Vulgar Faith

How thin is the line between the sacred and the profane? As a convert, I can understand how much of the “extra” of Catholicism – saints, statues, relics, the rosary, holy water, and so on – can appear not just unnecessary but distracting and somewhat vulgar. All we need is faith and our personal relationship to Jesus! ….. a mindset that is not incorrect so much as incomplete because our relationship to all of the “extra” should be Christ-centric. Rod Dreher has interesting thoughts on this. I love the idea, for example, that the Blessed Virgin is important because of her Son, and that He is the reason for her existence and for our life. How to explain this to outsiders? It’s difficult with words and easier with actions of holiness, but much of the objections are understandable. I just hope we stay away from the gaudy and money-grubbing Protestant extremes as much as possible. I think it would be easier than we would like, however, for Catholics to cross the thin line into the profane.