Why I Am a Catholic

The truth is that I’m a Catholic, I’m tired of hiding it. Perhaps it’s because of all the shame generated by all those sex scandals. Or perhaps at the same time its fear about what my friends and family will say. There is just something special about being connected to 2000 years of unbroken tradition that ancient faith delivered to us once and for all by the apostles. I have a particular love of being able to partake in the Lord’s Supper and receiving the real presence of Christ every week. Alas it is about time that everyone be aware that I, Justin am a Catholic.

Wait… I should probable let you know that when I use the word Catholic I do not mean Roman Catholic. I regret that Roman Catholics have somehow received the monopoly on the word Catholic because Catholic they are not. What Catholic simple means is universal.  So really Roman Catholic is a bit of an oxymoron, it would be like referring to the Universal Church of Long Island. I remember in High School when I underwent confirmation in the United Church of Canada I received a form referring to the Catholic Church. This was confusing for me and several other people, as we recalled not being in a Roman Catholic Church but a United Church. When most people hear the word Catholic they automatically think of Rome and Popes and smells and bells.

What is mean when I use Catholic is that there exists a link of affirmation with 2000 years of faithful Christianity. That what the Apostles believed and taught is what I believe and teach, that what the Church Fathers believed and taught are what I believe and teach. What the faithful believers in the medieval Church believed is what I teach and believe.

It is at the Reformation that the road divides a bit. I think many are often mistaken into thinking that the protestant Reformers were trying to reform the church to its original form as we see it in Acts, rather the Protestant Reformers were trying to reform the church back 300-400 years when much of the corruption and false teaching in the church started. Now before I go on it is perhaps important that I define what I mean by Protestant, since it too is often misconstrued. Often Protestant is used to mean someone who is not Roman Catholic. When I use it I use a more precise definition of those original groups in conflict with Rome, the Lutherans and Reformed/Presbyterians. I think this is a good definition as the majority of Christians who think they are Protestants believe very different things from the Protestant Reformers.

The Reformers were very much well read in the Early Church Fathers and Medieval theologians. Most of their theology came from them and for that reason they saw themselves in harmony with the true Catholic Church going all the way back to the Apostles. The Roman Catholic Church and its teaching was an innovation that was simple a couple hundred years old. In the reformation and specifically at the Council of Trent in 1545 the Roman Catholic Church broke away from the Catholic Church in order to follow a 300 year innovation. So one of the big differences is that the Catholic Church is ancient the Roman Catholic Church on the other hand is a relatively young sect.

It’s for these reasons why I’m a Catholic, perhaps Reformed Catholic is a better term. You will seldom see me refer even to the Roman Catholic Church, I might call them the Roman Church, Romanists, or Papists. But Catholic I cannot call them because Catholic they are not.