The Catholic Privilege
If there's just one thing I love about being a Christian, it'll have to be being a Catholic.
To me it's a privilege, that's why you'll never find me judging or condemning other Christian denominations, cos if I wasn't privileged to be born into a catholic home, I would have been a Methodist, Apostolic, Anglican, or any other denomination out there.
And not that being of other Christian denomination is a bad thing, it's just being a catholic comes with a lot more knowledge about God outside what the Bible teaches.
For every Christian, the Bible is the manual, the direction or 'how-to-use' tag found in a product. Religion is the product, the Bible the tag.
And although the tag always contains almost every information about the product, like side/adverse effects, warnings on allergies, dosage, and ingredients, certain times they also come with inscriptions that say "In case of x consult your doctor"
You see now that though the tag has so much information, there are some that it doesn't have and you'll have to go elsewhere to get them.
And just because they're from a doctor or any professional and not written on the tag, doesn't make it invalid.
Also, if you're a curious consumer and you get a product, you might want to investigate the ingredients used in that product, like the individual function of each ingredient.
You won't find that in the tag, you'll find that on sources like Wikipedia, and they'll just be as valid as every other information on the tag.
As a Catholic, I am that consumer with the tag, but still get information from a doctor or Wikipedia. That's the privilege I'm talking about.
Information about Mary's ascension into heaven, how there are saints and martyrs who pray for us, and purgatory, which you won't find in the Bible have been provided outside the bible from other valid sources, like an ancient lost recording of the church during the Great Persecution.
As a Catholic, I'm privileged to know more than the Bible provides and believe it even though there is not much evidence to back it up.
I believe that's called faith.
Abraham had faith so much that he believed in God to give him a son even tho all the evidence available proved it was impossible. We don't see God, but we believe he exists.
And that is why I find it funny that Christians from other denominations would laugh at a Catholic's belief that Mary prays for us, in the power of the rosary and the existence of purgatory, because "it's not in the Bible".
You might say "We don't see God, but we feel and see his works".
Well same with asking Mary to pray for me and saying the rosary, and confessing my sins to a priest, receiving penance for it, doing the penance and feeling free from the bondage of sin.
Regarding confession, if only you knew how exhilarating the burden of sin can be… Confession does that.
Because truth is, you never really know what burden you carry, until you go for confession and after that, sometimes immediately after you've confessed or after penance, there is a fresh breath of air you feel around you, it's like you're sure if the world should end at that moment you'll go to heaven and there's a new awareness within you to try harder to avoid sin.
I could go on and on about the privilege of being a Catholic and you'd think I'm trying to convert you.
Well I'm not trying to change anyone's belief, I'm only trying to make you understand why I believe in what I believe in as a Catholic.
Are you a Catholic? Let me know in the comments.
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Thank you, and till next time.
