The Blessings of the Catholic Faith

THE BLESSINGS OF THE CATHOLIC FAITH

What then can I expect if I embrace the Catholic faith? There ought to be some magnificent blessing that should come to me from God if I do so. O course we should not consider only blessings and rewards when it is a question of doing God's holy will. Blessing or no blessing, if it is God's will, we must be prepared to do it. And yet God in His extreme goodness, always has a blessing and a reward for His children when they but do their duty.

One of the greatest blessings that shall come to you, if you re-enter the faith of your fathers, is that you will again be a member of the one, true Church founded, in which He intended that you work out your salvation. And out of the knowledge that you are in the true Church, a lively feeling of security and peace will flow. There will no longer be any doubt, and misgivings, any confusion in your mind. You will be at home on earth, as much as this earth can be our home. And out of this security, a life-long happiness shall be yours. We can be happy in nothing if the salvation of our immortal soul is insecure; we lay the firm basis of happiness in everything, if, as far as we are concerned, we have made secure our immortal salvation.

Christ came upon earth not only to satisfy for man's sins but also to establish His Church upon earth. He intended that Church to be, until the end of time, the teacher and the guide of mankind on its way back to God. After the work of the redemption had been accomplished, just before He ascended into heaven, Christ called His Apostles together and entrusted to them their mission. "All power," He said, "is given to me in heaven and on earth. Going therefore, teach ye all nations-teaching them to observe all things, whatsoever I have commanded you. And behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world." (Matt. 28; 18, 20)

To the Church He gave the command to teach; to the faithful He gave the command to listen and to accept the teachings of the Church. Furthermore He promised that He would be with the Church always, that the Church would have His continued assistance to the end of time to keep her in the way of truth forever. This is the firm foundation upon which will rest your security as a Catholic. Listening to the Church in matters of faith and morals, you will be listening to Christ Himself.

Christ's words on this point are very clear. Before He ascended into heaven, He said to His Apostles; "And I will ask the Father, and He shall give you another Paraclete, that he may abide with you forever. The spirit of truth." (Jn. 14,16,17) "But the Paraclete, the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring all things to your mind, whatsoever I shall have said to you." (Jn. 14.26) "But when he, the Spirit of truth is come, he will teach you all truth." (Jn. 16.13) The Catholic faithful, then, have only to listen to the Church's teaching and they can be certain that, with the help Christ shall give His Church, she shall not teach them error.

Nor could this be otherwise. Christ expressly commanded the faithful to listen to the Apostles and accept their teachings. If these teachings ever could be false, Christ Himself, the God of truth, would be forcing His own followers to believe in error. It is entirely against reason to think that God would do this. This is why the Catholic has no misgivings about his faith. The security of the Catholic as far as his faith is concerned is well illustrated by the following story.

There was a certain English lady some time ago who was dissatisfied with her religion. She was an Anglican, a member of the Church of England. So she brought her doubts to her pastor, an Anglican minister. "I am thinking of investigating the claims of the Catholic Church," she told him frankly.

"Oh," he replied, "You are just suffering from a touch of the Roman fever. We all get a touch of that sooner or later, but it will pass away." The Roman fever is the name given by Anglicans to the desire to return to the Roman Catholic Church. But the fever did not pass away in this instance. The woman consulted a Catholic priest. The priest explained Catholic doctrines to her and set forth the claims of the Church to be the one, true Church of Christ. Again the woman returned to her minister. She told him she still had grave doubts whether or not she was living in the Church in which Christ intended her to live.

"You must not worry, my good lady," said he. "These doubts will pass away."

"Well," she replied, "if I take your advice and remain in the Anglican Church, will you answer for my soul in making this decision when I stand before the judgment seat of God?"

"But you cannot ask me to do that," came the reply.

"Then my mind is made up," said the lady. "The Catholic priest had not the slightest doubt about being willing to stand securely for my salvation as far as this decision of mine in concerned of entering the Catholic Church. That is the Church I will enter."

Any Catholic priest then will stand responsible for your soul in the matter of your conversion. He will be willing to pledge the salvation of his own soul that you are making the right step. Of course, once you have embraced the Catholic faith, you will be expected to live up to the commandments of God and His Church; you will be expected to grow in virtue, to avoid sin. But you need have little fear if you are of good will. Just as Christ in His infinite wisdom gives His assistance to the Church to keep it in the way of truth, so also He gives to the Church tremendous helps in order that the faithful may have the strength required to lead good Christian lives to the day of their death. He wanted all of them to be able to say with St. Paul "I have fought a good fight; I have kept the faith; for the test there is laid up a crown for me in heaven." The helps which Christ instituted and gave to the Church are called Sacraments. To be able to partake of the Sacraments Christ instituted will be one of the greatest blessings you will receive upon coming home.