What are Protestant clergypersons to do when someone in the congregation decides to become Catholic? Ideally they would keep John 3, 22-30 in mind:
“After this, Jesus went with his disciples into the Judaean countryside and stayed with them there and baptised. John also was baptising at Aenon near Salim, where there was plenty of water, and people were going there and were being baptised. For John had not yet been put in prison.
Now a discussion arose between some of John’s disciples and a Jew about purification, so they went to John and said, ‘Rabbi, the man who was with you on the far side of the Jordan, the man to whom you bore witness, is baptising now, and everyone is going to him.’ John replied: ‘No one can have anything except what is given him from heaven. ‘You yourselves can bear me out. I said, “I am not the Christ; I am the one who has been sent to go in front of him.” ‘It is the bridegroom who has the bride; and yet the bridegroom’s friend, who stands there and listens to him, is filled with joy at the bridegroom’s voice. This is the joy I feel, and it is complete. He must grow greater, I must grow less.”
Becoming a Catholic is a step up. The Protestant has two Sacraments, Baptism and Marriage. Catholics have Seven Sacraments.
What decent, historically aware Protestant clergyperson would not want to encourage a Christian to become a Catholic and have sins forgiven? To have life in them by receiving The Body and Blood of Christ? Receive the Last Rites? Have a better chance of getting into Heaven? Be able to pray for their beloved dead?
The Protestant clergy should be as filled with joy to see people becoming Catholics as John the Baptist was when he saw people leaving him for Christ.
