Top Ten Reasons to Stay Catholic
www.americamagazine.org/blog/entry.cfm

Number 10: We have great holidays. The whole country celebrates Christmas and Easter, and even Halloween has Catholic origins. Even the holy days you don’t get off from work are fun: St. Patrick’s Day (green beer), St. Francis of Assisi Day (when’s the last time you got to bring your pet to church for a blessing?), St. Valentine’s Day (chocolate hearts and frilly declarations of romantic love), and Mardi Gras (last blast before the fast of Lent). We know how to party.
Number 9: We dig the arts. We can boast of centuries of fantastic art and architecture, from cathedrals to chapels, from paintings to sculpture. We understand the need for artistic expression, and the relationship of beauty to worship. We are very big on education, from grade school to university. We also write great literature. From the monks of the Middle Ages who preserved the written word for posterity, to the great Catholic theologians like St. Augustine and Karl Rahner, to modern authors like Flannery O’Connor and James Joyce, we know how to write. We also know how to create, and how to educate.
Number 8: We follow ancient and time-honored ritual better than anyone. The Mass every day is our best example, but we are known for the reverence with which we perform our rites. The sign of the cross, the Rosary, the Stations, the music of our services, the architecture of our churches: all are rich in symbolism. And because the Mass is the same the world over, a Catholic has a home no matter where he or she roams. We know how to preserve tradition.
Number 7: We practice the intimacy of confession of sins to another human being, as a way of cleansing ourselves in the holy water of God’s forgiveness. The priest may represent Christ, but we are still spilling our deepest guts to a fellow human. There’s nothing like a good confession, nothing as simultaneously humbling and ennobling, and nothing like it in any other denomination. We know how to suffer.
Number 6: We totally get the idea of marriage. In spite of current controversy and debate over civil marriage rights, we understand the spiritual aspect of marriage, of discovering the sacred within our commitment, of the organic reality of two becoming one. We get that every marriage is, within itself, a community of believers. We know how to couple.
Number 5: We put on an excellent funeral. From Irish wakes to the rich liturgy of the funeral Mass to the observance of All Souls Day/Dia de los Muertos to local bereavement groups that meet in parish classrooms, we know how to meet and greet death (even if we aren’t so good at the meeting and greeting of the living). We know how to suffer and party at the same time.
Number 4: We have the proven capacity to change and grow: remember when bishops used to be married? (Probably not – centuries ago) Remember covering our female heads with lace? Remember the Latin Mass, and the changes of Vatican II? We even change our minds about a previously condemned heresy and apologize, although it may take centuries. (Sorry, Galileo). We know how to transform.
Number 3: We do not believe we are the only ones who are “saved." In spite of the widely held myth that we think we are the only ones going to Heaven, we have enough self-awareness to know that we are not the chosen few. Contrary to popular belief, Catholic teaching holds that heaven has plenty of room for all people of good will, and for all who entrust themselves to God’s good care. We know how to share.
Number 2: We are the clearest voice of social justice around the globe, and the biggest believers and practitioners of ‘being the change we wish to see in the world’, despite charges that those who actually follow Jesus’s teaching are socialists. We respect the gift of life, and insist on the dignity of the person. We are consistently counter-cultural, and regularly politically incorrect. We know how to agitate.
And Number 1: We are fed by the Eucharist, the Body and Blood of Jesus. When all is said and done, no matter how deeply the human face of the church may disappoint us, we believe passionately in the power of the Eucharist that nourishes us each time we receive it. Steeped in incarnate mystery, we know how to sustain ourselves in faith.
An incomplete list, no doubt, but rereading it comforts me. It’s been compiled with love, thought, gratitude, and a wee bit of pride. May it be a source of hope and help to anyone else with a wavering heart.
Valerie Schultz, of Tehachapi, Calif., is an occasional contributor to America. She coauthored this post with Msgr. Robert McNamara, pastor of St. Bernardine of Siena parish in Woodland Hills, Calif.

