Sorry to hear that. I left due to a bad experience, was gone over a decade. During that time, I experimented with a bunch of other faiths. After all that, I came back to where I started, believing even stronger that this is the one true Church.
It ended up being in part, because of the Church’s view on the papacy, for example, that made me decide to return. I began to see, in scripture, how Jesus gave the “keys to the kingdom” (symbol of authority) to Peter. I saw how he was the “Rock” on which Jesus said he would build his Church, that the gates of hell would not stand against it.
Christ asked Peter, and him alone, 3 times, to shepherd his Church. He told him to later go back and strengthen his bretheren.
I saw how Peter was the head of the Church, in Christ’s absence, that it was that way by divine design and authority.
I saw how Jesus breathed on the apostles, telling them to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, that sins they forgave would be forgiven.
When Judas committed suicide, he was replaced by Matthew. Their positions were what we, today, would call “offices”. So, it has been with Peter and his descendents.
The Catholic Church is the world’s oldest institution, and I don’t think it’s by any accident. It is the original church. Since then, 35,000 or so churches have split off from it. We’ve had all kinds of people, even with Henry VIII, who headed his own church, because the Catholic Church refused to give him an annulment and he wanted more power.
Christ said he was establishing his Church, not “churches”.
Now, I have come to believe that when we reject the Church, pope, priests, we are actually rejecting Christ who set it up and sent them. When we reject Christ, we reject the one who sent him.
Hail Mary, Full of Grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blest is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen. :
