A blog for Catholic men that seeks to encourage virtue, the pursuit of holiness and the art of true masculinity.
“The difficulty of explaining ‘why I am a Catholic’ is that there are ten thousand reasons all amounting to one reason: that Catholicism is true.” – G.K. Chesterton
Many of you know that I am a convert to the Catholic church. Why, you may wonder, would anyone, especially in the 21st century, join such an archaic institution? And why on earth would you stay when there are so many other options?
While my own conversion story is too large a thing to share, I will offer 10 real reasons to become Catholic.
The Catholic faith represents the most complex, consistent, and complete system of ideas among all the competing philosophies of humanity. It is a veritable cathedral of human thought. In a real way, the Church has thought of everything, and that is because she relies not just on human ingenuity but divine inspiration. Every other merely human system of thought is completely erroneous, wildly contradictory, impossible to live by, or all of the above. The Catholic faith alone can provide the practical wisdom, common sense, consistent theology, and thorough philosophy that leads to full human happiness and flourishing.
But it is important to emphasize that for all her beautiful theology and philosophy, the Catholic faith is not just a system of ideas. All of the ideas she has generated are merely doorways to a transcendent realm of spirit, and ultimately, to Christ himself. If we miss this, we miss everything. No philosophy, no matter how glorious, is sufficient as an end in itself. It either leads us to Christ, who is truth itself, or it is a waste of time.
And so the real proof of the truth and reality of the Catholic faith is not her universities or scholastic philosophers, but the lives of the saints. They bear witness to a higher law, a higher order, and ultimately to the living person of Christ. The burned with an almost insane love for Christ, a love that inspired them to things that seem to the world plain crazy. They were consumed by a vision of the eternal that transcends, but does not contradict, all human reason and rationality. Their transformation, their lives, their works, the witness of their love—these are the real proofs that the Catholic faith is absolutely true.
The Catholic faith has brought more beauty into the world than can be calculated. Jaw-dropping Gothic cathedrals, glorious paintings, magnificent sculptures, otherworldly music and chant, some of the greatest literature the world has ever known—the Church has nurtured, preserved, and promoted all of these things.
The order, harmony, structure, and transcendence of these works lifts our hearts and minds to God. In a world that idolizes the ugly and cheap, these great works speak of a transcendent order and even of God’s eternal harmony and beauty. In them, we see a glimpse of eternity. My own conversion happened in large part due to an encounter with this beauty, and perhaps I will share more about this another time.
Anyone who has spent anytime around devout Catholics comes away with the impression that Catholics are different. It’s hard to pin down this difference, but it’s also inescapable. A Catholic living their faith fully is filled with life and light and joy. A devout Catholic family will probably have a beautiful altar at the center of their home. They are no doubt deeply and passionately pro-life. They will pray together regularly and have pictures of Jesus and Mary and the saints covering their walls. The parents will read their children stories of good triumphing over evil, the lives of the saints, and they will teach them virtue and the value of sacrifice. Their home will be filled with life, the warmth of love, the beauty of faith.
In short, a devout Catholic home will have an atmosphere, a culture, of goodness that just you won’t find elsewhere. And anyone who has met a holy nun or monk or priest can attest that they too radiate a joy and and goodness and holiness that is completely contagious.
One of the things I always believed as a protestant was the saints competed with God for glory. That is, that honoring a saint would always and everywhere detract from God’s glory. Since becoming Catholic, however, I have realized the wonderful truth that the saints do not detract from God’s glory or compete with him for honor, but rather they magnify his grace and increase his glory.
The saints are stars in the canopy of heaven—the great cloud of witnesses scripture speaks of—guiding us by their example and helping us powerfully by their prayers. All the honor given to the saints is ultimately a reflection of God’s ability to transform poor sinners into the most shining examples of holiness. Our Lord delights in using creaturely agents to accomplish his will. Simply read scripture and you cannot but realize the fact that God has always has used frail creatures to do great things, and he always will.
