In order to accept the Catholic Faith as the one true Faith, one must believe that Jesus Christ is God.  If Jesus Christ is not God, then there is no compelling reason to devote your whole life to following him and the Church he founded.  C.S. Lewis once said that Jesus was either a lunatic, a liar, or the Lord. The reality of Jesus forces us all to make a decision about who he is.

“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse.” (Mere Christianity)

Once you have heard the message of Jesus Christ, the first step is to accept it, repent of your sins, and have faith in Jesus Christ for your salvation. God loves you and wants to save you. We must cooperate with His grace. Go to Jesus in prayer anytime and talk to Him. He hears you!

After a large group of Jews heard St. Peter preach the Gospel message, 3,000 of them accepted Jesus Christ as the Messiah and asked Peter what they should do next. Peter said, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Then in response to the favor they had received, “they held steadfastly to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of the bread and to the prayers.” (Acts 2:38, 42)

Just as the 3,000 Jews realized, after you accept Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, there is more to do than just believe in him.  You must reorder your life according to the truth of God.  This means making a commitment to daily prayer and obeying the Ten Commandments and all other Catholic moral teaching.  God has given us instructions on how to live our lives, not because he wants to restrict our freedom and make us miserable, but because as our Maker, he knows what attitudes, behaviors, and relationships will bring us the most joy in this life and the next.

Jesus said, “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 16:24-25) Becoming Catholic is to accept the truth of God instead of the lies of the sinful world. St. Paul says that disciples must not be “conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2)

Although giving up our selfish, sinful habits is difficult, the fruits of choosing to lay down our lives and become followers of Jesus Christ are attractive. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” (Galatians 5:23) St. Augustine, once a follower of all the temptations the world had to offer, finally realized that nothing he sought after in the world would give him peace. Even indulging in all the pleasures of the world, he was ultimately left empty. He found that “our hearts are restless until they rest in” the Lord. His Confessions is one of the timeless classics of Christian literature.

This third step involves finding a Catholic parish and telling the pastor or his staff that you have accepted the Good News of Jesus Christ and want to become a Catholic, or that you want to learn more about Jesus and Catholicism.  You will begin a process called RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults). RCIA is a continuation of your journey of discovering and embracing the truth and beauty of Catholicism and prepares you to become a full member of the Catholic Church by receiving the three Sacraments of Initiation.

Important Note: You can still join RCIA without having decided to become a Catholic. The entire first period of the RCIA process is dedicated to evangelization, to answering your questions about the Catholic faith, and to helping you reach a decision about becoming Catholic. At no time during RCIA will anyone try to force you to continue your journey into the Church.

This is a time to ask questions and get answers. The basic message of the Christian faith will be shared with you, and you will have the opportunity to bring up any concerns.

During this simple rite, you are welcomed by the Christian community. Those who are not baptized will be enrolled into the “Order of Catechumens.”

You will study an overview of the Catholic Faith.  You will learn a lot about the Bible, the Church, the history of the Christian faith, and what Catholics believe.  During this period, you will also start to develop or further develop your prayer life.

This is the second rite occurring in the church in the presence of the congregation. Those who are not baptized have their names signed in the Book of the Elect. (Revelation 20:15) Everyone is called to continue their journey to the sacraments.

This is a time of prayer and conversion when you will continue to learn to turn away from sin and live a life according to the Gospel.

Finally you will be initiated into the life and family of the Church through the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist, usually occurring the evening before Easter at a special Liturgy called the Easter Vigil.

The first year as a new Catholic is called your neophyte year. It is a year during which the Church is called to help you enter fully into the life of the Church and continue to show great care for your spiritual development and nourishment.