Four years ago I became Catholic from an Evangelical Protestant background. Last year I had the privilege of seeing both my parents come into full communion with the Catholic Church! Both my mom and my dad have their own reasons for being drawn into the Church, and today I will share my mom’s reasons and next month you will see my dad’s reasons.
My mom grew up in the Christian Science religion, later became Methodist, then Presbyterian, then Bible Church, then Baptist and non-denominational. The Good Lord finally led my mom home into the Catholic Church. Below are ten things that wooed my mother into the Catholic Church.
1. Jesus started it
She believe that it was the Church that Jesus started. He laid out the blueprint for his Church on earth and it looks a lot like the Catholic Church with Peter at the head.
2. Apostolic Succession
The history of the early Christian church beginning with the apostles and their disciples, who became known as the early Church Fathers and carried on by Apostolic succession throughout the ages.
3. It’s heavily pro-life
The strongly pro-life stance in the Church, which dates all the way back to the ancient writing known as the Didache, written around AD 100, shows that this important teaching is never going away—and she likes that (and I do, too)!
4. No strobe lights
The holiness of the Mass was shocking to her. It’s not a “rock concert” type of show with loud music and strobe lights.
5. The sacraments
The sacraments and how meaningful they are wooed my mother. The Eucharist is unlike any other church but has its roots in the Bible (John 6, 1 Cor. 13). Also, Holy Matrimony between one man and one woman is well-defined and well protected. It’s still the same today and tomorrow and forever.
6. The reasons why we do things
There is a reason behind everything the Catholic Church does, whether it’s making the sign of the cross or saying the “Our Father” (the Lord’s prayer ), etc. Not just any reason: they’re solid, historic, and meaningful.
7. Purgatory
It is comforting to know that if we are Christians and haven’t gotten “everything right” we still go to heaven after a purification process. Or, as someone put it, the mudroom where you get cleaned off before entering heaven.
8. Salvation is a journey
Salvation: it’s a journey that we are on. It’s not “once saved always saved” by just saying one prayer at one time in your life. The Church exhorts this in the liturgy like no Christian denomination we’ve ever seen.
9. Weights of sin
All sins are not the same or equal; there is a gradation of sins (cf. 1 John 5:16-17). That the Church teaches this prominently shows she is more concerned for souls than she is about popularity.
10. Faith & works
Faith and works go hand in hand. It’s not faith alone as stated in the book of James. The Church stands strong on this—even after 500 years of debate from Protestants.
Big thanks to my mom for sharing the reasons for why she became Catholic last year! If you would like to hear my mom’s full story, I interviewed her on my podcast, Polycarp’s Paradigm, in episode 6. Every story is unique, and I hope my mom’s story serves to encourage you on your faith journey.
