Why Do You Remain Catholic?

The world I grew up in was Catholic. I am first generation American; my parents are from Italy and came to this country after they were married and landed by ship in New York harbor. All my relatives made the same voyage and still live within walking distance of my childhood home. We didn’t need telephones; we stepped outside and talked face-to-face. My brother and I played outside all day, without wearing a GPS tracking system. Every Saturday we had dinner at my Nonna’s house – I still remember her prayer book with its binding broken and holy cards spilling out. Every holy card had a story!

My parents’ home and those of my grandmothers, aunts and cousins had religious art on the walls, crucifixes above every door, and votive candles lit perpetually for deceased relatives. The row houses on my block were lined with saint statues – St. Francis, St. Anthony, and the Blessed Mother. Every time you walked pass a statue or when the funeral hearse drove past the home of the deceased for the last time, everyone on the block made the sign of the cross kissing their fingers to heaven.

My brother and I attended Catholic elementary school and were taught by the Sisters wearing habits. Those Sisters had perfect aim; they could throw an eraser across the room and hit their mark every time! I experienced the ruler on my knuckles a couple of times. Never would I go home and tell my mother that Sister hit me -- not if I didn’t want to get hit again!  “Going to confession” wasn’t terrifying: at least once a month, the Sisters lined us up outside the confessional. We giggled when someone lingered in the confessional wondering what their penance would be!

The 4^th of July was nice, but the Feast San Janero rivaled any fireworks show. My brother and I never had a birthday party but our First Communion and Confirmation parties were out-of-this world! Going to Mass on Sunday was not something to be negotiated; it was assumed and expected. My brother and I walked to Church by ourselves; my mother went to the early morning Italian Mass so she could start cooking the sauce.

These pious devotions and family traditions infused in my heart a trusting faith in God’s love and omnipotence. You could say that my faith wasn’t so much taught as it was caught. I caught my faith by experiencing it with others in my home and neighborhood. When my sons were born, I worried if I could pass on the faith living 600 miles away from the support of my parents, relatives and neighbors. Experts say that by age 12, our influence as parents diminishes and the influence of peers, media, and social media increases. Their advice is to let children make up their own mind about God, because teaching them about a specific faith is tantamount to child abuse.

Can that be true?! Not even close! The number one ingredient to keep our children Catholic is by moms and dads who practice what they preach and preach what they practice. The National Study of Youth and Religion found that 82% of teens ages 15 to 17 who remained highly religious in their mid to late 20’s were raised by parents who talked about faith at home, attached great importance to their beliefs, and were actively living out their faith; most of all when the whole family attended worship together, teens were especially likely to remain religiously active as young adults. Funny how we need science to tell us what God has been telling us all along. God desired to be raised by a human family; Jesus spent over 90% of his life on earth living an ordinary family life. He went to Temple with Mary and Joseph and on pilgrimage to Jerusalem with them.

There is nothing quite as familiar as the Mass to lifelong Catholics. Too often, we complain, “It’s boring!” A talk-show host asked a paramedic with an illustrious career to describe his most difficult assignment. “Oh it just happened a few weeks ago. We got a call from Immaculate Conception Church that a man had died at Mass. We got a description of the man – he would be sitting erect, eyes glassy, with no apparent sign of life” described the paramedic. What was so difficult about that asked the host?  “Well, he said, we had to carry out 4 guys before we found the guy who was dead!”

How can we see the beauty of Mass once again? We can restore our wonder by seeing it through the eyes of a child. Many years ago, we took my Protestant friend’s son to Mass. There he sat on the edge of the seat with his eyes and ears taking in all the sights, sound, and smells around him. It was the Feast of Christ the King and the Church was filled with the smell of incense. The climax was the consecration and I heard my son explain how the bread and wine changes into the body and blood of Christ. “Are you going to drink it,” asked his friend?  “Sure,” said my son, when you go up for Communion, fold your hands across your chest and you will receive a blessing.”  “I will?” responded his friend.  “Yeah, it will help you be a better person.” Through the eyes of a child, supernatural things were happening at the altar. 

What about for us? Do we see supernatural events occurring at Mass? St. John Paul II described the Mass as the place where heaven and earth meet. The Book of Revelation provides the script for this heavenly drama. We are in the heavenly Jerusalem where we are surrounded by the angels and saints who invite us to “come to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” Who is getting married? Who are the bride and groom? Scripture and Tradition reveal Jesus as the bridegroom and the Church as the Bride of Christ. We are all invited to the heavenly banquet where by the power of the Holy Spirit, the bread and wine are transformed into the true body, blood, soul and divinity of Christ.

I had the privilege of recapturing that sense of awe while attending Mass this June at the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Hanceville, AL. As I stepped into the Shrine, I stepped into the heavenly Jerusalem. My breath was taken away by the physical grandeur of the Gothic architecture, the 7-foot Monstrance exposing the Real Presence, stained glass windows, icons, crucifix, and statutes all reflecting the glory of God. Mass is about to begin: the bells ring, the cloistered nuns sing as angels, about a dozen altar server process down the aisle; the altar is incensed and scent of sweet perfume fills the air. The Word is proclaimed and like the men on the road to Emmaus our hearts were burning. Then the climax of the Mass begins…. the Liturgy of the Eucharist. The priest mixes and pours the contents of bowls and chalices. We are invited to Holy Communion at the communion rail to receive Jesus true body, blood, soul and divinity on our tongues.  At Mass, the tangible meets the invisible reality of God.

Why Do YOU Remain Catholic? This is question was posted on Facebook to Catholic bloggers after the latest finding of the Pew Research Study; nearly 1 in 3 Catholics leave the faith. I remain because Catholicism and I are indivisible. Catholicism enlightens everything I think, say, and do. G.K. Chesterton wrote, “There are ten thousand reasons all amounting to one reason: that Catholicism is true.” Indeed Catholicism teaches the truth of the Gospel. Its doctrines, liturgies and traditions do more than give knowledge about our faith, they shape our imaginations. Catholicism is something to experience aesthetically – with our hearts.  This is why our prayers and liturgies involve the body and soul and use icons, statues, ashes, candles, incense, bells, holy water, and relics; our Churches are exquisite with color, art, images and symbols.

In the Catholic view of things, we meet God through things we can see, hear, touch, feel and taste. Catholics have a sacramental worldview where spiritual and earthly realities coexist. Our faith opens our eyes and ears to see people and all created things of this world as revealing something about the glory of God and in their beauty draw us to contemplate the majesty of God.

Catholicism is bold, it is beautiful, it is powerful, and it is the truth of the Gospel.

Journal with Jesus

What do you remember about growing up Catholic? Can you recall your First Holy Communion? How did you feel about receiving Jesus into your heart?

What are your first memories of Jesus Christ? What symbols, stories, and songs have been important to your religious and spiritual development?

What is your favorite way of praying? Why? Why kind of prayer do you find most difficult?

Which sacramentals are most important to you? What is the "background story" of the sacramentals in your home?

Who are your favorite saints? Which saints do you pray to most often?

Can you name some things that have been signs to you of God's presence and love?

Why do YOU remain Catholic?

Have you ever considered it your responsibility to evangelize others? What are some practical ways in which you can share your faith with others?

Want to learn more about the Joy of Being Catholic. Read Fr. Oscar Lukefahr, The Privilege of Being Catholic.