On Being Catholic

Sometimes I think about Protestants and how they view God. I used to be one, so all I need do is remember. It’s hard to do at times, even though it’s only been about 12 years since I stopped thinking that way. Back then it was all about “me ‘n’ Jesus”.

When I “discovered” Catholicism, all of a sudden my spiritual life seemed…crowded! I was accustomed to thinking of myself praying and talking to God – just me and Him. Then suddenly I was confronted with the reality of saints…of Mary…of angels. I became very aware of their presence and felt a little awkward about it.

Now I feel comforted by the presence and help of the saints. I count on them. I ask their assistance in everything – this saint for that problem, that saint for this problem. And often I end my petitions with, “All you angels and saints, pray for me!”

Some of the posts that I see on Face Book from Christian friends remind me of those lonely days – even though I didn’t think I was lonely at the time! But it is a lonely spiritual life when you are your own authority! My well-meaning Christian friends still think it is their prerogative to interpret Scripture according to their own views. They take a simplistic view of their Christianity, and don’t have the benefit of a couple thousand years of Tradition and reflection by some of the greatest minds that have ever thought about theology! And that means they are not always consistent in the way they apply their religion to their daily lives.

Non-Catholic Christians also lack some very important weapons that are critical for spiritual warfare. They don’t pray the Rosary, for one thing. As a Catholic, I find it hard to imagine trying to combat evil without the Rosary!

And of course, there is the Eucharist – the source and summit of our lives as Christians. How can we fight the good fight without this very necessary sustenance! I feel sorry for my non-Catholic friends who do not understand the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, and who never receive Him in the most intimate act of Holy Communion.

This Easter marked the 11^th anniversary of my reception into the Catholic Church. What a wonderful gift God gave me in calling me to the one true Church!

Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me!