Why Be Catholic (Part 2)

"To be deep in history is to cease being Protestant" -John Henry Cardinal Newman

It has been several months since I posted Why Be Catholic? (Part 1).

I ended my last post by explaining that my main reason for becoming Catholic was because I fell in love with Jesus Christ. I wish to reiterate that I am still madly in love with Jesus and assert that being in a relationship with Christ is the most important part of the Catholic Faith. To understand the Catholic Faith, one must cultivate a relationship with Jesus and approach the teachings of the Catholic Church through the lense of Christ. Without Jesus nothing makes sense.

Growing up in the Lutheran School System (LCMS), I knew the Bible very well and subsequently I came to know Jesus very well. Our chapel services set me on fire for Jesus! I even considered becoming a Lutheran Pastor.

Catholics angered me because I mistakenly thought they believed in works righteousness. Their devotion to the saints confused me. Using man-made traditions instead of relying solely on the Bible for their teachings seemed illogical.

It wasn't until my senior year of high school that I started waking up. The wake up call came in my world religion class where we learned about different faiths and denominations of Christianity. When we reached Catholicism, the Lutheran Pastor teaching us slammed Catholics pretty hard. At first I was amused, but eventually I realized what he was teaching us wasn't exactly true. My band teacher (who to this day is a faithful Catholic) showed me passages straight from the catechism and Bible that completely debunked the pastor's teachings-one of which was the supposed Catholic belief of "works righteousness".

After this exchange with my band teacher, I started my own intellectual journey in exploring the Catholic Faith. In the weeks to com,e we'll dig into RCIA, my parents' extreme disapproval of Catholicism, and my college years.