Sixteen years ago, I was “welcomed home” to the Catholic Church
at the Easter Vigil at St. Mary’s Parish in Longview, Texas. Before that
time, I had attended a few churches – mainly Baptist – with my friends in
Tyler. I am thankful for the Bible verses and stories I learned during
this formational time on my journey home, but I am especially thankful to have
been introduced to Jesus Christ through these Christian communities.
Becoming Catholic helped me to put the pieces all together: where the NT comes from;
how we get to know and love Jesus; why He instituted the sacraments; what we
need to do to be saved and how we need to live this salvation.
The event of the Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christ that we
celebrate on Easter Sunday is an opportunity for all — not just converts, but
all the baptized — to reflect on the great gift of what it is to be a
Christian. By our baptism, we share in the death and resurrection of
Jesus Christ; we are made adopted sons and daughters of the Father; we are cleansed
of sin and receive the infusion of grace into our souls by the Holy Spirit; and
we are made members of Christ’s Body, the Church. For us as Catholics,
the Catholic Church is the Church of the NT — not just a
religion founded by someone’s interpretation of the NT. And while many
non-Catholic Christians have sincere faith in and love for Our Lord, no other
church can be historically traced back to Jesus Christ Himself.
Because many who attend Easter Sunday Mass may not be regulars
and may not even be Catholics, I would like to offer my personal “Top 10 11
Reasons” why I am a Catholic Christian:
1) The Eucharist. A personal relationship with
Jesus Christ cannot be any more personal than receiving His living Body, Blood,
Soul and Divinity.
2) The New Testament. The Catholic Church was
the only Church around when the gospels and epistles were written. The
Pope and Bishops approved the canon of the NT in the 4th and 5th
Centuries. We have 2,000 years of Scripture commentary by the early
Church Fathers, popes, scholastics and saints.
3) Unchanging Doctrine and Morals. There is NT
and early Church evidence of all Catholic teachings. In particular, the
Catholic Church is the only church that never changed Christ’s teaching against
divorce and artificial contraception.
4) The Blessed Virgin Mary. The first and
greatest disciple, the human mother of the Second Person of the Trinity, our
mother as those united to her divine Son; she constantly intercedes for us in
heaven.
5) Ways to Pray. Lectio Divina,
the Rosary, devotions, Adoration, prayers written by the saints, oral and
silent prayer, contemplation. There are as many ways to pray in the
Catholic tradition as there are kinds of people.
6) Beautiful Art & Architecture. Beauty
reflects God. Arguably the most beautiful images and buildings in the
world have been created in the Catholic tradition.
7) The Papacy. Francis, Benedict XVI,
John Paul II (to name a few recents). When these men speak or act, the
whole world pays attention.
8) The Saints. Mother Teresa, St. Francis of
Assisi, St. Thomas More, St. Joan of Arc (to name a few). They show us
Jesus in dark times.
9) Education, Healthcare, Scientific Method, Free-Market
Economics, Natural Law Ethics. The monastic tradition and religious
orders of the Catholic Church were responsible for pioneering these services
and ideas.
10) Confession. Jesus working through His
priests helps us to be accountable for our compromises with the devil.
11) Culture. Meatless Fridays, chant and
classical music, the Latin language, Italian multi-course meals with lots of
wine, great books and movies, bingo (need I say more?); 2,000 years of Christ
inundating culture.
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