3 Reasons I Love Catholicism

This Easter marked seven years since I joined the Catholic Church. Each year, it seems I find more reasons to love the Church. Here are just 3 reasons I love Catholicism.

1. The Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Besides a friend’s influence, this is probably the number one thing that caused me to convert. I knew when I began contemplating Catholicism that this would be the place to find answers, so I began reading. I thought it would be dull, boring reading. Instead, I found it to be a beautiful, inspiring book. I made it about three-quarters of the way through the Catechism before I stopped reading, and I keep telling myself to pick it up and finish reading.

If you have any questions about the Church, I recommend the Catechism. Read it slowly and thoughtfully, with a highlighter and notebook. Mark up your catechism and journal about what strikes you and what questions you have. I highly recommend reading along with Fr. Mike Schmitz’ Catechism in a Year Podcast. It’s helpful to both hear and see the words in reading along with Fr. Mike. His humour and practical applications are also very valuable.

2. The Saints.

Coming from a Protestant background, I was initially dubious about the saints. I could accept what the Church taught about them when I converted, but I was more interested in other aspects of my new faith.

In the years since, my appreciation for the saints has deepened. Now, when I face a difficult struggle, I often find myself wondering if there is a saint who has faced a similar struggle and could inspire me by their example and offer intercessions for me as I go through this struggle. Saints were particularly inspiring to me during my last two pregnancies. I find myself fascinated by their stories and by what many of them (the martyrs in particular) were willing to endure for the sake of their faith.

3. Cathedrals.

I would love to see some of the great cathedrals of Europe. Even here in Canada, I appreciate the beauty in many of the big churches I’ve seen. My girls call St. Andrew’s Cathedral in downtown Victoria “the big pretty church” and I have to agree with their description.

There is something about walking into a church with a vaulted ceiling and stained glass windows and beautiful carvings that just pulls your thoughts upwards—which is what the original medieval architects intended. It’s also mind-boggling to think that many of those cathedrals took hundreds of years to finish, so the workers who laid the foundations never saw the results of their work, even if they spent their entire lifetime working. That’s faith!