Why I Became a Catholic

A reader e-mailed me the other day with some questions, one of them being about why I became a Catholic.  I wrote her an answer and thought I'd share it here.  I do need to tell the story at some point of the circumstances around my conversion to Catholicism, but my reasons are here in nutshell form.

Also, I'm not blogging much right now thanks to a very busy, and thoughtful, semester.  Too much information, and too rich, for me to formulate much in the way of blog posts at present!  But I'll get back to it whenever the present flood recedes enough....

So, here's why I became a Catholic, unedited except for replacing the inquirer's name with asterisks:

I have written some parts of my conversion story on my blog, such as how I first came to encounter Christ, and how my experience of Christ has changed during my journey from Evangelicalism to Catholicism.

In a nutshell, through a long period of study and reflection I simply became convinced that the Catholic Church really was founded by Jesus, grown from a small mustard seed into a mighty tree, as he promised it would.  In studying Catholic doctrine, which formerly I had been told was “man-made” and had nothing to do with scripture, I found that it is actually more consistent with scripture than the Evangelical theology I had studied before.  In fact, it is completely consistent with scripture – I still cannot find a single contradiction, when studied and understood at depth.  And I have been a studious Catholic for nearly 10 years, and am now earning a master’s degree in theology.

In coming to the conclusion that the Catholic Church really was founded by Jesus himself, in person, I also realized that if I am truly serious about following him regardless of the cost, and really take everything the bible says seriously, like the parts about being one Body and not getting caught up in division and controversy (which is endless in the Protestant world, in my experience), then I must become a Catholic.  My ancestors left Catholicism either by choice or by compulsion during the English Reformation (I don’t know which); regardless, I needed to reverse the break and come back into union with the original Church.

I also realized that if I really, really trust Christ, then I must trust his words that he founded the Church, and the gates of hell would not prevail against it – and so they never have.  To say that the Catholic Church failed and some ordinary man had to come along and re-found Christianity is to say that Christ failed.  That is the implication in what Protestants say – and Mormons, and Jehovah’s Witnesses, and any number of other groups who claim to have “found” the truth that was “lost.”  But Christ could not have failed – and he does keep his promises, and always has.  I trust that.  And history bears it out, if you study the history of the faith in the first 1500 years of Christianity.  It did not die out, and there have always been men and women of very great faith in Christ, in every era.

I realized, in the end, that if I really believe that Christ is in control, then he also is in control of the Catholic Church, knows what he is doing there, and always has.  Appearances to the contrary at different times in history, including our own present time, are due to a combination of human weakness and sin, and interference from the evil realm.  These are prophesied in the bible, and the answer always given in the bible is to keep one’s eyes on Christ and remain as one, growing in knowledge of him.  The bible does not give leaving and founding one’s own church as an option during difficult times – to do so is a direct contradiction of scripture.  On the contrary, we are to stay put, keep our eyes on Christ, and refuse to get caught up in division and controversy.  Our job is not to run the church or run away from the church, but to love the Church and each other in the Church, and Christ above all, as one, and stay put in the Church.

The Protestant Reformers were living during a difficult era of Church history, and came to their own conclusions about things, and did what they felt they had to do.  I’ve also come to mine – and reversed what they did, because I became convinced that it is the better, more biblical course.

And I have not been disappointed.  I have learned so much since I entered the Church – and yet feel that I have so, so much more to learn.  There are untold riches here, *****, that so deepen and enrich our faith, that can deepen and enrich our faith endlessly, our whole lives long.  Just to be a part of this world-wide, unified Body of faith is an incredible, indescribable gift, a real gift of God that takes my breath away daily, every time I think of it. 

And the faith is not a static thing – it is eternally growing, deepening, unfolding, from a tiny mustard seed into an ever greater Tree, under the inspiration and guidance of the Holy Spirit, and will continue to do so until Christ comes again, and the whole creation, heaven and earth, are made new.  And the more closely I follow the Church, the closer I come to Jesus himself, the more closely I am conformed to Him.  Because the Church is Him; it is His Body, the expression, the on-going earthy incarnation of His Mind and Will and Love.  It is very beautiful.

Not that it is always easy – Christ did tell us that to follow Him means we must take up the cross – but even difficulties, endured with patience and faith, cause us to grow ever closer to Christ, in union with the Church, his Body on earth.  It is a spiritual battle, *****, and we must not let appearances fool us.  The battle is for the salvation of souls, and the evil that wants to snatch souls away from Christ also wants to discredit and disfigure his Church as much as possible.  But believe me when I say that it is only a superficial disfiguring.  Christ was disfigured on the cross; the Church is disfigured on earth; but Christ remains, and lives, as does the Church.  The truth is there, *****, and it shines when you find it. And it is Christ, who has already won the battle, and who will prevail.  And our trust is in Him.

