AN OPTIONAL SIXTH LEVEL WITHIN MY FIFTH LEVEL — (Investing in the practices and charisms of the Cistercian (Trappist) way)To help me to focus on Christ and receive fewer distractions from my Center (Philippians 6:5), I applied to a group called the Lay Cistercians who follow the policies and procedures of Trappist monks and nuns as they reflect the Rule of St. Benedict. http://www.trappist.net

• This is one of the most demanding Lay groups in the Catholic Church and requires daily conversion of life to Christ, and a conscious desire to place oneself in the presence of Christ throughout the day.
• The charisms of this group of monks and nuns come from an intense desire to practice silence, solitude, prayer, and work (ora et labora) in the context of community, each day.
• Using these practices, particularly Lectio Divina, my other practices are linked together in one big expression of my love for Christ and to ask mercy for all my failings.
• For me, Lay Cistercian spirituality, as I know Lay Dominicans, Lay Franciscans, Lay Carmelites, Lay Augustinians experience, is a way to get to the truth, so that I can lead a contemplative life of silence, solitude, prayer, work, in the context of community.

God has given me, through Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit, a direct link to the energy of God, but through the consistency and continuity from the base through five (six) stories, all that I need to fulfill myself as a human being. All I have to do is believe and wait in the presence of Christ in silence and solitude.