Christianity is not just about “me and Jesus.” No one is saved alone. Heaven is a family, and the saints are our elder brothers and sisters. As Catholics, we can call on these heavenly friends and ask for their prayers, just as we ask for the prayers of friends and family on earth, and they will powerfully intercede for us. By becoming Catholic, we place ourselves in a great stream of the redeemed going back to the beginning of the Church. I can attest to the joy of joining in this great throng of men and women offering prayers and praises before the throne of the Lamb. We don’t just remember the saints and martyrs as abstract historical facts, but as living realities that we can encounter.
Nearly every other kind of Christian thinks of the tales and truths of scripture as historical realities but not living realities. For example, the descent of the Holy Spirit at pentecost was something that happened to the apostles nearly 2,000 years ago, but the fire of the Holy Spirit has long since passed from the earth. We remember this occurrence in an abstract way, but it applied only to the apostles and has very little to do with us today.
The Catholic sees things differently. Pentecost is not merely a historical event—it is an eternal reality, and we can experience its fire and grace today in just as real a way as the apostles did. The Last Supper was not a historical event alone. It is a living reality, even an eternal reality, that we participate in today through the grace of the Holy Spirit. When we attend Mass and receive the body and blood of Christ in communion, it is not “resacrificing” Christ, but it is making present his eternal, once-for-all sacrifice on Calvary for us now.
In fact, all of the sacraments are the eternal works of God, which we see related in scripture, continuing today through his body, the Church. The sacraments are eternity invading time, the intersection of heaven and earth, the presence of the spiritual in the temporal. The sacraments are the most precious gifts imaginable, and they are available freely to every Catholic.
So you will fit right in! If you’re looking for a perfect, pure, sin-free church, the Catholic church isn’t for you. The Church is a hospital for sinners; a place where human brokenness can encounter the healing grace of Jesus Christ. There have always been great sinners in the Church, but far from detracting from the truth of the faith, it rather proves that the Church offers a powerful remedy to the disorders of our human nature. In his earthly ministry, Jesus too was surrounded by sinners, and the Pharisees hated this fact.
I love how Oscar Wilde, a notorious sinner himself and deathbed convert to Catholicism, described the Catholic Church: “The Catholic Church is for saints and sinners alone – for respectable people, the Anglican Church will do.”
The Catholic faith isn’t simply for the elite or a select few. From time immemorial, it has been the home of coal-miners, farmers, soldiers, iron-workers, policemen—working men of all kinds. It has been the home of the simple, the ignorant, and the ordinary people of the world.
But just as truly it has also been the home of some of the greatest minds the world has ever known. In the Church, great scholars, artists, poets, novelists, scientists, and philosophers have found a faith that nourishes their minds as well as their hearts.
Mystics, servants of the poor, zealous missionaries, contemplatives, and many more have too found a place in the Catholic-faith. In short, the Catholic Church is a home for anyone and everyone. It is the truest home for humanity.
The greatest obstacle to the advance of evil in the world is the Catholic Church. Through her rituals, her sacraments, and her saints, the Church is the most potent channel of grace in existence. Despite her flaws, she radiates more light and goodness into the world than any other single institution. While other groups and institutions may play their role in fighting evil, they are mere candles while the Church is a blazing bonfire driving back the darkness.
The world knows this and that’s why it hates the Church. Agents within and without the Church have sought to destroy it for centuries because of this fact. But the Church cannot be destroyed. The Church fights evil and will never cease to do so. It will stand until the end of time as the great sign of salvation for all humanity, continuing the work of redemption and the defeat of darkness.
The human mind is prone to separate and categorize things into dualities: East and West, European or Asian, Mystical or Rational, Contemplation or Action, Predestination or Freewill, Simple or Complex, Science or Faith, Faith or Works, and on and on. And it’s true–many different sects, denominations, and movements represent shards or fragments of the truth, representing one or the other of these dichotomies. But only one institution on earth is large enough and universal enough to embody all of these dichotomies and hold them in perfect tension: the Catholic Church.
