A Thoughtful Catholic??

Someone posted one of my posts on Catholic Answers, which explains why I'm getting some traffic from there.  As I was going through Catholic Answers, I found the following website, which was posted by a poster on Catholic Answers.  The weblink is from the Thoughtful Catholic: 

http://thoughtfulcatholic.com/?page_id=775

Let's look at the first two paragraphs of what the author, Chuck White said. The bold is my emphasis: 

I'd like to give you some questions to ask the catechists if you find yourself in the third night of the initial catechesis of the Neocatechumenal Way.  On that night, the presentation will probably, at some point turn to the topic of "Natural Religiosity" and "Adult Faith." 

Kiko's approach toward natural religion, which is man's natural inclination toward God, a sense of the sacred, the offering of sacrifice and prayers of supplication, is significantly different from the approach of the Church.  In short, Kiko pits "adult faith" (which is a good and necessary thing) against "natural religion (another good thing) and seeks to replace natural religiosity with adult faith. The Church, on the other hand, teaches that adult faith is actually built on the foundation of natural religion and that grace can perfect it.  

Apparently, we are supposed to believe Chuck White's own catechesis.  In the first place, religion is defined as a set of beliefs and practices.  Man is naturally a religious creature because it was placed in him to seek God, but in his religious behavior, man can display limits and errors.  In his religious behavior, man can be deceived and become vain in his reasonings and serve a false god (See the Catechism of the Catholic Church 844). 

Religion in itself is neither good nor bad, but is dependent on the belief and practice that makes it a good or bad thing.  So, if the person's religion was like that of the Baal's where they sacrificed children to a god, then this religion is viewed as a bad thing.  There is also such thing as a false religion. Religious beliefs of reincarnation is viewed as a false religion because it is contrary to Christian beliefs.  Chuck White stated: The Church, on the other hand, teaches that adult faith is actually built on the foundation of natural religion and that grace can perfect it.  Yet, he does not cite the Catechism nor any biblical source to support this. 

Adult faith is NOT built on the foundation of natural religion.  Faith is a gift from God (See the Catechism of the Catholic Church 162).  Even the Holy Bible says that faith is a gift from God (See Ephesians 2:8).  The seed of faith is first planted in our baptism, and this seed needs to grow into what Kiko calls "an adult faith."  When a child or adult is baptized, their faith is immature.  So, yes, there is such thing as "mature faith" or "adult faith." 

CCC 1253  Baptism is the sacrament of faith.  But faith needs the community of believers.  It is only within the faith of the Church that each of the faithful can believe.  The faith required for Baptism is not a perfect and mature faith, but a beginning that is called to develop......    

CCC 1254 For all the baptized, children or adults, faith must grow after Baptism.  For this reason the Church celebrates each year at the Easter Vigil the renewal of baptismal promises.  Preparation for Baptism leads only to the threshold of new life.  Baptism is the source of that new life in Christ from which the entire Christian life springs forth.  

In other words, if the person's faith has not grown after Baptism, then their faith is not an adult faith, but an immature one as St. Paul says in Sacred Scripture:  

1 Corinthians 3:1-7  Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly - mere infants in Christ, I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it.  Indeed, you are still not ready.......I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.  

In here, St. Paul addressed some of the Christian community as having an immature faith, so why does it bother those who are against the Way that Kiko says the same thing as the Apostle Paul??  Are there also not Catholics who do not yet have an adult faith?  

The Catholic Church teaches that there is goodness and truths that comes from non-Christian religions, but these goodness and truths found in those religions were placed there to "prepare them for the Gospel of Christ" (Catechism of the Catholic Church 843).  The author, Chuck White, goes on to say that Kiko seeks to replace natural religiosity with adult faith.  Well, isn't that the reason why Christ sent out the Apostles into the world?  What is the purpose of Christ's missionaries?  Was it not to replace the Gentile's false concept of religion to a faith in Jesus Christ? 

Chuck White further interpreted Kiko's statement in his post as: 

Kiko wants us to believe that God accepted the Old Testament sacrifices and priests rather reluctantly and really had other plans for his people.  

The inclination of men, throughout history and across all cultures to offer supplications and sacrifices on altars is part of our God-given instinct and was meant as a foreshadowing or "type" of the New Covenant which brings them to perfection.  

Is that what Kiko is really saying or is that simply Chuck White's interpretation of what he thinks Kiko is saying.  It helps to listen to the entire catechesis and not just sentences and phrases taken out from it.  

The message of the Old Testament is that God will come down in the form of man to redeem us.  He came to share in our humanity so He can become one with us.  Christ also wants us to become one with Him, which is why He instituted the Eucharist.  The Eucharist is what we also celebrate in the Neocatechumenal Way.  In the Old Testament, the sacrifices and priests were a foreshadow of God's plan of salvation.   

Many people look at Mother Teresa because she dedicated her life to serving the poor and became one of them, but that is not the miracle.  The miracle is that she ENJOYED serving the poor and becoming one of them.  This is God's grace upon her.  So, this brings us to the Mass. What is the reason people come to the Mass?  If we come to the Mass because we HAVE to, the Mass merely becomes an obligation and probably even a burden.  This is natural religiosity. This is not God's plan of salvation for us. If we come to the Mass because of our love for God and want to become one with him as we consume His Body and Blood....because we enjoy the Mass and hearing His word....this is the grace of God working in us.  See my post on Christianity and Religion on the rest of natural religiosity.