To me, Protestants who keep trying to found new, pure, churches based on “original” Christianity or the book of Acts are like people who don’t like the direction a tree is growing – and so chop it down, and start a new tree.  Not to be overly harsh – they sense, rightly, that something is wrong, and are trying to fix it.  And their faith is real, and saving. 

But they miss the point, because they do not know it: there already is a Tree, the original Tree that’s been there all along, and there is a Master Pruner, and He prunes the Tree in His own time, in His own way, and so keeps the Tree healthy and growing in the direction He wants it to grow.  Our own natural impatience makes us want to take matters into our own hands, and force things to be right, right now, rather than letting God truly be in control, and make things right according to His own way, in His own time (remember: with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day – 2 Pet 3:8).

Yes, some things about Catholicism may at first seem strange or unscriptural, but there are two reasons for that.  First, lack of knowledge about the doctrine itself and what it really means (including lack of knowledge of the scriptural underpinnings).  Second, the simple fact that most Protestants have spent their lives being told that certain doctrines or practices are unscriptural without ever examining them, and so believe they are, with a kind of (understandable, under the circumstances) knee-jerk “that’s not biblical!” reaction whenever they hear of certain Catholic beliefs or practices.  In some extreme groups, they have even been told their whole lives that the Catholic Church is the Whore of Babylon and the Pope is the anti-Christ, so there is not only misunderstanding but actual fear of Catholicism (I had friends like that in my old Evangelical church), which makes it even harder to consider the truth.

There is also the simple fact that, whatever you think, Catholicism has been around, and growing, for 2,000 years.  You simply can’t wrap your mind around it in a day or two, or a year or two.  Or maybe even a decade or two.  It is, in my opinion, the Mind and Life of Christ expressing and growing on earth, ever since he planted it here in his own flesh and watered it with his own blood, and continues to feed it with his own flesh and blood.  And that is a great mystery, for it is the Mind and Life of our eternal, infinite God, whom the Church brings to us, and whom we enter into, and Who enters into us, endlessly, in the midst of the Church.

And it doesn’t really matter how well people understand it.  We are like sheep – and sheep aren’t very smart, and do wander off and get lost, frequently.  And Christ is our Shepherd – and he always comes and finds us again, and brings us back, and helps us to understand once again.  He is in control, not us. 

So, in sum, I converted because I became convinced that the Catholic Church is Jesus’ Church, the original Church that He founded while on earth.  And I stay because I have since become convinced that it is not only His, it is Him, living and working, suffering and saving, through the Church on earth – and always has, throughout all of history.  For me, knowing what I now know, to be true to the Church is to be true to Christ.  To leave the Church is to leave Christ.  But being true to Him, I touch Him and am united to Him more closely than in any other way possible, every time I receive Him in the Holy Eucharist.

Comments

[Mimi]

Very interesting, thank you for sharing your story.

[Aimee]

Thanks, Mimi.

I should clarify: I do not mean to imply that Protestants today have "left Christ" by not being Catholic. Today's Protestants aren't responsible for what happened in history.

But for me, once I understood the history and had made an honest study of Catholicism, I realized that I was standing in the wrong place, and needed to change where I stood, in order to be more true to Christ in my own conscience.

It wasn't my fault where I was, and where I was wasn't bad - but once I understood things, I realized I needed to change.

But the result: feeling much, much closer to Him, not only because of fidelity to Him, but because of fidelity to His Church that He founded - which to me is the same as fidelity to Him. That, and receiving the sacraments, which are irreplaceable!

[Mimi]

I understand completely, probably because I chose to become Orthodox from a Catholic background - I had a similar realization - *for me* I realized that I found there the fullness was, and I couldn't not be there.

[Aimee]

I also love Orthodoxy, Mimi (as you can tell from my writings about it here on this blog), and it has enriched my own understanding of our faith. For me, though there are outward differences and I do pray for reunion, there is no real difference, no real separation between the two, as both have the authentic Eucharist.

Orthodox liturgy is so rich. Catholic liturgy in recent decades has taken such a beating with "innovations" that, I hope and pray, will gradually be corrected with the good leadership of our Pope, and the help of Bishops of like mind. But God bless you - what riches you must have, being immersed in the Orthodox tradition.

[dwight Longenecker]

thanks. Check out my post linking here.

