Why I Became Catholic. Part 4/4
When I was Protestant, I attacked Catholics. When I became Catholic, I thumped Protestants over the head with my new Bible—seven books heavier. Do you know what happened in both cases?
Nothing.
Nothing made people want to run away from me faster than when I asked, “Are you interested in knowing why I became Catholic?” So, if you’ve made it to the last part of my four-part series, thank you.
I was a Protestant (anything but Catholic) for nearly thirty years before I felt called to something else. Even then, it took me ten more years to convert. I know that Christians of all traditions are “saved” if they profess Christ as their Savior and follow Him, but after being Catholic for five years now, I’ve realized that it’s more challenging—more involved—than being Protestant. This made me wonder: What’s the point? Why would someone with no felt need to convert—someone perfectly content in their non-Catholic faith—investigate the Catholic Church?
The truth is, I can’t answer that question. Who can say why God calls some to worship Him in the Catholic, Orthodox, or Protestant churches? His ways and His timing are mysterious. I can only say that I was called. But now that I’m here, how can I say with absolute confidence that I will stay?
The Catholic Church Has the Answers
Since becoming Catholic, I’ve never had a question about God that the Church—or her saints, past and present—hasn’t already addressed. With the internet and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, we have direct access to her actual teachings, rather than relying on people who only think they know what the Church teaches. It’s all out in the open, and debates over common Catholic misconceptions have largely crumbled. I believe this is one reason so many people are converting: they’re learning what the Church truly teaches.
Tip: If you feel called toward the Catholic Church, get your answers from Catholic sources and the Bible—not from someone outside the Church who only thinks they know. If they truly understood Catholicism, they’d be Catholic.
The Catholic Church Has the Saints
When I read the saints—Aquinas and Augustine are my favorites—I see that they struggled with the same things I do. If my questions aren’t explicitly answered in the Catechism, I have access to 2,000 years of Christian wisdom. I haven’t encountered a single question that someone else hasn’t also wrestled with.
The Catholic Church Has God-Given, God-Protected Authority
Yes, the Holy Spirit guides us when we read the Bible—He gives us personal revelations. But He doesn’t give each of us authority to interpret Scripture however we please. The proof is in the thousands of denominations and countless pastors, each with their own interpretation. This self-centered approach to Christianity has caused the division we see today, and I think we can all agree this is not what Christ intended for His Church.
The massive splintering of Christianity has resulted from individuals believing they have the authority to interpret Scripture independently—when they don’t. That’s the role of the Catholic Church, and it always has been.
The Catholic Church Was Founded by Christ
It wasn’t founded by Calvin, Luther, Smith, or anyone else. Even with all its terrible baggage, even though it is run by sinful people, this truth remains. The very fact that the Church is still standing after 2,000 years—despite corruption, sin, and attacks from within and without—confirms Christ’s promise that the gates of hell will not prevail against it.
Christ told us the Church would be infiltrated by evil. He has always chosen sinful people to lead His work—Abraham, Moses, David, Peter. And yet, despite evil’s attempts to destroy it, the Church endures.
The Catholic Church Does What the Bible Says the Church Should Do
It teaches His love, grace, and the call to evangelize—but it also heeds His warnings. Christ said the way is narrow and few will enter the Kingdom of God. It is difficult to be Catholic, to obey all that God commands: the prayers, the time commitments, the rituals (often confused for legalism). The Catholic Church is not the only way to God, but I believe it is the narrowest path, with the highest guardrails.
The Catholic Church Has the Sacraments
God desires that we experience as much of His heavenly grace as possible while here on earth. I believe He gives powerful graces in the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church. Without the priesthood, we lose the sacraments—or are left with only a few—and unity fades.
My intent with this four-part series has not been to convince you that the Catholic Church is the only way to the one true God. This is simply my journey. I’m not trying to convert you or prove that the Catholic Church is “better” than your church. My hope is to encourage you to follow Him along whatever path He leads you—because He is the final destination.
“The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
