Why Bother Being Catholic?

BY Philip Kramer (Birdman of Colorado)

As I go around our Diocese and meet groups and individuals, I am sometimes struck by the realization that it is easy to forget the basics. Fundamentalist sects and evangelicals are successful in attracting inactive Catholics when these people forget why they were Catholic in the first place. Often people are tempted to make decisions about religion on the basis of feeling rather than truth; on the basis of personality and popularity rather than Scripture and Tradition. As we read Scripture, it is clear that Jesus intended to found only one church. Also He wanted it to be united. Jesus promised that he would be with His Church forever. He selected the apostles, with Peter as their head, prepared them and sent them out and spread the Good News to all the world. The Acts of the Apostles describes how much effort Paul and Peter spent in keeping the Church united. We Catholics believe history shows clearly that our Church is the one Jesus founded, and that other churches broke away from us at various times along the way. Mainline Protestant churches were formed 500 years ago around the time of the Reformation. Most of the fundamentalist sects have been formed during the past 100 years. These were certainly times in the history of the Catholic Church when reform was badly needed, especially during the late Middle Ages. Nevertheless even the lowest periods produced saints, martyrs, holy men and women. And the offi-cial teaching of the Church never wavered from what Jesus and the apostles wanted. All Christian churches have elements that Jesus intended His Church to have. This is true to a greater or lesser degree depending on the church or sect. The reason someone should be a Catholic is that the Catholic Church contains all of the elements Jesus and the apostles intended for the Church. We believe that the Catholic church is the true Church founded by Jesus. (This is taught clearing in the dogmatic Constitution of the Church {no.8}. promulgated by the Second Vatican Council. It also spells out the important elements that make up the true Church {nos. 14-15}) Perhaps the idea of the fullness of the truth of the Church can be expressed a very simple way. I believe our Church has the WHOLE PIE not just a piece of it. Protestant churches; and some fundamentalist sects certainly have important Slices of the Pie. They believe in Jesus, the Bible as the Word of God preaching, fellowship and and living. But we have these slices of the pie in the Catholic Church, too. In addition we have the great blessing of the Eucharist, or the Mass, which is what the former Catholics miss the most. We have the sac-raments of the Church, mentioned in the Bible and instituted by Jesus. We have the important Slice of the Pie” that we are the magisterium, the Holy Father and the bishops, who are successors Peter and the apostles. In addition,` Christ-ian revelation is complete unless there is a place for Mary, the Mother of Jesus, who mentioned at all the important women in the life of her son.

We have the Slice that we call Tradition, the distilling of the riches of the 2,000 year-old heritage of the Church. We have great teach-ings on social justice, in which we proclaim resurrection, the dignity of each human person. The Church speaks often and eloquently about the dignity of unborn human life. By being part of the universal Catholic Church we have the WHOLE PIE, not just part of it. It is important to keep in mind that without the Catholic Church there would be no Bible. The New Testament is really the expression of the life of the real Church. God inspired the sacred authors, but it was the Catholic Church, guided by the Holy Spirit, that decided which writings would be incorporated into the Scriptures.

The Catholic continues its dialogue. We work for unity, love and peace and are dedicated to ecumenism. But some of the Christian sects are not interested in ecumenism. These groups do not seek unity and harmony, but division and pro-selytism. It is good to keep this in mind, as individuals and parish communities, while we seek constant renewal in living the life that Jesus intended us to live. We who are Catholic have come to love the Church as our’s, to us the blessings of the virtue of our mother and our home. She brings to us the blessings of the virtue of hope. But, ultimately, we are Catholics because of God’s generous gift of faith, which we neither earn nor deserve.

For more Information on What is a Catholic contact me at: Click here for your comments

May God be with you and your family in 1997 and beyond. My prayers are always with you and others that have an inquiring mind.



You are this number at our site. Thanks! Send me a message

This pages will change continue, look often! Please, let me now your reactions.
LAST UPDATED: 10:14 AM 4/30/97