Saturday, August 20, 2011
What do YOU love about the Catholic Church?
For some time, I have been meaning to create a list of twelve things I love about the Catholic Church. In honor of World Youth Day (which is going on as we speak), I am going to do it! But what about you? What do you love about the Catholic Church? Please post below. In order to protect the integrity of this blog, I will need to review each post before it becomes public. Thus, they will not immediately show up. Thanks for understanding and posting:
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John -- Great idea and great blog. What do I love about the Church? It boils down to 3 things -- Incarnation, Catholicity, and Love.
ReplyDeleteIncarnation because we are privileged to see God not as something "far away" or "out there" but here, in the women and men we live and work with, in the signs of water, oil, incense, buildings, hymns, and, above all, in the bread and wine that become the Sacrament.
Catholicity because we see that there is no one way to God, but the Way is truly present in all cultures, in all times, and with all peoples.
And Love, because, without God's love for us, our love for God, we are lost.
Short and sweet, and we could write a lot more on the subject. But, hopefully, that is helpful. Keep up the good work on the blog and in Chicago.
AMDG! ~nate romano sj
The Catholic Liturgy is universal. There is comfort in the order and symmetry of our church. Go to any Catholic church anywhere in the world and witness the same mass; the prayers, the sacrements… The ritual is only separated by language but that in itself is not even a barrier to the whole. It's accessible to everyone who so desires to participate. There is faith and love inside that sort of ritual.
ReplyDeleteDamian.
John, there are many things I love about the Catholic Church. Obviously, a question of this magnitude necessitates prayer and contemplation to focus my thoughts on what my response will be. So after today’s Holy Mass, I think I can narrow it down to a few. So here goes:
ReplyDeleteThe first and most important thing I love about the Catholic Church is the Eucharist. To begin comprehending the enormous love God has for us, one must begin at the Eucharist, what Blessed John Paul II called ‘the source and summit’ of our lives.
The Eucharist to me represents the greatest form of love ever as my Creator, willingly condescends to take on human form to suffer and die for me on a cross so that I may have the chance to obtain eternal life with God in heaven. Christ, Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity, is Incarnated on the altar of sacrifice, under the appearance of bread and wine, to offer Himself to God for us and to feed us with His Flesh so that we may have eternal life. It is a love that I cannot begin to comprehend.
The second element I love about our Church are the sacraments. These actions, instituted by Christ Himself, dispense many graces in order that we may gain life eternal in heaven. But the wondrous thing about them is that they all lead to the Eucharist - to Christ.
The third item I love about our Church is Mary, the mother of God. She is the ultimate Christian role model who instructs us on how to live our lives so that we may become one with Her son. “Whatsoever he shall say to you, do ye.” (St. John 2:5) Her own communion with the Lord is what she desires for all of us.
The fourth thing I love about our Church are her saints. They are living gospels - true embodiments of faith in work and action. When I look to Her saints, I see what great things can be accomplished when we make the Eucharist the ultimate goal of our lives while living the Gospels of Christ.
The fifth item to love about our Church are the priests and consecrated religious who have devoted their lives to the service of God in His Church. These generous people have responded to God’s supernatural call to consecrated life to “…love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind: and thy neighbour as thyself.” (St. Luke 10:27) Each of these giving souls fulfill their vocations to bring the Eucharist to all according to their gifts and to make Christ real and alive in this world, especially to the poor and sinners.
And while there are so many other items to love and write about the Church, such as Sacred Tradition, sacramentals, processions, prayers, architecture, missions, etc., I love the above five elements the most. The Church is my home for in Her tabernacles, rests the Most Blessed Sacrament, our Redeemer, Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity. For it is only in our Catholic Church that we have the fullness of God’s love revealed to us. How privileged are we to be Catholic!
Tradition: I love that every time I find myself at Mass, I know that I am celebrating with the whole Church throughout it's entire history. I am participating in the same sacrifice that St. Therese of Liseux, St. Thomas Aquinas, all the Apostles, all of my Catholic ancestors, and all Catholics throughout history took part in. I love that we have that tradition to hold on to, even (you could say especially) when the Church and that very tradition is under attack (as it always is).
ReplyDeleteThe Eucharist is the number one reason I love the Catholic Church. No other church has God truly present.
ReplyDeleteWhat do I love about the Catholic Church?
ReplyDelete1) The Church proclaims to have God within our midst. Not a metaphor or some dream, but the living God, body, blood soul and divinity-in the Holy Eucharist. The Almighty God can be adored, talked to, and received in a very real and physical manner. Likewise, through her sacraments, the living presence of God is given to humanity.
2) The Church has, is, and will always withstand the test of time. Through all the joys and sufferings of humanity, the Church has been witness to it all.
3) The Church is both Divine and Human. Having God as her founder, sustainer and foundation of her existence, the Church is also honest that she is made up of sinful human beings. Many have been the sins of her members done in the name of God. Yet, the Church realizes this and by God's grace rectifies, purifies and changes while being faithful to her mission.
4) The Church is universal. What she teaches will always be good for the past, present and future. The faith knows no time constraint nor does she belong to one nation or culture. Her founder is Lord of all, and therefore open to
all people.
5) One, Holy, Catholic & Apostolic-the Church is united around the Universal Shepherd, the Bishop of Rome. The Catholic Church is NOT just the Roman Catholic Church, but she is a union of particular "rites" all under one shepherd. The beauty of the Church to me, is the diversity of the cultures and paths represented by the rites, yet we all are united in our faith and Holy Father.
Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life.
ReplyDelete