[Aimee]

Fr. Dwight! How delightful to have you visit here! I've seen your blog.

Friends, meet Fr. Dwight Longenecker, former Evangelical, then former Anglican priest, now newly ordained Catholic priest. What a journey!

Click his name to check out his blog.

[David]

Thanks for the beautiful story, Aimee. I'm drawn to the Catholic church as well, from a Protestant background.

A friend recently challenged me, however, asking if I had equally considered the Orthodox.

I hadn't, and I knew I hadn't. The best answer I have is to echo Thomas Howard's "For better or worse, I am a Western Christian."

My question for you is, a priori, should one consider the Catholic church and the Orthodox as equally viable options? Should one be just as open (at the start) to the claims of each one, and give each one a fair hearing?

I feel like, if that's the case, I have a lot more work to do!

Thanks,
David

[Chris]

Aimee, welcome to the Church. I just reached my tenth anniversary as a Catholic. I agree with the substance of what you wrote with some caveats. I was raised in a family of Protestants and Catholics and know both traditions well. My Catholic brothers and sisters still need to be better educated in Sacred Scripture, although progress is being made. The readings at Mass are not sufficient. As St. Jerome said, "ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ" and too many Catholics are sacramentalized but not evangelized. I have seen it over and over again in the family of "cradle" Catholics I married into.

We Catholics also need to pay serious attention to the witness of the Orthodox, who were part of the united Church Catholic of the early centuries.

The fact that they do not accept Papal primacy, purgatory or the Immaculate Conception are weighty matters.

The "glow" of conversion is always sweet.

Then comes the reality of day to day living.

[Mimi]

Aimee - while I don't subscribe to the "two lung" theory, I do think that we have a lot in common.

Someday, I hope to see a Latin Mass, as I've not. I am so heartened by the blogosphere that I see where Catholics are taking back their historical liturgy, and I appreciate your work on that front, as well as other bloggers.

I have noticed you do love Orthodox writings by some of your quotes, yes.

[Carolyn]

David - Although it is not widely known in our Western world, the Catholic Church is actually a communion of Churches. According to the Constitution on the Church of the Second Vatican Council, Lumen Gentium, the Catholic Church is understood to be "a corporate body of Churches," united with the Pope of Rome, who serves as the guardian of unity (LG, no. 23). At present there are 22 Churches that comprise the Catholic Church. Each Church has its own hierarchy, spirituality, and theological perspective. Because of the particularities of history, there is only one Western Catholic Church, while there are 22 Eastern Catholic Churches. The Western Church, known officially as the Latin Church, is the largest of the Catholic Churches.

Although there are 22 Churches, there are only eight "Rites" that are used among them. A Rite is a "liturgical, theological, spiritual and disciplinary patrimony," (Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, canon 28). "Rite" best refers to the liturgical and disciplinary traditions used in celebrating the sacraments. Many Eastern Catholic Churches use the same Rite, although they are distinct autonomous Churches. For example, the Ukrainian Catholic Church and the Melkite Catholic Church are distinct Churches with their own hierarchies. Yet they both use the Byzantine Rite.

A Roman rite Catholic may attend any Eastern Catholic Liturgy and fulfill his or her obligations at any Eastern Catholic Parish. A Roman rite Catholic may join any Eastern Catholic Parish and receive any sacrament from an Eastern Catholic priest, since all belong to the Catholic Church as a whole. I am a Roman Catholic practicing my faith at a Maronite Catholic Church. Like the Chaldeans, the Maronites retain Aramaic for the Consecration. It is as close as one comes to being at the Last Supper.

[Aimee]

David – Eastern Orthodoxy is very beautiful; I love it and study it's theology quite bit. My main problem is that they stopped recognizing the authority of the Pope a long time ago (for a combination of reasons in a difficult period of history – see http://www.catholic.com/library/Eastern_Orthodoxy.asp for a good synopsis). Their priesthood and sacraments are valid, but they are not in full communion with Rome.

The bible is pretty clear about authority, which is important to me as the primary source of unity in the Church – and we have been so blessed with such marvelous Popes. God does work, in a very beautiful and visible way, through the Pope, who for me is the visible sign of unity for the Church on earth. It gives me great joy to look to him, and have his teachings to study and follow, be it the teachings of a St. Gregory, a St. Leo, a Pius X, John Paul II, or, as we have today, Benedict XVI.

Orthodox tell their own story and have their own perspective, and I respect their historical situation while also always hoping and praying for unity. Rome is more open to them than they are to us, I’m afraid (for example, Orthodox Christians are welcome in Catholic communion, though Catholics are not welcome in Orthodox communion), and is actively working for unity.

