Before "Catholic" became a denomination in the sixteenth century, it was spelled with a small "c". The word means "universal," and it refers to the universal Christian church. This is why even Protestants who profess the Apostles' Creed continue to state their belief in the "one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church."
One of the most profound things to me about the Catholic Church (big C, now) is that it is universal, and it is also a home. It is broad enough to encompass all humanity, yet it is familiar enough to intimately minister to each individual human being. A marvelous reflection of God's own character, in my opinion.
I've heard a lot of naysayers chide Catholics for this sense of "home" that we feel in our faith. For some reason, they seem to think this devalues our sincerity of belief. They may judge us for the fact that we like saying the same prayers that we've said everyday from childhood or the fact that we all bless ourselves with holy water in the same way upon entering a church or genuflect as we step into a pew on Sunday, thinking the only reason we cling to Catholicism is because we like the familiarity of it. People will roll their eyes at Catholics who, after many years of wandering away from the Church will begin going to Mass again and, when asked why, will shrug and say, "I don't know. It just felt like home." True, some of these returning Catholics will merely stay for a few years (often to see that their children receive religious education), and then will wander away again. But, for many, it will be a life-changing experiencing: a homecoming that ultimately brings them home to God and, after death, to their eternal Home with Him in Heaven. Shouldn't we feel at home in our faith? Why should our sense of belonging in anyway diminish the sincerity of our faith? Would anyone think a person's belief in God to be faulty or suspect because they confess to feeling at home with Him?
Of course, many, many people, not just Catholics, feel at home in the faith in which they were raised. Many find homes in new faiths that they have adopted as adults. What I find so truly unique about the homeyness of Catholicism is how it utterly transcends boundaries of race, language, age, gender, culture. Truly, it is a catholic faith. A down-home American Catholic can feel at home in the grandeur of Notre Dame cathedral. A Mexican Catholic will find sweet familiarity in a Polish Mass. A South African Catholic could pray the rosary with our German pope in Rome!
My friend, Jen, over at Conversion Diary wrote the most beautiful post about Rita, the KidSave child her family is hosting this summer and how this Spanish-speaking orphan came to be at home in her English-speaking American household--all through the universal homeyness of Catholicism.
* The Bookworm's Library has been updated: Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates
Interesting post. :) My husband was raised in the Catholic church until his parents decided to start attending the Assembly of God church in town. I was raised protestant, but have always harbored a deep sense of appreciation and an almost awe like quality concerning the Catholic way of worshiping God. In some ways I would love to convert....but I am not sure what my husband will decide. At the least....we are just supporters of the Christian family. I love reading about your Catholic faith!
ReplyDeleteSarah- "supporters of the Christian family"--oh, I love that!
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite things about your blog is that you've had experiences in both Protestant and Catholic churches and you are courageous in showing the Catholic perspective to those of us who may have misunderstandings.
ReplyDeleteI was baptized and confirmed in the Catholic church, went to Mass sporadically, then not at all, then decades later, went to a nondenom Protestant church, where I began really reading the bible and knowing Jesus for the first time. As I've done more research and thinking, I've grown to really respect (and sometimes miss) the Catholic church.
One thing I miss is that sense of sacredness and the hush and awe one feels in a Catholic church. IMO, the modern evangelical churches, with their movie theater seats, high-tech lighting and "black box" interiors, are missing something very important.
I am not trying to belittle the Catholic church by implying it's all about the decor--of course it's more significant than that! But the actual physical church buildings themselves, to me, bring on more of a sense of genuflection and respect, as do the rituals. It's hard to explain this to the people at my church sometimes...especially when we have things like weird blue triangles projected up on the stage. :D
Another thing I respect about the Catholic church is, they know what they believe and they don't compromise. Individual Catholics often make compromises, but the Catholic church itself sticks to their beliefs, especially about divorce and all phases of pro-life--no wishy washy stuff. :) You have to respect that nowadays.
A couple months ago, I was having that "wanting to be home" feeling about the Catholic church and did a lot of research, but decided to continue in the Protestant world for a few reasons.
1. The main one: My husband was raised Baptist and has said a couple times, while I've casually fished around about the subject, that while he respects the Catholic church, he has some very significant doctrinal disagreements with them. So I don't feel comfortable taking on the role of spiritually "leading" him in this way, especially when I am unsure myself.
2. I don't think I share the belief in transubstantiation. And I know I definitely don't believe in the perpetual/lifelong virginity of Mary. Perhaps I am misunderstanding, and if so please correct me, but I have the impression that both these things are crucial points you must believe in as a Catholic...?
That said, all my research made me realize that there are so many more similarities than differences, and the essentials are quite similar, so I would feel comfortable in either church. However, for the sake of my marriage, I don't want to pressure my husband to convert.
Sorry to write so much...I guess I should start my own blog one day, except it would probably take over my life! Obviously these Catholic/Protestant issues are very interesting to me.
My husband and I were raised in the Episcopal church. For various reasons, we now attend a non-denominational church. We love our church, but we do like the Roman Catholic church. We now and then go to a Mass just to hear the prayers and to be in a place that's more like "home." We want our kids to be aware of the symbolism, the liturgy, the rich history.
ReplyDeleteWhen my youngest seemed to be relapsing with his pneumonia, I had an overwhelming urge to take him to the R.C. church down the road. If his fever didn't break that night, we'd have to go back for xrays and tests. I took all four of my kids into the Narthex, blessed each of them and myself with holy water, and the fever broke that night. Never to return.
whoops! I failed to mention that my youngest's fever had lasted five days and they were monitoring his white blood cell count. So really, it wasn't just my Mama's worried imagination that he was in danger of being hospitalized, again. The night his fever broke was God's mercy and healing! :)
ReplyDeleteBeautiful reflection. My husband and I are both converts, and thank God every day that we're Catholic. What I described in that post is only the tip of the iceberg of what we've found in the Church.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link!
Thanks so much Bethany for this wonderful post. A book that I would reccomend to our protestant sisters and brothers, is "Rome Sweet Home" by Dr. Scott Hahn. He is a very conversational writer, and an amazing apologist.
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