What makes Catholicism a happy religion

Religion has not been the center of my being. It was the frame that set the borders of the painting of my life. Religion lingered: It was there but not totally, only to whistle like a whispering wind when everything else fell silent.

I am now 25, and I am still an average Catholic. I cannot answer whether Catholicism is the only true path; whether it affirms or negates the social status quo. Those are above my intellectual pay grade.

I can only attempt to articulate whether Catholicism can offer me a way to genuine happiness; and my experience finds that the road Catholicism follows is indeed a happy one. 

Catholicism is earthly

My religion is a paradox. It seems contradictory, but there’s a thread that connects the sacred and the secular.

What I take pride in Filipino religiosity is that we are a very touchy-feely people. We value our emotions – about what we see, hear, and touch over what we can merely ‘comprehend’.

And isn’t the Christian experience all about the human touch? When Christ was conducting His public ministry, the most important, life-moving things that he did weren’t intellectual disputes with the scholars, although they formed a part of His ministry. But the one thing that moved the whole person into believing in Christ was his touch.

That is perhaps why Catholics are deeply ‘sacramental’ people. In all our religious practices, there is an intimate connection of the sacred (godly, divine) with the profane (earthly objects).

For instance, when I need to concentrate on my prayer, I flick the beads of my rosary in between my fingers. 

Meanwhile, the image of the Black Nazarene, affords us the experience that we can get a glimpse of the divine though seeing, touching, and hearing.

Catholicism is sublime

The mystical experience of the saints contained a lot of allusions to intense bursts of passion. You can Google Bernini’s sculpture of the Ecstasy of Saint Teresa, and gazing at the statue’s facial reaction would confirm this.

It’s interesting to note that ecstasy comes from two Greek words ek and stasis, which in English means to “stand beside oneself.” And why not? Isn’t every mystical experience always an act of getting out of oneself and transcending the earth?

So the next time you fall in love (a mystical moment) and tell your beloved pag kasama kita, nawawala ako sa aking sarili (I feel lost when I’m with you), then you can only imagine what kind of “ecstasy” the saints must have encountered towards the only one who can put our restless heart to rest.

There is room for error

Religion, by its very definition, has to set some bar. Without some requirements, I cannot call myself a Catholic, as much as I cannot call myself a Nora Aunor fan without meeting some commonly agreed-upon standard. But unlike exclusivist groups, my Catholic experience with God is that it meets me half-way. Yes, there’s a finish line in this spiritual marathon, but there’s also a spiritual pit stop.

The word religion comes from the Latin religare which in English means “to bind.” And if someone asked me to personally define religion, I would answer that it is like a rope. It depends on how you use it: Either I could hang myself with it in spiritual neurosis, or hang onto it in moments where I find myself in an existential cliff. 

There’s a paradox about truth setting us free: the closer we are, the freer we become.

There is also room for heroism

Pope Francis’ recent visit to South Korea drew a massive 4 million people. He came to beatify 124 Korean martyrs who died for their faith. Now, contrary to popular belief, martyrs are not a masochistic lot.

I don’t know why Filipinos have come to describe their psychotic ex’s as martir because the word originally means to witness. By ‘witnessing’, martyrs preferred death over rejecting their faith. Choosing the axe, the cross, or the bullet over their lives is the martyr’s strongest way of saying: “Hey, I have found a greater reality than this present world, so much so that I would rather be killed than to deny what I have seen.” 

Being a Catholic follows stages.  Before the names of saints Augustine, Ignatius of Loyola, and Francis became synonymous with holiness, these guys were all babaero (womanizers). Augustine bore an child. Ignatius of Loyola was vain, and Francis, I don’t even know where to begin. And a myriad of saints in the Church’s 2000-year history dealt with various limitations. But at some point in their lives, they were moved to do something greater and be greater than their limitations.  

There is something wrong with acting like a saint, and admittedly, that’s where 100% of all church scandals begin. But there is nothing wrong with wanting to be a saint, it is even a commandment. And even though I’m still in the babaero stage, I, too, have the audacity to hope.

Every sinner has a future

To be honest, I envy people who belong to other Christian denominations. The INC (Iglesia ni Kristo), for instance, are so disciplined. The Evangelicals are so adept at memorizing bible verses, and the Pentecostals are always moved to tears. Me? A lot of times I sleep during the sermon, or hang out at the fish ball stand by the church.

But why do I still pray? I can pick a myriad of reasons to throw away religion: church politics, Richard Dawkins, tight schedule, you name it. But the reason is that at the hour my death, I wager that my Catholicism still makes sense.

My logical approach to faith begins at my own imperfection. Precisely because I have not, and cannot figure out everything in the universe in my life, I find it more reasonable to believe in a faith that proclaims the promise of never ending happiness, even though following that road is the most difficult. – Rappler.com

Francis Pacheco is a resident of Metro Manila and an alumnus of Colegio San Agustin, Makati. He believes that consolation is found nowhere else but in being attentive to wisdom. 

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