Why I'm Still Catholic" --from a Woman Who Asked This Searchingly about Herself

[mdgspencer]

see franciscanmedia.org/family-why-i-m-still-catholic/

“It was an honest question. After listening to me recount all my frustrations with the Catholic Church one night after dinner, my sister-in-law, who is not Catholic, asked me very honestly, ‘So then why do you stay?’ The question stopped me in my tracks. At first I bristled a little at the question, feeling a bit defensive. But then it occurred to me that I really didn’t know how to answer her.”

“Later that night, as I was trying to go to sleep, I started thinking about her question.”

“Why do I stay? I wondered.”

“I had never really, truly thought about it.”

“The question haunted me for weeks”…

 

[Viki63]

An interesting article, although I certainly wouldn’t put it the way the author does. She mentions her faith and the Church frequently.
Her faith “is the only thing I have to hold on to,” when times are hard.
Faith must be faith in something, And she does mention, in passing ,that “I stay because I believe, as I say in the Creed each week, that Jesus suffered and died—for me”

That’s it, for me. Without Jesus, his presence and his reality, the church would be empty.
Where else would we go? – he has the words of eternal life.

.

 

[ConfusedLucy]

I get that question and the only answer I can give is because it must be where God wants me. I cant really think of a logical answer.

 

[Della]

Her answer is why many people stay with their respective religions.
First, they are born and raised with it so they feel it’s “who I am”–it becomes a part of their identity from an early age.

From the Christian perspective, many stay with their respective faiths because they believe that Jesus " suffered and died" for them.

I’m surprised, tho, that as an adult woman who writes about the topic of the Catholic faith…that she had never asked herself this question.
Is that usual for a Catholic?
To never consciously ask themselves why they stay with the Catholic faith?

It’s more common for “cradle” Catholics to just accept that being Catholic is who they are–as it is for any other religious body into which one is born, as you say. And her answers seem a bit shallow–more like “I’ve believed this long and the faith has never seriously harmed me and probably done me and mine some good, so I stay” kind of reasoning. But, that won’t be enough is some truly great crisis should come into her life–God forbid.

Converts/reverts especially seem know exactly why we are Catholic and often have a better understanding of the difference between the human and the divine sides of the Catholic Church. We know that in her humanity, Catholics, from the lowest to the highest can make mistakes, sin greatly, and be wrong about how they interpret Church teachings. In her divinity, though, the Church is infallible–because she is the Bride of Christ and imbued with the Holy Spirit.

So, I hope the article’s author finds a deeper, better reason to remain Catholic than she has so far. Not that realizing that Jesus died for our sins isn’t good–but one needs more than that to stand the test of faith when it comes to life and death issues or one is challenged to put everything on the line for one’s faith.

She and her family have my prayers. I hope others are praying for me, too.

 

[JanetF]

Wel, the answer for me is “it’s the only place to receive the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist”. In a nutshell.

Despite the scandals of the past 2000 years, the truth remains.

 

[Della]

Yeah, that makes sense.
Converts, I assume, would have gone to specific lengths to find out about the religion and, of course, take the classes for education…and become Catholic after much thought and study. Whereas cradle Catholics join when they are babies and often, I find, don’t know much about their faith as adults.
(I do find it amusing when I meet a Catholic and I–an atheist-- know more about their faith than they do).

Which is why it always made more sense to me that someone waits until they are old enough to explore and understand a faith before deciding to join it.

Well, proper education and practice of the faith at home and at parish schools, etc. is the answer to the dilemma of adults who don’t know their faith as well as they should. What we learn as children sticks with us far better than what we learn as adults–also a lifetime practice of one’s faith is better than getting a late start, although any time is better than never.

The NT model was mainly adult conversion, but infants were baptized too–indeed whole households were baptized including servants, slaves, masters and all. Baptisms are done with a bit more discretion now, though.

The article writer’s problems with her faith point up the fact that for a generation or two religious education in the USA was reduced to little more than: “Love one another…” The part about “…as I [Christ] have loved you” was nearly forgotten, taking away the need for divine aid in believing and practicing the faith. It’s a near miracle that this gal has the faith she does considering she is a product of that lax attitude that destroyed the faith of so many, or made them into nothing more that cultural Catholics.