Why are you Catholic?

[Yoder777]

I would like this to be a thread where people can share why they choose to be a practicing member of the Catholic faith. Studies have shown that the Catholic Church has one of the highest retention rates of any Christian denomination, and there are various reasons why adults choose to be a part of the Catholic faith, whether they are converts, have been Catholic since birth, or like myself and many others, have come back to the faith after straying from it in one's youth.

I can honestly say that I choose to be Catholic because I feel at home in the Catholic Church. I've made peace with my past resentments over corruption and scandal in the church. While I may not agree with or be sure about every doctrinal minutia of the church, I do believe and have learned to believe in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. That, to me, is the most important part of being Catholic.

It's strange to me that evangelicals are so insistent on taking every part of the Bible literally except for Jesus' words on the Eucharist, which are perhaps the most important words of the whole Bible to take literally. Furthermore, Eucharistic miracles are evidence enough for me of the continuing presence of Christ in the Eucharist.

While the Catholic Church has its problems, so does American Protestantism in many regards. It seems that, as a Protestant, one must choose between an evangelical right-wing non-denominational church with no sense of the liturgical, mystical or sacramental or a liberal mainline church with no sense of theology or doctrine other than a social Gospel. Between the two, the Catholic Church stands out as more moderate and sensible.

Let's not forget that, despite its failures, the Catholic Church has been the most important force for good in the history of Western civilization. Ultimately, it's the people who make up the church, who make up the family of God, and Vatican II rightly affirmed this truth. The Catholic faith is more than a hierarchical institution. It's a way of life. It's a mystical body of believers going back for two centuries. It's what I can call home, even when I am frustrated and angry at it. If someone like Thomas Merton or Dorothy Day could be a faithful Catholic, so can I.

 

[MoreCoffee]

I chose to become a Catholic Christian, after many years as a Protestant and some years as an atheist, because she is ancient, and because her teaching is warm and human and Godly, and because she works for the poor and needy, and because she has the Holy Eucharist in which our Lord is present, and because her people were kind to me, and because she felt so much more like home than anything else I had known.

 

[Starlightsobright]

The Catholic Church has the Eucharist - The True Presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. There is nothing more beautiful then the Mass, Adoration or the Holy Rosary. Just to think of Jesus remaining in the Tabernacle is just too much to contemplate.

 

[Yoder777]

There are certain things that, as a Catholic, I am just not sure about, such as the perpetual virginity of Mary or ordinances against birth control within marriage. However, when I consider the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, the lives of the saints, the rich liturgical and mystical tradition, these things outweigh what perplexes or frustrates me about Catholicism.

That might make me a "cafeteria Catholic," but there are certainly things that more conservative Catholics often choose to ignore, such as whenever the pope or the American council of Catholic bishops speak out against the death penalty, an American war, Republican budget proposals that hurt poor people while benefiting the very wealthy, or unbridled gun rights.

 

[catholicbybirth]

There are certain things that, as a Catholic, I am just not sure about, such as the perpetual virginity of Mary or ordinances against birth control within marriage. However, when I consider the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, the lives of the saints, the rich liturgical and mystical tradition, these things outweigh what perplexes or frustrates me about Catholicism.

That might make me a "cafeteria Catholic," but there are certainly things that more conservative Catholics often choose to ignore, such as whenever the pope or the American council of Catholic bishops speak out against the death penalty, an American war, Republican budget proposals that hurt poor people while benefiting the very wealthy, or unbridled gun rights.

The perpetual virginity of Mary and the teaching against birth control within marriage are both teachings of the Catholic Church. The first one is a teaching of faith. The other is a teaching of morals. These are infallible.

The Catechism says that the death penalty can be used if no other means is available to keep society safe from someone. War is not against the Catholic Church's teachings, if it is a just war. Has it been infallibly declared just what constitutes a just war? If so, I have not seen it. Republican budget proposals and unbridled gun rights are not moral questions either. For although the Republican budget proposal is not ideal, it is just a proposal. This is where the Democrats should work with the Republicans and make the budget more even, but is it the Republicans fault this won't happen? And gun rights in this country are not unbridled. The bridle is not tight, but there is one, nonetheless.

Janice

 

[Alonso_Castillo]

I was born and grown catholic, and I stay catholic because I really can feel the presence of God in it. Its liturgy, sacraments, doctrine, moral, traditions, history, art, social advocation, charity, education, etc. make me realize that God does operates in the world through his mystical body.

 

[WarriorAngel]

By choice - even tho a Cradle Catholic - i still made a choice to want to stay...

I suppose the sacraments aided me - having the Holy Spirit via the ordained hands of the Church - led me thru trials before discovering what i was seeking was where i was at all along.

 

[WarriorAngel]

There are certain things that, as a Catholic, I am just not sure about, such as the perpetual virginity of Mary or ordinances against birth control within marriage. However, when I consider the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, the lives of the saints, the rich liturgical and mystical tradition, these things outweigh what perplexes or frustrates me about Catholicism.

