Do You Claim To Love God, But Not His Church?

I am bringing this point up because I used to be a person who loved God, but wasn't too crazy about the Catholic church. I thought it was enough to just believe in God. I would think, "I don't need all these rules. God will love me no matter what. I am not too religious, but that doesn't mean I don't love God. I don't like what the church has to say about this topic, but I like what they have to say about that topic." 


Here is what they call "cafeteria Catholics". These are Catholics who pick and choose exactly what they like about the church, but go against what they don't like. They go to mass when they feel like it(mostly for Christmas and Easter), they don't really like the idea of confession, they don't have a consistent prayer life, they are indifferent or even rebellious to the church's teachings on human sexuality, the right to life, divorce, etc. The list goes on. There is a huge portion of Catholics who have a mix of these views. They claim to believe in God, but they make their own rules in life. What are they basing their way of living on? Something more desirable and pleasing to them? Is God merciful? Yes, but He is a just God. He wants the best for us. He granted us the gift of His church in order to live the faith to its fullest here on earth. We need order as human beings. It is the only way things can get done efficiently. If you believe in eternal life with God, how do you suppose you’ll get there without structure?

Once I heard a priest, Father David, from my parish tell a story of a face to face experience he had with Pope Benedict very soon after his resignation. At the time, Father David was in the seminary. He and his fellow seminarians got the chance to meet with the Pope and have a Q&A. Father David asked the simplest question of them all. He said to the Pope, “Holy Father, could you give us some advice on how to be a good priest?” The Pope said, “Remember that your relationship with Jesus is falling in love with the Church. Your love for Jesus must equal your love for the Church. One cannot be more than the other.” He was saying to them that it is impossible to love Jesus fully without loving the Church and all of her ways.

If you asked a Catholic, “Do you love God?”, most would say yes. But if you asked a Catholic, “Do you love the Church?”, a bigger majority would probably say no. Some objections people give are, “It’s all about the money” or “A priest was mean to me” or “I hate this cardinal. He took away our priest” or “I found hypocrites”.

The message I would like to bring forth is that the Catholic Church is not perfect. It is not a hotel for Saints; it is a hospital for sinners. Jesus Christ promised us that we can trust the Church. He said that the gates of hell will not prevail against it. “It” is referring to the Church. The Holy Spirit has guided our church for over 2000 years.  

Before I really dove into the Catholic faith, I was so guilty of this. But I also didn’t understand all the why’s and how’s behind the Church. Spiritual reading plays a big part in seeing the beauty of it all. It’s important to know the church as well as you know Jesus. Jesus entrusted His church to us so that we can spread His Good News. It’s really not enough to just be “spiritual” and not “religious”. To truly be Catholic, to truly love Jesus, we must love the church. One does not fit well without the other. They go hand in hand.

America Magazine wrote an awesome article on 10 reasons why the Catholic Church is pretty cool. Check it out here: https://www.americamagazine.org/content/all-things/top-ten-reasons-stay-catholic


I know this can sound like I’m pointing fingers and being some “crazy strict” Catholic. But I believe this is the only way to live out the faith to its fullest. Jesus Christ loves us so much that he gave us His church so we can grow in holiness more and more each day. I’m not saying it’s easy; I’m saying it’s worth it.


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