Advantages of being Catholic

As you know from my blog name, I am a Catholic! I have been my whole life. I will admit that at age 14 and 15, I was going through a phase where I wanted to look at protestant churches. My parents were actually okay with me going to them as long as I made the Catholic Mass a priority. However, staying Catholic was definitely better for me, as I will let you know from what I have found to be advantages of being a Catholic!

1. The original Church. The first protestant church did not arise until the 1500s by Martin Luther, and back then being an atheist was unthinkable. Everyone was Catholic at the time, so you know your methods of worship best point to God (although when done well, many protestant services have been spiritually uplifting).
2. Similar readings and beliefs. The word "Catholic" means "Universial" (I believe it is Greek, but unsure.) The readings will be the same that week for every Catholic Mass in the world. For instance, if one Catholic Church is reading St. Mark 10:12-23 for the gospel, all the Catholic Churches in the world will that day.
3. You have easier access to your callings. As I have said in previous blog entries, only boys should serve and I think there should be an all-girl activity, such as "Handmaids of the Altar". There's no scripture banning altar girls (or requiring servers or handmaids, for that matter), but men and women are different, and this is clearly shown in the way God calls us to serve.
4. We have more role models. God is obviously the most important role model in our life, but he sent other people to help shape His creation up. We believe Mary prays for us on our behalf and that she was very generous. Back then, pregnancy out of wedlock was unthinkable and she suffered a lot of abuse not only during her pregnancy but by watching her son die on the cross. We also have saints who were so faithful that they allowed themselves to be martyred, saints who specialize in special care (such as St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows), and those not considered saints who were very devout with Christ (such as Mother Angelica). Although you can find a role model in a less formal way for anything, God has put these people on Earth to help us stay faithful regardless of any hardship we might endure. 
5. The connection of being Catholic. While there are different types of masses (such as Latin and Novus Ordo), we tend to find comfort in knowing someone else is Catholic. About a month before my grandmother passed away, she was in a behavioral help center in a hospital (not going into details why), but we saw a nurse who happened to also be Catholic. We prayed a rosary together and, a few days later she went unconscious, but we prayed a rosary around here and another nurse pointed out she was Catholic. Being connected to our medical team through our faith was such a blessing because chances are they have also lost a relative and chose to hang on to God during that time the way we were. 
6. The Sacrements. We have all the Christian Sacraments, such as Baptism, Confirmation, etc. We are able to confirm our faith in different ways, such as confirming what you believe as an adult Catholic (partially the point of Confirmation), recieving the actual Body and Blood of Jesus in our bodies at every Mass, and being able to admit our sins to a spiritual leader (a priest) and knowing our sins are forgiven. We are unspeakably honored to have such benefits.

In short, if you decide to be Catholic, I don't think you'll regret it. I offer my words simply as food for thought. Maybe God had you stumble on His page for some life-changing experiences.

Not up to attending Mass/service?

Many so called Christians, even Catholics, only go to church once in a while or only on holidays, and some don't even go then. Some go weekly, but have days where they really don't feel like going to church? Why should you push through and go?


Obviously, nothing is impossible for God, but going to church makes His job of preparing you for Heaven and getting you to prepare others for Heaven easier. You will have help sharing His word by learning what His word even is.

1. It's when you need to go the most. My mom has had days where she just doesn't want to go to church, but she always does. I think it's God calling her to go to mass. My mom once had a dream where she had set her alarm and hit snooze several times, thinking, "I go to church every week. I can skip this once." Eventually, she woke up in real life and went to Mass. She usually feels like going to mass, but this dream taught her to always go.
2. You find a religious community. I am a Catholic and I always like seeing other people and somehow finding out they're Catholic, such as when my family prayed a rosary when she was dying and one of the nurses, who also happened to be Catholic, took a mini-break to pray with us. However, when you go to a Church, you find a lot of people who share your beliefs. In a Catholic Church, apart from a few visitors, everyone else is Catholic. Even in a protestant church, apart from maybe a few atheist visitors, you're still connecting with other people and with God. They are there for you when your faith is being tested, such as if your have cancer or a relative is dying, and you get to be there for them when you need it. The more often you attend Church, the more you can see these people, the closer you two are, and the more they will help you when you need it and vice versa.
3. You may find an opportunity to do something for yourself, the community, and God. If you go to church regularly, you may have different organizations you can join and different ways to help God's people. For instance, maybe an announcement will be made saying that the church needs volunteers for the soup kitchen they run. You might try volunteering and end up doing it frequently. You will be serving God's people using the place you learn about Him. 

I will find more reasons later. Have a good week!

Mini-Pilgramages

A lot of people go on mini-pilgrimages every year. A pilgrimage may vary in definition, but I have taken a few trips to religious sites- which I call mini-pilgrimiages. Here are three benefits I have found.

1. A reason to try the Latin Mass. In a lot of places, the Latin Mass is scarce. Most Catholic churches will have the Novus Ordo, but finding a Latin Mass can be hard. Many major parishes, such as shrines and bascilias, will only offer the Latin mass, although there are churches who offer both types of Masses (such as a parish that offers one Spanish mass and the rest are in English). 
2. A problem or theme to consider. Have you wanted to learn about Mary, the Mother of God, and ask God to thank her and have her pray for us? Even if you haven't, you still could go to a shrine, such as Our Lady of Fatima in Portuguese. You might feel peace knowing you took time with God about a situation.
3. A time to slow down. We live in a fast-paced world that is open 24/7. You might get a text to come into work when you're trying to take a day off- if you're lucky enough to have one! However, as I have said in the past, we are commanded to keep the Sabbath Holy. A trip may help you do so and encourage you to take more rests.

I know these aren't a lot, but I go on one annually, but only have for a few years. I will visit this topics when I learn firsthand of more possible benefits. Have a good week!