I am a Protestant at a Catholic institution.

Most of my friends at this University are Catholic. My girlfriend is Catholic. It seems normal to me.

As a matter of fact, when I was deciding to attend Notre Dame, it did not even cross my mind that there was much of a difference between Protestants and Catholics.

Much to my surprise, I arrived on campus to find that many Catholics consider Protestantism to be some foreign religion.

Over the past two years, I have had multiple people tell me that Catholics have a better chance of getting into heaven than Protestants. I have had Catholics remark that they do not know too much about my "religion."

This is absurd. Statements like these are completely missing the true point of Christianity.

I try to go to the Basilica as often as possible on Sunday mornings. As an Episcopalian, I know the service by heart and feel spiritually satisfied at the end of the worship.

Granted, I do not believe that the Virgin Mary was born without original sin, and I do not pray to the Saints. I do not believe that the Pope is infallible, and I have never been raised to believe in Purgatory or the importance of confession. I do not think that the bread and wine is transformed into the body and blood of Christ during Communion.

But, really, how defining are these dogmatic differences? Is my faith really that different because I do not practice all of the Catholic traditions?

We are all Christians. We all believe in the message of Christ and we all have a faith in the Holy Trinity. We all read and learn from the same Bible.

I have no trouble or qualms with the Catholic traditions. They are important to the Catholic church, and they help people feel a closer connection with God.

I realized after I came here that the rift between the sects of Christianity exist not solely because of the differences in tradition, but more so in the biases that people have towards each other. We too often become caught up in distinctions, and consequently are blinded to the similarities between groups.

We need to appreciate our common ground.

In the spirit of Ash Wednesday, I encourage Protestants and Catholics to put their differences aside and to focus on the true and substantive elements of Christianity.

As Brothers and Sisters in Christ, we need to exemplify the Christian message in our thoughts and in our actions. We need to come together, and abstain from judging others because of dogmatic differences.

Realize the true message of Christ; cherish the similarities between the diverse sects of Christianity. Understand that people come to God in different ways and manners. Despite differences in tradition, the same Christian spirit pulses within the hearts of Catholics and Protestants alike.

We need to hold each other up. We need to walk hand-in-hand in our spiritual journey. We need to come together with respect as one Christian body.

• United by Spirit