WHY STAY CATHOLIC?

A year-long parish series exploring why Catholics remain faithful to the Church founded by Jesus Christ.

Catholics believe that Christ established a Church and entrusted to it unique gifts for the salvation of the world.

This weekly column explores why that matters.

1.    WHAT IS LOST WHEN SOMEONE LEAVES THE CATHOLIC CHURCH?

Last week we asked whether Jesus Christ established a Church and entrusted unique gifts to her care.

Now we can ask a more practical question.

When a Catholic leaves the Church, what exactly is being left behind?

Many Catholics have family members or friends who have left the Church. Some have joined another Christian community. Others no longer attend church anywhere. Some still believe in Jesus and read the Bible faithfully.

So why should it matter?

After all, if someone still loves Jesus, what exactly has been lost?

The Catholic answer begins with a simple conviction: the Church is not merely a human organization. Catholics believe that Jesus Christ established a Church, entrusted His authority to the apostles, gave her the sacraments, and remains present in a unique way through her life and worship.

That means leaving the Catholic Church is not merely changing congregations. It may mean leaving behind gifts that Christ Himself intended for His people.

Imagine a man who moves away from his family home. He may find many good things elsewhere: friendship, support, encouragement, and a sense of belonging. But if he leaves behind an inheritance that belongs to him, the question changes. The issue is no longer whether good things exist elsewhere. The issue is whether he has left behind something precious that cannot be found anywhere else.

Catholics believe Christ has entrusted such gifts to His Church.

Among them are the Holy Eucharist, the sacrament of Reconciliation, the continuity of apostolic teaching, and a living connection to the Christian faith that stretches back to the apostles themselves.

This does not mean that God is absent from other Christian communities. Nor does it mean that Catholics are better than anyone else. The Church recognizes that many people outside her visible boundaries sincerely love Christ and seek to follow Him.

But sincerity alone does not answer the question.

The real question is this:

Did Jesus establish a Church and entrust unique gifts to her care?

If He did, then those gifts matter.

TAKEAWAY

The question is not whether good things exist elsewhere. The question is whether Christ entrusted unique gifts to His Church that we should not willingly leave behind.

SCRIPTURE FOR REFLECTION

"Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life." (John 6:68)

— Fr. Augustine, O.P.