3 Reasons Why I love Being a Catholic

Catholics trace its origin from the time Jesus Christ laid the foundation of his Church on St. Peter. The Succession from Jesus Christ to St. Peter believed to be the start of the PAPACY by most of the Catholic faithful. In history, Catholicism flourished when then Roman Emperor Constantine made Christianity legal during his reign through the edict of Milan. The law protects all forms of religion to be practice including Christianity without the fear of being persecuted as it has been in the past years. It is also stated that whatever confiscated belongings of the church shall be returned. Though our history has been marred by violence, persecution, and death -the followers of the Church have grown at an unprecedented rate. The blood of the martyrs laid the foundation of the ministry of Church which has also preserved it to stand the test of time.

Being part of the Faithful in the Catholic Church has been a blessing on my part, though sometimes I am devastated by the scandals that plague the very foundation of this Church but still I opt to remained on my faith for this Church not because I am a bigot but because I know all things are not perfect in this world and that the basic teachings of the Church if you checked it does not contradict the will of God rather it is a teaching coming from God Himself. I also find that doctrines and dogmas are justifiable and rightful in the eyes of God because I have already checked it even the most famous ones where our separated brothers would like to target. Basically, the keyword there is "misunderstanding" -some of the teachings of the Church has been misunderstood by most of our separated brothers.

The Catholic Doctrines Teaches Salvation Occurs Even Outside the Church

Salvation is the ultimate goal of every faithful individual. You can find this dogma in every Christian Churches. The salvation of man is the end of struggle in this cruel world where you can again rejoice in the realm of the Creator.

"He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things, have passed away." Rev 21:4

Salvation is for everyone and that teaching I learned from the Catholic Church. I am not saying that other religion does not teach the same doctrine but what I have encountered based on my experiences is the way Catholic Church delivers the message in a non-hypocritical way. I remember one priest during his homily that he cautioned his parishioner not to feel above everyone else or declare that the Catholic Church have the sole blessing of salvation rather opened the mind of the people to the truth that salvation occurs even outside the boundaries of Roman Catholic Church. I have never heard such humble statement with respect to the other Christian institution instead of which teaches the same dogma and later became arrogant about their faith and then blindly cursed Catholic practices mainly because of their beliefs that it is paganic in nature.

The Catholic Teaching Discourages Debates Instead Promotes Sharing of Ideas

A debate is an exchange of arguments supportive by facts while sharing is a process of communication wherein there is a speaker and a receiver and then vice versa.

Catholic doctrines and dogmas have always been a target of other Christian sects. There are plenty of topics that can be a probable debate issue regarding Catholic Doctrines and Dogma such as the devotion to the Virgin Mary, Prayer offered to the Saints, Rosary, Signing of the Cross etc. The Catholic Church discourages its member to enter into a debate but encourages it to share and defend the teaching of the Church with reverence and love. If one is involved in a heated debate, it would be wise to calm down and not let your emotion take the whole of you. When a member is engaged in a debate, the objective is not to win the souls of the other party via humiliation and expletives but let the Holy Spirit work on it.

"Make me a channel of your peace.

Where there is hatred let me bring your love.

Where there is injury, your pardon, Lord

And where there's doubt, true faith in

you." -excerpt from the Prayer of St. Francis

The Catholic Church as an Institution Stood the Test of Time

The Roman Catholic Church is the world's largest single religious body consisting of approximately 1.196 billion faithful. Roman Catholicism is one of the oldest religions in the world which dates back its origin from the time when Jesus Christ laid its foundation on St. Peter and its ministry started when He gave the keys of heaven to him. From the time of its origin until the present time, the Catholic Church have survived a lot of ordeals from being ruled by unpopular Popes, persecuted by the secular government and facing internal conflicts. The Church has survived it all. Specifically, there are problems that involve hierarchy, doctrines, scandals and many other things that a Church as an institution ruled by fallible men would face. There are also misjudgments done by the Church like that of Joan of Arc and Galileo Galilee in which they were victims of the bigotry of the Church. There is also the Inquisition period where many have perished. It even comes to a point that the Church was so blind and believe that it is the real Church and that no one can be saved except the Catholics.

All of these problems are just part of the maturity of the Catholic Church as a whole. From the ancient problems to medieval until the present times, the Catholic Church have addressed every issue it encounters and learned from it. The justification of Joan of Arc and Galileo, the freeing of Slave, the revision of teachings such as the Vatican I and Vatican II to address present dogmas and doctrines are just a few of the changes that the Church as an institution has done. Catholics, as they say, is a universal religion, meaning it endures all things and see it on a wider view.

