Why I Am Catholic

I wrote this for a class I teach on the Catholic-Christian Creed. My students are supposed to compose this for the last day of the class, and this is the one I wrote. Thought I'd share with everyone else! :-)

Here are some thoughts, grace notes, musings, meanderings, and intimations as to why I am Catholic . . .

1. I like belonging to a church that can encompass both sides of the political & theological spectrum.
2. I like belonging to a church that affirms the goodness of all creation, that affirms the sacramentality of all that is, that realizes that all of creation (including us!) is handcrafted by God and wonderfully and beautifully made.
3. I like belonging to a church that can express the same gift of God – the Eucharist, celebrated in sacred liturgy – in a variety of forms, with different languages, different cultures, and different actions.
4. I like belonging to a church that has fed me throughout my life, at the different stages I was at, in different ways that spoke to me, nurtured me, and healed me.
5. I like belonging to a church that can take the best of other Christian denominations and the best of other world religions, that can see the hand of God and the breath of God in all people of good will.
6. I like belonging to a church that uses created objects to help us draw closer to the divine.
7. I like belonging to a church that is not perfect - a church where I can fit in, seeing as I am not perfect, either.
8. I like belonging to a church that officially loves all people – not discriminating by ethnicity, culture, sexual orientation, gender, or economic status - a church where we are all considered equal in the eyes of God.
9. I like belonging to a church that accepted me even before I was sure if I still wanted to be a part of it.
10. I like belonging to a church that has mysteries that we cannot fully explain, because all of life is mysterious!
11. I like belonging to a church that encourages us to live out our spirituality with other people, whether in our churches, or with our sacraments, or in the countless prayer groups, youth ministry activities, CCD settings, and what have you that make up our church – I like knowing that my faith is shared, not something I made up on my own!
12. I like the length of history of our faith, which gives us a groundwork to stand on, and our Sacred Tradition, which complements our Scripture well. We know that we are grounded in the living word and in the living faith of our ancestors and our contemporaries.
13. Finally, I like the people that are part of my faith, both at home, in my family, and in my workplace – they are the ones that challenge me, encourage me, and love me, and they are the way God’s presence is most powerfully in my life.