Paul and Layla: Amateur Catholics

I hope it's not cheating to cram two people into one email, because I am -- but we both write the same blog, so it should work, right?

My name is Paul, and I'm an amateur Catholic. In fact, I don't even go to a Catholic college -- so not only do I not get paid to be Catholic, I don't pay to be Catholic either. Not surprisingly, I don't get paid to talk, either. However, if I tried, I could probably get paid to shut up, because I talk a lot; it runs in my family. And for some reason, people (around here) get nervous about you talking when you say things like, "magisterium" or "well, that's EVIL," or use phrases like "the Protestant heresy." I'm a cradle Catholic, took 12 years of Catholic school, and spent the latter of those years arguing with squishy religion teachers who acted like they were allergic to the Truth. I've always taken the faith seriously, but there's been something that's really clicked the last year or so, largely having to do with the woman I love deciding to convert. Nothing says "boy, you need to kick it up a notch" like the fact that your Protestant-raised girlfriend has taught herself almost (not quite, but almost) as much about the faith in a few months as you picked up in the past 20 years.

Layla is even more amateur than I am, because she's not even a fully initiated Catholic yet, at least for another month. Normally, you expect Catholic guys to grow up, and if they don't become priests, to find some nice Catholic girl to marry, and settle down and have a family. It's that whole "be fruitful and multiply" thing. See, my family never got that particular memo. We got one that jumbled "be fruitful and multiply" together with "make disciples of all the nations," so we don't just marry cute Catholic girls, we find cute Protestant girls, turn them into cute Catholic girls, and THEN marry them. Layla doesn't go to a Catholic college either, but somehow she puts up with me talking, which given our blog traffic is more than most people can do. We run In Veritate Ambulare (http://brpmilesblog.blogspot.com).

I hope it's not cheating to cram two people into one email...

No Paul, it's not cheating, but it is rather amateurish. I guess that means you're in (both of you). Welcome to the B-Team and welcome Layla to the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.

Julie: Invertebrate Ambulance? ;)