I was once lost my faith on this Church and I have been acquainted with the different Churches. I have been involved with Born Again Christians, Baptist, Seventh Day Adventist, Mormons and the Jehovah's witnesses. What made me return were the facts that in every Church that I went to, only the Catholic Church never criticizes other religion and above all respects other belief.

"Lord Jesus Christ, you said to your apostles: I leave you peace, my peace I give you. Look not on our sins, but on the faith of your Church, and grant us the peace and unity of your kingdom where you live for ever and ever." - Communion Rites, passage from the bible.

Personal Experience with the Our Lady

Why Do I Believe in the Virgin Mary

The image from Rome of Our Mother of Perpetual Help

This is a written account why I believe that the Virgin Mary can really help us or intercede for our prayers. It all began with a simple curiosity that leads me to ask about certain things and I was given the answer to it. I believe that God has His workers here and in Heaven and I believe that God has granted them the authority to help us in every way through His consent. As a young Catholic, I never believe in the power of intercession, not until I found out myself. I am not convincing anyone to believe in this account, this was never my intention. I just want to share what The Virgin Mother of God has done to me. Thanks

Novena Prayer :

The Immaculate Heart Of Mary

O Most Blessed Mother, heart of love, heart of mercy, ever listening, caring, consoling, hear our prayer. As your children, we implore your intercession with Jesus your Son. Receive with understanding and compassion the petitions we place before you today, especially ...(special intention).

We are comforted in knowing your heart is ever open to those who ask for your prayer. We trust to your gentle care and intercession, those whom we love and who are sick or lonely or hurting. Help all of us, Holy Mother, to bear our burdens in this life until we may share eternal life and peace with God forever.

Amen.

The start of my ordeal

Since the death of my father last November 22, 2012, my life really hit the hard bottom. I was broke and at the same, all of my contracts online have been swept away in just a blink of an eye. All were gone and I am left with nothing except my dog who has been a very loyal companion. All of my bills at the end of the month have been coming in and the worst thing that came is the notification that my internet connection has an overdue bill from which it is subjected for disconnection. Working online was the only source of income that I know. I am still studying in college and I could not afford to work full time here at our place due to the nature of work and my studies. It is also very hard to work here, finding a job is like winning a lottery especially if it's a part-time job. There are some instances that the minimum wage imposed by the government is not being followed.

When it Rains, It Pours

One month after the death of my beloved father who has been a great help emotionally and financially. My life was in total chaos, I experience eating porridge for a more than weeks and nothing more. My internet connection which has been a source of my income has been doomed and the inevitable happened - Internet connection has been disconnected. For a whole month of looking for a job online, I received no response and not even the least king of the job had a taste of my services. Within that month, I experience where life has not taken me yet. I experienced begging for assistance with my other sibling, I learned to live without the internet, I learned to eat what is available(rice only menu), I learned to live life without the financial capability to buy anything that is needed in everyday living. I literally became like St. Francis of Assisi, who owns nothing but prayers, which I am also a member of its lay missionary.


Everything Happens For a Reason

God is a great designer and I really believe that in my heart. He let things happened to us just to let us see Who He was and what He can do to us. For those times that I have experience hardship, I have nothing to lean on but God. The pain of losing a father and the life without anything is not really something a normal person wishes to have. My experience though it is not that complex as compared to others is enough for me to call it my own hell.

I always pray to God that time, not a single time that I doubted God nor I was very angry with the Creator. I always remind myself that this thing happens for a reason and it shall pass away. I prayed for the Holy spirit to guide me so that I may know the message of God to me. I know God never abandoned me for He do so, I will no longer be here writing and doing my work.

A Mother is Always a Mother

Most of my life as Christian I am not really convinced that Mother Mary can help us in every way. Though I am Catholic, I am not a devoted one or something I can call a believer of the Catholic Teaching. I always believe that when I pray I pray directly to God and I will not use another person just to intercede for us. I never believe in that thing. What made me changed? One time when my girlfriend came to visit me, who is more religious and more faithful Catholic than me brought a little image with the Virgin Mother on it. It was not her intention to give to me, She just carries on her purse for whatever reason. I was curious so I asked her if she could give to me so that I will pray on it as there was a short prayer at the back of the image and I was confused it she can really help. Actually, it is a short novena prayer, so I prayed to God then I pray that short novena prayer. I ask her to intercede for my prayers that may the Christ listen to it for I believe I have done something wrong and I am not worthy of Christ and of God's Ears. So there I prayed, then the revelation came to me. For only two days that I prayed for that short novena prayer, luck came to me. A deluge of new contracts including my girlfriend's account have been activated and my internet is back(not the usual connection but at least it is back and we have enough money already to avail the usual connection.) As of the moment I am still lavishing on my luck and I really thank the Holy Mother of God who has been a great help to me and of course to God who has the only power to grant whatever petitions I have asked in my prayers and of course the Lord Jesus Christ who is always there for me.

