Why it Matters to be Catholic

Does it matter if you are Catholic? It should. Angela C. Batie gives a wonderful reflection in the August 2010 issue of U.S. Catholic: It makes a difference whether you're Catholic

I especially liked this section:

Being Catholic means being connected. . . It means that the pope, my mom, the conscientious objector in jail, the person who offers the rosary outside of Planned Parenthood, and I are all praying the same prayers and hearing the same readings on Sunday. It means that not only is the church broad enough to contain us all, but it bonds us together just as the body is knit with sinew and skin.

It means that the Our Father that was prayed at my baptism uses the same words that will bring me comfort when death's shadow enters my life. . . Being Catholic means having something to offer those who suffer. It means that sadness and pain are not the only part of loss because God suffered a death on the cross and triumphed with life.

It means that grieving the loss of a loved one or nursing a broken heart can still point to new life on the horizon. It means having a source of solace, a deeper refuge when our earthly tents can't weather the storms. . . Being Catholic means always having a home.