In an effort to keep my story short, I was forced to leave out some details, mainly what it was exactly that drew me to Catholicism. Friends and family who have known me for a while might be understandably shocked by my decision to convert to a faith I rarely mentioned, if only for the purpose of criticizing and ridiculing it (Father, forgive me!).
But I have come to find that the Catholic Church is a beautiful faith, rich in tradition, history, and meaning. I mentioned in my previous post that finding the Church was like discovering a treasure chest that had been sitting right next to me all along. And as a matter of fact, a convert whose story I recently read, described Catholicism as a banquet full of rich food, whereas he, a former Protestant, had been living off of bread and water without realizing it. That is very much how I feel.
So what was it that drew me in? Well, for one, I found the unity of Catholicism, under one leader, especially fascinating. The Protestant faith, unfortunately, is comprised of thousands of denominations, each claiming to have the truth. Jesus prayed to the Father asking that all believers be unified (John 17:20, 21). You will recall that one of my greatest frustrations during my time in Protestant Christianity, was finding the one true and correct denomination.
My other two greatest problems with Protestantism centered on its greatest pillars - sola scriptura and sola fide.
I had witnessed first hand the chaos that ensues when each individual Christian is left to interpret Scripture on his or her own. My own interpretation of Scripture led me to all sorts of crazy conclusions. So I knew there had to be an answer. Otherwise, I would have most certainly ended up remaining a very frustrated agnostic. I soon came to find out that the Catholic Church believes it has the divinely appointed authority to interpret Scripture and tradition. Learning this brought a huge sense of relief to my heart. The Lord did keep his promise of unity!
This is why the church has consistently upheld high standards of morality, despite the hostility and growing pressure of the secular world. While numerous Protestant denominations have made the decision to support abortion and even same-sex marriage, the Catholic Church stands firmly against both. How absolutely refreshing in a world that is constantly changing!
In regard to sola fide, or faith alone, a doctrine that Martin Luther came up with, I always felt in my heart that such a notion was not supported by Scripture. One needs only to read the book of James and Jesus' words in order to realize this. Faith without works is a dead faith.
The beauty of the Mass and the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist was also a major factor for me. You'll remember that I mentioned feeling a sense of lack when I attended services in Evangelical churches. Yes, the music was always exciting and uplifting, and the sermons were interesting, but the sacred was missing. I did not feel that I was in the presence of a Holy God. Mass has a weight to it that I had never encountered before. Christ's presence is truly there, body, blood, soul and divinity, and that is enough to bring a person to their knees in utter awe and adoration.
In a forthcoming post, I will talk about my first experience going to Mass. It was truly amazing.
The last thing that drew me in was the fact that the Catholic Church is the only church that has stood firm in its stance against birth control. There was one point when all of Christianity stood strongly opposed to all forms of contraception, but soon, one by one, each denomination caved in to the culture, and contraception became an accepted practice among believers. But not the Catholic Church! To this day, the Church considers artificial contraception to be intrinsically evil, a position I embraced long before I had any exposure to Catholic doctrine.
As I continue to study and learn more about this faith, my joy grows, as I find myself affirming what I've known and felt in my heart all along. The Catholic Church is the last faith in the world I imagined myself embracing for reasons that were based on complete misinformation. But now, I cannot imagine my life without it.
I have not yet begun my initiation into the Church, but each day, I grow more and more eager. It is only a matter of time until I begin attending RCIA, and you can bet I will write about my experience here.
But I have come to find that the Catholic Church is a beautiful faith, rich in tradition, history, and meaning. I mentioned in my previous post that finding the Church was like discovering a treasure chest that had been sitting right next to me all along. And as a matter of fact, a convert whose story I recently read, described Catholicism as a banquet full of rich food, whereas he, a former Protestant, had been living off of bread and water without realizing it. That is very much how I feel.
So what was it that drew me in? Well, for one, I found the unity of Catholicism, under one leader, especially fascinating. The Protestant faith, unfortunately, is comprised of thousands of denominations, each claiming to have the truth. Jesus prayed to the Father asking that all believers be unified (John 17:20, 21). You will recall that one of my greatest frustrations during my time in Protestant Christianity, was finding the one true and correct denomination.
My other two greatest problems with Protestantism centered on its greatest pillars - sola scriptura and sola fide.
I had witnessed first hand the chaos that ensues when each individual Christian is left to interpret Scripture on his or her own. My own interpretation of Scripture led me to all sorts of crazy conclusions. So I knew there had to be an answer. Otherwise, I would have most certainly ended up remaining a very frustrated agnostic. I soon came to find out that the Catholic Church believes it has the divinely appointed authority to interpret Scripture and tradition. Learning this brought a huge sense of relief to my heart. The Lord did keep his promise of unity!
This is why the church has consistently upheld high standards of morality, despite the hostility and growing pressure of the secular world. While numerous Protestant denominations have made the decision to support abortion and even same-sex marriage, the Catholic Church stands firmly against both. How absolutely refreshing in a world that is constantly changing!
In regard to sola fide, or faith alone, a doctrine that Martin Luther came up with, I always felt in my heart that such a notion was not supported by Scripture. One needs only to read the book of James and Jesus' words in order to realize this. Faith without works is a dead faith.
The beauty of the Mass and the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist was also a major factor for me. You'll remember that I mentioned feeling a sense of lack when I attended services in Evangelical churches. Yes, the music was always exciting and uplifting, and the sermons were interesting, but the sacred was missing. I did not feel that I was in the presence of a Holy God. Mass has a weight to it that I had never encountered before. Christ's presence is truly there, body, blood, soul and divinity, and that is enough to bring a person to their knees in utter awe and adoration.
In a forthcoming post, I will talk about my first experience going to Mass. It was truly amazing.
The last thing that drew me in was the fact that the Catholic Church is the only church that has stood firm in its stance against birth control. There was one point when all of Christianity stood strongly opposed to all forms of contraception, but soon, one by one, each denomination caved in to the culture, and contraception became an accepted practice among believers. But not the Catholic Church! To this day, the Church considers artificial contraception to be intrinsically evil, a position I embraced long before I had any exposure to Catholic doctrine.
As I continue to study and learn more about this faith, my joy grows, as I find myself affirming what I've known and felt in my heart all along. The Catholic Church is the last faith in the world I imagined myself embracing for reasons that were based on complete misinformation. But now, I cannot imagine my life without it.
I have not yet begun my initiation into the Church, but each day, I grow more and more eager. It is only a matter of time until I begin attending RCIA, and you can bet I will write about my experience here.
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