Text reproduced with permission of the author https://www.staustinspriory.org/why-church

Why Church?

We all seek meaning in our lives.

We know that a life just seeking our own pleasure is wasted.

There are times in life, whether we have a faith or not,
when we need to come together and find that meaning.
It may be a  time of great happiness, such as the birth of a child,
or a time of great of sadness such as the death of someone we love.
We look for someone to thank,
and someone to be with us in our darkest times.

The place we meet is Church.
The person we meet is Christ.

The Catholic Church teaches that this hunger for meaning and purpose is natural –
we were created by a God who loves us more than we can imagine,
and we were born to know and love him in return.  

The  Gospel according to St John tells us that
“God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not be lost, but may have eternal life.”
This is our faith – that by believing in Jesus Christ, by entering into his life, death and resurrection with the help of the Holy Spirit,
we will be reunited with our Father once again.
Our true home is Heaven – we are away from home, and must find our way back.
It is not an easy way at times – but nothing really worthwhile comes easily.
By coming together in a community of faith, by praying for each other,
supporting each other, we will eventually arrive at our destination
– to be eternally in the presence of the One who has always loved us.

God knows our weakness, and our failings.
But his forgiveness is limitless
– all he wants is for us to turn to him, to allow him to welcome us with open arms.
It is a lifelong endeavour. But don’t let that put you off
– your lifetime is going to pass anyway.
Do something worthwhile with it.
Jesus said “I am the way, the truth and the life
– no-one comes to the Father except through me.”

Let the Catholic faith show you that way.