EPISODES
Episode 1 -
The Eucharistic Virtue of Joy
Joy is a character trait of the Christian. However, we lose joy when we go against the will of God. Sr. Joan Noreen looks to the teachings of Pope Benedict XVI to explain how Eucharistic adoration helps us become aware of God's love for us, and renew the connection we seek with God.

Episode 2 -
The Eucharistic Virtue of Joy in Suffering Part 1
Suffering is a part of everyone's life. Sr. Joan Noreen tells us that St. Paul advises us to rejoice in our suffering and offer it to God. As we unite our suffering with the Son, we draw closer to the Father. Only then can we possess true joy.

Episode 3 -
The Eucharistic Virtue of Joy in Suffering Part 2
St. Paul tells us that if we follow a lifelong habit of prayer we will be at peace. Sr. Joan Noreen shows that if we follow Paul's advice, even in the face of immense suffering we can find joy. If we concentrate on what is true and worthy of praise and place our suffering in God's hands, we will have peace

Episode 4 -
The Eucharistic Virtue of Hope: Prayer is Hope in Action
St. Augustine stated that prayer is an exercise in hope. Sr. Joan Noreen shows we can continue to develop a personal relationship with God as we grow in hope through a rich prayer life. We become a ministry of hope helping to turn us and others increasingly towards God.

Episode 5 -
The Eucharistic Virtue of Hope: The Grace of Prayer
We obtain the grace of prayer as a gift of the sacrament of baptism. Sr. Joan Noreen shows how we can use this grace of prayer to obtain a conversion of life. Ordinary and everyday prayers can become powerful tools to enliven our faith.

Episode 6 -
The Eucharistic Virtue of Hope through Prayer with the Sacred Word
Scripture is the sacred word of God. Sr. Joan Noreen explains the practice of Lectio Divina, a way which we can deepen our prayer life through the use of Sacred Scripture. As we grow in our prayer life, we find ourselves wide open to the peaceful inflow of God.

Episode 7 -
The Eucharistic Virtue of Hope and Prayer with the Church
The Liturgy of the Hours has been called the most perfect prayer of the Church outside of the Mass. Sr. Joan Noreen explores the richness of this form of prayer. The psalms used express all our universal needs, allowing us to rejoice, express sorrow, praise and beg for the mercy of God.

Episode 8 -
The Eucharistic Virtue of Hope in Suffering
Everyone undergoes suffering. Sr. Joan Noreen shows that through hope we can realize meaning in suffering. It can become a path of purification and spiritual growth if we view it through the eye of hope, increasing our own capacity to bear suffering and relieve it in those around us.

Episode 9 -
The Eucharistic Virtue of Hope at the Final Judgment
The Final Judgment is the decisive moment of hope. Sr. Joan Noreen explains that our culture tries desperately to find a substitute for God. But we can be consoled in the hope that at the final judgment truth and love will be all that matters as injustice and evil will be wiped away and the righteous enter into the kingdom of God.

Episode 10 -
The Eucharistic Penitential Heart of St. John Mary Vianney, Part 1
St. John Vianney was a great witness of God's saving love. Sr. Joan Noreen explains that through this holy priest, thousands of people learned to pray and the value of penance and confession. By his example we can accept the invitations of grace and draw closer to Christ.

Episode 11 -
The Eucharistic Penitential Heart of St. John Mary Vianney, Part 2
The Sacrament of Reconciliation helps us repair our broken relationship with God. Sr. Joan Noreen uses the example of St. John Vianney to show how we need to seek out forgiveness for our sins. We should strive for the habitual state of being a penitent which is nurtured at the foot of the cross and through the Eucharist.

Episode 12 -
Eucharistic Spirituality of Union and Communion
Secularism is rapidly overtaking the world. Sr. Joan Noreen explains why our response to secularism should be based in innocence and purity. We can turn to the Eucharist as a source of truth in a world increasingly turning its back on God.

Episode 13 -
Eucharistic Journey into God's Way of Loving
The love of God is without restrictions, without end. Sr. Joan Noreen explains that we can find the love of God through the pierced heart of Jesus. Here we can find refuge, but also must confront our failings towards God's will for us to love one another.

Read more: www.ewtn.com/…/eucharisticJour…