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Why do Catholics do that?

© Jane E. Lally

Before I came back to the Catholic Church there was much I didn’t understand despite having attended Catholic school for 12 years. As soon as I started college I pretty much stopped going to church because I didn’t feel that it was important - it meant nothing to me. Sure I went through the motions when I was home or on holidays, but I was more interested to see who I knew was in church rather than what was really going on.

When my sister rejected Catholicism for a fundamentalist church, a lot of what she said about the Catholic Church seemed to make sense to me - probably because I was clueless about the Catholic Church and its teachings and customs. I could have easily totally fallen away from the Church, but something made me look deeper into Catholicism. I believe it was the grace of God. As I started my journey “home” I soon learned that the rituals and customs all had deep meaning. I used to believe the Catholic Church was just another religion that I happened to be born into. Little did I know of its long, rich history dating back to Pentecost when the Church was established by Jesus Christ himself.

One of many books I have acquired in the last 10 years is Kevin Orlin Johnson’s “Why Do Catholics Do That? A Guide to Teachings and Practices of the Catholic Church.” Published in 1994 by Ballantine Books, the book explains clearly and concisely the faith, worship, culture and customs of the Church. Though not a really long book, Johnson leaves no stone unturned. Read this book and you will see the Church in a different light. Catholics can develop a deeper appreciation and understanding of their faith. Non-Catholics can gain insight on the how’s and why’s of Church teaching and customs.

“Even if you’re not particularly interested in religion, all of our philosophy, music, architecture, sculpture, painting, literature and everything else that makes this life livable is, basically a by-product of the Church’s activity,” Johnson’s postscript reads. “In fact, the only constant in western culture is that we have a Church that is indefectible and that happens to cultivate the arts of civilization. Wherever you start looking, you end up at the Church, so it’s really easier to just start there in the first place, whatever your interest.”

After reading this book I only wished I had seen the light when I was much younger because I sure missed out on a “gold mine” in the Catholic Church. I’m still catching up on my learning. I know life would have been a lot easier growing up had I truly embraced the faith as a child. But of course I can’t change the past - I can only learn from it. I have the faith now and it continues to grow. I hope I can encourage someone else to take a serious and honest look at the Catholic Church and see for themselves.

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