The Catholic Church has within her 20 some rites both Eastern liturgies and Western liturgies. Among Catholic religious orders, many are active, serving and working, while just as many are contemplative, praying and interceding for the world. The Catholic Church has among her children Africans, and Asians, and Europeans, and Americans, and Hispanics, and every ethnicity under the sun. She teaches the necessity of faith, but also human effort. She teaches the goodness of science but also the necessity of faith.
The Catholic Church is universal in every way. She represents the perfect balance of diversity in unity, and within her are contained all the colors and shades of human expression and thought and mysticism held in perfect balance.
Among modern individuals, there is a disillusionment with the cheap and the ephemeral. Our world is driven by marketing and advertising which preys on our desires by offering us cheap stimulants in the form of mass produced junk. Deep down, people are sick of it and are searching for something of substance, something with deep roots.
The Catholic faith offers just such deep roots. Flourishing for twenty centuries, the Catholic faith represents a faith that is both ancient and ever new. It is a living stream of tradition that connects us to the faith of our forefathers in an unbroken continuity. The faith of the martyrs of the ancient Church is my faith. The Christians of the catacombs, the fathers of the desert, the peasants of ancient Europe, the monastics who built ancient abbeys–they would all profess the same creed as I do. And this is a glorious thing.
There are countless other reasons for becoming Catholic, but they all amount to one reason: That Catholicism is true.
I want to hear from you. Share your reasons for being Catholic in the comments below.
Subscribe to get email notifications of new posts and special offers PLUS a St. Joseph digital poster.
[…] Christophobe Stabbed The Eucharist, He Was Shocked At What Happened – Ph. Kosloski at Aleteia All Roads Lead to Rome: 10 Reasons to Become Catholic – Sam Guzman at The Catholic Gentleman This Is The Best Gift You Can Give A Newly Ordained […]
Hello Sam. Great text, full of true. You have a great seal and I congratulate you for your job like a modern apostle. Keep like that, working hard with passion for the re-flourishing of our Catholic faith. God bless you and many like you that use the media for spreading out our Catholic faith.
Great article! Thank you.
My reason for being a practicing Catholic and never wanting to be anything else is my love of Jesus, the Holy Eucharist, and the Sacraments. There are many other reasons why I would not be anything else, but they are all connected to what i said first: My love of Jesus!!! +
Sorry Sam. I wanted to say zeal.
Catholicism allows us to overcome what seems impossible; the sin in our lives which weigh us down! The sacrament of Confession is a powerful force in Catholic lives!
We also have another weapon too; a gentle and beautiful and meek Mother who we can turn to and request her intercession: Our Lady in heaven the Blessed Virgin Mary!
I love my faith and I love being Catholic!
God bless Sam, keep up the great work brother!
Kieran Maxwell
Ireland.
Sam, Thank you for your words. They strike a resonance with this wandering pilgrim (me). I was raised in an evangelical holiness sect, ordained, and served in it. Most recently, I served in a mainline part of the same Wesleyan tradition. After 30-plus years I am seeking a home within the Catholic faith. Your ten reasons comprise together what I now see: Beauty, Goodness, and Truth coalescing. Covet your prayers as this now means secular employment.
I am a frequent visitor to The Catholic Gentleman and am currently enjoying your latest book.
Peace,
Randy Myers
Very true, Sam. I converted to the Catholic Church after growing up as an evangelical. The first push for me was from Our Blessed Mother; I went to a couple Masses, praying the rosary and researching the Faith and Her teachings. Then the Lord got me out of a pretty tough time, so I decided to stay true to my heart and seek a “home in Rome”. I’ve been Catholic 7 years this past April, and I’ve not regretted it one minute. The Lord, through the Sacraments, continues to grant me the grace to grow in holiness (all Him, not me), and Our Blessed Mother has kept me from despairing in my sin. What a beautiful gift our Faith is. God Bless His Church and Her members, and may He be praised in His Saints.
