Since childhood, I have loved the beauty of the Catholic mass and enjoyed choice spiritual experiences kneeling in prayer before the image of Christ crucified and the Altar of the Eucharistic Sacrifice. As a Mormon whose worship tradition eschews high ritual, it is odd that I often feel closer to God within the confines of what many Latter-day Saints still deem to be the territory of the Great and Abominable, than I do in the chapels and temples of the One True Church.
While a friend believes me to be a “closet Catholic” and my former wife has expressed concern that someday I might convert, I’m satisfied with my current position. As I strive to remain faithful to my commitment to Christ and his supernal sacrifice, the instruments I might find along the path of life to make that commitment firm are worthy regardless of where they might be found. In truth, what I suppose to be lacking in Catholic doctrine, I find ennobling in its devotional expression.
I’ve discovered particular strength in the centrality of Christ Jesus in Catholic worship, both in the structure and decoration of the sanctuary and the design and content of the mass itself. The vastness of the worship space, the beauty and tragedy of the icons and glass recounting the Son of God, his ministry and his passion, the mystery of the crucifix and the altar, and the sanctity of the tabernacle which houses Christ’s body and blood awe and inspire.