I hope I have at least shared a bit of information that may help you. Thank you for reading this article. God bless us all.

Start Your Devotion Now

It really works for me and I am hoping that you should try to. I meant no offense for those who did not believe but I am encouraging for those who have faith.

Significance of the Holy Bible

The Holy Bible is a collection of sacred scriptures which dates back to the time of Moses at around 3500 years ago. The Bible is composed of the Old and New Testament. The Old testaments differ when it comes to the Protestant Bible and that of the Catholic. Protestant accepts the Masoretic text -books that are used by Jews in Jerusalem while the Catholics are using the deuterocanonical (Septuagint), books used by the Greek-speaking Jews that were living outside of Palestine which includes the books of Tobit, Judith, 1st Maccabees, 2nd Maccabees, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, Esther and Daniel. The Old Testament is divided into four parts the Pentateuch, Books of History, Books of Poetry and the Books of Prophets.

The New Testament is composed of 27 books which are categorically divided into four parts The Gospels, History or the Acts of the Apostles, Epistles or letter, and the revelation. The New Testament is just the same for both the Catholics and Protestant.

Early Christians have not used the same bible that we have right now. The early version of the Bible came when the early church leaders compiled a list of sacred scriptures 350 years after Christianity was created. The Basis for choosing the books that were holy or not was based on the biblical canon which is used to distinguish if the books were divine, apostolic in origin or have been used in the Church teachings. Historically, the new testament has been formed during the Council of Carthage where it was clearly defined on what books are going to be used and read within the Churches.

Did The Bible Originated From God?

As we all know, the bible is a collection of sacred scriptures dating back to the time of Moses. The books were written by the people inspired by God through the Holy Spirit. Notable examples would be the Pentateuch Books and the Gospels. Now, did the bible really originated from God? The answer to this question can only be found on the subject itself -the Holy Bible!

What does the Bible say?

From the Book of 2 Peter 1:20-21

"Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit."

It has been clearly stated that though it has human writers the Bible has a Divine Author. The arguments proposed by some of the skeptics that the bible was of ungodly origins due to the fact that its creation was supervised by a human emperor and it was not handed down literally from God is immaterial and impertinent. God uses people to convey his message and it has been like that throughout history, He protected those people that he had commissioned from errors so as not to distort any of his messages like the prophets in the old times. In the case of those biblical writers, why would not God do the same to them?

The collection of Books to form the Holy Bible is not done overnight but it has been created through the years and not with money or politics as other skeptics claimed. The first list of Scriptures appeared 393 at the council of Hippo which was translated using the old Latin. It was called Vetus Latina a term used for the early Biblical text used by the Church. It was later revised into a newer Latin translation (Vulgates) under St. Jerome who was commission by the Pope at that time.

Was it Corrupted?

I was never aware that the Bible was corrupted and never was in doubt that it indeed remains in its original sense. The Bible was translated many times but its essence remains. Scholars in the past did not just translate it word for word just like what we do in using Google Translate. They translate it in the manner in which how the word falls, how it is being used and the manner it has been said. There are thousands of original manuscripts that can be the basis of what was written in the Bible is still the same, example to these are the Dead Sea Scroll, Vulgates, Armenian etc.

There is no way that what was written in the Bible could be tampered or edited. What was written in the Bible was pure and authentically from the original writings.

Lastly, I firmly believe that there is no God that would just leave his subject to believe in something that is corrupted.

Even the Bible itself can attest that it has not been corrupted.

"I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book."

Revelation 22:18

How I see the Bible.

The Bible has always been a great source of strength for me with respect to spirituality and life but never a tool to condemn other people and other beliefs. It really saddened me a lot that a lot of the other Christians are using the bible for condemnation and debates. It is through the Bible that I learned to respect the different forms of beliefs may it be Protestants, Muslim, Atheist or Deist all are a creation of God. The Bible for me is a tool to supplement my faith and enough evidence that this world existed because of there is one true Creator who became Human for us to be saved.

How I see the Bible is not as a weapon to attack other church but as a bridge to fill in the gap towards my Master and Friend, The Lord Jesus Christ. I see it also not as the only tool for salvation as I believe that Christ came into this world neither as a writer nor an agent of a book publishing company rather as a Preacher of Love.

In Short, the Bible for me is a symbol and reminder of Love and Respect. to God and to Others.

Matthew 22:36-4

"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"

Jesus replied: " Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."