GK Chesterton famously replied to the question of why he became Catholic, that there are 10,000 reasons to be Catholic and the all boil down to one- it is True. That the Faith is full of feeling- so strong and profound it's beyond words- yet does not base reality on it, is just one of those 10,000 reasons.
Have you ever heard the final words of evening prayer- that last stanza of the Regina Caeli- spoken into the failing light? Perhaps in a stone monastery, with incense wafting upwards, melting into the blue shades of twilight, with the sounds of the choir monks strong and unified? Or perhaps in a tiny apartment, above a busy city street, where the background noise of the city, amplifies, rather than drowns, the silence. Perhaps it's just been one single voice- your own- off key and barely above a whisper, uttering those sacred words.
Regardless of the setting, if you have heard evening prayer being said, you very likely know the feeling that it can invoke. One of intense longing and love for something wholly outside oneself. A feeling which causes the things of the world to grow dim and appear as so much vanity that is quickly passing away.
While this feeling- also known as a consolation- is so sweet and so desired, it is emphatically not the most important thing. What the Church says regarding these feelings or consolations is that neither your salvation nor even the state of your spiritual life depend upon them. The reality lies outside of ourselves. Take as an example the sacrament of baptism. In an adult baptism, the person may or may not 'feel' anything. They may not feel that they have been transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light. But in fact, that is exactly what has happened. It has been effected through the words of the priest and the matter that is being used (e.g. water, sign of the cross).
It's impossible to explain this feeling to those we are trying to evangelize, which is too bad, because if nonbelievers could get just a momentary taste of how it feels to sing those words of love to the Holy Mother of God, the churches would be full to overflowing. But the Holy Spirit can and does send little glimpses, even to the most hardened of hearts.
But the Church in Her divine wisdom does not allow anything to hang on this feeling, and indeed teaches, through many of Her doctors, that only when the feelings disappear can faith, hope and love be tested and be proven true. There are indeed ten thousand reasons to be Catholic and that the Church abounds in such consolations, yet does not make reality contingent upon them, is one them.
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