However, as Carolyn also pointed out (thanks!), there are Eastern rites who are, or who have returned, to communion with Rome, such as Byzantine Rite Catholics (I attend a Byzantine Rite here occasionally – it’s lovely, and I can receive Holy Communion there), or Malankara Rite Catholics in India, who trace their rite to St. Thomas himself, who went to India and was martyred there. There are many rites in the Catholic world, not only the Roman Catholic rite.

So one can be Catholic while in an Eastern Rite in communion with Rome, benefiting from Eastern liturgy and theology while remaining under the authority of the Pope, which preserves unity.

For you, I'd recommend the Roman Catholic Church, and investigate other rites later on if you're interested, after becoming a Catholic. The Roman rite is the most wide-spread in the Western world, and you'll get a good foundation there.

[Aimee]

Chris, You said, "The "glow" of conversion is always sweet. Then comes the reality of day to day living."

True. But if we are studying and living our faith deeply, the day to day becomes very deep, very meaningful.

Thanks!

[Aimee]

Mimi - thanks again! And don't mind anything I say here; I love your visits and your contributions.

[james]

hi are the requirements the same for conversion to the eastern catholic church as in the western church?

[Aimee]

I don't know! But I would assume so, or very similar. Anyone else know?

And just to clarify: you do mean Eastern Catholic, those in communion with Rome, not Eastern Orthodox, right?

Eastern Orthodox I really don't know, but I do have an EO reader who may answer for her Church's process if she reads this.

[james]

i meant eastern catholic

[Aimee]

James, I e-mailed the pastor of a little Byzantine Catholic church near me, whom I know slightly. Here is his response:

We don't have a formal program like RCIA. Usually the pastor meets with the Catechumens on a regular basis and instructs them in the faith himself. Some parishes I know have well educated parishioners do this. Then on a feast day, usually the Easter Vigil, the person receives the Mysteries that they need. Our parishes are usually small enough that this one on one catechesis is possible.

I’m guessing that this is true of many of the Eastern Catholic rites, as their congregations tend to be smaller. The Roman Catholic Church reinstituted the RCIA after the council of Vatican II, but I don’t think the other Catholic rites are required to use it.

Hope that helps!

[Ron Kempen]

I feel so sorry for you're being blinded to the deceptions of Roman Catholicism. It wasn't started by Christ as His Church does not have those many traditions of Catholicism that go against His Word. I've included many of them with my web address but from my view I hardly think you'll even check out what I have to say. The Bottom line is that God so love the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that wosoever believes in Him will be saved - He died for our sins, He did not create sacraments or purgatory to address the sins of Man to get cleaned by them. These are two different Gospels! And you need to repent of your false beliefs.

[Aimee]

Actually, Ron, you need to become more familiar with early Church history. The traditions and doctrines of Roman Catholicism have existed from the beginning, in obedience to Christ. Protestantism, not Catholicism, is a-historical, bears little resemblance to the early church, and in many respects is unbiblical.

The Protestant reformers in trying to obey the bible actually disobeyed the bible, by rejecting authority, breaking up the Body, and introducing new doctrines that had never been heard before and are not based in scripture - in direct contradiction to scripture. They did it out of ignorance (and no little amount of hubris), trying to get back to the "early church" and "authentic Christianity," but with real ignorance of what that actually means.

And the Protestant body today continues breaking up and splintering, unable to agree on matters of doctrine or the meaning of scripture, each denomination with its own definition of “truth,” all contradicting the others on some point or other – while the Catholic Church has continued on, a unified, worldwide Body, obedient to Christ, unified and consistent in her beliefs, which are the beliefs given to her by Christ himself.

Protestants today who honestly study history, doctrine, and scripture (if they are not too heavily prejudiced by Protestant conditioning, which truly is the thing that blinds), tend to become Catholic, because they find that the early church, the church founded by Christ, was Catholic, with all the doctrines and beliefs that the Catholic Church has today, which are also fully and completely consistent with scripture – unlike Protestantism, which contradicts scripture on many points (though Protestants can still be saved). When they realize the truth, they obediently convert, out of love for both Christ and scripture – as I did.

You’re barking up the wrong tree here, Ron. I’ve already covered the ground you appear not to have covered at all. But I invite you to do so, and discover the truth for yourself – if you can, if you’re not too heavily prejudiced yourself. Then perhaps you will become fully obedient to Christ, and stop persecuting Him in your zeal for what you mistakenly believe is the truth (cf. Acts 9:5). Perhaps then you’ll join His Church instead of attacking it, and begin living as you are really supposed to be living as a Christian, obeying the authority scripture tells you to obey, and helping to spread the real Christian faith.

