Why Should I Be A Catholic
Most Rev. Michael Sheehan
Archbishop of Santa Fe
Founding Bishop of the Diocese of Lubbock

Feeling or Truth?

     As I go around our diocese and meet with groups and individuals on the subject of evangelization.  I am sometimes struck by the realization that it is easy to forget the basics.  Fundamentalist sects and evangelicals are successful in attracting inactive Catholics when those people forget why they are Catholic in the first place.
     Often, people are tempted to make decisions about religion on the basis of feeling rather than truth.  On the basis of personality and popularity rather than Scripture and Tradition.

The Original Church

     As we read the Scriptures, it is clear that Jesus intended to found only one church.   And he wanted it to be united.  Jesus promised that he would be with his church forever.  He selected the apostles, with Peter as their head, prepared them and sent them out to spread the Good News to all the world.
     The Acts of the Apostles describes how much effort Paul and Peter spent in keeping the church united.
     We Catholics believe history shows clearly that our church is the one Jesus founded; and that other churches broke away from us at various times along the way.
     Mainline Protestant churches were formed 500 years ago, around the time of the Reformation.  Most of the fundamentalist sects started up during the past 100 years.   There were certainly times in the history of the Catholic Church when reform was badly needed, especially during the late middle ages.  Nevertheless, even the lowest periods produced saints, martyrs, holy men and women.  And the official teaching of the church never wavered from what Jesus and the apostles wanted.

The Whole Pie

     All Christian churches have elements which Jesus intended his church to have.   This is true to a greater or lesser degree depending on the church or sect.
     The reason someone should be a Catholic is that the Catholic Church contains ALL of the elements Jesus and the apostles intended for the church.  We believe that the Catholic Church is the true church founded by Jesus.
     (This is taught clearly in the Vatican II Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, "Lumen Gentium," paragraph 8.  Chapter 2 of the document, paragraphs 14 and 15, spell out the important elements that make up the true church.)
     Perhaps the idea of the fullness of the truth of the church can be expressed in a very simple way.  I believe our church has the "whole pie," not just a piece of it.

Slices of Pie

     Protestant churches and some fundamentalist sects certainly have important "slices of the pie."  They believe in Jesus, the Bible as the Word of God, preaching, fellowship, and moral living.  But we have those "slices of the pie" in the Catholic Church, too.  Plus we have the great blessing of the Eucharist, or the Mass, which is what former Catholics miss the most.
     We have the sacraments of our church, mentioned in the Bible and instituted by Jesus.   We have the important "slice of the pie" which we call magisterium, the Holy Father and the bishops who are successors to Peter and the Apostles.
     Know that Christian revelation is incomplete unless there is a place for Mary, the mother of Jesus, who is mentioned at all of the important moments in the life of her Son.
     We have the "slice" which we call Tradition, the distilling of the riches of the 2,000 year old heritage of the church.
     We have great teachings on social justice in which we proclaim respect for the dignity of each human person.  The church speaks often and eloquently about the dignity of unborn human life.
     By being part of the universal Catholic Church we have the "whole pie", not just part of it.

The Bible

     It is important to keep in mind that without the Catholic Church there would be no Bible.  The New Testament is really the expression of the life of the early church.  God inspired the sacred authors but it was the church, guided by the Holy Spirit, that decided which writings would be incorporated into the Scriptures.

Seeking Unity

     The Catholic Church continues it's dialogue with the great Protestant churches.  We work for unity, love and peace and are dedicated to ecumenism.  But some of the Christian sects are not interested in ecumenism.   These groups do not seek unity and harmony, but division and proselytism.  It is good to keep this in mind as individuals and parish communities while we seek constant renewal in living the life that Jesus intended us to live.

Mother And Home

     We who are Catholic have come to love the church as our mother and our home.  She brings to us the blessings of the virtue of hope.  But, ultimately, we are Catholics because of God's generous gift of Faith, which we neither earn nor deserve.