Being Catholic....or not.

It has been said that millions of people hate what they think the Catholic Church is, but few hate what the Church actually is. From Archbishop Fulton Sheen "There are not more than 100 people in the world who truly hate the Catholic Church, but there are millions who hate what they perceive to be the Catholic Church.  ....As a matter of fact, if we Catholics believed all of the untruths and lies which were said against the Church, we probably would hate the Church a thousand times more than they do." 

I won't tell you that you have to be Catholic. I will tell you that I am called to be Catholic. In fact, I wasn't only called, I was directed to be Catholic by the Lord Himself. I am 100% in that.  However, He didn't tell me that you had to be Catholic.  

I love my Faith; I love my Church.  I detest sin: mine, yours, the world's sins. In each of us, there is and always will be sin.  Let me tell you this: even the Pope has sinned and has sin.  Catholics do not hold up their members as sinless or perfect.  All have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God.  

Shall we judge all blondes by the sins of a few? Shall we condemn all men for the sins of 1000 rapists?  No.  What sins have been committed IN the Catholic Church BY Catholics are horrendous.  These same sins are committed by thousands who are not Catholic; they are not unique to the Church, the Catholic Faith or to any close-knit or loosely organized group.

If your faith journey calls you to the Catholic Church, God bless you and welcome.  If your faith journey calls you to be Jewish, Protestant....God bless you.  And if you have no faith journey right now, know that you will be welcomed when are you are ready; just be open to it. You are loved each moment, completely and wholly, whether you want to be loved or not.

I believe in the Catholic Church: one, holy and apostolic.