Why I wanted to be Catholic?

Meet Brandee! A young girl who has been called by God to the Catholic faith.



She is what I think of as part of the youth movement in the Catholic Church. "Why Catholic? Why not Protestant or Baptist?"

As Brandee says in this video she wanted a deeper relationship with God than what she had found in other Christian denominations. She describes her love for the saints and how she wanted to be like them.

I love her enthusiasm for the Church. I think many "cradle Catholics" take for granted the beauty of the Church. They have been Catholic all their lives and have lost the thrill of the faith. Or they have not explored their faith deeply enough to realize all the treasures that are available within the Church.

Learning about the saints is a wonderful way to discover how God wants us to worship him. In another video Brandee mentions that the EWTN show "Super Saints" by Bob and Penny Lord is one of her favorite shows. It seems like a miracle that the stories of saints that lived hundreds of years ago could have an impact on a young girl that is – like all of us – surrounded by the clutter of messages that emanate from our modern culture. (BTW, I'm also a fan of "Super Saints". And I was thrilled the other day when I found out that Bob and Penny are followers of PublicVigil on Twitter.)

To me the Catholic Church is the fullness of the Christian faith. Protestants tend to emphasize one aspect or another of Christianity. This is very good as far as it goes, but it is like watching a cartoon version of the Gospel. In contrast, the Catholic Church has the intellectual depth of 2000 years of exploring the faith. It has the deep spirituality of the mystical saints like Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross.  It has the ultimate sacrifice of the martyrs through the ages, and across the globe.

All of this is reflected in the mystery of the Mass and in the splendor of the Vatican. It is also a part of the heritage of the various orders of priests and nuns. Brandee reveals to us at the end of the video that she hears God calling her to become a Carmelite nun. She is very fortunate to hear this calling at so young an age. She reminds me a little of Saint Faustina – a simple young girl with a deep spirituality and a great love for the Church who gave the world the devotion to the Divine Mercy. Brandee, if you read this, I highly recommend the Diary of Saint Faustina.

At that moment, the light of God penetrated my being, and I felt that I was Gods’ exclusive property; and I experienced the greatest spiritual freedom, of which I had had no previous idea. And at the same time, I saw the glory of the Divine Mercy and an infinite multitude of souls who were praising His goodness. My soul was completely drowned in God, and I heard the words, You are My well-beloved daughter. The vivid presence of God continued throughout the whole day.
 – From the Diary of St. Faustina (section 1681)

God bless you, beloved Brandee.

Here is another video that Brandee made titled "6 Reasons to Become a Carmelite, According to St. Teresa of the Andes".

St. Teresa of the Andes