As a kid I was totally ignorant of spiritual things; looking back I can see how God orchestrated countless details of my life to bring me to the point where I finally “said ‘Yes’ to Jesus” just before my 17th birthday. It was none of my own doing. That was the beginning of a journey that took me from being part of a Christian community comprised mostly of ex-Catholics (complete with opinions and prejudices) to subsequently being part of many other church denominations.
Fifteen years later, I found myself going to weekday Mass as a visitor with a friend because it was the only church service I could get to on a regular basis. One day in my devotions the Lord began to reveal that each spiritual experience I’d had over the years was His preparation for the next step He had for me: becoming Catholic. Immediately, I found myself in a war between the message I’d “heard” in myself and the prejudices I’d unwittingly held inside of me for so many years. I had to get to the bottom of the matter, so I began praying and searching the Scriptures. Several weeks later, I found the inner peace I’d sought — and was then convinced that this was indeed the Lord’s direction for my life. (Heavily summarized from a much longer testimony.)
As a cradle Catholic my perspective is a bit different; but I agree that it’s the only faith that actually makes sense of the world. I love it, as flawed as I am, I love it so!
These all seem like great reasons, but aren’t they just as true of the Orthodox Church?
Not only just as true, but demonstrably more true. The Catholic church is devoid of history, beauty, or anything resembling ancient liturgical Christianity. It even repudiates its own past beliefs.
The claim that the “Catholic Church is devoid of history, beauty….” seems to have no grounding whatsoever in reality or actual history.
The Roman Catholic Church isn’t perfect — no church is — but it isn’t helpful to make just transparently- and demonstrably-false claims about it.
Dominik says
Two aren’t. It’s not true, and it’s not half as ancient as the Catholic Church. It can’t appeal to any divine authority because it was granted to Peter and his successors. The patriarchs aren’t Peter’s successors.
I don’t think the evidence supports these claims. First, the Orthodox Churches can trace their existence to Christ via the apostles and their successors just as truly or authentically as the Roman Catholic Church. To pretend that the Orthodox Churches are some kind of invention of the 11th century doesn’t correspond to the facts.
Second, Roman Catholics need to disabuse themselves of the delusions that Peter was the only apostle. Jesus chose 12, and though Peter may have been unique personality among them, the idea that Peter is the only person who participated in the building of the Church has no grounding in historical truth.
No Murray! Do your home work
Interesting point to which I would counter: If the Orthodox Church is false, then so is the Catholic as they are too substantively similar for one to be true and the other to be false.
Re-read the second paragraph on Truth: “But it is important to emphasize that for all her beautiful theology and philosophy, the Catholic faith is not just a system of ideas. All of the ideas she has generated are merely doorways to a transcendent realm of spirit, and ultimately, to Christ himself. If we miss this, we miss everything. No philosophy, no matter how glorious, is sufficient as an end in itself. It either leads us to Christ, who is truth itself, or it is a waste of time.”
To which I’d add that the beautiful theological and philosophical doorway is vanity if one does not take the effort to pass through it, and that the personified Truth in Christ is the measure.
This is one the most complete, profound statements of the faith I have read. You have certainly nailed it. I wish I could express my thoughts as well as you have. The statement “Catholicism is true” is the elevator speech we all need…period. The Bottom Line.
Great article. One of my main reasons would be (also a sub-point to “it’s true”) the depth and richness in tradition of intellectual and spiritual answers to basically all questions.
There’s literally not a thing I ever came across I couldn’t find or work out an answer to in the works of a saint or theologian, the catechism or from real life Catholics. And the huge discrepancy between these experiences and how many others perceive the faith (infantile, anti-scientific, only for people to feel more comfortable, backwards etc etc) fuels me with a fire to bring it to people’s awareness. Also, the sacraments, of course 😀
Catholic Revert
For many years I attended an Episcopal Church “just like Catholic” people said. I could live life on my own terms and still have the sacraments. Almost. Then one day I stopped kidding myself and contacted Catholics Come Home. After forty years its good to be home. As for living life on my own terms, I was meant for better things. Funny a younger guy like Sam Guzman gave me my inspiration: Be a man: Be a saint.