There is a forum out there in cyberland where the validity of any conversion to the Catholic faith that contains an emotional element is being called "emotionalism."  My own conversion has been bashed with this term a few times. 

Yesterday my precious dauther, Kimberly, was married in the Catholic Church.  It was a full Mass.  Father Steve gave a great, apologetics homily.  The whole event was permiated by the Holy Spirit.  It was great.

As I turned to watch each of my daughters process in, I glanced around the congregation for a glimpse of a familial face.  There is just something about a wedding that makes you want to share the joy with your family. 

Other than my lovely daughters, I had no blood relatives at the wedding.  I was alone watching my daughter and her new husband take their vows.  My family refused to attend the ceremony because they hate the Catholic Church.  I know they loath the openness to life that their wedding vows included.  They openly mock the things we hold most sacred.

Now, let's talk emotions, shall we? 

I'd like to know what kind of emotional high anyone could get from the fragrance of incense or the melodious sound of Gregorian Chant that would make a mother who loves her children more than herself leave a religious culture that believes the Catholic Church to be Satan's biggest lie and encourage her children to follow her into the Catholic faith?  What kind of emotional "buzz" do protestants think we converts get that would make us condemn our children to hell just so we can enjoy the smells and bells of liturgical worship?  Such an accusation is equal to being accused of offering our children to the sun god as human sacrifices. 

I, for one, became a Catholic because nothing else is historically or Biblical reasonable.  The facts had to outweigh my fear of abandonment by my family and peers.  I had to be willing to stand alone on what was right.  Yes, it was an emotional decision.  It had to be made dispite my emotions.

Now while we are on the subject of emotions, I have observed that Calvinists in particular (the camp I came from) are generally disconnected from their emotions.  In fact, any Calvinist that displayes much emotion is seen as suspicious and unstable. 

Since God created our emotions as well as our bodies and souls, I'm puzzled at the rejection of  emotion.  If you have a Bible program on your computer, do word studies on words like: rejoice, joy, gladness, delight, peace, praise, exhault, extol, cry, tears, dance, and sing.  Send me the numbers, I'd love to have that info.  Walking in the light of God's presence has always created great emotion in His people.  In fact, we find St. Paul talking about his great joy inspite of persecution and suffering that none of us can even imagine enduring.  I wonder when it was that Christians were supposed to suddenly reject their emotions?  Perhaps is was when the canon of scripture was complete?  Maybe at that point everything was supposed to become academic and cerebral rather than hearfelt and humbling?  I don't think so.  I don't think God experienced a personality change and I don't think the nature of following Him became any less joyful. 

I can testify that there is great joy in following Christ, even when I have to follow Him away from everthing and everyone that has been familiar.  I was not alone at that wedding.  I stood in the company of God and His Saints and Angels.  I stood with Catholic friends who have become family.  I stood bathed in the prayers of brothers and sisters across the country who have been Christ to me over and over again.  And there was great joy.