I’m a Catholic because the Catholic Church is TRUE, GOOD, and BEAUTIFUL. It’s TRUE because God exists, because we need religion, because Jesus is God, and because Jesus started a Church. It’s GOOD because it built western civilization, because of its heroic charity, because it doesn’t go with the times, and because it offers true forgiveness. It’s BEAUTIFUL because it cherishes beauty, because it lifts us up toward God, and because it’s for everybody. These are Brandon Vogt‘s reasons. In his book Why I Am a Catholic (And You Should Be Too) he explains each of these reasons in much more depth and explains each of them with a lively enthusiasm that leads the heart as well as the head.
Marty’s Reasons
My own Why I Believe emphasizes the truth. When God called me he focused on the truth because that was the best way to reach me. I most enjoy re-reading The Big Bang, but my The Wider Catholic Perspective starts off with Brandon Vogt‘s reasons so you can hear five of his presentations on we should all be Catholic.
I like Brandon Vogt‘s reasons better than my own summary of Why I Believe. I usually try to keep Second Exodus well organized, with everything on any particular subject all together in one place. On this subject, Why I’m Catholic, I spread it around a little because, well, I’m so excited about the Catholic Church as a rock solid path to eternal life in heaven that just had to. In fact, if you meet me in person and ask me why I’m a Catholic, I’ll quite likely come up with a different set of reasons every time. I love Holy Mother Church, that’s why.
Bishop Sheen’s Reasons
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you” Mt 5:10–12.
Bishop Fulton J. Sheen on Why Be Catholic 4:11 centers on the last verse of the Beatitudes Mt 5:10 because he wants us to know that the Catholic Church is the only one that still teaches what Rabbi Yeshua actually taught, and always will. At every Sunday Mass the Catholic Church recites the Nicene-Constantinople Creed exactly as it was set down by the First Council of Constantinople in AD 381.
If I were looking for the true Church in the world today, I would look for the one Church which did not get along well with the world; in other words, I would look for the Church which the world hated.
My reason for doing this would be, that if Christ is in any one of the churches of the world today, he would still be hated as he was when he was on earth in the flesh.
If you would find Christ today, then find the Church that does not get along with the world. Look for the Church that is hated by the world as Christ was hated by the world.
Look for the Church that is accused of being behind the times, as our Lord was accused of being ignorant and never having learned.
Look for the Church which men sneer at as socially inferior, as they sneered at Our Lord because He came from Nazareth.
Look for the Church which is accused of having a devil, as Our Lord was accused of being possessed by Beelzebub, the prince of the devils.
Look for the Church which, in seasons of bigotry, men say must be destroyed in the name of God as men crucified Christ and thought they had done a service to God.
Look for the Church which the world rejects because it claims it is infallible, as Pilate rejected Christ because he called himself the Truth.
Look for the Church which is rejected by the world as Our Lord was rejected by men.
Look for the Church which amid the confusions of conflicting opinions, its members love as they love Christ, and respect its Voice as the very voice of its Founder, and the suspicion will grow that if the Church is unpopular with the spirit of the world, then it is unworldly, and if it is unworldly it is other worldly.
Since it is other-worldly, it is infinitely loved and infinitely hated as was Christ himself. Only that which is divine can be infinitely hated and infinitely loved.
The Catholic Church is divine.