Sometimes All It Takes is a Basic Explanation

At the pregnancy center on Long Island, where I help out, we try to help the entire person who comes to us, not just hand out baby things.  We explore aspects of their lives such as relationships, housing, jobs, drug, or alcohol use.

We always ask about faith.  Were they raised with any faith? Do they have a particular religion?  Most of the time the response is that yes, they were raised Christian or Catholic, but haven’t gone to church in a long time.  Sometimes we hear, “I go to church once in a while.” A lot of young moms say they’d like to go to church but just don’t have time. The vast majority say they believe in God, and a lot say they pray.

With all the research showing a range of benefits from going to church, it’s one of the best pieces of advice we can offer.

In the past few years, a lot of research has pointed to positive benefits of going to church, and some of them are rather surprising.

In 2007, atheist social psychologist Jonathan Haidt summarized what the research had found on religious participation up to then: “Surveys have long shown that religious believers in the United States are happier, healthier, longer-lived, and more generous to charity and to each other than are secular people.”

Now we have far more research showing numerous positive mental and physical health benefits of churchgoing. In a 2016 USA Today op-ed titled “Religion May Be a Miracle Drug,” Harvard professor Tyler VanderWeele and journalist John Siniff wrote, “If one could conceive of a single elixir to improve the physical and mental health of millions of Americans—at no personal cost—what value would our society place on it?”

Wow!

Among the significant benefits discovered is reducing mortality by 20 percent to 30 percent over a 15-year period.

With rampant depression and suicide today, it’s’ great to share with my clients that those who participate in religious services at least once a week are more optimistic and have lower rates of depression, and are less likely to commit suicide than those who don’t. A major study of U.S. women found that those who attended religious services at least once a week were five times less likely to kill themselves than those who never attended.  Five times less likely is astounding!

Over the years of talking to clients, I’ve tried to explain the reasons why they should consider the Catholic church. Sadly, too many young people today think all religions are about the same, and that the best way to pick one is by seeing what’s nearby and/or where your friends are going.  I’ve had a number of young moms saying the church service they were going to was two hours; I even heard three hours one time. Some protestant churches have just one service on Sunday, and if you miss it, that’s it; there’s no other time to choose from. So I definitely work in the point that the Catholic Mass is generally 45 minutes, and you have numerous Mass times to choose from including Saturday evening.

I’ve found the point made about Jesus Christ establishing the Catholic Church Himself at the Last Supper gets people’s attention. The disciples were the first priests, and Peter, in spite of betraying Jesus three times, was the first Pope. The Catholic Church isn’t perfect, but it is the One True Church, with everything Jesus intended for people to know revealed through it – the “fullness of the faith.”.

I briefly explain how the Protestant churches are not all wrong.  They all have Jesus Christ – the focus of our faith and the One who offers us salvation.  But the Catholic Church was established in the year 33 A.D. by Jesus, and the Protestant religions all broke off from it at a certain time and by a certain person.   I briefly explain the significance of the sacraments.

One fantastic resource is CatholicsComeHome.org. A site that encourages those of other religions who are seeking to learn more about the Catholic faith, they have little cards I order and hand out so people can check out the site later.  There’s a question and answers section, basic truths of our faith, the history and beauty of our faith, as well as dozens of conversion and reversion stories.  Each one is different, with people of all faith backgrounds and none at all describing their unique path to the Church, including the various ‘nudges’ and prompts along the way.

Last week, I had a young mother come in for diapers and a car seat.  She said she had gone to a Christian church a few years ago, but not since then. I said, “Well I’d like to suggest that you look into the Catholic church.

I went into God’s command to keep holy the Sabbath, which is where our weekly Sunday mass commitment comes from; the 45-minute Mass times; and even mentioned “crying” rooms that some parishes have for parents whose children might need to move around or make noise, but while they can see and hear the Mass, no one in the church can hear them,.

With three little boys, she could see how that would make going to church easier for her. But then she surprised me by saying, “My grandmother was Catholic. She took us to Mass when we were little and she wanted us all to stay Catholic but when I was a teenager I had some friends who were going to a non-denominational church so I just started going there. I never asked her why the Catholic church was so important to her.  Now I understand what the difference is.”