This Christmas Eve, like many other people, I divided my time between my family and my fiancé’s family, and celebrated the occasion in conjunction with their respective traditions. My fiancé and I are both converts to Catholicism (he is in the process of converting), and our parents are Lutheran. My Christmas Eve was spent first spending time with my mother, who is an active Lutheran but at this time celebrates church at home. I then went to a small Lutheran church with my future family-in-law, and later attended St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church’s midnight mass.

There were some stark differences between the Lutheran service and St. Francis’s celebrations, for instance, the former began their meeting with a light-hearted cartoon recounting the Nativity Story, illustrating some of the differences between what is popularly believed, and what may have been reality according to more accurate translations of the Gospels; for example, Jesus may have actually been born in a cave as opposed to a stable. St. Francis began their service with a lengthy proclamation, sung from the lectern by a man with enviable lung capacity, which recounted the highlights of the earth’s history and proclaimed the status of the current administrations of America, Michigan, the Diocese of Lancing, and St. Francis. The commencement styles were only the beginning of the contrast between these two services.

As a converted Catholic, I love the traditions of the Catholic mass that are celebrated all over the world, and have been kept alive and relatively unchanged for many, many years. I love that there is a reason for each minute aspect of the mass, and as a Catholic, we believe that as we celebrate the mass we join with the perpetual worship in Heaven in a unique and sacred way. As a former Protestant, I also have respect for the differences and creativity of each protestant service, like the Christmas Eve gathering at the Lutheran Church, even though now I disagree with a few core theological points that they uphold.

I’ll be honest, though; there were a couple points during the Lutheran celebration where I wanted to roll my eyes. Seriously, I thought, a cartoon? In retrospect, however, I do not believe I reacted with the compassion Jesus called us to as humans. It made me re-think how I am to react to other denominations as a Catholic.

I believe that the Catholic Church is the fullness of the faith, the truth whether I like it or not, and I am not apologizing for it. I feel that Jesus Himself called me there. Believing this, however, does not yield me permission to dismiss non-Catholics or non-Christians as inferior by scorning the way they worship. Although I am called to share with others what I believe, nothing gives me the right to cast aspersions on people who worship in the way they sincerely believe is right. I believe that only God has the power to sense one's sincerity and love for their Maker, and my new found belief in the Catholic faith does not allow me such perception into one’s conscience.

I also don’t want to give the impression that I think that every form of worship is okay. Obviously, I never support ways of worship that harm others in any situation. That being said, those who worship or celebrate anything simply out of convenience, including those within the Catholic Church, out of a “well, I do this because it just feels good and works for my life” attitude is something that I do not condone. I think one’s perusal of spirituality should not be similar to looking for a comfortable shoe. Uggs look great and they feel gloriously fuzzy; they also are excruciatingly expensive and do not have the sole to support those with foot problems. It feels good but it won’t support your arches, and they will eventually hurt. At the same time, looking for a church or a religion for simply a “feel good” effect is not the purpose of religion, and won’t fulfill the true desires of a person’s heart.

I understand that everyone needs a place where they feel loved, supported, and accepted, and I do not by any means want to undermine that imperative human need, but I believe that finding a religion or a way to worship should be in conjunction with finding what they feel is the undeniable truth. The Catholic stance, moreover, is that eternal salvation can certainly be given to those who aren’t Catholic or possibly even Christian, if they follow the pursuit of what is true regardless of how comfortable it seems to them. Therefore, as a Catholic I believe that any non-Catholic can have sincere devotion for God that is just as “good” or true as any Catholic’s, but it will never be my place to judge.

Anna is a contributor for AnnArbor.com's Faith section. You can reach her at Anna.AnnArbor.com@gmail.com.