Audrey Assad - Mapping the Landscape of Catholic Voices

"Flying in the face of the Protestant faith my family has held for many generations, I crossed the Tiber and became a Roman Catholic during the Easter vigil in the year 2007. To this convert, the Catholic Church presented herself as the answer to many questions that had plagued and rattled me for decades; I wrestled as a Protestant with why, like Bono, I still hadn't found what I was looking for. I set off on a journey to discover the truth and, to my shock and great delight, discovered that Rome was indeed "home."

I did and do take solace in the Church, as a sparrow makes a nest in an old, solid oak; the Church's very age and wisdom speak quietly for themselves, silently drawing in wanderers like me. Jesus loves wanderers and prodigals; and the Church must welcome them with open arms -- in my case, she did, and warmly at that.

I find it beautiful about Catholicism that worship, in her way, is not so much an experience as it is an act of the will; yes, the senses are engaged by the sweet, thick smell of incense at the alter, the soft flickering of candles, the otherworldly melodies of chant; but ultimately, as a Catholic, I go to Mass to worship -- to give Jesus the honor and glory He is worthy of; I go to Mass because I love Him.

I love Pope Benedict XVI particularly because it is the Church's very historicity that he symbolizes. He stands, unmoved, against the tides of post-modernism and materialism that ravage the West, (often) a lone voice in the battle. I admire and respect his staunch willingness to be Catholic -- theologically, intellectually, volitionally, and emotionally Catholic -- in a world where religious freedom and tolerance are preached by many, but where the Catholic voice has for centuries been either stifled or diluted. On the heels of the much-beloved John Paul II, any flimsier man would perhaps have been cowed; but Benedict, speaking with both grace and power, has preached Christ, and Him crucified, as the answer to the questions of every man -- Jew or Greek, Muslim or Hindu, black or white, man and woman.

Many despise his unwillingness to budge from a traditional, conservative position. I, on the other hand, rejoice in it. The Church doesn't need a babysitter or a mentor to sit in the seat of Peter; she needs a man with principles, a man of conviction. Pope Benedict XVI is "being" that for us. Americans in particular, I think (and I am obviously speaking as one), have issues with entitlement. We don't want rules and regulations; we want a pat on the back or the license to do as we please. Thankfully, Benedict is refusing to acquiesce, which in itself reveals his great respect for the dignity of man. He will not water down the message of Christ for the sake of seeker friendliness." -Audrey Assad