Why I Am Catholic

A Weekly Series by Rev. Joseph J. Shaute

The Following articles are downloadable in PDF format:  

Subject Index

• Issues of Morality

• What Makes Us Different

• Sacraments

• Spiritual Tools, Devotions

• The Bible

• Feast Days

• The Earth and Environment

• Explanations/Miscellaneous

Jesus comes to heal the brokenness of our lives, our families, our world. Today He still offers His healing directly, but He also gave His healing power to His Church to continue His healing ministry. Beginning with the Acts of the Apostles, we see the Church continuing the same acts of healing we see Christ and his disciples performing in the Four Gospels.

Focus on God, not on us.

Because other Christian denominations have emerged during a time of focus on human beings and the individual, they tend to be more focused on a “personal relationship with Jesus.” There is much more focus on “my choice for Christ” and “my accepting Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior.” Often the focus is more about the person and less about God.

With the exception of permanent deacons and a few priests who are converts, the rest of our Atlanta diocesan clergy have taken a promise of celibacy. When I was ordained a transitional deacon (a year before I was ordained to the priesthood) I took a lifetime, permanent promise of celibacy.

When God is the priority, everything works around Him. When He gets pushed down the list, it gets harder and harder to fit Him in. When I was growing up, we missed out on some things because of Church. I don’t regret that at all.

No other church, denomination, nor religion has as many people who make promises and vows of obedience. No other sees obedience as being critical and vital to its growth and the growth of all believers. And that is based on the Scriptures and the example of Christ.

It continues to amaze me how many Christian churches—who claim to be established in Christ name and followers of Christ—are segregated churches. Who either subtly or even in church bylaws, have restrictions on membership based on race, culture, or other factors. That is not of Christ!

St Clement’s Welcome

Our visitors constantly complement and affirm us about their wonderful experience when visiting St. Clement’s. They feel immediate warmth and connection and a strong sense of welcome. We have families that come from Dalton, Rome, and Cartersville because they find us to be their spiritual home.

Many of us have experienced rejection because we were different than everyone else growing up: Non-athletic, too tall or too short, struggled in school, wore glasses, unique features, birth defects, special needs, etc. We have suffered scars and been wounded.  In the midst of that, Jesus comes who understands, wants to love, and wants to heal us and make us whole.

The universality of the faith and the fact the Catholic Church is still standing after almost 2,000 years.  The word Catholic means "universal" or "comprehensive." Today there are more than one billion Catholics in the whole world. The church through its missionary activity has reached out to every place and every land. When the Vatican issues a document, it is usually published in more than 200 different languages.

Many denominations and faith traditions focus so much on Hell that it is no wonder most people are afraid of death. The Catholic Church focuses on Heaven and our teaching on Purgatory is further proof of our belief in a positive eternal future for a lot of people. Additional proof is that we have canonized over 10,000 saints.

From the perspective of faith, Heaven is a place we long to reach and is the eternal destination for faithful disciples. Our belief in Hell helps us to endure suffering and to maintain hope even when bad things are done to us by bad people. That God remembers the good and the bad and his power and love triumph over evil. And that there are consequences for evil and God’s justice ensures that.

The Church helps us to not be afraid of death and to remain connected to those who have gone before us.

Sources of grace and healing to avoid spiritual death

The Way of Purification is a lifelong process. And if not completed in this life, may be necessary as well in the next life. Purgatory—the place of purification in the next life—is the first place many believers go before entering the heavenly banquet. Purification is necessary for believers—all of us are sinners in need of the constant grace of God who in his mercy forgives our sins and purifies us in mind, body, and soul.

The Bible tells us we do not know “the day nor the hour” of our own death or of Jesus’ return. The Church urges us to not be afraid of death nor to ignore death. The issue of death is always there whether we recognize it or it is in the background. Our morality can either motivate us to live well or lead us to paralysis or excessive living.

No other church, religion, or denomination prepares us better for death and life after death. The Catholic Church offers us the Eucharist—the Body and Blood of Christ—available to us throughout our lives when we are in the state of grace. We also have the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, for physical, emotional, and spiritual healing.

Death is something we walk with and prepare for each day.  Not in a morbid way. Not in a fearful way. But in a way of carrying our crosses, facing reality, and participating in spiritual exercises that give us peace and less worry. One exercise is making decisions from a “death perspective” that shapes them for the better. We must live with and die with our decisions. Death can help us make good decisions now.

High Standards

Another reason I am Catholic is because no other faith has such high standards. Christ established the one, holy, Catholic, and apostolic church with high standards and also the means to forgive our shortcomings and struggles with sin. Our church is built on the blood of martyrs and people who never watered down the faith.

We believe in right and wrong and moral absolutes. That what has always been right will always be right and what has always been wrong will always be wrong. We believe that sin is morally wrong, has short-term and long-term consequences, and has an impact on others. And that good conduct, filled with God’s grace, has a positive impact on others.

This year many people are not only shopping for Christmas gifts, they are “God shopping” as well. They go to a different church each week looking for the one that’s the “right fit” and agrees with their personal opinion.

Another reason I am Catholic is the institution of the church and the offices of bishop, priest, and deacon. The Episcopalians have something similar, but we do not recognize their ordinations since they were excommunicated when King Henry VIII broke away and started the Anglican Church. The Catholic Church is the only one with an unbroken connection back to Christ.

A tradition of serving unmatched by any other denomination or religion, the Catholic Church since its beginnings has been a church of service and acts of charity. A church committed to living the gospel by loving others through acts of kindness.

Christ still speaks through His Church as we understand the bible more clearly and apply its teachings to new issues.  This we call Tradition

The ongoing healthcare reform debate has raised questions about: What is the role of government? The Catholic Church has always spoken on this, from its earliest days. The Bible also addresses this issue, directly and indirectly.

We as Catholics have a devotion to St. Mary that no Protestant denomination has. A devotion of honor and respect that Jesus Himself tells us to have. As Jesus is dying on the cross, he looks down at St. John and says: “Behold, your mother.” (Jn 19:27) For us, St. John represents all believers, just as Adam and Eve represent all sinners. Jesus, the New Adam, is obedient and frees all sinners. Jesus, by giving His Mother to John, gives to all of us His Mother.

After my parent’s house and my family, the place and people I have next felt the most at home with has been in the Catholic Church. From my childhood to today, when I have walked into almost every Catholic place (church, school, offices, etc.), with rare exceptions, I have felt welcome, comfortable and wrapped in the arms of God’s love.