Most of us practice the faith we are in because it is the faith we were raised in, the faith our parents told us to practice. I was raised a Southern Baptist because that was the faith in which my parents were raised. Regardless of the faith one is a part of, one is certain the truth lays within the teachings of their faith.
I can say with certainty our rich Catholic faith holds the full deposit of the truth.
- The truth is Jesus ordained Peter as the Church’s first pope when He said to Peter: “And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.”
- The truth is Jesus ordained the Apostles making them the first bishops and that every present Catholic bishop can trace his installation all the way back to the original Apostles. The Church’s Apostolic succession continued when the Apostles ordained the first priests. Every Catholic priest can trace his ordination back to the first priests.
- The greatest truth is Jesus’ teaching when He said: “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.”
- The truth is that the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church is the one true church; not because we say it is, but because Jesus said it!
- The truth is Jesus gave His life so mankind would have the fullness of truth found only in His church, the Catholic Church.
These are just a few of the reasons why I chose to become Catholic.
As I recently told 46 young men and women who were about to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation, “You are the future of the Church. It will be up to each of you to carry on our faith and to hand it down to the next generation.”
It all starts with knowing the truth about the Catholic faith so that you never want to leave it. And, if for some reason one thinks the grass may be greener in some other faith, because they were taught the truth, they will find their way back home.
As mothers, fathers and grandparents, we all are the stewards of the domestic church, our families. We are called to educate our children, as well as ourselves. One can’t hand down what one doesn’t know.
I have the unique privilege of being involved with both the students at Annunciation School and the Religious Education students, and the one thing they all have in common is a desire to be taught the truth.
So, my fellow disciples, may you and I do everything we can to support Catholic education, both in the classrooms and at our kitchen tables. May you and I do everything we can to pass on the truth. As Jesus said: “Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
