EDITORIAL: Newcomers’ enthusiasm can spur the faithful

CatholicAnchor.org
Most Alaskans have entertained a visitor for a few days, venturing out to hike, fish, camp, canoe and visit places we’ve long neglected. The outsider’s enthusiasm spurs us to take a second look at this great land we call home.

In some ways Alaska is a bit like Catholicism — vast, filled with the grandeur of the Creator and full of mysteries and the promise of life-changing adventures. But we have to get out there and explore the landscape in order to tap into these inexhaustible treasures.

For those who’ve been in the church a while, the upcoming Easter vigil is a chance to welcome enthusiastic newcomers and revisit our ancient faith.

At this year’s Easter vigil Mass 61 adults and 22 older children from across the Anchorage Archdiocese will change the course of their lives by affirming that they “believe and profess all that the holy Catholic Church believes, teaches, and proclaims to be revealed by God.”

Such a statement can only be honestly uttered on the firm conviction that Christ has established the Catholic Church and bestowed spiritual authority to his Apostles and their successors to guide the faithful through the ages so that people might come to know and love God.

This truth compels men and women to embark on a new journey. The influx of converts this Easter serves as a reminder that being Catholic is both a matter of belief and practice. Following the Lord is not merely an idea or philosophical system — it involves the act of faithfully exploring and practicing one’s faith.

Many Catholic converts (this writer included), are drawn to what they perceived as the “fullness” of Christian faith contained in the Catholic Church.

We have the mystery of God’s presence through the sacraments, we emulate and venerate the great saints who have come before and who now pray for us, we have access to daily prayers and devotions, annual seasons of fasting and feasting and unrivaled holy spaces — cathedrals, monasteries, shrines and sacred artworks — that serve to draw us further into the mystery of God.

But this sense of a vibrant, living encounter with God is only possible if we actively explore the faith. When we do, Christ elevates our lives into something greater, inspires us to love and forgive in ways that surprise and even unsettle us. Our lives are different when we follow Christ. Our plans change. We end up surrendering old treasures and embracing far greater ones.

For some this means reconciling with family members or tenderly loving and caring for elderly parents or grandparents. Some need to muster the courage to trust God and be open to new life and the possibility of more children. Others may seriously consider a vocation to the priesthood or religious life. And all Catholics are called to frequently go to confession — a beautiful dynamic in which we examine our life, reject vice and turn from sin in reconciling with God.

Being a Catholic is an ongoing journey. Let’s welcome the new members of our spiritual family this Easter and plan some long-delayed adventures.

The writer is editor of the Catholic Anchor, the newspaper and news website of the Archdiocese of Anchorage, Alaska.