Ten Reasons Why I am a Catholic

Arnel L. Cadeliña

I have numerous friends belonging to different denominations. My experienced with them were rather pleasant and fulfilling. I remember my MBA classmate at Ateneo, Djukifli Candao, who was raised as a Muslim but religion to us was not a hindrance to be friends. Tolerance is the key. Though many of them did not ask why I am a Catholic it was rather obvious because of my rosary. Knowing myself, if I was born a Jew or a Muslim I will be also faithful. Since Catholicism nurtured me, giving me contacts with good priests and nuns, provide me beliefs and values, convinced me enough that I am better as a Catholic.
Here are the 10 reasons why I stick to the faith:

1. I find God just about everywhere, around every corner, under every leaf, in
the eyes of a child, in the eyes of the poor and the eyes of a very old person.

2. I find joy in the seven sacraments which bring me in contact with Christ through my senses.

3. I can find communion with the saints where I feel I belong to a community that is not limited by time and space. That’s why I adhere to All Saint’s Day because I find it joyful to continue having relationships with people who have died.

4. I have thousands of saints and a Blessed Mary to pray for me but believing also that their powers are not independent of God’s power.

5. I have a blessing for every occasion. Looking at the Book of Blessings, I can find blessing for family, for son, for daughter, married couple, single parent, birthdays, elderly people, sick , victim of crime or oppression and so on.

6. I can pray with water. Baptism, confirmation, marriage, death I am or will be sprinkled with holy water by a priest. I believe that the holy water is a source not only of healing but it is life itself.

7. I can go to mass anywhere in the world with the same structure. The mass that made me selfless, more charitable, more kind, more braver and stronger. I absorb the pattern of Jesus. The Host gives me strength to run the race.

8. My faith gave the Christmas, the Carols, the tree lights , the simbang gabi and the Christmas prayers. This season of joy gave us the time to celebrate the birth of Christ and nowadays even non-Catholics are celebrating it.

9. I have a 40 days of season of Lent to paused from my hectic pace, to slow down from the hustle and bustle and to look at my relationship with God.

10. I can trace my faith all the way to Apostle Peter and the succession is not broken ever since.