Top Ten Reasons to be Catholic

This is Part I of my series “Top Ten Reasons to be Catholic.”

1.) The Eucharist – Catholics believe that the Eucharist is the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ. Christ is present to us at every mass. This is the miracle of the Eucharist. In addition, the mass unites the Church, past present and future, in one time and place. This is because the souls of the faithfully departed who died in the friendship of God are present at the sacrifice of the mass. We who celebrate the mass here on earth represent the Church militant. Finally, the Church celebrates the reality of Christ’s second coming when the souls of all the faithful will live in Heaven with God forever. There is much more that could be said about the Eucharist and the mass. Let us conclude by acknowledging that the Eucharist is the Church’s greatest prayer; the source and summit of the Catholic faith.

2.) The Sacraments – In addition to the Eucharist are the other six sacraments; baptism, confession, confirmation, marriage, holy orders, and the anointing of the sick. The sacraments are outward signs of grace. They strengthen us on our earthly journey by nourishing our souls. The sacraments confer on recipients special graces for the task at hand. Confirmation, for example, allows us to grow into spiritually mature Catholics. Marriage confers on husband and wife the charism to live life-giving love. Holy orders grants those seeking to live a religious life the ability to pursue their vocation.