Have you ever thought about why you are Catholic? I started reflecting on it after being invited to write an essay for The Catholic Spirit. I did not want to settle with a quick and shallow answer, so I tried searching deeper in my soul.
There are multiple reasons why I love and believe in the Catholic Church. We have the ancient and living tradition; the beautiful liturgy; the sacraments that are sources of grace and divine life; and particularly the Eucharist, which is the body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus always present in our Church. We also have the moral teachings that continue to be revolutionary in our days, the myriad of charisms that the Holy Spirit brings to the communities of faith, the inspiring lives of the saints, and the works of mercy and social justice that have been present through the history of the Catholic Church. And of course, we have the doctrine that illuminates the truth that comes from the one who is the way, the truth, and the life –– “and the truth will set you free” (Jn 8:32).
But there is also a personal reason why I am Catholic. I could explain that I was raised Catholic since I was born, but that would be overly simplistic and would not reveal the deeper reality of my faith. There have been plenty of moments in my life when God has called me through a sequence of events that somehow emulate the story of the people of Israel. God has been there at every step, even if I did not see it at the time. God has been patiently and relentlessly calling me, even when my answer has not always been positive.
To shed some light on why I am Catholic, I need to talk about two women who have had an incredibly significant impact in my life of faith: my aunt, Bertha, and my wife, Veronica.
My earliest memory of praying is after my mom died. I was 7 years old, and I could not make sense of what was happening right away. When I finally realized that my mom was gone forever, I started praying with all my heart, asking God to bring her back, to make everything a dream, to make me wake up and see her again. To my disappointment, it did not happen.
However, what actually happened was that my aunt Bertha came to live with us. She educated us (my sister and me) in the Catholic faith; taking us to Mass every Sunday, teaching us to pray, guiding our Christmas and Easter celebrations, and even motivating me to become an altar server. She made sure we received our sacraments and she became my confirmation sponsor. My aunt Bertha was God’s response to my prayer, as if he was saying: “Behold, I am with you always” (Mt 28:20).
Later in my life, I met the woman who became my wife, Veronica. She brought me closer to the Church from the very beginning. I met her “by coincidence” when she was serving on a mission with the Salesian order, 900 miles away from her home. Things started to get extremely difficult after our first year of marriage, to the point where we almost decided to get divorced. Fortunately, God had something greater in mind. We were invited to participate in a Church program of small groups for married couples, to which my wife responded in a final attempt to save our marriage. Things started to change after that.
Although I had no hope that our relationship could be saved, God had different plans. He not only healed our marriage, but he also transformed it and moved us to serve others. After a few years of participating in the program, we started leading small groups and giving formation to other couples. The more we got involved in service, the stronger our marriage grew. I continue to be grateful for the amazing miracle that God performed in our marriage. Once again, during a desperate time in my life, God answered me, saying: “Behold, I make all things new” (Rev 21:5).
Since then, I have been striving to learn more about my faith and to grow in discipleship.
As I reflect on every major event in my life, I discover how God has been calling me through the Catholic Church. So why am I Catholic? Because God calls me through his Church, and I feel deep inside my soul the thirst to respond. I know that God created me for him, planting the divine calling in my heart and providing me with the fertile soil of his Church. I trust that the humble fruits that I bear will help his mission and bring new seeds for expanding his kingdom.
Rojas, 48, is a parishioner of Holy Name of Jesus in Medina, where he leads a parish small group in Spanish. He has also served at St. George in Long Lake and currently serves with his wife at St. Odilia in Shoreview. They have three daughters.
“Why I am Catholic” is an ongoing series in The Catholic Spirit. Want to share why you’re Catholic? Submit your story in 300-500 words to CatholicSpirit@archspm.org with “Why I Am Catholic” in the subject line.
