Why I like Being Catholic
People that revile Catholicism are focusing on the wrong things. They believe that we are pagans, because of all the saints that people can refer to in times of need: http://www.catholic.org/saints/faq.php. They focus on the molestation cases (which is very sad and the Catholic Church did a shoddy job of addressing). They mistakenly believe that we worship the Pope and they despise the hierarchy.
I like being Catholic because I do like the celebration of life's stages: when you're in 2nd grade, the Church acknowledges that you're growing, becoming more mature and you're officially welcomed to the road to adulthood -- you're told about the differences between right and wrong and the responsibility you have to make the right choices. You're taught the differences between mortal and venial sins (killing someone versus hating your sibling). When you are 14, you're told that it's time to make a choice, is Catholicism really right for you. If your priest is good, he'll tell you that Catholicism may not be the right religion for you. And I love the exploration that they encourage, the embracement of Darwin. Having survived Catholic school, I can honestly say that the Catholics I encountered were intellectuals, moderates that probably would not be embraced by Rome.
But I love being Catholic because no other religion celebrates the Virgin Mary. No other religion appears to acknowledge that Jesus and Mary were black (as the the Black Virgin and its replicas suggest -- though Mel Gibson didn't either). And while I don't like all the Church's positions (birth control, abortion), I like its prayers. I like the Roman soldier's prayer 'Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed.' There's no greater statement of faith.
And I like the Church's emphasis on self-examination. It's not enough to say, you're baptized and you're going to Heaven. The truth to me, is, are you living a good life? Are you treating people well? Yourself? Are you making your best effort? No matter what church I go to, I'll always be Catholic in my heart.
I almost converted to Judasim. I liked the Reformer synagogues. But I couldn't in the end. Unitarian seemed like a nice religion but I don't understand its refusal to acknowledge the Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit). Lutheran is probably the closest religion that I can embrace, aside from Catholicism since its emphasis is on simple worship and they still celebrate Communion.
Susy is probably the best person to defend Catholicism. She grew up without religion (her mom was Buddhist, her dad agnostic) and she converted as an adult. Some things about the Catholic Church are not defensible (its treatment of homosexuals and the molestation cases). But, on an individual level, I like the homilies each week: the priests's questions: are we doing our best. What's better? And besides, I like a religion that celebrates procreation, though I'm sure my former nuns would frown at the statement. There should be no shame in sex. It's one of God's greatest gifts.
I miss the folk group masses: nothing but guitars and simple singing. St.Mary's in Old Town will always be my favorite church. Over 200 years old and it's still packed every Sunday. Father Krempa always found ways to make you think and Father Klein always made us laugh, interjecting the Green Bay Packers into his sermons. I actually don't see much difference between the Catholic ceremonies and AA. The length of the meetings are the same and the speakers vary. Even the prayers are the same and I wouldn't be surprised if the attempts for atonement (I don't know which step it is) was pulled straight from the Catholic's need for penance.
As for confession, you're not asking the priest to forgive you. The priest is just a witness, a sounding board. And for me, anyways, it's more satisfying to get a 2nd opinion, without paying an arm and a leg.
I like being Catholic because I do like the celebration of life's stages: when you're in 2nd grade, the Church acknowledges that you're growing, becoming more mature and you're officially welcomed to the road to adulthood -- you're told about the differences between right and wrong and the responsibility you have to make the right choices. You're taught the differences between mortal and venial sins (killing someone versus hating your sibling). When you are 14, you're told that it's time to make a choice, is Catholicism really right for you. If your priest is good, he'll tell you that Catholicism may not be the right religion for you. And I love the exploration that they encourage, the embracement of Darwin. Having survived Catholic school, I can honestly say that the Catholics I encountered were intellectuals, moderates that probably would not be embraced by Rome.
But I love being Catholic because no other religion celebrates the Virgin Mary. No other religion appears to acknowledge that Jesus and Mary were black (as the the Black Virgin and its replicas suggest -- though Mel Gibson didn't either). And while I don't like all the Church's positions (birth control, abortion), I like its prayers. I like the Roman soldier's prayer 'Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed.' There's no greater statement of faith.
And I like the Church's emphasis on self-examination. It's not enough to say, you're baptized and you're going to Heaven. The truth to me, is, are you living a good life? Are you treating people well? Yourself? Are you making your best effort? No matter what church I go to, I'll always be Catholic in my heart.
I almost converted to Judasim. I liked the Reformer synagogues. But I couldn't in the end. Unitarian seemed like a nice religion but I don't understand its refusal to acknowledge the Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit). Lutheran is probably the closest religion that I can embrace, aside from Catholicism since its emphasis is on simple worship and they still celebrate Communion.
Susy is probably the best person to defend Catholicism. She grew up without religion (her mom was Buddhist, her dad agnostic) and she converted as an adult. Some things about the Catholic Church are not defensible (its treatment of homosexuals and the molestation cases). But, on an individual level, I like the homilies each week: the priests's questions: are we doing our best. What's better? And besides, I like a religion that celebrates procreation, though I'm sure my former nuns would frown at the statement. There should be no shame in sex. It's one of God's greatest gifts.
I miss the folk group masses: nothing but guitars and simple singing. St.Mary's in Old Town will always be my favorite church. Over 200 years old and it's still packed every Sunday. Father Krempa always found ways to make you think and Father Klein always made us laugh, interjecting the Green Bay Packers into his sermons. I actually don't see much difference between the Catholic ceremonies and AA. The length of the meetings are the same and the speakers vary. Even the prayers are the same and I wouldn't be surprised if the attempts for atonement (I don't know which step it is) was pulled straight from the Catholic's need for penance.
As for confession, you're not asking the priest to forgive you. The priest is just a witness, a sounding board. And for me, anyways, it's more satisfying to get a 2nd opinion, without paying an arm and a leg.
posted by Michelle at 8:35 AM
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