Why I Am Catholic

I can think of only one reason to be Catholic, and to remain Catholic. Because I have realized it is true. All of it.

And if it is not true, then nothing is true, and there truly is no hope anywhere.

But the older I get, the more it sinks into my bones, and I know the Church is my only home, and keeper of the only Truth, because the Church is His, and He remains with the Church in Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity.

I may limp along in my faith sometimes; for long stretches of time, even. But I know I would starve to death without Jesus in the Eucharist. And as Flannery O’Connor famously said, “If it’s only symbolic, then to hell with it.” Exactly. If it is not Real Food, then to hell with it because it’s worthless. Who needs another symbol? We need genuine food. And we have it in the Church.

We have the Word of God for our minds, our ears, our hearts, our spirits, and our bodies. I cannot leave. There is nowhere else to go. I am Home.