As a starting place, I suggest you read this article. It will give you some good basic information to think about.

And yes, God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him will be saved. And His Son founded His Church upon the rock of Peter, upon which it still stands and through which we receive salvation. Even your salvation, Ron, comes through the Catholic Church, for you believe the bible, which is a Catholic document, written by the original Catholic authorities, and interpreted authentically only by Catholic authority today, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

You are already a Christian in some sense, but to be a complete, fully obedient Christian, you need to become a Catholic Christian. Then your faith will be truly saving in the fullest sense of the word – not just an intellectual assent, but a truly lived, fully sacramental practice, with all the wisdom of the authentic teaching authority of the Church, through which all the manifold wisdom of Christ is being made known (Eph 3:10), by the power of the Holy Spirit leading us into all truth (Jn 16:13), which if followed leads to real holiness and fullness of life in Christ. If you don’t, you’re just missing out on everything Christ intended you to have, though you may make it to heaven.

[Karen Elissa]

I just found this post and it was really interesting to see how history played a big part in your conversion. That is one of the biggest reasons for my own conversion (in exactly 2 weeks!). I began reading LOTS of church history and began to see that the Catholic Church is the one established by Christ, so that is where I belong! Thanks for sharing your story.

[Aimee]

That's wonderful, Karen! Congratulations! You know, I was never a history buff in my life . . . until I started studying Catholic history. Now I'm hooked - because I feel like for the first time I'm studying real history, history that really matters, if that makes sense. It's the history of the world, the history of God, the history of the world journeying along as it is drawn up into God, from Whom it emerged and for Whom it is intended.

[Christie]

I think I really needed this post today.

My husband and I are converts of nearly 3-1/2 yrs, but recently we moved to a small town (in Texas) and very few are Catholic. In our neighborhood there is a brand-new Evangelical church meeting in our friends living room (for now). Most of the ladies I have befriended since moving attend this church. Our kids closest friends are the pastor's children. It's very hard to maintain a Catholic identity when you're outnumbered. When we lived in the city it was great - there were probably 10 churches within a 10 miles radius (including the Cathedral). Our little parish here is small, but growing, and has very little "extra-curriculars" (they don't even have CCD for Kindergarten). We love our priest, but can't quite seem to dig into the community. I don't know one person by name!

Why are the Evangelicals so much better at this than we Catholics are? We missed Mass a couple of weeks in a row and no one has noticed. Our Evangelical friends have called, sent emails, has neighborhood carnivals during Halloween, invited DH to football game watch parties, invited us to dinner, etc in effort to "build community" and grow their little church.

Just struggling a little right now...sorry for the long-winded comment, but thank you for sharing this story!

Blessings!

[Aimee]

Hang in there, Christie. Catholic culture is different, because people don't just leave and start new churches if they don't like their old ones. It's easy to be friendly, enthusiastic, out-going, when everything is new and exciting and everyone thinks alike (Protestant congregations are self-selecting, you know, in a way Catholic parishes are not).

But it's also true: Protestant congregations have a life cycle of just 100 years. But Catholic parishes are permanent (except in the rare case when one is closed due to population shifts), and membership truly is an eternal marriage of sometimes very different people and family members, which is true even of a "new parish." It can take time to get to know people in this old, large family - but it is very worth the effort, if one is patient.

And if your parish is small and new, then you have a great opportunity to get involved and help it grow and form. So be patient, get to know people over time, make friends with the pastor, and look for opportunities to help out! The Lord will bless you for it, I am sure.

[Aaron R from british columbia]

Hi, I am a bible believing Christian and belong to an evangeical Church. I am an advent reader and like the classics of Brother Lawerence and Fenelon Thomas a Kempis, madamme guyon and others. I started to realize that a lot a devout believers were Catholic. I started researching Church history and found alot of what you are saying. My Church is a very warm place of believers who love each other. One thing that troubles me though is the irreverance of the services. The music sometime is more like a rock concert, and I feel like we are trying to imitate the world instead of fleeing and being seperate of it. I know this is no perfect Churches. I am confused with what is holy water all about and the veneration of Mary I know it is called honoring and not worshipping but it seems like the latter. I am considering going to mass in a local Church. One point that struck me is how you said we are not submitting to authority and how much division there is in the protestant world. To be honest with you It does not matter to me if I am protestant or Catholic but that I know Christ in me and obey him. I will trust him to guide me.

Your brother in Christ Aaron R