Atop Mont St. Michel, the old priest asked me, "Are you Catholic?"

It was a binary question, one that precluded any hazy middle ground. A Yes, would mean two things from two different perspectives. The cynical perspective, granted, the more realistic one, would be that I simply lie to the priest. He is obviously thinking of the term Catholic to mean the Universal Papal Church of Roman Tradition, of which, I am most formidably not. However, if I take his question and shift the focus from the priest to myself, then I commit no lie. In my perspective, I am catholic, a part of the universal Church of God, one that transcends any artificial boundaries, doctrinal or traditional, so as a part of the greater whole, so, yes I am a Catholic.

If I said No, then necessarily I lie to either myself or the priest. So then who gets the priority, myself or the priest?

The fact is, that the question was wrong. If he asks the wrong question, than how can I be expected to respond correctly? The question itself was blatantly the offspring of many other Asian tourists posing as a Catholic for a photograph's sake, and let's face it, an Asian in an old French Catholic monastery does seem slightly incongruous. But then, the priest's naive question was in ignorance of South Korea's 5.1 million Catholics and the growing recognition of South Korea as the Eastern Christian Nation. But then again, he was an old man living on a mountain. Still, despite myself I can't help but deliberate that he would not have asked that question had my color conformed to his perception of "Catholic."

I said, Yes. I am catholic. He nodded and I took communion.

In the broader spirit of Christian ecumenism, perhaps I have been mistaken in my interest with Catholicism. I feel that as I attend Mass, that somehow I am betraying a certain part of the Protestant heritage, its Tradition. I have somehow rebelled against the normal confines of Korean-American Christian identity, crossing that taboo barrier between Protestant and Catholic divisions.

But then as I think about it more, the differences becomes agitatingly absurd.

Protestant hesitations on the reverence of Mary and the Saints, accusingly shouting "Idolatry!" But is it really that major a deal, or is it just our tendency to inflate the differences between our traditions? All honor and glory and praise is given unto our Lord Jesus Christ, but does that mean that we cannot honor those before us who had led holy lives? What of the Protestant Fathers? Don't protestants honor them with a special type of reverence and appreciation? I know the rift goes much deeper than this, but I see this as almost a peripheral issue.

About the Eucharist, who cares if the presence of Christ is real within the Host or if communion is just in remembrance? Isn't it absurd that for such a little idea, that the Wars of Religion was exacerbated? Whatever happened to, "And as far as it is possible, live in peace with one another?" Was these two perfectly apt interpretations of scripture really worth dividing up the Christendom? I doubt it.

Finally, Protestants are quick to label corruption unto the Catholic church, and even quicker to note that the Catholic Church had a lot of human hands meddling in its doctrine. Doctrine should be only as good as it helps understand in fullness the personhood of Jesus Christ and the Trinity, and if it does not, it is a cancer that only sharpens the wounds and divides the unity that should be manifest in the Church militant. For the sake of doctrine there is war, now that is an absurd concept.

Ahhh, I don't know. We all share the same physical fate, I'll let God decide our spiritual one.