[In response to Elizabeth’s question.]
Why am I still Catholic? First and foremost reason before any other is the Eucharist, where my Savior is fully present: body, blood, soul, and divinity. No other Church can offer me what my Savior, the One who died for ME (and FOR YOU!!) gives me at every Mass.
Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.
– John 6:53-56
This is where the invisible is made visible, through the physical… through the Sacraments.
I’m still Catholic because Catholicism is where the answers are, and they’re not platitudes or “feel good” answers… which means I get to suffer. (Wahoo!!) Catholicism is the only place where suffering — my own, my neighbor’s, the world’s — make sense. Pain becomes bearable because it’s purposeful.
It’s where self sacrifice hurts for the time being, but we do it anyway because it leads to someone else’s ultimate happiness, which leads to our own. Catholicism calls me to real love, where even the person who has hurt me most is someone I could and should pray for.
I’m Catholic because I love being part of the Mystical Body of Christ. I love not only that I can attend Mass anywhere I go in the world because it’s the same Mass. I get to unite in spirit and pray with all the Catholics around the world, day in and day out. I not only praise my Lord with the Church Militant, but with the Saints and the Angels too.
I love that there are no compromises. I cannot use my confusion to stay lukewarm. I am continuously pursued by Truth whenever and wherever I go. It’s where I am constantly called to (spiritual) perfection, where mediocrity isn’t celebrated. At the same time, it’s where competition makes no sense. We’re all just trying to get to where our outward appearances won’t matter, and our bodies and our intellects won’t have limits.
Catholicism is where I grow in faith, every single day. Even if I had to start at ground zero, there’s still no way to go but up. Going the opposite direction however, and starting at nothing, leads nowhere, because there isn’t a way to believe in less than nothing.
I get to fight alongside the best warriors, each of us wounded, limping, but leaning on each other, and holding each other up.
I’m still Catholic because I want to get to heaven, and see God’s original plan. I want to see what Adam and Eve foolishly gave up. I want to know what it’s like to see my loved ones happy all the time. I don’t want them to get sick, get old, or die. I want to see them wearing the crowns they earned, bearing their crosses gracefully and faithfully here on earth. I want them released from the walls that they built around themselves.
Catholicism is my legacy to my kids. It’s the map they can hold on to for the rest of their lives. When I was growing up, my parents always reminded me that we weren’t wealthy people and that I don’t have a sizeable inheritance to look forward to, that’s why I should prize my education above other things. It’s what will lead me to success. What they didn’t know was that they’ve already given me the best inheritance possible. And I’m passing it on to my children, because it’s the only thing I can offer that goes beyond what this world offers. I want eternity for them. (And just to illustrate, here’s my daughter’s post — she who writes and thinks 100x better than I can. See what I mean?)
Our faith is where every moment has import. Each choice we make has repercussions. Leisure time has meaning when used for silence, for listening to our Creator, for refreshing our souls. Naming kids isn’t just a fun exercise, because of the saints. Continuing to honor and look after our aging parents has meaning, because Catholicism demands that we look at the whole person, from the very beginning of life until that last breath when we take a step into Jesus’ arms. Death itself has meaning, because it’s not the end, only a crossing over.
I’m Catholic because every prayer that I’ve ever prayed has been answered. They weren’t all yeses, but I did get answers. You better believe I have so many more questions! That’s why I can’t wait to have that endless conversation, when I finally come face to face with Him who made me. I do hope He’s got Earl Grey.
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