My Church

A while back, a video called "Why I Hate Religion, but Love Jesus" came out. The other day in my Intro to Catholic Church class, we watched it and the subsequent response done by Fr. Pontifex (Fr. Claude Burns).

All I could think of while this man (not Fr. Claude) sought to destroy the idea that we need religion was this:

You don't know my Church.

People can look from the outside and see all the things that the human beings (broken, sinful human beings like myself) have done and name that as the Church.

But when you judge someone by the way they don't follow the teachings of the Church, you can't say you know the Church. And when you go after the Church, you go after saints who have died and the Mother of God and a foundation so deep your little spoken word piece can't stand against it. That's why my Church has lasted 2000 years.

You don't know my Church.

My Church is full of selfless, kind, and holy people. Broken, sinful, and hurting people.

Isn't that the point of the Church? That the broken come to the Healer?

My Church uses tradition and beauty to proclaim the glory of God.

My Church holds fast to the Word and is guided by the Holy Spirit.

My Church feeds the poor, treats the sick, the dying, the forgotten.

My Church is authentically a mess.

My Church is Catholic, universal, founded on Christ and by Christ.

My Church...man, my Church has over and over offered the hand of mercy to me.

My Church was open when I had nowhere else to go.

My Church believes in mercy but never stops proclaiming the truth and in this world of disaster, it's good to have a guide on the truth.

My Church is my hope.