Welcome home

By Tom Quiner

The Pope comes to America.

What a perfect time to reflect on the power and majesty of God’s Church, the Catholic Church. Christ Jesus built His Church upon His Rock, that Rock being Peter, the first pope. Pope Francis is the 266th Roman pope in a line that can be traced directly back to Peter.

I read a letter in the Wall Street Journal this morning with that same old tired diatribe that pro lifers don’t care about the kid after he or she is born.

Of course, it is a total falsehood. I will look at simply one organization, Catholic Charities, to refute the hooey:

Catholic Charities is the largest charitable organization in the world, assisting over 9 million needy people in the U.S. alone each year. Every Catholic Church supports them through sacrificial giving.

What does Catholic Charities do?

They work toward reducing infant mortality.

They increase the number of kids with health coverage.

They increase access to healthy food for the hungry.

They reduce the number of families and individuals forced to live in emergency shelters.

They are increasing the quantity of affordable housing units.

They work to increase fathers’ involvement in families.

Their programs increase access to quality affordable early childhood education.

They increase the rate of high school completion.

They work to increase the number of youth participating in postsecondary education or workforce training.

They’re the biggest adoption provider in the country, except where liberals have shut them down, since they only adopt to a married man and woman.

This does not even consider other Catholic AND Protestant individuals and agencies working on behalf of their fellow man, woman, and child … because Christ commanded them to do so.

Without the Catholic Church, the world would long ago have imploded … or exploded. Catholic writer, Mike Aquilina, wrote a book a friend of mine, Lee, told me about. The book is titled, “Yours is the Church, How Catholicism Shapes Our World.” This short book is well worth the read. At only 134 pages, you’ll fly through it, because Aquilina is a great writer. Here’s what Lee had to say about the book”

“As a relatively new convert that has been close to the Catholic church for many years, I have heard and read many claims across the spectrum of disposition. Most of popular culture will say that the Church is an enemy – impeding the progress of science and freedom – but this book expertly shows us that the advancements of science and human rights are just the beginning of what the Catholic Church has contributed to our world.

Drawing from the book’s chapter headings it has also: saved civilization, founded the original charity, made music great, inspired great works of art & literature, made women and children into people, stood against worldwide despotism, and stood for world peace.

While extoling the great contributions of the only Church that Jesus himself founded, Aquilina also delicately but unflinchingly addresses the challenges that have been overcome, only to make the Church stronger.

Whether you are skeptical about the Catholic Church, hate it, wish you had facts to defend it, or simply enjoy history, “Yours Is the Church” will be a pleasure to read. At only 134 pages it is so effective that it will likely leave you wanting to more deeply explore any of its diverse set of topics.”

The Catholic Church is beautiful. It is true. That is the explanation the great English writer, G.K. Chesterton gave when explaining why he converted from atheism to Catholicism:

“The difficulty in explaining ‘why I am a Catholic’ is that there are ten thousand reasons all amounting to one reason: that Catholicism is true.”

If you’ve been away from the Church. Come home. It is a flawed family that turns to Christ to help heal their wounds.

If you’re not Catholic, join us. You will never experience a more personal relationship with Christ than the instant you take Him into your very body through the Eucharistic sacrifice.

If you think you’re too sinful to become before God at a Catholic Mass, join the club. We all are. The healing sacrament of Reconciliation awaits you.

Don’t wait any longer. Come home and be more fully alive than you ever dreamed possible.

Come home.

[How do you become Catholic? Call a local Catholic Church. Talk to the parish priest and ask him to tell you about their Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA). You’ll be glad you did. Seriously, do not wait.]