Would that I had been able to to get over my disdain of all things liturgical, ancient, and.. ca..Ca....Catholic. Perhaps I would have made the swim years ago.
After Robert Webber's passing, I told my wife, Prodigal Daughter, I expected to see a number of new conversions among the Emergent Church folks after his death. Why? Because, Robert now stands before the throne of glory and no longer sees through a "glass darkly." He is able to intercede for those on the journey that are so close to what he now knows to be the fullness of truth. Who knows? Perhaps, some of these recent conversions/reversions may be the results of his prayers. He may become the patron saint of the emergent brethren.
All that being said, Welcome Home Tom! Our prayers are with you and your family.
Please give him a hearty Catholic Blogger's Welcome!
*Incensophobia, According to Tiberpedia, an acute medical condition characterized by symptoms which develop upon exposure to liturgical incense. (Incense burned while listening to the Dead doesn't seem to have the same effect) For some, the symptoms can occur with even the slightest provocation including a brief whiff of incense often found in the foyers of Catholic Churches.
Symptoms include a tightening of the throat, lower abdominal cramps, sudden headache and an intense desire to be somewhere else. Repressed memories of Mass as a child often return upon exposure and may lead to exacerbation of the above symptoms.
As a result, the sufferer develops intense fear and a near pathologic loathing of all things associated with incense, ie. the ancient Church.