That might make me a "cafeteria Catholic," but there are certainly things that more conservative Catholics often choose to ignore, such as whenever the pope or the American council of Catholic bishops speak out against the death penalty, an American war, Republican budget proposals that hurt poor people while benefiting the very wealthy, or unbridled gun rights.

At one time i used to wonder where did they get that?
Every doctrine, every dogma - was like where? How? What? Did they just come up with like 10 years ago?
I certainly had a very unclear idea and a big set of questions - but was urged to discover history...
The problem was [for me] where to begin.

Eventually - returning home [tho spiritually i didnt leave] - coming back to Mass - the urge to find more was filling up - but still more was wanted.
So that led me to debates... for in debating others - i was forced to defend. In order to defend i was forced to find.

Still finding - as it were - but now and only in that - [historically] i am now and hopefully remain - concreted in His Church.

 

[MikeK]

I was born Catholic, so if I leave and the Church is right, I might burn in hell and be tormented for eternity. If I stay and the Church is wrong, the worst that happenes is I have more children than is reasonable, I squander my Earthly riches helping people and I spend an hour or two a week in Church instead of doing whatever else I'd be doing. On the plus side, even if the Church is wrong and my belief is mistaken, so long as I remain free from mortal sin I live a completely worry-free life. Who could have anxiety when they believe the world is fleeting but the afterlife infinite in both time and sweetness?

 

[Tigg]

Traced back to Christ. After all the centuries, still the gates of hell has not won. The Eucharist - Jesus. All the rest is commentary. Without these facts, I would not be Catholic or anything as where would I go?

 

[AMDG]

So many, many reasons. The Eucharist. The grace offered in the Sacraments (all seven--the helps throughout life). The mother of God, the Theotakos, and the Saints and angels. The continuation and with our past and the historical fulfillment of Judaism. The Pope. The ceremonies and feasts. The customs. The many, many opportunities to help others. Because it's true.

Oh just in case any are wondering, I actually come from a family holding various Protestant (Christian) beliefs. Even have one or two family members who are Jewish or Mormon (which they now claim is the real Christianity, but when Joseph Smith started Mormonism, they just said that they were special) oh and a couple of atheists.

 

[Cosmic Charlie]

Because, hey, why not ?

 

[WarriorAngel]

CC... very compelling. lol

 

[steve_bakr]

After several years of discernment-- my usual answer is that I found the Catholic Church to be the best place for me personally to live out my faith in, and relationship to, Jesus Christ. The Eucharist kept calling my name!

 

[Tallguy88]

Because, hey, why not ?

Exactly. It's cheaper to keep her.

 

[Tallguy88]

More seriously, because I haven't found anything better. At least not better enough. I don't agree with everything, but then again, I don't have to. My mother always told me, "If you find the perfect church, don't join. You'll mess it up." Fortunately, I haven't found the perfect church yet. But I have found the one that does the best good for the most people. So that's good enough for now.

 

[Cosmic Charlie]

CC... very compelling. lol

Not everybody is blessed with deep spirituality WA.

I just try to leave every situation better than I find it, work to help the poor and disenfranchised and don't worry too much about things like who's right, who's wrong and universality.

and I like the iconography, it's artistic and appealing.

So, hey,

why not ?

 

[Winter]

I was born and raised Catholic, even went to Catholic parochial school.

Then in my 20s I became interested in eastern philosophies (not because I was dissatisfied with Christianity, I was just merely curious). That eventually led me to embracing a lot of New Age concepts. I stopped believing in the Bible and in Christianity all together. Funny thing was that I was quick to believe some guy who "channeled" Gaia (mother earth) and some alien from another planet, but honestly could not believe in the visions of Padre Pio. Go figure. Eventually I became atheist.

And then after some soul searching and a couple of "interesting miracles" which I owe entirely to my Lord Jesus Christ, I rushed back to my church, my home. Back to my Catholic faith.

I honestly believe that when we go "off our Christian path" Jesus never really leaves. He tries to pull us back all the time. I felt like I had been "born again" (now I get what that really means!).

My Catholic faith always felt like home to me, even during those dark days of non-belief.

Praise the Lord for saving me again! Thank you Jesus!

 

[Yoder777]

Thank you for sharing your experiences and perspectives.

 

[TheOtherHockeyMom]

I was raised Catholic. Had doubts from an early age, and have been sort of looking for God most of my life. I've looked into a lot of paths, considered a lot of belief systems, but feel that if one is going to stay Christian, then the Catholic Church, with it's unbroken lineage, seems to be the way to go.
Plus...
I share the Church's commitment to life and to social justice.
I believe that worship ought to have a ritual element to it.
I find a lot of heroes in the Catholic faith.
When I'm part of a religious community, I tend to do a better job of staying out of trouble.
I'm trying to raise my kids in the faith, and am happy when I see how important it is to them and how it helps them as they grow in understanding of the world.
Our Church has coffee, cookies and fellowship after each mass, plus I've been told our Deacon makes the best hot chocolate around.
They let me play violin sometimes at Mass.
I like the art and the music inspired by the Church and the faith.
I love Latin.